february

today is february first, which means i've completed the first month of my 365 project. i must say, i've really enjoyed learning a bit more about my camera, but i also see exactly how much more i have to figure out! i guess you never really stop learning in any art or craft, though, which is kind of a fun prospect.

this month, i am going to try and remember to pull my camera out in the middle of the day more often. there were more than a few nights where i grabbed for the camera at 11pm, having realized that i didn't yet have a picture for the day. hey, at least i'm learning a bit about low light! plus, i kind of like the grainy, dreamy quality that low light brings...

in focus.

i have decided it is time to start improving my photography skills. i finally read the manual after two years, even learned a few new settings i'd like to try! anyhow, i thought i'd follow the pack and dive into a 365 project. the first of the year seemed like a good place to start, so i snapped this pic of my wee one and her dad. he is simply smitten.

i've started a tumblr blog to track my photos. i'll share a few here if it feels relevant, but i hope you'll head over there to visit sometimes!

dead daffodils

i was gifted these two daffodils by my son a couple months back [so sorry to the poor gardener who was missing a few blooms back in march...] and i had put them into a vase with a little water. they have long since dried up, but i'm reluctant to part with them. i love the way they are all crinkled up and papery. how the stamens are still coated in pollen, perfectly curled and boldly yellow.

i've mentioned my fascination with dead leaves here before, and now here i am ogling dead flowers. the daffodils are the perfect complement to that particular shelf, too, all dressed up in black + white + grey.

i kind of like how this last one turned out, it makes me think of a watercolour painting, softly blurred edges and muted tones. i've been enjoying playing with my camera lately, i'd love to take a class or two, but in the meantime, practice practice practice whenever i can.

something about a leaf

we went for a walk in the woods last weekend, and i found myself strangely fascinated by dead leaves and foliage among the trees + branches. something about the way they were lying there, soaked through and breaking down, draped over a twig or another leaf. so i took some pictures.

perfect fall day

we had a picture perfect fall day here in vancouver yesterday. crisp, sunny, blue sky. autumn leaves in yellow + orange + red + plum. i went for a short walk in the afternoon with my camera in hand. i snapped some shots, but it was so nice just to be out and walking around my neighbourhood, i spent most of the time seeing the world through my own eyes rather than my lens. i thought i'd share a few pics here, anyhow.

derek took the kids to victoria this weekend to visit his parents. it had been a while since our last visit, and i have been so busy lately that it seemed like a good opportunity for me to stay home to catch up and get through the orders i've got lingering around. on that note, i've removed all the custom and made-to-order items from my shop for the week. this should allow me to catch-up, and hopefully add a few new items later this week. i've got a little hallowe'en costume sewing to get finished, too. while it's nice to have this time to work uninterrupted, it's a little still around here, almost too quiet. almost.

autumn colour week :: green garden

snapped this summer in my parents' garden

hydrangea

my mom has always had the most incredible hydrangea bushes. at their last house [the house i grew up in], people would regularly knock on the door to ask if they could snip a few blooms. there were always bright blue, magenta, pale pink, and darkest plum. but this is by far my favourite colour of hydrangea. that crisp chartreuse green just pops next to the mauve. beauty.

please bear with me and my garden tour. i have a few more blossoms to share with you next week, then i promise we'll move on to a new photo subject!

zinnia

and now for a few more pictures from my garden tour at my parents' last week. zinnias, one of my absolute favourites. i have always been a sucker for the bright saturated colours. i've never really taken notice of the buds before, but i'm so fond of the way they unfold. starting off like a mini artichoke, opening up to those bright + bold blooms.

look at the yellow around the centre, it's like hundreds of tiny flowers within a large flower. amazing. and those pollen curlicues, ripe and ready for the bees to do their thing.

love in a mist

i went a little garden crazy the other day at my parents' house. while the kids played in the sprinkler, i puttered around photographing everything in sight. part of my plan for the summer is to get to know my camera a little better, so i tried playing with my settings + macro a bit. it's going to take some time, but my parents' garden is a pretty good place to play. here is a series of shots of my mom's favourite, love-in-a-mist.

normally i'm deathly afraid of spiders, but for some reason daddy long legs don't really bother me. maybe it's the long skinny legs, i'm definitely more afraid of a thick hairy spider leg. even writing that made me shiver. anyhow, i liked how this little guy looked nestled in the equally spindly leaves of the love-in-a-mist.