Trying to get caught up on NaBloPoMo posts today. I’m combining two in one with this pic to show “Far” and “Filter Me This.”
This glass block wall flanking one side of the sidewalk with trees on the other side seems to go on forever! Used the VSCOCam Sepia filter.
What kind of filters have you used? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
Ever photograph a subject without their knowing? I certainly have. It’s called “getting a candid shot,” and can result in the most honest photos of people, catching them off-guard and natural. No hammy poses, no cheesy grins.
I recently got this shot:
What a fun outfit, and you can’t tell me he wasn’t looking for attention and begging to be photographed wearing this!
What candid shots have you captured lately? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
They say good things come in threes. Well, my husband is the middle boy of three, there’s the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs and here’s a nice trio of soft lights.
What have you noticed in threes? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
Quick post for NaBloPoMo- my Energy:
Not the most original, but this was when I was first learning how to use my iPad and Instagram. Early morning breakfast shot!
What gives you energy? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
I was about to pop down into the BART station to go home for the day when this shot caught my eye. There was no way I was going home without taking a photo!
The City Hall Building at the San Francisco Civic Center looked so ethereal, peeking out from above and behind the trees. The sunset light was just gorgeous!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
A little behind again on NaBloPoMo. The photo topic of “Your Style” can mean a lot of different things. The first thing that comes to mind is fashion style. But since I just did a post on that a couple of days ago, I tried to think beyond the obvious.
Then I thought “How about photographic style?” since it was the photographic theme. I happen to be taking a SkillShare course on finding my Instagram style, called “Make the Most of Instagram: Build Your Brand.” If you’re interested in finding out more about Skillshare or the course, click here to get a free month.
The project is to curate 9 photos ONLY from your Instagram feed that represents “Your Brand.” While I still shoot whatever catches my eye, I have been more cognizant of what I put up and being extremely careful with editing and preparing photos for presentation. Here is one of my favorites.
Those are not Vermeer paintings on the wall behind the line of patrons. They are framed photographs of Assyrian refugee women, taken, I think, in a refugee camp in Turkey. The portraits are very noble, and I was immediately struck by the chiaroscuro of the lighting. I loved the juxtaposition of the people waiting in line with the portraits. I couldn’t resist taking a pic!
I’m still working on curating the 9. As I shoot more photos I will find my “voice.” I used to think I liked taking portraits, but since I started with Instagram, I find myself drawn more to patterns and architecture. I’ll keep shooting and posting for a while longer before posting my final 9 for the class.
What’s your style? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
*Disclaimer: Please note the link to Skillshare above will generate a credit for both of us as a reward for sharing information about Skillshare. I have taken several courses on Skillshare and find their classes to be well done and a great way to learn a new skill.
Today’s NaBloPoMo topic starter is the question: Do you think one side of your face photographs better than another? My answer is a resounding yes! About 15 years ago, I started noticing that in some photos, one of my eyes looked “wonky.” When holding a pose for the camera, we all tend to “freeze” and try not to blink before the shutter goes off so we don’t wind up with pictures with our eyes closed. But I noticed one eye consistently seemed to be too wide open and thus “wonky.”
Even my sister asked what was going on. “You don’t look like that,” she said. So I tried not holding my eyes so wide open for a while. This didn’t work so well either, as it resulted in photos where I clearly looked self-conscious or my eyes just looked wonky in a different way.
Flash forward a few years, and I was finally getting married. There would be lots of pictures taken that day, and several wedding sites had articles advising practicing poses for the big day. So I did just that, checking out which angles, head tilts, smiles, etc worked best. It was one less thing to worry about, I felt much more at ease, and most of my photos come out great. Knowing how to pose also came in handy when shortly after, I had my first-ever photoshoot for my women’s performance dance group. The photo in my “About” section is one of the photos from that session, as is my sidebar intro and avatar photo.
So the answer to “Do you think one side of your face photographs better than another?” is…drumroll please…my left side.
Which side is your best side? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Ciao! Paula
A while back, I first posted about my rock climbing passion here. Since then, I had a birthday and realized “I ain’t gettin’ no youngah.” After climbing for over 10 years and admittedly being too chicken to get into lead climbing before, something just clicked when I hit a certain double digit number, and I thought, “It’s now or never.” Rock climbing can be a grueling sport, and it only gets harder as you get older. So I finally decided to take a lead climbing class and work on getting certified to lead climb in the next few months.
Starting a climb at Cragmont Park in Berkeley.
Hello World! It has been some time since my last post. House buying, moving in and setting up a new home, and life getting in the way! Finally, getting back, and as an additional incentive, the NaBloPoMo for May involves photography. I have loved photography from an early age and miss being in the darkroom, winding a spool of B&W film and developing it; making my own prints. But I am slowly getting to know my iPhone, the various apps for editing photos taken with it, and learning how to use Instagram.
So the first topic for NaBloPoMo May is “You” and “Selfies.” Me, I’m not a big selfie fan. At least not yet. I haven’t practiced enough to really know. But I’m at a disadvantage right off the bat because I’m not tall. Which means I don’t have long arms. Which makes it a lot more difficult to put the phone a good distance or angle to take a decent photo of yourself. I’ve been looking into selfie sticks and remote/tripod setups for the iPhone.
In the meantime, I did need some photos of myself last week to submit styling ideas for the “How I Wear My…” feature of Adrienne Shubin’s blog The Rich Life on a Budget. This month’s theme is White Jeans. I’ve styled my white jeans with flats and heels. These were selfies taken with a regular point-and-shoot using the camera’s self-timer and a tripod.
1) With Cricket-style H&M sweater, Coach sneakers and H&M straw hat.
H&M Cricket style sweater, Gap straight cut slim fit white jeans, Coach kicks.
