The ruins of Tulum

What a spectacular setting!

Mayan children

We went to a Mayan village, and the children were willing photography models (judging from the amount of traffic going through there, I'm sure they're used to it).

 

 

Cozumel waterfront

We just returned from spending Christmas in Cozumel...here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip! I just love the contrast of light and dark in this one.

More hands

What can I say? I like taking pictures of hands. They're so full  of stories!

Testing out the new lens

I'm in love. Just got my 50 mm. The autofocus is unbelievably noisy, but I love the f/1.8.  Took a bunch of pictures of my students during our winter holidays celebration. The light and depth of field are fabulous!

Let them dance and run away...

I went to my niece's dance recital over the weekend and got to practice taking action shots without a flash. The pictures have a lot of noise in them from the high ISO, but turned out better than I expected!

 

Indira the wonderdog

My beloved dog--and one of my favorite photographic subjects--died on November 6 after battling an extremely aggressive tumor. I miss her every day, but am so glad I have so many wonderful pictures to remember her by.

Rest in peace, Indira.

 

 

Playing with Photoshop

I was looking for candle clip art to go on some invitations I was making, but didn't like anything I found. So I took some pictures of a candle, messed around in Photoshop and voila! Here's my "art."

Happy Halloween

Taking precautions too far? I think not!

We didn't drink 'em

This picture was taken by my husband. It needs no explanation, really.

The quintessential Vegas moment

So, the quintessential Vegas moment would probably actually involve drunk people doing outrageously stupid things, but this is a close second. A second couple was just arriving as we left.

Hoover dam

The art at Hoover Dam had that Art Deco feel to it.

Vegas, baby!

My lack of pictures lately has been really bugging me, but I've barely had time to breathe this past month, let alone do novel things like pursue hobbies. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, though, so we're heading off to Vegas this weekend. I promise to post pictures next week! I'm sure Elvis will somehow be involved...

A trip through time...

We went to the Shrewsbury Faire today and had so much fun! I absolutely loved the jousting. The best part is that all the horses are rescues! :)

Night Glow

I went to the Art and Air Festival tonight. Watching the process of how to get a hot air balloon up was really fascinating. First they blow air into the balloon. When it is pretty full and begins to swell upwards, they do this:

I was lucky enough to get this shot of a balloon and the moon...

The best part of the night, however, was when all six balloons lit up at the same time. So cool!

Zoo shots

We went to the zoo today. Most of the animals were hanging out with their backs to the people (I'd probably do the same if I was them), but I did manage to get a few decent shots.

A Myanmar sun bear (check out the front claws):


A baby elephant decided to try sitting on a log:

Zebra:
The mighty tiger:

I picked up a hot guy at the park today...

Okay, so really I dragged my husband along with me again. But he's a good sport, and I love this picture of him!

Berries

These berries were giving me fits because they are white, but the setting sun was giving them a nice yellow glow. Thank goodness for color correction! :D

Step ladder

Loved the "step ladder" effect of these flowers...wish I had taken a picture with more depth of field, as well, so I could compare the two...oops!

More farm pics...

I've been out to the farm a lot lately. I'm a little tired of taking pictures of sheep and goats, but I never get tired of taking pictures of JR (the donkey). What a ham!

This time I got to get up close and personal with the horses. I was a little nervous when they started crowding around me for treats. I was more worried about my camera, though, than anything they might do to me! :D

Lunch

Just got back from the kids' camp at the farm. Here's my favorite shot of the day:

There's going to be a lot of cute kitten pictures...

I've just discovered how wonderful levels can be in Photoshop. This photo was very yellow before and now it's not. Sweet!

Why we need air conditioning...

We got a kitten!

Meet Samir:

It's not just people...

I couldn't resist sharing this shot. Apparently people aren't the only ones that stick their tongues out at cameras! :D

Mufasa

Don't let the regal look fool you...he's just eyeing the camera and wondering if it's edible.

The offering

Somebody got left out!

Donkey Otye

Went to the farm today to help out and take pictures...

James meets a butterfly

The butterfly pictures may not have turned out so well, but the ones of my husband were great! :)

You'll notice he's wearing his White Sox shirt to celebrate the perfect game their pitcher pitched yesterday...

Wings of Wonder

We went to Wings of Wonder (a butterfly garden) today so I could practice taking pictures. Here is what I learned: do not use a telephoto lens for macro shots! (Why do I suddenly here the "chi-ching" of a cash register in my head?) To compound the problem, we were inside a greenhouse which meant low light, so I ended up with a ton of blurry butterflies. Grr, argh! Well, at least I now know what I did wrong and will get better pictures next time, right? Here's one of the few decent ones (a little soft on the wings, but not too bad overall, I think?)...

A thousand stories...

I think I took about 30 pictures of this tree. The lighting was terrible, but I couldn't let it go! :)

Silver Falls

We went up to Silver Falls today to do some hiking (and picture taking). I took a ton of pictures (of course). This shot of the South Falls probably isn't my best, technically-speaking, but I kind of like how the falls aren't the focus...

A little bit of blowout at the top of the falls, but there was no avoiding it as it was noon! I guess that just means we'll have to go back! :D

One of the old Boise-Cascade buildings

So they're tearing down the eyesore that was Boise-Cascade, but I just had to take some pictures before it goes away completely.

Indira the wonderdog

Love this shot of Indira! She makes such a good model. :)

Railroad Crossing

The fisherman

Butterfly in our yard