Cat Fashion Show

Yes, you read the title right.  

I gotta be honest, I had this event really built up in my mind.  I pictured a long white runway where the cats would strut their stuff and do a little turn on the catwalk, yeah on the catwalk, do a little turn on the catwalk.  There'd be some Kylie Minogue playing in the background, some strobe lights, maybe some glitter, a unicorn....I guess I'll have to plan next year's event.

As some of you may know, I have a prize winning Siamese cat.  My beloved Chocolate Gloves was selected to appear in the show.  Unfortunately, she only wears Versace and as they weren't being represented, she decided not to appear.  

Anyways here are some memories from the show.

DLS Exercise 1

My first exercise consists of 3 tasks.  The first task was to put 5 items 3-4" apart and adjust my aperture to get used to the different depths of field.  All photo's were shot using my Nikon D300 equipped with a Nikon VR 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G lens.

I quite liked this exercise, it really highlights the differences in aperture settings.  Once I got to around F/11 or so, I started to notice camera blur if I wasn't careful.  I didn't want to have to adjust my ISO setting, so I used the table top and the back of my hand to steady the camera.  The pictures to the left are taken at F/3.5, F/11, and F/22.  I'll upload them in that order, but there's no telling how they'll display.

Task 2 involved selecting a straight edge item (fence, etc) and taking 3 pictures with distinctly different focal points.  I tried this using a wall with 3 different doors in it.  And....my pictures suck.  I don't see any differences between them.  I need to keep working on this task.

Task 3 was to gather items and make a "still life" pictures.  We were to adjust camera settings for proper exposure.  Unfortunately, the resulting pictures were less than stellar.  Another one to keep working on...

Sometimes I find myself trying to be to creative with what I'm taking pictures of.  This causes unneeded stress and then I panic and end up killing the picture bunnies by petting them to hard (George? Can I pet da bunnies George?).  What I've come to realize is that (for now at least) creativity doesn't really matter.  What I need to do is just keep clicking away.  If I pay attention to the technical side, my photo's will get better and that will eventually free up my creative juices and then watch out baby! cause I'll have creative juices all over my photo's!

Edmonton Motorcycle show continued...

Not sure how I get more than 1 photo in blog post without the formatting going all screwy.  Here are some more photo's from the show.

Edmonton Motorcycle Show

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Edmonton Motorcycle show.  I am contemplating getting a bike this summer and this has been my first real chance to "test sit" and compare bikes.  Plus since I'm taking a photography course, this would be a good chance to practice shooting.  

It was an interesting experience...turns out I was more interested in the bikes than I was in taking pictures.  I made the mistake of only bringing my fixed 50mm lens.  I really could have used a shorter lens because every time I set up for a shot, some yahoo would wander into the frame and I ended up with a ton of pictures of middle aged men's butts (and for the record, that's not my preferred subject to shoot).

I was able to get some quick photo's of some of the more interesting paint jobs and I got a bit of practice with my Aperture setting, so not a total loss.

So....

So.... In an effort to make myself more interesting, I've started taking a photography course.  My fantastic instructor, Hope, suggested that we students start blogs to share photo's and get feedback. 

I've called my blog "Snake Mittens" because if you are looking for serious and compelling thoughts and ideas, you've come to the wrong place.  This blog isn't for discussing possible exit strategies for Iraq or for sharing my frustrations on the recent placing of my prize-winning Siamese cat Chocolate Gloves (she sooo deserved Best in Show...)

Now about the "feedback" on my photo's - please keep it kind.  I cry easy.  And nothing is more upsetting than a 300 pound man sobbing - come to think of it, that would make a funny photo.  Anyways, I digress.  My goal in taking this course is to try and learn how to make my camera capture some of the weird and beautiful things in my world.  Your thoughts and suggestions on how to achieve my goal are always welcome.