Going Home / Project 52 ~ Week 15

  Hello.  It's been awhile!! I've got lots of weeks to catch-up...and hopefully can get back on-track this week {fingers crossed}.

  During Week 15, I traveled back home to St. Louis with my little ones.  We enjoyed a much overdue visit with our families.  We planned activities for each day, including the zoo, butterfly house, Botanical Gardens and a few more.  Going home provided a much needed change of pace and a fresh perspective that was very necessary.  I believe it's very important to kick-start your creativity each year with a new environment and/or new scenes.

  I chose the image below for Week 15:

"Tropical Orange n.1"
{Captured:  50mm, ISO 400, 1/500, F3.2}

  This image contains some of my favorite colors, combined: oranges, yellows and pinks!  We were indoors in a tropical plant exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens {enjoying some warmth on a cool spring morning}.  This bloom seemed to 'scream' compared to the lush greens in the other displays.  I photographed a few more plants and blooms in this area, but this one was by far one of my favorites.

  All images from the trip have been added in the "Coming Soon" folder on the Facebook page, stop by if you get a chance.

  [Hopefully] coming soon...weeks 16, 17, 18 and more!  Have a lovely week!
--Jennifer

Fluffy & Furry / Project 52 ~ Week 14

  Hello, again!

...I'm playing catch-up, and may be doing this for a few days.  Last weekend we embarked upon a 14 hour car trip back to visit family {and have a much overdue vacation} in St. Louis, MO.  We've survived our return trip, and still have tons to put away and clean-up.   After reviewing the images I've captured since April 1st, I realized, I have a few hundred to edit!  I always dread falling behind in editing....hopefully I'll survive today's partial review...maybe 3 days worth??

  This post was meant for last week, Week 14.  I couldn't help but catch a quick {but adorable} image of this SWEET baby wild rabbit.  She was rescued a few days prior and was quite timid, but as of last check was warming up and eating well.  Her dark, rich and multi-colored fur was simply beautiful against the bright green leaves and dull silver metal bucket.

Project 52 - Week 14 / "Spring Bunny n.1"
{Captured:  50mm, ISO 100, 1/200, F3.2}

  It was late afternoon, so there was spotted setting sunshine.  I kept the ISO at 100 and lowered the shutter speed - enjoying the result of deep shadowed areas surrounding the fluffy model.  I did set the aperture at 3.2 for capturing good details in the lovely patterns of her fur.

  Fingers crossed for an easy week back from vacation...and that I get caught up with a seemingly amount of editing.  Hope everyone has a super week!
-Jennifer

Walking About / Project 52 - Week 13

Good Evening!

  Quick {and late} post this week...for a few reasons.
1. I worked over 2 weeks straight...and by last week was incredibly exhausted.
2. Celebrating a wonderful 3rd Birthday for my youngest this weekend.
3. Preparing for an upcoming trip back to St. Louis...and am no where near ready.
...Did I mention that I'm exhausted? ;)

  That being said, I've found that being rushed, tired, distracted and busy have resulted not feeling very focused on performing my normal routine to capture a new image.   Instead, I've chosen a photo this week captured with my iPhone.  Normally I will never do this...mainly because I'm not a fan of not having control over my images...but I just did not get out this week with my camera.

  This week's image was captured during a {very quick} walk about on the nearby streets with my daughters.  It was warm, quiet and nearly dark.  This scene of the tall trees reflecting in the standing water  was very serene, with only a hint of the sunset remaining.

Project 52 ~ Week 13
{Captured: iPhone photo}

  Sometimes, I find it a bit easier to carry a phone,  rather than the bulky camera on these evening walks ... it sure makes it easier to keep up with the little ones!  But, I know that if I had taken this same image with my 50mm and camera, I could have brought in quite a bit more of the remaining sunset and even some greater detail of the reflection.
 
  There are a few new blooms appearing in the local gardens and I really hope the weather stays fair this week...fingers crossed!

  Hope everyone is enjoying some spring-time weather!
--Jennifer

Sunshine and Webs / Project 52 ~ Week 12

  Well...today's post is very late.  I've been trying to edit lots of images when time permitted and am just now finishing.  This week has been up and down.  Lots of rain, lots of sunshine, some more rain, warm temperatures, even more rain, some hail...and I think it's raining again!  The plants are growing everyday - it's a beautiful sight to see.  The azaleas are in full bloom, dazzling local gardens with a variety of pinks, purples and white.  The wisteria is fully bloomed in lovely shades of lilac purples, draping the treetops of wooded areas.  In less words, it's gorgeous around here again.  Fall and Winter look to be seasons of the past and Spring is here to stay!

  On Friday morning, in early sunlight, I walked my yard to check on plant growth.  It had rained fairly heavily the evening before, and the lawn, plants and trees were still covered in heavy dew drops.  I noticed a lot of "sparkling" areas dotting my back gardens and low branches.  When I got closer I discovered these were spider webs.  Now, I'm not too fond of spiders {at all}, but I couldn't walk away without capturing this lovely image.  Each piece of the web was covered in very tiny dew drops, each reflecting the early sunlight in a spectacular display.  I chose this image for Week 12:

{Project 52 / Week 12 - "Glittered Web n.4"}
{Captured: 50mm - ISO 250 - F5.0 - 1/125}

  I chose to apply a black and white finish to this image as I found the bright green and light browns of the background to be a bit distracting.  I wanted lots of detail, so the aperture was set to 5.0.  I loved the final look of several images from this web.  If you get a chance this week, stop by on Facebook in the Coming Soon folder to see other images captured from this morning walk.

Hope everyone has a beautiful week!
--Jennifer

Garden Days / Project 52 - Week 11

  Good Afternoon!!
  There's been a change in recent weather this week.  Instead of rainy, windy and chilly days...there's been sunshine and warm weather!  We've been spending lots of time tidying up the yard.  It's been a chore, but has been so nice at the same time.  Our gardens are beginning to show lots of new growth and even some blooms!
  Yesterday, my youngest and I were continuing to clean-up our back garden.  {insert a LOUD shriek!}  She was so surprised to find a small friend...and we chased him for quite some time {so we could see him hop, of course}.  This week's image is a memory of this fun discovery:

"In The Garden n.3" / Project 52 - Week 11
{Captured:  50mm - ISO 100 - F3.5 - 1/1000}

  I wanted to make sure that the subject was very detailed, so I set my aperture at 3.5 and a faster shutter speed since there was frequent movement.  The light pastels of the pebbles, provided a nice contrast to the dark and rich browns.  My favorite part, was the "frown".
  It's a bit different for me to move from landscape and flower shots, but we sure had fun chasing this little guy around the garden!

Hope everyone has an amazing week!
--Jennifer

Pine Trees and Shadows / Project 52 ~ Week 10

  Good Morning!  Just a note...it'll be quick post this week.  The weather and sunshine have been amazing this weekend and I've got a few different flowers that I'd like to photograph today before sunset...so I must stay focused!

  Yesterday we were out and about, before sunset, thoroughly enjoying the amazing sunshine.  On our walk, I captured this week's image:

Project 52 / Week 10:  "Sunny Shadows n.1"
{Captured:  50mm - ISO 160 - F5.6 - 1/400}

  I was in love with the hazy golden sunshine casting long shadows in the row of pine trees.  The bright afternoon sunlight created a wonderful pattern of light and dark spaces.  The whole scene yesterday reminded me of a late summer day...and hopefully these days are just around the corner!

  Hope you have a lovely week ahead!
--Jennifer

Unique Beauty / Project 52 ~ Week 9

 Happy Weekend!!

  I was so excited to receive a wonderful surprise this week...two lovely bouquets of ranunculus flowers!!  I've {really, really} wanted to photograph these intriguing flowers for some time.  These blooms were the miniature type and each bouquet was full of incredible color {reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and purples}.  

  

  On Friday, I separated some of the pinks, purples and oranges and set to work on capturing some long overdue images.  I love how the stems wind and curve, each petal with light textures, each bloom unique and at a different stage.  I decided to group my images by flower color to obtain a more uniform view.  This week's image:

Project 52 - Week 9 / "Purple Ranunculus n.1"
{Captured:  ISO160 - F2.0 - 1/80}

  The richly deep purple petals, with a light texture and haze definitely made this image the right choice for Week 9.   It was a hard choice though, because the orange and pink ranunculus images were equally beautiful.  If you get a chance this week, stop by the Facebook page to see additional images in the Coming Soon folder.

  I'm looking at this rainbow of flowers this morning and they are continuing to change daily.  I'm hoping to get a few more images of the other blooms this week.   I really would love to add a space in our back gardens this year to grow some of these amazing plants, their bright blooming flowers would look great next to the roses and peonies.  

  On a sidenote:  Spring is nearing everyday, I've noticed our tulips are growing and I can't wait to capture some images of these, hopefully soon!

Hope your week is amazing!!

-Jennifer