Glowing Rose

Day 58: Glowing Rose, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Make a photograph of something that is glowing today. Use any meaning of the word you like. My photo features a rose that one of my daughter's gave to me as a Christmas present a few years ago. It has a light in it that causes the rose to light up in different colors.

Date Taken: February 27, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Coppélia Rehearsal

Day 57: Coppélia Rehearsal, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Saturdays between now and June will mean rehearsals for my daughter for the California Dance Academy Spring Recital. This photo is six of the twelve dancers who will be performing Waltz of the Hours from the ballet, Coppélia. The number will be performed en pointe but today was practiced in regular ballet shoes.

Date Taken: February 26, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/2.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back blinds.

Day 56: Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back blinds., originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Make a photograph featuring strong horizontal lines today.

If I had brought my camera to school today, I would have taken a picture of the bench outside of my classroom since it's made of horizontal slats. Since I didn't have a camera with me, I took some pictures of the blinds in my bedroom instead.

Date Taken: February 25, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired

Finding My Zen

Day 55: Finding My Zen, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Illustrate your idea of peace and harmony--or maybe just peace and quiet--today with a photograph. This is my attempt at illustrating peace and harmony.

I can often find inner peace and calm through music and this song, Some Good Years, just puts me in a good place. The harmony part? Well, have you heard The Cowsills sing? Definitely harmony!

Date Taken: February 24, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/320
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Learning Coppélia Waltz of the Hours

Day 54: Learning Coppélia Waltz of the Hours, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Rehearsals have started for the Spring show for the dance studio my younger daughter attends. This year the Intermediate and Advanced dancers will be doing excerpts from Coppélia. In addition to having rehearsals on the weekends, the beginning Pointe dancers are rehearsing their piece, Waltz of the Hours, during their Pointe class.

If you're interested in what the dance looks like, you can check it out in this video:


Date Taken: February 23, 2011
Camera : Hipstamatic 201
Flash: No Flash
Software: Roboto Glitter Lens, Ina's 1935 Film, No Flash

Waiting for 5pm

Day 53: Waiting for 5pm, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Make a photograph today that illustrates of the act of waiting. I almost took a picture of the download progress of a PowerPoint I used with my 7th grade class today since waiting for things to download or upload seems to be a way of life for me. But it was no download picture, instead, I took this shot as I waited for 5pm and the time to go pick up my youngest daughter from her rehearsal.

Date Taken: February 22, 2011
Camera : Hipstamatic 201
Flash: No Flash
Software: Roboto Glitter Lens, Ina's 1935 Film, No Flash

IncrediBooth Me

Day 52: IncrediBooth Me, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Who are you? Make a self portrait today and show the rest of us what you look like. Rather than pulling out my 40D, I picked up my iPod Touch and used the IncrediBooth App to snap a few shots.

Date Taken: February 21, 2011
Camera : IncrediBooth

2/3 of the Rhythm Section

Day 51: 2/3 of the Rhythm Section, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Band nights with Bob Cowsill and Friends is always a good time. The band lineup can vary slighly from month to month and this month's band included: Bob Cowsill (guitar & vocals), John Cowsill (drums & vocals), Robby Scharf (bass & vocals) & Timmy Bryson (lead guitar & vocals). The really fun part about band nights is the potential for guest artists to show up and sit in and this month was no exception with: Nelson Bragg helping out on tambourine for most of the night, Rick Rosas sitting in on bass for a few numbers and Vicki Peterson, who happens to be married to John Cowsill, adding vocals to The Boxer.

This photo showcases Robby Scharf and one of the guest artists, Nelson Bragg, who together with John Cowsill were a wonderful rhythm section for the night! The photo is in black & white not only because I like black & white photos but because the lighting is really low at this pub and were very red at the time which doesn't make for the best photos.

Date Taken: February 20, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

If It's Band Night, It Must Be Snakebite Time!

Day 50: If It's Band Night, It Must Be Snakebite Time!, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Once a month, I go to a Bob Cowsill and Friends band night at a local Pub. My drink of choice is a Snakebite. This month it was accompanied with a grilled cheese & tomato sandwich & fries which was just right on a chilly, rainy evening.

Date Taken: February 19, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Lemon Tree

Day 49: Lemon Tree, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

With the Daily Shoot theme of Make a photograph that features the color yellow in some way or another. and a lemon tree in the back yard, I had my subject for the day's photo.

Date Taken: February 18, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/30
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Bob Cowsill & Friends (& Family) at Molly Malones

Day 48: Bob Cowsill & Friends (& Family) at Molly Malones, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

This one is a slight cheat because I did not take this photo today. I took it last night but since I already had a photo for the day at that point, I decided to share this one today anyway.

I have loved The Cowsills since I was 11 or 12 years old. It still amazes me today that I actually know them and that I am the webmaster for their website. Bob Cowsill's son is currently in a band called The Cocanuts and they perform every Wednesday at Molly Malones in Los Angeles.

This week, The Cocanuts billed their show as having a special opening act, The Cowsills. While it wasn't actually The Cowsills, the band did have four members with the last name of Cowsill: Bob Cowsill (guitar & vocals), John Cowsill (drums & vocals), Brendon Cowsill (guitar & vocals) and Ryan Cowsill (keyboards) along with Timmy Bryson (lead guitar & vocals) and Derrick Anderson (bass & vocals).

It was a fun night with great music but man is it dark in there. I shot at 3200ISO wide open at f2.8 with shutter speeds of 1/40 & 1/50 and the shots were still underexposed! I should have put my 85mm1.8 or 50mm1.4 lens on for some shots.

Date Taken: February 16, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 38 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

A Valentines' Rose

Day 47: A Valentines' Rose, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

My husband gave me a dozen roses for Valentines' Day and when I read the Daily Shoot assignment for the day, Make a high key photograph today dominated by bright tones. I decided to use one of the roses for this.

I took a piece of white foam core board outside and set the rose in front of it so it was far enough away to not cast a shadow and took some photos.

Date Taken: February 16, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/250
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 51 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

The Moon on a Cloudy Night

Day 46: Moon on a Cloudy Night, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

As we drove home today after school and my daughter's play rehearsal, my daughter asked if I had taken my photo of the day yet. When hearing that I hadn't, she said I had to take a picture of the moon because it looked so cool with the clouds that were passing by and/or over it.

So, we got home and I took out my camera and took some shots of the moon. It's hard to get a picture of the moon and have the clouds actually show too. I'll need to play with this some more on another day using a lower ISO and a tripod.

Date Taken: February 15, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Graphing Sweethearts

Day 45: Graphing Sweethearts, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

As I was preparing to teach, I looked at the Daily Shoot assignment for the day which was Make a photograph featuring strong vertical lines today.

Aha, I thought, I'm graphing conversation hearts with 2nd & 3rd grades today and their sorting paper has vertical lines - my picture for the day!

Date Taken: February 14, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 1/160
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 42 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

The Story of a Southern California Sky

Day 44: Story of a Southern California Sky, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was: Look up today and make a photograph of the sky. Cloudy, clear, or somewhere in between? Tell the story of your sky today.

The sky above our neighborhood told many stories today from pure clear blue to wispy clouds to heavier and darker clouds to an early rising moon and more in between. I took quite a few photos but picked this one because of the interesting cloud cover at the time.

Date Taken: February 13, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

And here are the other stories of the sky that I captured today:

My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Day 43: My Favorite Pair of Shoes, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

If I had my way, I'd go barefoot or wear flip flops every day. Unfortunately, I can't, so these are my wear them every day shoes. Why? Mainly because they're easy to put on and take off and they're very comfy. As you can tell, I've worn them every day for a long time and they need to be replaced! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find this shoe again and I have bought another similar shoe but it's not as comfy.

I took this photo to help out Brendan with his Big Shoe Project. Why don't you help him out too? Take a picture of your favorite shoes and submit it before Feb 14, 2011!

Date Taken: February 12, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired

What's For Dinner?

Day 42: What's For Dinner?, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Sometimes what’s out of focus can make the shot. Create a photograph today where some/all of your subject isn't in focus. My first thought was too bad I had used Nemo as a subject yesterday. Some of the photos I took would be a good fit for this assignment but I didn't want to take more of Nemo or use a photo from a previous day.

I grabbed my camera and took a shot of what was available which happened to be dinner. We had comfort food: Macaroni and Cheese with the addition of tuna and peas. I think I need to go to the grocery store and restock the cupboards.

Date Taken: February 11, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/50
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Cat Profile

Day 41: Cat Profile, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

It was after dinner and I remembered that I hadn't taken my photo for the day. I checked out The Daily Shoot for inspiration.

Nemo, our cat, was sitting on the back of the chair in the office which he often does when I'm on the computer. I pulled out my camera and took a bunch of photos of him and a few of the iPod chord.

I didn't feel any of these really qualified for the assignment of Change your point of view. Make a photograph from an unusual point of view today. but I liked the rather lion-esque look of Nemo in this one.

Date Taken: February 10, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Bourrées in Pointe Class

Day 40: Bourrées in Pointe Class, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

If it's Wednesday it must be time for my daughter's pointe class. Since I hadn't taken a picture yet today, I took out my iPod Touch and took a few during the class. I didn't have any other camera with me so I took what I could get.

Don't know that a bourrée is? Watch the video below:

Date Taken: February 9, 2011
Camera: Hipstamatic 190
Flash: No Flash
Software: Lucifer VI Lens, BlacKeys B+W Film, No Flash

Preparing for the Day

Day 39: Preparing for the Day, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

The Daily Shoot assignment for the day was We all prepare for things every day. Illustrate preparedness in a photograph today. I read this as I was making my To Do list for the day. Aha, I thought, I need to capture my attempt at preparedness for the day and picked up my camera to take the photo.

Additions were made to this list after the photo was taken and no, it didn't all get done.

Date Taken: February 8, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 44 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

The View from the Computer Lab Door

Day 38: The View from the Computer Lab Door, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Use a window or a door as a frame for your subject today in a photograph. I forgot to put a memory card in my DSLR this morning so I took this shot with my iPod Touch. We have a very pretty campus at school and the view out of the Computer Lab door is very nice.

I also took some shots through the windows at the Ballet Studio tonight during dance class. I liked some of those as well but ended up choosing this as my photo of the day.

Date Taken: February 7, 2011
Camera: Hipstamatic 190
Flash: No Flash
Software: Lucifer VI Lens, Kodot XGrizzled Film, No Flash

San Fernando Valley: Looking Toward Warner Center

Day 37: San Fernando Valley - Warner Center, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

I drove up to the Top of Topanga Overlook today to take some shots of the Valley. I had decided that I wanted to use a shot of the Valley as my picture today or I'm sure I would have gone with this one instead.

I've decided that I need to head back up to the overlook some night after sunset and get the lights of the Valley sometime.

Date Taken: February 6, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/13.0
Focal Length: 56 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Green Abstraction

Day 36: Green Abstraction, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

I headed over to The Daily Shoot and saw that the assignment for the day was Go abstract today and make a photograph that focuses on form and color rather than detail.

Now, I have a problem thinking abstractly. I am way too left-brained. My first attempt at this had me taking pictures of chocolate covered cherries and one of the hipstamatic shots was somewhat abstract and did emphasize a cherry color but I wasn't really thrilled with these.

I happened to glance out the window and notice the fronds on the fan palm under our lemon tree and went to get my camera and try again. I definitely feel that this is more abstract and focuses more on color and the lines of the palm frond.

Date Taken: February 5, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed : 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Want an Orange?

Day 35: Want an Orange?, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

We have an orange tree in our backyard that has a lot of oranges on it. When I saw the Daily Shoot assignment for the day, Create a photo today that gives a sense of depth or dimension, I decided to use some oranges from the tree for this.

This shot probably wasn't the best at illustrating depth or dimension but I liked it so it was my choice from the photos I took.

Come on over & pick some oranges!

Date Taken: February 4, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Looking Upward

Day 34: Looking Upward, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

The Daily Shoot theme for the day was Look upward today. Make a photograph with a low horizon and that emphasizes the sky. Technically this does not qualify because there's no horizon. Use your imagination, if there was a horizon, it would be low and it is looking upward & emphasizing the sky!

Oh, and about the flare, I have to admit that it was added in post processing. I did experiment with lens flare today and some of the photos I took have real flare. I just felt this needed something other than the branch and the blue sky.

Date Taken: February 3, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired

Uprooted by the wind

Day 33: Uprooted by the wind, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was Pretend you're a stringer for your local newspaper today. Make a photo that captures something newsworthy to you. I really didn't think there would be anything truly newsworthy at school - or anything I could post since I can't post pictures of the kids - but I brought my camera anyway.

As I stood in the office for a few minutes, child after child kept coming in telling the secretary that a tree had fallen. It was really windy today and it uprooted one of the pear trees in the courtyard at school. Apparently, pear trees don't have very deep roots. No one was outside when it happened and it didn't do any damage to any of the buildings but it was definitely an attraction all day long!

Date Taken: February 2, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 85mm 1.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Do You Know What I Am?

Day 32: Do You Know What I Am?, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

So, I hadn't taken my photo for the day and didn't want to use Nemo as the subject again (though I know I will in the future) so I decided to take some pictures of one of my favorite things.

It hangs around my neck on a lanyard along with my school keys every school day. There are days I just couldn't teach without it. My younger students think it's really funny and many of them think it's a pen. It's way more reflective than I thought it would be.

Do you know what it is? It's my USB flash drive! I have other flash drives but this is the one I use most of the time because I always know where it is since it's hanging around my neck. That reminds me, time to put it back on the lanyard.

Date Taken: February 1, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 85mm 1.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off