Who says rehearsals can't be fun?!

Day 64: Who says rehearsals can't be fun?!, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

This time of year Saturdays mean dance rehearsals for my youngest daughter. Today the dancers spent some time practicing a potential move during their rehearsal of the Mazurka. There was a lot of giggling and some clapping and cheering when they mostly succeeded!

Date Taken: March 5, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
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

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

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

Monday Ballet Class

Day 24: Monday Ballet Class, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

As I sat at the ballet studio, waiting for my daughter's ballet class to end, I realized I hadn't taken a photo for the day. I pulled out my iPod Touch and started playing with different lenses and film in the Hipstamatic App.

I liked the candid moment (and the why are you taking my picture look from my daughter) captured in this shot as my daughter and her friend waited their turn to try a combination. I still have trouble with framing in this app and need to research some things to see if I can fix that but it is fun to take pictures using this.

Date Taken: January 24, 2011
Camera: Hipstamatic 185
Software: John S Lens, BlacKeys B+W Film, No Flash

At The Barre

At The Barre, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Mondays mean ballet class for my younger daughter. These always start with exercises at the barre. This shot was edited using a Periwinkle Haze action and the addition of a grunge border.

Date Taken: January 3, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 1/100
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 56 mm
ISO Speed:1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Week 46: Nutcracker Maid

Nutcracker Maid, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

It's almost Nutcracker time for 2009! November 21st was the studio dress rehearsal - yes this means that this week's photo is a Saturday photo and not a Friday photo. My daughter has four roles this year: Russian Corps, Sugarplum Princess, Mouse in the Battle Scene and a Maid in the Party Scene.

Date Taken: November 21, 2009
Date Taken: November 6, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash: On, Fired

There is only one more Saturday at the studio and then we're off to the Madrid Theatre for rehearsals and the performances. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I encourage you to come see the show the first two weekends in December!
And, even though this isn't a Friday photo, I did take all of the photos on this ad at previous Nutcracker performances except for the one of Drosselmeyer, Clara & the Nutcracker. Oh, and the tree isn't mine either.

Week 43: Face of a Zombie Ballerina

Face of a Zombie Ballerina, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

My youngest daughter dressed as a zombie ballerina this year for Halloween. This photo was taken just before going to the Middle School Halloween dance. Her makeup was done by my older daughter.

Photo Taken: October 30, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Exposure Mode: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Flash: On, Fired

And, here's a photo from the actual dance - actually, two photos. I combined a photo of the dance floor with a photo of a sign that was on the wall. It was very difficult to take pictures at the dance due to low, strobe lighting and a fog machine. I kind of like the effect of this photo but don't know if it will be usable for the yearbook.

Week 42: What's the pointe?

What's the pointe?, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

The point is my youngest daughter just went "en pointe" in ballet this week. This has been a goal of hers for a very long time and she's absolutely thrilled that she's made it.

This photo was not taken on Friday but on Wednesday during my daughter's first pointe class. I then added some digital painting effects to the photo in Photoshop.

Date Taken: October 21, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/160
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Exposure Mode: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Flash: Off, Did not fire

And a few more to share ...

During Class


Pointe shoes come in all sizes!


After class - tired with aching feet but oh so happy!

And yes, I missed a few weeks - oops!

Week 35: Happy Birthday E!

Happy Birthday E!, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Seventeen years ago on August 29th 1992 at 07:46am, we welcomed our oldest daughter to the world. She was 19" long and weighed 6lbs 3 ozs. and was almost 5 weeks early.

She amazed me then and continues to amaze me now and I cannot imagine how empty my life would be without her.

This week's photo was taken after my now 17 year old daughter opened the cellphone she wanted for her birthday. Now, if the activation would only kick in I'm sure she'd be ecstatic!

Photo Taken: August 29, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm f1.4
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/2.2
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Manual, Spot Metering, Auto White Balance

Week 30: Pushing Up Daisies

pushing_up_daisies_9278, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

As I mentioned last week, every year my daughter attends DayJams which is a rock music camp for 8-15 year olds. This year she went for two weeks and during her second week she was in an all-girl band named Pushing Up Daisies. As you can see, she played guitar this week; last week she sang. She was very excited because this was the first year where she was able to play chords instead of just notes!

Not only did she get to play chords but she actually won a Daisy Rock guitar that DayJams was giving away!

Top Photo Taken: July 24, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired
Exposure Program: Manual

If you are interested in more photos from the July 24th DayJams concert you can find them in my DayJams San Fernando Valley set on Flickr.

Week 29: Jim Morrison Revisited?

phat_sandwich_9162, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Every year my daughter attends DayJams which is a rock music camp for 8-15 year olds. On Friday of each week of the camp, the bands, which were just put together on Monday, hold a concert featuring songs that each band has written during the week. This week, Phat Sandwich, and especially their lead singer, were very entertaining to watch. Do I see a young Jim Morrison wannabe?

Photo Taken: July 17, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Exposure: 1/125
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Manual

If you are interested in more photos from this concert, check out the slide show of all of the photos I took:

Week 22: Spring Dance Recital Time 2009

Time for Spring Dance Recital 2009, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Each spring, the dance studio my daughter goes to has a recital as do most of the studios I know. I take a lot of photos for the dance studio and provide them for purchase to the studio families. This shot was taken of my youngest daughter at the dress rehearsal.

Date Taken: May 28, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/200
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
No Flash

When taking the dance photos, I tend to use P mode or TV mode since the lighting conditions change so frequently.

Week 18: Middle School Game Night

Middle School Game Night, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Tonight I helped chaperone the Middle School Game Night at school. It was interesting to watch and see that even in our hi-tech world, two of the most popular games were most definitely low tech - Chess and Twister!

BUT, just so you don't think that it was all low tech, there were also Nintendo DS games and a spirited game of Guitar Hero on the Playstation going on at the same time!

Date Taken: May 1, 2009
Camera: Canon PowerShot A590 IS
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 125
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Fired, Red-eye reduction

Week 17: First Driving Lesson

First Driving Lesson, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

It's another Saturday (instead of Friday) photo but I had to take this photo this week because the day has arrived for my oldest daughter's very first in car driving lesson. I took it as a good sign that the instructor did not try to make her back out of our driveway as her first experience. I have trouble backing out of that driveway and I've been driving for many, many years! All went well with the first lesson so we're on our way to having a brand new driver in the family.

Date Taken: April 25, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/250
Aperture: f/9.0
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On (trying to fill in the shadows but it didn't work very well - someday I'll figure this out!)

I also used Picnik to add a few low opacity effects to the photo including: HDR, Lomo & Cross Process.

Week 14: Music Man Collage

Music Man Collage, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

My oldest daughter is in the musical at her High School and the performances are this week. We attended the Friday night show and didn't have the best seats. They seemed good at the time I picked them but it was almost impossible to see around the people in front of us. The show was great anyway but the middle of the stage was blocked from my view much of the time.

Still, I had to capture a few photos so here is a collage created with Shape Collage of some of the photos I took. I made a collage of the ones you see here because my daughter is in all of these in one of her four costumes. Can you find her?

Date Take: April 3, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: Various (typically between 100 & 200)
Aperture: Various (typically between 2.8 & 4.0)
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Flash: Off

Day 48: Waltz of the Flowers (from the wings)

Yes, I'm back with more from the Nutcracker. I'm actually in the middle of what I call Yearbook Hell every year. The first half of the yearbook is due tomorrow and when the weekend started I had 5 pages out of 32 completed - yikes! Anyway, I'm working on my last 6 pages now so I should make the deadline. Yeah! Of course then I have to start working on the second half. Anyway, because all of my time has been devoted to the yearbook here's another from the Nutcracker.

Date Taken: December 8, 2007
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.8
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 43: High School Ring Ceremony

Tonight I attended a ring ceremony for my oldest daughter's class so how could I not feature that? The ceremony is a very lovely event with the presentation of the rings and a flower to each member of the class and ending with a Ring of Light at the end of the night. As you can tell this is a combination of two photos: one of my daughter's hand with her new ring and the other taken during the Ring of Light.

Date Taken: February 12, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30) & (1/40)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 59 mm & 75mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 34: Nutcracker continues

This is part of the Sugar Plum Pas de Deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker Prince.

Date Taken: December 1, 2007
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 85mm 1.8
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/2
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 33: Yes I'm still processing Nutcracker pictures

Are you sick of them yet? This one is from Act II and was taken at the end of the Chinese dance from the balcony on the opening weekend Saturday matinee.

Date Taken: December 1, 2007
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 85mm 1.8
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/2.2
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire