Digitally Painted Flowers

Day 65: Digitally Painted Flowers, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

I took a photo walk in the backyard today looking for things to photograph. These flowers were hanging over our fence from the neighbor's yard and I took a couple of shots and this was the one I liked best.

In addition, to some tweaks in exposure and contrast, I also applied some digital painting effects (underpainting and watercolor) and added a canvas texture to the photo. I then added a Gallery Frame using Marcia's Frame Action which I've had installed in Photoshop for awhile so I'm not sure where I got it originally.

Date Taken: March 6, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/80
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

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

Another Friday night at Pickwick's Pub

Day 63: Another Friday night at Pickwick's Pub, originally uploaded by Visions By Vicky.

Friday night, my husband and I had a wonderful night listening to Bob Cowsill and visiting with friends at a local pub. But wait, who's that with Bob? She was one of the patrons last night who got up and sang a few songs and harmonized on some others.

Date Taken: March 4, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/40
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

Days 59-62

Oops, I haven't updated this in few days so rather than doing separate posts, I'll add a few pictures to one post.

Sounds of Sirens:

The Daily Shoot assignment for the day was Make a photograph illustrating a sound that catches your ear today. As I was driving to pick up my daughter from a play rehearsal I couldn't help but notice the sound of the traffic and then even more noticeably the sound of two fire engines with sirens blaring and lights flashing as they went by. I pulled over (which is more than most of the cars bothered to do), grabbed my iPod Touch (since I had no camera in the car) and took the shot.

Date Taken: February 28, 2011
Camera: Apple iPod touch
Exposure: 1/432
Aperture: f/2.4
Focal Length: 3.9 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Flash: No flash

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Remnants of Valentines' Day:

These balloons were part of my daughter's Valentines' gift and they're in the office of our home. Nemo, our cat, is very afraid of them. If you want Nemo out of the room, all you have to do is move the balloons even slightest bit and he's out of the room like a flash!

Date Taken: March 1, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon 50mm 1.4
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/1.6
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 3200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

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World Spelling Day:

Every year in the Computer Lab, my students take part in World Math Day. This year not only was there a math day but there was a World Spelling Day and again, I had students take part. This photo was taken as my 6th grade class competed in this world-wide event.

Date Taken: March 2, 2011
Camera: Hipstamatic 201
Software: Roboto Glitter Lens, Blanko Film, No Flash

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My Shadow:

The Daily Shoot assignment for the day was Make a photograph that features a shadow as your subject today. I took a few shots with my iPod Touch at the end of the school day and this was the one I liked the best so it's my shot of the day. And, yes, unfortunately, that is my shadow.

Date Taken: March 2, 2011
Camera: Hipstamatic 201
Software: Lucifer VI Lens, Ina's 1969 Film, No Flash

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