Podcast Questions

Thank you so much for the great questions on yesterday's podcast! I was hoping to be able to answer a few tonight but I have some family things I need to take care of and so can't dedicate the time I need to really answer them properly.

This is bumming me out, because these family things require leaving for New Jersey tomorrow, so I'll be away from the blog until Monday.

But, I'll look on the bright side. I'm going to bring your questions with me so I can think about them and form some good answers for you!

See you Monday!

Hump Day Happiness

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Time for some happiness. As always, feel free to share some things you're grateful for today - I love reading "hump day happinesses"!



Today, I'm grateful for:
1) Flowers in my garden
2) Electricity
3) Warm bathrobes
4) Fresh veggies
5) Scrabble games

How about you?

Let's Get Technical - Podcast 2

Week 2: F-Stop & Aperture



Hi all - the images below help illustrate some of the concepts I'm talking about today. I'll refer to them in the podcast, as I go along. For more information regarding some of the really technical stuff, check out the following links:

F-Number
Depth of Field

1. Large Aperture 2. Small Aperture


F-stop Values Relating to Aperture Size


Depth of Field



Images in this post are from Wikimedia Commons.



The image files in this podcast post are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5, Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 and Attribution ShareAlike 1.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the files in this post under the conditions that you appropriately attribute them, and that you distribute them only under a license identical to this one.

More Flowers from the Yard

My coral bells have been so cheery lately. I took a few in-garden shots, and then decided to bring in a few cut flowers and take some still life photographs.

Coral Bells

Grown in the Garden

There's such a deep satisfaction with photographing flowers I grew myself. I got to watch them each step of the way - when they first emerged in early spring, when the buds started to form, at the peak of flowering, and now as they start to fade...

Chive Blossoms

I Love Loooong Weekends

Ahhh, back to work after a lovely long weekend. I've got a bit of catching up to do after taking Memorial Day off, so the Let's Get Technical podcast will be posted Wednesday instead of today. This week we're talking about F-stop & Aperture, so stay tuned.

How was your weekend? My husband and had a lazy morning yesterday, made crepes for breakfast, did a ton of gardening and yard work, and did some grilling for dinner. The perfect way to spend the first "summer" holiday.

Today at the Providence Open Market

Hi all! How's the long weekend going? I spent most of my day at the Providence Open Market, hawking my wares. As always, I met some great people, like the folks from Tina's Jamaican Carribean Restaurant. (I "met" their jerk chicken too - yum!) I was also lucky enough to be across the way from fellow Arts in RI teammate Suzanne Tanner of Tanner Glass - had a great time chatting and it was nice to have someone right there who could keep an eye on the booth while I ran to get a coffee or something.

It was a decent crowd, lots of adorable kids and friendly dogs. After a very wet setup we ended up with a gorgeous day - sunny and high 60s/low 70s. Ahhhh. Of course my feet never did dry out, but oh well. I brought my huge mounted print of "Specimen 652" - he got a lot of attention. All and all, it was a pretty fun day.

Latest Etsy Favorite #4

It's that time - the last in my little series showcasing some of the talented artists of Etsy. Since I so love poppies and finally have one of my own blooming, I thought this was perfect!

Poppy Fields Round Pendant by Copper Frog Studio


(Source of images: Copper Frog Studio)

Now Starring...

Hi all! My sincere apologies for not posting yesterday. I admit I was preoccupied because of some fantastic news! Some of my photographs are going to be in a movie! I'm psyched. Three prints were selected to decorate the walls of the dorm room set for "The Roommate". I'm going to keep you in suspense for now as to which prints - maybe once I can get a screenshot of the set I can hold a little treasure hunt/contest... We'll see.

Hubby and I are going out to celebrate, but in the meantime, I leave you with some eye candy. Later tonight I'll be posting my Latest Etsy Fav #4, so stay tuned!

Hump Day Happiness

Hello everyone! After a threat of frost the night before last, I can hardly believe how gorgeous it is today! I couldn't stay cooped up in the office any longer, so I decided why not blog from the deck!



Ahhh, that's better. See that poppy on the table? Well, this morning I did some unexpected shopping... I went to The Good Earth with every intention of just taking a few photos and enjoying the morning, and came home with a plant. Truth is, I've been trying to get some poppies started from seed - I love poppies - but haven't had much success. I think they need more light than I'm able to give indoors. We've got big plans to build a light table system for starting plants, but haven't gotten around to it yet. (Like so many projects around the house.)

I didn't just shop, I did get some photos this morning too! I'll be working on them tonight - need my desktop's processing power for that. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this exquisite day. It can be hard for me not to just stay in my familiar rut of routine, but I'm making an effort to savor little gifts like today.

Oh, right! Hump day happiness time! :-) It won't be hard to come up with a list this week. Today I'm grateful for:

1) This beautiful day!
2) Poppies blooming
3) Ice cold water
4) Woodstock wind chimes
5) Lettuce from the garden

How about you?

Lets Get Technical - Podcast 1

Week 1: The Bells & Whistles

This week I'm doing a video podcast, since that makes it a lot easier to show you the parts of a camera. I did keep the overview pretty simple, but I'd be happy to try and answer more in-depth questions as well - just leave 'em in the comments section!

Let's Get Technical - Podcast Schedule

Hello all! As I mentioned yesterday, I've been working on the "Let's Get Technical" podcast series. Over the next several weeks, I'll be posting six podcasts on some of the technical basics of photography. The first installment will go up later today, so keep an eye out!



Here's the schedule:
Podcast Series: Let's Get Technical

Week 1: The Bells & Whistles (overview of the parts of a camera)
Week 2: F-Stop & Aperture
Week 3: Shutter Speed
Week 4: ISO/Film Speed
Week 5: Light Stops/Exposure
Week 6: Q&A and Series Wrapup

You'll notice that Week 6 includes a question & answer component. So, if you have questions about anything I cover during the first 5 weeks, please leave a comment!

Ok, I'm off to finish up Week 1's podcast. Have a great morning, everyone!

Exciting New Podcast Development

I'm working on my first Podcast series today! The topic, as chosen by you, dear readers, will be "Let's Get Technical".



Stay tuned for updates - I'm planning on getting the first installment up this week or next. I'll post a series outline soon.

A Glimpse of My Garden

My perennials are starting to bloom, and the lilies of the valley are still in full force. Such a lovely time of year!

Hidden Lilies of the Valley

Brimfield Flea Market

Whew! How was everyone's weekend? Saturday we spent 6 hours at the Brimfield Antique Show and you know what? We didn't buy anything. I think we were just in sensory overload mode, as it was our first time there. Quite an experience.

I also took photographs of only one booth, can you believe it? Carried that 15-pound camera bag around for all 6 hours, too. Ah well, one thing at a time. I'm sure if we go next year I'll feel a little more up to multitasking.

Here's the shot - I thought the lilac buffet was interesting. The booth was a mix of French-ish mid-century-ish stuff. I asked for a business card, but the woman had none, nor did she give me a name to post. But, if you want to try and find her next year, I believe she was in the Faxon's Midway area. (Though honestly it was all blurring together at that point.)



Today I had a fun meeting with the Arts in RI gang in the afternoon. When I got home I took some photographs in the garden while my hubby made some delicious Saganaki. Soooo rich. Now I'm off to read for a bit. Keep an eye out for some flower pics tomorrow!

Pink, Green, and Blue

I've got big plans this weekend - my first trip to the Brimfield Antiques Show! After packing up some sunblock and a water bottle or two, I'll be ready to go. I'll be bringing my camera as well, never fear. I'm taking the weekend off from blogging to celebrate, but I'll be back Monday to tell you all about it!

In the meantime, I've been playing with some shots I got of a flowering ornamental cherry the other day. Hope you enjoy!

Cherry Blossoms

Latest Etsy Favorite #3

Hello all - time for installment 3 of my Latest Etsy Favorite series. Are you enjoying it so far? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Today I'd like to showcase this gorgeous handmade table:

Pliny End Table by tables

(Source of images: tables)

The leaf inlay adds so much in such a lovely, simple way, don't you think? The concrete medium gives more earthiness to the piece, and is a eco-friendly building resource as well.

Would you use this piece as an indoor or outdoor accent?

Hunting for Flowering Trees

It literally took me all day to get this shot. I think some celestial being does not want me to find lovely flowering trees in a location accessible to me... Of course I did spend most of the morning in a fruitless search for Polaroid film, then had to wait for the afternoon and better light to take pictures.

Ah well, the day was not entirely lost. I even came home with a new terrarium jar! (What else is a girl to do at midday when she's far from home and there are consignment shops nearby?) Hope you enjoy!

Blossoms

At the Woodland Edge

This is one of those plants I should know the name of, but always forget. Ah well. Anyone out there in blogland know?

Weedy

Pretty Things for the Garden

I was sipping coffee this morning and Twittering away when I came across a fellow Blogging Your Way Classmate - Rochelle Greayer of Studio G. Browsing through her lovely blog, I felt a keen urge to run out to some thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets and find pretty things for my yard and garden.

Things like...

Temple Bells from VivaTerra,


Misprint Garden Messages, also from VivaTerra,


Moon Garden Jam Jar Votives from Anthropologie,



and these Volcanic Ash Mushrooms from Smith & Hawken.


Do you garden? What types of accents do you enjoy - kitschy? Natural? Modern?

Country Roads, Take Me Home

I wanted to photograph some flowering trees today, so I went to a few parks in Providence & Warwick, hoping to find ornamental cherry trees or dogwoods. I had no luck, sadly. Didn't have much fun, either. The parks were scattered with litter and broken glass. The scent of stale pot smoke drifted on the breeze. Almost no one I passed said hello or commented on the lovely weather.

It didn't take long for me to high-tail it back to the sticks. I think I've confirmed that I'm a country mouse, not a city mouse. I headed straight for Snake Den State Park, where I spent some blissful time alone, with the sun shining and bees buzzing. Unfortunately, the mosquitos were also biting, and I had forgotten my repellent in the car...

Despite my (pretty minor) hurdles, I did manage to get a few shots both city and rural settings. Here's one from Snake Den:

Hay Field


I think I'll give Barden Orchards a call this week, and see if I can sneak over for some photos before the apple blossoms are all gone...

Playing in the Dirt

I had a lovely day today. It sure started right - I woke up to freshly made scones & coffee (I have the best hubby). Then, in the morning, we did some yard sale-ing in the rain (no luck) while meandering down to the URI Spring Festival.

The festival was a lot of fun. URI's my alma mater, and my college (Environment & Life Sciences) puts on the event. There were rain barrels, compost bins, and plants for sale. There were presentations about conserving energy and sustainable landscaping. All sorts of fun stuff. There was also live music, which my 2 1/2 year old nephew loved. He especially enjoyed it from atop my shoulders, while drumming on my head. I didn't mind - too much. While we watched, I thought about how seven years ago it would have likely been my college friends playing in the band. I got a bit nostalgic, and a little sad, but life moves on and we have to move with it. I did cheer up when we got to the booth selling native shade plants. We're turning our side yard into a "forest" and this vendor had a few things we'd specifically been looking for - like wood anenome.

After making our purchases, we eagerly headed home to plant them. Our gardens are really shaping up. We'll soon have lots of blooming things for me to photograph - right now there's not much more than pansies and lilies of the valley. But hey, those are awfully pretty too.



I hope you also enjoyed your day! I wish an early happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there - tomorrow I'll be off celebrating with my family & helping Mom with some invasive plant control around my parents' yard. I'll see you Monday!

Getting my Boots Wet - Vernal Pools in May

I love my (day) job. Yeah, it's a "necessary evil" for the time being, but sometimes I really do love it.

Let's go back about 20 years. When I was a kid, I loved nothing better than tromping down to the local pond/swamp to look for frogs. My sisters & I would bottle up eggs or tadpoles and bring them home to raise. We'd try and snag adult frogs in our nets... You get the picture.

Today, I got PAID to do this. (And I got to take photos too - can't beat that!)

Green Frog


A co-worker and I spent the day inventorying the vernal pools on a project site. Vernal pools are where most amphibians (frogs, salamanders, & newts) breed. They're typically seasonally flooded depressions with no fish, and no streams in or out. You can read a lot more about them here.

While our main job was checking up on the vernal pools, we got to see some other interesting things while at the site. Like this sundew, a carnivorous plant usually found in bogs. At this site, there were several sundews growing on a sandy bank about a foot above the water level.



I also spotted this dragonfly in one of the vernal pools. He had somehow gotten stuck in the water - I helped him onto a leaf, but he was too wet to fly. This made snagging some close-up photographs pretty easy. I hope he was okay after drying off for a while. I haven't figured out what species he is, but if I find out I will let you know.



So, yeah. Today was a good day. Fieldwork is definitely not always this fun (and I have the scratches and poison ivy to prove it), so I like to savor the good days when I get 'em. Thanks for enjoying this one with me!

Latest Etsy Favorite #2

This week's Etsy fav...
Nature Boy Baby Collection - Cotton Twill Swatch Set by cicadastudio


(Source of images: cicadastudio)

I admit - the little toadstools in this collection are my true favorites. Such a simple, natural motif. Plus, we've got lots of mushrooms popping up around here, after all of this rain. So, this item was a shoo-in for a feature!

Hope you enjoy! Tomorrow I'll be spending a long day outdoors at the University of Connecticut doing a vernal pool survey. Hopefully I'll have the energy to post some pics and information tomorrow night, but if not I will see you Saturday!

Hump Day Happiness

Hello, dear readers. Won't you help me spread some cheer around the world wide web today?



Today, I am grateful for:
1) Indulging in a large, delicious chocolate chip cookie.
2) The rain that has kept my garden nicely watered.
3) Getting a chuckle out of The Onion's spoof news video about the Star Trek movie.
4) Clean water to drink.
5) Nice red pens - so fun to write with.

That was all over the place, huh? What can I say, I'm eclectic.

What are you grateful for today?

Five on the 5th - Bloggers

First off, a little shout out to Puebla, Mexico - ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Up until this year I thought that Cinco de Mayo was Mexico's Independance Day. I was wrong. Mexican independance is celebrated on September 16. May 5 is the commemoration of the Battle of Puebla.

Frankly, this makes me even more confused as to why so many folks in the U.S. (those who aren't of Mexican descent at least) celebrate Cinco de Mayo. But you know, as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, I very much approve. Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's day, so why not be Mexican on Cinco de Mayo? It is pretty amazing to live in such a rich cultural stew as the United States.

Anyway, I'll get back on track. Since it's the 5th, I'd like to share with you five bloggers I've gotten to know recently through the amazing Blogging Your Way class led by Holly Becker of decor8.


BYW Badge created by Holly Becker

LuxeEarth - http://luxeearth.blogspot.com/
Robin Beth shares tons of eco-friendly tips and information, "green" eye candy galore, and glimpses into her life as a stationery designer.

Saídos da Concha - http://saidosdaconcha.blogspot.com/
Constança (aka Concha) is a talented sewing artist from Lisbon, Portugal. Her blog is full of pretty clutches, dresses, and fabric. Her words are shown in both Portuguese and English, making for a rich cultural experience.

When I Grow Up - http://whenigrowupcoach.com/blog/
Life Coach Michelle challenges her readers to look within themselves and grow as human beings. With her cheerful energy, she gives tips and insights on how to get where we want to go.

eLIZabeth Floyd Studio - http://elizabethfloydstudio.blogspot.com/
A talented painter, Elizabeth shares her journey, having taken the plunge and become a full time artist. She also shares images of her beautiful work.

fresh365 - http://fresh365.blogspot.com/
Aside from loving the name of this blog, I love the motivation. The author lives in an area where unhealthy eating is common, and is making a difference through her blog. In a beautifully simple format, she offers mouthwatering recipes using fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients.

There are so many more talented folks in the class - these are just a sampling. I do hope you'll check out the links and leave a little reader love for these wonderful folks!

Redeeming Qualities of New Jersey

Watching the Waves


Another image from a lovely morning at Island Beach State Park.

Unfortunately I'm not feeling very well today, so I'm going to keep this post short. I would, however, like to stick to my promise of telling you more about wetlands. Did you know that beaches are a type of coastal wetland? Yep - everything below Spring high tide is technically considered a wetland. To learn more, check out these links:

Marine Intertidal Zones (Wikipedia)
Cowardin Wetland Classification System (USGS)
Wetland Types (US EPA)

Is there anything specific you're interested in learning about wetlands? If so please let me know in the comments section!

Woohoo! National Wetlands Month!

This morning started out fairly normally. I mean, I spent too much time picking out what to wear (I'm photographing a 1st Communion today and don't want to flash - no pun intended - the congregation when I squat down to get the right angle for the shots), but all and all it was pretty typical.

Then, I stopped on Twitter and learned from dendroica of A DC Birding Blog that May is... *drumroll please* ...National Wetlands Month! (According to the US EPA)

I then proved my nerdiness by becoming extremely excited and exclaiming, "OOH! OOH!", much to my husband's confusion. (To clarify why I was so thrilled, I work as a Wetland Biologist for my day job, and was taught by the very amazing Dr. Frank Golet. Once you take a class with him you will never be the same.) I told hubby it was National Wetlands Month, and the following conversation ensued:

Hubby: Well, Monday is National Eat Paste in School Day.
Me: Really?
Hubby: No, I just made that up.
Me: Ohhhh. But National Wetlands Month is real - the EPA says so! It's a Federal agency!

Still Pond


The EPA suggests three things you can do to participate in National Wetlands Month:

1) Learn about wetlands. I'll be making a special effort this month to share information about wetlands on the blog.
2) Explore a wetland near you. May is a great month to explore wetlands, as it's still amphibian breeding season and you're likely to find egg masses, tadpoles, and adult frogs & salamanders!
3) Take action to protect and restore wetlands. In Rhode Island, check out Save the Bay or The Nature Conservancy to get involved. You could also organize a trash cleanup at a nearby pond or something similar.

Wheee!

Art, Life, and the Wisdom of Robert Frost

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Maybe I'm just trying way too hard?"



I love that feeling of stars aligning, when you don't know why you're doing something but it just feels right. Good things always come of those moments.

I try to remember not to force things, during those times when I'm feeling frustrated or things are moving slowly. It can be hard.

Sometimes we have to let go and let a higher power take over for a while.

"A poem...begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion finds the thought and the thought finds the words." - Robert Frost