Actually, I'm wearing blue, but I am back to blogging. I made the mistake I think many new bloggers make. I thought I wanted to start a blog so I did, but then I started thinking "I don't have anything to blog about." And sometimes I won't, but there is more to blog about than you think, you just have to do it.
Here's what we've been up to lately: First, we have been trying to do lots to our house. We have a huge list of things we want to do over the next few years (paint everything inside and out, redo the bathrooms and kitchen, add crown to master bedroom, change some lighting, new floors, and several more things). This week we got part of a new bed. We actually got a California King. It is harder to find bedding, but I hope we made the right decision. The reason was because of where we want to put our bed. There are two great walls for a bed in the master. One would easily fit a full King size bed and still have room left over. But I like the bed on the other wall better. The problem is that wall is shorter. Enter the Cal King, which is not as wide as a King. Also, the Cal King is longer than a King which Ben likes because he is tall and on a full bed he feels like the sheets are tight on his feet because his feet are so close to where they are tucked in. The reason I said we got part of the bed is because all we have is the platform. We ordered the platform and set it up to make sure we liked the size. Yesterday I ordered some bedding, and Saturday we are shopping for a mattress. I am going to make the headboard.
Also, I have been devoting a lot of time the past few weeks to one of my many goals in life - becoming a good photographer. By good I don't mean good enough to take ok snapshots. I mean that I want to be able to take photos on vacation or of family that I want to frame and hang in my home or blow up to 11X14 and have printed on canvas. It's not easy, folks. Step one, for me, is taking photography classes. I have the camera. I bought a Canon 40D about a year and a half ago, but I've only been using it on auto. If auto is as far as I ever ventured, then I would have wasted my money. Every week we have an assignment and have to submit 5 photos. Here are the ones I liked best of the ones I submitted each week.
The first week of class was sort of an introduction and some basics about cameras and lenses so the assignment was just 5 photos we already had and thought were good. This is one I took a couple of years ago.
The next week we had to submit photos we took using the rule of thirds and the other rules we learned in that class. (By the way, the site that this link takes you to is pretty good for photography tips).
The next set of photos we submitted had to show that we could manipulate the depth of field in our photos.
The photos submitted for this past class had to be a still life. I don't know about you, but I always thought still life sounded easy. I mean, your subject doesn't move, you control the background and the lighting. Turns out, they are not so easy. It is hard to think of something that will look good as a still life.
My photos have gotten better. I have a long way to go, but I'm having fun! Next week I have to submit 5 photos that show color. That doesn't just mean what I shoot has to have some color. We learned in class about actual colors in your photo (like wearing a red shirt or a brown dog) and also about the color of light. Right at the end the instructor also put a twist in the assignment. We have to submit 5 photos dealing with color, but 2 of the photos have to have no more than 2 colors anywhere in the photo.
