vintage blur

So who doesn't enjoy a challenge? Or two?

For weeks I've been promising Lissa Forbes that I would join her Walk and Click Wednesdays. Combine that with Kat Sloma's challenge to experiment with artistic blur, her latest assignment in her Come Exploring with a Camera...and an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, and you get the following golden opportunity:

A chance to wander around town (as opposed to biking through it) with camera in hand...nothing and nobody to answer to except for my muse. TBQH I would have been biking if I didn't have a cold.

I started at the Clear Creek History Park in Golden, where my curiosity payed off: I peeked inside the windows of a tiny cabin, put my camera right up against the glass and...I hit pay dirt! Shooting through a dirty window into a darkened room on a sunny afternoon got me just the effect I was after. I did play with the images in Lightroom, cropping, then lightening them up and playing just a tiny bit with contrast; but not too much; I didn't want to destroy the ghostly quality that I felt when I shot it. I did apply a sepia-toned Lightroom preset to all of the photos here.

***

These images reminded me of a group of photos I took early last summer at a ranch up in the mountains, where I had the luxury of spending several hours playing with my new Lensbaby, designed for in-camera creative blur effects. So I picked out a couple favorites, again applying minimal photo editing.

Now the site of a private 15,000 acre ranch, this land high in the Colorado rockies once produced lettuce and green onions, which were shipped by rail directly to Denver, circa early 20th century.

xoxo

Cindy

finding the light in darkness

I have had an email notification in my inbox for a couple weeks now, the latest newsletter from Kat Eye Studio, with an invitation to join in Kat's Exploring with a Camera series.

I love Kat's insights on photography, creativity, and life. With the extra busy-ness of the Christmas holiday season, I didn't really have time to do much with it...until now. This is the first time I've participated in one of Kat's challenges. TBQH, it's partly because I already had a couple decent shots that would fit the bill. But, more importantly, the title "Find the Light in Darkness" has been whispering quietly to me from the shadows, calling to mind the words from a favorite Advent hymn, A Season of Light. When I googled the hymn, searching for lyrics to share, I found this wonderful post.

***

In photography, it's all about the light. And in night photography, that light is all the more precious -  and elusive with a camera.

This is a shot of my brother Greg's home, where our extended family gathered for Christmas Eve. When we drove up, my nephews, Danny and Joey, were busy setting up luminaria (see my previous post). I quickly darted out into the cold night to try and capture the beautiful effect. Just my handheld camera + my 50mm lens, set to Aperture Priority. These images speak to me of the hospitality and warmth of the Christmas season...if you look closely you can peer into the windows where everyone was having a good time!

I quickly arranged the two best shots into a Lightroom layout (thank you again Kim Klassen) and here we are...these shots are SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera).

***

God of all power

You kindle the stars

spark in your people

spark in us a season of light

xoxo

Cindy