Sunday, January 26, 2014

Majestic


The definition of majestic is: "having or showing impressive beauty or dignity". There are so many things that could be described as majestic, so it was hard to narrow it down. I chose this horse for this week's theme because, to me, a horse can fit the definition of majestic perfectly. They are very beautiful animals and they always seem to move in a very dignified way. There faces, too, are so full of beauty.

This horse is part of a trio that hangs out across the street from where I work. I love that there is a miniature pasture right in the middle of a city neighborhood. They aren't always out, but when I decided to photograph them for this theme, I kept crossing my fingers they would be out some time this week. And they finally showed up on the coldest day of the week, of course. :)
-Dina



With nothing else in this photo to provide scale, you might guess that this is some majestic glacier-bound mountain range. In fact, it's a water fountain in Kansas City that is kept on all year round, including the sub-freezing temperatures we've been having recently. Ice forms around the spraying water jets, forming rippling peaks and valleys. It's one of my favorite things to photograph in the winter. 

And it WAS cold, around 10 degrees. I forgot my gloves, so it was a very quick photo shoot. -Cort

Next Week's Theme: Scorched

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Undulation


When I chose this theme, I really had no preconceived notions about what I would shoot. I found myself daydreaming while staring out the window while sitting in an automatic car wash, and it struck me suddenly that I was seeing undulating shapes through the windshield. I scrambled for my iPhone (didn't have my DSLR with me) before the rinse cycle ended, and I was able fire off a few shots.

When I want to focus on lines and shapes within an image, I like to convert it to black and white because sometimes color can distract the viewer from the strongest elements, which is this case is the wavy and undulating shapes. -Cort



What a great week to capture this theme. We had 3 days of over 50 mph winds! I thought this shot perfectly captured the word undulation. What a fun theme. 

Side note: My first goal was to catch waves in motion. On one of the days when we were having gale force winds, I headed to a neighborhood lake. As I turned the corner, I saw a lot of geese standing on the middle of the lake and my first thought was, Oh, awesome, I'm totally getting them in my photo. My second thought was, Oh, they are standing in the middle of the lake. Standing. On a frozen lake. Sigh. I forgot I lived in Nebraska and it was January. Of course, as I write this, it's 64 degrees out, so you never know! -Dina

Next Week's Theme: Majestic 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Celebration


When you turn six years old, nothing says celebration quite like diving into your chocolate cake with your hands before the ice cream can even make it to the plate! Happy Birthday to my niece Sophie! -Dina



Here's proof that I actually pay attention in church once in awhile. Today is the day that Catholics celebrate the baptism of Jesus, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to show the beautiful stained glass windows at my church, Guardian Angels in Kansas City. There are a dozen windows like this in the sanctuary, and this one in particular tells the story of Jesus' baptism.

I had another celebration today, of a more personal and professional nature. For the first time since I bought my first DSLR about 7 years ago, I upgraded my camera, to a Canon 70D, and today was my first time shooting with it. My old model was a Canon 30D (yes, 4 models ago), but I will keep it as a backup camera. I won't bore you with the technical details, but the 70D has many new and improved features, and I'm excited about expanding my photographic capabilities with this great new tool.  -Cort

Next Week's Theme: Undulation

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Clean Slate


A new year is always thought to be a clean slate, which is why I suppose new year's resolutions are so popular. To me, nothing says a clean slate more than freshly fallen snow, before critters leave footprints in it, or it melts into soggy mush. I took this photograph from my deck after this year's first snow storm, and the shadows formed by the railing slats always leave an interesting pattern in the snow. It's truly a fresh start, and a great way to start 2014. -Cort


Welcome 2014 and a chance to start with a clean slate! Happy New Year! -Dina


Next Week's Theme: Celebration