Animals | Little Miss Drama Pants

Weekend Fun

February 19, 2013 by lilMDP | 2 Comments

I’m working on capturing movement and I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I also understand why shooting outside when it’s overcast is so awesome. I barely touched up any of these photos and was more than pleased with how they turned out.

I made him postpone his nap.

This gallery contains 12 photos

Senses: Touch

February 7, 2013 by lilMDP | Leave a comment

In addition to boxes, Chloe loves to lay on plastic bags.

Heartfelt Sentiment

February 2, 2013 by lilMDP | Leave a comment

I love my animals. You think you only see dog toys here, but you are wrong. That orange monkey? Chelsea kills that monkey every night and then proclaims her hunting prowess to the house. There are a few traditional cat toys somewhere around the house, but I think most of them are under the couch.

Resolution Win!

January 3, 2013 by lilMDP | Leave a comment

Looks like my resolution is winning.

Rest

December 2, 2012 by lilMDP | Leave a comment

Camera: Canon Rebel T2i | Shutter Speed: 1/13 | Aperture: ƒ/1.8 | ISO: 400 | Lens: 50mm f/1.8

September 26, 2012
by lilMDP Leave a comment

Capturing Motion

I really want to get better at capturing motion when I take pictures. I am not really good at this outside of having an instructor walk me through this. Anything I do actually capture is not so much deliberate as it is, “Oh look! I wonder how I got that shot.” It’s a lot more wing-and-a-prayer.

I’m working on it. The other day I gave the dogs some peanut butter and then attempted to get a shot of at least one of them licking their faces in a post-peanut butter stupor. This was the only decent shot I got out of 33 attempts.

Peanut Butter Mouth

Camera: Canon Rebel T2i
Aperture: f/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/60
ISO: 100
Lens: 50mm f/1.8

I definitely caught Cody mid-lick. (SIDE NOTE: HOW do dogs not choke on their own tongues?!) That is what I wanted to capture. However, I was not going for that blown-out of a background. Some things I would have done differently:

I would have used my 17-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens instead of the fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens.
Changed to continuous shooting instead of single shot mode (Seriously, why did I not do this to capture an ACTION shot, I don’t even know.)
Used a faster shutter speed. Maybe?
And according to this tutorial, I should probably change my focus mode to AI-SERVO. (Scroll down until you get to the cutest puppy picture on the planet. After you have been killed ded by teh cute, read the part about AI-SERVO. This was news to me. Very enlightening news.)

For crappy comparison, here is a shot I took of Cody panting with my 17-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens. (I have the Tamron lens because the Canon is WAY out of my price range.) The background isn’t so blown out. Granted, the lighting is also completely different, but I think you get the point. You do get the point, don’t you?

Look into my eyes. You want to pet me.

Clearly I will need to ~~run this experiment~~ recreate the first photo again, but using the above list to get a better shot. And probably some other things I haven’t thought of yet as well. Suggestions are always welcome.

Poor doggehs. They’ll have to eat more peanut butter.

August 1, 2012
by lilMDP Leave a comment

Simplify

I find myself wanting to get back to my minimalist roots. Keep only what is necessary and useful. Get rid of anything that is unused or excessive. (Yarn stash exempted.)

To be more like my animals. Loving unconditionally and with absolute faith. To always be happy to see the people I love. And to show it without reserve or fear.

And definitely more napping. If I have learned anything from my animals, it is that you should nap often. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.

I should focus on the good in my life and not dwell on the negative. I am blessed. I should stop and reflect on that more. And most of all, to be content.
Now… Who wants to come over and do my laundry?

May 31, 2012
by lilMDP 2 Comments

You Learn Something New Every Day

Yesterday, I transported two of the most adorable Rottweiler puppies to the Atlanta airport so they could get on a plane to go meet their new daddies in Guatemala. And because school is out, I ended up with two helpers who were less thrilled about the getting up at 6 am part of driving to Atlanta, but excited about the prospect of visiting the Georgia Aquarium. It was an incredibly educational trip. Here are some of the things we learned yesterday.

The cargo drop off areas for airlines other than FedEx, UPS or Delta are really hard to find at the Atlanta airport.
Puppies and dead people can potentially be on the same plane. A dude in a hearse dropped off a casket while we were there.
Shipping puppies is fairly common. Another lady was there with a dachshund puppy to be shipped.
Not everyone can tell time and do math. When we got there at 1pm to drop the puppies off, the dude behind the counter told me we would have to wait an hour because we couldn’t drop them off more than 4 hrs before the flight. The flight was scheduled to leave at 4:36pm.
If you are shipping two puppies in one crate, they have to be from the same litter. I don’t know why, but apparently it’s a big deal. Actual conversation I had yesterday:
Him: Are these puppies from the same litter?Me: I don’t know. Does it matter?

Him: Yes. If they’re not from the same litter then they can’t travel in the crate together.

Me: Then they’re from the same litter.
A pile of sleeping otters is one of the cutest things on the planet.
Alligators do not care if you watch them get it on. This is also very embarrassing for 12 year olds. They may something like, “We can go now.” when they see nature acting, well, naturally.
There is a dolphin show now at the Georgia Aquarium that is…well… The dolphins are amazing. The rest of the show? Yeah, not so much. It was pretty awful. The opposite of fabulous. Times infinity. The dolphins, though, were SPECTACULAR.
Here are the rest of the photos I shot at the Aquarium yesterday. http://www.flickr.com/photos/graceshadix/sets/72157629976879796
I am very tired today.

What’s up with you guys?

May 20, 2012
by lilMDP 1 Comment

Shooting in Full Manual Mode

I took my second photography class today in which we learned to go full manual mode. It was scary-awesome. Our instructor, Andrew, was really good and was great at critiquing our shots and giving helpful and useful information on how to take a better shot. I think I’d like to take another advanced DSLR class. I feel like I’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg, but there is no substitute for getting out there and actually shooting. So I think I will do both. We’re headed to the beach soon so that will be an excellent time to practice what I’ve learned.

But you want to see pictures, right? Well, here is a shot I took in the class today.

Uncropped

Exposure:1/4000 sec
Aperture:f/1.8
Focal Length:50 mm
Exposure Bias:0
EVISO Speed:200
Flash:Off, Did not fire

Andrew said this was a good shot, but it would be even better if I cropped it. So I cropped it. And you know what? He was right.

Empty Chairs

Both of these classes has brought one thing home for me. Well, two things.

Every picture should tell a story.
Lighting is everything.

So when I got home, I took some shots of my favorite subjects. The Animals.

Charlie

Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: Off, Did not fire

I have mixed feelings about this shot. I can’t decide if it’s “warm” or just too yellow. I think it may be a little to washed out, though.

Chelsea

Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/2.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 100
Flash: Off, Did not fire

Black cats are so hard to keep clean when they lay around outside.

Chloe

Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: Off, Did not fire

She still hates you and is totally plotting your death, just as soon as she finishes her manifesto.

Cody

Exposure: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: Off, Did not fire

Stoic dog is stoic. Also, he is completely unimpressed with the camera despite constantly getting right up in it. If it doesn’t pet him, Cody is not interested in it.

Feet

Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/2.5
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: Off, Did not fire

OMG, puppy feet are SO CUTE! And smell like corn chips. This is Cody in the depths of despair because I will not put down the camera and JUST PET HIM ALREADY.

Next up? I’m getting a wide-angle lens. This one to be exact. And it should be here before we head to the beach. This beach trip will be EPIC.

May 5, 2012
by lilMDP 2 Comments

Afternoon at the Zoo

This morning I took a beginner DSLR course. There was a groupon deal for Chimpsy DSLR classes awhile back and I jumped on it. I’ve played around with the setting on my own and taking quite a few pictures already. I’ve even read a lot of photog blogs. I even bought Scott Kelby’s book and have read through most of it. But hearing the information from someone who is a photographer by profession just made it click for me in a way that reading it didn’t. Plus, she gave us tips that I haven’t found anywhere online or in a book. Maybe because they’re such common knowledge? I don’t know, but I am so glad I took the class and I’m really looking forward to the advanced class I’m taking in a few weeks.

Our instructor, Leslie Hollingsworth, was adamant that the best way to become a better photographer was to take pictures. So I decided to go forth and take pictures at the zoo with my new-found knowledge. I wanted to capture color and tropical birds are great for that, aren’t they? And such posers! It was a lot of fun even though it was approximately as hot as or hotter than the seventh circle of hell. (Note to self: invest in some shorts.)

I’ve got to say, I am pretty impressed with what I was able to capture after just a few hours of instruction. But! I’ve still got so much to learn and plenty of room for improvement.

Here are some of my favorites.