I remembered what I was doing this week and got my post done today - Wednesday! Yeah!

Gone Shooting - Photos That Is!

I'm pretty fearless. If I want to get a shot, I'll figure out how to get it.

But wandering around the City of Atlanta at night, camera in hand isn't the smartest thing for a woman to do. It's probably not the smartest thing for a man to do either! But as women, we're more attuned to our safety, I believe. 

I wasn't getting out as much as I'd like to.

I'd be ready to run out at the last minute and realize I shouldn't be going alone. I figure if I'd yell at my kids not to go somewhere alone, I probably shouldn't do it either! So my friend, Lauren, and I made a pact this past weekend that we'd get out at least once a week to shoot together.

Regular readers know Lauren and I shoot a lot together anyway. We like the same type of subjects, and it's easy because we live within walking distance of each other. But we're stepping up our efforts.

It's quite a job keeping my website fresh and up to date. It takes a ton of shooting. For every 100 shots I take, there are only a few I feel are good enough for the website.

I mention all this because if you like to go shoot photos, I encourage you to get a photo accountability partner. It not only helps with safety, but it gets you out more. 

I love getting photos. But as much as photography is my passion, this time of the year is hard for me. It's dark so early and getting cold. 

I'm not a big fan of the cold.

I have friends who also grew up in California and now live in extremely cold climates. I don't know how they do it!

It's hard to keep your hands warm when using a camera. I've found fingerless gloves to be pretty worthless. I suppose I haven't tried enough different pairs. And they're better than nothing.

But, I really don't like shooting in the cold. Last year when we shot the GA Dome demolition in the early morning, my hands were so cold I could barely move them to adjust my camera, and they hurt so badly! I was using fingerless gloves, and I kept putting my hands in my jacket pockets. I was wearing a heavy, long down jacket.

I shot on a tripod so I didn't have to hold my camera the whole time, but it was still brutal. 

It took me forever to get warm when I got back inside.

At least with sunset being early now, we can shoot and still catch dinner at a decent hour. So, come on...get out there!

Little 5 Points

Little 5 Points is only about a mile from me. It's a fun, eclectic, colorful part of town. Lauren and I went and shot the Vortex restaurant over there this weekend.

I like the way the big photo above came out. This was four shots combined in Photoshop. The shots were taken at shutter speeds from 5 to 15 seconds at f/22, ISO 125. 

If you're going to combine shots, use shots taken at the same aperture for the best outcome. Otherwise, your focus might be a little wacky when you mix the shots. Remember, aperture deals with depth of focus (DOF). I like to stop down in my night shots to get a nice starburst around the lights.

As usual, I took a painterly approach. I left it dark in keeping with the subject. I was thrilled that I managed to get the taillights of a bus going by in one of my shots. It gave me some red light trails going through the eyes of the skull.

I love shooting light trails. They're so unpredictable. You never really know what you'll get. It was hard in front of the Vortex because there was so much traffic that the cars were stopped a lot. You can't get light trails if the cars aren't moving!

I got about 80 photos of light trails from this shoot. The smaller shot above is only one photo. I didn't combine it with anything else. It was taken at a shutter speed of 10 sec, f/22, ISO 125. The skull below was a handheld shot just before it got dark - 1/80th, f/6.3, ISO 125. 

Learning Photography

I've been taking photographs since I was 9. It never gets old. One of the reasons I love photography so much is that I'm always learning.

It's a blessing and a curse.

I've heard other photographers talk about it too. It means I don't like looking at photos I took and edited last year because I've learned a lot in between, and I'd do it differently now. And next year I'll feel the same way!

Maybe that's just a weird artist thing too - never being completely satisfied with the work as we look back on it. 

The good news is, I thoroughly enjoy the process of taking photos.

I love being outside or in a strange building or abandoned place. I love looking at things from different perspectives, framing them up in my camera, and shooting. And I love the process of editing. That keeps getting more and more fun.

This weekend's shoot was great because it wasn't too cold yet!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Don't stress yourself out too much gearing up for the holidays! If you need a great gift for someone, why not consider a print or a calendar? You can find prints on the website here. The calendars are here.