Monday, September 5, 2016

another reason to use the timer

Because there are times when flash is not an option.

1/10 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

Absolutely NOT an option.



And who needs it?
Play around!
Experimentation is so easy with digital cameras.





Sometimes even a low-light, back-lit situation has possibilities.


1/8 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

Sometimes you may be able to convince your camera that you actually know what you are trying to accomplish, and that it can stop helping you, thanks.


1/5 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

And anyway, high contrast and ideal lighting and sharp focus
aren't everything.


None of these images is technically good.
Each one has something that pleases me, and that's enough.
I'm not preparing an exhibition; I'm enjoying unique snapshots.


But here's the thing: these are unedited, right from the camera. If you took pictures like this and wanted to "adjust" or "correct" or "improve" them, there are lots of ways to do so. Until your images have something that pleases you.
~~~

So, under the very transparent cover of following up on
"The Usefulness of a Timer under Certain Conditions"...

I want to share with you the arrival of these two tykes - both girls - who came home with me from the Pat Brody Shelter on Saturday evening. The little brown tabby is about 3.5 months old and the tiny calico about 2 weeks younger. They have been settling in and getting to know each other and their home. I think soon they will reveal their names.

Meanwhile, in the words of William Shakespeare:

"Chaos comes again."

Chaos and a lot of joy :)
~~~~~

26 comments:

  1. Huzzah for kitties! They are adorable. I'm so glad you felt up to giving them a home. :-)

    I agree with the no-flash. I will take the chance of blurry photos of the guinea pigs, because the natural light always looks better than the flash.

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    1. Huzzah for kitties indeed :)
      I agree about the quality of natural light - I rarely use flash for anything, and almost never for animals, birds, wildlife, etc., who will be scared/blinded by a burst of light. In a completely different context, a friend was talking the other day about his strong, unpleasant memories of being blinded by flash photography as a child - and he KNEW what was coming, and that it was "harmless." Even so, a bad memory for him!

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  2. You are going to have your world turned on it's ear with your new additions! I predict a lot of laughter.

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    1. Been quite a bit of laughter already, so I think you are right!

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  3. Oh, sweet precious babies. I'm so glad they came home with you. I love how they aren't even related and yet they are so cozy and happy together. Bless them. Your pictures are great. I am of the belief that photos shouldn't be over edited, or edited at all. Love that second picture best. :)

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    1. The shelter adopts out young kittens only in "twos" and if one is already bonded with another, then that's your pair. These little ones were each the loner from an uneven-numbered litter, so I hoped adopting them together would work out well. I was a little concerned that the tiny one would be overpowered by her bigger "sister" but so far, so good! :)

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  4. What sweet new family members! I love these shots of them.

    Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

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  5. Congratulations! Looking at the photographs, I'm thinking...Where did those cats come from? LOL Good choices. They both having unique and budding personalities.

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    1. Yes, I think we are in for lots of fun. Last night I got almost 6 solid hours of sleep, which was kind of a miracle - and found this morning that they had discovered the cat tower, and were snuggled up in one of the "caves."

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  6. Oh my gosh!!! They are absolutely adorable! The little brown one looks like my beloved Raphael who finally left me after 16 beautiful, love filled years back in February 2015. You certainly have your hands full with two kittens at once! :) The good thing is they are very good at entertaining one another...
    Hugs for now,

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    1. I've always chosen to adopt two at once when it's youngsters, so as you say, they have a tireless buddy to play with when the grown-ups don't want to play anymore. I'm kind of thrilled to learn that shelters are often requiring this now! :)

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  7. How wonderful to have a couple of new additions to your household :) They look quite content with each other already. Very nice photos of them.
    Wendy

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  8. So glad to hear more about them! Are they still young enough to jump backwards and sideways at the same time? Never failed to crack me up when Duncan did that.

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  9. They are incredibly cute! And they're joining your family. Wowzers!!!! I adore that second photo - it truly shows their spirits. I am so happy for you!

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  10. Thought of you when I saw this: http://www.littlethings.com/goats-hop-on-rhino :D

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    1. If I had a rhino here, Dani, my goats would certainly try to make it useful - they are opportunistic critters!

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  11. Quinn, great photography tips, yes, but oh my, the kittens! We are cat lovers. I love it when people adopt pets from the shelter.

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    1. Same here. And this shelter is a volunteer-run, really pleasant place, with cats sharing big rooms full of cubbyholes and towers and toys. While I was there, at least three other kitties went home with their new personal staff :)

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  12. Now I know why you were missing from the blog for the last so many days. Congratulations on your new balls of fur! They are really cute. Our little Ginger (he got an unoriginal name) is doing better too, after giving us a few scares during the last month.

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    1. I'm SO GLAD Ginger is doing well! How wonderful that you have been able to help him pull through. I hope he will now thrive :)

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  13. These are all very appealing shots anyway. A simple monopod can help in low light too.

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    1. True. I'm toying with the idea of buying or making a monopod trekking pole, for my walks in the woods with Piper. I usually just have a camera in one hand the entire time, but it might be nice to be able to use two poles and still have the camera close to hand, if not actually in my hand.

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  14. Replies
    1. They are becoming Great Friends, happy to say :)

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