Something New With Tea

The other day I decided that I was going to do something different. 

I was going to teach myself something new.

I was going to expand my horizons.

Yup.

So I pulled out my external flash, some of my mom's china and started shooting. 

I ended up having a ton of fun with this, and enjoyed every minute. 

I also made a little bit of a mess......but I cleaned it up. 

I hope you are having a lovely Monday. 

Sorry for the small amount of words in this post, I really don't have much to say.

~Mackenzie

The Coolness of Lightroom and A Clock

Can you believe that I am posting today. This is the third day in a row I have posted. 

Don't get used to it . 

I am pretty sure it will change very soon. 

Today I would like to show you some fun I have been working on. 

For fun. 

Yup. 

I took this picture a few days ago. I like it. 

I liked the white background, I liked the clock, I liked the light that is coming in the top. 

I don't take too many pictures like this, so I was very pleased with the change of pace. 

As I looked at this picture (and the twenty million others of this clock) I wondered what I could do with it in Lightroom. 

This is what I cam up with with a few simple tweaks (conversion to B&W, sharpening, a little bit of work on the light etc..) 

I like it....but it could be better, I knew that. 

So I decided to try something very obscure:

Lens distortions!

For some reason I liked this best, so I left it. 

Before 

After

The end. 

I hope you are having a delightful day!

~Mackenzie 

Lightning

Last week I was sitting in a cafe downtown having Bible study with some friends. 

I kept seeing some sort of light out of the corner of my eye but never really paid attetion to it. 

I mean, we were studying the Bible, why would I ever look at the strange light outside?! 

Me? 

Never! 

I am the best concentrator (is that even a word? ) on earth.

Not. 

Now, there is nothing I love better than a spring storm. 

Well, besides ice cream. 

And tea. 

Oh, and good music. 

Besides them, there is nothing better than a good lighting, thunder, rain, hail, windy storm. 

Nothing. 

So, as you can imagine, I was elated when I looked over at just the right time and saw a lovely flash of lightning. 

I screamed. 

Well, okay so I gasped. 

Really loud. 

Everyone turned around to look at me. 

"Guys, lightning!!" I said.

I am pretty sure I was hyperventilating. 

"I have to take pictures of it!"

That is my natural reaction to a lot of things. 

But we were in the middle of Bible study and I did not have my camera (my camera is great and all, but it is not the #1 thing I think of to take to Bible study).

After finishing bible study at about 9:20pm we drove the 10 minute drive home. Most of the time our backs were to the lightning so I just stuck my head out the window and watched it.

Yes, I did look a little bit like a dog minus the sticking-out tongue. 

At first every time I would see a nice bright bolt I would yell, but then my sister told me not to do that.

We normally save the yelling for more important things rather than really cool looking lightning bolts.

When we got home I ran in the house and up the stairs to get my camera. As I passed through my brother's room (you have to do that to get to my room) I said, "It's my lightning storm!!!!"

I really had been waiting for this storm since the beginning of spring, and was happy that I finally had my chance. 

I ran in my room, grabbed my camera case, tripod and darted outside. 

I would not miss this for anything. 

On the way out to the field next to our house my brother and I talked about what settings I should put my camera on.

Shutter-speed. 

Aperture. 

ISO.

Etc...

Soon we set up the tripod, and I tried (with shaking hands) to stick my camera on it. 

I am very thankful for little brothers. 

In a half-an-hour I took 900 something pictures, about 10 of them turned out how I wanted them too. 

Every time I got a "good" one I would jump up and down. 

My little brother puts up with me very well. 

In this one I used my flash.

The End. 

~Mackenzie