Scenery from campus and Bethesda

Its been way too long since I posted anything to my blog, but I have been busy working on my final video project for my class, being a student and attending a conference in Bethesda Maryland. Today was a beautiful day and I had some time to wander around campus and get some fun shots. I also am sharing a few of the fun and interesting photos I took in and around the hotel in Bethesda. 

These tulips are right outside of the library where I work. The light was gorgous and I had to take this

the pink blossoms are so soft and smell so good and of course the light drew me to them ...

I've taken pictures of this fountain many times before but an always drawn to it again. I like this one because of the motion and the tulips behind and to the left...

I was playing with depth of field and boca -- loved the angle of the tree and the blue sky behind these little pink buds ...

some nice deep purple flowers on campus-- love the color so had to get this shot...

More tulips -- loved the color on the edges and also the way the green frames and fades around them

shooting up into the tree tops. I love the contrast of the fluffy white against the vibrant blue -- and I love the shapes of these -- such a pretty day for picture taking...

this is one of my favorite that I took today. I love the chiaroscuro (interplay of light and shadow) and the way the flowers are peeking from between the branches...

A smaller fountain on campus. This one is just a trickle. I love the texture and shape of the fountain and als how the trees are budding behind it 

some pretty pink flowers. I love them for the white star pattern in the center

More buds on branches, love the lines and the boca in this one 

these flowering trees are all over campus. I loved the shape of this one and the light (of course) 

this is a close up of the same tree -- love the cascade of the blossoms and the highlight on the top 

the very top of the branches of the same tree-- I love the contrast of the pink against the blue 

A different pink tree on campus.  close up -- love the texture and the pink boca in the background


From the Bethesda Hotel:

some lights on the ceiling of the hotel -- thought they were interesting and fun 

a little courtyard .. I just loved the design -- felt very homey to me 

A glass structure outside Panera on the streets of Bethesda 

part of the pipes in the ceiling above the pool which was on the top floor...

the glass elevators in the hotel .. looking from the lobby  -- a fun angle and the timing was pretty good too ... 

ann interesting sculpture in the square outside the hotel. I like the way the tulips frame it and the shadow it creates on the wall behind ...

and finally a fountain in the same square. I love all the contrasting lines and shapes in this and the hint of green from the tree on the left .. 

Thanks as always for sharing my photos with me. Now that I have a little more free time ( and the weather is awesome) I will try to post on a more frequent basis. 

Playtime

When I have not been taking pictures for my class I have been trying to look for interesting things to photograph or have been trying out some different techniques and just experimenting. The photos in this post are a combination -- either I thought the subject matter was interesting or I was playing around. Enjoy 

This is from probably a month ago. I just thought it was interesting to see a wreath that big just sitting in someone's front yard. 

This one was all about the color and the shape -- the bark looks like camo .... 

This is all about the light and the way it is reflecting of the leat and the ice crystals. I love the texture... 

Again about the light -- I saw it from across the park and had to take the shot 

This was just abandoned in the park --- I couldn't resist getting a picture 

This one made me laugh -- it coule either be a deer buried in the snow (you just see the antlers) or some kind of insect playing dead. You decide ... 

this was all about the reflection and the shimmery quality the glass gives it 

Can you see the face in he tree -- it really looks like its a living being .... 

Reflection in the rain -- 

close up of rain drops -- I had to take quite a few shots before I got this one but it was worth it 

I just liked the compostion on this one

I love the colors on this -- the flag and the fence on the right

This one is all about the shapes -- so twisty and fun 

I have seen car mirror reflection photos but never taken any before -- it was fun see it and then figure out how to cature it 

this was taken through the windshield. I underexposed it purposely to bring out the shadowy quality of the light. I love the sun flare and the way it makes the road look 

Again through the windshield of a car  and again underexposing to give it that dark smoky quality. it has the feel of using a filter , but i did not   and love the texture of the clouds..

Love how the sun is hightligthed in this one. and again I underexposed a couple of stops. Love how it silouettes the trees on the bottom right 

more of the same -- and all about the colors and the textures

I love how the sky is dusky and the clouds glow -- more of the underexposing -- and was happy to get such detail in the trees from a moving car ... 

this one is all about the clouds and how they have the glowy yellow color.

and last but not least -- I took this because of the way the light was hitting the silos and the wall below them. Again this was out the window of the moving car. I also love the texture of the mountains and the clouds. 

I really enjoy just taking the camera out and playing around to see what happens. Over all I am pretty pleased and will definitely be doing more of it. So much fun to see what I get by trying new things and one of the reasons I am grateful to be a photographer in the digital age -- can't imagine trying to capture all this with a film camera. 

Trees, snow and blue sky

Its been over a month since my last blog post. Its amazing how time flies. I have been busy working on my storytelling for class and most of the pictures I have taken relate to that. However there were a few nicer days over that last month and I ventured out to get my nature photos. Most of these involve snow or sky in some way and a lot of them are of trees -- always one of my favorite subjects...  

This is all about the shapes of the branches and the blue sky. It was so pretty I just want to bottle and keep it for a rainy day :D 

All about the light and shadow. I love how the branches and the leaves make patterns on the tree and make it look like there is rope or wire wrapped around it. As we learned in class this would the leaves would be a natural cookie cutter making an interesting pattern.

I love the different tones in this. The muted colors just make it feel so inviting-- this is why I love snow and blue sky 

I saw this one from way across the street and I knew I had to take it. I love the orange and all the shapes and the way they fall together. So industrial and awesome....

Reflection -- one of my favorite things to capture. Again its all about the light and the colors and just the way the sun hit and made the water look all shimmery...

Shapes and color and shadows. Loving the greens of the vines contrasted with the red of the bricks and then the straigh white boards of the roof. So much fun for me to see and capture this type of images and why I love taking my camera out and getting lost in the world. 

I was really seeing the contrasts between natural and man made. This picture would not be as interesting if it did not have the chimney in the middle... 

What made me take this one was the way the sun was hitting the crow that is just right of center -- the light made such an awesome pattern on the wings, and then all the other crows just seem to be minding their own business and all against that beautiful blue sky... 

Trees and fluffy clouds what can be better -- and because they are back lit the branches stand out even more. Love the contrast

Believe it or not this puddle was in the ice on a basketball court in the park. I was at the perfect angle to get this beautiful reflection --

I took this on the walk from class and the library. Don't think I have any others of old main in the snow like this and I really like it. 

Sometimes its all about the details. I saw this bike lying in the snow and wanted a close up. If you look closely you cn see the ice on the spokes ... 

Icicles hanging off a gutter -- yes a common site a few weeks ago -- i liked thes because of the contrasting shapes of the wood panels, the gutter and the tree branches -- plus the sky was pretty flat and made it interesting ... 

This is the view from my door -- I decided to take it in black and white and just love how the lighting made the cars really pop .. simple but dramatic ... 

One of the icy  patches when we had our snow day. I love the texture of the ice and then white splotches on the right ... 

This watertower is only a few blocks from where I live. I love the contrast of the shapes of the trees against the round dome and between the natural and the man made... 

Another icicle shot -- I was really drawn to the contrast between the manmade and the natural in this one and love the fact that the little lock is on the left -- I purposely took it in black and white because color would have lessened the impact of it ... 

One of my favorite trees near my house. I love how it twists around itself and at the same time juts out into space and then the net of branches at the top -- so much fun and I'm sure I will be taking more photos of it ... 

Took this on one of the overcast afternoons. The yellow of the bark was just so striking and I moved around so that it looks like the white branches are trying to grab us or at least protect the yellow of the trunk. Another reason why I will never get tired of photographing trees -- they present themselves in so many ways ..... 

Took this photo on the walk to work one morning. I loved loved loved the way the light caught to smoke clouds and though it is industrial it is amazingly beautiful. I have not seen it look quite like that since that day ... 

That is the end of what I will post for now. Its an interesting mix of colors, shapes, light and shadow, natural and industrial. It was so much fun to wander around and get these different photos and it shows me how my photographic eye is continually changing. Thanks for sharing them with me.