All the week’s veggies are cooked: Steamed kale, brussel spouts and green beans, baked spaghetti squash and acorn squash. (And plenty of broccoli and baby carrots on hand as Ray doesn’t like cooked, soft, veggies. It’s a texture thing.)
Costco’s 2-to-a-package flank steak has been dehydrated for healthy snacks. (Who says you only make beef jerky for backpacking trips.) Ray is a happy camper as his favorite golfing snack is the beef jerky I make.
Chicken is cooked and vacum sealed for air tight freezing.

While looking at the finished chicken, I thought, “I could kill two birds with one stone………A blog photo and cooked, ready to eat chicken”.

Planning ahead.

So I remember:
Canon EF 50mm 1:1.4 lens
Exposure 4.0 sec at f/20
ISO 100
Manual focus

I took a number of shots. I got out the diffuser/deflector and tried holding in various positions to alter light from the kitchen door, hopefully preventing bright/hot spots on the pan. I noticed I got rid of the hot pan spots but then the chicken lacked highlights and looked dull. I ended up taking a flash light and quickly moving it over the chicken during the 4 second exposure.

OMG, Stacy made this video for her grandchild Riley. Stacy and Jim (Stacy’s husband) couldn’t attend Riley’s upcoming cowboy themed birthday party held out of state. So Stacy, in very little time, created this short birthday video with Jim for Riley. Jim was really a sport.

Last summer Stacy took a short video course in Colorado (that LR’s son Ryan taught), but other than what she produced during this course, Stacy really has limited experience shooting a video. You have to watch this video when you have about 9 minutes. It is hilarious and very creative. Great job Stacy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm_MTs02Cqk

Don’t forget to watch the outtakes. They are even funnier.

As I’m writing this blog entry, Ray’s cracking up watching the video for the 2nd time.

Last Thursday before the meeting, boy does that seem like ages ago, I shot photos of Katya per her request. I was in the process of tweaking the photos at 1am on Thursday night when Ray said, “Linda, I’m sorry, but would you take me to the ER at Eisenhower.”

This is the first time I shot head shots of someone since I started taking photo classes two years ago. I learned a lot once home and while looking at the photos I noticed what I wished I’d done different. Katya was a wonderful model. Need I say how beautifully she photographs. Not only is she beautiful but she is willing to take direction. I only wish I’d had more experience giving the direction. Actually, that’s not even correct, I wish I’d taken more time looking at what wasn’t working for me in the photo. Now I know why photographer’s shoot tethered (their cameras hooked up to their computer screens.)

I must admit I do like shooting people. I know most people don’t like shooting people but I’ve always enjoyed it. A number of years ago, Susan L. and I had a great long session outside the Tarzana house shooting head shots and then again in NM.

For a long time now I’ve wanted to learn lighting. I shoot with natural light because I know very little about how to use lighting. I’m always looking to see if Joe McNally is offering workshops nearby.

What I learned from the shoot with Katya is how important the background is. I should have known this because Carol Leigh is always talking about that. I figured because I was shooting Katya with the 50 mm 1.4 lens the background wouldn’t be an issue. Wrong.

I learned too that I needed to open up the lens more if I wanted to get Katya’s eyes and the dog’s eyes both in focus. I’m not sure I could even do this with the inside lighting that was only filtered westerly afternoon sunlight. I guess I just needed a different lens, one that had a bit more depth of field (more in focus from front to back). With this lens opened up………..Oh my god, I just looked at what my camera settings had been on the head shot of Katya: ISO 200, exposure 1/100 of a second at f 1.6! No wonder so many of my photos weren’t in focus. Katya and her dog would have to be still as can be, which of course was impossible with all the laughter that was going on.

Dumb dumb that I am I just looked, I shot all the photos with this same setting. I didn’t bracket any shots either (take 3 shots at 3 different exposures or f stops). Next time, I want a plan and then be consistent with it. I didn’t think, I just got caught up in shooting. We really didn’t have that much time either. So I need to remember to allow more time so I don’t feel rushed.

Here are three of the photos I think are the best.

Coco and Katya

Pretty Katya giving me that look of hers.

How beautiful is beautiful? This beautiful.