Reflecting Rainbows

taken:
day eighty
09.08.2013

On an early morning walk through the yard I found this spider web woven onto a willow shrub. It was reflecting rainbows from the dawning sun. Good thing the spider was nowhere to be seen.

Nearly Invisible

taken:
day eighty eight
09.15.12

This tiny spider, gleaming in the sun, weaved it's web beneath our mailbox. It was itty bitty and nearly invisible. 

I only noticed it because the sunshine highlighted it from behind. Sneaky little spider!

Do You Know What Bokeh Is?

taken:
day seventy eight
09.05.12

Who doesn't love a little bokeh? What? Bokeh??? You may know you love it or enjoy the way it looks in a photo, but you may not know what it is. 

It's adapted from a Japanese term, meaning blur or haze. According to Wikipedia the definition of bokeh, in photography, is: the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".

I've heard bokeh pronounced about 3 different ways, I like to pronounce it: bow-kay. It kind of reminds me of the word 'bouquet' as in a 'bouquet of flowers'. Perfect. Easy to remember, right? And the prettiest way of pronouncing it, in my opinion.

At this point I could get all boring and technical about lenses, aperture and depth of field, but I'm pretty horrible at explaining things technically. I suggest goggling it if you are really interested. You'll find tons of interesting information and in much better detail than I could give you.

What I can tell you is that I love blur, I love out of focus, I love light and sparkles, I LOVE BOKEH! The bokeh above, created by water droplets from an overnight rain, is so bubbly, like twinkling lights, something that only the lens can bring to life. And when captured, it's so so so exciting. It's an addiction, a thrill and I'm always looking for a way to achieve bubbly bokeh!

Sparkling

taken:
day seventy four
09.01.12

It was Labor Day weekend, the weather was gorgeous, great for swimming and relaxing on the beach. I sat on the dock and watched the boys play in the water with my brother. The sun was high and hot, sparkling off the water's surface. 

Week 3: I Dreamed A Dream

{ Project 52 Week 3: I Dreamed A Dream }

While watching the movie Tangled with my sons this week for the first time I was inspired by the message of {following your dreams}. Perfect timing! 

I couldn't wait for the bright-eyed Rapunzel to fulfill her dream of seeing the floating lights that appeared in the sky every year on her birthday. At last free from the tower, she wasn't going to let anything get in her way. She was feisty yet vulnerable. Once Rapunzel knew she would reach her dream she struggled, in one moment she worried that the floating lights might not be everything she'd dreamed, then the next moment she asked, what if they were everything she'd dreamed, then what next? I loved Flynn's comforting response, "That's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream." 

So here's to achieving dreams and then finding new ones! 

The branches above, covered in a wintery mix of ice and sparkles, remind me of the beautiful and magical lights in the floating lanterns scene when Rapunzel finally accomplished her dream. 

Stripes of Light

taken:
day fifty one

08.10.2011

I love looking for bits of light. Bits and pieces of light that dance and sway and beam. These bright green pine needles captured stripes of light in the afternoon sun.