Friends and Kitties!
Sheebie here.
It's been a slow week here at Casa Cerecke. I gave in to myself and started reading George R. R. Martin's saga A Song of Ice and Fire, and to my chagrin delight I'm enthralled with the series. I've enjoyed all the books so far, even Feast for Crows which a lot of fans despised. Of course, since these books are exactly 783548552 pages each, I haven't had a lot of time for anything else.
Like sleep.
Scott and I had a difference of creative opinion over my blog and as a result I am taking my OWN photos from now on...it sounds mean but I think in the end this will be a good thing and force me to learn how to do more than just point-n-shoot stuff. I took the photo above, I think the composition came out well. It was windier than hell so I shot in sport mode to capture the leaves and flowers.
A couple of months ago I downloaded (for free!) Tony Northrup's DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography and so far it's a great guide. Long story short, if you have any good books to recommend or photo critiques please email me or leave a comment; I want to learn!
I also switched over to using Picasa for organizing and editing. Man--does it make Windows photo software look like a POS. Just *where* was my brain the past two years; I should have known that any Windows product would be a dog.
**************
Park Update:
Everything looks the same across the street but work is happening! The electrical conduit and water lines have been laid underground, and our street was closed for a day to dig up the pavement and make the connections on our side of the street.
There was a sign out in front of our house.
Which got a little more graffiti on it; SAC are Scott's initials!
What a rebellious vandal. He was ever so pleased that I spotted his work immediately when I pulled into the driveway after work. It's the little things in life...
Do you see how Felix is ignoring the oat grass? What a stinker. If any of them needs to eat it it's him, yet he doesn't have a taste for greens. Most of the Horde chows down on grass, and I find an amazingly small amount that "boomerangs" (thanks, Sparkle!) so evidently it's going through. The oat grass is from the grocery store; it's cheaper there than the pet store and I think it lives longer, too.
The Cats are shedding boatloads of fur and I'm doing marathon grooming sessions. If there was an market for cat hair I'd never have to work again...except to brush felines, that is. Apparently it's whisker-shedding time too. We collect and save our kitty's whiskers and we find more in the spring than any other time of year.
Oh, and I got reading glasses. But enough about that.
While we were at the Eye Doctor, and I spotted a guy wearing these:
...and he raved about them! Well, guess who got a pair? In lime green? No, not me, Scott! On sale at Kohls. He LOVES 'em. He has weird feet (oar-shaped, I swear) and these are the best shoes he's had, ever. In fact, I had to order another pair right away for emergency back up. Normally he wears socks and no shoes all day--even to meander outdoors--so I imagine my "white" laundry load is going to dwindle substantially. HURRAH!
So that's all the news for this week, Have a good one...
Happy Sunday!
XX Trish XX
Put the cat fur out in a mesh thing for the fevvers to use for their nests!
ReplyDeleteCertainly an interesting and eventful week! Purrs!
ReplyDeleteThere is a web site that does photography school stuff. We like the lesson type learning better than books as far as really getting good a composition and such. This way people actually critique your photos and you can see what you do well and what isn't so good. We'll have to look up the name of the place again, though... sorry. Or email us or post it on our blog to say hey you want to know what it is...
ReplyDeleteUh, please tell me that Daddy is still allowed to do the kitty shots? Cause no offense, but I would miss the up close and fursunal portraits he gets of the Horde. Seriously. I'm worried now.
ReplyDeleteYou did take a great photo and good job finding Scott's vandalism too! :) Hope he still gets the funny shots that happen during the day or you will need to find a way to sell that cat hair and stay home too! I hate wearing shoes so maybe I need to look into those funky ones too!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great pic! We can't believe your Daddy is a vandal. HaHaMeow! Gives you a little sumthing to hang ofur his head. hee-hee
ReplyDeleteGreat going there Mom Trish. We use Mac with that wonderful thingy called iPhoto so never need the Windows thingy. Funky shoes, I wonder if it has reached our shores. purrr...meow!
ReplyDeleteBBBuuuahahahahahahah! You have gone to the darkside!!!! The saga is amazing. I read a qreat quote about it the other day by another wonderful author. She said 'Martin has created and killed off more fantastic characters in one novel that most fantasy writers come up with in a whole lifetime of writing'. So true. Though I do miss Igors. :)
ReplyDeleteYour photos are good - but with Picasa I am sure they will get beter. DOn't be afraid to play with cropping. I downloaded that ebook and thought it had some good advice. Ont thing I learnt quite a while ago was to have something in the middle third area that grasps attention ie in the regio 1/3 up or down or left or right. And my personal preference is usually to have something slightly off centre so your eye is drawn to it. But photography is so personal. Just look at the huge variety on the blogosphere. But any cat photo is a good photo -and cat snaps aren't meant to be posed! Sorry, that's just my 50cents worth.
ReplyDeleteANd I am intrigued by the skeletoes........ Wonder if you can get them in Europe....
Have a great Sunday.
Your photos are good - but with Picasa I am sure they will get beter. DOn't be afraid to play with cropping. I downloaded that ebook and thought it had some good advice. Ont thing I learnt quite a while ago was to have something in the middle third area that grasps attention ie in the regio 1/3 up or down or left or right. And my personal preference is usually to have something slightly off centre so your eye is drawn to it. But photography is so personal. Just look at the huge variety on the blogosphere. But any cat photo is a good photo -and cat snaps aren't meant to be posed! Sorry, that's just my 50cents worth.
ReplyDeleteANd I am intrigued by the skeletoes........ Wonder if you can get them in Europe....
Have a great Sunday.
MOL, I thought you would appreciate the boomerang moniker! When it comes to digital photography, my human is pretty much self-taught - she read a bunch of books about lighting and exposure and such in the 1980s, and most of it is applicable to digital. She doesn't even use her DSLR to shoot stuff... it's collecting dust. She uses a Sony DSC-HX1, which is the highest end point-and-shoot (or at least its latest version is) before you move up to DSLR... of course, she shoots on Manual almost exclusively. Then she tweaks everything in Photoshop, and if she is being arty, she processes it in some additional kinda-pricey software she has. But seriously, no matter what software you are using, never be afraid to tweak and experiment (as long as you have made a dupe copy of the original!).
ReplyDeleteLovely shot, have fun. DPreview is a great place to get advice online. Just have fun. Hugs to all your furry babies.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures came out very well !
ReplyDeleteI just started to try and get better !
I could join into a cat fur market with Kim, she is worse than a sheep !
Thank you, Katnip Crew, for stopping over for my gotcha day! The human is glad you did, cuz she thought that your Sheebie might not have been talking to her as she isn't getting replies to emails. But to be fair, the talking man in the box is so incompetent that the emails maybe didn't reach her anyway. We're glad to see that life is good for you lot at the moment, and that Scoutey still hasn't been made into stew!
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing up A Clash of Kings and feel rather daunted at the volumes still ahead of me since, these days, I can barely manage 25-30 pages a day before I crash...
ReplyDeleteIf there is one word that conjures up true nostalgia for living in the US, it must be KOHLS!!! I do miss it so!
My current digital camera is an Olympus SZ-30MR and I am very happy with it! Just stay away from the NIkon point anne shots!
Hmmmm! Difference of creative opinion went tlike this:
ReplyDeleteI won't
you will
I won't
you will
won't
will......
Can see there would be a problem.
Being congenitally unable to take a decent photo, any lessons you learn could be useful to us nikonically challenged. I take everything in pet portrait mode. Seems easier that way somehow :)
I like your photos, good idea to take the one of the windy day in sport mode. Your background looks good too, it has changed since last time I visited.
ReplyDeletedoes the oat grass really do a good job of keeping the throw up piles in control? I should get Mario some. Your photography work is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteyea.. I'm not liking the toe shoes... of course, I didn't like the toe socks either - haha! But if it cuts down on your laundry ~ I guess that's a good thing. LOL!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday!
xo Catherine
I would love to be able to take better photos too, but I'm too lazy to read books, etc. So I'm looking for a real good point-and-shoot camera, something that takes great photos without me having to do much of anything.
ReplyDeleteI need to check out Picasa for my photo organizing. My photos are a mess!
Have a great day!
Sue
Well I liked the pictures! Happy Easy Sunday everyone!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the photos!! Sometimes we gals have to be rebels!! I'm the shutterbug in the family so I don't have to worry. It is rare to see a pic of me unless it is a reflection.
ReplyDeleteHugs Madi and Mom
You let Scott walk around the house and yard in white socks! That's what black socks are for :)
ReplyDeleteYou sell cat hair, Scott does graffiti.... If the world was fair, you would have a nice retirement nest egg in no time...
ReplyDeleteYour photo looks great! Beautiful landscape!
ReplyDeleteOh, I thought Picassa photo stuffs gave up the ghost? I guess not.
ReplyDeleteThose shows are a bit more different than would suit me I think. I have daisy Duck shaped feet. Always have, always will. MOL.
Katie's Mom
What a wonderful blog post. HH has a photography book that she really likes. She needs to find it and will tell you later what it is. You're doing great with the photography, by the way.
ReplyDeleteHave a super day.
pawhugs, Max
Great Photos! And what is it with Men and white socks!
ReplyDeleteI have cubic feet, I wonder how those shoes would work for me...
Nellie's Mom
Are those shoes comfy?? I would think it would feel weird--like those socks with toes on them that we used to have back in the 70's. Some guy on Survivor is wearing those shoes this time 'round.
ReplyDeleteLove the garden photo, so envious because we're getting more rain (no snow thankfully) and cool weather. There is a single lily pushing up.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for some grass for the cats, Sasha in particular, loves to go out and get a chomp or two (supervised of course).
Happy Sunday!
Things are looking good on all fronts. Picasa is a breeze. I miss their old Piknic editing though.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice Sheebie! My mom person just downloaded that book to her Kindle. She is using my boy John's DSLR & has no idea what to do except to point and shoot.
ReplyDeleteMy boy John also has a pair of those shoes in blue & he loves them!
Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar
Since the electrical conduit and water lines have been laid underground, does that mean those horrid electric towers will go away?
ReplyDeleteAre you asking our mom for photographic tips?? Ahahahaha! Whoa...
ReplyDeleteCongratulation for taking the bull by the horns and being willing to improve your own skills. We are never too old or too smart -to learn new things.
ReplyDeleteI thought your pictures looked great.
Hugs,
Penny
Our Meowm doesn't sweat photos too much, obviously, as she keeps using the same ones over and over. She really does mean to have a photo session, but gets lazy.
ReplyDeleteToo funny about the graffiti!
And those shoes, Meowm does not understand those. She wouldn't be able to wear them since she has plantar faschitis, but we understand having nothing, or next to nothing on your feets!
And we like your photos just fine!
I like your photos! Those shoes are strange, but even stranger, it looks like they only have 4 toes.
ReplyDeleteYou have ALOT of power lines nearby, wow. I count at least 16 structures in the picture of the construction. Impressive.
ReplyDeleteScott needs to come up with a little more creative tag than just his initials! come on!
Heya, Sheebie. Glad you're liking my book! Picasa's great.
ReplyDeleteCome on over to our facebook page (http://facebook.com/NorthrupPhotography). We post new videos that will be going into the ebook (you'll get an update eventually, but why wait). There's also a virtual classroom component--just post a photography question on our wall, and I'll answer it. Post a picture on our wall and ask for feedback, and I'll tell you if there's something you can work on.
Hope to see you there. BTW, I love your shots so far!