HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

I hope 2011 proves to be a fantastic year for everyone and it brings us all peace.  Thank you to all who have read this blog over the last 12 months and left encouraging and supportive comments - they are greatly appreciated.  Here's to the next 12 :) xx

First Triptych showing

Here we go then as promised my first triptych image, this has been created using one image.  I have a feeling I am going to enjoy these and be creating more of them.

and here is the second one,

and the final one - so far this is my favourite.

Christmas Flowers

On Christmas Eve my lovely husband came home from work and presented me with these beautiful flowers - which I thought I would share with you in their full glory.

I have had a very enjoyable afternoon photographing them with the intention of using the images for the next camera club open competition which is a triptych photo, ( a panel of three photos, either made up from one image or three different images with a theme but they have to work together to create one image - it you get my drift).  So I have spent this evening trying to learn how to create a triptych in photoshop and although I haven't perfected it I have an understanding of how to do it now. I shall show you the results tomorrow.

Photo a week

Last week Louise and I had a go at Painting with Light. This is using the bulb setting in the dark with a torch. Here is what Louise came up with and below is what I came up with.  First I played with an ordinary torch and writing my name, nearly achieved it.

Then I used a red laser light and drew around my slippers (yes they are red and white stripes with pompoms on!!)

 Then I tried writing my name again,

 Then last but not least a smiley face - then the battery ran out!

This week we are taking photos using a long dof,  to create an image with everything in focus, no blurring.

Christmas week

Why is it that as soon as we break up for the holidays I get ill. Having resisted all the bugs that have been going around at work all term they hit me as soon as we finish, so I spend my holiday being ill. Hey ho, thankfully I haven't been as ill as some I know so I am grateful for that and shall stop moaning. Hope everyone has had a great Christmas weekend and no doubt eaten and drank too much - I have certainly over indulged big time since Christmas Eve - thankgoodness my appetite hasn't been affected. The day before Christmas Eve we had our annual trip to KFC in Penzance, after we had been to see the lights in Mousehole. 

Mousehole put on a wonderful display of Christmas Lights every year and people travel miles to see them.  The lights are turned on around the 18th Dec but on the 19th Dec they are turned off for an hour to remember those that lost their lives in the Penlee Lifeboat disaster which was based in Mousehole at the time and affected so many who lived there.  For more info http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/Mousehole/penlee_lifeboat.htm

I managed to take some rubbish photos - which is what I seem to be doing on a regular basis at the mo - may have been something to do with the freezing cold, or the knowledge that the family were waiting patiently for me physically shaking as they were so cold, (even Mick was cold - so it must have been cold),  or maybe it is just me at the mo.  Anyway here are a couple.

The lights that go around the harbour.

Like the colour of the sky in this one.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

It's nearly Christmas..

Yet another busy week at work with the children's Christmas show and  Christmas party including a visit from the man himself - Father Christmas.   I do believe we have sent the children home suitably excited about Christmas and full of energy and mischief - which is more than can be said for the staff!!  It has also been a week of Christmas do's for me, each has been very enjoyable with good food and good company - what more could one ask for ???  Oh another one tomorrow night!! 

The theme for this week's photo challenge was Christmas lights, which should not have been difficult as our village is looking stunning as always this time of year - but needless to say I have not yet been out with the camera, too many nights out socialising (a rareity I hasten to add) and the rather cold  freezing weather has put me off - so far, but I will get some this week - a promise to myself. So instead of venturing out I settled for the Christmas tree.  Louise was braver than me she has ventured out - well almost!!

Admittedly they aren't Christmas lights as such, but they reflect Christmas past and present to me, the first photo of the baubles shows one that use to be on our tree when I was a little girl.  The second photo is of one that we have bought for the girls over the years.  We use to buy them a new one each every year, that has only just stopped this last two years!  The last photo is of the fairy that mum put on the tree every year and now every year when I open the box and see her there it takes me back to my childhood christmases.  Originally she had a lovely lacy dress but that has been replaced a number of times over the years - I mean we are talking over 50 years old here (she was around before me!!)  After all Christmas is a time to remember.  I'm sure my friend Kathi will appreciate this post as she is the nostalgia queen.

Christmas Preparations...

.... have definitely been the order of the week.  They all started last Sunday evening with the lantern parade and the turning on of Tregony Christmas lights - which I have to say are looking stunning again this year.  Christmas cards are written, the tree and decorations are up, mince pies made and half eaten already and the Christmas cd's have been blasting out all weekend.  The first of four Christmas do's has been attended and thoroughly enjoyed.  Tomorrow is the children Christmas Show to their parents - a very stressful day for staff - will the children perform or will they freeze!!! Either way we will all be very proud of them as will everyone who comes to watch them.

On to this week's photo challenge. We chose short dof and here are my offerings and you can see Louise's here .

I chose the images of presents because I have signed up to do the Journal Your Christmas and I wanted to include the wrapping of presents early for delivery to family & friends who we won't see on Christmas Day.   

I won this littl chap on the raffle at camera club this week.  So cute he was just begging to have his photo taken.  So I incorporated him into the challenge this week with the smarties tube that was sitting in the cupboard.  Guess some folk would say I need to get out more????

Buildings

Week four of the photo challenge was buildings, concentrating on compostition, exposure and good tones. Louise's images can be seen here, do take a look, I think they are both very well seen and taken. Here are my attempts I couldn't decide which was my favourite so I have put four up - funny how we both picked a place of worship without realising.

Truro Cathedral

 Front view of the Cathedral

The old Coinage Hall in Truro, which is now a Pizza Express on the bottom and tea rooms on the top, both of which are very nice.

Last week was a very funny old week, I took the girls up to London for three days, to look around Uni's for Bernadette and do a bit of Christmas shopping.  Thankfully the uni's fell through, but the Christmas shopping was good, especially as it snowed most of the time.  We met up with my nephew and his girlfriend and we all went to see the Lion King which is just amazing.  I found the whole experience unsettling, realising just how much I miss it all and how easy I found it to slip back into the life style in such a short timescale.... or maybe it was just all the sights, sounds and smells that brought back so many memories ...... either way it is taking me awhile to re-adjust to being back in Cornwall!