Photography T&T #3

This week's topic for photography is lighting.  Lately I have been experimenting with lighting and different settings on my camera.  It has been really fun!  Today I taped a large piece of white paper to my window, where I hoped to filter some natural light through to the flower and flesh out the detail in the flowers I was taking a photo shoot of.  The pictures turned out pretty well.  They got better when I added more light with a simple desk lamp (golden light) and an ikea lamp (natural white light).  Here are my pictures:

When taking pictures with extra lamp lighting, be careful of shadows, like in this picture

This picture is of the same rose as above and is totally raw and unedited.  The setting on my camera bleached the rose color and after I edited it....

 ...it came out pretty well!  I simply drained the little saturation the picture had in the first place, making it look more rustic and vintage-ish :)

Beware of how much light you have.  Many times you can come out with a black silhouette of your object, not a clear picture....

...or, if you have too much lighting, your rose can look wilted :)

This is probably one of the better pictures of the rose.  I dipped my fingers into a bowl of water to add to the texture of the picture.

This picture focuses mainly on the cluster of flowers in the center of the picture, but the viewer can also see the other flowers close by.  It isn't a great picture because of the minor shadows behind it, but otherwise the light on the flower itself is golden light and adds to the color of the picture in general.

My simple set-up:  Desk lamp, tape (to tape the flowers to the paper and the paper to the window), and a reading light from ikea.

I love the beautiful purple-pink hues in this flower!

I couldn't resist adding a picture of my dog.  Isn't she so cute?!?  Those big brown eyes and white fur add to her beauty.  

Have fun taking pictures!  I hope your lighting experiments are successful! 

     Since the opening ceremony, these 2014 winter Olympics have been truly fascinating.  From skeleton to slopestyle, the many winter sports draw amazing athletes  from around the world together every four years.  Their journeys, though they may not end on the podium, tell a tale of determination, grit, and mental as well as physical stamina.  Though some, like Switzerland's Henrik Harlaut, rely on uncooked eggs, dreadlocks, and clothes 3 times too big for good luck, others simply believe in their personal training and expertise to get them through these competitions.  As people around the world speculate at the unbelievable talents that humans are capable of, I hope that they will realize that an explainable accident couldn't have made us who we are.

Representing the US in ice dancing:  Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the pair has been skating together for a total of 17 years!

 the USA literally owned the men's skiing slopestyle podium with Gus Kenworthy, left, silver, Joss Christensen, center, gold, and Nicholas Goepper, bronze, right

 Throughout the Sochi Olympics, athletes from all sports have had several potentially disastrous crashes but have come out in one piece :-) 

 Russia's 15 year-old Yulia (Julia) Lipnitskaya used her ballet skills in her beautiful performance

Russia's famous pair skaters

USA's Gracie Gold on the ice

USA's Shaun White failed to capture gold this year in Sochi, yet still maintains his world-renowned reputation as one of the greatest snowboarders

Don't their sweaters look so comfy?  :-)

downhill skiers pick up incredible speeds and sometimes struggle to remain in control

Henrik Harlaut as he advertises for his underwear company 

Women's luge

Men's speed skating

As you witness the profound abilities of Man, remember the One who gave the talent.
What is your favorite (winter) Olympic sport to watch?  
Who is your favorite athlete?