they said no rain but... ~ hanno detto di no pioggia, ma ... ~

they said no rain but... ~ hanno detto di no pioggia, ma ... ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  internet problems sorry!.

Does anyone know what kind of day it is? Does anyone really care?

Qualcuno sa che tipo di giorno è? Importa a qualcuno?

hello seagull ~ ciao gabbiano ~

hello seagull ~ ciao gabbiano ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene on / off.

hello seagull what are you doing here?
is bread by the ocean so dear?
you came a long way for food I see
but you will get nothing from me!

ciao gabbiano che ci fai qui?
è il pane dall'oceano così caro?
questo gabbiano è venuto un senso lungo per il cibo che vedo,
ma si otterrà nulla da me!

On Gold ~ Su Oro ~

On Gold ~ Su Oro ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene on / off.

I took this photo two days ago before the rain storms. The reflection is a combination of the sun and the Autumn glow of the trees. I hope you like it. Have a wonderful day Flickr friends!

Ho scattato questa foto due giorni fa prima che le tempeste di pioggia. La riflessione è una combinazione del sole e il bagliore d'autunno degli alberi. Spero vi piaccia. Avere un meraviglioso giorno amici di Flickr!

Good Advice for Extension Tubes

I just started to use extension tubes and one of my flickr friends, Wink http://www.flickr.com/photos/68842954@N00, gave me some very good advice.

Set the camera to aperture to f/5.6 - f/9, manual focus, and the shutter release to continuous, hold the shutter button down as you gently move the camera in and out for a least 6-8 shots for each scene, you can then choose the best focus later.

I have yet to try this out, but I did do several shots stopping up...if you don't you cannot see much. Now I will try it on a different lens. Do not try it on a 50mm...it is too hard to manually focus. An 18-55mm works well and most photographers have that lens in their kit.

Texture ~ Tessitura ~

Texture ~ Tessitura ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene slowly coming back.

One of the displays at the Arts and Crafts Fair. I liked the different use of fabrics and the other bags and shirts were similar. They made for a good photo opportunity!

A fun trick to produce off camera HDR

I was experimenting in Photoshop and thought what would a photo look like if you merge the RAW with the JPEG. I made the JPEG the same size as the RAW, this is critical, then merged the layers. Wow! To my surprise the photo looked like HDR! It is very important to ensure that you make your JPEG the exact same dimensions as the RAW. Open both and copy the RAW dimensions into the JPEG under "image size", then merge down with the JPEG as the top layer. Try it out, it will not work for all pictures, very busy ones, but does well with a bench, the one I used or other objects without too much detail. I also painted over some areas to give them an extra punch with a 30% set at "Overlay"... try different brushes and styles.

Colorful Useless things ~ Colorato Inutile Cose ~

Colorful Useless things ~ Colorato Inutile Cose ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

I saw a barrel of ceramic mushrooms at the garden store. I removed the price tags. Would you pay 9 USD for one of them? I guess people with too much money would buy them? Who knows?

Flying through the bokeh ~ Volare attraverso il bokeh ~

Flying through the bokeh ~ Volare attraverso il bokeh ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

I went to the garden store to buy a tree
When this pretty thing I did see
I wanted to buy this just for me
But I had to buy the new tree
Can I take a picture asked me
The man said that it is safe and free
I took some pictures for you to see
Then left with my new tree


I think you can see I am not a poet
I can write sometimes but this is not my best
Well enjoy the picture, maybe my poem
Next time I will try to write a better tome

Confused Hydrangea ~ Confuso Ortensia ~

Confused Hydrangea ~ Confuso Ortensia ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

My Hydrangea is confused. It thinks that it is still Summer here. It has been hot. Perhaps that is why it is making new buds? Nature has a mind of her own! First try with my new extension tubes ... it is going to take awhile to get used to them!

tips and such

I found a great way to do cheap ...free studio lighting. Sure you can buy the cowboy stuff on Amazon for cheap, but this is free! Here it is: I used a new three armed laundry hanger, put a sheet / white, over it, put an incandescent light behind it. I also put the light with sheet up high on a shelf...this creates some awesome effects and you get your studio lighting on the fly so try it out. Experiment with bouncing the light off of the ceiling or wall or use two..works very well!

The unknown ~ L'ignoto ~

The unknown ~ L'ignoto ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

Who knows what the future holds?
We leave the past behind us
Fly into the future, no past, only the present
A moment in time, gone so quickly
Nothing can stop this movement
Will it hold joy, love, happiness?
It is our choice to fly into the unknown

Could this be a fence? ~ Questo potrebbe essere un recinto? ~

Could this be a fence? ~ Questo potrebbe essere un recinto? ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

You used to have a beautiful pea vine with lovely flowers, now I can see the pretty green fence..well, I think it is a fence

I have a serious addiction to DoF and my Canon 50mm lately.

The last kiss of Summer ~ L'ultimo bacio di Estate ~

The last kiss of Summer ~ L'ultimo bacio di Estate ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  (trying to catch up).

We walk along the street
taking in the last sweet warm wind
Summer will fade like a lover's kiss
Fall is coming with colors of glory
I embrace the last kiss of Summer

International Day of Peace ~Giornata Internazionale della Pace~

International Day of Peace ~Giornata Internazionale della Pace~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  (trying to catch up).

Human beings are the only species on the planet that kill their own kind for no reason. What is more humane, an animal or a human?

Color my World ~ Il mio mondo a colori ~

Color my World ~ Il mio mondo a colori ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

You have a rainbow slinky so I bought two! I also have a giant box of Crayola colored pencils to play with.
I also wear my slinky as a bracelet. It looks very nice. Some women wished they had thought of it first!

Our lives our time ~ La nostra vita il nostro tempo ~

Our lives our time ~ La nostra vita il nostro tempo ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  off today :).

I often wonder...what is on the other side of the fence, who lives there, are they happy? Benches make me wonder, who sat there, where did they come from, where did they go.

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get (Forrest Gump). The important thing is what you do with what you get! The sweet life!

LOVE 0-0

LOVE 0-0, originally uploaded by BlueLily  off today :).

There were crafts and music, a mobile pizza oven from New York, a petting zoo of animals.
So much to see so much to enjoy! Sculptured towers of fun, pottery, dogs and cats, Llamas and pigs and even a goat. Beautiful hand crafted jewelry...my favorite thing. And I sat and ate pizza and listened to the band sing!

copyright Sheree Zielke All rights reserved

This photograph is copyrighted by Sheree Zielke. All rights reserved.

Buy this book. It is awesome! Available on Amazon.com!


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/4987181918_3d97ee4d97.jpg

Beauty and the Bokeh

Beauty and the Bokeh, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

Happy Saturday!!

Sit with me ~ Siediti con me ~

Sit with me ~ Siediti con me ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

Come sit with me in this chair
Let us feel the breeze
And smell the fresh air
Come sit with me

Vieni a sederti con me su questa sedia
Facciamo sentire la brezza e l'odore dell'aria fresca
Siediti con me

Sit with me ~ Siediti con me ~

Sit with me ~ Siediti con me ~, originally uploaded by BlueLily  Arlene.

Come sit with me in this chair
Let us feel the breeze
And smell the fresh air
Come sit with me

for ...-Wink-...

for ...-Wink-..., originally uploaded by BlueLily ♥ I Arlene.

who was kind enough to dedicate a picture to me of his old shoes. Well here are mine and of course that is my Hermes scarf! Only the best for friends!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Lost in the High Sierras

Lost in the High Sierras, originally uploaded by BlueLily ♥ (trying to catch up).

I was lost, traveling down a side road high in the mountains, the air was fresh with pine. I did not care where I was or where I was going.

Santa Barbara Seashells

Santa Barbara Seashells, originally uploaded by BlueLily ♥ (trying to catch up).

Sometimes you stuck between my toes sometimes a glitter in a tide pool. I treasure each one big or small, broken or whole...you have my heart and always will.

It is hot and smoggy. I found these in a cigar box and decided to clean them ... each one has a special memory...a little OOF but I love them.

A Summer Memory

A Summer Memory, originally uploaded by BlueLily © slowly coming back.

A Summer Memory

~ Estate di memoria ~

As the days get shorter and the cool winds start to blow, I am sending a colorful memory to you my friends.

Mentre i giorni si accorciano ei venti freddi iniziano a soffiare, io sono l'invio di un ricordo colorato a voi i miei amici.

A Capital Fence

I had to take this on the run. There were security police and politicians staring at me because this fence is located on the California State Capital Grounds.

The Machine

If you have not taken a ride on a Harley you have not lived...this is just my opinion.

Hipstamatic Dates

Does anyone know why hipstamatic black puts an 80 after the month? I find it odd...maybe we can research the web or go to hipstamatic..just curious.

Fly me to the moon

I was out in the wildlife sanctuary to take pictures of birds, but they were dusting the rice fields. I was very pleased to get this shot...the moon is a brush that I made in PS...hope you like it

The Peacock and the Princess of 24th Street

Third in a series of this amazing mural. Unfortunately I did not have my prime with me so it took three photos to capture this mural. If you have time, please look at the entire series on flickr at: flic.kr/p/8dbQCF

Hipstamatic My favorite fruits

I just love fresh fruit and vegetables. Bosc Pears and Fuji Apples are two of my favorite fruits. What fruit do you like?

Think Think

A shot where of where I do most of my thinking away from my computer. I have had this Think Think sign since I was a teen ... I had a revelation one day about thinking...well too much time has passed but I still think think