flowering friday…
Setting: Alamo Square, San Francisco.
Time: An impossibly clear and sunny, crisp afternoon in May.
Players: Liz, Jay, the Canon Powershot G12, and a very patient flowering tree subject.
Off to the ER in a few hours, so I’m keeping it short and sweet today! Also, my computer has slowed to a snail’s pace & is running ungodly hot and thus needs an emergency virus scan. So, quick post and on to saving the computer!
windmills of your mind…
…a great song by Sting. 
So, this photo. Modernized Holland? Nope! Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie! Who would’ve thunk it? 
So, I was relaxing in the sand when I noticed the windmill (wind direction/speed monitoring thingie?) behind me. Naturally, I grabbed my camera. Thus began my mission to get a stinkin’ photo of the thing without the blades blurring! I can’t even begin to express how many photos of this darn windmill I took!!! Luckily, I was satisfied with the minimal blur in this one and fortunately, it also had what I felt to be the most pleasing angle for the windmill jutting into the photo.
Taken with the G7. Obviously. Contrast fixed in Photoshop.
Enjoy. I hope it…”blows”…you away.
“…Round, like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel.
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that’s turning
Running rings around the moonLike a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it’s face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind…”
small sandy stonehenge…part 2
Ok, ok…I know: its about time I posted Part 2 of Small Sandy Stonehenge! So, here it is. Taken at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA. Gorgeous beach. Lovely daytrip with my mom. Enjoy the photo. Short & sweet.
Taken with the Canon G7. Contrast fixed in Photoshop CS3.
midsummer’s midnight blooms…
So, I know I promised “Sandy Stonehenge Part 2,” but I’ve been so antsy to post this photo for quite a while. Why not build a little anticipation for the second stonehenge with this picture?
I took this shot back in Philadelphia during one of my riverside jogs-turned-photo-excursion. These little white flowers were blooming everywhere on the ground by the Schuylkill River. They were lovely on their own, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to add in a “midnight filter” in Photoshop to really make them into something special. I love the bit of a fairy-tale glow that they now have!
Taken with the Canon G7 and “made extra-special” with Photoshop CS3 & the Midnight Filter.
Stay tuned to for Part 2 of Stonehenge!
gliding grace…
Ok! All together now: “I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky!!!”
So, here we have a seagull gliding above the Jersey Shore. Avalon, to be exact. Snapped during a lovely day at the beach. Of course, taken with the Canon G7.
And that’s all folks. Short and sweet this time. Check back soon for more posts!
finally back…
Hello again, world! So, I’ve emerged from the depths of boards studying, sat for the 8-hour exam, and am now in the midst of my surgery rotation. Yeah…I’m up at 4am to round on my patients by 5am and I usually get home around 7pm. So, posts may be a bit sporadic (and have short blurbs) for the next 7 weeks, as I typically have 1-2 hours each evening to do all my stuff and still get a decent night sleep. That said, how cool is it that I get to help with surgeries and get to have my own patients? Third year of med school is definitely living up to what I had hoped it would be. Its also amazing to be back on home-turf in Pittsburgh. Close to family, friends, boyfriend, and a hospital stuck in a slightly safer section of town than Temple 
So, what would a bleary-eyed med student on a surgical rotation need, second only to air and water? FUZZ! So, world, here is the family cat, Sadie. One lovely lady in a group of 5 (!) sweet kitties. Oh, and I honestly can’t remember which camera I took this photo with, but I’m going to guess my now-stolen Olympus Stylus 820.
Alright. That’s all. Its 9:53 and that means it is 53 minutes past my bedtime. By the way, this officially means that I am 24 years old and going to bed earlier than I did in middle school. Sad. So, so sad.
colorful cardinal…
Story behind this photo: I was talking to my mom one afternoon when I looked out my window and saw a lovely red cardinal sitting the tree of my courtyard. I yelped to my mom that I’d be right back because I needed to take a picture. The funny thing was that it didn’t phase her a single bit and she just patiently waited for me to capture my perfect shot. Can you tell I come from a shutterbug?
Anyhoo, this little red fellow was taken with the awesome Canon G7. I desaturated everything but the bird in Photoshop CS3 and just tinkered with the contrast a bit. Enjoy!!
through the drinking glass…again…
So, once again, I was a thirsty med student trying to diligently study…but succeeding at getting distracted. If it wasn’t the cats trying to play with me (Izzie always brings me toys so she can play fetch!), then it was my favorite blue-and-clear glass full of water. I know, I know, you’re wondering why the heck I was spending so much time staring at my water glass. Well, try studying gastrointestinal pathology and drugs for constipation and diarrhea and then let me know what percentage of your time was spent trying to picture anything but the inside of someone’s colon.
So, I whipped out the Canon G7 and shot away. It was quite fun playing with the coloration of the glass and the water level. And here we have it! Contrast enhanced in Photoshop CS3.
Oh, and don’t worry. I finished my studying.
strolling down the street…
The next installment in my series on people! I visited the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia this past spring and was taken for quite a wild ride! The sculptures were absolutely crazy and the whole derby had a cool bohemian vibe to it. Luckily, I brought my camera! Granted, I brought it so that I could better show my mom exactly what this “thing” was, but I got some cool shots as well. As the crowd was beginning to line up at the finish line, I noticed this little curly-haired girl enjoying a solitary stroll down the street with her balloon and little stuffed puppy. Fortunately, she wasn’t walking down the lane for too long, as that was the exact street that served as the final leg of the derby.
Of course, this photo was taken with the Canon Powershot G7! I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to remove the company logo that was splashed across the balloon (it was so distracting!). I also enhanced the contrast and lighting in the photo for a slightly more dramatic “solitary” feel. Enjoy! Stay tuned for more in my “People Series”!
surf’s up…
So, this photo is the first in a series I will be posting featuring people as subjects. I’m excited, as I usually do landscapes/macro/anything-but-people!
I took this photo while at the Jersey Shore over the summer with my boyfriend (see previous post for more another product of that trip). Avalon Beach was lovely, fairly empty with lovely water. I love to body surf, so I was quite content. Some areas had larger waves that surfers were taking full advantage of. I was lucky enough to snap this shot, right as the surfer hit the top of the wave. It wasn’t until I looked at the larger image of the photo on my computer that I realized he was also touching the top of the wave. Cool stuff.
So, anyhoo, this shot was taken with the Canon Powershot G7. Contrast was fixed with Adobe Photoshop CS3.
Surf’s up!!
the wild side of central park…
Interspecies sunbathing? YES!! This lovely heron seemed to know that it was posing for the camera as it gracefully posed to fully show off its figure. And the turtles? Well, I’m loving the little guy in the middle who seems to be trying to replicate the heron’s moves, complete with outstretched neck and head. He’s (she?) just trying so hard. I think he achieved the overall effect, albeit by replacing a bit of the grace with comedy. The other turtle, well, I just don’t think he got the memo about the sunbathing photo-op. That, or he’s just not quite as proficient as his cronies at “finding the light”. Or perhaps he feels his backside is his best angle…
Taken, of course, with the Canon Powershot G7. The location: Central Park, NYC. The post processing: a quick crop and contrast fix.
Enjoy. I found few more photos from my NYC trip that I forgot to add into the NYC series. They’ll slowly make their appearances!
mermaid…
Well, here’s a change of pace. I usually photograph things, places, and my cats…but….omigosh! Its a person!!! My sister and I were having a bit of fun in Playa del Carmen, Mexico a couple of years ago by staging a teensy “America’s Next Top Model”-esque photo shoot out in the water. Naturally, she looked gorgeous. And she’s ready for her close-up now…or at least to have her photo on my blog! You go, pretty sister!
Taken with an Olympus Stylus 820. The photo was played with a bit in Adobe Photoshop CS3 to add a glow, fix contrast, and create a sepia tone. It was then converted into an HDR photo. Enjoy!!!!
tempting tranquility…
So this little slice of heaven was taken at Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Have I mentioned how much I loooooove Isla?? I did? Oh, yes. That’s right. I found it impossible to drink in all of the serene shades of blue so I snapped tons of photos to help me in that quest at a later time.
I love the blue gradient in this photo…from the turquoise of the water all the way up to the sky’s blue hue, with an interspersing of fluffy white clouds!
To help you slip into this tranquil moment, picture the breeze gently blowing, waves softly crashing on the soft white sand, and the bathtub-temperature water enveloping your increasingly relaxed body. Ah, there you go. Now you’re there.
Yup. Taken with the trusty Canon Powershot G7.
on a distant sandy shore…
Ahhh…yes. You can almost hear the gentle waves lapping on the sand. The beach in front of our resort (Ocean Coral and Turquesa) was simply gorgeous. The only bad thing about the beach was that the red flag was flying everyday…i.e. swim at your own risk. I came, I swam, I learned why the flag was red. There was…stuff…in the water. The bits of seaweed? Nah, I could look past those. The biting, stinging things in the seaweed? OUCH. Lets just say that I don’t particularly enjoy the simultaneous feelings of fire and tiny knives in my legs. Naturally, this was a very unfortunate situation for this self-proclaimed beach bum/water baby. This was precisely the reason for repeat treks to the idyllic waters of Isla Mujeres. No problems there, other than it being so gorgeous that I never wanted to leave.
Water complaints aside, the beach was still beautiful. The palapas provided ample shade and the chaise lounges were oh-so-comfy. It pays to upgrade to VIP status at this place. Did I mention that this stretch of beach was completely reserved for VIP guests only? Oh, I didn’t? It was heaven. The beach was the perfect setting for water-gazing, people watching, and sunrise photography. So, stay tuned for more photos of my trip to Mexico!
Almost forgot! Taken with the handy-dandy Canon Powershot G7. But you already guessed that, didn’t you? I used the awesome color-select setting on the camera to capture a bit of the sand color to add some interest to the black and white. Contrast fixed and enhanced using a touch of pseudo-HDR in the Dynamic-Photo HDR program.
new york city, we have lift-off…
Okay, okay. I know I promised photos of Mexico soon, but I realized that I haven’t finished my New York City series yet. That and the fact that I just started my second year of med school last week and holy cow! Second year is crazy already! Thus, not much time for uploading and perfecting my week-long photoshoot down the Mayan Riviera coast.
So, here we have a heron in Central Park taking off for what I can only imagine is a giant birdfeeder in the sky. The funny thing about this heron was that as soon as he made his entrance in the pond, people with cameras flocked out of places that I didn’t know existed to snap pictures of him (her?). Everyone was acting as if they had never seen a bird before, let alone a heron. This seriously must now be the best-documented heron in history. Yes, I was one of those shutterbugs, but at least I had already been taking pictures of the adorable bridge and the pond…and the 3 cute turtles on a rock. Then the bird arrived, and I merely shifted my attention to it. I didn’t run to it.
Then again, why am I poking fun at all the people who kept snapping bird pictures? I may not have many bird pictures, but I have about 35 of turtles. Hmm. I’ve never seen turtles before. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Taken, of course, with the fabulous G7. And at this time I am proud to announce that I have converted my sister and she just purchased a…G7 after months of ogling mine!!!
have i told you lately that…
This one goes out to the one I love (sorry for the REM quote). Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I think this one says precisely three. THE three little words. My wonderful boyfriend (of over 3 years!) and I embarked on an adventure out to the Jersey Shore on Friday. I love the beach. I love my boyfriend. I was ridiculously happy. Anyhoo, the water was wonderful, particularly for body surfing, and lounging in the sunshine was simply delightful. He fried to a wonderful lobster-red shade, I turned a lovely golden brown. Ah, the wonders of sunblock. Towards the end of the day, I noticed that the clouds were simply beautiful overhead and I got an idea. I had seen silhouette “writing” somewhere and I thought it would be a cute surprise for the aforementioned man in my life (who will willingly watch the Bachelorette with me while enjoying Chinese take-out and ice cream) if I did a little sky writing myself. The people behind me on the beach obviously thought I was nuts as I kept making contorted hand shapes in the air and then snapping pictures of them, but oh, what one will do for love.
So, now for the specs: Six pictures taken against a beachy sky with the Canon Powershot G7. Compiled and contrast-enhanced in Photoshop to really make my hand-letters pop. Size of final image reduced in Photoshop because the original compilation was over 3oo inches long and my computer was visibly having trouble handling and touching up such a massive photo. Enjoy.
glutamine, shmutamine…
Its been a while since I put up a hardcore nerd photo. And, well, there’s no time like the present! I made a solution (at my old lab, of course) of the amino acid glutamine. When a drop of the solution is placed on a microscope slide and allowed to dry out, crystals of glutamine form. I tossed those puppies under the microscope (Olympus BX51) and took a picture at 10x. Gotta love the ice-like quality of the crystals and the rainbow refractions!
Gosh, I sure do miss the good ol’ lab days sometimes! I was always able to do the most unique microscopic photography there!!!
through the drinking glass…
Allow me to fill you in on the birth of this photograph. I was studying for my Block 6 Pharmacology/Pathology/Immunology final (fun, right?). At the same time, I was enjoying a nice cold glass of grape juice. Drinking the grape juice was infinitely better than studying, so I sat there and finished it in one shot. Placing the glass down on my desk and looking inside of it to waste yet more time, I noticed that, “Heck, this could be a cool photo.” Translation: anything, including photographing grape juice residue, is better than studying for this darn final. Grabbed the trusty Canon G7 and had a small photo shoot with my glass. Then I popped the picture into Photoshop for some contrast adjustment and bleaching effects…and there you go! Amazing timewaster…I mean, piece of photographic art!
Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, yes, I did pass that final and successfully completed my first year of medical school. Yay!
divine dahlia: part three…
All good things must come to an end…including the Divine Dahlia mini-series! Hope you have been enjoying the photos! Now, I know that this flower was beautiful in all of its colored glory, but I really wanted to try some good ol’ black-and-white to bring out the details in the petals…and I think it worked!
As usual, the photo was taken with the Canon G7. Post-processed in Photoshop to select the color of the black-and-white filter. Enjoy and stay tuned for more pictures!
a morning silhouette…
This beautiful tree is on the University of Pittsburgh campus between the Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Chapel. I took the photo at approximately 5am during the 1st annual Relay For Life at Pitt, just as the morning sun was starting to come up! An Olympus Stylus 820 was used to capture this delicate silhouette.
Beauty and the Beach
This shot was taken on a beach of Lake Erie in Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania. Can you find the sailboat (hint: look at the horizon and zoom in)? It was taken using an Olympus Stylus 820 digital camera. The digital image was then processed in Photoshop to adjust color and contrast levels, apply a slight “glow” to the edges, and finally processed with Dynamic HDR software into an HDR image. Isn’t Erie simply gorgeous?
Orchid
Some of you are probably wondering what the heck the image under my blog title is. Well, for those inquisitive souls, here you go. This is a close-up of an orchid. Taken with an Olympus Zoom D595Z digital camera and posted for your viewing pleasure.
