sorry...

my apologies to my trusty follower(s)... i've let the ball drop... it's been busy and i've been lazy.  let's be honest here.  the holidays takes up a lot of energy! everyday i think... "crap!  gotta post a shot..."  then my eyes droop and sleep is calling.  so... i just want you to know that i haven't forgotten about you and i promise to be back soon.  promise!

 

shot of the day - 12.24.2010

spent the day with my momma... went to to the mall.  i was expecting the worse but was surprised when it really wasn't all that busy.  and we just went for fun and food so there was no pressure of the last minute christmas shopping like i would assume the majority of the people in the mall were doing.  

this is a silly shot i took of my mom.  she's usually pretty accepting when i try to make her do funny stuff.

shot of the day - 12.23.2010

sorry... was way too tired last night to post... went to two parties.  one was family friendly... the other was... well, very friendly!  ha!  

even tho i personally don't completely feel the christmas spirit... my family doesn't really do much... it's still fun getting to see everyone all together in one place.  and seeing the kids grow up so fast... or the amount of kids grow.  it's a little crazy!  so, obviously i've been taking a lot of shots of the babies lately... i don't know who to "feature" and i don't want to single any of them out... so here's some single shots of them from the party last night.

mia

audrey

zack

sage

zoe

cyan

brandon

lisa

 

shot of the day - 12.22.2010

my finger tips are sore... once again i don't really have any feelings on my finger tips of my left hand.  i've been playing the guitar quite a bit the past few days... 4 1/2 hours one night on the same song.  trying to learn a new song.  it's been about a year since i started self teaching on the guitar.  last year we all made resolutions and mine was to learn.. i think i said 2 or 3 songs, but they upped it to 10.  still have a about a week to reach the goal!

 

shot of the day - 12.21.2010

shot of the day - 12.20.2010

i want a hippopotamus for christmas... la la la... that silly *annoying* song has been in my head on and off ever since i did the christmas caroling with KOOL FM a couple of weeks ago.  i never really knew the song and i still don't really but my ears perk up now everytime i hear it on the radio.  it's funny how you never really notice a song until it's been drilled in your head involuntarily... although, i suppose in my case, it was voluntary since i joined the choir.  eh... whatever.

anyway... i was sitting at my desk today sniffling away... frustrated that i was sick because i felt like i was blowing my nose every 2 seconds... and looking around, zoning out.  i saw my little hippo friend sitting at the base of my lamp where he's been for the past few years.  i don't even remember where he came from... i think a friend gave it to me as a gift.  he's so cute... i love that he's there to keep me company.  guess i don't need a hippopotamus for christmas because i have him.

shot of the day - 12.19.2010

happy birthday to my friend Rayna!  i should've gotten a shot of her today but got totally lost in the bustle of excitement and hunger!  we had a nice lunch at Spinnakers with good friends and a lot of her family.  

i then had a nice evening chilling with my good friends Mabel and Craig.  i don't see them as much as i should.. the last time we hung out was in august.  they had good news for me and i'm so happy for them!  this shot of Mabel is very typical her.  ha!  wagging her finger and telling me what to do... just kidding!

 

shot of the day - 12.18.2010

christmas brings on all the parties and gatherings... which means lots of food and yummy treats!  i was so full tonight i didn't get to personally enjoy any of the sweet treats but they sure did look beautiful and delicious!

shot of the day - 12.17.2010

omg!  i totally forgot to post the picture for the 17th... i got home so late yesterday that i just went to bed.  anyway... here it is... went to a party and took the opportunity to try and capture a neat shot of the foosball table (is that how you spell it?) when it wasn't being bashed around.  apparently i'm an okay foosball player.  anyway... here it is.

shot of the day - 12.16.2010

been wanting to go out and take night time shots of the inner harbour with the christmas lights up but with the rain and wind we've been experiencing lately, it wasn't really possible.  finally tonight Tania and i was able to make a trip out... after we had the yummy steak special at the Flying Otter.  oh so yummy!!

i totally forgot about this easy little zoom affect until tonight while we were trying to capture the pretty lights... makes it look so cool an trippy.

the other photos i took tonight are posted on my Facebook.  I will try to load some onto Flickr as well... in case you're interested in seeing them.

shot of the day - 12.15.2010

no spectacular shot today.  i thought it'd be cool to just post a picture of all the presents my co-workers and i purchased for charity.  we had our office christmas lunch today at james bay inn.  the cider is still making the computer screen look a little fuzzy ~~~ either that or it's nappy time for me.  this year we each picked a name and went out and bought a gift for the person.  but it was an item we thought they would've liked as a child.  after opening them, all of the gifts will be donated to charity.  it was really fun to see what everyone thought would be cool.  a fun idea!

here's all the things that we got.

shot of the day - 12.14.2010

this blog is almost turning into a journal of my day to day activities... totally forgot to take a shot today.  so many things on my mind... so many things i need to remember to do.  mostly Christmas things of course... 'tis the season.  so, while i was busily wrapping gifts and writing cards... i realized i still needed a photo.  it would've been posted earlier but my netbook, which is where i usually do my post is being stupid.  got an annoying spyware virus on it last night.. which i cleaned out.  but then IE stopped working... so have been messing around with it for about 2 hours trying to fix it.  that has nothing to do with this photoblog but it's pissing me off and i just needed to let it out.  thanks.

shot of the day - 12.13.2010

with the weather being super spectacular these days... yes, i'm being sarcastic... i've been looking elsewhere for inspiration.  trying to see things that you see every day differently is highly difficult.  the creative juices don't flow as easily now that the old aged-ness has been kicking in in rapid force.  i suppose this is helping me stay young?

anyway, this shot is of a little umbrella i have on the top of my cabinets at work.  not quite sure where it came from.  i think it was one of the many presents we receive from the offshore schools.  it's a neat little umbrella so i tried to see what i could do with it.  used the "pinhole" setting on the LX3 to give it a lightened affect.  you can sort of see the stack of boxes in the background.  those all "belong" to me.  they have been the bain of my existence at work for the past 3 years or so.  one day they will return to offsite storage where they belong... one day... ... maybe after i retired.

shot of the day - 12.12.2010

these flash mob things sure are getting popular.  not sure if it's each group trying to one-up each other but i suppose it's a good way to get a bunch of people from all different walks of life together.  there's going to be a singing flash mob this weekend... went to the Bay Centre for a practice tonight.  i think it's gonna sound pretty cool.  we were in the mall after hours... it's been so long since i've done that.  used to be in Mayfair after it closed all the time... brought back memories.

shot of the day - 12.11.2010

totally forgot to bring my camera out with me tonight... i know!  it's usually attached to me but i was running around trying to make sure i had everything else... luckily, had my touch with me so luckily i could use the ipod camera.  it's not the instrument but the capture, right?  anyway, as i looked through all the pictures i ended up taking tonight.. it was a real testament that we're all getting older and moving onto the next stage in life.  or, at least all my friends are... the pictures were all of babies!!  there were 5 toddlers running around, 2 newborns being passed around and 3 pregnant women socializing... hmm... i wonder if i could convert that into the 12 days of christmas.  ha!

this photobooth (awesome app!) is me and baby Lisa.  she's so adorable and such a good baby!

shot of the day - 12.10.2010

the subject and star of today's shot is my friend Lee.  he's jamming away on his guitar, as he and i often do.

i've had a guitar sitting around the house for years... left behind by my cousin.  i had broken a string on it and basically it was just collecting dust.  about a year ago i finally decide to pick it up and start to learn how to play it seriously.  didn't really know where to start... thought about taking lessons... watched a bunch of youtube videos... but i just couldn't get the hang of it.  Lee had been learning on his own for a few years and was willing to help me out by learning a song i really liked and teaching it to me.  with his encouragement i really started to pick it up and now have an assortment of songs i can "play".  he's been a real mentor!  thank you.

shot of the day - 12.09.2010

since it's still extremely ugly outside i didn't get a chance to go hunting for a good shot outdoors.  so, wandered around the house looking at all the little figurines and trinkets we have on display.  one thing i'm trying to get a better grasp of is taking photos in low light without the use of a flash.  sometimes i get lucky... other times, most times, i get a blur.  i suppose if i took the time to set up the tripod it would help but i usually just do it hand held... which means a lot of holding my breath.

bonus photos... again... i think i need to save these for when i have nothing to post... eh, whatever.  i have LOTS of old photos i can post.  ha.  anyway, this is a really cute figurine my god-mom gave us.  it's one of the cutest i've ever seen.  this little granny and grandpa are playing cards.. but as you can see... grandpa is a little cheat.  putting cards behind his back...

but look closely... granny is hiding a few of her own. hee hee

shot of the day - 12.08.2010

it ain't midnight yet... eva! ha!

been lazy about taking one of my "real" cameras out with me now that I have this new little toy that is able to take some pretty nice shots.  with the way the weather has been behaving lately, i wouldn't want to take my camera out with me anyway.  sounds like someone broke a big ass pipe up there... it's raining SO HARD!  maybe i'll be paddling to work tomorrow...

tried to capture what winter in Victoria looks like... the brightness of the first shot is a little misleading.  it was taken at about 3 in the afternoon but it already seemed like the sun had set.. it was scary how dark and dreary it was outside.

the second shot was taken right after i got off the bus.  it was coming down hard!  the rain was bouncing off the sidewalk and hitting me under the umbrella... the shot is taken peaking under the umbrella as the cars drove by.  you can kind of see the rebound of the rain off the pavement in the glare of the headlights.  it's almost midnight now and it hasn't let up... well, at least it's better than snow... but not as nice to look at.

shot of the day - 12.07.2010

geez... i can't seem to post my shots before midnight.  don't think it really matters but i'm sorry to anyone who cares.

still playing with the touch.. discovering all the neat options i have with the photography apps.  if only i could make my big expensive DSLR camera do this.  i suppose one day i will own a good computer and have a good program like photoshop and spend hours editing to make my photos look like the ones that i can simply get with the touch.  amazing.

slowly but surely, the christmas spirit is being uncovered in my office.  i personally have nothing christmasy in my cube and i'm actually a little surprised since it seems the past few years my co-workers have taken the liberty to put up tacky decorations on my behalf. 

i like this shot because it looks grainy and faded like an old photo taken with a regular 35mm film camera.  this is actually a miniature christmas tree that's sitting on our centre counter.  the distorted colour in this shot makes it look like there might be snow outside or at least a brisk wintery chill.  definitely not summer weather.

shot of the day - 12.06.2010

this new little ipod touch is proving to be quite handy in my world of photography.  i didn't bring  any of my "real" cameras out with me today so i was testing out the touch again with some of the apps i downloaded.  i took this shot with the Hipstamatic (i think).  the "viewfinder" is tiny and you actually only see about a quarter of what it actually captures.  most of the time i've been pleasantly surprised.  although this shot isn't as straight as i'd usually try and get it... the slight tilt gives is some character.  and i like the splash of red from the bench... no too bad for a little "toy".

shot of the day - 12.05.2010

to make up for the semi-crappy shot yesterday, i'm going to post 2 again today.  mainly because i can't choose between the two... but also because it's a location where i spend what seems like 50% of my life.

shot of the day - 12.04.2010

super late on this post... had a lot going on today... but i haven't gone to sleep yet so technically my day isn't over.

did a little bit of carolling with the KOOL FM choir tonight... i now offically HATE Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree... you had to be there.

this shot of the fountain in Centennial Square was taken around 6pm when it was dark out already... i'm always surprised at how much light my the LX-3 is able to pick up.

shot of the day - 12.03.2010

after many many years of boycotting... i have now entered the world of apple ipod and got myself a touch.  it's quite unfortunate that i could find something similar enough with the same amount of accessible accesories... but i've been told that i will not be disappointed.

of course one of the first things i do is browse through the available photography applications... while waiting for my teleconference meeting to start this morning i decided to test it out on the random stationary i had scattered on the table.  i like the result... so many more options now!

shot of the day - 12.02.2010

it's been exactly a week since i've started this blog.  i haven't given up yet!

took a quick shot with the wide angle lens on my way back to the office at lunch... pretty neat! 

shot of the day - 12.01.2010

wow... december definitely snuck on me!  now i kinda wish there was snow around so i could try and get some nice winter shots... *fingers crossed*  although, i've probably jinxed it and will regret saying that later...

finally got my new toys for the lx-3.  it's gonna take some time until i figure out how to use them to full capacity.  have already discovered a few cons but that was to be expected.  i didn't really spend big money on these items so they are more "just for fun" rather than being "professional".

so here's one that is definitely more on the fun side...

shot of the day - 11.30.2010

was hoping to have my new toys today... UPS tried to deliver them yesterday and again today... but not at the times they said they would so no one was home.  stupid UPS... now i gotta go pick them up tomorrow. 

anyway, didn't get much inspiration today.  went for a quick shopping trip at Uptown with Rayna tonight... it's coming along nicely but seems they are bringing in a lot more high end stores.  not quite sure if they'll last.  can't wait to see what the rest of it's going to look like...

shot of the day - 11.29.2010

today, i thought i'd showcase another one of my hobbies...

shot of the day - 11.28.2010

okay... this is only the 4th day?  this is already proving to be a challenge!  it is definitely tough to find a good photo opportunity everyday!  may have to make a slight alteration to the "promise"... maybe a shot every other day?  or a shot a week?  however, as i've been explaining to people, this is to help me look at things differently... a different angle, a different detail, a different composition... well, i may cheat a little since i usually take more than one shot a day.  may have to fill up some days with some of my "favourite" shots of the week.


went to see a local production of Wizard of Oz today at the MacPherson Playhouse.. haven't been in there in a while... i've always loved the way old theatres look.  the low lighting gives it a very mysterious feel.

shot of the day - 11.27.2010

went on a walking ghost tour tonight... they say Victoria is the most haunted city in British Columbia... whether or not this is true, i dunno... but i know for a fact that many places are haunted.  luckily i have yet to personally experience many of the stories i've heard over the years but i do believe in ghosts and think i have experience some supernatural things in my life so it freaks me out but is also interesting to me.  i take it like it's a history lesson... here's a shot i took of Bastion Square while we were waiting for the tour to begin.  kinda reminds me of something from Harry Potter.  this area is said to be very haunted... and definitely has a creepy feeling to it.

in honour of Carrie's birthday, i had to include a shot of her :)

the owl apron Jen and I got her

shot of the day - 11.26.2010

went for lunch in Chinatown with my mom today... as we were walking back to the car we passed by Dragon's Alley and she goes, "is that where you guys took photo's for Carrie's wedding?"  why yes mother, you are correct... i hadn't been in there since Carrie and Lee's wedding 2 years ago so we decided to take a stroll through there.  i could probably do a lot more with it if i had more time and my tripod but was able to take a feel snaps. 

shot of the day - 11.25.2010

fulfilled my promise of the day... fingers crossed that it will continue.  took a quick wander around on my lunch break and came across the fountain in front of the legislature.  the weather is warming and the snow has stopped, for the time being... but the fountain has froze over and created quite an interesting sculpture.

new toys...

it's the american thanksgiving weekend... i keep getting all these emails about black friday shopping... found myself on the amazon.com site.  *yikes* i know... yeah, so before i knew it, i put in an order for some new additions to my Lumix LX-3.  i've been wanting to get a few of these for my Canon XSi but they aren't cheap so will settle for the cheaper option of adding to my point and shoot...

fisheye lens - can't wait for some of the silly photos that are going to come out of this thing!

.45x wide-angle converter - it's gonna double what i get now, so approx. 11mm... we'll see what i can do with this one.  it'll have a bit of a distortion on the edges giving it a little bit of a fisheye affect but not as prominent as the actual fisheye lens

filter kit - wasn't sure about this one because i'm not sure if it comes with a converter... the two lenses do so maybe it'll work out.  basically got this because i'm getting all three items in a package and it's WAY cheaper than getting the filters for the DSLR.  it has a polarizer so i can play with it and hopefully get more familiar with it before i go to spend the money for more equipment for the DSLR

here we go...

i'm a little nervous starting this blog.  not because of who might see it, because quite honestly, i don't think a lot of people will care since my photos are posted on so many locations as it is... facebook, twitter, flickr... i guess i'm nervous about the commitment level i'm putting on myself.  i really want to stick to the promise that i will take a photo a day... even if it's just some random shot of crap on the ground.  who cares, right?  i may see it as crap but someone else might see it as gold.

anyway, i've already broken a promise since i have yet to take a shot today but i'm impatient and wanted to start this thing.  so, to make up for it, i'm going to post a few of my favorite shots i've taken in the past few months.  some nicer than others, but there's something about these ones that i keep coming back to...



haven't done any photo shooting in a while.  one day my friend Tania and i decided to head up island to Cowichan Bay for a little bit of different scenery.  the shot below was taken outside a bakery (my bad, i didn't look at the name of the bakery).  they had all these old bikes nailed to the wall, sitting on the side of the building, or used as a railing of sorts (see photo below).  it was a really neat.  i've also been trying to do more black and white shots to get a different aspect.  i always forget that i have that option and am usually pleasantly surprised at the outcome when i do remember to use it.

outside a bakery in Cowichan Bay

 

headed out to Sidney last weekend with Rayna, Jen and the kids for the Santa Claus parade.  we were a little late and had trouble finding parking so by the time we parked and got out of the car the street was already filled with people.  i was hoping to get some shots of the parade... figure out the settings of my camera since i haven't used it much lately and have basically forgotten what to do outside of the automatic settings... i had to stand behind 3-4 rows of people so had to do some sneak shots through the crowd.  i kinda like the affect it had on this shot.

Sidney Santa Claus parade

this shot was taken with my LX-3.  Taye had a very long day... it was his mom's wedding day and he was up and about with the rest of us early in the morning getting ready for photos and such.  there was no rest for any of us.  he finally found a spot to lay down... he quickly fell asleep even with the music blasting and the reception still going at full tilt just 2 feet away from him.


Taye after a long wedding day