Just Editing October 31, 2007

Editing!!! What else is new? LOL! Editing could be a full time job for me!
I’m working on the portraits I took a couple weekends ago and I think I’m almost halfway done.

2 of my absolute favorite shots from the shoot:

I’ve been thinking that I might stop at the craft store soon (hopefully this weekend) to try to find some black fabric to experiment with for a backdrop for portraits and also for a backdrop for macro shots.

My hubby said that he’d get me the macro lens that I want for my birthday/Christmas so I’m already looking forward to using it and learning how to take good macros.

I guess I’ll have to start learning how to light macro subjects as well….always something new to research but not enough time…but having to wait until December for a new toy will be tough!

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Fall Colors on the Canal October 30, 2007

I passed by a new section of the canal I found when I tried an alternate way home and I found some great fall colors in shades of oranges and yellows. The weather was pretty bad last week when I found it or I didn’t remember my camera so today when I left for work I made sure I had the camera with me.

Then I purposely prepared to leave right on time today to make sure I made it to that area of the canal (which is at the end of my drive) so that I’d have enough time before the sunset.

Well I rushed there (left 5 mins later than I wanted to) and by the time I got there it was pretty dark and the sun was setting. The tall trees blocked the little sun that was left but I tired my best to get salvagable images out of what I saw.

Now that it’s getting darker and darker each day I won’t have these lovely after work photography times like I’ve enjoyed from April through the present. So, I wanted to squeeze every last moment in that I could getting these fall colors.

No, it’s not upside down…it’s the reflection in the canal:

I guess when it gets too dark to take photos after work it will force me to get more of my editing done (which is a positive thing) or it will force me to try indoor photography with things like macros, etc. For my birthday/Christmas I have my sights set on a new macro lens Nikon Telephoto AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR (Vibration Reduction) Autofocus Lens:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

New Jersey’s Pine Barrens October 28, 2007

Today’s photo journey brought my sister and I to an area know as the “pine barrens” of New Jersey.

The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area covering 1.1 million acres of coastal plain across southern and central New Jersey. The name “pine barrens” refers to the area’s sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, which didn’t take well to the crops originally imported by European settlers.

To read more click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Barrens_(New_Jersey)

We stopped at the Mullica River but the sun battled us most if the time today…made the sky look “white” or “blown out” in many photos. We also stopped at various bodies of water that we’d find on the side of the road.

I was on the look out for nature shots of all kinds…

My sister and I met this guy and his pup on the side of the road today where we were taking pictures. He stopped to see what we were photographing and thought maybe we spotted some eagles since they were known to be in the area we were photographing.

I loved the box had had attached to his motorcycle so that he could travel around with his dog…I just had to ask him if I could take their picture.

Funny thing was an hour or so later we stopped at a diner for dinner he was sitting and eating at the counter. We didn’t recognize him but he turned around and said “hey! it’s the photographer girls.” It really is a small world to run into the same guy again…maybe he thought we were stalking him! LOL!

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Rain Stops…And I Had No Camera With Me (or one that actually worked) October 28, 2007

Would you believe that I didn’t bring my camera today to the BIG day of the Breeders Cup races because it was forcasted to rain until the races would be over…and then around 2pm the rain (that had been going on for 2 days) stopped and blue skies and amazing clouds came out?

I didn’t want anything to happen to the camera after a 2nd day in the rain and I thought long and hard about it all night…so I decided against bringing it. It is too important to me so I made that choice.

On top of that we had front row seats so I would have had amazing photos…. oh well for me… I made a decision not bring it and I gotta live with it…

I brought my point and shoot with me and that wouldn’t even work because the memory card ended up being broken…so I really was camera-less.

Don’t know if I will ever see a big deal day of racing like this again… so I’ll have to settle for going to the track on a regular day of racing and get the shots I’ve been looking forward to.

www.jenweaverphotography.com

The Breeders Cup World Championship Horse Races October 27, 2007

Today I attended the first day of the Breeders Cup Horse Races at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ.

It was a rainy, cold, dark day so it damperened my spirits about the photo opportunities I was looking forward to having (ever since we bought the tickets months ago).

This was the best I could do from where I was trying to take shelter and keep my camera dry.

(taken from a window from a higher level).

This was the best I could do with the situation I was dealt with in terms of the weather:

Below are some sites from around the track:

We’re back at the races, tomorrow, for Day 2.

To view the entire gallery click here: http://jenweaverphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3719777/1/213382379

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Bon Jovi Concert – Opening Night @ Devils New Arena October 26, 2007

Stopped on the way home for this shot:

Went to the Bon Jovi Concert tonight. Hung out at the red carpet which was very quiet while I was there. Snapped a photo of the Mayor of Newark, NJ Cory Booker:

And I got a photo of Retired New Jersey Devil Scott Stevens and his wife:

Couldn’t bring my D80 into the arena to take photos so I had to settle for the Canon Point & Shoot for some shots. Most were extremely disappointing at the distance I was at but some were “decently” clear. It killed me I didn’t have my Nikon:

More Bon Jovi photos from the concert can be seen here: http://jenweaverphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3052586/1/245039836

The neat thing is that the point & shoot lets you take videos:

To view more of my BON JOVI Concert Photos check out my “events” section on my website: http://jenweaverphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3052586_hVkp3/1/245039836_wP53q

Check out the Schmap Concert Tours Widget below for:
*Three views in one widget: tour schedule, tour map and venue zoom for Bon Jovi and other groups/artists
*Zoom in to see close up aerial photos of each venue.

www.jenweaverphotography.com

In the News October 22, 2007

In one of last week’s posts I mentioned that I took a photo at work that would be in the newspaper.

I’m excited to say that it’s been published in today’s paper:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Day with the NEW JERSEY DEVILS October 21, 2007

I had the pleasure of getting up close and person with the New Jersey Devils Hockey players. Wondering how? Season ticket holders were invited to come to the new Prudential Center that was built in Newark, New Jersey to tour the stadium with the added bonus of being able to meet the players.

We had no idea what all of the players would be there today and we were delighted to find this out when we walked in and saw all of the tables set up. I was happy for the photo op and my husband was happy for the autograph opportunities!

Some player shots from today:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Fall Portraits and More! October 20, 2007

Today (well at this time of the day it was yesterday) I visited my co-worker to taker he two daughters and her niece and nephew’s portraits. They’ll be used for Christmas gifts for their grandmother.

My co-worker stopped at a local farm store and picked a bale of hay and a mum and a couple pumpkins and I’m so glad she thought of it because it was a wonderful backdrop to use for the kids to pose. The props really made the portrait shots although the sun gave me a hard time (again!) but not as bad as in the past.

This was my first paying job so I was very excited. The kids were adorable and the weather could not have been better than it was today!

After the photoshoot I took advantage of the beautiful area near where my friend lived. The leaves are finally changing over bringing out the beauty of fall:

And I had to capture the roadside stop for some of today’s photos:

When I wake up in the morning we’re going to the new Devils Stadium. It’s a fun day for the fans and I’m hoping I’m able to get some interesting photos (possibly of some of the players who will be in attendance!) I’ll keep you all posted!

www.jenweaverphotography.com

GRAY DAY October 20, 2007

Well…I was hoping it wouldn’t rain today…but it did. So, I took advantage of the gray clouds. I shot some dreary sky scenes to see how they would come out. The shy was pretty boring so I enhanced it!

I pulled into an area of the park I haven’t visited in a few weekd to see how the leaves were changing. I took this from my driver’s window of my car. I’ll be stopping here again soon.

I thought it would be funny to capture some of my roadside stops…I always talk about how I pull over when I see something I want to capture so today I snapped this:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Still Searching For Signs of Fall October 18, 2007

Left work as early as I could because it’s getting darker and darker much earlier now (boooo).

I drove a different way home to try to see what I could find for fall colors. I had a hard time finding things to photograph. I decided to stop near this college campus that I spotted. I found a few interesing things to capture but almost all of the shots were completely ruined by the blown out sky.

The sky looked good to my eye but almost every shot I took it came out white. I tried various angles, settings, the polarizer and nothing worked. I couldn’t win so I tried my best to shoot things without including the sky.

Here are a few I took avoiding the sky showing the autumn season:

A variety of foliage I spotted:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Lunch Snaps and Shots Along the Way Home October 18, 2007

During lunch I stopped a local park near my work that my co-worker suggested to me. The sky was really bad today but I don’t think these photos came out bad at all.

They gave me a some “almost fall” shots to work with:

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When I was walking back to the car I spotted this window on an apartment building. The thing that caught my eye was the little tiny pumpkin on the windowsill. Something about it just told me to snap a shot:

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On the way home after work I stopped for a few minutes at this cemetery I pass. I was specifically looking for signs of fall at the cemetery. I particularly like these 2 signs of fall in this peaceful place:

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Close to the cemetery is a church that I love love the steeple on. I noticed there were some fall colors on the surrounding trees so I took some photos of the scene:

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www.jenweaverphotography.com

The Most Magical Time of the Day! October 17, 2007

Today I was asked to shoot some photos of my company’s VP, a Senior Director at a competitor company, the Mayor of the town I work in as well as the Township Administrator.

The Women’s Leadership Group at my company is holding a 5K run/walk to raise money for a new ambulance for the township where our office resides and these company leaders will be participating in the run/walk.

This photo will be in the local newspaper soon (I’m not sure of the exact date of publication). Once it’s published I will scan a copy and post it here in my blog.

This is one I liked most from the shoot today:

While driving home this was the scene over my favorite stretch of farm land to catch great clouds or a sunset. The warm orange glow feels so “fall” to me!

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Another beauty from today (click to view larger):

A little “fall reflection”

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I have more to add so check this post tomomorrow…I’m just so tired I can’t add the rest from today!

Here the ones I promised I would add that are favs from the day:

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Overall this was a top day for me for some beautiful sunset shots. I will be sure to stop here at this time of the day again!

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Assunpink October 14, 2007

Today my photo journey brought me to Assunpink Wildlife Management Area with my sister. We were on the hunt for fall foliage and found little to none. The dry weather has really slowed fall actually “beginning.” My main focus was to find “signs of autumn” but it was hard to come by.

The Assunpink Wildlife Management area is located in extreme western Monmouth County, in the approximate geographic center of the state. Despite its proximity to encroaching development, it is still a haven for wildlife native to the area, as well as a stopover for migrating birds. Assunpink’s 6,298.56 acres offer many attractions to the human population as well. The name Assunpink is said to have originated from a Lenape Indian word that can be translated “rocky place that is watery.”

I was about to lay my sweater down in some brush so I could sit down on it and when I did my sister told me to LOOK down at something that had moved….it was a Praying Mantis! I had no idea how she spotted it since it was the exact color of it’s surroundings (isn’t nature amazing?!)

I don’t recall ever having seen one in person (I may have but have no clue) and the two of us spent the next 25 mins crawling through the brush trying to photograph the praying mantis from various angles (now if only someone could get a photo of the two of us! It woudl have been a sight to see!)

For NOT having a macro lens I’m extremely happy with how these came out. I used the 18-200VR lens and I manually focused for all shots.

I watched it devour this large bug bite by bite…eeek!

I ended up with a lot of great landscapes and nature shots…maybe we’ll go back when the leaves finally change (if they don’t die first!)

“Jen of the Corn” @ Assunpink

I decided to take a quick self-portrait of myself in the cornfield! LOL!

On the way home we looked for more “signs of autumn” and found some things that were reminiscent of fall:

Preparing the crops for winter:

www.jenweaverphotography.com

Family Portraits Today October 14, 2007

Today I tried “family portraits” with my OLDEST friend in the world and her husband and daughter.

We ventured to a park near their home on this beautiful and very sunny day. It was very tough because it’s hard keeping a one year old’s attention. I’ve worked with 2 & 3 years olds and it was a lot easier with them.

I thought it would work out very well in my head but it didn’t turn out like I had envisioned. But it was a first try at this.

These are learning experiences…believe me…I know that….what I’ve taken away is that it might not work out the first time. You may have to try several times to get it right when it comes to small children who’s attention may be on things they find in the grass, ducks in the pond, people walking by, sounds, etc….These are distractions you have to look for that take their attention away form looking ‘towards’ the camera. It helps to have things to catch their attention such as toys they like (especially squeaking toys).

I did get some shots during the visit that are great shots of the baby with daddy, baby with mommy, or baby alone but I’m slightly disappointed in what I was able to capture of mom, dad, and baby together…which was my main focus of the shoot. They wanted a family photo possibly for their Christmas card.

I got what I consider 2 good shots where everyone looks great sitting on a blanket byt the lake but the part that was tough about those good shots was the SUN. I’m tellin’ ya – the sun is my newest issue and I swear I will learn how to defeat this mortal enemy! LOL! (ok, please don’t think I’m crazy…I’m just on a rant because the sun has ruined more of my portraits practices lately then I care to mention.) I also got some good family shots where they were holding the baby in standing shots.

It was such a beautiful park to photograph a beautiful family. Here is one I really like. I’ve applied other filters on this shot that I think came out great but here is the color version.

I’ve been hearing alot about exposure being “key” and to be quite honest…I know I just need to read more so I can get what that really means and understand if mastering it will really help the sun from blowing out someone’s face and ruining shots. I know that I am in hurry to be ‘pefect’ and that’s the problem. It takes time to master all of the techniques….and I guess I’ve only got time so I should take it slow.

As I edit more of the family photo shoot I will be adding them to my website and possibly a couple favorites here.

www.jenweaverphotography.com

50th Post on My Photoblog! October 11, 2007

So I just noticed this would be my 50th post on this blog!

What was a small idea has really turned out to be a lot of fun…

I enjoy writing about my photography endeavors and hopefully there are some fellow photo enthusiasts out there reading this who enjoy reading it…If not…at least it is a place where I can trace the path of my photo journey through time. Now I wish I started it back in January when I started getting serious about photography.

www.jenweaverphotography.com