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2009 Daily Shots

KABOOM ! -Trenton, New Jersey

This chronicles the amazing efforts of a fantastic group of volunteers ...

Updated: Jun 27, 2009 10:21am PST

2009 SmugMuggers in SF

Francine and Dustin

Most Popular Photos

February 15th, 2008 - I decided to capture the memory of my lovely Valentine rose from Sam ( my younger son) as a daily. I learned just how hard it is to take a good picture of a flower that really shows some depth and detail. I have a new found respect for nature and flower still life photographers!!! This is my attempt from my 'studio' ( Well, Matt and Jon have studios, don't they?)

This is a shot where you can see what my background is, when in focus. A pillow with a leaf patterned fabric! My studio lighting: a table lamp with the shade off. The rain that Rick commented on: a water sprayer helped with that...Oooh, is it cheating that I did it this way? http://cleantth.smugmug.com/gallery/4044477_ghcHA#254837762

Post 262 9/23/08 Back in the dental office...

I was thinking about the shot of Andrew I took the other day and then realized, if I put the G9 in the chair on self-timer, I could see what my patients see when I am about to clean their teeth...Talk about scary!!! Hmmmm, maybe if I used a marker to make a smile on the mask I would be a little less intimidating...

Post 231- 8/21/08 Can you find me in this photo???? Ha, ha, of course you can, but I thought it was a very neat shot..if I say so myself. We arrived in Buenos Aires this morning around 9:45am (8:45 Philly time). Flight was about 11.5 hours from Washington DC. After unpacking and some lunch we wandered into the Recoleta Cultural Center in Buenos Aires to see a fabulous photo exhibit. This shot was taken in a little booth that was lined with all these portraits. There was a mirror on the wall reflecting the other wall, so why not? Got out my camera and took a shot.
I will try to continue to post a pic a day, but my commenting will probably be rather spotty until our return. I may start a new Argentina gallery so I won't be so overwhelmed when I get home. I will let you know when I start it! Thanks all for your good wishes to us for this trip. This is actually my 7th time here..we love this city, the people and the local energy. Alway fun to practice my Spanish, too!

Post 338 11/18/08 A little more Flamingo de-tale!!!

I was just so enamored with the Flamingos. I have seen Flamingos in zoos before, but never saw any with the rich deep orange color of these at the Philadelphia Zoo. I had to post this little crop I did from the back view of one of them.

Thanks all for your comments on my last two 'poultry' portraits...gave me a little taste of LadyKate's specialty! They are really such beautiful creatures! Also thanks on my completing a year on the dailies...It is just so much fun!!!

Have a great day!

Post 187 - 6/18/08 Muahh...

Steve and I took a walk this evening as the sun was setting. this is a little grainy, but it was so sweet to see the deer nearby. I know they are a nuisance to many, but I so enjoy seeing them when we are out. After some of the other more amorous posts I've seen here lately, I thought this was a little more on the G-rating side!

Post 289 9/30/08 Farmer's Market shot when in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood on Sunday. Like many others, I love the colors of these outdoor market displays. Can be fruit, veggies, flowers or anything, but a cloudy day and these colors = wonderful!

***UPDATE** To answer Bruce's question as to whether or not I did post processing. No, it was a cloudy, off and on rainy day and this was straight out of the camera!!! I knew when I shot it, that it would be good for the color because the light was so wonderful!

Post 494 4/25/09 Could they be models???? We were in NYC for the afternoon to meet up with my older son who is in from Paris for a couple weeks. These young ladies turned a few heads as they walked by and I thought they were made for an interesting daily. Soooo New York, aren't they?

This was an amazing weekend. I think I took over 2000 shots for 3 different events...I have a lot of work ahead of me and I'm going out of town early Wednesday morning to visit family ( oh, boy, I'm going to get to meet some fellow SmugMuggers in CA, too!) ..I don't know when I will get to do it all... Anyway, at least you have this for today! Please forgive me for not making any comments in the last couple days!

Have a good week!

Post 506 5/12/09 A Swan and her Seven Signets...

I see the adult swans swimming all the time in a small brook on private property on my way to work every morning. Today as I passed I saw the mama with her babies..On the way home I decided to stop. I spoke with neighbors who assured me it was fine to walk over and take pictures. The owners are only there a few times a year and a caretaker feeds the swans when caring for the property so they were quite tame for me to approach. It was just a joy to see these little guys up close. I will put up some other shots in their own gallery tonight, if you are interested.

*** I did post a few shots of the Swan and Signets here

Post 336 11/16/08 Were your ears burning LadyKate???

When Leslie and I were in the children's zoo today at the Philadelphia Zoo ( the first zoo in the US ) we saw some chickens and Leslie right away saw some that were all fluffy like LK's perfect poultry portrait type of pampered chicks...well then I saw these guys who were running free and I was so happy to be able to take some shots without gates and bars and glass in the way that I took a bunch of the chickens and roosters...thus, my pic of the day from the Philadelphia Zoo is a chicken!

We had a lot of fun this afternoon...Thanks Leslie for the invitation to join you... Hope your leg gets better Matt so you can join us another time...we never did have time to see the Monkeys which are my favorite...saved them for last, then didn't have time to see them. Next time, okay?!

Here is the little gallery I put together from today's outing...Kept it on the small side: Philly Zoo

Post 401 1/30/09 What do you mean you took a detour home because of a leopard on the other side of the fence!? You expect me to belive that?

This is a 'file' photo from my December visit to Washington DC and an hour or so wandering the National Zoo. These guys were pretty active chasing and knocking eachother around in their enclosure. It was pretty eerie to see the leopard just on the other side of the fence watching them.

I actually did not take a single photo today, which is pretty unusual, but a little crop and contrast on this makes it my potd!
Have a great weekend...

Post 175 - 6/1/08 - A quiet crumble...

This is a decaying overgrown wall of an old farmhouse or perhaps stable in the 'park' where we walk. I went for a walk just before dusk tonight and took my camera just in case something of interest passed my vision. I have taken shots here before, but the light was different and there are some old tractors and stuff behind the building that are often in the way of shots. This one seemed pretty clear of debris on the other side of the wall. I liked what was left of the red paint on the window shutter frame and the blue on one of the stones.
This was framed with the camera, I did not crop at all once I uploaded and I just did a slight adjustment of shadows and highlights with a touch of sharpening. Voila! I liked it and I hope you do too!

Post 215 7/24/08 My new ID!!!

It is very hot and HUMID these days as you very well know if you are anywhere except ARIZONA... I keep seeing my ID with that blown dry STRAIGHT hair and tell myself...no way does that look like me lately. I gave up and don't even use the hairdryer anymore.

Yesterday afternoon the electricity went out with a storm, there was a nice light coming in from the bedroom window, I didn't have much else to do, sooo.... I set up the tripod, a fairly shallow dof and with my XT and that wonderful remote release I gave myself a photo shoot. It was fun, but a little embarrassing when I think about it. I thought about Shelly and Bill Pador's recent SP's, though and knew I could tough it out! Also the other ID pic had been taken by someone else...I felt this should be an SP! Nice to be able to pick your own shot and do a little PP...A warm glow does wonders to 'soften' the years a little!

Post 226 8/13/08 IT WAS GREAT AT EASTERN STATE!!! Ha, ha...sounds like a high school cheer, but it was actually our little gathering of SmugMuggers at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia yesterday.
Clockwise from Alex Teithof, Me, Matt Pilsner, Leslie(ljn335), John Williamson ( CSPics) and Lindsay ( Matt's friend )

We had such a great time. I think that posing for this photo and the patience everyone showed while I ran back and forth setting up the camera and getting it right was their sort of 'penitance' for times they may have needed patience from some of their own photo models.

We all sort of went our own way from almost 2 1/2 hours. For those who had never been there before there was some serious shooting of the sights. For Leslie (ljn335) and me there was time to chat and get to know eachother better and take a few shots as we wandered. We all met and went out to dinner and got to know eachother better. It was truly another great SmugMug Meetup experience for me that I'll treasure! Really a great group! Thanks, you guys for all making the effort to come into Philly and get together. John, I hope after a nightflight from California, hours wandering the prison, and then the long ride home to Lancaster you are getting some rest today. Thanks for making the effort to join us!!!

I wanted to get this shot uploaded, but will also post my gallery of all my shots here. I did not shoot much at all. I had been there before and quite frankly, I am overwhelmed with all the photos I have to process right now. I decided to post good and bad shots just to keep the documentation of what the day was like for me. It will show you that I have a lot to learn. Thank you Alex for your help in understanding that highlighting alert blinkie function...very cool!!!

My Gallery of the day is HERE. http://cleantth.smugmug.com/gallery/5701505_hjUdx#351671574_pw6dA

This is my new gallery showing off the wonderful SmugMuggers I have met. I sure hope I can add more and more photos to it, too!
http://cleantth.smugmug.com/gallery/5682247_h9mao/1/350120322_KgR62#350120322_KgR62

Post 264 10/17/08 Back to PlayWicki Park and some new pup portraits.

This is Sabrina and she was sooooo sweet. She sat very nicely for a bunch of shots before she continued on her walk!

The Coffee Challenge...01/12/09
The Challenge: Show us your interpretation of the word, "Coffee."
The Participants: Kre8ive, John (300m), Bill Pador, The Curious Camel, Creative Deviance, Johnloguk, MyKey, Lady Kate, Karina Boese, Trevlan, Fotoeffects, and myself.
The Result: My morning coffee, when I make it, is a mixture of strong instant coffee, 1 cup milk,2 Sweet'n'Lows and some vanilla caramel coffeemate. Andrew is home having lived in Paris for 4 years. He showed me what 'real coffee' is in his $8 Aluminum Italian Stove top coffee maker.

Post 260 10/13/08 Another Drive-By Shot!

Well, the return home did not allow for many stops along the way from Montreal to Philadelphia, so I had to do some shooting out of the car window! We had a huge detour when leaving Montreal off the main road to the border crossing and were forced to take an extra 5-60 minutes leaving so it was only rest stop breaks and one meal on the way home! Lots of crummy shots, but I really liked this one. It is amazing that the reflection came out sharp and clear as did the far view when you can get a feel for the movement of the car with the blur of the roadside bushes.

Post 375 1/4/09 Proof!!! Shelly and I really did meet in NYC last week..it all seems so long ago now. Bless her heart, I think she didn't want to post whatever shot she did get of the two of us cause my hair was unbelieveably scary that day!!! Walking around in the foggy weather for a few hours until we met was not good for the 'do! Anyway, a little pp in Picasa and I am willing to post this as proof of our meeting in NYC. It was really such a delight to meet her in person! Mike and Steve hit it off and chatted a few minutes and now we just have to find an excuse to travel to Houston and have time for more than a couple pictures of eachother! Great to meet you Shelly!!!!
BTW - Credit to my Steve for capturing these smiles!

Post 546 6/22/09 Isn't Steve the best sport???

Here he was assisting me yesterday when I did the little portrait session for my in-laws. I have this reflector and have never used it, don't really know when or how to use it, but had it with me, just in case. :) As little as I know about how to use it, Steve knows less..but he was just the best standing ready.....in case! We all had a good laugh when Steve's sister noticed him holding the flower and the reflector..Steve managed to bring up that great smile and make the moment perfect..His sister already put in her order for this shot as an 8x10 without even seeing it!

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I am a Philadelphia area photographer who loves SmugMug and am particularly enjoying the "Daily Photos" community. PLEASE leave a comment and say hi to let me know you were here for a visit. I encourage you to post questions, criticisms or compliments.

I am available for natural light portraits for groups or individuals, dog photography and any special occasion or event. Please contact me by email and we can discuss arrangements and costs.

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Though it is legal to shoot and display images taken in public places, I will be happy to remove from public view any photos of any person who appears on this site upon request. Please send an email with your request.

SmugMug Hug, Hillary

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