fifty-two on friday: shades of red

I hope all of you enjoyed the wonderful blog-circle of self-portraits last week for the kick-off of the Project 52. It was wonderful to get a peek at the 16 other photographers behind the camera, behind the creativity, and to see the "virtual" friends that I have made over at the Bloom Forum.

This week I have an embarrassing story for my project 52...This week, I had it mixed up, and thought that the theme was "Warmth". Luckily, my lovely new friends within my blog-circle sent out the list of themes as a reminder on Wednesday, and it was even luckier that I opened the email early in the day, because I realized that the theme this week was "Shades of Red". I was panicked, because I had ideas for this theme that I was thinking and planning for, but knew, just knew I couldn't pull them off by Friday morning. So, out of time and a bit desperate I looked around my house for inspiration, and found "Shades of RED".


Here is my interpretation of "Shades of Red", on a moments notice. Not my most creative, but incredibly meaningful to me. 

Shades of Red

And here are the outtakes... You can get a glimpse of what is on our shelves, and within grabbing reach!  And yes, it you look closely, you can see Nate's Ph.D. thesis on the Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes, right next to Thomas the Train and Georges 1 to 10 and back again.

Now you must head on over to Sarah Bunch and check out her wonderful creativity at http://www.birthofaphotographer.blogspot.com/ for her take on "Shades of Red"

Fifty-Two on Friday: Self

I am really excited to share with you my Project 52 post!

What is a project 52: It's a new theme each week captured and interpreted by what I see through the lens. Last week I started my project 52 alone, but this week and for the rest of the year, sixteen other photographers and I are doing our Project 52 together. Our goal is to learn and grow from each others perspective on the same theme. I am really excited to participate with such amazing women and I look forward to how all of us will be challenged and inspired by each other work and creativity.


How will all 17 of us work together on a project 52, well...I will take a picture of our theme for the week, the way I interpret it, and post it on my site. Then under my post, I will link another photographer who is part of the project for you to see her interpretation of the theme. After you see hers, you will notice a different link under her picture that will then take you to the next photographer’s website. If you continue to click on the link under each picture, in the end you should see 16 other pictures and eventually make it back to my site.


This week, our theme is self-portrait. This theme will allow us to see the photographers who are participating in this journey and put a face to a name. Remember to check out all of the links at the bottom of the portrait!


Here is me. This week, it was my turn to step in front of the camera. Me with my coffee. My day hasn't really started until I have my soy latte in hand, and the cup...well you can't see it, but it has a crab on it. That's intentional, because I can be a bit "crabby" in the morning until I get my coffee (hee hee.)

For the next fabulous photographer participating in this Project 52 on Friday check out Sarah Bunch at www.birthofaphotographer.blogspot.com

Franklin Family 4x12 Project-Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

Along with a Project 52 this year, I have taken on the exciting task of doing a family project. It's called a 4 x 12 project. What this means is that I am committing to taking one family photo per month in 2011. There are four of us in our family and 12 months to a year, so it's called a 4 x 12 :-).

I am hoping that some of the photos will be artistic and creative, but I'm a realist and know that some will just be taken in the brief moments that Nate and I can corral the kids in front of the camera. I am excited about this project because I have so few pictures of the 4 of us together. In the end I hope to have 12 family photos that I will cherish for many years, and who knows, maybe even make a calendar for 2012?

Here is to 2011 and many happy family photo shoots!

Franklin Family 4 x 12

January 2011 

A new year, a new project! Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

This year I've decided to really push myself to be more creative.  I love love love the technical side of photography, but I want to balance that technical know-how with the creative.  When I went through my photos last week to pick out a couple dozen for printing I had stacks and stacks of portrait after portrait.  Portraits are nice, but I don't need hundreds and they don't capture real life.  So this year I have taken on a Project 52!  One photo a week.  Each week I will try and give myself a theme to follow, to inspire me, to push beyond trying to get a perfect portrait of my kids.  Instead, I am going to photograph the fleeting moments where I see beauty, joy, chaos, the details of our lives!

This past week was week 1.  The theme I set for myself was 8:00 am!  8:00 am is the busiest moment in our family's morning.  It is when we are trying to get lunches packed, kids jackets and shoes on (the right feet hopefully), kids into the car, buckled in, giving kisses goodbye and last instructions, and all trying to make it happen without the threat of a meltdown.  

Week 1: Project 52, 2011

8:00 am

If you are inspired to take on a project 52, leave me a comment on my blog.  I would love to follow your journey through the year, don't forget to leave your link!

You know it's bad when...Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

You know it's bad when you mother tells you to pick up your camera and take a picture already of your new home. My mom will be the first to tell me, "get that camera out of my face!", but pleaded with me today to show her some pictures of our new home. I was so busy with the move that I didn't even want to get my camera out of the bag, but I did snap a few with my iphone. All of these were taken just about an hour before the movers arrived with all of our stuff (hence the brown paper on the floors still). We waited and waited to find the right home for our little family and this is it. I hope that we will stay here a long long time and make many happy happy memories.

Here are a few of the inside. Our contractor was amazing. We took down one brick fireplace in the family room and dry-walled over it. The second fireplace in the living room we tore down, dry-walled and put up a new stone mantel. We also put in hardwood floors, new carpet, and new paint. We didn't remodel the lovely 70's kitchen this time, someday.


And here are a few of the outside. We completely landscaped the front and backyard to be kid friendly. Lots of green grass to play and a wrap around patio for the kids to ride their scooters and bikes out back. And the best part, is our location! We don't have any neighbors in front of our house, but instead look out onto a cross country course with deer, rattle snakes, and mountain lions! Yes, I said mountain lions! And those deer have already started eating my flowers out front!



Anyway, this is our new place we call HOME!

It's been WAY to long!- Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

I'll admit it... I've been hiding from my blog. Once I got behind in posting, I felt hopeless in catching up. But my blog is supposed to be my creative outlet, a place where I post my latest and greatest pics, so why was I hiding from it. The short answer is simply that I got busy and a bit burnt out at the same time. Busy with work and burnt out after a 9 week long, intense photography workshop. But I kind of figure that I want to make one last post before the new year. Who know, maybe this post will kick start it for me again to make two posts before the end of the year.

This next year I am planning two photography projects, that I hope some of my friends (online and in person) will join in with me. The first project is called a Project 52. One picture a week. I am brainstorming ideas and themes. I want to in the end, put together a coffee table book for myself of the year 2011. I know some of my friends are doing a Project 52 with the theme being, "Things that they Love". The second project is called a 4 x 12. This project is to take one family picture once a month. The 4 represents Nate, myself, Noah and Nicole and the 12 for each month of the year. The bonus with this last project is that it is an instant winner for the 2012 calendar I plan to create!

In the time that I've been in hiding, I didn't let me lovely camera sit alone in on my dresser. Actually, I spent an amazing afternoon recently with 9 other local photographers that are part of the Bloom Forum that I am an active member. We gathered in Danville to share a meal and then set off with 3 gorgeous models to take a crack at photographing outdoor Senior portraits. Shooting with professional photographers was so so intimidating, but I learned a lot and really got to see how hard it is. If you want to see some of my work and the other ladies work from that day, check out this post!

Lastly, here are a few of the photos from the Natural Light Workshop that I completed in November. This workshop has given me the confidence to shoot in any sort of natural light situation. For Example

Back Lighting Mid-day Full Sun

Back Lighting Mid-day Full Sun with a reflector
My wonderful friend Dani came out to the Peninsula so that we could do a fitness inspired photo shoot. She runs her own fitness business in the East Bay, KickStart Fitness










Sun Set (Golden Hour) Back Lighting with a reflector: Just some sweet shots of Noah and Aiden!








Natural Reflectors: In this case I used the sun reflecting off the concrete during the Golden Hour. Again, a sweet pic of my little Noah.

Discovering the use of pockets of light: I love the sliding glass door in front of my kitchen table. Lots of diffuse gorgeous light.





Starburst and Sunflare: How to photograph this was tough, but I finally got it...yay! And I love the results!





Exposing for subject and sky: Nate my wonderful husband agreed to be my subject since at this point Noah and Nicole would break out in sobs if they saw me pick up my camera. They were so tired of me taking pictures for this assignment or that assignment!

Nate's facial expression says, "Sun too bright, hurt eyes, even with cool shades on!"


Well, that is just a fraction of the pictures that I took for each assignment. It feels really good to get those posted, and now I can think about my upcoming projects!

The Natural Light Workshop is Where I've Been Hiding!

I haven't posted very much in the past weeks mainly because my time has been filled with photographing and editing for a Natural Light Workshop that I am wrapping up. I've been spending most evenings buried away in my room on the computer, it's been a super intense class. I have learned so much about light in this 8 week workshop, that I am kind of fanatical about light now. I see light everywhere, in movies, in magazine, at the dinner table, basically it is a bit ridiculous, but it is good. I want to share each of my assignments from the workshop over the next couple of posts. I will try to be good about posting my settings. Many of my friends who live close have been amazing in letting me photograph them or their kids for my assignments. This was really helpful since Noah and Nicole definitely deserve a break from the mamarazzi! Thank you so much Tara and Dani!

Anyhow, here is my first assignment.
Dramatic Lighting

Taken in our bathroom with me standing in the tub...

Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/3.2
Focal Length 28 mm
ISO Speed 1600


Oops deleted the original and can't find the exif data...

Thanks for looking tonight.