Friday Switcheroo: Goodbye Foto, Hello Featurette. Also Yoda.

I'm just not that into Foto Friday any more. I love photography but I don't love blogging about it. And judging by site stats, I don't think you love me blogging about it either. Boom. It's over. 

Taking it's place...

Surprisingly, I enjoy vlogging. Surprising because I don't enjoy talking. Featurette Friday* will help me continue my quest to become America's very worst vlogger. Each Friday, I will present to you a video of nothing in particular. 

Please enjoy today's video, Yoda Reads NASCAR Romance. Yes, NASCAR romance is a thing (excerpt [slightly adapted for Yoda] from Speed Dating by Nancy Warren). 




*Originally titled The Posts That Will Embarrass My Sister Fridays but those words don't begin with "F", not even phonetically. And Fhe Fosts Fhat Fill Fembarrass Fy Fister Fridays just looks stupid.

Are you on board for Featurette Friday? What sort of videos would you like to see?

Foto Friday: Lomo Part 2

Remember a couple weeks ago when I introduced you to my lomo crush? It's finally time for part 2: my lomo photos. 

I decided to treat my film cameras like a digital. I used my Diana and Oktomat just as I do my digital camera so that I could study the differences. Honestly, I don't think it made for very interesting photos. For the next rolls, I'll be experimenting with double exposures.

Have you done any experimental photography lately?

Foto Friday: She get it from her momma

Lomo Part 2 has been postponed until next Foto Friday because today is all about my momma, y'all. Sunday is Mother's Day after all. 

Of course we must start with cat lady photos. The top photo is my mom. The bottom photo is me. We are pretty close in age in these photos. I'm amazed at how we are both sitting on the floor in front of furniture with a lamp to the right and a cat being forced to love us in our hands. It's almost freaky. 

Next, the diva shots. Yes, we did.

Photo montage! 

Foto Friday: Lomo Part 1

I ♥ lomography. If you aren't familiar, lomography is lo-fi photography. It's about film and plastic and light leaks and surprises. And often hipsters. It began in 1982 with some Russian envy of Japanese lenses and a few curious Austrian students (read more about that at lomography.com). 

My current fave toy cameras: Diana and Oktomat.

You must check out Misha Ashton, a fantastic lomographer. I am really enjoying (and envying) her Flora and Fauna double exposure series. 

Moose & Cherry Blossoms. Top-notch, yes?

I first became familiar with Misha through her Kickstarter campaign.  The campaign helped her produce the amazing book of photos pictured below. It's the first in a series and it looks like there is 1 copy left in her Etsy Shop!

Next Friday, in Lomo Part 2, I will share some of my lomo photos with you. Until then - don't think, just shoot. From the hip.

Foto Friday: Get Low

The Our Reflection photo challenge this week is to the window, to the wall, to the sweat drop down my....get low. Or maybe it was just from a low angle. Same difference.

Sometimes I like to pretend that Wayne Szalinski accidentally shrunk me and I'm stuck in my backyard. While flailing about in the grass, I found this gorgeous mushroom. I love the delicate folds. (Go ahead, click on it. Look at it bigger.)

You should enter this photo challenge too! There are, like, prizes and junk. Click this button:

A few more shroom photos for your viewing pleasure...

Foto Friday: Fear and loathing (of dogs) in Las Vegas (or Milton, Florida)

Have I told you that I am afraid of dogs? I've been afraid of them for as long as I can remember. While digging through old photos, I think I found the day this fear began. March 15, 1982. 

Fine. I put that mean looking dog there to make my fear seem more rational. The original photo is below. Notice how I am moving my sausage arms far away from that super fierce poodle? Survival of the fittest. The fear still lingers as an adult but I do sorta want a dog. Only because I have a great name for one (which I think is the wrong reason to get a dog). I can't tell you the name because another of my fears is that people will steal my ideas. 

P.S. According to the back of the photo, that cat is named Mom. What?

What are you afraid of?

Foto Friday the 13th

The Cabin in the Woods (co-written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, squee) is finally out. Today's photo is in honor of the long-awaited movie AND Friday the 13th. Ohhhh.

I have stayed in a few creepy cabins in a few creepy woods myself. One such stay, in the summer of 1990, went a little something like this:

Okay, so I doctored that up a bit. The original is below. And the creepy little being in front of the little cabin in the woods is me. I was practicing some sweet jumps.

Happy Cabin in the Woods Day! Will you be seeing the movie?

Foto Friday: Instagram!

Everyone knows that Instagram for Android was released this week. I’m pretty sure that even the real version of that acting troupe soccer team fake super convincing indigenous tribe they ran into on the Universal back lot in that remote location on The Bachelor considers this old news by now. I downloaded the app right along with the other eleventy-billion Droid users.
Are you an Instagramer? Leave your username in the comments and I'll be sure to follow. Here’s a peek at my first insta-week.

(P.S. Thank, The Bachelor, for showing us who will birth the next Charles Manson.)

This was my first ever Instagram photo. Some folks were all
"I'm gonna make my first one a good one". I wasn't all like that.
I was all "I'm gonna take a photo of some rand-o crap now".

Foto Friday: Bun of Blue Steel

Part 1: Spring

Remember last week when I said "Laura over at Our Reflection hosts a weekly photo challenge"? I wasn't lying. This week's challenge: Spring. 

This bunny is pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And he plans on finding out what that is. 

 

Pssst. You should enter the challenge too. You might win stuff!

Part 2: Before and After

Sometimes your subject hops around while you're trying to frame it up and your grass gets all too green to be interesting. Fix it.

Foto Friday: Sweet Hoot Before & After

Part 1: Something Sweet

Laura over at Our Reflection hosts a weekly photo challenge. This week's challenge: Something Sweet. I am entering this sweet little owl that I met last summer (on my 30th birthday).  [Update: So almost all the other photos so far are of cute babies. This seems very appropriate. Hi, my name is Jen and I enter owls into cute baby contests. Also, what up girl with the Oreos. We should be besties.]

 

Pssst. You should enter the challenge too. You might win stuff!

Part 2: Before and After

Sometimes your background is full of no-smoking signs and Purrell. Fix it.

Foto Friday: Summer, Summer, Summer!

I am so, so ready for summer. Bring on the heat. Bring on the beach days. Bring on the Blues (Blue Angels that is).

For this edition of Foto Friday, I give you some of my favorite moments of summer 2011:

Bonus Photo! Sometimes the summertime makes me forget how chairs work.

Foto Friday: Tomato Season

My favorite time of year: tomato season. One of my very favorite things is a fresh from the garden tomato (boo on grocery store toms). I eat them like apples. I could survive off of tomato sandwiches, tomato soup and salsa. Potentially interesting note: I do not like tomato sauce. Curious. It's been long enough since and it's close enough to tomato season now that I'm totally tweaking, y'all. I need my fix.

While I sit in a corner eating my own hair and singing about tomatoes, please enjoy these Foto Friday links:

1. DigitalRev TV. Funny, informative, photos of Hong Kong, photography equipment normal people can't afford and an Asian guy with a British accent. What?

2. Besotted Brand. This blogger is editing a photo a day in 2012. Take a peek. Make sure you check out the before shots.

3. E-PL1 Flickr Gallery. I love my Olympus Pen. Take a look at this gallery full of photos taken with the E-PL1.

4. Lomography gallery. I also love lomography. Look a these photos. You won't regret it.

5. Eggton. Let me make something clear. I am not a dog person. I've been afraid of dogs since childhood. Even the little ones. But the photos of the dog on this blog totally make me want a dog. This blogger posts a hilarious story, then a recipe, then photos of the cutest dog ever. 

Foto Friday: 7 Pro Tips!

I don't like to brag, but, I did take a college directed study in photography with a well respected photographer of nude ladies on hoods of cars. Sooooo.... Here are a few of my quick "pro" photography tips:
(The photos are totally hard to see - click on them, they'll get bigger!)

1. Lighting is everything. Lighting sets the mood. Know it. Accept it. Work with it.

2. Center schmenter. Add some visual interest - put your subject to the side.

3. Get dirty. Lay on the ground. You'll see things differently. (That mushroom on the side there kinda looks like a va-jay-jay. Sorry or you're welcome, depending on your point of view.)

4. Photography is more important than driving. Take pictures from behind the wheel. Don't tell your mother I told you that. 

5. Get high. I'm afraid of heights. But I like to take pictures from upon them.

6. Always have a camera handy. You never know when you'll see something worth snapping. Be ready.

7. Black & white = class. That's it.

Foto Friday: Quick Challenge

I took the fat mum slim quick challenge - my day in photos last Saturday:

7:30 AM - gloomy looking morning

8:30 AM - I ♥ prickly pears!

9:30 AM - thrifting; found knives

10:30 AM - nice tree

11:30 AM - hooked The Bloggess up with a weasel

12:30 PM - library time

1:30 PM - chicken picnic with Sister

2:30 PM - dolphin medicine?

3:30 PM - stocked up on fruit

4:30 PM - checked out my thrifting/antique loot

5:30 PM - got my glitter nails on

6:30 PM - Thai with Boyfriend

7:30 PM - Sherlock Holmes with Boyfriend

8:30 PM - still in the movie

9:30 PM - stilllll in the movie

10:30 PM - stopped at Waffle House (I forgot to take a photo so here's a waffle I made recently)

Foto Friday: Self Photo Challenge

Linking up with The Paper Mama for her Self Photo Challenge! [You should too!]

Currently…

Obsessing Over
Home/natural remedies. For cleaning. For curing what ails ya. For beauty. 

Working On
Today: Layout & graphics for the revival issue of an economics e-pub.
In general: I’ve promised myself to make more art this year.

Thinking About
My future Etsy store and cool DIY projects to post on my new blog.

Anticipating
Participating in an art festival with my boo.

Listening To
Gotye (Making Mirrors) – so, so good. Lurve “Somebody That I Used to Know”.

Eating
Grilled chicken & roasted red pepper Panini and fries with a sprinkling of pickle juice.

Wishing
I could fix things for someone.

Foto Friday

Boyfriend and I took our cameras out for some photography f.u.n. this past weekend. Location: Pensacola Beach, Surf Burger & some random building backsides (racy!) in Downtown Pensacola.

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Samsung Infuse Cell Phone
(P.S. Dude. Look at that photo. That's where I live!)