I just hung these sheer panel curtains in my room and I just love how soft the light that comes through them is. I wanted to play around with it and started messing around. I decided to throw the white balance to tungsten (the light bulb) to change the neutral daylight to blue. I under exposed the background to enhance the blue, and figured out the right aperture to balance my 1/8 power flash. I put a full cut of CTO (though I wish I’d doubled it now) over my flash and stuck the flash in my shoot through umbrella. I added a reflector just under the camera to fill some shadows and went with it!

Camera:Canon EOS 40D
Exposure:0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture:f/5.6
Focal Length:24 mm
ISO Speed:800

Here’s a lighting diagram of the set up:

If you’ve never played with flash gels, head over to Strobist and meet your next obsession.

I’ve found the best way (for me, anyway) to keep moving forward is to start new projects and set new goals. Among these for 2010 is a new Project 365 project. I’ve failed this not once, but twice now! This year I have the added motivation of knowing what a life-changing year this will be for me, so the end product of 365 photos seems so much more important now. If you’ve never heard of Project 365, check out this Photojojo article and see what all the hype is about.

Another cool thing I’ve started is I signed up for Photojojo’s Time Capsule, which is a 2x/month email that shows photos from your flickr from that time last year. I’ve read a lot of articles mentioning reviewing old work from time to time to improve your photography, and this is a nice lazylady way about it!

So to celebrate 2010, I’ve decided to back in time and pull some of my favorite photos from 2009 together and slideshow them here. They’re in order from Jan 09 to Dec 09. Enjoy and I hope you have a wonderful, healthy and fulfilling 2010.

(there is a middle finger in one pic for those watching at home with small children.)

My two missions for the day were to get a black and white for The Hideout’s 20′s, 30′s and 40′s challenge and a nice picture of the kids. I also wanted a new headshot of myself for work purposes but my hair is ick right now. I have my moments of shallowness.

The selfie:

The kids:

Light was one Canon 430EX II shot through a brolly umbrella to camera right.

Anyway, I love this camera. I’ve packed up my Xti for it’s next owner, it was a GREAT learning camera! I really recommend it as a first DSLR, I think if I had got this one first my brains would have exploded out the back of head. Custom function what?

I took some selfies today with it…this was tricky since my remotes don’t work and I don’t have a sturdy enough tripod to hold this beast straight. I had to hand hold and I think if I did this often enough I’d have some Linda Hamilton/Sarah Conner guns going for me.

And since it’s been a long time, let’s hit the links!

• Got an extra $5.00 a month? Back up your photos online with unlimited storage!
• Feeling uninspired? Here’s 10 Ways to Break Photographer’s Block.
• Need to design a business card? I sure as hell do. Here’s some free Photoshop templates.
• Photojojo shows you five things you can make with an empty film can.
• If you’ve never browsed Steve Poff’s (guy behind 365 Days) project, now is the time.
• Presetheaven has posted 10 great Lightroom tutorials.
• You know you were curious. Click here for President Barack Obama’s official portrait, the EXIF data! (Sidenote: this is the first DIGITAL presidential portrait AND it was shot by a photog from New Bedford, MA…my husband’s hometown, about 20 minutes from here!)
• Cool one minute video of Annie Leibovitz shooting Sean Connery for Louis Vuitton.
• 22 Photo Resolutions for 2009, will you finally organize your photos???
• Strobist shows a video on lighting people with eyeglasses without the glare and reflections.
• Photojojo gets creative with a cool photo calendar that lasts forever!
• Smashing Magazine has the ultimate collection of useful (and free) Photoshop actions.
• Lusting after an old style Holga? A Leica? A Blackbird? This place has you covered.
• Camera Dojo gives us a great tute on advanced watermarking in Lightroom.
• This guy makes me want to quit photography. Also Photoshop. Thatsthespot.com
• I am so getting a leopard print camera strap from My Funky Camera.

That’s all for now! I’ll leave you with my Valentine’s Day flowers.

Moving pretty much zapped most of my time but here’s a few photos from the last month. I’ll be updating later with last night’s Withered Sun promo pictures.

365.74 – Random Selfie II

365.69 – Me, at home. (For The Hideout’s “You at home” self portrait challenge.)

365.70 – Baby Mackin’

Last Minute Family Photo for Xmas Presents. Which reminds me I need to get some printed…

(Taken sitting against my son’s white wall, strobe behind a shoot-through umbrella to camera right. Reflector disk to our left to fill in some light)

365.47 – Well, shit. (Only snow could make Fall River look that pretty.)