http://www.flickriver.com/groups/wild_horses/pool/interesting/

http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-ansel-adams-framed-art?c=all&p=65

Thought it was funny that we were just talking about him and then I see this on Groupon.

http://www.anseladams.com/

Ansel Adams

http://www.coloradowildlifephotography.com/

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/photo/wildlife-photography#cr

Just a couple sites on wildlife photography, one type of photography that I thoroughly enjoy.

I have gotten the opportunity to take some cool pictures of some wildlife myself, but I always wish I had more chances.  I'll include one that I took myself.

This is a coyote near the Grand Tetons.  I made it black and white too since we're working with that in class :)

Depth of Field

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm

Since we just went over all of this again yesterday :)

Play a game about the Evolution of the Camera :)

http://www.dailybreak.com/challenges/camera_evolution

I love roads.  This is just magical.  http://fuckyeaheyegasms.tumblr.com/page/20

     So last night I was bored and was working on some photo editing.  I honestly don't know much about working photoshop so I mainly just mess around with the contrast and brightness and, occasionally, saturation in order to create black and white images.  I took some pictures for my little sister as her senior pictures over winter break and wanted to share one of them.  I thought it looked pretty good.

     It's a tad dark I guess, but I thought it was a bit more "artsy" than the other ones I took.  I like the high contrast between the snow and everything else in the picture (her clothes, the playground).  I wish we had more snow here in Denver right now.  I feel like snow lends itself to black and white photography really well and that is what we're working with right now in our photo class.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to take more pictures later this week and this weekend so I can get into the lightroom and develop the film.  Really excited about this whole process :)

Love is all you need

     Today I had to make time to take pictures because I thought we would be working with our film today.  Luckily we weren't because I only got half a roll done.  But a thought occurred to me while I was walking around campus looking for things to photograph: I'm very self conscious about using a camera.  When I was walking around, I didn't want anyone to be around when I pulled my camera out of its bag to take a picture. I wanted to be totally alone, with no one to watch or judge me.  I guess I am always worried about things like that.  It's a bit silly but nonetheless I think about it.  I really shouldn't care what other people think.  I should do what makes me happy and photography is definitely one of those things.  It's calming and therapeutic and it's just a wonder in and of itself.
     Roddy was rambling today while he showed us how to develop our film and was talking about the love that you have to put into your photographs.  That photographs involve nostalgia and feeling and that somehow love is in them too.  Honestly, I wish I could just bring a tape recorder to record his digressions.  They're so philosophical and romantic.  He was talking a lot about the universe too and our relationship with the universe and how we need to think about our relationship with the universe.  And then he said maybe those people that say love is the answer, that love is all you need, are on to something.  That maybe love is the meaning of life, or to the universe, the answer to all things.  It could be that way.  When I was thinking about what picture to post with this entry, I kind of laughed because I took a picture the summer of 2010 that fits so well with what Roddy brought up about love being the answer.  Fits so well that it actually contains the famous quote of John Lennon's.

     I don't know who PM was or why he or she decided to vandalize a fence post in Yellowstone National Park but I'm kind of glad they did.  This is actually one of my favorite pictures that I have taken and my cousin actually enlarged it, framed it, and gave it to me as a Christmas present.  I just like the message that it sends to everyone that goes to that park and sees that fence post on the side of a cliff looking over a river and waterfall.  When I took that picture, I was full of emotion because I was in that place, looking at that waterfall, and thinking 'love really is all you need.'  It was a very powerful place for the message and I'm thankful that I had a camera to capture it.  

 

Introduction

     So I thought I should make this first post a little bit about me.  My name is Allison, I'm 19, and I go to school in Denver.  I'm currently taking an Intro to Photography class which I am super excited about.  I've always loved taking pictures.  On the first day of class, when my professor was making us introduce ourselves, he asked us if Photography was our friend, companion, or lover.  He's Scottish :P.  But I thought it was a really interesting question and could pretty accurately portray your relationship with photography.  Plenty of people said that Photography was their lover.  I had to admit that Photography for me was just a companion.  I'm in this intro class to learn more about photography so maybe my relationship with it can take the next step.  I've gotta say, I'm really excited to learn about the dark room.  But I have to get out there and take pictures!  And since this is a photo blog, I'll just post for today the picture I found on Pinterest that somewhat inspired the name of my blog :)