MY TREE HUGGER

Normally...these are the type photos I send to my "1 star" bin. One star for me means ummm....not so great. Whether it be the exposure, the noise in the photo (noise is the resemblance of film grain, grainey-ness, in digital images. Most times they are colored specks - very tiny - and are most noticeable in the shadow areas of a photo. Especially those photos with an ISO of 400 or higher.) I detest raising my ISO unless I absolutely have to when shooting because it raises that "noise" level. Thus, like the pictures above and below. An image should be crystal clear and sharp as sharp gets if done right by the photographer. I call those "5 star" images and they generally go in my "workable folder." If they are 1 star though, I seldom work them or use them for anything. I made an exception this time.

Normally you guys only get to see my decent pictures here on the blog. I thought I'd keep it real today and let you know that I still take shots that look like this all the time. Especially when it is dark outside like it was when I took these. If you look at the photo of Kenidi standing and looking at us on the above left and compare it to the photo of her hand on the tree (on the right), you'll be able to tell the difference in the "noise" between the two pictures. Her hand picture has visibly less noise in it. It is more clear - more sharp than the picture of her standing. The exposure on these shots is also horrible. Very horrible. So...they are far from something I'd send to my 5 star file. But again, it's fun to see the difference between the good, the bad, and the absolute ugly in photography. Beings that I'm aspiring and learning as I go too, I find enjoyment in critiquing myself and finding the spots or the images that need work, could have been done differently, etc. Instead of professional shots, these are more of a "snap shot" look by far. I'm taking a new photography course and I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about it. The leader is a very well known photographer in Australia whom I truly adore. She also has a story surrounding her daughter that broke my heart wide open last year. I'm honored to be a part of her class and am continually inspired by her work. I enjoy just being under wings.

xoxoxo, Angie