49: 300,000 Clicks!

This is my boyfriend (in yesterday's PAD) car. He just passed 300,000 kilometers today on our way to the country. He's never had a car for this long, so he was very excited. Good thing we were in the country because we simply stopped just on the side of the road and took pictures.

Today was gorgeouscompared to yesterday. Freezing cold, but their had been freezing rain and CRAZY winds (up to 110 kph) yesterday. There was a 70 (!!) car pile up outside of the island of Montreal. One person died, and two major injuries if I recall correctly. Due to the wind being so strong, there were sudden white out conditions on the highway. Naturally, everyone slows down. However, roads were already icey, and this resulted in this horrific accident. There was another huge accident outside of Ottawa I beleieve.

For you warm weather people who never see snow, a white out is when the snow is blowing so much, you can't see anything except white. It can be very disorienting if you are walking because you can't even tell what is up or down anymore.

I was going to do errands and go to my last lecture yesterday. Needless to say, I did neither. The pictures in today's paper of people getting litteraly swept off their feet made me glad I didn't.

Yes I know weather is erratic and unpredictable, but this winter has been simply ridiculous. Yes, I blame this on global warming. I'm tired of having ice covered streets and sidewalks. March weather in january, and January waether in February.

One suggestion: stop idling your car! So often, I see cars running with nobody in them. Yes I know it's nice to go to a warm car, but few minutes of cold isn't going to hurt anyone, and you can cut your cars emissions! Every little bit helps at this point.

48: Oops!

Oops! My bad! Day late, dollar short.

This is my boyfriend. This was taken last summer (ahh. summer *sniff* *sniff* come back!!) up on the Mountain as we call it in Montreal.

47: Toasted head

Ok, not so good picture. Good wine though!

Got a study break coming up. One whole week to do nothing but study! And comment on PAD's!

46: Toys for Boys

One has to love a boyfriend who says, take a picture of my new router! Then, when in another bind, take a picture of my tools! He recently lost all his power tool to theft, and has been in the process of replacing them, so there you go!

45: Passing

Not much to say about this.

So I will rant and rave about Valentine's Day instead.  One has to be weary of a day that can be abbreviated to VD.  That being said, I find Valentine's day just one more example of how the masses can be manipulated with pretty colours, advertising, and mass marketing.  In my books, loving someone makes Valentine's Day every day, not just one day that happens to also coincide with a massacre.

That being said, if you like Valentine's Day and want to celebrate, please do.  I'll just pass...  Happy Valentine's Day ;-)

44:Trekking

My boyfriend, determined to find the lost lake, at the beginning of his quest.  He did find it, but hadn't brought his camera, so maybe I will join him next time he goes to find it!

43: Shark Attack!

Just when you thought it was safe because the river was mostly frozen over...

So, wandering around getting more of those cool ice pictures I like so much while making sure not to break through the ice, I notice this funnt thing sticking out of the ice. Low and behold, it looked like a shark fin. As far as I am concerned, this is a blatant taunt to the fact I didn't get to go diving anywhere this winter. Oh well. Hoefully thi summer!

Show in RAW, little dissapointed in the exposre. The sun was shining on the snow behind it, so the actual ice sculpture is a little underexposed. Some RAW stuff and then levels, curves, desat with channel mixer and then a blue curve on top to give it that blue hue.

And remember, sharks are out friends and greatly misunderstood by the mass populace. They are actually quite friendly! See! They can be our companions!

42: Icicle

 
So, this is an icicle, with lens flare added.  It was already there, but I thought, hey, Photoshop can make it really crazy, so I photoshopped it.

Gorgeous day, cold, but sunny, and lots of icicles!

41: Router

So, We get home after midnight, and I'm going, I need a PAD, and I can't do another breakdancing one because I've posted the two best ones I got... what can I do?

My boyfriend says, take a picture of my new router!! So, this is his new combination plunge/fixed base router. Should be funt o work with... needs a few nice bits, but those will come. Shot very quickly, and yes, I over neat imaged it, but I'm in a rush. Sorry. At least I actually took the picure today!!

40: Breakdance II

Ok, even though the quality isn't that great, I couldn't resist showing another breakdancing picture.  It's faceless, but still, with a slow shutter speed, turned out alright.

First night to just chill and do some work (I can tell you all about ratio analysis in accounting!), have dinner and a glass of fine since the stress of midterms.  This also meant not getting it together to take a picture.  Excuses excuses, I know.  Sorry!

39: Breakdance

Shot for one of my papers tonight. There was a breakdance competition tonight. The things these guys do is amazing. So, I didn't want to bring my whopper 2.8 zoom lens, which is just as well as it would not have been wide enough. However, this needed some major work. Lots of RAW processing, exposure compensation, tint and colour balance adjustments, plus some fill light. Then into PS for some levels, curves and contrast. Then to neat image. I didn't want to use flash because these guys were doing the head spins and stuff, and I didn't want to distract. Someone else used flash though and I did get a cross flash, but the picture itself was crappy. Oh well.

I cloned out two gusy heads in the lower corners, and as you can see, I did a crappy job rebuilding the shadow, but it will do for now.

Got a handful of things, and all I can say is they are not print quaility, but I think they'll work for a print paper. Was a lot of fun to watch these guys!

38: Jump!!

I know.  I'm starting to slack.  I'll have new stuff tomorrow.  I promise!  Today I'd like to comment, and I'd like to get some homework done.

Some light postporcessing.  Did some levels and curves because the stage lights are heavy on the red channels, and a bit of saturation as well.

37: Holy Snow

The title was my boyfriend's suggestion in relation to the cross from the window panes.  Old shot.  To brain dead from midterms, and very pissed off because I missed two or three questions by second guessing my self.  I actually had the right answer marked, and I change them to the wrong answer. ARGH

That being said, I'm on this blue kick.  My off center, and some of my prior posts I've been giving a blue tint, too.  I feel it works well with the snow and winter.

36: Hanging

More ice stuff. Experimenting with tones. Did a desat with channel mixer, then used curves in the blue channel to give it it's hue.

Forgot to Neat image it a bit, but I don't have time to do it and re save and re upload.

Friggin enthalpy and heat of formation. I'll be in a much better mood tomorrow. Hopefully get some commenting done tomorrow night

35: Gobble Gobble

So now I have to predate this, but I had this up on time. Blogspot was done. Oh well.

No holiday's in sight (Valentine's Day is not a real holiday) but my boyfriend made a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Yum yum. And a yummy bottle of wine went withit. more yum yums!

34: Volleyball

Shooting sports is very hard.  Hat's off to all sports photographers!!

My school's team is in red.  I left when both school's had one a set, but McGill was playing well, so I think they won.  wOOt!!

33: Peacock Beanie

It's 20 to midnight.  Eep!  Almost forgot my PAD tonight!  Busy studying for my chemsitry midterm on Monday.  Anyways, meet a random peacock beanie baby I picked up somewhere along the way.  RAW, little tweaking, blah blah, neat image, and voila

Now, can some explain kinetics and chemical rate of reactions?

32: Museums and Photoshop

Did my midterm (it was biology, Laurie2, accounting is in March) and was to tired to pick up the camera since I also have a quiz, lab, and a paper due tomorrow.  So, Did a quick and dirty PS action, and this is what we get.  Some more museum stuff.  Proboably a desk that Catherine the Great used or something along those lines.  So, yes, to much PP, but things look better when you're this tired.  Sort of like drinking a lot.  Things look better.

31: Art exhibit

Well, I shot my exhibit at our Fine Arts Museum.  It's a collection of items from the Hermitage in St. Peteresburg.  I think.  I am so anxious about my midterm tomorrow that I took a bunch of pictures and then left without really enjoying it.

I like this particular shot because of the reflection in the glass.

So, I ended up not using my zoom 2.8 at all, but a tripod on every shot. I have to admit, being part of the press corps was great!  I don't think tripods are allowed normally, but nobody batted an eyelash.  Plus, there were no crowds, which was nice.  Got unobstructed pictures, and no reflections in the pictures with the glass.

I hope, next opportunity, to enjoy it a bit more, maybe even go to the press conference.  Stupid mid terms!!

30: Blood Type and Food

I asked for permission to post a shot I did for a photo assignment for one of my school newspapers.  They wanted some concept photo for an article regarding blood type and what you eat.  One of the suggestions was stick a hypodermic needle into a tomato, so I said, ok.  Here is one of the results.  I couldn't decide if I should make the 'blood' the colour when it is drawn, or the colour when it hits the air.  The darker was easier to make with the food colouring.  Amazing how technicalities can make decisions for you.

Shot in RAW with my zoom at 2.8, ISO 1600.  Tweaking in RAW, levels, curves, and saturation bumb in PS, and then a run through neat image.

Happy eating.  These are leftovers from a homemade salsa I made.  Try putting mangos into your salsa.  It adds the coolest dimension and it is really good.  The sweet contrasts well with the spicy and acidity of the salsa.  I promise!