Lots of snow

IMGP0340, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

It was supposed to be 2-4 inches. More like 12-14 by the time it was all done. Here are a couple of pictures of our "snow day".

Cold possibilities

IMGP0326, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

So the theme for this months Boston Globe amateur competition is "Cold" and this is the first, best picture I have taken on the subject. This was just outside on our patio after a snowstorm. It was supposed to be 3-5 inches, but was closer to 8. This is what was left of a small bush peeking through the blanket of snow.

Swaddled Wally

IMGP0334, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

While Wally is our wild child, unafraid of most things. He is, however, deathly afraid of being under blankets. So this is a most unusual photo of him swaddled up in E's jacket. Click through to the Flickr account to see some more pictures of the same.

Boston Harbor morning

IMGP0273, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

And if you don't naturally wake up to catch the sun, you can be forced to be awake because of your travel schedule.

The sun was rising over the harbor while I sat at the airport waiting for my flight out to Seattle. The sky was a dull, flat grey and not very exciting. That's why we have a crop tool.

Not show here are dozens of pictures of planes taking off silhouetted by a rising sun. The same optical mind-game that sometimes makes the moon to look really huge, also makes it look like the plane is filling the viewfinder. The planes were little tiny plane-like outlines against a very blah sky.

Seattle Skyline

IMGP0298, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

These are from my hotel room in Seattle, early Friday morning. Physically being on the West Coast while your body is on East Coast time really helps you capture the morning sun.

I had a lot of trouble getting the picture in sharp focus. I tried a lot of variations of bracing the camera against the metal railing and what not, but in the end I wound up laying prone on the concrete balcony with the camera sitting on the very edge (lens hanging over the lip).

These two photos also capture one of the few moments of sunlight I saw on my visit. In a few minutes it went right back to being cloudy, grey and rainy.

IMGP0258_d_l-hs

IMGP0258_d_l-hs, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

I had very low expectations for this picture, and it's honestly not one of my best. The composition is weak.

But it was a great exercise in exposure. Very bright mid-day sun and shadow on two very different colors of stone. Certainly not a pic for the ages, but lessons were learned.

Sleeping Chloe

IMGP0255, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

Or, Chloe at her best...

It isn't fair that the boys get all the pictures. It's just that they are a little more active than Chloe. This photo doesn't capture her like the other pictures really capture the boys, but it's a good start. And frankly if she wants a better picture she'll have to give me more. Work it girl....work it!

Wally can has Cheezburger?

IMGP0251, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

And here's our other cat, Wally. He popped up on the barstool and sat at the table while E was fixing dinner. He didn't try to get on the counter, he just sat there as if he were expecting dinner. Here's another picture, but it's not as interesting as the first one.



Picture notes: more indoor bounce flash. Not much post proc.

Eddie at the Door

IMGP0233, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

Happy New Year.

A series of two pictures of our boy Eddie. The first one he is looking out the back door at the snow (and mostly the birds). But I really, really like the next picture. He looks so much like he wants to go outside to play with the birds.

IMGP0235, originally uploaded by bostonaday.

Post processing stuff: Heavily transformed to square up the angles. Fill flash with homemade bounce filter.
For more kitties go to Kitties! Kitties! Kitties!