Monday, February 18, 2013

Qwerty


Today is my one year blog anniversary!  Over the past year, Qwerty and I have spent hours together.  Me tap, tap, tapping and she just obediently recording my thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  As I write, she sees the laughing me, the crying me, the angry me, the sentimental me, the reminiscent me...  She is faithful through it all.  

Tonight, I spent some time looking back over the posts of the year, some time reflecting.  The tool I use to create my blog provides me with interesting statistical information.  Tonight, as I look back, I'm sharing with you my top 3 blog posts.

My number one post was "In-Law."  It featured a great photo of my family-in-law!  Here we are -


My second most popular post was from my LOL series - LOL #7.  This was a post about my silly Pool Mix that has become one of my many traditions - AKA, ploys to keep my children interested in coming back to visit me when they are grown and gone.  It featured a photo taken with my handy dandy pocket cam, my iPhone 4.  Here's the shot -


My third most popular post is one titled, "Tribute."  It was one that I wrote after a visit to Arkansas to attend my brother-in-law's Air Force retirement ceremony.  My thoughts recorded by Qwerty really didn't do the military the justice they deserve, but it did feature some great shots I was able to capture from the air show we also attended while there - 


These three posts were earned most popular status on my blog simply through the number of views they received, so it's difficult to know why they were the most popular.  Was it the writing, was it the photo, or was it simply because the posts were shared in a heavy online traffic spot?  

As I spent this time reflecting and remembering, I asked myself, "Has this blog served the purpose you intended it to serve?"  When I began, I had two main goals in mind - 1) To have something fun that could be entirely mine and for myself and 2) To use the blog as an opportunity to improve my photography.  

Honestly, Tracey Carol * Behind the Lens has fulfilled those two goals and more.  I have been surprised at how much I have enjoyed relaying my thoughts through Qwerty; how satisfying it has been to simply reread back through my posts.  I have also been surprised by the wonderful comments I've received both online and off by viewers.

Tonight, I also decided to share my personal favorites.  Here they are - 

#1)Taste Buds  



Today, I say thank you to any and all who may have viewed, read, shared, or commented.  Today, I say thank you to Qwerty for being patient with me. Today, I say it's been a fun blogging year.  Today, I look forward; I look forward to more posts, more thoughts, more photos, more sharing...
Thanks -
TraceyCarol

PS - If you have a favorite post, I'd love to know which one!




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3


So maybe it's because my day job has me surrounded by others like myself, the public academia world; but regardless, testing is a four letter word in my surroundings.  Since the inception of No Child Left Behind, our children are measured, assessed, evaluated, examined, analyzed, checked and rechecked and just basically tested up to their eyeballs with filling in the bubbles, no. 2 pencils, scratch paper, read alouds, separate settings, choices ABCD...  Their natural desire to learn is being testing right out of them.  But I will stand down from my standardized testing soapbox and talk about what I really had fun testing this weekend - my new Canon 60D at a brand new location!

(Just a disclaimer here - if you're not a photog geek, this remainder of this blog may bore you. If that's the case, pretend you're a little kid again and just look at the pictures.)

The time of day was between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening, sun was setting, shadows were darkening.  I grabbed one of my in-house subjects, slung my camera bag over my shoulder, hopped in the Suburbabus and headed to a location that I have wanted to shoot for quite some time. 


This downtown location is experiencing a revival of sorts.  It's actually quite a large downtown area for what now seems to be a small town.  However, not so long ago, our area was very well known for being a leader in the textile industry.  Textile money spurred much growth back in the day.  Now, in a period of revitalization, the back of a group of these vintage buildings has turned canvas and displays a fabulous children's mural.  Its color and cuteness drew me in and I just couldn't quit snapping my eldest-one-of-three in front of this wall of fun!  A great test to see how my new 60D performed in the color department.  Bubble number one - check!


The time of day was another form of measurement for my new toy.  The shadows were increasing by the minute.  All of the shots in front of the mural where taken on the east side of the building which meant the sun was setting on the opposite side so my subject and I were in the shadows.  Still, plenty of light was available especially when the setting sun reflected off of some windows in a building behind me while I was behind the lens.  My ISO was at 200 and worked perfectly.  My aperture choice for most of these shots was f8 - another test from a recommendation that I've recently been reading about in Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure.  All that being said, my low ISO and my middle of the road aperture still gave me great results in semi-low light conditions!  Bubble numbers two and three - check!


The ultimate assessment though came as the darkness seemed to creep in quickly.  I took a risk and left my ISO at 200 but changed my aperture to wide open.  Still, my new 60D didn't disappoint.  A little more effort and focus was required on my part because my shutter speed had to slow down; however, my results were super sharp in really low light without having to raise my ISO. Bubble number four - check!



Like our school children, my camera has many more evaluations in its future.  But if round one is any indication of its examination future, my new Canon 60D won't have to face remediation.

Click here to see my entire gallery from this shoot.