A lot of hard work...

This week's assignment has been about using flash to freeze motion.  Sounds simple enough until you actually try it!  Especially without an add-on flash ie only using my camera's pop-up flash.  These pictures were all taken in the dark, using the little flash to freeze the water.  It's really not easy to get the water in focus, you never know where it's going to land and I have a heap of reject pictures from this assignment and only a handful of maybes.  It's a matter of jumping up and down to hit the light switch, getting everything set up and then kicking the tripod on your way back to your spot in the dark and having to start all over again.  VERY FRUSTRATING!

I must give credit where credit is due and I wouldn't have been able to do this without Jake's help.  He didn't moan once (possibly because he went to bed later than usual) and came up with some pretty cool ideas too.  The first picture is done by literally dumping a shot glass of water into the glass.  I quite like it.  The light is reasonable and I like the splash.  I think it could've been nicer if I'd cut more of the glass off and caught more of the splash though.  The next one was created by dropping a bouncy ball into the same glass.  Is also pretty.  Which do you prefer??

Next up was to try catch a drop just before it hit the "ground".  I used a sunflower platter, put a piece of blue cardboard below and a red one behind.  Quite funky...

 Jake's greatest idea and he can take complete credit for this, was to use red food colouring, instead of plain water to create the drops.  Makes it so much more dramatic.  I think this one might be my favourite of all the pictures taken...

 This one is really good too though, just don't like the one cut off at the top.  This one's light is better.  Also, as we added more and more food colouring, the water became redder and obviously the blue card stood out less and less...

 So similar, yet, so different and I still have to send them off for printing...

We were using a little pipette that Jake got with a science kit and it really was the perfect tool for this exercise.  Our next attempt was the squeeze the water into the dish and to catch it splashing...

I love these pictures too... I only need two for my class tonight, I just can't choose...

The second half of our assignment has been to do an environmental portrait again, again using flash to give extra light.  I'd have liked to have had more time to do these when it was darker, but I've run out of that...

I like this picture too, but it was taken in front of a window, so excludes it a bit.  Would also have been nice to have gotten less glare on her glasses.  Oh well, live and learn, there wouldn't be any point in doing this class if I wasn't learning anything, right...

I also managed to take some pictures at my parent's neighbour.  He's an art teacher, but it was just too bright...

I've been asked if I'd like to try take some photos of a restaurant for their website too.  It's a mammoth task and one that I'm not sure I'm up for, but I'm definitely going to try!!  Again, I can only learn.  Jake and I were given royal treatment when we popped in to suss it all out on Saturday morning.  We even had waffles for breakfast...

And coffee, of course..

Jake was more than thrilled to be having waffles for breakfast.  Truthfully, the restaurant wasn't even open yet, the staff were all busy rushing around to get ready for opening at 11...

I did get into trouble for taking this snap of Jake with his mouth full.  He's starting to be a little more conscious about how he looks these days...

But those eyes... they just melt me completely.  It's all about the eyes...

Back at home, it was bath time for little Pip.  I have never seen a dog that enjoys the water as much as he does.  Jake used to bath in that basin too when he was a baby...

OK, I know it's slightly out of focus, but he was quite happy to just chill out in the warm water...

Getting rinsed off...

Seriously though, what do you think he is?  He's every sweet and such a calm, happy dog, but I can't even begin to tell you what kind of a cross he is.  I think he's about 7 months old now, so he's not growing any more...

Hahaha - little drowned rat!  Do I have to get out now???

He even enjoys having his fur blow dried...

And that's about it.  Marius was away for the whole of last week and the entire long weekend.  It was great to have some catch up time with Jake, but I am SO glad to have my Marius home safely now too.  Jake and I spent much of the long weekend slobbing - on Friday we didn't even get out of our jammies and it was just what we needed.  Those down time days are really just the very best!

Sending lots of love,

Sue XXX