Take the Shot

Take shot

The best place to start taking better pictures is simply to take the shot. Any shot is better than not taking a shot at all.

Take shot

My goal is to take one image each time I leave my home. This may be when Kevin and I go for breakfast or lunch. Other times when I take a walk in the pasture, around the farm. This post image is my favorite entrée at the Aqua Mexican Grill and Cantina, the beef quesadilla.

The picture is straight from the phone camera. No editing. Image was cropped to make two images. Camera (iPhone) settings used: photo, 1x lens, Live Photo off. I let the camera’s auto function do the rest. While framing the image, it was necessary to move the phone to avoid getting its shadow in the picture.

Just because my phone is with me, I still have to remember to take the shot. It’s second nature for the younger generation. For us baby boomers, we have to train ourselves to take the shot! Taking the shot is better than not. Now I have a visual to add to my memory of my yesterday’s lunch date with Kevin.

What’s your favorite meal? Have you taken a picture of the food you like to eat? Please share!

This is the original image from the phone used for the collage at the beginning of this post. Here you can see a bit of the phone’s shadow in the bottom right side. I was able to crop the same image twice. Creating two different images for the collage. Notice in the collage the phone shadow is not shown. With simple cropping, I was able to make the picture look better.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

Grandma trying to take a picture with her iPhone.

Gma’s photo

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Hi, my name is Debra.  Proudly, I am considered a senior citizen at most of the local restaurants (which I take advantage of when I remember to ask). Some may say just middle-aged. Married for 36 years with two grown children and two grand girls. The grand girls is the primary inspiration for this blog.

I am a photographer that uses Nikon, Sony camera’s and various lenses. As time passes, I tend to gravitate to the easiest ways possible to complete a task. This is becoming more so with my photography. In my younger years I enjoyed taking my camera arsenal with me on photo shoots. Now it’s becoming more of a chore to gather the equipment, load the car and go. This is especially so when I am already carrying a camera with me, the iPhone.

As a member of the baby boomer group, the iPhone and digital era has me captivated. Wanting to do it all, surfing the net to taking the best pictures I can, I found myself at a bit of a loss. Well, this is my plan. To figure it out as I go and share with you here.

As I share my images, life experiences and just simple ideas, please feel free to comment, ask questions or share your experiences please comment in the reply section. I am truly looking forward to meeting you and engaging in wonderful heart-felt conversations.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

Homemade Weed Killer

homemade weed killer

Homemade Weed Killer

Hi, they say April showers bring May flowers. Right now I need weed control! Kevin uses Roundup. But with all of his chores, he doesn’t spray as much as I would like. It was Easter weekend, my dad was telling us of the homemade weed killer he tried and said worked. So this is what I am going to try in a selected area of our driveway. Our driveway is gravel and all those pesky weeds are growing up between the rocks.

homemade weed killerThe Recipe:
White Vinegar 1 gallon
Table Salt 2 Cups
Dishwashing Liquid A good squirt.
Hot Water I used half a gallon to dissolve the salt before mixing with vinegar.
Sprayer I bought a 1 1/2 gallon sprayer.

It is not recommended spraying this homemade weed killer on concrete (sidewalk or driveway) or where you do want plants to grow (in your garden).

As you see, I will need to give it one more application.

Have you tried this homemade weed killer recipe? How did it work for you?

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Old Barn

old barn

Hi, I am cheating a bit. Supposed to be a Wordless post- however, I was just so excited with these pictures of old barn & farm buildings. Every day I drive by these and always say to myself, “I want to take pictures of this place.” Well, last night was the night. The sun was just beautiful. Now I want to have enlargements made and hang on my wall! Below is the complete set of old farm pictures taken.

old barn

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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I’ll Take That One

I'll take that one

I’ll Take That One-

rather my daughter did.

So many times we look for the perfect picture- smiling, looking at the camera, body positioned perfect, everything juuuuust right. This however, is not always the best picture. The purpose of a picture is to remember a certain point in time- maybe your wedding, or you graduating, a certain point in your family’s journey, or a special vacation. Sometimes, a photograph that captures that specific point in time perfectly is one that is off-center, or one that you are looking away and laughing. These pictures can be perfect without being posed! The most important aspect sometimes is the memory, and the feeling that one picture can bring with it.

As I am packing, getting ready for our move I ran across this image tucked in a drawer. I do not have the original file and as you can tell, there was dust on the picture. Quickly brushed off as much dust as I could and scanned into the computer. Did a small amount of fix up to the image. Erika was on her senior class spring break trip. It was during this trip she took this image- a selfie. One of my absolute favorites of her. This image to me resembles the strong beautiful person she is today. I firmly believe this was at the point my daughter was comfortable with “not being part of the group”.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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