365:179 - Sky Lake

Eric and I are helping to lead a camp this week, so we're getting to spend some time at Sky Lake--hooray!

365:178 - Night Shot

I will often borrow issues of Popular Photography from the library, and the most recent issue that I borrowed offered tips on some fail-proof shots. One of the suggestions they gave was doing long exposures at night because you end up with weird colors and sometimes unexpected results.

I thought I'd give it a try, so I set up the tripod on our porch and did some exposures of 30 seconds or a minute or so. This one is my favorite--I love what the long exposure did to the streetlight, and I enjoy the blue of the sky.

You can be sure that I'll be trying this again.

365:177 - Emily & Shapes

During her family's visit to our house on Friday evening, Emily used the Tangram pieces to make up her own pictures. She was very thoughtful about it, and I loved how she used her imagination!

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Baby Bat

This week was paid summer staff training at Sky Lake. Yesterday, someone spotted this baby bat on the side of the old ice house. We all took a field trip to see it.

This post can also be viewed at thephoto-op.blogspot.com.

365:176 - Storm Comin'

Things got blustery in Binghamton this evening, so I took the chance to use my new zoomier (hooray!) lens and take some shots of the impending doom. Fortunately for those at the baseball game, the storm blew over quite quickly.

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365:175 - Herbs

When we visited Reanna and Dan, they gave us some herbs, which are now growing happily at the end of our porch.

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365:174 - Shredded

Tuesday evening I finally got around to sorting through the giant pile of papers that's been growing in our living room. I shredded a whole bunch of old bills--it's a nice feeling to get rid of some of that dead weight.

Also, I found a birthday check from my grandmother. My birthday is in February. Oops....but at the same time....jackpot!

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365:173 - Seth

Yet another of our friends' supercute kids!

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365:172 - Rags

For Father's Day, we invited my parents and Eric's dad over for dinner. In preparation for their visit, I spent some time cleaning, and these rags got hung out to dry after I finished.

I didn't take any pictures of my dad on Father's Day--no particular reason why--I guess I just flaked out. And although a picture of rags might not seem like a fitting tribute to a fantastic father, they are, in a way, symbolic of some of the important things that he is an example of: resourcefulness and hard work and simplicity.

I hope you don't mind this picture, Dad. Thank you for being so great. I love you.

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365:171 - Eric & Linda

We were supposed to go to a baseball game with Eric's mom on Saturday evening, but it poured and poured. We went out to eat at The Lost Dog and went to an art opening at Spool MFG instead. It was a very pleasant alternative...I'm usually done with a baseball game by the seventh inning.

Can you see the resemblance between Eric and his mom here? They have a lot of similar personality traits, too--independence and love of music and level-headedness. Two fantastic people!

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365:170 - Kevin & Stacey

My friend Kevin asked Matt and me if we would be the photographers at his wedding in November...whoa! It's such a great and terrifying opportunity, so we wanted to practice. The four of us spent Friday evening at the Lake, and between us, Matt and I took about 1000 frames of the two lovebirds.

This is one of my favorite "non-traditional" shots.

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365:169 - Drip, Splash

Rain dripping from the porch roof onto our railing

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365:168 - New Branches

taken at Otsiningo Park

365:167 - Wardrobe Issues

On Tuesday, I got a call about an interview for a job, and they wanted me to come in on Wednesday. Fantastic! Then I realized I didn't have many options when it came to interview-appropriate clothing. Then I tried on my black dress pants and saw that they were more appropriate for the club than for an interview (I've gained some weight), and I flipped out. BAD. Luckily, Eric was there to calm me down and take me on a late-night shopping trip (to a big box store--please forgive me--I was desperate), and everything worked out fine.

It's amazing that I have so many pieces of clothing and so little that's professional.

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Sarah

Made this exposure of Sarah the other night while we were photographing Kevin and Stacey. Sarah is a founding member of The Photo-op.

Love

Sarah and I were privileged to be asked by Kevin and Stacey to be the photographers for their wedding in November. We thought we’d get some practice in by taking some engagement photos. And by practice I mean well over 1,000 exposures between the two of us! We spent a couple hours this evening photographing the Kevin and Stacey around Sky Lake—the place they met. Above is one of my favorites.

UPDATE: See more photos from this shoot at www.flickr.com/groups/katenhester

365:166 - Garlic and Onions

365:165 - Reflected

On Sunday Eric and I hung out with his cousin Lizzie. We visited Taughannock Falls, roamed around the Ithaca Commons a little, and at at a great Mexican restaurant. Despite one minor injury, we had a great time!

Here are Lizzie and I standing at the edge of the lake, as reflected in Eric's sunglasses.

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365:164 - Summer Day Collage

Here are some bits of our day on Saturday.

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Fawn

Yesterday was North America Nature Photography Day. Unfortunately, the walk through the woods on my list of things to do on my time off yesterday did not happen. To commemorate the special day, I thought I’d share with you this exposure of a fawn that was hanging around the West Shore Field at Sky Lake a couple weeks ago. It allowed me to get within a few feet of it before it ran off.

365:163 - Caree

Friday evening we spent at camp, and of course there was singing of camp songs. One of those who helped lead the songs was Caree. I have a special place in my heart for Caree 'cause she was my camper when she was in elementary school--she was always up for any camp adventure, and she helped to make the week a lot of fun. It's nice to see her "all grown up" and sharing her talents with the kids who are campers now.

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365:162 - Wet Leaf

As I walked from my car to our apartment, I noticed the leaves in our driveway all covered with water droplets from the earlier rain. I wanted to take a picture, but I thought I'd better try to do something different from the typical water droplets that I take pictures of so often. I sat inside working on something, and I kept thinking about the water on the leaves, so I gave in and took a bunch of shots. I don't know what it is about the water droplets that attracts me so much!

365:161 - Curls

On Wednesday evening, Eric came to me with the hair clippers and said, "It's time." He asked me to cut his hair off....all of it. I buzzed the clippers through his hair, and soon the porch was covered with his curls. I will miss the curls, but the hair is not really what matters.

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365:160 - Leaves

Here's the tree at the end of our porch. It helps keep the downstairs of our apartment shaded and cool. Thank you, tree!

365:159 - Hand

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365:158 - Faith

While we were at Sundaes at the Farm at Eric's relatives' farm, his aunt suggested that I take a picture of his cousin Faith. She and her friend were playing on the swingset in their yard, and I just sat on the walkway and snapped away while they fooled around. This one is my favorite--I love how Faith is looking back at me over her shoulder...she's completely innocent and completely like a supermodel at the same time.

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365:157 - Ordination

I cannot even tell you how angry I was at my camera on Saturday evening. It would NOT take pictures when I wanted to, and it was one of those occasions when I really wanted to capture some good images. I have some images, but not necessarily the ones I intended.

Saturday was the church service where two of our friends (and three other people) were ordained as elders in the United Methodist Church. It was a wonderful experience to see the people stand up in support of their ministry and to know that their hard work has paid off and to see the bishop put the stoles around their necks. Each of them is a strong person, a respected leader, and a servant of God.

As the procession moves into the church in this shot, they are the two closest to the camera.

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365:156 - Green Churches

Eric is part of the Social Justice Network for our conference of the UM Church, and the group is working on a Green Churches Forum for this fall. To promote the Forum at our church meetings, we made t-shirts with this logo designed by our awesome friend Brookye.

Can you see the church inside of the tree? Doesn't it make sense that churches should be environmentally friendly so as to preserve God's amazing creation?

365:155 - Close-Up Rachel

We spent Thursday evening after church meetings out with some friends. I got to sit next to Rachel and talk with her some, which was great since I hardly ever get to see her.

Oh, and that's Andrew in the background.

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365:154 - Raindrops on the Windshield

I only shot two frames on Wednesday, and guess what--they were of water droplets!

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365:153 - Bob Dylan on TV

365:152 - Eric at the Laundromat

Two of my most commonly used subjects: Eric and the laundromat.

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365:151 - Pepper Plants

On Sunday afternoon, we worked at our garden plot at Otsiningo Park. We planted seeds for peas and beans and beets and turnips and parsnips. I thought about taking a photo of a row of seeds, but I was in the middle of doing it, and my hands were covered with dirt. (I didn't want to push it with my camera--it already takes a good amount of abuse from me.)

Eric had put these pepper plants in the ground earlier in the week.

I used Picnik to straighten out my crooked horizon.

365:150 - Whitney Point Lake

On my way home from the Celebration of Hope at Dorchester Park, I stopped at the pull-off that looks over Whitney Point Lake. It was a beautiful, sunny evening, so I thought I'd get some great shots of the sun going down over the lake and hills. Turns out I was too early for the sunset, and the sky is blasted out in most of the pictures. When I bent down, though, and took the sky out of the frame, I was able to get a few of these kinds of pictures, and I really like the colors.

365:149 - Five Years

Friday was our fifth anniversary. Awesome.

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365:148 - Fishing Lure

Eric got some fishing gear so that he can take the kids on his caseload fishing.

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365:147 - Floam

At the conference that Eric went to in Kentucky at the end of April, they gave the participants Floam. Don't ask me why--I have no idea. There's a little bag of it on the shelf under the tv now, though, so it was just begging to have its picture taken.

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365:146 - Camera Fight

My camera and I have been having some fights lately. I couldn't get it to do what I wanted on Tuesday, but it seemed content to take ridiculous pictures of the white ceiling.

365:145 - Hannah

This is another one of our friends' incredibly cute children.

I love her cute little pixie smile and the way that the sunlight caught her hair.

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