Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #60: Black And White Photography

"Color television! BAH! I won't believe it until I see it in BLACK AND WHITE!"

-Samuel Goldwin






EMPS #60: BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY. NOW CLOSED!
It's time again for us to step out of color, and into BLACK AND WHITE. Grab your cameras, find the perfect setting, and show off that scene in BLACK AND WHITE. If you want to do a duplicate photo in color, to show comparison, feel free. Any subject, any setting, day or night, it's all up to you, as long as it is in BLACK AND WHITE! Archived photos are also fine for the assignment.

Extra Credit: Photograph something that is naturally BLACK AND WHITE, but try to do it without any color in the picture at all. An example would be a BLACK AND WHITE CAT using either a BLACK or WHITE background.

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. So you have until then to get your photo, post it to your blog, journal or website, and come back here with the direct link back to it. Please remember, it must be a link which goes back to an entry which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. A general link doesn't work, and HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED! I cannot add you to next week's Linking List if you don't leave me the correct information. If you need some assistance, please feel free to email me and I will be happy to help out. Also, please include a link back here, so other folks can find the EMPS and play along with us. :)

Linking List for EMPS # 59: 1 Subject, 4 Different Perspectives. 10/12/09

NOW CLOSED!

1. Judi

2. Carolyn

3. Sherrie

4. Carly **Welcome, New Participant**

5. Duane

6. Karen (Link Via Email)



NOTE: As I mentioned last Monday, Alan and I are officially on vacation, so my comings and goings will be spur of the moment. I will be by to see all your entries, but I am not sure on which day. Please be patient, I will come by, I promise!

Have a great week everyone... see you next Monday with an all new photo shoot assignment!

-Carly
OndineMonet@aol.com

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Shooting In Low Light (Inside And Out)

From For Ellipsis

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."

-Aaron Rose

RRC: Shooting In Low Light (Inside and Out)
Suggested by Terri, author of the blog, Ways I See The World.

Low Light photography can be really challenging! That is exactly why I thought it would be a great challenge to take on, as we approach those lovely shorter days of the year. I have the hardest time taking photos at dusk on sunny days. If there is even a little cloud cover, I seem to do much better. I am not sure why, I suppose it might have something to do with the natural filter clouds provide. There is less glare to worry about. Anyway, I tapped into my archives for this one, and came up with as many different examples of photography I have done in either very low light or at times no light at all. Here are the results...

The Lady in the Nickelodeon...

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

The Golden Gate Bridge Under Cloud Cover...

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

Three Pelicans In Flight (Marin County)...

From For Ellipsis

The Bay Bridge At Night (Clear Sky)

From For Ellipsis

The Golden Gate Bridge On A Very Hot Summer Day...

From For Ellipsis

Fireworks...

From For Ellipsis

Flame From A Tiki Torch...

From For Ellipsis

Late Autumn Shadows...

From For Ellipsis

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished."

-Michael Strassfeld


That's my collection, now go see what our other photographers have chosen for this challenge, just follow the links below!

Linking List - As of 12:00 AM, Saturday, October 17th, 2009
**Welcome, New Members!**

1. Terri... Ways I See The World


2. Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

3. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

4. Linda... Mommy's Treasures


5. Monica... Shutterly Happy


6. Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

7. Suzanne R... SuzyQ421's Photo Blog
Posted!

8. Hip Chick... Hip Chick's Photos
Posted!

9.Betty... A Glimpse Into Midlife
Posted!

10. Sandra... A Cappuccino A Day


11. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

12. Sandy... From The Heart Of Texas
Posted!

13. Peggy... Holmespun Fun

Posted!

14... Sherri... Sherrie's Stuff
Posted!

15. Eva Cathrin-Norway... Hagemor

Posted!

16. Carolyn... Ford Family Photos

Posted!

17. Quiltworks... World Through The Eyes Of The Fiber Artist

Posted!

Thanks Terri, this was a fun challenge! :)

-Carly

Autumn... Taking It's Time

From For Ellipsis

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."

-Elizabeth Lawrence

I have been checking the Leaf-Peeper reports, and it seems that autumn is getting off to a slow start here in California, which means my trip to Plumas County will probably be late next week, if I go at all. That's ok, here in the Berkeley hills, we are beginning to see some color, and it's keeping me occupied. Here... have a look at Tilden Park!

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

What is autumn looking like in your neck of the woods? Are the leaves in your area making a colorful display?

-Carly

Dylan Auditions For Dancing With The Stars

From For Ellipsis

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

-Japanese Proverb

Funny story. There is a big storm going on here in the Bay Area, so on Monday afternoon I thought it would be nice to spend some time with the boys, playing Mouse Hunt and Chase the birdie. I just thought it would make the boys happy to have us play with them... and I knew it would lift my spirits. Alan got the catnip monkey on a stick and swung it around for the boys to chase. Hendrix didn't want to jump, but Dylan really got into the fun! I tried to get some good action shots of him, because he is such a good jumper, but all the photos look more like he was doing "jazz hands" or actually... "jazz paws!" LOL. What do you think? Does he have a future on Dancing With The Stars? Tee Hee...

From For Ellipsis

LOL. What cutie pie! I really need to work on my action shots!

:)

-Carly

He Still Loves Me After 19 Years!

From For Ellipsis

"Only choose a man in marriage a man whom you would choose as a friend if he were a woman."

-Joseph Joubert

19 years? Really? I can't believe it! Marriage to Alan has been a blink! Well, a blink for me, maybe a little longer for him. You see, he is amazingly easy to live with, me... not so much! I wouldn't consider marriage to me an easy thing, hell, sometimes I want to leave me! LOL. My best friend is a guy... HI H.P... and even he says he would have left me long ago if he was married to me! LOL. Thanks Pal. Actually, he always follows it up with... "I would probably comeback though." LOL. Probably... sheesh!

Alan really is the perfect husband. And we get along because we have shared the same goals for the future. We are happy because we were best friends first, married people second. When things go wrong, we seem to do better then when things are going just ok. It's a weird dynamic, but it's true. Our first year together, should have been the most difficult, but in truth we were having too much fun learning to be married people. We learned, among other things, that you can't substitute laundry soap for dish soap in the dishwasher. LOL. BIG LESSON LEARNED. A couple years later, we learned about "in sickness and health" when I got Epstein-Barr disease, and couldn't hold food down for the good part of 6 months.

We have shared the loss of family members when my parents passed away, and when his brother Darryl passed away a couple years ago. We dealt with a miscarriage a couple years into our marriage, and the death of the best cat in the world, Elvis, in 2008. Before we got married, we went through a major natural disaster, the Loma Preada earthquake of 1989, and after we got married, the Oakland/Berkeley firestorm in 1991.

We have ridden the roller coaster and laughed till we cried, with a few screams along the way, and now we are happily aware that we are indeed growing old together.

It's love.

:)

It's 19 years.

Tonight, instead of going out into the first MAJOR rainstorm of the autumn season, we are having a nice dinner at home.

The menu includes...

Roast Chicken w Gravy
Sweet potato Casserole
Green Bean Bake

Warm Chocolate Cherry Brownie Sundae for dessert.

Then, we are going to cuddle up and watch "So I Married An Axe Murderer."

It's our movie! :)

Later in the week we have a date to go to the movies, and then out for a burger at Red Robin afterwards. We love Red Robin. We have been eating there since we were kids. Gosh, when we walk in there, and they are playing 80's music, it's like a time warp all the way back to before we were dating, when we were just really good friends. Friendship is good... love is better!

I know why I am married to Alan, but I swear, I will never understand why he is married to me!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ALAN :)

Love, Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot# 59: 1 Subject 4 Different Perspectives

"You have your way, I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it doesn't exist."

-Friedrich Nietzche







EMPS #59: 1 Subject 4 Perspectives. NOW CLOSED!
Just as the above photograph illustrates, choose 1 SUBJECT out in the world, any subject, and show me 4 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. Use lighting, or time of day, or color, or anything you can think of to help us see your subject in 4 distinctly different ways. Archived photos are fine for this one, but brand new is even better!

Extra Credit: Tell us about your experience, which one of the 4 perspectives did you enjoy photographing the most? Which one was the least enjoyable. Let's share about this one.

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. So you have until then to do the assignment, post it to your blog, journal or website, and comeback here with the direct link. Please remember, it must be a link which goes back to an entry which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. NOT A GENERAL LINK TO YOUR SITE. Hyperlinks are not accepted and will not be added to the Linking List which I post with next week's assignment. Also, please include a link back here in your entry, so other folks can play along. And it's always a good thing to double check the link you leave me, to make sure it is correct.

Linking List for EMPS #58: Bridges And Walkways 10/05/09

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama

2. Suzanne

3. Greg

4. Vicki

5. Hip Chick

6. Carolyn

7. Karen

8. Duane


Okie Doke, that's it. I will try my best to get around to everyone this week, but Alan and I are officially on vacation for the next month, or so, so my comings and goings will be somewhat erratic and last minute. If I don't comment on your entry during the week, I will be by next Sunday afternoon. One way or the other I will be by if you will just be a bit patient.

-Carly

Miscellaneous Monarch Moments...

From For Ellipsis

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

-Howard Thurman

The second big trip I am looking forward to, well, at least hopefully I am looking forward to, is my annual ride down to Pacific Grove to see the Monarch butterflies at the Monarch Sanctuary. Pacific Grove is known as "Butterfly Town USA," because each year the town is completely covered in Monarch butterflies! Hundreds of thousands do their over-wintering there, high in the eucalyptus and cypress trees. It's nothing short of amazing! If you live anywhere in California, trust me, it's worth the drive to Pacific Grove to see these magnificent butterflies. Here is a small sample of some photos I have taken in the last few years...

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

Aren't they just gorgeous? Wish me luck for this trip as well! :)

-Carly

That Autumn Blog

From For Ellipsis

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

-Carol Bishop Hipps

We are beginning to see the first real signs of autumn here in the East Bay, but if you really want to see the autumn in all it's glorious splendor, you have to drive all the wayyyyy up into the hills. Plumas County is the place to go! With a little bit of luck, and some fingers and paws crossed, Alan and I will make the 5 1/2 hour drive up there sometime between October 15th and the 31st! That, according to the Plumas County Visitor's website, is the optimum time for viewing. But there are some things working against us going. Like the fact that the first major snow of the season is fore casted for early next week, and then there is the money we don't have courtesy of the governor's FORCED FURLOUGHS, and then there is my worry about leaving Dylan and Hendrix for 12 hours.

I know, I know... they aren't real children, they are cats, but you see, I am still their mommy, and they both still have a lot of kitten to them. Anything could happen from, ordering large quantities of catnip mice on the Internet, to the total destruction of our cottage from the exuberant flopping about that they are so fond of. YIKES! Then there is Dylan's favorite game... LETS-STAND-AT-THE-FRONT-DOOR-AND-WHINE-LIKE-HE'S-BEING-HELD-AGAINST-HIS-Will! LOL!

I really want to go, so I know all it will really take is the promise of Starbuck's for the road, and I will be good to go!

From For Ellipsis

By the way, the picture above is not of Plumas, it is of Susan's Spot, which sits in the Cisco Grove Park, on the California side of the Sierra. It's lovely there, and it's one of my favorite places on earth, but I long for the new sights and sounds of Plumas. Wish me luck... ok?

Check out Plumas County Visitor's Bureau Page. You wills see what I want to go there so badly!

:) And oh yeah... one last thing... what do you think of the new autumn look for my blog? Like it? Hate it? Sing out! Tell me what you think!

-Carly

Feline, Furball & Feathers Friday: Dylan v The Ball Of Yarn

From For Ellipsis

"The cat, is above all things, a dramatist."

-Margaret Benson

For this round of FF&F Friday, I bring you DYLAN THE BRAVE! Is there anything better when you are sick, then you have your pets not only volunteer to stay in bed with you, but bring you tissues, cold medicine, heating pads, warm fuzzy socks and hot Chicken soup? Ooops... that was Alan! LOL. But Dylan and Hendrix were darn cuddly and entertaining and that made being sick with the flu a little easier to take.

:)

From For Ellipsis

Be sure to hop on over to Theresa's blog for all the Feline, Furball and Feathers Friday fun. Friday is still the day for pets!



-Carly

Do You Know What Would Be Really Weird?

"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude."

-William James

Know what would be really weird? What if Levi Johnston married Kate Gosselin?

Hey, I'm just saying...

Wink

-Carly

If I Ever Go Missing, You Can Find Me At The Zoo

From For Ellipsis

"Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts a lawsuit over their wills."

-Voltaire, letter to Count Schomber, 31 August 1769

Last week, Alan and I received free tickets to the Oakland Zoo, so we decided to get out of the house and have a little fun. It was a day before I felt any twangs of the flu,thank goodness, if we would have waited one more day to use them I couldn't have gone! Timing is everything I suppose. Anyway, sick or not, I could spend the whole day at the new Fruit Bat exhibit just talking to them. What wonderful, fascinating creatures they are. Beautiful animals.

Actually, all the animals were gorgeous, but I don't know which I enjoyed more, the bats or the chimpanzees. The bats reminded me of Dylan and Hendrix. Especially this one, who has a favorite stuffed animal, a rainbow colored bear. He actually cuddled with it, as he slept upside down. There is something kind of wonderful about that! The chimps were just darn cute, and pleasant to be around. It's a tough choice. If I go by the number of pictures taken, I suppose the bats win. LOL.

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

From For Ellipsis

The Oakland Zoo has some terrific videos, click here to see their video page. Go have a look!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #58: Bridges And Walkways

"The only bad thing about burning your BRIDGES behind you is that the world is round."

-Unknown






**Folks, before we begin I want to let you know about a few things. Sometimes I get busy and can't visit your individual entries during the week. This past week was an extremely busy one for Alan and me, and therefore, I spent very little time on the Internet. Yesterday, was a Round Robin Challenge, and I try to do all my commenting for that project on the day of the challenge. I am on a very old, very slow computer as my usual one died a week ago, and on top of all of it, I have the flu, complete with runny nose, coughing and general malaise. PLEASE DON'T FEEL IGNORED IF I CAN'T GET BY TO COMMENT ON YOUR ENTRY DURING THE WEEK, I WILL COMMENT ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT THE LATEST. I am sorry but responsibilities in my REAL LIFE have to come first. I have never intentionally ignored anyone. OK? Now, on with the challenge...

EMPS #58: Bridges and Walkways. NOW CLOSED!
Let's go for a walk... shall we? Ok photographers, you know what to do, go out and find me some BRIDGES and WALKWAYS. Autumn, for most of us, is in full swing, so show me something like that, or feel free to dip into your archives and wow me with something you haven't displayed before. Lets cross the BRIDGE together... shall we?

Extra Credit: Show me a picture of YOU on that BRIDGE or WALKWAY!

**PLEASE READ**
This photo shoot closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. So, you have until that time to get your photo, upload it to your blog, journal or website and come back here with the direct link back to it. Please remember, it must be a link which goes back to an entry which is specific to this Monday Photo Shoot assignment. No HYPERLINKS ACCEPTED! Also, please include a link back here so other folks can play along with us.

Linking List for EMPS #57: Weeds o9/28/09

NOW CLOSED!

1. Suzanne

2. Jama

3. Liz

4. Greg

5. Karen

6. Mike


Thanks for playing everyone. See you next week with an all new photography assignment!

-Carly

Round Robin Challenge: In Motion

From For Ellipsis

"All motion is cyclic. It circulates to the limits of it's possibilities and then returns to it's starting point."

-Robert Collier

RRC: In Motion
Suggested by Vicki of the blog Maraca and by Terri of the blog, Ways I see The World.

This time around, it's all about motion! I have to admit, due to my computer woes, I had to dip into my archives in order to participate. It's been a heck of a year between breaking my digital camera getting broken on January 1st, and my computer's display driver going out last month, but I have to admit, I did enjoy looking back on some of my better motion shots from the last few years. Here, have a look...

A second look at Jellyfish from the Monterey Bay Aquarium...

From For Ellipsis

Dinner at Johnny Rockets...

From For Ellipsis

A man surfing under the Golden Gate Bridge, near Fort Point, San Francisco. It was taken the weekend of the famous Maverick's Surfing contest, perhaps he was training for that!

From For Ellipsis

There are so many Monarch butterflies in the Pacific Grove preserve that you can just aim your camera up to the sky and capture a multitude flying this way and that!

From For Ellipsis

I just had to show one more jellyfish...

From For Ellipsis

Ok, now you have seen my "In Motion" photographs, be sure to visit the other great photographers we have in the land. Just follow the links below...

Linking List

Vicki... Maraca
Posted!

Terri... Ways I see The World


Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

Linda... Mommy's Treasures


Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix
Posted!

Suzanne R... SuzyQ421's Photo Blog
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

Carolyn... Ford Family Photos


boliyou... Endomental
Posted!

Lana G... Above The Clouds
Posted!

Margaret... Facts From A Fact Woman
Posted!

Ellen b... The Happy Wonderer
Posted!

Teena... It's all about me!
Posted!

Peggy... Holmespun Fun Memes and Themes
Posted!

Michelle Rambling Woods ~ Taking The Road Less Traveled
Posted!

Annie... Annie's Home
Posted!

Duane... Meanwhile
Posted!

Hip Chick...Hip Chick's Photos
Posted! 10/04/09

Maria...Maria Tradgardsblog- Garden With Love
Posted! 10/04/09

There is still time to play along with the challenge, but if you can't this time, be sure to check the official Round Robin blog on Sunday to learn the topic of our next Round Robin challenge. Hope to see you for our next challenge. :)

-Carly

Unscaring Myself: Meet The European Garden Spider

From For Ellipsis

"If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive."

-American Quaker Saying

I keep seeing this spider when I am on my walks in Tilden Park. It scares the wits out of me, but that's no big news in that I am arachnophobic! LOL. Anyway, I hate being afraid, I hate not understanding things that frighten me, so I decided to look up what kind of horribly scary, no doubt highly dangerous spider it might be. To my delight, I found out that it is a simple European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). Spooky looking to be sure, but about as harmless as my kitty Dylan. Whew! I feel much better now... but I hope I never find one inside the house!

:)

I guess it's always better to face your fears!

Carly

Ghosts...

From For Ellipsis

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly at night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."

-Crowfoot

I believe in ghosts, but I have never felt one in the little home I currently live in. Nothing spooky has happened here, well, accept for the night back in November of 2003 when Alan and I heard that strange high pitched noise in the back yard. On that night I am sure there was something other worldly close by. As we turned out all the lights inside, to get a better look out at the yard, Elvis got up onto the bed, looked toward the bedroom window, stood up on his back feet, and pointed with his right paw toward the direction the sound came from. It was an eerie sight. One I will never forget. I had not seem him do that before that night, and he never did it after that. It honestly looked like he could see something out in the yard, that Alan and I couldn't. We never heard that sound again.

In fact nothing remotely spooky has happened since, but the last couple days, as I was sitting at my computer, I could have sworn I saw a shadow cross the room behind me. A large, black shadow. Now I know that the sun casts a slightly different light in autumn, it's something that I look forward to, but this shadow seems a little different from the ones that I usually see. I am not afraid, but I am curious. I have always wanted to witness a full body apparition for myself, but in truth, if I actually did see one I think it might not be so much interesting as terrifying. LOL. It's one thing to investigate a haunted house, but to live in one, well, I don't think so! Well, maybe if it were a nice ghost, or maybe a protective one like Capt. Daniel Gregg from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I could live with that. Why I wouldn't even call Jason and Grant from Ghost Hunters. If that were the case.

I don't know... maybe it is my overactive imagination needing an outlet. Maybe it is because we are coming up on my very favorite holiday, Halloween, I don't know, it just feels like the big shadow isn't just a shadow. You know? In any case, I am beginning to get used to the shadow, so maybe I should be thinking about naming it. LOL. What do you call a shadow? Harry? Well that would never work if the shadow turns out to be a female shadow... that would just make it angry. Hmm... what to do, what to do... Maybe I will just stick with YOU for now, and wait until it either shows a feminine side or masculine side. YIKES... how would it be to find out it likes wearing my clothing... LOL. I could wake up one morning to find a disembodied spirit wearing my Spanx! Now there is a visual!

Opinions, opinions... do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen a shadow you couldn't explain? What happens after this life? Do we stay or do we go? Do you like TV shows about the paranormal? By the way, there is a nifty new show about ghosts on the Biography channel this week called, Celebrity Ghost Stories. I plan to pop a big bowl of popcorn, pour a Caramel Apple Cider, grab my kitties, and invite my shadow to join us for the show! LOL. Alan has to work, so I will be... yikes... all alone!

:)

-Carly