Photo of the Day: Dotty in the Country

I went to a meet-up today and surprised myself by having a good time! I wasn't sure what to expect, since this was a new group of people to meet (short of one), and I woke up with a bit of an anxiety-induced gut ache, but things went smoothly. Even though they closed I-59 north and I had to detour around for about 45 minutes, I managed to have a good day!

During the meet-up, I took a lot of photos (which I'm sure I'll be uploading sooner or later) and enjoyed myself pretty thoroughly. We relaxed in the park, took photos in a garden and got to know one another. It was rather hot, so we didn't too much bustling around. We did run into a group of cosplayers while we were there, though!

Although, I wish we had gotten a chance to fly the kites I had brought, maybe that can happen next time? We'll see. I think I made a few new friends today!

Digital Photography: Simple Blemish Retouching

Removing basic blotches, blips, stray hairs and blemishes is a fast and easy process.

A lot of lolitas have a bias against over-processing or editing their photos, but removing a blemish or two for the sake of a nicer image can be done without a big production.

Every photographer has their personal techniques and preferences, in this series, I'll talk a little bit about my basic process for preparing and editing photos. These little tutorials are mostly for beginners, rather than Photoshop experts, but will become more advanced as they progress.

For this particular post, I will discuss a simple way to remove stray hairs that obscure the face as well as small blemishes, freckles and spots.

Photo of the Day: Reach

Reach, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

Another snap from my walk on Sunday, some very alien-looking Spanish moss. There's quite a few trees overrun by this parasite and with the weather changing for the summer, it's just going to get worse.

It's kind of funny watching the landscaping crews in the area pulling down the clumps. They look a bit like farmers sheering green sheep.

Photo of the Day: Bower

Bower, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

Ah, the peace and warm weather of springtime is here! Well, sort of.

Houston really only technically has two seasons: wet and cool and humid and hot. We've begun our move into humid and hot fully, now.

Photo of the Day: The Mother

The Mother, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

On Saturday, I visited the downtown region with a friend of mine. While we were down there, I got to visit the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the first time. There were no masses in session, since it was the night before Easter, but a few people were holding vigil in the pews.

I was a little uncomfortable taking photos where people were praying, so I headed to the outside corners to investigate the statues of Mary and Jesus that were at the ends of the "T" arms. These sculptures were absolutely beautifully rendered and great additions to an otherwise elegantly simple church.

Setting the Stage: Lighting Your Subject (Part I)

Light is the most important aspect of photography, hands down. A photographic image is a recording of light, so without it, you won't have any pictures to show for your work. Your choice in lighting can change the mood and message of your images, so it's very important to keep it in mind when you're working.

Always be sure to do tests and check your progress. There's nothing worse than to shoot a long session, and realize that the lighting was inadequate or simply wrong.

In this particular post, I will address the basics of some of the most common kinds of light that you have available when shooting photos.

Photo of the Day: Piercing the Clouds

Piercing the Clouds, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

This is one of my favorites from Saturday! This is the Chevron building downtown, formerly the Enron building (whoops).

Really great group of structures around the donut, there. Need more practice, but I could really grow to like architectural photos.

Got in contact with my friend Courtney today to plan another photo shoot, this time lolita-focused. Should be a good batch of images, if all goes well!

Photo of the Day: Tumult

Tumult, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

Went out yesterday with a friend of mine from the Katy Photo group (the very talented Tom Haymes) to take some architectural/urban shots in downtown Houston. I got some good images, and had a good time learning some new things!

Still working on the articles-in-progress, however. A friend has commissioned me to do some site design and illustration work for him, so things have been busy!

How are all of you doing today? Enjoying your Easter?

... if you celebrate, that is.

Photo of the Day: zzz

zzz, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

Well! Working on getting the last details and kinks worked out of a post on lighting, which should be up tonight or tomorrow.

I work tonight, like the busy bee that I am, but it's a short shift and should go easily. Wednesday nights are rarely anything to get fussy over, though I may be the one setting the ad tonight. I can't recall. Last time, it was a very large ad--our monthly change over--and required 4 people to get it out in a timely fashion.

I should be able to handle a small one on my own, right?

Photo of the Day: Little Butterflies

Little Butterflies, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

While I took some photos today for the blog (and EGL's transformation theme), they're still in the process of being edited before they can be posted. I watched a webinar by Wacom today, which gave me some ideas for ways to better utilize my tablet in editing my photos. Previously, I mostly used it to make selections and to draw, now I've managed to figure out how to use the size jitter function to make better edits.

This is new step for me! And I feel foolish for not having discovered it sooner.

But.

So.

Well.

Another photo from this year's Japan Fest while I do my other editing! Enjoy!

Photo of the Day: z

z, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

Really lucky shot! It was super windy today while I was trying to snap this photo. I think I got three decent snaps out of nearly a hundred with the wind going haywire!

Also managed to avoid a hornet or two, along with any honey bee stings.

Photo of the Day: Contemplating the Camera

Contemplating the Camera, a photo by kate.ruggeri on Flickr.

A bit better processed than the last Japan Fest photo, I wanted to share this shot of Christy in the Japanese Gardens at Hermann Park. She was actually looking at our friend Courtney for another photo when I took this, but it was too good not to keep!

Photo of the Day: Windswept

... ohgod! The wind!

This weekend, I went with some friends to Japan Fest in Houston, located in Hermann Park. We partook of the stalls along the reflecting pool, people-watched and had an overall good time!

It was a beautifully sunny day (with a hell of a lot of wind)!

Photo of the Day: Marblesque

A model pauses at the end of the runway at Anime Matsuri's
j-fashion show, featuring Hangry & Angry and Sixh. of h.naoto.

Wow! I've been really busy lately. Much, much more so than I had anticipated.

My promotion at work went through, so I'm now acting as a shift leader on top of my other responsibilities, and have been working quite a bit more than I anticipated. In fact, I went in yesterday to pick up some bias tape and fabric and ended up working for an hour (while not in uniform).

When I'm not working, I'm sewing, and haven't made much time for photography or this blog. I've finished several pieces in the last week or so, including a vest and skirt set. I'm also working on some vintage patterns from Butterick. Right now, I'm using B5603 in a wine red taffeta.

Tomorrow, I'll be going to the Japanese Festival with friends, so there should be photos coming from that soon!

(And those articles I keep promising, whoops.)