In the works

Something creative I have done in quite a while is play with photoshop... I did this the other day in response to a friends poem. It's a rough draft, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I go from thinking it's funny to stupid and back again.

Fungus Identification #01

A new series post all about mushrooms!

Found this little guy on the edge of a lawn and underneath a rosemary bush.

Staining yellow when cut.

Making a spore print underneath the glass!



Lovely chocolate brown spores. You don't have to put a glass over a cap to make a spore print, but it does help with creating detail. You can see each line of the mushrooms gills in this print.

After consulting my identification book (I use Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora), I found this mushroom to be a yellow staining agaricus, or agaricus xanthodermus. Very common on lawns, sides of roads, meadows, pretty much all over the place.

Flickr Favorites #40

This weeks Flickr inspiration is: gears aka e mccown

1.

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2.

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3.

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4.

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There are many beautiful nature and landscape photos on gear's photostream, put I was particularly caught up in these 4 soft and intimate polaroids. They're a small peak into a stranger's life and creative through process. The set up, the lighting, the actions are all so natural yet a little dreamy. And if you do end up taking a look through gear's photos, you'll see plenty of the super adorable white dog (in the second photo). 

Have a wonderful weekend!

p.s. If you'd like to share photography on flickr favorites, please email me at letitberaw(at)gmail(dot)com.

5 Important Things

My good friend Eric posted about the 5 most important things in his life the other day (which you can read here). He said many wonderful things and more importantly reminded me of what should matter. I get wrapped up in unimportant matters and situations, so creating a list of important things really brings me back to a perspective I'd rather have.

1. Friends and Family: a no brainer, right? They'll support me when I declare outrageous things, experience hell, dye my hair to the color of rotten avocados and be real with me when I need it. Even with simple things like... "Should I eat the deep fried twinkie?" friend "I will split it with you". BEST ANSWER EVER. (We ended up not eating the deep fried twinkie btw).

2. Photography: it makes me happy. It is something I can do that is creative, artful, expressive, thoughtful, makes me feel great, I can give it way, share it with others, learn constantly from it, is a stress reliever, and has become a huge part of my life. There is nothing more simple to me than doing what makes me happy.

FILM 4 LYF

3. Feminism: I strive to support my local community, support women artists, make a point of learning theory, explain others why I am proud of who I am, promote what I can, pay attention and spread information about laws passed (or planned to be set) against women's bodies and well being, be aware of pop culture, educate myself and the like. It's about being aware and giving a shit.

4. Food: a great way to experience community and share with others. It's important for me to eat quality food (Santa Cruz is ideal for this because of the nearby farms and weekly markets), support local places, share with my neighbors, family and friends. When I was little, I would help my mom bake treats around the holidays and deliver them to the doors of my neighbors. During summer, my family gives veggies to the neighbors. If someone is terribly ill or going through a difficult time, a neighbor or loved one brings over a casserole. I like to BBQ and encourage people to join me and throw something on the grill. Food supports community and sharing.

5. Education: I like to say that I am an amateur of many things. What I mean by that is this - I really enjoy trying and learning new things. I do not feel like a complete person unless I'm learning something new. I take classes, question people about their passions, I read books, and immerse myself in trial and error.

Learning about fungi - by book, by hikes, by classes, by picking 

What is important to you?

Photo an Hour 10/20/12

I've seen photo an hours done before, and it is something I've been wanting to try as a method of practice. It's one thing to take photos of a place or person I find interesting, and it's another to make myself take pictures of something I'm used to or have never photographed before. It's good practice in finding a way to photograph with different angles and ideas, as well as making something that may not be so interesting into something unique. Also, it's an excuse to use this amazing new 50mm f/1.4 lens...

9AM

Always the naughty bear mug!

10AM

This succulent I harvested from Arcata is mighty fine.

11AM

Simba is 15. I named her when I was 10 and really into the Lion King.

12PM

Eric and I on one of our many walks from that day. We went to Goodwill and found nothin'.

1PM

Some nice cacti peaking over a neighbor's fence.
I certainly wouldn't mind having a back yard filled with them.

2PM

Delicious lamb shanks for dinner. AKA father and daughter tradition. Thanks Dad!

3PM

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt Zoe.

4PM

Maybe I'm over using the bokeh effect this lens creates... but then again maybe there is no such thing.

5PM

Manicured mushroom tree?

6PM

Backyard wires - for the tomato plants.

7PM


Lookin' good, right? Sooo tasty!!! I stopped taking pictures after dinner due to a full belly and wine.

Kitten and a new lens

Alas, I do not have a kitten. This is Antonio, my housemate's cat. I only pretend he is my kitty. But, I do have a new lens! I just bought a new 55mm f/1.4 lens in preparation for a wedding I'll be shooting in June (Congrats again Billy and Jackie!). More on that later... for now, here is the new lens in action with a really difficult to photograph kitten.

Sweet things

Fancy nails: salon effects are my new jam.

Honey: I will have this in coffee, in tea, on toast, on everything.

Cat: Fatty fat fat.

Patterns: I love the lingering summer days in Fall

It's finally rained! Time to forage!

I love autumn for the weather, for soups, for fire places... but mainly for the mushrooms! I will go foraging this weekend, but to get myself pumped for the picking, I've gathered a few inspirational mushroom photos:

(source, perhaps not the original one unfortunately)

(source)

(source? This is why photography and the internet do not get a long)

Please note, I had a hard time finding the original photographer and source of these photos.

The Farm

Chicken Coop

Cottage

Boots

pumpkin!

Fall is on it's way.

Golden Gate Park pt5

(View pt1, 2, 3, + 4)

Part 5 of this Golden Gate Adventure takes you to the San Francisco Model Yacht Club. Complete with port hole designed windows on the doors. I didn't get to go inside the building unfortunately - it would have been nice to get some close ups of model boats. But, I did get some pictures of club members racing their model yachts.

There is something recreational for everyone in Golden Gate Park. And if model boats, archery, hiking, walking, running, BBQing, horse shoes, botany, tennis, biking etc is not your thing, then please, be distracted by the buffalo that hang out in the park: