Heaven is in Belgium

Camera Issues, Part Two

2012-01-27T18:58:00.004+01:00

Happiness is ... a teeny tiny little baby camera ...

Photo taken with the Canon Ixus 115 HS

I'm still having trouble with my Big Guy, the Canon D40. I took it to the shop for repair this morning and I'm going to have to miss it three to four weeks. There is a problem with the shutter release button, now and again it gets stuck making it impossible to take pictures.
Let's hope it's just a mechanical problem and that there will be no major costs involved?

I will use my compact camera in photography class, it's going to take a little getting used to I suppose, but I should be okay.

I did need a little something to get over the heartache about my Big Guy today, so I went ahead and finally bought myself that little tiny baby camera I have wanted for months now. It's so tiny I can just slip it in my pocket and have handy at all times. I've been toying around with it a little this afternoon, and I'm really
amazed at what this little guy has up it's sleeve! I can even make movies with it! Woohoo! For those of you interested, the Little Guy is a Canon Ixus 115 HS and there is a review here.

So there, that's the latest news from me. Me, I'm going to have fun playing with my new toy, and I hope you'll all have a great weekend too!

Street view in Antwerp

2012-01-26T12:50:00.003+01:00

There is a little hidden place in the heart of the city of Antwerp where it looks like time has stood still. It's the beguinage, and I love to come here and enjoy it's peace ...

Pretty in Pink

2012-01-25T07:10:00.002+01:00

I photographed a lot of bikes in Antwerp yesterday. Pimped up bikes are really in fashion around here. I saw so many I'm thinking maybe I want to make it a weekly theme. How about this one, doesn't it make you smile?

Lots of Coffee ...

2012-01-24T07:16:00.001+01:00

I have a breakfast date with my friend Nana in Antwerp this morning.
This will involve lots of coffee, and lots of talking ...

Camera Issues

2012-01-23T19:55:00.000+01:00

If I knew how to take a good photograph, I'd do it every time. - Robert Doisneau

I've been having some issues with my camera this past week. I do hope we can get the problem solved and that we don't have to send it off to the factory for repair. If so, I would have to miss it 3 to 4 weeks or more!
What about Project 366? How about my photography class? I really don't want to think about that right now! Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?

At the Museum

2012-01-22T15:59:00.003+01:00

Project 366 #21

Project 366 #22

A Photo a Day ... Photography Class

2012-01-20T21:00:00.003+01:00

I got the results for my photography class exam today: I got 95%! WOOT!!

Rainy Day

2012-01-19T15:22:00.011+01:00

It's been a very wet day today. Temperatures are up, we're at 8 °C today, so I guess that's the good news, but the bad news is it's raining again.
Nothing very interesting to photograph today, except maybe these raindrops?

Still Blooming ...

2012-01-18T16:42:00.003+01:00

This plant has been blooming up until now. Temperatures have been below zero the last couple of days, so I hope it's not going to die now.

Dignified ...

2012-01-17T16:49:00.002+01:00

This statue of Anthony Van Dijck is at the corner of Leysstraat and Jezusstraat In Antwerp.
He usually looks so elegant and dignified... but not today ...

Sleeping in ...

2012-01-16T12:01:00.004+01:00

Project 366 #16

The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late. ~Charles Caleb Colton

Today is a bright and sunny day, and we enjoyed sleeping in this morning. I love how our pillows snuggle up to each other, just like we have been ...

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-15T11:17:00.005+01:00

Today we're celebrating my husband's birthday! We had a little dinner party last night with our daughter Patsy and her husband.

#14

#15 for Project 366

Friday's Fave Five, The Little Things ...

2012-01-12T20:17:00.016+01:00

It's Friday the thirteenth today!!! Awwww, I do hope nothing bad happens today eh? Nah, I don't think so, I'm meeting two friends for breakfast this morning.
Anyway, it's time to look back and share the good things of the week that has passed. That's why I'm joining my favorite meme, it's Friday's Fave Five and it's hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Bread pudding. I really love to bake, and I hate having to throw away food, so last Sunday I made bread pudding with a loaf of white bread that would have gone stale. It was a Weight Watcher's recipe, so on top of that, it was low calorie as well!

2. My new non stick wok. I bought it in the sales at half price, and again, it's a perfect kitchen tool if like me you're trying to loose weight!

3. The new tripod replacing the old one that used to belong to my hubby. It's light weight and super easy to use, I love it!

4. First signs of Spring. It's still only January, but new buds are appearing everywhere. The white plant on the bottom right has not stopped flowering yet, I've never seen this before in my life!

5. This quote : " Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything - Aaron Siskind."
This is in a nutshell why I'm doing Project 366 and why I love this meme so much, they both make me take lots of photos to remember the little things!

UPDATE: This is my photo for today, #13 for Project 366

Broken ...

2012-01-12T10:28:00.007+01:00

Project 366, photo #12

Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything - Aaron Siskind.

Date: 12/01/2012 10:43
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 320
Exposure time: 1/20 sec
Aperture: f/5
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 35.0 mm
Metering Mode: matrix
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
Exposure mode: manual
White balance: manual

Withering Blues ...

2012-01-10T19:38:00.016+01:00

This is what I said about Project 366 two weeks ago:

"I know (from last time I gave this a try) how much you learn if you pick up that camera each and every day. I also learned I should not make my own rules too hard this time. I know there will also be days where I won't have the time or the inspiration to take a new photo.
Therefor, I'm not going to take a new picture each day, all I'm saying is I'm going (try to) POST a picture each day. Some of them might be from my archives, and I even might skip a day or two and post three pictures the next day."

I think today is the day. I'm not going to pick up that camera today, or if I do, I'm not going to spend all afternoon editing photos. I have to attend cooking class in the morning, and in the afternoon I really NEED to do some household chores! I want the house to be neat and tidy when our daughter Patsy is coming over on Saturday to celebrate her dad's birthday. I took a lot of photos yesterday, (learned a lot too, that's a bonus), so I'm going to post one of those.
Now, Rebecca - at the Dusty Cellar - is hosting Midweek Blues today, and I think I have just the right picture for this meme. While I was on my patio looking for signs of Spring, I noticed that the flowers on my Gentiana - which blooms early November - had not completely withered yet.
The flowers are closed and have dried up a little, but the blue color is still visible. Maybe it is because of the mild Winter we've been having around here, I don't know, and I don't know how long the color will last should it start to freeze?

So there, my entry for today, #11 for Project 366, ... enjoy!

Cat Nap ...

2012-01-10T15:01:00.015+01:00

I woke up worrying about my Project 366 this morning. I was wondering if I was going to be able to make the right picture to post on my blog today, or not? Project 366 has only just started, and it's quite a time consuming challenge!
It's been a very gloomy day today, and the light inside the house was very poor, so I stepped outside on my patio to see if anything interesting was happening there. I played with my camera a little, took various shots of dewdrops and some fresh green buds that seem to be appearing everywhere, then came inside to start dinner. I kind of liked my freshly cut veggies on my cutting board, and tried to make an artsy composition with that as well.
My tripod was still in the living room, and while my hubs and the cat were taking a nap after dinner, I experimented with a longer shutter speed and a higher ISO to get a properly exposed photo. I moved the tripod closer and closer to the cat, and did a photo shoot with her as well.

So here we are, at four in the afternoon, not knowing which photo to choose today!

Okay, ... so how about this one then? It's not the most artistic one I took today, but it's a photo I could not have made a couple of months ago. My photo skills have definitely improved since I have been taking class. I'm hoping to develop them even more by playing with that camera as much as I can for my Project 366!

Date: 10/01/2012 13:12
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 800
Exposure time: 0.800 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 44.0 mm
Metering Mode: matrix
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
Exposure mode: manual
White balance: auto

A world of difference!

2012-01-09T13:05:00.007+01:00

I took this photo today, but I'm not very happy with it . I'm always very busy on Mondays, so there was not much time to experiment today. I took a couple of pictures with my other camera this morning, the compact Canon Powershot SX1IS. I used to take pictures with that one all the time until about two years ago when I started using the D40. This compact has a super macro function, which means I can get closer to my subject than with the D40. I thought it would be a good idea to snap a close up from my Phalaenopsis. I've been trying to photograph it for a couple of days in a row now, because these are the last flowers on it. I got this phalaenopsis as a little present from my husband, and it has been flowering for months now.

Like I said, I'm not very happy with it, so instead I'm going to submit the photo below for my Project 366. I took this one with the D40, obviously there's a world of difference between these two cameras!

The making of ... Bread Pudding

2012-01-08T15:09:00.008+01:00

This is entry #8 of my Project 366. In case you're wondering, this was not just another snapshot, oh no!

Date: 08/01/2012 15:59
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 200
Exposure time: 1/4 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 44.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
Exposure mode: manual
White balance: auto

I baked bread pudding this morning. When it came out of the oven, I knew I wanted to use it to make my photo of the day. I tried a couple of compositions, but none of it seemed to really work. So I ate a piece for breakfast, then noticed it had become a lot more interesting with the missing piece, so I got to work again. I took about twenty photos of it (handheld, using manual settings and auto focus) and showed them to my husband, who advised me to use a piece of white cardboard to reflect the light and eliminate the shadows.

This photo shows how it was made.
Then we took it one step further, by using the tripod. I changed the settings, changed the composition over and over again ...

To make a long story short, I took about 90 photos before I was satisfied with what I got!

Jingle, Jangle and Joe ...

2012-01-07T17:24:00.007+01:00

My husband bought me a new tripod today, I'm as happy as a clam!
I know I still need to practice with it, so I used it for this photo, which is entry #7 for my Project 366. This photo was made using manual focus instead of auto focus.

Date: 07/01/2012 15:59
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 500
Exposure time: 1/30 sec
Aperture: 6.3
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 35.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
Exposure mode: manual
White balance: auto

This is Santa Bear with Jingle, Jangle and Joe, they're part of my Boyds Bearstone Collection, and I use it as a piece of my Boyds nativity set. Soon, they're going to be put away again together with the rest of my Christmas decoration ...

The quote at the bottom of it says: " the balance between work and play should always be tipped toward play" I think that's right, I had my fun this afternoon with my new tripod!

Friday's Fave Five, First signs of Spring and a Family Party

2012-01-06T09:27:00.021+01:00

It's a new Friday, the first Friday of 2012, and it's time to share some of my favorite things of the week by joining Susanne's Friday's Fave Five. Go see what others have posted at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story.

1. New Year's eve with the family. My two sisters, my nieces my daughter and my parents all got together at two o'clock in the afternoon for our annual family party. We had loads of gifts, and spent hours opening them. The food was also delicious! We all had prepared something the previous day, my sister had prepared the appetizers, my brother in law had made a delicious soup and I had brought a main course which only required heating up in the oven. Before we had dessert we threw a little dance party with the Wii. Dessert was chocolate mousse (made by my two nieces) and my daughter's creme brulée and tiramisu. Three desserts ! Yes, you got that right! At twelve o 'clock we had another glass of bubbly and enjoyed the fireworks outside. It was a fun day, but we were all exhausted!

2. The neckless my daughter made especially for me . She designed AND made it all by herself, even most of the beads were made by her!

3. No television. Our old television set died on us the night before New Year's eve. We bought a new one, but they cannot deliver it until Saturday. I can imagine you're thinking "how can that be a blessing?" Well, I think, because it will not last longer than a week, it is. There is more time to blog, more time to read ... I had to look for other ways to keep me busy in the evenings, and among other things, I rediscovered the joys of blogging.

4. My new Project 366. One of my new year's resolutions is to pick up that camera a little more often, and to blog more than I have been this past year. There's no better way than to share my photos on this blog, is there?

5. First Primula in bloom. I saw it yesterday when I stepped outside on my patio. The weather has been crazy around here this week, we have very high temperatures, ten degrees (Celcius) more than what's normal in this season. If this keeps up, we're going to have a very early Spring, some trees are already blooming as it is! I do hope it does not start to snow and freeze though!

So here's my new entry for my Project 366, the new buds and the first flower in my Primula plant,the first signs of Spring are very early this year!

The Little Harbor in my Village

2012-01-04T16:57:00.007+01:00

This is #5 of my Project 366.
I took my Big Guy for a spin yesterday, because I needed to practice with the manual settings.
I felt I wanted to try to get out of my comfort zone (which is shooting in AV or aperture priority, I'm a real AV addict) by using manual settings only.
After three months of photography class, I'm still trying to get the knack of shutter speed, ISO and aperture and this little exercise helped me a lot.
I made seventeen photos before noon, but when I came home and looked at them, I was not really happy with what I got, so when the sun came out in the afternoon, I went back to make some more. I must have made about sixty or seventy then, all with the same view as the ones below. Some were overexposed or washed out, others were too dark, I kept changing the settings until I got it right. When I came home to edit them, I deleted the ones I was not happy with and ended up with these three pictures which I'm publishing below.
I think the first one is the lesser one and the last one is - very obviously to me -my favorite one.
What do you think?

Date: 04/01/2012 13:43
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 200
Exposure time: 1/200 sec
Aperture: 10
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 26.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
White balance: auto

Date: 04/01/2012 13:46
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 200
Exposure time: 1/500 sec
Aperture: 8
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 28.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
White balance: auto

Date: 04/01/2012 13:45
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 200
Exposure time: 1/800 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 24.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
White balance: auto

I also think I want to make this view of the harbor a monthly theme in my Project 366.
I think it will be interesting to shoot a photo each month and see how the seasons change?
You know ... same view, same boats ... different weather, different light, different sky?
Hmmm, might be interesting, no?

Project 366 # 4

2012-01-03T21:28:00.008+01:00

As of today I'm trying to get back on track with my Weight Watcher's program. One very important rule is that you need to drink eight large glasses of water each day. I really need to constantly remind myself to do that, so while I was looking around trying to find something interesting to photograph I had this glass of water in front of me.
I ended up making a series of photos of it from different angles while playing with the manual settings of my camera. Now the weather has been terrible all day (we had rain and storm) so the light in my kitchen was not so great which explains the gloominess of this picture.
This is the original version, it's the best I could do, not terrible, is it?

I decided it needed a little something to make it more interesting, so I played with it some more while editing it. I converted it to black and white, bumped up the contrast and the sharpness, cropped and framed it and voilà! My new Project 366 picture!

Date: 03/01/2012 11:01
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 400
Exposure time: 1/20 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 59.0 mm
Metering Mode: center weight
Flash Used: no
Exposure: Manual
White balance: auto

Project 366, # 3

2012-01-02T21:13:00.016+01:00

A couple of friends of mine, like Tara, Louceel, Jan and Emmy in Belgium are doing a photo365 challenge and I decided to join them. I know (from last time I gave this a try) how much you learn if you pick up that camera each and every day. I also learned I should not make my own rules too hard this time. I know there will also be days where I won't have the time or the inspiration to take a new photo.
Therefor, I'm not going to challenge myself to take a new photo each day, I'm not gonna stretch myself to the limit by promising you a good photo each day, all I'm saying is I'm going (try to) POST a picture each day. Some of them might be from my archives, and I even might skip a day or two and post three pictures the next day.
All I really want is to pick up that camera a little bit more and blog a little bit more than I have been this past year. Anyway, we'll see how it goes, right?

This pink sky made me grab my camera yesterday.
This is the view from my patio. The little tower is at the town hall.

Project 366, One and Two

2012-01-02T20:20:00.012+01:00

This year I want to take more pictures with my Big Guy again, so I'm going to (try to) post a photo each day for my own Project 366. Now I know I've tried this before and did not succeed. That adventure ended after six months, but that was because I made it too hard on myself and when my mother got ill, I kind of lost the drive to continue.
Therefor, I'm not going to take a new picture each day, all I'm saying is I'm going (try to) POST a picture each day. Some of them might be from my archives, and I even might skip a day or two and post three pictures the next day.
All I really want is to pick up that camera a little bit more and blog a little bit more than I have been this past year. Anyway, we'll see how it goes, right?

My daughter opening one of her gifts at our New Year's Eve party ...

New Year's Eve, at four minutes to twelve ...

Happy New Year everybody!

Weekly Winners, Antwerp Central Station

2011-12-20T14:30:00.008+01:00

I needed some pictures for my photo class exam, so we took off with the camera and the tripod and spent some time in Antwerp central station. Lots and lots of photo opportunities there ...