Last Friday I decided to take advantage of my day off from work and document the day in pictures. If you remember, awhile back Nicole from Art + Politics + Life did something like this for Guest Post Tuesday. I had seen similar posts before, but ever since Nicole shared I have really been wanting to do one as well. My typical weekday isn't really exciting enough to document - it's just work, maybe the gym and possibly some housework. My days off, however, tend to be fairly diverse and often productive.
*I am going to cheat a little and include a little bit of description about what exactly is going on in the photos*
Friday morning I was up even earlier than normal in order to make some yummy breakfast before the Mr. went to work. Since I was up, I headed down to the river to take some some pictures of the marina and river at dawn. I also got to catch up on some blog-reading, while enjoying a couple cups of coffee. I LOVE lazy mornings when I have nowhere to be!
I think this is kind of self-explanatory.
I got lots of editing done . . . and even got two orders off to the post office!
Some days I hate doing housework, but other days it's not so bad. But that recycling . . . had to go. It was taking up the whole top-tier of the kitchen counter.
My night: ups and downs. I got to go to the best store ever - and filled up my gas tank {which usually costs about $50} for $35, thanks to Safeway discounts! However - I also had to go pick up my hubby after midnight, which was about two hours after I was ready for bed .
If you have never done a "day in photos", I encourage you to try. It forces you to make a conscious effort to pull out your camera (or phone!) throughout the day. Plus, it's a great filler if you don't know what to blog about :)
Yesterday was one of my good friend's baby shower - I love watching people open baby gifts! Especially for girls . . . they are so much fun! *This is also one of four friends I have who are having babies in the next couple months, and one of at least eight people I know who are due in that same time*
I can't get enough of the fall leaves!
Umm...when my pumpkin milkshake is all gone - yeah, that's a problem in my book.
Still, quiet waters of the river early in the morning.
Yes - they were having fun. And so was I. This family is a lot of fun to photograph.
If you are interested in guest posting on My Mind's Lens - the GUEST POST TUESDAY slot for this week (Oct. 22nd) is available! Or . . . if you want to participate but don't have time between now and then, let me know and I can give you a choice of other available dates. Just send me an email at kaeley *dot* a *dot* mull *at* gmail *dot* com and let me know that you are interested! Please include your name and the URL for your blog.
If you are in your mid-twenties like I am, I would hope that you have seen the movie "Halloweentown". If you are like my husband and have not, it might seem kind of cheesy now but you should still watch it.
If you have been following My Mind's Lens for awhile, you may recognize the background of the cast photo above. Yep - that's right. That building has made an appearance here before! That's because Halloweentown was filmed in MY sleepy little town. It is also home to many scenes from Twilight. In fact I live just blocks away from the "Charlie's house" *So yes...I admit I have watched the Twilight movies and, while I'm not obsessed, they aren't bad!* However, I have never actually driven by.
With this type of history, on top of numerous supposed haunted buildings and locations throughout town, St. Helens, Oregon gets very into the Halloween season! Throughout the month of October they are hosting "haunted tours" and in Old Towne, the grassy area in front of the courthouse boasts a Halloween scene, replicating that of the Halloweentown movie photo above.
One of the most well-known "haunted" places in town is the old St. Helens Hotel - now Klondike Restaurant and Bar. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the building has changed hands, been partially demolished, and been converted from a hotel to restaurant. But over the years, one thing remains the same: numerous accounts of various supernatural experiences have been told. Anything from young children appearing at the bar, to strange voices, to objects being moved on their own and electronics being turned on and off without anyone flipping a switch. Part of me says that stuff isn't true, the other part thinks it's exciting to believe it. I have eaten there twice, but neither time noticed anything out of the ordinary.
Every year as Halloween grows closer, the town really reaches out to those spirits. The local business owners set up scarecrows outside their storefronts, and the telephone polls are decorated with corn stalks. The scarecrows actually do catch me off-guard when I'm driving through town at night. I think it is more because they aren't there all the time and the figures catch my eye - but still!
I love all the variety in the different figures - some are themed after the place of business (love the Monopoly guy outside the bank!!) while others are more traditional scarecrows. They are all fun, though!
For #backthatazzup Friday, we're gonna stick with the Halloween theme. And let's be honest, who doesn't love a little MJ?
I am grateful that it is the start of the weekend . . . but in what seems to be becoming a trend, it appears to be shaping up to be even busier than the work week!
I recently added some new photos to my Etsy shop, Seashore Photography. From NOW until OCTOBER 31st, all readers of My Mind's Lens will receive 25% off on any purchase! Just use coupon code 'BLOG25'
In my usual style of dragging things out . . . the following is a continuation of our camping trip from a couple weeks back. However, it is also another accomplishment when it comes to my 2013 Photography Bucket List. I did have to tweak it a little bit...but as far as I am concerned, it still counts.
2013 PHOTOGRAPHY BUCKET LIST
1. Sunset at Seaside {The Coast}
2. Twin babies
3. Las Vegas Strip 4. A beautiful waterfall (other than Multnomah Falls) 5. 1st birthday session 6. Downtown Seattle/Puget Sound
7. Timberline Lodge
8. City lights at night
9. A cactus 10. An engagement session
11. An extravagant themed photo 12. My new nephew
13. Jumping shot
14. A pier
15. Street photography
16. A series of old cars
17. A series of vintage signs 18. Golden Gate Bridge
19. Generations
20. Music
When we left to go camping, I realized that it was likely going to be my last chance to catch a sunset at the beach. Even though it wasn't in Seaside, it may as well have been. We were only about 30 miles south and really my intent when writing the bucket list was just to get an ocean sunset - I just thought I would only have an opportunity in Seaside.
I want to start a little bit before the sunset really began.....because I love beach pictures and if you don't, I want to convince you...
Need more convincing? 'Cause I have plenty more evidence of the beauty of the ocean shores...
HERE COMES THE SUN!
I did a lot of playing around with my camera settings as the sun set . . . so some pictures are a lot darker, or have a lot more color, than others. Which one is best? It is all about your preference and what appeals to YOUR eye.
From the time the sun sat just above the horizon, until it sank completely out of sight, there was only a 4 minute time lapse. It is amazing how long it can take for the sun to get to the "edge of the earth", but how quickly it disappears.
{For tips on photographing the sunrise/sunset, check out last month's In Focus Friday}
If you are out taking pictures of the sunset, make sure you stick around for a little bit once it goes down. The sky is often even more photographic after the sun is gone.
Finally, this week's B&W Wednesday:
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As of 10 am (PST) I will be getting my 2 seconds of fame over at Rhyme & Ribbons, with a highlight of Amanda's sponsor for September. I was fortunate enough to win the ad space through the Aloha Blog Hop for August!
