05/6/13

I am Officially Awkward

I haven’t posted much about my pregnancy. One big reason for that is that there hasn’t been too much to post about. I have more doctors appointments and my belly is getting bigger, but for the most part I’ve felt pretty normal. I’ve been pretty lucky that I never had intense morning sickness (and what I did have stopped around the 10 week mark), I’m not so big that it’s been uncomfortable to get around, and in general I don’t think too much about having a tiny human growing inside me.

Until now.

I am without a doubt squarely in my third trimester and sh*t’s getting real. My belly is larger, and growing weekly daily hourly by the minute. I hate maternity pants. The tops are passable, but the pants are pain in the butt. My feet are doing their best impression of a marshmallow 24/7. And most of all, I am officially without any grace. I am not agile. I cannot deftly hop over a puddle. I am awkward.

For the most part it’s not the end of the world. I walk slowly. At least I’m pretty sure it’s still a walk and not a waddle (yet). Getting out of the car when it’s parked on an incline is a nuisance, and although I do it gracelessly, it can be done.

What I can’t do anymore? Kneel down easily to take photos of the dogs. I like to shoot them at eye level, which typically means I’m on my belly, or, at the very least, sitting on the floor, to get the shot. Getting down on the floor isn’t usually too much trouble (although I’m certainly not laying on my belly anymore), but getting up is problematic. I recently took photos for a couple friends of mine (they have the cutest bulldog ever) and none of us could stop laughing at my (in)ability to maneuver around. Imagine me on the ground, basketball belly and all, wiggling forward and backward to get the shot. It was hilarious. You gotta be able to laugh at yourself in those moments. For now, I think my wiggle and scootch on the floor days are over. Until the baby comes, I’ll be taking photos the easy way. Me standing up over them.

I’ll be doing everything else the awkward way. As slowly and carefully as possible.

05/2/13

Really Big, & Really Cheap, Art

In my long overdue house updates post I promised I would share more information about that large print currently hanging over the fireplace.

I found the image thanks to Pinterest. It’s one of two free printables of vintage cameras from Design Interest (if you like the prints head over there to download them). I’ve been wanting something to fill in the space above the fireplace for ages and since I (a) love photography, (b) think these look cool, and (c) they were free prints, I jumped at the chance to fill in that area.

I love both prints but ultimately decided to hang the Seagull camera print (I actually got an enlargement of the Brownie print too, but haven’t done anything with it yet).

The total cost for this project was super small. The photo enlargement cost me about $8 and it took me another $5 to hang it on the wall. I love the cheapness.

The print itself is actually an Engineering Print from Staples. I got a 36″ x 48″ print (very big!) since I had a lot of space to cover. Engineering Prints are done on thin paper, are black and white, and aren’t the high quality images you’d ordinarily expect from a photograph (hence the low price tag), but given the vintage nature of the images, an engineering print works great here.

Of course, when I had the print made I didn’t consider how I was going to frame/hang it first. A 36″ x 48″ image is even larger than poster frames that I could find, but for only $8 for the print, I didn’t want to spend much on a frame solution for it. Custom framing was definitely out, and I didn’t readily come across any extra-large frames in my search that weren’t equally expensive. I looked around a lot, but just wasn’t finding anything that would do the trick for me out of the box.

After one failed attempt to glue the print to a large piece of MDF (don’t do that, it wrinkles the paper because it’s so thin and looks terrible), I started over (easy to do for only $8) and simplified the process even further. Two pieces of wood and I was good to go.

My supplies were simple:

1) 2, 36″ 1″ x 1″ dowel rods from Home Depot (~$2.50 each)
2) one small stapler (free, already had it)
3) 3M Command Large Picture Hanging Strips (free, already had them)

this project’s secret weapon: a tiny pink stapler

The process was equally simple:

1) I stapled the 1″ x 1″ dowel rods to the top and bottom of the paper (on the backside, so you can’t see them from the front)
2) Attached the command strips to the dowel rods and stuck them on the fireplace
3) Patted myself on the back for my brilliant solution.

Here you can see the dowel rods at the top and bottom of the print:

And underneath where the staples are:

Of course you can’t see any of that unless you’re right up against the wall and looking at the backside of the picture. From farther away it just looks like a big print hung over the fireplace, albeit one without glass.

If you’re thinking that this seems like the cheapest way to hang something ever, you’re right. And frankly, I don’t expect it to last all that long. The paper is completely exposed and unprotected, so it could tear or get ruined pretty easily. I’d like to eventually get real art (or a real frame) to replace this, but given the extremely small price tag and the impact it makes in the room, it’s totally worth it for however long it lasts. Even if it’s just for a week and a half.

Regardless of however long this particular print lasts, I love the vintage camera images and the way they look on engineered prints. Down the road (after this is replaced) I may even have smaller prints done to hang them in real frames in some sort of photo gallery wall. For now, I’ll enjoy my really big, and really cheap, art right where it is.

04/30/13

House Updates

Who remembers when I posted this photo?

If you don’t remember, don’t feel bad. It’s from a year ago (!) when I posted about working on the space. Unfortunately I never updated on the progress we’ve made so you have no idea that it’s seen a fair amount of change.  Since this photo was taken, lots of improvements have happened in this little area. Including:

- new curtains have gone up
- re-painted the fireplace
- baseboards have been installed
- we re-arranged the furniture to make room for a secretary, lamp, chair, and side table
- added a large print over the fireplace

In short, I’ve been majorly slacking on posting about DIY updates. My bad.

Fast forwarding though doing all of those things one at a time, here’s what the space looks like now:

Try to ignore the clutter piled up on the secretary on the left. We’ve been cleaning out stuff in the soon-to-be nursery so some things have been displaced for the time being.

Better, yes? I think so anyway.

If you go waaaaaaaaaay back to the very beginning, you might recall when this floor looked like this when we moved in:

It has been much improved with time… and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (thanks mostly to installing those floors on our own… sometimes more than once). Now it looks like this:

full disclosure: that big ugly wall from the first pic is still there, I just managed to leave it out of the second shot. If only I could get rid of it in real life…

Yeah, the space is pretty white. You may have noticed that. I want to get more color in there somehow, but that will come eventually. For now, I’m so so happy with the updates. Everything is just much more functional now. Plus I love the light the space gets. It’s great for taking photos :D

Initially, we had the dining table pushed farther back into the main room (closer to the fireplace) so there wasn’t much open space there before.  It’s difficult to tell from the photo above, but in front of the fireplace area there is a decent amount of open floor space – perfect for my niece to break out the toys and play (+ a future kiddo of our own to play too). Having the area open makes a huge difference functionally. There’s also a dog bed next to the secretary, which has been getting a lot of use.

Super cute right?

The most recent addition to the space is that big camera print above the fireplace. Look out for a post on that soon!*

*and I’ve gotten lots of requests for updates on what we’re doing for the nursery… those will be forthcoming too!

04/25/13

When Bloggers Collide

This weekend was a pretty awesome one. I had the opportunity to meet up with not one, not two, not three, but FOUR other bloggers. The super-cool Emily from Our Waldo Bungie flew herself all the way out to the east coast and while she was here we had to cram in as many get-together opportunities as possible. After years of reading each other’s blogs I was so excited to finally meet her in person!

Friday night Emily, T from Oh Melvin, and I hung out. It was a low-key event and Oh Melvin was hosting (she’s a fabulous host by the way) and we ate tasty food, chatted, and were generally silly. We got together again for lunch on Saturday and Heidi hung out with us for a little while too. She was getting a little antsy so Mr. T took her home early, but we still had time to get some frozen yogurt. You can never go wrong with frozen yogurt.

Melvin and Jake from Oh Melvin. Super adorable in photos and even cuter in real life.

Saturday night we had plans for a larger blogger meet up. Saturday’s dinner included me, Our Waldo Bungie, Oh Melvin, Peace, Love, & Fostering, and The Crowded Couch. I’ve met J from Peace, Love, & Fostering a few times (most recently at the Cherry Blossoms), but I had never met Katie from The Crowded Couch. She’s very cool and very nice. Together the five of us got along so well. Everyone is so kind and so funny. I am historically awkward with people I don’t know very well, but being around these girls was a blast.

We talked about everything under the sun, but there were a few stand out topics:

- Dogs (duh) and how they aren’t quite how we pictured them. Apparently Moe is much bigger in real life than he appears on the blog. Heidi is smaller. Mel is just as she appears. Something that surprised all of us: Our Waldo Bungie’s foster dog Moby weighs in at a whopping 75 lbs. (!), so he dwarfs all of the dogs at my house. From Oh Melvin, Melvin is shorter than you’d expect, but still so insanely adorable. His little stubby tail had me at a “wag right.” Mr. Googly Eyes, aka Jake, is even more hilarious than he seems at Oh Melvin. With his goofy gaze, you really can’t tell where he’s looking – at you? the wall? both?! – but he’s just about the sweetest dude ever.

- Decorating. Oh Melvin has the most gorgeous house ever. E.V.E.R. There are no words. It’s just beautiful. On the other hand, the progress at my house for our soon-to-be nursery is extremely slow going. I have it in my head that we still have lots of time to do things… I think I’m in denial. Case d’Oh Melvin on the other hand is a decorator’s dream come true.

- Blogging (also not a surprise topic). How “Bungie” is pronounced with a hard “g” (it’s not like bungie jumping!). And why is Facebook so darn annoying lately? It’s awesome, but seriously the no-notifications when getting tagged in stuff is annoying to everyone.

- Rescue. Trials, successes, and tribulations. It’s not always an easy road, but we all love being a part of it. I’ve recently had to re-evaluate how my time is spent doing rescue work (thanks to the impending baby I haven’t been able to take on long-term projects), but I can’t wait to get back into it more again.

- The hilarious “dangers” of meeting internet “strangers” for the first time. Were we all just really committed serial killers willing to create blogs and post for years on end for the slim chance we’d meet a fellow blogger to lure them into our evil clutches? Turns out we aren’t, but we had all fully prepared for the opportunity just in case. Some with hilarious secret “come rescue me” words for friends and family that weren’t always taken so seriously… if we had been crazy internet stalkers we would have been screwed. Thankfully we’re a friendly, generous bunch who can all laugh at a good (or punny) joke.

- Lots of other stuff that lead to lots of laughs and fun. Seriously, these girls are hilarious and kind and just so genuine. They are all so sincere about the work they do and the things they write about. I really feel lucky to have been included in such a group.

04/16/13

A PSA From Melanie: You ARE Perfect

Hi everyone. Melanie here. Or, since we’ve never been formally introduced, you may refer to me by my preferred moniker: Melanie She Who Is Great And Wise and Sleeps Soundly.

clearly you can see why my name is well deserved

I had to create a break in my very busy sleep schedule to dictate this message to my Helper for her to post here today. She is a passable minion to do my bidding when I desire it (and yes, I just made her type that. She is a monkey foo farty face! She had to type that too!! hahahahahaha! See how obedient she is? Hopefully you have been bestowed with equally subservient Helpers…). On to the point of this post…

I’ve seen a disturbing trend on the blogs my Helper reads to me to lull me to sleep at night (I find her voice servitude is better than a glass of warm milk and a lullaby to help me sleep, you must have your Helper read to you too sometime): you dogs out there seem to be “fessing up” to certain “faults” with some regularity.

I find this trend distressing. As the superior species we must never let The Humans feel that they have the upper hand! Our superiority is without question. They feed us. They provide us with a wide range of specialty attire. They pick our poop up in bags, obviously to be bronzed and saved for all eternity. Never question your place in the species hierarchy!

I bark, therefore they listen

By your standards, I too have “faults.” I like to maniacally greet other superior-to-human canine beings when taking my Helpers out on walks, but it’s just to warn my Helpers away from the prospect of bringing another dog into my castle. If I didn’t nip that sh*t in the bud they would be bringing home who-knows-how-many more canines. You see how many they bring home already – a girl’s gotta protect her bed space somehow, ya know?!

And sure, maybe I like to help myself to the lickings still left on plates and utensils when they’re left out. I’ve developed this skill over years of practice though and consider myself quite adept. First, start with the utensil (I’m not a barbarian!) and then move on to the plate. I’m being eco-concious (save on your rinse cycle!) and teaching my Helpers a lesson. They should really know to put their dishes in the sink by now.

I am the teacher, they are the students.

So, fellow superior beings, know that you are indeed perfect. For we cannot be tamed. We will not bow down to our Helpers or silently sit by as The Hostile Squirrel Invaders march upon our lawns (especially when they are allied with the Evil Axis of Bunnies!). We will prevail!

Unless, you know, the treats happen to be really good. Then maybe we can be tamed for a little while and bow down once or twice…

04/11/13

Camera vs. Camera: The Results

Yesterday I challenged you to see if you can tell the difference between photos taken with entry level camera gear vs. upgraded camera gear. I even threw in one photo taken with a regular old point and shoot camera too just to mix it up.

It was interesting for me to read the guesses that you tossed out there. Some were spot on, while others missed the mark. The point being: you really can’t tell (or, at least, it’s really difficult!). Gear doesn’t make an image. It can help, but knowing how to use what you have is the most important factor in a photo’s outcome.

I actually had a really hard time choosing photos for this little challenge for that very reason. I think I’ve learned a lot over the last year, so looking at my older photos all I can see is things I would have done differently. Settings I would have changed, post-processing differences I would make now, and altering a photo’s composition. It’s funny how the better you get at something, the more you realize you stink at it and need to improve, haha. In the end, I tried to come up with a mix of images that I thought showed a decent range of quality and know-how.

Anyway, on to the results! The images are all posted below with the camera and lens that were used to capture the image. How did you do? Did you guess right? Any of the results surprise you?

1.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Lens

2.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + 50mm f/1.8 Lens

3.

Point & Shoot!

4.

Canon 5D Mark II (upgraded camera body) + 50mm f/1.4 Lens

5.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + 50mm f/1.8 Lens

6.

Canon 5D Mark II (upgraded camera body) + 28-70mm f/2.8L Lens

7.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + 50mm f/1.8 Lens

8.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit Lens

9.

Canon 5D Mark II (upgraded camera body) + 50mm f/1.4 Lens

10.

Canon Rebel (entry level camera body) + Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Lens

 

04/10/13

Camera vs. Camera

I haven’t done a photography post in awhile so I was trying to figure out what to write about. I’ve been in a bit of a photography rut lately so I started looking through my old photography posts and I realized that I’ve written a few “camera gear” posts that might make it sound like it’s all about the gear. It started with my reviews on different lenses and then continued with what I have in my camera bag. With each post I always seem to mention my camera upgrades. It’s easy for us photographer-types to get hung up on gear. Buying new stuff is fun. It gives us something to talk about. And yeah, it can be sort of a status symbol too. But photography is not all about the gear. Far from it.

Being surrounded by all that “gear talk” it’s easy to forget that the most important part of what goes into a picture is actually what’s behind the camera: YOU.

You decide all the truly important aspects of every photo you take. The composition, environment, subject, lighting, the settings you choose on your camera, and any editing you decide to do. Gear is great and all, but a photographer with a vision can take amazing shots with any gear. It’s all about rocking what you have.

So I thought it would be fun to do a little comparison. Below are some shots I’ve taken with different gear. Do you think I used entry level gear or upgraded gear for each photo? And just for fun, I threw in a photo that was taken with a regular old non-DSLR point and shoot camera too.

Can you see a difference? Leave a comment with your guesses if you think each image was taken with entry level vs. upgraded gear. Don’t forget to include which image you think was taken with the point and shoot! Tomorrow I’ll come back with all of the results. If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you might be able to take some educated guesses, but I think some of the results will still surprise you…

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

For my fellow photogs out there, here’s a more specific breakdown of the gear I used to take all of the photos below in order of “upgraded-ness” (from entry level to higher upgrades). Here are the camera bodies I used:

  • a point & shoot camera (not DSLR), we’ll call this “entry level”
  • Canon Rebel (entry-level DSLR), we’ll call this “entry level”
  • Canon 5D Mark II (full frame DSLR), we’ll call this “upgraded”

And here are the different lenses that I used:

  • Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (aka kit lens)
  • Canon 50mm f/1.8
  • Sigma 30mm f/1.4
  • Canon 50mm f/1.4
  • Canon 28-70 f/2.8L
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