Project 52: Playing with Diffuse Light (4)

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. This month we will be exploring diffuse light.  Diffuse or soft light is the opposite of hard light, which we worked on last November.  Where hard light was small compared to the subject, resulting in dark shadows, soft light is large compared to the subject and results in subtle to no shadows.  Overcast days, open shade, or the sky (as opposed to the sun itself) are examples of diffuse light sources.  Soft light is often the easiest light to use, because it lights your subject rather evenly, but it can sometimes be a little bit boring, a little bit safe.

In the below photo, although the light itself was quite diffuse – it was yet another cloudy day here in Seattle (and the rain lasted all day long!) – by positioning Alexa perpendicular to the window, I was able to get directional light anyway.

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Please continue along in our creative blog circle to see the beautiful work of my friend Kim Dupree.  Kim is a wonderful photographer based in Texas, who is particularly known for her gorgeous senior portraits.  Click HERE to see Kim’s creative play on diffuse light.

More April Dailies

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KAC_2013_04_16_0058April 16 (103/365)

I took them to a place that looks like this:

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And this is all they really wanted to do:

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April 17 (104/365)

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April 18 (105/365)

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April 19 (106/365)

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April 20 (107/365)

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April 21 (108/365)

KAC_2013_04_0034April 22 (109/365)

 

Colorado Daily Pics

Earlier this month we took a fantastic ski trip to Breckenridge, Colorado with some old friends.  It was a wonderful trip and we just loved it!  Here are some daily photos from that week.

Driving from Denver into the mountains, we passed some pretty cool sites.  Here is an old gold mine that I caught while driving by.

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April 7 (94/365)

The Fantastic Mr. Fox, of course:

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April 8 (95/365)

Avery wasn’t the only one skiing, of course.  Sonya and I hit the slopes with her daughter, Viola, who tackled her first black diamond on this trip!  KAC_2013_04_09_0054

KAC_2013_04_09_0076April 9 (96/365)

Ben wasn’t quite up to skiing yet, but was focusing his energies on learning to walk instead.  He also was really fascinated by my camera – not sure if he wanted to push all the buttons or to try to eat it!

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In case you’ve ever wondered, private bowling alleys are AWESOME!

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Little conversations….KAC_2013_04_11_0414

April 11 (98/365)

Much of the trip was spent just hanging around the house.  Love these people!
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Viola got some gymnastics pointers from MimosaKAC_2013_04_12_0472

Turns out V is super strong!KAC_2013_04_12_0512

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Avery and Henry bonded over legos.KAC_2013_04_12_0536-2

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Ben was busy being cute.KAC_2013_04_12_0499

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April 12 (99/365)

Just a shot of my girl.

KAC_2013_04_13_0581April 13 (100/365)

Snow.KAC_2013_04_14_0584

April 14 (101/365)

365 Catch up – Spring in Seattle

We have been out and about a lot lately, enjoying the lovely spring weather we’ve had here in Seattle!

Took a walk around Greenlake and played in the playground.

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Had a zoo playdate with my friend Julie Mak and her boys!

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Took a photo walk at Pike Place Market . . .

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(Yes, this was my Project 52 shot)

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Still went to school on the pretty sunny days.KAC_2013_03_28_0041

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Ran some errands at Target.

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Had an Easter Egg Hunt

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Easter was very focused on nature.  We caught a bee in Avery’s bug-looker that came in her Easter basket.  Found a snail shell.  Planted some flowers and strawberries (also from the Easter bunny).  Then we colored Easter eggs!

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Alexa says, “CHEESE!!!”KAC_2013_03_31_0247

87/365 (March 31)

Back in Seattle

I’ve obviously fallen behind on posting my 365 images in the wake of our trip to Hawaii.  I will try to catch up now.

The post-travel bath.

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KAC_2013_03_19_026476/365 (March 19)

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Alexa’s new favorite thing is the slide.  She LOVES it!  As soon as she gets down, she is climbing back up to slide again, and she slides with a huge grin every time. My new favorite thing is putting her in pigtails.  How cute are they??

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Doesn’t she look like a little godfather in that lighting?  You know, if the godfather were a cute little toddler girl, eating banana bread?

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Yesterday we spent the day downtown by the water.  We had breakfast at the Lucky Diner in Belltown, then went to the Aquarium (where Avery had her face painted with a little pink whale), rode the giant ferris wheel and had lunch at Pike Place Market.

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KAC_2013_03_23_012879/365 (March 23)

Oahu

We arrived at the Aulani in Oahu.  The girls colored while we checked in and then we all went to explore the property.

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The girls were big fans of the fish (you can snorkel in their manmade reef, but we just peeked through the windows).

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Mama loves a lazy river….

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Avery loved meeting Minnie Mouse

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Alexa was a bit less sure

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Disney means a character breakfast, of course.

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Wake up!

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Headed to Kaimana beach to visit with my friend from law school, Alethea, and her husband Mike.

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Mike took us canoe surfing – we rode waves on this!!  It was awesome!!!KAC_2013_03_16_0169

 

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Played around and took photos back at the hotel later in the evening, after Avery and I had our “Minnie Me” pedicure at the spa.

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73/365 (March 16)

Up early for one last quick swim before our flight home.

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KAC_2013_03_17_001974/365 (March 17)

 

 

Maui

Landed in Maui and no worse for wear….

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Playing in the water (and with the 135 DC lens)

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Watching whales from the beach

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playing in the sand

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and eating some gelato – yum!

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Playing Hooky

Avery didn’t want to go to school yesterday.  While I’ve never “made” her go, I do insist that she get ready and that we drive there.  In the past, anytime that we have done so, by the time we arrive at school she has decided that she wants to play with her friends.  Yesterday, however, she still did not want to go to school and instead wanted to stay with me and Alexa.  So we had a fun day playing hooky together!  First we went out for bagels.  Then we went to Greenlake to take a walk and play (where she made friends with another girl also named Avery).  We went home for lunch and a nap, but then hit the playground across the street in the late afternoon.  It was one of the most fun days we have had in a while and I think we both needed it!  The day marked a full year that we have been here in Seattle and it was great fun to spend it together, and out in the gorgeous sunshine.  KAC_2013_03_08_0010

 

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