Still life

My LensBaby Muse came last night--and I had today off to play with it! There is definitely a learning curve, which makes me grateful for digital photography: it costs nothing to experiment. This is one of my first successful shots.

Hope

In a world and a time filled with threat and uncertainty, Tuesday evening Taize services provide a beacon of hope, symbolized by the candles we hold and then bring to the altar in prayer.

Candlelight

After the last few photos of the cold and snow of a New England winter, I thought I'd show the flip side: the warmth and light inside that we appreciate all the more. That essence, exemplified by this candle glowing against the brick in our kitchen, was captured using the Hipstamatic app.

It is way too cold out for photography, so I resorted to playing with fire--candles specifically. I attached my P&S to a chair with a Gorillapod aimed at a candle. Reaching around with one hand, I was able to blow on the flame and snap pictures of it as it flickered and nearly went out. The bottom image shows the three best shots as they came out of the camera. I used just the basic tools--cropping and levels--to produce a sequence showing a flame being extinguished.

Lent is a solemn time. In our church, the altar is nearly bare but for a few candles and some purple cloth. when I took this picture, I didn't know the flash would cast the shadow of the flame. I didn't know a flame could have a shadow! I used the Colorful Center effect with just a very low opacity overlay of Pencil Sketch to draw the eye to the flame and its shadow.