Oh What A Night....

I feel that it is safe to say that maybe, just maybe spring is on the horizon. The sky has taken on a beautiful blue:

There are signs of green popping up through the tangle of leaves in the "forest area" of the yard:

And it was great fun to take advantage of the light to take some shots around the pond. I love my fossil rock:

Last night was the final class for my photography 101 course. I have a couple of weeks off, then begin the next level. I'm excited. Because the weather was so nice and there was still a bit of daylight at 6:15, we all gathered our gear and hit the streets of Troy.  We were free to shoot whatever we wanted, and starting near the river was my choice. I loved the look of this railing- in all its rusted, chipped glory. A perfect perspective angle- shoot low, take advantage of lines, play with angles. 

Troy is a beautiful city in many ways, and I wanted to capture some of the old, some of the grandness of the city:

Not a perfectly angled shot, but I like it...and it gave several of my classmates a good laugh as well as a memory to take home. As I was attempting to meter this narrow street, I was off curb and there was no traffic at all....for a minute anyway! As I progressed in metering and sharpening my photo, I was "accosted" by a very large brother, in a very large SUV, with a very loud horn who decided he had to pull up right there near the curb- and I was in his way. He was not at all pleased that I didn't move immediately, so I figured I had best shoot and move. From the rockin' of the rap inside the vehicle  and his not so nice look as he jumped out of his (left it) running car (where was he headed in such a hurry??), I think I made the best decision....but alas, my art suffered for it.

Seeing as the streets were a bit unsafe, I took to the side alleys (hummm...safer?). Bingo! I have two  photo series I felt I wanted to begin. One was "Doors". My first door shot presented itself. Again the perspective and angles:

Then I found my second door. This is one of my favorites from the outside shoot. This is just one of three wood doors in an alley, and I loved how by shooting it from this angle there is a hint of something being "inside" or "behind". A door. A mystery.

The sun was beginning to set, so we were called to head back to the Arts Center. The sky and clouds over the river were gorgeous.  Unfortunately, I had just missed a rowing team as I walked back up the street above the river walk.

Another favorite of the night- that golden hour that professional photographers always rave about. It is so pretty when you have it...and I got the silhouette I was hoping for, so I felt good about that.

And then it was back to the Arts Center

and our "grand review". We also had a quick lesson in editing in camera raw. A very interesting mini-lesson indeed. I am now going to try my hand at shooting in raw more. The tweaking and editing one can do is incredibly easy and totally amazing.

With more practice I think I might become a fairly decent photographer. I'm not aiming for pro status, just a competent gal behind a camera. I can see why this hobby can become a passion. Now to find more doors....oh yes, and that second series of shots?? Cityscapes- I think that would be grand.....