Day 273: Lavender Heart

Today's photo is a very special one. This heart was the gift of one of my high-school friends, Moni (I received this present yesterday).  Even though she lives in China now, our friendship remains the same, as if time never had passed.  She is a beautiful person and I'm so happy to have her friendship!

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/20s  f/13

Day 272: Spiral

Hello, hello!! It's Monday again :)  We have another week ahead of us, let's try to make the best of it!!

Enjoy your day and see you tomorrow!

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/60s  f/9

Day 271: Hidden place

I guess she was trying to relax a bit before starting the day and maybe she wanted to take a sun bath. What I can tell you for sure is that she was aware of me :P

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/320s  f/11

Day 270: Splash of light

I think daylight is the best part of the day, I love the sun and its reflections!

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/80s  f/7.1

Day 269: Fluffy clouds

Happy Friday!! Do you have plans for the weekend? Friday is my favorite day of the week because it means I'll spend more time with my hubby :)

Thanks to the weird weather that we are having, I could photograph this gorgeous clouds! (I'd have preferred not to have the black wire in the middle though but it doesn't matter really...).

Enjoy the weekend!

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/800s  f/16

Day 268: Rain drops

I finally made it to today's post!! I can't believe it!! I caught up with my project!!! Hip hip Hurrah!!! Hip hip Hurrah!!!

Yesterday night the rain returned (my hubby was very happy, he loves the rain), so this morning all of our plants were wet and covered with rain drops :)

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/100s  f/7.1

Day 267: Larvae

This photo came to me, I didn't even need to go find it hehehe I was doing my morning routine when I suddenly look at my feet and saw something on my right sock, but it wasn't moving or at least didn't seem to be moving.  I removed it almost immediately and looked closer and yes! there was some kind of worm or larvae there, eating the fabric of my sock hehehehe  Seems like I attract bugs loool

I stopped everything I was doing and went for the camera.  As you can imagine, this subject didn't move too fast so I could spend some time taking photos (besides I'm not afraid of this kind of bugs). It was quite interesting, I saw her chewing my sock, literally!

After finishing the photo session I released her, hopefully she will be happy in her new home. There is one thing that still don't understand, how did she ended up on my sock?

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/2s  f/8

Day 266: Gridded colors

I was experimenting with the camera again :)  My original idea wasn't this photo but truth is I didn't like my original idea once I could see it, so I tried other approaches and voila! 

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/100s  f/11

Day 265: Bumps

This tree had lovely knots, they seemed to be forming a path along the tree trunk. I love their texture!!

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/100s  f/8

Day 264: Life and Death

I really like the contrast and the feeling of this photo. The same tree had a mix of brown and green intertwined leaves. 

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/60s  f/9

Day 263: Hail to the sky

I like the translucency of the leaves in general, with a nice backlite you can see the details of the leaf.

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/1600s  f/11

Day 262: Morning surprise

I woke up like any other morning, I was planing to do a lot of chores to optimize the day.  When I opened the living room's curtains I was shocked!! There was this HUGE spider (3 cm radius) on the outside just a few centimeters away from the sliding glass door!! (meaning the balcony was a prohibited area).  First thing that crossed my mind was "OH! MY GOD!! WHAT I'M GOING TO DO TO REMOVE HER FROM MY BALCONY WITHOUT DYING IN THE PROCESS!" (figuratively speaking of course, I just can't handle spiders, I have shivers crawling on my whole body)  By the way, for me all of the spiders are "her".

I knew that before doing anything else I had to take her photo! Even though I was very scared! I thought: "Ok, one step at a time...first I need to grab my macro lens while trying to increase my bravery.  Second I need to open the sliding door and the screen, that will make me face the spider without any protection.  Third and more difficult I have to look through my camera and get as close as I can to the spider, a little bit closer, a bit more, there!"  After some shots, the spider changed her behavior and shrieked her legs closer to her body, that was too much for me, I couldn't stand the proximity any more.  Of course when I saw that change I screamed hehehehe yes, seems funny now, but I can tell you wasn't funny at that time.  Instant reaction: I increased my distance from the spider, breath for some seconds and attempted to approach her again, but I couldn't get too close because I kept thinking maybe she is going to jump, she is going to jump, she is going to jump (I didn't know if this was a jumping spider, but I was not willing to put it to test).

I wish I could handle spiders better so I can just remove them and put them in some other area (a bush or something like it).  I can tell you, I felt guilty and ask her forgiveness before killing her :( 

After everything ended, I was shaking so bad, it took me some time to return to my normal state.

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/160s  f/7.1

Day 261: Oldies but Goldies

These two items were also gifts from two of my girlfriends:)  The notebook (thanks Juli!) has more than 8 years! Amazing, right? I guess you can tell is quite old just to look at the peeled cover hehe The pen (thanks Vane!) is newer but it has at least 6 years hehehe and still working like the first day!

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/50s  f/5.6

Day 260: Chloe

This is one of our fishes, her name is Chloe and it was a gift from one of my girlfriends, thanks Sandra! :D  She has quite a temper and it's the leader of the group (her sisters are Fligly, Finny and Daisy).

The photo is granny because my ISO had to be quite high, but it was the only way to achieve this shot.

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/100s  f/8

Day 259: Red Sun

I love this photo, I feel like I have the sun inside shining only for me :)

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/320s  f/13

Day 258: Gary

Gary is the new addition in our aquarium.  I love this character!  Our little fishes seem to like it also :)

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/100s  f/6.3

Day 257: Let it in

When the afternoon sun enters our bedroom you can see the shadow of the tree that is just in front of our apartment reflected on the wardrobe.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/80s  f/7.1

Day 256: Yellow

I like this photo because of the fragility that it seems to have.  I love the transparency of the leaf and the shape that it has.

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/25s  f/4

Day 255: Brighten up

I love the shape that the sun has after passing through a glass or from the reflection of a shiny surface. I wanted to do a photo like this since some time :)

If you are having a grey day, my gift for you is this ray of light, let it illuminate your day and dissipate the clouds.

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/125s  f/9

Day 254: Rainbow

Everyday I have this beautiful rainbow filling the whole room, the ground and the walls.  Maybe one day I'll find the pot of gold in one of these :P

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/50s  f/5.6

Day 253: Love is everywhere

I found this beautiful leaf on one of my walks.  It's quite curious how this leaf decayed... and formed a heart shape...

Nikon D90 (105mm  f/2.8) - 1/2s  f/11

Day 252: Looking up

I can't help but love the colors of the leaves while been bathing by the sun.  It give me the feeling of life and happiness.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/250s  f/11

Day 251: Green Star

This section of the tree doesn't want to hear the fall's call, they remain green as it was Spring time.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/100s  f/11

Day 250: Through the leaves

It was Sunday morning... my hubby opened the curtains of our bedroom and told me "hey, there is police car outside".  Of course, I jumped off  the bed and grabbed my camera :) 

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/100s  f/9

Day 249: A part of me

I love these flats!! They were a gift from one of my girlfriends :)  Thanks Romi!!! I also love the green polish of my nails.  Green is my favorite color! hihi

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/2000s  f/6.3

Day 248: Peaceful

This was the view from the restaurant that we went, just DELIGHTFUL!! There was a nice breeze and the day was warm.  It's amazing how the view can change your eating experience :)

If you wonder which restaurant we went...Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur)

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/250s  f/13

Day 247: The Last Grapes

I really like this photo! The grape seems ready to eat...mmmm I also like the contrast.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/400s  f/14

Day 246: Wooden Stripes

There is nothing particular to say about this shot, I just liked the pattern of the wood with the lichens.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/250s  f/13

Day 245: Viewpoint

It was a warm day, we were driving on Highway 1 around Big Sur.  We stop at a cafeteria to buy coffee and something sweet to eat. We didn't expect to find this! The place had a deck with this amazing view!

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/400s  f/14

Day 244: Almost falling

In this photo you can really feel the change of the season.  The leaves already know that their time has come to an end... but they will be back next year!

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/13s  f/3.3

Day 243: Holder

As you remember I love rusty things and of course these screws weren't the exception :)  I'd had prefer to have less depth of field (the background would be more blurry) but I was pushing the little camera to its limit.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/1000s  f/4

Day 242: Splash

Textures, textures, textures!! They are so beautiful!! This lichen was on a bark and the contrast was gorgeous!!

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/400s f/4

Day 241: Natural Bridge

I love textures and this branch had an amazing one! My hubby and I were heading back home.  It doesn't matter how tired I am, if I see a photo I need to take it! (Thanks hon for all the patience) 

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/1250s  f/4

Day 240: Silver Green

You also have this other algae that are super cute, for me at least :P   They seem to be thin like rice paper and the texture looks very silky (I didn't touch them though).

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/640s  f/4

Day 239: Salad

Even though they look like carrots they are algae laying along the shoreline.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/800s  f/4

Day 238: Shinny Little Stars

When the stones get wet they reflect the sun much easier and you have the opportunity to catch little stars on them.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/1250s  f/8

Day 237: Abstract

I was sitting on a big rock watching the water comes and goes, very relaxing.  After a while I started taking photos and this abstract was the result.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/640s  f/6.3

Day 236: Colors everywhere

I love the colors of wet pebbles! They shine and have a variety of colors. I think I can stay the whole day taking photos of pebbles hehehe with each step you made you have more and more shapes, colors and patterns.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/800s  f/5.9

Day 235: Waiting

Seems like I have a special eye for bugs hehe This time I was trying to take a photo of a weed on a rock when I realized there was a spider web just a few centimeters from me!! Even though I was a bit scared (I love to take photos of any kind of bugs but I'm scared of almost all of them) I took several shots.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/60s  f/4.2

Day 234: Labyrinth

In our last trip to Big Sur we visited some beaches and I had enough time to stroll around taking photos while my hubby was enjoying a feet bath in the ocean :P

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/200s  f/4.4

Day 233: Landslide

When I took this photo I liked the arrange of the stones and the effect was nicer because they were on a crack on the ground.  Now, for some reason (probably because I'm a little bit hungry) they remind me of toffee...mmm...yummy, yummy!

(Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter, and occasionally flour.)

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/100s  f/3.3

Day 232: Rustic Face

Have you ever look around searching for common shapes or figures.  I do it sometimes and I found this nice face printing on the bark of a huge tree.

Panasonic DMC-ZS25 - 1/100s  f/3.3

Day 231: Point Lobos

I took this photo at Point Lobos State Reserve.  My eyes were caught by the colors of the pasture, so many different colors and all of them were screaming FALL.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/640s  f/13

Day 230: Waves

I love the sea! Its sound is sooo soothing.  There is nothing I enjoy more than to be with my hubby on the beach feeling the water under our feet :) (he would probably add "and kissing a lot!" hehe)

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/640s  f/18

Day 229: Wild Bouquet

Aren't they lovely?  They were just on the ground forming this amazing bouquet surrounded by soil and dry grass.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/400s  f/16

Day 228: Branches

This tree seems like was taking fall very seriously, it didn't have one leaf on it.  That doesn't change the beauty of its branches against the cloudy sky.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/320s  f/14

Day 227: Final stage

At the end, the leaf starts to become brownish and to shrink.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/60s  f/9

Day 226: Gradually

Here we are again with the trees and the changing leaves :)  The following posts will mainly show how the leaf decay and the nice colors it has while decaying.

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/60s  f/11

Day 225: Painted Stars

The leaves of this tree changed differently, from the edges to the center.  They look like Christmas stars for me :)

Nikon D90 (18-200mm  f/3.5-5.6) - 1/60s  f/11

Day 224: Crawling around

I was organizing the bookshelves when I suddenly saw something moving on top of one of the notebooks.  When I looked closely I saw this little one, so there was only one option: run to grab the camera and take the shot before it goes away!!

Nikon D90 (105mm f/2.8) - 1/8s  f/9