Space (The Milky Way Galaxy From My Backyard)

Last night was a spectacularly clear night; I could see tons of stars and even the Milky Way Galaxy! I got my camera and tripod and set it on the lowest aperture and about 10-15 seconds of shutter time so I could capture the brightness of the star. I am extremely happy with my shots; remember this is my first time shooting low-light/outdoors!

The white-ish streak in the middle is the Milky Way. My camera picked up many more stars than I could see!
I also did some long-exposure shots:)

For this one I took a flashlight, pointed it at my feet, and walked in a zig-zag with the shutter speed on 30 seconds!

This was taken with a shutter speed of 2 minutes! See that line of light in the middle? It's an airplane:) There were quite a few last night, and the next two pictures you can see the airplanes better:

IT'S A SNAKE UFO!!! Just kidding, it's time-lapse airplane travel! 

Trekking across the Milky Way! So neat!
Oh boy, I need to go to bed, I've church tomorrow! 

       See y'all later!

Tagged and Awarded!

Well just today I was "tagged" and awarded by The Kids to say 11 random things about me and answer 11 questions about myself as well as tag 11 other people to do the survey as well:)  Liebster is a German word that means well done, kind, beloved, or valued:)

RANDOM stuff:
1. I like rock climbing and climbing trees:)
2. I love to sleep in!
3. I don't like to get up early but when I do I'm glad I did!
4. I'm an outdoors girl.
5. I love music and chocolate and fruits together! :P
6. I do not eat anything that looks alive (shrimp, sushi, worms, lobster... Yuck)
7. I have a hobby of collecting coins and rocks.
8. I like hats (especially fedoras!)
9. I am a promise, I am a possibility!
10. Not allergic to anything except maybe schoolwork, but Mom says that doesn't count:(
11. I live for the glory of God!

1. How many pets do you have? Right now? 3: Two English Labradors and one kitten named Cali.

2. Are you homeschooled? Yes, all my life:)

3. Are you a Christian? 

Defiantly!!

4. How often do you blog? Whenever I have pictures to show! (Around twice a week at least:)

5. What is your favorite seasons? FALL!

6. What is your favorite food? Mashed potatoes and 

broccoli. (What?! Your fav food is BROCCOLI?!! Yes. Yes it is:)

7. Favorite book? Aww man! I have too many! The Bible, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, "Anne of Green Gables" by 

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Chronicles of Narnia series, and "Soon" by Jerry Jenkins are my top 5 right now!

8. Favorite color? That is confidential! (But I like the sky;)

9. How many siblings do you have? Three

10. How old are they? Younger than me:)

11. What do you like us to write about most? Your pets and animals! 

Okay now to think of my own questions. Hmm... 

Alright, here they are:

1. When and Why did you start blogging?

2. Do you have a hobby that you don't blog about?

3. Have you ever attended a play?

4. What is your favorite place in the world?

5. Do you have a favorite animal?

6. Do you have a big family?

7. City or Country?

8. Have you ever left the state of your birth?

9. Are you quiet or outgoing?

10. What is your passion in life?

11. Do you like neon colors?

   So, the deal is, if I tag you then you answer these 11 questions on your blog as well as 11 random facts about YOU, and then you can tag and award 11 other people if you want to! Just copy/paste the Liebster award to your blog page!

   I'm awarding these bloggers because I enjoy reading their blogs:

John at John's Island

Mona at Montanagirl

Jill at jillgoes
Sarah at This Is My Father's World Photography

Amelia at Between the Pages

Mike at NXTGeek

Haley at Chapter Thirteen

Lucia at Lucia, Et Cetera

Jess at Scribblings of a Dreamer

P.S.

 I saw this grasshopper by the shed while walking the dogs, so I took like ten photos of it and this was the only good one! :)
     Later y'all!

Buildings: Go Monochrome Day 2 (FMTSO)

      Today's project for Go Mono was "Buildings." I've always liked HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos because they bring out the highlights and the shadows very well. I went to the old county town hall this morning and got this shot.

       I really like it, and I got a few more (not for the project though):

It was locked but through the window we could see
some old school chairs and blackboards
as well as rather new voting booths:)
I like the reflection, too.

(2013 edit: I am linking to FMTSO because I'm snowed in and decided to use these lovely pics instead:) I did some research and found that this town hall was used in the 1920's and 30's. I am not sure when it was built though, so a mystery!)







S'all for now!
Later, Flashed!

Angles: Guitar and Water Drops!

    A fellow photo blogger Nette Requena just started a "Go Mono" photo project and I decided to go along with it too! Her post: http://netterequena.com/2012/08/20/1860/
    Her first day is "Angles" and I took this picture of my sister's guitar today, and it will be my first project pic!
   The story for this picture is very typical of me:) I was running through my room and glanced at my dresser (the guitar leans up against it) and the setting sun coming through the window bounced of the dresser onto the guitar in such a perfect way I had to grab my D5100!  
   I have found: Luck is a photographer's best friend, but precision is his greatest asset:)

    A different take on the guitar; the lighting is totally natural and SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera)!
   



































     Feeling bored a few days ago, I decided to get my camera and take some shots of this huge crabapple tree in my backyard. Made it more interesting by spraying it with the hose! I had to dodge the water drips while taking these:)

I'm tired, g'night!
That's all Flashed for now folks!