Theme Thursday: Mom

f/2.8 ISO 400
f/2.8 ISO 400

May is the month of Mary, and our Our Lady is crowned in cream-white carnations.  I feel myself retreating into this month, wanting to be in quiet and stark simplicity.  May is always a hard month like that for me, a transitional time.  I fluctuate between extreme activity and long stretches of periods of un-productivity.  I'm unsettled.  I can't rest in a design for this blog, and even my grasp on its purpose is weakening.  (So I put a bird on it.)  I haven't worked on the story in months.

My new challenge with the f/2.8 40mm lens is to get as wide an aperture as possible but also not to get fuzzy photos.  When I enlarge them enough, you can see that they're slightly blurry.  What causes that?  Anyone have any tips about how to fix it?

We're setting off to Nashville for a May wedding as well, the ceremony and celebration of the union of my oldest friend and the man fortunate enough to call her his.  I'm taking The Sorcerer's Stone with me for the long ride and also hope to get in some reading of The Great Gatsby with my sister.

Over to Clan Donaldson.

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16 comments:

  1. I love birds, I don't care how much Portlandia mocks it. Or is it a loving send-up? Can't tell.
    Those pictures are beautiful. The color palate is so so lovely. Pristine without being cold.

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    1. I like birds too, but they're gone now! c; (See what I mean? Changing, always changing!)

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  2. Love the bird on it. :) And these photos of Blessed Virgin Mary are stunning, truly.

    They don't look blurry to me, but I know what you mean. I see it a lot in my own "wide open" shots that look great on the camera screen but then in the computer they are less than perfect. Your shutter speed seems fast enough that it shouldn't be hand shake... So the long answer is, I don't know. If you figure it out, will you share?

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    1. That's it exactly, you can't tell that they're fuzzy on the tiny screen on the camera. I'll let you know if I come across a remedy.

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  3. The photos are lovely! I would love to be someone who gave photography advice, but alas...

    I know those periods well you are talking about, so frustrating, but I have noticed that they often result in something beautiful and unexpected. It will come!

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    1. Thanks, Rebekah, that is very encouraging. I do have a faint memory of the struggle before the breakthrough, but we (at least, I) tend to forget about that that difficulty basking in the triumph! c;

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  4. Here's an article for you, because what you said about writing sounds something like what I've been feeling lately. I've been getting a little done, but if I had a job and a two-year-old, I almost certainly wouldn't have.

    Beautiful pictures of Mary. I love the May crowns and flowers around her everywhere right now.

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    1. What a wonderful article. What a comfort! Thank you for sharing it. <3

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  5. I love being here. Just love it. Makes my day, every time!! Happy Mother's Day!!

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    1. Aw, thank you Susan! Hope you had a sweet Mother's Day!

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  6. Christie your photos are lovely..even Seth agrees you're fantastic at it (which is praise..he's a judger! I'll ask him if he has any advice..I don't, I'm not good with camera's). I love seeing them, and I understand completely the feeling of retreat in May..It's such a month of reflection and Mary makes it even more welcoming to nestle back into thoughts and feelings - not put so much out there..I mainly feel like sleeping out in the woods, but ticks are out, and it would be unwise ;)

    Purposes come and go..I love this blog. I love your sense of self and your warmth. I still want the interactive posts..but no pressure. May is a pressure free month (at least, writing-wise) :)

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    1. Thanks for that bit of feedback, Masha, it is very encouraging. c:

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  7. "Even Seth says..." ?! I am NOT that mean. And I have no idea about the lens thing, all I've got is a little Olympus point and shoot from an electronic box store. But I found this article (http://www.whatswrongphoto.com/2010/02/50mm-f1-8-lens-and-blurry-photos) which is a different but seemingly similar lens. And I tried desperately to make that an actual link but my internet skills are lacking. Sorry.
    -The Neglected Husband

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    1. This is a good resource, Seth, thank you for taking the time to search this out for me. Actually, I cover the lens they're talking about, so this helps in two was . . . for the one I'm using currently and the one-I-hope-to-own in the future. *sighs dreamily*

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