Photos of Chile's Volcanic Ash

I just saw these photos from the volcanic eruption in Chile recently.  Apparently it is part of a mountain  chain which has about 2,000 volcanoes.  It is the second largest mountain chain in the world after Indonesia.

Although the photos of the ash look a bit surreal, the eruption and evacuation caused the Chilean government to evacuate the residents into shelters.  A 6.2 magnitude quake recently occurred as well, with thankfully no deaths reported.

.....I'm hoping that Mother Nature goes on a long vacation soon.

Two Views of the Skyline

Yesterday, Leah posted that she'd like to see more of my photos from my trip. Here are two that were taken the same night. The moon was full and glowing, so you can see the skyline on the right. But even more fun, was driving and taking photos. (okay, I wasn't driving, but back seat photographing), and this is what my little Sony Camera did when I snapped the skyline.

I call it Austin Skyline on Crack. (joking, of course).

Love the juxtaposition of the two views and each presents a very different mood. Do you have a preference? Which do you like better?

Faces Of Glass

Eileen of Dorset Hill Beads made this fun Etsy Treasury, titled Faces Of Glass.

I love seeing my glass friends, with whom I've been writing for the past few years.

Please visit it here and click on each picture- glass and peeps, and comment in the section at the bottom of the page.

This treasury will expire on Tuesday at 10:33 a.m.

Don't you love seeing the faces behind the glass? Please comment if you want more of these kinds of treasuries. I know I do!

My Photo Set Up

With my colorful little beads being a bit quirky, I prefer a very neutral background. I've tried different colors and still resort to them once in a while, but personally, I prefer for the beads to be on a minimalist background.

So here is my low tech photography set up.

Yep, that's right. Two sheets of white paper on my old kitchen table next to a window.


I prefer to take pictures on cloudy days. When it's sunny, I am sure that there isn't any direct sun
coming through the window.

It's that simple.

I check my white balance on my little Cool Pix camera, and make sure it's on macro and away I go.

I do a tiny bit of editing in Photoshop Elements, and voila, I'm done.

I think my hardest part is trying to hold my camera still. Sometimes I rest my hands on nearby boxes or other sturdy items.

That's it. Easy peasy. Now let's hear whether you've got some tips and tricks for our readers. I know I've got a lot to learn.

Experimenting With Photography Backgrounds

As much as I love very plain light backgrounds for photographing my glass pieces, once in a while I try something new for a little variety.

Here is blue enamel on a hanging aqua heart lampwork pendant, which is one of my pieces photographed yesterday.  Check out this background.

So here is my latest experiment.  I used the cardboard aluminum foil lid of my take-out food container.   

Some of the things I like-

1. It reflects light and made the darker day natural light shooting a little brighter.

2. It shows up as mostly "gray",  which works well as a very neutral background.

3. (Don't laugh at this one) It will not get wrecked if there are a few drops of water on it.  I'd better explain this one.  I clean my beads first thing in the morning and then I photo them almost immediately afterwards.  Sometimes they haven't dried all the way, and a drop or two of water comes out.  It can wreck the paper I use as the background, due to the water spots.

4. And depending on the item photographed, sometimes it reflects some of the work and adds a little artistic flair to the image.

I'll have more items in my Etsy shop later today and through the week, which use this background so you can compare them.

Do you have any photographic backgrounds that are a little different and you like?  Please comment and share them with us.