a little obsessed

I've been experimenting with the more interesting ways to take photos with the iPhone. I think I've finally figured out a way to get a bit more depth of focus into my pictures, although some might say the photo is just blurry. I kind of like it!

me, myself and i

The main reason I upgraded to an iPhone 5 was the camera (and its panoramic function, which I don't use nearly enough!). I also wanted more apps without having to worry about the memory getting too full!

I have been participating in a self-portrait-a-day challenge this month, using the "A Beautiful Mess" app.

Although taking a picture of yourself everyday can seem a bit narcissistic, it can also be a way to practice photography without bugging anyone else.

You can experiment with different perspective.

...and lighting

And sometimes you don't even have to hardly be in the photo at all!

I am halfway through the challenge...won't you play along? :)

on the...hay bale?

This may sound silly but the one thing I really don't like about vacationing is how it messes up my practice schedule. Daily practice can be tiring and repetitive, but is especially rewarding when noticeable changes occur in how deep a pose can be attained.

We were able to practice last Sunday with Jennifer, who was a fabulous teacher

We also had fun taking these photos, inspired by my dear friend, Jill. We haven't seen each other since India, but keep in touch via FB, blogs and IG. Besides practicing in the shala, I really miss the ashtanga community in Mysore, but am slowly building one here.

Have a great weekend!

SOOC

I haven't had much time to play with my new toy, but I like what I've seen so far.


It focuses much quicker than my D50 and the images just seem clearer. These photos are straight-out-of-camera with no Photoshop involved.


My goal for the rest of  the year is to use it at least once a week and not be so reliant on the iPhone! I actually think an accessory is available to wirelessly upload photos from your camera to computer...I'll have to look into it.

week in the life | saturday + sunday

Even though I had to work on Saturday, we packed a lot of action into the weekend.


Joe dropped me off to work in the morning.


These sandals came home with me on my lunch break shopping trip to the T.


This photo cracks me up. Yes, we met my parents at the Asian Buffet for dinner.


Seriously, this place cracks me up.


After dinner we got to check out Cowboy stadium.


Selfie

On Sunday we spent some quality time with my girlfriend and her family.

My friends really make the prettiest people.


It was a bit overcast for swimming so we soaked in the hot tub instead.


Then I drove with the parents to Richardson for some Chinese shopping and food.

Joe had to work so met us for dinner.

And dessert.

Mom and dad. Love them so!

How we ended the weekend.

{Half photos taken with 35mm 2.0 lens, other half with iPhone}

Whew! I am kind of glad this photo project is over. I learned that my iPhone has made me extremely lazy for getting my big camera out and taking better photos. But I have also learned that always having my phone with me allows me to capture random moments. By Sunday most of my photos were taken with the phone. And that's ok.

I also learned that since I take a lot of everyday photos already, this kind of thing may be a bit of overkill. My favorite snaps were ones where I used the camera remote to capture what we were doing. I would like to take more of those kinds of photos coming up. 

I hope you had a good weekend!

week in the life | friday

I am actually posting this from somewhere in North Texas (i.e. Dallas), where I will be working for the next few days. And I am about to go insane because Flickr and my MacBook are taking FOREVER to upload my photos.


I meant to take more photos of our new place, but this is really the only one I got. The never-ending laundry that needs to be done.


Pre-yoga. So glad today was Friday and I have at least one day of rest from practice on Saturday!


I bought their chocolate waffles for breakfast after yoga. Quite delicious with almond milk, even without syrup.


Playing with the tilt-shift effect on a new free photo app called PowerCam.


Lunch.


Doing a little house shopping with the hubs.


Early dinner.


Our sweet ride.


The drive up to big D. Took about 4 hours and my legs are very sore this morning.
{About half photos taken with 35mm 2.0 lens}

week in the life | thursday

Today was another ordinary day.


Post-savasana bliss.


A rare photo of the boys together. Watching Thomas of course!


Hard at work.


Getting a break from work to spend more time with the little charmer.


The big boy in my life was not feeling 100% today.
{Most photos taken with 35 mm 2.0 lens}

week in the life | wednesday

Getting up early this week has been quite a challenge for us. I like to be up for at least an hour before yoga practice at about 6 AM but more is better just to warm my body up. Unfortunately the bed is sometimes just to comfortable!


I call myself a bag lady in the morning - purse, lunch bag, gym bag...it can get pretty heavy!


I love DD's expression here and wish the photo was in better focus. The main thing I don't like about my big camera is that the screen is so small (it's a Nikon D50, almost 7 years old) that what looks in focus on the camera is not when it's uploaded.


I always try to make sure I give my nephews equal love and camera time. They are both so stinkin' cute and sweet that it's not very hard! JJ is purposefully out of focus in this photo as I wanted to take a picture of Dog,  without whom he doesn't leave the house. Asking a 29-month-old to keep his lovey still to take a photo is harder than it looks :)


I made a conscious effort to drink more water today. This mug was stolen from Joe and reminds me of him during the day.


Yesterday was too pretty to spend the whole day inside, so I took advantage of a long lunch and ate outside.


Joe working from home. He's the king of multiple monitors.


I borrowed a pair of flats from my sister because wearing heels all day tightens my hamstrings too much for yoga practice the next day. Sigh. As much as I love them, I think I may have to give heels up if I want to deepen my practice.


dress&cardi: Loft / shoes: borrowed / sunnies: Gucci / earrings: gift'd
And I actually got an outfit photo in. I think I have been unmotivated to take remix photos because I seriously haven't gone shopping in a month and am wearing the same old stuff. I don't mind but it doesn't make for interesting style-blog material. Or does it?
{Most photos taken with 35mm 2.0 lens}