Happy Summer Holidays

My, my my! Has it been so long? Almost a month since my last post? Time sure flies!

I've been really busy lately, not gaming though - I'm done now - but "photoshopping", and time really passes quickly when you're busy with BotS. Then there's the garden to take care of, and work of course, and we also have two house guests, furry ones. You see, my sister in law is away on a trip and we're taking care of her chinchillas. But alas, no pictures of them yet, if cats are quick, we need to coin a whole new word for those guys!

So, today, Lady Freya is my poster girl again. Two weeks ago the weather here was wonderful. The temperature was around 35 degrees C (which is really uncommon where I live), and Mr, I, Freya and our other cat Morris, would just lay in the shade, on a blanket in the grass, and read comics - that's the only thing we had the energy to do. Isn't it wonderful when nature provides the perfect excuse for you to be lazy? Those days were perfect!

Anyway, what's the perfect thing to do when you're bored with comics and need something else to occupy yourself with? That's right! To lazily lay in the grass with a camera! It makes for interesting low angle shots, and the furry subjects are too warm to jump out of your shots. All you have to do is snap away :).

Happy Holidays to you

/MrsHjort

Planting Peonys and Killing Monsters

This month has been... unusual. On one hand, I've been very busy at work, and we've done a lot of rearranging in the garden lately. Today for instance, I've been hunched over all afternoon pulling out weeds while Mr moved two bushes and replanted some flowers. On the other hand however, this month has been incredibly lazy and hedonistic too, as both Mr and I delved into "the Witcher 3", gaming for hours and hours, enjoying all the little details of the world we both are so fascinated by. Boy am I lucky, I married a man who is just as nerdy as me!

So, about the game, for those of you who might be wondering, it's the best one I've ever played! One play-through easily takes 100 hours and though it may be filled with side quests, they are never boring, which is a mark of a good game. Compared to "Skyrim" for instance, which is an other open world game, the side quests are more motivating, more diverse, much more unpredictable and they play a more central role to the main protagonist Geralt. I'ts not just "run from point A, to point B, kill monster C, get D and return to get a reward", it's never that mundane. There is a real sense of motivation, of exploration and of building your character, not only in terms of getting more XP, but of actually getting to know who Geralt is. And the best part is that there are plenty of these little nuggets of gold in the game - even though I made it a point to explore the world thoroughly during the last play-through (I'm on the second one now), I still find new quests this time. Let me tell you, the game is HUGE!

An other thing that's really great is that, not unlike the series "Game of Thrones", the game is not about black and white, good and evil or any kinds of moral extremes. I love the fact that every choice has you debating and thinking things over. Very much unlike other games when there's really only one way I can possibly play, because, lest face it, I'm not a bad guy and I could never deal with the choices required. Nope, the game is filled with moral dilemmas, and I love it!

When it comes to the world itself, it's alive, really alive! It feels lives in, in a way I've never experienced in any other games. The people around you are like anyone you'll find in real life, there are greedy merchants, trying to suck up to you, there are bullies, who are just as annoying as real ones, there are smelly drunks and pious priests, intellectuals, scheming spies, poor orphans, gossiping women, cross-dressers, hard-working farmers, dimwits, maniacs, beggars, psychopaths, worried mothers, men's men, thieves, dandies, yellow-bellies, sad saps, know-it-alls and any other person you can possibly think of. And thy're all unique, with their own dialogue and appearance, each and every one of them believable. That is nothing short of amazing.

Finally, I have to say, that as a huge fan of Andrzej Sapkowski, who wrote the books the game is based on, as well as the previous games, I had pretty high expectations on the game. The previous two games were detailed in terms of lore, the voice acting of "the Witcher 2" was absolutely superb, the characters were detailed, the quest-line was very true to the books and the graphics was stunning. I wanted "the Witcher 3" to be like "Skyrim", but more detailed and alive, I wanted it to be like "The Witcher 2", but even more diverse and challenging, I wanted it to be like "Final Fantacy IX", but with an even more epic story and I wanted it to be like "Dragon Age 3", but with more detailed characters and more "soul". So, needless to say, I wanted the third game to be exceptional! I have to admit that I was a bit worried prior to the release - how could it possibly live up to all that? Well... the answer is, without a moment's doubt, YES! "The Witcher 3" is above and beyond! Wow! Just WOW!

/MrsHjort

The Nerd Awakens

So, I haven't been around for a while, sorry, but that's the way it goes when the nerd in me awakens (and gets insomnia). You see, I'm one of those super duper nerds who is not only into Fantasy and SciFi, but also an intense gamer. and now that "The Witcher 3" is out, I've been glued to my computer for hours and hours, playing the game, turning over every stone, exploring every cave and seeking out every quest I can possibly find.

I could go into depth and write an entire essay on the game, but suffice to say that I'm so nerdy that I've not only played the previous games more times than I'd care to admit, but I have also read all the novels and short stories about the game's protagonist. So, you get the picture, big fan of it all and I absolutely LOVE the last part of the trilogy!

So, sorry for not updating haha, I'll probably be back more frequently in a month or so, when I've played through it all (let me tell you, the game is HUGE!!!).

Cheers!

/MrsHjort

Perspective

It has been quite some time since I did abstracts, which is why this is today's photo. I did a lot of them about a year ago for the 30-day challenge, and I loved the way it taught me to look upon the world - in terms of lines, color and harmony, or lack thereof...

This is a picture of a wall, I've never been a fan of modern architecture, and I would hate to live in such a building, but, as a subject for photography, modern architecture can be quite interesting. Clear lines and color, blended with rugged materials is not a bad idea.

Pictures like this often generate one of two reactions - either you love them, or you hate them. I have to admit, that prior to last year's challenge I belonged to the second category, though that was the point of my choice back then. My trail of thoughts was that if you shoot abstracts every day for 30 days, you're bound to gain some understanding and appreciation of the genre, and I have to say that I did! Shooting a really good abstract isn't at all as easy as I used to believe, and even if someone hates your shot, hey, at least it moved them in some way haha.

So what category do you belong to? Do you hate or love abstracts? Do they make you think or make you shrug? There's nothing wrong with belonging to either category, as long as you take the works of genre for what they are - someone's attempt to move you.

Cheers
/MrsHjort

Life is Beauty

... or some other cryptic heading haha (silly Facebook must be rubbing off on me). Sorry, but it seemed to fit the photo :). Well anyway, for those of you who have been following me, are wondering or are just curious, I really like where I am at right now. I've recently changed careers - from school teacher to... ehm, I'm not really sure how to describe my new job (it's quite unique) but it's a desk job, and it has to do with law, news and court records. I've worked with this before, at the same company, and it's still great!

Well, as I was saying, I really like it. Don't get me wrong though, I really loved teaching too, however, this new job has proven to be better for me - when it comes to health. It's been said now and again in Swedish media (and I'm sure it's not unique to my country) that teaching is one of the most stressful and demanding professions of all. Since I am a bit too ambitious for my own good (I'm a bit of a workaholic), and tend to get a bit too involved with what I do, it has became too big for me at times, which affected my sleep a lot.

So, for the reasons mentioned, I jumped at the chance of this new job, which offered better hours, less stress, better chances of advancement, and a significant salary increase (plus, it's fun too)! So however sorry I am to leave teaching, I have to say that this has been really good for me. Though I have to admit, I do miss my students, the thrill of teaching and all the good times we had.

So, to all of my old colleagues, thank you for the memories, the laughs and the tears. It's been a pleasure! And to all of my new colleagues, thank you for welcoming me back, I'm so glad to be with you again, and I'll see you tomorrow :)

/MrsHjort

Beautiful May

So, May is here, and the trees are blooming! This is one of my favorite times of the year, even more so now than before! Because, you see, this year is the vary first year that our garden has been "finished" (if there ever is such a word when talking about gardens).

So, this year, I get to see all our hard work paying off, and one by one, the plants and seeds that I've cared for awake and blossom in all their splendor. I cannot halp myself, I'm positively giddy haha.

Who would have thought that I would become so involved in gardening!? Five years ago my main reason for not buying a house was gardening! I've always hated it with all my heart.  But now, things are very different... Maybe it's maturity finally catching up with me (yeah who are we kiddin' haha!) or maybe it's because this time it's actually my own garden (most likely!), and I get to decide everything for myself (that's what I'm talkin' about!) but now, I cannot help but keep myself away!

So happy spring to you, and happy gardening :)

/MrsHjort

At the Football Field

This Saturday I was back in the game, shooting the first football match of the year. The last time I went shooting a game was only practice, both for me, and for the players. This time it was for real, and one could smell the excitement in the air. The teams really went all in, emotions were heated, and the audience was lively.

"Are you from the newspaper?" an elderly man asked me, as I snapped away with my happy trigger finger. "Or perhaps you are from TV?" he jested. People tend to get curious when I bring my camera out in public, it's one of the fun things about it. People often ask me about my gear and comment on what I'm shooting. "Nope, I'm just a hired amateur, shooting a friend" I answered.

Last time I shot a game, I switched lenses after halftime. However, since the macro lens turned out to be the better of the two for this particular motif, I didn't bother this time. The risk of motion blur is preferable to the limited zooming capability of my other lens. I love being able to get up close to the action from a distance, and thankfully it did its job well.

So, how went the game you may wonder? It ended 1 - 0, and my friend won, scoring the winning goal himself. Congratulations Nimmers, great showing!

/MrsHjort

Blue Starburst

I'm so thrilled that nature is finally changing from sepia brown into color! I shot this in my garden yesterday. These blue little beauties pop up all over the place! They're a bit problematic to shoot though, since they grow in clusters and the DOF don't really work in their favor. That's why I shot this one with its twin behind it, it makes a lovely "starbursty" effect, doesn't it :)

/MrsHjort

Unsuspected Twists

I have a lot of reasons to be happy right now. Spring is coming, next week is Easter Break, I've finally worked up the courage to join BotS on W1K, and about two weeks from now I'm starting a new job.

For those of you who have never heard of BotS, the acronym stands for the Battle of the Strippers - it's a comic challenge on W1K. I've lurked around there and read the strips for a while, just like I lurked around in the other arenas on W1K for quite some time before I joined in myself. I'm really glad I finally joined though. As always, the other members are very friendly and welcoming, and if any of you funny talented fellow "strippers" are reading this, thank you for making me feel so welcome!

So, the job thing. Well it's sort of bitter sweet. I really like my current job. My colleagues are wonderful, teaching is a lot of fun, and it's so nice to get to know so many intelligent and charming young people. However, sadly, the life of a teacher can also be immensely stressful at times. That's one of the reasons I'm leaving, and I will get a lot more free time working for my new employer. Furthermore, I got a really nice offer, a great salary, tasks that suit me very well, and on top of that, I'll be working side by side with Mr! If you've followed my blog you'll know that we've done this in the past, and it worked better than fine. I've really missed working with him, and our quirky inside jokes at the office.

Yes, life certainly takes its twists and turns sometimes, it's really funny that way. About seven years ago, I got employed on an hourly basis at the office, a year later I had moved on to working full time at a meat packaging facility, that made me go back to school to study to become a teacher, after that I've been working as one and now, six years later, the circle is complete. I'll be back at the office again, but this time I was offered full time, and a raise! But the best thing of all, is how the people at the firm make you feel so welcome. It's like coming home to your friends and family. So even though I'm sad to leave teaching, and all my wonderful colleagues at the school, I'm very happy to go back to my old job. It's going to be great!

Wish me good luck :)

/MrsHjort

Bundle of Joy

Some requests lately has led me to branch out and do things I haven't done before. This time it was portraits. Not that I haven't ever shot portraits before, but not in a "serious" way. Sure, I've terrorized my relatives and chased them around with my camera, I have done candid shots and I have done the occasional family picture, but this is my first time trying my hand at studio-ish shots.

Aren't they a lovely family? It's so much fun shooting a handsome couple like this and their pretty baby boy. Baby Carson is only 10 days old in these shots and utterly adorable. I always forget how tiny babies actually are, and their itty bitty hands, and teeny weeny feet... squeeee! This is why I love photography - you get to capture precious moments like these.

Since I'm totally new to doing things like this, I asked my first customers to do some homework. I wanted them to think about what kind of pictures they wanted and to choose a setting with the best light conditions possible. They did their homework well, naturally, since mother is a fellow teacher, and when I arrived things were well prepared. They had moved some furniture, prepare a cozy "bed" for the baby and timed everything well so that baby Carson was awake and happy. This made my job easy as pie. A hundred or so snaps later I was ready.

Post-processing portraits is a bit more complex than post-processing flowers, landscapes or abstracts. I always run an "action" (what Photoshop calls a macro) that makes several copies of the background layer and then adds a number of adjustment layers. Tweaking these, doing some general touch up and a bit of sharpening is usually enough in the cases I mentioned, but portraits are something else.

Thanks to W1K I found this great tutorial on how to enhance eyes and how to work with the dodge and burn tools to enhance specific features. Little things like that can really make a difference and make your shots sparkle. I may take a bit more time, but it's well worth the effort, and it's fun to post-process pretty subjects :)

So, yet an other experience richer I am happy to say that it is a lot of fun to branch out and test my limits. I'm going to try and test more new things in the future.

/MrsHjort

Action

A colleague of mine recently asked me to come and shoot a football game. He plays forward in one of the top five teams in town, and wanted me to capture some of the action. I've never done sports before, but was I intrigued by the challenge of shooting a game. Would it work to use my Sigma macro lens? Would there be enough light so that I could do short shutter speed shots without too much grain? If not the Sigma lens, then maybe the Nikon could do the trick, but would I be able to zoom enough to get close to the action? That, and many other things started spinning around in my head.

So today at lunch time, I packed my gear and headed down to the football field. It was quite a challenge to time the shots, and I had to be on the ball (pun intended) all the time, which is a lot of fun for a photographer. Composing was definitely tricky, and it sort of became more like instinct than the way I usually work - carefully thinking things through.

To my surprise, using the Sigma lens worked fine. You see, it has a tendency to be quite sluggish, though previously, I have only used it for macros. However, this time the depth of field was not as crucial and only small adjustments were required, which it handled quite well. To be on the safe side, I switched after a while and shot for a while with my trusty Nikon lens, before switching back and shooting the end with the Sigma. As it turned out, I needn't have bothered - the Nikon might be the most versatile of the two, but the Sigma turned out to have the edge this time. It's zooming capability was just what I needed.

So, I shot 300 shots or so, that way I was bound to get a slam dunk or two, and I'm happy to say that I'm quite satisfied with the result. It was a lot of fun and I'm one experience richer :).

/MrsHjort