This is a photo I took in June 2008 with my point and shoot camera at the Mendel Art Gallery conservatory. It's another of my early photos that I had blown up into a print.

My favorite thing about this flower (which probably couldn't be seen in the thumbnail on Red Bubble) is the single speck of yellow in the centre of the flower amidst all of the purple. I also like the white stripes on the petals... Most of my flower macros taken with the point and shoot were blurry... this flower almost seems too sharp to be real.

This photo was taken in June 2008 with my point-and-shoot. I remember the day very clearly. Graem had decided that we needed to measure the perimeter of our house. I don't remember what project this was for, but it was something that had to be done immediately and couldn't wait. I was standing there for an interminable amount of time holding the end of the tape measure. It was about 8pm, and light was rapidly fading from the sky. The whole time, I was looking at our caraganas and thinking that I must photograph them. It also seemed like something that had to be done immediately.

As soon as the measuring was done, I grabbed the camera. I wasn't hoping for too much given the lighting conditions. I know the photo isn't perfect - I must have been using the "super macro with LED" function on my camera as there is reflection from the flower petals and the leaves have an unnatural green glow. Nonetheless, I was quite pleased with the results. In fact, I ended up having a print made of this photo to hang on my wall. I had never really taken notice of caragana flowers before.

I debated long and hard about removing this photo from Red Bubble. It had the least views of any of my photos currently on the site, but it is the first Red Bubble reject that had been favorited by someone. I know that some people are quite liberal with their photo 'favoriting', but it still seemed kind of mean to remove someone's 'favorite' photo. I ended up removing the photo... After all, as I become a better photographer, and as I become more well-known on the site, a higher proportion of my photos will probably be 'favorited'. If I leave them all on Red Bubble forever, I risk ending up with one of those 200-page profiles I am trying to avoid.

This photo was teetering on the brink of Red Bubble elimination even before I left Saskatoon. I decided that I would try to take a better photo of the caraganas with my DSLR and macro lens to replace it. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to it the caraganas had finished blooming.

Spring and summer are far too transient. Right now, I am especially goaded by the fact that it is summer and I'm in an exciting new city, but I'm always either stuck at work or at my desk studying for exams. There isn't nearly enough time for photography or enjoying life in general.

This photo is another Red Bubble reject taken at about 5am on August 4, 2008 when I went for a walk with the camera before going to bed. I like the still water and the reflection of the clouds and blue sky. I like the quality of the light, and the fact that the train bridge can just barely be seen in the background. Morning light is kind of a novelty for me, since I am such a night person. If I'm seeing morning light, I'm usually racing to work, late, with my nose buried in my coffee and my brain preoccupied with other things. It's rare to have a morning off and be awake to enjoy it.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the wide angle lens down to the river and tried to capture a similar shot. The colors were maybe a bit better, but none of the photos really captured the same mood. I have thousands of dollars worth of photography equipment that I didn't have a year ago, but sometimes just getting the right moment is the most important thing.

Tofino, British Columbia is my favorite place on the planet. Tropical beaches have a secure place in my heart (they're warm and you can swim without a 6mm full-body wetsuit!), but there's something about Vancouver Island that I love. I think I just like the feel of the place.

This Red Bubble reject was taken in May 2008, around midnight on Chesterman Beach. I took macro photos of the driftwood with my little point-and-shoot, while Graem illuminated it with a flashlight. I like the texture of the wood, and the fact that some of the photos look like miniature moonscapes.

This is another Red Bubble reject. Morning and evening have the best light for photography. I have lots of photos taken in the evening or at sunset, but not many in the morning. I am simply not a morning person. Even in Costa Rica, when I knew there were all sorts of amazing creatures to be seen and seascape sunrises to capture, I could not drag myself out of bed. In fact, the only time I am awake at sunrise is if I haven't gone to bed yet.

This was exactly the case the day this photo was taken - August 4, 2008. I went down to the river to take some photos before turning in for the 'night'. This photo was taken with a point-and-shoot, all automatic settings sometime between 4 and 5am. Summers are short in this neck of the woods. There was already a chill in the early morning air, and I was wearing a warm coat and a toque. This photo may not have the best composition or focus, but I love the character of the morning light and the way it illuminates these symmetrical bunches of little white flowers.