Some Christmas photos

[mmcirvin]

Some photos from our semi-Christmas in early December, and also from the past couple of days, mostly concentrating on cute kids:

Comments

[manfire.livejournal.com]

Dear Matt McIrvin,

Do you know where I could find photography classes in Washington DC or the near Maryland suburbs? I have a digital SLR now but I sometimes make mistakes in using it.

With fond regards,
JM

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Dear Joe,

Your guess is as good as mine. (I always feel slightly embarrassed when people ask me for photography advice because I don't even consider myself a serious photographic hobbyist - I don't even own an SLR and most of what I know was acquired through trial and error.)

[hemlock-martini.livejournal.com]

The composition and color-feel of that first pic is positively Rockwellian.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

At least part of that is an accident, the effect of chroma noise caused by working at too high an ISO speed with a puny sensor. But in this particular case you're getting soft mottled colors from the Christmas tree lights anyway, so it just adds to the effect.

The man, incidentally, is Jorie's grandpa Dennis.

I could make the composition 5% more Rockwellian by clamping the perspective ramrod-straight with Hugin, but didn't bother.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Oh, and thanks.

[skapusniak.livejournal.com]

Some major Renaissance Painting style contemplation going on there in that second shot. I think it's the serious expression combined with mysterious great circles on a sphere-like-thing action.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

No anamorphic skull, sadly.