September

It seems that just yesterday September was starting and now October is right around the corner...
I've been extremely busy with college, had some presentations on the first week, to show us newcomers how the school works and this past week I had Praxis every day, from 8 till 18 hours. It was exhausting but at the same time so much fun!

Since I was a kid I heard people talking about the University and the Praxis, I don't know if that tradition happens outside my country but here many people talk badly about it, in the past there were news about teenagers that died or went to the hospital during Praxis and that always made me think "I will never participate on that stupid thing!"

It is supposed to be a week where people that already are from the college (and participated on Praxis on their first year) to welcome the freshmen, but at the same time making them see that they need to respect them and that there is an hierarchy and if it was just this everything would be great. But it isn't, on some colleges people just use the Praxis week to humiliate, demean and even abuse the freshmen. Fortunatly on my college there is no such thing, I went the first day to see how it all worked, after all I can't talk about things that I never experienced, and I ended up loving it. We started all the same as freshmen, everyone with white and loose t-shirts, a plastic potty on our heads and a mind filled with anxiety since we were new to the school and didn't met anyone. That day we sang,shouted, were painted by the veterans with acrylics, glitters, varnish, we were thaugth to do granades, the afflicted turtle, the fish out of water,and some more things. I never felt humiliated, I actually laughed a lot and since everyone was equal the conversations with strangers were just like if everyone was already friends!
My college sure changed the idea I had of Praxis and even though I earned a LOT of bruises from throwing myself to the floor I was sad when the week ended since we only live it once in our life (unless of course you change college and want to do it again)

So, tomorrow the classes will start for real and I'm excited :D but anxious as hell too.

New stage

So in about 10 hours I'll be starting my college life, It's been a long time since I've been this nervous and anxious :x luckily it's only presentations and stuff like that to know the school,I'll only start the classes next monday I think. Still nervous as hell, new people, new subjects to study, new places, new rythms....and one full hour of bus ride every morning!:D at least I'm lucky enough to have the morning schedule, so I won't have nightly bus rides and I will arrive home pretty soon :)
Well,wish me luck!***

P.S: oh and in case you were wondering about my diet, I already lost 6kg ;)

Small conquests

I haven't had much time to write lately, enjoying the rest of my summer vacations while I can (: and doing something good instead of spending the day in front of the computer!

Regarding my "diet", I'm really happy with it! I'm half way through my goal,I've already lost 5kg ^^ even eating my ice creams (I love them and eat them even in winter,so I can't say no on summer,can I? ^^;). I'm really motivated to keep it up :)

I also have another thing that is making me tremendously happy, my german shepherd has a phobia since a baby - the swiming pool.
When he had just a few months he fell a couple of times on the pool (He tried to drink the water from it) and at the time we panicked and removed him without even teaching him how to get out. Since then the pool has been a huge enemy to him, he's afraid of it and he gets into panic mode everytime someone get's in, and if children get into the pool it's ten times worse!He acts like he's afraid they'll drown, running arround the pool and crying,trying to pull them out.

So this year I decided to help him face his fears, and boy am I glad I did.
I've watched some episodes of Cesar Millan's "The dog whisperer" and saw him help a lot of dog's with phobias, I learned a lot with him, being calm and assertive was something that really helped me, and because of him I never gave up. He had some hard cases to work on but he never gave up on them, patiente really is a virtue and I've learned that the hard way.
The first couple of days I started to train him I ended up giving up because my mother and sister where always saying things like "oh poor thing, don't force him"; "He's scared,there is no use in pushing him", this made me feel guilty and I just gave up. So after that I decided to do it when nobody was arround, nobody to help but nobody to make me feel guilty, after all I was helping him conquer a fear and there is nothing to feel guilty about that!
That day I was able to make him get into the pool stairs, it took about 1 hour and he didn't enter the pool normaly, I had to "drag" his back feet into the pool,let him calm down and them pull the rest of his body. He was scared,shaking and dying to get out.

The next couple of days it took less time to get him inside the pool but he got in the same way, back feet first, but he was able to swim just a little.

I wasn't satisfied.

On the 4th or 5th day I was able to get him into the pool without a leash, and he swam to the end of the pool a lot of times! I was thrilled! but something was missing, the entry.
So yesterday I decided - Today he will get into the pool with his front paws! He needs to deal with his fears face to face! - It took a while and some help but he did! He was a little clumsy but he did it, and he went to swim after his toy ball. I was so proud of him. Then he did something that amazed me, we came back to the stairs but instead of rushing out like he always had done he stayed there and sat down looking at me with a - Can you throw the ball again?- expression on his face, I was overjoyed! I gave him his little treat to reward him and then spend a while throwing his ball for him to fetch.  He looked nothing like he did on the first day, he was calm, happy and playful, no more shaking, panting  or anxious cries to get out.
I had a huge smile on my face, my little boy had done it! Of course I still have a lot of work to do, he still needs company and help to get in, but that's nothing compared to his drama from before.

I'm proud of him just like a mom is proud when her children succeed in life.
And this has been filling my days, my four legged children.

College is just around the corner and my nerves are rising, new experiences, new people - a whole freshman year to get me busy!

I already miss my summer vacations eheh :)

First two weeks!

So as I said on the previous post,I started a healthy diet to lose a little weight, and went to the nutricionist this week for a check-up appointment to see the progress.
I went nervous as hell because I hadn't followed the recomendations 100%, the hot weather of the past two weeks made me lose my appetite most of the days so it was hard to keep up. I was sure to had gain some weight or not changing my weight at all.
When I went up the scale I was really suprised to see that I had lost 1,2kg, 3 cm on my waist line and hip!
In two weeks that was a real victory to me and a huge motivation to keep up until I reach my goal!

I hope I can stay on my diet these next few weeks,I'm going away on vacations and I won't be able to control the meals but I'll do my best!(:

Life

 

Life has a funny way to make me fall, but it also has a great way to lift me up. Lately things are improving little by little, and I've had a couple of surprises on the way.
It's currently summer vacations here,but I'm still waiting to know the exams results to know if I'll have to repeat any of them, and after that university to my photography degree!:)

I've also started on a healty diet,I've started to change some eating habits a couple of months ago but nothing crazy, but this past week I went to a nutritionist appointment and learned a few things so I'm thrilled about it, not because I'm fat and unhappy with my body, I'm the typical pear shaped girl with curvy hips that is loved just the way she is.
But I want to change my habits for my healt at all levels,it will help me to feel even better about myself both on the inside and out.

Another thing I'm hyped about is my new aquisition of photography material. I will make a post about that later though ;)

So I leave you with this work,a peacock from Jardim Público de Évora - I took this photo while on easter vacations with my boyfriend and his parents :) I love these birds, so majestic and elegant, with lovely colors and patterns!

Have a great week!

*See more works on my facebook

Still alive

I haven't publish anything here for quite a while, I haven't had time to do anything lately >.<
Today I decided to give the blog a little update just to say I'm still alive and super excited!:D I'm planing some portrait photos (and selfportraits too if I'm able to) because they are one of the big flaws on my portfolio!
I've studied the basics of portrait photography but I know I'm a little limited due to my equipment,still I'll try my best!:) I'll also have a huge help from my boyfriend, he has been my haven and support theses past months,he gives me so much support and strength to follow my dreams it almost makes me doubt him xD
So here stays a photo that I haven't published here yet, a female snowy owl!:)

235mm f/7.1 @Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa

You can see more works on my Facebook Page! :)

New project

So as a 2013 resolution I've decided to really work on writing articles about photography, that way I can share my knowledge, to do that I've created a new blog just dedicated to photography,why?
Because this one was too personal for me. Many times I wanted to write about techniques here and wasn't able because it didn't seem apropriate. But not this time!:)
Here is the new blog -> Ana Teresa Photography Blog I named it after my facebook fan page to avoid confusion to those familiar to the FB page.

I will talk about the basics at first, things like the DSLR modes, Shutter speed, Aperture, ISO, RAW, etc,.
It won't be professional articles but I will write them as I learn too so I can share information :)

I will keep this blog active from now and then, to show some photos and personal stuff, just not the technical part ;)

Happy New Year

I hope your new year's eve was a blast!:)
I sure had fun and tried out firework photography!:D


These were my first attempts at doing some fireworks photography (:
I wasn't expecting great results since I didn't have a good location or experience on this kind of photography,but for the first time I really like the results :D

Both photos 135mm f/10
@Parque das nações, Lisboa

New year

 250mm f/5.6 2 @Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa

With this photo I leave my wishes for a great new year to everyone,hoping that 2013 brings mostly joy,love and strength :) This is my bow to 2012,a year filled with small conquests that made me grow everyday!

Xmas

 

This is why december is one of my favorite months :D lots of lights and colors! I spent the day decorating the house and setting up the tree, it was a handfull of work but it was worth it!:D I love to see the house all christmas like :3 Now the only thing missing is the christmas sweets and the smell of cinnamon all over the place *-*

Since I was decorating the house, I played a bit with the ligh...

ts and this is just a little teaser :3 the following days I'll try this kind of photography again but with the due time since today it was all rushed >.<' I barely had time to do the tree cut out for the effect...but next time I'll probably make some tutorial so other people can learn how to do it too ^^

Vacations?

I've spent the past few months working on a presentation about photography for my final school presentation and haven't had time to do anything else!!>:(

Yesterday was, finally, the day! Along with my class and a full auditorium ready to hear and learn from each and every one of us. It was probably the most stressful day ever, mainly because I was the 10th and as I watched my colleagues speaking one by one, the stress was growing and growing! Nevertheless, it went pretty well and I managed to explain the basics of photography in a simple and clear way, and I spoke about two famous photographers too :)

I took my cameras and portfolio to the presentation and the critics were pretty positive!^^ The photography bellow was used so people that were far away could see the cameras I was talking about.

I was pretty nervous but in the end it gave me motivation to study even more and try to graduate in photography and follow my dreams ^^ But for now I'll just relax and enjoy the holidays with my loved ones, bake some christmas sweets and hunt christmas gifts!:) I'll try to do some portrait photography projects too but I'm not sure I'll have the time, let's hope so!:D

Zoo Trip

I've spent yesterday at the Lisbon's zoo with my boyfriend to celebrate (a little late ^^;) our 3rd year anniversary, so that means I have a ton of photos to select and work :) It's a total of 10GB of photos! Would have taken more photos but the light wasn't the best yesterday and it rained a little.
So now I need to go work a little on them, maybe i'll update something soon :)

Bonfire

So a few days ago my dad made a bonfire on our yard and he called me to take pictures, of course I went running!:) I never let a good training oportunity to go to waste! And low light (night time really) photography is something I haven't done much, even though I know the basics and have studied them.



This first photo was taken from a decent distance at 55mm :) I wanted to get the whole fire burning and the flames up in the air!







These next photos were taken at 250mm and 146mm so I wasn't close to the fire but still  filled the frame and composed the photo to my liking :) I liked the first one a lot and it ended up being my favorite!The second I gave it a B/W treatment to give it a more dramatic look!

 

 

Hope you like them, if you have a favorite please leave me a comment :)

New lens has arrived!:)

 

My new lens arrived yesterday!:) I woke up at 9 AM and waited the whole morning for the courier that only arrived at 2:22PM! Since it was the first time I purchased a lens, and it came from Italy, I was pretty nervous and a single morning seemed like an intire day! But thankfully,it arrived and I couldn't wait to try it out! I called my boyfriend and we went to a little farm nearby, for our misfortune it started raining heavily when we got there, so we spent most of the time under a shed, but still I got some pretty decent shots and I was very happy about it!


Here is my favorite picture of the day, a pidgeon under the heavy rain!I don't know why he didn't look out for some shelter, maybe the fresh rain felt good after the intense summer heat we had for the past couple of months.

Taken at 250mm f/5.6

Almost here!

"Monday, September 24, 2012
Processed at LISBON - PORTUGAL LISBON - PORTUGAL 6:20 PM"
I'm SO HAPPY!!!*-* Tomorrow I will have my new Canon Lens!!!It's not one from the L series but it was the most indicated for me since I'm still a student but want to follow photography as my profession and I need to build up a good portfolio

I can't wait to have it in my hands and try it out! It will be a huge step on my photos since it will allow me to do better wildlife and start on portraits for real

I already have some projects on my mind so expect something in the next month or so (it will depend on school work, I will finish this november so I have tons of works until there)

New lens?

Well if it all goes like planed I'll have a new lens next week :) Won't be one of the best but since I have a low budget I have to invest little by little :) Never the less it is a pretty decent telephoto zoom lens with image stabilization, which will help me a lot with low light situations since my Canon isn't the best at handling ISO (It handles it decently but I hate to use high ISO :/)
I can't wait to have it and try it out!It will be a new step on my learning path, a huge one I think, since I've used DSLR's for about 2 years and some months now I think, and I've only used the kit 18-55mm lens without IS.
I'll probably try out portraits and work harder to improve wildlife photography :) I have many ideas bubbling in my brain right now,even for macro (with the inverted technique since I don't have the macro lens I want yet, probably the next big investment :o)

I also have to concentrate on school since I finish it this november (yay) and I have to do a presentation about photography and I have to work hard on that :D after that I'll have plenty time to invest on photography until the exams for university ^^

I'll update in a few days if everything goes well :)

Remeber to take a look at my facebook page if you have the time,some fresh works are uploaded there :)
Facebook Page

When I started this blog I wanted to share information, learn more and help others but time and patiente wasn't on my side since school took so much time, I barely had time to relax my mind these past few months but my main idea still stands so I will try to write some informative posts in the future :) to do that I wanted to know what you would like to read about,if you have questions or doubts,what are the themes you like,etc...

Dandelion on my yard, inverted lens

Quick update

Just a quick post to say that I'm still alive, buried with school work :D I've been practicing some new macro techniques since I don't have much time to travel :(

Still here are two photos of Sintra! :D I'm planing to go there again soon!It is a terrific place to practice photography and to take long long walks along with nature and my loved one ^^ We just love that place, it has a very romantic and mistic atmosphere <3

See more photos at my Facebook page!

Evolution

It's been more than a month since my last post!D: sadly I haven't done much photography other than macro, but I have improved my skills :3 here are some shots from the evolution since the other macro photos I've uploaded a month ago!

Hope you all like them and if you want to see more go to my Facebook page or DeviantArt page ^^

Facebook
DeviantArt

Inverted lens macro photography

So I've always loved macro photography but I don't have a macro lens, I've seen some macro shots were people talked about inverted lens,so I decided to try it my own way :D So here is the result, not the best photos ever but for the first try I kind of like them!^^

I used a blue candle, silver glitter and of course some water! Weird mix but sometimes my mind comes up with these kind of things :3