PBW: Stars & Dolls

Despite still fighting a bad cold, I needed to get some shots for Photo Blog Wednesday this past weekend. There are two nice things about a thin coat of snow. First and foremost, it doesn't need to be shoveled and it doesn't take long to clean cars. But more importantly, the night is a little brighter with the moon and stars reflecting off the stark white surface of the snow. I figured with a tripod, I could set my camera to maximum exposure and get some great night shots. Considering what happened back in February, when I tried to photograph an eclipse without a tripod, I was ready to give the night another try. And yet, despite the advantage of the snow and the tripod, this was the best I could manage:




One is the moon and the other is my living room window. It's not quite what I was hoping for. I tried some stars, and after adjusting levels on the raw image, found I got more than I thought. Click this next one for a larger version:



In any case, I couldn't stay out in the cold for more than a few minutes, even with a ski mask on. Actually, if neighbors saw me with a tripod and a ski mask, I probably would have had bigger problems than a little flu. So, I headed back inside for my subject matter.

My mom volunteered this year to help make dolls for underprivileged children. Women were supplied with doll bodies and asked to sew outfits. So for the last week or so, she worked on a dress, bonnet, shorts, and even a little carrying case. Our cat Chirp, seeing we were paying attention to something other than him, started flipping around on the floor.



My mom tried to incorporate him into a shot with the doll, but he wasn't cool with sharing the spotlight.





Finally, we just went with solo shots for the doll.







Hopefully, it will make some child happy. My mom admitted she was a little sad to give it away and, though he wouldn't admit it, I bet Chirp was missing it too...