Okay, I am sort of new to digital cameras....

[jewelweed]

I am not at all sure how to sharpen this image, but this is a start.

Below are some snaps taken on Crane's Beach this weekend where I lounged and ate strawberries with martha_m
The self-portraits were basically me pointing the camera at myself blindly and clicking.  I need to find a better method--this one resulted in me having to delete dozens of shots of my shoulder (I kept a few since they made my shoulders look cute).

Picture taking advice is welcome!

Comments

[trillian-stars.livejournal.com]

What a great beach hat! I think I need one of those! We spent yesterday at Cape May and, even though it was overcast, the rays of the sun were intense....

What kind of camera do you have? It could be blurry because you didn't use a flash -- any time I don't use one, even if it's bright outside, the slight shake of my hand creates a blurred image.

[hotel-jewelweed.livejournal.com]

It is a humongeous beach hat which leaped into my arms and embraced me during the heat wave. I'll check when I am home as to who made it-- you might be able to get it online. :-) I am a big fan of humongeous hats.

Camera is a Casio Exilim, 7.2 megapixels. It has an anti-shake feature which I had turned on, but I had the flash off. I'd like to at least be able to take nice clear snaps.

Your pictures from Cape May were gorgeous! BTW, I too am a big fan of Millay! Have you read her biography, Savage Beauty by Nancy Milford? I thought it was quite good. Here's a review: http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2001/09/06/poet/

[trillian-stars.livejournal.com]

I too love large, floppy sunhats!

And I have the Milford biography of Millay. I find biographies of poets somewhat problematic, because I'd so much rather see them through their poetry, without having them dissected through a 21st century biographer's gaze. Millay's poetry gives one such a living, breathing image of who she was, it's hard to see some of the mystery and beauty of her life removed. Generally, I love biographies... particularly of the old stage actors of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kyle gave me Milford's biography of Zelda, which I'm really looking forward to reading. Have you read it?

[hotel-jewelweed.livejournal.com]

I read it quite a long time ago and would love to reread it.

Old stage actors of the 19th and early 20th centuries? Let me know what you have found that is good. I would love to find good biographies of Sarah Bernhardt, Lily Langtry, Ellen Terry, etc.

If you like Colette (somehow I suspect you do...), you might like Secrets of the Flesh by Judith Thurman. I feel though as you do about Millay's biographies when it comes to Colette-- nobody writes better about her than she does herself. Who needs anything else? Still, Thurman's book is quite good.

self portrait

[d-roneous.livejournal.com]

A star is born:-) But I must have had one too many glasses of wine for the enlarged image is a bit fuzzy. Prqactice makes perfect.
D-Roneous

Re: self portrait

[hotel-jewelweed.livejournal.com]

Actually it was fuzzy before you enlarged it. I really do need to practice!

Re: self portrait

[d-roneous.livejournal.com]

By the way, how's my user pic look--can you tell what it is"?

Re: self portrait

[hotel-jewelweed.livejournal.com]

At first I thought it was your ass crack (there is an edge at the bottom of the pic where you are resting on some sort of surafce I think) but now I can see it is one of your cuttings. A sun with rays coming from it?

My icons are a mix of the whimsical. Lately a lot of Eva Green and Amanda Palmer. :-)

Re: self portrait

[d-roneous.livejournal.com]

LOL No, you're right. That's not my ass crack:-) Yes, it is my thigh branding-primative sun.

Re: self portrait

[hotel-jewelweed.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, that was where you put it! Yay!