What My Camera Sees

Amateur Photography Sideblog. Expect a lot of plants, general nature shots, my cat, and pictures of me that were probably taken by my Dad.

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c. 2025

Kubota Garden, Earth Day.

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c. 2024

Yeowgi, the pygmy moondust griffin by Darkwood Fantasy Creatures. I recently adopted this floof for the very reasonable price of money, having wanted a high quality, possible art doll for ages, and I must say, I love my cat, Phantom, but Yeowgi is much more cooperative in front of a camera. Here we are practicing our Dramatic Pet Portraits. Ooo, drama lighting!

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c. 2024

Finally got around to playing with the lighting tips from the last class I took and my new studio lights. I need practice, but for a first time effort, I'm pretty pleased.

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c. 2024

Low key still life of bob cat skull and hellebore. Having fun playing with different light sources, colours, and shadows.

The bob cat undoubtedly died of natural causes, as the skull was found in the middle of the woods.

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"A tiny little taste of belladonna

Just a hint of henbane in the wine

All you acolytes of aconitum

Hemlock in the honey is divine"

- Leslie Hudson, 'Hemlock in the Honey'

c. 2022

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c. 2022

My county banned fireworks this year. I was briefly hopeful that I’d actually get sleep as a result.

Clearly, I have too much faith.

Happy National Insomnia Day, America!

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“I want to dream like Mrs. Butler Dreams”

- Leslie Hudson, ‘Haunting the House’

c. 2022

Photoshoot inspired by the song “Haunting the House” by Leslie Hudson.  It’s the first set done based on the songs from her album “Hemlock, Honey, and Crows”.

Costume Details:

Arda Wigs - Grace, light copper

Historical Emporium - Gibson Girl blouse, Ladies Edwardian Suit Navy, and Brianna Ladies Cotton Nightgown

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c. 2022

Along with the lanterns, there were image projections on the pavement in the ‘garden’ section. The fact it was raining gave the effect of them being foiled stickers.

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c. 2022

I wasn’t able to get the sorts of shots I really wanted of this once since my party was deciding to zoom along in a less photo friendly manner all of a sudden, but it had to be at least ten feet high and twenty feet long.

Maybe longer.

It was truly impressive.

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c. 2022

Wild Lights at Woodland Park Zoo. Not a step by step of the entire cycle, but I didn’t want to kill everyone’s dashes that badly. Somehow the final baby reminds me of the Dracs from the “Enemy Mine” movie...even though I’ve not seen that since the ‘80s. Not quite sure why...

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c. 2022

Wild Lights at Woodland Park Zoo. The eyes on these guys were amazing! I mean, I get that they’re painted, and photorealism is a thing, but it’s always so, so impressive! I took close ups of every eye I could manage.

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c. 2022

Wild Lights at Woodland Park Zoo. Dinosaur lanterns. Because dinosaurs.

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c. 2022

Wild Lights at Woodland Park Zoo. Floral lanterns.

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c. 2022

Wild Lights at Woodland Park Zoo. Absolutely amazing Chinese lantern display. Best part? It was a rainy night in the middle of the week, so we just about had the place to ourselves.

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c. 2021

Mushrooms in my neighbor’s yard.

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c. 2021

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c. 2021

The first picture was a classic portrait, lightened with age, stern faced and solemn as such things tended to be. The consecutive pictures were all clearly posed, the figure looking at the camera, but you could see the room behind him in each one and, in some, a halo around him. Even the last picture, which was in colour.

“Phantom photographs were very popular in the era of seances. It’s all tricks, of course. Double exposures and such, the Photoshop of the era.”

It was a reasonable explanation, but standing in the drafty manor house, listening to the floorboards creak as if someone was walking on them, one had to wonder...

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After taking a silly little ‘who would you be in a period drama’ test and getting ‘The Manor Ghost’, my cousin and I went to Thornwood Manor for a silly, super informal photo shoot, then I played with the results.

For more of his pictures, see taywoodq on Instagram