Digital Illustration!

I've really been wanting to play around with creating digital illustrations for use as button designs in my (soon to be) Etsy shop.  I'm still working out the kinks, like making the edges smoother instead of all jaggedy.  Here's my first one!  Enid from Ghost World!

I'd love to hear your feedback and welcome any and all tips you can give me on creating digital illustrations.  I'm super excited to make more!!!

**********UPDATE**********

I redit the whole design and I think I worked out the kinks I was having trouble with!  Yay!!!

I also added a bit of subtle color to the whole textured palette as well.  Let me know what you guys think!

I Like Turtles

I don't know about you, but I absolutely 100% LOVE turtles!  I've always been one to stop and help them cross the road, and I always get super excited when I find them while hiking and such.  I think most people would be excited to see the ocean while visiting a little town along the Gulf of Mexico, but I get excited about something else.  The park.  They've got a nice little walking trail that winds around a pond and through a wooded area, and the pond is packed FULL of turtles.  I always take a little packet of bread to feed to the seagulls and ducks, and that ends up bringing all the turtles swimming up to see what's going on.  They'll actually come close enough to eat out of your hand!

As I was sitting under the little pier taking photos, this little Grackle wandered pretty close and I was able to snap a photo.  

I was using a zoom lens to take these photos, but this particular seagull let me get about 2 feet away to take this picture.  I love it when animals sit still for photos :)

Not only are the turtles and birds at this park super friendly, but so are the squirrels...which are another of my favorites!  These little guys will take food from your hand too :)

Hope you're having a great week!

Photo Of The Week: Earl

Earl hiding under some fabric while I cleaned the bottom level.  Such a cutie!

Happy Weekend!

FF // 1

A few things I've been eyeballing on amazon and elsewhere lately include:

1) Creative 52: Weekly Projects to Invigorate Your Photography Portfolio:  I think the content of this book would make an excellent resource for a photography project I could share as a series.  I haven't looked at this book in person yet, but from the preview I looked at on Amazon, there seem to be quite a few really neat ideas to try out!

2) Macro Photography for Gardeners and Nature Lovers: Now I didn't inherit my dads green thumb, but I am definitely a nature lover.  This would be the perfect book for me to read up on.

3) Auto Extension Tube Set: From what I've read online so far, it looks like I can achieve the extreme macro insect photos that I've been wanting to capture by attaching these guys to a 50mm lens.  I also need to invest in an external flash, because these guys drastically reduce the lighting.

4) Koolertron Camera Bag: As much as I love bringing my camera along while hiking, this is something that I really need.  I'd love to be able to have something like this that carries extra lenses, snacks, and maybe a change of clothes for camping or something.  Plus, I just need a new camera bag in general.

5) Nikon 105mm f2.8 Macro Lens: This is the Holy Grail macro lens for me that is currently somewhat out of my budget, so it's going to be something I definitely save up for and maybe buy myself for my birthday in December.  The photos I've seen online taken with this lens are amazing.

Have a great weekend!

Rockport Wildlife: Black & White

I don't usually edit my photos in black & white because I'm obsessed with color, but I played around with it a bit on a few of the photos I took while in Rockport, and I actually liked these particular ones a lot better in black & white!  

Do you ever edit your photos in black & white?

Movie Snack: Zucchini Fries

While browsing yummy recipes recently, I came across a simple baked zucchini fries recipe and thought it would make a perfect movie snack!  It's healthier than frying, and they turned out to be reeeally good.

I used a recipe that I found on The Comfort of Cooking. There are lots of great recipes there so definitely check it out!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 medium Zucchini sliced in strips
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 Tbs Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 and spray baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In one bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Place flour in a second bowl.  Place bread crumbs, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a third bowl.  Set aside.
3. Dip Zucchini sticks in flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture and coat evenly. (This gets pretty messy by the way!) Place those bad boys on the baking pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  I served mine with marinara, but use whatever dip you like!

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION:

Probably my favorite performance by Leo EVER!  This movie is amazing-unless you're offended by sex, drugs, and profane language...in which case you might wanna opt for something else!

Rent it and watch now by clicking HERE

Add it to your collection and buy it HERE!

iPhoneography Monday // 1

After a much needed vacation, I'm back home and excited to kick off my new blogging schedule with photos from my iPhone!

1) Brando looks super grumpy....I think I might have woken him up.

2) A few of my things in a corner of my desk.  Chelsea Cain books (I haven't gotten the first one in hardback yet.  Ooops!  ET of course, and my Ferris Bueller marker holding mug :)

3) I can't get enough of these guys.  If I could go back in time, I would totally be a Monty Python groupie.

4) The latest rat cage setup.  I love the way the checkered fabric looks in there :)  

My Kingsnake Nayner and a Red Ear Slider turtle that we rescued from the middle of the road at my mom's house.

I LOVE this photo of the snail from our back porch one morning.

Do any of you guys use Instagram regularly?  I'd love to check out your photos!  You can find me HERE!

Blog Makeover: The Changes Ahead

A mating pair of Monarch Butterflies we spotted at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

After much contemplation, and reading through Elsie and Emma's Blog Life e-course these past couple of days, I've come to the conclusion that I am going to make a few changes in the content and delivery of the blog.  I'm not quite sure where my blog currently falls as far as categories go, but I'd like to focus more on my photography in particular.  I'm still going to be sharing photos of my Etsy shop progress (I promise it will be open at some point), my latest movie obsessions, and what's going on in my life (including recipes and reptile care).

I'm currently in the process of planning a blog calendar and deciding on a schedule for posts, so it may be a little while longer before I'm back to blogging on a regular basis.

Is there anything in particular (photography related or not) that you'd like to see on Oh Rocky!?  I mentioned in a comment that I would be sharing a few blog design tips/tutorials at some point as well, so if there's anything specific you'd like to know how to do please let me know!

I'm ready to get back into the swing of things guys, and I'm super excited about the new changes I'm going to be experimenting with :)

Hope you're all having a fantastic week!

P.S.  What do you think of my new blog design?

Insect Adventures: Paper Wasps

I removed this little Paper Wasp nest from the drive through window at work recently, and took a couple of photos to share.  Let me start by saying that I don't normally go around destroying insect nests.  I like them and tend to leave them alone.  However, this particular nest was going to be destroyed regardless of my opinion; so I decided to take advantage of the situation and use the opportunity to *FINALLY* start my insect collection.

I've been wanting to start an insect collection for a really long time, and I even purchased all of my equipment sometime last year.  I seemed to always forget to bring along my collection jar when I was away from the apartment though, so now that I have an actual backyard-I don't have any excuses not to get out there and start collecting.

Something else that has always interested me is insect macro photography.  I'm saving up for a few additions to my camera gear, and am going to seriously start working on taking better photos.  I can't decide if I want to go ahead and get a Nikon 40mm f2.8 or save for a LOT longer and get a 90mm or 105mm.  As far as the extreme macro goes, it looks like I finally need to get a 50mm lens and a set of extension tubes.  I have a lot of pros and cons research to do, so I'm going to get back on that :)  Hope you're all having a great week!