12 Days of Gladness: December

December 2012: This is a local tree farm. I thought this was a fitting picture - naked and de-robed Christmas trees come down on 6th January.

Also, I thought I'd show you the fun I had with our tree and my new lens! I got a nifty fifty, which I'm having fun with, using the wide apertures I can't get with my Sigma.

photo geekery: Christmas day heart bokeh, but of course. I first saw it on Pinterest, and had to try it (even before I saw Erin from Predictions for the Past had done the same thing). Just make sure your template is small enough, and pull your camera out of focus. It does work, honestly.

12 Days of Gladness: November

November: Beautiful, beautiful Philly in the fall!

12 Days of Gladness: October

October 2012: Pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin.

October 2012: The month of the pumpkin. America loves the pumpkin. I already stated that it should be the national fruit.

But I'm not the only one who noticed the prevalence of the pumpkin this year. New York Magazine declared that pumpkin is 'the new bacon' despite being distinctly unappetizing. NPR called out Starbucks for not using real pumpkin in their Pumpkin Spice Latte, which fits because a research group discovered that the prevalence of pumpkin beverages increased 400 per cent since 2007 (but very few contain actual pumpkin).

Over here on the Glad Blog we celebrated the Glad Blog Octoberfest where pumpkin was king. Have a look back over the pumpkin chucking, pumpkin beer tasting, and pumpkin carving.

photo geekery: In camera, I used white balance shift to enhance the orange in this photo. Out of camera I increased the definition slightly.

12 Days of Gladness: September

September 2012: Corn.

By September we were surrounded by corn - the American life fuel. I started to miss certain UK foods, but otherwise had a wonderfully rustic month.

Photo geekery: When I hand my camera to somebody else, as I did in this photo, I make the manual settings and hope my partner will get me in focus. It'd be easier to let my husband shoot in Auto but I'm slowly teaching him camera functions - I'm not even sure he knows he's learning!

12 Days of Gladness: August

August 2012: Hope Solo, part of the Olympics US Womens' Soccer team, just before they earned their gold medals

In August I flew back to the motherland to attend the London Olympics.

I had the strange feeling of being a British foreigner in my own country. But it was a fantastic experience, and especially so rooting for the US Womens' Soccer team in the Gold medal match. I've never felt so proud to be British, American (kind of) and a woman all at once. 

It was an inspiring event. I was particularly inspired by Candice Neethling, who came last in the Women's Mountain Biking event, but I was also inspired by the optimism, excitement and organization that London and the UK exuded during the Games.

Photo geekery: I didn't take my DSLR to London, although the challenge of taking photos of the Games would have been great fun. This was taken on a point and shoot camera.

12 Days of Gladness: July

July 2012: A shot from the local July 4th Parade.

What could be more American than a rural July 4th parade? 

July was a turning point for me. I emigrated in June, but it wasn't until July I learned that expatriation takes longer than I expected; that there are no hard and fast rules on how long it takes to adjust; and that expats need to just let go and go with the flow.

A few days before I flew out to the USA, I found out about the changes to the UK Immigration requirements. Honestly, it felt like a real gotcha. 

When we got engaged in 2009 we carefully considered what would be the best course of action for our transatlantic relationship. We ultimately decided that the USA would be the best move, but knew the option of moving back to the UK would always be open to us - or so we thought.

I'll admit that over the past few months there have been times when we have second-guessed our decision. I'll be sad if the UK doesn't overturn these harsh immigration rules. I think it's bad policy. 

Regardless, we're going to be here in the USA for a long while to come: In a few years I'll be able to apply for US citizenship so I'll be a dual Brit/American. Back in July I certainly celebrated Independence Day like a true American should. I'm getting into the American groove, and next year (tomorrow!) I'm going to keep discovering more about this strange and fascinating culture.  

Photo geekery:  I've read that every lens has a 'sweet spot' - the best aperture for crisp, sharp photos. For the Sigma I have, I think it's f/7.1, but I usually shoot on f/5.6.

12 Days of Gladness: June

June 2012: A huge month for Britain, and a huge month for me! The Queen celebrated a long tenure. The Olympic torch did its tour of the country, and so did I, before I hopped over the pond for good.

This photo was taken in Edinburgh after a Jubilee weekend spent with old friends. It sums up part of my mixed identity: I was born in England, and grew up in Scotland, and now I live in the USA.

The Sigma 80-200m lens is really useful for city photography because you can zoom into rooftop details, or catch little moments far away. I probably should have used spot metering here, as the sky is very washed out (in truth Scottish sky is often totally overcast in white or grey and that poses lighting challenges). 

Here's a bonus photo of the same weekend in Edinburgh. Both Edinburgh and London have this wonderful sense of history and present occupying the same place. You can get lost in winding cobbled streets of tall buildings practically built on top of each other, squeezed in as tight as can be. But the old towns are mixed up with newer builds and shiny store fronts: Beautiful and unusual cities.

I know said I'd only do one per month, but my husband is a fan of this photo, probably because it adheres to the classic rule of thirds, making it aesthetically pleasing to the eye.