It's Just Jenn

The Winding Drive

2011-04-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I take a lot of my pictures on the way to or from work lately. I suppose it is because that is where I spend at least 2 hours of my day. Well, on the way home, I pass this house with a long winding drive way. It has large trees lining the way. It makes it even more special looking. I would love to take pictures so someone playing among the trees....

It's Raining in NC

2011-04-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

It is raining here in NC. Horrible storms. We had power knocked out two or three times last night and wind whipped through the house. I am hoping that tonight is much calmer, because I can use a nice, quiet night's rest.

I took these images at a stop light. I usually hate the rain while driving, but if I can get cool pictures because of it I think we can make friends with each other.

Yes - Those ARE Chickens

2011-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

So these aren't great pictures, but sometimes you just have to take pictures for the sake of taking pictures and this was one of those times.

One thing I have noticed since we moved into our house is everyone out here has chickens. Our neighbors have chickens - well actually it's a rooster which doesn't know whether it's night or day because the damn thing crows NONSTOP - and the business down the road has chickens.

Here is my proof...

And apparently I was on camera while I took those pictures... Oh well...

A good mouse

2011-03-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

A good mouse is worth a thousands clicks. At work I use a sleek wireless mouse. It is small and black and zips all around my two computer screens. At home, I use what we call "a tank." However, I love my tank just the same. They both work great for me. They both are reliable are get the job done. And would make my work life 100% harder without them!

Bacon and falling off the wagon

2011-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the truth I took the picture of "The Indian" almost a week ago and then I suffered from some bad migraines over the weekend and Monday. And like all habits, once you break them they are hard to get back into the swing of things. So I have maybe two people who are keeping me on track with things (and I thank you both for that!), and yesterday I got back on track with the goal not to fall off the wagon again.

So without further ado... everything is better with BACON :)

The Indian

2011-03-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

As you enter my best friend's house you walk past "The Indian." There is humorous story that involves beer and a bet as to how "The Indian" came to be a part of their family.

Move your feet...

2011-03-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a few of our friends over for dinner. When I got up to clear a few plates, take a look at who sat down in my place...

Little Ma'am. Ofcourse I had to go and grab my camera quickly to snap I quick picture. Doesn't she just look enthralled in the conversation? The funniest part is each time I got up after that she would hop up in my seat. I guess the saying "Move your feet, lose your seat" holds true in our household.

Imperfection

2011-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

So many different things ran thru my head when I saw this prompt on Ashley Sisk's list for her Scavenger Hunt Sunday list... Honestly, the first thing I did was start picking myself part. Am I brave enough to post a picture of my face without make up on? Maybe some other time. Should I take a picture of my crooked toes? I should really touch up my nail polish first. And then I walked into the kitchen and I passed the bowl with the fruit in it. My first inspiration was the bananas because they were going bad. But it really isn't their fault that they aren't in their best shape anymore. So I looked to the "cuties" or what most of the world calls a clementine. According to most people's definitions, a clementine is supposed to be small and round in a deep orange color. Well, my poor clementine was more squatty, oval with indentations. And the poor thing has green spots on it, which unfortunately are should up as black spots in this picture. Oh well, it is "imperfect."

But then again, if I ever came across the "perfect" anything in life I'd probably stick it in a museum because that is where a perfection belongs...

Wedding Shoes

2011-03-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

I got married on the sandy Gulf of Mexico in Fort Myers, Florida, so shoes were no necessary. In fact, foot wear was optional for all guests :) I did however buy a pair of strappy heals to wear to diner afterwards. Like my wedding dress, my wedding shoes have not been wore since my wedding. Maybe I should put them on when I am cleaning my house? I have heard that it works that calves to clean in heals...

Field Trip to Trader Joe's

2011-03-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I love me some Trader Joe's. Not only does the store have some WONDERFUL food to eat - if you go you MUST try the mandarin orange chicken - but the store is full of such beautiful colors that each time I go in there, I think "gee, I wish I had my camera with me."

Well, since I am doing my Lent-A-Day Photo Challenge I was extra inspired to snap away.

Migraines....

2011-03-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have had headaches non-stop for the past two weeks. On Sunday, it hit the peak and I was down for the count. I spent all day in bed with a cold compress on my forehead and I only got up to take pills. Hence, the picture of the day reflects exactly this.

Day at the SPCA

2011-03-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Miss A and I got to spend some time Saturday with her Girl Scout troop at the local SPCA. The girls got to learn a bit about the animals that come into the shelter and how to easily make pet toys from items we have around the house. We also learned that we can go back to the SPCA anytime we want to so can we can have cuddle time with the kittens and puppies.

I don't play guitar

2011-03-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

If you ask me, I will never tell you that I play the guitar. I will tell you that I "mess

around" on the guitar.

I can't play a full song and I am a plucker, not a strummer.

I prefer to play on a classical guitar verses a regular guitar or an electric, although we do have all three at the house. (Side note: My husband tends to play on electric guitar the most with "Mr. Amp" which is a Fender Princeton 65 Amp).

Day 2

2011-03-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

On the way home I wanted to stop and take pictures of the sky. It was so wicked looking thanks to the thunderstorms we had just had. The calm after the storm. I called my husband and told him about it and he was able to capture some beautiful pictures while I was stuck in my car driving in the evil 5 o'clock traffic admiring the sky wishing there was an easy way for me to pull off the road and get a picture with my purse camera. So instead of showing you a picture of the odd looking sky, I get to show you a picture of the beautiful Miss Luna Little, also known as Miss Ma'am.

Lent-A-Day Challenge

2011-03-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Confession time: I have hit a creative wall and I can’t get around it. It has been there since I got “laid off.” I have felt unworthy. Like I am just not good enough to create anything worth showing the world. It’s not that I haven’t taken pictures, because I have. I just have not posted them or edited them. I have kept them locked away on my memory card and on my hard drive where no one can see them.

I am honestly scared. Scared of what people will say once they see my work. Scared that I am no longer “good enough” or as good as I thought I was or as good as I once was. All of my ideas that I once had, just aren’t coming to me. And I know the longer I am “out of practice” the harder it will be to “jump back into the saddle,” but somehow that hasn’t motivated me to pick up my camera.

Until today that is… when I was sitting at my desk at work trying to think about what I was giving up for lent. Most Catholics choose to "torture" themselves by giving up pop or chocolate which is super hard for them for the next 40 days.

But for me, I am going to use this time to get back into the swing of things. So for the next 40 days, I will take a picture every day. Not only will I get back into my picture taking habit, but hopefully it will make me start thinking creatively again.

Be sure to stop by every now and then to see how I am doing. After all someone has to keep my accountable :)

Memories, Dreams and Reflections...

2011-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

Life for me has been a whirlwind since the beginning of the year. We closed on our house and we moved; I have been packing and unpacking boxes; and then I lost my job, so I am job hunting non-stop. Needless to say, my mind cannot stop going. Today, my dear, sweet husband has asked me to take a break from things and try to relax. This is just not in my vocabulary, but I am giving it an honest try for the rest of the day. It has given me a good chance to FINALLY post all my pictures for the Memories, Dreams and Reflections Challenge that Ashley Sisk hosted. Better late, than never right?

Me!

So here I am. I took this image one day before I started work, just messing around with my camera phone. Isn't it amazing the pictures you can get with those things these days?

I Love You

This is my husband doing what he loves - fishing. I took this picture when we were on our summer vacation to my house on Banker's Lake in Michigan. I am afraid he doesn't really look much like this anymore, since he is now sporting a set of chops on his face. I have yet to get a good picture of him with them, but I will one of these days.

Still Laughing...

Here is Little Ladybug on her birthday. Once she opened this bear, she would not stop jumping on it and loving it. She was very possessive over her new friend. Looking at this picture just makes me laugh remembering how she reacted to him.

Winter Wonderland

We have had a lot of snow here in NC this past year. It is crazy when you think about it. As I am sitting her typing this, Miss A is off school on a "snow day." This picture is from the snowfall that occurred mid-February.

Birthday

There were many fun birthday memories this year, but this is one of my favorite birthday pictures. I just love how Booger's cheeks are all puffed blowing out his candles and if you look in the background you can see his friends all helping him too :)

Friends

A friend of mine is getting married this May at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, NC. This past May we all took a trip there to do a wine tasting and just tour the grounds. This is a picture of her and her bridemaids that I took. They have all been friends forever and I just love how it turned out. I will always remember the day and the fun we had.

I Was Inspired...

Little Ladybug always inspires me. She is just too cute and smiles come so easy.

Spring Fever

Travel or Vacation

This summer while we were at Banker's Lake Miss A learned how to kneeboard! I was so proud of her. I must of snapped a dozen pictures of her while she was out there riding around the lake. I know it doesn't look like she is having a fun time, but I swear she was!

Summer Days

Living in the middle of NC, we are pretty close to the ocean which makes day trips pretty easy. After a day at the aquarium, we stopped at the beach so Miss A could play in the sand a bit before we started our trek home.

A Day In My Life

I've shared this picture before. This used to be a daily thing for Mr. Miso and I. I would put on my makeup as I got ready for work and he would sit on the sink and watch me. Unfortunately, the sink at house is not nearly as big, so he no longer is able to sit there and watch me.

All Smiles

This is Miss A's real smile. It is hard to capture it most days, as she is in the "I don't like my picture being taken" stage of her life.

Autumn Harvest

The leaves on the trees took a long time to change colors this year, so I couldn't get any really good pictures of Miss A with the pretty colors in the background. If you look real hard you can see the colors reflecting in the lake.

Family

This is my grandma and Aunt Nina. They are two of the most influential women in my life. They are so strong and wonderful. I wish they lived closer to us...

Celebrate!

My SIL and her fiance got married this year! It was a small, but sweet ceremony. This is one of the pictures that I captured right after they were announced husband and wife. They are just too cute together.

Let's Do It Again... & I Miss You

My mom turned 50 this past year and my sister and I threw her a "surprise" party. The largest surprise of them all was that her three sisters all flew down from up north to celebrate with us. Because the family is all in separate states now, it is very rare that we are all in the same place at the same time. It is super hard because at one time we all seen each other weekly. I know that picture isn't the best, but you can just tell from the smiles on everyone's faces what a great time we were having...

Beautiful & Dress Up

Another one of Little Ladybug. This is her all dressed up before her dedication at church. My little muse...

Macro

Holidays

The only Christmas shot I got of Miss A this year. It is kinda sad when I think about it. That partly has to do with the fact that we didn't put up a Christmas tree and I wasn't really in the spirit.

My Favorite

This is another shot of my SIL's wedding. It is one of my favorites from that day. I took this as they were walking to the ceremony. They were both so calm and just taking in every moment.

Don't Ever Change

There are certain things of Miss A I would like to change, like the attitude she is developing and the fact that she is an utter slob (she really is), but for the most part I really don't want her to change. I love her just the way she is :)

Just Because...So There!

This is Shadow hiding in one of our moving boxes. And no I didn't Photoshop in her tongue or the fact that our moving boxes were from the ABC store :)

Hopes and Dreams
There are so many hopes and dreams that I have for 2011. Right now the main things on my mind are to find a job and to get our house organized and not have boxes and bags everywhere. If I were to put a lofty dream out there, it would be to upgrade my camera to a Canon, perhaps to a T2i. Like I said, it is a dream... But who knows, maybe by next year at this time I will be posting my first pictures with one???

The Paper Mama Challenge: Family

2010-12-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

I was doing so well with my participating in a challenge a week... and then our router broke. And all of a sudden I couldn't get online with my laptop and I was all off balance. But now I am back in business, I think. I just need to get back in the groove.

So my first order of business is to post my picture for The Paper Mama's Weekly Challenge. This week it is to post a picture of your family. This was not an easy task for me to do. I have so many pictures to choose from. Do I go with your typical family shot? Something staged, where everyone is looking at the camera? NOPE! Not even close! In fact if my Aunt Patti finds out that I posted this picture she is likely kill me... hehehe.

This picture is from my mom's 50th birthday party and it just makes me smile when I look at it. My Aunt Patti was teaching Miss A how to do "the bump" as we were all dancing around the living room during the party. I just could not help grabbing my camera and capturing the moment on forever.

For more Family pictures, head on over to The Paper Mama :)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2010-12-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

It's time for Scavenger Hunt Sunday with Miss Ashley Sisk (sorry, I spelled you name wrong last Sunday Ashely). I almost didn't get my pictures this week because I was down with a migraine all Saturday which is when I planned to go out and snap my pictures. I know, I know, shame on me for putting things off until the last minute, but I was REALLY busy last week with work. Luckily for my mom, sister and I went to the Carolina Christmas Show on Sunday which turned into a WONDERFUL place to capture pictures :) I even got a jump start on the December 2010 Photo Challenge List.

1. In My Home

My MIL gave us this plant when my husband and I moved in together. She started growing it when she got pregnant with my husband. It is called Drunkard's Dream because the the little segments look like little bottles. I can't wait until we move into a house and can give it a space of its own. Right now it is living in my daughter's room because we don't want our kittens to mess with it.

2. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....

I almost posted a picture I had of leaves on the ground for this picture, but then it snowed on Saturday and I thought I needed to get a bit more of a Christmas spirit :) This is from the Carolina Christmas Show. There was a little place where a bunch of Christmas trees were displayed and it was hard not to get in the holiday spirit when you seen all of them in one place.

3. Sweet Treat
Okay, you can't exactly eat this sweet treat, but I saw this table scape at the Christmas show and it made me smile. It was a Dr. Seus theme with a center piece full of bubble gum and these mint topiaries with lolly pops! So beautiful! I almost posted a picture of it fully colored, but then decided to do a selected color one. I only wish the lolly pop on the topiary was a colorful one.

4. Time

So my grand idea for time was a table full of watches, but ofcourse there wasn't one. The closest thing I could find at the Christmas show was some watches that were hanging. Bonus points since they aren't all showing the same time?

5. Everyday

Every morning Miso, our little boy kitten, sits on the bathroom counter and watches me as I fix my hair and put on my make up. He has done this since we first got him. He is my little shadow in the morning :)

The Paper Mama Challenge : Black & White

2010-11-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

I think I am on a roll with the photo challenges :) Either that or I am just inspired right now. My plans are to try my best to enter one photo challenge or at least post one photo that I have taken a week. Can you all - if there is anyone out there actually reading this blog - try to hold me to this? Hopefully, I will be able to keep this up through 2011 and my photography and composition skills will grow.

So this post is dedicated to The Paper Mama's Weekly Challenge. Her theme for the week is "Black and White." I don't know if I have already said this, but I love turning photos into black and white. I think it makes a good photo really stand out and it can disguise things in a photo that you didn't necessarily like.

This picture is one of my favorites of that I took of Little Ladybug while we were at the Christmas parade. She didn't keep her Minnie Mouse hat on for very long, but she looked so cute while she kept it on!

Be sure to sure head on over The Paper Mama and check out some other stunning Black and White shots from a lot of talented photographers!

November Photo Hunt Challenge

2010-11-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

There is a monthly photo hunt challenge that I found thanks to Miss Sisk. She mixes in some of the prompts into her Sunday Scavenger Hunts.

There were 10 different things to photograph for November. I think I got all of them. They may not be my best works, but I accomplished them and that is what I wanted to do. It is an accomplishment, none the less....

1. Home Sweet Home

Okay, so I don't have a picture for this one. I really wanted to put a picture of my husband's feet up. But I never got around to taking one :(

2. Thankful

I am thankful for family. Even if they won't sit still long enough to give me a decent picture. This is a picture of Miss A, my cousin and my sister. They are all goof balls and no matter how many pictures I snapped of them, I could not get one with all of them looking at the me with smiles on their faces! So much for a "Family" picture!

3. Family

Here is some of my family - The family that is that came down for Thanksgiving that is. And really the only way I could get a picture of all of them is when they were sitting down eating. The only other member that was missing was my Aunt Nina who was also taking a picture of the group of us :)

4. I Ate This - Thanksgiving Edition

This is our spread for Thanksgiving. We are not a formal family. We are more a "Come and get it!" family.

5. A Turkey

Here is our turkey on Thanksgiving. This wasn't pretty, but man it was yummy. I almost didn't get a picture because my dad was in a rush to cut it up.

6. Something Hand-Made

This dress was made by Cakelady for Little Ladybug to wear on her 1st birthday. I swear there isn't much that Cakelady can't do! She is super talented!

7. Something Hot

What isn't hotter than some Dunkin Donuts coffee on a cold fall day? And it was yummy too! This is one of camera phone pictures :)

8. Something Cold

This is the infamous Little Ladybug. We were all a bit cold on the morning of the Christmas parade, hence her super cute Minnie Mouse hat! I actually entered this photo into The Paper Mama's Black and White Challenge and she picked it as one of her favorite photos! This is the first pictures I have ever taken that has ever been awarded anything, so I am really happy about that!

9. Something Orange

My "Something Orange" was an orange car featured in the Raleigh Christmas Parade.

10. Anything Goes (Any photo you take in November!)

One of my favorite pictures from this November... Miss A and my grandma playing with some legos during her visit here to NC. It a special moment that am glad I was able to capture on "film."

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2010-11-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

I am not quite sure how I stumbled upon Ashley Sisk's site called Ramblings and Photos, but if you haven't ever seen her photos she is AWESOME! I wish I was as dedicated a photographer as she is... maybe in 2011?!? Each week she puts up a new list of items for people to look for and photograph each week and each week I tell myself I am going to find all the items and photograph them. I have been doing this for over a month now, and you can see how many times I have posted on Sunday with my items... ZERO!!! So this Sunday, even though I am short one item, I am going to post my photos. I blame the fact that my family is down...

1. Black and White

I love turning photos black and white. This photo, however, I must admit I ended up taking with the "black and white" setting on my camera photo. I find that lately, since my phone comes with a "8 mega pixel camera" on it, there are times when I can get away with taking pictures with it and do a bit of minor editing in PhotoShop and actually be pleased with how things turn out. Don't get me wrong, I won't be turning in my DSLR anytime soon, but when I need to snap a quick picture and my phone is handy, I find that it will do the trick.

2. I Ate This

This is another picture from my phone :) Something I ate this week... SUSHI :)

3. Historic

Okay, this is the picture that stumpled me. Let's just pretent that I had picture up here of historic car, which I thought I might of taken at the Christmas Parade (but, obviously I didn't). Or some lovely historic landmark that we took my family by while they were visiting us here in wonderful NC.

4. Off Center

I took this picture of Miss A while we were at her Girl Scout adventure at Umstead State Park. My cousin joined us for the afternoon of cabin clean up and turtle hunting. It was wonderful having her along and Miss A loved being able to spend the extra time with her older cousin.

5. The End

So I had two different pictures lined up for this prompt. One was the end of the Christmas Parade (a.k.a. Santa) and the other, as you can see above, is my chihuahua's bum. Honestly, this one makes me smile more, so this is the one I choose.

Be sure to visit Ashley's site and see what creative picture's others came up with this week :) Oh and she is also hosting a give away for one of her beautiful pictures, so enter for that too!

Love That Shot - Link-Up - Nov 11th

2010-11-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

There are so many shots from Little Ladybug's first birthday party that could choose from for this week's Link-Up over at Love That Shot! I took almost 200 pictures that day :) I cannot wait to make some series photos out of her smash cake!

I ended up choosing this picture because of how fascinated Ladybug became with her new teddy bear after she pulled it from the bag. Just look at her face. She has not let anyone near that bear since. She loves her new pal and I LOVE THIS SHOT :)

For more great pictures from talent photographers, head on over to Love That Shot.

The Paper Mama Challenge: Food

2010-11-11T03:27:00.001-08:00

Little Miss Ladybug turned one last week. It is a bittersweet event thinking about it. How can she possibly be getting this big this quickly?!? On Sunday, we celebrated with an Owl themed birthday party (Look WHOOO's Turning 1). There were so many pictures for me to choose from for The Paper Mama's Food Challenge. Should I go with a picture of when we placed the cake in front of her? Should I go with a picture when she was first just getting into the cake? Or should I go with a picture where she was all into it - you know the one, where the cake is smeared all over, but it is still cute, because well, Little Miss Ladybug is one?

In the end, I decided to go with the picture below, because she has this sweet little smile on her face that I feel in love with. I hope you like it.

I Heart Faces - Fix-It Friday #77

2010-11-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone. I am multi-tasking this Friday night :) As I am watching the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Florida Panthers (LET'S GO CANES!), I am working on my Fix-It Friday photo. Can I tell you it it is a wonderful way for me to unwind!

Here is the before photo of Michelle's lovely daughter

To get my edit, I started by cropping in to the 5" x 7" size. I then removed some of the blemishes I noticed by her chin area. Now I am ready to play with the picture.

My first edit involves sharping the image and saturating the color some.

I then decided, I would try something I have never tried before, but have been meaning to try... textures... I started by giving the image a semi-vintage look and then applied a light floral texture in the background.

These were my two fixes for the week. Be sure you check out what the other talented people have done over at I Heart Faces. They will be sure to inspire you!

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

2010-11-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

Over at About A Boy, Katrina hosted a Halloween scavenger hunt. Well, I was a bit late with my posting my pictures. But with all things, better late than never right? So here are the pictures that I meant to submit, but never got around to posting.

A black cat

Striped

Orange

A treat -OR- Teeth

Cute

You Are Beautiful

2010-11-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

The new book The Beauty of Different is available from Bright Sky Press and Amazon. This book has such a beautiful and powerful message. I CANNOT wait to pick up a copy for myself. From what I have seen of it, Miss A and I will be reading and looking through it together.

Also, if you haven't already checked out Karen's blog chookooloonks you should. She inspires me on a weekly basis.

I Heart Faces - Fix-It Friday #76

2010-10-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

My Friday night tradition... Fix-It Friday over at I Heart Faces. This week we were give a picture that was a bit of a challenge for me. Usually, some sort of vision comes to be right away, but this picture just didn't speak to me. I am pretty sure it is because my parents and sister have been at the beach this week enjoying the lovely Florida sun while I have been stuck dog sitting, working away... No, I am not bitter :p

Like, all my edits, I started by cropping to standard size. This time it was a vertical 8" x 10". I then adjusted the colors of the photos in PS3 in the levels palette by using the eyedropper. I clicked on various areas of the photo using the white and black eyedroppers until I was happy with how the colors looked. After turned the photo black and white and then brought some of the color back, so the image had sort of a vintage look, without looking too warm.

I hope you like it :)

Before:

After:

Be sure you head over to I Heart Faces and check out what other fixs everyone have come up with!

Love That Shot - Link Up Oct 28

2010-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

It is Link Up time over at Love that Shot :) This past Saturday, I had a lot of good camera time between Booger's 5th Birthday Party and Miss A's Girl Scout Fishing is Fun Outing. I was able to get really good pictures at both places. And because of this, I had a really hard time choosing which picture to feature.

I decided to go with the row of fishing rods the I came upon at Miss A's fishing outing. They just looked so perfect not to take a picture of!

Please be sure to stop by Love that Shot and see what else the other talented photographers have captured with their cameras this week!

I Heart Faces - Pink Week

2010-10-26T04:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't done an I Heart Faces Photo Challenge in awhile. Mostly because I haven't had a picture that fit. This week the challenge is near and dear to my heart as it is to many of you. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this week's challenge is the color pink.

Below you will find my entry, which is of not of Miss A, because Miss A does not often sport the color pink these days. This muse of mine is my best friend's daughter who I shall call Lady Bug on here :) Lady Bug never ceases to make me smile and I only pray that her and Miss A shall never suffer from breast cancer as some of my relatives and friends have. Please ladies remember to do your monthly self exams and "get squished" when the time comes.

Be sure to visit I Heart Faces and check out what the other amazing talent have captured for you!

I Heart Faces - Fix-It Friday #74

2010-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

So it is time for I Heart Faces Fix-It Friday. I almost didn't participate today because I did so much photo editing at work today. But who could resist playing with such a cute picture? I started with cropping it down and played with the colors to give it a sort of vintage look. I would've loved to play more, but it is getting late and my eyes are starting to burn. Maybe next time....

Before:

My Edit:

Love Your Shot! | Link-Up - Oct 14

2010-10-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

So my favorite picture from this week came from our trip to the Arboretum. As we were on a portion of the garden called the Sky Bridge (I think) I came across a pot with pretty red flowers. They were just too perfect not to take a picture off as they cascaded down.

I knelt down and set my camera on the Macro setting which on most DSLR's is indicated by flower symbol (how perfect) and snapped away! I got a few others of the blossom close up, but this is my favorite of the bunch.

f/8.0 | 1/200 sec. | ISO-100

Don't forget to visit Love Your Shot to see what others have done this week!

Saturday with the GS

2010-10-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Miss A and I got to spend another day with her Girl Scout troop. This time it was at the J. C. Raulston Arboretum. It is such a beautiful place. Come the spring I can't wait to take her back to see what flowers are in bloom then. During our time at the Arboretum, Miss A got to plant a flower, walk the grounds, smell a date and learn all about flowers. And I got to take roughly 100 pictures of her and her friends enjoying the day.

Love That Shot - Link Up

2010-10-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

I found "Love That Shot Link-Up" website via "I Heart Faces". Can I just tell you how much I am LOVING that site?!? It is really helping me to get back into my photography.

Unfortunately, my migraine last weekend kept Miss A and I from finishing her 11-year old photo shoot which would've been perfect for this challenge from "Love That Shot." Because of this, I was left to choose from one of the sixty-eight pictures I took that day to edit.

Which leads me to my photo tip, when taking pictures of your subjects don't be afraid take a lot of pictures! You never know when you are going to capture a little glimmer in their eyes or they are going to tilt their head just slightly to capture the light just the right way. I often start by shooting Miss A far and then zoom in slowly and she never knows the difference. After I get home I edit all the pictures down and erase what I don't want or need. No harm, no foul :)

Now, on to the picture. I shot this at a local park at roughly 3:00 in the afternoon, and the flash did not fire. As far as post production I do all my work in PhotoShop. I cropped the photo in to frame it close to her face and then I sharpened it. And finally, I created a semi-sepia look on the photo by doing a color-overlay.

The Big Sweep

2010-10-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, Miss A and I volunteered with her Girl Scout Troop to clean up a local park. My child LOVED the excuse to get to a little down and dirty. I LOVED the excused to catch a candid picture of her.

I Heart Faces - Fix-It Friday #73

2010-10-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Like most people I spend most of my days behind a computer. And while behind there, I spend about 25% of my time editing pictures. In fact, this coming week I am getting ready to have a picture editing marathon for work. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE PhotoShop, it is the computer program that helped me decide what I wanted to do for a living, but sometimes when all you do is edit pictures all day that LAST thing you want to do it play with more pictures in PhotoShop when you come home night.

Lately, however, when I see I Heart Faces Fix-It Friday Challenges come out I can't help myself. So here is my first official Fix-It Friday submission.

Before:

After:

I Heart Faces Week 38 "Smirk" Photo Challenge

2010-09-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to restart up this blog for awhile now to motivate myself to take more pictures on a daily/weekly basis. What better way to start it up than with a Photo Challenge from I Heart Faces. This week's challenge was "smirk." And oh was Miss A full them this weekend when I was trying to capture her 11 year old picture!

Double Digits

2009-09-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up before my eyes. When she first walked into my life she was just a youngin' of 6 and just a month ago she turned 10... a preteen. And let me tell you, along with the title of "preteen" an attitude came. I really shouldn't complain. I was MUCH worse at 10 than she is being, but I won't tell her that. I just hope that D and I can get the attitude in check before it gets too bad.

She is now in her last year of elementary school, instead of her first. I can remember when she was just mastering the art of reading out loud. She used to fuss at us so much when we would make her sit and read with us. Now reading is her haven. She can read Harry Potter books in just a few days. Her nose is always in a book.

I fear that my photo session days with Miss A are now coming to a close, for the time being as least. I used to dress her up on holidays and special occasions and we would spend about and hour with her posing for me. Now the response I get is, "My dad doesn't like to take pictures, so neither do I." But when she is in the mood, they turn out wonderfully! These pictures are the ones I took from her "Ten Year Old" photo shoot. I wanted to get these pictures on her birthday when she asked me to put her hair up in pigtails, but she wasn't in a smiley mood that day.

She is truly growing up before my eyes. If I could pause her like this forever I would...