When you're....

smilin'..... The whole world smiles with yoooouuuuuuu...

He's Gonna Be a Star

This kid is so dramatic and expressive I swear he's going to have to be on Broadway just to utilize all that talent!

Jumpin' In With Both Feet

First off- this is a picture I took a month or so ago, BUT I wanted to put something in on this challenge so this is what ya get.

When Rachel started this challenge I joined because I wanted to get outside of my photography box. I wanted it to be "fun" again. I've never really done stills/landscape so I thought it would be a great way to start challenging myself. This photo reminds me that before the challenge I wouldn't have tried to take this shot. Rachel/ this blog pushed me to try at other things. So while I KNOW that I'm still not good at landscapes (and realize this is a boring shot, but thought it would be great at the time- LOL) at least I know I tried. Thanks Rachel!

Eyewear

I had a lot of vision for this, my last Philly session, but due to circumstances out of my control it only lasted 20 minutes :\ . This girl also needs help with her vision - which can make photography tricky.

Tall Patriot

There were lots of things patriotic at todays parade- but for some reason this guy stood out to me. Hmmmmm.... wonder why. ;)

Creative Crayola

Crayola- giving kids everywhere limitless options for creativity.

I don't normally do black & white with color- but I think it works here. What do You think?

Fun in the Sun

Summer just isn't summer without a trip to the beach/ocean.

Straight to the Hips

That's where this all natural dessert is going. At least it tastes good, right?

They've been flagged

Just a little light reading from one of my magazines that is currently in circulation - when I have a little time on my hands.

Away

I feel like I'm cheating using two sessions in a row (and similar pics at that) but I wanted to post Something so this is what ya'll get! Once I'm caught up on my editing/sessions I promise to try and get more creative. I hope I can be forgiven ;) CC always appreciated. If anyone wants specs I can post those.

Picture of a Family

I had a family session today (a re-do, the last session was Horrible, and all my fault) and I'm happy to say we got some good results. This is not a typical portrait but I think it shows the spirit of this family and to me that's the most important part of any session. A couple more from the session can be found on my Photo Blog.

{CC} Welcomed and appreciated.

Hold Still Now...

I decided to do a challenge which I had missed - which I'm embarrassed to admit there were quite a few.

Balance.

It took me more time to set up this simple shot than any other challenge so far. Getting those rocks to stay, in the wind, not an easy feat. I have my other top two posted on my blog if you'd like to see what else I liked from the "session".

I also had so much fun at the E.ID Meetup! I was great seeing people I've known and meeting new friends! I only wish we could have done a proper session with baby Grace.

Smooth Movement

The duck in this photo displays fluid movement.

I was actually taking photos of the Falls for water (water= fluid) but the duck took off
from the side and flew into my path. I decided that was a better use of
fluid.

I did a lot to this photo in PS- well more than I normally do. There were some ugly sticks in the water that distracted from the duck and I didn't like how brown the water was so I changed those things. {CC}

ETA the Original

A Different View

My scenery has definitely changed as we've started our vacation in Idaho.

I used to visit family in Idaho when we lived in Arizona and always commented about how green Idaho was, I realized after moving to New Jersey that Idaho is indeed a desert.

I was going for moody black and white with this conversion - but I think I may have made it a little too moody ;)

{CC}

I feel pretty

One of the keys to me feeling pretty is to have my "face on". Without it I feel bllaaahhhhh.

Medium Heat

According to Wiki Jalapeño's are just a medium heat - but I think they are hot!

I was like Breezi and kept procrastinating- and my previous ideas were taken- my darling husband is actually the one who came up with this for me.

{CC}

The Running Man

I've finally gotten together the tutorial for my "running man". I've never put together one so I hope it makes sense - if anyone has any questions please ask! Sorry for the delay- my life got a little hectic! As a disclaimer these pictures that I'm using aren't the best- but they work for demonstration purposes.

Couple of tips for getting the pictures:
-Use a tripod- that way it's easier to make sure everything will line up right in the editing.
- If your subject is running/walking you want to close down your AP (higher number) so you make sure you are getting more in focus. I didn't do it and as a result (and you can see in the photos) the gate was in focus and because my son was far enough ahead of it he isn't quite sharp. It's hard to get the focus on your subject when they are running in front of you because you want to keep your camera in the same spot to make this type of composition work- and I know for me I can't change my focus points fast enough to keep up with him.
- Do several tries - just to make sure you get a good progression.

Editing:
I shoot raw so the first thing I do is look at my photos in bridge and then open all of the ones I want to open in Adobe Camera Raw. There I make sure they are all selected so that I know they will look the same with their WB and Exposure. Then I open them in PS. Then I do a general edit on each picture - on this example I turned them all B&W. Here's the photo that I want at the end of the series:
Then I drag another photo using the move tool (top tool on the left toolbar) onto this photo. It puts it on a layer on top- as you can see in the lower right on the layers menu. I lower the opacity to where I want it and try to line up the photos as best I can. So I try and make sure all the lines in the fence and sidewalk are right on top of each other. With the new photo layer selected I erase (with eraser set to 100% and a soft edge) everything but the subject. For these ones I went from darkest to lightest (right to left) so this one still had a high opacity.
Then I dragged two more photos and did the same thing as described above - now I have four boys on four layers. Each with varying opacity and all but the first layer with just the boy showing.
Then I just flatten the image (ctrl+E) and do my finishing edits. For this I fixed the shadow and did some sharpening as I had already changed to b&w. Then I changed size and saved for web and you're done!

All alone

This is one flower out of many on the tree right outside my front door.

{CC}

Coloring Eggs

(1/250, f/2.8, ISO 200 - Flash Bounced off ceiling)

Every Easter we color eggs- it's been fun to do it with my kids the past couple years.

Giant Lincoln Logs

This park near our home always reminds me of a giant size version of Lincoln logs. I had this as a straight b&w then I added texture and vignetting.