A Whole New Me...

Wow. This challenge was SO hard. I have taken a picture for all of the last few challenges, but lack of time and a busy schedule hasn't allowed me a second to post. I made a promise that I would NOT miss this one...but, still managed to miss the deadline. I was very thankful for the extension!


For you to understand why I chose to take a picture of my leg muscles, you would have to know that it's been almost a year to the date that I made the decision to finally take some time for ME...to schedule time every week where my concerns didn't revolve around my kids, my husband, chores or my work. A year ago, I joined a boot camp that meets 3 times a week, and have remianed strong to my commitment. As a result, I am a whole new me...internally & externally. Since it is hard to photograph my inner changes, I took a picture of my calf muscles...which were non existant last year.

3rd TIME's a charm

This is one of my girls FINALLY enjoying a waterslide I found at a killer deal on Craigslist. SCORE....or so I thought.

I was beginning to think that this brilliant, fun, super cool "mommy" idea I had was a complete waste of time and money.

The first time we inflated it, it wouldn't even hold the weight of the water. I called the company who maked the slide, and they (to my amazement) rushed out a BRAND NEW, BETTER version of what I bought used.

The second time we inflated it, it held air very well, but the blower burnt out. For the 2nd time, my kids hearts and spirits were broken, and I went from feeling like super cool mom to the worst mom in the world in record time.

I found a replacement blower on ebay for a decent price...and got it today.

The third time we tried to have some fun with this slide...we were sucessful!

Can I just say, I am SO glad. I was about to give up...

Visions of Summer

Lots of lines...but yet, not line

Confused by my title? Let me explain...


Yesterday we went to a water park about 45 minutes from our house. The forecast called for extreme heat, so we thought...WATER PARK. I brought my camera with me because we totally thought that EVERYONE else in the Phoenix area would have had the same thought, so naturally I would see a lot of people waiting in LINE...we were wrong.


It was a ghost town...no LINES for any of the water slides...ANY. My kids were ecstatic, and went on more slides yesterday than all of our previous visits totalled.


So, I was left with taking pictures of all of the "lines" that made up the architecture of the slides...holding the areas for the people to form lines.


So, here you see lots of lines...yet no line. Wait, now I'm confused.

To see my other ideas for this challenge, please click HERE.

Heat hath no Limit

Today we reached the hottest temperature so far this summer. I couldn't think of anything for this spontaneous challenge until we went outside to hop in our pool to cool off. Imagine my surprise when the pool water was like bathwater (95 according to the thermometer) and therefore offered no refuge from the sun! I glanced up at our thermometer on the side of the house and gasped when I noticed that it was past the normal 110 - 115 reading. Yes folks, that says 126 degrees, blatant proof to me once again that desert HEAT hath no limit.

I used the "sunset" effect on the thermometer in PS to give it a "firey" look.

CC please!!

Summer Night Sunsets

Summer brings the most BEAUTIFUL summer sunsets here. They are stunning.

Everyday Beauty

EVERY DAY I drive by these mountains, and EVERY DAY I think, "Man, I wish I could get a picture of those." But, I never do, either because I don't have my camera with me or stopping would make me late for work. Thanks to this challenge...I stopped this morning. And I did take a picture of these mountains that I see (very literally) EVERY DAY. It was great. The sad thing is that this picture doesn't even scratch the surface of how breathtaking these peaks are.

* sigh *

It's no secret that I hate living in Arizona. However, seeing these mountains every day is just one of the things that make my surroundings a little more bearable to endure!

Plethora of mixed emotions

Today was my VERY FIRST photo shoot. I was so full of mixed emotions, that I could hardly contain myself. I was so excited, yet so unsure of myself, apprehensive, anxious, nervous, and giddy all at once.

Luckily, the little boy I shot was pure delight...and let me take picture after picture as I adjusted lighting, settings, and positions. The only emotion i have right now....RELIEF that I made it through AND that I managed to get quite a few good shots! (to be posted on my blog later tonight!)

CC PLEASE!!!

Family Portrait...Literally

50 mm lens, shutter - 50, Ap f 4.0, ISO 100, with flash & umbrella lighting

Today is my birthday. "All" I asked for was a home photography studio....you know, complete with a backdrop stand and umbrella lighting. Even though I really really wanted it, I didn't think I would get it...BUT...I DID! I love my husband! He is so supportive of me and my dreams!

As if that weren't enough, my dad also got me a 50 mm lens! Talk about SPOILED!

So...this weekend's challenge word was so appropriate for me, because all I've done today is take portrait pictures of my family. I love my life! As you can see, there are a LOT of things that I have to work on, such as light setup, but, I was so excited about my gifts, I didn't have the patience to get it perfect...I just wanted to play! It can only go UP from here!

Abstract

Nikon D80, 120 mm, 100 ISO, F/5.6, 1/50 shutter

Ok, seriously, I had NO IDEA what abstract meant...I actually had to google the word and look at your previous submissions to see what you did...so, this is my take on it. Still not sure it is what "abstract" means, but this is the trunk of one of our Queen Palm trees in our yard. I thought it was kind of cool.

PLEASE CC, I really struggled with this one!

If you're interested, here are the other shots I didn't choose.

The rough life of ants

I think ants have it prety hard with kids like mine constantly wrecking their homes. I was taking pictures of the desert landscape and took a picture of these ant hills ~ just for fun ~ but ended up liking it the best for this challenge. CC welcome!



To see "runner ups" please click HERE

Featured Photographer...Melanie

Sorry...don't have a picture with just me in it...this is me and my husband!

What camera do you use? A Nikon D80. It is the best thing I have ever owned!

What is your favorite photography subject? (or, what do you like to take pictures of the best?)
Funny question! 2 months ago I think I would have said my kids, although I would love love LOVE to take pictures of anyone’s kids…or anyone for that matter. But now (after forcing myself to become creative for this blog) I get all giddy anytime I get to shoot ANYTHING! Sometimes I can't even sleep because I'm too busy thinking of what I can shoot next!


What camera equipment is on your wish list?
I'm not savy at all on the "equipment" available. I would be thankful to get any accessory compatable with my Nikon. I would love a home photography studio, with additional lighting and backdrop. Additional lenses would of course be nice too!

What are your hobbies outside of photography?
I love to do anything crafty, but I am particularly fond of scrapbooking. I also LOVE to read.

Tell us about your family! (married? Kids?)
I have been married for nearly 11 years to Elmo. We have 4 kids, my stepson Erik is 17, my oldest daughter Paige is 9, my son Coleton is 7, and my sweet baby girl, Jadyn, is 2. I am the 2nd oldest of 6 kids, was born in Utah, and grew up pretty much all over the USA.

Where do you live? (you don’t have to be specific if you don’t feel comfortable)
I live in Litchfield Park, AZ, which is about 20 minutes outside the city of Phoenix.

Do you have a blog you would like to share? (family blog or photography blog?)

I have a family blog and a "photography" blog that I post in regularly. (click on links if you want to visit them)

What is the best photography advice you have ever received?
Would you believe that until joining this blog, I had never received any advice!? Since then, I have been advised by all of you to take shots at various angles, fill the frame, and challenge myself by adjusting my settings and getting to know my camera.


What (if any) editing program do you use?
I use photoshop 7.0, and anything I do to edit my pictures, I have to YOUTUBE first to get a tutorial, since I don’t know how to use it very well.

10.Can you share your favorite 3 pictures with us??
Only 3?!?! Talk about a tough choice! Here are favorites of each of my kids. Enjoy!

Fluid...both definitions

I seriously took so many "idea" shots, it was hard to decide which one to post. If you want to see my other choices, please click HERE.



This was taken off of the rock waterfall we have in our backyard. It, to me anyway, shouts FLUID, both in the liquid form and movement. SOOC, just added border in Photoshop. CC welcome.

Color Change

It's amazing how much a little paint can change the beauty of an old horseshoe. I'm making a home-made horshoe game to play when we're at the beach. I got a box of 25 clean used horseshoes off of ebay for $4. Sadly, they were kind of boring...and a little discolored, so I decided to spray paint them, and WHOA! What a CHANGE! Much more fun and exciting!

socc, added border in photoshop.

Center of BALANCE

My son nearly took a nose dive into this pond...but, regained his BALANCE just in time!



In PS, color boost, burning, and border.

Please CC

:)

Happiness is the KEY...

Nikon D80, f/7.1, 100 mm, ISO 250, o Flash

As quoted by Albert Schweitzer:

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."


I am a Mom....and I love doing it. Nothing else in this world makes me happier than my kids, so in that sense, I am extremely successful. For that, I am blessed.

Picture of my keychain in the street, edited to B & W, adjusted saturation/contrast and framed.

Hot Days

Nikon D80, f/8.0 120 mm ISO No Flash

Nothing says HOT better than cold ice cream melting in the sun. YUMMY

Cropped so only the black plate (not sidewalk) was showing, did a color boost and added a border.

Please CC!

Wisdom is learned...

Nikon D80, F 5.6m, 135mm, ISO 250, no flash

SOOC

What a tough mission this was for me!

This is really not what I set out to post as my "wisdom" post, but I wasn't able to find an elderly person who fit my "mental" picture of my ideal model for WISDOM. C'est la vie.

Instead, (in my attempt to find this said person) we went to feed the ducks at a nearby pond and to my surprise, there were some rather large geese making a visit. They were unlike the ducks, in that they were VERY eager to approach us, as they knew we were packing some yummy treats.

So, I thought, "Wow, these are very wise geese! They know exactly how to approach us and not to bite the hand that feeds them." It was a new experience for my kids (and me) to hand feed WILD geese.

One Nation Under God...

Nikon D80, Ap - F 5.0, ISO 250, 52mm, No flash

SOOC SHOT

Picture pretty much sums up why I thought ONE fit. I got up right next to the pole and took a shot looking up at the flag. I liked the angle...gave it a neat perspective. The flag wasn't as full as I would have liked, but there wasn't much wind yesterday. CC welcomed!!

Vintage 1934 Shoes

Vintage, to me, means anything resembling something old(er) than the current time period. I was really excited to join this challenge, however, when I saw this challenge, I though I would be better off waiting until next week, since I couldn't find/think of anything vintage. However, as luck would have it, my son was playing basketball this afternoon and left his shoes next to his ball when he was done. It suddenly reminded me of the "vintage" Converse shoes specifically designed to play basketball in the mid 1930's.

Picture Spec:

Camera:
Nikon D80
Exposure:0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture:f/9.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
Focal Length: 35.6 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

On a side note, I am NEW here, and Rachel (shout out!) told me to tell you a little about myself. I live in Arizona and am a mom to 3 great kids. I have been married for 10 years, and just recently started "learning" how to take better pictures. I'm still learning, but having a blast in the meantime! I am SUPER excited to be a part of this group!

This is me!