Daylilly

Next to photography, gardening is my next favorite passion. This is a daylilly from our front garden. It was taken a few months back. As I learn new techniques editing it's always fun to try a fresh perspective on an old photo.

I used the Topaz Adjust Equalize filter on this, it's noisy but I like it. The gray blue background is the sidewalk. My next goal is to start learning marco. No clue where to start, but I'd like to give my kids a much needed break.

Mothers love

It's amazing how a hug, some gentle kisses, and a band-aid can make it all better. Photo taken with my 50mm 1.8, f1.8, 1/100 iso800

Pumpkin Patch

Our second trip to the patch was a huge success! We did the patch 3 weeks prior and got a little sidetracked with all the fun activities. This time we managed to bring home pumpkins, kettle corn, cinnamon licorice and caramel corn munch. Fun times, only I won't be able to sit down with our photos til later this week.

I'm making good on my word. Orientation and registration is next week for college. I'm very excited but also very nervous about juggling school and family.

I seriously dislike skin tones!!!!

Snapshot of Tyler this morning.

My goodness, I get so irritated editing skin tones, once I get one cast removed, then the hair looks bad...I finally gave up on this one. I'm about ready to turn it black and white. This is a sad confession but I'm sure more than half of my photos rarely get edited cuz I get so frustrated with skin tones. While I've been brushing up on selective color adjustment layers, I'm having a hard time getting the hang of it.

The lighting in this room at this time of day is less than stellar, I dragged out the flash. I bounced off the window...not sure at the time why I bounced off the window (my intent was to bounce off another wall) but here's the result. Settings...f2.8, 1/250, iso 200 and flash was on manual (1/4, I didn't meter either).

I could use some cc on the skin tones and editing. I'm at a loss! First photo is sooc, and a sharpen for web.

After stepping away and looking at my edited version, I see green and yellow,and I think I added to much saturation back. When I pull those colors back, I end up with too much magenta or too washed out looking.

Making it all better

Tyler was home sick today. I was really on the fence stay home or send him to school with that nasty cough. Since he was up most of the night with cough and dry heaves, I decided I'd just play it safe. I know I wouldn't want other kids coughing on my healthy kid.

Of course come noon, he's bouncing off the walls. I stop by McDonalds and pick up a happy meal. Of course it wasn't about the food, it was all about the Toy inside the happy meal. As you can see from the photos he's quite happy with his new toy. Yes after 2 weeks I still have my backdrop paper in our family room. This time I had to use flash, bounced off ceiling and reflecter to the Tylers right. Settings for storyboard photos f3.5, 1/160 iso 250, 2nd photo f2.8,1/160,iso 400

Burning bush from our backyard. Took the photo a few days ago and the leaves have just about blown off. Dusted off the 70-200mm, f4, 1/160, iso 400

Learning to read

A normal everyday moment captured on film (or pixels rather). I feel blessed in so many ways, despite life's curve balls, I am humbled each and everyday.

Work in progress

It's a Friday night, nothing else to do...except purge out some old files on the computer. I stumbled across this photo of Tony and myself from 1999. I definite reminder as to how much I've changed and how far I've come over the last 11 yrs. There are very few photos of myself in the home, and my FAT photos, well, I've made sure no one will find them!

#1 was taken when my little guy was about 7 months old. Some will say "well that doesn't count, you just had a baby". Sure I had a baby 7 months prior, but that doesn't account for the 20+lbs I had on me before I was pregnant.

12 yrs ago I had a wake up call from my physician and decided it was time to change my lifestyle. High blood pressure, PCOS, infertility, and a history of diabetes on both sides, I needed to make some serious changes. As I changed my diet, incorporated regular exercise, the weight finally started to come off very slowly. After 18 months of trying to conceive. I was pregnant (still overweight, but happily pregnant).

It's been a slow process over the years, and naturally it ebbs and flows. The truth is I've struggled with my weight all of my adult life. Even though I've struggled, I haven't given up. I'll never be a person thats able to stay thin without trying. In order to maintain, I have to work at it by staying "plugged in". I will always have to watch my food (journal), and exercise. It's been a hard reality, but once I accepted it, I've been able to maintain longer and even break my plateaus to get closer to my goals.

I'm healthy now, healthier than I've ever been. I feel fantastic and that's what matters most. My body is not perfect and I'm okay with that. I may not meet societies "skinny", but I WILL reach my "skinny" goal weight/size. Gone from a size 14/16 to a 6.

I'm a work in progress.

BTW, Friends, please don't ever let me do that to my hair again!!!!

Piggies

I had my backdrop equipment out today for some passport photos. I decided I might as well play since it's not getting used these days. Natural light coming from 2 large windows one to the south and one east window. I used my reflector to the right of the kids. Ran the coffeeshop vintage over both images. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce...Hershey and Alex.


Settings from left to right f3.5, 1/100, iso 400. F4, 1/125, iso 400

Front Porch

The kids have been excited to decorate the front porch for weeks. I have to remind myself that "holiday decorating" is big event for the kids. After a few days of procrastinating, I/we finally found some motivation and patience to finish the job.

Our sweet neighbor stopped by tonight and says to me "Nice set up, Julie". Now how cute is that from a 9 yr old? Photo taken on a tripod. Not really lovin the photo but love the twinkle in pumpkins eye! I used my kit lens18-55, settings iso 200, f22, 30sec.

Macro, I'm intrigued but have no clue where to start. I don't even know what kind of lens you would use, tripod or not. I remember struggling to get this sharp. 28-75mm. F2.8, 1/1000, iso250

Pumpkin Patch

Would you believe we went to the pumpkin patch and didn't pick out one pumpkin? How can that be? It was our first time at Biringer Farms in Everett (or maybe it's Marysville). There was so much fun stuff for the kids to do we couldn't be bothered with picking pumpkins!

Btw, the whole outing consisted of action shots. Not only will my kids no longer pose for me, they now find it amusing to run and hide from me! Oh well, it was a great time for all!

On a side note, Andrew is very self conscious of his teeth so he rarely gives a teeth smile. With my mommy goggles on, the photos of him smiling with teeth have to be some of my all time favorites! Not to mention that's him really being himself.

In search of color

The leaves are just starting to turn, some are farther along in the process than others. I brought my camera along to the bus stop in search of some vibrant color this morning.


I used the Topaz Adjustment on all 3 images. First photo is from Fort Worden. I did a very low opacity on 1&2 photos. The #3 photo of a water, it's too heavy on the processing for my taste, but it was fun example. I'm anxious to play with it more to find a happy medium!

Thank you

I wanted to thank all you wonderful gals from 2peas. Thanks for the encouraging words on returning back to school. I'm very excited about going back and photography will always be here for me.

I decided to download the trial vs of Topaz Adjust 3. Can I just say, how much I love it! Not sure how it would work on people. Here's a before and after. These are from our Boston trip in May.