Week 47 at I Heart Faces- Tooshies!

What a fun week at I Heart Faces!!  I love taking bum pics, well, as long as they aren't naked bums ( except for baby bums)!  So this is a picture of Madisyn in her Halloween costume!  I love the little tail and her tiny bum as she is climbing up the stairs!  So here it is!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some other great pics!  There are some really cute ones!

Sun Flare at I Heart Faces

This week is a hard one!  I kept putting it off, thinking I would get to it, but, again... I didn't.  Well, I did, but I didn't really like them.  I had taken a few at the workshop last week, but I was hoping that I would be able to do some others in the meantime.  Like I said, I tried, but the kids didn't really want to cooperate, my brother didn't want to cooperate, the sun didn't... you get the picture!?  Oh well, I do love this picture I am going to enter!  It is one of my favorites that I took at the workshop.  I love her expression, I love the sun, I love the trees, etc...  So, here is my entry for this weeks sun flare!  Anyone can enter, and it is so fun to see the other entries!  So head on over to I Heart Faces and join in on the fun!  And of course, who could forget that Becker is the judge this week.  There is really no pressure there at all!

I heart faces whrll story!

Amy and Angie also do a story on whrll... here is the post, I thought it was fun to remember it!  The reason I'm not in the first big group shot is because the car I was riding in got lost, so we missed the first part of the photo walk!

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Dallas, I Heart Faces Workshop

I just took a trip!  “What,” you say? Yeah, I know.  I haven’t gone on a trip in forever, at least by myself!  This trip was all business though.  I am serious.  We didn’t laugh, we didn’t get to know each other, and we didn’t do anything but take pictures and listen to boring… I mean BORING, lectures!  Can you see from the picture below how BORING it was?

I am soooo just kidding!

I HAD A BLAST!!!!!  It was so nice to get away for some me time! Thanks Drew, for this great picture too!  I love it!

I went to this workshop hoping to make some new friends, and to become a better photographer!  Well, I think I did both!  We laughed until we cried (yeah, I know that is a song, but that is what we did).  We made new friendships.  And, we all became better photographers.  We learned a ton!  We met some great photographers, that include D’Ann Wright, Amy Karp, and Pete Lacker.  They taught us so much.  And we had so much fun hanging out with Pete on the photo walk on Saturday.
We got there thursday, well most of us did.  We met in Amy and Angie’s room.  They are the co-founders of I Heart Faces.  We all got together and met some of the other girls who had come in that day!  We got to know each other and talked photoshop, bags, and photography. 
On Friday, we took a van down to the Dallas Arboretum, where we met up with the children that would be our models for the day.  D’Ann Wright was our teacher for the morning, so we followed her and the children around and just took pictures all morning long. 
In the afternoon, Amy Karp, and the model, Kim, met us for lunch and an afternoon photoshoot!  Amy made us shoot in manual all afternoon, which was a new thing for a lot of us!  But, it was a blast, and it was nice to learn how to do it!  I need to start focusing on doing that more often, because I noticed quite a difference in the quality of my pictures!  We had such a great time with her, and Pete Lacker also joined us that afternoon to give us some tips!
That night we went out to eat at Chuy’s, a Tex-Mex place down there.  We laughed and got to know each other, and just had a lot of fun!
The next day we met in the conference room, and Pete came to teach us all a few things!  We learned a lot about lighting, and a lot about photoshop.  He was so easy to talk to, so no one had a hard time asking questions or anything!  Then Amy, Andrea, and Angie taught us some more photoshop tips.  It was so much information, but good information!  We learned a ton!
Then we went downtown on a photowalk and learned some more!  But, first… we got lost, but then we found everyone, but that is another story!  We had so much fun that night.  We tried a real BBQ place, and seriously laughed until we cried.  It was so much fun!
One of the girls flew in from Germany, and she had never had doughnuts before, so after dinner we went down to Krispy Kreme so she could experience a doughnut!  They were nice and hot, and she had such a great time!  We also took her to Wal-Mart so she could experience that great store!
Then we had to say goodbye!  We all wished we could have had a few more days.  We were just getting to know each other and come out of our shells!  But, hopefully we can all remain friends through blogging and e-mail!  It is so great to be able to have this wonderful technology!  It was so awesome meeting everyone!  And… the trip was seriously all business.  NOT!!!!
Oh… and how could I forget!!  The trip was even more amazing… “Why,” you ask.  Because I won a new lens!  A new Tamron 18-200 mm Macro!  WHOOO HOoo!!  I never win anything, so it was quite the surprise to win the BIG prize!  So thanks Tamron.  And thanks Amy, Angie, and all the girls and photographers for an AWESOME weekend!  Stay posted for some more shots from this weekend as I get them edited!

Autumn beauty at I Heart Faces!

It has been awhile since I have participated in a challenge over at I Heart Faces, but I thought I would enter again this week!  I had a great time this weekend in Dallas with Angie and Amy, and 25 other attendees at the workshop!  We had such a blast, and we learned a lot too!

I was wishing I could take the kids out and do some pics before the leaves all blew away, but I didn't make it out.  Now it is too late... snow is now covering the ground!  We actually didn't get too much of a fall this year anyways, it froze too early and the leaves all fell before they really changed colors.  Although, I do love this picture!  We were up taking family pictures, by the dried cattails... I had the kids holding hands.  Madisyn didn't want to stay still, she kept going forward and backward and dragging Brevan and Sydney with her.  Then she fell...  This picture is right after when the kids are trying to pull her up.  She is trying to pull herself up too, so she is concentrating as she sticks out her tongue!  I love how she does that... just like her dad does when he is concentrating!  So.. here it is! 

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some other great Autumn entries!

Finally!

So my computer died a couple of weeks ago, and we finally have our new one!  Yeah!!!!  I am hoping I can now start catching up on pictures, since I am probably a month behind now!  Also, one of my pics was featured on I heart faces for Fix-it-Friday!  I am way excited to see all the edits on this picture!  It is one of my favorites, but I can't get it right!  thankfully there are lots of people who have helped already!!  Head on over there to see it!

Finally posting for Marjie!

So, this week has been crazy!  My computer has finally died... that being said, I had to borrow my mothers laptop later in the week so that I could even work on some of these pics!  So, I am really sorry for taking so long!  Here are a few of the shots that I have been able to finish, and a few more that I haven't touched yet!  I had a lot of fun with the girls, they kept me on my feet the whole time!  They wanted to pose all over the place and they each had their own fun personalities!

Candid at I heart Faces

This is a fun week over at I heart Faces! Everyone should head over there and check out the fun entries! 

I took some pictures for my mom's friend this week.  This picture just made me laugh!  I loved it when I saw it.  The little girl is only a year old, and her mom was trying to get her to stand for a picture.  She had her apple in one hand (she wouldn't let go of it the whole photo shoot), and was trying to tell her mom she wasn't happy about this situation!  It was hilarious!  We had a good time, and here is my picture for candid week!

Head on over and check out the other great entries!

I heart Faces- Contemplative

This week at I Heart Faces, the challenge is Contemplative.  At first I was thinking I really didn't have anything that fit this category, but then I came across this photo of Madisyn after we got through taking some pics yesterday!  Whoa, that was a long sentance. I love the look in her eyes and the way the wind is blowing her hair. I love the soft colors and the way the purple accents her eyes!  And this outift, is seriously my new favorite of hers!  Anyways, here is a contemplative look through Madisyn's eyes, I really do wonder what she was thinking about.

 

Collage of Brevan's First Day of School!

I finally finished this collage of Brevan's First day of school.  If only I would do everything this fast and not procrastinate, things might get done!  He had a fun day, and I think it will be good for him to have something else to do besides stay home with me and the girls! 

Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other great collages!

Back to School at I heart faces!

I had to wait until today to take Brevan's back to school pics, and then we only had a few minutes since Madi was up sick the night before!  So we were rushed, but I love this pic of Brevan and his cute little smirk! 

So here is Brevan on his first day of preschool!  Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other fun entries!

Fix it Friday!

This is such a cute picture!  I can't believe how long his eyelashes are... how unfair is that!  Just kidding!  I was working on this picture and I was thinking about all that I have learned just from this website, I heart Faces.  Maybe not all that I have learned is right from them, but they have connected me with other sites that have helped me learn!  I appreciate that and am thankful for it!  Here is the original!  Isn't he adorable!

here are my fixes.  I mainly played with levels, hue and saturation, did a levels vignette, and did a screen layer.  Then for the black and white I did a gradiant map, did a screen layer, and a soft light layer, and then added a chocolate layer.  Then on the some color one, I used Coffeeshops Chocolate BW and lowered the black and white layer!

And that's all folks!  I had fun with this one!

Before and After at I heart Faces

This challenge has been kind of fun!  I started looking at all my old pictures and had a great time critiquing my photos!  I made all the same beginner errors, and sometimes still do, that most beginners do.  I used a flash all the time, centered the pictures, took shots from awkward angles, didn't get close enough, etc. etc.!!  I know I am by no means a professional yet, and my journey has been slow, but... I do believe I am getting better.   And, not only at taking the pictures, but at editing the pictures!  Although I made some dreadful errors in that category too, I won't get into that though!  Needless to say, I have improved, and I am grateful to I heart faces for the fun challenges and techniques that make me focus on things I might not think of!  I have had a great time participating, even when you don't win.  I hope I can keep improving and getting to a point that I will be happy with!

So... I really started becoming involved in photography in college, 2001-2002.  But... I didn't really do anything to get better at it.  I took our family pics every once in a while, and sometimes for others.  I did a few engagement pics for friends and family, and I took some of my kids.  But... I didn't really get all gungho about it until Madisyn was born.  I had finally gotten a SLR camera and we had just moved into our own house.  We have the wood floors and wide open windows in the kitchen.  I started noticing the natural light more and even though I still shot in auto, I could tell a difference in my shots even then!  I was still using flash, but then finally started moving away from that.  Then, I got some studio lights so that I could do some pics in the house too.  I thought I was doing so well, but I still had a lot to improve on, and I am grateful for that.  This year I added a couple new lens's, and I have seen a ton of improvement in that too!  Now, I hope to start working towards always shooting in manual... that is my goal for the rest of the year, but it is something I am scared to take on for the fear of not getting great shots!  I guess I will have to learn sometime though! So... here are my before pics.

Still using the flash....

Just got lucky with this shot.

Can I leave any more clutter around?

What is up with the editing?  Didn't realize yet what could be done.

Love these two pics, just need to work on the lighting and making the eyes more the focus.

Learning to shoot with lights... still have a ways to go!

But... here are my after pics shot this month!

Love this pic of Raigan... I think I need to tone the skin softening down now that I see it on here.

These two were pretty much straight out of the camera... just a levels boost and contrast.

I am a long ways from becoming a professional, but I feel that my shots have improved quite a bit.  I hope that I can keep improving and working towards always making my shots something I will appreciate and love 10 years down the road!

Fix it Friday... on Saturday!

So, I didn't get to play along yesterday, but since they are doing it again today, I can!  Yeah... so here is the original.  Such a beautiful picture, but I have a hard time with the colors in the brick; it seems to make her coloring a greenish yellow!  But... here it is.

Here are my edits, one black and white, and one with a little bit of color!  I also added a texture!

Such a beautiful little girl!  Head on over to I Heart Faces if you want to play, or to see some other great edits!

I heart faces: nostalgic

This is one of my absolute favorite photos of Madisyn. It is funny that this week is nostalgic, because I had finally gotten around to printing pictures this week. I was finishing some editing on this picture, and thinking back on her little life so far. I couldn't believe how much she had grown in just the last 5 months since this picture was taken. I looked at the flower in her hair, and how I had made it for Sydney when she was about the same age as Madisyn in this picture. Her hair, barely able to hold that sweet flower, and now it is long enough to do pigtails. The dress, I made for her after seeing some cute ones on the internet and it reaches the ground in that picture, yet now is to her knees. And... can you see how she holds her hands as she is balancing. She was just really starting to walk around and she always held her hands like this! I thought is was so cute, and I miss those precious moments of that time! She is my youngest; and you never know what is going to happen, so you sometimes wonder if these will be the last precious baby moments you will have. I treasure those moments and love looking back at these pictures and re-living those moments! Now that I am teary and really nostalgic, I'll show you the picture!

Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other great entries!

Silly faces at I heart faces

This week is a silly or crazy face at I heart faces. At first I didn't think I had anything. I didn't remember taking any crazy faces recently. But, then I remembered our trip to Disneyland... And my dad... He was being crazy and funny on the Wild Grizzly ride. We made him do the face a few times as a matter of fact! We were all laughing so hard!! So... here it is without further adieu!


I give you.....TURTLE!!!!

That is what we thought he looked like anyways! Too bad it was such a bright day and facing the wrong way to get a not too bright pic! But, we sure had fun anyways! Have a great day yourself, enjoy the crazy and fun moments! Go check out I heart faces for some more great faces!

Ok... I keep trying to post the button and it gives me an error saying I can't post this code... anyone able to tell me why and what do I need to do? Any help would be great! Thanks...

another note... for some reason I somehow entered into the pet category without meaning too... I must be having troubles today, time to get off the computer before I crash something! So, I am really only entered the silly face, not the pets, although we did call him Turtle, he really isn't... so I hope I am not disqualified! Sorry...and Thanks!

Sweet Boy at I heart Faces!

It is Fix-it-Friday over at I heart Faces. This is such a sweet and fun picture, and I thought it would look great with the technique I learned in the Jessica Sprague class. So, here are a couple of fixes. One with a clipping mask, and the other without!
To get this look, I:
adjust saturation anywhere from 50-60
adjust hue to 35, and click the colorize button
Then choose soft light in your layers tools
adjust levels as needed
adjust middle level toward the right to darken the picture
Change your color to black
Click your gradient button, and make sure it is on the circle gradient
click in the middle of the picture and drag to a corner. It should lighten the middle and darken the egdes. Then you can go over it with a brush if needed to lighten anything else.
I almost forgot... I also lighted the highlights in his eyes a little bit by dodging. His eyes are so blue and they should pop! I could barely see them when I zoomed in on this pic though, so I couldn't really do much with them other than dodge a little.
Then if you want, add a mask. I love the effects of this look and have been using it a lot! Need to learn some new tricks now too!