Everyday Moments Blog Circle - Light

I am honored to be among a talented group of ladies who participate in a collaborative photo project  which concentrates on focusing on our everyday moments. This month's theme is light. 

After our big snow storm yesterday, I peeked out the window at sunset to see the most spectacular, vibrant sunset. It was absolutely stunning. I grabbed my camera and ran out to the front porch, knowing I had only minutes to capture it. Unfortunately, the view from my front porch includes my neighbor's home along with their 4 cars. I really didn't want to include that in my composition, so I got low and focused on the bushes to hide the distractions. 

I hope you will continue around the circle by visiting my talented friend Sarah.

Friday Photo Journal - 1/31/13

We got a good dumping of snow this week. 10" or so, which is big for here.  So the kids have been playing outside quite a bit and enjoying it while they can. It will be 60 degrees by Sunday, so it won't last long. It has been fun, but I much prefer the parade of flip flops, beach towels and bathing suits in the summer to the soggy wet winter mess of hats, gloves, scarves, coats, socks, boots, etc. Oh the laundry! Good thing it only happens sometimes ;)

What have you been up to?

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)

Little Things and Quiet Moments

I love it when I catch them unaware.

Linking up with Kim for:

WW - Before and After Photos

It's been a while since I have shared a before and after, so I thought it would be fun to do so today- since I always mention that I'm up to my eyeballs in editing :) Here is an example of my process.

I import my RAW files directly to my external hard drive through Lightroom. I then select my favorites - usually 25-30 for a one hour session- and do a clean edit in Lightroom, adjusting white balance, cropping if necessary, and giving the image a gentle pop with the tone curve panel. I also reduce clarity a touch to smooth skin on portraits. I will sometimes remove small distractions, but usually do most of my cloning in Photoshop.

I then export to PS CC for the final edit, which is determined by the mood of the image and, frankly, just my instincts on what it needs. For this image, I warmed it up and painted some color on the foliage. I added a slight vignette and also cleaned up the green on the wood, which I found distracting. Then I sharpened and that's it. Of course, for some images, I do additional artistic editing if I feel moved to do so - but, I try to keep it simple and batch process to save as much time as possible.

These are screen captures of the process: 

It has taken me many, many hours to develop my editing skills and I still have a long way to go. But, I am getting more efficient and learning new things all the time and I love that the creative possibilities are endless. Lightroom is a huge time saver and I love the ease of organization. PS was very daunting at first, but I am getting more and more comfortable with it.

What's you favorite way to edit your images?

Friday Photo Journal - Photo Linky

Hey there! I hope you have had a great week. The big news here this week was the weather. We had a snow storm mid-week. We didn't get a big dumping, but it was enough for the kiddos to play in and it was pretty. I loved watching the kids make snow angels and sled around the yard. Sadly, there aren't many hills here near the beach, but they got creative and built a ramp off the deck. Where there's a will, there's a way!

What have you been up to?

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)

Little Things Thursday - Snow Day!

Snow days are pretty rare around these parts. So, when it does snow, the whole place shuts down. Seriously. There was no milk in the grocery store the day before the "big storm." We ended up getting 2-3 inches of snow. The kids were thrilled! They built a ramp off the back deck to sled down. It sure was fun to watch! Now, I'm ready for spring though.  :)

Linking up with Kim for:

WW- Snow

Proof we had snow in SE Virginia ;)

It wasn't a big snow. It wasn't a pack a snowball and hurl it at your brother kind of snow. It wasn't a stick to the trees winter wonderland photographer's dream kind of snow. But, it was a snow day, fun to play in, cold and white kind of snow. And a welcome change from the norm.

Friday Photo Journal 2014- Week 2

Hi there friends! I hope you have had a great week. Our week has been good. Not quite as busy, but not exactly relaxing...Hubs is back in school full time this week - so the crazy is about to get crazier again. I'll be flying solo most of the week with the kids, and he'll have lots of study time to fit in on weekends. That makes juggling my business even more interesting... especially when the spring weather rolls around...and wedding season kicks in too. Still, so many things to be thankful for! Healthy kiddos, a calming fog, siblings moments of silliness...I am grateful for each moment.  For now, I am savoring a few quiet moments while I can. Winter isn't all bad after all. :) 

What have you been up to?

Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)

Little Things Thursday - A Foggy Morn

Yesterday we had a lovely fog, which is somewhat rare for our area. (Not so lovely for morning commuters, but for photographers - yes!) I went out in the morning to pick up the paper and heard a fog horn - also rare here, even though we are surrounded by water. I love the sound of a fog horn. It reminds me of summers on Lake Michigan, my absolute favorite place on earth!
I couldn't help but drag the kids out for a drive to capture some images. I only snapped a few, here are my favorites:

Linking up with Kim for:

Wordless Wednesday - Next Up in My Editing Queue

I met this gorgeous couple for a session on Sunday. So glad the weather turned out beautiful! Can't wait to finish their session. They were so sweet!

What have you been up to?

Friday Photo Journal Link- Up - Week 1

Hello friends and welcome to the first edition of Friday Photo Journal 2014! I'm so glad you are here and I hope you will enjoy this project. I started this blog hop in 2013 as a way to help me document our daily lives. It pushes me to capture more images of the little moments we share as a family and to also organize and share them regularly - kind of like a 365, without the pressure of every day. I hope you will shoot and share your favorite everyday moments with us here each week.

This week I had some kids down with a cold, and they really weren't up for many photo ops. I only took a few images with my phone. To be honest, I have had the winter blahs as well. I am really not a fan of the cold, gray days and can feel housebound and rather blue in winter. Fortunately, we are expecting a warm up this weekend. It will bring rain too, but I'll take it! I'd rather dance in rain puddles than stomp around in the frozen grass, lol. We rarely get snow here, just cold. But, I shouldn't complaining too much. At least our winters are short.
Now - onto this week's pics!

1. Sleepy little sick one.

2. "I dressed myself!"

3. Me working - am I really that blind? A 27" screen and I sit that close?! - ha ha

4. My Lego Man. He felt inspired and built it in a day.

Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)

Little Things and Little Red Riding Hood

The other day Little Miss asked me to take her picture. We had been cooped up by the cold weather and she wanted to go outside for a "poto-shoop." Despite my disdain for the cold weather, I happily obliged. While I didn't set out to create a Little Red Riding Hood themed session, my curly-haired girl reminded me of the fairy tale when she donned her red heart cape.

Linking up with Kim for:

What I'm Working On

So far this month I've been catching up on editing all the sessions I had in late December. I had the pleasure of photographing this little cutie just before Christmas. I have photographed Miss Sophie a few times since she was born. Her mama is a good friend of mine.  I adore this sweet girl and I swear she gets cuter and cuter every time I see her. What a doll face!

What have you been up to?

Friday Photo Journal Update - Welcome 2014

Hi friends,

I must apologize for not posting Friday Photo Journal this week.  After the madness and busy schedule over the summer, I had thought that my business would slow down. Then, the fall rush and holiday portrait season kicked in and I was busier than ever. I had looked forward to a break at the holidays, but I had several inquiries and bookings for the week of Christmas and New Years, as family members ventured home and many wanted extended family sessions when all their relatives were in town. So, the break did not come. January has been slower as far as sessions, but I have a ton of editing to catch up on, and a wedding album to design. And really, I can't afford to slow down, so I will be pushing to book more as we head through the typically slow winter months. Plus, I have a lot of organizing to do, and high hopes of focusing on learning to better utilize off camera flash, among other creative improvements.

I already feel that I neglect my family too much, and spend too many hours in front of the computer, when I'm not away shooting or meeting with clients. So, I had thought about calling it quits on Friday Photo Journal, even though it has only been a year in the works. I regret that I can't devote more time to visiting YOU and catching up on your news. But, I don't want to give up on blogging completely, as I have formed so many wonderful friendships here. And, it does force me to focus more on documenting my own life and the growth of my kids each week. So, after more consideration, I have decided to keep it going. Even if I falter on occasion. I feel torn between doing it justice, and just doing it the best I can and letting that be enough. For now, I'm going with I'll do what I can and let that be enough. ;)

I truly appreciate those of you who come by each week to link up. Even with my mixed up linky's or late posting on occasion - there have been weeks when I hardly knew what day it was!  I thank you dearly for your continued support. Love you all! Mwah!

So, Friday there will be a linky open. I would love it if you'd join in and visit your friends and make new ones!

Little Things and Little Ninjas

The other day I happened upon this sight. My little ninja had dressed herself up and then passed out on our bed for a nap. I guess preparing for battle does tucker one out.

Linking up with Kim for:

P52 - Final Week- 2013 in Review

Here we are in 2014 and I'm just getting to my final post for P52 for 2013. Ah, such is life these days. When I started this project last year, I was busy. But, I had NO idea how much busier life would become. Starting a business is no easy task. Building a business the first year is all consuming. This year will be my second in business and I will focus on growing my client base while upping my game. I can assume it will take just as much of my time each week. While I hope to streamline some aspects of the day to day admin tasks, as well as my editing process, I am pretty sure I will still be up to my eyeballs in work. At least, I hope so, because we really need the income. But, I do have high hopes of refining my style, improving my craft and simplifying the process from client contact to product delivery.

By the end of this holiday portrait season, I was exhausted and burned out. The holidays passed in a blur, with little break for me. I only took a day and a half on Christmas Eve & Christmas. I have made many sacrifices over the past year, buy sacrificing time with my family is my least favorite. It is all a learning process though, and I am so very thankful for all of my family, friends and clients who have supported my efforts over the past year. One day at a time, I will keep climbing.

 Last year my inspiration word was focus. I focused on improving my photography and building my business. I did see major leaps in the quality of my work, and I was able to book 69 clients and three weddings. Though my first business license was purchased in Nov 2012, I really didn't get a paid gig until late May 2013, so that accounts for about 7 months of shooting. I am humbled and grateful that so many people would entrust me with their memories.

 I have decided that my word for 2014 will be reach. I want to push myself harder and reach further. To shoot with greater intention. To stretch myself creatively and really produce work that I love. Sometimes the business of running a business makes it difficult to really take the time to work on shooting the way I would like to. But, having so many new faces, personalities and locations in front of my camera has forced me to grow and learn on the fly. In 2014, I would like to take a step back and be more thoughtful and precise as I shoot. I also hope to dedicate some time to workshops and port folio reviews for critique. So reach is my word. If 2013 was the year of "on my way" and "almost", I want 2014 to be the year of "I am Gumby" and "nailed it!"

Thank you 2013 for all you have taught me. It was a year of struggle, sacrifice and growth. And a year of gratitude and learning to lean on others a little more because I simply couldn't do it all myself. Here's to a new year! 2014 I know you will be filled with hard work and smothered in awesomesauce and I can't wait to meet the challenge.

On a personal note, I wish I had a better grasp on balance between work, family life, homeschooling and personal projects. My time with family suffered this year, as did my blog. I will strive to find better balance in 2014. I am filled with gratitude for all who have stood by me and cheered me on throughout 2013. I know I have neglected you and I am truly sorry. My parents, sisters, in laws and most especially my husband have been so helpful and generous that I simply can't thank them enough.  And to my friends: several of you have gone out of your way to visit, email, message, connect with and support me. From the bottom of my heart I thank you!! It truly means so very much to me and I love you dearly. You know who you are and I send you a giant hug and my heartfelt thanks! ;)

As a review of 2013, I put together a few of my favorite instagram moments from the past year, since I tend to take more photos of my family with my phone these days. So many great memories captured! <3 p="">

Whew! I did it. I finished P52 by the skin of my teeth. I am so grateful to all who participated and gave me the push to do it, and especially to our lovely hostesses Gina and Tamar!