Sojourner....

Last night we went to BS Bar to see the band Sojourner.  For those of you who have seen them, you know they "kick butt".  For those of you who have not had the opportunity to see them, they will be playing again Valentines weekend.  Check them out on Facebook....Become a Fan!  I took a few photos of the band last night.  I decided to do a little photoshopping to the picture.  The background is actually their T shirts that the band is wearing...  Watch for a few more fun shots that I took that I will be posting in the next couple of days.

Brochure Collage

I have been getting so many requests for family sessions, weddings, maternity sessions, etc. I have decided to put together some additional "marketing" info.  So, today I was working on the front of my new brochure.  Here is a sneak peek of the collage!  I should have them completed early this next week.  But, tonite...... pictures of a local band. Sojourner will be playing out at BS Bar from 8-12.  Stop on out!  Hopefully I will have some fun pics for you tomorrow.

♥ Happy Birthday Heather!! ♥

Here is a beautiful picture I took of Heather this past summer.  Tomorrow is her birthday and I decided to post one of my favorite pics I took of her this past year.  I looked through so many of them and loved lots.  She is a beautiful girl, inside and out, and there were so many to choose from.  We are very proud of the sweet, wonderful woman she has become.  Maybe I will post a few more in the upcoming weeks.  Hope you have a wonderful birthday.  Happy Birthday and We Love You!♥♥♥♥♥

Photoshoot - Aubree - A Few More!

A few more pics from the photoshoot this past weekend.  As you can see we were having fun..... and Aubree just "hates" when Nana takes her pics.  Can't you tell??????

Photoshoot - Aubree

Aubree willl be turning 6 in a couple weeks so we decided to take some photos yesterday.  Here are a few from the day.... So much fun but, she is growing up way too fast.

Vail Wedding Photos

Here are a few photos I took at a wedding I had planned in Vail this past summer.  Beautiful setting and such a wonderful couple made for a "fairy tale like" wedding.  We had such a fabulous time on our entire trip.

Vail, CO

Tonight as I am laying on the sofa recovering from the flu, I began thinking about our trip to Vail last year.  The first time we went in 2009 was in winter and we had a great time.  Before we left home I kept thinking, why are we taking a vacation to a place that has more snow - me being the great winter lover that I am.  However, from the moment we stepped off the plane and saw the mountains, I fell in love with the beautiful scenes all around.  We were back there in June for a wedding and extended our time to include a real vacation.  Here are a couple of pics of our second time there.   So many to choose from I am sure I will post some more again. Tomorrow I will post several from a wedding I did out there, so stop by again!

Nature

Fun photos from today.  Chicadees are one of my favorite birds.  Today I took a few minutes (ok, a few more than a few minutes) taking pictures of the birds going to the feeder.  This is one of my favorites of the day......and a bonus pic!

Random Photos - A visit to Grandma's House

Today we spent the day visiting family at the assisted living home where my grandmother lives. As I sat there and visited with the family she created, I began to realize that although nobody is perfect and we all have flaws, God created so many "perfect" things.  Family is among the most important to me.  Whether related by DNA or friends we have chosen to be a part of our "family" they are all so important..  There are so many gifts that people can share with one another.  Whether it is to make each other happy, provide opportunities to achieve our goals, give love and understanding, or set examples, everyone in our family contributes to who we are and who we can become.  Thank God for them - for they are all we truly have.

I have also posted a few additional pictures of some of God's other gifts.  So many beautiful pictures from the past few days I just had to share a couple more.

Winter Wonderland

Today we had such beautiful sites to see out our windows.  It called for a trip around the neighborhood to take in the views and take some photos.  Each day, for the past few days, the trees have been accumulating white crystals which gave us such views.

Pop of Color

This pop of color is a fun technique that can be done to photos in photoshop and actually in many cameras themselves. When doing this, however, be careful not to "take away" from your overall subject. So often, the item is the only thing you see when you look at the photo and although you want the item to stand out, in most cases it should not be the only thing you see. Have fun seeing what you can have stand out in your next photo.

A Gray Frosty Day

Although today was supposed to be a "warm" day. It really did not seem like it - probably because there was no sun. Even the birds were puffed up to keep from getting cold. Mourning doves mate for life and these two, as well as several others, were here much of the day (as usual). They are always beautiful to watch.

Snowshoeing

Today Lorin, Deb and I went to Tim's Hill to go snowshoeing. What an awesome day. I have never really snowshoed (remember, I don't like winter) but, I do like snowshoeing. Being out in nature is such a wonderful feeling. Experiencing all that God has given us is such a blessing. I have to admit, before we left I was a little nervous and even thought about "wimping out" but, I made myself a promise this past fall that I was going to try more outdoor things this winter and hopefully learn to like this season that lasts most of the year. So, first we went tubing, and today snowshoeing. Of course, we don't pick the easiest place to go for our first time - Tim's Hill. I should have thought about that one a little more. Shouldn't the first time be a short distance, flat surface, etc. Well, as you can imagine, Tim's Hill is..... well...... HILLY! The first mile or so, the hills don't feel too bad, by the time you are finishing the 4 miles, you notice small bumps that you have to pick your snowshoes up over. On a positive note - Nobody fell down! A few times we stumbled a bit but, we all stayed standing. I even tried to get Deb or Lorin to fall for me because I thought that would be a "good photo opportunity" but no dice. So here are some of the beautiful sights of the day. I couldn't pick just one, so you get a bonus today with a few pics of the day. Thanks Deb for talking me into this. I can't wait to go again. BTW - Lorin is online right now looking for snowshoes for me.

Beautiful Sunset

Tonight we took a drive to deliver our blankets we made for the Give-a-day, Get-a day program with Disney. (side note: If anyone is interested in this program do it now. The person I turned the blankets into this evening told me that they got notification that there has been such a large interest in this program that they expect to run out of tickets in about a week. She said that over 1 million people have scheduled days for service. - How awesome is that!) Anyway, as I was saying, we were delivering our blankets and it was such a beautiful evening with an awesome sunset. I had Lorin stop so I could take some pictures of the view to the west. I think I might have to print this one for the wall.

Actions

Two different looks with the same photo. I have started playing with "actions". These two photos are the same. The first is SOOC (straight out of the camera) and the second, I performed several "actions" Two very different looks for the same photo. The actions were supposed to give the photo a more "art like" quality and appear more ethereal.

Photoshop Fun during the Packer Game

Well for all you Packer fans..... we've seen better. They may still pull it off but...... Holy cow - they just scored a touch down and it is a tied game! Well, since the first half, well sucked, I decided to play with a few pictures. These are some wedding photos I had taken from a couple of weddings. There are so many things you can do with this software and I am having such fun working with it. But, I better get back to watching the game. Go Packers!!!!

One of God's gifts......

I love birds. For anyone who has been here, you may have noticed that we feed lots of birds.
They are a great source of enjoyment and wonderful to photograph. This little one was out on the porch with his feathers fluffed out to keep warm. I added some texture to the photo to give it a little different look.

Beautiful Brides

A few months ago I worked with a bride and groom in the planning and decorating of their wedding. It was a beautiful day with the ceremony outside by her grandfather's pond and the dinner and reception at Munson Bridge Winery. Crystal is such a sweet girl and made such a beautiful bride. They were both so much fun to work with. As with any "event" I attend, my camera comes with. I took many pictures that day. This is one of my favorites.

"Merging Photos"

This photo/post is dedicated to all the soldiers past, present and future who serve our country every day. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for all you do.

I took this photo of an eagle sitting in a tree when Lorin and I were out one day. As we drove down the road I yelled "Stop". Luckily, that comment is becoming more and more common these days and he didn't hit the brakes or run in the ditch. He knows there must be something I want to take a picture of. When I downloaded the photo, I liked it, but it was not quite what I wanted overall. Of course, when you think of an eagle, your mind naturally goes to the American flag. So I took a photo of the flag flying and used it in the background..... added a few words.

Friends....

Bokeh

I love bokeh.... (that blurred area in the background). I recently got a new 50mm lense that works great for this application. I have been having lots of fun taking closeup photos - mostly of my Christmas tree - standing, sitting, laying under the tree..... You never know where you will get a good shot from. The tree comes down this Friday so I have to hurry and take as many of these as possible. Did I mention that I love bokeh?