Secret's out!

I have a secret...

I love drawing, there I said it, yeah I know not much of a secret but its still something ya didn't know. Anywho, so does the hubby but when it comes to him and I he dusts me! He is actually planning on hitting up Aaron's whenever he gets some time off for a restock.I have been doing it for years now since high school, one day I might post some of my stuff but that's whole other post!
Since pregnancy, I couldn't wait until Hayden was old enough to start having fun with drawing, I have been looking an easel for months now for his 2nd birthday so he could do more drawing than what he does now. Ever since he could hold a crayon, we have sat down at his desk/table and colored, imagine my elation when I realized he really loved coloring and drawing his unrecoginizable lines on paper, even writing religiously on my walls (he actually wrote on the walls so much I taped paper to his door so he could have that "wall" to draw on)
I have been so waiting for Spring for the outdoors crafts and art options, I have been waiting almost 2yrs to do. During my latest excursion to Walmart, I impulsively stopped by the kids toys for some sidewalk chalk thinking this is less messy than finger painting. On Easter he ended up playing with sidewalk chalk at his grams thx to his cousin and Grandma/Grandpa's supply. Obviously, he loved it because he got it all over himself. We had to change badly, he had it everywhere. But it must have made a lasting impression because today when I couldn't find crayons (Daddy hid them and now we can't find them). So I decided to bust out the sidewalk chalk. As soon as he saw them he started going crazy, he couldn't even wait for me to open the box. Pictures of what we did

















Please forgive the picutres I simply grabbed my point and shoot camera, and started shooting not caring about nothing

Backyard

Early in the week Hayden finally got to meet his Great Grandparents! They live in Washington and they finally got to visit! Hayden took to them immediately, talking up a storm and laughing also wanting to play outside. David's parents live on a farm and have a huge yard that Hayden decided to take full advantage of.

He loved playing


and exploring randomly

the space he even used the flashlight as a mic to sing. He had a great time!

I Like

Currently I am reading "Annie Leibovitz at work" first off let me say I love her work she is a great photographer. This book really gives you an in depth of how many of her photographs have been taken it is great. I am really inspired when it comes to her work, I just love her photos. Recently, I decided to start an "I like" gallery of photos that I love and/or inspired by. The first picture to be included was this picture taken by Annie Leibovitz of Keith Richards while on tour with the Rolling Stones.





I love how broken and out of it everything is. The lighting equipment, sheets messy and disarrayed that "shouldn't be seen" keeps with the subject laying uncaringly,drunkenly, "broken" and taken apart, simply out of it.

Gone...

I have not neglected this blog I promise. I left Long Beach, Ca early and abruptly not on good terms with my family, I really was messed up emotionally for along time. I just think I needed to grieve on some of the relationships that were lost and I know that some people, even though they are family, are not needed in life. But it still hurts to think of having to cut off someone you have grown up around for years, boy did it hurt. It still does, but I know I don't need negative people in my life.
It has been also hard on me because I had to leave my younger sister who had just been released from the hospital following surgery. It has been tough too because the family I did have here are no longer here but still in Long Beach, ca.
I came home and I really felt lost, I have been gone only 2 weeks but it may have been a month. The time off I took from also have made finances soo different this month and way tighter, having to deal with that and my crazy family, I can say has been hard, hard, hard. I will be alright though. I have been taking a few photos though along the week, nowhere as usual but I do have some.





Playing with his cousins, hanging out at Target, Easter afternoon breakfast for lunch cooked by the hubby, Hayden happy to have candy in the forecast



Easter egg hunt

Isolation

In photography sometimes you need to focus or "isolate" the subject to this effect a small f/ stop is key. The smaller you go in f/ stops the less depth of field you will have, throwing everything except the subject out of focus. While tack sharp is the important, so is isolation- especially in portraits or places with not so attractive backgrounds.
Images that have one subject usually work great with isolation apertures.

My week in Iphone pics

Hayden was born bald so I was surprised to find out that his hair is now long enough to put in a pony tail


He is getting so big nothing that used to fit can fit anymore and I was in shock to see him sitting up to the table all big.


Having fun with wigs. It was a riot! Funny stuff, he stills looks cute


My younger sister was admitted to the hospital yesterday, requring surgery. Hayden put on my other sister's boots to go to the hospital and was rather upset when he discovered that he had to go to bed instead.

Touching up Tuesday

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This is my first time participating in Sweet Shot Tuesday over @ my 3 boybarians check out her blog and photo challeneges.

I took several macro shots for these photo challenges but this one stuck out ALOT. I love the "peeping tom" aspect of it. Its like we're on the outside looking in or even spying on something private or not usually seen. Ahh, I just love it! Makes my heart go pitter patter. Anyway, the first exposure is straight out of the camera. I love the shadows on the leaf and throughout the exposure in the sooc, but I am a fan of the edit because of the background and the light. Hmm, both are "good" in my book.

First I read a smart fix. Then I did a color variation on the exposure, increasing the green midtones, decreasing the red, and slightly lightened. Next, I adjusted hue/saturation, switching to edit greens first, I increased the saturation, lightened just a little before going to the yellows. Again, I increased the saturation and lightness. And we have our edit!

Black and White

This snap shot is of my son, originally part up of my week in Iphone pictures on link up on my other blog This So Called Life . All I did was converted it to Black and White using Photoshop Elements 7 for The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Black and White.

Boy Do I Have A Story To Tell You

Aperture is extremely important to photography. It controls the amount of light passing through your lens and the second thing it does for your photos is it controls the field of depth. Now you're probably at huh? Well, how you ever seen pictures of people aka portraits and the background is a blurry mess? That is depth of field: the smaller the f/ stop the less depth of field you'll have. The bigger the f/ stop the more sharper your photos will be from front and back.

Today we will talk about f/ 22 or what Bryan Peterson calls the "storytelling" picture. In landscape photos tack sharp is the name of the game. In these photos, you'll want everything in your photo, from front to back, tack sharp. Just as the name says these photos tell a story. There is beginning (the foreground subject like the trees), a middle (the street and tree), and an ending (the housing and sun). For these pictures f/22 is the aperture you want, capturing the beginning, middle and end in sharp detail. Also a 12-24 mm or a standard 18-55mm is the perfect lens for the job because it will capture the widest view possible.

As of now I'm in Long Beach, Ca visiting family for about a month, and along on the trip my hard drive bit the dust. Yes, I'm so sad and angry because if I wasn't going to be able to use it it could have stayed home and been safe and sound. I'm going to see if the warranty can save it but my data is probably gone forever. Luckily, I listen so I back up like crazy in multiple locations. So yay for me some of my photos are still on my desktop hard drive. I am though going to get me another hard drive, hopefully a portable one, so that I can have a portable back up and have another place to back up my files. So my original photo for this exercise is somewhere on my desktop maybe but as of now I have no access to it, so I had to snap one just for this. Problems that I see are...

Not tack sharp there was some shake somewhere and done at 55mm instead of 18mm. I will be practicing this as I love landscape photography. Comments are welcome as well as links to your own landscape photos and tips. If you'd like to join in and do your own "storytelling" photo be my guess and drop the link in the comment box.

Bryan Peterson is the best pick up his books: "Understanding Digital Photography" and the great "Understanding Exposure" That book is recommended by everyone pick it up!

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Taken with my Canon Rebel T1i on a tripod 18-55mm lens at *55mm, f/ 22 for 1/8 sec

*This should have been 18mm but I really wanted to focus on the bushes as the subject

Our Week in Iphone pics

This week has been very busy. I found out very extremely last minute that Hayden and I's trip to Long Beach, Ca was pushed up. So I spent 3 days packing and not really updating anything so that I could be ready for the trip.

The first 2 pictures are of Hayden on the train after he settled down. He's actually looking out the window wish I could have taken more photos but I have to admit that I slept like a baby on the train and the bus.

3rd pic of Hayden about to open the gate to the backyard, for a surprise it was one of those electric cars. I got DSLR pics of him in it that I haven't uploaded just yet.

In long beach, I was reunited with my brand spankin' new niece who is my new muse when it comes to anything DSLR. She is an easy subject, she doesn't move that much!

Hayden playing with the remotes that I told him not to play with and me and my new hair style. I am used to my hair being way longer with my hair straightened so it feels odd still but on the flip side I wanted something new. I didn't want the bangs but now I kinda like them.

Hayden waiting for the train and his expression when it came in "Holy Smokes Batman!"

Hayden looking at the computer, me again, He has a thing for buckling car seats his and his cousins'. And finally Hayden simply being Hayden. Dimples. Dimples. Dimples.

Simply the Best

The Best freaking photo I have ever taken! I was surprised when I pulled up my shot in photo shop only to see no real big problems with this photo I snapped in a rush the morning of my departure to the City of Los Angels (L.A., Ca)

I love this photo, it just so happens to be my first macro landscape/nature photo and my first ever of a flower. I could jump up and down. And now for you viewing pleasure... enjoy.

Sweets for the Sweet

Hayden has a fascination with shoes. He enjoys putting on any new shoes he can find.

Hayden is a dancing machine

Inspiration All Around

I am a dreamer, I love and am fueled by the beauty in things. It is what draws me so much to photograpy. The emotion captured forever for eyes to behold, gazing as it inspires them. These beauties I did not take, though I wish I had. These are the efforts of my other passion, gazing upon the work of other photographers and falling in love all over again.

Ziggy. Apocalypse

By: Francois Benveniste

Zelie.Night birds

By: Francois Benveniste

Stephie. Fairy

By: Francois Benveniste

Update: I live

Blog? What blog? I mean I am having so much fun on in Long Beach, Ca. Zipping around and experiencing the places, I really have no desire to stop and blog. The train ride with Hayden was interesting to say the least. He loved watching it come in but when it came time for us to get on, wasn't having it. I had no hands to pick him and he wanted to be picked up, I had a time getting him on the train and settled enough to be comfortable. Even with the meltdowns, though the ride was smooth and short. I slept in and out, played Netflix movies on my Iphone, when Hayden would snooze.
Hayden is living it up here. He has a personality all his own, he is enjoying the family here, and I think he knows that he is somewhere else in another place. I have lots of pictures to post, but not just yet. I am still having fun.

Week in Iphone Pictures

1st row: Playing w/ his laptop before bed
2nd row: Bathtime is one of Hayden's favorite times
3rd row: Book galore! And Hayden has a favorite! And Hayden posing for the camera




The fort that Daddy built



David stealing my hat. And simply me.

Wishin' and Hopin' and Dreamin'

I am becoming BIG into the world of fashion. I am loving clothes and shoes like never before in life! I used to be such a jeans and T-shirt gal, having dresses but not wearing them unless they were certain ones. Now I have always been a fool for long flowy dresses though and skirts, hmmm, dreams...OH, yeah reality here! And stockings, I simply love the feel of them on my legs ever since I was kid and had to put on stockings and leggings for Church, I would hate the dress but adore having to put on leggings. I would frequently rub my hands down the smooth material.
Anywho, I do wish upon far away distant stars, but I love to dream so here is this week's wishlist



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All selections from Free People Effortless Dressing feature except two (2,6) which came from Modcloth