Live Every Moment - Anything

This week's LEM photo challenge theme is Anything. This is a photos taken during one of this month's recent snow storms. I love the texture of the plant against the snow.

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The Paper Mama - Friends

Friends is the theme of this week's photo challenge at The Paper Mama. All photos must include a child in some way. This is Harvey (my first human child) with Julie (the first of my two beagle girls).

Harvey has always loved our animals. We have three cats (Nigel, Owen, and Little Bit) and then the beagles, my girls (Julie and Hannah). The cats never stick around when Harvey is on the loose. Hannah only allows Harvey to get close when food is involved. But Julie seems to like the attention. She doesn't seek him out but she also doesn't mind if he pets her gently or plays with her ears. She is five so maybe too old, but I imagine her really taking to him when he is a little bit older.





This was taken last month. It was one of my first shots with the new 50mm lens at 1/100, f/3.2, and 1600. I wish the photos wasn't so grainy. When I used the luminance slider it looked rediculously plastic. I think the problem here may be the high ISO. I didn't use my lightscoop. I think I was testing out the capabilities with the lower f/stop. Here is a smaller version of the original.



All the technical stuff aside I think this photo is so sweet.

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I really like to be organized. It has been very challenging to organize my photos and find a work flow. I bought Lightroom 3 on cyber Monday and waited until after Christmas to install. I'm not completely comfortable with my organization but feel good enough to start using LR3.  That's why this week's entry took me a little longer. Here are this week's photos.

PS: If you have LR3 please read Scott Kelby's book. It's fantastic!

1. Memories - Harvey's first haircut.




2. Silhouette - The moon.




3. Doorway - The end of the doggie door. This is a photo from September.




4. Reflection - Magnets on the fridge. Can you see his reflection?




5. Silver - My Pandora bracelet.

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Live Every Moment - Macro

This week's LEM photo challenge theme is Macro. I chose a pine cone as my subject. I would LOVE to have a macro lens or even extension tubes but I don't. I recently read about creating a macro with the 50mm lens. I removed the lens from the body and flipped it around holding it as tight and steady as possible against the body. Of course you have to focus manually and it's nearly impossible to not have some camera shake. Not ideal but it was something different. Here are two photos of the macro pine cone. Both are SOOC. The first is my official entry but I wanted to share the second photo too.


1/60 ISO 400


1/200 ISO 1600

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Sunday Scavenger Hunt

One of my photography resolutions for 2011 is to participate more in photo challenges. I have to allow myself time to take the photo, edit the photo, and do the blog post. Picking up my camera everyday is still new to me but I am making an effort. I'm hoping the editing and blogging will get easier and quicker with time. I'm also trying to fit my life into the themes and not the themes into my life. Does that make sense? Anyway, here are this week's photos.

1. A different view - We went to the Virginia Aquarium yesterday. This is something I don't see everyday, a view under water.




2. Looking up - Another from the aquarium. This turtle was looking up out of the water.



3. Abstract - This was my last photo to collect for this week's challenge. Literally taken less than an hour ago. This is one of Harvey's books, Tickets to Ride: An Alphabetic Amusement by Mark Rogalski. I think when he gets older this book will be one of his favorites. I actually googled the title to get the author's name - Harv is in bed and I'm not going in to get the book. My search results came back with a board game that I will definitely have to check out.



4. Hair - Harvey really needs a hair cut. The top is okay but the back is out of control. There is no way we can take him after school. He is too cranky. And the children's salons are only open on Saturday not Sunday. One of these days he will get his first hair cut.





5. Half - my husband.

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Live Every Moment - Cold

This is my first LEM photo challenge. The theme this week is cold. Last Saturday morning we were surprised with several inches of snow. Immediately we got dressed for a drive. I really wish the railing wasn't in this photo. I'm not even doing to attempt to clone it out.

The sun was peaking out. I love how it gives light from the left of the photo but a few hours later the snow was gone.

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The Paper Mama - Resolutions

This is my first entry to The Paper Mama. The theme this week is Resolutions. All photos must include a child in some way. You can see Harvey's foot. Aren't kids feet so stinkin' cute! This photo is sooc with my 50mm 1.8 at 1/100, f/2, and ISO of 200. I also used flash with my lightscoop.

In our home we do pretty good with routines as long as I am organized. These days it seems like there is so much to do after the bath and before bed time. It has been really cold so Harv's skin is dry - Johnson's lotion. The cold also makes his cute cheeks and chin really dry - Aquaphor. He is cutting teeth right now - Orajel. (You can't see the Orajel in the photo because he is actually chewing on the container.) Harvey takes Singular at night so we have that too. And of course we have to brush his teeth and hair. Not to mention dress for bed. There is always something I seem to forget (where are the q-tips to clean his ears!) so one of my Resolutions is to have everything laid out and ready before Harvey even gets in the bath. We also have a morning routine but I will save for another day.

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I placed fourth in this challenge!

2010: Memories, Dreams, and Reflections

A look back at 2010 in photos.

Here is a collection of photos from 2010. I just got my Canon XS the first week in August so many of these are from my Sony Cyber Shot. After the description I marked each photo with the month. I hope to do something like this again next year. I really enjoyed searching through the year for photos. Click the button above to see other entries.

1. Me - Casey took this picture. (October)



2. I Love You - Casey (December)


3. Still Laughing...Breakfast with Santa - Harvey shares a fruit bar. (December)


4. Winter Wonderland - Casey's snowman complete with a fishing pole. (January)


5. Birthday - Harvey's first birthday.  (May)


6.Friends - Harvey and "The Foot Man". This is the character from Dr. Seuss' The Foot Book. (June)


7. I Was Inspired...Here are two photos of Harvey. A sooc and the edit. These were taken a few weeks after I got my XS. I don't think it's bad for starting out in Manual. This photo really made me want to learn more and apply more. (August)




8. Spring Fever (June)


9. Travel or Vacation - The dolphin at our favorite vacation spot. Lately we have been going several times a year but we try to get a photo here at least once a year. I think my mom took this photo. (July)


10. Summer Days - Harvey and I at the beach. My sister took this photo. (July)


11. A Day In My Life (September)


12. All Smiles - Learning to pull up and so proud of himself. (March)


13. Autumn Harvest (October)


14. Family - My mom and dad. (November)


15. Celebrate! My mom and Harvey at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's Celebration of Lights. The train was coming around the bend. (December)


16. Let's Do It Again - I love pig races! There is no doubt we will do it again. (October)


17. I Miss You - Harvey at eight months and one day old. This was before he could walk. He had very little hair. He was always drooling. He was just learning to crawl. He hardly said a word. He still took a bottle. He was on baby food. The older he gets the more fun we have but I do miss my little boy. What a difference a year makes! (January)


18. Beautiful -  Taken after 10 days in pediatric intensive care. Harvey went through a tough surgery that had him on a breathing machine for five days, feeding tube, and blood transfusion. Harvey had strep pneumonia. This smile was the light out of hell. They were playing with plastic spoons. We went into the hospital Jan 11th last year. (January)


19. Dress Up - Harvey and our neighbor at a Trunk-or-Treat. (October)


20. Macro - balloon flower. (June)


21. Holidays - Easter Basket (April)


23. Don't Ever Change (January)


24. Just Because...So There! (February)


25. Hopes and Dreams - I hope I give him the kind of childhood that makes him want to share his adult life with me. (October)