september photo challenge

I'm still taking pictures!!  Here's my next five days:

September 6 - Getting Ready

Emma's getting ready to make gyoza for the first time.

September 7 - White

Dim Sum for my Auntie's birthday

September 8 - I Made This

We went Girl Scout camping this summer and when I was a GS we always had 'sit-upons' for keeping out butts (somewhat) warm & dry.  Emma and I made some for us before we took off with some duct tape and newspaper.  I was pretty proud of how they turned out, especially since I am not crafty!

September 9 - On The Wall

Artwork by Emma (the penguin was when she was about 4) and a super cool comic book (Batman, of course) purse that my super crafty friend made for me.  These hang out by my desk.

September 10 - Sweet

I help out in Emma's class and when I was done stuffing homework folders Emma's class was out at computer lab.  So before I left I put a sticky note on her desk that said 'Have a good day!  I love you!  xoxo'.  When I asked her after school if she got my note and she said 'Yes, it was so embarrassing!  Everyone was laughing at me because of the xo's!'  So I told her I wouldn't do that anymore and sighed a big sigh.  The following Monday I went in to do homework folders again and when I put everything away I saw that she left me a note on her desk.  It said 'I love you Mommy!  You can do these notes again xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox'  She's such a sweet girl!

I didn't do much editing or try for some ambitious photos this set.  Most of the pictures I just edited the exposure some if they needed it, but that's about it.  For the 'Getting Ready' picture I did use a filter - Orton I think...

let's try this again

Back in July I thought I would do Fat Mum Slim's Photo a Day Challenge.  I got about halfway through and then I just completely forgot about it.  *sigh*  This time, I've added reminders on my calendar with the day's prompt to help me remember so we'll see how that works out.  Though I am feeling this more this month.  I'm getting back into using my camera and also seeing what I can do with my phone.  I also found another free editing site that's really similar to picnik for people like me who are too lazy to learn Photoshop right now.  If you're like me, check out PicMonkey.

So here's this month's prompts:

For some reason the pic I'm getting for that is coming out all crappy, but it's the best I can do!

I'm going to try to do this in fives so I've got an even number for each post.  See how I start out so organized and eager??

September 1 - Together

Got the cousins to take a picture together on Labor Day.  I think I snapped about 30 pictures and this was the only one where they were all pretty much smiling and Olivia wasn't trying to run away.  Didn't do any editing here though it could probably use some.

September 2 - My Name Begins With

'K' is for Kari & 'K' is for Kindle.  This one was edited in Instagram.  Kelvin filter with the focal shift dot on 'kindle'.

September 3 - Lines

I edited the heck out of this one.  Using PicMonkey I applied some kind of filter I can't remember and did an overlay of light lines.  It did take awhile to take the actual picture.  I set up the tripod and played around with the vertical blinds in the kitchen.  Turned off all the lights inside so it was just lit from the outside bright ass streetlight.

September 4 - Alone

Olivia waiting for Emma to get home from school.  All alone with her cute little toes!  Changed to black and white in PicMonkey.

September 5 - Forever

I took this one with Instagram and used the Brannan filter.

 Five days down, twenty-five to go!

photo a day: july 7th-14th

July 7th

Where You Are.....

At the NKOTB concert with my sister!

July 8th

Path....

To a giant mess.

July 9th

3 Things....

 

3 random t-shirts from Tee Turtle!!

July 10th

Smooth....

 My clean kitchen table!

July 11th

I Wore This!

My favorite t-shirt.  It's comfy & I love the design.

July 12th

A Bad Habit....

I stopped smoking years ago, quit biting my nails a month ago so I guess it would be sweets, but at least these are organic, all natural & GMO free!  I couldn't very well take a picture of 'being a bitch', could I?

July 13th 

4 o'clock

 

Sleeping baby at the mall.  Riding around in a stroller is tough work, people!

 

July 14th

Edible....

Spicy sauce from our favorite ramen place, Kahoo's.

And now I'm all caught up with my posting!

photo a day: july

July 4th

  Red, white & blue.....

Olivia has decided that my rubbermaid containers should go in the recycling bin.

July 5th

Love....

My love, my best friend, my favorite person

July 6th

Favorite Smell.....

The heat has done a number on my lavender plant, but it still smells lovely

photo a day: july

 
My friend Kristan posted a picture of the photo challenge that Fat Mum Slim has started for the month of July.  Actually, I think that this photo project has been going on for a lot longer than that, but this post is for the month of July so it's the perfect time to start!  I've tried doing the 365 project, but it started to feel like work and I was running out of inspiration.  These kinds of projects are great for me because there's a focus and sometimes I need that!

I meant to post on the 1st and go from there, but I slacked off for sure!  Here's my pictures for the first three days of July.

Happiness Is....

my babies laying on the couch with me

Shoes....

My favorites, tho they've almost killed me

Cold....

7 Eleven's Coke cans.  Ice turns blue when it's cold enough to drink.

fray

fray
joss whedon/karl moline/andy owens
graphic novel/supernatural
dark horse comics
published 2003

Hundreds of years in the future, Manhattan has become a deadly slum, run by mutant crime lords and disinterested cops.  Stuck in the middle is a young girl who thought she had no future until she learns she has a great destiny.  In a world so poisoned that it doesn't notice the monsters on its streets, how can a street kid like Fray unite a fallen city against a demonic plot to consume mankind?

ohmygodjosswhedonneverceasestoamazemeheisthebestwriterintheworlduniverse

I picked this up just because it was written by Joss Whedon.  My standard m.o.  Got a couple of pages into it and realized this was the most amazing thing ever!  He followed up the Slayer story a hundred years after Buffy!  With flying cars!  And crime bosses who live in fishtanks!  Brilliant!

Melaka Fray is what I imagine Faith could have been.  She's daring, reckless, grumpy and good.  But it's not your standard slayer story.  She doesn't have the memories, the dreams of all the slayers before her.  She doesn't have the drive because she doesn't have her history.  She's just a girl who can fight pretty good.  But there's a reason and it was surprising, but it made perfect sense.

Of course, I wish this was a series.  At the same time, I'm glad it's not.  It was a good complete story with a bit of mystery at the end that leaves you alone with your own imagination to fill in the blanks. 

Loved it.

working the 35mm

I took a few more shots with my 35mm lens today.  All were edited in Picnik.

Sepia with a little fade to bring back the color.

This one was a little washed out from using the flash so I added ‘vibrance’.

Used ‘Orton’ but faded it just a tad.

1960’s and took off the rounded corners.

This one I just cropped.  Originally the flower was in the middle.

I’ve been slightly obsessed with these flowers lately.  They’re like teeny sunflowers.  Here I just cropped as well.

I’m getting the hang of my 35mm and at least getting more use out of it than I was before.  I don’t think it’s the kind of lens I want to use for street photography or every day running around, but it’s nice.  Now I just need to play with the settings a bit more and see what it can really do with bokeh and lights!

distractions

Yesterday I had planned on finishing Quinn by Iris Johansen because it was due at the library yesterday and I couldn’t renew it.  Instead I spent most of the day online reading Jason Lee’s blog Sisters.  I first read an interview he did with My Modern Met where they showed off really cute & creative pictures Jason’s taken of his two daughters.

I loved them so much I pinned them.  Yes, I’m on pinterest too.  You can find me here.  I don’t have too many ‘pins’ but I do love checking out other people’s pins so let me know if you’re on there too so I can stalk you!

Anywho…I started looking at Jason Lee’s wedding blog and discovered the blog he has where he just takes pictures of his kids.  Once I got started I couldn’t stop.  I went all the way back to the first post and just kept clicking away.  Haven’t gotten any reading done.  This distraction has now cost me 25 cents at the library!
But sooooo worth it.  These kids are super cute and Jason’s photography is phenomenal.  I find myself perusing more photography blogs lately and starting to get the itch again to go out and start snapping away.  Today I pulled out my 35mm lens because really, I’ve been neglecting that one.  I took a couple of pictures of Emma with it, but I really want to get outside and see what I can do with more natural light.


I played around with the second one in Picnik and added some ‘stars’.  Weird, I know, but fun.
I read this article today about Henri Cartier-Bresson and his street photography.  I’ve always loved street photography.  Especially after seeing Vivian Maier’s found works, but I’ve always felt kind of awkward about taking pictures of strangers.  After reading Eric Kim’s article I’m even more intrigued by street photography.

And then there’s Alex Beadon.  Her stuff is amazing!  I love her self portrait series and her seasonal princesses.  I can’t wait to see the next one!  I actually have loved every picture she’s taken.  Not only do I love her photography, but she has some great tutorials and inspirational ideas and encouragement. 

I could probably go on and on, but again I really should be doing something else right about now.

 

change, change, change

With Emma starting school and a new baby on the way I figured I didn't have enough change around here so when Ali over at Our Happily After offered to do a new layout for my blog I jumped at the chance!

She's been sending me her ideas and I am SO EXCITED!  I can't wait to see what it all looks like together!

So be on the look out for some purrty-ing up of this here blog, friends!  And be sure to check out Ali's blog if you get the chance!

Evening Photo Safari

Just before the sun set completely Emma and I grabbed our cameras and headed outside for a little evening photo safari.

Mostly I took pictures of the stuff in the neighborhood that interested me. 

We each took a picture of our neighbor’s garage door because the lights on either side were shining through the high bushes they have on both sides creating this really cool pattern.  Of course, this is the crappiest picture ever, but you get the idea.

Emma had fun, I had fun & we got a little walk in before dinnertime.  How cool is that?  Pat us on the backs please!

As you can tell I’m boycotting editing my photos.  I used Picnik’s rounded edge frames because I love ‘em and I cropped a couple of pictures to get rid of some nonsense.  This week (at least) I’m not editing any pictures I upload for my 365 project because I’m lazy … but also, I want to see what kind of pictures I really take, not what pictures I can make you see.  Hopefully they’re still nice to look at.  I don’t think they’re so bad!

Photo-crazy

I would like to thank Google's Picasa for my newest obsession...

Picnik.

Taken with my Nikon D5000.
Focal Length: 55.0mm
1/60s f/6.3
ISO: 400
Edited in Picnik – 1960’s effect & rounded corners

Picnik is the most fun I've had editing pictures. EVER. EVER.

I discovered Picnik a couple of days ago and it has literally changed my photographic life. I took the picture above a few months ago when Emma and I were walking around the neighborhood. There’s a house on the corner that usually gets weeds about 5 feet high. Then someone comes & cuts them all down and leaves. The backyard fence is missing several planks and this little fence along the front has seen better days, but I thought it took a cool picture.

And it did, but when I uploaded it into Picnik and started trying out different effects I fell in love with it even more. I used the 1960’s effect. I am obsessed with old looking photos. Not like 1901 photos, but pictures that remind me of my childhood. I think they look so nostalgic and fun. I rounded the corners and I was done.

Taken with my Nikon D5000.
Focal Length: 55.0mm
1/60s f/5.6
ISO: 800
Edited in Picnik – Polaroid Frame with Hand-Drawn Hearts Stickers

This picture I just framed and added some of the stickers they have. I really love the stickers and frames. I did a bunch of stuff on Scrapblog until they started charging for a lot of ‘premium’ content that wasn’t really all that spectacular. But you can do the same stuff you did in Scrapblog in Picnik. There’s collage frames & fancy stickers or backgrounds. Now, Picnik is free, but they also have a premium subscription (which I have signed up for). It’s $4.95 a month or $24.95 for a year. I think it’s worth it. I love the premium options and for a little more than $2 a month it’s cheaper than most of the crap I get.

Taken with my Nikon D5000.
Focal Length: 55.0mm
1/3s f/32
ISO: 500
Edited in Picnik – Rounded Corners

For this picture I was reading all over the place about how to make lights look like stars without using an 4-, 6- or 8-point filter. I didn’t think I was getting it, but I really like the way this one came out. Almost all the little lights look like stars! I had to set my aperture as high as it could go even though most tutorials said it would work at around f/22. I didn’t want to change the colors with any effects in Picnik so I just rounded the corners and left it at that. I think it came out pretty good, but that’s just my opinion.

So those are my efforts from these last couple of days. I can’t wait to do more! I think tomorrow I’m going to run to Target and get me some rain boots so I can stomp around in the rain and get some water motion pictures. Wish me luck!