Portrait Shoot with my Sister in Law

Just a sneak peak of some of the images I got with my sister in law the other weekend.  Thanks Jennifer for letting me have some fun with you! 

Goals for the Rest of the Week....Maybe. Time to Get Busy!!!

Okay, I seem to find myself with a lot to do and then not doing it.  Here are a couple of things I for sure want to do this week.

1.  Take a picture a 1/20th of a second, why?  Well...over at DPS I read THIS and it just sounded like fun.

2.  Create a few new headers for my blog, and learn how to make them switch.

3.  Finish the Arthop post, pictures are done...just need to write it up.

4. Order some prints from the new professional lab I decided to go through.

5. Think of how I want my new logo and all around image to be for my professional photography...not that I am there yet, just getting things figured out.

6. Post my favorte pictures from all my shoots so far under my Sessions tab under the header of my blog.

I think that is it photography related for now...besides the ongoing research, that I so LOVE to do! :)

Time to get busy!  Just thought I would share this image from the other night...thought it was fitting for me getting some of the things on my list finished in a "timely manner"!  Yes, you know it...I am a huge dork!

I Am So Obsessed With Photography!!!!!

Wow!  Somebody on flickr picked a picture of my two angels to put in a mosaic they created of their favorite Black and White photographs!  Here is the link to go check it out!

This is from the other night at the ArtHop downtown Redding, Ca.  What I liked about this picture was the red glow on the building and the misty sky.  That red glow was not a photo shop effect, it came from the Cascade Theater's neon sign across the street.  I also thought the tree shadows on the side were cool, plus the couple of branches filling the empty night sky.  It could of been a much better shot if I had a tripod handy, but instead I just cranked my ISO up and tried to stay as still as possible, it was a night shot! :)

Eskimo Kisses and Tears.

Nothing like Mommy asking the little ones to stop playing for a second so she can capture an adorable Little Eskimo Kiss.  Then tragedy strikes, the youngest thinks it would be a great idea to jump up and continue playing with the oldest, but miss calculates and causes big crocodile tears.  I hurry to my oldest to comfort her and tell Isa, the youngest to get in the corner...that she hurt her sister.  Now, Isa is sobbing because she realizes that Kya is hurt and she is responsible.  A few moments pass by and the situation is under control.  Tears have slowed a bit and the youngest is released from the corner to apologize to Kya.  Everything is better and off they ran to continue playing.

Somebody commented on my flicker account that, "my momma always said....laughin leads to cryin.  we did a lot of both. : )

I can't agree more!

Photographic 365 is My Goal.

Happy New Years!  So, I thought it would be a lot of fun to try to do a 365 for the year 2011.  Hmmm...can I do it?  I have tried a photo a day in the past and FAILED...but I am willing to give it a go yet again.  To help myself out I did enroll in Tracy Clark's Picture Winter Class that started today.  It costs $30 dollars for a daily prompt for one month to motivate and inspire.  Plus, you get feed back from your classmates.  For one buck a day, I thought it was a good value and something fun to do.

I most likely won't post my 365 each day here on my blog, but I will on my flicker account.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't totally flake!

Here is the first picture for 2011 and I thought it was a fun one.  It will be special to me since my oldest daughter helped me out.  We sat in the car in the driveway, and fogged up the windows with our breath so we could draw on them.  Also, the bokeh in the background is special to me, since it is caused by my husbands Christmas lights he hung for our family. 

Thanks for checking this out and hope you have a great New Year!!!!

One of the Edits I Did Today that I Thought was Cute...

One of the cutest families ever!  I liked the urban feel to this picture and since I haven't posted anything for a couple of days I thought this would be something fun to check out.  Thanks for looking!

Outdoor Family Portraits of Redding, CA Continued...

How stinking cute are these boys!  I can't wait to edit more of this family's pictures!  They were awesome and I am stoked that I will be able to use a bunch of their images for my portfolio that I am building currently!

Outdoor Family Portraits Redding, CA

Starting a new family's session tonight.  Here is a little sneak peak!  This girl is amazing and the crazy thing is she is super nice on top of it!  Watch out boys...much later though!!!!

Some of My Favorites From this Shoot

Well, what can I say about this particular photo shoot?  It has to be my favorite so far, however I do have one up for editing this week that should be just as good.  What else...most of the pictures I really liked, so it was hard to pick my favorites.  There were a lot that I have already posted in the last week that I really loved also.

I think that I will add a picture of these two to my "Sessions" tab that talks about what to wear.  I love the combination of their dresses, the jewelry, the boots, their make-up, and well...everything.

Finished with the Cutest Teen and Her Stunning Mom...

I had the hardest time with this particular picture!  The reason was it was one of the last taken that night with no flash and it was getting pretty dark.  So, I had my ISO up to 800 or so, I think...but I think that caused my picture to be crazy red! Who knows what caused it, but it was really RED!!!! I tried all my usual tricks to get rid of the sunburned look, but didn't have much luck with it.  I used a texture and ran an action on it called Ashley Vintage.  I still like it despite my issues, but I wonder how it will look in print after ALL the edits I made to it.

Tomorrow, I plan on posting my favorites from this shoot.  After that on to the next family in line, which should go by pretty fast.  They were just looking for a couple of shots to choose from for the Christmas card this year.  I told her I would try and design the card too for her, so I might be posting that in the next couple of days also.

In the Works Making a Page in the Tutorial Section of the Blog of Great Photoshop Tips...

Selective Color Cast Removal
http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2009/05/05/fixing-a-localized-color-cast-using-photoshop/

Content Aware Scaling
http://www.viddler.com/explore/mcpactions/videos/9/

Make a HDR Image With a Single Photograph
http://free-web-design.co.cc/quick-hdr-effect-photoshop-cs5-tutorial.html

Making a Difficult Selection in CS5
http://www.inspiks.com/new-techniques-for-cutting-out-hair-in-photoshop-cs5/

Complex Selections in CS5 using the Refine Edge button
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0agvgNeXYA

Compositing Tips

Making a Color Mash Up Using Channels

Blown Red Channel

Text in a Portrait

Split Toning

Playing Around Tonight....

What can I say about these two?  So much fun to edit, so stinking pretty!  There are so many from this shoot that I love, it is going to be hard to narrow them down!

Talk About Love Between Two People...

This is just a little sneak peak into the session I am editing tonight.  This couple was generous enough to donate their time to help me with my new obsession.  This so far is one of my favorites from this session.  I have to say that out of everybody I have had the fortune of to take pictures of...these two couldn't keep their hands off each other!  They seem perfect for each other and I am so glad to see that they will soon be sharing their lives together as one in marriage. 

Textures and Portraits....

I added some texture to this portrait for added interest...what do you think?

Moving on to an Adorable Baby Girl and Her Beautiful Mother...

How cute are these two?  So, I have started editing yet another session.  This one I have been looking forward to, since this little angel is the newest edition of our friends.  Plus, her mama is one of my closest girlfriends.  I am having issues on my post editing on the baby's skin.  I think I am seeing a lot of yellow and red.  So, I might have to do a little more research on that before I continue.  More to come soon!

Finished With the Doyles!!!!! On to the Next Family!!!!!

Here are just a few of my favorites from this family.  They are too cute and were a lot of fun to take pictures of.  Thanks again you guys for letting me steal you away!

On to Another Shoot...

What can I say about this family?  They are some of my closest friends and I was super lucky to have them be my models for an hour one day.  What I learned from this shoot....that downtown the type of light I like to shoot with usually vanishes REALLY fast.  So, the next downtown shoot I will have to take that into consideration.  What else, kids are crazy easy to edit.  They are so perfect to begin with, so the editing goes a little faster than with adults.  I think that taking pictures of kids that are 3 and older are my favorite group to take pictures of so far.  My last shoot I had a 13 year old and she was so easy and fun to take pictures of.  I will keep you posted with some of my favorites from this family as the week goes on.

Sneak Peak at Tonight's Photo Shoot

How beautiful is this girl?  Crazy pretty!  I really shouldn't be editing her pictures yet, but had to do just one really fast and post a sneak peak into her session.  Yes, I have 3 other shoots to edit before I get to this one...but I just couldn't help myself.

Some other little highlights coming this week:
1. Crystal and Michelle's finished shoot collage, I have to say they are breathtaking!
2. My hubby dressed up as a french man picture
3. My Halloween costume picture
4. Some edits from the next shoot which is a good friend of mines children.

So, we will see if I can stay on top of it this week!

Halloween Picture of Me and a Chance to Win at MCP...

I have to say that Halloween is one my very favorite holidays!  I love getting dressed up, I love watching my children go door to door examining the loot they just got, I love seeing my husband dressed up like a french man!  Don't worry...I will be sure to post some pictures of my hubby after Saturday night!  So, today I thought it would be fun to paint my face up all vampire like and pick the kids up from school.  Yes, I am a huge dork!  But, why not...right!

Then to top it off, one of my favorite websites is hosting an amazing contest to win her actions by submitting your picture on her site.  So, I took this picture and submitted it to her site hoping I might win her bag or tricks!  Here is a link to check out how you can enter also!

Hope everybody has a fun Halloween, and I will be sure to post some more Halloween related picture!

Still Working on my Portfolio for the Future...

I am in love with this picture! One that will be on my photography site...once I have an actual business. Her eyes are almost haunting! I was so lucky to work with this beautiful girl and her little sister!

Right now, I should finish my editing, but...want to work on my Halloween costume! I am going to be a burlesque dancer. I will post a picture after Halloween when I am all dolled up.