Some Photos

A few shots from my photo walk with friends on Saturday.

I can't wait to go back to that location!

 

Tuesday Again

This week's theme for Tuesday Texture is story.  So many different directions this could go.  But I thought this photo told the story of last week, especially when you add Kim Klassen's Texture "More Magic"  (Once on Screen 100%, and once on Soft Light partially masked off in varying degrees.)

The snow did get deeper than it is in this photo and we had a lot of love, joy, laugh, peace...as we all stayed home together.

If I liked textures more on people, I might have chose this picture to represent our week.

Instead I'll use it for Tones on Tuesday :) 

On Saturday we were finally able to escape the house.  We got home just in time for me to meet a friend for dinner...and for me to drag Huckleberry into the spot of sun for 10 minutes of photos.  He was not terribly pleased, and I did not get the exact shot I wanted, but still I think it is pretty sweet.

We cut his hair after I saw these pictures. 

I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday.  I actually have plans so I won't be sitting around home obsessing about paperwork and things I can do nothing about so I expect it to be a great day for me -- playdate with friends and photography class in the evening.  The snow was fun and being with my family was great, but doing things...that is good!
 

Snow

I always think that an extra day with everyone home means more stuff accomplished...I'm always wrong.  We did have a nice day which included some Wii, some snow, and some shopping.  I only took pictures of the snow.

 This is a lot of snow for us...and they are expecting more.  So far school is still on for tomorrow.

The Holiday meant Huckleberry was actually home in the light...but SnapDragon was at a friend's house.

Let's clear the snow off of the roof...you don't want the play structure collapsing...or it is just fun.

Linking this with Tones for Tuesday.

Different hat and gloves for the after lunch trip outside.  Me, I stayed inside second time, so this is through the window, but I still think she looks sweet.

Wordless Wednesday

A reason to keep your camera out...

...to capture those real, sweet moments, dirty clothes and all.

Tuesday's Photos

It was such a fun and busy week.  We got to spend some time with my sister-in-law as she was decorating for Christmas.

We got to spend time watching my oldest son compete in his lego robotics competition...and celebrate with him for his team's trophy in "Gracious Professionalism."

Kim Klassen's Dream Texture, Multiply mode, Masked off his hands, face, and shirt

We got to spend some time enjoying the cold, winter sun at the park while waiting for Huckleberry to be done.

Such gorgeous later afternoon sun, though it threw me off color wise, but I was still able to capture a few sweet shots (including my ducks from Sunday's Scavenger Hunt).  Any tips on white balance settings for that golden hour?

But nothing beats 45 minutes to photograph the  beauty of winter frost, sun, and some scrumptious frost bokeh...

Balancing my home life and photography can be tricky at times, but when I'm photographing nature, I spend time with God.  My heart swells with worship for my God who can create beauty out of the ugliest things.

And if sometimes I forget to honor God with this gift of photography, He gives me a photo that just screams for a verse to remind me.


 

unThemed Tuesday

Usually I like to tie my pictures together somehow, but I've been doing such random shooting recently in an effort to practice using my new speedlight and absorb what I'm learning in my photography class.  Really it is good to expand my repertoire...really I have more in my life than Sunflower...but I do so like to match!  Hopefully the real artists that visit my site are a little more accepting of an eclectic mix.  Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility...some day I'll get it.

I know we are not the only family who entertains ourselves by taking things apart while Mommy takes pictures.  Many a pleasant afternoon is spent in such a manner.

Of course there is the ever fun Wii games...chewing boy not withstanding...I am the Queen of Mario Party (Okay, maybe Oak/Sunflower won.)

Now my favorite way to entertain myself is by taking pictures...even before reading big books...and Huckleberry spent a cold 20 minutes letting me practice with my new speedlight.  Now just to narrow the 30 or so remaining pictures to one or two since he was standing and smiling exactly the same in every one of them.  I guess I need to practice my posing instructions more, too.

Though telling Sunflower to pose is a useless waste of time.  I can still capture some sweet photos of her, though.  However, in the interest of full disclosure, I am lying down on the little slide with my feet up on the larger slide per Sunflower's instructions "This is your bed, Mama!"  Sunflower is standing at my feet leaning over me with the sun behind her.  I happen to have my camera on me because that is the deal...Mommy will go outside and play IF she can take pictures, too.

Then, of course, I do love playing with photos!  I probably have enough photos to edit I could just stop taking pictures for the winter, but what would be the fun in that?  In the meantime, I did finally have a chance to play with textures because textures are fun!

This is Kim Klassen's Serious Magic, 100% screen.  This photo was taken on our photowalk early, early Saturday morning.  It really was as cold as it looks.

Kim Klassen's Stained Linen, Soft Light 100%, though I circled the bird and ran a Gaussian blur on him to remove the texture from him AND Magic Edges Screen 100%.  Birds don't take posing instructions well, either, but I think they were too cold to move.

The birds did stay really still at times and let me get awfully close to them, making for a few sweet shots.

Do you see the little ripple in his neck feathers?  That was the wind.  We went to breakfast once the wind started picking up!