The Legacy Lady

Christmas Photos...

With the kids home for fall break I decided on a whim today to take them for the annual Christmas card photo shoot.  We spent a couple of hours getting all five kids ready, curling the girls' hair, and right before we leave, this little guy loses his lunch.  Quite miraculously he didn't get anything on his clothes or anywhere else...I remarked that we should probably stay home then he protested loudly, saying, "I want to go to the park!"

Ok - so here is the part where you all will know what a terrible mom I am but it was quite the miracle that I got the teenage daughter to wear her hair down, let alone curled - and getting my 11 yr. old to agree to pictures is a massive miracle in itself.  Last year I failed miserably to get all five kids together at once - let alone dressed nicely with hair done - I knew it was today or never. So yes I took my sick son to do photos...

On the way we picked up a small coke for the little guy (kills just about any stomach bug - I swear!) and we drove to the park.  We spent 45 minutes shooting photos and miracle of miracles the little guy is great and smiling and having fun - (**I have proof**)

So by the last few photos, he is getting tired..  As I grouped the kids together he would be sitting just fine - then as we tweaked the details (making sure all the kids could be seen, hair out of face, etc) the little guy would stand up, walk out of the picture and say, "Photos done!"  Then we would bribe him with ice cream, candy, toys  - whatever it took to get him back and then he would sit and pose. 

The best surprise of the afternoon was this photo of the twins - you take photos of your kids and then there are photos - this one captures the essence of these two and it was a surprise. 

The leaves are so spectacular I am tempted to go back and take more...probably will have to wait until next year...I should be glad I got what I got and the card is covered - hallelujah!

I even had a few moments to play with my macro lens while the kids ran around the park and played...

Today was good - not much work done - but it is all good.  I had a great time with the kids and we watched Indiana Jones as a family this evening... good times.

Christmas Card Photos?

If you are stressing about taking Christmas Card photos, check out my guest post on the Light Refreshments blog...

Happy Friday!

Manual Focus Can Be Good for Creativity...

I am still working on project deadlines so today you get another duckling...

This one took after its mom in that he/she worked the camera...lol.  One thing I learned while taking these photos was that it was better to focus manually than auto because of the tight space and all the plants around the nest, it was difficult to use auto focus without the camera deciding the grass or leaves should be the focus instead of the ducklings...

It wasn't hard at all although when I wore my glasses instead of contacts it was a bit challenging...but still totally worth it.   If you are into photography at all I highly recommend finding a situation where manual focus would work better than auto and then try it out - you will love the creative control...

Ok that's it for today, back to work! :)

Happy Wednesday!

I am wrapping up some projects that are due so I am sharing another photo of the ducklings...they remind me of little penguins because they stand on their feet and wave their little wings which are so tiny now...I have some cute things to share about these little ducks but it will have to wait...the deadlines are calling.

On another quick note, have you all seen the new CK website?  It is like Facebook on steroids for scrapbookers.  You can setup a profile complete with projects, start a blog, connect with your friends and other scrapbookers, find answers in the forums and community and best of all you can find the new Digital Scrapbooking Magazine here.   

The new site is still in beta meaning they are still working out the bugs and kinks so keep that in mind - but seriously it is a fun site with lots of information and I encourage you all to check it out and setup your profile and indicate your interest in Digital Scrapbooking so you can connect with others who share it.  Once you check out the site and setup your profile, I would love to add you as a friend you can find me here.

Last but not least has anyone noticed Ali Edwards' recent lean to all things digital?  I just love Ali - she accomplishes so much style on a page with such simplicity and now she is creating digital products (insert BIG happy grin here) that we all can use in digital and traditional layouts.  She has been blogging  about her new overlays at Designer Digitals, and in today's post she talks about brushes...all good things for digital.

Ok back to the worktable again...it is a good thing I like what I do! :)

Snapshots

This is the family cat Max.  He has the annoying habit of jumping on my desk and then walking in front of my computer screen, over the keyboard and then sitting down on the keyboard and lounging over the edge of my desk when he thinks I have worked long enough for the day. 

As you can see he is totally unapologetic when it comes to his rude behavior - and people wonder why I like dogs...

Down on the Farm, part 2

Processing these photos makes me want to go back and spend a few weeks just going places in the small towns surrounding dh parents' farm, photographing whatever interests me...someday there will be time...

Starting with the worst technically - the deer group taking turns jumping over fence to hide from us (where is the 400 2.8 lens when you need it?)

A nice valley with streams -

I couldn't get over the expanse of the sky - so beautiful... I loved the winding road and gate here...

And last but not least the house -

I think I like the color image a lot better...

Love that evening light...   If you want to see some amazing images (that completely put mine to shame) check out this site.  Ann Torrence is one of the founders of the Photowalking Utah group and blogs regularly with some amazing and inspiring images - if you are into photography or just like to look at inspiring photos, I highly recommend her blog.

Down on the Farm...

We visited dh's parents this weekend and had a wonderful relaxing time - I don't remember the last weekend I got TWO good books read....  I knew it was going to be a good weekend when we caught this on the way down...

One of the funnest things we did all weekend, canoe rides in the front yard irrigation - something Grandpa thought of and the kids absolutely loved...

Then we visited the steer the kids and I call "Buttercup" because of his pretty color - dh called him "Dinner"  We think he's just too cute for that...

I have to tell you that this photo makes me feel a bit like the Pioneer Woman - I know I have a long way to go to measure up to her fancy blog, but as I wandered around the farm taking pictures of cows, horses, kids and stuff - well I just felt all PW creative and ranch-ish if you know what I mean...except I don't do ballet...

We also went on a long country drive (took the back roads - yes that meant dirt roads)...but I will share more of those images tomorrow - today I will just leave you with my favorite image processed so far - ds with dh...

Another Thing That Makes Me Happy...

I had to take a picture of this - because seeing all my gear in this bag makes me happy.  This new Rufous Whistler (limited edition) CRUMPLER bag arrived Wednesday - perfect timing for this long holiday weekend (and my birthday) - but that is only part of what makes me happy...

My first reason for happiness?  Well when my little sis acquired my Nikon D70 she insisted that it come with my Crumpler photo bag(Crumpler fans run strong in my family). So I have been Crumpler Photo Bagless  (is that even a real word or phrase?) for over a month now. 

I first saw the RW bag at PMA - I love the color combination of Yellow and Red (the colors in my home) so when I saw this bag at PMA I wanted it right then.  When I learned it wouldn't be available until  late spring I picked up my original Crumpler photo bag... the good news is that  when my sister wanted that bag I had the perfect excuse to NEED the bag I really wanted!! lol.

When the RW bag arrived I loaded it up with all my gear and wow...  I had forgotten how soft the insides of this bag are - another thing I love about Crumpler bags is that they have so many more pockets and places to stash all the little things you want to carry in your bag without it being a total mess...

I am really happy because this bag is smaller than my old bag and it seems to fit more - it is like one of those magic tents they talk about in the Harry Potter Series...I don't know how they do it.  Inside this bag I have the user manuals for my Canon 40D , G9 , 24-70 and 70-200 lenses.  I also carry the 40D, my 24-70 lens + lens hood(measures about 5" across), my battery chargers for both the 40D + G9, my G9 camera and a slew of memory cards.  Wow...

While my old bag was definitely bigger, this bag seems to fit more in a compact space.  In the main compartment of the bag there are three sections divided by soft adjustable dividers - this is where I store my G9, 24-70 lens + hood and the 40D body. On each side of the bag there is a slide in pocket - this is where I keep the battery chargers for both the  G9 and 40D. 

On the front of the bag there is a removable Velcro cover which is precisely what makes this bag different from other bags - it was really created for birdwatchers.  The Velcro cover keeps things quiet when you open the bag (no loud Velcro sounds to startle the birds).  Behind that you have a  front pocket with a mesh divider  - a nice place to store manuals...

On the cover of the bag there is another zippered mesh pocket which I found to be the perfect place to store my memory cards, extra batteries, lens caps, extra filter, etc.  One feature I really like about this bag is that you have the option of closing it using the buckle clips, Velcro or both.  This is not only perfect for birdwatchers but also a mom photographing a child's performance in a place where the ripping sound of Velcro opening would be inappropriate (can we say "dance recital?"). 

I started this post to just show you one photo that ma de me happy - all my stuff in the new RW 5 million dollar home.  Then I couldn't stop talking (writing) because I seriously love this bag and couldn't wait to tell you all about it.  When is the last time you felt that way about a product? 

If you want some product passion in your life - I highly recommend anything Crumpler.  Before you know it you will be a raving fan like me... on second thought I don't know if that is such a good thing...well you can decide for yourself... If you are looking for comfy, cool, eclectic, funky, practical bag nirvana, I highly recommend all things Crumpler.

***Oh and if you want to entertain your three year old while trying to type a blog post, I highly recommend clicking on the monkey (history) on the top right of the Crumpler home page, then click the book and then the time line item to watch their history videos... for the traditionalists out there check out this piece on CNN...

Spring Bokeh

Life has been so busy lately that it has been hard to get out and shoot with my new camera...so the other day I decided to just venture into my own backyard and play with the settings...practice makes perfect, right?  Maybe in my case we should insert "better" where "perfect" is...

I am so glad I did.  I love the out of focus area in this photo...it is so smooth and non-distracting that it really brings the flowers into focus...

The out of focus area in this photo is also known as bokeh...  Pioneer Woman has a great article on her photography blog about it and before I happened upon it I always pronounced bokeh with an uh sound on the end... It is actually pronounced BooKay  but I have been calling it Bokuh for two years so whatever you want to call it works for me!   (but Bookay really goes with the photo above, so today I will pronounce it correctly...)

Ok - so how do you get Bokeh?  One - read the great article on Pioneer Woman's blog because she just has a way of saying things that people like you and I can get (well we all know I am sometimes slower than most people - so let's just say if I get it from her articles, you can too!).

The image data on this photo is as follows -
CAMERA: Canon EOS 40D (aka my sixth child)
SHUTTER SPEED: 1/400 sec
F-STOP: f/4.0
APERTURE VALUE: f/4.0
ISO SPEED: 400
FOCAL LENGTH: 67 mm
NO FLASH
METERING MODE: pattern
LENS: 24-70 2.8L Canon

So the combination of my Fstop (aperture) and shutter speed helped to produce the bokah in this image (photographers sometimes talk about bokah with the description of "butter" which I think applies to this image)   It also helped that the flowers were about four feet from the grass in the background...  If you want to understand aperture there is another article on the PW Blog that explains it well (I am all about sending you to people who explain things better than I today)...

So there you have it - more fun stuff to improve your photography (and for those of you with point and shoots with manual settings this is for you too!!)

For the rest of you who love the auto settings for your camera and could care less about Bokeh, stay tuned... I have a couple of fun tutorials in the wings I think you will really enjoy.

HAPPY SPRING!

 

My Post-Processing Secret (Freebie Alert)

I get lots of emails asking me about my post-processing and although I would love to say I am a Photoshop guru and know exactly what to do to pull the best out of my images - quite simply that wouldn't be true...yet (I can be optimistic, right?) :)

A little over a year ago a friend introduced me to Totally Rad Actions and my post-processing has never been the same.  Yes they were expensive ($149)  but to me they have been worth every penny because even though I am SLOWLY learning how to interpret my photos and process them myself, Doug's actions took the pain of the learning curve away because I could use what he had and make my images look great.  Here is just one example - taken last year at Huntington Beach with a point and shoot camera on Auto with no manual settings - incidentally I returned the camera to Costco because the lack of creative control with no manual settings was stifling....

Hazy, grey and a little blown out.... so introduce some TRA and you get this...

Add some cool digital scrapbooking product (Vintage Dreams newsletter signup freebie kit from Little Dreamer Designs) and you get this...

Here is another example...

Straight out of the camera...

Old School

This is one of my all-time favorites...

SOC -

With Super Fun Happy (Opacity lowered) and a simple Vignette and Blur

So there you have it - one of my many secrets...and the best part is today's secret comes with a freebie - head on over to the TRA site and click download sample to see for yourself how cool these actions are...