sugar, snips and snaps.

2010-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

i'm here now! come read it! <3

back from the beach.

2010-08-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

and oh so sad about it!

2010-08-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

lately, i've been getting svelte chasing archie up the stairs--over and over.

some homemade raita.

2010-08-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

mint, coriander, and chilis. oh my!

two teeth.

2010-08-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

my baby boy is getting bigger :/

living.

2010-07-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

we went to the Virgina Living Museum last Sunday. (we also went to Water Country USA on Saturday, but the thought of my camera and all that water stressed me out. anyone want to buy me a Canon D10?)

holly & marcelo~married.

2010-07-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

i am working on cleaning up my computer so i can fit 8gig of raw files on there (holy crap). but here is one from the wedding i second shot.

busch gardens.

2010-07-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

went to williamsburg, portsmouth and va. beach this past weekend.

Fix-It Friday #61

2010-07-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

i just got Florabella Spring actions I and II and also the new Luxe ones, so i thought this was the perfect pic for some playing. original-->LR edit -->blossom-->daisy.
and yes, even when i use actions they end up just looking all alike in my own style.

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2010/07/fix-it-friday-61-hands-on-photo-editing-fun/

they all grow.

2010-07-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Baby J,that precious little newborn i shot 8weeks ago got big!

and i got new florabella actions!

westmama designs.

2010-07-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

my friend, Kimberly, makes the most adorable shirts and other screen print items. her etsy always makes me smile. who doesn't love a lollipop eating t-rex or a cute cuttlefish!?

and my kids got to model the cute shirts! w00t!

here's her facebook too!

park day.

2010-07-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

archie sees an airplane and delilah rocks out.

we were there for a reason... coming soon.

happy fourth!

2010-07-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

pap pap and nana took us to the farm.

2010-07-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

ok, so...i really wanna win this.

2010-07-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

so i am going to get all spammy:

this workshop workbook looks hella cool, and skye hardwicke takes some amazing photos. so check out the giveaway: http://www.soulographer.com/blog/

and the book: http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com

Delilah says "Do IT!"

beautimous engaged couple.

2010-06-30T18:19:00.001-07:00

cannot wait until the wedding!

sunday.

2010-06-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

wedding on the eastern shore.

2010-06-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

brian took these. i had a lot of wine on an empty tummy... :-p

Fix-It Friday #60

2010-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

halfassed cloning --> curves --> florabella sunshine (always) --> burned the bg --> TRA soft Luxe= Ta Da!

father's day 2010

2010-06-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

we got up early and stopped by starbucks for some life giving elixir. then it was off to Great Country Farms in Bluemont to pick some black raspberries. i love that we get to pick a certain amount for free with our CSA share. buying a share has really made eating fresh, local and seasonal a lot of fun. delilah loooved it until she purposefully dumped her bucket and wanted to go home. too bad for her since we had to then refill her bucket.

we went to Hill High Orchard for some egg salad sandwiches and pie. same thing we did last year, but there weren't any killer geese around this time.

at home, archie decided to stand up. and now that's all he wants to do. he is doing everything so much earlier than delilah did.

i snapped some pics of the kids with ol' pappy and daddy and we finished the day with some mexican food.

it really was the perfect day.

pool party.

2010-06-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

delilah's first time at the pool!

Baby X ~ 7 days

2010-06-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

what a cutie! i can't wait to have so many clients that i get to cuddle little n00bs all the time. (without me having to make them :-p)

just some cute kids.

2010-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Fix-It Friday #59

2010-06-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

hm. basic curves, balancing the red, and then a texture. pretty simple!

Fix-It Friday #58

2010-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

i pretty much just warmed it up (a lot). there may be some LilyBlue Coral in there too.

six months old!

2010-06-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

archie is an old man!
no more excuses for being shaped like this...

i know my ped will give me a hard time at the six month visit but, we wait for sitting, beginnings of pincher grip, and loss of tongue thrust before giving solids. i let him lick my food sometimes though lol. (we go straight to regualar table food).

i wanna kiss my postman.

2010-06-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

i love mail.
i got an awesome strap cover from Eclectic Whatnot on etsy. i have been searching for *the* perfect strap for months and i just knew when i saw this one. (okay, okay, i still slept on it for a couple weeks.)

and i got my may prints! free shipping from mpix!

a study of pretty flowers.

2010-06-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

sun, pei wei, and wegmans.

2010-06-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

renee~ maternity

2010-06-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

i did some pictures for my very pregnant childhood bff. her husband is actually a photographer, but she wanted some with him in the photos (of course.)

global race for the cure.

2010-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

in celebration of my mama and in memory of my mema.

summer.

2010-06-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

ok. it's been summer. but we haven't seemed to have gotten outside much.
babies get me beyond overwhelmed sometimes.

sarah ~ maternity

2010-06-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

got to shoot a fabulous pregnant friend the other evening. we had so much fun and i adore any practice i can get. i can't wait to photograph her baby boy in a week! there is more on my flickr.

Fix-It Friday #57

2010-06-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

i love this photo.

LR: warmed, restored highlights, brought down vibrance and contrast.

CS5: s-curve, took out blacks and ran Milk and Honey from Florabella (played around with the opacity of the layers)

then i added some grain.

developmental milestone?

2010-06-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

kitty terrorizing!

a weekend long date with my two guys.

2010-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

d = inlaws.

me and bri= eating indian food, yarn store, antique shopping, some archie pics.

i wanted a movie, but that's the one thing you can't do with a baby.

(the beacon is just for fun. we think the kodak brownie hawkeye works!)

been so lazy.

2010-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

well, lazy about blogging... i'm too busy chasing a MOBILE 5month old!

pics of random things we've been doing:

five months.

2010-05-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

he's scooting, almost sitting if he holds himself up with his arms, and wanting to mouth everything.

his mobility isn't such a great thing when delilah doesn't feel like sharing her toys.

guppy gala at the national zoo.

2010-05-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

animals, food, and rain.

happy birthday, k!

2010-05-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

delilah had a blast at her second cousin's 2nd birthday party!
she loved the minnie theme.

randoms from my phone this year.

2010-05-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

archie's first busch gardens trip.

2010-05-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

the first of many! as you can see, i got tired of lugging my camera around!

Fix-It Friday #54

2010-05-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Original/Fixed in Lightroom/CS5/BW

i was loving the florabella for this one.

baby juliana~8 days.

2010-05-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

isn't she sweet? i'm starting to shoot friends now. one day soon, i hope to feel okay taking money from strangers :)

happy mother's day.

2010-05-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

my kids rock.

Fix-It Friday #53!

2010-05-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

um. i fixed in LR, made purty in CS5, vintage-ized it. and made it bw. that's it.

i heart faces link

mama snaps.

2010-05-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

i don't own a p&s so a phone and an instax will do.

costco has pretty petti-skirts.

2010-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

and delilah wanted nothing to do with it.

but archer can't run...

my light set up still just isn't right...

#roidweek rejects. day 2.

2010-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

the winners for today are on my flickr.

uninspired. but i had to snap something.

2010-05-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

maryland sheep and wool.

2010-05-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

we didn't last long. it was sooooo hot! most of my pictures were of cold drinks.

and ice cream.

i also didn't see anything i want. yarn - lust = boredom.

i hate that.

2010-05-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

i accidentally clicked the shutter. that was expensive.

happy roid week! take some instant film pictures!

i made brian get me new toys.

2010-05-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

and now i'm scared i don't deserve them...

a reflector on a stand, umbrella and stand.
i had to fix them a lot.

save New York homebirths.

2010-04-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

tonight at midnight, New York City women will lose their right to choose. i have a friend due at anytime who will have to birth illegally after tonight. please email or call.

QUOTE:

Here is the info, as stated by Choices in Childbirth:

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
At midnight tomorrow, April 30th, the majority of New York City’s home birth midwives will no longer be able to practice legally. Unless immediate action is taken by the Governor and the NYS Department of Health the women that these midwives serve will be denied access to a home birth with their chosen provider and these providers will no longer be able to practice legally in NYS.

YOU MUST ACT NOW to save the home birth option for New York Women:

Call:

311 (if outside NYC, call
Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health, appointed by Governor Paterson. 518-474-8390
Larry Mokhiber, he Secretary of the Board of Midwifery (518-474-3817, extension 130)

And say….

With the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital, half of the licensed, highly trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost their Written Practice Agreement (WPA). St Vincent’s was the only hospital in the city supportive of a woman’s right to choose a home birth and willing to sign a WPA. In the weeks since it’s announced closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals and obstetricians all across the city looking for support, with no success. Please help us to save the homebirth option in New York.

People can also email the Governor at http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php.

We are in our final hours!

Please forward this post and help us flood 311 and the Governor’s office with calls supporting home birth.

And while you’re at it, please sign our petition supporting the Midwifery Modernization Act which will remove the WPA from the midwifery law effectively removing this barrier to accessing midwifery care.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/midwifery

Courtroom Mama
Mary Catherine Hamelin--Doula
Marvelous Kiddo

i heart homebirth.

Fix-It Friday #52

2010-04-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

just burning, cloning and an s-curve really. great sooc.

i heart faces.

okay...saw others being creative... #2...
lilyblue haze and TRA flareup faded.

2010-04-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

just because my pictures come out pretty, doesn't mean the day was pretty.
archie is teething or something, so i sit on the couch all day while he nurses or screams. delilah knows i am stuck on the couch and uses the opportunity to get into all the things she knows she's not supposed to touch.
like emptying a bag of Lays all over the floor. eating from my easter basket. taking all the pie pieces out of Trivial Pursuit. and strewing all the camera equipment all over the floor.
and archie just won't let me put him down.

but for 15minutes, i get this:

oh and this happened for enough time for a picture:

just some snaps.

2010-04-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

look-->

2010-04-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

i gifted myself a pro flickr account on my old (redundant) flickr account.

look at fun with my D60, baby delilah, random snaps. i love looking at baby delilah. but i think i'm biased...

how awesome was my p&s skills:

2010-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

i got a new camera. the big instax! composing is awkward with it at the moment--but i went through the same learning curve with my mini. i wish i had more film.

married. finally.

2010-04-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

i finally have proof i got married--i really only wanted a wedding for the photos. and of course i ended up in one of those dramariffic wedding photographer horror stories.
we paid good photographer prices for a shoot and burner. luckily, they came with rights so i edited them myself. we just got them. this took place in sept. 06. we haven't gotten the album yet.
the exif data on these made no sense. she must not have known what she was doing. i think she knew film okay--some people should stick to film.

red rock park.

2010-04-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

i am second shooting for these adorable kids' dad at a wedding in July, so we got together in leesburg to practice some flash.
i ended up with only one flash pic i liked, but i did get some adorable natural light photos--of his kids anyway!

mine is a bit over the whole camera/smile/stand still thing.

archie's first baseball game.

2010-04-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

we love the president's club seats that brian's office gets. we only had two this time, so delilah stayed home.

Fix-It Friday #51

2010-04-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

linky

Opened in PS: color adjustment cuves w/ dropper in corner of eye, slight s-curve, curves to warm it up, little eye pop, i tried paint the blown spots in, and then burned the background and ran portraiture all over (low opacity on the girl)

it is so hard to edit without knowing what someone looks like in person lol.

A house needs a grandma in it. ~Louisa May Alcott

2010-04-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

i am so glad that ours has one.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

bub bulls

2010-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

that's how she say's it. perfectly enunciated. it's adorable.
ol' pappy bought it as a surprise. he told her he had gotten a surprise for her and she said "prize me!" over and over until he brought it out. she really loves bubbles.

who is that big boy?

2010-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

i feel like he has started getting bigger before my eyes...especially since we are cutting and scanning brian's 35mm tonight. lots of n00b archie in these rolls.

holga and expired film.

2010-04-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

delilah is a daddy's girl

2010-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

and she much prefers him, so i cherish any picture i find of the two of us.
brian took this in the snow this winter--i just found it since i'm on his computer scanning negatives.

long live analog.

2010-04-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

lots of scanning to do tonight! we got some mail!
the medium format is mine from my holga, the logo boxes are Brian's slide film and the brown boxes are Brian's 35mm.

just from looking at the negatives, i see that i have no idea where to stop when advancing my holga! i do not think they will end up shaped right.

it's like 60 degrees out! i need a hat!

2010-04-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

delilah must be used to our recent 80 degree days, she insisted she needed a knit wool hat for the intense cold. i must concur, i was feeling pretty chilly myself!

she gave me two quick grins in exchange for putting the camera away.

easter eve.

2010-04-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

i forgot to blog about our trip to Cox Farms the day before easter. we thought it would be a lot more fun, but D felt sick, hungry and tired. she didn't want to be put down. i had archie in a sling and it was really sunny--plus the frowny toddler = frustrating photo op.

but Just Say Cheese-It blogged about a cool collage maker. so i can finally blog about the day and still be lazy. (yeah, these are all actioned.)

my laundry/pantry room is clean. w00t.

2010-04-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

o hai.
we sent D off with my inlaws to a family wedding this weekend, so Brian, A and I had fun cleaning out out pantry, decluttering, grocery shopping and just walking around toddlerless.
no, i'm not uber cool and have a clothesline in that room. it's for line drying freshly developed negatives.

i had also wanted to take A's four month portraits, but totally forgot. i took him out today in a sweater (spud & chloe yarn) that Brian had *just* finished. the sun came out as soon as we got out there and it was just too cold for my lil boy. so that was a bust.

i got these while i was metering.

droid does. take okay pics.

2010-04-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

if you get the right app. the picture of our snowpocalypse victims is with Vignette.
as is this picture of one of my favorite stores. needs a border :/

CameraFx is free and takes really cool pics on the toy setting.

Fix-It Friday #50

2010-04-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/2010/04/fix-it-friday-50-hands-on-photo-editing.htm

fun stuff!
i fixed the under exposure, wb, orange skin, and blemishes in LR.

then i brought it into PS and did an S-curve, reduced the blacks, and ran Portraiture.

how do you upload pics to your blog?

2010-04-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

i need to figure out a way to upload pics so they aren't clickable/ do i have to host everything on flickr?

i really do NOT want my childrens' images stolen. even if just for role playing message boards.

ETA: i am figuring out the html. disabled right click and left click on my pictures.

nothing to say. 'twas just a pretty day.

2010-04-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

happy 4 months.

2010-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

i forgot to take real portraits, so flashy snaps under the dining room table it is. he ends up being uber cute no matter the picture quality <3

april weather makes me happy. ugly navels do not.

2010-04-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

yesterday was the first day that we've been able to all get out in the fresh air. archie has never been out in warm weather! he loved the breeze on his body! i was also having some fun with my new 105mm lens.

i haven't been as into cloth diapers this time, so archie shares with delilah. luckily, i don't really believe in assigning gender to babies, so he gets to rock styles like this:

funny and gross: i have been worried that archie has an umbilical hernia because his navel is just...ugly. sticks out a bit and is discolored. i asked a friend and she said it looked nothing like she had seen, so it probably wasn't. brian asked the doctor and guess where his birth mark is! ew! it's an outie with increased melanin--maybe from the bili lights on that wound as a newborn. poor kid.

play time.

2010-04-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

(delilah hates when i take pictures, lately.)

and archie is a baby--not a newborn. even seems like he is too old for infant.

the plague.

2010-04-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

delilah is very congested. archie was diagnosed with reflux (zantac), ear infection (amoxicillian), and needs a nebulizer for his congestion. good times.

easter.

2010-04-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

pretty colors.

2010-04-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Fix-It Friday #49

2010-04-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

i heart faces

actions, actions, actions.

i did last weeks as well since i missed it. just for fun.

april is the cruelest month?

2010-04-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

'twas a sunny, warm, dress up kind of day.

a couple more on my flickr :)

spring has sprung.

2010-03-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

the cherry tree in my yard has blossoms!

flash practice!

2010-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

i'm determined to be at home with my flash--i prefer the look of natural light, but sometimes there just isn't any!

black and white and red all over.

2010-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

i'm entering the dramatic b&w challenge over at i heart faces

what is more dramatic than a 2yo yelling at her mama!?

MEDIUM SIZE
using Florabella action and texture.

big apple circus.

2010-03-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

a few snaps of our girls night out.

warm march days.

2010-03-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

toddlers will find the most random activities when it's nice out, but the yard is still wintery and gross from being under snow.

we've been in hiding.

2010-03-28T17:45:00.001-07:00

not on purpose. but i've been neglecting my blog!

happy 3 months.

2010-03-11T18:30:00.001-08:00

my baby is out of the 4th trimester. i can't believe that he wasn't planned for. i can't imagine life without him.

balance.

2010-03-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

i got mail yesterday! a Robin Meyers digital gray card! i thought my image colors would get better immediately, but i think there is a learning curve--or my child is just not good at holding it.
either way, i think i will be having to retrain my eyes.

archie's "wtf?" face.

2010-03-09T08:18:00.001-08:00

together.

2010-03-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

already playmates.

he likes to have photoshoots, play with disney princesses and dress up like lovely ladies with delilah.

on saturday...

2010-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

...archie went to a baby shower and was taken aback by all the pink.

2010-03-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

one for my baby and one for someone else's baby coming soon.

friday distraction.

2010-02-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

#45

this:

to this:

florabella textures and actions. just playing around. i did really boost the curves and mask back everything but her face. and i ran portraiture over everything since it seemed noisy when working up close.

wip wednesday.

2010-02-24T14:31:00.001-08:00

yes. still.

it takes me as long to make the icord as it does to make the longies!

current obsession.

2010-02-24T14:27:00.000-08:00