Shoot & Edit : Up! - Edit

SOOC


Here it is with the basic things I do with my edits....



and a more extensive edit :)

Shoot & Edit: Up

Hey there.....remember me? lol

Things have been nutty in my neck of the woods. I've been shooting/editing like CRAZY.....I started this fitness routine that has me walking every, single day for miles.....and.....AND.....

I got a puppy :)


Meet Ruhe! (Ruhe is german for Serenity)

He's a Rotty-Lab mix with the sweetest personality you could ever ask for.

Besides that, we're had tornados where I live lately. Now, one of the reasons I live where I live and put up with our crazy long winters, is because we DON'T get tornados here. Or Hurricanes. Or Earthquakes. We have Blizzards. I'm cool with Blizzards. It's my natural disaster of choice. We buy some extra food, bunker down, wait for it to pass, and then dig out. Some branches are probably down afterwards, we may lose power for a few hours.....but usually there's no widespread destruction, no rebuilding, no death count. So, needless to say, this whole "tornados in my town" thing is REALLY unnerving to me....

Back to the matter at hand....



This week's theme is "up"
I took this at a wedding I shot recently. I'd never shot a dove release before....it was very cool!


So anyway, I hope you all have an amazing Memorial Day, and hopefully I can be a little more active on my blog!

Edit: Growth

Last night was hard. Last night, I had to TOTALLY get out of my comfort zone. I can't remember the last time I spent so much of a 24 hour period praying for God's guidance on an issue. I tend to be non-combative. I don't like conflict....I like uniting people, not ruffling feathers.

Last night though, I had to stand up and make my voice heard. Because sometimes, it's hard to do what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. Sometimes, you have to ruffle a few feathers, but if you're speaking the truth, being kind & compassionate, and being deliberate in your words, then it's ok. It's ok for me to be that person today. I can stand up for what I believe in, when God presses it upon my heart to do so. Even if it means I lose a friend in the process.

This is major growth for a self-proclaimed wall flower like yours truly.

Onward to photography....

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When I first got a camera last year, some of the first photos I took were of my son playing teeball. When I look at those photos I took last year, I'm really amazed at the growth I've had in my photography. I've owned a camera for almost exactly 1 year now, and a DSLR for nearly 9 months. I honestly can't remember what it felt like to not have a camera in my hands, it so naturally became such a HUGE part of me.

Clean Edit


Here's my clean edit, done in Lightroom 3. I tend to use Lightroom 3 instead of ACR for my initial edits.

Full Edit


Sometimes, less is more. :) Here's my full edit. Just some little tweaks. No flashy photoshop tricks. No crazy creative edits.

Today, I think I'm just gonna reflect on all the growth I've had in the past year. Thank you, God, for everything.....

Shoot & Edit: Growth

Thanks for the patience, you guys. Sometimes being Mommy to a little one with special needs means everything else in life takes a back seat, including blogging! Thanks for sticking with me!

What a fitting topic for where I am in my life right now......I feel as if I'm in the middle of a period of enormous growth. I don't just mean in my photography....spiritually, emotionally, all of it. Hard to explain it all, but I know God's not done with me yet!

As for my photo, I'm picking one that I took at my little guy's teeball game this past Saturday. It amazes me to see how far my photos have come from last year, at this time. This was not taken with my big camera, but with my Panasonic Lumix FZ35. It's been almost exactly one year since I got my FZ35....the first real camera I'd owned since I was a kid. I didn't get my DSLR until this past September!

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I am amazingly honored to have been chosen as a top 3 SOOC shot for the month of April by Jill at Jill Samter Photography It means so much to me! Please, if you can, hop over to her website and vote for "Looking for Strawberries" Here's the shot she picked..

Shoot & Edit: Faith - Before/After

Well, I'm getting back to feeling like a human being again! Amazing the toll a trip takes on your body when you're not 18 anymore! lol

So, here are my edits for the week...

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Clean Edit


Full Edit: Pop!


Fun Edit


BW Edit


So...I didn't really feel that photo warranted any text.

The nature shots, on the other hand....... I went outside my comfort zone and used texture AND text.....

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Edit


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Edit


and my favorite of the nature shots, for which all texture was provided by God already.... :)

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Edit

S&E - Faith....

So, my goal this week is to get an actual post up. Got back from The Flash Bus at 1am........learned a lot, and I plan on blogging about it in the next day or so, but right now, I'm exhausted!

So, for now...... Shoot & Edit - Faith

I had this idea in my head of what I wanted to do.....unfortunately, in my head, my two year old was MUCH more cooperative than in real life. Still, after many photos, I got something close to what I was going for.....

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Then, I went outside, and there were some flowers!!!!! So, I have faith that winter is finally over!

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and on my way back in, I saw this little beauty, hiding in our bushes.....

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Shoot & Edit: Edit - Up

Not too wordy today.....tired, and had a rough start this morning.

Before



After


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After


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and one more, that I forgot to save a before for! :)

Shoot & Edit: Up......& catching up with everyone!

So, first things first! Things have been super busy around here, as I've challenged myself to exercise every single day, and I'm getting ready to go out of town for the Flash Bus Tour! Any of you going?

So, I had to get my husband's prescription from his Dr.'s office the other day, and there was this really cool little field next to it, and the light was yummy that day, so I figured I'd see if the little one would be up to taking a few shots.

(All shots SOOC)








She was somewhat cooperative :)

What else have I been up to, you ask? (Gotta love having these little conversations with myself!)

Trying to enjoy cooking yummy, healthy things for my family.....which is an effort because, I just really don't LOVE cooking like I love doing other things....



Buying a nearly new tripod on Craigslist for under $20 :)


Trying to stop my youngest as she comes up with new and more creative ways to try and "off" herself...



Actually getting to sneak away for a lunch date!


Wondering how my medical kid knew how to use each and every tool in my new Doctor kit, and then wanting to slap myself in the forehead when I realize.... DUH...... she's my medical kid!



Making my first camera strap cover



Leaving a "Pooping Love Monster" to surprise my husband on the counter in the morning, because what better way is there to say "I love you" ?



and of course, cuddling.....



So, in a nutshell (and a whole lotta photos), that's what I've been up to! :)