Doggie love...

The dogs were gone from November till March because I was a but overwhelmed with baby and doggies...now they are back, and everyone is getting along great! 

Tonight we put the dogs in the back as we went to get mail, and little guy was nearly running to get back to squeal at the dogs...the picture is dark cause it was almost 7pm and I didnt have the Speedlite with me, but I still think it is cute:)

T1i, 24-70mm f2.8L...Pic (did I mention that it was dark): f3.5, ISO6400, 1/125 and lowest setting for the on-camera flash...

At the mall

Today's was "When you love them the most"...this pic sort of covers it, but not well, was crazy busy and didn't have time for much...so, I might try this one again in a few days (tomorrow - if everything goes as planned - is cake smash day!)...

Had a great day with the little guy, he is walking all over the place...he will start out walking and if you are there to catch him, he will faceplant into your arms, but if he is going somewhere, he will take his time and try to get as far as he can, and then crawl the rest of the way once he loses his balance...but it is so exciting to see!

The pic of the day is one of the only pics I took of him today, at the mall...he loves the mall play area...it makes it look like he is in his own little world...

 T1i, 24-70mm f2.8L lens...pic: ISO400, 1/320, f2.8...

Here is an outtake of the week:

Self-portrait...with your loved one...

I'm back on track and posing with the one I love...my hubby was at work, or else he would have definitely been in here too...

This was hard in theory, but the pose wasnt as bad as I thought it would be cause the timer had a blinker, and I could tickle him - and the boy LOVES hugs...his big thing right now is huge bear hugs every time I pick him up and I get tears in my eyes cause I love them so much...

The hard part really was the focus...I focused on where I was putting the camera (a shelf) then I put the camera on the shelf, grabbed the baby, and the picture took...I also had trouble getting my head directly in front of the camera...but, it wasnt as bad as I had thought all in all, and I have ideas for doing more of these in the future with a tripod and my hubby - I think we'll be able to focus and pose a lot better that way and I'm actually excited that they could turn out quite nice...

Anyway, this one captures us, it is mostly in focus and not too much of our appendages are cut off...even though it wasnt his best day, the boy makes me so happy, I love him so much:)  I put it in black and white cause I took it with an open door with us inside the house, and our house is a bit dark(thats just the way it is) so I couldn't get the color just perfect...

T1i, 50mm f1.4 lens...pic: ISO3600, f5 (so I could have a bit of fudge factor with the focus), 1/160...I do like the catch lights...I think I could take a nice one if there was more lighting coming into the house!

Driving around...

Not doing to workshop today...it was kisses, and you can only do so much to get a baby and a cat with claws to hug before you decide that it is a very bad idea...I might show you the result later, but you should just take my word on it!

Anyway, today was an absolutely wonderful day, I wish I could have it happen every day...
He slept 10 hours, woke ate/diaper change and back down for 2 hours, had playgroup, he fell asleep coming home and went right into his crib for a 2 hour nap, then he ate (well), we played for an hour, and then off to the park and strawberries, done with the park, came home, he fell asleep for 30 minutes, we cooked dinner, ate, shower, play for 30 minutes, and sleep...so so nice!  I LOVE this weather and being outside so much!!

So, this is the pic of the day since the kitty pic just turned out all sorts of bad in many ways...the boy is growing up so fast!

T1i, 50mm f1.4 - pic: 1/250, ISO400, f2...
Am trying a bit different on the editting, am not sure now I like it...I keep seeing great pics and being inspired, but I'm not quite sure this is it...

Everyday...and my Valentine...

Still running a day behind (and dont think I'm doing the assignment that was today which was my loved ones jewelry - my hubby doesnt wear any)...today is something you do every day...LOL, take pictures of course!!

Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and little guy was inside longing to be outside...whenever he is inside, he wants out - he is so happy when he is out and about:)

T1i, 50mm f1.4...1/100, ISO200, f2.5...and flash fill (at the lowest setting - but on manual)...I tried this a number of different ways, and I liked it the best when I could see him with more light on him, in silhouette just didnt look as interesting...still not the most pleased with the pic...

Gonna share one more cute one from today at the park, in honor of Valentine's Day:)

t1i, 50mmf1.4...1/320, f2.5, ISO400...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Too sleepy for dreams...

TOday's theme was dreams, but I didn't get on the computer to find out the theme until the little guy was asleep...so, we are just gonna go with cute today...cause I need sleep:)

Busy, wonderful day going to Disney to meet friends for the first time...and little guy was in the most amazingly good mood, I couldnt even believe it, hope it continues tomorrow:)

Anyway, I'm still working on good pics with the speedlite, and I really like this one...little guy is on the phone with his great grandmother, and she is telling him to be a good boy on his trip, and I'm proud to say that he listened to her:)

 T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L...pic: 1/100, ISO100, f3.5...speedlite on M 1/4 bounced off back wall, there was some natural light coming from the window also, but I couldnt get a good pic at anything under ISO3200 so I used the speedlite and it worked well, starting to feel a bit more comfortable with it:)

Some quick outtakes - trying strawberries for the first time, and loving on daddy:

Where they are comfortable

Today was a busy day...started off with K falling and busting his lip a bit, then he rolled of the bed and fell on the computer and got a black and blue mark on his cheek, took the hubby in to work cause it was pouring, off to the DR for K's nose (a staph infection, so we had to get antibiotics), packing and more packing, then off to The Villages for me and K (first night ever away from daddy!)...

Given all that, I had a great pic for "where they are not comfortable"...I drove down to my mother in laws house with K alone tonight, and he was great for the first hour, but after he woke up from his power nap, he screamed his head off the entire rest of the way there...gaack!!  My poor ears!!

But, once we got here, we got him in the high chair and we got some wonderful homemade food from my mother in law (did I mention - WONDERFUL!!), and he was very comfortable...so, high chair pic it is...

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L...picture: ISO100, 1/200, f3.5...and Speedlite M 1/2...I'm not thrilled with his face, he was doing squishy face smile (corny boy:)), and I was more interested in getting him to sleep then in getting the perfect look, but I'm really liking how the lighting looked...this pic was taken at 8:30pm, it was completely dark out, and just the kitchen lights are on, the speedlite was bounced off the wall behind me and the lighting looks good, and I got the sharpness in the picture too cause I kept the shutter speed faster, whoo hoo!!

Passions and hobbies

My husband has many hobbies and is good at everything, I am so envious of that:)  He collects and sells transformers, so, thats the one I'm focusing on for today's assignment...so, this is the little guy playing with the transformers that daddy just got in, he loves opening boxes with us and helping - in his own special way:)

I'm trying a few different things with camera settings today based on the workshop...basically, I always seem to get a little blurr and she seems to think that is because my shutter speed is too slow, she likes to keep it above 1/200...and just play with the ISO more...anyway...

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L...settings: 1/200, ISO800, f5 (I wanted to get all the toys in focus and I was pretty close)...and speedlite bounced off the wall behind me at M 1/2 (very pleased with the speedlite today)...I think I like it, but next time, I'd maybe go to M 1/4 on the speedlite and f3 or so...but I like the catchlights from bouncing the flash behind me instead of at the ceiling!!

PS-Check out his red nose...I have no idea what is going on there, it just got red today for some reason?

Gift from the heart

Today's theme is gift from the heart...basically your best gift ever...my husband is an incredible gift giver and I've gotten some wonderful "things"...but, the best gift he's ever given me - I know, you totally didn't see it coming:) - is our little guy...who is 11 months old TODAY!! 

We had a wonderful day today, and I think this candid just captures him:) 

T1i (gift from my husband) and 24-70mm f2.8L lens (gift from my husband:))...picture was taken at 4pm and it was pretty dark in the house so I bumped the ISO to 1800, shutter 1/100, f2.8...my white balance was white fluorescent...and no flash, the light in his eyes are from a side window...I did B&W cause the coloring just wasnt as pretty as natural light (next to a window or outside), and I've gotten a bit spoiled with some beautiful pics lately:)  I also ran it through noiseware cause we definitely had some grain going on...

What they love

Well, in honor of having the grumpiest grump baby ever today...we have "what they love"...he loves me and wants me to put down the camera and pick him up and love him (and the feeling is mutual:))

Camera T1i, lens 50mm f1.4 - pic: speedlite M 1/1 (bounced off the wall on my left), f6.3, 1/100, ISO200...honestly, today was rough, it was almost bedtime and I hadnt taken my pic, so I didnt mess with the settings much, I just shot it and picked him up...

Love to hate

Today's assignment is Love to Hate: "You KNOW your loved one does something that drives you NUTS (but you LOVE to complain about it and the day just wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t have to complain about it).  Capture it…"

Ok, so, the little guy ALWAYS falls asleep in his carseat, right before we get home...which means that I either have to sit there in the driveway with him waiting for him to wake up, or I wake him up and try to get him back to sleep in his crib and he doesnt go down...

well, this is my little guy falling asleep in the car FIVE minutes from the house today (and wont wake up for anything!)...which means that he will not go down for a nap when he gets home because he got in his power nap...which means that he is a grumpy boy for the rest of night...grumble grumble...

Camera T1i, lens 50mm f1.4...picture: 1/125, ISO400, f3.2

What they wear

This was a fun one cause our family is just.not.fashionable - in any sense of the word.

So, it was hard to choose just one thing, but this pretty much describes my husband's fashion sense...when it is a bit cold and he is going to be running or biking any time soon (today we were driving to the post office and then he was riding his bike into work from there), he wears a tank top tee shirt, socks on his arms with the toes cut off, and gloves because his hands get cold (and what you cant see is that the gloves even have holes in the fingers). I love him so:)

Camera T1i, lens 50mm f1.4 - picture: 1/320, ISO400, f2.5 - I think my ISO was so high cause I was taking a fast pic and its faster in manual to bump up the shutter speed than to change the ISO...

And for the outtakes of the week:

Oh yes, we have steps...just a few, but definitely steps - uhoh! :)

Then and now

Today's assignment is then and now...description: "How long have you known your loved one?  What has changed since you first met him or her?  Try to capture this change in photos. it would be even cooler if you can show a photo from the time you first met him and put it side by side with a now photo."

Of course, I chose the little guy and my husband...the first picture was almost 11 months ago, when they just met - little guy was only a few hours old and this is my husband holding him for the first time <3...the second picture is from tonight...little guy was in a great mood, and nothing makes him laugh more than being upside down...quite a difference:)

Then pic - I have no idea...
After pic: T1i, 24-70mm f2.8L lens...picture ISO100, 1/200, f3.5...Speedlite bounced off of the ceiling at M 1/2...

How they look

The assignment of the day was "How They Look": " TRUE essence/expression/attitude/posture that SCREAMS your loved one!"

This is the essence of the little guy, he is thoughtful and pensive and serious and sweet...here we are at a birthday party today, once again they wanted us to focus on natural light, in this picture, he is facing a huge sliding glass door and it lit him perfectly:)

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L...picture: ISO1600, 1/160, f2.8

What they do

I'm doing a photography workshop this month called "The Joy of Love"...so I have homework every day, because of that, this month is going to be a bit different from the randomness of last month...not to worry, there are 10 more months in the year to be completely random:)

Anyway, the first day is "What they do"...well, what little guy does is eat, sleep, and play - what a life, huh?  So, this is him eating.  The assignment wanted us to focus on indoor using natural light, so we are inside Subway, using the natural light of the window at the front of the store.  He isnt faced as toward the window as he should be, and I barely have a catchlight in the eyes, but I like the excitement in the photo - the boy loves food:)

T1i, 50mm f1.4 lens...pic: ISO400, shutter speed 1/125, f2.8, and white balance was white fluorescent light.

Before and After

Today you get two pics, lucky lucky:)

Poor little guy, after a week with daddy home cause daddy was sick, he was a bit of a grump when daddy had to go back to work today.  Nothing I did made him happy, not even yogurt...

T1i, 24-70mm f2.8L - pic: 1/100, ISO100, f8 and speedlite 1/4 Manual...why you ask?  yea, speed...I just wanted a pic that looked ok, and I didn't want to spend too much time fiddling with my buttons while he was screaming (see, I'm a good mommy:))

so, off to Publix we went, grabbed some pita and hummus, went to the park and had ourselves a really good time...and even better, he was great for the rest of the day - HOORAY!!

T1i, 50mm f1.4 lens...pic: 1/200 ISO200 f4...I SHOULD have gone to about f8-9 cause it was so hard to get him in focus since he loves swinging high and fast...oh well, I got 11 months to show you how much better I get:)

Nah nah

Today the wonderful happy boy that I've had all week hid far far away and the grump came out full force.  Poor boy, he had so many good days in a row, that it takes a really bad day every once in a while to appreciate fully the good days...not only was he grumpy, but he was getting into everything dangerous that he could possibly get into...he loves climbing on the weight bench (where he has hit his face a million times on hard metal), scissors, climbing on precariously stacked boxes, pulling plugs out of the outlets, tape dispensers, and - of course - pulling things down on top of himself...the funny thing about that is that we are constantly saying "No-no" to all these dangerous things...and so, the little guy officailly has a first word...oh yes...and it is "nah nah"...he just repeats it over and over again as he is doing all the things that he shouldnt be doing - it is so funny (oh but it shouldn't be - oh but it is!), oh my goodness this boy, I love him so!

Anyway... the grump only appears at home (thank goodness)...and so when we did go out for lunch, he was good (he loves being out), and I got a ton of great pics today!

Will have some in the outtakes of the week, but here is one of my favorites...we are at the bagel shop and they have a nice big glass window in front which has great lighting...

Camera T1i, lens 50mm f1.4 - picture: ISO800, 1/100 shutter speed, f2.2...white balance was white fluorescent...a few shadows on the face but I like them...grain isnt too bad at all I dont think:)

Love

Our whole family has been sneezing and dripping and coughing and hacking...and in general not feeling very good at all this week...but, the fog has lifted just a bit...we are all finally feeling better - yeah!!
Today the hubby took the day off (with the cough he had, it was a good idea!) and we all just hung out together...it was so nice!

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L...pic: ISO800, 1/100, f3.5...this was taken in Subway as we were ordering sandwiches...I LOVE my boys so much!  Dont know why did this one in black and white...it just looked right to me:)

Here are some outtakes from this week...we did so much in the beginning of the week that I have quite a few...

Right before the roadtrip - is it bad that I took the picture and THEN removed the nailpolish remover from his mouth?

My favorite picture of the trip, at a park in Savannah on Monday...I put up a sunset pic that day because I knew this one would take a bit longer to edit...I did an unusual edit (vintage but ultra contrast-y) on it cause its an odd picture/angle/sun is right there... not my usual, but I still love it!!

 

Happy

The little guy has been so happy this week, it is something I definitely need to document:)

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm, f2.8L - pic: ISO400, 1/200, f7.1...the 7.1 shouldnt have happened, but I had been taking pics of toys all day and this was a very quick snapshot, and he didnt smile big once I adjusted this...could probably have done ISO200 (or even 100) and f3-4...this pic was taken at 5pm with almost no lights on in the house, it was really dark...the Speedlite was set at M 1/1 (very high) and bounced at about a 75 degree angle off the top of the wall...it still looks better than a regular flash, and I'm still learning to say the least:)

Sick

When the little guy woke up at 3:30am screaming, I knew it was going to be a rough day - cause I felt horrible...luckily, the hubby came to the rescue and got the little guy back to sleep, and then let me sleep in a little late...but, feeling sick and a lazy rainy day means not that many pictures (I actually tried to get a picture of the rain but my shutter speed wasnt fast enough so you dont see that picture - lesson #19042904389348 learned:)

Anyway, this is the little guy was a very good boy to a sick mama today, this pic is him trying to squeeze himself between the box and the shelves so that he can get to a plug and pull it out of the wall...he really does look so incredibly sweet and innocent no matter what he is doing:)

Camera T1i, lens 24-70mm f2.8L - picture: 1/80 shutter speed (which is about as low as I can go without blurr from shaking) ISO3200 (grain!), f2.8 (can you tell that it was incredibly dark in the house today!?!)...was just trying to get by without using the flash, but with such a high ISO I did get a bit of grain...ran it through noiseware to help balance that out and it helped a lot...