Over the Moon....

Last night was the glorious sight of the Full Worm Moon.

Yup you heard me.....Worm Moon.....and HOLY COW was is just spectacular!

But really where do they come up with these names?!  One of my friends clued me in on the history of the quirky moon names that pop up on our calenders.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/

All too often I have looked at my calender and seen the lil full moon symbol on it coming up in the next week and think to myself...

"Hey I should try to get some moon shots this week!"

Creepy Crescent

Almost full.......

I then go about my merry way and lose all track of time and miss the chance.  Kicking myself soundly for it too.   And yet again this week I was doing the exact same thing.  But when a page I follow over on Facebook, Photo Lounge, had a "Nocturnal" themed photo contest.  I was resolved to not miss out on this month's moon.

But life being what it is, got a little hectic and I almost missed it!   OH......THE HORROR!  Look at what I almost missed!

Man am I ever so grateful the dog had to go outside at 8 last night or once again I would have missed out on this stunning show of Mother Nature.

Okay...now you all need to hop over to Photo Lounge on Facebook and join in on the fun.  It is a great community of like minded individuals of all skill levels.  We love new faces and new photos.....plus who doesn't like the chance to win FREE STUFF?

Hope to see you all over there.  Have wonderful day and get out there and make your mark.  Don't forget to take your camera with you ;)

What makes a word?

Have you ever looked up the definition of the word "Enthusiasm"?

It comes from the Greek word

 "ENTHEOS" meaning to be filled by or inspired by God.

 The English dictionary definition reads as this "absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; Synonyms: eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion 

 Wow is that a powerful word or what?  Think about it......

When was the last time you did anything that made you feel that way? With no thought of personal gain but done for the sheer joy and rapture of it?  (Egos are not allowed so check 'em at the door!) Can you remember? 

 I, though I loathe to admit it, have not been enthusiastic as of late.  Sure I have been hard at work moving, adjusting kids to new schedules, trying to build my business back up in a new town and basically just forgetting anything and everything that I was enthusiastic about.  It really isn't about the money or the number of sessions I have on the books, while those things are an added bonus.  But for me, IT is about capturing those perfect moments that take your breathe away. Those moments that and pass and are gone before you ever realize that they will never happen again.  

While I may be more technically proficient now, my enthusiasm then, far surpassed what it is now! I have been so caught up in the nuts and bolts of photography that I had begun to lose sight of the memories I always wanted and strove to create, not only for my family but for my clients as well.  A portrait is so much more than just a piece of paper with an image on it......It really is a legacy that we leave for those who we will eventually leave behind.

Creating memories.......that will last long after my lifetime.  This is just one of the things that fills me with enthusiasm.  

Most of these photos were taken at least one year ago.  Before my editing and photography skills took the aforementioned improvement......But despite that they are some of my most prized captures to date.

So in ending I ask that you too, find your enthusiasm...
 and pursue it...
 latch on to it....
 and never forget what fills and inspires you!

Oh for the Love OF TEXTURE!

After my latest posting of photos both here and over at Facebook, many of my fellow readers, photography friends, and even family members have been asking me where I am getting my new backgrounds.  So I am going to let you all in on a little secret......

Are you ready?.....

There are no new backgrounds!  Just the same ole white one I have had since I purchased my portable studio kits almost four years ago now.

"WHAT?"

Yep you heard me!  I have not purchased any new backgrounds in well over four years.  What I have purchased (or found for free) is lots of new and glorious texture sets.  I LOVE TEXTURES!  They can change the mood of a portrait in an instant.  They can give your portrait a vintage, hand painted or grungy feel.  Oh my heavens the possibilities are endless!  

Here is a few examples of what I mean..... 

Now that one doesn't really show a huge transformation but it did make it pop.......Wouldn't you agree?

See.......definite mood change! Oh the DRAMA!  

SO in getting back to my pay it forward and share the knowledge campaign I will be hard at work this week on a tutorial for all of you who want to see how I do this.  I am by no means an expert on this technique, but I do love to play around and share what I do know......

Loganne's Birthday Bonanza!

So I have been absent as of late in my posting here on the blog.  But as most of us know life can just creep in and suck up all of our free time before we even realize it has.  The challenge is, that when you realize your time has been commandeered, how do you get it back.  Well in my case you grab the bull by the horns and take it back.

For the past couple of months I have been absent due to educational differences with my eldest daughters teacher.  There have been meetings, therapy, counseling, tears from both frustrated parents and child.  It wasn't til about a week ago that I realized my youngest daughter Loganne had a birthday on the very near horizon.  

Here's where the bull comes in...time was not my friend a week ago.  It was time for the dreaded class conferences for all four of my kiddos.  And just guess when they were scheduled?  Yup you guessed it smack dab right on her birthday.  So what is a Mom to do?  Here is where I took control...While I don't suggest everyone do this, it was ABSOLUTELY necessary for me and my family to do so.  We played HOOKIE!  I mean you only turn 7 once, right?  And so much of out time had been focused on an elder sibling that we wanted to make sure that she knew we still loved her and we hadn't forgotten her on her very special day.

It is a standing tradition that the birthday child gets to choose one activity to attempt as a family and after said activity also gets to choose where we go to eat dinner.  Well this year she decided that we all should go bowling.  Woohoo!  I was excited!  I mean I rank PRO in Bowling on Wii Sports so this should be great, right?  (This comment comes back to bite me big time)  The kids had a blast! Mr M. and I, well let's just say we enjoyed seeing the kids let go and have some go ole fashion fun for a change.  The big winner of the evening was my littlest man with a whopping score of 97.  I am not going to reveal what the rest of us scored as we are too ashamed and don't want to rain on his parade.  LOL  After bowling we headed out to have pizza which was followed by the usual gifts,cake and ice cream.  

As I tucked her into bed I whispered to her that the next day would bring even more surprises for her.  But only if she went to sleep right away.  Boy did she ever clamp those peepers shut in  a hurry.  And bright and early the very next morning she woke me up eager to find out what surprises her mommy had in store.  

We got dressed and headed out the door for her very first trip to the beauty salon to get all dolled up for her birthday pictures.  She was a trooper as we had to sit for almost 2 hours to get this accomplished despite being the first ones into the shop that day.  Poor stylist was there by all herself and was working like a mad woman to get everything done.  But not to let that deter her spirit she patiently chit chatted with everyone in the shop while she waited and waited and waited.  When we finally left she was a beautiful young lady!

Pictures on my kiddos birthday can go one of two ways.......Really well

OR......Not so much!  

And while I love taking their photos no matter how they look, they on the other hand can sometimes feel a bit sullen at the prospect of having them done.  I had a particular idea in mind for Loganne's this year, and while it did take a bit of coaxing to get er done, the results are exactly what we wanted.  

I even broke down and bought my very first 16 x 20 canvas print.  I have to say I LOVE my local printing house.  They may not offer all the bells and whistles of some of the bigger print houses out there but when it comes down to getting excellent customer service and print quality they are the BOMB!

Knock...knock.....anyone home?

Well hello again.....
  Long time no see right?

MY BAD!

Man o man can life get crazy hectic and  busy when you least expect it to, Right?  Well shortly after I started my self induced photo challenge, Life did just that, got crazy hectic.  Then the holidays came and well time just blew by and whaddya know it's a Brand Spanking New Year.

So Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!





So now that I have that outta the way I can get back to doing what I love and sharing it all with you. (You are still out there right?  I am not just typing to myself hopefully.)  In the upcoming post I hope to share more of what I have learned since being so long absent from my blog.  Until then I will leave you all with a few sample pictures of what I have been capturing during said absence.

Day Four...It's Not Easy Being GREEN.

Yes I totally ripped off Kermit and it was bad manners but I just couldn't resist seeing how todays' challenge was   the color GREEN. 

 Well that shouldn't be too hard huh?  Green is all around us......it's literally everywhere.  But I didn't just want to go out to my backyard or around my neighborhood and snap just any ole picture.  I wanted something different and unique.   I thought and thought until my thinker got sore.  Tricky as my kiddos were doing what they do best...giggling, laughing, squealing, playing and rough housing.  Not the best plan for the day as Mr. M has just recently started working over nights again. 

 What to do...what to do...

Eureka!  Off the kids and I went to the park so they could frolic in the creek.  They had been begging me to do just that for over a week now.  SCORE! (Of course I packed the camera along just in case I wanted to snap a few of them playing.  I mean let's face it.... I take it with me everywhere anyways.)

I got to watch them play and splash and just be the darlings they are and as loud as they wanted to.  We skipped rocks, had splash fights, shared a huge waffle cone and then watched a momma ducks and her babies waddle right on by us. While skipping stones with my eldest child, hidden almost in plain sight, a gem of a green appeared.

Being a Washington state native I miss my great and beautiful Pacific Ocean.  And while I didn't live on the coast  I lived close enough to take a weekend trip from time to time to visit it's shores.  And every trip I always looked for drift wood, shells, and the greatest treasures.....sea glass.  So when I spotted my green for the challenge I was instantly transported and warm salty memories flooded back to me.

So there in the middle of Sheridan, Wyoming I had found my unique portrait.  It evoked strong emotion and memories like every good portrait should.  While it may not provide you all with the sense of wonder it did for me, I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Wyoming Sea glass

Day Three...Clouds

Well last night I was all excited about Day Three of the 30 Day Photo Challenge....CLOUDS!  For the past four days we have been in cloud central.  Rain, Thunder and lightening all over the place especially in the evenings.  Woke up this morning rip roaring and ready to go.  Got dressed and got the kiddos ready and out we went into crystal clear skies.  Not a cloud in sight.  Well don't that just figure.

Eventually we did get a few fluffies to roll in...but nothing like the ones we have had in the past few days.  But not to be deterred I hunkered down and chased down a few.

Clouds on my very dirty rear window