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

Day Two....What I Wore today

I took a long hard look at today's photo challenge.  And while I could have taken this day the very literal route I chose to be a bit more in depth than that.

 This past month has been a real struggle for me.  My faith has been challenged but it IS my faith that has brought me through all the ups and downs and seen me safely to the other side.  My heavenly Father has plans for me and even if I do not fully understand where he will take me in this earthly life, I have FAITH in his wonderful plans that he has created just for me.  For he is a loving God.  Through him I can do wonderful things that I never even dreamed of accomplishing for myself and those around me.

So today.....I proudly wore my FAITH.

Day One.....Self Portrait

So day one of the 30 day challenge is Self portrait day.

SIGH....

I really dont like being on the other side of the camera. So I was leary of doing this to begin with. So after I got done procrastinating about it, I got my bum in gear only to discover my darlings had hidden my cable release. It only made getting this challenge done all the more difficult. Back and forth between shots can get a little tiring, let me tell ya! But I got one that I was okay with before the thunder rolled in and sent me indoors.


So here it is.....

Self induced challenge.....

While I am in client limbo I have decided to keep my photography muscles limber and agile by doing a lil 30 day photography challenge.  So Starting tomorrow, and the next 29 days after, I will attempt to stretch myself both creatively and artistically. (Yes...in my opinion there is a difference between the two)  Why wait til tomorrow you ask?  Well the reason I am postponing it til then is today is Mr. M's birthday.


 Feel free to challenge yourself as well.

Source: whitepeachphoto.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Finding Inspiration

When the blahs hit you creatively where do you go to to find your inspiration?

 Is nature your muse?

Does music provide your soul with wonder?

Do you have a go place to find creative ideas and samples?

http://pinterest.com/

When the blahs of life get you down, how do you bounce back?

Why I need to win the Creative Estates Retreat Giveaway......

While I was cruising around over on Facebook I saw that one of the pages I follow, *Shey*[B] Camera Strap Slipcovers, is having a giveaway that TOTALLY ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF!  She has partnered with Creative Estates to give one of her followers a creative weekend trip for one person their bestest bud to Mesa Az.  Flight, Room,and board all taken care of!  And all you have to do is create a blog entry stating why you deserve to be the winner and who you would bring.  SCORE!  I can so totally do that!


So here is my reason.... 

Because I have not had a weekend let alone a day to myself with a friend in over TEN YEARS! 

Me and my Crazy crew

As the stay at home mom of four that I am, my life has revolved around them and their needs. I love all my children deeply, but oh what I would give to just have a few hours of peace to share with a friend and do all the creative fun stuff I used to do before little hands and fingers came into my life.  To not to have to worry about who needs to go here and there, or worry about what I am creating might walk off and be swallowed by some adventurous tyke.   That would be sheer heaven!  As to who I would bring with me.....I would have to say that I would bring either my best friend Tiffany.  Before we relocated to Sheridan we would have Mommy and me play dates. While our children would play the day away, we would craft our hearts away.  I miss her and our time together and we be ecstatic to share this wonderful trip with her. So there you have it.  My reason as to why I think I would be a good candidate to win this prize. 

So Shey & Creative Estates please.....Please.....PUH LEAZE  pick me!

Please stop on over to Shey's Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SheyB-Camera-Strap-Slipcovers/269203272417

How to capture Bokeh and look goofy while doing it....

First off here is the definition of Bokeh.

 Bokeh, according to the great online reference that is Wikipedia, is  "the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

  Huh....that definition  seems so bland in comparison to the actual event when viewed in a portrait. Here is a living breathing example of it

Wowzers!  

(Hope you don't mind me tooting my own horn here)  

Here's how to capture it....

Capturing a shot that has great bokeh is not as hard as it appears.  In my humble and NON professional opinion, capturing these shots is all about angles and lighting.  The angles of where your lighting source is coming from, the object you are photographing, and then the camera.  I have always had the best luck by putting my subject between the camera and the light source.  Typically you can see the tiny bubbles of light through your viewfinder when you go to snap your photo.  So get down and get low.  Try different angles you haven't tried before.  You might surprise yourself.

Now the looking goofy part.......

Can you believe that I got this baby less than five feet from my front door?  Yesterday morning as I was taking out our dog Daisy Mae when I noticed the grass was all dewy.  Mostly because at the time I was wearing my pj's and flip flops and was highly annoyed my feet were getting wet.  But I digress....I almost let this magical moment pass me by.  Like I said I was annoyed about my wet feet, but being the photo hound I am, I muscled my way through it.  So back out I went pjs, flip flops, and camera in hand and promptly got down on my belly and got to snapping.  It is times like these that I wish I had a macro lens.  That way I wouldn't have to belly crawl while in my front yard trying to get my focus just right, while all my neighbors watch wondering...

 "just what in tar-nation that crazy lady is up to now." 

Took me about five minutes of belly crawling but man was it ever worth it. This has to be the best shot I have ever captured with so much bokeh.  And I was so close to not getting it. Never be afraid of looking foolish when in the pursuit of your passions.  It only hinders the wonder that is you.  If you hide it...how then can you and others around you appreciate the miracle of life that is uniquely you!  So get out there and belly crawl if you have to.  Sing loud and proud even if you are a bit off key.  Because there is no one else on the face of this planet that is exactly like you!  So go on and get out there......discover what you may have been missing.

Teresa

How I Spent My Summer Vacation....

Our family, all six of us, spent the last week of July traveling to North Dakota to attend Mr M's family reunion.  We tossed the tent, the grill and sleeping bags into the back and off we went.  And while that in itself doesn't sound bad, just wait until you find how we got there.  We have fondly named this beast of burden "Moby". (Reference is intended)  The bonus prize was that during our travels temps were soaring and Moby has 2 by 70 AC.  Ya know roll down the windows and drive fast.  Let the FUN begin!

View from our campground

Our first day brought us to Medora, ND.  A place we have always wanted to stop and stay but time had never allowed.  So much history and entertainment in that lil town.  From the Chateau de Mores to Pitchfork Fondues and let us not forget the Historic Musical.  It is well worth the stop even if it is to rest more weary bums.  The town sports an awesome themed playground that is about the size of a city block.  Then Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Painted Canyon is just a five minute drive down the road.

We camped there for the night and headed on our way to Fargo the next morning.  We of course made our annual photo stop at Teddy's park.  Ever since my eldest was born we have stopped on our trips to and fro from ND/MN to capture a shot of how the kids have grown in the past year.

Pose....Smile......SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

Everybody squish back into Moby and we are on the road again!  Straight into nightly severe thunderstorms for the majority of trip.  Not the best combo when you are sleeping in a nylon tent!  So we trash canned the plan to camp in Lindenwood Park in Fargo where the reunion was being held, in favor of crashing at my Mother-in-laws' house.  Which gave the grandkids more time with Nana and is only about 1 hour from Fargo.  We arrived about 10 p.m. at her house wrangled the kids into bed and tried to get some sleep.  Well sleep could wait as a BIG storm rolled in around 3 in the morning.  Luckily the kids were so TIRED they slept right thru the house shaking from the winds and peels of thunder.  Needless to say were arrived a bit later the next morning at the Family reunion.


Marks Gran was celebrating her 89th birthday and we were so happy that we could make it.  There was SOOOO many of the family there.  And I will be the first to confess I do not know all of their names.  But in my defense my hubby comes from an immediate family of 7 and his mother from a family of 14.  You do the math.  It adds up real quick!  So many greats and great great grandkids!  My kiddos were in heaven!  Completely ditched me and Mr M. and played to their hearts content with all their cousins.  All of Mr M's family but 2 elder brothers (one would arrive the following day) were there and we had a great time to catching up.  Including a trip to the Red River Zoo.

Cattle Egret

Proud Peacock

It's nice little 8 acre zoo almost smack dab in the middle of Fargo, ND.  It has a very easy access right off the Interstate.  It hosts over 70 species and 300 animals. Including one of China's national treasure the Takin.  They have wonderful gardens and water features throughout the zoo.

Cosmos in the Garden

One of the many waterfalls

The Chinese Takin

 After a few days of visiting of the family we piled back into Moby and headed on back home to WY.  I am sure glad to be home and back in my own bed.  But the summer is not nearly over.  Before the end of it we will have Nana and my sister coming to visit us in the month of August.  So there you have it....How I spent my Summer Vacation.  How have you spent yours?

Teresa


Medora's Info:
http://www.medorand.com/

Theodore Roosevelt park Info:
http://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm

Jamestown info:
http://www.tourjamestown.com/Whatsee.php

Idle hands are crafty ones : )

So needless to say I have had some time on my hands since moving here to Sherdian.  So what is a girl to do?

Well if you are me, you plop yourself down in chair and TEACH yourself new crafts to keep your idle hands busy.  You read it right!

T E A C H  yourself.

These days with the internet it is just soooo much easier than it used to be.  Thanks be to bloggers and YouTube videos that help us all find the artist with in us. Go find out for yourself.  Find a craft that you have always thought  you couldn't learn and I bet there is a written tutorial or video (if not BOTH) that will help you out.

My journey started with wanting to have all those cute lil prop ALL the other photogs were using in their body of work.  I began to think to myself..

   "Hey you"

Who said that?

  "Hey....Hey....Quit looking around.  Look in the mirror ya ding a ling."

Looking in the mirror with a bit of concern now. (Hearing voices is not such a good thing : )

 "There ya go.  You are a crafty type person.....Why not just make them yourself?  I mean you crocheted when you were younger.  Why not now?"

Yes, but the props I like are all knitted.  (Yes I was now engaged in conversation with the voices in my head)

 "And your POINT is?"

Well I don't know how to knit.

 "Have you ever let not knowing how to do something ever stop you before?"

Well.....no.............HEY I CAN LEARN HOW TO KNIT!

  "Your welcome"

 My voice in my head was very pleased with itself as you can read 

So about a year ago I began teaching myself how to knit.  Not such an easy task being the artistic LEFT HANDED person I am.  Here is where bloggers and YouTube came in. I couldn't believe all the help there was out there for lefties like me on the net.  I also had the help of a good friend or two who helped me when I got stuck.  And soon afterwards I started adding many more crafts to my repertoire.  And the list keeps getting longer and longer.  

This is where the birth of my other business happened.  Top Knots Prop Shop was created as I had many more hats bows and photography props than I could use.  Here is just a few of the many items I have made in the past.  The uber talented Missy of Missy Jasinski Photography and Kaloni Erickson of Paradise Photography both provided me with so to DIE FOR photos to share with you all.

This is where the birth of my other business happened.  Top Knots Prop Shop was created as I had many more hats bows and photography props than I could use.  Here is just a few of the many items I have made in the past.  The uber talented Missy of Missy Jasinski Photography and Kaloni Erickson of Paradise Photography both provided me with so to DIE FOR photos to share with you all.

I have had the pleasure of using some of my own precious creations as well.  But the joy I get from creating them and seeing other photographers enjoy them as well is priceless!

Feel free to visit the Top Knots Prop Shop and see what these idle hands have created

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Top-Knots-Prop-Shop/141691072564886