Challenges, Swimming and Lightroom

I seem to be falling into a pattern of only updating my blog twice a week!! By the time I'm done downloading my photos and playing with them in Lightroom, I'm exhausted and can't muster the energy to update my blog!! So I'm falling behind!

I have managed to take a photo a day (pretty much) and try to complete the Photo challenge and layout challenge. This week's photo challenge was to pick a colour and photograph it. I choose Green, thinking with spring here, I'd have many green things to take photos of. I went for a walk down the Meech Creek valley hoping to get some nice shots of green things and this is what I got: BROWN!

Ok, maybe a little green here but that's pushing it!

I should have chosen vibrant brown as my colour! Luckily on Sunday I got this shot:

For the Layout challenge, Beth said it was to use brushes this week. My creative juices were not flowing last week, so it took me a while to get it done, but once I did one, I had to do another one. Here they are:

I picked up a tutorial of how to make custom brushes
from patterned paper, and so it was perfect timing.
The brushwork on this one are the flowers.


For this layout, the brushwork is the "dripped stains" on
the beige paper in behind the photo. I LOVE these brushes!

I will post the next challenges in another post later on.

For the rest of the weekend we had gymnastics and swimming. The girls started their first swimming lessons, Eric went with Gillian and I was to go with Abby, but as it turns out I signed Abby up for the Pre-School A lesson, which means the parents don't go in the pool with them. I wasn't sure how Abby would take it, but typical Abby, she just walked right in there without me and did the whole class with no worries at all! And I just sat there like a beached whale in a hideous maternity suite watching her... fun! I was so proud of her. It was so cute to see Gillian in the pool too, nervous at first, but getting into it by the end. I wish I could have taken photos.

And finally I'm trying to teach myself how to use Adobe Lightroom. It's a very fun program, and typical Adobe, has a million and one tools and techniques to make photos look fantastic! It allows me to do so many fun things at a click of a button! Mind you, I still love using photoshop, I just need to learn how to use the two together most efficiently! And then get to work!! Right now I'm spending so much time fiddling with the photos, I don't have enough mojo left to blog... so much to do so little time eh?

Easter Weekend - Newborn Shoot, Egg Hunt, Easter Monday

Last weekend was a long weekend, well for those of us who work and aren't retired - when every day is a long weekend really....

Anyway, Saturday I had the opportunity to do my first baby shoot, with Shawna's baby. Selena Marie was born on April 2nd after narrowly avoiding being an April fools baby. She was 8 days old when we did the shoot and unlike most newborns - didn't want to sleep. Perhaps there is some technique that newborn photographers use to get them to sleep, but clearly I didn't know what it was. To my defence, we spent the first hour of the "shoot" slurping up Pho and chatting, leaving me with only a short amount of time to take photos. One of my take home notes: leave yourself way more room to not be stressed out! Still with the 30 min or so to shoot I'm pleased with the outcome here is a sample:






Then it was Easter Egg Hunt day on Sunday. Abby was very into it this year and kept saying for days after - I want to go outside to find eggs, I want the Easter bunny to come back. Much fun and chocolate was had by all!





Eric was back to work on Monday, so I went for a visit with Beth.

I got to see her newly finished basement (very nice!!) and take a couple photos, of course!!





By the end of the weekend we were all pretty tired, especially Abby. I had my photography class on Monday - second to last one. But I couldn't stay the whole time, I really burnt out by the break so I went home. We've been working on Photoshop for the past 3 weeks and I've learned a few cool techniques. I've also realized that I know Photoshop well for some things, but for photography, I have loads to learn! But that is all part of the fun eh?

Yikes

Before I post the weekend recap, which will happen tomorrow because I'm too tired now, and it's late. I just wanted to say Yikes! I was just backing up the latest photos on to my EHD - and it's full!!!! 230GBs of photos (2008 and up to April 2009), scrapbook pages, supplies and other docs... So I must buy another one! Wow, those RAW files are eating up space, so OH so worth it!

Off to get another EHD....

Day off, Layout Challenge and Photo Challenge

We have a long weekend and thankfully the weather is supposed to be nice all weekend!! After this past week and or so, I think we are all looking forward to some sunshine and warmth!!

We had a fun day with a morning play date with my friend Joanne and her kids, we hung out inside for a while, then head outside, and it was surprisingly chilly in the morning. Unfortunately with our lawn not yet seeded and grassed, we had to stick to the driveway to play, which can be pretty boring after a while. Regardless, we had a fun visit anyway and next time we'll head into town to her place where they have grass!! :)

The afternoon was spent napping and playing outside again. Here are some photos to share which also coincide with Jen and My Friday Photo Challenge for the week: The sweet spot! For me it was my 50 mm @ f2.8 (but I used ISO 400 - does that mess up the sweet spot?? I don't know...) Anyway, I think most of these are @2.8. I did a little playing in Lightroom, not sure if I like it.. perhaps a little too overexposed.






Then Beth and My Digital Layout Challenge of the week: Use Stitching:



And a couple more I liked from the week for an added bonus:

Layout and Photo Challenge

A quick post to let you know what the layout and photo challenge are for this week:

Layout - use stitching in a layout. Very basic and vague, but Beth and I decided to keep it that way to not put pressure on ourselves...

Friday Photo Challenge - Jen and I decided on capturing an image in our lens' sweet spot, the place where we'd get out sharpest image. So for my 50 mm that would be at f2.8. It's generally two stops above the lowest f-stop of the lens.

Good luck and can't wait to see the results!

Weekend Madness

Ok. So I'm somewhat calm now, but this weekend wasn't short of hellish. The reason - NO WATER!!! We had the dishwasher fixed last Tuesday, or something, can't remember. Then that night or Wed night, I'm trying to fill the bathtub for the girls, when all of a sudden - no more water! Eric tried to fiddle with the pump and nothing... well with multiple visits from the plumber Friday, Saturday and Today, we now have a brand new well pump, and are a poop load of money down the hole - literally!! Frig - what else will go wrong around here?? What's next??

To top it all off it was cold, rained like crazy for two solid days, and thie kids were a little nuts, so needless to say I'm happy to say goodbye to this weekend and look forward to next weekend, which will be long, and have water and electricity going the whole time!!

Regardless of how the weekend was, you can always guarantee that photos were taken, that probably make it look like it was a great weekend:

Except for this one - rain, rain and more rain!

yum, eating Play Doh! (don't worry they are only pretending!)

Project 365 - remember that??

Well I haven't totally fallen off the band wagon of project 365. I've found renewed energy with the time change and therefore brighter/longer days! I've managed to take a photo each day in the month of March except for 7 days.... ok so that is a lot now that I think back on it, but things were low, it was dark, snowy, pregnant, working... well you know how it goes. Anyway, I did a couple layouts to keep going on my layouts of my project 365 here they are: (hey look Beth: PINK!)



Hey remember this girl:

Well I'm happy to say her water broke yesterday over night (so very early in the morning of March 30th). But it was one of those things where it broke but she wasn't sure, because no contractions, so that meant into the hospital for an induction and as I write she has probably just delivered! Can't wait to hear if its a boy or girl April Fools baby!

And finally some parting POTD - some more dance moves, courtesy of our resident choreographer - Abby!