Photo Project: Week 5: Tired

I laughed at the perfection of this photo project theme this week. Both my boys have RSV right now, and it has been 5 consecutive days of no naps, fevers, coughing, and sleeping on the couch holding our one year old. I actually took this picture of my four year old the day before he really came down with the virus. I should have been suspicious since he was holding still for more than 30 seconds . . .
Next week, the theme is sleep. I pray that is a PERFECT theme once again. It is eluding me right now.

To sleep, perchance to dream . . . Hamlet

Photo Project: Week 4: Macro

I am busy making Valentine cards for family, and I should begin a LARGE bulletin board project this week. Plus, I am itching to make a recipe tutorial this week. There are new posts coming very soon!
I am without my camera this weekend--lent it to someone--so I am stealing an old picture for this week's photo project. It is campy and oh so cheesy, but almost every American tourist does this when in Pisa. The Tower of Pisa is large (macro), but if you stand far enough in the foreground, you get this classic shot where the tower looks small and you look large (macro). Ciao!

Photo Project: Week 3: Breakfast

Breakfast is our favorite meal of the day. Thursday we had no appointments, no school, and no place to go. So we enjoyed our pajamas for a bit and had a pancake breakfast. The boys loved it, and so did I.

A few had chocolate chips. . .

Happy boy

No more pictures, mommy!

Weekly Photo Project Week 2: Cold

The theme of the week for our photo project was cold, but southern California didn't cooperate.  So, I went with the flow.  I took a photo of the polar opposite of cold.
Today, the thermometer is reading 80, the skies are blue, and the minions are out at the parks and beaches--and yes, it is January. 
My picture is of our rusty, outdoor thermometer on our patio.  I liked the blue and white stripes showing a bright, sunny sky and the striped reflection on the thermostat--reading 80 today.  Happy Winter!
Our theme for next week's picture is "Breakfast".  That is definitely up my alley!

53 Weekly Themes: Photo 365 Project: Week 1 "Newness"

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that I am not a professional photographer.  I've never had a class.  Shutter speed--what is that?  Seriously.  I'm lost.  Like a toddler trying to get into mommy's makeup drawer, I'm fascinated by this artsy subject that is way over my head.  Still, God made me creative, and I like that creative part of photography.

SO, I found out about this fun photography project from a friend on Facebook.  It is a blog that challenges you to take a picture every day.  To help, the post gives you 53 weekly themes to motivate your picture ideas.  You can see the post and the themes here.

I KNOW I won't take a picture every day, but I thought it would be doable to take a photo a week that follows the theme of the week.  Then, I'll post it on my blog.  It won't be photographic genius.  It won't be in any art shows, but it will be fun and creative.

This would be a fun linky post for people who want to post their photo, but I just joined the crafting blogging world a month ago.  I don't think I'm ready to host a linky post party.  Maybe in the near future. . .

So, start this fun project with me!  The first theme is already ending--we are a week into January.  The theme for the first week is "newness".  : ) 

I put my "newness" pictures at the top of this post--First, I took a picture of my blogsite on my laptop.  I am new to having a craft blog, and I enjoy it immensely!  I love the inspiration I get from my readers and from others' blogs.  It is a newness I am greatly enjoying.

I also posted a picture of my 1 year old's new smile for the camera.  Until this picture, he usually just stared agape at the camera or actually looked away with indifference.  He has realized mommy loves when he poses with a smile, so he has created this beautifully, goofy smile when I aim the camera at him.  I love this new look!

Finally, I posted a picture of Genesis 1:1 for several reasons.  For several years now, I have read through the Bible in a year.  If you are interested in a Bible reading schedule done for you, you can find both the schedule and passages at Compass Bible Church's Daily Bible Reading.  Use the arrows/calendar to get to the day on which you are reading.  It is a new year, and I am back in Genesis, which is the book of the Bible that tells us about the newness of the earth that God is creating.  I liked the fact that the sun was hitting the page and the presence of shadow and light were so perfect for the passage in the Bible where God is creating light out of darkness.

Alright, I will see you with a similar photography post next week with a photo or photos on the theme "cold".

Photo Editing: A Whole New World

So, my sweet hubby splurged on me for Christmas and bought me the Nikon Capture NX2 software.  I have never had a moment of training on photography or photo editing, but I love the artistic side of photography.  This software is so great!  Without having cracked open the owner's manual yet, I have already learned how to sharpen colors, brighten dark pictures and even do blemish removal on pictures. 
As I said, I am no expert in any way, shape or form.  I need to take classes, but I enjoy the art of it.
Here is an old picture of Micah from last Easter.  You can see he is shaded and he has some red bumps on his forehead--why do toddlers always fall on their forehead?

Below is a picture I faded out/whitened to emphasize Micah's eyes.  He has such pretty, hazel peepers.  I also erased the red marks on his forehead.

It is fun having a new toy to doctor my photos to look better.  Now I want EVERY photo I take to be "fixed".  I find myself looking at photos I loved and realizing how imperfect they are.  Well, hopefully, my new software will translate into better blog photos for you all!