Shoot and Edit, SOOC: "Looking Up"

I adore this shot of my youngest "looking up" - he was checking out the "ahh-panes" in the "siii." This was a fun one to edit - see you Thursday for the finished version!


Click here to see everyone else's submissions!

Scavenger Hunt "Sunday"

Not only am I late this week, but I haven't participated in 2 weeks! School is kicking my ass right now, but in a few weeks I'll be free of essays and grading, so hopefully I'll have more time to devote to this blog (um, and my other 2 equally neglected blogs).

1. ON THE FLOOR: This is a fun shot of my son's new ceiling fan. When we moved into our house last summer, his current room was occupied by a teenaged girl. We painted over the pink walls immediately, but her girly flowery fan stayed up until just a couple of weeks ago.

2. SELF-PORTRAIT: I hate self-portraits. Of myself, I mean - I love looking at others'! Well, I guess I don't specifically hate self-portraits - I just hate shots of me in general. ;)

3. LINES: I opened up my notebook to take a picture of a clean sheet but turned right to my Scavenger Hunt to-do list!

4. FRESH: This is a shot I took to use for my food blog; I turned fresh pita pockets into crispy pita chips to serve with hummus.

5. CLASSIC STILL LIFE: What says "still life" better than a bowl of fruit? (And an onion?)

Check out Ramblings and Photos to see everyone else's findings!

Shoot and Edit: Rain

I have been waiting all week to be able to post this shot. Actually, even longer; I've always wanted to do a rainy-day photo shoot, so I was thrilled when this past week's "Shoot and Edit" theme was rain. I was even more excited to see that rain filled the forecast.

Of course, it's never that easy.

I never.ever.rained while I was home with the kids. It would POUR on my way home from work. It would be a near-monsoon as I loaded them into the car in the daycare parking lot. And then, when we'd get home? Nada.

Finally, with the shoot-and-edit deadline in the past, I decided today was the day. It was barely drizzling, but we were going for it.

Here's my SOOC:

And the finished product (after some cropping, contrast, and a smidge of saturation):

I'm not 100% sold on the composition. Like you can see, I cut off the top of his head in the initial shot. I purposely didn't want to boots to be centered, but I wanted you to be able to see the reflection, so I wasn't really sure where to cut that off. Suggestions?

Shoot and Edit, Edited: Mother's Day

I just loved my special Mother's Day breakfast and thought it was a fun shot to use for the Mother's Day prompt for Shoot and Edit.


I didn't really do too much to this, actually - adjusted the contrast and saturation and called it a day. I thought about cropping to put the focus on the plate, but I kind of like the way this is composed.

Funny sidenote: the coffee mug? Yeah, it's empty. My husband put it out for me but I had to make it myself since he has no idea how to make it. :)

Scavenger Hunt "Sunday"

I'm a little late this week with my scavenger hunt! I had panicked about getting finished on time, but then I remembered that Ashley always says that she leaves it open until Tuesday nights for us slowpokes. Whew! :)

1. SOOC: I used this same picture for my weekly Shoot and Edit; check back on Thursday to see what I've done with it!

2. LAZY: I am very anal about my meal planning. Every weekend, I sit down and go through my cookbooks, blogs, and mental repertoire to come up with a menu for the week. I usually stick to it, but tonight I was feeling pretty lazy and just had some leftovers from when we went out to dinner the other night. Yum!

3. SMELLS LIKE SPRING: My husband bought this old-school push mower when we moved into our home last summer. I've always loved the smell of freshly cut grass, but I swear, this mower makes it so much more awesome. And I love how "green" it is, both literally and figuratively - now, with this mower, I ONLY smell grass and no gasoline!

4. SPROUTING: I received this adorable little plant as a Mother's Day gift and knew instantly that it would make a great entry for this item.

5. ISN'T IT IRONIC...: Isn't it ironic that the English teacher can't figure out what to photograph for an irony shot? ;)

Shoot and Edit, SOOC: Mother's Day

This week's Shoot and Edit theme is "Mother's Day," and I'm excited to show off the special breakfast that my 4-year-old made for me (with a little help from Daddy). Of course, he proceeded to eat most of it, but hey - it's the thought that counts, right? :)

Shoot and Edit: Growth

Here is my "before" for Shoot and Edit - Growth:


And drumroll please:


I think I over-saturated the flower and went back and forth a few times between this and a toned-down shade, but it's such a fun color that I couldn't resist keeping it! I also added some shadowing to make the background a little more dramatic.

Visit Ramblings and Photos for Ashley's fantastic tips - I can't wait to have Photoshop so I can follow along better...

Shoot and Edit: SOOC

This week's theme is "growth." I thought of a billion ideas - my kids, me, some symbolic photography shot... but I decided to keep it simple and take a shot of these gorgeous daisies that my cousin-in-law gave me. I like the composition, and I think the color has great potential. Stay tuned for the final product on Thursday!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I must confess that I took 3 of these from the archives this week. I had a crazy week - I guess that's my punishment for talking about all the free time I had last week during spring break. :)

I can't wait to visit Ramblings and Photos to see everyone else's shots!

1. ARCHITECTURE: This might be a familiar sight for many of you - this is the aquarium in the heart of the Baltimore Harbor, taken on a vacation in the summer of 2008.

2. FEET/TOES: Nobody wants to see my feet (at least, not in focus!) but my kids don't stay still enough for me to get their little piggies. I always say I'm going to sneak into their rooms one night and do a sleeping shoot, but I have yet to be brave enough to risk waking them. This was taken almost exactly 2 years ago - near the end of my second pregnancy.

3. THIS IS MY FAVORITE...: Beverage. My coffee. 'Nuff said.

4. SHADES: Another one from the archives! Not exactly sunglasses, but come on. How hilarious is this?!

5. RIMMED WITH LIGHT: I just took this one of my youngest yesterday. I kept trying to get this whole concept down, and I couldn't seem to get it. This is as close as I came.

There you have it... hopefully next week I'll be more on my game. :)