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!

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. :)

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!

Shoot and Edit: Friends/Family

It's rare that I actually appear IN the same shots as my kids, so I treasure the ones that do exist. My husband took this one on Easter, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it to fix it up a bit.


After some cropping, contrast, fill light, and saturation, here is the final product!


The focusing and positioning of the sun are a bit unfortunate... but, of course, I only would have had control over one of them. ;)

Visit Ramblings and Photos to see her tutorial and to scope out others' editing techniques!

(I still seem to be having issues with posting pics to blogger. The quality is great on picasa and even on FB when enlarged - any ideas?)

Shoot and Edit: Friends/Family SOOC

Okay, first of all... NO idea why the quality of my photo looks so horrible. I'm going to work on that, but in the meantime I wanted to get this post up.

This week's "Shoot and Edit" theme is Friends/Family. I'm cheating a little because this is a shot that my husband took, but I set the camera up for him first so I feel that makes it mine enough. ;) I do wish, however, that I picked a less squint-prone location!


This is a shot of me and my two boys on Easter Sunday. I love them.

Shoot and Edit

In addition to Scavenger Hunt Sundays, Ramblings and Photos also hosts a weekly "Shoot and Edit" roundup. I edit only with Picasa - since it's free, my possibilities are limited and I have had reservations about participating in this activity. What have I got to lose, though, right? I'm not sure how well I'll be able to implement her tips and tricks, but I look forward to having some fun!

I learned too late that you're supposed to share your SOOC (straight-out-of-the-camera) shot first on Mondays, and THEN your edited version that Thursday. Whoops. Next time. ;)

This week's theme is, appropriately, Easter. I took a shot of some of the carrots Ryan picked out for the Easter Bunny. Here is my SOOC shot:

I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish with this, so I just kind of played around. First, I adjusted the contrast. Then I added some fill light and increased the saturation. Finally, I straightened it so that the carrots are a little more askew, but the lines of my placemat are a bit more perpendicular.

I'm on spring break this week (did I mention that already?! :-D) so I did have some more time to play around. Hopefully I can keep this up - I'm loving the challenges!