North Fillmore

Let's Do 52: Week 2 {Responsibility/Open}

2012-01-15T12:11:00.002-06:00

I'm so proud of myself... I'm keeping up with BOTH of my project 52's! This blog is a bit late, but that's ok. My photo was on time and that's what matters, right?!?

Anyway, on to Week 2 of Let's Do 52.

RESPONSIBILITY/OPEN

When the new theme(s) were revealed, my mind was racing. Instead of setting up a shot, I just took my camera out and shoot. Low and behold, I came up with a shot that I love for this week's themes!

This is a shot looking out over my parent's farm. I can't imagine the responsibility that my parent's took on as young adults. Marriage, children, and a self-run farming business is a lot to take on. My parents did it though! I can say that growing up with two very busy and hard-working parents, I too quickly learned the importance of responsibility. As a kiddo, I'm sure I whined and complained about having to step up and help out, but as an adult I am so thankful for the lessons I learned as a child. Responsibility and working hard has gotten me to where I am today.

What a fun theme this week! Can't wait for week 3!

Project 52: Week 3 {Inspiration}

2012-01-15T12:01:00.001-06:00

On to week three of Project 52!!

This week's theme is...

INSPIRATION

What a great topic to think about. As a photographer, it's interesting to see what peoples' inspiration is behind their photos. I think it's what gives everyone their own "style".

For me, it's all about the light. Amazing light inspires me. I look for it everywhere, and get really excited when I find it! If you're a non-photographer, that may sound weird, but if you are into photography, I'm sure you understand what I'm saying!!

Take a look at the awesome light I captured filtering in at my parent's house. The shot is simple, but the amazing soft light inspired me to grab my camera and shoot!

What inspires you to do what you do?

Project 52: Week 2 {Life}

2012-01-08T21:09:00.004-06:00

I'm so enjoying spending time with my camera lately. It's wonderful to step by and shoot just for me. It really is totally different than shooting for other people. And naturally I've been looking forward to week two's Project 52 prompt all week, and it's finally here!

Today Dave and I trekked out to my family's farm, and of course I had to lug along the camera gear! Good thing I did because I got my inspiration for this week's shot!

Life

I kept it pretty simple this week as far as how my photo represents "life". The older I get, the more I realize what REALLY is important in life.

Family

There's nothing in the world that can touch the feeling of being truly loved. No amount of money can by what I have been blessed with. A loving and considerate husband, sweet cuddly springer spaniel pups, and not one, by two sets of parents & siblings that are there for me giving 100% support each and every day. It's pretty awesome. I can't lie.

I have been blessed in this life with family that I know loves me.

What else is there? I'm realizing more and more each day that all that other "stuff" is exactly that. I can get through any day knowing my family is by my side.

I'm a lucky girl.

Friday Smiles

2012-01-06T16:39:00.002-06:00

I had a rough day yesterday, but that great thing about bad days is that they end! That's what I tell my students all the time, and I've taken my own advice!

ON TO THE SMILES!

On Fridays I'm going to begin posting at least one "thing" that made me smile through the week.

This week, as I'm sure many will be, is brought to you by Ferdinand or "Ferdy" as he is more commonly known. He's a sweetie pie and brings lots of smiles, but brought extra when he decided to cuddle up in the bed with my sister on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day.

Talk about a BED HOG!!

I guess I should notify Ferd Man that he's not a human. It doesn't seem like he knows that.

Seriously though, how do you say no to that face??

I hope your week was full of happiness and lots of smiles!

Each Day's a Gift

2012-01-05T19:14:00.001-06:00

Today was a tough day, but I must remember that each day is a gift.

It's so hard sometimes to remember that, but I'm thinking positive thoughts!

Just had to put this out there.

Let's Do 52: Week 1 {Natural/Sharing}

2012-01-02T12:21:00.003-06:00

I've decided to take on another project 52... call me crazy, but it just sounded like fun to do two! I'm following Sarah from My Four Hens and her prompts, and now also Annie Manning of Paint the Moon Photography and her weekly themes. If you want to check out her take on the Project 52, visit her blog post dedicated to the project HERE.

Now on to the good stuff!

Each week Annie is providing TWO themes/ideas to use as inspiration in your photos. This week I integrated BOTH into my photo. Look at me, Ms. Overachiever!

Week 1: {Natural/Sharing}

As many of you know, this is one of my sweet Springer Spaniel boys, Ferdinand, or Ferdy for short. You see, springers think they are human, so often times they act as a human would act. They think it's completely NATURAL to cuddle up and SHARE the bed with you whenever they like. I took this photo yesterday morning. I happened to stroll on by our spare room where my little sister was sleeping, and peeked in to see Ferdy all snuggled up in the bed. He was snug as a bug in a rug. In fact, an hour later when Morgan was trying to get up, he didn't want to budge!! Can we say spoiled? YES!

Now I must go prepare for BACK TO SCHOOL tomorrow. How is it that Christmas break flies by so quickly?? Oh well... it's just the way it is I guess. One good thing though, a few more and days and then it'll be time for WEEK 2! YAY!

I hope you enjoy following my TWO Project 52's. I know I'm looking forward to sharing!

Processing Note: If you're curious, I processed this photo first in Lightroom, doing basics tweaks with exposure/fill light/noise reduction. Then I took it into Photoshop and processed it with Paint the Moon's "All Together Now/Velvet Retro" action. I then did a few other tweaks, including an eye sharpen. That's about it. It was a fairly quick edit.

Project 52: Week 1 {Resolution}

2012-01-01T09:08:00.001-06:00

It's 2012!

That means it's time for reflection & the start of new things!

This year I'm going to {try to} complete a PROJECT 52. That means taking a photo/week and attempting to center that photo on a theme of the week. Last year I thought about trying this project, but was still learning so much about photography & editing. This year, I'm ready for it!

To make this project even more exciting, Sarah Cornish, of My Four Hens Photography is hosting a group on Flickr dedicated to Project 52. She is giving us all an inspirational theme of the week to follow. I'm super excited to participate in the project, and if you're into Flickr, check out the group page where I, and other participants, will be posting their weekly entries.

Now on to Week 1's entry!

Resolution

I like to be more interpretive in my photos, so let me explain my photo. My resolution this year, and frankly almost every year, is to work enjoying EVERY DAY. I know many people share my sentiment in that we sometimes get hung up on day-to-day "things" that don't really matter. I've been working on my daily outlook and trying so hard to stay positive.

Each Day is a Gift

This year I'm going to tell myself that every day.

Now I'm off to enjoy the first day of 2011. We're heading to Dave's mom and dad's for a relaxing day of board games & homemade Chinese food.

I wish you all a happy day and better yet, a wonderful 2012!

"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more."

*Tony Robbins

If you want to learn more about My Four Hens Photography, check out Sarah's Facebook page. She's extremely active and truly a sweet lady (not to mention an AMAZING lifestyle photographer)!!

Post Christmas Lull

2011-12-27T06:23:00.002-06:00

All of our Christmas get-togethers are officially done...

I'm tired and worn out, but I'm also feeling great at the same time!

Even though it's now December 27th, I'm still full of the Christmas spirit! Usually about this time I'm feeling the post-Christmas blues, but not this year. This year we weren't as busy as we normally are, rushing to several parties everyday. We got to spread our festivities out evenly, and it's given me more time to appreciate the season. It also doesn't hurt that I woke up this morning and saw that it SNOWED overnight. Snow just makes me happy. It doesn't matter how much we get, it always does the job!

Now it's time to enjoy some time off school with my hubby. This is one of my favorite times of the year, as we have no school worries to deal with day to day. I see marathon movie watching, video game playing, and lazy days in the near future. We both got new sets of PJ's and we intend to put them to good use!

I also have a good amount of photos to weed through and edit. This year, I decided to try my hand at flash photography. I need to become more familiar with my Speedlite, so I used it throughout all of our get-togethers. Although the photos won't be the same look as my outdoor & natural light shots, it's about catching the memories to me.

I even got to be in a few this year!! Yay!!

I'll be doing a Christmas festivities photo share soon. I honestly haven't even uploaded them all yet, and of course I have to do SOME editing. :)

I'm off now to enjoy my first lazy day. Let it begin with a classic movie and a cup of delish coffee. Ahhh... I LOVE BREAK!

Peace, Love, and Snowflakes!

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

It's Official... It's Christmas Day!

Today Dave and I are spending the day together and with the rest of our family. It's going to be a great day! We wish the same happiness to everyone else out there today. May your day be MERRY and BRIGHT! (and maybe white with snow too)

Now go, enjoy your day!

Lots of Love From Our Home to Yours

Christmas is Almost Here

2011-12-24T08:38:00.001-06:00

It's Almost That Time Again...

One more day until Christmas!!

Ferdy is trying not to peek at his presents, but he's so excited!

It's hard to believe that just a couple weeks ago it was 60 degrees out. Yes, it's a tad unseasonably warm for the Christmas season. But hey, we have to look on the bright side! We're getting to spend more time outside than we normally would! The pups definitely are not complaining!

Well, I'm off to work on last minute holiday preparations. I wish everyone a HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAY! It's my favorite time of the year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Lots of Love From the Lerch Family

Steph, Dave, Ralphie, and Ferdy

Before/After Edit Using Pure Photoshop Actions Purely Studio Set

2011-12-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

For all of my photography loving readers... This is for you! If you have no interest in photos, you probably won't enjoy this post very much. :)

As I am becoming more and more Photoshop savvy, I'm going to start showing off the processing work I do, in addition to the final product that I come up with.

I love this time of year because the family is getting together all the time, but from the photography side of it all, it can be quite a challenge to shoot photos indoors (without flash, of course). It becomes especially challenging when the available lighting is warm and gives off strong yellow casts.

To show the situation I'm talking about, I did a quick before/after comparison with a photo of my sweet boy, Ralphie. He's always a willing photo subject!!

The "Before" photo is not straight out of camera. I shoot 100% RAW, so I did basic fixes in Lightroom before sending it to Photoshop for the "real" editing. If you don't know what a RAW file is, and you'd like to, google it! There are a ton of resources out there. I can tell you though, it is quite beneficial to shoot RAW, as you have WAYYYY more control over the exposure and white balance of your photos.

The first edits I did in Lightroom are pretty basic, and I do them to pretty much every photo I take. I started by adjusting the exposure (brightened it up a bit) and tweaked the white balance (over color cast of the photo). As you can see though, Lightroom didn't give me enough control to do all the fixes that I need to do to clean it up to my specifications (I'm quite a perfectionist)

From there I export the photo as a JPEG and send it to Photoshop. This is what I prefer to do, as Photoshop gives me a lot more control and many many more options for editing. For this particular snapshot, I didn't want to do any creative editing (vintage tones/hazes), but I did need to do more work with the white balance to have it meet my specifications.

This is where my newest action set came into play. I used actions from Pure Photoshop Actions, more specifically, their new set called, Purely Studio. There is an action in that set called, "Cast Away" that helped me remove the horrible yellow tinge that was taking over the photo. I really love this action because there are many layers that you can paint on the effect depending on what color is giving a cast to your photo. So, I selected the "yellow" layer and painted it all over the photo at about 20% opacity. I like to paint at a low opacity and build up the effect, so it does not appear too obvious. This worked wonders, especially on the pup's fur and the white(ish) background.

From there I ran a few more actions for blurring the background a bit (very slight) and overall sharpening. That's one thing to note about RAW shooting. You MUST sharpen your photos because RAW files are not sharpened in camera like JPEGS are.

The last step I did was use a template from Paint the Moon Photoshop Actions to make the before/after comparison. I plan on using a lot more of these in the future, so you are able to see the hard work that goes into custom editing photos. It's time consuming, and that's why photographers must charge what they do. Many, many hours go into editing to make photos look so special!!

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you enjoyed hearing about my editing process!

Merry Christmas All, and Happy Photo Taking!!

If you'd like to check out the goodies I used, check out the links below:

Pure Photoshop Actions Purely Studio Set :

http://purephotoshopactions.com/?portfolio=purely-studio

They are having a sale on this set and all of their actions right now! I use their goodies for a lot of my edits!

Paint the Moon Photoshop Actions Before/After Template:

http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/12/watermarking-storyboards-free-photoshop-actions/

This is a link to her blog post about the action set that contains the template that I used. It's FREE, so if you have Photoshop or Elements, pick it up today!!

Rayn in the Fall

2011-12-08T19:02:00.001-06:00

I haven't been posting much at all this fall because of the plate full that life has handed me, but the bit of photography that I have been doing has been great fun.

Meet Rayn.

I've had the pleasure of photographing her many times, as she's the sweet little girl of one of my best friends. This fall I did a double session with her and her sweet cousins. She is SERIOUSLY one of the best little girls I've been around. She is in such a cute phase of her life, and I enjoy every moment that I get to spend with her!

Not to mention, she's SUPER cute!

She has a smile that WILL melt your heart. If it doesn't, you may have to have yourself checked out to make sure everything is ok.

CHEESE PLEASE! Check out all of her poses!!

Ughh, seriously?? Just when you think that she can't get cuter, SHE DOES!

It's time for me to go, but I must leave you with a hilarious picture. This is Rayn up in her uncle's big tractor. I love it because it looks like she's ready to back up. HeHe!

Night all!

Time Away

2011-11-21T19:27:00.001-06:00

Hello all.

Just thought I'd stop in.

As many of you may know, I've been taking some time away from the camera. This past month my husband's grandmother passed away, and it's been tough to say the least. We are a close knit family, and grandma Norma was at the center of it all. It's like there's a hole that nothing can or will ever fill. Although our hearts are beginning to heal, our family will never be the same. Grandma was one of the most amazing women I've ever known.

Period.

Without rambling on and on, I just wanted to show that I've not disappeared.

I've taken this time off to really think about and focus on what's important to me. In this time I've discovered a few things.

* Family is the MOST important thing of all in this world *

* Time does not wait for you *

* Enjoy everyday, no matter if it's a "work day" or not *

* Be kind and make a difference in the days of others *

* I have the best husband in the world *

* I am blessed beyond blessed in so many ways *

I could go on and on, but all in all, through the pain and sadness I've seen how lucky I really am. I'm living each day to its fullest and doing my best to make everyday great.

Now, I have to leave you with a photo because that's just what I do. Even though I haven't done many photos as of late, I have a quick one to share of Ms. Rayn. She's the daughter of one of my best and most supportive friends. If you're reading this Jess, I appreciate all of the love and support you've given me through the past weeks. You are the best (and your daughter is stinkin' cute)!

Doesn't that sweet innocent smile just send warm and fuzzies straight to your heart?!?

Hope you all are finding the best in each of your days. It really does make a difference to look for the good and leave the bad behind.

Try it.

{Hugs}

Happy Fall, Ya'll

2011-10-01T11:07:00.003-05:00

I know, cheesy saying, right? Well I always think of that saying because my sister used to say it ALL THE TIME when she was a little one. So now my brain associates fall with that saying. :)

It's officially fall, and boy it is beautiful! Dave and I have been getting out every weekend (mostly on photo shoots), and we're heading out again today to enjoy the first official weekend of fall.

I love fall for lots and lots of reasons...

Apple picking and orchards. After all, this is where Dave proposed to me!

Warm and cozy fall colors everywhere. All the yellows, browns, oranges, and purples make me smile!

Beautiful weather for enjoying nature. Being able to go outside in jeans and a sweatshirt is my favorite! I love to get outside and enjoy the beautiful planet we live on (and all of the adorable creatures too).

Fall is becoming my favorite season!

Cutie Pie, Ms. A

2011-09-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

As you can probably guess, I've been quite busy with photos over the past couple of weeks. The beautiful weather has been wonderful, and it's given me lots of time to get out there and take photos!

On Sunday the weather wasn't perfect, but I made the best of it with this little sweetie!

Yes, I know, she's ADORABLE, right?!?! I love how you can see her little personality all over her face. It's just perfect!!

It's the Little Things

2011-09-10T18:49:00.000-05:00

It's the little things in life... Like VERA BRADLEY goodies!

I treated myself to a little back to school (ish) present and ordered some Vera online! I got a cute new lunch bag, umbrella, note cards, and folders for school. If you know me, you know I love me some Vera Bradley! What can I say, her bright colors and fun patterns make me smile. Isn't that what it's all about... being happy?!? The hubs is super sweet and encouraged me to treat myself for working so hard. He's seriously the best!

Not only did I get some super cute goodies, but I also got a dose of inspiration! You never know where you might find inspiration and good ol' Vera Bradley didn't let me down! When I saw the box, I felt like it was meant for me. :) Boy to I sound cheesy, but seriously!

Thanks, Vera, for making me smile!

Happy B-Day Mom!!

2011-09-07T19:43:00.001-05:00

Today is my momma's birthday!! Now, you'd think that I'd be the one cooking for her birthday, but instead she invited Dave and I out for dinner after work. Now, that's a great mom!!

She made us a yummy supper and even whipped up a batch of homemade ice cream. Yummers! In the mean time I added to her birthday gift by doing some tech support. I set up my sister's new phone and transferred her music and contacts. It was the least I could do! :)

We had a nice little evening. Even the boys got to take a visit to the farm. They sure do love it there! Ralphie loves running free so much, he just decided to take off down the lane. I think he loves feeling the wind whip through his ears. :)

Now it's off to prepare for another school day. It's been a busy, yet good week. Tomorrow is Thursday already!! Where did the time go?

Here's a quick shot of my mom and her girls. It's rare that I get in photos, but Dave did a great job in catch a shot of all of us.

Me, Mom, and Morgan

I love my mom. Always have, always will.

Happy Birthday Mom! You're the Best!

My Handsome Springers

2011-09-06T22:03:00.001-05:00

One of the big highlights of the weekend was the boys got haircuts!! Boy are they handsome!

They even got a yummy treat when they were finished!! Ralph was super excited for his ice cream. Can you tell that he loves dairy?

I sure do love my boys!

Last Days of Summer

2011-09-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

Summer is fading away... well at least let's hope the heat will be going soon! This holiday weekend represents the last of the summer holidays, so what better to represent this time of the year than a few photos!

This was taken at one of my favorite local parks. The location has several willow trees, which are sooo dreamy when the sun is low in the sky.

Ok, I seriously am in LOVE with this photo, and I promise it's not just because I took it. I just love all that is represents. The fading sun, summer bugs flitting around, and the park bench. It is summer in every way, shape, and form. At least in my mind it is.

Dave and I will be celebrating the holiday weekend tomorrow with his family. Tonight we went for dinner with my parents & sis. We are so blessed to be so close with our families. Lately I've been realizing more and more just how lucky we are.

Life is Good. Enjoy it.

Lazy Day

2011-09-03T15:36:00.002-05:00

I've granted myself a lazy day. Seriously, my biggest accomplishment today is organizing my actions in Photoshop. :)

I have done a bit of editing, so I thought I'd share...

Hope everyone is enjoying the last bit of summer weather. I know I am.

Long Lost Teacher Has Been FOUND

2011-09-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Hello out there!! Can anyone hear me?? I bet you thought I went missing or something... Nope, but close to it! School has begun and I'm back into teacher mode. That means busy, busy days and long nights spent grading papers and planning lessons for my lucky little fifth graders. :)

I've survived the first weeks of school, and I've been bitten by the creativity bug! Tonight I popped open Photoshop and Lightroom and had a blast doing some "for fun" edits. I haven't had the time to do this all summer, and I took some time to do it tonight! It really is therapy for me!

All of these photos are old... some over two years old in fact. I just thought I'd give them a new twist and share their "makeovers". It's amazing to me how much I have grown in my editing (and photographic) skills in two years.

Anyways... ENJOY!

This was taken this summer. I love the picnic basket and all it represents. I smile just looking at it!

This little guy is my little cuz and buddy, Jack. Going back to school makes me happy because I love seeing the sweet kiddos around school. Childhood innocence is about the best thing ever to witness.

I snapped this puppy out of the window of the car on a regular drive from RB to Waterloo. I love just looking out the window and thinking about how BLESSED I am!

I LOVE flower shots! Unfortunately, I don't have many flowers this summer due to the "construction" that we've been doing. Dave's gma always has such a pretty flower garden though, so I can get my fill there.

Last but not least, this was shot at Dave's grandma Edie's house once again. She makes the best Sunday breakfast!! I just love our families... They treat us so well (and feed us well too)!!

Okey dokey. I hope you enjoyed the little bit of eye candy that I whipped up tonight in my friend, Photoshop. I've been taking a little break from photography in order to get the school year off to a good start, but I'll be diving back into photography very soon! Hopefully it won't be too long till I visit again.

Until next time...

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-07-18T14:11:00.000-05:00

I promise my absence from my blog is not due to laziness. I promise you that! Ever since returning from our week trip to Wisconsin, I've been working like crazy!

Last week I turned on my "teacher brain" and I'm having a hard time turning it off!! Between website design, theory to catch up on, and classroom materials to create, I've had a hard time relaxing! Deep breath... I still have 4 weeks!

In the mean time, I am trying to get through all of our Wisconsin pictures. I didn't take A TON, but there is a lot to sift through and edit. Here is my favorite from the ones I've gone through so far.

This was taken right before sunset on the fourth of July. The weather was completely AMAZING up in Wisconsin!! Believe it or not, by sundown, we were all wearing hoodies and using our beach towels to cover up. Yep, that's right, AMAZING!!

I'm totally psyched because Wednesday marks the official beginning of Project New Fence! Wednesday is the day that we begin demolishing the old and leveling out the yard/driveway. I'm just super excited for the whole process!!

Alrighty, I must be off. Lots to do yet today. I'm braving the heat tonight and going out for a session. It'll all be worth it because I get to hang out with my good friend and meet a new little one.

Hope you all are staying cool this week!

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-07-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

Meet the Riebeling Boys

The oldest is Lane

The youngest is Cruz

Both super cute. Both 100% little boy!!

What a fun (and sweaty) evening I had with these two little guys!

First we hung out at their daddy's fire station. Then they got to put on their Cards gear and play out at the ball diamond!

There's just something about a wide open dirt field that suits two little boys just perfectly.

I had a great time with these little guys, despite the horrid heat and humidity. It may have something to do with the fact that to cap off the exciting night, we all got yummy ice cream!

All in all, it was a really fun evening with Mr. Lane & Mr. Cruz!

Who Says Mondays Aren't Any Fun

2011-06-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

Mondays are usually the day of the week in which everyone dreads. It's back to work, which to be fair usually is no fun.

Well my Monday was not a typical one. In fact my Monday was downright fun! The rain tried to hold me back, but it was unsuccessful. You got it, I got to go on another photo shoot today!

I got to spend my afternoon with a REALLLYYY sweet family! Jaime (the momma) and I used to work together. So, this is the second time that I have photographed her, her hubby, and of course their little guy, Mr. Parker. The last time I saw this little man was October of 2010, so he's done some major growing up in the months that have passed.

My favorite is his big boy hair! He's already got a couple trim ups & wears gel in it to make it spikey and super adorable!

Yep, I pretty much love this little guy! It's especially great to go through his film because he's just so darned cute!

Ok, back to work at going through Parker boy's pictures. The toughest part is narrowing down to the keepers. I really do love them all!

Hope your day was a great as mine!

Another Busy Week

2011-06-26T20:37:00.002-05:00

I can't believe another week has flown by! Isn't it supposed to be the dog days of summer?

I've been super busy this month with photo sessions several times a week. I can't believe how many inquiries I am getting. It's been awesome, but it also makes the days fly on by!

This past week I shot three wonderful sessions! All three were fun and exciting in different ways!

The first of the three was this past Saturday. Brian and Kate, two very good friends from college, came down to visit the hubs and I with their sweet little Ava who is now 3 months old! It's an extra special treat because I shot her newborn photos when she was less than 2 weeks old. It was so wonderful to see how much she has grown and changed in 3 short months.

Ava is such a beautiful little baby, and I feel blessed to be able to photograph this incredibly special part of Kate and Brian's lives.

On Wednesday, I had a session with the lovely Ms. Jackie. I knew that Jackie was wanting a session almost like a second part of senior photos, but the more I got to know Jackie, the more I understood what these photos meant to her. They are hers to celebrate her personal growth and strength. In spending the morning with Jackie out on my parents' farm, I realized what a special young lady she really is. I mean it... she is not only (really) beautiful on the outside, but she is also an extremely hard worker (works two jobs almost daily) and has a good head on her shoulders. Again, I feel so blessed to photograph this inspiring young lady!

And on to the third shoot of the week, which took place on Friday. My good friend that I met during my master's program, Jenni, called me up and asked if I would photograph her sweet little Taya at her gymnastics class. Ughh... that was an easy decision! Of Course!!! Taya is one of my repeat photography subjects, so I can't resist getting in my fix of Taya time! I met up with the girls and we spent a good hour at The Little Gym having a ton of fun. Seriously, it was about the cutest thing I've seen in a long, long time. Taya melts my heart every time I see that little girl. Just when I think she can't get any cuter, she does! She learned how to do the "Ta-Da" and throw her hands in the air after everything she did... I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at the joy on her face!

So, it's been a busy, but wonderful week. This week will be more of the same. I have two sessions, one tomorrow and one Tuesday. I'm super excited about both! Also, Dave and I will be getting things ready for our first vacation since our honeymoon almost four years ago! That's right kids, we've almost been married four whole years!!! Wowzers...

I'll be checking in before we take off for Door County, Wisconsin on Saturday so be on the lookout for more cutie pie photos!

Happy weeks to everyone

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-06-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

It's time again for Scavenger Hunt Sunday!!

This week's items:

Emotion

From a Flower's Point of View

Natural Frame

Letters

Bliss

Ok, before I share, I have to say that I loved this week's items! I just connected with several of the themes, and am really excited to share... so here I go!

1. Emotion

Seriously, how do you not look at a new daddy and his little girl without becoming an emotional mess! This family is especially special to me, as the momma and daddy are two of my bff's from college. They truly are wonderful people, and I feel blessed to be a part of their lives!!

2. From a Flower's Point of View

This week I had three photo sessions, which kept me quite busy! The good thing is that I got to spend A LOT of time in the great outdoors enjoying our usually cool weather. Dave and I went to a park that we LOVE and got some really great shots about an hour before sunset. I want to be there right now! :)

3. Natural Frame

Say hello to Mr. Ralphie! I love to take a "regular" snapshot to something special by using what's around me to frame that shot. In this shot I squatted wayyy down and used the side of our deck to frame the shot. I think it adds a ton of drama and makes the photo.

4. Letters

I shared this photo from a recent family shoot, but added a little something special in Photoshop. I really like text on photos, as long as it's not overdone. I like this because it's simple, yet conveys the message of what family is all about.

5. Bliss

Ok, I have to say that I love this little girl. I met her momma through my mother in law, and I have done her photos several times now. She is just the sweetest, happiest little girl. Her and I had so much fun walking around the park... I forgot that I was "doing a job".

Ok, I'm off for a fun filled family day! Happy Father's Day to all the daddy's out there (both human and animal of course)! I know I'm so thankful for mine... he's just about the hardest working that I know!

Have a great day celebrating!

Happy Sunday All!

The R Family Session

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday I had the privilege of shooting family photos for the beautiful R family. This week we have had BEAUTIFUL weather, and Sunday was no exception! The sun was shining and the girls looked adorable in their coordinating outfits!

This was one of the biggest groups I have shot yet, but our shoot went so well! Not to mention we had about the coolest location ever! It's so remote and off the beaten path that literally, we were off of all roads to get to it!

I was so happy to do this shoot for a fellow teacher at a nearby school. She wanted photos of her 3 girls and her brother's 3 girls. They are all around the same age and all so so beautiful!

We even got a few shots of the family pooch! Isn't she cute?!?

What a fun session! The location was simply amazing and the weather was just perfect for enjoying the great outdoors! I hope the R family enjoys their photos as much as I enjoyed shooting them!

My Best Shot

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's time that I pick my photo for the "Your Best Shot" challenge over at The Paper Mama blog!

This was sooo tough for me! I love so many photos of my sweet springers. It was seriously almost impossible to choose. I can tell you already that I'll probably change my mind later, but this is the shot I keep coming back to as a favorite over and over.

I chose this shot of my Ferd Man because it is just so him. He's in his favorite spot at the end of the bed just chillin out. If I'm looking for Ferdy, 99% of the time I'll find him right here! I love his expression too! He's the most laid back dog I've ever had, and it shows here.

Because I can't leave out my other favorites, I'll share my runners up too!

I love Ralphie's expression & the dreaminess of the snowfall.

This is my hubbie's fav. I love it so much too (it's framed in my living room)!!!

I love Ralphie's careless expression here! He's like, "I'm a mess, and I know it!"

This isn't the best quality shot, but I love Ferdy's puppy dog eyes. It was taken on Christmas Eve, and it's almost like he's telling Santa, "I promise, I've been a good boy."

It's awfully hard to choose one photo, but I think I've chosen my favorite. Like I said, this one was a toughie... big time! Oh well, I had fun digging through old photos at least! :)

Stopping In

2011-06-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to quickly stop in for a mid-week check up! It's been another hectic, busy week, but we're all still here & chugging along just fine!

I want to share a quick shot of my sweet Ferd Man because he's had a tough week too!

On Monday he had a minor surgery done on his mouth, so he's been a bit under the weather. Back in December I noticed a small bump near his right lower jaw. Being the over protective puppy momma that I am, I took him to the vet right away. They assured me that it was no big deal at all, probably just a swollen lymph node. He took his meds and the bump went away... or so I thought.

About a month ago, Ferdy and I were snuggling and I noticed that the bump was BACK and in the exact same location. I wasn't really worried because Ferdy wasn't acting weird or not wanting to eat, so I just told myself I'd watch it for a couple weeks to make sure it didn't get any larger. Well, it didn't get any bigger, but it didn't get any smaller either. Luckily it was time for the boys' yearly shots, so we had to go the vet anyways.

We headed back to the puppy doctor, and this time they took a closer look. The vet was almost positive that it was some type of foreign body in his lower cheek. What does this mean? Well, most likely, he was chewing on a stick, and it when went in his mouth, it punctured the inside and bits were stuck inside. His body healed over the leftover bits, and the bump resulted from his immune system trying to attack this weird substance inside his body. It sounds bad, but again, the vet reassured me that it was more common than most people think.

We had two options. Let it go and hope that it doesn't affect him, or have them cut open his cheek, clean it out, and let his body go back to normal. Of course I didn't want my little guy to have surgery, but I also know myself and that I would worry until it was gone. So, the choice was simple. Let's get his cheeky cleaned out so there will be no problems down the road.

Monday morning he went in at 9:00 and was home by 3:30. The secretary at the vet told my husband (he picked him up because I am too emotional... I know, pathetic, right?!?) that he was the best patient they had in a long time. Ferd man was a little sleepy, but ate a big bowl of food as soon as he got home. We were worried he'd have pain, but he's shown no signs that he feels bad at all! In fact, yesterday we went to a local park, took a good walk, and went for a car ride. He's back to being the happy pup that he has always been!

Along with Monday's surgery, Dave and I have been busy with family get-togethers and photo shoots. In fact, that's where I'm off to next.

I'm doing a shoot with this little girl for her 6th birthday! I'm super excited because we're shooting in the late evening, which is my favorite time of the day!! I did her photos almost one year ago exactly, and she was soooo much fun! I know we'll have a great time tonight!

Hope you all are having a great week so far!

Puppy Love

2011-06-13T05:17:00.000-05:00

As I was going through current and old photos of my two sweet pups for The Paper Mama's "Your Best Shot" challenge, I realized I have a major task on my hands. How can I chose? I've been feelin' like the blog needs some puppy love lately, so I thought I would do a Ralphie & Ferdy photo dump today!

Here's what I'm thinking...

I'll share my favorite photos of my sweet springers, Ralphie & Ferdy, and you can post in your comments which photo(s) is(are) your favorite(s). My goal is ultimately to narrow it down to one single photo to enter into the challenge. I'm hoping that non-biased eyes will help me choose the BEST photo!

Here we go... I will number them to make it a little easier.

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

Bet you thought I would never be done. HeHe. Now you can see why I need some help narrowing down my choice. It's hard isn't it?

By the way, if you are wondering, Ralphie is black and white, and Ferd Man is liver & white (liver is the brownish, red color). They're both springer spaniels, but they are so very different in their personalities. Ralphie we have had from birth, and is our shadow. We call him "old trusty" because he would stand by our side through a hurricane. We got Ferd Man when Ralph was a little over one year old. He has been the PERFECT addition to our little family. He's the most calm and loving dog I have ever met. Both of our boys mean the world to Dave and I, as they have been right by our sides as we began our married life together.

I hope you have enjoy this major photo share. :) Please feel free to let me know your favorites!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-06-12T00:24:00.006-05:00

It's Sunday, so that means it's time for...

This weeks items:

Long Exposure

Shapes

Green

Fruit

Childhood Memory

Long Exposure

On one random day this week, I decided to bust out the super wide angle lens. I was playing around in the house (on a day when it was just toooo hot to go outside) and I was laying on the floor shooting around when the fan caught my eye. I love how you can't see the individual blades at all.

Shapes

I've realized that I really like to photograph things on my kitchen's windowsill. I love the contrast of the shape of the soap bottle next to the shape of the window panes.

Green

Green is one of my favorite colors, second only to pink. :) I thought and thought and realized that I had green inspiration all around me! I love the tones of this shot, plus it shows off one of my most favorite pairs of tennis shoes! I love me my Pumas!

I'm also entering this photo into The Paper Mama's weekly challenge. The theme this week is GREEN!

Fruit

If you follow my blog at all, you know I'm participating in the 30 Day Shred with many other lovely lady bloggers. With that being said, fruit is easy to come by in my house now-a-days. My current favorite, sweet juicy strawberries out of a bright and colorful bowl!

Childhood Memory

One of the things I think back on as a tot out on the farm is how much time I spent outside playing with my springer spaniels pups. I've had a springer pretty much as long as I remember, and I believe that's why I love dogs so much today! I do have to admit though, my dogs (Ferdy featured in the pic) are wayyyy more spoiled now than they were out on the farm. :)

Here's to another great week of photos ahead! Hope yours is a happy one too!

Real quick before I go...

Head over to The Paper Mama if you have a moment. One of my photos earned third place this week in the family challenge! Yayzers!

Congrats Oliver

2011-06-11T22:01:00.001-05:00

Today was a day of celebration because Dave's cousin, Oliver, graduated from high school last night!

It was actually the first inside graduation held at the 2 year old high school. It was amazing for me to see how many people were jammed in the school! You see I come from a very small high school, not even half the size of Oliver's school, so it was a sight to be seen for me.

Anyways, the ceremony went very well. They even were all high-tech and streamed it live on the district's website. How cool!! I loved the programs that they made. They had the normal info, but I really liked how they showed everyone who earned scholarships and what scholarships they were receiving. We're so proud of Oliver because he received several!!

Throughout the ceremony, I kept myself entertained by watching one boy that had flashing 2011 glasses on. I knew he had something up his sleeve. What I didn't know is that literally, he had a whole bunch of "somethings" up his sleeve. I bet he was the one who organized what happened at the end of the ceremony...

It was pretty funny to watch the teachers' and administrations' reactions. I have never seen a group of over 200 people get out of there faster than they did last night! Hilarious!

Today was Mr. Oliver's celebration party! His mom and sister worked so incredibly hard to organize the day for the whole family. The food was delish and the water was cold, which equals a pretty great get together in my eyes! To top it all off, Oliver's sister, Lindsey, made his cake! She's got a real talent in baking, and her beautiful cake today was no exception! It was SOOOOO hard to not totally get of the eating healthy road that I've been working so hard to stay on lately. Uggghhh... looking at the pictures, you can see why!

It was a nice day overall. The weather decided to cooperate and not be like 1000 degrees, so we could actually sit back and enjoy each other's company. I know the hubby and I love spending time with the "not so little" cousins. It's hard to believe that four years ago Jonah (below) was just a little guy in our wedding, and now he's looking so grown up! Dave and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family!

So, congratulations to Oliver on his high school graduation. It's crazy to think that it's now been EIGHT YEARS since Dave and I graduated. It seriously seems like yesterday, boy how time really does fly by. Good luck to Oliver in his next adventure in life. We are proud of you bud and are here for you always!

Shred Progress Week 1

2011-06-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll it's Ferdy. My mom has been working really hard for a week doing some weird workout, and she has been doing really good! It makes me a little bit sad because when she works out, she won't let me in the room. It's ok though because she and dad have been taking me and Ralph on walks everyday! Mom wants to talk now, but I just wanted to say hi! One more thing... I almost caught TWO squirrels yesterday. I didn't, but I almost did!

Ok, it's me again :) Ferdy and Ralph are going to be making more appearances on the blog in the near future. I just realized that they are wayyyy too cute not to make regular visits. So, I hope you like doggy pics!!

Well, I've officially done one full week of the Shred program. After the first day, I wasn't sure if I'd make it through a week, but here I am alive and well! It's been a mental struggle in choosing the right foods to eat, but doing the actual workout has been easier for me to get motivated. I'm really proud of myself because I can actually see some results. That's the best part of it all because I'm now extra motivated to KEEP GOING on the right track!

So what did I do this week to help my progress along?

1. Eat fruits & veggies everyday

2. Do some form of exercise everyday

3. No soda drinkin'

4. On the other hand, drink TONS of water

5. Stay away from empty calorie foods

6. Feel good about myself!!

Like I said, choosing the right foods has been my biggest struggle in week one. I will confess... I am a breakfast junkie! I love the horrible breakfast foods like Hardee's biscuits, bacon, and hashbrowns. I can say though that I've now gone over 1 week without any splurges in my breakfast routine. In my mind, that's a hugggeee success for me. I'm not going to lie, it's been really hard, but I'm sticking on the right path!

My biggest success in week one has been cutting out soda and replacing it with lots of water and decaf iced tea. There's only been a couple times that I craved a Diet Coke, but happily I can say those cravings have subsided. I can honestly say the though of a soda now makes me a bit queezy (and that's a good thing)!

So, can I tell a difference in the way I look after one week? Surprisingly, YES! This has been the biggest shocker to me because I haven't had this kind of success with any other types of workouts. I even got brave and tried on a swimsuit that I bought over a month ago, and I actually like the way I look in it. This never happens! Yes, it's a tankini, so I'm still covered, but I can definitely tell a difference in the way I look in it now compared to when I bought it.

Today is the start of week 2's workouts. I'm still staying on level 1 because I want to "master" it before trying to move on to level 2. I don't feel bad about it though because any exercise is better than none, which is what I was doing before.

I'm sooo happy and feeling great after a successful week 1, so I may just go reward myself with something sweet... No worries, I won't splurge too much, these are now what I "treat" myself with!

Good luck to all of the other shredding ladies out there! I'm sure you all have had just as successful of a week as I have!

iPhone & Me

2011-06-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

As you can probably gather by browsing my photos & reading about me, I am a bit of a techie. It was only a matter of time until I took the plunge and invested in an iPhone. I was holding out, and then Verizon announced they were going to carry the iPhone 4. I lasted like 2 weeks, and couldn't help myself any longer... HeHe.

I always justify my technology addiction by saying, "If this is the worst thing I do, then I think I'm ok." It makes me feel better. :)

Anyways, now that I have a fun iPhone, I get to play around with all the exciting iPhone photography apps & I can finally get more pictures with me in them! Yayzers! So now, I have to share a few recent photos. All of them have been processing using the Instagram app. If you have an iPhone, you need this app! It's free & totally fun!

This is the hubby and I. Aren't we cute?

This is me today actually. I just went and got my layers trimmed up and decided to get my side swept bangs back. I'm pretty sure it was a good decision. I always get nervous when making hair decisions. I've been that way since I was a tot.

If you're from the St. Louis area, if you should recognize what's in my hand. Yep, that's right! Ted Drewes frozen custard!!! Yes, it's sooo yummy that we drive almost an hour to get it! I think this day I chose the chocolate chip concrete.

Ok, one more now. This one is my favorite that I've captured on the iPhone as of late. I'm linking it up with Faith's Simplicity blog too because the theme of the week is cell phone photography!

I love this photo because it really shows the overall attitude at the Lerch household now that summer has officially begun! Let me just explain a bit. We have two springer spaniel pups, and I tell everyone that they are 60 pound lap dogs. This shows it! Ralphie crawled up with his daddy and shared the pillow for nap time. They slept like that for over an hour and took turns snoring. Too cute!

Well I'm off now to do grocery shopping. It's a bit of a challenge because the hubbie and I are trying REALLY hard to eat healthier. Tomorrow I'll check in for an update on the 30 Day Shred process. (I've made it through one week...yay!)

Later Taters!

Birthday Fun

2011-06-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

I love family parties. It may have something to do with this cutie pie...

Yesterday the fam got together to celebrate this little guy's birthday!

He's already four years old!! It's hard to believe because he was born only a few weeks before Dave and I got married. He's growing into such a sweet little guy. I just love being around him because it always promises to be a day of fun!

While at his birthday party, I got in on the action and played on the playset with the little guys. The birthday boy had a blast! He was having so much fun with his cousins (both little & big) it was tough to get them to come inside for cake, but once we mentioned presents, that got his attention!

Thanks buddy for having us over for your fun birthday party! I can't wait to play again!

(I'm submitting this photo for the "family" challenge over at The Paper Mama)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-06-04T21:59:00.003-05:00

It's time again for another Scavenger Hunt Sunday post! I missed last week because of all the holiday weekend festivities, but I'm back this week!

This week's items:

Hot, Hot, Hot

Finding Form

Front Page of the News

Chore

Beads

I actually thought a few of these were quite challenging, especially finding form. I like a good challenge though, and had a good time searching around this week.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Ok, not the most creative choice for this item. But, in my defense, I loved the lensbaby shot & it gave a different feel to the typical fire picture.

Finding Form

This one was a challenge, but I'm really happy with the end result. This is the base of one of my lamps, and with the edit I feel that you get a sense of depth that you don't always get in a photograph.

Front Page of the News

This is horrible, but the hubbie and I get no paper copies of anything news related. I get my daily buzz from my iPad, and I usually read while I'm getting ready in the mornings. I'm queen of multi-tasking!

Chore

Who doesn't think that dishes are a never-ending chore?!? I took a shot of my handy dandy new sprayer that we installed this week because it makes the chore of washing dishes just a little bit easier.

Beads

This shot is of the hangy beads from my bedside lamp. I love this lamp for many reasons. 1. It's purty 2. It's just the right size for a reading lamp 3. It was one of the first things the hubbie and I bought as a newlywed couple

Well, that's it for another Scavenger Hunt Sunday. I'm so excited to have time back to participate in these challenges!

And (real quick, I promise)... if anyone is wondering, I've made it through 3 days already in the 30 Day Shred program. The first day was torture, but I'm feeling pretty good today. I'll be back later this week to share week 1 progress!

30 Day Shred Challenge

2011-06-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

Normally I don't do much "personal" posting on my blog. I use it mostly for my photography, but I felt I needed to do a post for this!

I've decided to do a different kind of challenge this month! It's not related to my photography, but it is a personal goal that I've been wanting (& trying) to address. That is working on being healthier! I saw on a few fellow photo blogger's sites that they are doing a 30 day challenge using a popular fitness DVD called 30 Day Shred. So I thought, why not join in?!?

I'm really excited because my hubbie and I leave for vacation in exactly one month, so how perfect?!? Many of the other participants posted their before photos and measurements, but I will spare the public from that information. I assure you though that I will be tracking my own progress. Hopefully in the end I feel super confident and I'll share my before/afters then. :)

So here are my goals in taking on the Shred Challenge:

1. Feel better about myself

2. Workout everyday (even if it is just a walk with the pups)

3. Develop healthier routines (both with eating & exercise)

4. Have my pants fit more comfortably

5. Feel better about myself (yes, I said that twice because it's why I'm doing this)

I know I can do this. There's no excuses this time. It's summer and I have nothing holding me back! To keep me motivated, I plan on doing weekly updates to share how things are going. This way you all can hold me accountable!

Here I go... It's not going to be easy, but I know it will be worth it!

The Dynamic Duo

2011-06-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

Meet the dynamic duo of Ben & Wyatt

I had the privilege of photographing these sweet little ones this past Sunday.

As you can see, we had a great time!

Ben in his dad's Jeep. We had a tough time getting him out...haha!

Ben invited me to go for a ride sometime with him. :) So cute!

Ben's cousin, Wyatt, joined in on the photo fun!

Is it just me, but are these boys the definition of cute?!?

The moment I met Ben, I fell in love with his little surfer boy blonde curls!

I had a blast with Mr. Ben & Wyatt! Hopefully this won't be the last time I get to photograph them! A big thanks to Ben & Wyatt's mommas (& Ben's dad too) for inviting me to photograph their sweet little boys. I hope you love your photos as much as I do!

Sunshine & Raynbows

2011-05-27T23:16:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I got to spend the morning with one of the cutest little ones I know, Miss Rayn. She's the daughter of one of my good friends that I teach with, and that means I not only get to take her photos, but I also get to hang out with her and all of her two year old goodness.

Seriously, do you see the cute factor that I was subjected to?!?

Not only is she a class A cutie, but she is also one of the smartest two year olds I've met! Just hearing her sweet little voice as her told her momma, "I want to go down the slide (with a little extra stress on the "duh" part), my heart just melts! I have to keep the hubbie away from her because after a day with her sunshiny personality, he wants a little one of his own! HeHe!

She's watching all the other kids carefully to see where she wants to go next

I'm so glad her momma put her in a bright yellow shirt because it matchs her little attitude perfectly. She radiates happiness! Her smile could make anybody cave in (I bet her momma and daddy could attest to that).

This is Rayn saying, "Cheeeesssseeee"

And now a few of my favorites of the bunch (although I can't help but love them all)

Thanks Rayn and momma Jess for letting me take your pictures & hang out with you lovely ladies for the day. You two are sooo much fun!!

Until Next Time...

Little Ms. R

2011-05-22T19:48:00.000-05:00

Today I went to visit my good friend Jess and have a photo shoot with her and her daughter (who just happens to be one of the cutest little ones ever)! I always have fun with these girls and today was no exception. We played with bubbles and went to the park to play on the fun toys. After our shoot R's momma and I squeezed in some girl time and took a quick trip to Target (both of our favs). Seriously, what is not to like about the day?

Now for a quick sneak peek at little Ms. R's photos...

Isn't she the cutest? I can't wait to edit her photos, but for now I must part with the computer to relax for a bit before the evening slips away from me. Tomorrow is the start of my last week of the 2010-2011 school year! It's hard to believe, but it's true!

Happy week to all!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-05-22T06:55:00.000-05:00

I'm realllyyy excited to do this post because it means that I actually have some "me" time. Last summer I participated in all kind of photography challenges and loved it! Unfortunately during the school year I just don't have any extra time to dedicate to photo challenges. School is not quite over, but it's winding down, so that means I get to do more photo challenges... yay!! My goal is participate in at least one challenge per week, so here's me meeting my goal in week one.

One of my favorite challenges to participate in is Sunday Scavenger Hunt with Ashley Sisk. Ashley's photo blog was one of the first blogs I discovered when I started photo blogging a little over a year ago. She's a great photographer and always inspires me to try new and different techniques in my own photography.

This week the items on the scavenger hunt are:

My Passion

Sound of Music

Inner Beauty

Ethereal

Sharp

One of the most fun things about the weekly scavenger hunt is that you get to interpret the themes each week. Sometimes I go literal and sometimes I get really creative in my interpretation.

Anyways... I'll stop blabbing and share my photos for this week!!

"My Passion"

I love this candid shot because it involves so many things that I'm passionate about all in one photo. My husband, my pups, photography (of course), and my home.

"Sound of Music"

This one is more literal. In this photo I have my iPhone which also serves as my iPod, my iPad which I use all the time to play music around the house, and of course my trusty iMac which has been known to blare a few tunes now and then.

"Inner Beauty"

This is a shot of all the goodies I use on a daily basis to doll myself up. I like to think that these items help make my outside look as lovely as the inside. HeHe.

"Ethereal"

This shot was taken with my Lensbaby Composer lens, which I LOVE! It really doesn't matter what you shoot with a Lensbaby, the results always come out ethereal and dreamy!

"Sharp"

I love this shot of a little crystal clock that sits above my kitchen sink. I love this shot because with the help of my trusty Lensbaby, only a tiny bit is in sharp and in focus, while the rest has a nice dreamy blur to it. I just love looking at this photo because the sharpness, blur, and tones are perfect!

I hope you enjoyed my scavenger hunt shares as much as I enjoyed putting them together. If you want to see more entries, head over to Ashley's blog for the link up.

Happy Sunday All!

Graduation Time!

2011-05-16T16:57:00.001-05:00

Nope... not mine, silly. My sweetie pie of a sister in law of course! I'm SOOOO PROUD to say that my beautiful, and multi-talented sister-in-law is an official graduate of Missouri State University.

Yay Kady!!!

She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education (just like her big bro and I). Not only is she a graduate, but she also found out that she has secured her first teaching job too! She'll be teaching fourth graders in a small town outside of Springfield in the fall.

Look at her... She just looks awesome!! :)

Seriously though, Dave and I couldn't be any prouder of the wonderful young lady she has become. Not only is she sweet and charming, but she's a natural with the kiddos. I have no doubt that she is going to go on to be one of those teachers that her kids will remember forever.

Ms. Lerch with her proud siblings!!!

We can't forget mom dad, who raised two AMAZING children!!!!

Since we're bragging on the awesomeness of the family, we must share grandma and grandpa Lane. These two seriously have enough determination and drive to inspire just about anybody!

One more family shot of Kady with Grandma Edie and Junior. These two are a hoot at get togethers. Grandma makes the best Sunday brunches and Junior is about the nicest truck/motorcycle driving guy you'd ever meet.

Even though the day was a bit cold and icky (and dumb dumb me wore a sleeveless shirt), Dave and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! There were a couple springer spaniels who moped around for a few days though. Ralphie wanted me to tell you that he's really upset that he and Ferdy were not allowed to go to help you celebrate and that we now owe him lots of hugs and Milk Bones.

Seriously now...

Kady dear, we love you with ALL of our hearts and know that the future holds nothing but success for you. Keep smilin and stay positive as you venture into the tough, but rewarding career of education. You will and you do make a difference!

One more thing before I go...

Ugh, Kady. I know you have your college degree and all, but I think your diploma is upside down. HeHe!

Selfie Saturday

2011-05-14T20:05:00.001-05:00

I'm pooped today! We went out of town for my sister in law's college graduation yesterday. It was a wonderful (yet cold & rainy) day, but I am worn out!

I wanted to post a couple selfie photos that Dave and I snapped last Saturday on my birthday. I am trying to make more of an effort to get photos of me with my family members. So enjoy! :)

Although this picture is not perfect and has no "special" scenery, I really like it! I even added a cute little "love" decoration. Can you tell I was in a Photoshop mood?

And now a silly one of just me... I can never just smile into a camera. I realized that I've been doing this since I've been little. Since I was feeling all "Photoshoppy" I added the clouds because I think they're cute. That's my driving force behind everything... cuteness! :)

Ok, time to go and muster the energy to make dinner. I've already napped today after our four hour drive home, but I'm still sleepy! The nice thing about Saturdays is that there's no rush.

The S Family Session

2011-05-10T17:04:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to share photos from this session... I shared a few in an earlier post, but when I put together their collages, I was blown away by how wonderfully their session as a whole turned out. This family is absolutely adorable (both in their looks and personalities)!! I was so thrilled to be able to do their photos, and hopefully this won't be the last time!

Thanks again S family! I had so much fun (and I think Mr. C did too)!

26 Years

2011-05-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

Who is the cute little girl you ask? Well of course it's me! Why is little Stephanie making an appearance today on the blog? Well, it's my special day... my BIRTHDAY! Yay!

Today, May 7th, is the day that I turn 26 years old. It's crazy to me to see the years go by, but I guess the old adage is true. Time really does fly. The older you get, the less magical birthdays are. It's inevitable. But with that being said, I have to say how blessed I feel today. I woke up with two snuggly springer pups and a kind, and supportive husband. How can I not feel like the luckiest girl in the world? To top it off, I turn on the computer and see facebook messages and texts from my loving family and friends. I truly am blessed to be so young and have so much. I know it's "my special day" in all, but I have to say thank you to all of those that love me everyday. You are the people that have made me who I am, and I can't thank you enough!

Birthdays are always day you sit back and reflect on your life, and I feel that I am exactly where I imagined I would be. I have accomplished even more that I thought I could have (and I have some high expectations for myself)!

Who would have ever though this little redhead would be blessed in so many ways and accomplish so much? It's hard to believe it's been 26 years... I can't wait to see what's in store for me in my next 26.

Thanks again to all of my family and friends for your birthday wishes. I really do love you with all of my heart! Now I'm off to enjoy my day!

Ramblings on a Thursday Afternoon...

2011-05-05T17:39:00.000-05:00

I came home today soooo tired from the school day. It wasn't a "bad" day, just a long day. Sometimes I feel like a tire without the air after a day like today. Anyways... I digress (imagine that).

I came in and opened up Safari on my computer (homepage is my blog... what can I say, I like to look at my pictures...haha). I noticed a few new comments, and seriously, who doesn't enjoy reading kind comments?!? Two of my new visitors are old schoolmates! How cool that they found me out there in the bloggy world! Adrien even gave a shout out to my modest little blog! How sweet of her! If you're in the mood, check out her family blog, "Getting There". It makes me smile to see such wonderful people and their beautiful families living such happy lives. :)

Now that I got my second wind thanks to some sweet people, I'm all pumped up to edit pictures tonight! I'm going to be finishing the S family's photos from this past Saturday's session I had with them. You just have to check out their two little cutie pies!

This little guy is Mr. C. He's four and oh so much fun. Saturday was officially his "Superman" day. It was hilarious how focused he was on acting like Superman. By the way, aren't those freckles just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?!?

And on to this little lady, Ms. A. She was sleepy, but a good little girl throughout the entire session. Smiles were hard to come by, but there were no tears, which is always a plus! This was her first ever photo shoot, and she did so well for such a little tot.

Tonight I'm hunkering down and editing the rest of their session, and I can't wait to do a big post to share off more of their sweet little faces! Yay for cute little ones!

Senior Session with A

2011-05-01T11:46:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting catch up time in, and as promised, I put together a collection of photos from a recent senior session I had. This young lady was so bright and bubbly, and I think her photos reflect her sunny disposition. I had such a great time, and I'm pretty sure she did too! :)

We spent almost three hours on location, and it didn't feel like it one bit. I was so excited because the daffodils were blooming like crazy all over the place. The location was just perfect, and I knew I was going to have a hard time deciding on what pictures to edit. I was right because there were A TON! Overall, the shoot was nothing but a success. I am honored to have been able to do A's senior photos because I know she has such a bright future in store for her!

Monday Edits

2011-04-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy lately (not complaining one bit), so I've been photo editing like crazy at every chance I get. Tonight I have been working on this beauty's senior session.

Seriously, could she be any cuter? This session was a ton of fun, and I'm lovin' the way they're coming together! My goal is to finish them all by the end of the week & do a big post!!

Now it's off to relax, which I'm understanding the importance of more and more everyday!

My Sunday

2011-04-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

I'm so lucky... I got to hang out with this cutie today!

We had so much fun! When I got home and uploaded the photos, I was so glued to the screen, I even finished all the edits! Little Miss Ava is so photogenic!

One more to hold you over until the full post!

Busy Bee

2011-04-17T09:59:00.000-05:00

I've been a busy bee lately! Between school functions and photography I haven't been around much at all. I've been out every weekend with the camera, and I'm lovin' it!!

I plan to blog each session, but I have to give a little peek at what I've been up to.

This is little Ava H. I went up to visit her mommy and daddy (college friends) a couple weekends ago and was lucky enough to get to do a newborn shoot with her.

This is Alex. I did her senior session last weekend and had a blast! She is an amazing young lady, and I can't wait to share more of her session photos!!

I have more session sneak peeks to share, but I must run off to another session for one of my good friends! I'll be back soon to share more though! :)

Spring Time = Happy Time

2011-04-06T18:16:00.000-05:00

Finally!! Our Illinois weather has been somewhat cooperative lately (today is a good day). Spring is showing her lovely face about these parts of the woods lately. Every year I am reminded of why it is such a happy time of year!!

Today after work I grabbed the camera and went out to play in the yard with my boys. They LOVE it when momma goes out to play with them!! I couldn't help but plop down in the freshly green grass and breathe in deeply... ahh, I love the feeling of crisp, clean spring air. It seriously has a special power of making me feel like all is well.

Even though the leaves on most of the trees have not come in yet, the sunshine alone makes it worth venturing out into the yard! Nothing beats a nice breeze and warm sunshine. (I'm wishing I could have spent the entire day in the yard with a good book!)

While outside, Ralph and Ferd did their thing. Ferdy was looking for "friends" to fall from the sky. He almost "found" one, but luckily the poor soul escaped! Ralph just kind of walks around making sure that his little brother behaves. He's such a good big brother. Dave and I always say that he reminds us of "Nanna" from Peter Pan. HeHe!

I can't forget to mention Ferdy's love for his hamburger toy. As I was sitting in the grass snapping shots, he dropped that lovely thing in my lap several times. From far away it looks cute, but up close it's soo gross! (The way most of our pup's toys are)

What a lucky dog mom I am! I love my boys and how much they love their little puppy lives. They are just happy and that makes me smile.

And before I go to eat a yummy dinner, for which my hubs made for me, I have to leave you with a random picture. I'm all about taking pictures that make me happy. I love this little cake plate that I got as a present awhile ago. The colors are springy and fresh. It makes me want to bake a cake to set on top of it... almost. For now it is a colorful display for my little plant.

I hope spring has found its way to you today too!

The M Family Session

2011-03-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when the M family asked me to do another session with their adorable family! They have two nine month little girls, and boy are they soooo sweet!!

We got extremely lucky with the weather on the day of our shoot because it ended up being around 80 degrees! Mid-March and 80 degrees in this part of the country is quite unsual!! To say the least, it made for great photo weather!

The girls had their tutus and spring dresses... talk about melt your heart!!!

They have grown up so much since our last shoot, which was right before Christmas!

In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than little baby toes!

I must limit myself here because I could share almost every photo from the session.

What a fun little shoot with the M family. I'm crossing my fingers that this won't be the last shoot with the girls!

What We've Been Up To...

2011-03-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

Sadly, the blog has been a bit neglected as of late. It's a BUSY time of year for a household of two teachers, but I promise that I'll make an effort to be more regular with my posts!

So what have we been up to? Well as always, we've been spending a lot of time with our pooches. Since the weather is finally turning around, we are getting to go for daily walks. It's soothing for the pups and for the hubs and I to get outside and enjoy the fresh air!

We've also made a couple trips out to my parents' farm lately. Every time we head out, I can't help but to haul along the camera. See my parents & sis are dog lovers too! In fact, they are the proud parents of four dogs, two of which are Ralphie's mom and dad!

This is Camo, Ralph's daddy

And this is Murphy, Ralph's momma

I can't forget Beau, Ralphie & Ferdy's cousin and favorite playmate!

And the fourth pup, Pookie! She is my baby! I got her when I was in eighth grade, so she has a special place in my heart (and always will)!

Ok, change of subject before I cry... Happy news now!

This weekend I upgraded my camera! Yay! I am now a proud owner of a Canon 7D. I haven't had much chance to "really" try it out yet, but today I will when I do a 9th month session for two ADORABLE twin girls! But, until then, here are a few other snapshots from this weekend!

Our "hunting" dog Ferd Man staring down the birds in our yard

Ferdy and his most favorite squeaky toy (which he wakes us up with everyday)!

And one of trusty ol' Ralph of course (even though it's taken with the on-board flash for which I don't like to use... I just couldn't leave him out)

One of my favorite people, my sister Morgan (isn't she adorable?!?)

More of my favorite people! This time my hubbie and his sweet sis, Kady (love, love, love my family)!

My silly husband doing a "chicken-dance" themed birthday dance. He turned 26 this week, and words can't explain how LUCKY I am that I have him in my life!

Last one... the hubs and I! It's really not a great picture (because the lighting was not ideal by any means)! I wanted to share though because I feel like I don't get enough of the two of us!

Now I'm off to prep for my shoot today with the 9 month twin girls! I think it's time to bust out the bunny ear headbands!

Waiting for Spring

2011-03-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

We're still here waiting for Spring to officially arrive...

This weekend we got a little taste of nice weather. Ferdy said that he hopes it stays nice outside, so he can chase bunnies and his mom can go do photo shoots.

Sweets

2011-03-06T18:37:00.001-06:00

Because it's been awhile...

I felt I needed to leave a little something sweet to hold you over until I have more session photos to share! Hopefully the weather makes a turn for the better, and I can get out there and shoot!!!!

Friday Photo

2011-02-25T19:41:00.002-06:00

Just because...

A Few Snapshots

2011-02-24T20:03:00.000-06:00

I've been quite busy with the teacher side of my life, but I wanted to share a few shapshots from over the last couple of weeks. For Valentine's Day my hubs got me a Lensbaby Composer! I can't wait to shoot more with it (and of course share more too)!

Off to rest and relax after a long day!

I promise I'll be back sooner rather than later!

The Things I Love

2011-02-15T16:56:00.000-06:00

Even though Valentine's Day has come and gone (too quickly because of a sick hubbie), I wanted to post a photo to represent all the wonderful things in my life that I love and am thankful for.

Even though this is just a picture of Ralph, he represents all of the wonderful family that I love so dearly! I am incredibly thankful to be married to such a wonderful, supportive, and loving husband. I also can't forget to mention my two wonderful pups, Ralphie and Ferdy. They are my happiness that I come home to every night, and without them my life just wouldn't be the same.

I love you guys!!!

Little Bit o' Love

2011-02-07T19:24:00.001-06:00

Oh Monday... You are always so much fun. Oh well is what I say. I might as well enjoy my least favorite day of the week a little bit. So, of course, Nothing cheers me up more than a nice girlie photo (as seen above...hehe).

I took this before one of my Valentine's day mini-sessions. I made myself a pseudo-studio in my upstairs, and I have to say that I'm pretty happy with the results. Although I am an outdoor kind of girl, it worked well for a couple inside shots.

Before I go... One more pretty shot that makes me happy on Monday! Snow on the ground is my FAVORITE! Everything looks so much prettier!

Ok, time to grade papers! Have a good one!

K's Valentine's Day Mini-Session Sneak Peek

2011-02-06T17:44:00.001-06:00

What a fun weekend! Two cuties in two days! Who could ask for more?

Now on to K's photo share...

K's momma and I teach together and are good friends. Because of this, I get the opportunity to photograph K often! :) She is a bundle of energy and loves her "baby" doll. I look forward to the days that we get to spend together!

I also have to say that I'm pretty handy! I set up a makeshift natural light studio in my upstairs for this shoot. No, it's not spectacular, but I'm getting ideas for the future and how to have inside "options". Outdoor photography is my favorite, but I am really happy with how these turned out!

Now it's off to RELAX for awhile. It's been a busy wk'end for me!

:o)

T's Valentine's Day Mini-Session Sneak Peek

2011-02-06T08:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had the honor of shooting a mini session with my friend Jenni's sweet little girl. She is approaching the one year mark very quickly, and I loved spending the afternoon with her! She is just a darling in every way and it shows in her photos!

What a sweetheart!! She is such an awesome little girl!

Now, I have to share her Valentine's Day card that I whipped up for her momma!

Today I'm doing another session with yet another adorable little one! Yay!

Enjoying Winter

2011-02-02T08:07:00.000-06:00

It seems like most of the country is dealing with winter weather right now, but I do have to say that we enjoy our snow & ice around Fillmore Street. There are two main reasons...

Ralphie & Ferdy

Our Springers are snow-lovers!

It's hard for them to figure out what to do first!

Ralph likes to plop down and roll!

Ferdy LOVES to play sticks with dad!

ALMOST GOT IT.......

While Ferdy is having fun, Ralph likes to chill out on the cool ground and observe the festivities.

and eat a snowflake or two

Ralph's peace and quite never lasts long because he is Ferdy's favorite play toy! And the puppy wrestle match began and lasted until mom and dad got too cold and had to go in!

Ferdy gladly ran right in for a nice little nap on the couch!

Shoot and Edit Wk 3-Good Night Edit

2011-01-27T17:42:00.000-06:00

On Monday I shared my "Good Night" photo for Shoot & Edit:

SOOC:

My Edit:

I must lead off saying that this has been a crazy week at school, so my editing "steps" are not that great. I honestly can't even remember what I just did. My brain is just tired! :)

Anytime I'm shooting with artificial light (and no flash for me usually), I always try my best to work with my camera's settings and focus on the post-processing a bit more than when I do a nice natural light outdoors shot. I knew I would have to first work in Lightroom with this photo before sending it to Photoshop.

First I used the custom balance eye dropper tool (similar to what's in ACR) to select a point on my white desk to set the custom white balance. Boom! Right away there was a huugggeee difference! No longer were my pj pants a weird orangy pink color. I then worked a bit with the noise reduction slider in Lightroom. This tool is AWESOME. It's so easy and it really works wonders. The only thing you have to be careful with when you're doing noise reduction is not to go overboard. If you get carried away, you can loose detail in your subject.

Anyways, after white balance fixin' and noise reducing, I did a bit of sharpening and sent it off to Photoshop. There I didn't do much because I was pretty happy with the photos coloring and composition. I did apply the high pass filter though because it is now officially my bff. I duplicated the background, applied the high pass filter (soft light), and then reduced the opacity a bit. I decided to flatten here and apply the filter again but to invert the mask this time (command I on my Mac). I painted the effect on the "LL Bean" part of my slippers just to make the lettering a bit more crisp. I flattened and moved on to the "artistic" step.

I always have to put a little color spin on my photos because my style is dreamy, light, and slightly vintage. I confess that I am a Photoshop action addict, so I had to play around with a new set that I've had, but not worked with much. This set was made by On the Spot Studios and it is called "Smoothie". From this set, I ran the "Strawberry Orange Smoothie", tweaked several layers, and flattened.

If you are new to actions, make sure you play around with all the layers until you find the effect you're looking for. Playing around with action layers has taught me so much about the different effects in Photoshop and what is "my style" and what is not.

That's about it. I made sure to run a little web sharpen action from Amy McMaster's free sharpening actions and saved for web.

Voila! That's it. Can you tell I'm a teacher by the way I ramble on and on?

Ok, time to go let my brain unwind with some Modern Family!

Have a good one and happy editing!

Shoot and Edit Wk 3-Good Night

2011-01-24T17:27:00.000-06:00

Shoot & Edit Wk 3's Theme is...

Good Night

Ahhhh... night time. It's one of my favorite times because it's just Dave, the pups, and myself. With us both being teachers, we find so much tranquility in our evenings at home together.

One of my favorite times of the evening is when I grab my trusty ol' LL Bean slippers, comfy pj's, and my book of the week. It never fails to wind me down and get me ready for a night of peaceful sleep.

It was almost painful for me to post this straight out of camera because the white balance is just horrendous! I bumped up my camera's ISO to 800, threw on my nifty 50 (50mm f/1.8), and shot this really quick. I barely had any natural light coming in the window, so I had to rely on my not so great bedroom lamp and vanity lights. I should have done a custom WB, but oh well. On the bright side, I already know my first "fix" of the photo though! :)

Happiness is...

2011-01-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

Happiness sounds like such a simple word. We hear it all the time. But the tricky thing about happiness is that it is different from person to person, even day to day.

To me, happiness is...

A sweet puppy hug before bed after a long day

I love this picture because it brings happiness to my day each time I see it. Yes, it is not technically a great shot. That doesn't matter to me though because it does what a "good" photograph should do, it brings emotion. More specifically, it makes me smile because I know that I have "people" (I use that loosely because dogs aren't techincally people...hehe) at home that I know will love me and be there for me no matter what. Now that brings me LOTS of happiness!

This post is being linked up over at Simplicity photo blog for the "Happiness" photo challenge

Hopefully you all can find happiness in your day today too!

Ralphie is Famous

2011-01-22T21:32:00.000-06:00

Just a quick share...

I'm so proud of Ralphie's "Good Morning" photo, not only because he's one of the two sweetest pups in the world, but also because he's now famous! Now we're not talking red carpet famous or anything like that, but today he was featured on one of my favorite photo blogs, Kim Klassen Cafe!

Kim created an "Everyday Pets" group on Flickr, and I just love seeing all the sweet pets! So, head over and check out Ralph and the other cuties that were featured this week!

http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe/everyday-pet-love-continues.html

I hope you all are having lovely wk'ends. I know I ALWAYS do. Plus, (get excited), tomorrow we're supposed to get another 4 inches of snow! That means more photo opportunities!!

Yay!

Chestnut {Project 64}

2011-01-20T14:56:00.000-06:00

By now I'm sure you know that I'm participating in Project 64. I think it's one of the most fun photo project/challenges that I've done yet. It's such an original idea!

This week's inspiration color is Chestnut

You can understand my excitement when this little beauty arrived at my house today...

Not only was this a WONDERFUL Christmas preset that had been backordered, but it also fit perfectly into this week's color theme.

Yay for my new Kelly Moore B-Hobo bag! She is a beauty, isn't she?

Ok, one more Yay! for project 64! 3 weeks down, 61 to go!

Shoot and Edit-Good Morning Edits

2011-01-20T14:22:00.001-06:00

It's edit day, yay!

Today my link up is going over to Ashley's lovely photo blog!

On to the goodies...

My original "Good Morning" shot SOOC:

I really did love this shot because it was so simple, yet so Ralphie. He and Ferdy are snuggle bugs, and this sweet photo tells their story perfectly.

And now my edited version of my "Good Morning" shot:

Ahhh... I do love me a nice puppy nose shot!

My edit wasn't much, but the little bit I did really gave the photo the feeling I was looking for. So, on to the steps...

Because I loved the original so much, I knew I didn't want to do anything drastic when I edited. Just like Ashley talked about in her tutorial, I also do the basic fixes first. I believe I did a little bit of a fill light bump because I like my pictures to be a bit brighter than some. Everything else looked pretty good, so I exported then to Photoshop.

Once I was in Photoshop, I used my new favorite "trick". I duplicated the background layer and ran a high pass filter. I set it to soft light blending and pulled down the opacity to about 80. I really liked how it accentuated Ralphie's sweet little pup nose!

After the high pass filtering, I ran an action called "Oleander" from the Wallflower set made by LilyBlue. I have admired her photoblog for a long time, and I love her actions equally as much. They give a nice subtle dreaminess to photos, which is exactly the feel I wanted for this photo. Afterall, most mornings most of us are a bit foggy and sleepy, right?

Ok, I did more more little step. Like I said before, I really wanted to draw attention to Ralph's sweet puppy nose, so I decided to try running the high pass filter again. I flattened my edits that I had done thus far, duplicated the background, and ran the high pass filter again on soft light blending mode. This time I drug the opacity down to around 30, since I had already ran it once earlier in the edit.

That was it for Mr. Ralphie. It's not a huge difference, but one that I'm really happy with!

I hope everyone's having happy days today!

Homemade Goodness

2011-01-17T12:23:00.001-06:00

I'm so proud of myself... Last night I (and my hubbie of course) made homemade potato soup for the first time! That may not be a big deal for most, but the hubby and I are making an effort to cook more and eat less junk. We both lead extremely busy day to day lives with us both teaching/coaching. It's been a hard three years, but now we are forcing ourselves to take more time!

Last night was the first time we tried a family soup recipe. It was actually quite simple, and it was realllllyyyyy yummy!

I'm getting hungry just looking at it!

The soup was pretty easy to make with a list of simple, easy to find ingredients (I'm not a "fancy" girl)

Ingredients:

Shredded Carrots

Finely Chopped White Onion

Finely Chopped Green Onion

Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

Chicken Broth

Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes

Cheddar Cheese

Chopped Turkey Bacon

I'm pretty proud of the hubs and I making a effort to do more for ourselves, and not only did I make the food, it is really good!

Yum, yum... time for lunch!

(I'm linking up this post to Simplicity's "Food" Photo Challenge)

Shoot and Edit Wk 2-Good Morning

2011-01-17T08:40:00.000-06:00

It's time again to shoot & edit! That means today we're linking up our SOOC (straight out of camera) shot over at Jill's blog, http://fnaphotography.blogspot.com and on Thursday we'll link up our edited shot over at Ashley's blog, www.ashleysisk.com

Week two's theme for shoot and edit is "Good Morning"

Today was the perfect day to capture my shots for "good morning" because we have the day off in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was grab my camera!

Now before I show you my picture, I need to fill those in that don't know a little bit about my "family". My husband and I do not have any children yet, but we do have two extremely spoiled springer spaniels (as featured in my blog header). Now, our pups do not think they are really dogs. I know for a fact that they believe themselves to be humans along with the rest of us. For this reason, they do things that most normal dogs don't get to do, like cozy up in bed in the mornings.

As you can see, our pups have no problem being adorable come the early morning. They love to say hello with a cuddle and kiss. I always laugh when people ask if our "hunting" dogs stay outside because there is nothing more they'd rather do than stay in bed all day with mom and dad.

I know... it's a bit ridiculous, but I'm a sucker for cute pups!!

Make sure you head over to Jill's blog and check out the other submissions for this week's challenge!

Looking Up

2011-01-16T19:43:00.001-06:00

Car rides are one of my favorite weekend activities to do with my hubbie and pups. I love rides because it's our time to sit and catch up on our hectic lives. While we chat away about new teaching strategies, upcoming events, and our goals, I love to look up at the sky and think. I think about where I was 5 years ago and where I'll be five years from now. I love staring into space because it makes me realize how the little things that seem so important probably aren't important at all when you look at the big scheme of things.

Because I love looking up to the sky and reflecting on my life, I thought I would share a great sky capture I snagged. I love this picture not only because it's beautiful, but also because it shows a perfect example of stratus clouds. Why would I care about that you may ask... Well that's what we're learning about in science right now! I always get so excited when I can connect my teaching to the real world and my photography!

Here's my awesome stratus cloud capture

Since you're interested now, go check out other's "looking up" show and tell photos over at Chelsey's blog, Paper Heart Camera

Carnation Pink Project 64

2011-01-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

This week's color theme for Project 64: Out of the Box is...

Carnation Pink!

Pink is one of my favorite colors, and this shade is one of my favorites because it's nice and girly! When I think of pink this time of the year, I think of love, hugs, and of course Valentine's Day! This is what drove my inspiration for not only the subject of my photo, but also the processing. I wanted to keep it sweet and girly.

I love this photo because it gives me a happy feeling, and to me that shows the power of pink!

Shoot & Edit

2011-01-13T16:24:00.002-06:00

Ahhh... what a crazy day at school today. As I walked out of my classroom, the first thing I wanted to do was come home relax and EDIT my weekly photo for the new Shoot & Edit challenge!

Here was my BEFORE photo

I actually really liked a lot of things about this photo SOOC, so I knew I didn't want to do too much with it in post processing... but I'm all for trying new things!

1st Edit

So, the first thing I did was try Ashley's suggestion of running a high pass filter (softlight blending mode) on a copy of the background. I love how crisp it made the icicles!

But of course, it wasn't as "artistic" as I would like it to be yet. I'm totally into the soft vintage look, so I did a bit more work with it yet.

I ran an action called "fake tilt shift"from the NicoleVan Urban action set. This gave me a nice blurred background, and then I masked out a few icicles right in the center of the photo. I made sure to vary my opacity as I did this to make it not so drastic.

I tried several actions, but couldn't quite get the effect/color/softness I was looking for, so I re-opened the slightly edited photo in Lightroom 3. I ran Rebecca Lily's "After the Rain" preset on the photo, and voila!! It gave the softness and dreamy color the photo... just like I was hoping it would!

The AFTER photo

I like the edit, and I'm glad I learned a new tid-bit about the high pass filter trick!

FUN!

I'm also linking these edits up to a new challenge at another great photoblog I discovered!

Resolutions

2011-01-11T10:41:00.005-06:00

I realize this is getting ridiculous today, but I have yet another challenge to share!

This time it's over at The Paper Mama/Paper Heart Camera

The theme this week is {Resolutions}

before edit

Edit 1

after edit using Paint the Moon actions

Edit 2

another after edit using On the Spot Studios actions

I am actually working toward my resolution right now, and that is promoting my photography online and taking more time to capture the world. My number one goal this year is to get out there with the hubs and pups and take more time with my camera to capture the beauty around me. Along with this, I want to focus more on sharing my photography via my blog & Flickr. I need to push myself to be more active and this means behind the camera and in the bloggy/Flickr world. The more I do, the more people will see my photos. It's a simple goal, but an important one for me!

I'm working toward my resolution and WILL continue to throughout ALL of 2011!

The power of positive thinking...

Yellow Green {Project 64}

2011-01-11T10:01:00.001-06:00

Another challenge... yes, ANOTHER

Yay!

Check it out here because it's a totally creative and original idea!

Week 1's Crayon Color Inspiration:

Yellow Green

My "yellow green" photo:

I shot this photo in my hubbie's car. It's my favorite thing to do on car rides afterall! I love the yellow/green of my camera bag next to the green of the hub's sweatshirt. I'm a bit partial, but I do love this picture!

This project is going to be sooo fun! I can't wait for next week's crayon color inspiration...

Carnation Pink!

My Breakfast Buddies

2011-01-11T09:31:00.001-06:00

Today I woke up to happiness in the form of fallen snow...

SNOW DAY!

Because I have the day to myself, and because I'm all caught up on grading/planning, I started the day with a photo challenge. It's so fun to have time to be creative!

Annie over at Paint the Moon Photography posted a challenge yesterday. Her challenge was to photograph the same subject using different angles and perspectives. Personally, I feel like perspective is one the most important components in my photos. I love to look at things from different views because it can evoke different emotions, even if you're photographing the same subject.

Also, I realized that today was Sweet Shot Tuesday over at My Three Boybarians! Normally, I don't get to participate like I do in the summers because I'm all wrapped up in the school week. But today, I'm home thanks to our lovely snow!

For the photos today... I was sitting at my computer sipping my yummy cup of vanilla coffee, and I realized that I spend most of my mornings with my breakfast buddies. So, it only made sense that they would be my subjects and inspiration for today!

For Christmas, my wonderful hubbie got my an authentic "slinky dog" from Toy Story. I seriously have loved this character since I was a little girl, so I was in love with Mr. Slinks the moment I opened him!

I think this is a cool perspective. I'm totally in to out of focus/selective focus shots now-a-days

Another one of my fab Christmas presents was a "Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock" coffee mug. For all of you "Big Bang Theory" tv show lovers, you know exactly how hilarious this mug really is. For those who do not watch the show... trust me, it's HILARIOUS!

Look at that sweet plastic pup face!

And now for the little storyboard for the PTM challenge...

Ok, that was too much fun!

Shoot & Edit

2011-01-10T17:05:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I have to admit that I have an editing obsession. I love taking photos, of course, but I love editing them to see what they can become. It's my favorite part of the photography process by far!

I was so excited when I saw that Ashley from Ramblings and Photos and Jill from Forever'n Ever'n Always Photography posted about their new weekly photo challenge: Shoot and Edit!

(Click the icon to go and check out other's SOOC shots_

The first theme is WINTER

Perfect!!

Winter is my favorite season because of the colors and tones of snow and ice. Luckily, I snapped a few shots around Christmas when we got our first "real" snow of the year!!

Here is my SOOC (straight out of camera) shot

I really like the way it turned out already, so my plan for edits will be minimal for sure! I think winter shots are good for the whole "less is more" motto.

Now, as much as I want to share my edit, that will have to wait for Thursday...

Two Features in One Day!

2011-01-08T15:12:00.000-06:00

I just had to share in my happiness...

Today two of my pictures were featured on two of my favorite photo blogs!!

My first week's photo for my Project 52 was featured on one of my most favorite photography blogs, Paint the Moon

And as if that wasn't enough to give me a big ol' smile...

My photo for the "new" challenge was featured on another one of my fav blogs, Paper Heart Camera

What a happy day for me...

:o)

My Project 52

2011-01-08T14:24:00.000-06:00

With the new year amongst us, many photographers have take on 365 projects. That's one photo taken for each and every day of the year. I, like many others, am a bit intimidated by such a HUGE project, so when I saw fellow photographers creating a "new" version of the all popular project 365, I was excited and ready to join in!

Several of my favorite photographers and bloggers have created another photography project that requires one photo per week instead of one per day. Thus the name emerged: Project 52.

This feels so much more manageable to me, and I know that it will be more beneficial for my creative side to come out. If I'm stressed or trying to "squeeze" in photos, I know they won't be up to my standard.

So where am I joining in on this fun project you ask?

Annie Manning from Paint the Moon Photography is inspiring my photography with weekly themes a link up provided by her Flickr Group... Her themes are what is inspiring me to do this project!

You can find her Flickr group here and her blog (with weekly themes) here

(Make sure you check it out... I was featured as one of the photos of the first week!!)

I'm also linking up with the MCP Project 52 Flickr Group

Find their Flickr group here

Ok, one more place I'm linking up to share my photos of the week, and that's the m3b (My Three Boybarians) P52 Flickr Group

Find their Flickr group here

Ok, now for the goodies! I've already completed two weeks of my project, so I must share my photos!

This is my week one photo (new beginnings).

I rang in the new year by baking my pups homemade doggie treats... and boy did they love em!

And now my latest photo for week two (togetherness).

Ferdy and Ralphie love to cuddle and it just makes my heart smile to know that my pups live such a healthy and balanced life.

I'm so excited for this new project. I hope that it will not only inspire my photography, but that it will also give me more motivation to take more "me" time. That is always a goal of mine, and I think this project will help me achieve that goal among many others.

Off now to enjoy my Saturday... enjoy yours too!

Baking is for the Dogs

2011-01-05T19:53:00.000-06:00

Recently I did a baking... for my pups that is!

Don't worry, I bake for my hubbie and me too, but this time it was just for "my boys".

It was so much fun to cut out the little doggie bone shapes!

The boys knew something was going on, so they sat by the table the entire time I was creating their yummy homemade treats. Don't worry... as soon as they were done, they earned a special reward for being good patient pups.

How cute are my sweet pups?!?

It's amazing how much joy they bring to the hubs and myself!

Little Teal Box

2011-01-02T08:34:00.000-06:00

This Christmas was a whirlwind. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is back to school, which means back to lesson planning, grading, and hectic schedules. I love my job and feel blessed to have the opportunity to help young minds grow, but I'm also a bit sad to see Christmas break come to a close. It has to happen sometime I guess. :)

One of my goals for the new year is to jump back into to photo challenges. I love participating, but it has become quite a challenge during the school year. But... no excuses! I'm GOING to put my pictures out there more and hope for more blog & facebook followers. That's the big goal for my blog this year!

So on to the good stuff... first challenge of the new year is over at Paper Heart Camera.

The theme for show and tell is NEW

So many things are NEW during this time of year...

I chose to go with one of my favorite new Christmas presents from my wonderful hubbie

I love this little teal box... so adorable! And as soon as I saw it, I knew the classic teal green meant something special!

I unwrapped the ribbon and...

Yay! My first piece of Tiffany jewelry! I'll wear this necklace to school and have little daydreams of the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Now it's off to start planning for back to school!

Goodbye 2010 & Hello 2011

2010-12-31T16:27:00.000-06:00

Goodbye 2010...

Ferdy is a bit sad to see you go because it's been a big year for our little family. Don't worry though, Ferdy knows deep down that 2011 is going to be even better!

Happy end of 2010 and beginning of 2011!

Santa's Visit

2010-12-27T08:16:00.000-06:00

Ferdy (and the rest of the family) waited so patiently for Santa to come, and boy was he good to us this year!! What a wonderful Christmas we had! I would have to the say the absolute BEST part of the holiday was the SNOW!!!! We woke up to a couple inches Christmas Eve and it just kept coming. I always feel a little more cheery when the world is dressed in white!

I'll be back soon to share some of our new goodies!

Merry Christmas from North Fillmore Street

2010-12-24T14:25:00.001-06:00

From our winter wonderland on North Fillmore Street..

I just wanted to leave this message before we take off to begin our holiday visits!

Hope yours is merry, bright, and full of joy!

Time to Enjoy

2010-12-24T14:00:00.000-06:00

Time to enjoy all the yummy goodies that make this time of the year oh so great. I'd like to thank my kitchen helper for making all the yummies so much easier to create!

By the way, it SNOWED today... I can't believe we're going to have a white Christmas Eve/Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-23T14:28:00.001-06:00

We're one day closer to my favorite day of the year...

Yay!

Snuggles

2010-12-21T19:49:00.000-06:00

It's been a tough couple of days, and ironically these days are the ones that I stop and remember how lucky I am to be living the life I'm living. Even on the toughest days, I know I have the most loving family to come home to!

The hubs and my two springer spaniel pups always manage to cheer me up and constantly remind me of how much I am loved. Ralph and Ferdy should be called snuggle spaniels for all the lovin' they do on a daily basis. No matter what, I know I come home to hugs and happiness (and stinky puppy kisses).

That's such a good feeling...

It's been awhile since Ralph and Ferdy have made an appearance... They'll be popping up more frequently over Christmas break because they are some of my favorite photography subjects.

Mr. Ferd Man Out Enjoying the Freshly Fallen Snow

Ralph Doing His Best Pouty Face to Be Let Back Inside

Off to snuggle with the fam now...

Christmas is Near

2010-12-17T11:38:00.000-06:00

Lucky me... our school is out again for the ice storm that came through on Wednesday evening. That means more time to work on Christmas gifts and overall Christmas prep. It's incredibly hard to believe that one week from today is Christmas Eve. Where does time go?

Speaking of how fast time flies by, I've been meaning to put together a post for the last session I did a couple weeks ago. This session was for an adorable little family! How can you not love twin little girls? I had so much fun shooting their Christmas cards photos! It was just an overall pleasure to work with such a kind family. These are just some of my favorites from our session. I would have loved to get more outside photos, but as you can tell, the weather was quite cold for two little ones. Overall though, the photos captured this family's love, and that's always the goal!

Now I'm off to go organize and being wrapping Christmas presets! Tomorrow my good friend, Steph W. from Capturing Memories blog is making the trek down to my house to bake Christmas cookies! We've been friends since college, and I'm so excited to have her family down and being celebrating the holidays early! Not to mention, I LOVE her darling little girl, Z, whom which I've been lucky enough to photograph several times (she's the adorable little redhead)!

Yay, I love this time of year!

Santa's Magical Kingdom

2010-12-04T13:37:00.001-06:00

Last night Dave, the pups, and myself took a visit to the nearby Santa's Magical Kingdom. Last year we took our pups and we continued our tradition last night by packing up the Jeep and taking a little drive. This year we made a promise to ourselves to be more spontaneous now that our master's degrees are finished and we have more "free" time. So, last night when Dave got home from his kids' basketball game, we decided to head out into the chilly night air!

Anytime we take the pups anywhere with us, we have to spoil them by folding down the back seats, so they have the entire back of the Jeep to stretch out in. Last night they were even more pampered and got an old comforter laid out with a couple pillows. To justify my pups' spoiling, it was over an hour drive one way... so it doesn't sound as bad then. I grabbed my snowman throw blanket off the couch, grabbed a coffee from Mickey D's, and off we went!

As the Christmas tunes were playing on the radio, we drove into a winter wonderland of lights...

I could have walked through the park and snapped a million photos, but it's tough to get good shots in a car that doesn't stop moving. Oh well! :)

Throughout the park there are silly cartoon characters dating all the way back to the Ninja Turtles and dinosaurs from We're Back. Most people probably don't even know the movie "We're Back", but Dave and I recognized them the second we saw them!! We were like kids in a candy store... I'm so glad that both of us enjoy it so much. Let me not leave out Ralph and Ferdy... they slept the entire time!! It was soooo cute the way they cuddled up with each other and their blanket. So sweet!

I love the little extra bit of happiness in my heart during this time of year!

Tis the Season

2010-12-03T18:32:00.001-06:00

I just love this time of year...

Of course, one of my favorite things is putting up and enjoying the Christmas tree! Just looking at it reminds me all of the wonderful Christmas memories I have. It also makes me think of all the wonderful memories that are yet to come.

This is my favorite season by a mile!

At school my kiddos are super excited for the holiday break and it shows in everything we do! It just makes me smile to think of what I felt like during the holiday season when I was a kid. It's all so magical to a child, and it's fun to see that excitement on their faces everyday!

Tonight Dave, the dogs, and myself may head out to Santa's Magical Kingdom to see the HUGGGEEE Christmas light display. It's another one of my happy Christmas memories! Nothing is better to me that a hot cup of coffee, beautiful twinkling Christmas lights, and my three boys!

I Heart Faces {Scenic B/W}

2010-11-30T05:57:00.000-06:00

I was working on this photo last night and I happened to see that the theme over at I Heart Faces is scenic b/w. I thought, "How perfect!"

I love this path at a local park. It goes all the way around several small lakes that are on the property. It's the perfect spot to take the pups and let my mind air out!

Make sure you head over to I Heart Faces to check out the other submissions!

What I'm Working On

2010-11-29T21:19:00.000-06:00

I've been working on putting together some prints for Christmas...

This one is going to be for a really special person in my life, and I'm really excited to give it away!

A Little Celebration

2010-11-28T11:24:00.000-06:00

On Thanksgiving, Dave's mom was very kind and ordered us a yummy cake to help celebrate both Dave and I finishing our master's degrees. It was a LONNNGGG two years that we worked on our advanced degrees, and it was nice to have a moment to reflect back on our journey.

After Thanksgiving, my favorite thing has gotta be CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!! I love driving around with the hubs and pups to check out the scenery! Last night, we drove by my favorite Christmas house!

This house is AMAZING... a picture really does not do it justice. Anyone and everyone in the area knows how amazing it really is!

When we were almost home last night, I was able to snag a quick shot of our town square. I LOVE our little town at Christmas time. The lights are so warm and cozy...

Although this picture is not the best because I had to crop out the windshield wipers (haha), I love seeing our little town all Christmased up! This time of year just makes me happy!

Size Test

2010-11-27T14:51:00.000-06:00

Just testing photos & size...

Getting Creative

2010-11-27T14:33:00.001-06:00

I have so many new photography goodies to play around with, so I had to share really quick!

I used a worn photo overlay on this, and I really like it! I could share about a billion more, but I'll be on my way now.

By the way, what do you think of the new blog design? I'm working on showcasing my photos, so I streamlined and simplified. I'm still working on adding "tabs" to the top.

Off to play and research some more!

Hello!

2010-11-23T18:57:00.000-06:00

Things have been SOOOO busy lately! Between teaching, extra school commitments, and my photography, life has been quite consuming as of late. Thing have been crazy busy, but also crazy good! I'm so happy this school year! It's been so wonderful to be able to focus on my teaching and photography without master's stuff to worry about too!

So anyway... On to photo sharing time!

I'm so excited to share the next picture. I hardly ever get a picture of myself, much less a photo of my hubbie and I TOGETHER!!

Thanks to my friend Steph for capturing a few of Dave and I! We have such a nice arrangement... I take photos for her family and then she does the same for me. :o)