Sports Photography

I attended the high school volleyball game this evening and brought my camera. One of my good friends is the assistant coach and her daughter is one of the setters. The team took state last year, sending 5 of the six off to play college ball. This was my first time tying to photography Volleyball with the exception of my daughter's team last Saturday where their isn't any action. With these girls I had to keep changing my iso up and up to 3200, it was the only speed I could stop action with the low light in the gym. I was using my long lens that didn't help either. Then with my aperture set a 4 to give me the most light, focusing on a single subject was hard and then things move so fast you miss the contact with the ball. I then started shooting with a high continuous shutter speed, that is definitely a good idea, ( if you have disk space). I also tried live mode, that was interesting as well, it is like holding a point and shoot, I feel stupid taking pictures like that. I think sport photographers must shoot the most pictures in a short amount of time and get the most bad shots, they might get 1 out of hundreds, just waiting watching and anticipating the movement. Just like every photo subject you still need to have dynamics, color, shape, balance, interest, focal point. This picture is missing most of them but at least you know I was at a volleyball game and there is some action. I will try again, better prepared. Both teams by the way are wearing pink in honor of the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser, the teams do this every year.

Cupcakes

Banana, with cream cheese frosting with Cinnamon in the frosting, yummy!

End of Season

Today I was at the park waiting for my son to finish his tennis lesson. I took pictures of the sky and of barns and fields of yellow flowers with Monacrch Butterflies. The Butterflies didn't like me getting so close they were very skidish. I also got a picture of football players running in front of my barn, it is funny. It was hard to choose what to post but I picked this one because of it's graphic quality, the negative and positive space and the colors. I also like the idea of something we might consider unpleasant (thistles) as something beautiful.

Bananas

Marbles

Today I almost forgot to take a picture and when I remembered I wasn't too enthusiastic. Now it is late and I have no daylight left and it is raining and my tripod was in the car so I had to shoot at ISO 1600 to get a descent exposure with me holding the camera by hand which means the picture is grainy but you are seeing it small anyway so it doesn't matter too much. Also in this picture I would like to point out that I shot this in my kitchen where my dear husband installed recessed can lighting so you can see in the picture the patterns of light reflecting off the marbles. I think it is really cool, especially on the marbles that are not in focus. I quite enjoyed taking these pictures once I set out to do it. I think there are probably many things we pass on in life that we weren't thrilled about doing that would have been great had we given it a try and gotten over whatever reservations we might have had.

New Season

Girls Volleyball

New Smile

Here is a $3000 smile, after the correction of two cross-bites. Too bad the front 4 are her only adult teeth, we will still have to pay for full braces for the rest of them or at least for the bottom teeth.

Wedding

Today I photographed the easiest wedding ever. The only people there was the bride and groom, the Justice of the Peace and myself. No parents to please, no family group shots, no thousand dollar dress, no reception, or cake, or gifts. Just two people getting married in their back yard. They were a nice couple who just didn't want to make a show of it, plain and simple. I think if they could have gotten married at the court house they would have. I hope they enjoy their pictures.

Sage

Lets talk today about color. In our everyday busy lives we might not think a lot about it however it is pivotal in every environment. Here are some questions to ask yourself, why does corporate America wear so much black and gray and drive black and gray cars? Why is the beach considered relaxing and calming? How would you describe the energy level of the tropical jungle? What colors would you use to describe heat, warmth and cold? Think about the colors in a Library appose to a Hospital. Think about the colors around you, really look and think about how they make you feel. One trick I heard on HGTV a long time ago was to look at things in nature a photo perhaps like this one, and if you are drawn to it use it as your color pallet for a room. I personally love the colors in this picture, the sage green with the terracotta and dark chocolate.

Yellow

I post a lot of flowers. They are just so amazing in all their different stages. They are also very colorful and I love color! I took some other fun pictures today. I saw a tree I like to call Dinasour trees, not that they look like dianasurs or are particularly old but usually they have a bend in them perfect for riding on. We had a few trees like this growing up that my brothers and I rode all the time. We called them our dinosaurs. I was also on a hunt this morning for a spider web, in good formation, I always see them when I don't have my camera but can't find them when I do. Perhaps at some point this year I will capture one.

shadow

It was late, limited light limited things to photograph but I like the shadow and the image it is sweet.

Sunday Walk

Today I went on an assignment for America's Quilt of Faith to photograph a Presbyterian congregation in Leesburg. I had my service time wrong which left me with an hour to spare so I walked around the block a few times and since I had my camera I took lots of pictures. There are so many interesting things that adorn people's homes. The area I was in had a lot of old homes with tons of charm. One of these days for a post I'll make a video montage of that days photo shoot so you can really see how things play out behind the camera. Some days it can be very difficult to choose what to post. After my walk I completed my assignment at the church. The service held in their church was very nice and the message was about praying for everyone even our enemies because you can't hate someone you are praying for. The Pastor told the congregation that if they are Republicans to pray for Obama, Hillary Clinton and even Nancy Paloci, and Demorcates need to pray for Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck and that we all need to pray for the bad leaders of the world too (she named them but I can't spell). She also said that we need not to fall pray to the media trying to discredit someone based on their beliefs but more on their policy, not to be afraid of non Christian religions. I think she was right. Next Sunday I will be photographing a Quaker church in Lincoln in which I am very curious.

Heritage Days Festival

Perhaps you are thinking why this picture? The reason why is the color of the coat, the buttons, trim and the ruffles. The other day I was watching one of my British Dramas, which I will admit I love. I have been getting a lot from Netflix. Anyway there is a girl with the most beautiful blue coat in a BBC series called Lark Rise to Candleford. Oh how I want a royal blue coat like hers, it was long in front but peculiarly short in back, but oh... the color, the same color as the one in this picture but a velvet. I also thought this picture represented Heritage Days well.

Last Good Look

All Warmed Up

At first, like most toddler aged kids she want nothing to do with me as a photographer. I had my studio set up to take pictures of her baby brother and there wasn't a chance she was going to pose for me. Having photographer her earlier in the year I wasn't concerned about getting a studio picture, I knew she would enjoy the outdoor pictures better, (they always do). Plus I had my "MAGIC YELLOW CHAIR" which truly is magic because so far every little child who sees it won't leave it alone. So here I post one of the many shots I took of this sweet child all smiles and ready to play.

3 Days Till The Fair

The last two weeks have been so crazy trying to get ready for Saturdays craft show. I can't wait for Monday so I can watch soap operas and eat bon-bons. I was talking to some friends the other day, do they even make bon-bons anymore? Actually, next week will be dedicated to putting my house back in order, I haven't watched a soap opera since High School. So here are my eggs just after the varnish was applied.

Changing seasons

Friend

It is fun to see your child make good friends. Friends that share the same interests, friends that play nicely together, friends that go together like puzzle pieces or like oreos and milk. This is one of my sons friends who is like that, they run and play and laugh together and thoroughly enjoy childhood. A few weeks ago they got into the dress-up box it was a riot, the two of them marching around in old halloween costumes that were WAY too small. It is fun to watch the two of them play. One thing about children is if you stop, and really stop, stop everything and watch them play you will smile and smiling makes us feel good and makes us happy. So if you are feeling blue stop everything and watch a child play, (don't watch an ornery one, that will only frustrate you, just watch happy ones play)

Russian Pin

I love unique art that is indicative of a specific country. I love the Russian lacquer boxes and the matryoshka dolls and these beautiful little pins.

Geocache

Okay, if I haven't already blabbed to you about geocaching click on the link. Today we decided to set up our own cache for people to find. In the cache we have placed a geo-coin attached to the carabiner key chain in the picture. The coin commemorates 100 years of scouting, hence the cub scout uniform. The goal of this trackable geo coin it to travel from various caches across the us to Twin Falls Idaho for my cub scouts cousins to pick up. Cool hu, we will see if it works and how long it will take to get there. Each trackable has a code so we can track it's progress along the way. I am having a lot of fun with it, to me it's like scavenger hunts and grab bags all in one, my mom will confirm that I was always a sucker for grab bags as a kid, even still I am sometimes tempted, I just have to know what is in it.

Little Bits

I almost forgot! I was getting into bed after a very long day and it hit me that I hadn't taken my picture yet. So sleeping children were the first thing I thought of. This picture is titled Little Bits because that is what my son's blanket has become. I have had to cut the blanket in half fold it over and make smaller blankets because the stuffing was exposed and the back shredded. There are two blankets now, not enough to really keep warm but still very important in the sleep process.

Plate

This is the Mystery photo posted the end of July, that no one got right. Thought you would like to see a regular view of it.

Must have

I think every photographer has a picture of themselves holding their camera, so now I have one too.

Schools back in session!!

My kindergartner.

Baby Blues

One thing that I love about little boys are their messy faces. It is photos like these that I love, genuine, real to life. It reminds me of one of my younger brothers school pictures where the comb my mom sent with him to school to fix his hair before the picture was in his front pocket of his overalls. You can't get a retake, it's too precious, our sweet little boys. I use to buy the school packets, and oh do I have some bad, very bad photos of my kids, but they are funny, and a good laugh at the whole school picture thing. Now I just buy the class picture which is in itself a good laugh.

Sleep

Chair Makeover

String

A friend came up to my husband today after watching a video project I made years ago and said, "Wouldn't it be cool to see things through Amy's eyes". Isn't that a thought. What would it be like to see things through anyone's eyes? I think because of our divine nature, all of us are given a different unique gift of sight. For example, teachers, with the vision to see a child's potential, a doctor who can see the images on an x-ray and diagnose a problem and preform life saving surgeries, a computer scientist who can see and create the patterns and codes that enables us to create blogs like this, and billions of other things. A race car driver, can you imagine what he or she sees, how about the congress man or our president, if we saw what they saw, would we feel the same. Mathematicians, I can't even wrap my mind around what they see, or the scientist looking through a microscope or telescope. Musicians, to see music, to feel it and create it, something I long for but isn't my gift. Lastly the child, to look through the eyes of a child again, full of hope, love, tenderness, laughter, trust, to see once again what matters most, to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. We each have a vision we share with others, what is yours?

Winner!

There were two winners to this weeks contest, Jenny B and Lohn both guessing Mockingjay. If you haven't read the Hunger Games series they are great. Mockingjay was the final of the three books. As for my earlier contest to identify the picture, there was no winners, the closest was my mom identifying it as metal.

Amy's Carrot Cookies

This is how my mind works. On our summer Vacation I watched a show called Master Chief where 100's of everyday people try to become the Master Chef. There first challenge is to chop onions. I thought to myself, "I am good at that, no problem." Second challenge was to make an egg dish were you had one egg to work with, the egg being the highlight of the dish, you could use lots of other ingredients but they couldn't hide the egg. At that challenge I would have failed. The only thing I could think of was an omelet, and I need more than one egg for that. It was then that I realized I am no chef. I am not creative in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe very well, so for those who think I can cook it's because I have great cookbooks. There are a few dinner dishes I prepare without a recipe, only because I have made them 1000's of times. So today I set out to make my own recipe based off of a couple things I have tasted in the past and starting with someone's recipe, I think I adapted the recipe enough to call it my own. So here is My First Official Recipe. My first attempt to be creative in the kitchen. They are actually really really good!! Plus it gave me something to photograph today.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter (soft)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup freshly grated carrots
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry.
Bake at 375o F for 10 min.

Frosting:
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
1 tsp. Vietnamese Cinnamon
(Adjust the sugar to you own taste preference)

Frost cookies, keep refrigerated (because of the butter)

If you like carrot cake you'll love these cookies!!!

Sleep

How precious is that!