Story Telling

As a photographer, I always try to improve my abilities and try new things. Lately, I have been trying to take what I would call "photo stories," or a series of images that tell a story. This is what I have tried to do here. I am also working on adding layers (not textures!) to the images by making sure there are things for the eye to see in the foreground, the background, and the middle ground. The tricky part is to make sure that all of the elements add information to the image and don't take away from the image.

(Click on images to make them larger)

So, how did I do?

♥,


P.S. There is a new look over at Simple Smooches too. Check it out and tell me what you think ;0)

Quick Link

I did post today over at Simple Smooches about sponsoring two soccer teams if you'd care to look ;0)

P.S. Ladybug's team, which Brian helps coach, won their first game 8-0 today! Woot!

Taking Weekends Off

I've decided that from now on, unless something HAS to be said, I will not be posting on weekends. With soccer season in full swing and school starting up, I just am feeling overwhelmed and really want to have the weekends for family time! No worries, though...I will continue posting the usual 5 days a week ;0) See you Monday!

Photo tip: Don't ignore the profile view of flowers...they can be quite elegant!

First Day of 5th Grade

Another milestone hit. Glad there are cameras to freeze time.

Me, Me, Meeeeeee...

I like talkin' about you, you, you, you usually,
but occasionally I wanna talk about me! (me, me, me,)
I wanna talk about me-e-e. (me, me, me)

~Toby Keith

Me taking sunset pics at Bar Harbor while the kids skip stones.


Me taking sunrise pictures on top of Cadillac Mountain at about 5 AM.

Me getting ready to hike The Beehive.

Me rethinking hiking The Beehive.


Me turning around and yelling at Brian (for taking pictures of me) while white knuckle gripping the rocks trying to force myself to the next cliff. See the cliff behind me and to Ladybug's right? Yeah...straight down. Sheer cliff.

This is me after I have a panic attack and retreat to a small cave to sit and wait for Brian and Ty to finish the hike. Ladybug was kind enough to join me. ;0)

Me (happier while at a lower altitude) on our unsuccessful whale watching trip. It was cold out there...a breezy 40 degrees Fahrenheit!

I really don't want to talk about me, but I thought I would post a few point and shoot pictures Brian took of me while we were in Maine. At least there is some proof I actually attended this vacation...normally there are no pictures of me!

Quick update: Still waiting for latest lab results, but did finally get an appointment with the hematologist/oncologist for October 6 at Johns Hopkins. They are putting me on a "cancellation call list" so I can try to get in earlier.

Weigh In: Who is the picture taker in your family? How important do you think it is to have pictures of yourself for your family to have?

Get Off the Green Square Beginning Photography Class

Registration dates for the beginning photography class, Get Off the Green Square, have been extended to October 7th. This 6 week course will get you ready to take your best Thanksgiving and winter holiday shots ever. Make the most of your digital camera. Learn from a certified teacher and a freelance photographer! Bloggers, make your images POP on your blog! This WILL BE the last class for this year. Questions? Use the Contact button on the top of the page. Be sure to visit the Get Off the Green Square link for more details. Only a few spots remaining. First come, first serve ;0)

Hugs to all of you,

Squeezing All the Goodness Out

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."
~Danny Kaye

I am squeezing all the goodness out of summer that I can get. Thursday is the day the kids go back to school and I just am not ready for them to go back this year. As they get older the time goes faster as those of you who have older kids know and those who have younger kids will find out.

I like this time of year for the newness and freshness it brings, but I loved spending this crazy, hectic, wonderful summer with my kids. It was the best one ever. Hopefully I will spend many, many more with them in the future.

The first picture reminds me of a hurricane satellite image with all the concentric rings and the water droplets. The third set of pics will be seen on some postcards/greeting cards soon ;0)

Blessings to all,

Thunder Hole

By pure coincidence, I was getting ready to prepare this post about Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park in Maine and how cool it is when my father-in-law called and told me to turn on the news. The news reported that because of Hurricane Bill and the moon cycle, a rogue wave hit Thunder Hole and swept up to 20 people off the cliffs, right where Brian, the kids and I were just a few weeks ago. Here is the news report:

And here is the best picture I could muster the day we were there:
Thunder hole is a split in the giant granite rocks where the waves come in and crash into the cave like structure, capturing air in the back of the cave and causing a thunder-like sound. It was beautiful and fascinating, but due to the large volume of people there that day and the fact that it was mid-day light, I had trouble getting a picture of the actual waves coming in.

And some other views from near the same area of Acadia:






I am back from my short sabbatical and am recuperating from my sinus infection. I have finished the antibiotics for my IBS and now am on probiotics to replenish the good bacteria in my system. As far as my blood counts go, I still don't have the latest test results back and I will be calling Johns Hopkins today to schedule my appointment with the hemotologist/oncologist. I hope they can see me quickly to get the waiting over with!

The kids are getting ready for school and will be starting on Thursday. I am ready for a regular routine again, but will miss spending time with the kids. This was the best summer ever for spending fun time with them. I have a feeling it will be a good year for both of them!

Thanks for all of the warm thoughts and well wishes. It is good to have friends in a stressful time such as this and I do appreciate all of buddies out there thinking and praying for me. I am sure all will come out well and I can move on.

I have started the Postcards for Soldiers campaign and already have my relatives writing postcards to get us started. One problem I am running into is the cost of the PO Box I need to purchase so I don't have to give my home address to the world. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can raise $100-$150 (depending on the size of the box) in order to rent a PO Box for a year? I was shocked at the price and a little disappointed that I just couldn't do it without asking for help.

Also, I will have a need for cool postcards (kid appropriate) so that I can take them into the school for the children to send notes as well. I wrote to the Maryland Department of Tourism and asked for some donations, but they did not respond at all. :0( So, I am also looking for postcards to be donated so that I can get busy in the schools and libraries.

If you'd like to help out either by donating postcards, sending a donation for the PO Box, or by going to a school or library in your area, please contact me! Once I have the PO Box set up, I will be asking all of you to write a poscard yourself (and ask your relatives to also) and mail it to the PO Box so we can get our first batch out to the soldiers. If you need postcards, I do sell Patriotic Postcards at my Etsy shop, but you are in no way obligated to buy those at all!

Thanks everyone!