Week 48 - “Sweet Dreams” Photo Challenge

I have been away for far too long from this blog and entering photos into the I ♥ Faces website challenges. This week's challenge is called "Sweet Dreams." As most mommies do, i have taken a bazillion photos of our little Ladybug sleeping. But for me, the most tender moment that we have experienced was when the Ladybug and I took a nap together. This is a self-portrait (I very rarely take those), and is one of my most treasured photos of the two of us together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


If you get a chance, visit the I ♥ Faces website for more adorable entries.

Week 17, Fix-It Friday

Thought I would take a stab at this one today. Each Friday at the I ♥ Faces site, they give people an opportunity to "fix" a photo. It gives followers an opportunity to play with digital manipulation and see what results they can come up with. So, below is my attempt at photo-fixin'!

Here is the original photo:


And, here is my stab at fixing the photo. I used Photoshop Elements, added a diffused glow, cropped to a square, then added a soft spot around the face. Hope you enjoy. If you get the chance to check out the other entries, you may learn some great techniques.



Thanks for checking out my submission.

My Little Garden Princess

Our little Ladybug loves to dress up in her princess outfit, and today was no different. She walked out of her room with her typical pink princess dress on, but this time she added some accessories. The accessories included a gardening hat and gloves. Nice choice kid! This event presented me with a great photo op. After reviewing the photos I chose the following photo to edit in Photoshop Elements.

Here is the original:


The rest of the photos all edited with a high a high contrast, washed out look, but with different specific attributes. I also cropped the image to bring more focus to the Bug.

The first is the original edited version from which I created the other versions.


A simple black & white.


Adding a Diffused Glow to the image.


Using a Posterize filter (one of my favorites).


A Sepia filter and a focal soften filter from Picnik.com.


A subdued color version.


The original photo was taken with my Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi, f/5, 1/200 sec. exposure, ISO-250, 37mm focal length.
I am just having so much fun!

~~Aloha!

I ♥ Faces - Week 23 - Sepia Toned

Week 23 - June 15th - Sepia Toned


This week's theme at I ♥ Faces is Sepia Toned photos. I looked back at photos of Liliana when she was a wee one and decided upon the one below. She was looking out the window at the rain. My favorite part of the photo is her drool... just precious. I hope you enjoy the photo.


If you get a chance, please visit I ♥ Faces to see the other wonderful entries.

~~Aloha

Kissy Lips Edit

After looking at this photo some more, I decided that I would try some editing techniques to try to fix it up. Below is the result of my work. I just love the new version. I brightened her eyes, and softened her face. I think I will use this version to create some enalargements. I love this kissy lips... smooch!


~~Aloha

Kissy Lips

The Ladybug has the most adorable, beautiful, rusebud lips (lucky kid). And, when asked to give us those "kissy lips," this is what she does.


I just had to capture this with the camera, preserving these adorable kissy, kissable moments forever.

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi, f/5.6, 1/80sec., ISO-250, 51mm focal length.

~~Aloha!

My Photography Journal

My life centers around my family. I have an amazing and adoring husband who makes the meaning of love crystal clear every day of our lives. We have an incredible little girl whom we adopted from China a few years ago. She is a beautiful, smart, and funny girl who makes life more enjoyable than I could have ever imagined.

After bringing her home I soon fell in love with capturing her memories through photography. Those who know me have come to the realization that I take a TON of photos. I just love taking photos as well as digitally manipulating them to create gorgeous photographic memories. I decided to start this blog to share and archive my journey into combining the love of my daughter and family with the art of photography. I welcome you to join me on this journey, and encourage your comments to help my photographic understanding grow.

~~Aloha!