Self-Portraits

Here are some self-portraits I ran across yesterday. I took them about 3 years ago the first night I got my Canon Powershot S5IS, which is a great point-and-shoot camera. (I still keep it as a back-up. Its best feature is the flip out viewing screen). I stayed up til 3:oo that morning playing around with lighting and the self-timer. (We photographers are easily entertained!) These first two pix reveal my inner desire to be a hand model. (Yes, I even wrote a post about it...) Like any photographer, I am rarely in photos unless I take them of myself. And I prefer it that way... cuz then I have access to the Delete button for those less-than-flattering shots... :) I'll have some more self-portraits to add later. I just won't add them all at once, because that would make me look vain... hmmm.

David After Dentist

I saw this hilarious video on YouTube. The little boy, David, went to the dentist and was a little drugged up. SO FUNNY!! It had around 3 million hits after being online for 5 days.

I Feel Ahhhhmazing

No new photo updates today. However, I do have to say that I did just have an amazing one-hour massage. Debra from Back Rubbzz is my favorite person right now. I've been going to her for a few years now for sporadic massages (and I would recommend her to anybody! Your first visit is only $39.95). But lately I've noticed that with all the computer work I do during the day, and then with photo editing after work, it's really killing my right wrist and causing slight tendonitis. Believe me when I say I would rather eat wood chips than get carpal tunnel syndrome... so I've decided I need to get massages on a more regular basis. Regular like as in every month. Starting today. I'll just consider it preventive maintenance with a splash of Ahhhh. I feel better already...

Coming up... Edited vintage pix from my Grandma. Oh! and a photo session with Kacey and her guitar!

Impromptu Session Featuring Dana

So Dana and I were out flea marketing on Valentine's Day, and since it was such a sunny day, I had the urge to break out the ol' camera. She agreed to be my muse for the day, which tickled me pink (whatever that means...) I learn something new every time I do a photo session.  I've learned that some people have lazy eyes, and have a hard time looking directly at the lens. I've learned that others have a hard time making a "serious" face. And then there are some people that will giggle uncontrollably when they are being photographed... like Dana. We entertained ourselves for a little while, but I have to say that I was probably the most entertained because of Dana's non-stop giggle attacks.

Feast your eyes on this eye candy... See more photos here.

David Crowder Concert Pix

I went with some friends to the David Crowder Band concert held at Remington's. What a great performance! His music and lyrics are so powerful. Here are a few of my favorite pix from the night.

You can see the rest of the album here.

Hit Me Baby, One More Time!

I just noticed that my blog has had it's 2,000th hit. Not too shabby for a 4-month old blog! Thanks to my daily visitors for keeping up with my work. I hope it's somewhat entertaining for you!

This post is short and sweet, but just know I'll have more pictures up within the week.

Tonite I'm off with some friends to see the David Crowder Band perform... Should I take my camera?? :)

Photoshop Phun

Since I'm a self-taught photographer and also have never had Photoshop (PS) classes for post-processing, I rely on the web a lot for research. I recently came across a link to a site for free high-res stock photos, stock.xchng at http://www.sxc.hu/. If you're looking for some free pix to manipulate for your site, with no copyright repercussions, this is your place. I'll be using some of these photos myself while learning some new PS techniques. According to the quick stats, there are 390,295 pictures currently available and more photos are added daily. You are able to search the database by word, resolution, category, photographer, and date.

If you're a blog stalker like me, you may also love the Blogs tab, which gives you access to the blogs of a lot of creative people.

Another favorite feature is the Tutorials tab, which gives a ton of tutorials for PS techniques. Some tutorials are definitely better than others, but if you're a PS beginner, it's a great place to start diving in.

I've also been looking at a lot of PS tutorials on YouTube. My favorite "teacher" so far is photoshopmama. Not only is she good at explaining editing processes, but the videos and visuals are some of the best I've seen.

For a sample of some of her work, click on the photo below to access Photoshop Mama's Pencil Sketch Tutorial, which is great!

If you know of any other great sites for free stock photos or PS tutorials, please email me!

Happy Photoshopping!

Charles & Alice Engagement

This is another set of pictures that I didn't have editing software to access at the time of the shoot. Now that I have access to it, I've played around with a few of my favorites.

You can see tons more of the unedited photos here.

Natalie...

Some more pictures I found from awhile ago. I softened these up a little...

Chris & Teresa's Engagement Pix

I took these pictures of one of my best friends, Teresa, and her now husband, Chris, a few years ago for their engagement photos. I didn't have access to any kind of photo editing software then, but now that I can play around with Photoshop, I found a few of my favorite pictures to spice up a bit.

Hit-and-Run Blues

I woke up this morning wide awake and so pumped about another Monday at work in the world of American Family Insurance (okay, so maybe that's a slight overstatement. In actuality, I was groggy and was wishing I could crawl back into bed with my snuggly flannel sheets. And then I stumbled smack dab into the bathroom door). As I was entering the garage to get ready to hop in my car, I noticed something slightly crunchy-looking about the front of my car. IT was crunchy... as in--squished, scrunched, dented, dinged. Somebody had hit my car!! 

The hood is dented in right above the driver's side headlight, just missing breaking the headlight by thismuch. The bumper also has cracks and peeling paint too.  Was I upset? No. People do stupid things all the time. I work in insurance and hear about it every day. It's just irritating when you are on the receiving end of someone's ignorance. It would be a perfect world if people would take responsibility for their actions. Amen?

As I was racking my brain trying to figure out when it had happened or what had caused it, my only conclusion was that it had happened sometime Sunday afternoon or evening.  

So if you happen to see a vehicle running around with part of my poor car stuck on it, please STOP what you are doing, flag them down, and give them a good tongue-lashing for me. The end.

Sunny Skies

The sun is out. Spring is coming soon. I can feel it.

I'll be posting a few things soon...

* River Bluff Valentine's Day dinner community group pix. Cowboy theme = Good times.

* Edited engagement pix from last year...

* Edited vintage pix

* Pix from today's impromptu shoot with the lovely Dana

* Baby pix from First Baptist Church

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

I celebrated with two wonderful friends, some brownies, ice cream, wine, and our strapping green friend, The Hulk. Doesn't get any better than that :)

*muah*

Fun With Frames

I just finished up this project I started a few months ago. I had purchased a chair at a garage sale about 6 years ago and just found some fabric I wanted to reupholster it with to match my bedroom. I also had this old antique frame that had been repainted that I purchased at a benefit auction. I decided I wanted to showcase some of my jewelry using the frame. I had some leftover fabric from the chair and decided I should use it to bring a little bit of texture to my frame. I purchased some cuttable cork board at Hobby Lobby, cut it to size to fit the frame, and wrapped it with fabric. I stapled the edges of the fabric to the cork. Then I stapled the cork to the frame. Stick some push pins in the cork and then hang on your jewelry. Voila! Instant, useful yet decorative wall art!

Lee Ellen's Demo

I was blessed to be able to hang out with one of my best pals, Lee Ellen Starks, last Saturday as she started recording her first CD. The recording process is art itself. She was such a pro and had such a positive attitude, even when she got frustrated with herself. Her friends, Ben, Katherine, and I were there to encourage her, provide massages when necessary, and make her laugh hysterically. I entertained myself by pretending to crochet a Snuggie. (it was really a scarf, but don't tell anyone. Snuggies are way cooler)... After 6 hours of hard work, she came away with two completed original songs. I am SO PROUD of her and encourage everyone to keep up with her on her blog. I love how vintage-y these pictures feel...