Ramblings and Photos

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday! Sarah of Naptime Momtog and I will be bringing you a new challenge every week, to stretch your shooting and editing skills. I want to thank Branson of My Reflection of Something for all her help in getting us started, but she has decided to take a break. I completely support her decision and I'm excited to have Sarah come on board. I should also point out that the thinking behind Tutorial Tuesday was never to be a "Branson and Ashley show," but more an opportunity share what we're learning as a community. In fact, I hope to see even more guest tutorials and less of myself (or Sarah) writing brand new ones.

With that in mind, I'd like to present our first guest tutorial. I spotted Jill Wellington of This is Life...Through My Lens' work a couple of weeks ago when she linked up with Tutorial Tuesday. In particular, I was rather impressed with her faux wallpaper tutorial and asked if she would mind sharing her steps in more detail with the rest of our community. I thought this might build on the light box tutorial as it basically takes a clean background (bare walls) and jazzes it up. I'm hoping this is something you'll have fun with regardless of whether or not you do any portrait work. Personally, I'm paying close attention for those future newborn photos I'll be doing in August.

Now...without further ado, please give Jill a warm welcome!

I am a portrait photographer in Michigan and always consider myself a work in progress. I learn something new during every photo session. I also gain a ton of knowledge from other wonderful photographers who share tips and tricks on blogs like this.That's why I was thrilled when Ashley asked me to write up a guest blog post. I have a fun, creative technique for you to try. Recently, I photographed a precious newborn girl named Emma Rose.

No, I didn't re-wallpaper the wall behind her between shots...HECK NO! It was hard enough getting her to sleep. In fact, there was NO WALLPAPER on that wall. It's not even a wall...it's white paper.

This is what it really looked like:

I added the wallpaper in PhotoShop Elements 9. I'm guessing it would be a very similar technique in regular PhotoShop. Start by doing an image search online for wallpaper you love (note from Ashley: try deviantART - I've had pretty good luck looking for vintage wallpapers in the past). I looked for free wallpaper backgrounds. Put them all into a folder that you keep for textures. While you're at it...find some base molding online. Crop out any backgrounds so you only have the strip of molding saved in your folder.

Here's how to add the wallpaper (note from Ashley - for those of you that frequently work with textures, it applies much the same way):

Pull your photo into Elements and click on File as shown by the pink arrow below.
Click on Place as seen by the blue arrow.
Find your folder where you saved the wallpaper and click on the wallpaper you want to use.

You will now see your wallpaper over your photo as seen below. Click on one of the corners as seen by the pink arrow, and drag the wallpaper to the size that will cover the white wall.

You will probably have to tilt it a bit. Be careful to keep your size ratio intact. You don't want any stretched out flowers on your wallpaper print (to keep the same ratio, just hold down your shift key as you drag the corners).

When you have placed the wallpaper where you want it click on the green check mark as seen by the pink arrow below.

At the top left of the layers pallet you will see your blending modes, marked Normal as seen by the pink arrow below, click on the drop down menu and find Multiply as seen by the yellow arrow. Click on that and you will see that the wallpaper is now transparent and you can see the baby through it.

Now you're going to erase the wallpaper off the person or any props.

Click on the eraser in the tools pallet as seen by the pink arrow below.
Move your cursor anywhere in the photo and click.
A box will pop up and you need to click Okay to simplify the layer as seen by the blue arrow.

Note from Ashley: you may also use layer masks (if you're comfortable using them) to erase the wallpaper from the person or props. Remember to fill the layer mask black to paint on the wallpaper using a white brush or fill the layer mask white to paint off the wallpaper using a black brush.

To really see where you are erasing, lower the wallpaper opacity with the slider in the upper right corner of the layers pallet as seen by the pink arrow below.

Bring your eraser opacity up to 100% by using the slider as pointed out by the pink arrow below. Use a soft edged eraser.
Erase the wallpaper off most of the baby and bed at 100% opacity, AVOIDING the edges for now.

Zoom in closer and lower the eraser opacity to about 60% as seen by the pink arrow.
Now carefully erase around the edges with a smaller eraser size. You can shrink or enlarge your eraser size using the bracket keys { or }.

Once the wallpaper is erased off the main features, you can reset the wallpaper opacity to your liking as seen by the pink arrow below. In this photo, I set it at about 80%, but this varies depending on the photo. Whatever looks good to you is good!

Now, use the same technique to add base molding as seen by the pink arrow below.
The fun part, is that you can use your brush tool to actually PAINT a different color on the molding. It's like being an interior decorator without all the manual labor and expense!

I figured out this technique out of necessity. My studio is set up in my basement with a simple white piece of paper hung from the ceiling.

I use the same technique to add bokeh for another background idea.

I have photographed a lot of bokeh to use in my portraits. I share more than 90 of them for free and you can have them by CLICKING HERE.

Check out my blog for more editing ideas or my photography web site to see these techniques in my portraits. I hope these ideas open up a creative new world for YOUR photography!

Wasn't that awesome? Thanks Jill for providing such detailed steps - I'm really looking forward to giving this a try. Are you ready to join in the fun? Here's how to do it:

1. Read through today's tutorial.

2. Choose your favorite shot (or more!) to share with us.

3. Don't forget to grab the button for your post!

4. Link up between now and next Monday.

PS: If you have any photography or editing suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me or Sarah know!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Can you believe it's February? I mean, I guess it was February last week, but it just now hit me. Other things that have hit me...a massive headache. I'm pretty sure it'll be gone by the time this post launches, but I thought I'd mention it just in case you wanted to feel sorry for me (ha ha - just kidding). Anyways, if you've participated in the Scavenger Hunt in the past, I hope this week's items inspired you. If you're new to the Scavenger Hunt...WELCOME! Next week's items are sponsored by Jenny Rain and Honey Mommy.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. Facial Feature

I took a similar shot around this time last year. I really didn't plan on taking another photo of Kitty Paw (alright - who am I kidding...of course I was), but she's so darn cute that I couldn't help myself.

2. Shadow

This is the only archived photo I used this week, but I just processed it. As it turns out, the sun rarely came out this week. Well it did yesterday (Saturday), but I had a huge headache so I wasn't much in the mood to get outside. Anyways, this was taken on the London Eye during my vacation in September.

3. Spicy

I had a few ideas for spicy, but spicy presented itself to me over dinner last night when my husband ordered schezwan chicken. I stay away from anything that spicy - there's no reason for unnecessary heartburn.

4. Gold

I always knew that I wanted to frame our wedding invitation, so I kept the invitation itself rather simple. My mom had one of her artist friends paint the flowers and then framed it in this gold frame. I love it.

5. Fabric

Finally, I love this fabric. My mom found it for me when we were decorating my townhouse (before I met my husband). If it wasn't so expensive, we probably would have done more than a couple of pillows and a seat cushion. Either way, my mom has great taste...so I'll definitely be using her expertise as we decorate the nursery.

So, what were your interpretations of the items this week? I can't wait to check them out. Be sure to load your pictures on your blog (or your Flickr photostream) and link up at the bottom of this post. Feel free to grab a button to display on your blog along with your scavenger hunt items. The linky will be open until Tuesday night at midnight (EST). If you didn't participate this week, but want to participate next week, here are your items (these can also be found at the bottom of my blog each week):

Love (Jenny Rain's suggestion)
Duplicated (Jenny Rain's suggestion)
Trend or Trending (Jenny Rain's suggestion: you might go to Twitter to identify topics that are trending and take a photo that symbolizes that trend)
Paper (Honey Mommy's suggestion)
Plastic (Honey Mommy's suggestion)

Again, thank you to Jenny Rain and Honey Mommy for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

Can I get a WitHness?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

We're in between series at my church right now (or at least we were last weekend), but the message was...as always...timely (click here to see or hear the original message: witHness). If you're new to my blog, you know that I use this space to reflect on the message each week - subsequently, I pray that it reaches your heart the way it did mine.

Last weekend was a big weekend for 111.3 million people...that is, if you were watching the Superbowl. My husband decided to watch the game with his family, so my family decided to hang out with me for the day. My family has never been into watching football...not regularly at least, so at about 7 pm, my sister said something like "isn't the Superbowl on?" I think we were more excited about watching a few commercials, but it basically became background noise as we talked about everything from baby to baby (okay, so it was a lot of baby talk).

According to the message this past weekend, nearly the same amount of people attend churches around the country/world every "Sunday" (or weekend since we attend on Saturday)...and yet, that message is rarely discussed around the water cooler. Taken a step further, it's estimated that within a year, only 1 in 10 Christ followers will share their faith with one other person. Granted, even if you did share...it's not always likely that the person you're sharing with will give you the time of day, but still.

Regardless of who accepts the message, according to Acts, Jesus has deemed us his witnesses to the ends of the earth. So, what is a witness? A witness is one who can and does share what he or she has seen or heard or knows.

Therefore, we're all witnesses. It's really just a matter of what type of witness we are. As it relates to our faith, we're not expected to know it all, only share what we do know. I think that's where we get tripped up. We get intimidated by those who have been in the faith longer who may have memorized more scripture or "been around the block" so to speak, but we're never expected to share more than we know in our heart. However, we're still likely to be faced with non-believers or antagonists who will question our knowledge in an effort to break our faith (you've probably seen or heard many a story of the atheist professor and the Christian student...if not, Google it). Thus, we must stand firm in what we do know...even if all we know is that "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son."

With that said, how do we go about witnessing our faith to others...how do we go about sharing what we've personally seen or heard or know as it relates to our relationship with God?

Be WITH God. Be a believer...have a relationship with God and actively practice your faith (even if that is in the privacy of your own home).
Be WITH someone who has yet to accept Christ or to develop a relationship with God. Our minister this past weekend called it "breaking the holy huddle," and actually hang out with non-Christians. I don't know that I personally find myself in the Christian bubble (aka only hanging out with other Christ followers), but we'll have very few opportunities to witness if we only talk to people who already believe. In fact, outside of the fact that Jesus was not a "Christian," he hung out with what most pharisees (aka goody goodies) believed were some pretty dirty folks (aka sinners). Example - Luke 15:1-2 'Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”'
Share what you've seen and heard. It doesn't have to be a sermon (or a sermon replay like I do) or a long speech...just talk about what you've seen or heard. Furthermore, if you live as though you're "under the influence" of Christ...other people will get curious and open the door for you to talk. However, when this opportunity presents itself, you only have about 10-15 seconds to share (more if you're lucky) so don't turn into a sleazy car salesman. Try this..."if you had seen me ten years ago, you would have seen a very different person, but God has entered my life." If they're still interested, you can go from there. At the same time, be prepared for some people to reject what you've just said - hang in there.

Witness = WitHness...ya know, since we have to be WITH God and WITH someone who has yet to develop a relationship with God. The bottom line is that Jesus said YOU will be my witnesses. It's only a matter of what kind of witness will you be? So...are you willing to be a witHness?

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday! Branson of My Reflection of Something and I will be bringing you a new challenge every week, to stretch your shooting and editing skills. This week, we thought we would work on our foodtography! For many photographers, myself included, photographing food is quite a challenge. There are some great sites out there full of tips and tricks, though.

For this week's photos, Branson started at this pin on pinterest, which led her to a post on the website Culinary Travels. This post is packed full of information to get you started in food photography. It covers styling, gear and lighting. Be sure to check out Branson's post to see what she accomplished with her light box from Week 1.

Me on the other hand...I have not yet taken a fresh photo (yet), but I have photographed food before. So, I went into my archives to pull a few photos that met some of the criteria Branson is speaking of in her post.

In my examples above, 9 times out of 10, I was using my white dining room table as a backdrop (long before I ever created a light box). Granted, you'll notice that I also tend to add texture to mix up my backgrounds. In most cases, I was also using natural light. According to one of Pioneer Woman's food photography blog posts (click HERE), she says that food looks best in natural lighting. From that post, I also gathered the following:

If possible, photograph food using natural light - side lighting looks especially nice.
Food also photographs most beautifully on white plates (or white backdrops in general).
Avoid too much bokeh. Yes, we all love to shoot wide open (at least I do), but try for something like f/4.0.
Fill the frame - food looks much more delicious if it's all in view. However, I also like to keep things in context (ex. pouring, a hand grabbing a piece of pizza, a spoon amongst a bowl of berries, etc.)

I know it's not my turn to be tutorialing (is that even a word?), but I encourage you (speaking to myself since I need a new photo) to get out there and be creative with your food. This is the first time in a long time you'll be told to "play with your food," so enjoy it! In the meantime, I'll take/post a new food photo this week.

Here's some other great posts to read for food photography tips:

Ready to join in the fun? Here's how to do it:

1. Visit THIS TUTORIAL.

2. Choose your favorite shot (or more!) to share with us.

3. Don't forget to grab the button for your post!

4. Link up between now and next Monday.

<a href="http://www.myreflectionofsomething.net/search/label/Tutorial%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Tutorial Tuesday" src="http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g400/bloggybranson/tt3.jpg" /></a>

2nd Annual Love Letters to Kitty Paw: Photo Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Alright everyone... It's that TIME AGAIN!

Time for Love Letters to Kitty Paw {a Photo Challenge}!

Last year, I launched the inaugural release of Love Letters to Kitty Paw: a Photo Challenge (click to see last year's post and entries). For those of you that didn't participate last year and for those of you have recently started following me...even though we now have a baby on the way (in August), our first child will always be our very special cat named Kitty Paw.

{A brief history...my parents brought a sweet little black and white kitty home when I entered college...she was meant to go to my Grandma (my Grandma has had tuxedo cats for as long as I can remember), but my mom fell in love. --we got another cat for Grandma (she named her Baby Girl). I don't know how she earned the name Kitty Paw, but it stuck. Several years later, I was graduating from college and moving into my first place. I felt sorry for Kitty Paw...she was so clearly an "only child," and unfortunately, she had to share a lot of attention with two other dogs and another cat. I politely asked if she could come home with me, and the rest is history!}

Kitty Paw has since become quite a character (or shall I say "Rock Star") here at Ramblings and Photos. She's chased Zhu Zhu pets, done interviews and dressed up for every season (Paw Humbug and Happy New Year). Therefore, in the spirit of love (and seeing how it's February and so close to Valentine's Day), "Love Letters to Kitty Paw" was born. In case you need some inspiration, I thought I'd share the winning photo cards from last year (click to see them larger).

(from left to right: 4th Place - Piper Callie Docious, 3rd Place - The Paper Mama, 2nd Place - Danielle and Maggie May, and 1st Place - NapTime MomTog)

The Rules (inspired by The Paper Mama):

Your "love letter" must include a photo (the photo does not have to be taken by you, but you need to have permission to use it). It can be edited to your hearts desire... but, there MUST be a photo.
You need to be the creator! I'm sorry: you can't have someone else create it for you. Please use your own design.
Your "letter" can be digitally made or handcrafted, but should include a photo (could be your pet, children, yourself, etc. - it does not have to be another cat)
A blog post (with a photo of your "Love Letter to Kitty Paw") will need to be linked to the linky below to be entered into the challenge.
One entry per person.
PG please. Maybe PG-13... Let's keep things family friendly.
I do have the right to delete or disqualify any entrant if I feel it doesn't follow the rules.
You can link up your photo through February 22, 2012 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Top 10 winners (unless you guys happen to surprise me and we get 100 entries) will be chosen by a panel of judges and me...then voted on by all of you.
Voting will start on February 24, 2012 and will end on February 28, 2012 11:59 AM EST.
All blog post entries should link back to this post. You can grab a button below. Thanks!

Please, let me know if you have ANY questions! You can email me.

The Goodies: Much like last year, I thought it might be nice if you won something for all of your creativity...especially since I'm requesting a love letter to my cat (as if I couldn't get strange enough). There will be THREE winners this year. First, second, and third place! Here's a list of the prizes and sponsors:

A $15 Credit to A Paris Boutique.

(cute bows, tutus, fleece blankets, personalized pillows and dresses)

A $25 Credit to Getting Crafty.

(custom bridal/baby hangers, photo props and camera straps)

Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal Pendent (chain not included - $24 value) by WyBeadery.

(check out her Facebook page for more beautifully designed jewelry)

Kitty paw and I can't wait to "read" your Love Letters!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Not much to say today that I didn't say yesterday in my 14 Week Bump Report. However, my Olive Garden itch was finally scratched...yesterday after church! Can somebody tell me why that place is ALWAYS crowded? I mean, seriously. Anyways, if you've participated in the Scavenger Hunt in the past, I hope this week's items inspired you. If you're new to the Scavenger Hunt...WELCOME! Next week's items are sponsored by Sacha, Kat and Christian.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. Strike a Pose

Here's another shot from my portrait session last weekend. I seriously love running into the street to capture shots like this. I guess it helped that the road was mostly empty. If you missed the rest of the session, click HERE.

2. Footwear

In our house, I am frequently made fun of for tucking my pants into my socks. Granted...when you're wearing leggings and boots, I think it's appropriate. Don't you like these striped socks?

3. Hobby

Photography is starting to become much more than a hobby (considering I'm charging a fee and collecting sales tax). On the other hand, I think blogging can still be considered a hobby...at least for a little while longer.

4. Shiny

This might be a bit of a stretch, but I figured as long as I had a lemon laying around...I might as well photograph it. If you've ever looked closely at a lemon, the shell is kinda shiny.

5. Color Me Green

I do love my Kitty Paw's green eyes. In fact, I've always been a bit "green with envy" of anyone's eyes who are not brown. I am really hoping my husband's blue eyes are passed down to our children.

Facial Feature (Sacha's suggestion)
Shadow (Sacha's suggestion)
Spicy (Kat's suggestion)
Gold (Kat's suggestion)
Fabric (Christian's suggestion)

Again, thank you Sacha, Kat and Christian to for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

14 Week Bump Report

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Last week, during Scavenger Hunt Sunday, I asked if anyone was interested in reading a weekly or bi-weekly pregnancy update from me. I received one of two types of responses: 1) it's your blog...share as much as you'd like and 2) bring it on, I love a good bump report. Alright, so I may have ad-libbed just a teeny tiny bit, but you get the idea.

But you're right, it is my blog. And, as much as I'd like to believe that I'm a photography blogger...I hope I'm so much more (by your sweet comments, I believe I am). With that said, I will share with you as much as I want...when I want (I'm kinda laughing as I type that because it sounds kinda snappy, but I don't mean it that way). What I mean to say is that you can likely expect a bump report on Saturdays...during even weeks or milestone weeks. Something like that.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. I know that I really enjoyed reading Elena's weekly updates and seeing her baby bump grow. Now that baby Alexis has finally arrived - someone's gotta carry on the weekly updates, right? I have decided to borrow her template, but if you have any other questions you want me to answer along the way, just let me know.

How far along: 14 weeks (technically, 14 weeks and 3 days)

How big is the baby: About the size of a lemon, although I'm really not convinced that a lemon is bigger than the peach that the baby supposively was last week.

Total weight gain: During my 12 week appointment, I had gained a solid 4 lbs. Since that time (the past two weeks), I've added another pound and a half for a total of 5.5 lbs.

Sleep: Not too bad - I'm naturally a side sleeper but Kitty Paw likes to sleep between my legs which makes it challenging to roll over. I am still getting up to use the bathroom 2-3 times a night.

Best moment of the week: Is it bad that I literally had to look at my day planner to see what I've done this week? I enjoyed two things: editing a photo session from last weekend and scheduling my 18 week ultrasound. I'm also looking forward to seeing my cousin (well Jeremy's cousin) and my mom this weekend for a little "shopping."

Food cravings: During my first trimester, I was often asked if I had any specific cravings. To be honest, I was just eating what I normally like to eat but leaning towards peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal, raisins, bananas, fruit cups and ice cream. I have since added Spaghetti O's to the list - this one's the only one I'll throw into the cravings category. I will say that I've really been wanting an Olive Garden salad. Unfortunately, the OG is not exactly close to where I live or work so I haven't been able to satisfy the craving. Oh well.

Food aversions: I don't think I have any although I do prefer fried chicken over grilled chicken. I think that has more to do with my husband's attempts to eat "healthy" and me getting tired of eating grilled chicken. It's not like I eat much fried chicken.

Symptoms:

Gas! I was getting heartburn early on and learned to avoid terribly greasy food, but the gas...I can't seem to avoid it. I hear it'll only get worse.
My skin has never been ultra clear but lately I've gotten a lot more breakouts. Funny thing is that my skin briefly cleared up when I first found out I was pregnant. I thought I'd be lucky and have great skin during this pregnancy...looks like my skin was just playing Jedi mind tricks on me.
I was fortunate not to have any morning sickness, but in the past couple of weeks I have gagged quite a bit while brushing my teeth. My mom's response is "that's a good sign." Thanks Mom.
Oh and mood swings - not technically a physical symptom but I can go from happy go lucky to psycho in no time.
But honestly, other than finally being able to wear an adult bra (kidding), I'm not sure I would know I was pregnant unless I was looking for it.

Gender: We find out March 2nd during my 18 week appointment.

What I’m looking forward to: Seeing a bit of a baby bump (right now, I only have food bump aka bloat), and my 16 week appointment so I can hear my baby's heartbeat again.

What I miss: Drinking Mello Yello. I know it's not good for you, but who cares. I do drink one cup of coffee every day, but I try to stick to water the rest of the day. I also miss regular trips to Jimmy John's. I'm told not to eat cold deli and while I could probably have it occasionally, I try not to eat it unless I know I can get home to heat it up.

Next Appointment: February 16th.

Photographing an Aspiring Actress in Downtown Raleigh, NC

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Apparently, my dear husband has been "promoting" my business across the country (at least the along the east coast). For example...meet Lily. Lily is an aspiring actress. Lily and my husband work for the same company. Last weekend, she and her husband drove down from Washington, D.C. so that I could take some fresh head shots for her portfolio. Washington D.C. is roughly a four to five hour drive away from us, so while I was certainly flattered to take her business...I have to admit, I was also a bit nervous that I would royally screw something up.

I think these nerves are nervous for any professional in their field...whether it be photography, acting, public speaking, etc. These nerves always seems to go away as soon as I take the first photo, but they were definitely there.

Granted...I had beautiful morning light, a gorgeous model and my husband to help take the edge off. Actually, my husband became a huge help to me last weekend.

For one, he's the social butterfly between the two of us, which means he can become a comedian on demand. Trust me...this definitely comes in handy.

Often portrait sessions can start out a bit awkward...especially if you've never photographed the person standing in front of you. Funny husbands can break the ice and loosen a smile.

My husband is also an incredible tour guide. I often allow my clients to choose our shooting location in the event that they have something specific in mind. In cases where your client is from out of town, that doesn't exactly work.

So, I mentioned to my husband that I wanted a combination of urban and open spaces. He knew right where to take us. For example, I am loving the photos we took on N.C. State's campus...specifically the "free expression tunnel."

Of course he also wanted to go to the "homeless park." I felt a little awkward about shooting in someone's home (so to speak), so I suggested that we go to the capital instead.

Although Sunday morning was relatively quiet in downtown Raleigh, we did manage to run into a segway tour. By this point in our shoot, Lily handled the attention like a pro...she completely rocked the camera!

Wait...did I mention that he was also willing to hold my reflector (I don't know why I haven't used that before)? Super helpful! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed today's preview. To Lily - thank you so much for making the trip to North Carolina. We'll have to come to you next time. And for anyone else that is interested in coming to see me for a portrait session, just let me know. Happy Friday!

No Place Like Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

For the past few weeks, my church has been unpacking the Prodigal Son. This past week, we wrapped up by describing the significance behind the robe, the ring and the sandals that the father gives to his young son upon his return. I was really hoping to share the video that was played before our message, but I can't seem to find it on the internet - Chris Tomlin's Come Home Running. The videos I did find just didn't do it justice, but I also found Casting Crown's Prodigal (click below).

Nearly everyone knows the story of the prodigal son...mostly because we can all find ourselves somewhere in the story. Did you find your place in the story? I found myself in several parts of the story: once as the son, often as the older brother...and imagining myself as the father. Speaking of which...it's funny to imagine myself as the father in this story. As much as I'd like to believe that I would open my arms wide open and consume my returned son with kisses...the reality is that I'm much more likely to embrace my son with some terms and conditions - as if he's on probation. We're so fortunate and blessed that God doesn't do that to us.

Back to the story...in Luke 15:22, the son has returned. You may recall that he no longer feels worth to be called his father's son, “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet." I didn't initially think much of these elements, but apparently they have significant meaning.

The Robe: As we might imagine, the son probably smelled a bit...I mean, he was hanging out in a pig stye. Even if we consider the "experience" the son might have gone through in modern time, he was still looking rather rough. It makes sense that he would need a shower and some clean clothes. However, the significance of the robe has less to do with being physically dressed and more to do with being spiritually dressed. Isaiah 61:10 says, "for he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness."

This robe is symbolic of being wrapped in God's righteousness (not our own self-righteousness as we discussed last week). It's further described in Colossians 3:12 by saying, "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Each day, we choose to wear this robe or not.

The Ring. To be honest with you, I don't fully understand this part of the scripture, but I gather that the ring is symbolic of God's authority. In Matthew 21:23-31, Jesus is approached by the chief priests and elders. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” He responds by telling them a story of two sons who are asked by their father to work in the vineyard. The first son says no, and then later does what he is asked while the second son says yes but does nothing. What we learn through this story is that authority is granted by obeying the father.

Why does that matter? Well...with authority comes power and with power, we are better prepared to fight off Satan. Remember a couple of weeks ago when we talked about closing doors that would allow Satan to come into our lives (click HERE)? The message is roughly the same...if we are 100% obedient, then Satan doesn't have a leg to stand on, but if we bend the rules even a little...he has power over us. Once again, we choose whether or not we want to wear the ring every day.

The Shoes (aka sandals). Finally, the father gives his son a pair of shoes. Sandals were a sign of your rights. [Once again, this goes into scripture territory that I don't fully understand, but for purposes of re-studying our lesson, I'll share my notes.]

The story of Boaz and Ruth describes a situation in which Ruth has become a widow. In that time, there was something called the Kinsman/Guardian Redeemer Law that granted the next of kin to marry the widow (in this case Ruth). Boaz was not next in line, but behind the Guardian Redeemer. However, he really wanted to marry Ruth so he goes to the Guardian Redeemer and basically asks if he's going to step up to the plate. That guy says no, so Boaz asks if he can move ahead...to which his wish is granted. So in Ruth 4:7 it says, "Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel." In this case, the Guardian Redeemer takes off his sandal and gives it to Boaz. Point being, he removed his "rights." Did you follow me?
With all that said, these sandals are more than just a fashion statement...they give us freedom, confidence, protection...and yes, they do complete the outfit. We just have to wear them! Ephesisans 6:13-15 says, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

There really is no place like home...especially when we know that a clean robe, ring and pair of shoes are waiting for us. But we have to walk through the door first.

(If you're interested in hearing the original message, click HERE.)

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday! In case you missed last week's introduction...Branson of My Reflection of Something and I will be bringing you a new challenge every week, to stretch your shooting and editing skills. This week, I thought we'd tap into our creative editing tool box. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one...I know I did!

For those of you who regularly participate in the Edit Me Challenge, you may have already seen this tutorial original shared by k*handtke clicks and keys on creating a watercolor painting. I encourage you to click HERE - this link will take you to the original Photoshop (and Photoshop Elements) tutorial. While I will recap most of the same steps, you may want to see the original.

Speaking of original - this is my original image, taken during my honeymoon with my point and shoot camera. While I could have used a fresh image, I wanted to prove that regardless of the camera you're using...creative editing is always fun! This might also inspire you to take a trip down memory lane and play with a few of your older shots this week.

Open your original image in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. What you see above is my image after some basic/clean processing. I think I may still have the RAW image, but it wasn't important so I didn't bother sharing it.

Now duplicate your background layer three times (Ctrl+J). Turn off the top two layers.

Click on Layer 1. Go to your Filters Menu (at the top of the screen) and select Artistic and Cut Out. Once the dialog box opens, set the following numbers: Number of Levels to 4, Edge Simplicity to 4, and Edge Fidelity to 2. Click OK.

Change your blending mode to Luminosity. Do not adjust the opacity. Your image will look something like my photo below.

Turn on the layer above Layer 1 (it may read Layer 1 Copy).

Go back to your Filters Menu (at the top of the screen). Select Artistic, then Dry Brush. When the dialog box appears, set the Brush Size to 10, the Brush Detail to 10, and the Texture option to 3.

Change the blending mode of this layer to Screen. The original tutorial tells you to leave the opacity at 100%. I decided it was too heavy and adjusted mine to 32%. Your image may look something like mine below.

Now turn on the layer above Layer 1 Copy (this should be the top layer).

Go to your Filters Menu and Select Noise>Median. When the dialog box comes, adjust the radius to 12 pixels.

Adjust the blending mode to soft light. You may either choose to leave the opacity at 100% or adjust to something less intense (like me) at 35%.

If you want to add in a little bit of the detail, you may also choose to go back to your background layer...click CTRL+J to create a new background copy layer and apply a high pass filter and a soft light blending mode. This will add just a little bit of pop.

Final Image

And that's it! Pretty easy huh? Here's my before and after for comparison. I don't know that I would use this effect a ton, but it does mix things up from time to time.

Just for good measure, I tried it on another image. This one was taken by my friend Jenn during her vacation to Italy. I once had all of her Italy photos to play with...and they have since disappeared. I think most of them are still on my other laptop (the one that broke in London). Either way, here's the before and after.

Ready to join in the fun? Here's how to do it:

1. Visit THIS TUTORIAL.

2. Choose your favorite shot (or more!) to share with us.

3. Don't forget to grab the button for your post!

4. Link up between now and next Monday.

PS: If you have any photography or editing suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me or Branson know!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Guess who's out of the first trimester? Me Me Me! In case you missed my big announcement, click HERE. Now if I can just hang on until 18 weeks when I find out our baby's gender. By the way...I want to thank everyone for all the congratulatory messages last week. We really are thrilled to be expecting. I do have a question though. How much do you want to read about my pregnancy? I initially thought that I'd keep that chat pretty minimal as this is primarily a photography blog, but a few people have expressed an interest in reading more. I'm on the hunt to find that balance, so I'm open to your thoughts.

With that said, if you've participated in the Scavenger Hunt in the past, I hope this week's items inspired you. If you're new to the Scavenger Hunt...WELCOME! Next week's items are sponsored by Andrea.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. Smile

I'm hoping to capture some smiles this morning, since I'm doing some head shots for an aspiring actress today. In the meantime, I had to make due with a self-portrait.

2. Stand Alone

Two weeks in a row and I'm pulling from my archives. This one was taken over a year ago (last January) and it's one of my favorite shots of Kitty Paw. I absolutely love this silhouette.

3. Rusty or Something Old

Last weekend, while my in-laws were in town, we decided to visit Duke Chapel. It's hardly rusty, but it's over 75 years old...and incredibly gorgeous!

4. Artificial

I have brown thumbs. Before I met my husband, I only kept artificial plants. We still have artificial plants (such as the one above), but we also have a couple of real plants too. Of course he doesn't count on me to water them...that's what those watering globes are for.

5. Repeating Pattern

This is an internal view of Duke Chapel. The architecture is incredible. I have a few more photos that I hope to share at some point...maybe later this week.

Strike a Pose
Footwear
Hobby
Shiny
Color Me Green

Again, thank you to Andrea for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

Older Brother Syndrome

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

If you've been following my faith posts the past few weeks, you know that my church is currently studying the story of the Prodigal Son (click HERE to listen/watch any of the previous messages). If you know the story, you also know that the story is really about two sons and a father who loves them both unconditionally. This part of the story uncovers what is commonly known at "The Older Brother Syndrome."

In Luke 15:22-24, the father warmly welcomes his younger son back home:

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."

Meanwhile, the older brother is working out in the field and hears the celebration. He's so angry at his father's response that he refuses to join the party. His father begs him to come inside. Rather than comply, he responds (Luke 15:29-30):

"But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’"

Maybe it's just me, but I can relate to this older brother just a bit (of course, I can also relate to the younger brother, but that's a different story). I've always been a bit of a "people-pleaser." I made good grades, participated in all the right extra-curricular activities and came home before curfew when I was still living at home with my parents. When I went away to college, I kept at least two jobs to pay my portion of the bill...and once I graduated, I immediately got a job. You could say I lived by the book. Meanwhile, I watched my brother go "prodigal." However, each time he returned, my parents treated him almost exactly the way the father in this story treated his young son...with unconditional love.
The easy response in situations like this is to call your sister and talk smack about your prodigal brother for two hours (oops - guilty...love you brother). It might also be easy to throw a mini-temper tantrum because this brother stole all the attention. If you can even partially relate, I'm sure you've got your own version of how this story plays out. Regardless, this is what is meant by the "older brother syndrome." Unfortunately, these easy responses have major consequences.

If we allow the older brother/sister syndrome to take over, it will affect how we see ourselves. For example, in verse 29, the older brother immediately boasts about all his good works. He sees himself as perfect and is therefore full of pride. The root of pride is self-righteousness.

Luke 18:9-14 tells the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. I won't tell the whole story here, but the takeaway is this, "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

People don't tend to become self-righteous overnight. This kinda thing usually occurs only after you've been in the family for a while (aka been a Christian for 10-15 years). Our minister would explain it as someone who's serving in the church, tithing and leading a small group...then one day they look in the mirror and start believing that God got a pretty good deal. Furthermore, they start believing that others are "below them." You might also see this in small towns that are not used to interacting with people who hold different belief systems - it can be easy to judge a person who is not like you. Either way...

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." ~ Isaiah 64:6

Alright - I think I made my point on that one...I guess I really needed to hear that part again. Moving on...

If we allow the older brother/sister syndrome to take over, it will affect how we see others.

I started to elude to this when I mentioned how it's easy to judge people with different belief systems. Consider our first introduction to Mary Magdalene (Luke 7:36-47) - what you see is not always what you get:

"A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." ~ vs. 37-38

Simon is ready to judge Mary Magdaline, but Jesus is ready with a response (vs. 44-47):

“Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

At our core, we are all the same. We are all sinners. And we all find ourselves sizing other people up to make us feel better about ourselves. However, in God's eyes, our sins are all the same. Which leads me to the final point.

If we allow the older brother/sister syndrome to take over, it will affect how we see the father. We will forget how good God has been to us.

Let us not forget that in the first part of the story (back to the Prodigal Son), the father divided his property between his two sons. In fact, according to Jewish law, the older son would have gotten twice as much as his younger brother. Yeah...he forgot that part. But I think that all parents expect a certain degree of immaturity from their kids from time to time. In this case, the father responds, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours."

So how do we avoid the older brother/sister syndrome? I'm going to start by trying my best to stop focusing on what other people are doing or not doing...it's none of my business. I'm going to try my best not to judge a book by its cover. I'm going to love people where they are. I'm going to focus on my personal relationship with God. What are you going to do?

(If you're interested in hearing the original message, click HERE.)

Edit Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Guess what? I'm guest judging this week's Edit Me photo! You may or may not remember this little cutie from my sneak peek a few weeks ago (click HERE). I've already edited this photo for my client, but I'm interested to see what you come up with. All you need to do is download the picture, edit to your heart’s content and link up over on the challenge blog between Wednesday and Saturday.

Have fun!

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our very first Tutorial Tuesday photo challenge! Branson of My Reflection of Something and I will be bringing you a new challenge every week, to stretch your shooting and editing skills. This week, we are starting with a shooting challenge so be sure to check her page for full details. I'll be back next week with an editing tutorial.

This week, we revisited a tutorial by my friend, Rosie that encouraged us to create our own lightbox. I actually made one last year after seeing her original tutorial so I was excited to bring it out and use it again. I only wish I had spent more time shooting this weekend instead of waiting until last night (after my jewelry party). In case you're curious, here's my setup (not perfect, but you get the idea):

I created the box using Rosie's instructions, then set it up in my dining room and used whatever lights I could find to illuminate the sides. I wish I had more mobile lighting. Like any photo shoot, I like to get different perspectives. My first shot seemed completely flat (SOOC below) - what do you think?

With my next shot, I turned the phone booth at an angle. Much better in my opinion. Here's my SOOC:

Of course, I had to edit it too...but today is not about editing so I didn't document my steps. However, if you saw my edit two weeks ago (click HERE), the same concepts apply.

Ready to join in the fun? Here's how to do it:

1. Visit Rosie's tutorial and build your lightbox.

2. Choose your favorite shot (or more!) to share with us.

3. Don't forget to grab the button for your post!

4. Link up between now and next Monday on Branson's Blog.

Don't forget to come back next week for an editing tutorial. In fact, if you have any specific editing requests or photos that you would like me to edit, please send me an email.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

You might have noticed a slight change in my blogging schedule the past couple of weeks. Last year, I was blogging daily...I was also shooting daily. I hate to admit it, but my camera hasn't been used nearly as much the past few weeks (aside from a few portrait sessions) - you'll understand why soon enough. I am hoping to pick things up again soon, but I just feel like if I don't have anything to blog about - I shouldn't just post any old archived photo...that seems lame. Right?

On another note, I've been keeping a secret. I have been planning the big reveal for a couple of weeks. I didn't originally plan on sharing it during the Scavenger Hunt, but I'm convinced that my original plan may have been a bit confusing. Either way, I won't say another word...you'll have to scroll down.

With that said, if you've participated in the Scavenger Hunt in the past, I hope this week's items inspired you. If you're new to the Scavenger Hunt...WELCOME! Next week's items are sponsored by Saun and Terrie.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. Sunset

I must have missed the sun setting this week...although in order for the sun to set, it has to also come out and it barely did that. So, I'm pulling from my archives on this one. Maybe I'll catch a great sunset this weekend while I'm spending time with my in-laws. On second thought, it's supposed to rain again this weekend.

2. Black and White

That's right...I'm pregnant! In fact, I'm exactly 12 weeks and 4 days along. These ultrasound photos were taken on Thursday morning and Baby Sisk is right on schedule to arrive in early August.

3. Day in My Life

In case you didn't catch it the first time, Kitty Paw wants you to know she's going to be a Big Sister. I considered getting her a Big Sister t-shirt, but let's be honest...cats hate wearing clothes. As you can tell, she is a "daddy's girl." The past couple of nights, she's been laying with my husband at night while we watch television.

4. Four

I've been working on this montage for a few months now. I don't really plan to post a lot of bump photos on this blog...well not like these (more in the form of artsy self portraits), but I thought it was great set to represent "four." I've only gained 4 lbs the past three months and hardly have anything to show for it. However, by 8 weeks, I had some major bloat going on. Being pregnant during Christmas didn't help anything. I haven't been sick (and for those of you that get morning sickness...please don't throw anything at me), but I have been hungry. Throwing this pregnant woman into the middle of a bunch of Christmas goodies was like sending a kid into a candy shop. Yum!

5. Colorful

This shot was inspired by a girl I follow on Facebook (Lauren McDonald). She just had a little girl a week or so ago. When I saw her maternity pictures using fruits the size of the baby, I made a note to give it a whirl myself. Technically, this shot is taken between 12-13 weeks, so I chose a peach that was just a bit larger than a plum (which is what I would have chosen to represent 12 weeks)...if that makes any sense.

With all that said...and I really hope you caught my big secret (I tried to be obvious), what were your interpretations of the items this week? I can't wait to check them out. Be sure to load your pictures on your blog (or your Flickr photostream) and link up at the bottom of this post. Feel free to grab a button to display on your blog along with your scavenger hunt items. The linky will be open until Tuesday night at midnight (EST). If you didn't participate this week, but want to participate next week, here are your items (these can also be found at the bottom of my blog each week):

Smile (Saun's suggestion)
Stand Alone (Saun's suggestion)
Rusty or Something Old (Saun's suggestion)
Artificial (Terrie's suggestion)
Repeating Pattern (Terrie's suggestion)

Again, thank you to Saun and Terrie for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

PS: Love Letters to Kitty Paw is coming soon. I am looking for a few additional sponsors to donate prizes. If you're interested in being featured, please let me know!

Going Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Last week, I shared with you the beginning of a new series at my church called "Prodigal" (in case you missed it, click HERE). This past weekend, we continued the series by going a little deeper into the story of the Prodigal Son...specifically asking how do we get home and stay home after going prodigal?

But before we can talk about going home, let's talk a little more about what happens when we go prodigal...and let's be honest, we've all gone "prodigal" to some degree or another (or at least watched someone we love go prodigal). For so many, we beg and plead for them not to make certain decisions, but when you're going prodigal, it's like you've gone temporarily insane. Apparently, there are three phases:

Delirious Phase. I can imagine the prodigal son taking his wealth into the big city, buying a sweet bachelor pad that looks out over the ocean and thinking to himself that he's got it made...money, luxury, girls and a never ending party. Think Charlie Harper from Two and a Half Men. If it weren't fun, we wouldn't do it...and so when we enter this delirious phase, we do anything that feels good regardless of the consequences.
Destructive Phase. In Luke 15:14-16 says, "After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." Yes, you read that right...not only did he spend his wealth, but he was living in a pig pen. Speaking from personal experience, I recall looking in the mirror. My skin and my wallet were suffering. I knew that if I continued down this path, I could lose everything.
Decision Phase. Which leads us to the final stage of going prodigal...the decision. Do we continue to watch ourselves fall into a bottomless pit or do we go back to our father?

So...once we've gone prodigal, how do we return home? We have to come clean to the Father. No matter how ashamed we are by our past, if we ask for forgiveness, our relationship with HIM is restored. In fact, as the story plays out...we know that the father drops everything when he sees his son returning back to him. And if you think about it, the son must have really stunk (don't forget he was living in a pig pen)...none of that matters.

At the end of the day, the Father doesn't really care that we spent all our money...nor does he care where we've been. HE does care about his children though and he wants us to come home so he can clean us up, feed us and restore our relationship with us. If you ask me, I think it's easier to ask for forgiveness from others. Granting ourselves forgiveness...that's a-whole-nother story. If we can't forgive ourselves, we leave ourselves open to Satan...who is just waiting for us to slip.

But back to our original question - how do we come home and stay home? If we're going to stay home, we've got to close a few doors:

Secrets. Do you have a secret dream or fantasy you've been entertaining? If you do, pray that it won't become a reality. Those types of secrets bring a tremendous amount of drama. For example, the prodigal son was greedy...he always had a dream of heading into the big city to live the big life. As we saw, he not only entertained it, he pursued it. I immediately thought of Millionaire Matchmaker - specifically many of the millionaires that are looking for love. Sure they have money, but it has yet to bring them love...and usually the show exposes a ton of drama and baggage that the millionaires have been toting around with them for years. We've got to shed light on these secrets.
Sin. Do you have sin in your life that you know about but tolerate? Do you find yourself engaging in conversations with members of the opposite sex that could lead to an adulterous relationship? I'm sure you've got plenty of examples here...I just seem to be drawing a blank (and clearly didn't write down enough notes under this particular point). Either way, these teeny tiny sins grow up to be big huge sins that will destroy your life.
Shame. When we go prodigal, it doesn't go unnoticed by those around us. Our friends and family are watching and we often become ashamed of our behaviors once we realize what we've done. Satan uses our shame to convince us that no one will forgive us. Therefore, we don't forgive ourselves and we don't' allow anyone else to forgive us either.

With all that said, if we want to go home and stay home...we can either ignore our secrets, sin and shame....or we can humbly go before God, come clean, admit our wrongs, accept the decisions we've made and the consequences of those decisions. And if we can do the later, then we must also remain open to receiving forgiveness. It would appear our decision is pretty easy, but I know that so many of us are making the decision to stay or go home every day. Remember this, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Let's go home!

(If you're interested in hearing the original message, click HERE.)

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Are you ready to take some of those photography tutorials we have all been collecting and finally use them?! Join Branson of My Reflection of Something and Ashley Sisk of Ramblings and Photos for Tutorial Tuesday!

Branson and I have a couple of things in common: One is that we both love to learn about photography from the amazing resources that exist out there in bloggy land. The other is that we both love to share our knowledge and experiences, and have a passion for teaching! So, this year we are teaming up to bring you an opportunity to learn right along with us!

Tutorial Tuesday will give all of us a chance to push ourselves to try new things, while gaining feedback and support from this awesome community! Each week we will choose one tutorial, alternating between shooting and editing, and work through it together. These tutorials may be ones that we have found around the web (hello... Pinterest, anyone?) or ones we have written ourselves. However, they will all be tutorials that both Branson and I have worked through. We will share our end results with you each week, and then give you the opportunity to do the same!

The beauty of photography is that no two photos will be the same. We can all work through the same tutorial, and yet come up with a wide variety of images. We can't wait to see that creativity each week, and are sure you will inspire us and teach us along the way! We will be kicking off this challenge next week with a shooting tutorial. Want to get a head start? We will be using the wonderful tutorial from Rosie at Leavesnbloom Studio that teaches us how to build a lightbox. And here are the guidelines for the challenge, if you would like to prepare your post ahead of time.

Guidelines:

Use the tutorial of the week to either photograph or edit your entry. The goal is for us to learn and grow together, so the image should be created for this challenge (not taken from your archives).
Feel free to share multiple photos, as well as helpful tips and tricks you learned while completing the tutorial! We all have something to teach each other.
Link directly to your post for the challenge or the photo in your Flickr stream...do not link to your blog's home page.
Please include either the challenge button or a link to the challenge in your post, so that others know where to join in the fun!
Don't forget to visit the other participants, and leave some comment love! As usual, the more you participate the more feedback you will get!
The linky will open on Tuesday, and close the following Monday...you have a full week to work through the tutorial and share your results.
If you would like to share a tutorial for a future week (from your blog, another blog, pinterest, etc.) please email Branson.

If you have any comments or suggestions for us, we look forward to hearing from you! Oh, and because I can't have a post without a photo... how about a previously unshared shot from a couple of months ago. It perfectly ties into the Mortal Muses' current musing theme: winter in black and white. I'm actually musing today so click HERE to read my post (it will launch at 1:01 AM EST) and leave me a little blog love. See you next Tuesday!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Look at that...it's Sunday again. Last week, I swore that I'd be better prepared for Scavenger Hunt Sunday, but once again...I spent most of yesterday tracking down my last few shots. In fact, it's currently 9:38 pm on Saturday night and I'm just now getting this post ready to launch. In all fairness, we've had some internet problems today so this is really the first time I've even had a chance to log on since I got home Friday night (which also explains why you haven't received any email replies to Friday's crazy self-portrait). And as of right now...the Christmas decorations are still up. No worries, the show must go on!

With that said, if you've participated in the Scavenger Hunt in the past, I hope this week's items inspired you. If you're new to the Scavenger Hunt...WELCOME! Next week's items are sponsored by Megan.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. Stacked Up

I normally eat a bowl of cereal in the morning for breakfast...during the work week. On the weekend, we have a tendency to cheat a bit - in fact, my husband normally cooks breakfast. On this particular morning, he was feeling a bit lazy too so he took off to Mickey D's. As you can see, he returned with hot cakes. Yum.

2. Winter Wonderland

We don't quite have a winter wonderland right now in North Carolina...more like a "Rainy Wonderland." The other night, I was driving home from work in the pouring rain. The lights looked kinda magical. I figured it was the closest I'd get to a winter wonderland, so I took a picture at the stoplight.

3. Sweet

Get this - I still have "sweethearts" in my pantry from last year's photo op...almost identical to the above shot. Thing is - I don't even like them.

4. Hole

Water in the hole! I really thought I could come up with something a little more creative. In the end...all I could think of was a toilet. I guess you could say my mind was in the gutter...I mean toilet.

5. Frozen

I would love to photograph something frozen outside, but that's not going to happen right now (although I really hope to see some frozen landscapes in today's hunt). Instead, you'll have to get a taste of frozen in my freezer. Oh yeah, I love some skinny cow ice cream. Those little cartons hit the spot!

What were your interpretations of the items this week? I can't wait to check them out. Be sure to load your pictures on your blog (or your Flickr photostream) and link up at the bottom of this post. Feel free to grab a button to display on your blog along with your scavenger hunt items. The linky will be open until Tuesday night at midnight (EST). If you didn't participate this week, but want to participate next week, here are your items (these can also be found at the bottom of my blog each week):

Sunset
Black and White
A Day in My Life
Four (suggested approach: a set of four photos that go together...four photos of your pet, around your house, scenery, whatever you like)
Colorful

Again, thank you to Megan for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

PS: Love Letters to Kitty Paw is coming soon. I am looking for a few sponsors to donate prizes. If you're interested in being featured, please let me know!

PSS: Today is the last day you can enter Memories, Dreams and Reflections (open until midnight tonight). We've already beat last year's participating record with 171 participants. Thanks so much for joining me...it's been an awesome year and I will most likely bring it back again next year. You have the list so get ready!

I wish I could explain...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I really loved our Christmas card this year...but it took many a try before we got it right. Once I'd given my husband the green light to go back to his regular night of football (or whatever was on TV that night), I wanted to play around with my lights. I'd love to share a beautifully composed self portrait, but let's be honest...that just isn't Ashley Sisk. A photo demonstrating completely weirdness...yep, that's me.

By the way, our Christmas decorations are still up. The plan is to take them down this weekend. Maybe I'll finish the scavenger hunt while I clean up? Oh yeah - I should also mention that I'm with a client all day....which means I won't be in front of my computer much. I'll be sure to catch up with you guys later. Have a great day and a great weekend!

Going Prodigal

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Do you know the story of the "prodigal son?"

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living." ~ Luke 15:11-13

As you might imagine, with the new year, our church is starting a new series called "Prodigal" (if you're new to my blog, I like to take this space and explore the message a little further). Over the next few weeks, we'll be exploring the story of the prodigal son. I've definitely read the story, but I'm not sure I've studied it very closely. For example, let's start with "what does prodigal mean?" Like all things, I went to Google and typed "define prodigal."

(prod.i.gal) noun: a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance.

In short, the story starts with a son who took a gift and threw it to the wind in a reckless, wasteful kinda way. I mean...that never happens, right? Actually, we've been taking God's gift and going "prodigal" since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve...Garden of Eden...Tree of Knowledge anyone?

God always wanted to have a relationship with us, but that moment in the Garden of Eden changed everything. We became spiritually "dead" (disconnected from God in the way it was intended) from that point forward causing our reasoning skills to be a bit off. Granted, we were also offered a redemption plan. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

By accepting this gift, we're no longer controlled by our sinful nature, but by the Spirit (paraphrased from Romans 8:9). So why do we (I'm including myself here...for sure) continue to sin even after receiving the gift of eternal life? Why do we go prodigal?

Even though we have a new spirit, we're still stuck with our old selves...our old body and all the baggage associated with it. There's a whole lot more to it than that that you can hear about in the original message (click here), but this is what we can learn from it:

When we live apart from the Spirit, we're incredibly selfish...we make stupid decisions...and we make stupid conclusions about life. There's something about our subconscious that hangs onto past memories and causes us to process events and people as if there's only one outcome. By doing this, we tend to make pretty unfair assumptions about people and situations.

Because we're selfish, our only hope is to submit to the Spirit...but our old self won't go down without a fight. Therefore, we must stop feeding our old self and stop participating in bad habits. Galatians 5:16 says, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

To live by the Spirit, the old self must die. 1 Corinthians 15:31 says, "I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I don't know about you, but I think the easiest place to start is submitting to the spirit...or rather stop feeding our old selves. Considering we have a new year ahead of us, it only seems appropriate to identify those things we plan on doing different. Forget losing weight, how are you going to FEED the Spirit?

Tutorial Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

It wasn't too long ago that I would regularly edit photos for others...it was the beginning of what later became regularly-scheduled photo editing tutorials. The early days were rather rough (I'm a bit embarrassed by some of my feeble attempts at editing), but I appreciate all the people that encouraged me by sending photo challenges my way.

SOOC

So...the other day, Bertha sent me a new and unsolicited photo editing request. I jumped at the chance to help her edit a photo of her son - one she took in preparation for his first birthday party. This particular shot had all kinds of goodies: a dull white backdrop in need of brightening, a bit of healing work and a canvas stretch. Bertha's one request was to teach her my secrets so she could replicate the process on the rest of her photos. Since she gave me permission to share the process, I thought we could all learn a thing or two.

Lightroom Adjustment

For me, it all started in Lightroom. I used FrogMum's "Bright and Light Portrait" preset and Standard Noise Reduction preset (by clicking on the link, you can download either her RAW presets or JPG presets). If you don't have Lightroom, no worries. You can also make some quick and easy adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) which is attached to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. If you don't want to mess with Lightroom or ACR, I recommend using my Nice & Easy action just to clean up the image.

Perfect Portrait 3

Once you've done that, I almost always run Coffeeshop Blog's Perfect Portrait 3. You'll have a number of choices as the action runs (levels adjustment, skin softening, etc) so just adjust to taste. I tend to turn on the sharpen layer and turn down the soften skin layer (especially on babies - 50%).

Up until this point, it's been all about cleaning up the image before getting into heavy editing (hehehe, kinda sounds like heavy petting). But, if you're like me, you want to know how to make the background brighter and whiter.

If you're in Photoshop, you're going to go to the adjustment panel and select the levels adjustment. There will be three eye droppers on the left side of that panel. Use the bottom eye dropper to select what should be white in your image.

If you're in Photoshop Elements (I use PSE7 so it may be different in the version you're using), you'll click on the shape that looks like a ying/yang (black/white circle) for a drop down menu - from there, you'll select the levels adjustment panel. The eye droppers will be on the right hand side (see above). Use the eye dropper on the far right to select what should be white in your image. I did a much more detailed explanation of using your levels adjustments HERE.

I used two different level adjustment layers. In the first layer, I selected an area of white somewhere in the middle of the image. I left this layer at 100% opacity. In the second layer, I focused on the shadows (you'll notice these most strongly on the far right of the image). I also left this at 100% opacity but if you feel like it's too strong, you can always lower the opacity just a bit. Another thing you may want to do is add layer masks to each of those adjustment layers. If you're using PS or PSE9, layer masks are built in...but if you don't have one, the Coffeeshop Blog has one - click HERE.

For my edit, I filled my first layer (the one where I focused the white on the center of the image) white...well it was already white. I used a soft black brush at 30-40% opacity and painted over the balloons in the image so they weren't so bright. On my second layer (where I focused on the shadows), I filled the layer mask black and painted over the areas that needed to be adjusted, leaving the rest of the image untouched.

From this point, you can merge your layers (CTRL+E) if you'd like. If you want to leave your layers, just go to your background layer and create a copy (CTRL+J) so you can stretch the canvas. I might also mention that while this was my order...you can certainly stretch the canvas first and then adjust the layers...whichever your prefer.

Much like the video suggests, in this photo, use the marquee tool and create a rectangular shape on the left side of the image. You'll then pull the left side of that box all the way to the edge of the image so the white fills in the entire image (if that makes sense).

By doing this, the ribbon also stretches...so, I used a layer mask to erase (black brush on white layer) the stretched portion of the image. I then merged that layer down into the background and created a new layer (CTRL+J) so I could clone that portion of the image.

To clone, I selected a blank white space in the image using the clone tool. To us the tool, you have to select the space by clicking alt first. That selects the space. You then move your cursor into the space that needs to be replaced and start painting.

Now create a duplicate version of the layer you just finished cloning. Just hang onto it, we'll come back to it in a moment. Now create a fill layer above the duplicate layer you just created. You'll be using this layer to paint over any areas of the image that need a little extra attention. Use the eye dropper tool to select a white in the image. I find the easiest way to do it is by using the layer below (duplicate) and using your quick selection tool (tool can be found on the left side of your screen) to select anything you don't want painted white (baby, balloons, etc). Right click and select inverse. Now click back over to your fill layer and start painting (use a low opacity brush). If you go too far, you can always use a layer mask to erase part of the paint. I really hope that makes sense.

Final Edit

Beyond this point, you may still find areas of the image that need to be healed. Use the healing tool (looks like a band aid on the left side of your screen) to heal those spots. You may even want to merge your layers and create a new duplicate for this final heal work.

Once you're done - merge your layers again and save the image. I've included my before and after above. What questions do you have?

By the way, I'm considering doing something along the lines of Photo Tutorial Tuesday...either weekly or bi-weekly (maybe even less frequent depending on my ability to deliver). I don't want to take anything away from the Edit Me Challenge, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, just let me know. Have a great Tuesday!

I Heart Faces: Best Face of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I know you've seen this photo one too many times, but when it comes to choosing my best face photo of 2011 for I Heart Faces, I can't help but go back to this classic self-portrait. I'm not even sure I can beat this look in 2012, but I'll try.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to Scavenger Hunt Sunday...2012 edition. It feels like forever since we've done a Scavenger Hunt - even if it's only been a couple of weeks. In fact, I had a hard time getting back into my usual groove. I actually waited until last night (a few hours ago) to even shoot my photos. I'm going to blame it on the fact that I'm still editing portrait sessions from December. I've got two more sessions to complete so hopefully my creative photography spirit will return quickly. However, I was excited to see that so many of you have already entered Memories, Dreams and Reflections...163 of you to be exact. If you haven't entered already, you have until January 15th - click HERE for more details.

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion...here are my interpretations this week:

1. One Color

I decided to go with one of my favorite colors...pink.

2. Laundry

I didn't actually do any laundry this week (my husband beat me to it), but you get the idea.

3. Empty

An empty box of raisins...yes, I like raisins.

4. One Dozen

Pretend you see a dozen eggs - we were down to five by the time I took this photo. Oops.

5. Soft

Kitty Paw's coat is nice and soft...it's bound to be considering how much she licks herself.

Stacked Up (Honey Mommy's suggestion)
Winter Wonderland (Honey Mommy's suggestion)
Sweet (Honey Mommy and Sacha's suggestion)
Hole (Sacha's suggestion)
Frozen (Sacha's suggestion)

Again, thank you to Honey Mommy and Sacha for so many great scavenger hunt items. If you'd like to contribute items to the list, just send me an email with your suggestions (I can better keep track of them this way). Each week, I will select one reader's prompt list, add those items to what is currently on tap and give the selected reader a shout out on my blog during Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Happy Shooting!

PS: Love Letters to Kitty Paw is coming soon. I am looking for a few sponsors to donate prizes. If you're interested in being featured, please let me know!

Zan: Four-Month Old Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I did not plan to disappear yesterday...oops. Truth be told, my day job has picked up quite a bit lately and I was traveling/with a client the past couple of days - thus the reason I haven't done much blog hopping, commenting or email returning. Sorry. But enough about me...

Last weekend, I met up with Zan for his four-month portraits. I was actually supposed to meet up with Zan just before Christmas but he was a bit sick, so we waited until last Friday. He much a much happier boy.

I decided to bring my string of white lights this time as a photo prop - I don't know why I didn't use these in any of my previous sessions. Zan loved being wrapped in lights and spent the early part of our session trying to eat them. Adorable.

One of my goals with this session was to capture a smiling baby. Although the above shot has a soft focus, I still love this happy face - I guess it helps that his mom was blowing bubbles into his neck. He loved it.

We also wanted to see how much he'd grown since his newborn session. I don't think I included the newborn photos of Zan in the red basket, but I'll tell you that he never fit perfectly into the basket...just too big. At four-months old, he can now sit up in the basket.

Zan's mom says she thinks this is her favorite age so far - he's so alert and curious. He's especially curious about his hands and feet. Whenever we laid him back so I could take some overhead shots, he'd always throw his hands in his mouth.

He's also gotten pretty good at playing pat-a-cake. In the shot above, while I do love Zan's eyes, I think I love the hint of a smile you see on his mother's face. You can clearly see the love in her face.

So that's all for Zan now - I'll see him again right around Valentine's Day for his six-month portrait session. If anyone has any cute ideas I should try with him, let me know. In the meantime, have an incredible day and weekend.

Top 11 of 2011: Kitty Paw

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Sisk) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Today I am linking up with Courtney of Click It Up a Notch, Amber of Click.Pray.Love and Sarah of NapTime MomTog to share some of my favorite photos of Kitty Paw from 2011 (since we don't have any human babies yet). I hope you enjoy the look back as much as I did.

January 2011

Looking back at this photo taken in January, I forget how interesting it can be to shoot the details. I love this unexpected view of my #1 girl.

February 2011

Remember Love Letters to Kitty Paw? I started up that contest on a whim and thought if more than 10 people enter, I'll be shocked....so when 62 people entered, I was floored. I will definitely be relaunching Love Letters to Kitty Paw for a second year so be sure to come back next month for details. OR if you're interested in sponsoring one of the prizes, please let me know!

March 2011

This was one of my cell phone pictures. Kitty Paw regularly jumps up on the kitchen sink while I'm getting ready. She used to beg for water, but we've managed to get beyond that. This particular morning in March, she was giving herself the stare down.

April 2011

This might be my favorite photo of the year. I love the way the late day sun pours into our bedroom during the Spring months. Kitty Paw loves it too and was willing to go for a photo shoot.

May 2011

One of Kitty Paw's favorite places to hang out is in the downstairs' closet on top of the big orange blanket. I don't blame her...it's a pretty cozy spot.

June 2011

Another sunny day...another opportunity to ham it up in front of the camera. I want to say that she was playing with one of my birthday bows (my mom makes giant bows from tons of colorful ribbon) when I pulled the camera out on her. She didn't mind.

June 2011

Mr. Hippo here was a new toy at the time of this shot. I've learned that the best way for Kitty Paw to take any interest in her toys is if I roll them in cat nip. She was checking it out in this shot...but it kinda looks like she's giving it a kiss.

July 2011

There's nothing I love more than capturing Kitty Paw in mid-yawn. Most times it requires me to lay around while she licks herself clean...but it's always worth it.

August 2011

Do you remember that header picture of me doing the same thing. I swear Kitty Paw was mocking me with this shot.

November 2011

I didn't really take a ton of photos this Christmas, but I did take this particular one of Kitty Paw before we loaded any presents under the tree. She actually wasn't too happy with me when I did put presents under the tree, but she got over it.

December 2011

Finally, after a year of taking photos, Kitty Paw is completely worn out. Maybe I'll find something or someone else to take pictures of in 2012. By the way, just in case you're interested...I found my Top 10 of 2010 - click HERE.