Split-Focus

Fancy pants...

2012-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

I like this point of view too...still posting some of Abigail's newborn shots. Now, that I'm not doing the challenges every day anymore, you're bound to get an overdose of Hannah and Abigail. lol. BTW...I finally finished Hannah's 2 year photo memory book. Can't wait for it to arrive. I showed Hannah a digital copy on Friday and she was SO excited about each pic. :) I'll be starting on Abigail's "When I was born" book as soon as I finish editing hospital pics.

More monkey fun...

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Forgot to post this last month. This was from the night Abigail came home from the hospital. After we took her monkey pic, Hannah climbed up to read monkey a story. So cute. And the book she's reading is all about getting a new baby sister. Sweet!

And the outtake...

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Only her second time for monkey pics and already, she's bored. lol

Three little monkeys...

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it's already time for Abigail's one month pic. Hannah wanted to get in on the act and we just went with it. Cuties!! Love Abigail's "deer in the headlights" expression. She's still fascinated by the ceiling fan. lol

Only you can prevent forest fires...

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Shot for the challenge "Handle with care". This song made me think about how carefully we need to choose our words:

Our tongues are like matches
Our ears are like trees
Our words are like sparks
On dry summer leaves
It doesn't take much
For the flames to rise
And turn a soul
Into a forest fire
(Forest Fire by Josh Wilson)

Even the Bible says, "And the tongue is like a fire." (James 3:6)

How many times have I cut someone down with my tongue only to regret it later. I wish I could take my words back but, sadly the damage has already been done.

BTW....SO thankful I didn't burn our house down getting this shot! I wasn't sure how quickly the matches would catch and thought it might get out of control...but it fizzled as soon as I took the shot. Old matches I guess. lol

Joy...

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

The posed pics are fun, but I've decided I love the natural shots more.

Channeling her inner diva...

2012-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Too funny!

Quiet as a mouse...

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

How cute is this hat (and the little girl wearing it)?

Eyes wide open...

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our intention was to try for more of the cute little sleepy newborn photos, but Miss Abigail woke up, so we just ran with it. :) 3 weeks old here...

As I was editing this, I kept thinking how much she reminded me of Hannah...so I dug up an old photo our friend took 2 years ago. In fact, these photos were taken exactly 2 years apart (to the day). Go figure! What do you think??? Do they look like sisters, or what??

Hannah at 6 weeks

Oh the places she'll go...

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Again, a little different....but I was trying to get creative. lol

Dream...

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't decided yet if I like this one. Kara thinks it's weird. lol. Opinions???

Sisters...

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

We tried once more for a newborn session with Abigail. I've decided I'm not cut out for "studio" work. We got a few cute shots tho', which I'll post soon. We have to work with Abigail while Hannah's napping, so I was glad to catch a moment with both of them awake. I didn't have enough light for this one, so it's a little noisy...but I still love it. We were surprised how Hannah instinctively put her hand around Abigail's head. She was saying "holding Abigail's head still", meanwhile giving plenty of love pats. Sweet big sister! I hope they'll always be good friends!

P is for peppermints on my piano...

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Shot for the the challenge of "begins with P". Another quick, easy shot. I love the lines in this one.

Just once...

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've decided to drop in on the challenges from time to time, so I don't lose my membership in the group. This was shot for the challenge of "repetition"...a quick, easy shot. Yay!

Mini-pansy...

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

A spot of color on a drab winter day. Thank you God!

Sleep of the innocent...

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

This may be my favorite Abigail pic so far. No props...no gimmicks...just some beautiful light and our precious girl! My only regret is that we couldn't get her to relax her hands more. When I tried to open them, she just clenched them right back up into fists. lol... I love her stick up hair...precious girl. She's a real "snuggle bug"....loves to sleep in someone's arms, but not too much on her own yet. ;) ...18 days old here....

I try to nap, but my Grammy keeps posing me...

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Still having so much fun with our little dress up "doll". You might recognize the hat as one that I used for pics of Hannah. Yep, I bought the newborn size when I bought Hannah's 12 mo. hat, hoping we might get to use it some day. And, what do you know? We did!

My heart near yours

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

"I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart." (Pope Jon XIII)

Love those moments when she's still and the light is right...usually during a diaper change. lol. Sweet baby girl!

Macro droplets...

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just liked all the lines and the color...

The end...

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Fine"...that's music speak for "the end". Yep...finally finished the 365. What a year it's been! I'm so grateful this project is over! It has dominated my life and I need to focus on other things. It was a great experience tho' and I learned a lot. Top 1o lessons learned:

10. I still have a lot to learn! ...but I do know my way around my camera better.
9. Processing is an interesting extension of the art. I'm grateful to have been introduced to texture, vintage, special effects, layers, etc. There's a lot I still want to learn!
8. I am more competitive and compulsive than I realized. I went to great lengths for many challenges. I've locked myself in a dark bathroom to shoot little green men, made myself sick trying to capture incense smoke (FAIL), gotten muddy and wet laying on the ground, embarrassed myself in front of the neighbors, spent more money than I care to admit on photography gear and props, and gained a few pounds from eating said props.
7. I have a great family and they deserve a medal for putting up with me and this project. The shout of rejoicing for completion may be heard around the world! I also owe thanks to my students for frequently modeling for me.
6. Common interests create bonds, even when the distance is great. It's amazing to see others answer the same challenges from as far away as Russia, Pakistan, France, England, Australia, etc.! I'm humbled and thankful for all who took time to view, comment and fave my work. I've learned from you and been inspired and I'm grateful for new friends.
5. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. When you're posting every day, every pic cannot be a "winner". It's about the process, not the product and I learned from the "failures" as well as the "successes".
4. It's good to try new things, even if it doesn't "float my boat". I would have never attempted some things, had it not been for the challenges. Sometimes, I actually wound up liking it! :)
3. Perfectionism stifles creativity. I don't think I realized how much this tendency is alive in me. I'm still learning that imperfection is part of the process and valuable in its own right.
2. I'm still discovering "who I am" as an artist. I think my photos changed significantly over the course of the year. It gives me joy when others comment that they recognize my work from the thumbnail. I hope that means I'm finding my voice and not that I'm becoming boring.
1. Life is worth a closer look! Looking through a lens has opened my eyes to the wonder all around me. God created so much splender for us to enjoy!

What's next??? I'm not sure. I know I need a break from the self imposed pressure of a daily post. I also know I'll miss it...so I hope to find a balance. I'll definitely be picking up my camera, but need to give attention to other areas of my life that have been neglected during this project. I also need to catch up on editing Hannah and Abigail's photos for their memory books. I'm not sure what this means for the blog. I may not post daily anymore, but I do plan to keep it going. Time will tell. Stay tuned. :)

Masculine...sort of...

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Actually my feet and clunky boots. No men available on the day of the "masculine" challenge, so I just improvised. I post my challenge pics to Facebook every day and thought it was funny that 2 people had to point out to me that the spading fork is backwards. lol. I wasn't trying to work with it....only leaning on it. This shot was super boring till I jazzed it up with some processing and texture. I really kinda like how it turned out. Oh yeah...and funny story. The boots are just a cheap pair I bought back when the girls were in college....when we all wore overalls. (What were we thinking????) Anyway, key word there was cheap. As I was walking outside to take this shot, the leather upper from BOTH boots split completely away from the sole...apparently it was just glued and not sewn. I'm pinching my toes down really hard here so you can't see the huge gaps and my white socks. lol...Yep...went right out and filed those babies in the trash bin after this shot. :)

Russian caps....

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Actually, they are burr acorns...an unusual variety. My friend's dad calls them Russian caps tho'....and it works for me!

Vintage baby...

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our friend Carolyn gave us a bunch of headbands that her little girl outgrew. Prepare for all the dress up shots we'll be taking. lol

Lemon tarts...

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of La Madeleine. Love the light in this shot....and these props were delicious!

She dreamed she was a butterfly...

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

You may remember that a friend took some professional portraits of Hannah when she was about 6 weeks old. We nearly missed our window of opportunity with those, because Hannah was almost too old to stay sleepy for the shoot. Since then, I've read that the optimum time for newborn sessions is between 5-10 days old. So...at 8 days old, we tried things out with Abigail. Apparently, there's no magic in the specific age because it was not any easier this time around. We tried several times to get "THE POSE"...baby facing camera with head propped up on elbows (with mom or dad spotting for safety). Let's just say that I have a new respect for the photographers who achieve this pose and many others with newborns! :) We did get a few sweet shots tho' and I'll be sharing them over time.

FYI...as we gave Abigail a chance to rest undisturbed, we hit youtube for some tutorials on posing newborns. There were some pretty good tips there! For instance, use a space heater or blow drier to get the space nice and warm. Wear cloth gloves for positioning the baby so your cold hands don't startle them. Run a noise machine with sounds from the womb. We don't have one, but that's a GREAT idea! Warm any props (like these wings) with the blow drier or heater before placing on the baby. Just thought I'd share all that in case you have a burning desire to leave your current job and break into newborn photography. :) I don't think I have the patience for it...but I will gladly do it for my grandchildren!

Finally...don't you love that one little bit of hair sticking up? She's so precious!