Travel Tuesday

Today I went on a hunt. A hunt for some good fall pictures. Unfortunately where I live, the trees are not at peak color. However, I was in the mood for a photo shoot so I gathered up my daughter and off we went in search of, well, something. We drove to a spot where I thought I might get some good shots but decided against it. I'm not real fond of walking into the woods by myself so I decided to drive some more and see where I end up. I really wanted to find a body of water so I could get some reflection shots.

As I drove I saw a sign for a Hiking Trail that included a lake. Hurray! Even better, it had a playground where my daughter could run off some the energy that had been pent up in the car.

Here are some shots from my impromptu travels today! Click to enlarge.

Constructive Feedback Friday

Today at I Heart Faces they are doing Constructive Feedback Friday. As we all know Constructive Criticism is sometimes bad and sometimes good. It's how we all learn.

Above is my edited version done in CS4, the photo was taken in JPEG but I used Camera RAW for my edits. For whatever reason I got the background focused and not her. The colors still seem too "blue" for me. I would love a way to have it focus on her even though it's not in focus and still look good.

Exif data:

Here is the original.

Wordless Wednesday - Chicken Head and Cheese Monster

Click to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday - SOOC

I Heart Faces "Contemplative" Challenge

It's time for another fun photo challenge over at I Heart Faces. This week the category is Contemplative. It took me forever to find a photo I thought fit. While going through my files I found a lot of pictures where my kids were staring but they didn't appear to be deep in thought. The one I finally chose was taken of my daughter in May at my brother's college graduation party. She was watching "A" and my dad play and couldn't decide if she wanted to join them or stay on the swing. She eventually decided that playing looked like way more fun! As always, click for a larger look!

Watercolor Wednesday

I have used the watercolor filter in Photoshop only a handful of times. I just never seemed to have the right photograph for it. That is until I ran the filter on one of my beach pictures. I love it so much that I'm thinking about getting it on canvas and hanging it. Let me know what you think!

I Heart Faces "Back to School" Challenge

The photo challenge this week at I Heart Faces is Back to School. The picture I am submitting is from last year when "A" started kindergarten. He was a little sad and kept saying that he was going to miss us. I told "I" to go give him a hug and this is the result. I ran Mulletgod's Color and Contrast action and then Vintage White action. Click to enlarge.

"Grace"

My daughter "I" turned two the end of May. She started walking at 11-months, a month earlier than her brother had. To my dismay the walking stage was short-lived and she moved onto running. A lot. With running comes a lot falling, something "I" has been notorious for ever since. Because of this we have nicknamed, lovingly mind you, "Grace". So, if you're ever reading this and I mention Grace, you'll know I was talking about my daughter. My beautiful but adorably clumsy daughter.

This photo was taken while Grace and her brother rode their new stick ponies. Apparently she tripped over the crack.

Storytelling Saturday!

Find a picture and tell us the story behind it. Grab the button for your blog and leave a link in the comments section! I randomly open a folder and choose a picture from that folder. You can do it however you like, just tell us the story!

This is "I" on her first Easter. At 9.5 months she was eating many, many solid foods. As you all know, sweets are pretty high on the favorite food list for kids. "I" was no exception. Although I think the texture of this Easter goodness was not so thrilling to her. She ate a few bites but didn't cry when we took it away. Whew. Crisis averted. Thank you Just Born for the wonderful Easter favorite, peeps.