You Can Dress Them Up But.....

You can dress them up but you can't take them out!!  We've all seen it happen where you get all dressed up and go out just to drip sauce on your white shirt, or spill wine on your khaki pants, but these photos really prove just how you can dress kids up but you can't expect them to stay clean.

Note: All the following photos were taken at weddings!

The Flowergirl dress hanging in the tree until right before the ceremony started in order to keep it clean.  Smart move Mom

Oh yes, BBQ and a white dress!! 

And the little ones aren't the only ones that "You can Dress them up but not take them out" applies to...as the following photos prove.....

And then sometimes it's Mother Nature's fault:

                                   Who could forget the photos of the bride's dress from "The Morning After"
                                                               and here are a couple more from that wedding....

Dogwoods and Lighting

Let me first say that I am by no means an expert on Lighting.  That said, I did have fun the past couple days shooting a Dogwood in bloom in different lighting and had so much fun with these photos and I have to share them and a couple tips with you.


Morning light, before the sun is overhead:

I love Spring, warmer days, all fresh bright colors, and love going for walks in the morning and in the evening.  One night while I was walking I noticed how neat the dogwoods looked in contrast to the darkness, so I broke out my camera and played with the photos, this was a challenge since you have to use a high ISO and slow shutter speeds.  It would be smart to have a tripod, but I wasn't thinking of that at the time, so I didn't bring the tripod out.  Some of the photos when right into the trash bin as there's no way to hold the camera without a shake for a 3second exposure, but I did get some very neat photos that I'm proud of.  The only light source I had that I used was the street light across the road.

Dogwoods at Night:

A wide angle shot capturing the tree, this is with no editing

Unedited

adjusted the tint and contrast

same image as the above 2 but did a "Low Key" black and white filter

I love the street light shining through the petals and the contrast of the flowers to the night

This image is slightly blurred due to slow shutter speed but with a contrast adjustment and sepia effect I really like it.

Now to compare them with some harsh direct sunlight (which I really do like on flowers at times) Here is afternoon light:

Blue skies, sunshine green leaves and white flowers, direct sunlight is beautiful.

This is not one of my best photos but I love seeing the sun shine through the leaves,

 Tip:  Be very careful on your exposure as this makes all the difference in your lighting, you can take a photo shot in nice lighting and make it look like it's all in the dark.  Below is an example of two different exposures on the same shot, these are both before I edited the images...The top is the one I like the most I think the exposure is very good for the lighting, the bottom is underexposed and while the flower facing left does stand out and have good contrast the rest of the photo is lost to shadows.

Tip: Don't be so quick to delete an image that the lighting isn't perfect in, I don't like the low exposure in the above image but I took that and did a high contrast black and white and added a diffused glow and I like the image it became here:

The Dogwood at Sunset:

I hope you all go out and enjoy the Spring and take time to find the beauty in nature.

Don't wash your jeans??

I am a country girl, as you can tell by my about page.  It's something I'm proud of, I ride horses, play in the mud, hike, and usually end up dirty, so when I saw on the news how you're not to wash your jeans for 12 months, or try to very rarely, my mind went straight to the barn and how bad of an idea that would be for me.  Unless I know I'm going to get just as dirty the next day (and my pants aren't covered in mud) I could reuse the same jeans maybe twice.

I can't speak for all country people, cowgirls, cowboys, and rednecks, but I'm sure this is how their jeans look after a day of fun too.

Things I'm Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!  Every year I like to make a list of all the things I'm thankful for and I thought I'd share some of them with you this year.

I'm so very thankful for....

My loving and supportive husband and for having found...

My wonderful daughter.  I'm so blessed to have her.

Her love for animals and our shared passion for horses; although I know this will cost me a lot as she get older.

My Family and Friends who are always there for me.  I'm very blessed to have so many great people in my life.

photo a friend took of me and a snake.  I've come a long way.

My daughter and some of my friends for getting me over my fear of snakes, especially since she wants one of her own.

One on the rescue horses who is old, blind, and losing his hearing.  He loves his relaxing days at the barn and the attention he gets.  The barn he came from wanted to put him down 10years ago because he lost his sight, here he was given a home and hope.

Days spent in the saddle and being able to volunteer some time to my friend's horse rescue.  I feel very blessed for the days I've gotten to spend with these wonderful animals and people.

Living so close to nature and getting to see wildlife so often.  Thank God I'm a country girl!!

My camera which allows me to capture so many special memories for myself and others.

For the couples that gave me a chance to capture their special day on film and for everyone that I've photographed.

I feel so close to the people I've photographed and so honored that they chose me to give them images that will bring back the memories of that day.

After super storm Sandy I've realized how thankful we are to have electric, our house, and food to eat.  My heart goes out to those who are without.

I have one more tiny thing to be thankful for this year, and while it's tiny my who family is beyond  excited about this last blessing....I'm so very thankful for the surprise we got 4 months ago - I'm pregnant!!!

me 16weeks into this pregnancy :)

I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving and stays safe.