Cute little feet....

No need to say anything else!
I'm linking up here for the first time EVER!

Over photoshopped photos!

Now I know that I have been known to add a little too much texture or a little too much contrast to a landscape photo etc but my pet peeve at the moment is overphotoshopped (I dont think that is even a word)photos of children.
A friend had some photos done of her children and when she showed me I was speechless. Where were the freckles, are her eyes really that green and where are all the little creases on the baby?
Examples of my own work and I know I took it to the extreme but you get what I mean

Before SOOC

After

Windmills

I did this group of photos for a facebook group I am. You had to do a set of photos that all tie in. I rather like this and think I might get it on a board or on canvas or something. What do you think?

Take more photos!!!

I read today on a friends facebook page to "take more photos". Her sweet little Cait passed away http://thecrazynessthatisme.blogspot.com/2010/12/cait.html and she said that the pnly family photo they have is with her in a coffin. I was so sad to read this. So often I am the one taking the photos so a) I am never in them and b) we are never all in the same photo. So today I took a photo of Amalie and I (excuse my hair - I was actually thinking it was looking awesome when I took the photo!!!) I wish I knew how to strech out the background as i think it would look better more to the side than it is!
So I also took the photo for another reason. Amalie is getting very chatty about adoption. She knows she was not in my tummy but in Erin's but I don't think she "gets" the whole concept. I had made a simple book for Oliver with photo pages saying things like "Here is Mummy" "Here is Sarah. She is my birth mother-mum" etc so I plan to make Amalie one tomorrow.
School holidays start tomorrow. Oh my house will be trashed!

Shoot 2!

Shoot 2 was yesterday.
Another super tall girl! Where was all the height when I was trying to grow!! So on tiptoes plus my 5ft 7 self I had a blast shooting Amy. the purple was amazing in her hair. Again the makeup was to die for.
I have learnt so much about portraits doing this. Fellow photographers that I stalked until they added me to their facebook have helped with editing. I cant stand those freaky photoshopped eyes so I normally leave them but I ran the Coffeeshop Bright eyes free action at about 15% so it just lifted the eyes. Yummy!
I am a happy girl.

Link to Coffeeshop Eye Bright Free Action:
http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/p/coffeeshop-actions-and-presets.html

A Wellington Wedding

Way back when Greg was a student (first time round when he trained as an outdoor pursuit instrctor) he met Matt. So we are talking about roughly 15 years.
Matt has had a "few" girl friends over the years and then a couple of months ago we got a text saying "What are you doing Feb 12th. Matts getting married" We texted back saying "We are going to matts wedding that day!"
So yesterday we drove down to Wellington and then went to PekaPeka Beach (stinking hot) to watch Matt get married. It was lovely. We all had to hum "here comes the bride" when she walked up the beach. Awesome!
Then it was back to their place for a really relaxed and friendly reception. Just lovely.

Check out those black clouds in the background!! Who knew it would be so hot yet threaten to the rain the whole day!

I quickly made friends with the photographer as he stood by and I whispered "Camera envy" to him - but then I noticed it was a Nikon so we had a little bit of fun poking each other about our cameras. He was great to watch and I marveled at the fact that he had to camera body's with two different lenses and that was it! Cant wait to see his photos. He was very encouraging and even offering little tips for me and admiring my photos on my screen. how sweet!

Photoshop attempt

So in the previous thread I talked about the little caravan and how the colours were hard to get right due to the red fabric. I thought I would show you an example of my poor attempt at photoshopping it to get a somewhat good image. I really must go to a class on photoshop!

And my next attempt - my sweet nephew Levi.

Accidentally photographed

Have you ever found yourself in a photo - accidentally?? over at photo freak she has posted some "accidental" photos with herself in them. so I found this one! my rings and me!!!

This best photo you have ever taken!!

How hard is it to pick the best photo you have ever taken.
Its VERY hard - but this is the first one that came to mind.
Over at Photo Freak she is having a little contest with a great prize and I thought I would enter my best photo.
I know - you thought it would have one of my children in it!! I did too!
Jump over and check out all the other amazing photos and her awesome examples!

Mirror View

Have you ever taken a photo of yourself in your car side mirror??? I love them but have never done one so this is as close as it gets for me!! I took this at a wedding I shot in March. Just wish I had cleaned my side mirror first!!

Have a look at Photo Freaks one - its super cool

SLR Fall Class

Still not getting it but I think I have stuffed myself by relying on the evaluating meter dial thingymejig

SLR Fall Class

So I have been a bit slow with this weeks assignments. Not for lack of wanting to but the weather here in New Zealand has been crazy! We have had a storm the size of Australia bear down on us and the winds have been crazy. So to get outside and photograph has been near impossible! i think there were 8 photos to be done this week and I have only done 5! Whoops. Will try and get the rest done today! i am in the middle of doing one now - photographing my day!

SLR Fall Class

So i started my month long course this week with Faith.
It all about

• Aperture
• ISO
• White Balance
  
• Shutter speed

So I get all of those. I know how they all work. I can do each one really well BUT I can't do them together. I can do ISO,WB and Aperture. Fine. No problem but try sorting the shutter speed - no way. Then I can do Shutter, ISO and WB - nope can't do the aperture.
So result = I can't shoot in Full Manual mode. There I said it.
*stands up in front of you all* Hi, My names Angela (Hi, Angela) I can't shoot in full Manual mode. (was surposed to sound like AA or something!!)
So my plan for this course is to get them working together!
Posted are some of my assignment photos. All shot in AV.


On a side note: My American friends, what is pound cake? I saw it listed in a recipe and I have no idea what it is? :)

Who leaves their camera behind...ME!!

Yes, we went away for the weekend and half way home I realised I had left my camera at the place we were staying! I can't believe it and I miss it already!!

Holy crap my pants!!!

A lady at our school approached me yesterday to ask if I would be interested in photographing the birth of her baby.
Did you hear me??? THE BIRTH OF HER BABY Which (so she tells me) will actually involve me being inside the room where a baby is being born.
So here goes

1. there will be blood
2. there will be other stuff I don't care to mention
3. there will be lots of people there
4. I really wont be able to say "Hang on a tick I will just change lens (note to self not to mention a wide angle lens)
5. I have never been in a delivery room in my life - and that scares and excites me.

I am excited to do this - I was once given the opportunity to be at the birth of my friends third child. I turned it down. That was 8 years ago. I actually got right to the night before convincing myself I could do it but I knew that I wasn't actually worried about the birth bit it was the fact that at the end she would have a baby in her arms - and I didn't. I do regret not going as little did we know I would be holding my baby only a few months later (through adoption)
I am older and wiser now (ha ha) and have my 2 children so that feeling is long gone.
I hope it all works out that I can do this...will have to wait and see.

Checked out this amazing site for beautiful birth photos

http://pinkletoesblogstalker.com/birth.html

50mm f/1.8

I finally got a Canon 50mm f/1.8 and I like it. Alot!!

Jeanswest - Snap Shot Series

If fJeanswest - Snap Shot Series

Please vote is you have the time

Yes or No

I have been asked to do a wedding in November 2010. I wanted to scream NO!!! But then again I I want to do it too. Can I really just pick and chose which ones I want to do? Oh where are all the cute happy children that want their photos taken? Go away brides!!!!

Women in Business

So my lovely sister in law, Maree, is going to be in the "woman in business" thingy in the paper and she asked me to do her photo. It was a super quick shoot - like 10 mins - and this is the result.
We wanted it to be quite natural looking, showing her product and business logo. I love the photo and she does too.
Then we went and had a yummy lunch!! Oh its nice to feel normal!!!

So i know I have a lot to learn...

• Timing - we had an hour roughly for photos and I felt like I was running, double handling things and a little out of sorts. I need a work flow...bride, bride and groom, bridal party etc

• Flash!! Oh yes I will buy a flash!

• Details and not being afraid to ask for them! I really wanted to photograph their rings but was to scared to ask them to take them off

Oh the list could go on and on. But that's the point isn't it?? Always learning and all that we do!