I won a photo contest yesterday. I'm completely thrilled with this because this particular forum (called dgrin), is filled with top notch professional photographers. It is a very technical site and I have learned so much about lighting, post-processing, and shooting in manual from this site. I joined in September when I got my first dSLR camera and only 4 months later I actually won a challenge. There are challenges with various topics for each month. This month's challenge was entltled "Layers and Textures". I have never really played with layers or textures so this was new. I used what is called a "layer mask" and added a vintage texture to this photo. I also changed the levels curve, added a fill color and a few more touches. It took a good bit of time to master the layering mask technique but now I feel comfortable with it. I learned a lot and won in the process! Doesn't get better than that! Since I'm the January winner I will get a small biography/interview on the forum, along with a gallery of my photos. I need to select the topic for next month's people challenge too. Very excitng for me! :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Stripes...
Kaitlyn yesterday for a mini-shoot. She loved dancing around and then just layed down and posed like this. I got it!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Little Sweet Pea...
More posing practice during naptime. No one believes he is 1 year old. I turned up the heat during naptime in the room and had no trouble getting these shots. I am so thankful to have captured him as a wee baby again.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Can you feel his soft hair....Day 25/365
Busy with my pictures. This is from yesterday. Evan is so fun now. He loves to give kisses, can say "bump" (and imitates bumping his head when he says it). He loves doing the motions for Itsy Bitsy Spider, loves pushing buttons and turning on and off lights. He took his first independant steps last Friday---probabally walked 6 feet or so. Still sleeping poorly, but eating well...Just a quick recap *typing 1 handed.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Happy First Birthday Evan!
Happy First Birthday My Sweet Evan...
Here is a collection of some favorite pictures and portraits over the course of the year (in no given order). Enjoy!!
I'll DEFINATELY be posting some fun Birthday shots in the very near future. We are looking forward to a fun Birthday weekened with Evan! Toomas is taking off Friday to celebrate all day with his little boy. I can't wait to see Evan's reaction to all of the balloons, presents and cake!!!
Here is a collection of some favorite pictures and portraits over the course of the year (in no given order). Enjoy!!
I'll DEFINATELY be posting some fun Birthday shots in the very near future. We are looking forward to a fun Birthday weekened with Evan! Toomas is taking off Friday to celebrate all day with his little boy. I can't wait to see Evan's reaction to all of the balloons, presents and cake!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Snuggles and Smiles..
Did a fun shoot with Evan a few awake and a few asleep. These are his 1 year shots. More to come!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Evan's 11 Month Report
So I missed the 10 month report, but I'm going to get this 11 month report in before Evan's 1st birthday :) Speaking of which I can't belive he will be ONE YEAR OLD on Friday. Where has the year gone. In some ways it seems like we have known Evan FOREVER and in other ways...it seems just like he was born yesterday.
Eating/Nursing: Evan is still nursing quite often and in that respect is still very much like a little baby! He nurses approximately 3 times during the day and often 2 times at night. I'm letting him go at his own pace (just as I have done with the others). Some days he will nurse less and other days more. He went through a persiod where he was very distracted nursing (around 10 months) but now I can nurse him in a lit and active room if he is hungry. On the eating front, he eats like a toddler! He will only eat chopped table food now. He can chew chicken, salmon and beef with ease. He only has the 4 top and bottom teeth (no molars) but he manages to eat a large variety of table food with no mashing. He has never been much of a fan of the spoon. Both Erik and Evan are very simliar in this respect. His favorite foods---salmon, chicken, broccoli, corn, carrots, green beans, bread, pasta, meatballs, bananas, clemintines, PEARS, yogurt (in the squeezeable packs...don't think these exist in the USA but you twist off the top and they squeeze it out directly into the mouth). I buy an organic Strawberry yogurt and he just adores it! He also loves apple sauce in these same "pouches"... He snacks on cheerios and sesame bread sticks..love fruit and veggies of all kinds. He is SO easy with food. He'll eat anything and try EVERYTHING. He is very vigilant about chewing also (unlike Erik who would just inhale his food!). In this respect he has been a very easy baby.
Sleeping: Okay. This is our sticking point. This guy does NOT sleep well. Not well at all! He is up to nurse about 3 times per night. I still have his crib in our room. I have NO idea when he is going to start sleeping solidly. Right now it is exasperating because he will wake around 4 a.m. and stay up until 6...then he is up at 8 a.m. for the day. The 4-6 stretch is really getting old! There is one trick that works but it is really in desperation that I use it. If he doesn't fall back to sleep and just is standing there in his crib crying. I will put him in his carseat. He zonks right out, but I reallly don't like letting him sleep in there. If I am desperate though I don't hesitate.
Activity: Evan is a guy on the go! He has been crawling well since 9 months and started walking (just steps..during his 11th month). He is a unique little fellow because he can get up to standing in the center of the room. Most children pull up to stand on objects, but he just stands up in the center of an open room and takes his little steps until he tumbles. I HATE the tumbling stage. I'm always on edge that he is going to fall and get hurt. I just get so anxious about the safety until they are stable....
Interests/Personality: LOVES buttons, loves to turn on the light switches, loves to push anything he can see. Loves grabbing anything within his reach. He has the fastest grip ever--he will grab something off of a table or countertop before you even notice. Loves cuddling stuffed animals and singing to them. Loves to dance to music..just sort of bops up and down. He communicates well. He can sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", he can sign "all done" and "more" and nod his head for No and Yes in the correct context. He can say "bump" and shows me how he bumps his head against something. Bump and dada are his first words. He is a funny little guy. Loves to make silly faces and get you to laugh. Scrunches up his nose and imitates. Loves to imitate. If you hit a wall with your hand he will do the same. If you make a sound he will try to imitate it. He can show you were his head/hat/hair is by tapping his head. Smart little fellow. Seems to understand a LOT!
Physical: Evan is almost 12 kg.. He is a sturdy little man. He is wearing 2t clothes and filling them out. He can still fit into 18 month but it is getting to be tight. He is finally growing hair this month. It seems to be quite light---more like Krista in complexion it seems. His eyes are deep blue and he now has 11 teeth. His 3 molars came in all at once. This seems to be the standard fare for Evan. He got all of his top teeth in a 1 week span as well! He had 11 teeth before his 1st birthday. Amazing! Still waiting on the bottom right molar to pop through but it won't be long I'm sure. These last 3 looked like they were quite painful. He even had some slight bleeding on his gum with the bottom right molar. They really push through at record speed.
Just so happy that Evan is deloping so well. He is a handful, but a loveable one!!! We can't imagine life with out this little character!!
Eating/Nursing: Evan is still nursing quite often and in that respect is still very much like a little baby! He nurses approximately 3 times during the day and often 2 times at night. I'm letting him go at his own pace (just as I have done with the others). Some days he will nurse less and other days more. He went through a persiod where he was very distracted nursing (around 10 months) but now I can nurse him in a lit and active room if he is hungry. On the eating front, he eats like a toddler! He will only eat chopped table food now. He can chew chicken, salmon and beef with ease. He only has the 4 top and bottom teeth (no molars) but he manages to eat a large variety of table food with no mashing. He has never been much of a fan of the spoon. Both Erik and Evan are very simliar in this respect. His favorite foods---salmon, chicken, broccoli, corn, carrots, green beans, bread, pasta, meatballs, bananas, clemintines, PEARS, yogurt (in the squeezeable packs...don't think these exist in the USA but you twist off the top and they squeeze it out directly into the mouth). I buy an organic Strawberry yogurt and he just adores it! He also loves apple sauce in these same "pouches"... He snacks on cheerios and sesame bread sticks..love fruit and veggies of all kinds. He is SO easy with food. He'll eat anything and try EVERYTHING. He is very vigilant about chewing also (unlike Erik who would just inhale his food!). In this respect he has been a very easy baby.
Sleeping: Okay. This is our sticking point. This guy does NOT sleep well. Not well at all! He is up to nurse about 3 times per night. I still have his crib in our room. I have NO idea when he is going to start sleeping solidly. Right now it is exasperating because he will wake around 4 a.m. and stay up until 6...then he is up at 8 a.m. for the day. The 4-6 stretch is really getting old! There is one trick that works but it is really in desperation that I use it. If he doesn't fall back to sleep and just is standing there in his crib crying. I will put him in his carseat. He zonks right out, but I reallly don't like letting him sleep in there. If I am desperate though I don't hesitate.
Activity: Evan is a guy on the go! He has been crawling well since 9 months and started walking (just steps..during his 11th month). He is a unique little fellow because he can get up to standing in the center of the room. Most children pull up to stand on objects, but he just stands up in the center of an open room and takes his little steps until he tumbles. I HATE the tumbling stage. I'm always on edge that he is going to fall and get hurt. I just get so anxious about the safety until they are stable....
Interests/Personality: LOVES buttons, loves to turn on the light switches, loves to push anything he can see. Loves grabbing anything within his reach. He has the fastest grip ever--he will grab something off of a table or countertop before you even notice. Loves cuddling stuffed animals and singing to them. Loves to dance to music..just sort of bops up and down. He communicates well. He can sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", he can sign "all done" and "more" and nod his head for No and Yes in the correct context. He can say "bump" and shows me how he bumps his head against something. Bump and dada are his first words. He is a funny little guy. Loves to make silly faces and get you to laugh. Scrunches up his nose and imitates. Loves to imitate. If you hit a wall with your hand he will do the same. If you make a sound he will try to imitate it. He can show you were his head/hat/hair is by tapping his head. Smart little fellow. Seems to understand a LOT!
Physical: Evan is almost 12 kg.. He is a sturdy little man. He is wearing 2t clothes and filling them out. He can still fit into 18 month but it is getting to be tight. He is finally growing hair this month. It seems to be quite light---more like Krista in complexion it seems. His eyes are deep blue and he now has 11 teeth. His 3 molars came in all at once. This seems to be the standard fare for Evan. He got all of his top teeth in a 1 week span as well! He had 11 teeth before his 1st birthday. Amazing! Still waiting on the bottom right molar to pop through but it won't be long I'm sure. These last 3 looked like they were quite painful. He even had some slight bleeding on his gum with the bottom right molar. They really push through at record speed.
Just so happy that Evan is deloping so well. He is a handful, but a loveable one!!! We can't imagine life with out this little character!!
Christmas 2009
This is where you will see a few Christmas pictures :) I promise before next Christmas arrives!
The lovely autumn season
Just bookmarking a place for my halloween shots, lol! I'll get them here before next fall arrives :)
Monday, January 04, 2010
Walk in the woods
Krista and I went on a walk yesterday when Evan was napping. It was cold (0 C), but the sun was shining so we had to get some of that fresh air. We are so lucky to have a forest right by our house. I got some great shots of Krista! She's turning into a young lady already--where does the time go?! She had fun posing for me and I had fun clicking! This is one of my favorites of her. The scarf is from Vanaema. She loves it!
Sunday, January 03, 2010
New Favorite
Another new favorite! This is day 3 in my 365 Project on Flickr. A photo a day of my very favorite work...not easy, but challenging and rewarding :) I'm growing by leaps and bounds now as I am shooting almost daily. I'm loving full Manual and RAW.
Evan looks like a newborn here...he is such a solid napper. I can open the blinds once he is asleep and click away. Hard to believe that in 2 weeks he will be ONE year old. Where has the time gone.
I still need to put up pictures of Christmas and from when the cousin's visited. The files are so large and it takes so long on Blogger. I really love the Flickr account for the unlimited file size. One picture can be approx 15 mb or more so it REALLY is nice.
The kids start school tomorrow so I should finally have some time to myself. The Holidays were wonderful, but we are all ready to resume in the normal rhythm again :)
Evan looks like a newborn here...he is such a solid napper. I can open the blinds once he is asleep and click away. Hard to believe that in 2 weeks he will be ONE year old. Where has the time gone.
I still need to put up pictures of Christmas and from when the cousin's visited. The files are so large and it takes so long on Blogger. I really love the Flickr account for the unlimited file size. One picture can be approx 15 mb or more so it REALLY is nice.
The kids start school tomorrow so I should finally have some time to myself. The Holidays were wonderful, but we are all ready to resume in the normal rhythm again :)
Friday, January 01, 2010
Kaitlyn's Haircut
No better way to start off the year with a fresh clean look! Krista and I gave Kaitlyn a haircut today. Boy was she excited!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The New Year's & Christmas Video
Here's our annual virtual Christmas/New Year's Card...just for those of you who couldn't open the link I sent out. ALSO, it was supposed to have audio (music) and I've been told by a few that the music didn't work?! That is too bad. Anyway here is the link to watch.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a WONDERFUL 2010!
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a WONDERFUL 2010!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Happy New Year!! Wishing everyone health, happiness and all good thing for the year ahead!!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Those lips, those lashes, that hat..
Does anyone know how much I love this shot?! It is my treasure. My photos are my treasures...and this one is one of my all time favorites :)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
First Snow with a tear
She was just SOOOO cold! Everybody wanted to go out to play after the first snow but it was just FREEZING outside. Poor Kaitlyn lasted only about 5 minutes and was just FROZEN. It was -15 C yesterday...one of our coldest days ever! I snapped this when she cracked a tiny smile---at my mention of HOT CHOCOLATE!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sweetness
Gosh I just can't resist taking pictures of this little guy!!!! It seriously makes my day (and takes up a good bit of time from it too,lol). I'm just capturing every tiny detail before he goes and grows up on me!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Fuzzy and warm
He loved this soft fuzzy rug! I can't believe he turned 11 months old 2 days ago. I have to write his 10 month recap report (and get up the photos from the Cousin's visit). Things are crazy here now with the end of the year chaos....but we are all well and looking forward to a fun Christmas together! Krista has a gym show and Christmas party tonight...Should be fun!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
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