VERY LATE Easter shoot

"Twilight" picture

After seeing some people doing a Twilight process on 2 peas and then hearing my mom talk about the movie and book I decided I would like to give it a try as well. So I took a picture from one of my photo sessions this month and began playing. These pictures took me hours to figure out. I know I spent 7 hours on the one. So here they are:

One more try at Christmas pictures

I put the kids through misery one more time today to try for our Christmas card picture. This bunch would rather do anything other than take a group picture for me. There is a great deal of impatience in this bunch. Plus add in the fact that I am slow and still trying so very hard to figure this out. I did try using my handheld light meter but what it said and what i wanted did not agree.

So here are a few of the pictures and also the Christmas cards I put together. I like one, Todd likes the other so I decided I will print a bunch of each one and shuffle and mail out to who I think will like which one. Some people may even get 2.

Just curious if anyone wants to join in I would love to here which one you like the most out of the card choices.

Christmas Pictures

I played around with a setting idea I got off the 2peas website and I must say I love it. Here are a few pictures I took tonight. No photoshop, filter, or anything was used. These are straight off the camera!!! Can you believe it:

Finally some color in South Carolina

My Photo Gallery

I've been lurking on Pbase.com for so long. It is my favorite website to visit. I feel like it can virtually take you anywhere, the pictures are stunning, and the artists are so talented. I envy them so much. I look so forward to the day I have work as wonderful as those that I admire. In the mean time; while I am learning each day, I decided to take the plunge and create a gallery of my own to share. If you would like to vote for any of my pictures or leave me any comments on things you like, would like to see or any ways that you think I can improve please feel free. Visit Here to see my latest work. I just began this yesterday and plan to update it as often as I find the time so visit me as often as you want. Stop in any time to say hello.

Picture practice around Camden

Today me and the kids walked around Camden Taking pictures. I wanted to try to get in some more practice. I have been driving myself crazy lately because my pictures still do not look the way I want them too. I have almost only shot in Manual mode ever since I got my 30D a few months ago and with be in Manual there are so many variables. The sun and clouds and shadows and movement can be such a pain for me because it feels like I am constantly adjusting something. I can't place my finger on what it is with the 30D but it takes really bad pictures when it is Auto Mode but my old Rebel does wonderful on Auto. So if I have the Rebel with me and want to relax and be lazy I can. But the 30D forces me to learn, or at least I think so. And now Canon has releases the 40D and I see that it has many new nice features I wonder if they have adjusted whatever it is about the 30D that bugs the heck out of me.
I am going to try to continue to learn all that I can about photography and try not to give up on this. It is something I love so much. I am going to try not to let myself get frustrated when I don't pick up something as fast as I think I should. I have to tell myself to stop comparing my pictures with those that have 25 years in the field or with pictures that have a ton of Photoshop done on them But oh how there are days when I let it get the best of me. I wish there was a really good Photography course close by that taught advanced courses but since there isn't I keep trying to figure all of it out.

Anyway, today I let the kids share my point and shoot and take pictures with me. They had fun. We got to see some of the history in Camden, get some exercise, and even found a nice playground to play out while we were on our"picture adventure". This is what we called today. I think we are going to be planning a lot more of these too.

Cute T-shirts

Have you seen this site? They have all kinds of t-shirts, including ones with scrapbooking and homeschooling. Now I just have to decide which ones I want to order the most.
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/scrapbooking/-/pg_3/go_0

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/homeschooling/-/pg_3/go_1

Becky's Blogging!!!

I had been watching her site for awhile and did not think it would ever have an update and then today I check it and there it is. Where have I been??? I am so excited that Becky is now blogging. She is one of my favorite scrapbook celebs(Stacy Julian is the other, among others; of course). I have trouble deciding which one of these 2 wonderful ladies is my favorite so it remains a tie. There are so many things I love about both of them.
Here is a link to her blog: http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2007_04_01_archive.html

Fun Photos at the Dragway

Last night I went to Carolina Dragway with Todd, Tyler and Todd's friend Justin. I haven't gone in years. And when I did go I wasn't really into photograpghy at the time. I love seeing pictures of panning, you know the showing of motion but with a still shot. So I went last night just to see if I could figure it out. The sun was tricky as it set on me and there was the car that leaked fuel on the track and the car that hit the wall. But all in all I did have a couple of pictures I felt proud of for my very first try at this. So I wanted to share these. If anyone has any CC for me or care to comment please feel free. Tyler got to use my old Rebel which made his night and he took some pretty cool pics too.

Photo Organizing

I followed the Creative Organizing link that Kelli Crowe has on her blog and there was a great link for organizing your photos. This was information I felt I should pass on. http://kandas-adventures.typepad.com/kandas_adventures/2007/02/photo_organizat.html
The hardest part of scrapbooking sometimes is having everything organized in a way that I can quickly locate when I need it. If anyone has any another links to great organizing helps please feel free to share them with me. I love getting inspiration from you guys.

Waiting for the UPS truck

I ordered a new 30d Monday. I ordered it from newegg.com instead of BHphoto in hopes of receiving a different batch of cameras. Bhphoto; although they have great customer service, I received 3 lenses in the past 3 months that were either pretty badly dropped or messed up. So I figured after all that I have been though in the past couple of months I would try a different route.
Anyway, my new 30D is scheduled to arrive sometime this afternoon. Any other time I would be pacing back and forth, checking out the window, stalking the UPS truck. But I have had some kind of cold all week so it has put a damper on my would be jumping up and down dieing with excitment. I hope to feel better this weekend so that I can test it out. I'm so praying that this body will work like I expect it to. I never got to see the other one work.

Mustang show

Ben Satcher Ford held a Mustang show today. Todd got to enjoy seeing the cars, I got to enjoy working on my photo skills and Tyler enjoyed meeting new people.

I met Tamie Grookett, a professional photographer here in Columbia(http://www.grookett-photography.com/), and she invited me to attend the next Association for Professional Photographers meeting with her. She is such a nice person, and an awesome photographer. I'm so excited I can hardly wait.
We also got to meet Jeff Roper, the new 92 country music station DJ, and Ronald McDonald. Tyler wanted to talk to everyone he noticed that was either sitting in a chair or under one of the canopies. We said he felt sorry for them having to sit there all day. Everyone he met seemed to really enjoy his company. He's really such a unique awesome little person. I know when he grows up he is going to do great things. He is already offering so much good to the world around him. Jeff Roper and the lady with the radio station said he should go into sells because of his strong outgoing personality. I somewhat agree with them. Although I never want my little guy to grow up, I do wish I could see into the future to see where his path takes him.

Missing my SLR

Well, My 30d that I took to Office Depot to have shipped to Canon is now missing. UPS has it under investigation which they said could take until April 11 to complete. Then Office Depot said I'd be looking at about another week from then to recieve a check for the insured value. I have called them almost everyday to get the status and to find out if my camera has turned up, it doesn't look good.
B&H shipped the new 28-135 lens to me but I can't test it because I don't have a working body.
I mailed my Old Rebel in to mcvr.com today to have it repaired while I am waiting to hear the results of my 30d.

I'm dieing being without a slr with all the pretty spring colors and nice weather. Also It looks like I will only have my little A520 for Easter. I've been tempted to tell the kids easter is not until next weekend instead of this weekend so I don't miss any good pictures.

Camera Bad luck

For my birthday I got the works a new Canon 30d, a couple of lens(100 Macro 2.8, a 50mm 1.8 and the 28-135mmwith IS) as well as 2 Alien Bees 400 and a softbox. I was so excited because I had been battling the err99 on my old original EOS rebel for so long. I sent it to canon and the repair center was a pain and said that it would cost me 195 with shipping to have it checked. So I got all new camera equipment.
Since then I have exchanged the 28-135mm IS lens to B&H twice. The first one was messed up and the 2nd one they sent me they had dropped before shipping it. So I sent it back to them again for exchange, I'm waiting to receive it back. And my new 30D I sent to Canon this week for repairs. The pictures I've gotten for the past 2 months with it have been terrible, my old Rebel and my P&S are taking better pictures. So I figured I would use my old Rebel Body while the 30D was out for repairs but last night I was outside taking pictures of Todd and the kids playing "baseball" and "tennis" and it locked up. I couldn't believe it. We went though troubleshooting and got it to take 1/2 a picture. I spent another 40 minutes on the phone with canon and another sleepless night. So It looks like I may be without my SLR for Easter and the neighborhood egg hunt. I'm so praying that I will got luckly and have it back before easter though. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I'm so lost without the camera in my hand. I have had a camera in my hand for the past 5 years, now I'm like the hunter without a gun, and the fisherman without a fishing rod. Tyler was his usual thoughtful self and said "you can use my camera, it takes great pictures"(he has a little sony point and shoot) and so I thanked him and said I could use my point and shoot. And then later he told me " Mom, you could use the video camera and take video at Easter" I told him that is a great idea. I do not use it nearly as much as I should. Thank goodness for kids like Tyler he is 1 in a million.