… and waterfalls.
Wow, my kids really impressed me by hiking 4 miles roundtrip (Hershey Bars go a loooong way!) to the BEST swimming hole we’ve been to yet! Not to mention the fun slippery rocks & waterfalls. And mountain water chilled to perfection. Good stuff!
~Kathy~
Decided Saturday morning to pack it up and head for Boone. Have wonderful family up (over?) there.
The air is so sweet and fresh in the mountains.
Like the ‘top of the car’ photo?!
I have a thing for old fences. And she has a thing for modeling (I don’t pose her at all anymore).
We’re perfect together ;)
~Kathy~
The motto at our hair salon is ‘change is good’. I like that.
Completely her idea and on her own accord. Awesome.
It took me two children and my 30’s to cut all of my hair off!
Now on the other hand, THIS was my idea. He likes it, but not enough for a post-buzz photo ;)
~Kathy~
It’s like a right of passage.
First time mowing. I think he smiled the entire time ;)
Okay kids, you can stop growing up now ;)
f/3.5 1/125 ISO400
I am pleased with this shot. I had three tries to get it how I wanted – and I did!
~Kathy~
On our way to middle school orientation … poor kid was home all day with sinus pressure & a headache.
~Kathy
My daughter is fortunate to have had the same group of friends since Kindergarten. They are a wonderful group of girls who motivate and respect each other. Doesn’t get much better, really.
They are all getting ready to say good-bye to elementary school, and go their separate ways to middle school. These seven girls will attend 5 different middle schools!
Sometime this winter I proposed we celebrate these friendships with a special trip for just them. What better place to spend the day with your bff’s than the beach?
We were almost rained out, and it did sprinkle off & on, but what a memorable day we had.
Here are a few shots from the day – oh yes, I have a few hundred more ;)
~Kathy~
This week's photo was submitted by JaimeLee at Candidly Grateful. Precious little twins she has. Me oh my!
Original
Just look at how they are looking at each other – fabulous capture!
Basic Fix – Here’s what I did :
1. Curves adjustment to brighten/bring up midtones.
2. MCP Actions Magic Powder – just a bit to calm down the redness in her chest. I personally like to see ‘imperfections’ in baby pictures.
3. TRA Sharpen
4. Crop 7x5 – remove most of diapers that seem to distract from those precious faces.
TRA B&W
Thanks for stopping by & have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!
~Kathy~
Hello blog, it’s been a while!
I apologize for my absence … I am knee deep in beach trips, end of year school volunteering & organizing. June 10th is coming quickly -hooray for summer!
I am still shooting, it’s just the time in front of this machine that is lacking these days.
Here are some shots from a mini-shoot I did with a friend of a friend. Oh my goodness, the children were so good and sweet as pie ;) The youngest was a real trooper as not only did she have a cold & it was naptime, but we kept putting her in the grass and on her belly (much to her dismay!)
The parents are so relaxed and happy – just love to see that! Great family ;)
Isn’t she just a doll?
~Kathy~
We live next door to a field that has been recently cleared.
With any luck (and lots of petitioning), wildflower seed will be planted in this field.
(I get giddy thinking about the photo possibilities)
Anyway, it’s been raining a lot here lately. And it’s warm out. And kids can be hosed off …
There were some serious screams of joy when I told them to go get muddy!!
Oh, to be a tween-ager.
Like something from Land of the Lost!
~Kathy~
My sweet girl, practicing her violin ‘el fresco’.
I had to dig around my picture files for this one ~ I am lacking in the ‘yellow photo’ department!
Feel the sunshine over at I Heart Faces (click here).
~Kathy~
f/4.0 1/100 ISO 200
He’s at that age where it’s hard to admit you love your sister.
f/4.0 1/60 ISO200
But I know he does.
(Not sure how I talked him into this shot!)
~Kathy~
f/5.6 1/60 ISO400
I finally made it back to the lake for a run today, after being sick with a nasty cold this past week.
What a nice surprise that ‘Egor’ was in good viewing/photographing distance, and I had my camera in the car!
It is always a treat to see him, as he is a very shy species (or at least it seems so – I’m no expert!).
f/5.6 1/800 ISO 400
Snapped a few shots before I realized my ISO was unnecessarily so high. Ooops!
Boy, this kid is serious about this sport I tell ya.
~Kathy~
f/4.5 1/400 ISO 800
Twas a cloudy evening. Tried to capture a bat/ball contact shot, but not tonight!
f/5.3 1/320 ISO800
Determination on all accounts.
~Kathy~
I was so happy to see this week’s challenge, as I took some of my favorite shots ever this past weekend – and they fit the theme! (I have a hard time planning in advance for anything besides my kids!)
I also adore the guest judge this week, Peta Mazey. You can read more about her fabulousness HERE.
I feel so lucky to live in NC, where you can happen upon a gorgeous field of flowers along the interstate like these.
I am also so lucky that my girls love each other as they do…
If you want to see more of my shots from this fabulous field, go HERE.
AND, definitely click HERE to see more beautiful flower & faces entries @ I Heart Faces!
~Kathy~
f/2.2 1/100 ISO800
This depicts how I’ve felt all day… this cold is really dragging me down.
f/2.2 1/50 ISO800
And this is how she felt all day today … and every day :)
~Kathy~
I know, pretty weak attempt at a collage. I’ve had too much sudafed today~
I think it’s time to teach myself how to make storyboards… or at least search the web for some premade free ones!
~Kathy~
I have a dream of setting up a small studio in my garage.
This little gal is ready to make that dream come true for me … “Let’s just do it now, Mom. Let’s set it up.”
Shouldn’t we all live by the words of children?!
f/2.5 1/80 ISO100
f/1.8 1/200 ISO100
I was practicing getting the eyes in focus while shooting wide open. Got it on this shot…goofball!
f/2.2 1/160 ISO100
shhh… our secret studio is a & 2 foot space between the bikes and the dry goods shelving…!
~Kathy~
Last weekend we drove to the beach for Mother’s Day, as you may remember from my previous blog post. We drove by a gorgeous field of wildflowers, not too far from home. (Way to go NC DOT!) We decided we’d stop on the way home for photos, but it ended up being dark.
Hubby called me Friday on his way to the beach with our son, and told me I HAD to see the field now. Unfortunately, I woke up Friday with a terrible sore throat.
It was on my mind all day. Just pull it together I told myself, and take the girls for a few shots. And, that’s what we did! Headed out for some lovely end-of-the day light, and picked up Whole Foods for dinner on the way home.
They did a fantastic job modeling for me, and not (totally) freaking out about all the bees.
~Kathy~
