a Moose, a Bear, & a Ladybug

Smiles!!!

2011-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't participated in a long time, but I am hoping to find some time once again! And, to start off with, this was a really hard one for me this week! I have a couple I would love to use, but I think I will save them for another week. Instead I will use this one! haha :)
This picture was taken at Fish Lake here in Utah. This is my cousin and her fiance. It was taken in August, but for some reason, that day was freezing cold! Thankfully they were able to work through it and we were able to get some great shots before it got too dark! I love this picture of them though... I love there laughs and smiles! They are so in love, and it showed in every photo! I just love his straight out belly laugh though... it made me almost double over laughing too! And her face- squinting her eyes with that huge smile! I love it!
So, anyways... here is my entry for Smiles week at i heart faces. Head over there and check out the awesome entries! There are some beautiful ones like always! And, who could forget the awesome judge this week too! Jasmine Star! How fun! Happy Birthday i heart faces!

Vroom, Vroom!

2010-09-13T10:15:00.001-07:00

I had a lot to choose from this week, since both my bridals involved some type of vehicle… But, I kept coming back to this image! I don’t know why, I just love it! They are a gorgeous couple, and I just love her expression! So, enjoy my “Vroom, Vroom” entry!
Head on over to i heart faces to check out all the other awesome car entries!

I heart faces-Beach photos!

2010-08-24T13:09:00.001-07:00

It has been FOREVER since I participated in a contest with I Heart Faces! I feel like I am such a slacker, but really I have just been busy! When I saw this them up… I didn’t think I could participate! And, then I realized how stupid I was, because I just got back from Hawaii. But, as I was scrolling through my files to get to my Hawaii pictures, I came across this picture that I took when we went camping. It was taken on the beach of Otter Creek Reservoir when we went fishing.
These are my kids watching Grandpa as he casts his fishing pole. I loved the reflection of the sun off the water, along with the clouds and mountains in the background. I love that the kids are focused on grandpa… all except little Sydney, who was watching her dad behind me. I love this picture, and it beats out my Hawaii pictures! :)
There are some wonderful entries over at I heart faces… go check them out!!

Smiles!!

2010-04-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Dirt smiles… need I say more! :)

Head over to I Heart Faces and check out all the smiles!

Collages!!!

2010-04-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was so excited for this challenge… until I started to make a collage! I have a hard time seeing them together and getting them how I want! So, I have worked on this for like 3 days, and have decided oh well!! :)
The girls were outside riding their trikes and scooters yesterday, and then they started to play by the tulips! We are so excited about the flowers this year, and they are finally… yes, finally, in bloom!! This is what I came up with ! I loved how they were smelling them, even though it was smashing them! They were just too cute!

Head over to I Heart Faces to see some other fun and creative collages!!

Babies, Kids, Family, and Engagements!

2010-04-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

Trying to get caught up! I know I am always behind… and it probably won’t change anytime soon! :) But, I thought I would post a few pictures of what I have been doing lately!

And… I am so excited to say that I am doing my first wedding in June!! WEll, my first paid wedding! My cousin’s son is getting married and asked me to do it for them! I am really excited, and really nervous! I hope it turns out okay!

Here are some of their engagement pictures! I thought they turned out really well!

Aren’t they a beautiful couple!!

I photographed a fun family a few weeks ago too, but I didn’t get their pictures posted! We also did some of their adorable kids! We had a good time, and I had a lot of fun with them!

Aren’t they cute!!

Sydney, Madisyn, and my niece Brinley, just competed in the Sevier County Cinderella Pageant. We needed to get some good pictures of them for the photogenic portion of it! Here are the ones we chose for Sydney and Madisyn, and here are some of the pictures we took of Brinley!

Madisyn, she is such a doll!! LOVE HER!! :)

Sydney! Aren’t her eyes just gorgeous!! I barely touched them.. they always sparkle!

Brinley… this is the picture we entered! Isn’t she beautiful! She is such a fun girl!

Isn’t she beautiful!!

Here are a couple more of Syd and Madi!

And… since this is already a long post, I about forgot my baby niece!! Elizabeth was 2 months old in these pics! She is beautiful!

She has the most beautiful eyes and eyelashes! She is such a sweetie and I had a tone of fun taking pictures of her!!

So… I am caught up for the time being!! Sorry for the long post! I could say I will try and be better in the future… but, it probably won’t happen, so I won’t lie! :)

Communal Global’s Ultimate Picture contest!

2010-04-01T08:01:00.001-07:00

Some of my friends are part of this new website entitled… Communal Global! They have contributor’s from all over the world that post a picture of what their “Today” is like in their part of the world! Great idea, huh! It is fun to look at too!

But, today they have opened a new contest and have Miz Booshay as their first judge! We are supposed to enter a photo that describes our today! Since it doesn’t have to be a face… it can be anything, I am going to try something different! And, since our today right now is snowy and miserable, again, I will post something about that! lol

This shot is of Madi’s feet, as we were out playing in the snow! She brought me her boots, and wanted the 2 different colors! She is so cute, she wouldn’t let me switch them out. But, they sure looked fun as she was playing! And does she ever play in the snow… as you can see, the snow up to her knees does not stop her! Even if it makes her fall, which she does plenty of times! She loves the snow! So, this moment captures my today… because this is what we will be doing today! And, I want to remember her happy times in the knee high snow with her 2 different colored boots!

Head over to Communal Global and check out their fun contest and website!

Drama, in Black and White!

2010-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

We were at the park a couple weeks ago, when I looked over and saw my daughter standing by the swings like this. When I had first saw her, she was looking at me… but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera. But, I still loved the look of this shot. The line of the swings and their shadows. The lines of the poles. The suns perfect light on her head and all around. And, curious little Madi… hand still on the swing she so wants to get in, but distracted by the people out of sight of the camera playing on their bikes. Which does she want to do more? I love her curiosity and the way she wants to do so much at one time! She makes life such a joy!

Head over to i heart faces or click this button to see some other fantastically dramatic black and white shots!

Week 12 @ i heart faces-Angles

2010-03-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

It’s angles this week at i heart faces! Something unusual and different is something that all people are drawn to! So, this week… bring on the angles!
I chose this photo of my brother and sister in law! I loved the angle on this shot! I had a fun time shooting them, and this is one of my favorite shots of them!

Head over to i heart faces to see some other awesome shots taken at different angles! Or, click on the button below…

Bundle up!!

2010-03-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

There are some awesome pictures already over at i heart faces! I’m always amazed and I love, gasp, stalking others pages and pictures to see their ideas! Head over and see their wonderful pictures!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Madi this winter. We have had a lot of snow days this year, and the kids absolutely love the snow! So we have bundled up and gone out a lot! Madi especially loves it, and would run around in it barefoot if I would let her (yes, she has tried it!) I just love her expression in this picture for some reason, and I keep coming back to it. I love my baby girl… and it seems like she is growing up so fast. Maybe that is why I love it, because it expresses her quietness… the moment she is taking it all in! Anyways, here it is.

Head over and see some other wonderful pictures at

Jump for Joy!

2010-03-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

The challenge at I Heart Faces this week is “Jump for Joy!” This was taken at the workshop in Dallas, but I wanted to get an entry in! They had just finished their jump, so I hope this still counts! :)This is one of my favorite pictures that I took there, and I love the little boys’ expressions!! The dad’s too, it really just makes me happy!

Head on over to

Hilarious Outtakes!

2010-03-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

So, I am really hurrying here! I waited late tonight, but here are some of my fun pictures that make me laugh!
Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some other great outtakes!

I love her face on this one… she is making funny faces as I am really trying to get a seriously good picture of her!

She is really such a cheeser! These are the faces she gives me most of the time I try and take pics of her!

Syd was playing peek a boo! I love her eyes though, they make me laugh!

Here she is trying to be mad and pull faces again! lol

Go see some funny shots over at…

Hands!!

2010-02-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

This week is all about hands at I heart faces! I am a slacker and put it off like usual, so this picture is one I took a few months ago! I love it though… all the kids were coloring, and I snapped this picture of Brevan’s hands as he was coling his picture! It is memorable to me because this is him at this age! He loves to color, and I am happy that I was able to capture a picture that helps me remember this stage in his life!

If you want to see some fun hand pictures, go check them out at I Heart Faces!

Dancing!!

2010-02-16T18:37:00.001-08:00

This week at I heart faces, it is all about dancing! So, today we danced! Well, after the kids woke up from naps and as they were getting ready for bed, (hence the funky hair do and pajamas)! We had fun though. The kids love Hannah Montana’s Hoedown Throwdown and ask for it all the time! They love to dance to it! So as they danced, I snapped pics. It is kind of hard to get good pics of moving kids… but I still wanted to participate! :) This is the one that I liked the best of Madi! She has these big laughs and a huge smile and she screams as she is dancing! She make us all laugh as she is doing it, and this picture expresses her joy!

Head over to I heart faces to see some fun dancing pictures!!

Sydney!

2010-02-10T20:50:00.001-08:00

While down in St. George, we had the opportunity to go to the St. George Cinderella Pageant Preliminaries. Sydney is the State Tiny Tot for Cinderella, so she was introduced at the pageant. We figured since we were down there anyways… we might as well head to the pageant to see how the older pageant is done! She loves getting in her crown and “dancing,” as she calls it. So she had a fun time there!
Here are some pics that we took before we headed to the pageant!

Isn’t she a cutie! Gotta love my little princess!

Branden and Chelsea

2010-02-10T18:49:00.001-08:00

So here are some of Branden and Chelsea’s! And, Braxten too!

Baby Isaac

2010-02-10T18:37:00.001-08:00

I went to St. George this weekend to take some pictures of a beautiful baby boy, a fun family, and to take Sydney to a Cinderella Pageant! We had a great time with family, and we got some fun pictures! Here is a sample of the pictures that we took! More to come later!

Week 6- We Heart Kisses!

2010-02-08T08:27:00.001-08:00

This is Kissing week at i heart faces! What a fun challenge! I knew it was coming up, so when I was taking these pictures I made them kiss quite a few times… but this one, he did on his own!! And, I love it! :)
A few weeks ago, I went up north to visit an old college roommate of mine! Her husband tagged along with us that day, and we had such a great time! I had asked her before if we could go take some pictures, I wanted some done of me to give to Brett for Valentine’s Day! We used to go take pictures all the time in college too. We had so much fun doing that when we were younger, that I thought it would be fun now too! And, it was! We had a great time, and got some fun shots! Her husband was such a good sport and let me take tons of pics of them! I made them kiss, and they fell over in the snow, they walked hand in hand for me so I could take some fun shots from behind. And, then… the very last shot, he leaned her over and gave her a good one!! I loved it! So… here is my favorite shot from our fun session up Provo Canyon!!

Head on over to i heart faces to check out the great entries! There are some beautiful ones this week, like usual!!

Shelly and Clif

2010-01-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, I went up to Provo to visit with one of my old college roommates! Her husband joined us for the day and we went up the canyon to take some pics! Shelly and I and our other roommates used to do this all the time in college, and we thought it would be fun again!
Here are some of the pics of them that we took that day! They are such a cute couple, and I had a blast with them that day. It was so nice to catch up on all that had been going on in our lives for the past 6-7 years! Crazy how time flies!

Albrecht Family

2010-01-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister in law asked me to take some pics of them since they hadn’t had any done since their wedding! Of course I said yes! Any chance I get, haha! We decided to try some more urban ones, and then head to the great outdoors for some just woodsy ones! We had a great time, and Taylor was a good sport even though he hates pictures! I had such a hard time choosing what to edit because they were all so good! I loved way too many!! But, that is what makes it fun!!

Anderson Family

2010-01-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is my sister and brother in law, and my nephew! When we did the Cowley pics, we also did some for these guys! They were fun and we had a great time, and I thought these turned out great! They just recently moved to Hurricane, so we will be doing some others for them when we can down there! I can’t wait to go to all the neat places that Chelsea has scouted out for us!!

Cowley Family

2010-01-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

We did these pics the day after Christmas, and if you remember what the weather was like around that time… it was very, very chilly! Like 12 or 13 degrees outside! But, the kids were great, and we got some fun shots! We pretty much just hurried and got what we could because it was so cold. But, we got a few great shots for them! And their yard was so beautiful for pics! I sure hope they like them as much as I did!

Cousin Pics

2010-01-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

We were making a quilt for Brett’s mom and Grandma for Christmas, and we were putting pictures of the kids on it! I thought the pictures turned out wonderful, and the quilt was a big hit! Here are the pics we chose!

Tanessa

2010-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

This was my first one year old shoot, besides for my own children! I was so excited to be the photographer for this little girl! She is seriously one of the cutest little girls! I love her BIG blue eyes and couldn’t get enough of them! She was such a trooper too, and she was so good for the pics! I had a great time with her!

McClellan Family

2010-01-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

I took these pics in November, and I am finally getting them posted to my blog! But, here they are! They were so fun to photograph, and I fell in love with the orchard for pictures! It is so beautiful up there, and there are a ton of places to get great shots!

Week 4 @ i heart faces- Texture!!

2010-01-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

I had a really hard time this week choosing a picture! I had a few that I loved, but they just didn't seem right! I know other people out there understand what I am saying! So, after playing with I don't know how many... I finally decided on this one!
This picture is one of my favorites from my brother and sister in laws family session... and let me tell you why!
Notice where his hand is? During the whole session, he kept trying to sneak a few feels to see if I would notice! Then he would laugh and say, "you didn't catch that one!" lol I did catch them though... on the camera! Sometimes I would say something to him, but more often than not I would just ignore it because it made us all laugh at least!
But, this is one pic where I caught it and he thought he was being so sneaky! But, not only do I love that it makes me laugh, but I love the lighting, the background that already has beautiful texture with the trees, the dog, and the beautiful bokeh! This picture just makes me smile and want to see more. So, I guess I did my job on this pic at least!
I added a little more texture into it, and I kind of like it! lol.. I hope you do too!
Head on over to i heart faces to see some really awesome textured pictures! There are some really awesome ones once again this week! Have fun!

Family I Heart Faces Post

2010-01-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

So... I will be completely honest; I forgot about the challenge this week! Until just barely, actually. But, here is a picture from my most recent family session.

Now, I know this isn't a traditional family, but...

Doogan (the dog), is their baby. They love him and he really does act just like a child. During this whole section he whined just like a kid! lol
But, we had a great time. This is actually my brother and sister-in-law, and he hates to smile for the camera... but we got some pretty good shots from him this time.

Head on over to i heart faces to see some other awesome entries!

Week 2 at i ♥ faces!

2010-01-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

This week over at i ♥ faces they are celebrating their "First Birthday!"

They have some amazing judges, in fact, they have 18! What fun! For the theme this week, you are supposed to enter your "Best Photo." Now this photo had to be taken sometime in December 2009 or January 2010. And this is what they say about the photo..."You should enter the face photo that you love the best that you took either in the month of December 2009 or in early January 2010."

I couldn't quite decide what picture I was going to enter until I read that statement again. This picture is the one I "love the best" from December 2009!

We went outside to play in the snow, and Sydney decided she had had enough of me taking pictures... so she threw it at me, and this is the shot just as she threw! I love her face and her HUGE smile! I love the way her eyes are crinkled with delight! Anyways... here is my Best Photo entry! Make sure and head over to i ♥ faces to see all the other amazing entries!

About Me

2010-01-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

photo by Andrea

My name is Christal Anderson, and I am a wife and mother to 3 beautiful children. They are the joys of my life, and the cause of my stress! I love them so much, and don't know what my life would be like without them!

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or what most people call it, a Mormon). I love the gospel and hope that I can raise my children to love God and do what is right. If anyone wants more information about the church, feel free to check out this website: http://www.lds.org/

I have a lot of hobbies; among them are reading (I love, love, love to read!), scrapbooking, hunting, swimming, snowboarding/skiing, jogging(as of recently... just wish it wasn't so cold outside so I could get myself to do it again), and my newest interest that I have fallen in love with is zumba! I love blogging, but am a real slacker with it! And of course... I love photography!

I have been interested in photography for as long as I can remember! I always had a camera in my hand when I was a kid. I took thousands of pictures of absolutely nothing... and probably cost my parents a pretty penny! But, I didn't really start taking pictures until the birth of my children. I would do a family here and there, but when my son was born... I started taking a lot of pics! Even though I took a lot of pictures, I didn't really do it through a photographer perspective. That started when I got my first SLR camera. About that time I really started to take more pictures and started noticing what was pleasing to the eye and what wasn't.

This past year has been awesome! I feel like I have improved so much. I really love what I do and hope that I can turn my passion into something even better this coming year! So thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the pics you are seeing!

Week 1 at i ♥ faces

2010-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

It is i ♥ faces 1st birthday this week! I didn't know about the website until later in the year, but I am excited to share in its birthday!
This week the contest is for a new Tamron lens! I won this lens at the workshop in Dallas and it sure is a fun lens. So whoever wins it is in for a treat!
There are some really awesome entries this week! Everyone was allowed to enter 5 entries. To be eligible to win this week, they had to incorporate the i ♥ faces theme somewhere in their entry. There are some creative people out there, and some wonderful entries! Go check them out!
Here are my entries! Not very creative, but I had fun editing them. I should stop procrastinating, and then maybe I could have come up with something great! hahaha....
I am also in the middle of a blog remodel..... so please forgive how crappy it looks right now! I might figure things out this week...

"I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website."

Week 47 at I Heart Faces- Tooshies!

2009-11-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

What a fun week at I Heart Faces!! I love taking bum pics, well, as long as they aren't naked bums ( except for baby bums)! So this is a picture of Madisyn in her Halloween costume! I love the little tail and her tiny bum as she is climbing up the stairs! So here it is!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some other great pics! There are some really cute ones!

Sun Flare at I Heart Faces

2009-11-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

This week is a hard one! I kept putting it off, thinking I would get to it, but, again... I didn't. Well, I did, but I didn't really like them. I had taken a few at the workshop last week, but I was hoping that I would be able to do some others in the meantime. Like I said, I tried, but the kids didn't really want to cooperate, my brother didn't want to cooperate, the sun didn't... you get the picture!? Oh well, I do love this picture I am going to enter! It is one of my favorites that I took at the workshop. I love her expression, I love the sun, I love the trees, etc... So, here is my entry for this weeks sun flare! Anyone can enter, and it is so fun to see the other entries! So head on over to I Heart Faces and join in on the fun! And of course, who could forget that Becker is the judge this week. There is really no pressure there at all!

I heart faces whrll story!

2009-11-19T07:11:00.001-08:00

Amy and Angie also do a story on whrll... here is the post, I thought it was fun to remember it! The reason I'm not in the first big group shot is because the car I was riding in got lost, so we missed the first part of the photo walk!

Dallas, I Heart Faces Workshop

2009-11-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

I just took a trip! “What,” you say? Yeah, I know. I haven’t gone on a trip in forever, at least by myself! This trip was all business though. I am serious. We didn’t laugh, we didn’t get to know each other, and we didn’t do anything but take pictures and listen to boring… I mean BORING, lectures! Can you see from the picture below how BORING it was?

I am soooo just kidding!

I HAD A BLAST!!!!! It was so nice to get away for some me time! Thanks Drew, for this great picture too! I love it!

I went to this workshop hoping to make some new friends, and to become a better photographer! Well, I think I did both! We laughed until we cried (yeah, I know that is a song, but that is what we did). We made new friendships. And, we all became better photographers. We learned a ton! We met some great photographers, that include D’Ann Wright, Amy Karp, and Pete Lacker. They taught us so much. And we had so much fun hanging out with Pete on the photo walk on Saturday.
We got there thursday, well most of us did. We met in Amy and Angie’s room. They are the co-founders of I Heart Faces. We all got together and met some of the other girls who had come in that day! We got to know each other and talked photoshop, bags, and photography.
On Friday, we took a van down to the Dallas Arboretum, where we met up with the children that would be our models for the day. D’Ann Wright was our teacher for the morning, so we followed her and the children around and just took pictures all morning long.
In the afternoon, Amy Karp, and the model, Kim, met us for lunch and an afternoon photoshoot! Amy made us shoot in manual all afternoon, which was a new thing for a lot of us! But, it was a blast, and it was nice to learn how to do it! I need to start focusing on doing that more often, because I noticed quite a difference in the quality of my pictures! We had such a great time with her, and Pete Lacker also joined us that afternoon to give us some tips!
That night we went out to eat at Chuy’s, a Tex-Mex place down there. We laughed and got to know each other, and just had a lot of fun!
The next day we met in the conference room, and Pete came to teach us all a few things! We learned a lot about lighting, and a lot about photoshop. He was so easy to talk to, so no one had a hard time asking questions or anything! Then Amy, Andrea, and Angie taught us some more photoshop tips. It was so much information, but good information! We learned a ton!
Then we went downtown on a photowalk and learned some more! But, first… we got lost, but then we found everyone, but that is another story! We had so much fun that night. We tried a real BBQ place, and seriously laughed until we cried. It was so much fun!
One of the girls flew in from Germany, and she had never had doughnuts before, so after dinner we went down to Krispy Kreme so she could experience a doughnut! They were nice and hot, and she had such a great time! We also took her to Wal-Mart so she could experience that great store!
Then we had to say goodbye! We all wished we could have had a few more days. We were just getting to know each other and come out of our shells! But, hopefully we can all remain friends through blogging and e-mail! It is so great to be able to have this wonderful technology! It was so awesome meeting everyone! And… the trip was seriously all business. NOT!!!!
Oh… and how could I forget!! The trip was even more amazing… “Why,” you ask. Because I won a new lens! A new Tamron 18-200 mm Macro! WHOOO HOoo!! I never win anything, so it was quite the surprise to win the BIG prize! So thanks Tamron. And thanks Amy, Angie, and all the girls and photographers for an AWESOME weekend! Stay posted for some more shots from this weekend as I get them edited!

Autumn beauty at I Heart Faces!

2009-11-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I have participated in a challenge over at I Heart Faces, but I thought I would enter again this week! I had a great time this weekend in Dallas with Angie and Amy, and 25 other attendees at the workshop! We had such a blast, and we learned a lot too!

I was wishing I could take the kids out and do some pics before the leaves all blew away, but I didn't make it out. Now it is too late... snow is now covering the ground! We actually didn't get too much of a fall this year anyways, it froze too early and the leaves all fell before they really changed colors. Although, I do love this picture! We were up taking family pictures, by the dried cattails... I had the kids holding hands. Madisyn didn't want to stay still, she kept going forward and backward and dragging Brevan and Sydney with her. Then she fell... This picture is right after when the kids are trying to pull her up. She is trying to pull herself up too, so she is concentrating as she sticks out her tongue! I love how she does that... just like her dad does when he is concentrating! So.. here it is!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some other great Autumn entries!

Finally!

2009-10-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

So my computer died a couple of weeks ago, and we finally have our new one! Yeah!!!! I am hoping I can now start catching up on pictures, since I am probably a month behind now! Also, one of my pics was featured on I heart faces for Fix-it-Friday! I am way excited to see all the edits on this picture! It is one of my favorites, but I can't get it right! thankfully there are lots of people who have helped already!! Head on over there to see it!

Finally posting for Marjie!

2009-09-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

So, this week has been crazy! My computer has finally died... that being said, I had to borrow my mothers laptop later in the week so that I could even work on some of these pics! So, I am really sorry for taking so long! Here are a few of the shots that I have been able to finish, and a few more that I haven't touched yet! I had a lot of fun with the girls, they kept me on my feet the whole time! They wanted to pose all over the place and they each had their own fun personalities!

Candid at I heart Faces

2009-09-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is a fun week over at I heart Faces! Everyone should head over there and check out the fun entries!

I took some pictures for my mom's friend this week. This picture just made me laugh! I loved it when I saw it. The little girl is only a year old, and her mom was trying to get her to stand for a picture. She had her apple in one hand (she wouldn't let go of it the whole photo shoot), and was trying to tell her mom she wasn't happy about this situation! It was hilarious! We had a good time, and here is my picture for candid week!

Head on over and check out the other great entries!

I heart Faces- Contemplative

2009-09-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces, the challenge is Contemplative. At first I was thinking I really didn't have anything that fit this category, but then I came across this photo of Madisyn after we got through taking some pics yesterday! Whoa, that was a long sentance. I love the look in her eyes and the way the wind is blowing her hair. I love the soft colors and the way the purple accents her eyes! And this outift, is seriously my new favorite of hers! Anyways, here is a contemplative look through Madisyn's eyes, I really do wonder what she was thinking about.

Collage of Brevan's First Day of School!

2009-09-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this collage of Brevan's First day of school. If only I would do everything this fast and not procrastinate, things might get done! He had a fun day, and I think it will be good for him to have something else to do besides stay home with me and the girls!

Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other great collages!

Back to School at I heart faces!

2009-09-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had to wait until today to take Brevan's back to school pics, and then we only had a few minutes since Madi was up sick the night before! So we were rushed, but I love this pic of Brevan and his cute little smirk!

So here is Brevan on his first day of preschool! Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other fun entries!

Fix it Friday!

2009-09-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is such a cute picture! I can't believe how long his eyelashes are... how unfair is that! Just kidding! I was working on this picture and I was thinking about all that I have learned just from this website, I heart Faces. Maybe not all that I have learned is right from them, but they have connected me with other sites that have helped me learn! I appreciate that and am thankful for it! Here is the original! Isn't he adorable!

here are my fixes. I mainly played with levels, hue and saturation, did a levels vignette, and did a screen layer. Then for the black and white I did a gradiant map, did a screen layer, and a soft light layer, and then added a chocolate layer. Then on the some color one, I used Coffeeshops Chocolate BW and lowered the black and white layer!

And that's all folks! I had fun with this one!

Before and After at I heart Faces

2009-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

This challenge has been kind of fun! I started looking at all my old pictures and had a great time critiquing my photos! I made all the same beginner errors, and sometimes still do, that most beginners do. I used a flash all the time, centered the pictures, took shots from awkward angles, didn't get close enough, etc. etc.!! I know I am by no means a professional yet, and my journey has been slow, but... I do believe I am getting better. And, not only at taking the pictures, but at editing the pictures! Although I made some dreadful errors in that category too, I won't get into that though! Needless to say, I have improved, and I am grateful to I heart faces for the fun challenges and techniques that make me focus on things I might not think of! I have had a great time participating, even when you don't win. I hope I can keep improving and getting to a point that I will be happy with!

So... I really started becoming involved in photography in college, 2001-2002. But... I didn't really do anything to get better at it. I took our family pics every once in a while, and sometimes for others. I did a few engagement pics for friends and family, and I took some of my kids. But... I didn't really get all gungho about it until Madisyn was born. I had finally gotten a SLR camera and we had just moved into our own house. We have the wood floors and wide open windows in the kitchen. I started noticing the natural light more and even though I still shot in auto, I could tell a difference in my shots even then! I was still using flash, but then finally started moving away from that. Then, I got some studio lights so that I could do some pics in the house too. I thought I was doing so well, but I still had a lot to improve on, and I am grateful for that. This year I added a couple new lens's, and I have seen a ton of improvement in that too! Now, I hope to start working towards always shooting in manual... that is my goal for the rest of the year, but it is something I am scared to take on for the fear of not getting great shots! I guess I will have to learn sometime though! So... here are my before pics.

Still using the flash....

Just got lucky with this shot.

Can I leave any more clutter around?

What is up with the editing? Didn't realize yet what could be done.

Love these two pics, just need to work on the lighting and making the eyes more the focus.

Learning to shoot with lights... still have a ways to go!

But... here are my after pics shot this month!

Love this pic of Raigan... I think I need to tone the skin softening down now that I see it on here.

These two were pretty much straight out of the camera... just a levels boost and contrast.

I am a long ways from becoming a professional, but I feel that my shots have improved quite a bit. I hope that I can keep improving and working towards always making my shots something I will appreciate and love 10 years down the road!

Fix it Friday... on Saturday!

2009-08-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't get to play along yesterday, but since they are doing it again today, I can! Yeah... so here is the original. Such a beautiful picture, but I have a hard time with the colors in the brick; it seems to make her coloring a greenish yellow! But... here it is.

Here are my edits, one black and white, and one with a little bit of color! I also added a texture!

Such a beautiful little girl! Head on over to I Heart Faces if you want to play, or to see some other great edits!

I heart faces: nostalgic

2009-08-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

This is one of my absolute favorite photos of Madisyn. It is funny that this week is nostalgic, because I had finally gotten around to printing pictures this week. I was finishing some editing on this picture, and thinking back on her little life so far. I couldn't believe how much she had grown in just the last 5 months since this picture was taken. I looked at the flower in her hair, and how I had made it for Sydney when she was about the same age as Madisyn in this picture. Her hair, barely able to hold that sweet flower, and now it is long enough to do pigtails. The dress, I made for her after seeing some cute ones on the internet and it reaches the ground in that picture, yet now is to her knees. And... can you see how she holds her hands as she is balancing. She was just really starting to walk around and she always held her hands like this! I thought is was so cute, and I miss those precious moments of that time! She is my youngest; and you never know what is going to happen, so you sometimes wonder if these will be the last precious baby moments you will have. I treasure those moments and love looking back at these pictures and re-living those moments! Now that I am teary and really nostalgic, I'll show you the picture!

Head on over to I heart Faces to see some other great entries!

Silly faces at I heart faces

2009-08-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

This week is a silly or crazy face at I heart faces. At first I didn't think I had anything. I didn't remember taking any crazy faces recently. But, then I remembered our trip to Disneyland... And my dad... He was being crazy and funny on the Wild Grizzly ride. We made him do the face a few times as a matter of fact! We were all laughing so hard!! So... here it is without further adieu!

I give you.....TURTLE!!!!

That is what we thought he looked like anyways! Too bad it was such a bright day and facing the wrong way to get a not too bright pic! But, we sure had fun anyways! Have a great day yourself, enjoy the crazy and fun moments! Go check out I heart faces for some more great faces!

Ok... I keep trying to post the button and it gives me an error saying I can't post this code... anyone able to tell me why and what do I need to do? Any help would be great! Thanks...

another note... for some reason I somehow entered into the pet category without meaning too... I must be having troubles today, time to get off the computer before I crash something! So, I am really only entered the silly face, not the pets, although we did call him Turtle, he really isn't... so I hope I am not disqualified! Sorry...and Thanks!

Sweet Boy at I heart Faces!

2009-08-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is Fix-it-Friday over at I heart Faces. This is such a sweet and fun picture, and I thought it would look great with the technique I learned in the Jessica Sprague class. So, here are a couple of fixes. One with a clipping mask, and the other without!
To get this look, I:
adjust saturation anywhere from 50-60
adjust hue to 35, and click the colorize button
Then choose soft light in your layers tools
adjust levels as needed
adjust middle level toward the right to darken the picture
Change your color to black
Click your gradient button, and make sure it is on the circle gradient
click in the middle of the picture and drag to a corner. It should lighten the middle and darken the egdes. Then you can go over it with a brush if needed to lighten anything else.
I almost forgot... I also lighted the highlights in his eyes a little bit by dodging. His eyes are so blue and they should pop! I could barely see them when I zoomed in on this pic though, so I couldn't really do much with them other than dodge a little.
Then if you want, add a mask. I love the effects of this look and have been using it a lot! Need to learn some new tricks now too!

Jessica Sprague's class

2009-07-26T20:15:00.001-07:00

So, as I posted before, I had signed up for a free class from Jessica Sprague. I was out of town while the class was going on, but I was still able to complete it after I got back... well, Friday. I really enjoyed all the things we learned and it was a lot of fun. The class mainly focused on how to use frames, stamps, brushes, clipping masks, and textures! She also taught us how to do a storyboard. It is amazing what you can do with a photo. Here are some of the projects and pics that I completed with it. Go check out her website to see some other great classes and tutorials she has to offer!

Feet over at I heart Faces

2009-07-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

This week is all about feet over at I heart faces! This picture is truly one of my favorites, and one I will treasure forever! It was taken when Madisyn was about 2 months old! I love baby feet, and this picture reminds me of the days when her feet were oh so tiny! Head on over to I Heart Faces to see some more fun feet pics!

I keep trying to add the button, but it keeps saying I have an error when I do... I hope I can still enter! I don't know why it won't let me today when it usually does!

Jessica Sprague- project 1

2009-07-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

So I had signed up to take this class a few weeks ago, and then totally forgot about it! It is a free one that teaches you how to use frames and other png's in photoshop! I thought it would be fun, so I signed up! Anyways, I am 3 days behind, but here is the first project! this week was adding a frame and wordart. I am really excited to have learned this, and wondered why I hadn't before. But, I am learning now, so that is good. Head on over to Jessica Sprague's site to learn more fun editing and scrapbooking ideas!
This picture was taken on the 4th of July as we were running back up my parents hill! Madi thought it was so much fun to be able to do it herself. I had to run in front of her to catch her giggling and smiling! She is a little ball of energy, and we have so much fun with her!

Wedding Bells at I heart faces!

2009-06-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have done a couple of weddings, but it was mainly before I really got into photography more. I look back at those pictures, and think that they really should have gotten a professional. Well, I really should have just used a better camera! But, the last wedding I shot was my one of my best friends. I loved the pics that I shot for her, I just feel bad now that I was only using a 4 megapixel camera! If only I had known then what I know now!!

But, here is one of the shots from her wedding. This is the ringbearer, and he was just such a doll! I looked over, and there he was with his finger up his nose! Such a little boy!
Head on over the I heart faces to see some more great wedding shots!

Let's Hear it for the Boys!!

2009-06-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

So this week is the boys week over at I heart faces. I have a favorite of Brett that I am entering. This was taken at Disneyland on the Buzz Lightyear ride! He had a blast being a little boy again! He got to shoot his laser and score some points, and boy did he get into it! It was such a blast watching him!Everything was moving so fast, it was hard to capture his face clearly! But, this was the best I could do! I love the look on his face, he was like a kid in a candy store!

This shot of Brevan was taken on Mother's Day weekend down in Panguitch. He found a butterfly, and it let Brevan pick him up. The butterfly just sat there letting him and Parker look at it. It was so cute! Every time it moved, Brevan's face would look surprised, as it does in this photo! I'm so glad I was able to capture that look, it is priceless to me. He moved his hand, or you could see the butterfly better, but can you see the wings peeking out!

So head on over to and check out all the other fun entries!

Cowley Family

2009-06-16T21:03:00.001-07:00

I realized I had never posted any of the Cowley Family pictures. We went up to Monrovian park and had a fun time with this cute family. They are Chelsea, my sister-in-laws, brother and sister-in-law. So I know them through her. It was a fun time, and we got some cute pictures! One of the girls was a little fussy at the end, but who can blame her, I take a lot of pics so they can hopefully have a few good faces. We bribed her with some candy, but she was done. But, we still got some good shots earlier. So here they are!
They wanted something to give to family, so this is what we came up with.

Sepia tone at Iheart Faces!

2009-06-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, it is sepia tone over at I heart faces, I have a hard time liking sepia, so this one was a hard one. I wasn't going to participate, and then decided I wasn't going to get any better by not doing it! So, here is my entry! This is madisyn when we went on a 4 wheeler ride the other day. We had stopped for a break and she was sitting with dad. I loved her expression, and the dirt around her lips... she loves to play in the dirt (she eats it mostly)!

Here is my adult entry. This is Grandpa Errol with Madisyn! I love his expression for some reason, just a look of adoration or something for his granddaughter. Well, I guess I didn't get the adult one entered in time. I was going there to post, but didn't make it in time I guess. So, here it is anyways... I still like it.

Head on over to iheartfaces or click on the button below to see some more great entries!

Luke

2009-05-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of my friends 3 month old the other day, and I thought they turned out so cute! Here are some of my favorite! We had such a hard time getting him to smile, so there were not too many smiles, but the ones we got sure were great!! Here is a quick peek! Some of them are the same pic, just black and white or color.

Blurb book contest-I heart faces!

2009-05-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

So I am by no means at all a professional, but I do occasionally get paid for my pictures. So, following the rules, I will be entering this picture in with the pros! I am not expecting to win, but I just like entering and getting some feedback on my pics!

It was so hard to choose this week, but I finally decided on this one.

This picture was taken about a month ago. I don't remember why I had my camera with me when I went to get Sydney up from her nap, but I did. I don't remember why she was crying either, but I loved her face and the little tear stuck on her cheek! She is such a doll, even when she is crying! This became one of my favorite pictures! I couldn't decide between color and black and white, but I must be in a black and white phase, because it just looked better to me!!

So head on over to I heart faces to see some awesome pictures!! Or, click on the button!

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Laughter over at I heart faces!

2009-05-11T14:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all those that left comments for feedback friday! I appreciate the help!

Now for this weeks I heart faces pictures. This week the theme is laughter, and I could think of too many laughing pictures! It was hard to choose, but in the end I chose these!

This first one is of Sydney playing outside on Brevan's 4wheeler. She turned to laugh at something Madi was doing, and I thought she looked so darn cute!! So here is my child entry!

The next one is of my aunt and uncles family! We were doing family pics for my grandma and grandpa's 50th anniversary. They were sitting and standing when all of a sudden my uncle started to lean backward and fall. It was like dominos as everyone tumbled over except the 2 on the end! It was hilarious! I love the expression on Shea's(far right), as his wife grabs on to him to try and stop herself. And Mac (middle), as he is watching his daughter lay flat on the ground as Laurie (far left) is watching her doubled over in laughter! The rest of the shoot they couldn't stop laughing! We had a great time that day! So, here is my adult entry!

I love these contests; they make you focus on more than just a smile or serious face. It helps you recognize how wonderful each different face is and all the expressions that go with it! So, I have a great time entering and focusing on different things each week! These contests are for everyone, and it is fun to see each entry! So head on over there by clicking on the link or the button!

Constructive feedback Friday!

2009-05-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

This week over at I heart faces, it is constructive feedback friday! I was hoping I could get in on this, because I always need a little help. I'm really just starting to realize all that my photo elements can do, and I am excited to learn new things too! So hopefully this will help me out a little bit! Any of my regular readers, don't get upset when people start tearing my picture down! haha...

Here is the original photo. I love this picture of Madisyn, I just don't love how bright it is in the face on the one side, and so dark on the other. I want to be able to pop the eyes, and make the skin tone a little more even. Is there a way to do that? I'm sure this is probably one of the easiest fixes, but I don't know it, so any help would be great. Any other suggestions too!
The exposure is 1/250
ISO 200
Shutter 1/256
Aperature f/7.0
no flash
focal length 76 mm
I use a canon xsi, with a 70-300 mm lens. I have just begun trying to decide which new lens to get that would be better for portraiture. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have been thinking about the canon 50 mm 1.4 lens. If you have any feedback on that, feel free to include it.
I guess I could have used a fill flash, but I've been trying to not always use it.
Here is my fix. But now I have a highlight right under the eye. All I did on this was dodge a little on the right side of the pic, brightened the eye, and then did a gaussian blur and vignette around the edges, feathering the edges of those. I like it better, but it is still to bright for me. Thanks for any tips, feedback, etc. I appreciate them all and won't be offended for feeling stupid about knowing how easy this fix is.... just kidding! Thanks for all the advice!
Okay, I'm supposed to put the special button for contructive feedback friday on here, but I can't find the info to have it a button, so I will just post the picture, and here is the link to see more entries! I heart faces
Go check it out!

Week 17 at I heart faces!

2009-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Over at I heart faces this week, it is a hat theme! I knew instantly what photo I wanted to enter for the adults, but I've had a hard time choosing with the kids!
But, here it is.... This is Sydney when she was about 9 months old! I love this picture of her! She has the biggest cheese, and that one little tooth! I think I put too much of a blur on it, but I still love her face!

This photo for the adults is of my older brother, Jarad! He has downs syndrome and is 31 years old. He is such an example to me. He is the kindest, sweetest, cutest guy I know! We all love him dearly and can't imagine what our lives would be like without him in it. He loves his cowboy hat and his guitar. He sits and plays along and sings and he listens to his favorite singer in the world, Elvis Presley! Jarad loves to sing and do the hip movements as he watches or listens! It is so cute! Anyways, he wanted to have some pictures done a few months ago for my grandma and grandpa! So we went out and took them. I love this picture because it shows his true nature; kind, soft and cuddly, and ever so sweet!
I'd love some feedback on these pictures so that I can improve. I can't decide on the vignette, any suggestions to make this picture better would be awesome!
Head on over to I heart faces to see some more great pictures!! There are some really cute ones! Or just click on the button below.

My test signature!

2009-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just testing out my new signature... did it work??

Week 16 I heart faces

2009-04-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

So it is once again time to have a photo in at www.iheartfaces.com and I procrastinated, decided I wasn't going to enter, and then decided I was going to enter! I think you get addicted and just have to keep entering!! It is a lot of fun though! We'll see if I get this in on time as I am addicted to American Idol this year and am watching that at the same time!!!

I've been thinking about this theme all week, but just didn't get out to get a picture done. I never realized how hard it is to get a good reflection picture! I don't think I've ever paid attention so much, but this week has made me concentrate more. When I had finally decided not to enter a picture, I came back in the room to see my husband playing in the mirror with Madisyn and her balloon! It was so cute, I just had to get some shots! So, nothing too creative, but it is a great memory to me! If only I would have paid a little more attention to the exposure, but I was trying to hurry and capture the moment!!

Head on over to iheartfaces to see some more great entries, or just click on the button at the bottom of the post!

Pictures!

2009-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

I decided maybe I would have 2 different blogs. One for my pictures, and one just for family stuff! We'll see how it goes! The name came from nicknames that we call our kids. Our son we call Moose, our middle daughter we call our Bear, and our baby is our little Ladybug. So, in case anyone was wondering, that is what it is from! Hopefully I can update both of them, I don't do a lot of pics for others, so this will mainly be the little that I do, and stuff that I post with other pictures, like Iheartfaces, etc....
And to begin... I will just post a SOOC shot from the pics we did today of my niece. She is such a doll! We had a lot of fun, not a lot of time. Hopefully we can do some more this week with her! I love her eyes! They sparkle all the time!!