Chillaxin!

Just chillin' out this morning trying to calm my nerves.

Why am I nervous?

I have an official photo shoot this afternoon and I am anxious.

I know it will turn out great...

I know I will get awesome shots....

I just want this to photo shooting gig to work out for me.

Wish me luck!

Fireworks 101

Fireworks!  I have tried a million times to capture them but have never been very successful.  This year, I had the right equipment, did my homework beforehand and was excited to try it all out.

The results? - Eh.  I'm not 100% impressed with the results.  

I am uber-picky so please bear with my ambivalent feelings about these shots.  I love the concept of the shots, but I am not happy with the clarity and sharpness. I blame that on the lens that I used not the technique.

So, if you still have a chance to shoot Fireworks, here are my tips:

1. A tripod is absolutely required.  If you don't have a tripod, find something to rest your camera on (the hood of the car, a rock,a cooler) but DO NOT hold the camera.  If you are a caffeine addict like me, the camera will shake when you attempt this!

2. You need to change the settings on your camera.  My camera has a function called "bulb".  This basically allows you to choose how long to keep the shutter open.  Push the shutter button and hold it until you are done.  Not all cameras have this function so the key is to choose the setting on your camera that keeps the shutter open as long as possible.

3. Timing is everything.  I was fortunate enough to be very close to the action and I could hear each shot before you could see it.  I would open the shutter just before the first burst and would leave it open until the firework started to fade.  The general rule of thumb - If you wait until you see the sparkle, you are probably going to be too late!

4. Be patient!  You won't get every shot.  It takes a few minutes to get the rhythm of the show down.  Some colors look great in the sky but don't show up well - like blue.  Some shapes don't translate well.  If it is windy, your results might be very different.  We were lucky to have a very still night last night.

5. The most important thing, unless you are getting paid to shoot the fireworks display, stop playing with your camera and enjoy the show!  Take it from me, I have completely 'missed' some displays because I was too concerned about getting the perfect shot and I didn't get to enjoy myself.  Remember, there is always next year!

Happy 4th of July!

May your day be sunny,

your BBQ yummy,

and your fireworks bright!

Have an awesome 4th everyone!

How can you say no to these eyes?

It was really hot so there was a lot of panting going on too!

What is green, pink, and blue?

Despite the baseball hat and the lack of hair,

this is the sweetest little girl I know!

I kept hearing 'awes' when I was walking my sweetie the other day.  

I know she is the most adorable thing ever but complete strangers

were completely taken with her.

I stopped and peered into the front of the stroller only to find

Cutie Pie was bust chewing on the straps and staring at every one

with those amazing baby blues!

Of Footballs and Flowers

I never thought my nephew would be playing football,

but here is proof that he is in the game!

The "games" are pretty comical to watch at times but the kids seem like they are having fun!

In the meantime, I also got the exact opposite of manly activities from my niece...

She picked this flower just for me!

Well, maybe not just for me, but it was sweet!

Award Winner!

My award winning contest entry!  

Second place (and $25) isn't bad.

And besides, if you have to place second to someone, I was so glad that it was a friend and fellow scrapbooker - Harriet - that won first place!

A little birdie told me that this photo was tied for the people's choice award ;-)

Unfortunately, the deciding vote was cast "after the deadline" :-(

I guess I can't win everything!