an episode of real life experience.

just a quick, (sorta) funny story for you today.  by the way, this actually happened to Gary, not me.  I'm simply relating it second-hand.

a couple months back, Gary went grocery shopping at Super Walmart and took Rowan along with him.  at first, Rowan wanted to ride in the cart because he was "too tired to walk."  but, given his free-spirited personality, he quickly became bored with the idea of riding and opted to walk along side the cart race up and down the aisles instead.  so much for being tired.        

slowly but surely, they made their way through the store hitting up the produce section first, followed by the dairy section, and so on and so forth.  every few seconds, Gary would check on Rowan to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble, like using the oranges to knock over soup can displays, or something.  

as they approached the meat section, Gary, preoccupied with keeping an eye on Rowan aka the loose cannon, nearly rams his cart into the unsuspecting stock boy who was busy restocking the meat case with ground hamburger.  fortunately, stock boy was so into his job that he failed to notice he was nearly taken out by a grocery cart.      

now if I remember the story correctly, apparently this stock boy was no slim jim by any stretch of the imagination.  and so, you know-- picture this big, heavy-set guy bent over the meat case, his broad backside protruding up in the air like a giant, beckoning target.  swiftly, and without any warning, Rowan plants a hand firmly on stock boy's hind end, giving him a hefty wallop!

immediately, stock boy whips his head around and, of course, sees Gary aka the lone suspect standing there.  he gives Gary this look like excuse me?  how dare you spank me on the butt like that!  instinctively, Gary puts his hands up in an innocent gesture and says, "hey it wasn't me, it was my kid."  and then he points over at Rowan.  only Rowan was no longer there.  obviously relying on his street smarts, he had fled behind the other side of the meat case to hide.

*insert that awkward moment when your kid slaps a guy on the rear end and then disappears, leaving you to take the blame*

the end.

*     

I was recently asked how to take pictures indoors, under relatively poor lighting conditions without using flash.  the key here is to bump up your ISO to 400 or higher and if you can, try placing your subject by either a window or a patio door, preferably south facing where the light is a bit warmer and more abundant.  depending on the mood you want, sometimes it's okay if the picture is a bit dark.  it's all a matter of personal preference.

to give you an example, the below pictures were all shot indoors, under relatively poor lighting situations.  are they all great pictures?  of course not.  I was more focused on capturing snippets of the daily grind rather than trying to achieve that perfect picture.       

-jessica

wherein Rowan shares a few photography tips.

in case you haven't heard, Rowan has recently taken up photography.  (what?  as if.  now we've heard it all.)  

no really, I'm serious.  

and while I wouldn't quite label him as "professional" (yet), I will say he's become fairly adept at taking pictures with my phone*, using techniques such as filling the frame, cropping, and tilting the camera, among other things.  

*I'll give him at least another year before I let him have at my DSLR.

being the nice guy that he is, Rowan has kindly agreed to share his top five photo tips with you.  I'll leave it up to your discretion whether you choose to implement them or not. 

1. how to take a photo of a cute chic without coming across as being overly aggressive.     

Rowan says: this calls for the technique known as the "two-fer-one."  simply pretend as if you're going to take a self-portrait and then covertly aim the camera to include the cute chic(s) in the background.  you'll have your photo, and no one will be the wiser.   

2. how to bust your mom sitting around in her pajamas drinking coffee at quarter to ten in the morning. 

Rowan says: to ensure that she's caught completely unaware, simply step back a few feet before snapping the picture.  and then.  THEN.  when she complains about how over-worked and under-paid she is blah blah blah, you can whip out your picture and say (but not before first reading her the miranda rights), "I don't think so.  according to this here photo, it appears you do nothing but sit around in your pajamas and drink coffee all day.  what do you have to say for yourself now, huh?  HUH?"  to which she'll either respond, "I plead the fifth" or "at age three, what do you know?"   

3. how to take gorgeous pictures of your neighbor's outdoor Christmas light display.

Rowan says: easy.  when your mom is not looking, snatch up her phone and quickly race outside.  by the time she figures out what's going on, you'll have already captured a stunning image.  and if you're lucky, it might even make the facebook cut like mine did.

4. how to take an award-winning photo of the Christmas tree. 

Rowan says: you'll for sure want to sneak in a shot of the Christmas tree this season, especially after having painstakingly rearranged the ornaments no less than 57 times, causing your mom to throw up her hands in despair and threaten to, and I quote, "tear the stupid thing down!"  to achieve the best shot, I suggest you lie down on the couch while taking the picture.  it makes the tree appear larger than it really is.

and finally,

 

5. how to subtly hint to your mom that she needs to lose a few pounds. 

Rowan says: here's the thing.  the thing is.  in order to have the most "OH MY WORD IS MY BUTT REALLY THAT BIG?" effect, the picture must be taken while she's facing away from you (make sure her rear end is in view), primarily because this is the least flattering angle.  also, be sure to include the cause of all those extra pounds (in this case, the bag of Hershey's kisses) somewhere in the photo as well.  remember, most moms are rather touchy about this subject, so go easy.

good luck and have fun!

sincerely yours,

Rowan the Red-Nosed Reindeer

look what I made!

a few things.

just a few random things on my mind today, so here goes.

a while ago (longer than I care to admit), a few of you had asked which photo editing program I use.  (and I apologize for not getting to this question sooner, but you know, pregnancy brain!  I tell you, this absentmindedness is getting to me.  but, I've relented to the fact that it's going to be a while before it disappears, and that it'll probably get worse before it gets better.  so bear with me, okay?  thanks, I knew you'd understand.)   

anyway, I use Adobe Photoshop CS4.  however, I do shoot in RAW, and truthfully, I make most of my adjustments in Camera Raw (ie; white balance, contrast, blacks, clarity, vibrance) before opening up the image in photoshop.  after bringing the image into photoshop, I may (or may not) run a couple actions (I have these, these and these freebies from here), depending on what kind of look I'm after.  I know there are a lot of editing trends out there, but personally, I prefer a more "timeless" look to my photos. so, if you think my pictures are boring or dull, I TOTALLY get it.  I guess I'd rather focus my energy on getting the image I want and nailing the exposure the first time, rather than the post-processing part.  but honestly, it all boils down to personal preference and doing whatever works best for you.  is there a right or wrong way to edit?  probably not.  

I have plans to write up a more in-depth post on the steps I go through after uploading a photo, so keep an eye out for that.  um, I just have to figure out how to do it first (I know, details, right?)  sound good?

great, moving on.

if you recall, a while back I had mentioned getting Phoebe tested to see if she could start Kindergarten early (she misses the cut-off by 4 days.) well, for the past five weeks, she's been attending Kinder Camp, which is basically a program geared towards readying Kindergartners (mostly those needing an extra boost) for the school world, both socially and academically.  I guess you could say it's kind of like a condensed version of a typical school day.

just last week, I met with Phoebe's teachers for an evaluation.  they informed me that Phoebe was doing excellent and is indeed ready for Kindergarten-- she's able to focus and follow instructions, she's recognizing letters/numbers and can write her name, she's raising her hand and asking for help when she needs it, she's interacting with other kids and has made a few friends.

of course, our decision to send her hasn't been without doubts (are we doing the right thing? will she continuously struggle?), but after getting the go-ahead from Phoebe's teachers, it did give me some peace of mind.  I think she'll do just fine.

photos taken on her last day of Kinder Camp.  the bus driver insisted on being in the picture.  creepy, or what?

so, in just a couple of weeks, we'll send seven kids off to school.  crazy, huh?  in fact, after purchasing supplies, tennies and backpacks for all those kids, we are now accepting donations at www...

HAHAHAHHAAAAuuuurkk!

have a great weekend!

-jessica                              

wherein I answer a question. or two.

a couple of you asked what kind of camera I have, so here goes.

*clears voice*

it's a Canon Rebel XSi, although there is a newer "Rebel T" series out, which I'm pretty sure is comparable to what I have-- obviously with a few more bells and whistles, like video capability and a greater ISO range, which would be nice.  I would absolutely LOVE to upgrade my camera body, BUT.  being I don't shoot professionally, I find it hard to justify spending a couple grand "just because."  not to mention, I'd probably be banished to the dog house forever.  er, maybe that would be a good thing? no?

as for the lens, I've been strictly shooting with the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 which I love.  it is a little on the spendy side, but it's an awesome, all-around, everyday lens, more than suitable for the type of shooting I do.  sure, there are a couple other lenses I've been coveting, like the 50mm f/1.2 and the 85mm f/1.2, but again, DOG HOUSE.  guess a girl can always dream, right?  or start a photography business.

speaking of which, perhaps a few of you have wondered why I haven't started a photography business yet, am I right?  I mean, that would definitely be a good way to earn money for these items I've been secretly wanting, or so you'd think.    

well, believe me.  I've mulled the idea over so many times, I've lost count.  but I think it all boils down to this: how much can I handle?  honestly, I feel like I have enough on my plate just being a mother and a wife.  I don't think I could juggle a photography business on top of it, and still manage to stay sane.  if something overwhelms me, I start to stress and freak out.  consequently, everyone around me suffers as they're tip-toeing on eggshells wondering whose head I'm about to bite off next.  it's just not fair to my kids and hubby.  I don't know.  maybe it sounds like a flimsy excuse, but I'm stickin' to it.  

furthermore, it would most certainly require time away from my family, something I'm not willing to sacrifice right now.  at this stage in our life, I feel the need to be present for my kids, especially the teenagers.  before I know it, "they'll be grown and gone."  at least that's what everyone tells me.  in fact, I just came across this quote recently, and I found it to be a subtle reminder: "the days are long, but the years are short."  

so, I guess that's pretty much it in a nutshell.  maybe there will come a point in my life when I'll be ready to take on the challenge, but for now I'm content to just photograph my own family.  whether they appreciate it or not, who knows?

hopefully someday they will, especially this kid; aka, mister blog hog.  what a goof!

camera settings: ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/200s @ 59mm.

real quick, here's an example of a before (on the left, SOOC) and after.  basically, I just warmed up the photo by adjusting the white balance and boosted the colors a bit, nothing too difficult.  would any of you be interested in seeing more of this in the future?  I'd be happy to throw this into the mix every now and then.  let me know.

have a great weekend!

-jessica