Marble Falls, TX: Amanda ~ senior session

Her determined spirit, thorough nature and ADORABLE freckles are just a few of the things
that make this girl special :)

Soon Amanda will be heading off to become a neo-natal nurse, a job for the gentle yet NOT faint of heart.  Amanda, my prayers will be with you as you persevere through this next stage in life.  What a joy it is of mine to say I got to know you!  Luv ya gurl!

(Amanda's hair and makeup was done by
Stephanie Gutierrez  of  CrossHairs Salone Apothetique   in  Marble Falls.
FANTASTIC work gurl!)

Marble Falls, Tx; Amanda ~ sneak peek

OMGOODNESS!!!!  I LOVE my job :D  What a FUNTABULOUS time I got to have today!  Wonderful session with a GORGEOUS teen!  Couldn't wait to get a peek up for her, Amanda...

YOU WERE AMAZING!

Horseshoe Bay, TX: Means Family (mini-reunion)

I love those moments when you just KNOW God has dipped His hand into the kettle of time, sprinkled in a few festive ingredients, stirred a little, simmered and tasted His amazing creation.  The fragrance of His sovereignty is a powerful thing and I love relishing it.

It was by His design that this session came to fruition.  A friend of a friend, of a friend, the right place, the perfectly right time and voila!  A gorgeous family, amazing grans (one of which is in military school and was actually able to be there!), a blast of a grandma, and a view to die for!  What a scrumptious combination!

Kiss & Tell: Golden Hour....

Ok, so I promised you another Kiss & Tell and this time it was on one of my FAVORITE images I've done yet!  As you may recall, I posted a senior session a little while back and indicated that I had a ton of fun playing with a certain image.  Well, here it is.  If you guessed the sunglow one, either you are ingeniously smart, or you know me too well, haha :D

This is my FAV FAV FAV for several reasons!  I have been after that elusive "golden hour" glow/sun flare for two years now (I started photoging in 2009).  Gorgeous light and sunflare were some of the primary qualities I have been yearning for and have cried tears over.  Often wondering if I really could do this whole photography thing because I just couldn't seem to grab hold of that gorgeous glow like others had.  When you are self-taught, sometimes you are blessed to find a tutorial on some technique, and if you are REALLY blessed you may find another photoger willing to share their "secrets".  In the area of sunflare and glorious glow, I haven't been so lucky.  It's been try, try again, CRY, try, try again, CRY.... you get the picture, (haha, I love puns!)  This time, I got to cry for joy!  :D

We LITERALLY went out as the sun was going down.  The Rebel would have NEVER let me get this image.  The ISO range is lousy and my shutter would have had to compensate.  Not good when there is wind or people that breath, lol!  The 5D however.... :D gave me what I needed.  SO!  When people tell you that you don't need "better gear" they are only telling you part of the story.  The photographer makes the image, yes.... BUT you can be severally handicapped by limited means.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news peeps.  I'm bummered and sorry but it's the truth.

When we got the shot I was jumping up and down (literally, just ask Alyssa.... she wasn't sure who was more excited, she or me!)!!!  I couldn't believe I caught flare and SUN GLOW!!!!!  Fast forward to uploading and I was saddened to see that it wasn't quite to my standards... yet.  I knew I had good bones to work with though and was thrilled beyond belief when I got the final result!

I can't list out my exact steps (sorry, didn't even think about writing it all down, I was just sooo excited to play, lol!) but I'll give a sorta, kinda overview.

First things first, I had to deal with the lighting issue... she was WAY underexposed!  Adjusting contrast, lighting, basic stuff then the fun began.  I hated the road beside her :(  And that dad-gum power line!!!!  That HAD to go.  So OFF with it's head :)  Content aware, as always.... I LOVE YOU!!!!!!  Fantastic on cleaning up those temporary blemishes and unsightlys ;)  Little skin smoothing, then the BAM factor!  I copied the image as a layer.  Flipped it horizontally, did a layer mask and took off where she was.  This took some time to get the right opacity on brushes, etc but eventually I got it to work.  I didn't want it to be tell-tale so I took some of the extra leaves off the right side, took a reed out on the lower left (content aware!) and adjusted a few other spots accordingly.  NOW, yes.... I didn't fix the top of the image.  I know that you can see the "duplicity" of the image but I loved the "ray" affect it had and decided to leave it.  Who knows, I may look back on this and think, "good grief!!!" but for now, I LOVE it and that's what matters, lol!  I used an action to increase the vibrancy of the color around her, and then tried several different "sunlight" actions.  I played for HOURS!  The sun glow was my favorite so that's the one I posted :)  Maybe I'll post the others at another time so you can see the difference actions can make.

Hope you enjoyed seeing the fun that goes on behind the scenes :)

XOXOXO

City Lights...

While I delight in multitudes of twinkling points of light amongst a cityscape,
I absolutely ADORE a gorgeous sunset in the country.  I love living in such a quiet area.
 This is my kind of city light :)

Sweet Sunset Promises

Alas, I am a happy woman.  Well, I generally am one anyway but tonight, especially so.

After having to take my baby (11yr old baby) to the doc for ear infections :(, picking up groceries, waiting on the meds, and canceling a play date (photogin' with a precious friend), heading home I saw something.  Something amazing.  Something growing.  Something that was about to take my breath away.  I saw the signs and couldn't ignore them.

For over a year now, I've been dying to get another fabulous sunset.  I've evaluated my way through every season, every possible location (preferably void of electrical lines) and ashamedly, missed MANY!  I have realized that part of the recipe to capturing a spectacular sunset consists of several things.  Clouds, ribbons of clouds actually.  Too many or too fuzzy and they block too much of the sun.  Calm.  No 90 mile an hour winds (that's just my personal preference, whether it affects a sunset, don't really know).  Winter.  I think this is important.  I have tried for MANY months to find another sunset like the one I took last February.  I've tried and tried but found nothing as showy and splendiforous as I have seen in winter.  No science that I've looked up, just gesture based on personal experience.  The last item you need.... your camera.  You think I'm just being silly.  Nope, you may remember my venting about this same subject not long ago.

After slapping myself, many times over the last few months, I finally had to just hand it over to God and ask Him to provide the moment.  The perfect sunset (and help to have my camera on hand).  Well, whether this is the one He planned on or if this is just a tease for an even BETTER one; He promised, AND delivered!

Tonight, I saw the makings of what proved to be a most magnificent display.  I prayed the whole way home (didn't have the camera with me, of course!).  I took MULTITUDES of deep breathes.  Prayed, breathed, prayed, breathed and then I realized something.  He wouldn't show me what He was about to do only to not help me get there in time.  Trust.  I had to trust Him.

What a wonderful God He is!  Not only did I get there in time, but it all worked beautifully, even down to the gloves I had just put in the car.... TODAY!  I love His promises.  So simple, so gentle, so true and trustworthy.  If He cares to give me a gift as simple as a sunset, what MORE does He desire for me????  Almost like getting Christmas everyday.  Oh, wait... it is :D

This is comprised of three images, processed with my new PSE9 program, using the Panoramic option :D

Sunsets and a slap on the hand.

Well, I did it again.  I left the camera at home.  I don't know why I do that but I do.  I guess I don't want to be known as "the photographer" all the time.  I don't want to seem reclusive when I'm at functions.  It's all too easy to hide behind that piece of equipment, also known as my added appendage.  I want my family to know that it's not all about getting "the pic" for me.  It's about them... too :)

Well, tonight I went with my hubby to the BIA (Builders Industry Association) fall mixer.  We had a wonderful time chatting with other business owners and meeting new people.  We had the absolute BEST pizza I've EVER had, catered by JD's Brick Oven and some fabulouso margaritas!

Day was fading into night, my tummy was full, I was relaxed and happy.  I walked toward the glass doors leading out to the parking lot and what did I see?  Only the MOST stunning sunset I think I've ever witnessed!  I've been watching the sky, hopeful to find another sunset to at least match one I saw around this time last year.  Here it was!  It didn't match last year's, it FAR exceeded it!

The sky was ablaze in hues of florescent oranges, brilliant pinks, and shades of deep blue!  Guess what.  MY CAMERA was nestled cozily AT HOME!  Of course!  So yet again, here I wallow in the fact that I still haven't learned my lesson. 

I guess I can be grateful for cell phones,though sadly, they just DON'T do anything justice. This was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.  We left maybe five minutes after I got these shots.  Another ten minutes drive home and the sky was STILL on fire!  The string of clouds were a deep reddish orange and they stretched on for miles.  I've never seen a sunset last so long.  Not long enough for me to gather equipment, of course, but a site to remember none-the-less.  Another slap on the hand for me tonight.  Someday I'll get it through my head.  Someday.

NEVER leave home without it!!!