Clean Edit

It's Tutorial Tuesday with Ashley and Sarah and this week they demonstrated how to do some clean portrait edits.  I followed the link that Sarah shared to Paint the Moon and I download three photo effects.  I applied the "Sunny Days" effect to most of my pictures.

I pulled these pictures from my archive. I took these pictures in 2009 with a camera I had borrowed.  I never did any editing to them, so I thought they would be fun to play with.

On another note I am so sad to see Tutorial Tuesday go. Sarah and Ashley are deciding to end it :(  I have really enjoyed each weeks tips and they have really inspired me and have taught me so much. 

Above is my younger sister holding Tiny.  She is a baby whisperer and in a few weeks she will have her own little baby to hold! I'm so excited.  Tiny wouldn't let anyone hold him when he was a baby, which was so exhausting on me especially since the boys are only 17 months apart, but somehow he cooperated with his aunt long enough for me to take some pictures!

Look a family photo shot exists of us from 2009!

linking with Rambling & Photos

Tutorial Tuesday- The Golden Hour

This week's tutorial is "The Golden Hour". For full details go here.

The idea of the golden hour is the time just before the sun sets and the time as the sun rises (I think. I know at least the part when the sun is setting is correct.)  You have to see the tutorial for all the correct info. There are even apps for the golden hour! Who knew?

Anyway as you know I am a dork. I love to spin and knit. I am in a knitting group and tonight was knitting club.  I love my knitting club we sit around knitting, crocheting, eating, drinking and chatting.

It is just a fun easy time.

Tonight we met up at my sister's.  As I was pulling up to her house I saw the sun was setting on the neighbors farm.  The grass was waste high and golden. I wanted more than anything to get someone to go in the field so I could get pictures for "Tutorial Tuesday: Golden Hour",

but I didn't take advantage of the setting.

So instead I begged my sister to go in the field in front of her home to get some pictures. I know my nephew would cooperate. Plus she finally finished her shawl so it was a win win. There was no time for outfit changes we only had a few minutes so we rushed out into the field in front of her home.  We mangaged to get a finished knitted project shot, one year photo shoot and Tutorial Tuesday all into ten minutes.

"Mommy I picked you a flower" 

"But you can't have it"

Ha Ha my sister showing off her new shawl she just knitted. Plus her glass of wine.  As I was taking this picture the delivery guy showed up with our dinner and he just gave us a strange look :)

I loved getting the hazy golden hour look.

Tiny insisted on getting in most of the pictures, but I tried to crop him out of this shot. I went for the vintage look to make him blend into the picture.

Thanks again to Ashley and Sarah for the tips

Tutorial Tuesday - B&W

I am joining along with Rambling & Photos Tutorial Tuesday. Today's tutorial is B&W.  Thanks Ashley and Sarah for the wonderful tips.  They were such a huge help!

The picture below I took of the boys at the airport this weekend.  Tiny has his hand binoculars looking for airplanes.

I also took this picture this weekend of our friend. She had just come out of the bouncy house and I love how her hair was all over the place from jumping around.

I followed all of the steps to convert these to B&W from Ashley's tips you can see them here.

Tutorial Tuesday- Shooting in Direct Sunlight

This weeks tutorial was shooting in direct sunlight.  I had the boys stand with their backs to the sun and I stood a safe distance from the garden hose and got my shot.  I will admit I ran as quick as I could after getting this shot so I and my camera didn't get wet.  I love how the spray of the water came out from the sunlight.

Be sure to check out all the other entries this week by clicking here.



Peanut Hats

I just finished knitting these newborn hats and gift pocket.  I used Knitting Fever Indulgence 6 ply Distrato.  I made the pattern up myself.  You can see my Ravelry notes here.  One hat should fit a newborn 0-3 months. Then the other hat fits from 3-9 months.  I also made a small pouch with a draw string. I thought it would be perfect for a pacifier.

I photographed the hats using High Key Photography as part of Tutorial Tuesdays.

Be sure to check out Ramblings and Photos & The Naptime Momtog for all the tips and to see all the other entries this week.

I photographed the hats ontop of my dryer in my laundry room.  It is the only white surface in my house:)

I am also joining with Ginny of Small Things weekly Yarn Along.

Low Key Photography- Tutorial Tuesday

I am participating in Ashley Sisk of Rambling & Photos & Sarah of Naptime Momtog weekly Tutorial Tuesday.  This weeks topic was Low Key Photography.  The lesson was to use key lighting for a photograph.  You can read all the details by going here.

I was very excited about this topic because I had recently seen a picture that won a contest and I really wanted to know how to take a shot like that. The picture was of a father and child under a sheet reading a book with only a flash light. The picture was beautiful and I didn't know how to get such a sharp image in such a dark setting. So when I discovered that the tutorial for the week was to do just that I was very excited to try it out.

So I did what any good mother would do that wants to take a picture of her two children under a blanket with only a flash light in the dark. I let them stay up late so they would be easier to work with.  Well my kids were happy to watch TV late, but it was more of a wrestling match over the flash light then good quality shots.

So I separated the boys and while I was setting Brady up for the shot, Tiny fell asleep. My plan worked!  Also Brady was getting very sleepy and easy to work with.  But don't let him fool you he was awake during his pictures.  Can you see his little smirk?

What I really love about the picture above is Brady with his favorite toy. I knitted him this alpaca and he keeps it with him at all times. The other day we had a tragedy.  Tiny ripped one of the eyes out.  Poor Brady was broken hearted. He cried insisting that it was ruined.  I had more eyes and I put a new one in. He continued to cry even after I insisted it was good as new.  With tears in his eyes he cried, "no Mommy it's not as good as new its broken!"  He refused to even touch it for days. It just laid on the floor discarded.  But just the other day he picked it back up and decided it was fixed now.  I'm sure he'll outgrow his favorite toy but as a mom I'm so glad to have this picture.  If you ask him why it is his favorite toy he will tell you, "because my mommy made it for me."

Please be sure to check out all the other amazing entries in this weeks Tutorial Tuesday.

this post is being shared on Ramblings and Photos- Tutorial Tuesday

Double Exposure- Tutorial Tuesday

I was so excited to see today's tutorial was "Double Exposure".  I took a picture of my niece and nephew on Easter and I just loved it. It needed some help with Photoshop and I just wasn't sure what the right edits would be.  I was so excited to see Ashley & Sarah came up with this tutorial.  I used to develop all my own film and I loved doing double exposures, so I knew I couldn't miss out this week.  Only problem is my three year old has the stomach virus and I have been sitting on the couch with him all day. I have never seen him so sick, poor thing.  I didn't think I was ever going to be back on the computer.  But I have let him play video games for the past half hour and I got to edit this picture. I think it was a win for both of us. He seems to be doing better and I got a kick out of how this picture turned out. 

Original Pictures

I probably could do more to this shot, but I must get back to Tiny.

this post is being shared on Ramblings & Photos

Watercolor

I am participating in Ashley Sisk's Tutorial Tuesday.  I was having so much fun editing some of my recent images.  I have put the revised pictures above the original photos.

This has been so much fun. I am so thankful for the tips I have learned!