Sweet Shot

Have you ever taken a picture you thought was just another picture to be wow'ed by it later?  This is how I felt when I looked at this picture later, so I'm sharing it as part of 3 Boybarians Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Also, I'm really excited to join Madeline Bea Photography and her wonderful follower in starting the 365 Journey ... or taking a picture once a day for an entire year.  I see this as not only a way to grow, but as a way to find beauty in every day.  So, with the August Photo Hunt coming to a close today (I'll be posting them tomorrow), I have loved challenging myself to grow in that way.  I look back at the June Photo Hunt and I can see my pictures improve!  I can not wait to see how well my skills improve over an entire year of challenges!

I have been a bit down lately, so I'm really excited about seeing the small things ... the beauty ... in all days, even the crappy ones where you have an fussing argument on the phone with your husband while sitting in the break room ... everyday has a bit of beauty in it

I have a flickr page, and I will post my daily photos there with probably a weekly sharing of photos here, but I would really love to learn how to use a flickr page to the fullest.  Do you just join groups and comment on other peoples' pictures, kinda like blogging?  Can't wait to learn more!

Thanks!

Wow, thanks guys!  I feel so honored ... I got two awards last week!  Ok, so I'm usually horrible about these things, so I really want to take the time to honor the two blogs who passed the awards on to me.  What is even more amazing, is that I'm new to both these blogs, and just starting to enjoy their awesomness.

The Muffin Monster Bubbalug Blog has deemed me Kreativ.  Cool ... thanks!

The Punk Rock Mom has passed this one along for rockin' her socks off.  Thanks!  I could totally need some socks ... I can never find them, ever!

Both of these awards come with the fact that I am supposed to pass along 7 things you don't know about me.  

--When doing simple math problems, I use my fingers to count.

--It annoys me when people say 'bad' instead of 'badly', but I don't say anything because there is always a possibility that I could be wrong.

--Dissecting mice does not bother me one bit, but if I were to see one in my house I would probably still jump up on a chair and swat at it with a broom.  (oh yeah, I'm a research scientist ... that might help with understanding my last statement)

--I have a slight addiction to T.V. shows, mainly fictional dramas; the crazier the better.  I blame the 15 years I spent watching ER.

--I am a huge football fan, and a huge nerd at the same time.  What do I mean by this?  I tell people that I went to every single game of Auburn University's undefeated season in 2004, and then follow that up by saying because I was in the marching band!

--Last night on the news the newscaster said something like "Your genes may be a reason for ...." and I looked at Andrew with this crazy look on my face; then turned back to the t.v.  About a minute later I went "oooooohhhh, I get it", to which Andrew looked at me and said "You thought he meant 'blue jeans', huh?  Aren't you a scientist?"

--Can a sitting position be passed along by genetics?  Leah sits like I used to when I was a kid, but I have never seen anyone else sit like this.

awwww, wasn't I such a cute kid!

ok, there's my 7 random things, and honestly I hate passing these things along ... so if you want an award, then take it because everyone who reads this post makes me smile and deserves an award!

Learning new Ideas

photo via flickr

photo via blogger

What do you think?  Do you post via flickr or do you just upload and post on blogger?  Just wondering?  Would love help ... email if you wanna c.killion@yahoo.com

Picture Hunting

Bokeh

I shoot with a 'point and shoot' camera, so getting a bokeh effect is pretty much always a goal when I take pictures.  I really like this picture because it's small flowers within a larger flower, and I thought the leaves in the background made a nice bokeh.

Business 

This is the General Store in Mt. Laurel, Alabama.  I love the way the antique store front looks against the blue sky.

Eco-Friendly

Really, I'm not loving this picture, but I'm kinda stuck at this theme.  This is a solar thing ... they have them next to light posts and streetlights to help run the lights at night.

Repetition 

Walking ... that pretty repetitive ... this shot was taken outside my work at Vanderbilt.

Music

This is the book I learned my scales from as a child.  I started playing piano when I was 8 and loved it!  When I moved out of my parents' home, I took all my original piano music with me with the hopes that one day I could use it to teach piano to my children.  Here's just a sampling from the first notebook I had.

Editing

Lately, I've been trying to figure out my 'thing' when it comes to taking pictures.  I guess, kinda like my feeling or what makes my pictures unique.  I want to have those pictures that make people go WOW, those are awesome.  Or pictures that I can blow up onto canvases and put around our house and have people ask me where I bought my pictures from.

I uploaded like 90 random pictures to facebook yesterday ... just because I could.  While showing them to my husband (who knows nothing about photography, but he does know what looks good to him), I said something like ... I like the vivid colors of my pictures.  But the more that I looked at them; the more that it seemed like the vivid colors are just too bright and become harsh.  That's not what you blow up and look at everyday.

I love looking at other people's photos especially for inspiration.  I love the soft edits, the added textures, the pink overlays ... but I don't have any sort of editing software.  and we can't afford any editing software (yet).  So ... I'm stuck.  I feel like my pictures aren't as good as they could be ... but then again, I guess that's what makes us better...always re-evaluating and improving ...

Vivid facebook pics

and since I'm focusing on editing ... here's my Iheartfaces Fix it Friday entries ....

Original photo -- downloaded with permission

Edit 1 (vivid colors)

Edit 2 (my attempt at a soft edit)

Edit 3 (black and white b/c it's always fun)

My Parents' Garden

Somebody said "Get Outside"

I said 'Yay!'

While at my parents' this past weekend, I took a tour of their yard

my parents love to work in the yard and maintain it beautifully

I love to take pictures of it ...

Dad told me 'my sister and i' had it easy because we never had to mow the yard since he and mom enjoyed doing it 

I said ... 'that's fine with me!'

this is his favorite picture ... he said it looks just like him and mom

Dad reading the paper and Mom drinking coffee

they are so cute!  31 years together and still in love 

look at these guys ... they were eating this flower and the Sunflower plant too ... creepy

and I will leave y'all with this picture ... make sure you visit You Capture for more outside pictures ... my favorite place to be!

Babe with Flowers

This is my 100th entry on this blog.  Cool, huh?  So, you may have noticed I changed this blog up a little bit.  I don't know why I was trying to keep it separate from my other blog ... but I like it better this way.  My other blog is Just Thinkin'.  Soon after I started it, I started really taking pictures too.  I was totally bogging people down with entries and photos all the time ... so I started this blog.  and now I've changed the title to Just Thinkin' in Photos...this doesn't mean that I don't post photos on the other site or not write on this site ... but yeah, I think y'all get it :-).

So, if you wanna know more about me, feel free to visit me here too --


Now -- onto photo entries!
The Paper MamaFlower

my youngest -- Audrey

Wishful Lamb

Messy Faces

Elise -- one of the girls at Leah' party

In a Yellow House

Trees

The Sunday Creative(button not working?)Orient to set in a definite position esp. in relation to the points on a compass

It's my Party Mommy

Last Thursday my Leah turned 3!  Her party was Saturday.  It was a big success!

the Punk Rock mom has a new photo challenge with different themes ...

I'm entering the above picture in the 'a person from...' theme

We had an Isa's Garden party complete with gardening in the sandbox, making thumb print garden t-shirts and cupcakes with Isa, Dora, and flowers!

Also, tomorrow is Faith (over at Simplicity)'s birthday!  Her photo challenge is for birthdays, perfect for our last weekend!  I'm entering the above picture into her contest!

and hugs and fun times were had by all!

Leah is already planning for her birthday next year!