DOF (Depth of field)

I know that when you are taking portraits you should use your dof depth of field and blur the background so it's not distracting from the person in the portrait...but I feel photography is about the photographer's perception too!  If I take a client to a certain location that I love it is for the purpose of having that background in the photograph, why would I want to blur the background and not let you see what I see...I know there are sometime when you don't want to background in it, if it is not as optimal as you would like it to be...most of the time I want to be able to see at least most of the details in the background.  This is just my preference on this, I know everyone has their own way of looking at it, that is why there are so many photographers!  Lol! Just my thought for the day!



Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Melissa!

The blue eyed girl with the pink tractor!

 I love this session from last week.  This senior girl had the most beautiful blue eye's.  She also had a pink tractor that belonged to a friend of the family.  The husband restored the tractor for his wife who is a breast cancer survivor!  It was a really cool story and I was so glad I had the opportunity to photograph her and the tractor!  Here are a few pictues from that session!

So there you have it!  Wasn't I right!  A beautiful girl with blue eye's and a very cool, pink tractor!  

Aging

It seems when we're young, we don't need our parents around, we want to prove ourselves, who we are and what we will become.  As I have gotten older...just a little older, I have found that the moments I have with my parents are very special to me and I cherish every moment I have with them.  Life is too short and our parents have a wealth of knowledge and a lifetime of stories to share.  Some of the best times I have with my parents are when they tell stories from their lives, to hear stories of my history and my heritage.  To hear stories from my dad, that my uncle who is a preacher, was a little bit wild growing up, the stories of my mother's family big as it was...she was the youngest child of 12 and how some of them lived in a tent with a dirt floor, it is priceless information I will cherish forever.  I love the look that only a mom and dad can give to their child, that look of joy.  The brightness in their eye's that lights up when they see you.  I love the beaming smiles, it almost bursting with pride when my children walk into the room.  My parents are a gift I will treasure for ever.  I love you mom and dad!  Thank you so much for being the great parents you are, I am blessed and give thanks every day God gave me to you! 

Where it all began

Because of you, I am

 

Here are some pictures from my mother's side...Just a little scrap booking.  I plan to do a lot more and haven't even gotten to my fathers side yet.

This is my mother as a baby on the farm!

My mom and grandpa farming in the field.

Some of my uncles!

My mother's grandparents Levi Theopholis and Minnie Etta Smith.

Ok that's all for tonight!







Beautiful snow!

The weather was terrible today and I want to hate it, but when I look out my living room window, I just can't help by love the beauty of it.  There is a time in the winter, when you can step outside in the middle of the night and the moon is soo bright.  There is a peace in the air you can just feel.  It should be cold and you should be freezing, but then you step outside, you find you don't even need a coat...I love the winter night where you can walk outside late at night, and the bright of the snow can lead you where you want to go.  Where the quiet calm overtakes you with a peace.  This warm quiet calm only seems to happens about once a winter, and I find myself searching for that night.  This year I missed it, and I almost feel that I lost something this winter.  I know it seems silly but I just can't put into words the way it makes me feel.  There is peace on earth or just maybe in my back yard...but even so, it is something to experience.  My challenge to you would be to watch for this quiet calm next winter, you'll find it by the bright of the night.

Here is a Photo my daughter took a couple years ago and I did some scrap booking with it!



This picture always reminds me of the peace and calm, of the winter night.



To edit or to read...

Hello,
Boy it was cold and windy in Southern Il today.  With it being so cold this evening, it was perfect for a fresh pot of English Toffee Coffee...my favorite!!  So, I grabbed a cup of coffee and got out my new Kindle and downloaded 5 Scott Kelby ebooks onto my Kindle! I love it.  Now it's a real struggle, edit photos which I love, or read my Kindle and learn so new Skills with my camera!  Lol!...I have been going back and forth.
 
I stopped by an Antique store on the way home from work today and found some really great props.  I can't wait to use them and show them off.  I will be sure to post them as soon as I can...only problem is this session is gonna require more green on the ground and trees...and flowers blooming!!  I can't wait.

Ok so I really didn't get any editing done...I ended up going through my textures and putting them in files by color and type.  Lol!  Wow that was boring but Scott Kelby got me motivated to get organized.  Ok enough...Since I didn't edit any pictures I will just pick a random picture to post.  We'll call it

The Random Picture of the day!

  

   Mr. M was my second newborn session ever!  I just love this picture of him with daddy's fire gear! 
Well that's it for the night!

New Business Cards!!

I'm pretty much in love with my new business cards!  I just got them in the mail today.  I have been struggling for about 6 months with the design of what I wanted.  The designing was fun...but the deciding part was well...lets just say, less than fun and I never could decide.
  The designing is always fun, the deciding...my studio still doesn't have pictures displayed because I just can't decide.  If I had the space I would put almost all of them up!  Lol!  Well, you know me, I can't even do sneak peaks, somehow I always end up posting all of them!  Who am I do decide which ones are the best?  I even had my family pick their favorites from my photos and that would be that, those would be the ones displayed in my studio.  I did tell them they needed to have a wide range of photos, well they did decide and me...still couldn't do it there were still some pictures that I wanted that wasn't picked.  What to do...I guess someday I will decide, till then my studio remains photoless...sad! 
I haven't even told you about the sign that I can't decide on!  Lol!  Thank goodness the clients pick what pictures to order.
Ok so if you have been following my fan page you have probably already seen this but her it is, my new business card!

 So that's it!  Did I say I love it??  I do!

Blogging

Wow...so you can see I have not been a very good blogger, life and work tend to take over and I somehow find that I have more to do, than time to do it in.  I had a lot of projects going and  have completed quite a bit.  My studio is up and running, I still need a sign, and pictures on the walls.  I am soo thankful to my family who have been such a tremendous help with the studio.  I created a facebook fan page please feel free to go check it out and become a fan!  My client base continues to go and this...I just love.
I started photography to give me something to do when my girls left for college, it has been such a great project and I am so thankful for it.  I do miss my girls everyday, but I am becoming more comfortable with the fact that they are an hour and a half away and they do come home.  Lol!

My beautiful daughters

Ok, so anyway, I will work harder on keeping up with my blogging.  To promise I will blog every night...well that would just be a crazy statement.  I will see what I can do!  Lol!