Wordless Wednesday

Some favorites from last week.

 

Wordless Wednesday

I couldn’t decide on a butterfly this week, so you’re getting 3.







Which one is your favorite?

Got a Wordless Wednesday post?  Link up (please put the link to your post, not the blog).

Wordless Wednesday

Love our birdhouse that Jon’s mom bought us for our first wedding anniversary.

 

 

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Focal Length: 50mm

1/200s, f/5.6, ISO: 200

 

Edited in Photoshop with the help of Pioneer Woman’s actions (download them here)

 

Got a Wordless Wednesday? Link up! (please enter the URL that links directly to the post rather than your blog)

Wordless Wednesday

I hope to remember these tiny baby toes for as long as I shall live.

 

 

Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi

Focal length: 50mm

1/30s

f/1.8

ISO 800

Edited in Adobe Photoshop

 

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts (please link directly to the photo post, not your blog).

Wordless Wednesday

 

In case I don’t say it enough, I’m so in love with her.

 

Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi

50mm lens

1/25s f/2.2 ISO 800

 

Edited in Photoshop (with some help from Pioneer Woman’s actions - you can find them here).

 

Link up your photos!  I’ll put up one of them in the Weekly Roundup post this weekend.

Phone pics

Pioneer Woman’s latest Photography Assignment is Phone Pictures.

 

Here are the ones I’m submitting:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any awesome photo pictures to share?

Do you enter Pioneer Woman’s photography assignments?

Photos that didn’t quite make it

But still deserve a shout out.











Got any photos to share?

Link up (please put a direct link to the post, not your blog!).

I’ll host one of these each Wednesday from now on.  I’d love to see your photos - pro, newby, whatever.

I’ll feature my fav on Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday

A bee in my hosta.
Taken with Canon Rebel Xsi, 50mm lens, 1/2000s, f/1.8, ISO 200
Edited with Photoshop.

What’s in my camera bag

I don’t think it’s a shocker to anyone that I absolutely love photographs, taking photographs, and camera equipment.  Needless to say, some of my all-time favorite subjects are Peanut, Cailey, and Travis.

So let’s talk about what’s in my camera bag right now.

The camera:


Canon Rebel Xsi
(sorry but my camera isn’t good enough to take pictures of itself, so this is via amazon.com, where I actually bought it)

It came with the 18-55mm lens.  I heart my camera, although I think I’m outgrowing it.

The lenses:



Canon EFS 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 Telephoto Lens (amazon link here)

I love this one for action shots, far away shots, and future soccer games.



Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (amazon link here)

This is the one that I take almost all of my pictures with.  It is my favorite one for portraits and Peanut-butter shots.  It’s also amazing for up-close shots of flowers and other such prettiness.

Flash:



Canon Speedlight 420EX (amazon link here)

I got this one as a freebie from my grandparents.  They used to have a canon camera that they no longer use and I was trying to figure out how to afford this flash, so…yeah I lucked out.  There is a newer model that I hear is better. 

Memory cards:



SD cards 16GB (amazon link here)

I have about 5 of these in every size.  We have a video camera, the Canon DSLR and a point-and-shoot, and yet I feel like I am always out of cards.  This is mostly my fault since I am consistently leaving them out all over the place.

The bag:





Canon backpack (amazon link here)

I heart this backpack.  It lets you alter the pockets to fit your lenses, etc.  It has pockets galore, which I love since I’m a 5-year-old. 

and when I don’t feel like dragging the whole thing with me I use this:





My lovely sister-in-law got me this as part of a bridesmaid gift and I am in love with it.  Actually, I somehow have 3 of these in different designs and I use them every single day; as a camera bag, as a lunch bag, and as a bag for Peanut to take her bottles to daycare.  I can’t get enough of them - they’re super cute and just the right size.  I have no idea where she got them, sorry peeps.

So there you have it.

I’m dying for more camera stuff, especially lenses for my birthday.

Although a little birdie (my mom) told me that they already picked out my birthday present and I’m just DYING to get my grubby little hands on it!  I’m not going to give it away just yet, but let’s just say that it is a kitchen appliance that mixes things without me holding it.  That’s it.  That’s all I can divulge.  That and that I can’t freakin’ wait to have it.

What’s in your camera bag?

What’s your favorite place to buy stuff?

ps- no part of this post was sponsored in any way.  I use the amazon links because that is literally where I bought all the stuff.  Amazon - I heart you.  Marry me.

Wordless Wednesday

I’m going to try to spruce up my photography a bit, so you guys get a Photo that I love every Wednesday.  Feel free to critique or give me advice!



This is a flower from Inna’s dad’s garden.

New skills

I just found a wicked cool collage-making Photoshop freebie.

Check it out here.

Photoshop fun

Before

After

Changes applied:
Selective color: adjust blue to brighten up the dress
Curves: played with the custom settings until I got the result I wanted
Brightness/Contract: adjusted brightness to lighten it up
Hue/Saturation: adjusted the hue to give Peanut a little more pink in the cheeks

Do you edit your photos?

What do you use?

This happened to me last night

It was 2 am and I was sleeping soundly.  Suddenly, Cailey (the white dog), started pacing the room (imagine little dog nails all over the hardwood floor: tap tap tap tap tap).  I woke up, turned over and shushed Cailey and told her to go to bed.



I went to pee (because that’s what happens when you wake me up – I have to go pee almost immediately. Overshare? Maybe.)

Then I climbed back into bed and tried to fall back asleep.

That’s when Travis (the black dog) started growling.  I shushed him too.



Then both dogs started making all sorts of annoying noises that made me a little nervous.  So I shushed them and tried to listen.  That’s when I heard noises of someone digging around on my porch (it ends at the bedroom window, so it’s pretty easy to tell).

Now I have to take you back to that evening.  It was pouring out and I was cleaning up from dinner.  The trash stunk, so I decided to remove it from the kitchen but I didn’t feel like walking down the stairs and underneath my porch to put it in the bin.  So I did what I often do – I threw the bag on the porch and closed the slider door.

Okay, we’re back to 2 am.  Travis and Cailey are being annoying (read: trying to warn us that there is someone on my porch) and I’m starting to really freak out.  So I shake Jon awake (who is Mr.s Grump-grump if you wake him up at night) and tell him that there is someone on the porch.  Mr. Grump-grump gets up and walks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.  Now I’m super freaked out because my man just left me in the bedroom with two dogs on high alert and was walking directly into danger-zone (read: my porch).

There was the sound of the slider being opened, followed by some scrambling on the porch, followed by some other weird sounds, followed by Jon’s (I was hoping) footsteps approaching the bedroom.  He mumbled, “raccoons” under his breath, slid back into bed, and promptly fell asleep.

The dogs, too, settled right down in their dog beds and fell asleep.

I stayed up the rest of the night, wondering if the raccoons were coming back to get me.  Or if the bat that attacked us on our first year anniversary was back for more.

A garden update

This is only the second time that I made it out to the garden so I thought I’d update you (since we actually weeded it and all…).



Here are the Zucchini plants – the seeds have come a long way.



These are the other squash plants. They’ve also grown quite a bit.

The cucumbers, watermelon and onion seeds didn't make it.  I won't point any fingers (Jon) but someone (Jon) killed my onions (Jon).  And the rest I didn't plant correctly. 

The grass cuttings have been absolutely amazing at keeping the weeds away and putting nutrients into the soil

Although when it rots, it smells.  Really bad.  Yuck.



The strawberry plants have some sweet little treats hiding among them.  I picked about a bowl-full this morning and have already eaten most of them.  It’s like candy.  Nature’s candy.



Today we finally put the tomato plants in.



And basil.  I love basil.  So much.



For my first Mother’s Day, Jon’s mom bought me some perennials (does she know what I love or what!) and this here is a rhubarb plant.  Next to my strawberries.  Anyone else see something in our future?

Then I decided to take some pictures of some other perennials in my garden.   Enjoy.







I love my roses. 





I also love my irises.  I have these gorgeous blue ones and some yellow ones (they already finished blooming).



And I love eating these yummy wild strawberries or, in Russian, Zemlinika, from our garden.




What are you growing this year?  What are you proud of?