Sky Watch Friday!

Technically it is only Thursday evening for me, but obviously the party has already begun! After sky gazing all day, trying to get a beautiful shot of the clouds the show finally began. I was stranded in the parking lot of the school where my 8 year old's soccer team was having practice. Today I pulled the short straw and had to hang out there for nearly two hours! I missed my zumba class which has me annoyed and was just basically feeling sorry for myself. Ridiculous! I'm gonna miss these days, and it will be one day soon as the 8 year old is my baby. Anyways, it had been cloudy and dramatic all day with only teases of sun, and suddenly just as it was growing dark, this: How lovely. I tried to edit it, but could not make it look any better. This is basically a SOOC.

You Capture: Feels like Fall

Took a drive to the beach on Monday, a glorious golden day, weather wise. The beach was nearly deserted. A few locals and us. Feels like Fall.

Wearing Wellies!!

As I was rushing around recently, trying to make it out the door in time for the start of yet another soccer game (we have as many as 10 a week), my daughter in a moment of brilliance(she has many) said "Mom, you can wear your boots today, the weather is perfect!" I had purchased the polka dot wellingtons for a song last year. I couldn't afford to leave them on the shelf at Target for the %75 off they were. They are so cute and I am a sucker for polka-dots! I recently checked online and Target has over 50 different prints to chooses from this season, but no clearance yet. Anyways, I have not worn them often and have not successfully convinced my daughter to take up wearing them as she tends to like to fade into the crowd and not draw attention to herself. Since none of her 15 year old friends had worn a pair of rubber polka-dot boots to school she did not want to be the first. " Be the first!" I told her, they will all have them soon, but I have yet to convince her. She was right though, a rainy , nearly Fall day when I would be schellping onto a muddy soccer field that is often covered in goose poop was the perfect day for me to wear them. I quickly pulled them on and headed out the door. When I arrived my two closest " Mom"friends were already there, sitting in their bag chairs and look what was on their feet. Wellies! They had just purchased theirs that morn. and had ended up with identical boots.

Buddies

While on the beach in Milford on Monday, I was walking, camera in hand snapping photos and looking for sea glass. Kelsie from New Mexico had just come out of her house on the beach for her mid-morning stroll. She was so pretty and friendly and begged for me to take her picture with her buddy Max. I snapped several of her alone, as she tried out many poses she had seen recently on America's Next Top Super Model. Max was not interested. She somehow distracted him for a moment by saying "Max look, a pirate ship!", as she pointed her nose at the horizon. Max is intrigued by pirate ships and the dangers of living close to the water. It frightens him yet thrills him daily as he scans the waters for ominous ships. He stopped trying to wrestle her, and she slipped her arm around his neck. I quickly snapped the picture. "Psych!", she yelled and ran away. I got her email and sent her these pictures. She is very happy and Max never even knew I took his photo. Wait until he sees it framed on their credenza, won't he be surprised.

Bouquet

The Bluest Eye

None of my offspring have blue eyes, they are mostly brown or that brownish green hazel when wearing a green shirt. Since I love to photograph eyes I am often fascinated by the many shades of blue. This is my nephew's eye. Both his parents have that hazel color. Some how he ended up with this unique shade of darker blue.

Mosaic Monday

I am having so much fun with this mosaic making that here I am again along with Mary and friends from Little Red House. These are a few of my favorite photos I took last week. We had gorgeous weather last week in the Northeast. Just perfectly warm and sunny, yet not too hot. I figure I have to take the flower photos while I can. Right now you can find sunflowers and cosmos in full bloom, along with hydrangeas and a few aging cone flowers that are just as interesting as they pass as when in full bloom. The weather was ideal for playing outside after school and hanging out on the hammock in our backyard; and for your brother and neighbor to launch you airborne off the hammock. No injuries occured in the photographing of those pictures.

Airborne!

I am so proud of these action shots I took this week. The hammock in our backyard has always been a favorite hang out spot for the boys. But it doesn't take long for boys to get bored and turn a harmless past time like lounging on a hammock on a beautiful warm Fall afternoon into a thrill seeking good time. These photos are a bit deceiving. The two bigger boys on the ground are actually launching the little one through the air and off the hammock. No injuries occured as a result of this past time. Yet me being the adult witnessing this should have probably put an end to the event. But, I had my camera in hand and just had to try and capture the thrill of the ride. I think I did!

Fall Landscape Challenge

I am attempting the Fall Landscape Challenge from Miz Booshay over at The Pioneer Woman. I can honestly say: I don't think I know what I am doing. How come my ISO is set at 100 and my apperature will only go down to 5.6. It's my lense, right? Why does my flash pop up when I put the aperature at 5.6 and it's not even that dark out. That's so annoying. I like my pictures, but I am in many ways clueless. I need help, and hope. Help.

Sky Watch, Suburbia USA

This is my first week participating in Sky Watch. When I stumbled upon it I thought how appropriate for me, I am either literally or figuratively with my head in the clouds,. Either I have way too much running around in my head, or I am distracted by some lovely show the clouds are putting on. One of my proudest legacies I will pass on to my children is that they notice the beauty in the sky. Recently my boys were outside playing and suddenly began screaming for me. I was expecting either an injury or to have to referee a fight. "Mom, come quick! The sky looks so beautiful!! Quick!" I was so proud.
This picture I took not long ago as I was pumping gas. Such and American suburban scene. I am pumping gas at one station and staring at another station across the main street in our town. If you look closely you can see the advertisements for Marlboros and Coke blowing in the breeze along with the American flag. "Ain't that America."

You Capture Happiness

This is my entry in the You Capture challenge at http://ishouldbefoldinglaundry.blogspot.com. Needless to say I captured happiness. I love this picture of my little nephew! He was rolling around on the floor with my boys having a ball and just being silly. The photo was a little too blurry because he was moving all over and I was trying to stick with natural light. I was able to boost the color and clarity a little and I really like the result.

Sunflower Close-ups

I work at a greenhouse. Lucky me! The perfect spot to photograph flowers. These sunflowers are in perfect bloom. I started out taking pictures of their faces and realized how interesting the backs are. The greenery surrounding the blooms is fascinating and exquisite. I photographed as macro as possible and then did an abstact crop. I then sharpened a little and the little fuzzy hairs really stood out. It's my own way of pretending I'm doing HDR photomatrix stuff, which I do want to try. I stumbled on this blog and now I'm so distracted I can't stop visiting. Check it out: ScottyGraham.blogspot.com.

I Heart Faces Candid

I had some difficulty finding a "candid" photograph. This challenge has made me realize I need to snap more photos with out really thinking about it. It's difficult to catch candid moments when you have your lens stuck in everyone's faces. I know, I need a telephoto lens. That settles it. I'm going shopping!

Summer Tribute

Today is the last day of Summer, hard to believe. Here in the northeast it was here and gone too quickly. I would feel cheated if we had not decided to take two vacations and a long weekend with friends. As soon as school was out we spent a week in Florida, just us, and then a week in July with my brother and family in Maryland, and then in August a few days in upstate New York with good friends. They were great vacations with memories I will cherish and that will hopefully resonate with my kids for years to come. With two of my children in highschool the years are beginning to whip by. If I could only slow the ride down. I want my eight year old to stay eight for awhile. Add in the fact that I attended my 25th highschool reunion this weekend and you feel like your life is at times on fast forward. It was surreal to feel as if those highschool days were only yesterday, but knowing that my children were now in that era of their lives. Weird. Life is in some ways easier, but busier, more challenging and fleeting. Where have my babies gone? And where has Summer gone? Thanks Mary at Little Red House for your mosaic inspirations.

Beautiful Boys and The Beatles

When I took these photos today of my son I found myself singing the song "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon; in part because I thought he looked just beautiful as he lay on the couch twirling his hair with the sun streaming down on his face. I told him that John Lennon had two sons and he had written this song for his son Sean. I had learned of the song several years ago when my first born son was only a baby, it would often run through my mind as I was rocking him and holding him close. I have been talking about John Lennon lately to my kids because I am reading a biography by Philip North. 800+ pages but I am determined to finish it. It is really engrossing. You can't help but feel transported back to Liverpool many years ago. But the truth is that lately I am obsessed, not only with John, but with all The Beatles. It started when I spotted the biography in the library when I was picking up required Summer reading for my teens. I am also now half way through The Beatle Anthologies on VH1, and then to my delight found the movie/musical Across the Universe on HBO. I heart it! Everyone and anyone should watch if they are able, or even just listen. The music and lyrics literally come to life. Such a clever work of art. I am now trying to decide which remastered Beatles album I will purchase first. I find myself rediscovering their songs and really appreciating the incredible musicians they were and what they accomplished in such a short span of time. Last week I cut all my boys hair and it wasn't until I finished that I realized I had given my 14 year old a Beatles hair cut! Not a complete mop top, but a modern version. He looks a little like Paul in late 1965. This little guy got more of a traditional boy cut which suits him. I think he looks just beautiful. "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful; beautiful boy".

Macro You Capture

When I saw the challenge this week was macro I was thrilled. Macro is so much fun to do in either your auto flower mode, or manually by focusing in as close as your lense allows and then moving your body until your subject comes in focus. I love how you can make a realistic picture look so abstract. This is a sooc(straight out of the camera) shot of the inside of a tulip. Cool. I couldn't resist adding a repost shot of a bumble bee. These are so fun to take and edit, not to mention the thrill of the danger of not knowing if you will be stung. By the way, I should be folding laundry too. Really.

Mosaic Monday, Eye think I've Got It

Eye am liking this mosaic maker that Mary from The Little Red House introduced me to. Thanks Mary! Eye almost have this thing figured out, sort of. Does anyone know if you can shuffle the photos to try different combinations?

Macro Cone Flower

Mosaic Monday

My first attempt! I had to upload my photos from facebook, luckily I have so many albums on there. I think I like the result, though I wish I could have played around with the layout a little. It did turn out pretty though, with my pink rainbow shot in the middle. Cool.

In the past week my oldest son has turned 14 and started highschool. Highschool! How did that happen? My original baby boy is leaving. I can sense it the way I can feel Summer slipping away. It's like kindergarten all over again, except he doesn't cry before he gets on the bus.

Souvenirs of Summer

Summer goes too darn fast in New England these days; these years. Is it the global warming or just the passing of time? It doesn't even seem like a season anymore, more like a fleeting vacation. You finally unwind and really begin to relax and then it's time to start packing up again. " I need to go where the weather suits my clothes. " One day. One day I'll where flip-flops everyday.

My Best Shot Monday

I thought this picture turned out so cool. I did a little edit in adobe and the blue sky and white clouds popped. I was more than a little disappointed when I returned home from the store to find this mirror in pieces. Last week I had brought a can of aqua spray paint and let my 14 year old turn it blue in an attempt to re-invent it and add knew life to our livingroom. It was in the bedroom and just blending in so I thought why not. And, 14 year old boys do love to spray paint. I then velcroed it in the center of a large mirror hanging over our fireplace. I was pleased. :), and proud. It looked pretty cool.
It lasted barely a week. Today I'm off to buy superglue. With it now laying on the table I was able to get this shot which would not have happened if it were hanging. I even kinda cropped out the broken part of the frame and am grateful the mirror remained intact during the fall. I am titling this: In the Future. Partly because it looks like a porthole into the future and because in the future I will not velcro mirrors together.

You Capture Food!

When we were south this Summer and saw crawfish on the menu we just had to order some. Being the shellfish lovers we are ( lobster,crab, shrimp,) even the kids devour it all, we could not resist. They sure were pretty, arriving in one of those galvanized metal buckets, but what a lot of work for very little actual food. Too bad we didn't really know quite how to eat them, but we sure worked up a sweat trying and they did make a pretty picture.

Back to School

My little guy started third grade today, happily, but not without a little anxiety. In almost every picture I snapped where he is not looking at the camera and posing he has his hand up and is twirling his hair. He was a hair twirler starting way back, laying in his crib pacifier in his mouth and hand to head, crying as a toddler when we cut his hair too short to twirl. When he was really tired he would twirl double- fisted; or would twirl my hair when I nursed or rocked him. Such sweet baby memories. He is eight now and in many ways going on 14( the result of having 3 older siblings I assume) and has not twirled his hair in quite some time. Anyways, yesterday as he began fretting about the first day of school( and he is a fretter) I noticed him fingering his hair. It must have brought him some peace because he continued to do it throughout the day whenever he talked about school. This morning when I took these photos it wasn't until I uploaded them that I noticed his hand to his head twirling away. I wonder if he's doing it right now.

The Eyes Have It, Again

I seem to be back to taking pictures of eyes again. It's kinda like me and taking photos of flowers, I just can't help it. Each is so unique and beautiful. This last one is of my nephew's. Both my brother and sister-in-law have their own unique shade of brownish hazel, but Mason, their one and only, has dark blue. I love when that happens! It's so genetically explainable yet so mysterious. I have been practicing the Pioneer Woman's technique for making eyes pop with the magic lasso and all. It usually does more for blue than solid brown eyes, but I like how clear the brown eyed boy' eye is. On both of these eye shots I tried that technique. I then solarized one and posterized the latter.

Nostalgia

This is a re-edit of a photo I posted a few weeks back of my neice Elizabeth. There is such a timeless quality to photos of little girls playing dress-up. That afternoon we had opened up the dress-up box for her. My children are getting older and rarely play in it anymore, but it was hands down one of their favorite ways to play. Elizabeth is a true girly- girl and immediately chose the pink leotard to put on. I recalled my now 15 year old daughter playing in it over the years and remembered that it was a hand-me-down from Elizabeth's older sister who recently married. There is a 16 year difference in age between the two sisters. That leotard had come in a box of hand-me-downs years earlier, no one ever thinking that Elizabeth would be one day; and would choose to wear it. Once it was on, she didn't want to take it off and off it went with her.

Peace

How's this for a peaceful shot? This is at the top of Whiteface Mt. in upstate NewYork. In the distance you can see Lake Placid. We spent last weekend in New York with friends and they were so kind to share this mountain vista with us. It really made you pause and inhale deeply.

Misty

This beautiful girl is our friend's dog. She is a sweet loving dog and very active. She is a real tom-boy. I remember the time we kayaked down a river and she swam along the whole way keeping pace with us, jumping up on shore when she was bored of swimming and running along the river bank as we moved upstream. All of a sudden you would hear a splash and she was back in with us. However she also likes when her master dresses her in colorful t-shirts and bandanas. It is the funniest thing when you pull in their drive way and see her dashing around the yard all dressed up showing off her latest outfit. I guess she is a girly- girl at heart. Here she is posing for me to photograph her. Really, I think she may try modeling next.

All American Bubble Blower

I am re-posting this picture for the I heart faces weekly contest. This weeks theme is bubbles! I love how I edited this in photoshop elements using the solarzing action. To me this looks like a pop-art painting, not just a photograph, and has a very American vibe. Between the suburban background and and the pop-art feel and ofcourse the American Eagle t-shirt. What 14 year old American boy living in suburbia does not own at least 1, or even 15 like my son.

Sunrise from a screened in porch

Another beautiful vacation picture. The house we rented in Maryland had a lovely screened porch that looked out over the water. It was so peaceful there in the early morn. with the sound of the waves crashing gently and the sun burning in through the mist. I am not a morning person, at all, however it was hard to stay in bed when you knew the coffee was made already(my sister-in-law is a morning person) and the adirondeck chairs were waiting. We would sit and gaze out and try and make the hard decisions. Should I comb the beach for seaglass, read my book, or watch the kids as they looked for crabs to catch. It was a tough week, that's for sure, but somehow we made it through.
I love how I captured the screen in this picture along with the gorgeous view.

Freeze Frame!

I took this of my boys at a friend's pool. Only three are mine and yes this bunch is as wild and crazy as they look! I put my camera in manual shutter speed mode and captured this hanging in mid-air shot. Love the poses and face expressions.

Pink

On the last night of our vacation we were graced with this sky! I could hear my sister-in-law yelling to my brother "get the camera!!" She was outside combing the beach for her final sea glass "find". I grabbed mine and raced outside too, the screen door slamming, knocking kids over on the way. Sunset skies can change so quickly you can't wait even a minute. This was our second rainbow over the bay that week. Because another storm was passing way out over the water just as the sun was beginning to descend, suddenly everything was bathed in pink. It was gorgeous. I quickly snapped several photos but I was disappointed when I checked the pictures in my camera. When I got home and loaded them on the computer they didn't look so bad, but not quite like I remembered. I tweaked the contrast and temperature slightly and perfection! Those birds had posed there all week and I finally got the perfect back drop to take their picture. I am going to send them a copy.

Before the Storm

This photo was taken on vacation last week. We rented a beautiful house on the Chesapeake Bay along with my brother and his family. Gabe and his cousin are closest in age and great playmates; usually. Gabriel is the youngest of four and M. at age six is an only child. One would think that Gabe would take the opportunity to finally have someone younger to boss around, but it was often M. who was in charge. This cute little blond guy with the gravely voice which only got deeper as the week went on, never missin an opportunity to chime in and be heard among the of ten of us. He was constantly chattering and asserting himself as he found his way in the group of six kids last week. When relating to Gabe he took the opportunity to finally be in charge. Gabe tried his best to take direction, but would sometimes give me a "help me" look. It was all fine in the end as Gabe can be very bossy to his next older brother Donovan as he tries to align his eight year old self with the teenagers in our family. Our vacation is over and needless to say we miss the talkative little guy that fit in perfectly in the lineup last week. Gabe has often asked for a younger sibling so for a full non-stop week he got his wish. He is already asking when he can come over and visit at our house.
I told them to sit on the large piece of driftwood so I could take this picture before the thunderstorm. They had just had "words " and chose to sit a good five feet apart. I had envisioned an arms over the shoulder buddy shot. I had them move closer together and snapped a few more, but this one told the story.