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Posted on October 9, 2009
I got to go to Balloon Fiesta one time, on opening day last Saturday. That same afternoon I came down with a horrible illness that has had me stuck at home since, the symptoms of which match those written on the nyquil bottle perfectly. Nyquil, Dayquil and theraflu have been my constant companions this week. And my poor bored kids, who had to do intermittent school in spite of a sick mom.
I’m happy to say that I am finally over the worst of it, just in time to miss the entire rest of the week at Fiesta. We may go tomorrow if I’m up to it.
Here’s a small picture share. This was all I felt up to editing at this point:)
Dawn patrol.
As the sun rose, so did the balloons.
We all help on the crew for our friends. (Well, I say “all” loosely here. I “help” by snapping pictures the whole time. How can I help when I am busy capturing the whole process??)
Here’s Allan, our pilot.
Grant mans the fan to blow up the balloon. He’s proud to hold the title of “fan man”.
Kelsey helped spread out the balloon.
I got to ride in the balloon, along with Logan and Kelsey. Amazing! Here’s our crew waving us off.
Leaving Balloon Fiesta Field behind.
Posted on July 6, 2009
I am offering a class on beginner digital scrapbooking! I am excited to offer this, as I have already taught 2 friends how to “digiscrap”, and one of them told me she has a few friends who wish to learn.
I began scrapbooking when my oldest son was born. Back then it was the paper, scissors, glue, and lots of assorted embellishments kind of scrapbooking. It seemed no sooner did I get all my supplies out and do a page or two, then I had to put it away to use the table for meals. Then the kids got bigger and I didn’t dare leave that mess around. Too tempting for little hands. And so my oldest son got one scrapbook that basically covered his first year. My next son got one page (no joke!), and my poor daughter… well, let’s just say my second son did better than her in the scrapbook department.
The next few years filled up huge rubbermade bins with pictures. We took lots of them, we just didn’t do a thing with them. Then we got a digital camera. That was great, except we never printed anything. We just filled up the hard drive.
Fast forward to about 18 months ago. In my search for a Christmas tree (I was designing a Christmas card for a friend), I discovered the wonderful world of digital scrapbooking. I had no idea all that was out there, in terms of papers, alphas, templates, any kind of embellishment you could imagine, even fun fonts to write your journaling. And no scissors. Or glue. Or tiny little embellisments that could fall off the pages. They were all digital.
Since then, I have created over 200 digital scrapbook pages, and I can happily say that (for the most part) my kids life in pictures is fairly up to date.
Digital scrapbooking is a creative outlet for me, and at the same time, I feel happy that I am creating treasured keepsakes for my kids, so that they can look back on all the adventures of their childhood.
Let me stop here and show you just a tiny sampling of pages that I have done:
In the 2 hour class, I will teach you how to create your own scrapbook pages. You will be provided with the use of a computer with photoshop during the class, and you will follow along with me (you will be able to see my computer screen on a projector) as I take you, step by step, through your first scrapbook page. You will bring your own digital images to scrap with. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use photoshop. This class is for beginners.
In addition to the instruction during the class, I will also provide a written summary of what you have learned. I will give recommendations on printing your pages, and show you how to find free digital scrapbooking supplies on the web (and also share with you my favorite shoppes and designers too).
You will have the opportunity to flip through my printed scrapbook and see a slideshow of pages that I haven’t printed yet.
The date is not set yet, but I am shooting for the 3rd week of July. The class will be held near 2nd and Osuna.
The price is not set yet either, but I promise it will be very reasonable:)
If you think you might be interested, please let me know. I will be posting the date and cost as soon as it is finalized. I will need payment in advance in order to reserve your spot. Spaces will be limited to 20 attendees. Please pass this along to any friends you think may be interested.
If there is interest later, I may also offer a class on beginner photo editing, or how to take your images from good to great!
Posted on May 15, 2009
I may not be a democrat, but I’m an American. An American photographer. I am not going to lie. I was in this mostly for the chance to photograph a famous person. And my wonderful husband went to the high school to stand on line at 3am, to ensure the very best vantage point. And my wonderful friend Michelle let me use her Nikon 80-200 2.8 lens to get most of these shots. The last shot shows what I would have gotten (even from the front row, center) if I had been stuck with my longest lens, which only reaches 75mm.
Obama is a great speaker, and a charismatic photographic subject. It was a good time, after the 2 plus hour wait, accompanied by much grumbling from the boys. The fact that Kelsey got to spend the morning at the ranch didn’t help much with their grumbling;)
In the end, I got the great shots I was after, and we all got to shake the president’s hand. I couldn’t get good pictures of that though, because the crowd pressed us into the barricade and I couldn’t get far enough away to take the pictures.
Cute shot of a little girl snapping a pic of the prez.
This last shot is for you, Michelle. This shot was taken with the 28-75 2.8. It looks like I was several rows back, but it was taken from the same spot as the other pictures. Wow!!!
Posted on April 24, 2009
As I was working (can you call such fun “working”?) with these great kids for a group photo, the oldest brother put a chick on his head. I don’t know which was funnier, the chick on his head or the look on his face.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
I am still working on everyone’s galleries:) Just having a little fun too!
Posted on April 20, 2009
What a blast! 4 families, 4 kids per family, and lots of fun. Here is just a very small sneak peek. I promise there are lots more great pictures, and I am sorry to leave some of the kids out of the sneak peek, but I just simply don’t have time to do any more tonight.
I hope you enjoy the preview. Thanks to all the families who came out today, and a big huge thanks to Denise for organizing the event, and Kara for graciously allowing us to use the beautiful grounds of your Bed and Breakfast!
Posted on April 16, 2009
I know this is short notice, but I have a couple of openings for my Spring photos mini sessions. They will be held this Sunday, April 19, from 3-5pm at a beautiful B&B here in Albuquerque, on their grounds. This B&B holds weddings and I went and previewed the location yesterday. It is really pretty. I am excited about taking pictures there. It so happens that the owner of the B&B and a friend are involved in 4H and they raise chickens and rabbits. They happen to have some chicks arrive today! Fun stuff. It’s not every day that you get to have your children’s photos taken with fluffy bunnies and chicks:)
I am running an amazing special to go along with this: for just $30, you get 1 8×10, 2 5×7’s, and 8 wallets. I have also waived the session fee! Wowzer! This is a huge savings.
Let me know asap if you would like to schedule a mini session for this Sunday!