MrsMama Gets Out & About

Last night I went to a 5-hour photography seminar taught by Sandy Puc.  Scott Kelby interviewed her not too long ago on his blog;  Hop on over and check her out. She really is an amazing woman!

MrsMama Goes Berserk

I took my new camera on its first official Photoshoot yesterday; a birthday party for a ubercute 1 year-old.  I am still learning the features and new buttons so I was a little nervous.   Somehow, in the 2 hours I was there, I took 1600 pictures!  How is that even possible?  Somebody do the math for me.

I didn’t want to miss that perfect shot so I pretty much did what photographers call, “Spray and Pray”.  I’ve been deleting like a mad woman since I got home.  I’ve narrowed it down to the 561 good ones.  Now I’ve got to narrow it down a lot more; My goal is to give the client around 80 of the best of the best. 

In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying the company of my Favorite Sister and trying not to freak out about a significant birthday that is coming up next week.

How to Snap your Dog’s Sanity

Our puppy is now almost a year old.  Having him around has certainly  has been an adventure!  We went from having an old, slow, sweet, obedient dog (Abe) to having, well, Trooper!

Trooper is a mix of Spaniel and Lab, so he definitely has chasing and retrieving tendencies.  The first time, though, I suspected that something was Not Quite Right with the dog was when we took him to visit Coal Creek Farm.  Once he caught his first whiff of CHICKEN, he was off like a shot, chasing and yipping a strange-sounding high pitched noise.  He chased chickens until he was foaming at the mouth.  And until April stopped him.

Fast forward to Christmas.  Master Munchkin got a laser pointer in his stocking, because we like to supply our young children with dangerous weapons.  Right away we noticed that Trooper was very interested in that little red dot of light.  A little too interested.  He focused his entire being into trying to catch that elusive light.  Again, there was frantic chasing and foaming of the mouth.  Hmmm…. After a few days of laughing at our crazy dog, we started to suspect that perhaps this was Not a Good Thing.  So we put away the laser and expected our lives to return to normal.

But they didn’t.

(Part 2 of How to Snap your Dog’s Sanity coming soon!)

Down but Far from Out

Master Munchkin is sick today.  He was running a slight fever last night and was complaining of a sore throat and headache so I kept him home from school.  Of course I'm concerned, but my gut instinct says it's nothing too major.  After he woke up this morning, I heard him playing in his room.  Pretty soon the strains of Rocky's "Gonna Fly Now" crept out from under his door.  I peeked in to see him jamin' on his keyboard.  Yep, I think he's going to survive. ;)

Camera Redux

After 3 years of using my d80, it was obviously starting to wear out.  I’ve learned that the shutter life of a DSLR fails after a certain number of shots.  Professionals invest in “glass” (lenses) and replace their camera body on a regular basis.  Who knew?

After doing a lot of research, I decided to get the d700, which arrived last week DOA.  Disappointed I sent it back and waited for the replacement.  During that time I poured over David Busch’s Nikon D700 Guide to Digital SLR Photography, all 500 pages of it.  So much to learn!

My replacement finally arrived and it works!  Beautifully. 

Oh Baby, Part 2

I had to share a few more shots from yesterday’s photoshoot.  Thanks for all of your encouragement and kind comments!

Oh Baby!

I had my very first newborn photoshoot today.  Miss Margo Mae was a dream come true.  She slept most all of the time and only wet once. :)
I shot these using natural light and my Nifty Fifty lens.
 
Isn’t she beautiful?!

We’re Not Laughing, Really

Our dear old cat had to go to the vet to have a bite cleaned out.  She came home sporting the Cone of Shame.

And a shaved tail.
It’s OK Freedom; We’re not laughing at you.

Well, maybe just a little.

It’s Dead, Jim.

Several of you have asked about my new camera.  It arrived last week and it promptly stopped working!  I sent it back to be replaced and my new new camera will take a week or two to arrive.
In the meantime, I get to play with my new lens, the Nikon 24-70 2.8.  I’ve put it on my d80 and have been practicing on a baby doll.
I know these pics are kind of creepy but hey, I gotta start somewhere!

View Full Album

One of my real baby models is being born today so keep Lindsay in your prayers.  They don’t know if the baby is a boy or girl yet.  I’m thinking “boy”.

Guess Who?

Guess who is coming to visit this week?

Doing the Happy Dance!

O Happy Day!

I found a new way to compose my blog entries.  For awhile I’ve been struggling with Blogger’s composer; My photos don’t end up where I want them and my text keeps wanting to “float left”.  I kept asking my husband to fix the HTML so it would look the way I wanted it to.  Talk about a hassle!

So I thought I’d give Windows Live Writer a try.  I’ve been playing with it for a few days now and I love it!  It’s uber easy to insert photos and I can even use any font I want, like my favorite Jane Austen font.

Windows Live Writer works with Blogger and a lot of other popular blogging platforms.  Now excuse me while I go play…

drop shadow and tilt
Polaroid

View Full Album

Frodo

See if you recognize anyone over at Pioneer Woman today.  When I told him, he demanded tuna.

Take the Next Left

 http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/google_maps.png

 

Amy Wenzel's Workshop Giveaway

Amy Wenzel is giving away a seat to one of her popular photography workshops.   To enter, "Tell us how you love, serve or inspire other people in your life, and what attending the workshop might mean for your photography journey".

Jane Austen once prayed, "Teach us... that we may feel the importance of every day, of every hour as it passes." You'll see this quote right at the top of my blog because I believe that Jane nailed it on the head. Life is precious and we should never take it or gifts like health, family, and friends for granted.

This belief is one of the things that draws me to photography. The chance to create, document, preserve, and showcase this precious gift of LIFE fuels me. So when I hear, “You did far more than take our pictures, you captured our spirits" or “I cried when I saw your photos”, my heart is filled with happiness. And thankfulness. And I continue to reach for my camera.

I feel that I have been given a special gift at this time in my life. When I was in college, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and I have been living with the effects of this chronic illness for a very long time. Three years ago I started a new medication that has helped my Crohn's go into remission.  It was during this time that I started photography and, believe it or not, martial arts!

This year, God-willing, I will be turning 40 and getting my black belt. While I am in remission, I also hope to expand my photography and acquire the skills that will enable me to capture more beauty and touch more lives. Thank you for the opportunity to do so, Amy. I think Jane would be proud.

In Which MrsMama Makes a Change

After 3 years of using my Nikon d80, I am upgrading to a new camera.  I have done a lot of reading and research and have decided to invest in the Nikon d700.  I am particularly excited about its ability to take pictures in low light.  If you are familiar with the fabulous Miz Booshay, this is the camera she uses. 

I want to give a shout out to MrMama, my husband.  He has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion for photography and has been incredibly supportive and encouraging from the moment I told him I wanted to get my first camera.  I couldn't do what I do without him.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to pressing my nose up against the window.  I don't want to miss the UPS truck!

Widdle Biddy Baby

I'm so excited.  This dear gal is going to let me practice taking photos of her baby after he or she is born.  I haven't done newborn photography before, but I've been drooling over sweet shots of little bitty babies for quite awhile now.  There is one thing though: I don't think she's going to have a little bitty baby.  She has a history of 10 pounders and, oh, I don't know, but I think this baby might just be one of them. :)

That's OK.  Personally, I love chunky little babies.  Mine were both 9 1/2 lbs and there is just something about those cheeks and those folds and those chubby little toes!

While we're waiting for Baby to arrive, drool with me over some of my favorite baby pictures on Flickr.

And, after I get some pictures, I want to show you the neat baby props I found!