Hexagonal Wire

I was at Paprika's house, just walking around her garden with my camera.  We were taking photos of each other, and laughing at the results.  Good times.

I take photos of some of the most random objects, so I snapped a photo of some chicken wire that was leaned up against a tomato cage.  I like the mixture of blurring and in-focus.  The hexagons in the background blurred nicely, while most of the wire to the front remained sharp.

It's funny how inspiration can just hit you out of nowhere...and with the strangest of resources sometimes!

Slide from a Different Angle

In our backyard, we have a play set.  It's way too small for me, of course.  But I like to take pictures of slides from various parks we've been to, all from different angles.

I might just write a post featuring those photos.

I've seen B&W photos with a subject and clouds behind it, and wanted to try it out myself with this particular slide.  Unfortunately, I didn't show as much sky as I had wanted.  The good thing is that I can always do it again...all I have to do is go outside!

I've been on a black-and-white kick for a while now.  It's been interesting experimenting with a loss of color.  And yet, it kind of adds color to the subject.

Here's a challenge for you:  Go out with your camera and experiment with just black-and-white for a whole day (most cameras have a setting that allows you to change from color to B&W.  Otherwise, just take some photos and edit them on your computer).

My Biking Adventure With Paprika

A friend of mine came to my house with her camera.  After a few just-for-fun photography video interviews (some we would never post online!  They were just too funny!), we headed outside, cameras in tow.  It was a sunny, hot day...but photographers are supposed to do almost anything for a good photo, right? 


In my backyard, wheat is growing high.  It's so beautiful on a windy day (amber waves of grain, you know). 

We went biking down the road a ways before coming to a hilly area near a huge field of corn.

We hopped on our bikes after pushing them up the hill, and found flowers on the shoulder of the road.  The daisies growing there were so tiny and beautiful.

On our way back, Paprika (that's my friend) stopped for a bit to photograph a bird, and I went ahead to a pasture where cows were walking past a barn.  One cow was slower than the rest, and as she rounded the corner, I shot photo after photo.  I wish I'd brought my telephoto lens, but next time I'll be prepared!

We trudged back inside.  My legs were aching a bit because of all the uphill climbs, but our brothers had made chocolate chip cookies (and this time, they didn't burn them, but that's a different story!).  That made everything better.  And I also got some good photos that day!

Baby Eyes

My baby brother was in a bad mood, and had a sour face on him.  He just sat in my Mom's chair and pouted.

You know the face little babies make when they're just about to cry?  He's grown out of that, but it's as cute as anything when his eyes show emotions like not getting what he wants.

I changed it to black and white, and I tried out a trick with the eyes I've seen before by replacing the color in them.  Aren't they such a beautiful blue?

What B&W photo are you proud of?

B&W Blue Jay

My Grandma has a bird feeder in her front yard near the living room window.  There's a bar that holds it up.  A blue jay sat there, as if guarding the feeder from the pesky crows that bothered the sparrows drawing near.

I used a telephoto lens to get closer, then turned the color to black and white and added "spotlight" via PicMonkey.  The bird became softer without so much bright coloring, and I like it that way sometimes.  With less color,  more imagination comes from the picture one tries to paint.  More mystery.  More emotion.  It's just cool to use black and white anyway! :)

My First Shoot

Today, I shot clays for the first time.  Strike that.  I shot a gun for the first time in my life.

It's the most amazing thing I think I've ever done (besides a headstand, I guess).  And when you eject the shells to reload, it smells like fireworks!

The group I was in shot .20 gauge shotguns and an over/under shotgun.  I felt a little discouraged at first because I didn't hit a single clay in the first round (nobody did, in fact), but after getting the hang of it...and shooting incoming clays, which are easier...I shot three clays in a row!

We switched areas with another group later on.  The area was open with fast, outgoing clays (those are a bit harder to shoot).  I think that was more fun than the last place.  I shot four in a row, and would have shot five had the wind slowed down a little more.  The last round, however, I shot ten out of fifteen.

The instructor told me that my dad and brother should watch out because I'll be better than them. :)

After watching the other people in my group shoot, the man let me finish the day off.  He kept giving me shell after shell until he ran out!  I said "pull" to my heart's content (well, not really...I would've shot at least 50 more clays if he'd had enough shells and time!), and by the time my mom came to pick me up, I had a lot to tell her about. 

Before I left, the instructor told me to come back soon.  I definitely will...after I get my own over/under shotgun!

Muddy Feet

Little Brother walked outside in his pajamas during a slightly rainy day...without any shoes on.  I followed him around as he would stop and check something out, then continue on.  This is one of the shots I took.  Baby and toddler feet are adorable.  They're chubby, small and full of energy.  And they help the baby follow its best friends around everywhere.  Get to know your energetic kid.  They're the cutest models you can get!

Dripping Soap

My baby brother was hanging out with our Gram in the backyard while we flew kites nearby.  He had a huge jug filled with bubble soap, and was having the time of his life trying to blow with all his might.  It was so cute!  I took a break from flying my kite, and took some photos of him.  Bubbles and soap dripping from the little wands are fun to photograph.  I like how this photo turned out, especially since Baby was moving so fast.  A lot of the photos came out blurry!

Silhouette Boys

My brother doesn't like to ride his own bike, so he hops on his sister's and rides it.  My second brother has a habit of running behind anyone on a bike.  So, that's how both of them get their exercise.  It was around 7:00 in the evening when we all went outside to play.  The sun was going down, and my two brothers were riding and running down the gravel driveway.  It made for a cute, meaningful picture.

Sitting Sibling

It was a less-warm day, so all the kids decided to play outside for a while and blow off some steam.  Baby brother was helped into his jacket and wanted to sit on the bench near our porch.  I sat on the other side in front of him while he sat there looking down at the rocks below or his fingers or whatever he was looking at.  My Dad looked at this photo and said, "Aw, that's really sweet, very cute."  Thanks, Dad. :)

Hunt For The Devil's Dragon {Book Review}

Hunt For The Devil's Dragon is the eleventh book in the Imagination Station series about two cousins named Patrick and Beth who travel into the past and arrive in Libya in a special time machine, the Imagination Station.  During their adventure, they become friends with a boy named Hazi, his sister Sabra, and their father.  The villagers think their town is being attacked by a dragon sent by the devil, and so believe they have to sacrifice someone from the village to please it.  When Beth and Sabra are chosen, Hazi and Patrick find help from a Christian Roman soldier named Georgius.  A mix of fantasy and history, I would recommend this exciting book to anyone looking for a fun children's story.

When I saw this Imagination Station book was up for review from Tyndale, I was very excited.  My family owns all the books in this series before Hunt For The Devil's Dragon.  The younger kids in my family enjoy having the books read to them, especially when a special friend of ours comes over.  He reads to them with different voices for each character in the books.  Hunt For The Devil's Dragon was all about separating superstition from truth,  with different twists to leave you on the edge of your seat until the next chapter began a new cliff-hanger.  The excitement flooded the pages while I read this book to my siblings.  They huddled around me on the couch, and didn't want me to stop!  The words are easy to read, making it a good choice for little kids learning how to read slightly more advanced books.  This book is just as good as the ones before it.  You won't go wrong in buying it for your children!

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.