Blossoming Shutterbug

The H Family

2010-12-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

Beginning of november i got to photograph this wonderful family, The H family! Ms. A is quite the active little one!

I have photographed this family before and here is a from May of just how active Ms. A is.

As you can see not much has changed!! What an energetic little girl. Wish she could pass some of that energy to me!!! lol

Ms. A has a little brother Mr. N and he is definitely following in her foot steps so the best way to handle this situation is to stick them in a tree.....

Im only kidding! The kids wanted to get in the tree so I went with it..

Here are a few of my favorites

The N Family

2010-12-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

This family was such a joy to be with. Although it took us a few months to schedule a session, either the weather wasnt working for us or things would just happen and would have to reschedule, but im glad we waited. It was the beginning of October and we had such beautiful weather at the beach.

I arrived for the session very early so i took a walk around and took some pictures. This is also the first time im shooting in RAW and i have to say, im quite pleased with the results!

And here is the N Family!

Again, it was such a joy to photograph this family and those Boys are just the cutest. Thank you for letting me capture your family.

<3
CB

Are you afraid of RAW?

2010-10-06T22:00:00.001-04:00

Can you believe im blogging again!! Wow, must be a full moon or something! and you would think I would share my past photo sessions! dont worry, im working on it =D

so to answer the question..YES I was afraid of RAW. Im not talking raw food.. im talking taking pictures!!! (Not sure what RAW is? click here to find out. ) I didnt know much about it and for a while i was putting my camera on raw/jpg!. honestly I have no idea what was the purpose of that. it always came up as jpeg.

So, I happen to be a fan/like of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom on Facebook and every day they have some type of tip. One day i see this "Do you know what the advantages of shooting in raw or JPEG are when adjusting white balance?" I sure wanted to know so i quickly click on it and watche their video! After seeing this video i had to start shooting in RAW. i have yet to try with a client but plenty of practice with my girls!

Below is a picture of my daughter.. we are in the beginnings of potty training and this picture is her getting ready to flush! (yes we had some success!!) Notice the color of the picture. I really did forget to change my WB and when i noticed that i forgot, i was so excited cause that meant i could try out the tips!! LOL

here is the photo fixed =D I love it..

but wait.. Ill give an example of one in JPEG that again i forgot to change my WB. i think I had my WB on fluorescent and forgot to change back when i took this pic. Sorry i dont have the before pic but you can see it doesn't look right. (at least i hope you can see it) Even after editing it as best i could, its still has a blueish tinge to it. BUT if i had it on RAW i prob would have been able to make it look perfect!

Ive been noticing a lot of differences with editing RAW images. not only the WB but other things too. (ill have to show you that another time tho!)

So from now on.. im a RAW kinda girl =D I cant wait to give it a try during one of my sessions and after!

<3
CB

HOLY MACARONI!!!

2010-09-30T07:00:00.007-04:00

That was my reply to Me Ra when i recieved an email from her saying that Im going to be on her blog! Thats right.. She is featuring 10 different women and their bio photos on her blog TODAY!! And we are one of them!!! (*we* as in Gia and i since she did take my picture.. lol )
can you believe it!!!

I cant wait to tell Gia =D
so keep checkin her blog for todays post!
http://www.merakoh.com/

To see my blog about our head shot session click here

<3
CB

Just for fun! Head shots

2010-09-30T01:49:00.002-04:00

Hey there!!! im still here!!! just been busy with mommy stuff. Im hoping to catch up on blogging soon but i wanted to share something special.

Today (well yesterday since this prob wont post till after 12am) on MeRa's blog was about taking your own head shots. (you have to read her blog to know what im talking about) I wanted to give it a try BUT there are no other adults around to take my photo.. just my 2 girls. I know im crazy for even thinking this. But thought of letting my 4yr old use my camera!! Yes crazy!! but you should have seen her face when i gave permission to do so. she even said "but mommy you told me to NEVER touch your camera!" im sure she thought i was crazy too and had to make sure.. LOL

We had a lot of fun doing this! we even got dressed up and put on makeup (which i NEVER wear!) And yes she got to wear makeup too! We took turns taking pictures of each other =D

I wanted to share what she got cause i think she did an amazing job!!! She blew me away!

I had Gia stand on a chair so she would be above me, (as MeRa suggests) because you dont want to look like this:

See the double chin going... YUK!!! (click here to see how to look thinner in photos) ok so gia is on the chair and im sitting on the floor so that she would be above me more! So below is Gia first try! watch how the double chin disappears!

Can you believe it!!! look at that shot!! So excited for Gia! but I forgot about the background and i wanted a lil more of my neck showing. So we try again but this time i covered the toy with a blanket.

2nd try

woops! a bit to the side..but I Cant believe she is at least getting my face in the frame!! Can you imagine how hard this must be for her.. actually having to use the view finder!! closing one eye. what i love about this one is that she wanted to do it vertical not horizontal. Every time she took a photo i think my voice got higher and higher out of excitement..was so proud of her LOL you could see the happiness in her every time i praised her work!!

3rd try

As you can see she is trying to get my neck

4th try

Ok ok.. we are back in the corner.. its ok.. we try again and i explain to try to center my face.

5th try!

How amazing is she!! This is such a great photo =)

I was so proud of Gia i had to submit the 5th photo to MeRa.. i even went as far as answering the questions.. LOL =)

here is what i wrote:

1. What do you love most about your headshot?
I love that my 4yr old took my picture!! and what a fabulous job she did =) Oh and my hair came out good too!!
honestly i love how you dont see my double chin and i love the blurry background. even though its flowers on the blanket.. you really cant tell.. gives it a nice design.

2. Any tips you can offer that you learned?
just patients!! i did get frustrated with my daughter at one point...so i can only imagine what its like working with a husband or someone else! LOL

the other 2 questions is where you live and your blog but you guys already know that =P

I had so much fun with gia and was awesome to see her light up when she held my camera. To see her get excited as i got excited at ever shot she took.

Here are a few photos i took of gia during our headshot session!

God i love this girl =D

of course this last one is by gia.. another favorite of mine =) taken outside on our deck

<3
CB

Skye Hardwick's Giveaway

2010-06-29T01:11:00.000-04:00

There are so many blogs that I follow to learn about photography and to improve my talent. I wanted to share this one with you!! A photog friend introduced me to this site http://www.workofheartphoto.com by Skye Hardwick and i have fallen in love! She has soo much to offer!

well she is having an awesome give away and i wanted to share the news with you. Head over to Skye Hardwicks Blog, http://www.soulographer.com/blog/, and check it out! You could win her Posing guide, Her workbook, a 1/2hr consultation AND a gift certificate to Florabella Actions & Textures! BUT you have to enter to win!!!

ive got my eye on the posing guide.. something im needing strength in!

xoxo
CB

A whole latta pictures

2010-06-28T23:05:00.001-04:00

Im so behind in posts im just going to put in all in one post!! be prepared for a long one!!!

I cant believe i let this get so behind. I guess when you have 2 girls, a photography business growing and a house to keep up with, not much time for blogging! Wait, a house to keep up with??. hmm, i dont do much of that!LOL well, things happen and blogging just get put on the back burner....

Any way!! i found a way for me to share my photos and not have to upload every single one. just bunched them together =D gosh! im so smart..LOL something im playing with in LR3.

Im going to start with this... Remember the contest i had in may? (if not, click here to refresh your memory) Here is one of the winners i got to photograph. Mr. B & his mommy!! Just too darn cute =D

Congrats!!!

Next is my first couples session!! Crazy thing is, Ive known this girl since she was a baby.. I can not believe how grown up she is! where is the time going! Dont they make the cutest couple?! =D Thank you so much for coming out guys! had soo much fun!

Still offering session with the moms group i belong to and here are a few of them =)

Ms. F & brother L. adorable!

A returning client. Ms.O and her mommy!

Then we had a private session at the beach & daddy was included!

Meet Mr. R & his twin brothers! The most active kids ive ever met but we sure did have fun! (and a work out! lol)

Another cute boy, Mr. A =D

Now during one of these sessions this dog & her mommy came riding by and i couldnt resist taking a picture . Her name is Adorabelle & certainly is Adorable!

Adorabelle & her mommy are a part of United Against Puppy Mills, follow her on youtube as she rides for her friends... Dont SHOP... ADAPT!!!

www.unitedagainstpuppymills.org

Another private session at the beach with Mr. E!

And his sisters, Ms.K & Ms. V, tagged along too! Can I just tell you that it was the most beautiful day ever! I actually had my girls with me during this session and when we were done, it turned into a great playdate..Kids, mom and i had an awesome time =D

This was my 2nd maternity session. So happy Mommy C let me take photo of her for practice, even though baby N due in a week at that time!

Baby N entered the world a week after his due date! Mommy and baby are doing great! Can not wait to take pictures of this little guy! Well, thats if mommy will let me.. LOL

Now for my 3rd maternity session =) with Big sister! You would never know that she was extremely shy with me. took me a little to find a way to get her to laugh & smile but i did. The tickle monster saved the day!!

Now ive been going to the same parks for sessions and was in need of a change. In search online of other parks to photograph in, i came across this garden. One day I packed up my girls and took a trip out there. Loved it!! I thought i found a place that no one knew about but turns out everyone knows about this place..lol Still, a very beautiful park and id like to go again w/o my camera which i think will be impossible!

So that brings us up to date. Well, kinda.. up to date on sessions but i have a whole latta other stuff to share!! Hope all is well with every one =)

xoxo CB

Ms. B & her Guru

2010-04-29T08:06:00.014-04:00

Once again trying to practice photos in evening light. One problem, the colors i saw in the sky when i took pics of my girls have not been showing during these sessions i have set up. Took me this long to figure it out.. The sun is setting later! Ugg! Well this was great practice for metering =D trying not to meter too high!

Ms. B had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the park. This is the look i got when they arrived... LOL That face says a thousand words!!!

Her grandfather was Visiting from another state so this session was more about them then Mom & Dad. He wants her to call him Gurgie (not sure if im spelling it right) in the form of Guru. Silly story but along the lines of, if some one asks Ms. B "where did you learn that" her response would be "From my Guru" hahaha.. silly!!!

My Favorite!!

Ms. B took a while to warm up to me so i got quite a few with the serious face!

Then when she did warm up, she wanted to be right next to me..LOL was hard to get pictures.. This photo i wanted to have the family behind a little bit blurry But since Ms. B wanted to be so close to me the picture didnt come out the way i wanted. Cute tho =)

This is what i was looking for =) I had to BOLT in front of them.. haha

Boy was Ms. B a ham......So darn cute

I did get a photo of the whole family, Not too happy with it but I know what i need to practice on next. Positioning...

It was a joy meeting this family! Had a great time during this session. Thanks guys for coming and hope to see you soon =)

<3 CB

Beautiful Day to play in a park then ride some horses =)

2010-04-28T09:39:00.076-04:00

Took my girls to the park but decided to take them to one we havent been to yet. It was beautiful there, and a new location for sessions!!!! lol After the girls played on the playground we all went for a walk around the lake...

When I saw these trees i had to get Gia to be my model!!! Thank goodness she was willing....

Other things we saw around the park/lake...........

When we stopped to look at the turtles, gia started talking to a young girl near by.. next thing i know Gia is fishing.. LMAO.. she cracks me up!!!

Then we were off to the horse farm =)

Gia got to ride a horse... she looks so cute in that hat.. lol

Nadia loved seeing the horses but did NOT want to ride. She also loved the hat and didnt want to take it off.. LOL We all had a great time and great weather for it too!!!

Photos i took at the farm =)

<3 CB

Belegu Family

2010-04-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Another successful session =) Got to photograph two beautiful girls, with the most amazing blue eyes! Just like their Mommy!!! This session was just perfect!

Meet the Belegu Family

Family walk

2010-04-26T09:36:00.001-04:00

We have been having some beautiful weather and have started up our family walks again =)

Just pretend im in there... =P

Both Gia and i had our cameras and this is what we captured...........

Gia taking a picture of.............

a tree across the street.

Taking a picture of................

Us! as you can see im taking the pic of her..lol

OK ok ill stop lol....... These are all gia's pics.

this one cracks me up!! Peace!!!

He is gonna kill me if he sees i posted this... LMAO

Nadia even had a try at the camera.....

Notice how much lower the pictures are! how i was able to tell these were Nadia's pics. LOL

These are my pics............

Look at the attitude Gia is giving Nadia... ugg!

On our way home............

Reviewing my pictures. lol

photo by Nadia =) btw thats not my cup!!!

<3 CB

Practicing evening lighting

2010-04-25T07:02:00.155-04:00

Remember my Easter pics of my girls? Well, I wasn't too happy with a few of them. What happens is, what i see through my camera isnt what the camera captures. I did edit those few in light room to give some umph, But wish you could have seen the sun set!!

It had been a while since i checked MeRa's blog so i went to see what she is up to. lol That day she blogged about Capturing Drama, The images that she posted is what i want to know how to do! Then the next day she blogged Seeing beyond the light. I swear sometimes i feel like she is watching over me or something!!! lol. i know others who follower her feel the same way! Every time i seem to have a question or struggling with something She blogs about it right when i need it. Sooo weird!!

OK Sooo after commenting on her blog and got some feed back, I realized that I like to meter my camera high. I like how it makes the colors bright. Sometimes it really makes the person stand out. Is probably the reason why you couldnt see the colors of the sun set in my pictures.

I set up some practice session with the moms group im part of. Had them at the same place and the same time that I took my girls. I had my camera set on priority metering (what i usually have it on) and made sure not to meter high. Always kept it in the middle, sometimes a bit below that.

This photo was edited just a little bit. One thing i really wanted the colors of her dress stand out so i adjusted the luminance and made the grass a bit more bright. With metering lower i think Ive giving myself more room to play in light room. if it was too bright i might not have the warm feeling this pictures gives.

Same with this one, very little adjusting

What I really had a hard time with this session, was keeping up with these two!!! With trying to get them to sit still, or stay together, I forgot all about what i was practicing. most of the session was like this!! always one in a different direction. LOL but man were they cute. they kept me laughing!

When i did get them to sit still you can see how freakin cute they are!!!!

Here im getting a bit artsy =)

I have another practice session and going to try to focus on the same thing. Ill let you know how i make out =)

<3 CB

Some quiet time.......

2010-04-24T06:32:00.001-04:00

Well... i had to sneak the quiet time! I was supposed to have 2 sessions in one day. One had to be resched due to a little one getting sick. =( I was already out to the first session when i found out.

After i was done i asked myself, Do i go straight home after my session? The hubbs is home with the girls thinking i have 2 sessions. hmmm... so i decided to take a nice long walk at the park. Took some pictures while i was there too. =)

I didn't mean for the water mark to be on every photo but after editing these photos i forgot to uncheck the water mark option.

This was very interesting.. How does a tree wind up growing like this?

Then I saw this, A little shack covered in plants. Wonder what it used to be.

As i was leaving the park I found this, a christmas ornament on a tree.LOL

What an interesting walk i had, was definitely entertaining.. LOL

But a much needed walk =)

<3 CB

My little helper

2010-04-23T20:50:00.100-04:00

I read some where that if you let your kids help you cook they will actually eat their dinner. Gia always gives us a hard time at dinner. Takes her hours just to finish. So frustrating.!! Welp i gave it a try., and let her cook with me.

Here is my little helper.......

As i watched her cook (of course i was right there!! lol) I was taking pictures in my head. I know that sounds funny but really, its like saying to yourself.. ohh, that would have been a good shot! or That would be a great B/W photo! There were too many of those thoughts so i had to grab my camera.

She really wasnt making anything special..lol (plus im not much of a cook!) We just boiled some water, had her put in some seasoning, threw in a bouillon cube and once it boiled we added chicken. Just had her stir away! She loved it.

When dinner was ready she went and set the table All on her own!!

God she is so cute!!
Are you wondering if it worked? did she eat her dinner? surprisingly YES! I really didnt think it was going to work. I wish I had my camera while we were eating though. The faces she was making was hysterical. She didnt like it but ate it anyway..making those lil gagging faces LOL and went on how good it was. OMG too funny!!
I think it came out great though =) for real! Im not just saying that! it Did come out great!! Ill be doing this more often, she had a great time and she was soo proud of herself =D

<3 CB

Schibell Family

2010-04-23T10:09:00.000-04:00

Meet the Schibell family!!! Absoluty adorable =)

A walk in Asbury Park

2010-04-22T20:10:00.001-04:00

A stroll in Asbury Park board walk =)

A friend who came with me. He is also new to photography but its more of a hobby for him.

This one i did A LOT of editing. Wanted to test out my skills w/ LR. There were a few things that i removed but I felt i had to put in an antique setting. It took away the little markings that were left from cloning!

Here is the original.....what i loved was how the lights were only over the bench then fading to dark. Had wished the guy walking his dog wasn't there AND the cones.....

Here is the photo edited. I think i did ok but if you really look you can see some spots that were hard to get. So that is why i put it in Antique =)

Had a blast doing this with a friend and cant wait to do it again =)

<3 CB

Easter Surprise!!! THANKS MOM!!

2010-04-22T15:35:00.001-04:00

So once again my Mom has sent a package for us =) This time for Easter....
(i know im a bit late posting this, what can i say.. im a busy girl!)

The box was filled with so many things.. i cant even remember what was in it..LOL! A LOT of stickers tho and the girls loved it! Then of course her awesome cards!

I love looking at my moms cards.. to see how she made them. i think i have said this before but you can tell where i get my creativity from.. lol

REALLY think she should go into business making cards.. I LOVE THEM!!!!

This one is cute, the bunny slides from one side to the other.

So simple yet looks great

Before this came i had talked to my mom about knitting/croche. I absolutely love the baby cocoons that Photographer use for their session. And ive seen the cutest hats too! So, I thought i would give knitting a try and perhaps be able to make the cocoon & hats. Grabbed 2 pencils (yes pencils!!!) had yarn from the dollar store and looked up videos on how to knit. That was very interesting..but got an idea on how to do it. So my next step was to actually BUY the stuff!!!!
Well i got the Biggest surprise in this package.....................

How freaking cute is my mom!!! lol I absolutely loved it! I got started right away....

Ok so it took me maybe 3 to 5 tries to get it started =P Once i got going... I moved onto the next step....

And....... thats as far as i got! LOL Well not bad for a first try! just havent been back to continue. I found a few friends who got into this and we talked about getting together.

Ill keep ya posted...........

Thanks MOM!!!!

Alex has Autism but Autism doesn't have him!

2010-04-10T16:07:00.005-04:00

I first met MaryTara (MT) , Alex's mom, 2 years ago, through the moms group im part of. Our daughters were close in age and got along great!!! and so our friendship grew! When she told me her son has autism i really didn't know what that meant. All i knew about it was that they had issues socializing.

Taken 8.2008 w/point & shoot

When i first met he looked like every other kid with these beautiful BLUE eyes! Its funny how you assume that when i child has a condition you automatically think they "look" different. At least that is what i realized about myself and its all changed now!!!

I was pregnant with Nadia at the time and MT had told Alex that there was a baby in my belly. He got close to me and used his elbow to touch my belly. I thought it was a bit strange but the look on MT's face was surprising. She was very excited to see him do that, he doesn't usually touch people and especially someone he doesn't know. There was another time i had met up with MT, we were sitting at a table chit chatting and the girls were off playing. Alex was just sitting with us playing with something (i cant remember) There was some commotion & MT went to take care of the situation. Now here i am left alone with Alex, and to be honest i was uncomfortable! Not sure how he is going to react with just sitting with me. I mean this is the 2nd time meeting him. Well with out saying a word, i grabbed a paper and crayons on the table and began to color. Then slowly brought it over to Alex, then he began to color with me. After a little bit he took the paper away and took the crayon our of my hand, and i understood that i was no longer allowed to color. LOL. This was another surprising moment for MT. I found out that he does not let people color with him. You know im feeling special... right!??!! ; ) Now this boy has got my heart!!!

In the 2 years knowing Alex and his family i have met many others dealing with the same situation but different struggles & triumphs. I may not know ALL the details but now have more understanding.

I ask MT to give more information on it and this is what she had to say :

April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism affects 1 in 110 children. In NJ the rate is 1 in 96 or 1 in 64 boys. The organization in NJ that does training and helps families is POAC www.poac.net
Autism is a Spectrum Disorder. Its characteristics, traits, and symptoms can range from mild to severe - and it is like a rainbow. It is said that "if you have met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism". Kids with autism are not all alike. Some of the most common traits are impaired communication/speech, stimming (flapping, rocking) or other repetitive movements, poor eye contact, sensory issues, tantrums or meltdowns.

Autism largely affects the ability to communicate. Some people with autism cannot speak (but that doesn't mean they have nothing to say!) others have limited verbal skills or speak with echolalia (repeating), some talk non-stop! For example, Alex is verbal but he uses a lot of jargon and repeated phrases. He will talk a lot about his favorite video game, but he has a hard time having a conversation. He also gets pronouns incorrect and will say "You" for "I" etc. He also has a lot of sensory issues (doesn't like loud noises, loudspeakers, struggles in big groups, etc), has a hard time playing with others, etc. But, as you know - he is very smart and also he likes pretty girls And bugs :) :)

4.2010 w/ Canon Rebel xs

In a lot of ways he is a typical 9 year old boy but others not so much.
MaryTara

Thank you so much for sharing that and so happy to have met you and your family.

She hosts a "Blow Bubble for Autism" every year. I attended this year and of course brought my camera =D
Here is a peak!!!

Each bubble represents HOPE!

Alex checking out the bugs

Gia blowing bubbles.. well trying...

Gia & Belle

Look! i captured his blue eyes!!!

<3 CB

Happy Easter =D

2010-04-06T08:26:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful day! Gia was very excited about the easter bunny coming and Nadia just followed along. LOL

Easter bunny had decided to take a break and paint a little something for us......

Girls did the egg hunt, we had family over for breakfast, vistited more family in the after noon.. Then i brought the girls to the park to take some Easter pics =D fun filled day!!!!!

hope everyone had a wonderful easter with family & friends.
<3 CB

What a way to welcome spring............

2010-03-31T21:13:00.000-04:00

Meet the Gabriel Family

This was a great way to bring in the Spring by going to the beach....

And to celebrate their new addition to the family.....Baby C

Big Sister with her baby bro.

My Favorite photo.

<3 CB

And the winner is........

2010-03-29T08:00:00.005-04:00

This was really hard to choose the winner. You guys did come up with some Great ones and most of you said i should stay with blossomingshutterbug.com (was my original choice.)

The winner of the Contest is.........

All of you!!!

lol, Yes.. Liz, MT, Carrie, Tami, AND Alison!!!! Congrats!!! I know, your probably thinking im nuts!! But the reason im choosing all of you, 1. people actually commented =P, 2. you all like blossomingshutterbug.com, 3. you guys are the best!!!
So im sticking with it. the name has been purchased, now to figure out how to link it to zenfolio.

In order to get your free mini session by yours truely =D you need to contact me at blossomingshutterbug@gmail.com. by the end of the day.

Thank you all for participating!!

<3 CB

I believe i have Blossomed!!

2010-03-28T23:33:00.058-04:00

The girls and i went out with a few of our friends to a park. We all had decided to do an egg hunt and, well im sure you guessed, I took ALOT of pictures =P We really had a good time and absolutely loved the park we went to! We certainly had a beautiful day.

I Edited quite a few of the photos i took and i do believe i have blossomed!!

<3 CB

Happy St. Patricks Day - A week late ....

2010-03-28T13:00:00.002-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A week later............ Well, i would have just skipped posting this but wanted to show the crafts we did =) Im pretty sure i got the idea from this website.

Started with making a leprechaun

I worked with nadia on hers. Great to see her try to put the pieces in the right places.

debating on eating the glue stick..lol

Then we tried to make hats. I got the idea from this website here But used what ever i had around the house. So i tried a paper plate. and followed directions from there.

I didnt have enough green construction paper so we just covered the front instead of going all the way around

May not be perfect but it worked =) Girls loved it thats all that matters =D

<3 CB

73 - 85 of 365 / Challenge

2010-03-27T09:37:00.001-04:00

Day 73

Challenge SOMETHING GREEN

was doing some math with Gia and happen to use Green coins. LOL

Day 74

Day 75

couldn't choose one

Challenge SHOW YOUR HAND

Day 76

Happy st. Patricks day

Day 77

Challenge SHOW US YOUR FOOT

Day 78

Day 79

Day 80

Day 81

My sisters cat, who HATES me!!

Day 82

Princess Craft playdate we went to. This is what the girls made =)

Day 83

Day 84

love the picking of the nose..LOL

Day 85

Playing dress up

At the park with daddy

2010-03-26T22:04:00.000-04:00

One beautiful day the girls got to go to the park with their daddy. Oh, did you think it was to play... oh gosh no!! it was to see him work out..LMAO. And of course i had my trusty camera =) luckily i was also prepared with the BIG ball for the girls to play with....

There he is.. running... and running..... and running. Looks like fun doesnt it!?!?!

Here is Gia watchin her Daddy Run some more.. LOL seriously, i do hope she becomes one who enjoys running!!!

We did get to play with the Ball and run around while Daddy did his thing. Photos take from that day....

Can you help a girl out?!?!! - Contest

2010-03-25T22:35:00.003-04:00

There is alot to catch up on and alot of photos i want to share, but life just got in the way! I have taken alot of pictures and playing around with LR3 presets (free trail till the end of june). Im really liking it and cant wait to purchase it when it finally comes out. Look at these photos......

In my eyes they were so good i had to put "blossoming shutterbug" on them.. lol

I realize that i havent put myself out there, you know, market myself.... Yes im scared and have been pushing it off but i do have one thing in place. I found a site to use to upload my photos and the clients can view. I can password protect the photos so only the clients can view. Clients can purchase the photos through this site. AND i can actually make up my own packages and Clients can purchase.. ive only put one package together..LOL Its still under construction.

I need to do more and get my @ss moving already!!! One of the things i need to do is get a web address. The obvious name would be Christina Barsoum Photography BUT I love this blog and how i came up with the name, blossoming shutterbug, i would like to some how make that the web address. I realize that Blossoming Shutterbug Photography is very long, altho i love how it looks in these photos =) I thought of BS photography but some one pointed out its like saying "bull sh!t photgraphy. UG!! I dont know what to do, how can i get this name to work into a web address?? Im at a stand still............

Ive seen other Photographers have contest on their sites for different things so I thought i would give it a try. My very first Contest =O

The person who comes up with the best web address will receive a free mini session by yours truely =D 1/2 hr session at a location of your choice, out of the photos i take you would receive 10. Also put on CD.

Im looking for a web address name that is some what short using Blossoming Shutterbug Photography (ex: BSPhotography. com/org, im not using but good exp.) easy to remember.

This will possibly be the name of my new blog also. You can view my website that ill be using blossomingshutterbug.zenfolio.com. remember this is still under construction and a lot more changes to be made so don't be passing it out just yet =P

Sooo whatta ya say!?!!? Can you help a girl out!?!?!
(write your idea in the comment section)

Ill announce the winner on Monday March 29th.

so much to blog, so little time......

2010-03-19T08:45:00.002-04:00

Been a busy girl with playdates and crafts.ect. Havnt had time to blog. Hopefully will post about that soon.

Need to share this. At the park for a playdate and saw this cute fella

The owner was nice enough to let me take a few photos of him. I would like to get into Pet photography so this was good practice. Not that im too happy with what i got but I loved how i edit them. First, here are the original photos

I was playing around with the presets in Light room and trying to create my own and still figuring it all out!!

Here are the edited photos

What ya think????

Request for Spring Craft

2010-03-15T21:04:00.003-04:00

Gia requested a spring craft this past Wednesday! I was very excited and had soo many ideas. I had found a finger play called Five Pretty Flowers and thought we could make Flowers and then act out the poem =) Now what kind of flower craft could we do and easy for Nadia to do too? I searched the internet and didn really liking what i finding. Then on FB activities pops up No Time for Flash Cards and her Pop out flower craft. PERFECT just what i was looking for!! I tweeked it a bit to go with what i was doing. I made 5 flowers before hand to match the "five pretty flowers" I used Construction paper, cup cake wrap, and double sided tape (gia's idea for the cup cake wraps..lol) The girls flowers were a little bit different.

Then i took it a little further =P I was at the dollar store a few days before and picked up cute cookie cutters. not that i was going to use it for cookies but figured they would be great for some type of craft. Well the way they were shaped i thought they were perfect for this....................

Could not believe it worked!! The girls Loved it!!

Here is the craft.

For Nadia, I wanted to come up with something that was easy and quick! Also were we didnt have to wait for the glue to dry. I came up with putting double sided tape on each peddle on Toilet paper (pre cut)

and then had her pick up the red peddles and stick them on the TP.

Double sided tape was also on the stick & for the green leaf! Look at that face!!! she was so proud of herself..lol

Gia colored the peddles

Gia loves to glue things so i thought it would be better for her then using the double sided tap. So we glued that on to a cup cake wrapper, glued them to the stick and added leaves. put aside to dry

Gia loves to pretend to sell stuff.. lol. So this was perfect and told her that she would be selling the flowers and we say the poem as we go. She set herself up in her little house.. LOL we used the flowers that i had already made and nadias (since there was no glue involved)

Here is Nadia buying her flower =) This was so cute and fun but the girls lost interest in the poem fast.. lol

Every time i bought a flower i would put it underneath the window. when there was nothing left Gia had to go flower picking. She really got a kick out of this....

Not sure why gia put her leaves on like that but hey, what ever works =P

66 - 72 of 365 / Daily Challenge

2010-03-13T22:59:00.004-05:00

Day 66

Gia showing Nadia how to use the computer

Daily Challenge DO YOUR OWN THING

check out the background..LOL

Day 67

Daily Challenge SOMETHING BLUE OR PURPLE

tried to make the blue jeans to stand out using light room

Day 68

Daily Challenge SOMETHING SWEET

helping nadia close the lid.. how sweet is that!??!

Day 69

Day 70

Daily Challenge SOMETHING PAINFUL TO LOOK AT

pooper scooper

Day 71

rearranging play room

Day 72

Nadia stacking blocks

Daily Challenge SOMETHING REPRESENTING SPRING WHERE YOU LIVE

Just because

Maternity Session

2010-03-11T22:19:00.005-05:00

Had my FIRST Maternity session about 2 weeks ago. This was with my friend Amy, so i didnt feel too much like a fool not knowing what i was doing.. LOL the both of us kept going back and forth to the computer looking at poses and trying to mimic the pose. All in all i think we did a pretty good job =D I feel im getting better with the processing! Ive been trying to get to know Adobe light room and it really is beginning to grow on me! especially after going through these photos.

Amy found these tiny blue blocks (can you guess what she is having??) that spells "baby" and guess where she bought them.... The dollar store!!!! how freekin cute!!!

I love photos were the background is blasted out. Well i got a chance to try it out. We were by a sliding glass door and by blasting the background out you cant see the back yard =D

These i tried to change the color of the blocks.. still figuring out how to do it in LR

These are my Favs from the session

The Big Sister =)

I think this session was a success!! Oh! and i got to try out my new website so now the client can choose what photos they want. Usually i choose my favorites for them to pick from.

Thank you Amy for this opportunity!! I greatly appreciate you letting me capture this special moment!! I had a great time from beginning to end! AND thank you for testing out my new site!!

When my website is ready to go live ill be sure to share =D

(still a little nervous about it so may be a bit before im comfy to go live..lol)

Nature Walk with My girls

2010-03-06T23:48:00.002-05:00

This morning Gia asked me what the challenge is for today.. ok she pretty much asks me every morning..lol Today it was "part of a tree", i got to thinken that maybe we would take a walk together and have Both my girls take pictures of "parts of a tree"! I have a camera for Gia but had to find one for Nadia. I searched the house up and down, inside out and finally found one! Now All 3 of us have cameras!!! to the right is Gia's and to the left is now nadia's (as you might be able to see it used to be gia's till we upgraded so then she upgraded.. lol)

What i also thought we would do is try to find things that show that spring is coming. Gia loved the idea but first we had to practice taking pictures. Really i had to show nadia how to use a camera.

Photo taken by Gia!

So most of nadia shots look like this..........

and this........

but Mostly THIS.........

I thought to myself taht this was gonna be an interesting walk LOL
Gia, she has gotten the hang of taking pictures. yes i know she has had more experience then nadia. lol look at these practice shots....

To see my photos you can check out my blog post on 365 / daily challenge

So here are Gia's photos for "parts of a tree"

this one is Gia's picture of showing signs of spring. the buds on the branch. Absolutely LOVE this picture

I think she really did a good job. There was actually a challenge here.. it was so bright it was hard for her to see the screen. I think she did a great job trying to get the object in the center even though she couldnt tell.

And here is Nadia's pictures

there might be a stick or branch there??? her finger was in the way...

oh and same here but her finger got in the way again =P

This one i was trying to show her how to hold the camera UP

Im gonna guess this is nadia's "sign of spring" the green grass?? maybe?!

I think Nadia did a great job of pressing the button to take the picture! She just has to practice not hitting it so many times. Her challenge was her finger!! always getting in the way!! =)

They lost interest after about a block so we went to a little play ground near by.

im not sure that nadia is ready for a camera!!

still some snow on the ground...

As soon as i saw her wet pants i knew it was time to go! I should have known this would happen!!

We went home, had lunch, nadia took a LONG nap,gia watched a movie, and i uploaded our photos.

I LOVE finding surprises.......

Well, we had a good day, at least i think so, and the girls did a great job =) (ok its ME that had a great time!! lol)

64 & 65 of 365/ dailly challenge

2010-03-06T22:18:00.003-05:00

Day 64

Daily challenge SOMETHING THAT GOES AROUND

Day 65

Daily challenge PART OF A TREE

Also like how this one came out.

tree that had fallen and cut into pieces.

craft with the girls.....

2010-03-04T22:00:00.060-05:00

I must be getting out of my "funk" cause i actually did some crafts today with the girls! It was a little frustrating at first but eventually got it all figured out. I had 2 sheets of paper with a drawing of a tree taped to the sliding glass door. The girls were to use q-tips to paint budds on the tree for Spring! I got the idea from a blog that i have been following. Called No Time for Flash Cards. Such great ideas and very simple projects. All started well untill Nadia began to paint on Gia's paper. So i moved Gia's paper over to the wall away from the sliding door!

Dealt with a lot of screaming and yelling form the two of them. Then Nadia had some issues with getting the q-tip onto her paper, she mostly painted on the floor. So i moved her sheet and taped it to the floor. Mind you im trying to take pictures of this Fun and exciting moment..lol ok now that we have that figured out the rest went smoothly. As smooth as it could get.

They moved on to using their fingers. what i was trying to avoid, hence the q-tips!! guess they caught on.lol

when they had enough of the painting we moved on to drawing on the sliding doors. I have special markers for windows. They love it!

Gia drew me, her & nadia in the snow.. can you see it?

another angle...

So happy to be getting out of this "funk" Now that spring is coming ill probably be in better moods! Im finding myself searching for more and more crafts for us to do. great sign =D which means more and more pictures =P

Day 63 of 365 / Daily Challenge

2010-03-04T21:30:00.001-05:00

Day 63

actually did a craft with the girls

Daily Challenge SOMETHING YOU THROW AWAY

used q tips to color with for our craft. Then threw them away.....

Day 60 -62 of 365

2010-03-04T20:47:00.001-05:00

Day 60

wasnt too much in the mood to pick up my camera BUT when i saw THIS i had to!! have you ever seen an egg look like that!?!?!? LOL

Day 61

Went to a playdate where they had had green eggs and ham to celebrate Dr.Seuss bday! was a lot of fun

Day 62

yup, did not pick up the camera

Day 52 - 59 of 365

2010-03-04T20:30:00.001-05:00

Day 52

Birthday party we went to. Love how his eyes are crossed. LOL

Day 53

Gia's dance class

Day 54

when the "funk" began

Day 55

Day 56

Day 57

Day 58

yes you guessed it, did not take any pictures so putting my attempt to a logo

Day 59

still did not pick up the camera...

Day 50 & 51/Daily Challenge

2010-03-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

50 of 365

Daily Challenge: SHADOW

51 of 365

Catching up Day 42 - 49 of 365 & Daily Challenges

2010-03-03T14:54:00.001-05:00

Yes im a bit behind in posting my pictures for the 365 & challenges.. so now im trying to catch up!

42 of 365

43 of 365

(forgot this day)

44 of 365

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING YOU USE TO CLEAN

45 of 365

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING RED

46 of 365

Daily Challenge: CD

47 of 365

Daily Challenge : BLACK & WHITE

48 of 365

49 of 365

Valintine surprise THANKS MOM

2010-02-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

About a week ago i received a package from my mom. When i opened it i couldnt believe my eyes. One of my Favorite treats! i have no idea what it is called but it is sooo tasty. My mom usually makes it for xmas but this year she made it for Valentines day. So it may not look yummy but i tell ya IT IS!!! The only stinky part is that i had to share with my brother and sister =( I did tell them if they didnt come and pick them up that i would be starting to dip into their share.. LOL that moved their butts....

Other favorite thing i love to receive from my mom is her cards. Can you believe she made these cards herself!! I really think she should sell these!!!

texture & rock star

2010-02-27T08:17:00.008-05:00

(please forgive, once again the photos are not cooperating!)

So i go through these "funks" where im not motivated or have energy. they can last a few days to a few weeks. During my "funk" episodes i try to find things to keep the girls busy (and leave me alone..lol) Thank goodness i can still be creative! Well if you find yourself in one of these moods.. here are a few ideas..LOL some are messy but i tell ya.. so worth it!! =P

One time i let them play with toilet paper.. just gave them a roll and let them have a blast with it..

Another day, i had gia go around finding all the pillows we had.. piled them up and the girls jumped in it.. kept them busy for a LONG time!!

This one, not sure what i was thinking... took some pastina and let them play. Im still finding little bit here and there.

recently i let them play with play-doh... IN the play room =O which is carpeted! Yes im finding pieces every where and most of it is stuck!! haha... but thats what i get for not being motivated.. lol

Gia's shopping cart was sideways so she put the play-doh on the wheel and said she was making clay. thought that was clever.

Then, to continue to keep them busy i had them go around finding things with texture. they put the play-doh on it and then show me what print it left.

Nadia was trying to get the print from her shirt.. LOL

As the day went on gia decided to put on a show for me. My little rock star!!

oh and Nadia was the groupie =P

Do you ever get in these moods!? and what do you do to keep your kids busy? please share your thoughts =D

Photo session with my Girls

2010-02-26T08:12:00.007-05:00

A photog friend had a photo session and i loved their background. wondered what she used. Before finding out i tried out this.. a fabric that my mom had left behind when she came to visit. So what was it that my photog friend used??? turned out it was a duvet cover.. LOL So now im going around the house trying to find either bed sheets or fabric that have some type of design in it. It really Pops the picture.

oh and used the cradle for a nice prop. This was a toy when i was young and i find so cool that its now Gia's and nadia's =)

this one is my favorite.. love the look on their faces.

Snow, Snow & more snow

2010-02-22T07:40:00.022-05:00

Ive been missin in action.. yes that "funk" returned but im back in full swing. Have a lot of catching up to do. We had quite a few snow storms here in NJ! This time the girls weren't sick so we got to play! boy did we have fun =) My favorite photos from playing in the snow.

(sorry if they are out of order or not centered. the pictures are not cooperating with me and wont move where i want them. Not gonna stress.. fine the way it is =) lol)

Valintine

2010-02-16T20:10:00.012-05:00

Soooo, We did get the cards done! I just had Gia put stickers on it the next morning. To my surprise she wrote her name on ALL 11 of them. How excited was I =D

So, it was time for us to head to her school. They were having a Valintines party and Gia was very excited! It had snowed a lot a few days before so i knew i was going to have to dig i little bit, thinking that the hubbs dug my car out a bit, knowing that i gave myself some time before leaving. but i thought wrong on the hubbs part!! i couldnt even get the doors open.When i told Gia , she was so upset that i felt bad and tried to get the car out of the driveway. Only to get my car STUCK! yup the weals on my car went round and round... round and round.. in the driveway. So ALL that and we didnt get to go to the party =( We did bring them in the next week though.

Coming up.. Snow pictures.. =D

Not the normal blog

2010-02-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

Ever have one of those days where you just arent youreslf and you just want to complain. Or wallow in the yucky feeling. How it is for me today..............

Valentines day is coming up fast and i have not been motivated to do a thing =( My daughter's school is celibrating tomorroww and ALL day i keep saying that im gonna get stuff together for Gia to make cards. Yet it is 7pm and i still have not done a thing. Maybe ill start it tongiht and just let Gia put on stickers in the morning. Sooo not motivated!

What happend!?!?! i used to be so into this stuff! Always had something to do with Gia, some type of craft and we would have such a great time. I even hosted craft playdates =P

I took MANY photos of the things we made together. It did put a smile on my face looking through them but then the question remainds What happend!?!?!? Why have a lost that nitch, the drive to create with Gia...
Look how cute she is, how into it she is and i obviously loved it since i took sooo many pictures. (Too many to share but here are a bunch) This was before Nadia was born, gia had to have been 2yrs+.

i guess im looking for the OK! i dont have to do everything! AND i have 2 girls now, not 1! Although i have followed blogs where they do soo many crafts and have like 10 kids =O how do they do it!!?!!??!

The camera has become such a part of me, more now that im learning new things.I cant wait to try them out. maybe ive taken my creativity away from crafts and just poured it into photography?

Am i being to hard on myself? (ive heard i have been)

I wish i could be wonder women and have the Power to do everything..... doing thngs with my girls, craft, art, ABC, 123's ect. cleaning the house, cooking dinner, going/hosting to playdates, MNO/I, reading blogs, ALL while learning photography and possibly growing a business?!?! Just doesn't feel possible right now!

Sorry for the yuckyness.. just one of those days =P

Day 40 & 41 of 365 / Challenge

2010-02-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

Day 40
at a playdate we went to. Is he cute or what!! but oh so mischievous.

Daily Challenge: UP CLOSE

Day 41
my daughters ballet outfit from last year recital.
Edited this in Light Room. program is growing on me!

Daily Challenge: FORK

Brothers

2010-02-09T22:30:00.003-05:00

As always had a great time and these boys were adorable! It was so much fun going through these photos.

I put a slide show together and for some reason can not upload to my blog. =( and i think it came out so cute! Well here are a few photos from the session with these adorable brothers!

38 & 39 of 365 / Challenge

2010-02-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Day 38

from a mini photo session i had. My Fav!

Day 39

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING YOU PLAY
Play fetch!

Day 37 of 365 / Challenge

2010-02-06T23:05:00.002-05:00

Day 37

Had a blizzard today. We got about 2ft of snow! Our dog had so much fun running around in it.

Daily Challenge: WATER EVERYWHERE

since it snowed there was snow EVERYWHERE in the house after coming in from playing!!
when melted turns into water! same thing??

Day 36 of 365 / Challenge

2010-02-05T22:50:00.001-05:00

Day 36

so i cheeted! this photo is from yesterday but i just LOVE IT! (and i didnt take any pics today)

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING SWEET

drinking some hot Coco =)

Day 35 of 365 / challenge

2010-02-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Day 35

had gone to the beach to practice with a friend and brought my girls with me. YA! even though i had them bundled up they couldnt handle it! Look how sad she is!!

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING WITH FLOWERS ON IT

Day 34 of 365 / challenge

2010-02-03T23:40:00.002-05:00

Day 34
Daily challenge: ANYTHING GOES

A friend had suggested I try out Adobe lightroom. Now i did have a trial one (now expired) but just wasnt into it. Soo, I decided to try again and using the (free) Adobe lightroom 3 beta. Not sure if it expires but we will see.

I took a photo from a few days ago and played around with it in LR. cropped it, tilted it a bit, adjusted the brightness ect. Also tried out the watermark option.
So! what ya think =)

Day 33 of project 365/challenge

2010-02-03T08:33:00.002-05:00

Project 365 & Challenge
WINTER AT YOUR PLACE

So it snowed this morning (day34) but i had to use this for yesterdays challenge. It fit so well!!!

Day 32 of project 365/ Challenge

2010-02-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: INSIDE YOUR FRIDGE

only giving your a peak!!

Day 31 of project 365

2010-02-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

Went to the beach this morning and what a great sun rise

(yes i froze my toosh off but worth it)

Day 30 of project 365 / challenge

2010-01-30T21:34:00.000-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTS LOVE

I actually have two for this challenge. wasnt sure what one to choose

Update on Gia She is no longer taking pictures (for now) altho likes to discuss what the challenge is for today. When i told her today's challenge she said HEART is love =)

Day 29 of project 365 / challenge

2010-01-29T23:14:00.036-05:00

Project 365
(this one would have been good for the HAT challenge)

These pics are soo cute I had to post it!! Nadia put on the hat herself But didnt want her picture taken! Look at her gettin mad..LOL

Here she is showing me what is on TV, she didnt know i had the camera ready..lol

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING THAT COMES IN A BOX

Gia did ask what the challenge was today and pointed out what comes in a box. She wasnt interested in taking a picture tho. Think she is getting bored of it =P

Day 28 of project 365 / challenge

2010-01-28T23:51:00.001-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: something BLUE

Here is Gia's something BLUE. love it!!!

Self Portrait Photography Exercise

2010-01-27T21:45:00.003-05:00

As most of you know Ive been following MeRa's Blog for some time now and submitted a video for the SOAR scholarship contest. As you can see i didn't win and was very upset about it. This shocked me how upset i got! I didn't expect to win, i knew i wouldn't get it since im way to new at this and couldn't understand why i was so down about it. It was brought to my attention that i probably wanted it more then i knew! They are right! i dont think i realized how much I am falling in love with photography. Even though I did not win i have made some great friends and now have a place to share my photography. with fellow photographers =D
Well MeRa has put together a SOAR Blog. Not only is it for us to watch the recipients grow but we (soar sisters) get to grow with them =D This is really exciting for me and think its such a great thing that MeRa has put together.

Our first exercise is a Self Portrait. To document where you are in your journey of life. MeRa writes how this maybe difficult and uncomfortable But it wasn't for me. I knew exactly what i wanted to do. I didn't feel uncomfortable and really couldn't wait to share my photo on my blog.

This is i am in my Journey. Tell me what you see.

Ill explain as best i can how i took this. (not very good with the photo lingo..lol)
I took the picture and knowing it was going to take a while for the picture to finish snapping, I waited a little bit then sat in the chair! this gave the "see through" look. I did this once before, messing around, and knew this is what i wanted to do for this exercise
Lens:50mm
ISO: 100
Fstop: F22

After reading the recipients blog ..showing their self portrait and explaining how hard this was for them to share, I realized why this isnt hard for me! YOU are not in front of me looking at my photo. I cant see your expressions or have to "hear" what you see as your looking at my photo. I basically hit "post" and walk away and i have no idea who will read it.
These women had to sit in a room together and show their work in silence. one by one. explain what they see in the photo. If i was in their shoes I know i would have been petrified to do that.
Sooo im going to challenge myself. going to put myself in a situation that im NOT comfortable with, similar to these women! Im going to put the above picture as my profile on Facebook linking my blog to it. My stomach has butterflies as i type this!! should i make it harder!?!? maybe put my status to comment on my photo?!!? hmmm.. yup stomach just dropped. Well if you are a friend on facebook and dont see my status change.. then you'll know i chickened out on that challenge..LOL

Here is the other part of the exercise, an object that symbolizes you! This was really hard, i had no idea what object to use! What in the world would symbolize ME! How can i show myself with just one object. I finally settled on this one. not sure if i did it right! Wait, Is there a right or wrong. In any case..

Tell me, What do you see.........?

I cant wait to find out whats next..........

Day 27 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: WORDS

These challenges are starting to turn into little lessons for Gia. THANKS!!
Today she was interested in doing the challenge and i had to explain to her what "words" are or look like. This is the first time she understood that putting letters together create words.
Sooo Off she went with her camera to look for words. After taking the picture She would tell me the letters of the word she found (only capital tho, doesnt know lower case yet) then i would tell her what it said.
I couldnt pick just one picture of hers.. so here are 4 of them.

Yes, below, you see i still have xmas stuff still up =P

This looks like she took a picture of her toys but if you look at the top you will see her name. Giovinia.

I really like this one! something about the angle of it.

She got excited when she found this one. "MOMMY!!! this one has ALOT of words!!!!"

Day 26 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-26T23:17:00.001-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: HAT

I really didnt think i got anything interesting today for Hat. I went through the photos but thought nothing came out good. Well after playing around, a bit of cropping, and changing to sepia i kinda like how this one turned out.

Unfortunately Gia was not interested in the challenge today. Not sure if it wasnt challenging enough for her..LOL (surprisingly i had a hard time) But she did ask me if i knew what tomorrows challenge was. She will have to find out in the morning!

Day 25 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-25T22:46:00.006-05:00

Project 365
I couldnt pick just one today. I love them both!!!

This is the picture that Gia took of herself (as you can see from above)

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING YOU GIVE YOURSELF AS A TREAT

Here is Gia's photo! Yes there are some fake treats in this picture but i didnt have any REAL ones. lol

Wasnt really feeling it this morning so i took the same photo.

Day 24 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-24T21:49:00.005-05:00

Project 365
My girls playing together. Nadia pretending to go "night night" and Gia reading her a book.

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING SHARP

Once again Gia was very interested in the Challenge. During breakfast we talked about what things are sharp. She looks around the room and first says. "The corner of the camera?!" but caught herself "Noooooooo!" as she chuckles. So she continues and here are a few.

1. top of a glue stick (not sure what she was talking about)
2. the end of the pen, where you write (ok, kinda?!! )
3. edge of a calendar (now she is getting it!)
4. something broken (i loved this one, that was so smart of her)
5. Corner of a book (again, very clever!)

I then had her pick what one she wanted to take a picture of and she chose "corner of a book" So this is her picture for the Daily Challenge.

So i thought i would follow her lead =) She was really proud of herself and so excited that i picked the same thing..LOL

I think this is awesome that Gia is doing this with me. I wonder how long this will last. I am liking our conversations over breakfast. "so mommy, whats the challenge for today?" Boy is she cute =D

Day 23 of project 365 / challenge

2010-01-23T23:35:00.002-05:00

Went to story time with the girls today. Nadia, who is in pink w/hoodie (NOT the girl in pig tails), really enjoyed it! I thought she would be to shy to participate but actually stood with out me!

Daily Challenge: SOMETHING YOU USE IN THE MORNING

This morning after I made my coffee Gia (she is 4) asks me "So mommy, whats the challenge for today?" i almost peed my pants!!! Didnt realize she had been paying attention to what i have been doing. So i tell her and she asks if she could do it with me. I thought that was soo cute!!!

This is her picture for the challenge =)

Day 22 of project 365 / challenge

2010-01-22T22:17:00.004-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: WRITING INSTRUMENTS

The above picture was taken in Dec. But thought it was perfect for this challenge.
Also i didnt get a chance to do it today =P

Day 21 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-21T21:11:00.001-05:00

Project 365

Daily Challenge: anything SQUARES

i know this is more of rectangles but close enough..lol

How i have missed editing......

2010-01-20T22:34:00.009-05:00

I brought Gia to dance class today and made sure i had my camera. Why you ask... hmmm.. maybe to take a picture of the window!!??! noooooooo Altho this photo came out pretty cool =)

Well one of the moms there just had a baby and knowing they would be at class I wanted to take pictures of their beautiful infant =D

She already knows how to work the camera!!

When i started to edit these photos i didnt realize how much i missed the whole processes, its only been 2 months. LOL Getting home and cant wait to upload the photos. Once uploaded the excitement starts and cant wait to see how the photos came out. THEN the editing.. so much fun =D guess i needed my fix.. LOL

My favorite photo!!!

Day 20 of project 365

2010-01-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

How lucky was I to photograph an infant today =) and i was at Gia's dance class..lol

Day 19 of project 365 / Challenge

2010-01-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

This is my daugther playing with her shadow.. LOL i loved how this came out.

Daily Challenge: Bow

Day 18 of project 365 AND Daily challenge

2010-01-18T21:58:00.001-05:00

I really liked how this picture came out. Love the colors in it.

I have now joined a Daily Challenge group =) Thought this would be fun and a way to get creative. Today's challenge was LAMP.
I love how the inside lights up, but the light is broken. so i used a flash light.LOL
I put in B&W because the light inside was quite bright. thought it brought it down a bit.

Day 17 of project 365

2010-01-17T21:54:00.001-05:00

Chocolate face

Day 16 of project 365 (still going strong!)

2010-01-16T21:12:00.004-05:00

Well its time for a change... hope its a good one!

I got my hair cut short and added bangs. something to get used to but liking it so far =D Today i got glasses and so far im liking that too.

what you think???

when life is tough or just isnt going your way, isnt it funny how we change our looks. its like that is one thing we have control over! and i got the added glasses..LOL cool! Well i NEED a change.
here we go....................................................

Day 15 of project 365

2010-01-15T22:34:00.004-05:00

I didnt wip out the camera today. not sure why tho. As soon as i sat infront of the computer tonight i just took a picture of a rock i have... tried to be a little creative with it. =)

Day 14 of project 365

2010-01-14T21:00:00.001-05:00

Didn't take alot of pictures today. We did have a playdate and i caught this moment =) He was helping her put the stickers back on her shirt. Soo cute to see 1 1/2 yr old kids interact with each other.

Day 13 of project 365

2010-01-13T22:28:00.003-05:00

This is our dog Gyro =) He is the best dog EVER!! so darn cute too.

Day 12 of project 365

2010-01-12T21:18:00.004-05:00

During lunch time.. Gia did NOT want her picture taken =( so she hid behind her grilled cheese

i think i take too many pics she is starting to hate it =P

Day 11 of project 365

2010-01-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

We purchased new hats.. they are hand made =) oh not by me tho.. i wish!

how cute is she!!!

Day 10 of project 365

2010-01-10T21:40:00.003-05:00

How i felt after SOAR announcement........