Cartwheels and Pearls

Yesterday we got about 6 inches of snow or so. The flakes coming down yesterday were HUGE and fluffy and we couldn't resist going out and taking some pictures. Plus it was around 20 degrees out so that was quite warm compared to the past few weeks. Usually I always get SO angry with my camera because it won't focus and my pictures turn out bad and blah blah blah but this time it was crazy just how nice the pictures turned out! I just turned on the self timer, put my camera on the tripod, and we posed!
Ok this one is a bit creepy but I swear the rest aren't so bad!

Here's my sister (wearing my dress of course)

 Me (Left): Jacket: Kohls, Dress: Primark, Beanie: Probably Aeropostale
My Sister (Right): Dress/ Belt: Kohls

Michigan is widely know for its bipolar weather. Two weeks ago it was practically 70 and GORGEOUS! This past week it was warm but there was storms galore! I'm talking thunder, lighting, and flooding. This weekend it was in the 30s and Friday night it actually snowed! How crazy... but here's some recent photos that I've snapped...



After a recent downpour, my sister and I both splashed around in the mud

It's really not that much of an obsession... I'm just highly passionate and really like to edit pictures in photoshop. I found some free actions online and now I cannot be stopped! Here's some of my recent edits. I'm just dying for someone to take pictures of and edit them!
Here's some pictures from past photoshoots that I've edited in the past few days.



Someone wanna come model for me?

Since I own the camera, I misewell own the software too! My mom decided to buy the family (or more specially me) phtoshop! I was SO excited!

I'll show you what I've done so far. And believe me, I'm NO pro at all!

Here's my before:
Look at the boy on the far right... Notice how his face has changed!

And here's my after:

Here's my before:

And here's my after:
 Notice how his smile has changed here :)

I'm pretty darn proud of myself! And to be honest, it's really not that hard to use photoshop, It just requires a bit of patience. I have photoshop elements 11 so it's easier and better... but there's not many tutorials out there for it since it's so new. I've been pushing through though and I'm extremely happy with my results!

So as many of you may know, I do dabble in a bit of photography.  And I absolutely love it but I'm no trained professional or anything. When my best friend since birth asked me to take pictures of her family, I couldn't say no! After many schedule changes, we finally took some pictures! Here's the out takes:
The youngest has been rocking a long 'do and it was actually pretty funny to work with since his hair kept getting in his eyes.


We went to a park by my house and they have several bridges, this being one of them. I love all the shots we got on there.

We didn't get very many of all three kids together but this is one of my favorites of all of them.

They brought the dog along and she was very photogenic!

My best friend was very photogenic. They all were though and required very little posing.



We handed the camera to her dad who snapped this one of the two of us. I absolutely love it!

The middle brother was hilarious in getting everyone else to smile and kept mentioning poop. It worked though!


I brought along a stool and was able to capture this moment of the parents. I love it!




This one right here is probably my favorite of the whole family.

Everyone was so cooperative! It was freeeeeeeezing cold and they kept putting coats on in between shots.
I got another request for photos for sometime next week or so! Whew. This time for the three little boys I babysit for. I may need to make this into a business!

And I apologize for my absence, between school, cheer, homework, and more school, I'm constantly busy! I do have a little project (and a big one!) that maybe I'll be able to share sometime soon!

It's true! I got one. I'm going to be shooting pictures for my best friend's family. I'm kind of really scared. I'm beginning to doubt mine and my camera's skills. To make it up I had a mini photoshoot with myself. I'm not charging them since it's my first one and if they don't like the results I don't want them to have to pay for a second one. And plus my friend and I have been best friends since diapers. True story.


Oh and here's an obvious self portrait or as the kids these days are calling them "selfies."

Oh and I just threw this one in here because I found it cute.

Max (the brown one) never lets little Rory get near her but I did manage to capture this picture which I may have to get developed!
 Rory is always trying to bite Max's collar and start fights. She's currently touching Max with her paw even though both are asleep at my feet under the table. Max is obviously Rory's best friend. Although Rory being Max's best friend is a totally different story...

And then I got this... There's a good chance I'm going to frame this one. I LOVE it! Max wasn't so into being photographed but my sister wanted a photoshoot. It was the last (and best!) Picture out of everything.


Oh and I'll definitely be posting the out takes from my shoot so keep an eye out for it!

Much to my dismay, I do not own photoshop. And truth be told, the generic photo editing software most computers come with just doesn't cut it.

Here are a few of my favorite online photo editing sites:

Foto Flexer- Kind of like an online version of photoshop but simple
Pixlr- A very simple editing program that is easy to use but limited
Gickr- A site for creating gif files (moving pictures)

Those are definitely my top 3 go- to sites when iphoto fails me.

Have a great day everyone! My to-do list is just too long to stay and chat!
I have some amazing DIY projects coming up... hopefully soon!
They're all ready to be started... we just haven't gotten that far.

        We all strive for perfect pictures. It's true. Children really are easier to photograph than animals. Children know human commands and if they don't listen to them they usually at least understand them.
       Animals are different. Dogs can understand simple commands like sit, stay, and lay down... but most animals aren't dogs.

The number one tip is giving up control. The animals or pets aren't going to do what you want them to do. They're going to play, run, and do what they please so just accept it right now and things will be a lot more stress free.


Let your pet do what they please and just shoot away. You may end up with pictures like this one where the subject is blurred. Here I actually caught her leaping out of the carriage. 

Or you may get pictures like this.


Just remain calm and your pet will too! They can sense if you're stressed or aggravated. If you're calm and welcoming, they'll come to you on their own.
I was kind of scared to actually be sitting on the ground inches away from these ravenous beasts with my little baby (my camera) in hand but when I calmed down, they came to me and I got some great pictures like the one above of my chicken, Isla. 


Another thing is clever props. Give your pet something to play with or let them hop into something.
I threw my puppy, Rory, into this antique baby carriage and she was all smiles and I was able to capture this great photo which we're going to get developed and frame. 

I gave her (she stole) an old birthday hat and let her go to town tearing it up. I find this picture hilarious since it captures that look, her sideways way of sitting, and a majority of her toys laying around the room behind her. 


Capture the moment! Don't worry about lighting or posing or anything. If your pet is doing something cute, capture it! My older dog, Max, loves to lay in the laundry baskets. She doesn't mind if they're clean or dirty. Anyway, I caught her doing this in the laundry room and snapped a picture of it. Its dark and she looks scared but it's something I can look at and remember.
  Not all pictures have to be perfect!

Now go get some pictures you'll cherish forever!

My life is currently incredibly busy. I spent 9 days in Nashville, Tennessee complete with two 9 hour roadtrips. One with my mom and sister; the other with a family friend and an incredibly well behaved 5 year old and dog.  Now I'm home, safe and sound.

Our journey started out at 4:30 am. By around 8 the coffee was cold and our bellies were rumbling. Turns out finding a Starbucks in Ohio is like finding a needle in a haystack.




When we got there we got to see some sweet little cousins.

I got to take some pictures of baby Kelley. She turned 9 months old! Her mom had gotten some of those great little sticker things off of Etsy that show her age.  Please enjoy the only non- iphone pictures in this whole post.


It was a consistent  105 degrees there. I'm SO happy to be back in the 90's.

I feel like everything has grown and I've been gone for so long! My little puppy, Rory, (You can find pictures of her cuteness here) has officially learned to sit and she's growing bigger!

Things have been just so busy! Good thing I fly out tomorrow for New Orleans! It'll be a bit more calm around my blog since I don't have a whole lot planned for this upcoming week.
Enjoy the Fourth of July, folks!