{flashy} Photo Share

I have a couple of frames in the house that I have been thinking of swapping out with new pictures. I had a few in mind already but as I was looking back at my pictures, I realized I totally neglected my camera this year. I am terrible about capturing everyday moments from anything other than my phone, and on my phone they usually stay.

Since I am going through my small collection of photos I thought a blog share was in order. It's been a while for that too! Some of my favorites from this year...A few from Cambodia

look at those feet! these kids live in the dirt, it was rare to see any wearing shoes

this little girl was so precious

one of the nicer homes we saw in the villages

I snapped this from the van as we drove by on our way to a village

I just adore this picture! Taken at Remember Nhu.


Back at home, a few macro shots.

and of course some Instagram pics

Pike's Market in Seattle

Space Needle, of course

View form the Space Needle

A nearby park where I run...when I run

And most recently, on the road to a friends house on a beautiful fall morning

{flashy} "Hey Girl" Photo Challenge

Perhaps its because I am not quite done sharing about my trip to Cambodia (you wouldn't think so considering I have yet to blog about it since the first time over 3 months ago) or that I haven't ventured out with my camera as we are just now starting to see days of sun without rain, but I am again entering in a portrait shot in Cambodia for this months I Heart Faces photo challenge.


In villages filled with children so happy for some extra attention, that leaped in front of my camera smiling to ear to ear, this little girl caught my attention. She seemed to be curious but skeptical of why this big group of people who did not speak her language were spending the day in her village. I took her picture a few times, smiled at her, said "ah-goon" (thank you) one of the few words I learned, and went about my way as to not make her uncomfortable. I saw her a few more times that day curiously peeking around but never getting too close. I admit, I kind of wanted to give her a big hug and tell her not to worry :-)

{flashy} Fix-It Friday #136

It has been quite a while since I have participated in Fix-It Friday over in the I Heart Faces community. When I saw the image up for editing today I knew I wanted to play! Editing my own photos, I often stick to basic clean edits but sometimes it is a nice break to have a little fun with it. I knew looking at this picture, by Angie Arthur Photography, that I wanted to give it a saturated urban feel. 

Here is what I did for my final image, it may look like a long list but each step is fairly basic

Edited in Photoshop CS4

• Cropped
• Selected a portion of the brick wall, feathered to 20px and copied to a new layer to get rid of the small amount of window that was left after cropping. 
• Levels adjustment layer on each channel (you can see my tutorial on this here) 
• Duplicated the background image and set to Overlay blend mode, reduced to 80% opacity and masked back her shirt to bring back some detail
• Duplicated the background image and set to Multiply blend mode, reduced to 40% and masked back the girl. 
• Duplicated the background image and ran a High Pass Sharpen with a radius of 20px and set to vivid light blend mode, reduced opacity to 35%
• Duplicated the background image and set to Linear Light blend mode, reduced to 10%
• Selective Color adjustment layer, selected Reds and reduced magenta to -50 and upped yellow to +5
• Gradient adjustment layer with a violet/green/orange gradient, reduced opacity to 30% and masked back the girl at 50% opacity to reduce discoloration in her skin. 
• Flatten layers and save. 

{flashy} I Heart Faces B&W Challenge

It has been quite a while since I have participated in the challenges at I Heart Faces. I have been hoping to jump back in to Fix-It Friday's but it looks like I will start with the B&W challenge! I love black and white photos but for some reason while editing my photos I rarely think about doing a black and white edit. This challenge was a good motivator for me to pick some of my recent favorites and have another go at them.

I took this picture at the first village we visited in Takeo, Cambodia as we were setting up our clinic for the day. This photo has reeled me in from the moment I pulled it up on my computer. Most people may pass right by it, but I. Am. Just. Stuck. On. It. The light pouring in from the window. The man's smile. The children anxiously awaiting brand new tooth brushes, which many had never used before. It is a story.

Take a look at some of the other entries!

{flashy} the details

Oh hi there!


I remember you. Do you remember me?


No? Oh. 


Well, I suppose I can't blame you for that one. 

Have I mentioned that I am a wonderful procrastinator? So good in fact that I don't do, at all, what I am procrastinating to do. I think that made sense...

Growing up in southern California we never really had true seasons. It was a very welcomed change when we moved to Oregon last year. I have been relishing in the changing colors as fall has come and seems to be quickly heading back out. 

I so often find myself just lost in my surroundings, taking in all the beauty around me. We live in a truly spectacular world. 

I try not to dismiss the little details. It's the details, the beauty, the wonder, the awe, that makes small moments so joyous. 

{off topic} Not in a Rut

No, not a rut exactly.

A funk? No, not that either.

Busy? To a certain degree.

Overwhelmed? Yep, I think that's the one.

I feel like I get in this overwhelmed state more and more often these days. There is so much I want to be doing with my time that sometimes I find myself doing none of it, because I can't decide which to focus on. When I sit down at my computer I think of all the things I should be doing. Going through pictures, editing, blogging, perhaps working on a fan base for my Etsy shop and Facebook fanpage. And all I want to do is browse Pinterest and play Cityville. Ok, forget I mentioned Cityville. I'm not proud.

So what have I been doing?

I have been getting my craft on. Albeit, not as much as I would like. My "workflow" is to pretty much start every project I can possibly fit on my desk at one time and then hop around until something is finished. Right now my started-but-not-completed pile is up to 8 projects ranging from frames to printer trays.

I will be selling at a craft fair through my church in October so I am trying to get a move on so I have a decent number, and variety, of items to sell. I am praying for a good day as anything I happen to make from it will go towards my Cambodia missions trip.

Believe it or not, I have been taking pictures. Apparently, not of my new craft items.

Some from my Nikon D90

Others with some fun apps on my Droid

While I haven't been too adventurous in the kitchen, I have made some delicious recipes. Like Blueberry Cardamom Scones, delish! The Pioneer Woman's Dr Pepper Shredded Pork. Two of my favorite things, how could you go wrong? And most recently Roasted Squash with Lentils and Goat Cheese from Smitten Kitchen. Of course, I also have a long list of recipes I have been dying to try like Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies from Jessica at How Sweet It is. Or Knock You Naked Brownies from The Pioneer Woman. And Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough brownies from Brown Eyed Baker.

I suppose you can see where my mind is.

{flashy} dual purpose

The last several weeks I have put a lot of my spare time in to getting new items up in my Etsy shop. I love crafting. I love creating. I do not feel like it has ever been something that has come easy to me though. My passions have always been drawn to creativity, but I really have to push myself to find it. Whether its papercrafting, cooking, photography, editing, graphic design, interior design, you name it, I love it and want to make it work. I have managed to start 7 new crafty projects in the last few weeks and so far finish 2. But, it will all come in time. 

I welcome a change of pace. I think this is why I start so many things without ever finishing my last "to-do" item. Last Wednesday when my son said "Its such a great day for taking pictures!" I rushed him outside and followed him around with my camera as he took pictures with his. Even better, he had just gotten his haircut about an hour before. No "grooming" required. 

 This little guy just turned 4. I still can't quite believe it.

His smile lights up my day.

I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with him and watch him grow into a little man with such a big personality.

Some days may be hard, but we always make each other laugh

{flashy} Color Inc. Giveaway

Rita over at The Coffee Shop Blog is hosting a fabulous giveaway for a framed gallery wrapped canvas. Head over here to check it out!

{flashy} Snow Day + I Heart Faces entry

Growing up in sunny southern California we never got to experience snow unless we jumped in the car and drove an hour away to look for it. I have memories of playing in the snow with my family when I was young, but in recent years those experiences were few and far between. About 7 years ago (geez has it really been that long?) I was visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and while up late spending time with my family we realized it was snowing. I was so excited and so in awe, you would have thought I had never even seen snow before. I think I spent the entire next day sitting on their couch staring out the window, watching the snow fall. Much like rain, I find it to be so peaceful for me. It makes me smile. It makes my soul sing.

When we moved up to the Portland, OR area last summer one of the things I was looking forward to most was winter. Or to even have real seasons at all. The area we live in is no stranger to snow, or so I was told, but I quickly learned that our weather is totally unpredictable. Throughout the winter months we had snow forecasted quite often but rarely did it ever show. And when it did, it was very short lived and never amounted to anything.

Finally, last week there was talk of us being hit with the worst snow storm of the season and I started getting antsy. In the back of my mind I doubted it would happen. Thursday morning we woke up to a beautiful white blanket of snow, and better yet, it was still coming down. Here we were, in the last few days of February and now we have snow.

Carson and I ate breakfast and then went outside to play. I snapped some pictures first and then put my camera away to play in the snow with my son. Within a couple hours the snow had nearly completely melted away. We watched it snow off and on for the rest of the day, never again sticking to the ground.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day, and that I've taken in recent months as well. It makes me smile. This is what I have been ever-so-impatiently waiting for.

I've come to realize I have a hard time sharing without story telling. This whole entry started because I wanted to submit this photo for this weeks I Heart Faces photo challenge.

So there you have it. A photo, and its story.

{flashy} Beacon Rock

Pioneer Woman's Sunshine action

When we first moved to the Portland, OR area last summer we tried to spend a lot of time driving around the city discovering new areas and checking out all the city has to offer. Its been a while since we had done this. I suppose the winter weather deterred us a bit. This past Saturday, however, was a gorgeous day. It was about 45 degrees and sunny with blue skies. We decided to hop in the car after lunch and started driving north. We talked about maybe heading in to the Vancouver, WA area so I pulled out my phone to see what there was to do. I found out about a small hiking trail that takes you up to the top of the core of a volcano and once you get there, rewards you with panoramic views of the Columbia River Gorge. I'm in! An hour later we arrive and I stood at the base of Beacon Rock thinking "are you kidding me?"

I knew it had to be high to provide the views that were promised but standing there, staring at it, I started to think it wasn't the best idea. The trail was labeled as easy to moderate though, so we set out on our way. My, what felt like 20 pounds, camera bag on my shoulder and my husband carrying our 32 pound almost 4 year old. Let me tell ya, that hike would have been a lot easier without all the extra weight, and for once Im not talking about my own! My camera bag was killing my shoulders, but this was not the time to leave it behind. We made the 800 foot elevation climb and as soon as we made it to the top I started snapping away. It was a gorgeous view on a gorgeous day and some much needed family time outside of the home.

As we entered back in to OR territory the sun was setting amongst a gorgeous sea of clouds rimmed with golden light. I pulled out my camera, rolled down my window, and started shooting. This is one reason my husband always drives!

{flashy} Fix It Friday #86

I could not resist today's Fix It Friday picture over at I Heart Faces. This little girl is adorable and her expression is even more so!

Original photo

My first edit

I was imagining this picture as somewhat dark and dreamy and I am pretty happy with how it turned out in the limited time I had to work on it.

~ My Steps ~

• opened in ACR and adjusted exposure
• levels adjustment, on individual RGB channels
• slight curves adjustment to bring up the midtones
• black and white gradient map set to overlay blend mode
• selected her cheek color and painted over her left cheek at a low opacity and flow to even out the shadows
• very slight gaussian blur on the skin and hair
• high pass sharpen
• crop
• duplicated layer, added rendered lighting

Rendered lighting isn't something I use often but it can be a very nice effect. Here is the same edit as above only without the rendered lighting

Honey Retro edit

I wish I could truly call this edit my own. With the same basic editing done on my first edit I ran the Coffeeshop Honey Retro action. I absolutely love this action. One of these days I will have to sit down and learn how to achieve the same look without it.

As always, if you would like to check out other edits done on this photo just click here!

{flashy} Fix-It Friday #84

Another Friday, another edit!

Original photo from I Heart Faces

My edit

Using CS4, the first thing I did was open the channels tab and click on load info (the dotted circle at the bottom of the box) This selects the highlights in the photo. I inversed the selection, which selects the shadows, and created a curves adjustment pulling the midtones up. This lightens the shadows without lightening the highlights.

The rest of my edit was fairly business as usual

• curves adjustment, slight s-curve
• levels adjustment, on each channel
• duplicated background, multiply blend mode at 20% opacity, masked the girl back in
• yellow fill layer, at 15% opacity
• high pass sharpen
• Nelly Nero gritty texture, at 15% opacity, masked the girl back in
• cropped

Check out the rest of the edits!

{flashy} Reverse Lens Macro

Reverse lens macro is a technique I heard of quite some time ago but never bothered to try. Perhaps because I own a macro lens I didn't think it was necessary, or because I simply didn't want to make the time for something new. Actually, its probably a little bit of both. However, it is a great budget friendly way to dabble in macro photography. I'd say it even borders on being micro photography.

The basic idea is this: take your lens off your camera, turn it around and butt it up against the camera body, holding it flush so no light can leak through, and click away. Sounds simple enough, right? So I decided to finally give it a shot. I knew going in to it that I would lose control over my aperture setting, but on top of that I had to actually hold back the aperture lever (on the lens mount) to be able to see anything at all. If I did not do this my pictures were straight up black. So holding this lens in place, while holding the aperture lever, while holding the camera taking pictures can be a little tricky! Not to mention painful after holding that lever in place for a while!

It definitely takes some practice but it is pretty fun! Focus is out of the picture with this method as well considering your lens isn't actually attached to your camera. The only way you can focus is to move closer to or further from your subject. I have yet to get an image in sharp focus, but I'm guessing that has to do with me opening up the aperture completely, making my depth of field as shallow as it can possibly get. I will have to try again with either more light or a higher ISO, or maybe even both, and not hold my aperture wide open. Now that rain seems to finally be out of our forecast for a little while I am hopeful I can get outdoors and give this method another shot.

These two photos that I took are of condensation on the inside of a window

{FLASHY} Fix-It Friday #82

Over at I Heart Faces they do a weekly participation edit. A contributor offers up a picture and anybody can join in and edit the photo. Looking through entries and checking out the steps somebody takes to edit is a great way to learn!

This is my first time participating, hopefully I did the picture justice!

The SOOC

(straight out of camera)

My Edit

I have to admit I don't always have a set workflow for editing. I like to play until I like it! Here is a quick run down of what I did with this picture.

• Levels adjustment on all channels at 90% opacity
• Second levels adjustment on all channels at 50% opacity
• Brown gradient, hard light blend mode
• duplicated background image at 85% opacity (this is to let the gradient come through)
• duplicated background, screen blend mode at 45% opacity
• High pass sharpen, overlay blend mode
• High pass sharpen again, hard light blend mode
• And a slight crop

You can click here to check out the rest of the edits!