Ansel Adams once said "You don't take a photograph, you make it." And while I know what he meant (a good photograph usually takes time and thought to get just the right image...as opposed to a snapshot) but I still prefer to say I'm "taking a picture." Because I didn't make anything in these pictures. God is the ultimate creative genius and I'm just an observer...but I don't think that devalues what I do, because I do think that I see things in a unique way. No one else is looking at the exact same thing I'm looking at at the exact time or in the exact same way. I like to think (and I hope) that I help people see things in a way they haven't before, to enjoy the beauty all around. Like this little flower. This was growing on the side of the road close to a covered bridge and is maybe half and inch across. It's so small that I actually didn't even notice the little spots on it until I got home and loaded the pictures on the computer. It's just a tiny little flower that most people wouldn't have even noticed.
I actually wouldn't have even stopped to take a picture of this barn...they're not really my thing. But Daniel (my wonderful husband) insisted that we stop for it and I'm so glad he did! It was a beautiful day and the sky looked awesome. This is not photoshopped (well, a little, but just basic stuff) it was just that pretty that day! I really wish that Daniel had some interest in being a photographer...he's always suggesting ideas but has no desire to take the pictures himself.
Just a little dandelion...I was experimenting with a new set of close-up filters and kind of liked the way this turned out...nice and soft and a little dreamy. Someone else (I can't remember who) said "Art is knowing which mistakes to keep" and this picture is a great example of that! I had intended to take some macro shots that were clear and crisp and bright...but I got this and I like it!
I probably looked like a total dork laying down in the middle of the bridge to get these....but then again, I've never been accused of being normal, so that's nothing new! I don't usually title my pictures (because I'm not very creative with words) but I call the one on the right "inside looking out".
This is part of a gourd vine in my garden. This is the first year we've ever planted a garden and it's been quite the adventure! We really underestimated how big everything would get so it's a big mess right now as the gourds have taken over! They're even climbing up the sunflowers.
I planted sunflowers this year for two reasons. First, I thought the kids would get a kick out of them (they're the mammoth variety, they're like 10 feet tall) and because I thought I would get some interesting pictures out of them.
I took these two pictures last spring but still love them. Someday when I have more wall space I plan to have these on my walls. I LOVE the color of that flower...you know, God could have made the whole world black and white and we would never have even known the difference...but He chose to give us color to make everything even more beautiful...pretty cool, huh?
I LOVE this shot of Jack! He is getting so big and starting to look more like a little boy and less like a baby every day...makes me a little sad, but mostly happy. He's crawling (the army kind, not the normal, butt-up-in-the-air kind) and just generally being crazy! He's also saying mama...but only when he's mad about something! Everyone said when I was pregnant with Abbie that I wouldn't take nearly as many pictures of her as I did of Joey...and I think I was just out to prove everyone wrong, because I took about a million of her! Now that Jack's here, I think I've probably taken even more of him! But you know, you can never have TOO many pictures of your kids...he might not appreciate me showing his future girlfriends pictures of his little naked baby butt, but I'll just consider it payback for all the middle of the night wakeup calls he's given me over the past seven and a half months!
Guess I was just in a rambling mood today! If you've made it this far, congratulations! And if you're interested in seeing more covered bridge shots, I updated that blog yesterday. We only have five more bridges to go and we'll be done with that little project. http://www.coveredbridgesummer.blogspot.com/
I actually wouldn't have even stopped to take a picture of this barn...they're not really my thing. But Daniel (my wonderful husband) insisted that we stop for it and I'm so glad he did! It was a beautiful day and the sky looked awesome. This is not photoshopped (well, a little, but just basic stuff) it was just that pretty that day! I really wish that Daniel had some interest in being a photographer...he's always suggesting ideas but has no desire to take the pictures himself.
Just a little dandelion...I was experimenting with a new set of close-up filters and kind of liked the way this turned out...nice and soft and a little dreamy. Someone else (I can't remember who) said "Art is knowing which mistakes to keep" and this picture is a great example of that! I had intended to take some macro shots that were clear and crisp and bright...but I got this and I like it!
I probably looked like a total dork laying down in the middle of the bridge to get these....but then again, I've never been accused of being normal, so that's nothing new! I don't usually title my pictures (because I'm not very creative with words) but I call the one on the right "inside looking out".
This is part of a gourd vine in my garden. This is the first year we've ever planted a garden and it's been quite the adventure! We really underestimated how big everything would get so it's a big mess right now as the gourds have taken over! They're even climbing up the sunflowers.
I planted sunflowers this year for two reasons. First, I thought the kids would get a kick out of them (they're the mammoth variety, they're like 10 feet tall) and because I thought I would get some interesting pictures out of them.
I took these two pictures last spring but still love them. Someday when I have more wall space I plan to have these on my walls. I LOVE the color of that flower...you know, God could have made the whole world black and white and we would never have even known the difference...but He chose to give us color to make everything even more beautiful...pretty cool, huh?
I LOVE this shot of Jack! He is getting so big and starting to look more like a little boy and less like a baby every day...makes me a little sad, but mostly happy. He's crawling (the army kind, not the normal, butt-up-in-the-air kind) and just generally being crazy! He's also saying mama...but only when he's mad about something! Everyone said when I was pregnant with Abbie that I wouldn't take nearly as many pictures of her as I did of Joey...and I think I was just out to prove everyone wrong, because I took about a million of her! Now that Jack's here, I think I've probably taken even more of him! But you know, you can never have TOO many pictures of your kids...he might not appreciate me showing his future girlfriends pictures of his little naked baby butt, but I'll just consider it payback for all the middle of the night wakeup calls he's given me over the past seven and a half months!
Guess I was just in a rambling mood today! If you've made it this far, congratulations! And if you're interested in seeing more covered bridge shots, I updated that blog yesterday. We only have five more bridges to go and we'll be done with that little project. http://www.coveredbridgesummer.blogspot.com/
By the way, I have been making our own bubble solution this summer and it rocks! Here's the recipe: 4 cups dish soap (I use Ajax grapefruit scent just because it smells super yummy, but any kind would work), 1.5 cups light corn syrup, and 12 cups water. Shake it all up in a gallon jug and that's it! It works a lot better than the cheap stuff for blowing big bubbles, and it's a lot cheaper than the expensive kind. Just make sure to shake it before you use it each time, because the corn syrup tends to settle at the bottom.
This is Charity. She's a sweet and spunky 8-year-old.
