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Monday freebie

Whether you’re going to celebrate a gift-giving holiday soon or not, I am in the mood to give you something.  If you want it.

It’s a free gift-giving holiday card template.  It’s a fully-customizable 5″x7″ psd template.

Click on the image to download. The design’s a bit more scrapbooky, folksy than I normally produce, but it’s still kinda fun.  You can make it your own.  Go ahead, take it.

Enjoy.  SPL

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Fix-It Friday #78

Ok, it’s a Friday and I’ve decided to do a little editing.  I’ve been editing a lot recently, but this one was for fun.

The folks at iheartfaces.com have challenged us to edit this lovely photo for Fix-It Friday.

Here’s the sooc {straight out of the camera} version…

I altered the levels, added Pioneer Woman’s Fresh and Colorful action, added a touch of light on his face, and burned a little of the edges and finally ran another Pioneer Woman favorite, Lovely and Ethereal.

Voilà!  My version.  Enjoy.  SPL

 

Check out the other versions by other photographers at iheartfaces.com

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I never looked like this

When I went to Switzerland the summer I turned 17, I had my dad’s old Minolta SLR.  It, of course, was a film camera with a rudimentary light sensor.  And, there was nothing automatic about it.  Taking the photos was a labor of love and sometimes my subjects didn’t want to sit still long enough while I focused and changed the shutter speed or f-stop.  So, I captured a lot of landscapes.  But, what landscapes!  I couldn’t take a bad one.  Why? Because it’s Switzerland and it’s unbelievably gorgeous.

And so, now, even though I still shoot in manual with natural light, albeit with a much nicer digital SLR, I still happen upon beautiful subjects.  Some people are hard to mess up.  This family was like that.  They are beautiful people.  And since I’ve known them for over 12 years, I know they aren’t just beautiful on the outside, but also inside.

And, by the way, I couldn’t look this good 30+ weeks pregnant.  I am trying to keep my envy in check, though.

Enjoy.  SPL

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launch the relaunch: www.gingerhansen.com

Well, a few weeks ago I launched my newly updated website at www.gingerhansen.com.  And it was lovely and beautiful and almost everything that I wanted.  I am usually not the fickle type, but in this case, I really needed to make a change.

So, this weekend I launched my new and improved website at the same address.  I have new styling (not that the old one was bad) and new features including a lovely shopping cart.  Please let me know what you think of it.  I would love any feedback, the good, bad or ugly.  There are still a few kinks to work out, but I need a break from the website stuff for a while; my family would love to have me back.

Thanks for looking.  SPL

 

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double your fun

Yes, it’s twins today!  Aren’t they adorable?

I used to complain when my second son was born that it was so difficult having two kids at different stages.  I am silenced when I see the mothers of twins in action.  Two at the same stage is challenging to say the least.  And in our voyeuristic, hyperbole-ridden era of Kate + 8 and the Duggars, I think that the parents of twins are getting a little less respect.  We mothers of singletons can’t understand their lifestyle, but we don’t seem to respect it anymore unless they’re an Octomom-like creature.  So, I am raising a sippy cup full of whatever libation you choose to all you mothers of twins.  Cheers.

These two beauties were very calm and cool, but never at the same time {except when they fell asleep.}  I shot between cries.  Loved this time with the family, though.  We even got a four generation shot, so sweet.

Enjoy. SPL


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Geaux, and geaux early!

So, I got a call to take a family portrait at Popeyes Restaurant.  Yup, the fast food fried chicken joint.  This displaced New Orleans family craved a holiday portrait set at our local slice of Louisiana.  At 8:30 AM {because we had to get there before it opened} and battling the direct sunlight, I shot this family’s gorgeous smiles.   We had lots of fun despite the hour and the sun.

Enjoy.  SPL

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oh my, what cuties

Here is an adorable brother/sister pair.  They moved around A LOT, but probably due to the distraction of my son, who was lingering in the background (and sometime wandering into the shot.)  I wouldn’t recommend dragging a four-year old out while you’re trying to get a three-year-old and 18 month old to focus.   But this pair’s natural adorable-ness helped me get the photos that I wanted.  You can decided which ones are posed and which are just for fun.

Enjoy.  SPL

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nope, i didn't kiss the stone

I can’t think of much worse than kissing a rock that millions of others have kissed before.  Yuck!  I am not germophobic; however, I didn’t see the charm in this tradition.  And since I have been told that I already possess the gift o’ gab {your apparent reward for leaning over backwards and puckering up for the bacteria-ridden stone}, there really was no point.  So, we skipped Blarney and went to Kilkenny and Cashel.

Kilkenny has held the hurling championship title for four years in a row.  Hurling, you ask?  Yes, it’s a sport in Ireland (and I am not talking about what happens after too many pints o’ Guinness.)  The Irish are passionate about their Gaelic games, hurling being one of them.  {Click the link for more on hurling.}   The Kilkenny Cats were going for an unprecedented five-peat this year- in fact they played the final match against Co. Tipperary the day we left their isle.  {I’ll tell you the outcome at the end o’ me post.}  Kilkenny’s entire town was decked in their county’s colors.  Look for the seemingly out-of-place blow-up cat in one of the photos below.

Did you see the cat?  How can you miss it?

Kilkenny at night

Kilkenny in the morn

Cashel is an amazing monastic ruin {dating as far back at the 9th century} perched on a lovely rock.  The ruins are well-preserved and larger than all the others we were to see in Ireland.  We, unfortunately, had to suffer scaffolding erected for on-going preservation efforts.  {I shot around it.}  But, we were left with the truly spectacular view from atop the rock.  Check it out for yourself.


Hurling results, as promised: Alas, it was not in the cards for Kilkenny to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final and break the four-win record.  Tipperary edged them out with a 4-17 to 1-18 score.   Yes, the scoring is a little weird, too.