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No-school photos

I think in my twelve years of school pictures, I liked maybe one or two of them. Actually, my first grade one is the best.

I was a little cuter back then than now.

Anywho, that whole school photo thing was  such a blur of a yearly experience.

I remember every year being lined up in a random school hallway,  given a little black comb, and told to wait patiently for what seemed like the next three hours.  We usually flicked each other’s head or shoulders with the combs before they broke.    And then we would get scolded by one of the teachers assigned to herd us in the hallway, who would say something gentle like, “I don’t get paid enough for this” or “I really could be using this time to teach more about fractions.”    Well, you know it’s bad when I’d rather be enduring a refresher on fractions than standing in that hallway trying not to wrinkle my clothes.

Invariably, about ten seconds before I got to the door I remembered the cheap comb and its real purpose, to fix my hair.  But where was the mirror?  Nowhere to be found.  In the twelve years I had school photos snapped of me, I never remember a mirror.  And,  to top it off, I had hair nearly halfway down my back – this little piece of black plastic was no match for my tangle-prone locks.  Furthermore, what’s the use of trying to fix my own hair without a mirror.  I had to trust that the frazzled photography assistant was telling me the truth when she said I looked “fine.”  {Oh, that’s a four-letter word in my house.  My husband knows not to tell me I look “fine.”  But, I digress.}    And then, before i knew it I had been called into the creepily lit room with the funny umbrellas, muddy backdrop and the brilliant lights; shoved onto a stool; told to say “cheese;” snapped twice; told the purple dots would go away; and sent back to my fractions lesson.  Yup, every year.

Well, that doesn’t happen if you’re homeschooled.  Or, maybe it does, but not if I can help it.

Anyway, I had the opportunity to take some non-school photos for a local homeschool co-op the other day.   And they didn’t get the cattle-call line-up in the hallway treatment from me though.  Each family got about fifteen minutes to pose and just act a bit silly.  We captured more personality than you’d see in most yearbook photos and no one was hurt by cheap combs.

Enjoy.  SPL

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Slimming Valentine’s gifts


It’s the SECOND most wonderful time of the year…  Well, sort of.

I feel like I just finished my gift giving holidays and now I am expected to give something for Valentines!

My husband and I have stopped celebrating Valentine’s Day in the traditional cards and candy sense.  Neither of us wants those things.  I am not a particular fan of heart-shaped things, flowers always die and candy {well, it makes me fat, right?.}  So, we invest in each other for Valentine’s Day.  During that week sometime, we turn off our cellphones, TV, iPads, etc. and spend quality time together.  If you know my husband, you know that that is a better gift and a harder one for him to give than a box of chocolates.

SO IF YOU’RE WATCHING YOUR WAISTLINE this year and looking to  give that special someone a thoughtful low-calorie  gift, consider a child or family photo session or silhouette session as a GREAT way to show them that you care.

Book your session between now and FEBRUARY 14th and I’ll give you 25% off session fees and prints!

Like me on facebook and I’ll give you another 5% off {you’re up to 30% off now}

Signup for the newsletter and I’ll give you another extra 5% off.  {That’s 35% off!}

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FIF #84

I almost didn’t do this one, but I couldn’t resist the challenge.  The women at iheartfaces have come up with a real editing challenge for this week’s Fix It Friday.  Check out all the entries at their site iheartfaces.com.

Here is the original SOOC (straight out of the camera) version.

Here’s what I did.

I played with the saturation, the levels, and added touches of light and dark to even out the shading.  I sharpened her face a bit and cloned out the spit.   And then I ran Pioneer Woman’s 70s action on it (but changed the groups opacity to 75%).  I also needed to crop out the feet, while leaving a hint of the cute little piggies below.

Here ‘s a bonus black and white version.

Let me know how I did.  Enjoy.  SPL

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a fabulous b-side

After the dinosaurs went extinct, a baby boy was born in Bethlehem and nearly 1900 years later Thomas Alva Edison invented the phonograph.  As the recording medium grew in popularity, record companies began to produce small 7″ albums often called 45s (the rpm at which they were played.)  There was an A-side and a B-side.  The A-side was reserved for the popular hit, while the B-side was usually a lesser known song or even an outtake or joke.

However, many b-sides in have become great.

“Into the Groove”  Madonna

“I’m Free” the Rolling Stones

“Murder by Numbers”  the Police

“Pink Cadillac”  Bruce Springsteen

“The Sweetest Thing”  U2

“Be-Bop A Lula”  Gene Vincent

“Yellow Ledbetter” Pearl Jam

“Rain” the Beatles

“Don’t Worry Baby”  the Beach Boys

“Unchained Melody” the Righteous Brothers

So why am I fixated on B-Sides? Well, I have two boys, my A-side and my B-side.  My husband is a B-side (second and, even worse, a middle child.)  My second child is unbelievable and I am determined to make him feel just a special as his A-side – first-born brother.  I knew that I had to take a ton of photos of him at his birth, because as in my husband’s family and in many other families, there are albums chock full of photos of the first born and only a small smattering of second-child photos.

So the other day, I had the opportunity to photograph a fabulous B-side baby boy.  He is beautiful and already a huge hit with his parents and family.  Take a look.

Enjoy.  He’s no one hit wonder.  SPL

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Fix-It Friday#82

Here’s another fix-it Friday from the ladies at iheartfaces.com. I have taken this SOOC (straight out of the camera) photo and edited it to look a little snappier.  Check out what the other photographers have done at iheartfaces as well.

SOOC image

my edit

I changed the levels and played with the color balance to give her a warmer glow.  Then I ran Pioneer Woman’s Bring on the Eyes action to enhance those gorgeous baby blues.  And then I boosted the curves a bit to punch up the color even more.

And then I added the iheartfaces free doodle overlays just for fun.

Check out the fun stuff at iheartfaces.com

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Am I hot or cold?

The answer is: I am fickle.  And so are you, I’d bet.  When it’s cold outside {like now}, we dream of the warmer days at the pool or barbecues on someone’s back porch.  And then we’re reminded of the endless swim meets, of the thick wall of heat that greets you when leaving the house, of the crazy electric bills from the blasting AC, and that that infernal barbecue is at your weird neighbor/co-worker/uncle/fill in your blank’s house.  So, in those sultry, languid months of, say, July or August, our faintly faithful hearts begin to yearn for winter.

Will we ever be content?

To celebrate and engage those wishy-washy pangs, I am uploading some hot and cold photos.

You get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.  That’s what my son’s teacher says {and I know she’s already thinking about Spring Break.}  SPL

Homemade peppermint marshmallows and real deal hot chocolate.  Want the recipe?

Whew!

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It's snowing down south?

“It’s snowing down south?” Did your mom ever say that to you?  That’s the way mine would tell me my slip was showing.

Here in Norfolk, we just don’t get snow.   We’re too close to the water and it always turns to cold rain.  Around here, the weathermen and women peak during the hurricane season {summer to early fall.}  They love themselves some brewing storms and with that comes: storm tracking 24-7 on the tube.  And then, around November we are lulled to sleep with the humdrum reports of the cold and rainy season.

BUT 2010 has brought us a second helping of crazy weather.  And our weatherpersons have worked themselves into a froth once again.  I take most snow predictions with a grain of salt.  {And everyone else goes to the store to buy salt and all the bread and milk.}  But, boy howdy, they weren’t kidding this time!  We really had snow and bread and milk.

So what’s a southern girl to do in the snow?  Put on a Snow White costume and go downtown.  And that’s what we decided to do for this photo shoot.  Little Miss A, her mom and I braved our streets {blanketed in an ill-fitting Snuggie of ice} to get these photos at a vacant warehouse.  Some artsy-fartsy types have wonderfully “tagged” this site with their cool designs.  So, we did our best to take advantage of their efforts.  The snow had melted a bunch, but you’ll still see a bit in these snaps.

Enjoy.  I predict that you’ll like them.  SPL



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do you hear what I hear?

No one would ever accuse me of being a talented singer.  No one.  But, I do make a joyful noise around the holidays.  And so, I have my car radio tuned to our local Easy Listening station which from Thanksgiving to Christmas plays non-stop holiday schmaltz.  And I eat it up!  I sing all of the syrupy holiday tunes like an uninhibited kid, like the car is my personal shower, like that drunk lady at the karaoke bar… Well, you get the idea.

Do you know how many different versions (and unlikely couples) there are of “It’s Cold Outside” ?  I’m waiting for Ke$ha and maybe Michael Bublé to give it a go… That would be an interesting sound, don’t ya think?

Family photos shoots and one-year-olds are hard to mix as well.  And for this holiday shoot, little man here wanted to make his own brand of holiday joy.  And what a noise it was.  It’s a bit “pterodactyl meets Braveheart.”  We were all crying for “freedom!” in the end.

Bring on the noise!  SPL

Daddy’s got a handle on the situation.

Oops, he got away for a second

After some serious Photoshopping, I got everyone together…

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the sound of little girls

Gender-wise I am outnumbered 3 to 1 in my house.  The toilet seat is always up around here.  And my boys are LOUD!  They run, they jump, they break things and cause general mayhem everywhere, leaving behind a wake of legos, Nerf darts, snack crumbs and flatulence.  That’s what my little darlings are made of.

Girls are much quieter and calmer, or at least these three put on a good act.  We did have lot of good laughs and one fart {but I excused myself.}  Just kidding.

Enjoy the quiet, fragrance-free photos.  SPL