I've earned $25 in Amazon Gift Cards through Swagbucks....check it out!

Have you heard about Swagbucks?  I remember hearing about it, when they first started out a few years ago and I was very skeptical and dismissed it.  I mean come on, how can you earn money just by using their search engine, really? Boy was I wrong.....you really can and it's easy to boot!  I kept seeing people post on their blogs about how they bought their christmas presents with swagbucks and I finally decided to give it a try, so I downloaded their toolbar and now when I'm on my computer searching, I am periodically awarded swagbucks. So far to date I've earned 2,378 swagbucks (*note: you will see below on my widget that I don't have that many and that's because I've redeemed 2,250 already)!  You can redeem your swagbucks for products in the swagbucks store or for gift cards and I like using mine on $5 Amazon gift cards. I now have five $5 Amazon gift cards which = $25 that I can spend whenever I want.  Cool huh? 

Here's another thing I just realized......you can earn 10 swagbucks for every coupon you print (from swagbucks website here) and redeem at your local grocery store.  This is great for me because I've just recently started couponing! woot woot

Here is a link if you'd like to check out How It Works and here is their FAQs page where you can find out more about earning and redeeming swagbucks. 

I've included the widget below for those of you who would like to sign up and start earning some free money! (just click on the sign up button in the bottom right corner of the widget)

FEATURED REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!! NICHOLE VAN’S {life as art} Workshop-In-A-Box

Hey y'all, you might want to enter this giveaway, hosted by Workshop Jungle, to win Nichole Van's {life as art} Worshop in a box! If you haven't seen her work, you'll want to hop on over and take a long peek because her photography or {art} is beautiful and I'm blown away by her creativity! Check out her blog here. 

My favorite portrait of hers is the beautiful bride leaping through the air at dawn!  I love all of her photos, but that one grabbed me the first time I saw it and it still grabs me everytime I see it! Here is the link if you'd like to see it yourself! (click on art then click marriage to find the bride leaping!) I would LOVE to win her workshop in a box, so I can learn from her!  Good luck to all of you who enter!

Free LIVE Workshop with Jasmine Star.....starts today!

This is another fantastic workshop from CreativeLive, featuring Jasmine Star teaching about building a Wedding Photography Business.  Enroll now and watch it LIVE for free!!!

Check out FREE Workshop: Building your Wedding Photography Business with Jasmine Star at creativeLIVE





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Posing and Lighting Workshop!

If you don't already know about creativeLive, you just have to check them out, ASAP! They offer free LIVE workshops and let me just say how AWESOME this site is!!!

Today I sat in on the first day of Bambi Cantrell's 3 day Posing and Lighting Workshop and I never dreamed I would learn so much in just one day! Seriously folks....Bambi is my new photography hero! She is absolutely brilliant with posing her models and I don't know about y'all, but that's the one thing I struggle with the most. I have a feeling posing will be a lot easier for me now, after watching Bambi in action and listening intently, to all of her careful instructions. One of the things she taught us, was how to pose the subject in a way that is flattering, slenderizing and natural looking or as Bambi would say, "Believable!" Oh my goodness, she taught us so much more and it's all still spinning around in my brain, as I type this post. Can you even imagine 7 hours of priceless instruction on posing and lighting? It was fantastic and I can't wait until tomorrow's class, in fact I'm still so excited from today, that I can't even go to sleep. lol I mean I posted about it 3 times on my Portrait Of My Heart facebook page and also tweeted several times today too, haha. Hmmm....I might be just a little excited! :)

Here is a short video I found on youtube tonight that I thought I'd share...

Bambi Cantrell's Tips for Beautiful Portraits

Helpful Hint ~ Prevent Avacados From Turning Brown!

I found this tip on preventing avacados from turning brown and just had to share it!

***Don't forget to pause my music player before playing the video!



I gave it a try and I have to tell you....it really works! 

This is 24 hours later and my avacado looks exactly the way it did, when I put it in the container with the red onion, the day before.  It didn't turn brown at all! woot woot (*note:  the brown you see on the avacado was already there when I cut it open!)  Isn't that cool?  Ok, well I'M EXCITED because this works better than any method I've ever tried!  I don't know what the red onion does, but it works like a charm and I can't wait to see how many days it will keep my avacados nice and green.  Hope you all enjoy this little hint.....give it a try.  :)

Project 365 ~ Week 3

Sunday

This was such an awesome day and let me tell you why...  First off, church was awesome, we had 3 baptisms and 2 people join. Secondly, my friend Elsie surprised me with this jar of Mayhaw Jelly that she brought back from Texas and it meant so much to me, that I almost started crying! Seriously, I gasped so loud, all the new people sitting around us, probably wondered what was wrong with me, until they heard the laughter that followed and saw the hugging that went on. Lol  

 My granny, used to send me her homemade Mayhaw jelly once in awhile, before she died many years ago and I've really missed it. You have to understand, just how much I love this jelly and just how much I love my friend, Elsie!  She and I, are originally from the same area in Texas and even though we live in Oregon now, we're both southern girls at heart and we love us some good ol' southern food and Mayhaw jelly! She's been spoiling me lately....she's made me chicken gumbo twice, since my back surgery and it was so yummy and good! I love you, Elsie!

Monday

You should have seen me scramble when I looked out the window and saw the eagle flying toward the house! I ran and grabbed my camera and camera bag, all the while holding my breath and squealing, as I had to quickly unzip the bag, grab my zoom lens, switch lenses, run out the sliding glass door, change my settings on my camera and snap two shots before it was gone. Whew....that got my heart rate up for sure! If I would have had my camera ready, I could have gotten a closer shot, as it flew right over my head. *bummer*

I love the snow on the mountain!

Tuesday

This is a lovely journal that my friend Michelle made me last August. Isn't it adorable?  She knows how much I love photography, so she personalized it with the camera, my name and she even put one of my own hummingbird pictures on it, along with the verse. Isn't that special? 

...and this is the inside, with a little note from her and a pic of me and my honey, that says, "Always kiss me goodnight!"  Awww!  As you can see, I hadn't used it yet, because I was waiting for the new year to begin.

....and inside the back, she added a cute little envelope for me to tuck away little notes, pictures or whatever I want to put in it.  It's a great place for keepsakes, don't you think?  I just love it and I appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it! Thank you, Michelle...you're such a special friend!

Wednesday

I looked outside and had to grab my camera to get a shot of this scene.  There's just something serene about it and the sky is lovely, the way the light is shining, through the clouds!

Thursday

We got home really late after church and Kasey's friend Steven came over, so I quickly threw a cobbler together, so they would have something yummy to eat.  I used frozen mixed berries, but seriously this bag had mostly raspberries in it with a little Marionberries and blueberries, as well.  Here's a little trick if you don't have any icecream on hand and you don't feel like driving to DQ for some....just use frozen cool whip and that will suffice!  Fortunately, I had frozen cool whip in the freezer and while nothing is better than vanilla icecream on cobbler, frozen cool whip is pretty good!

Friday

Ok, so we decided to have a boring, but healthy meal for dinner and it was good.  Although, I do have one question....why do I always want something more, after I've eaten a healthy meal? Lol  I mean come on, why can't I at least have bread and butter?  Oh yeah, now I remember....it's because bread makes me fat! :)

Saturday

Ohhh....to be a dog!  I was looking for Sophie and this is where I found her. Yep, all sprawled out, squishing down the pillow on the back of the couch!  Mind you, she's not supposed to be on there, but she was just too cute, so I left her there.  She's so spoiled!!!

If you'd like to join in on Project 365, hop on over to my friend Sara's, to link up!

Skywatch Friday ~ Golden Sunrise (11-28-10)

This was such a gorgeous golden sunrise! I woke up later than usual on this morning and I was already scrambling to get ready for church, when I looked out my window and saw this.  Well....even though I was already running late, I just had to grab my camera and get a few shots, ya know!  Oh, how I wish I would have had more time because this is my favorite kind of sunrise.  Clouds and fog always make the sunrise even more beautiful!  Oh and did I mention that there was no time to grab my tipod?  Ugh....I know I could have gotten some spectacular shots, with the tripod!  Because I was hand holding the camera, I had to have my shutter speed set to at least 1/60th of a second, to prevent camera shake and I wasn't able to set my aperture to f/22, like I normally would, but....I did the best I could without my tripod!

Canon Rebel Xsi

Canon EFS 55-250mm lens

Manual mode

Aperture f/20

Shutter Speed 1/60 sec.

ISO 100

Manual mode

Aperture f/20

Shutter Speed 1/80 sec.

ISO 100

Manual mode

Aperture f/20

Shutter Speed 1/60 sec.

ISO 100

Manual mode

Aperture f/20

Shutter Speed 1/80 sec.

ISO 100

Hop on over to SKYWATCH FRIDAY to see more beautiful skies all over the world!

Project 365 ~ Week 2

Well....this is my first full week of taking a pic everyday, for Project 365 and I'm afraid I wasn't very creative! Lol  It proved to be a little harder than I thought, but I can see that this project will inspire me to keep my camera or my iphone handy at all times. I intend to make a book out of all 365 days of pics, at the end of this year, through Blurb.  I can't wait to sit down with a cup of tea and look through it! Here's a little peek at a few of my blog friend Sara's, blurb books. 

Sunday

Today, was a very long day, but it was wonderful!  We had a great church service followed by a baptism in the river.....in January! Brrr, it was so cold!  After the baptism we went shopping at Costco and Fred Meyer, then at home I prepared the food for our home group that we hosted and at 7:30 I fell into bed. I turned on the tv and started watching Worst Cooks in America and it was then, that I remembered that I needed a picture for the day. Ugh! I seriously couldn't get myself up, so I took a shot of the tv with my iphone....real creative huh?  I got up at 9:00 to get something to drink and I could barely walk, so I went right back to bed and stayed there til morning. I'm still recovering from my back surgery, so I guess I over did it just a little. Lol 

Monday

Today I didn't feel up to going swimming, but it was such a nice day, so Andy and I decided to go for a short walk on the river walk. It was lovely and the air was crisp and cold and so refreshing! This is a shot I took from the trolley tracks. This is a perfect spot for portrait pics....the leading lines are fantastic!

Tuesday

Today was another long day!  We drove out of town to see our dear friend, who is drawing very near to the end of his journey on this earth, and it proved to be a very emotional day. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him and talking to him and just holding his hand!  We will miss him terribly, but we're so thankful that he will be waiting for us, up in heaven!  Before heading home, Andy and I enjoyed soup and salad at Olive Garden and we were really bad and split a piece of rasberry cheesecake....shhh, I won't tell if you won't tell! Lol After we got home, I was just dragging, so I decided I needed a protein shake.

Wednesday

I just had to post this pic of Sophie because her little paws are so cute!

Thursday

Ok, so I guess this is what you do, when you realize that you haven't taken a picture for the day.....you look for something in your house!  Hence, why I took a pic of the candles on my kitchen table. Lol  These really are beautiful at night when the lights are turned off....they actually flicker! They are battery operated candles that have been dipped in real wax, cool huh?  I got them from my sister-in-law's shop and I love them!

 

Friday

Andy and I decided to take a drive on the beach today and there happened to be part of a whale carcus, that had washed up.  The seagulls were feasting off of it and I actually captured a gross pic of one of them pulling the flesh off. Ew...I won't be posting that one! It kept raining off and on, so I just rolled down my window and took some shots from the truck.  We had a wonderful drive....I just love the beach!

Saturday

It actually stopped raining for a little while, so I ventured outside in my backyard, scouting for something to take a picture of. I actually did find a few things to take pics of, but in the end I just had to post this one, of Sunny and Sophie playing with the stick.  Sophie does manage to steal it once in awhile, but most of the time she's just happy to latch onto it, along side Sunny and run around the yard with it. Of course, when she does steal it....the chase it on!

If you're interested in joining in on P365, head on over to Sara's blog and link up!

Skywatch Friday ~ Beautiful Moon 5-26-2010

I love it when the sky is an indigo blue!

Canon Rebel XSi

Canon EFS 55-250mm lens

Manual mode

Aperture f/16

Shutter Speed 0.4 sec

ISO 100

Focal Length 250.0 mm

...and I love capturing the moon through branches!

(settings same as in first pic)

 

Doesn't it look like the moon is tetering on the branch in this one?

Manual mode

Aperture f/16

Sh Speed 1/5 sec

ISO 100

Focal Length 250.0 mm

...and lastly, one more of the beautiful moon peeking through the branches!

Manual mode

Aperture f/16

Sh Speed 0.3 sec

ISO 100

Focal Length 250.0 mm

Hop on over to SKYWATCH FRIDAY and check out more beautiful skies all around the world!

Project 365 ~ Week 1

Well....I finally decided last night, to join in on Project 365 over at my blog friend Sara's and I have to admit, that I'm a little scared because I know it's quite a commitment!  Now is probably the right time though, especially since I just finally got a new computer and shouldn't have any problems with this one.  Note to self:  N.e.v.e.r buy a reconditioned computer again!  It was a total waste of money and really has hindered me from being able to blog etc.  Thankfully, I'm almost finished transferring all of my pics to the new computer before it completely crashes...Yay! It's been a frustrating process the past couple of weeks....it takes about 7 or 8 hours to transfer one folder of pictures off of the old computer....that tells you how slow it is and of course, it takes even longer when it shuts down and I have to start over. Arrrg! 

I'd like to apologize to all of my followers (if I have any left) for being MIA off and on for so long, I'm praying that I will be able to get back into the routine of blogging again and I think P 365 will help me to do just that!  I don't really know all the rules of P 365, so please forgive me, if I happen to break the rules. Hopefully, someone will clue me in, if I do it wrong! :)

SATURDAY



I opened the sliding glass door to step outside and take this pic, but it was sooo cold that I just stayed in and took it with the door open. lol  Normally I would have taken more pics, but I was on my way out to lunch with my friend Elsie and wouldn't you know it.....I completely forgot to take a pic of the two of us and our meal.  We're both originally from Texas, so we thoroughly enjoyed our tamales, blackeyed peas, cabbage, collard greens and cornbread!  Mmmm, mmm good!  We both were blessed with double the good luck, as the tradition goes, because we both had black eyed peas and we both found a coffee bean hidden in our pieces of cake.  Woo hoo! 

And to finish off such a lovely day, I snapped a picture of my baby Sophie, with her bone!  Yes, I call her my baby and yes, my 21 yr old daughter makes fun of me and says, I've become one of those old ladies with the little dog that she talks to like it's a person.  Haha, yep that's me folks!  I do talk to her like she's a person and my excuse is, that I don't have any grandbabies yet, but hey....at least I don't dress her up in little outfits. lol  

Well, so far so good, I've just finished my first blog post for the new year and also for P 365, now let's hope I can keep this up!  Happy New Year everyone!  If you'd like to link up and join in on Project 365, just head on over to make music from your heart to the Lord and I know Sara will be excited!!!

Skywatch Friday ~ Sunrise 11-28-2010

Those of you who know me, know how much I love to take pics of the sunrise and I'll tell you, since I've been laid up from my back surgery, I've really missed getting out there with my camera! I'm a little out of practice, but it feels good to be getting back in the saddle again, so to speak!

 

Ohhh, to see those vibrant colors in the sky and capture them with my camera, just brings me such joy and I don't know why, but it just makes me feel alive!  Wow...I'm amazed everyday with the beauty of God's creation! 

Canon Rebel XSi

Canon 55-250mm lens

Manual Mode

Aperture f/22

Shutter Speed 1/40 sec.

ISO 100

Focal Length 84.0 mm

Manual Mode

Aperture f/22

Shutter Speed 1/100 sec.

ISO 100

Focal Lenth 84.0 mm

Now hop on over to SKYWATCH FRIDAY to see more beautiful skies all over the world!



Skywatch Friday ~ Saddle Mtn Under Pink Clouds!

I never get tired of this view!  I get to see it everyday, from my livingroom window, dining room window, sliding glass door and my bedroom window....I am a lucky girl for sure!  The sky is ever changing, minute by minute and I always have my camera handy, so I can capture it's beauty!

Hop on over to Skywatch Friday to see other beautiful skies all over the world!

Your Hands by JJ Heller

(***Don't forget to pause my music player in the right sidebar before you play the video)

This morning, something reminded me of this song, so I thought I would share it on here.  It seems to go right along with the things that are going on around us at the moment!  The lyrics are in the video, so I won't take the time to type them out.  Please remember to pause my music player before you start the video! :)

It was so great to be in church this morning and I have to say.....it was AWESOME!  The music was sooo good and the message was one that I'll never forget.  It was one of those where you lose track of time because you're so ingrossed in it and you almost don't want it to end! I don't know what's happening, but God is doing something in our church.....something really, really great and I love it!  Our church has really transformed into the church I always knew it could be.  One with people who are "real" and not superficial!  One with people who are loving and not judgemental! One with people who just simply love Jesus and One with people who have grace with other's, even when they may not deserve it!  Sure...we've always had a pretty loving church, but now it's different....it's deeper....it's real!  That's what happens when you go through major trials together and you keep your eyes on Jesus and not each other!

It's been a wild ride this past year, with so many trials and it's been so encouraging to see how our church family has handled them.  Of course, we are no where near perfect and yes, there are always a few who don't handle things well or in the right manner, but that's where grace comes in folks.

We're still going through some trials, with four of us recovering from major surgeries and with the loss of one of our dear members who is now in heaven.  Also, the time is drawing near, for us to part with our dear friend Dale, as the brain tumor overtakes his body.  It's so painful to watch this unfold, but soon he will be in heaven and he will feel pain no more.  My heart aches as I watch my sweet friend in anguish, as she takes care of her dad, all the while her heart breaking because she will soon have to say goodbye!

Things are bitter sweet these days, as we experience pain and loss in so many families and at the same time, we are also experiencing such joy and growth!  I'm so thankful for so many new families and for the family that joined this morning too.....wow....will I ever remember all of their names? lol 

I hope you all like this song.  Music speaks to me and this song happens to be the theme of my life and of my church family's lives right now!

Skywatch Friday ~ A Glimmer of Pink!

I love it when the sky is pink!  Ok, truth is....I love any colors in the sky....pink, red, violet, yellow, orange, gray or even blue! My husband often catches me gazing at the sky, just enjoying the beautiful cloud formations or the birds flying over and of course, I usually have my camera in hand. LOL These pics are sooc (straight out of the camera) taken on 3/31/2010.

(Taken with my Canon Rebel XSi, Aperture f/11, Shutter Sp. 1/15 sec., ISO 400, Focal Length 60mm)

(f/11, Shutter Sp. 1/60 sec., ISO 400, Focal Length 60mm)

(f/16, Shutter Sp. 1/8 sec., ISO 100 Focal Length 109mm)

(f/16, Shutter Sp. 1/8 sec., ISO 100 Focal Length 60mm)

(f/16, Shutter Sp. 1/8 sec., ISO 100 Focal Length 60mm)

(f/16, Shutter Sp. 1/60 sec., ISO 100 Focal Length 116mm)

I took this pic an hour and 28 minutes later and as you can see, the pink is gone and it's looking a bit dreary out. I just love how the sky changes from minute to minute!

Please hop on over to SKYWATCH FRIDAY and take a look at some other beautiful skies all over the world!

Hummingbird Sillouettes

I LOVE MY HUMMINGBIRDS! These aren't the greatest pictures, but they're not too bad considering the fact, that I took them through my livingroom window. As you can see it was getting dark out, so I had to increase my ISO to 1600 and that's why there's so much noise (grainyness) in the pics. I was bummed about that, but I wasn't trying for prize photos....I just wanted a few shots of their little sillouettes. These little birdies are fast, so by the time I grabbed my camera, changed my lens and set my aperture, shutter speed and ISO, there was no time to even think about composition, I just started snapping pics. lol 

This one is my favorite! I wish I would have had a little more light, so I could have increased my shutter speed to freeze the motion of the wings a little more, but this isn't too bad for 1/800th of a second.  In past experience shooting hummingbirds, I've been able to freeze the wings completely, with a shutter speed of 1/3200 sec.

I wasn't able to move for fear that they would fly off, so I couldn't adjust my lens and zoom out, in order to get both of the hummingbirds in the frame. (Manual mode, Aperture f/5.6, Shutter Sp. 1/800 sec., ISO 1600)

This little birdie isn't as sharp as I would like, but I took this pic about 10 minutes after the above pics and it had gotten darker, so I had to leave it on a more open aperture to let more light in and I chose a slow shutter speed.  (Manual mode, Aperture f/5.6, Shutter Sp. 1/60 sec., ISO 1600)



Show Your Skills Linkup!

I'm participating in another Show Your Skills Link Up over at Everyday Elements.  I'm a little late posting this because I'm a little sick. *Bleh*  Anyway, my friend Amanda is hosting this fun meme every week, so if you want to show off your editing skills or if you just want the practice, what are you waiting for?  Come join in on the fun!

This is my edit and I've included Amanda's original image below, so you can see the before and after. 

I edited Amanda's flower picture in PSE 7> cropped to 4x6> levels adjustment> Photo Filter -Deep Yellow> Amanda's Color Intense action (color pop 13% opacity & intensify 15% opacity>  Amanda's Soften & Sharpen action (sharpened the stamen and pollen a little and softened just a tiny bit around the edges of the flower)> Primitive texture- softlight 81% opacity and erased it off of the flower. I can't remember where I got the texture from, but I'm thinking it is probably from Shadowhouse Creations.> added 3 of Patti Brown's overlays> Beach Glass- softlight 42% opacity> Forest Fire- softlight 93% opacity> Etheral 100% opacity and I erased a little bit of Etheral off of some of the petals. Lastly, I used the burn tool and burned a little around the edges on the duplicate background layer> flattened> resized for the web.  Whew...and that's it!

This is Amanda's flower sooc (straight out of the camera)!

Show Your Skills Linkup!

My friend Amanda of Everyday Elements, is hosting this Show Your Skills linkup and this week, we are using her barbed wire picture with cow's hair tangled up in it! I've included her original image, so you can see the before and after.

If any of you would like to join in, there's still time and hey, if you want to learn how to edit your own pictures Amanda is a great teacher! Check out her website and all of her free video tutorials, plus free actions, textures and editing tips etc.  She also offers very affordable live online workshops, if you're interested and trust me, you will learn sooo much! 

This is my edit and here is a very quick run down of what I did....

Levels adjustment  50  1.12  222 > Hue/Sat adjustment> Saturation +22> Photo Filter> Blue 77%> added some overlays and a texture at different opacities, until I got the colors I wanted. I used Soft Light blending mode on all of them except one...on that one, I used the Saturation blending mode!  I darkened the barb underneath the wire just a smidge and I sharpened the middle of the barb just a smidge also. As you can see, I like color....it may not be appealing to some, but I am drawn to warm colors!  :)

This is Amanda's original sooc image!  I love this shot and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with it in photoshop elements!  Thanks Amanda, this was fun! :)



Love Your Shot Link Up!

This is my first submission to the Love Your Shot Link Up over at Love That Shot!  I took this photo of Hannah Burk, in a recent photo shoot, for her senior pictures and I am in love with her gorgeous brown eyes and beautiful face!

Canon EOS Rebel XSi ~ 50 mm f/1.8 lens ~ Aperture f/2.8 ~ Shutter Speed 1/40 sec ~ ISO ~ 200 ~ Focal Lenth 50.0 mm  (This is my final edit and the one she will use as one of her senior pics.)  Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the original (sooc) shot and work your way up to see the Post Processing steps.

In this final edit I went back and darkened her lips just a tad and then I used the lasso magnetic tool to remove some of the texture from the background while leaving the color, then added a slight vignette  and I love the end result! 

Next I added a texture on overlay blend mode and lowered the opacity to 60% and used the magnetic lasso tool to erase the texture off of the skin, while leaving the tint (color). I then added the same texture, but this time I erased the texture off of the skin entirely and then I added one more texture on softlight blend mode, just to brighten up her eyes and skin a bit more.  

I did a clean edit using Amanda, of Everyday Elements Deep Clean 1 & 2 actions, which I adore. I removed blemishes, lightened up all of the shadows on the one side of her face, evened up her skin tone,  softened her hair just a bit etc. I then ran Amanda's Eye Tricks action and then her Newberry action and tweaked all the layers, plus I changed the color of her clothes by using the "bring out the blues" layer in Newberry. I used a white brush 63 % layer opacity and then just brushed over her clothes and raised the layer opacity to suit.

This is the original straight out of the camera shot and as you can see, it's a bit dark because the sun was setting and there wasn't much light left in the sky, but I was having too much fun shooting to stop! LOL