September Photo Contest

click photo to enlarge

I decided to play over at Courtney's Click it up a Notch September's Photo Contest.
I took this last week as part of a scavenger hunt and actually combined 2 of the 5 prompts into one~low key & scarf.
I love the texture and detail of the scarf.

Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

~Blessing...

Second Chance

...in disguise!
Where to begin-ok-
I'm making these my 1st official Fall photos with Kim Klassen's gorgeous new "Ladder" texture.
They're also 2nd chance pictures on learning & sharing a valuable lesson at making mistakes & forgiveness of ones self. Yesterday, I grabbed my camera, got comfy on the couch to view my pics...my 80 pictures I would download today.
To my horrible, heart dropping, and completely nauseating discovery, the  LCD screen read NO IMAGE. What? How can that be? I looked again...Yep...NO IMAGE just kept staring back at me. Oh there were more than a few choice words as I frantically turned on my computer thinking surely I must have downloaded them-Nope-80 photos no where to be found. (more choice words!) I don't know what I was more upset with-the fact that I lost  80 pictures or more upset with myself at how I could have done something so stupid. I wanted to cry as I was realizing what all was lost-but I didn't. I knew I had to accept the fact they were gone. I was relieved that I'm not a professional & it was a client shoot-That made me feel a whole lot better!
 I figured that I would just re-create what had been lost. As I started that task this morning, I realized everything is different. It's a different day, different lighting, different mood- With that said-
I have soothed my ego & can even theorize as to what happened-but it's moot. But because I am who I am, I believe 2nd chances are a blessing in disguise! Lesson learned-
                                                                                                    

Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

TT=Love

Love is...Doing what makes YOU happy.

It's Tuesday (already) & that means time for TT over at Kim's.
This was actually sort of difficult because I love a lot of things! We could be here all day if I named them off but seeing & loving the simple things in life-I chose a weed! Yup...crazy right? But I really do find it curious and love how they grow in the oddest places. This is a metal post and concrete flooring...no pretty flower bed, or pot (although there's one right behind it) but yet Mother Nature decided no plot of land needed for this little guy. I can't bring myself to pull it or spray weed killer-I decided  to photograph it instead!


Happy Snapping-
xo
Kelly
Used Kim's LIFE'S GOOD on overlay @ 75%
Florabella's Retro Lollypop-passthru @ 30%
Kim's Layers(?) on overlay @ 72%
Sharpened for print @ 40%

Sept.25 Scavenger Hunt~

Low Key & Scarf

Well, I got to play this week! Linking up with Ashley.
Here are my interpretations for this weeks Scavenger Hunt:





I either cheated or am a lazy genius on this!

Color Wheel
Chromatic Gradation

Circle(s)

Phone

"Cell-o-saurus"
But it works!












Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly
P.S. If you want to meet Austin...check out yesterday's post!
USAS/Navy Seal Fitness Challenge

USAS/Navy Seal Fitness Challenge

Happy Saturday! Austin and a few members of his swim team participated in Pasadena this morning in a fitness challenge hosted by USA Swimming & the Navy Seals.
It was amazing to see so many kid athletes in one place giving it all they could.

Austin after swimming his 500 in 6:17.12

Then on to the fitness station where you get 2 minutes to do as many push ups as you can-Austin did 70~
That's Dad (Frankie) in the corner motivating Austin to pump more out!

Next comes 2 minutes of curl ups...
Austin was able to do 68-this is towards the end of his time. MY stomach was burning just watching! (my kind of sit up!)

Then comes 2 minutes  or "until failure" of pull ups.
Austin did 6...number 7 was less than an inch away but he blew out all his air and just could not muster the giddy up to get up.
I can hang from the bar...that's it! I've never been able to do an inch of one pull up!



<------------Navy Seal!

Last but not least...the 1.5 run...Austin's time was 10:15.

And then what's a fitness challenge without some amazing Gold Medal, World Record holders for good measure...
Ariana Kukors
200IM

Kate Ziegler
4-time world champion and world record holder for the 1500 Freestyle.

It was a good day!
Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

~This is...

...what I was gifted this morning!
I barely had a minute to grab my camera and snap exactly 3 photos before the sun rose any higher & the colors faded quicker than a blink.
Pure heaven on earth...this makes me happy I'm a morning person!
Happy Snapping-
Happy 1st day of fall
xo
Kelly

~summer...

...sweets
I know those of you that live in colder climates hate to see your summer end-I totally understand. But me personally, I'm so ready for fall & the cooler weather. (it was 98* today)
 I think this is the last of the summer fruit I'm going to buy just on principle! But I had to take a few snaps before I gobbled these summer sweets up- (they WERE delicious!)
Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

Just...

...Breathe
*happy sigh*
I love when an edit comes together so easily-
When all the elements are added & then you sit back & look at what's on the screen in front of you-And you say to yourself-"Look what I've created." And you break out into a smile, and you can't wait to share your vision- and you breath...that happy sigh...
Yeah...I love when that happens!
Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

~reflection(s)...

...on self...
Well, this was fun! Over at Shutter Sisters, the challenge is to find a shiny surface & insert yourself in it. I did one better-after shooting myself in EVERY mirror in the house & NOT liking any of them, I passed by a living room lamp & thought-"hmmm, this is interesting." As I was eyeballing the scene-I saw my reflection of me taking a photo of myself in the lamp...tada-Twofer tuesday!

~Texture Lovin'...

...Tuesday!
I have to say-I'm actually impressed with myself! I love Texture Tuesday with Kim. I thought & planned ahead-edited last night, prepared as much as I could yesterday for today and I NOW have 40 minutes to actually sit with my blog and visit-Before work! I EVEN remembered to write the recipe for today's post. Which I have to say I'm loving too!
I don't know what these plants are, but am crazy about  photographing them. The golden hour brings out so much detail...& can we talk bokeh?  I might have to go snip some for some fall decorating.... :-)

Recipe:
-background
-KK's Serious Magic-screen @83%
-KK's Aurora-Vivid Light@15%
-KK's Aurora-Darken @ 26%

I'm in such a good mood it might very well be twofer tuesday...I want to play over at Shutter Sisters today too!
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly

~Liquid...

...Libation!

Oh yeah! I am not shy when I say I LOVE me some red wine!
 I actually took this as part of Scavenger Hunt Sunday (liquid) but I had to give myself permission to say, "it's ok, if you didn't have time to fully participate." But this was photo was too fun NOT to post!

Which leads me to the 2nd photo I shot for the Hunt (behind) which I feel like I am! But for who's schedule? Mine, of course. I have that perfectionist syndrome...do you know the one? The one that creeps in & tries to dictate every aspect of oh..I don't know...most everything!
So, I'm gonna work on changing things up during my week so I can enjoy the challenge of the Scavenger Hunt & anything else I choose to shoot. taking photos is meant to be a fun thing...not a chore...Lord knows- I've got enough of THOSE!
Happy Snapping~
xo
Kelly

~Sister of the...

...Heart

Ahhhh....it seems like forever since I've been able to visit! I didn't think a 3 hour work day could make such a difference-but it really does.
So as chicken is baking in the oven-I decided to take some "me" time and tell you about Diane!

We "met" on another photography forum several years ago and became fast friends. We rooted each other on as we dove into & finished our 365. We got to visit when we were on Flickr (she's still there) and now is new to blogging so we can still visit.

You can't imagine how giddy I was receiving this unexpected surprise-not ONLY did I get she send me a to die for Gumby shot, but the charm he's holding came with the card and now it  has taken its rightful place on my bracelet.

You hear so many negative things about the internet that you forget that not everything you see or hear is bad...Take Diane for example!
Visit her here..    http://augcott.blogspot.com/
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly
And D...love ya like a sis!
xo

~Meet...

...Danbo!
He's a mere 3" tall, full of curiosity, has  a big heart of gold but can be more than a little naughty! Oh and he's not camera shy...at all.

He's a legend in his own mind over in FLICKR-land & has quite the fan following...He'd like to give a shout out to two favorites....Trap & Ms. D!

Do NOT underestimate his cuteness...You've been warned!
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly

~Somber...

...Sunday
Today is the day nobody's wait's for with excitement, calendars are not marked in red for this anniversary, and yet, here we are, 10 years later after the single most horrific act on U.S soil. It is a somber day. A day you'll always remember what you were doing the moment you heard the news. I'm proud to be an American-even though I don't always believe in the direction we are headed-but we are far more fortunate than others~
With that said...
...I got through my first week of work-with much joy, smiles, hugs & excitement.
...And I just love participating in the Sunday Scavenger Hunt.
Here are my interpretations for the week:

Bokeh

Process of Elimination
less is more!
I HEART Nature!

Remember

Statues

Flying High

Happy Snapping

xo

Kelly

                                                     

Linking up with Ashely: (Click on the square-I'm not so good at adding links yet...sometimes they work, sometimes they don't)

~Ready for...

...my close up!

I haven't done a selfie in a while so thought it would be fun to revisit facing the lens-for no particular reason. As I was editing this, I noticed the lighting had a soft
vintage-y feel to it & it sort of reminded me of those glamorous movie stars from the 40's.

Now, I'm not saying I'm glamorous-No....not me..."low maintenance" is my middle name...or it should be.
Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly

~Inspire...

Kim Klassen Inspires me!

...
Simple enough right? Oh heck yeah! I got so "INSPIRED" & excited last night to be going back to work today as an Instructional Aide-I wanted to pass on a little good mojo to you-especially if your feeling slumpy (Frankie says I re-invent the English Language!) or just having a hard time to get motivated. I've been out of work for over a year & now I am so lucky to be able to go to school & help inspire little people to think and grow and help get those little synapses firing to think independently. It's an awesome feeling knowing you have a hand in helping shape a young person's life.
REALLY Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly
          

~It's Tuesday...

...that means texturize your photo!!
Woo Hoo any time I can use a texture is a good time! Today we're using Kim Klassen's "Crackerjack". And I love it when a photo & texture were meant to be together! I've been looking for medicine bottles for no other reason than I love history & antique-y things. I wound up at a garage sale a few weeks ago and...tada! There they were!
 I adore these & the fact that the one bottle has PERTUSSIN actually embossed on the bottle is amazing. It's circa 1930 & sells for around $14.00
I paid a buck! Too cool.
I've added the recipe for the pp in the comments box.

Meanwhile, If you live in So. Cal, this is our life-that 405-THIS is the Sepulveda Pass. It separates the valley from the city. Two separate fires occurred on the southbound lanes yesterday tied up traffic...at 4:30-on a holiday weekend. What a mess! Austin took this-(cause I was driving!)
Austin's has never held my 50d yet and commented how heavy it was-It IS a hunk...the camera not Austin...Oh but he's a hunk too...
I'll shut up now!
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly

~One Photo...

                                                                          ...tells a story
I wish I was the author of this great quote-but it's Kim Klassen's wise words-I'm just an admirer who is honored to hopefully put it to great use. It struck me the other day as I was busy wandering around my yard that this tiny feather hadn't blown away from it's resting place from the day before I was wandering around my yard. How long had it actually been there? Who did it belong to? Will it take it's place in a nest to cradle life for an egg? These are the things that I find curious. And so I decided to take a picture for a lasting impression as part of my own life story that i'm constantly in edit mode! I'm writing in parts to make things better, to right the wrongs, to be a giver, to be better at anything I do, to be a nurturer to nature, to love and be loved....that's what it's all about folks...to live this one life, to fill your life's book with stories & photos-even if nobody else ever reads one word or sees one photograph. It's what you can live with at the end of the day, to be your own hero because of you and nobody else...
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly

~Scavenger Hunt Sunday~

I decided to try something new today. It's fun to see how different people see the same 5 prompts but interpret them differently. All photos were taken this morning except the abstract-but that WAS taken this week. Here's the way I see things:

Stairs

Macro

Clouds

Abstract

Smile

                                                                                



Ok....Your turn!
Happy Snapping!
xo
Kelly

~This...

...and That
I nurtured my bruised ego on not making the top 10 in the photo contest I entered. But it's ok 'cause it's all part of the learning process
 Photography is an art & is subjective. Understanding this has made me determined to try harder.

I've been noticing A LOT of noise on my photos-I am the proud owner of my "dream" camera-but I'm not 100% sold on it...yet.
I spent the bulk of my day researching why my photos aren't crystal clear.
I learned about the Auto Lighting Optimizer today...
...I disabled it!

I received a beautiful bag of tea from a neighbor upon her return from Japan. The one thing that the Japanese are crazy good at is their packaging. Everything is so picture perfect.

Happy Snapping!

xo

Kelly

~Waiting for Wings~

I've been trying for years to successfully grow milkweed to hopefully attract a Monarch or two. But I've had no luck.
 I watch their migration from Mexico every spring. So this year I took a different approach & have the plant in a pot to keep a better eye on it. I've carefully watered & moved the plant around so it gets just the right amount of sun. This was the year that seems I've finally succeeded! So I was more than excited today that the time it took me to go pick Austin up from school & home-the seed pods just burst open! What a sight to see-the feather light seeds-gently blowing in the breeze-
1st I grabbed my camera-than a baggie to collect the seeds before they all blew away!

I have really fallen in love with learning how to tend a garden & watch everything just come alive.

Velvet Deliciousness!
Hope you all have a very safe Holiday weekend~
Happy Snapping
xo
Kelly