friday favorite | nappanee portrait photographer

this is my pick today because....

• hello handsome boy
• hello milk mustache
• this one strikes me right now, i like the composition... love me some north facing light
• it's my baby boy...☺

*this image was shot @f2.8, 1/125, iso 400 with a 50mm 1.4 lens

xmas knits update...

if you're keeping track (which i know you're not), i am still knitting for xmas & after a short break to make some footies, fingerless gloves & still working on a pair of socks, i'm back on track & finishing more xmas projects...

this pattern is turn a square found on ravelry for free. it's easy & cute...you should try it...☺

....sshhhh..... don't tell anyone i tried this one on the little boy just to get a good photo...

14 gifts down, 10 more (at least) to go.
i am loving every minute of it!

birthday girl | etna green children's photographer

can hardly believe it... but it's official, today she's 6...

happy birthday little firecracker!
love you,

xo
aunt apryl

farmboy | etna green children's photographer

nothing like a little brown-eyed farmboy on a monday morning...

friday favorite | nappanee portrait photographer

this is my pick today because...

• these pretty little roses...they are like happiness wrapped up in a very small package
• i think i could grow to love macro
• i love to play with textures, i'm always looking for something new. this one was a freebie from kaleidoscope through mcp actions. you may still be able to download this if you follow the mcp link

*this image was shot at f2.8, 1/500, iso 200 with a 50mm 1.4 lens.

frogs photo shoot : nappanee custom portrait photographer

my boys love the wildlife. this is something that i really enjoy. frogs, toads, snakes, bugs...whatever they can find.

inspired by my friend cathy, when the boys found these guys, i thought we should document the experience.

these guys were found in one of our window wells & my youngest thought he'd rescue them. i'm sure they didn't see it that way, but he thought he was doing them a favor.

look at their "toes", aren't they amazing? they are really something when they stretch them all the way out there...which they mostly do when they jump....which i didn't get a picture of...☺

and these little dudes completely live up to their name. "leopard" frogs are fast little suckers. they were not at all up for a photo shoot & they were slicker than snot (so to speak). there was a lot of chasing and giggling going on while we tried to take their pictures!

look at this guy...he's trying to climb out with those incredible "fingers"...

as the temperature dropped, crickets were becoming scarce & they were let go to fend for themselves. hooray for my little guy - he is so into finding a pet, but i'm glad he made the choice on his own to do what was best for them.

come on now, you'll have to admit ...aren't they cute?

happiness on my windowsill | nappanee portrait photographer

look who's holding out in my flower garden...

yummy.☺

happy fall...| nappanee portrait photographer

maybe we'll have fall, maybe we won't.

the cold weather has had me slightly miffed, i'll admit. i was hoping for a nice leisurely, long fall to hang out my laundry & hold off the heat & prepare for the holidays.

but i think we forget that the last couple of years, october has brought us 70 & 80 degree temperatures and spoiled us rotten.

in 2007, we left for florida in october, a week before the nappanee tornado, and i felt it was sort of unfair; i had planned to be leaving the cruddy indiana fall weather and temps for warm & sunny florida. we left indiana in shorts & tees to head down south. now...that's just not right, i tell ya.

so in our haste to complain & feel like we're getting a fall gyp, i have to remember that one good turn deserves another.

***the pumpkins above came from our garden this year, my youngest planted 3 mounds with 3 seeds each & 1 grew from each mound. a papa, a mama & a baby pumpkin!

friday favorite | nappanee portrait photographer

this is my pick today because...

• my big, growing, always hungry, giant hands & feet, teenage boy
• this is one of the signature looks when i say "hey, i want to take some pictures!"...i like to think of this as the "why?" look
• i've learned that i like that "dusky" light, right about when you can no longer take photos unless you want l o t s of noise in there
• i love his eyes, and they are truely this blue
• makes me want to go up & smooch his face right now - and he still let's me☺

*this image was shot @ f2.8, 1/125, iso 400 with a 50mm 1.4 lens

silhouettes | nappanee portrait photographer

do you like silhouettes?

silhouettes are kind of new to me, i have never really gotten hung up on this type of photo. i am now trying to pay more attention to sunsets & silhouettes. i made the huge mistake of taking a whopping 1 good sunset photo the last time we were in florida & that was with my camera phone to send to a friend. brilliant...i know.☺

there are lots of great applications for shots like this. capturing your children, especially in profile, a beautiful landscape & sunset, a romantic pose... these are just a few good reasons for a silhouette.

and really, they are very simple to capture. you meter for the sky rather than your subject which should give you nice colors in your skies & a darkened subject.

sometimes, your subject will not come out quite as dark as you'd like, but that can be altered in photoshop if necessary.

*this one turned out pretty well, he's completely profiled all the way around, directly against the sun

*this shot below could have been much better if i had gotten down lower & shot so that his entire body would have been visible above the horizon

a few tips to make your silhouette the best it can be:

• meter for the sky, not the subject
• get down lower, placing as much of your subject above the horizon as possible
• when posing your subject, try to get as much of their profile in the photo as possible; watch your angle of the subject to the sky,
• try for a smaller aperture for more depth of field, sharper subject & background; more possibility for sunburst/flare affect
• place the subject right in front of the sun for a glow or sunburst around them

there are lots of good possibilities and great surprises that can come from these types of photos. get on out there & take advantage of these great fall sunsets & try your hand at a silhouette.

friday favorite | nappanee children's photographer

this one's my rockstar...my crazy, eccentric, they-broke-the-mold-after-they-made-him child.

he's tempermental & unpredictable. he's fearless & as a rule, defies reasoning.

this boy gives real, palpable meaning to the cliche "one in a million" because there truly is no other like him...

this is my pick today because:

• i did nothing to elicit this "pose" (and i use that term loosely), this boy has got a mind of his own
• when i point the camera in his face, he makes the most of it!
• while it cracks me up, this image totally captures him at the same time
• this shot completely makes me realize i could use a little more fun in my life
• i never know what i'll capture on the sofa with the camera in my hand

*this image was shot @f2.8, 1/100, iso 200 with a 50mm 1.4 lens

blue eyes | nappanee children's photographer

this one has my eyes.
and i've noticed that the better the light, the better the blue....me likes it☺

this one reads "hunky, pouty teenage boy..."

now, so long as we never share the mustache, mom will be happy☺

friday favorite : nappanee children's photographer

another golden oldie from the wayback machine...


this is my pick today because:

• i just love this baby girl...well, not so much a baby anymore☺
• those eyes, those lips...so serious...
• the backlighting around her face
• yummy-liciousness

*this image was shot @ f5.0, 1/60, iso 100 with an 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 lens @ 78mm