Desert in Bloom

In the desert, the "April showers" have brought cactus flowers! 

Thus, the desert is in bloom and it's provided some great picture opportunities on our walks! Big Brother likes me to try to take pictures of the bees! :)

While we've seen so many gorgeous blooms lately, our favorite is currently the night-blooming cactus that lives in our front yard. Each blossom is only open for one night--about 12 hours. Once it's in full sun in the morning, the flower closes and wilts. For the last 4 days in a row, we've had at least a couple open each night. Big Brother has been eager to see them each morning and I've happily obliged (& taken my camera with me)!

 

What's blooming in YOUR neck of the woods?

Head over to "i heart faces" to see all kinds of beautiful May flowers!  

Focus Points Photography Tip with Hoot Photography

Hi, My name is Chrissy and I'm excited to be guest posting here on Mom Endeavors!  I have two blogs one Hoot Designs that's my go to everyday blog and my photography blog called Hoot Photography, it's new, and I post photo tips along with my own photo shoot photos. I'm going to share a tip on focus points and some cute wooden animals are starring in the photos.

Here we go~ All about the focus points within the viewfinder of your camera. When I look through my camera (I never use the digital screen to view the subject when taking photos) there are many dots in somewhat of a clock circle. For my Canon they are at 12, 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9, 10:30 and back to 12 noon. Each of these are focus points that can be manually set for each and every photo you take ~ I use this tool all the time.

Right out of the box your camera most likely was set on auto and what that means is your camera is making the best guess as to what “it” thinks you are trying to focus on in the picture, however, you are able to set this focus point manually. For my Camera a little red blinking light will light up as I gently push the shudder button showing where the main focus point is set. Using the buttons on the back of the camera I can move the red dot to any of those points and click set and that’s where the camera will focus, leaving the rest perhaps out of focus and maybe creating a great bokeh effect, depending on the photo being taken.

Below is what my screen or through the viewfinder looks like.

 

Here is a photo of the points of focus changing as I changed the focus point.  Everything is blurry because the objects are not on the same plane.  So if your subjects are not in a straight line across you will have some people in focus and some people out of focus, as shown below! And if the person you want to photograph is in the left position and your camera chooses right, or somewhere else, your person may be out of focus and you will be unhappy with your photo(s).

Here is a photo of all animals in a straight line and everyone is in focus weather I choose left center or right focus the reason for that is everything on the same plane, the camera sees as one.

 

Something else to try is looking through your viewfinder and with the focus on Manual (center) you then will move the camera around and get the center blinking light/focus point on your subject you want to "focus" on and gently press the shutter button this will lock the focus...keep holding the button.... and then reposition the camera to compose your shot and press down the rest of the way to take the picture.  That's how I took the flower photo, but notice, the non petaled flower is what is in focus.  With my focus point in the center I locked the focus on the spiky flower and then slightly pushed down the shutter button and moved the camera to the left to get the purple flower in the picture and clicked the rest of the way - it gave me the blur I wanted on the left with an off center focus point. This is often referred to as focusing and recomposing your shot.

I'm happy to answer any questions via the "contact me" on either of my blogs!!

Thank you again Sara!! 

Photography Contest: Outdoor Photo

There's a fun photo contest over at Kent Weakly's Photography Blog. I've loved practicing all the photography stuff I've learned recently and my amateur self was so pleased with when I got this shot. One of my best outdoor (& sunset) shots, taken from a moving car--does that still count as "outdoor"?! :)
Stop by Kent Weakly's site for all kinds of great tips, fun contests, and awesome pictures! :)

Taking Baby Pictures and a FREE Photo Canvas

With a newborn around, it can be so easy to forget to take pictures. Or, to not feel up to doing them. Things were much more difficult than I had anticipated when Big Brother was born (more details on that to come) and we didn't get any newborn pictures done. I definitely regret not really thinking about it or wanting to at the time.  So, if you are able to afford it, I strongly encourage you to have some type of "professional" newborn shots done within the first 2 weeks or so. That newborn look is so precious and so fleeting.
If you're not able to, at least remember to take LOTS of pictures at home. We at least did this, but they are still a far cry from professional shots.(If you're interested in learning how to make your photos look better, I suggest entering to win this photography book!)

 

Things were so different with Little Brother and there even were professional photographers that came to the hospital (something set up that the hospital does)! So, we have much better newborn shots of him!

Another baby photo tip I strongly recommend (whether professional or just at home) is to remember & agree to be in some of the photos! It's so easy to forget to ask someone else to take the picture (if you're the one always behind the camera like so many moms), or to not want to be in them--whether it be exhaustion, pain, swelling, still looking pregnant, not having showered in days, or all of the above--the excuses for not feeling photogenic with a new baby are endless.  

When the photographer came to our hospital room 36 hours after delivery, I never even considered being in a picture. She was there to photograph our new little Easter bunny.  So, when she wanted us in a couple of photos, I didn't want to...and I told her that. I had showered, but felt like I looked terrible. But, she gently insisted and assured me it would be fine. So, we did and I am so thankful for listening to her! They are two of my favorite photos and hang in our room!

If you have a favorite precious baby photo (or any photo for that matter), having it turned into a photo canvas is a great idea! I LOVE the look of the gallery wrapped photo canvases! And, right now, Canvas People is offering a FREE 8x10 canvas (or $50 off the size of your choice)!! All you pay is the $14.95 shipping charge, but even at that, this is a FANTASTIC deal!! And, this would be a PERFECT gift for Mother's or Father's Day!!

 

Here's how to redeem:

1. Head over to Canvas People through this link

2. Select & upload the photo you want for your canvas

3. Choose you size (remember 8x10 is free + shipping, or you can get $50 off the size of your choice)

4. Enter your info & pay $14.95 for shipping

5. Patiently wait for your beautiful canvas to arrive! :)

What picture would you like to have a canvas of?

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that help support Mom Endeavors. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

"Capturing True Emotion" Photography Book Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I shared with you my excitement about attending the  "Capturing True Emotion" Photography Workshop taught by the fabulous Val Westover and Stephanie Adriana. 

I'm so pleased with all that I've learned and am so excited to report that I've only shot in manual mode since that day in February! Because of that, the quality of my shots have increased ten fold! Here's a few of my favorites to show you...

 

 

 

 

 

Because I loved working with Val & Stef so much, I headed back to another workshop as a volunteer this past weekend. It was great to help others and have the opportunity for more learning & practice.

While it's clear that I think the workshops are fantastic, we know that unfortunately everyone doesn't live near cities where the workshops are offered. So, the next best thing is to learn from Val by reading his book, "Capturing True Emotion: A Photographer's Guide to Understanding the Basic Elements of Photography".

Val's guide walks you step-by-step through the important aspects of photography. Topics include ISO, aperture, shutter speed, metering, light, and more! The writing is straightforward, easy to understand, and much more interesting than just your camera's manual! After working through the book, you will have a much better understanding of not only how your camera works, but how to take better photos! It's a wonderful resource for anyone that wants to understand their camera/photography better and would also make a great gift! With all the information it contains, I think $14.95 is a fantastic price!  But, FREE is even better!!  

Val has agreed to giveaway a copy of "Capturing True Emotion" to TWO lucky Mom Endeavors readers! 

WINNERS: 
Congratulations to dmarie1975 & Vivian! Hope this takes your photography to all new heights! ENJOY!

And, remember, if you weren't a lucky winner, you can still buy Val's book--$14.95 is a fantastic price for all the great information in this book! 

To Enter: GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED! 

1. Leave a comment below, telling me what you're most interested in learning about your camera or photography.

Get extra entries(leave a separate comment for each):

2. Like Val Westover Photography on Facebook

3. Like Mom Endeavors on facebook &/or twitter and post or tweet about this giveaway

4. Follow Mom Endeavors on Google Friend Connect (see widget on the left side bar) 

(if you already are, thank you, make sure you leave a comment & let me know!

(up to 4 entries per person)

Giveaway will end on March 18th at 10pm PST. Winners with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. I will email the winners and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this and paid for the workshop with my own money. I just was simply so impressed with Val & the workshop that I wanted to share his expertise with you. Val agreed to do this giveaway in exchange for my honest review. As always, all opinions and experiences are my own. For more information, read my disclosure policy.

FREE Picaboo Photobook ($39.99 value)!!

 

Have you tried Picaboo yet for making photo books? If not, this is the PERFECT opportunity!! Right now new customers can, create their own photo book FREE at Picaboo.

To get yours:
1. Click here to head over to Picaboo and sign-up! 
2. Design your large Classic Custom photo book 
3. Use coupon code FRECC at check out to save $39.99! (Just pay shipping!)

i heart this face!

Hard to believe this little guy is almost a year old!

i "heart" his little face so much and love this capture of all his cherub features!

*You can check out all kinds of cute faces in the "i heart faces'" Best Face in February challenge.

Baby Hands

There are few things more precious than little newborn hands (and toes). And, perfect for the i heart faces, "anything but a face", challenge.

I love these little hands and can't believe they're already almost a year old! Only one month left to cherish these perfect "baby" hands before they belong to a full-fledged toddler!

What are YOUR favorite "non-face" people photographs of?

Val Westover's Photography Workshop (& Giveaway!)

I am soooo excited to be sharing this with you!! 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the "Capturing True Emotion" photography workshop by Val Westover and Stephanie Adriana. It was absolutely fantastic and has taken my latest photography endeavors to all new heights!! Before the workshop, I knew a little about adjusting ISO, but knew next to nothing about aperture, shutter speed, metering, etc. I'd taken maybe 3 photos in manual mode, but didn't really know what I was doing. All that's changed now!

While I don't know for sure how many people were there, it was well over 100--a room full of all levels of photographers eager to learn (and all levels of cameras--while most had dslr's, plenty had various types of point-and-shoots). Some might be concerned with the size, but it was not a problem at all. Val & Stephanie did a great job of presenting the information and they had two large screens, which made it easy to see. For the four hours in the morning workshop, we went through Val's guide to "understanding the basic elements of photography" (we each received our own workbook-style copy) based on his book. 

Everything was presented in a easy-to-follow, step-by-step manner. I could immediately see their passion not only for photography, but for sharing with others! And I LOVE their mission statement: "to Share the Gift of Photography and to Teach The Basic Elements and Principles of Photography to all who wish to learn!" 

While the morning workshop alone was great, the photo safari that followed that afternoon was invaluable! Being able to immediately put into practice all the information I just learned was incredibly helpful! Val gave us different assignments--focusing on one element at a time. Then, by the end, we were all shooting in FULL MANUAL MODE! How cool is that?! 

Val & Stephanie not only get right in the action, teaching & helping everyone with all kinds questions, but sometimes they are the action!

They were our subjects while teaching us to do panning motion & freeze motion shots! We also practiced close-ups with blurred backgrounds (bokeh), exposure, silhouettes, sunsets, and so much more! 

Val even used some people's cameras to take a few shots of them-while teaching of course! (shows what a good photographer he is that I like a picture of me well-enough to post with no makeup & messy hair)!

Afterward I was able to go home and take these sweet shots of the boys in full manual mode! 

Pretty cool, huh?! 

And, here's where I'm ULTRA excited for you......GIVEAWAY!!!!
Val agreed to giveaway 2 photography workshops--complete with the additional 2 hour photo safari!! That's right, TWO lucky Mom Endeavors readers will win a seat at the "Capturing True Emotion" workshop of their choice!!!! That's a $450 value--FREE!!! AMAZING!
Currently, there are upcoming workshops in Salt Lake City, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Phoenix (I'll be volunteering at the next Phoenix workshop!) Head over to the workshop site at Event Complete to check the specifics.
If you are one of the lucky ones near those cities (or have friends/family there who you want to win it for), then you don't want to miss this!!
*I know the locations won't work for all of you, so stayed tuned to the blog for another giveaway in a few weeks from Val that everyone can use! 

Giveaway Has Now Ended--   
                                        WINNERS!!!

 

Congratulations to Sara@Super Saving Sense and Cynthia who are the lucky winners of a seat at the Capturing True Emotion Workshop of their choice!! I think you are going to love it--can't wait to see your pictures!

For those of you that didn't win, Val has offered a nice discount--You can receive the $450 workshop and photo safari for the discounted price of $125! I've checked comparable workshops in my area and this seems to be a really good price! To register for the workshop at the discounted rate, visit the Event Complete registration page and enter the coupon code at the registration check-out page. Coupon code: photo friend

Let me know if you decide to register for the March 6th workshop in Phoenix--I'll be there! :) Thanks to all who entered--and be on the lookout in the next few weeks for another giveaway from Val that anyone could use (no matter their location)!

TO ENTER:  

1. Leave a comment below, telling me what you're most interested in learning about your camera or photography.

Get extra entries by (leave a separate comment for each):

- Following Mom Endeavors on Google Friend Connect (see widget on the left side bar) (if you already are, thank you, make sure you leave a comment & let me know!)

- Like Val Westover Photography on Facebook

- Like Mom Endeavors on facebook &/or twitter and post or tweet about this giveaway

(up to 4 entries per person)
Giveaway will end on Feb. 25th at 11pm PST. Winners with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. I will email the winners and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize.
*Come back on Feb. 26th to see the winners and to get a very good discount code to register if you didn't win. And, check back for another giveaway in a few weeks from Val that everyone can use!!! 


Disclosure: I received no compensation for this and paid for the workshop with my own money. I just was simply so impressed with Val & the workshop that I wanted to bring the opportunity to you. Val agreed to do this giveaway in exchange for my honest review. As always, all opinions and experiences are my own. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
**Happily linked to TidyMom's I'm Lovin' It Friday Party because I'm totally loving this workshop & what I can do now on my camera!!

i heart my boys (and the color red)!

With it being Valentine's day & i heart faces' "RED" challenge in support of Go Red for Women,  I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite photos of my favorite little guys. And, one that happens to be well, very RED (as in "GO BIG RED")! 

This was taken on my little point & shoot, before I embarked on my real dslr photography endeavors. After taking a photography workshop this weekend from Val Westover (which by the way was totally fantastic and I have so much to share with you, including a very cool giveaway in the works), I now know some "technical" things I could have done differently, but that's ok as it's just priceless to us! 
Their matching hats, the lollipop, the way they are looking at each other...swoon! But, the thing the makes the photo all the more special to us (aside from it being on the grounds of our college campus where we met), is that we didn't pose them that way! Big brother did that all on his own and thought it was "fun" to have their hats touching...melts.my.heart!


Whose faces do you "heart" this Valentine's Day? What's your favorite picture of them?