Week 51-52 And done

     You may have noticed I didn't get a blog post up last week as I had a busy holiday.  I did get pictures taken though so I decided to just do one post for the two weeks, which will round out my Project 52.  I am excited to have made it through my project and definitely going to continue learning more.  In some super exciting camera news, I ordered a new Canon 6D!!!  I am trying to patiently wait for my camera to arrive so I can start playing! 

Week 51:

     I took more than one picture this week but I was trying to work on my black and white editing.  I hardly ever do black and white so I thought I would try something different.  It is a nice start but now I kinda want to play around with black and white some more since you can get some really dramatic images that way.  I will admit my model doesn't take direction very well (or at all) so sometimes it is hard to practice a specific technique when I want ;).

Week 52:

     We put up our Christmas tree this week!  Normally we have a giant tree that has about 100 pieces but we are leaving for vacation in January so I simplified with a smaller tree this year.  Amelia was very interested in helping put the tree up, she called it "pretty pretty".

     My helper took a lot of breaks for important things like more lippie.

     She was captivated by the lights once I plugged it in.  We haven't put on any ornaments yet but she loves the lights.  She went through touching each one but overall she has been very nice to the tree.  This week we will have to dig out all the ornaments to decorate it!

     I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who followed along my Project 52.  All the support has helped me keep going instead of quitting (though a couple times I thought about it).   I had started out the year with the goal of learning manual mode on my camera and I have definitely accomplished that.  While I have a lot more to learn this project has helped me come a long way, plus now I have lots of great memories captured!  

                      

Week 50/52 More Snow

     Are you ready to be surprised?  It snowed again this week.  Not surprised?  Me either :(.  I am afraid winter is here to stay in Minnesota and we are celebrating with lots of snow!  I did take Amelia out to see the snow falling, which she thought was pretty neat.  Most days the wind is way too cold but this particular day was fairly nice so she did alright (still didn't last very long but neither do I).  I will say photos in the snow can be a little tricky and I might need to practice a bit to get the exposure right.  Luckily I was shooting RAW so I was able to correct in post processing.  Now onto the photos, since thats what you are here to see!

She went running out of the garage and then threw me this look to see if I was coming ;).

Her cute new winter boots.

Must touch the snow.

She always takes her mittens off.  I need to find some that will stay on, any ideas?

Smile!

     Well that is week 50 for you!  I can't believe only two weeks left for the Project 52.  It is really fun to be able to look back and see what we were doing and the improvement in photos as well!  Once again I want to say thank you to the people who are following along :).

                           

49/52 Snow and Pajamas

     We had our first snow of the winter this week.  I was hoping for a little more snow free weather but it is Minnesota so at least we made it this long.  Amelia was pretty impressed with the snow, she kept saying "snow, snow, whoa!".  We had to go outside and check it out but she was pretty mad about having to wear mittens.  She was having a lot of fun exploring the snow until she took off her mittens and fell into the snow with bare hands.  That was the end of the snow for a bit.  I am sure she will have a lot more opportunities to play in the snow!  Since it is cold and snowy outside we decided to stay in and have a pajama day.

     It was a nice start to the winter, we even made it out to the library for story hour.  Amelia loves going to story hour at the library.  It also helps to know we will be getting a break from the cold in January when we take a trip to San Diego for the month!

     Only three weeks left for my Project 52 (formerly my Project 365).  It is hard to believe it has been a whole year since I started learning manual mode in the DSLR.  I have come a long way from the beginning and don't plan on stopping!  I really love taking photos of my little one and for others too.  Thanks for following along with my photography journey, see you next week!

                             

48/52 My Little Cowgirl

     Last week was Halloween, so I am sure it comes as no surprise that it is time for Halloween pictures!  This year Amelia went as a cowgirl.  I was going to have her go as Sheriff Callie but never got around to making the cat part of the costume (or a vest).  I think it turned out pretty cute, we were even able to borrow those adorable boots from a friend.  Amelia's favorite part of the costume was her hat.  We only went to one house trick or treating but we went to trunk or treating at our church and a Fall Festival at another church.  We had fun but I think next year she might get more of a kick out of trick or treating ;).

 

     My photos are far from technically perfect this week but I love them anyways.  It was way too cold outside so I tried to rush quickly and the direct sun was not my friend.  Only 4 more weeks and I will have made it to 52 weeks :).  Thanks for following along!

                          

Week 46/52 The Ring

        Life has been pretty busy around here this last week.  I worked on editing those engagement pictures for my friend a good portion of the week and went to her house and took some pictures of the ring.  She had a few ideas and they turned out quite nicely!

      I have also been working on a fundraising event for MOPS along with all our normal activities so I have been running all over.  It looks like the next couple weeks might be kinda crazy as well so I will do my best to post on on my blog as I am working on some great posts for you.  Thanks for following along this year long photography project!

                        

45/52 Engagement Photos

     This week has been off to a busy start!  I had the great pleasure of taking engagement photos for one of my best friends this last weekend.  It was a beautiful fall day, the sun was gorgeous, no mosquitos, and it only got chilly towards the end.  These two were awesome to photograph, so in love and willing to hike to the perfect spots!  I mostly photograph a one year old so having someone who can take direction and hold a pose was really an exciting experience.  We had so much fun and we got so many great photos it was hard to decide on a few to include in this post.  I am still working my way through editing them so that is my project for the week.

        I am really happy with the results of this session and I hope they will be too!  Now I must be off to continue editing while it is still nap time ;).  Hard to believe I am getting so close to being done with this project, it doesn't seem like it has been almost a year already.  Thanks for following along and I will post more photos next week!

                       

Week 44/52 Campin Out

      Welcome back!  I can't believe we are already to week 44 out of 52, time flies by.  If this is your first visit I started a year long personal photography project to really improve my phototgraphy.  When I started I wanted to learn to use my camera in manual mode and now that is pretty much all I use.  It has done more than that though, I am really finding I love photography and I cant wait to learn even more.  If you have a camera and want to get more out of it or improve your skills I highly reccomend starting a project like this.

     For week 44, I was able to get my friend's help to try the teepee setup again with much better results.  While not exactly what I was going for (the sun didn't cooperate and decided to hide behind the clouds once I got there) they are still cute photos.  Once again the mosquitos were thick so we had to be super quick.  Most of the time I don't use a tons of props but I love the look of staged shoots as well so this was really fun!  Plus it puts the teepee I made to good use ;).  

     I am super pumped, this weekend I am taking engagement photos for my really good friend!  This will be my first engagement shoot and the colors in the park are gorgeous!  It has gotten chilly however it killed the mosquitos so it should be perfect.   I cannot wait, I have so many fun ideas and I will have models who can actually follow directions (as opposed to my one year old where I just chase her around for photos).  Wish me luck and stay tuned for next week!


                    

Weekly Wishes

     Welcome back (or for the first time) to Weekly Wishes! This is a link up I participate in each week to set some goals or wishes to accomplish for the week. If you would like to be a apart of this link up just click the Weekly Wishes button at the bottom of the post.

Last Week -

~ Get the coffee mug example done.
I have a couple technically done but I keep wiping them off and trying to make them better, lol.  I probably should just call them done and bake them already!

~ Retake pictures of Amelia and her teepee (hopefully with less mosquitos out).
We went out again but of course the sun went behind the clouds once we got set up.  I still got a few cute pictures before the mosquitos were unbearable.

~ Pick a book to read.  It has been awhile since I have read a book for me.  I went to the library and am on the wait list for The Maze Runner and Silver Star but those could be awhile so what good books have you read lately?  I need suggestions!
Well I put myself on the wait list for a few more books.  Every time I think of a book I would like to read, I find out it is checked out.  Amelia doesn't exactly give me a lot of time to wander and pick out a book either so hopefully they come in soon.

~ Bake scones or muffins.  I haven't been doing much for baking lately so I am making it a goal this week.
I made bread instead of muffins because my hubby made some homemade soup.  Both were very tasty :).

~ Work on Halloween costume ideas!
I am stuck on this.  I have a coupe ideas but I can't decide if I like them or want to do something else.

This Week - 

~ Weather permitting I will be taking my friend's engagement pictures this week!  I am excited and I know they are too :-).

~ Get my Young Living order in.  I am signing up and super excited to start using more essential oils so don't be surprised if you start hearing about it!

~ Paint my nails.  They are looking pretty sad and neglected at the moment.

~ Get my Shutterfly order in before Wednesday.  I am trying to make a few picture books and use the 50% off discount which gives me a pretty tight deadline!

                                       Those are my goals for this week, what are yours?

                        

                                                    

Weekly Wishes

     Welcome back (or for the first time) to Weekly Wishes! This is a link up I participate in each week to set some goals or wishes to accomplish for the week. If you would like to be a apart of this link up just click the Weekly Wishes button at the bottom of the post.

Last Week -

~ Send in the Graco rebate.  We got Amelia a new carseat a couple weeks ago and it seems like its a keeper so time to send in the rebate!
I had the rebate filled out and ready to go when I realized my husband already threw out the box with the UPC, oops.  I called but apparently the UPC was nonnegotiable, next time I will have to remember to take it off the box right away.

~ Do a practice run on the coffee mug craft for the MOPS meeting next month.  We will decorate coffee mugs with sharpies and then bake them but I have heard mixed reviews on whether it works or not so I figured I better give it a go.
No this will have to get done this week.

~ Go to the Chiro.  I have not been for over two or maybe three months, time has gotten away from me and I am feeling it.
Done, taking Amelia with me is a bit of an experience (involves a lot of crying when I get adjusted).

~ Get some of my reviews finished.  I have some great reviews started that I can't wait to share so I need to finish them up!
Done, I got two done last week and one more for this week.

~ Take pictures of Amelia with her teepee.  I might try and enlist a helper with this to make it easier ;).
Done but I will be redoing.  We got out too late and there wasn't as much light as I wanted plus mosquitos were awful.  I know what I need to fix now so I am excited for the redo!

This Week - 

~ Get the coffee mug example done.

~ Retake pictures of Amelia and her teepee (hopefully with less mosquitos out).

~ Pick a book to read.  It has been awhile since I have read a book for me.  I went to the library and am on the wait list for The Maze Runner and Silver Star but those could be awhile so what good books have you read lately?  I need suggestions!

~ Bake scones or muffins.  I haven't been doing much for baking lately so I am making it a goal this week.

~ Work on Halloween costume ideas!

                                       Those are my goals for this week, what are yours?