Photography Tips

So I got an interesting tag to give some tips on something we like to do or are good at. At first I thought I was being tagged to share some fashion tips which made me laugh out loud (you'd have to read her blog to see why I thought that). So I thought of one. . . .jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops (and a hoodie in the winter). What more do you need?

Anyway. Some photography tips.

1. Get CLOSER. Zoom in. Get in closer to any subject your photographing and it almost always looks better.

2. Get good equipment (if you're planning to do anything more than just snapshots). Good lenses (or "glass" as they call it in the photography world) DOES make a HUGE difference. I have two "tack sharp" lenses that are phenomenal (and very pricey!)

3. Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great photo editing software program. Of course Photoshop CS3 is better, but don't get that unless you're planning on doing professional photography. You can do TONS of stuff in Elements. It's a great program.

4. Use a tripod for "sharper" photos. Tripods are rarely practical for me, so I cheat and use a monopod. It's a lot more maneuverable.

5. If you have Elements (or any Adobe editing software) get books by Scott Kelby. He is the Adobe "god". You can go to kelbytraining.com for more info on him. You can also do a ton of online tutorials there.

6. Find good "light". Early morning and late afternoon provide the most flattering light. If it's mid-day and there's "harsh" light, find a shady spot. Cloudy days are GREAT days for portrait pictures outside.

7. When focusing, ALWAYS focus on a persons face, and more particularly their eyes. Photos of people always look better if their eyes are sharp and in focus. Sounds obvious, but most people just point the camera somewhere at the person and it doesn't always focus on the face.

8. If you're in a situation where you have to use flash (the built in flash creates really bad, flat, unflattering light) get a screen for your flash (if you have a better SLR camera--not a point and shoot). You can get them for around $10.

9. When printing pictures. . .if you want good prints, you have to pay for good prints. Costco has great prices, but you won't get the best prints there. I've recently discovered a new photo store that I LOVE and has great prices. . . .it's called Pixels and it is on 90th S. and State Street in that new strip mall by Sizzler. The owner (Ray) is awesome and they have the best prices around.

10. Learn how to use the Manual settings on your camera. It can be intimidating at first, but it really isn't that hard and allows a LOT more control and much better pictures. Manual mode is an absolute MUST when shooting action shots. The little running man on the camera doesn't allow much control on where the camera focus's and often results in the person being out of focus. You have to use manual settings, generally with a shutter speed over 600 and choose your focus point so their face is in focus.

Phew. That should be good for now.

Stay tuned for my photo blog. . .coming soon!!! I'm excited.

Oh, and if you want REAL fashion tips, check out Brittany and Craigs blog (link on the left). . .she'll give you the run down. Brit--you will NEVER catch me in heels. I don't care how flattering they are. :) And I often wear athletic shoes with levis. . .can we still be friends? :)

Some things she loves

Some pictures of a few things Mya loves.




sunglasses and binkies. what more could you ask for?



the rocking horse. It's kind of a pain because she can't reach the stirrups yet so she's VERY unstable on it. She's been bucked off more than once. But she usually wants right back on, tears and all.



Those are Mr. Potato head glasses on her neck. She finds them in the morning and puts them on like this and will leave them there all day if they'll stay. She loves stuff on the back of her neck. Weird.




And my personal favorite picture. One day she won't be happy with me for this shot, but I think it's fantastic. Disregard the sagging diaper. I was going for the duck slippers that she thinks are the coolest things ever. Her "quack quacks".

The phone call

Last night I was sitting in a church meeting and during the closing prayer, my phone began to vibrate. I muffled the sound until the prayer ended and saw that it was Mike. So I answered it. Turns out it was Jaida. She has learned that holding down the number 2 on either of our phones magically calls mom or dad. Fabulous that she's learned that. I say hello and here is how the conversation went.
Me: "Hello."
J: "Mom. . .(sniff, sniff). . .daddy's being mean."
Me: (stifling my laughter) "Daddy's being mean?"
J: (more drama now) "YES!"
Me: "Well tell him to stop it."
J: "Daddy. . . .STOP IT!"
Me: "I'll be home in a minute"
Click
When I get home I ask Jaida why daddy was being mean. And here's how this conversation unfolded.
Me: "Why was daddy being mean?"
J: "Because"
Me: "Because why?"
J: "Because I was being mean to him."
Me: "Why were you being mean to him?"
J: Long pause, lots of thinking. "Mommy, I built a fort" This is a technique I commend Jaida for learning at such a young age. The art of distraction or changing the subject. She's really good at it.
Me: "Jaida. Why were you being mean to Daddy?"
Jaida: "Do you want to come see my fort?"
Me: "Jaida. Look at mom. (this usually doesn't work the first time so I have to ask a few times) Why were you mean to dad?"
Jaida: "Because he wouldn't let me go downstairs" (Jeremy was down there with his friend that is a girl. . .not sure what the status is on that yet)

Funny stuff. Daddy's being mean. And she called to tell me about it. Even better. . .Mike had no idea she even had his phone. She was hiding in the closet. You gotta love it!

PAUSE. . . .

Jaida has decided that life comes fully equipped with a "pause" button. She thinks she can pause anything, anytime. She's spoiled with pausing live tv and has now expanded that feature to every day life. If she wants me to stop doing something, or wait for her, she tells me to pause. During prayer, she'll stop talking. When I prompt her on what to say she says (rather annoyed) "the prayer is paused, Mom." Reading books she says to pause. Driving in the car, playing outside, etc., etc., etc. pause, pause, pause. I guess it really wouldn't be a bad feature. Mya's playing in the toilet. Gotta go.

Pearl Harbor

If you go to Oahu, Pearl Harbor is worth a visit. There really isn't that much to see, but there's a decent movie before hand and it is definitely a place that deserves respect and attention. Unfortunately they don't give you very much time at the actual memorial that is resting over the sunken ship Arizona. I've been there twice before and somehow never learned the significance of the memorial building itself. It has seven holes on each side and seven holes in the ceiling (so 21 holes total) which signifies a silent 21 gun salute. Kinda cool. Well, at least that's what my sister told me so I don't even know if it's true. But I like to start rumors so either way I'm going with it.

Anyway. Here's some pictures.

Waiting for our turn to take the boat out to the memorial. Palm trees create nice back support.

Mya testing her strength. She almost pushed it over. That's my girl!

The memorial is off in the distance just to the left of the palm tree trunk.

USS Arizona. This is one of the few parts of the ship you can see out of water.

Names of men (or I should say boys) who died at Pearl Harbor.

No idea what that ship is, but it was perfectly positioned for a picture. . .so of course I took it.

So CUTE!!

Just makes you want to squeeze them. Love these pictures!!

Random Stories

A few funny Jaida stories. I know, I usually don't have many of those. :)

When we got to Hawaii, the first thing we did was head to the beach, obviously. Upon seeing me in my swimsuit for the first time in a while, Jaida looked me over and said "Mommy. You have little boobies like me." She said it with enthusiasm and excitement that at least one part of my body was the same size as hers. Thanks for noticing J.

The other day I was walking through the hall and Jaida came running up behind me, slaps me in the butt and says "Get your big bootie out of my way." Kids do wonders for the self-esteem.

We were driving in the car last night and it was actually quiet in the car (a very rare occurrence). Out of nowhere, Jaida said "That's the way God made me. . .fat and chubby." What?!

Hanauma Bay

We went to Hanauma Bay for a day of snorkeling. I think fish are disgusting, so I watched the girls and took TONS of pictures while Mike snorkeled with my sisters husband and their kids (Kelli thinks fish are nasty too so we hung out.)


Mya trying to figure out why her hand looks so weird. . .




Coke in the water bottle. Doesn't get much better than that.




The kids in the scuba gear. They were NOT pleased when I made them pose for this picture. I'm used to that. But as you can tell, I don't care. Fight all you want. . . I'm taking the picture.




Trying it on for size. . . .a little big.




Just thought the palm trees looked cool.




So cute.





I absolutely LOVE this picture.





Chatting with the locals. Mya made friends everywhere we went.




A little stroll along the beach. Heaven.




Football anyone?




Taking it all in.





Educating herself before we headed down to the beach. At least it was a good excuse to stand on the rock wall that had a sheer cliff 2 feet away.




The Bay.




Mya feeding the "fish".




And then listening to what he had to say.




This is my neice Bailey. She didn't know I was taking this picture (love, love, love the zoom lens) and I loved the way it turned out.





A little different effect courtesy of Photoshop CS3 and the need to experiment.

Another borrowed post!

I have received numerous comments from people regarding my little brother Jeremy's blog (really funny. . check it out in my links section) as well as the "goals" post from my brother Shane, so I thought I'd give you a little more.

I didn't ask permission to post this, but my brother, Shane, who is termed "the writer" posted this on our family blog that we used to do. He wrote this for a website that one of his friends did that was some football mixed with religion site (I really have no idea what it was, but he did it for specific thing. . .or perhaps he was just bored on Sacrament meeting--hard to believe, I know.).
Anyway, it's my longest post yet, but absolutely worth the read. Laugh out loud funny. If you don't laugh, there's something wrong with you. If you get offended, again, there's something wrong with you.
Thanks Shane!
Enjoy.

"Here’s a little exercise for you, next time you get bored in Church (that’s assuming you go. We have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attendance policy here at CPDC)…What if, just what if you had to assemble a football team…entirely from the Book of Mormon? Ludicrous? Perhaps. But could the day come when you are called to do this? “Oh get off it, Shane,” you say, “We don’t have time in our religion for such absurd nonsense…leave us be to focus on our history of normal theological principles, like polygamy, and getting our own planet.” All right, before you fire off the email you’re currently cobbling in your head…relax, Elder. Breathe a second…I’m just saying we’ve got some pretty radical concepts kicking around our faith…so I for one am getting ready…ruling nothing out as a possibility…let’s entertain this one for a moment…don’t be afraid of it. If you are prepared, then you shall have no fear...

So, who would you take? Who has demonstrated the unique skills needed to fill the varied positions of a full roster? Two real reasons for doing this: 1- It’s a pretty solid challenge, harder than you might think. 2- As you flip back and forth through the pages, contemplating who is going to hurt you the least as that weak side cornerback, everyone around you will assume you have wandered off the path of the lesson on your own personal journey of enlightenment…and they will be impressed by your newfound enthusiasm for scriptural knowledge… This is my team. I fasted and prayed about my picks, so don’t think you can dispute them…

Quarterback - Your Anchor. Your Leader…without a solid QB running your offense, you may as well clear your schedule for the Telestial Bowl, so choose wisely you must…fortunately this is the easiest selection to make: Nephi. A no-brainer pick. Large in stature. Sticks to the playbook, but also knows how to audible when necessary. You think he would put up with any jawing in the huddle? Known to have frequent visions, so he shouldn’t have a problem finding the open receiver. Has shown great arm strength with the bow and sword (see Laban’s head). Can take a beating, so you won’t have to worry about him pulling himself off the turf. Of course, I’d feel better knowing his Wonderlic score, and we don’t know much about his footwork…but I don’t think you’ll find a better option for under center.

Tailback – I’m going with Samuel The Lamanite. He was able to dodge a whole bunch of arrows and stones. Fearless and agile. Let’s see Barry Sanders do that. Plus he jumped off that wall…not to mention perhaps the most compelling factor…he’s not white. White guys do not make the best running backs. We all know it.

Fullback – Earl Campbell…is not mentioned anywhere in the Book of Mormon (and only once in the Doctrine and Covenants). I checked the Index. In light of that, I’m going to take Enos as my fullback. One minute, I’m bashing white running backs, and the next I’m taking one as my fullback…well I’m assuming he was a whitey…I guess if we’re getting technical they were all Jewish? Whatever. Enos was a wrestler…he said so himself. Likes to get physical, mix it up, and all that. Plus “Enos” just sounds swarthy…swarthiness is a highly desired quality in fullbacks. And in pirates, incidentally. Enos probably would have been a decent pirate too.

Receiver – 1- Abinadi. High pain threshold, a “must have” in any receiver running routes across the middle. Hopefully Nephi won’t hang him out to dry too often. 2- The Brother of Jared, even Mahonri Moriancumer. Sounds like a receiver’s name. I think it would look great on a jersey. 3- Jared. Not as good as his brother, but not a bad third option. I may have to hold open tryouts for that fourth spot…I have no idea who to put here.

Tight End – Mormon. This position was made for Mormons. Moroni will play the other side. Now, don’t start thinking that such an important figure is getting short-shrifted and deserves a better spot than 2nd Tight End. I’m going to run a two tight end set most of the time and he’ll get plenty of touches, when he’s not picking up the blitz. And I’ll need Father and Son to make up for the thin ranks in my receiving core.

Offensive Line – I’m taking four Kings and one Chief Judge as my front line. They were always going on about service to their fellow beings, so what better position to serve in than as un-glorified linemen? Nobody else wants that job…and they’ll still be Kings, so they’re still going to pull chicks…no need to sweat it. Benjamin at Center. Lamoni at Left Guard. Limhi at Right Guard. Mosiah at Left Tackle. I think he’ll do a good job of covering Nephi’s back. Assuming Nephi is right-handed, which I am. Choose The Right, I s’pose. At Right Tackle, Pahoran. I think this is a solid line. They could be undersized, but certainly reliable. I just hope “pulling” isn’t a problem for Limhi.

So there’s my offense…now for the other side… As anyone with any sense, or love of righteousness would agree, the only real defense is a 3-4 defense. I’m pretty sure that Marvin J. Ashton was quoted in a BYU devotional as saying that any other defensive “scheme” was contrary to God’s Plan. If you want to run a 4-3, or have “cat backs” or whatever they are…you might just as well start preparing for that lake of fire, Heathen.

Defensive Line – The Three Nephites. Tireless, these fellas must be. Courageous, no doubt. My only concern is that they could report to camp late, skip practice, etc. as they always seem to be tied up rescuing sister missionaries or picking up hitchhikers.

Inside Linebacker – Alma the Younger and Amulek. They both had wild pasts. That kind of experience will only help. If they find a way to summon up a dose of that old darkness, don’t be surprised when they decleat you and then hock one in your ear hole. Alma does not mess around. He killed that dude Amlici for saying he wanted to be king…what’s he gonna do when you try and run a draw on him? Your funeral, brother.

Outside Linebacker – The stars. The glory hounds…but they earn it out there. If you’re going to have any success in the 3-4, these two have got to be exceptional. Strong. Fast. Killers. Captain Moroni. He was the only other serious consideration for quarterback…but I think he’s better off on the other side of the ball. He was born for this position. An expert in stratagem. Is he blitzing? Is he in coverage? He will rattle QB’s out of their jocks. On the other side I’m putting Teancum, Captain Moroni’s right hand man. This guy’s M.O. was infiltrating enemy camps, sneaking into tents, and lancing dudes in the heart with a javelin. A javelin. Badass.

Safety – Strong: Ammon. I think you’ve got no choice but to encourage the removal of opposing player’s limbs during regulation…either way, a first rate selection for this position. I would pay a hundred bucks to see Ammon and Jack Tatum throw down in The Octagon. Weak: That guy Gideon who chased down King Noah…we don’t know much about him, but he went down swinging, in the end. Sounds like a tough guy to me.

Corner – I’ll admit, I’m stumped on these. I’m running out of good options. Until I can figure something better out, I think I’ll throw Nephi and Lehi (Helaman’s boys) out there and see how they fare. I could get torched with these two, but I think I remember Nephi running around a lot, finding dead judges and what-not. May have to double check that. And Lehi, his bro…well they are from the same gene pool…so…we’ll see. I’m gonna get lit up like a Christmas tree with these two, I can just feel it. I may have to do more feasting on the word and see who else I can dig up…but I’ll let it simmer for now, and seek revelation later.

Special Teams – Helaman’s Stripling Warriors.

Punter – Nephi’s bro, Sam. He just seems like a punter.

Kicker – Alma’s son, Corianton. He’s got a weakness for harlots. Just the kind of mischief and moxie you want in a kicker. Kickers spend most their time checking out the cheerleaders anyway, so I think he’ll be pleased as punch.

I really need to figure out that corner situation, but even then…who would they play? Could Laman pull together a squad for a Promised Land scrimmage? Korihor could be a worthy adversary on defense. I mean, any defense with an Anti-Christ…you’ve gotta be concerned…this is going to require some more scripture study…"

Sweatin' to the oldies. . . .

Mya insisted on putting on this headband today. Lookin' good.

My FAVORITE 3 year old

I feel like I need to make another post here clarifying how I feel about Jaida. Realizing I post a lot of the "naughty" things she does (because let's be honest, they're funnier to read about) I wanted to make it very apparent how much I LOVE that little girl. She is the funniest 3 year old EVER. Smart, witty, quick on her feet, always thinking, incredibly enthusiastic, very animated, super sensitive to other people's feelings, loves her baby sister and keeps track of her ALL the time, plays BY HERSELF for HOURs at a time (that's right, I said hours). . .the list goes on and on and on.

I've mentioned to a few people that sometimes I wish I didn't have to be her mom because I'd love to just enjoy all the things she does without having to discipline or correct her. Unfortunately I got put in charge of making her a responsible human being so I can't just laugh every time she does something (although I usually do while hiding my face).

So despite the fact that I post a lot about her being tough (which she is but I wouldn't take her any other way) I think she is BY FAR the coolest 3 year old EVER!!!!

Toilets or Diapers. . .

So, I'm not sure a potty-trained kid is all it's cracked up to be. I resisted potty training Jaida, but got enough pressure I finally gave in. I've already posted about the initial potty training, and for a while she's done quite well. But in the last few months she seems to be having more frequent "accidents". I can understand when she's playing and gets busy and forgets. . .you're bound to have a few here and there. But her "accidents" (and yes, those are in quotations for a reason) generally tend to happen on the bathroom floor, directly in front of the toilet. Madening. That has happened 4 or 5 times and she continued to use the excuse "I didn't hurry. . . .sorry!" Then one time I came in and she was sitting ON the toilet, but her levis were on. . .she peed right through them. When I gave her the "What the hell?" (sorry for the language, but what the heck just doesn't cut it here) look she again said. . ."Sorry, I didn't hurry." So this last time (yesterday) I walked into the bathroom to find her completely naked, climbing off the counter where she had just finished peeing in the sink. Seriously?!! I had absolutely no response or comment for that one. She did a clean pee (no spills anywhere) and her clothes were still clean so what do you do? In fact, I still smile when I think about it because it's so outrageous. And she just looked at me so matter-of-factly. . ."I just peed in the sink, mom." And I'm laughing when I type it. So now I wonder if diapers were really that bad. :)

The Beach

Here's a few pictures from our fun at the beach. We went almost every day and Mya probably ate enough sand to create her own beach in her stomach. Nasty.




Jaida and her "boogie board." She was adamant that we take that thing with us EVERYWHERE!



Mike catching a wave boogie boarding.




I wasn't allowed to take a full body shot of him with flippers and his mask on so I just got the feet.




Yes, at one point, we had to hide from the sun. . . .that was nice!









Munching on the sand. You'd think she'd learn it was nasty after the first time, but she consistently put it in her mouth everytime we went to the beach. Whatever.

On "goals". . .

I'm not sure my brothers appreciate me using their stuff on my blogs, but if you've read anything my brothers write, you'd know why. . .they have all inherited my mothers AMAZING ability to write and they're hilarious. . .yes, hilarious.
Anyway, every year my family has a little tradition at Christmas where we write memories about each other. We draw names and then write something about that person. My mom receives a LOT of resistance every year, but it is one thing she's put her foot down about (thanks Mom) and we're all grateful afterwards because it's a really fun night when we all read them together. It's usually pretty irreverant and unappropriate (that's how my family rolls) but also a lot more emotion shared than usual for a family (which is about no emotion at all). This year we obviously couldn't do it because mom and dad are gone. So mom gave us the assignment to write about a defining experience of 2007 and some goals for 2008. This is part of what my brother Shane wrote on goals and I laughed out loud. And I think it fits him perfectly!! He's funny. . .and he's single. . .so let me know if anyone's interested!!!

"Well...the one goal I've managed to actually write on paper thus far is "Write down goals for 2008". So, I've at least got one....I've been trying (if we dare call it that) to formulate my priorities for this year, at least mentally, and I've come up with some basic ideas. I like to think of January as the "warm-up" month for the year...the time to make sure you're nice and stretched out, loosened up, and prepared for the year ahead. If you just dive into all these goals and projects and lifestyle changes willy-nilly and buck-wild, you're liable to pull an achievement muscle or tear your motivation hamstring right in two...and then you're sidelined for the season, rehabbing most the year, just to get back to where you were in the first place. So I'm giving myself a few weeks to get situated."

Diamond Head

We hiked up Diamond Head (an old volcano) while we were there. It's a pretty easy hike, but we had to heft the girls up the whole way which is always challenging. there's an awesome view and lots of happy Japanese people so I'd say it's definitely worth it.



Jaida and one of her fun picture poses. Gotta love her.



Mya taking in the view. Beautiful.



Diamond Head crater. Probably was a lot cooler when their was hot lava spewing out of it, but it was still pretty cool.




The path leading to the top.




Taking a little break. It's hard to carry Mya for long periods, but I'm getting pretty conditioned for it.



Some of the staircases you have to climb. You can't see it very well, but there's this "slide" looking thing next to the staircase that Jaida literally tried to slide down. I barely caught her before she went. She certainly would have died (or at least gotten really hurt. . .it's super steep).




The fam at the top of the crater. I particularly like this photo because of how thrilled Mike looks to be there!! It was a little challenging trying to keep the girls from falling off while weaving in and out of all the people up there. It was a small space with WAY too many people up top.



A little panorama shot of Waikiki I stitched together on Photoshop. Kinda cool.


On the way down, Jaida decided to speak to anyone who looked Japanese. The best part. . .she was "speaking" Japanese, or at least how it sounded to her. I shushed her a few times, which only encouraged her. Id on't think they realized what she was doing, but I was a little embarrassed. She actually does a pretty good imitation. And she wasn't trying to make fun, just trying to communicate. . .with strangers. . .who speak Japanese. So social.

Surfer kids

Mike rented a surfboard so of course I made him let me use it for a few minutes to take some pictures.













Those are all my sisters kids with Jaida. My sister, her husband, and their 4 kids came with us. Fun, fun, fun!!!!