Vacation Shots

These are some pictures from our family trip to California.  My daughter M had fun turning these colored pix to black and white and then adding some of the color back.  She did a great job picking the perfect pix to use.

My First Photo Shoot!

A friend of mine asked if I would take her family pictures and I must say I was quite nervous since this is the first time I have taken these types of pictures.  I was excited but worried that they wouldn't turn out the way I wanted them to.  I was pleasantly surprised that I did okay for my first time. 

NOTE:  These are not touched up - just cropped and straight from the camera.  I had a fun time posing them and seeing what worked and what didn't.  Garden of the Gods is such a gorgeous place to take pictures.

Thanks for letting me experiment on your family, friend!!

Yes, More Flowers!

I know my brother thinks all I take pictures of is flowers.  I have taken other subjects recently, but I have reverted back to flowers.  Only because I have been waiting all summer to have all my lilies bloom and the first 3 did yesterday.  I love the look of lilies as soon as they bloom---they are so full and perfect.

But then, there are some that are not perfect, but still look at the beauty they hold.  This reminds me of people.  We are not perfect, we make mistakes and fall down, but we are still beautiful and worthwhile.  This lily was damaged by the hail storms that we have had recently while it was still closed up.  You can see the small spot that was affected, but the flower is still gorgeous.

These are my lilies that I planted a few years ago in my back yard and they are always so pretty when they bloom because they all bloom at the same time and there are so many of them so close together.  So pretty!

I am anxious to see the rest of the new lilies in the front bloom--I hope I get to see them as we are leaving on vacation in a couple of days and I am afraid I will miss them!

PERCY!

I am a great aunt--and yes, that seems very wierd to me.  But this little guy is the cutest 1 year old around.  His name is Ethan Percival but most everyone calls him Percy.  I thought I would never call him that, but after meeting him for the first time this month, I couldn't help but call him Percy.

I have always loved sunsets and the clouds tonight were a gorgeous orange.  And on top of that, the moon was up and in the middle of it all.  I couldn't resist a picture.

The Lord sure knows how to create beauty!

This One is for You, Mark!

This is not a pix of weeds, like you requested, but it is definitely not flowers either.. So enjoy this picture that I took specifically for you!

Close Ups

I am enjoying this camera for the sheer fact of the great close ups I can get.  They seem to be more sharp and clear than pictures off my old camera.  Now, granted I do not have a mega zoom lens yet, but I can still get these wonderful shots of my little girls as they sit near me.  These are nothing fancy, but they are ones that I like from recent days.  And they are growing up so fast that I feel the need to capture their youth while I can.  One small thing I can do to freeze time and keep them young.

Hanging on!

These are pictures of the tulips my hubby sent to me for Mother's Day.  These are one of my most favorite flowers and I especially love them when they are multi-colored.

And these are the same tulips as above, only they are on their last breath--fully open and bent over in the vase.  I loved the color of the insides that you don't normally get to see when they are in standard tulip form.  I see them as hanging on for dear life, not wanting to leave until the last possible moment.  I feel that way sometimes.  Don't you?

A Work In Progress

Now that I have a really good camera, I have decided to start a picture blog to show my progress in taking awesome pictures. It will take some time as I am quite confused with all the buttons and gadgets that this camera has to offer.  But I am excited to start this new journey in developing this hobby into something that I have always dreamed of doing--capturing those breathtaking works of art that you see on your computer screensavers, in books, and in photo galleries.  They may not be elaborate, but they will mean something to me and stir memories in my heart that will always bring me joy.  So I hope you enjoy my journey as I do and all get something different out of what I see "through my eyes".