a bag of chips

Nine months.

How can it be?  Just last week we were bringing her home from the hospital and getting used to live as a party of five.  And yesterday our baby, Miss Nadia, Miss Grumpy Pants, Princess Buddha Belly turned nine months old.  If you don't have kids yet, trust me and all the other parents who have said that it goes by so quickly.  Thank goodness for photography and scrapbooking that I'm able to capture as much of her fluffy baby sweetness as possible since it seems like I don't remember much past last week.  And then perhaps its my decreasing capacity for total recall that makes it seem like she's been growing up faster than the Road Runner after a quadruple espresso.

Our little lady is doing so many fun (and some not-so fun) things now.  The best of which is that she's sleeping through the night.  Sometimes for thirteen hours.  Straight.  Ahhhhhh.  Nadia loves to blow raspberries and give slurpy, open-mouthed kisses.  She's not waving bye-bye yet nor is she anywhere near crawling.  She babbles constantly and loves it when you babble back to her.  She hates having her hair done and lets people for blocks around know exactly how she feels about it.  (I actually do wonder what the neighbors think when I'm in the middle of making a little ponytail and she's screaming as if I'm slowly ripping her toenails off.) 

She is self-feeding at the table and likes cheese, Ritz crackers, cereal bars, toast, croissants, green beans, fruit cocktail, Goldfish, scrambled eggs, broccoli, bananas and, of course, Cheerios.  She can also drink from a sippy cup all by herself.  We're constantly offering her new things with the hope she'll have a more varied palette than The Bigs, who still insist on either hot dogs (or hock cogs as Makena calls them) or chicken nuggets at every meal, including breakfast.  But The Bigs and their eating habits is enough to fill a whole 'nother post.

Nadia even had a check-up yesterday and our chunky monkey is 29 inches tall and 20.5 pounds, 90th and 80th percentiles respectively.  Luckily she won't have any more shots until her 1-year appointment.

We continue to visit with Nadia's birth mother and bio siblings at least once a month and we are all so happy and thankful for our open relationship.  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Nadia's birth father for the first time and he was delightful.  A big dude with a sweet and jovial disposition.  I hope he'll get to meet Nadia someday soon.   

So, there you have it.  An update on Princess Drool.  And, even though I recently posted a picture of her, how about another one?  This was taken yesterday. We were having fun in the kiddie pool and she was drying off on daddy's lap.  I love those cute little teeth!

I need your help.

I have a big heart.  No, it's not a medical condition and it requires no medication.  Well, maybe the occasional gin and tonic, but I'm referring to my condition in the philanthropic sense.  I love doing good deeds for how it makes other people feel, and, selfishly, for how it makes me feel.  And it sets a good example for my children.

So, I'm going to try something here and I need your help. 

I want to give a photo session to someone who deserves it or needs it.  So nominate yourself or someone else - tell me their or your story.  I won't put any constraints on what is necessary to qualify other than that person or family needs to reside in Southern California or be able to travel here. I'll leave the nominations open until Sunday, July 1st at midnight, and I'll announce the winner on Friday, July 6th at 8:00 PM California time.  To nominate someone, leave their story in the comments section below, or email me here to submit a private nomination.

The chosen recipient will receive a 2-4 hour session at their chosen location, 30-40 images on disc in color and black-and-white, and either a coffee table book with 20 photos, foam-core mounted storyboard with 3-5 photos, or an 11 x 14 gallery wrapped canvas.

Ready, set, go!

Movies and such.

Last night I watched "Stranger than Fiction" with Will Ferrell.  Holy crap, that was a fabulous movie.  I love Mr. Ferrell and he may just become my favorite new actor.  Tom Hanks will always be my first love, but Will Ferrell may just nose Hugh Grant out of second place.  This movie was funny, sad, serious, lovely, thought-provoking but not too heavy.  Will's character's love interest, played beautifully by Maggie Gyllenhaal, is a baker and in one scene he brings her flours.  A box full of bags of different kinds of flour.  How genious is that?  Loved this movie and loved the break from my crazy life to watch it.  Even better is that I bought it from the pre-viewed section at Blockbuster, my fourth favorite place to shop.  (Anyone care to venture a guess at the first three on my list?)

And, since I'm already on movies, I'll stick with that for a few more moments.  K?  I also watched "The Holiday" with Cameron, Kate, Jude and Jack.  I was kind of disappointed in this one.  Loved the Kate/Jack stuff, didn't get the Cameron/Jude thing. She was fun in "There's Something About Mary" and I liked her in "In Her Shoes" but this was not acting at its finest.  I totally *heart* Jack Black and Kate's a class act.  This was an easy chick flick through which my husband actually stayed awake, probably hoping to see a semi-naked Cameron which never happened.  He was a gem to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Some of my favorite movies are, in no particular order:

"Notting Hill"

"You've Got Mail"

"When Harry Met Sally"

"Sleepless in Seattle"

"The Sound of Music"

"Big"

"Never Been Kissed"

"Pretty Woman"

"Love, Actually"

(Gee, notice a pattern?)

When I'm scrapping or editing photos in my studio (converted garage/spider haven), I put in one of these movies and go about my work, the conversations between old friends keeping me company, the cheerful soundtrack keeping score (pun intended).  As much love as I have for music, I'm far more likely to have a movie on in the background than music.

I'm sure my famous film critic/arts editor grandfather would probably hurl at the movies on my list and deny our genetic ties, but these movies are my favorites for how easy they are to watch and how good and funny and uplifting they are.  They're about love, they're about friendships.  They make me happy.  I love many other movies that would surely appear on his list as well, but my faithful old friends will always be at the top of mine.

And now for something completely different. 

I have two new uses for my mellon baller (does that sound pornographic to you?).  I use it to take out the guts of an apple that I've cut in half, and it does a fabu job of getting the guts out of tomatoes for when I make pico de gallo.  I've also been using my carrot peeler to peel apples.  I love it that I am actually using some of the things in my kitchen tool drawer.  Because I always buy the baby carrots and because my kids don't like mellon, in little balls or not, these two items rarely see the light of day.  Now I just need to find ways to use my garlic press, nigiri sushi molds and mushroom scrubber.  Hmmm.

I love In-n-Out burgers and fries.  I can pick up the scent of one from miles away and nothing (well, maybe a few things) can get my meat-and-tater loving, cholesterol-laden heart pumping like the smell of an In-n-Out.  I feel really, really, really sorry for those of you not living in the Southwest.  Truly, if fast food is on your menu now and then, In-n-Out is the place.  Traveling to California, Nevada or Arizona?  Hunt one down.  Oh, and their shakes are killer, too.  Low-carbing or gluten-free?  Order your burger "protein style."  Oh yeah, baby. 

The snaps on baby clothes are HOT when they come out of the dryer.

Take a screaming baby to Lowe's and watch how quickly a new check-out line opens up.  I'll remember this one next time I'm going through security at the airport.

Rebecca Cooper's new book "Real. Life. Scrapbooking." is fabulous.  Really.  I love that darling wee woman and her simple, striking, totally liftable style.  She's also hosting this month's Simple Studio Blog.

I've been photographing lots of tiny babies lately. They grow so fast and it's so awesome for me to be part of capturing that fleeting babyhood for their mommies and daddies.  Even though it's only been eight months (nine on Friday, but that's another post) since Princess Two Teeth joined our family, I seem to have forgotten just how small and tiny and pink and sweet newborns are.  (heavy sigh)  Makes me want another.  (Breathe, my dear husband, breathe. It's okay. I'm kidding. Sort of. Maybe.)    Head on over to my photoblog to view some of the baby sweetness responsible for my hormone-induced baby insanity.

So, dear friends, that's all drivel I have time to share for today.  Oh, and a photo.  I have a photo to share.  Princess Two Teeth herself.

Answers, round two.

I've had lots of folks ask about the size of the images I give my clients on their disc.  And while how I do things may not make sense to anyone but me, my clients have been happy and that's what's important.

I had been giving my clients their photos at 4 x 6 at 300 dpi.  And while that seems to have been working just fine, I've changed it recently to 8 x 12 at 400 dpi.  Extra insurance, really, that the image they get is going to work for just about any size print or medium, and with stellar results.

Again, why 8 x 12? Well, 8 x 12 is the same ratio as 4 x 6 (eek!  math!), which also happens to be the same ratio as the images straight out of the camera (or SOOC).  And below I've put together (very roughly) a demonstration about why that size is better than 5 x 7 when it comes to cropping.  Click on the images to enlarge.

So, the 4 x 6 or 8 x 12 image saves all of the image so that cropping to other sizes doesn't remove any more of the image than necessary.  And for those up-close and personal shots that are already so tight, losing more of the image can be a really bad thing.  Make sense?  Clear as mud?  Well, try it yourself and see.

And because the size of the images and the number of photos, I use DVDs for my client's photos.  DVDs hold 4.7 gigs vs. the 700 mb on a CD.

Someone else has asked what noise reduction software I referred to in my previous post.  It's a free (!!!) downloadable product called Noiseware by Imagenomic.  I use it on just about all of my low-light and indoor shots.  I like the results using this software way better that the results I get using the noise reduction function in CS2.  I like that the settings are totally adjustable so I can control my image and I can see the before and after easily so I can make any changes or adjustments. 

Below is a recent one of my ever-growing babes on which I used the noise-reduction software.

Thanks again!   

Answers.

Thanks for all the questions!  Here we go:

from Maria:

Q.  Can you share the memory of your most exciting photoshoot experience?

A.  My first paid shoot was of our attorney and his family.  It was a bit nervewracking, but they were all so nice and beautiful and the weather was perfect.  We even had a gorgeous sunset at the end of our session.  It was exciting to see how happy the client was, and some of the photos from that day remain some of my all-time favorites.

from Josette:

Q.  Do you print every picture you take of your family?  What size is your favorite?

A.  I don't print every photo, and I usually print photos as I need them.  And, trust me, not all the photos I take are frame-worthy or scrap-worthy.  With three kids, getting a good photo of any of them is not usually an easy task.  I choose to keep all of my digital images stored on a My Book and on disc rather than in photo boxes.  Physical space is an issue for me, so digital storage makes better sense for me.  When I do print, photos for framing are printed 5 x 7 or 8 x 10, and scrapping photos are 4 x 6 or, lately, 2.5 x 3.5 to get more photos on a LO.

from Katherine:

Q.  Was wondering if you'd list your photo equipment, current body, back up and lens .... Oh and your favorite to shoot with.... I know it's all on your blog some where but I'm way too lazy...heehee
also did you teach yourself or did you take some classes.... Just curious, love your work girl....

A.  I have a Canon 5D body and three lenses:  a 50mm 1.8, an 85 mm 1.8 and a 28-105.  I really do use all of them just about equally, it just depends on the setting and the subjects.  I'd have to say that the 50mm 1.8 is probably my favorite for all-around use.  It's small, light and takes great photos.

I'm a self-taught gal who has done three things to get where I am:  practice, practice, practice.  I've also thoroughly read my camera manuals and gleaned tons of valuable information from ILP and the photo board at 2Peas.  Maybe someday I'll take a class, but for now I'm having fun learning on my own.

from Lain:

Q.  How did you develop your scrappin' style? I really love your simplicity -- yet it's always fresh!

Hmmm...great question!  When I first started scrapping, I thought I had to really fill up a page which is probably why I have mostly stuck with the 8.5 x 11 format - blank 12 x 12 pages used to scare me!  And gradually I realized that white space was my friend and my pages took on a simpler feel.  One of my mottos is less is more.  And with so little time to scrap with three youngsters and a photography business, my simple style allows me to get more done.

from Aleida:

Q.  Yes, I had emailed you before--please list your photography equipment. Also wanted to know how you got started. Thanks for sharing.

A.  Well, see above for my list of equipment.  I should also mention that before my 5D I had a 20D and then before that I had a 300D. 

As far as getting started, I decided to go into business after getting lots of requests from friends to photograph their kids.  I printed up some cards and put together a little tiny short-term business plan.  My business has grown primarily by word-of-mouth and that makes me very happy.  I've got more plans for growing my business when the baby is a bit older, but for now I'm comfortable with how things are progressing.

from Susan:

Q.  Do you belong to any scrapbook kit clubs? Can't wait to see your answers.

A.  I had a three-month subscription to Cocoa Daisy and I've gotten a few kits from Scrapologie.  I love the idea of kits but I'm not sure they really work for me.  What I like about them is how many of the kits included things I might not have bought myself on a spree at my LSS or at 2Peas and how fun it has been to incorporate some of those items into my scrapping.  The drawback to them is that I open the packages and then put them away among my stash because otherwise my space would be even messier with random kit piles everywhere.

from Cindy: 

Q.  i love your photography, my question is do you use actions on your photos, and if you do not how do you get your color so bright and how do you get the black back ground so black in your photos, i do have photoshopcs2 when i make the back ground black the way i like it, it mask the subject hair to black.

A.  I have Jinky's actions which I use as needed.  Mostly I use a combination of curves and levels to acheive bright, colorful photos, and sometimes I'll add more color and/or contrast to pump things up.  I always use an Unsharp Mask on all of my photos and regularly use a noise-reduction software.  For converting to black-and-white, I use the gradient map and then adjust curves/levels/contrast if needed.  I convert to black-and-white using my edited color photo.  It is tricky to find a balance in black-and-white where you want your blacks black and your whites white but not too contrasty as to be distracting.  Again, practice, practice, practice.  Try new things, visit photography forums to see what other people do and then try it on for size. 

from Clair:

Q.  And here's my question- What influenced your decision to offer photo CD's from your sessions as opposed to prints? I am now making such business decisions as I begin to offer my photography talents to others beyond family and close friends.

A.  Offering CDs was not my original idea but one that I embraced as the best way for me to do business.  I have a crazy enough time everyday as wife and mother without having to chase print orders around.  And I think offering a photo CD gives the client way more control and usually a substantial cost savings on prints.  They pay me a flat rate and in return get the equivalent of my negatives for their own personal printing purposes.  There are many photographers out there who reject this business practice, and that's really okay.  But these are digital times and I think this way of doing things brings photography services into the present.

from Lisa:

Q.  Do you always use natural available light when shooting your pictures indoors? I've been using a reflector lately for some of my in-house still projects but I haven't used it on the kids-they never sit still long enough anyway.  Just wondering about your indoor lighting technique when shooting people?

I am a 100% natural light girl.  I don't even own a flash for my camera though it's on my wish list.  I have tried reflectors before but they're cumbersome and don't seem to markedly enhance my photos.  When scheduling a session, I make sure it's at a time of day when natural light is available and I ask clients questions about their home.  During the session I adjust my settings as needed to compensate for low light.  Having the right lens and knowing how ISO, shutter speed and aperture work together for good exposure is key to successful natural light photography.

So, thanks for the questions - keep them coming!  And below is a sneak peek at a sweet baby I photographed this weekend.  Isn't he beautiful?

 

Strawberry fields.

Yesterday Aidan and Nadia and I (Makena was in preschool) met my mom, my brother and his kids at the Carslbad U-Pick strawberry patch.  We had so much fun.  What a great thing to do with kids and totally worth the $6.00 for a small bucket, and even the $11.00 for the large one.  We picked (and ate) our way through row after row of strawberry plants that were just brimming with bright red fruit (helpful hint:  bring wipes and a bottle of water for rinsing berries). 

The only real drawback to spending an hour at the patch is what to do with all the strawberries, which, given the three pairs not-too-gentle hands that handled them, were already showing signs of mushiness by the time we got home.  So I found two recipes - one for strawberry coffee cake and one for agua fresca which I made with strawberries and watermelon.  Both were quite easy to make and very good.

Anyway, this is all leading up to the photos from our adventure and the fruits of my labor (pun intended).  So, without further delay, here you go:

And thanks for the great questions I've been getting.  Keep them coming!

Inquiring minds.

I've noticed that lately a lot of bloggers have opened the floor to questions.  I get emails from people with questions about photography, adoption, scrapping and other stuff, and I usually answer them directly.  So now, in keeping with this current trend, please step up to the mike.  Post a question and I'll probably* answer it.  (*probably means that I reserve the right to not answer butt-head questions, but, if I do, it'll be with a butt-head answer)

So, post your question in the comments section and tune back in a few days from now for my answers.  It'll be gripping.  Really.

Photography.

I know I have a whole other blog for my photography business, but I wanted to share some recent work here, too.  This is Kallie, the sweet, sweet baby of William and Mari.  I took their maternity photos and I can't explain how awesome it has been to see them again, the happy little family of three.

I love photography and how much joy it has brought to my life and to my clients.  I love how much joy it has brought my family.  My mom is so proud and shows all of her friends when a photo or layout of mine appears in Simple, and my husband and kids love to see themselves in the magazine.  I posted a long while back about how it's tough to me to say exactly if scrapbooking improved my photography or if photography improved my scrapbooking.  It guess it doesn't really matter.  I've grown in both and that's what counts.

What I debate about is growing my photography business beyond where it's at right now.  My life is plenty full with three little kids and a helpful hubby, and photo sessions and magazine assignments.  I have two blogs, I have business cards that I hand out, I have awesome clients who have been so supportive by sharing my work and contact info with others.  I have had photos on the cover of Simple and have been a featured photographer in a few issues, and I've donated several sessions for charity auctions.  But I don't do any overt advertising.  I don't have client hand-outs or referral packages or ads in local publications, and the website I've been working on is still quite far from being ready.  I love how relatively manageable things are right now, but part of me really wants to see how far I can take my business.  I love the excitement of the possibilities, but I am afraid that it will become too much to handle and become the monster that ate my family.  And I'm afraid that it won't.

I have had several conversations with other photographers about this same issue, about how to fit a budding and popular business into our already full lives, and the easy answer is that there is no easy answer.  I want to do enough things so that I can still do them all well, and I'm sure the trite cake analogy can be found somewhere in what I'm saying.  And I really am so very thankful for how far I've come - thankful to my family for their support, thankful to Simple for believing in me, thankful for my clients who have share their lives with me and then turned around and shared me with others.

So, perhaps the few little changes I'll be making over at Tina Cockburn Photography in the next week or two will help with my decision about where to go and what to do next.  And any advice or comments from you are greatly appreciated.

Over and out.