NayNay photoshoot

I'm sorry, but its true. I am slowly turning a little photography crazy. 

Top three signs:

1. What I asked my husband for, as my anniversary present...(yes, we're closing in on our one year anniversary! 16 days)...a monopod/tripod/remote set for my camera. Yes people. I know. No perfume, no clothes, not even flowers- although that doesn't mean I wouldn't like some..hint hint honey.

2. I have officially already worn out my welcome with my husband and my photographing him at random moments. I am soon to become dubbed WWAC. That's Wife With A Camera if you didn't know.

3. I stop and have totally TOTALLY random and spontaneous photoshoots with things I see as I'm traveling somewhere.

On my way home today (aka provo) from our second home (aka North Salt Lake) I drove past this pasture and happened to see some horsies...and I quickly pulled over. I definitely made some new friends and I think they didn't dislike me to much either cause they stayed still which was perfect. 

Adi was slightly jealous though...

She was so good, just sat and waited. All NINETEEN lbs of her. 

Yep, my puppy is now 19 lbs. Holy goodness. We need to slow down on the puppy chow. 

Happy Tuesday,

~M

Gwen's {Bridals}

My second set of bridals. And they were just as fun as the first! Gwendolyn a friend from HS days came to me wanting some bridals quite a couple of days ago. Unluckily for her (but lucky for me), the computer with her bridals on them broke, and her photographer doesn't keep duplicates for very long. 

So we headed out on a perfectly partial sunshine and overcast day to the Bountiful Temple where she got married. Thank goodness Gwen could read my mind when I suggested something on how she was posed. She knew exactly what I was looking for, and moved where I needed.

Anyways, here are my top favorites. There were over 200 good pictures, but only 50 I edited.

~M

They come in three's

Bad luck. Horrible experiences. Sad goodbyes. 

Let me warn you: this post is not happy. 

It is rare that I have an entire week filled with lots of painful, humbling experiences. 

Experiences that make your insides twist with discomfort and make you feel like what's on the inside, should be out. Days, with these feelings, are more frequent, than weeks.

But this week was hell-o jello not good.
I was truthfully having quite the pity party for myself once Saturday rolled around.

But through it all was my never-ending supportive sweetheart, loving guidance from my parents, and a little black curly haired puppy to lick me half to death each day I came home. 

Something our Bishop said today while bearing his testimony in Sacrament meeting, really seemed like he said it only to me directly. I swear he looked directly at me when saying it, or at least that's what it felt like. His message was, "Through all the sucky, horrible, no good experiences we have when it won't stop raining and life just won't let up, is that we need to remember, no matter the heartache we feel now, it is all in an eternal perspective and for our final good."

And then I realized, after all the insightful encouragement and reminders from my sweet sweet hubby, that the Lord not only has a hand in my life, but he has control of it. And that anything he does is for my eternal welfare and better good. A quote I absolutely love from Dallin H. Oaks 'Adversity' in the 1998 Ensign, "Like the mortal life of which they are a part, adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them." This, was my reminder that I needed to not only try and be less unhappy, but I needed to find a way to be joyful, and to learn from my experiences. 

That of course is not so easy to do, but I am trying. 

I feel like I say that a lot. But isn't that what we're all doing? 

Trying to find that self sufficiency and self satisfaction from our journey in life.

Partly why this week was so hard was we laid to rest 

my final remaining grandparent on friday.

Goodbye Grandma Helen Buck. 100 years of wonderful life, 

and 20 years without your sweetheart, you deserve to go home.

We love you.

Feb. 1, 1911- May 22, 2011

Hope it was a wonderful Sunday, 

make it a week to remember!

~J&M

Favorite Photo {5.22-5.28}

As I'm getting more and more into the photographer's world, I decided it only made sense to get some tips, advice, and lovin' from fellow photographers on my pictures. I found this great weekly contest to submit photographs where people vote and such...which I love because it gets me more exposure, and helps me see how I can improve. And who doesn't love that?!

I just love how you can see the fresh raindrops glistening on the petals. I had been waiting patiently for the rain to stop, and when it did, I booked it outside in my sweats and nasty ponytail to get some quick photos. I just love how this turned out!

p.s. I ordered one of these last night...I can't wait to get to try it out, so please let me know if you want some photos taken, bridal, expectancy, newborn, family, etc. I'd love to take more!

~M

Perfect Peonies

I'm so glad I had them in my wedding bouquet, I love them so much. They are one of the most delicate, delicious colorful flowers I know. They scream springtime to me.  

Do you have a flower that you just become mesmerized by? 

I don't know what it is about peonies, but I love them. 

Especially with some variegated pit greenery. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

BEFORE:

 AFTER:

 

BEFORE:

 AFTER:

On all of these you can tell I just upped the red saturation and the exposure a tiny bit. 

Also, I amped up the clarity so you could really see the details. The good news is that with my photography, the raw image I'm getting isn't far off the finished product. Improvement right?!

Happy Tuesday!

What remarkable thing are you doing today? I'm practicing my brains out on the piano piece I'm playing at my Grandma's funeral on friday. More to come on that later.

~M

{BE.HAPPY}

This song has been going round and round in my mind for a couple days now. 

Now that summer's finally here, I can finally shout hallelujah!

Don't you love the good old performers? I can never get 

enough of Mr. Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and dear Judy.

Do you ever feel like sometimes you were born in the wrong era?

What's got you happy today?
For me it could possibly be our first not-so-pro photo I set up today

{excuse how matchy matchy we are. It was a dry run for our family
photos that take place in two sundays}

Happy Monday,

~j&m

p.s. Ke$ha, Lady Gag-me, and current popular artists don't have crap compared to those classics. 

You can't fake, make, or computerize character and talent like theirs.

Adi: update

Are you getting sick of this yet? Yes, our lives have become puppy-fied. 

Everything revolves around her and we love it. 

We've had her for over two weeks now and it feels like we've never known our marriage without her. She has truly become integrated into our lives. 

Things are progressing very well with her potty training...we fixed our christmas bells onto the front door and have been rewarding her each time she rings them to let us know she needs to go potty. 

So far today, five times...and NO ACCIDENTS! 

...We're still working on the whole biting thing though. Seriously, she thinks I'm a chew toy when I try to scratch her or play with her. Any advice?! I've tried both flicking her nose and holding her nossel closed when she does it. Neither is working. HELP!

Happy Thursday! 

Tomorrow is friday. TGIF!

~M

BatDOG in the garden

Inspite of today's rain, little Adi wanted to go out and play. Of course the wetter she got the cuter she got. And who can resist taking pictures of the cutest thing ever? Not me. 

 

See she poses too.

Isn't she just perfect? I am one proud momma.

Can you tell I played with photoshop a bit? I'm pretty much addicted. And of course, not only was Adi more curly and cute in the rain, but the flowers were just breathtakingly vibrant. 

{Peonies in our backyard. I CANNOT wait for them to bloom!}

Quite picturesque isn't it? I want to have a bathtub in my backyard some day.

Happy Wednesday!

~M

Behind the editing craze

Earlier today I posted a couple photos of my cousins "fun" bridals that I took. 

Although they looked gorgeous, I just wanted to post some of the comparisons. As I said, 

it took me HOURS of editing because a lot of the time the exposure was TERRIBLE. 

so I had a lot of fun playing with the new photoshop program.

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

I'm sure its still mostly photographer error (I am still learning of course) but thank goodness for photoshop! Otherwise these photos would have been VERY dark & blue. 

What have you been doing to bring you joy this tuesday?

~M