My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

Q&A

Just taking some time here to answer some questions...

1. Just wanted to remind everyone that registration for NEW STUDENTS who want to AUDIT The Photographers' Workshop is this coming Monday, March 1st starting at 9am Pacific Time.  I am not limiting the number of auditing students, however I'm only keeping the registration open for 24 hours.  You can read more details here.  I still don't have a date for past students to register for auditing (sorry.)

2. No, it's not March yet but it will be soon (for all of you who are taking the March class!)

3. Kelli, I always knew you were a wheel barrow thief (ha!)

4. The cologne I got for Josh is Calvin Klein, Euphoria.  (And it is indeed, Euphoric.)

5. Courtney calls me K.K. - just a nickname she came up with a couple years back.  (I'm not Courtney's mom - she's got a mom and we share custody.)  When Josh and I met, I already had Ross and Coley and he already had Courtney Lee.  Together, we had Annie.  I know that always throws everyone for a loop because Cole and Courtney look so much alike, but those two are not blood-related.

6. The paint color in our bedroom is Valspar, Sea Air - but if you want something a little greener, go with Sea Lily.

7. I really WILL post some pictures of the house soon.  We've done a lot of work (but there's still a TON to do.)

8. Still planning to share those scrapbook pages but I haven't ordered the photos I need for them yet (I'm really bad about getting around to stuff like that.)

9. Right now, I don't have any plans to go back to designing scrapbooking products.  That doesn't mean I never will - but for now, this photography thing is keeping me busy.

10. I get most of the girls clothes from Target and Old Navy just because I like the prices and they always have cute stuff.  I also shop at Crazy 8 online.  I'll shop at Gymboree (but only when they have a sale or are offering Gymbucks.)  Other than that, I just look for sales.  I picked up Annie's birthday dress at the Gap for only $14.  Sometimes I'll splurge on something from Mini Boden or Janie & Jack but in general, I think they're overpriced and it bugs me.

11. I don't currently have any plans of doing any marketing on my blog.  I just added the 'Clickin Moms' link because I think it's a great photography forum and I really encourage my past students to join it.

12. The first Making the Shot lesson has been ready to go for several months now.  Unfortunately though, my web guy had a family emergency that is keeping him from being able to work on the website.  So for now, all of the big additions I've been planning are on hold until things settle down a little for him.  If it looks like it's going to be much longer though, I'll just offer the lesson through Paypal and will email it to everyone who purchases it.

13. For now, my plans are to only offer Making the Shot lessons to students who have registered for the online Photographers' Workshop (past and current students along with anyone who is already paid/registered for a future class, including auditors.)

14. I don't have an exact length of time I plan to continue teaching the online version of The Photographers' Workshop.  My guess is that I'll still teach it for at least a couple more years just so long as there is still interest, however I am taking FEWER students than I have in the past because I really want to focus on adding more options for my past students, like Making the Shot lessons and telephone consulting and am even looking into the possibility of hosting very small, three day workshops for my past students.  I'm just wanting to branch out in a few different directions, knowing that I'm not able to keep up with the number of students on the wait list (which is why I'm offering the auditing option.)

15. I shot Courtney's basketball game in full Manual mode at f2.8, 1/500th of a second with my ISO ranging between 200-900.  There's TONS of natural light in that gym (no artificial light) so I'm always able to shoot in there with low ISOs but my ISO was particularly low that day because it was so sunny outside.  When I shot Coley's basketball game later that day in a different gym (that has no natural light) I shot with the exact same settings except my ISO much much higher; between 1250-2500.  The keys to shooting sports though is to maintain a reasonable shutter speed to prevent subject movement and to either use a preset white balance setting (usually the fluorescent setting when shooting in a gym) or to set a custom white balance. 

16. I shot the recent B&W's of Annie with a 24-70mm lens at f2.8.  I was just standing above her to get them.

17. I'm not currently using any purchased actions for the majority of my editing.  I'm using an action that I made based off the recommendation of another photographer.  Because it's her technique, I can't really share it but I've been bugging her like crazy to create a 'how to' for it and I've got my fingers crossed that she will.  If she does, I'll let you know.

18. I do use noise reduction software sometimes.  When I do, I use Noise Ninja OR the Smooth-o-Matic action from Totally Rad Actions 2.  (Totally Rad Actions only work with Adobe CS2 or higher.)

19. I own the following lenses:  Nikon 50mm f1.4G, Nikon 85mm f1.4, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 and a Sigma macro 50mm f2.8.  A couple of those lenses are ridiculously priced - but you can get comparable lenses for much cheaper, like the Nikon or Canon 85mm f1.8, the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 and the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8.

20. I think the 24-70mm f2.8 (or the comparable Tamron 28-75mm f2.8) is ideal for outdoor, everyday shooting.  However for indoor, everyday shooting, I recommend a 50mm lens or something a little wider like a 24mm, 28mm or 35mm.  For indoor and low light stuff, you really need something with an aperture that opens to f1.8 or wider in my opinion.

21. In regards to back button focusing, that is a topic I plan to cover in a future issue of Making the Shot.  It's just a topic that's a little too big for a blog post.

22. If you're looking for a wide angle lens, I'd recommend a 24mm lens or a 28mm lens - just get whichever has the widest maximum aperture, depending upon your budget.  There's also high end wide angle zooms like the 16-35mm f2.8.  Something like a 17-50mm f2.8 will work also but keep in mind that this lens will NOT work on full frame cameras (like the Nikon D700 or the Canon 5D.)

23. I love Adobe Lightroom 2 now (although I am STILL struggling to learn it) and am using it to organize all of my images, to sort my images for editing and to get my images to a good, usable state for editing (making any necessary adjustments in exposure, white balance, etc.)  Then I pull all the shots I want to edit into Photoshop CS4 for my final editing.  A person could do ALL of their editing in Adobe Lightroom 2 if they wanted to but I'm a creature of habit and I really love to do my final editing in CS4.  In general though, I prefer modestly edited images.  I've tried every editing fad and while I love them, I just seem to always come back to the fact that I want my images to have a classic, simple feel to them.  I want people to look at my images and say, "Great photo!" rather than "Great editing!"

24. My ISO was at 2000 for all the shots I took of Annie jumping on the bed.  In hindsight, I should have increased it for a higher shutter speed but that's just the way it goes sometimes.  I used an 85mm f1.4.

25. Since I shoot RAW images rather than JPEG images, my photos do NOT undergo any in-camera sharpening.  Therefore, my images looks less sharp straight out of the camera than they would if I were shooting JPEGs.  So I sharpen ALL of my images that are posted on my blog.  I typically just use Boutwell's Magic Glasses at about 40% opacity which is from Totally Rad Actions 1.

26. The key to good skin tones is always going to be in nailing your exposure and having a correct white balance.  That's just a huge topic though so I'll save it for my online classes.

And one of Coley from Valentines day that I cam across this morning...

One Little Monkey.

The light was low and not all that fabulous but she wanted to jump on our bed and I wanted to take pictures so I settled for a semi-slow shutter speed and some imperfect shots (that make me happy all the same.)

 

That one is my favorite.  (Josh calls me 'The girl who cried favorite.')

 

And I've missed a bazillion question around here lately so if you have one, post it in the comments section (so I have them all in one place) and I'll try to get you some answers tomorrow or early next week.

I Love You's.

I couldn't go outside the other day because Courtney Lee was working on something for me.  (She calls me K.K.)

Funny how something so little can make you feel so hugely loved.

The Weather.

Just a few more of Annie from the weekend.  (But before you pack your bags and decide to move to Southern Oregon...I don't think the good weather is going to last much longer.)

 

 

Nothing like sitting on a few bags of steer manure, eating a blueberry muffin.

And...

Did I ever tell you guys that someone broke into our shed last spring and stole three bags of steer manure and a wheel barrow?!?  

I'm guessing all the cops were laughing at my expense after I showed up at the station to report three bags of steer manure that had gone missing - they're just lucky I didn't go all vigilante.

Damned thieving gardeners.

The Book Report.

Coley has a book report and float due this week.  He read Where the Red Fern Grows for it.

His actual report describes the book as, "A good reason to explain why people say dogs are man's best friend.  It shows great love for their master and care for his dogs and for eachother."

The book made Coley cry.  (He said it's the best book he's ever read.)

It was his first book report though so I really wanted to make a big deal of it just so he could learn to take pride in big projects like this.

We started brainstorming last week and went to the craft store to pick up a few things Saturday after his basketball game.  Coley of course wanted to buy a log house (which I vetoed) and wanted to buy the trees (which I also vetoed.)  I did however, agree to buy some little figurines, some fake grass and a fake water kit.

Within a few minutes, Ross and Annie were outside helping.

And then Cali showed up too.  (And the boys decided to give me their best faces.)

Not sure what she was pouting about.  (The pouty face is cute - but the whining that comes along with it is not.)

She always has pen marks all over her face because she spends most of her days coloring.

Coley was using a popsicle stick to remove the 'grass' from the area where he was going to put in a 'river'.

Annie was using the popsicle sticks for something else.

She's got pen marks on here ear too.

We cut a bunch of tree clippings over at Grandma Jo's and put a sheet of styrafoam inside the box.  So, when we cut holes in the box to push the stems of the branches through, the 'trees' were held in place by their stems that were pushed into the styrafoam.  (Did that make sense?)

And Coley made the log house by glueing popsicle sticks to the outside of a box.  (Then we cut cardstock for the windows and doors and he decided on a metal brad for the doorknob.)

There's a mountain lion hiding in those trees.

She made her own project.

You can see 'Little Ann' and 'Big Dan' on the corner of the float.

A few hours later...we had a finished project and Coley was glowing with pride.  (Actually, just his ears were glowing.)

Valentines.

Just a couple of Ross & Cali (and Ross's first goatee) on Valentines Day...

 

 

And just because I don't want to forget - Ross asked me to come up upstairs to his room last night and he played a song for me that he had written.

I know I'm probably biased because he's mine (and he's wonderful) but I can't even tell you how amazing that song was.  Just this really melancholy, singer-songwriter sort of thing - but not like anything I had heard before.

I already  knew he was really good at playing the guitar because he's always playing.  I just had no idea he had serious song writing abilities.  (He said that he didn't know either until last night when he sat down to write it.)

I wish I could explain how I felt listening to him.

But I can't think of a single word that describes it.

ETA:

This morning when I went out to my car, he had already scraped the ice off my windows for me.

Seriously, nothing says, "I love you" quite like someone scraping the ice off your windows.

I love you too Ross.

Registration for Auditors.

ETA:  This information is for NEW STUDENTS who are wanting to audit the Photographers' Workshop.  If you are a past/current student, please know that I will have more details on class auditing, Making the Shot lessons and Telephone Consulting in the upcoming weeks.  (Just make sure your email address is current in your user profile so you can receive updates from me!)

I know a lot of you have been on the waiting list for the Photographers' Workshop for well over a year now and just want to thank you for your patience.

Even after the last workshop registration, there are still over 1300 people on the waiting list so I'm really excited about offering students the option of auditing since I think I'll be able to reach a lot more students who have been waiting to take the class than I would otherwise be able to reach.

So....registration for AUDITING STUDENTS of the Photographers' Workshop will be held on March 1, 2010, starting at 9am Pacific time at www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com.

This registration is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY, who have never taken the online version of the Photographers Workshop and is available for the following classes:

- The Photographers' Workshop running March 29, 2010 to June 6, 2010

- The Photographers' Workshop running June 21, 2010 to August 29, 1010

The fee for first time auditors is $245 and is due upon registering.

Although I am not limiting the number of auditing students, I am only going to keep the registration open for 24 hours, therefore, registration will CLOSE on March 2, 2010 at 9:00am Pacific time.

This is an auditing option, available only to new students which allows visual access (without participation) to everything in the Photographers' Workshop including written/audio lessons, assignments, viewing of the Q&A Board, Photo Critiques Board and the Picture of the Day Board.  Auditing students will not be able to upload assignments, post questions, comments or photos and will not be able to correspond with the instructor in regards to photography related topics. 

Auditing students will receive a class binder and will be considered an 'enrolled  student' with the ability to purchase future issues of Making the Shot lessons and Telephone consulting at the rate listed for each, along with the ability to audit future classes at a discounted rate.  (Each of these items discussed are new options that I am adding to the website in the coming months and will be available to registered students only, which includes anyone who has registered to audit the Photographers' Workshop.)

In addition, if you later decide to register for FULL PARTICIPATION in the Photographers' Workshop ($395), you will receive a $100 discount.

To register on March 1, 2010:

1. go to www.snapshotsofagoodlife.com

2. select 'photography classes'

3. select 'register for a class'

4. fill in the registration information

5. pay for the class using Visa, Mastercard or Paypal

6. receive your confirmation via email

7. SAVE YOUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL as it will have your log-in information

Please note that you do not have to be on the wait list in order to register for auditing.  However, I send out email reminders and updates to everyone on the wait list, so it's not a bad idea to get on it.  To add yourself to the wait list, just go through steps #1-4 above.

And one more shot from Annie's birthday this weekend...

Her Birthday.

A few days before her party, she kept asking, "Is this going to be the kind of party where there are lots of Grandmas?"  (That's her favorite kind of party.)

 

Josh refused to blow up any green or yellow balloons.  (He even hid them so I couldn't blow up any more.)

How old are you now?

How much do you love your Mama?

How cute are you?

And how hunky is your Dad?

Shot that off of a mirror in the living room.

 

I bought the little pop-pom thingies from Michaels and attached the little flags (I made those out of lace, paper and chipboard letters.)  And though I've made her hats in the past, I found this years hat online.  (I can't remember where I found it but if I do remember, I'll post it here.)

 

Grandm Jo and Grandpa Tom came.  (She's helping Courtney with the sewable Hello Kitty that Josh and I got her for Valentines Day.)

Tater-Tot and Brooke showed up too.

And they brought their Daddy with them.

Grandma Cracker and Great Grandpa showed up.

Josh and I started that journal back when we first started dating.  We got it out the night of our anniversary and read the entire thing. (The last entry was from me, the day before we had Annie.)

Josh was reading some really funny baby names he had made up.

Uncle Donnie and Paka (my Mom) showed up too.

 

And so did Grandma Russell.

And Coley and my Dad.

Her only party request (other than wanting lots of Grandmas to come) was that her cake have lots of strawberries on it.  (But then she wouldn't eat it because she decided she doesn't like frosting.)

 

The girls were all about the presents.

 

The boys (including Josh) were all about popping balloons.

She got a new dress, cowboy boots, a dollhouse, money, a stuffed dog and a cute little bench.

We got her lots of coloring stuff since that's her favorite thing to do right now.  (That's an art caddy - I just added the stickers to spell her name.)

She got a remote control My Little Pony motorcycle too.

 

I love him.

 

And I love him (Josh's Grandpa.)

Oh, and I love the fruit-stealing birthday girl too (and her clip-on earrings.)

This One.

No time to post all her birthday photos...but I had to post this one.

Four.

She's four today.

Josh and I sang happy birthday as she walked down the stairs this morning still half asleep.

And then she sat in Josh's lap while we talked about her birthday and shared with her that four year olds don't pitch fits for no reason, they don't cry when they get their hair brushed and they always listen to their mommy & daddy the first time they are asked to do something.

And so far, she's acting like a perfect four year old.

And then later, we all sang happy birthday again while she blew out the candles on her birthday muffin.  (She wanted a birthday muffin instead of birthday waffles.)

We've got basketball games all afternoon and we have to get the house ready for tomorrow's birthday party and then Annie gets to pick where we go to dinner tonight.  (She wants Mexican food - a plain tortilla with cheese on the side.)

It also happens to be the five year anniversary of Josh and I meeting on a flight out of Atlanta, Georgia.  (The day we met feels much more like our anniversary than our actual wedding anniversary.)  Here's that story if you want to read it.

And yes, that means we had Annie exactly one year to the day after meeting.

Which leaves me hoping that those who are reading are either non-judgmental OR really bad at math.