Blink & You'll Miss It | Lights, Camera, Action!

I realize that this is an extremely odd photo. So allow me to break it down for you and tell you what it means. Have you ever in the midst of cooking, realized that you needed to line a pan with aluminum foil? So you pull out the roll of good 'ole Reynolds and try to tear off a square. No brainer right? Well it is if you have enough foil on your roll. Much to my chagrin, we were at the end of the roll, so this piece was all we had left. I used my lens cap to demonstrate size and proportion. It was like a classic April fools joke on the wrong day, at the wrong time, with the wrong woman. Needless to say I was more than mildly annoyed. Definitely had to improvise and use all kinds of pan degreasers to make clean up easy for the meal that night. So the moral of the story is make sure there is enough foil on the roll for the next person to use. DO NOT leave your loved ones (or yourself) stranded. It's worse than getting stuck in the bathroom with no TP. It just sucks okay? Thanks.

My adventures in Otterberg have been on a hiatus for a couple of weeks, due to Jesse breaking his thumb on a ski trip. He is healing well and was back at work yesterday so I was able to gallivant out to chill with the Aiduk girls. Photoshop homework for week #5 calls for the study of action shots. Small children move constantly. It continually amazes me just how quickly they can change from one position to another. Which means, if you blink (aka your camera settings are incorrect) you'll miss that one important shot. Due to the fact that I have no children of my own (*sigh of relief* yet) I borrowed J's for an afternoon. There was nothing super styled about this shoot... the girls are in their everyday clothes doing everyday activities. I love getting the chance to capture the everyday routines. Kids grow up so fast and I would want to document certain phases of their lives with consistent elements. I hope these little ladies make you smile today, because they sure make me giggle every time I visit them!

This weekend is a three day weekend!!!! It's also Sarah's Baby Shower which I am super bummed about being an ocean away. I'll be there in spirit sister!!! D and I are going to try and take a driving trip this weekend just to get out, but it's SOOOO cold! We'll see. Next week is chalk full of activities already.... whew! It's already the middle of February and I'm still running ninety miles a minute. I hope you all have a marvelous weekend and Happy Presidents Day!!!

Picture Perfect? | Focus On Skin

The Proper Technique to Eat An Apple. Until about a week ago I was seriously unaware that there was one. In our house lately we've amped up the fruit quantity big time to offer a healthier alternative at snack time. This small change in co-habitiation has allowed me a glimpse into the inner workings of my husband's brain. I'm not sure what caused me to study him with rapt attention while he was eating an apple after his work out.... but I was simply fascinated. Stunned into observant silence. D's a big guy. Big guy = big mouth. His bite size compared to mine makes me feel like a small child. Which means I don't share my food with him without setting bite size standards. Wait. That's another story for another day. Ahem. Apples aren't all that big, so it is a wonder to me that he doesn't eat the deliciously crisp fruit in four bites. Instead he chooses to work his way around the apple in with decisively calculated precision. There is in fact also a particular rhythm to accompany the phenomenon I was witnessing, which only added to my intrigue. Bite-CRUNCH-CRUnch-CRunch-crunch. Bite-CRUNCH-CRUnch-CRunch-crunch. It was at this point I saw the perfect pattern along the base of the apple and was immediately genuinely elated. I flailed my arms in the air for him to stop and he paused apple half-raised to disrupt the geometric art. "Can I please take a picture?!?!" I asked in what probably sounded like insane curiosity. D looks at me with concern for my sanity, holds out the apple and gives me permission with a single word "Sure... ?". I held the wondrous specimen, careful not to drop it in fear of destroying something so precious, and I proceeded to photograph evidence that will live for years to come. So there you have it.... Apparently there is a proper technique for eating an apple.

This past week in my Photoshop Class, I taught how to edit skin. This one is definitely a personal point of pride for me because I have been editing skin in photographs since I can remember. I have learned through talking to other photographers who weren't born with perfect skin that this is normal, and often helpful. Many clients want to look like a movie star in a photograph, so my goal was to arm my "students" with a wide array of editing techniques from a completely natural look to glamour movie-star perfect.

Paula Amrein was gracious enough to be my subject for this week's homework. The weather that day was dismal. Rainy, winds up to 20 mph, overcast and grey with literally almost no light. Usually German rainy days simply give us diffused light. Not on this day. So I used this opportunity to also practice my indoor lighting techniques. Please feel free to leave comments as I am interested in hearing feedback.

There's quite a bit in store for the rest of this week. Blue Grass Jam on Friday, possible photography fun with Megan, and to those of you watching the Superbowl this weekend be glad that you don't have to start watching at 10pm. There's never a dull moment around the W's house, so stay tuned for more adventures! I love and miss you guys.... Happy Friday!

What Do You See? | Focus on Eyes

Laura Welborn (aka Laura Karoline Photography) came over the other day to teach me what she had learned about light in her study along course titled "Mastering Indoor Light". We played with hard light, soft light, flat light, back lit, split light, and 45 degree light (did I miss any L?). It was a TON of fun! It's interesting to watch how someone else uses the light that you surround yourself with everyday... These two photos (above) I caught of Miss L while playing with backlit photography. I was super pleased with the results. I know she's in need of people to model for her while she completes her homework assignments for her class. If anyone's interested contact her through her blog here!

This past week in PS class I taught about eyes. How to make them sparkle, the importance of catchlights, and how to enhance that already captured emotion. Because I am doing the homework assignments too, I thought I'd share my images. It was fascinating to see how everyone's style differed even though I had taught each person the same techniques. Thanks Meg & Jess for your awesome participation. You guys are moving forward by leaps and bounds!

This is Dean Schneider, freaking adorable child of Michelle and Russ Schneider. He will be my resident go to child model for a while. I am obsessed with his gorgeous blue eyes and his facial expressions. He also sits extremely still (I can have my shutter speed at 1/80 and still get a clear shot!). I know Mama Schneider will be excited about these photos and know there are more to come! So a huge thanks to the Schneider's for letting me photograph their precious child.

That's all for today... just a sampling of some homework. Busy weekend/next week ahead. I am so grateful for all of the work the Lord has brought my way. And thanks to family and friends for their love and support. You have no idea how it makes my world go round.

The Snow Is Here To Stay!!!!!

This past Saturday D, Russ, Michelle, Dean & I were all eating at St. Martin in Kaiserslautern. I happen to glance at the specials menu and it was as if my eyes were drawn to this one menu item like a magnet. I feel it's appropriate to take you through my emotional roller coaster that lasted about 2.5 seconds. First comes the feeling of pure elation... "Beefsteak TEXAS?!?! Are you serious??!?!"  Then comes the reality check slamming into me like a fat kid on the playground "Oh. right. I live in Germany. There is no possible way that this is going to taste even remotely like beefsteak Texas. It's going to be some weird cross cultural hybrid that will haunt my beefsteak dreams forever." And finally the homesickness sets in... "Man what I wouldn't give to be at Texas Land & Cattle right now... shoot, I'd even settle for Texas Roadhouse. Oh how I miss food from home.... and Target... and ginormous cups of coffee... and Hobby Lobby..." Before I know what has even hit me I'm at a full scale missing home meltdown. All because of an incorrectly labeled menu item. Thanks Deutschland. What was even more intriguing Michelle actually ordered this dish only to come to the same conclusion as I did a mere thirty minutes later. Good times.

Last week in my Photoshop class we went over the homework entitled Find Your Light. So often I am forced to take photos in horrible light. I want to master it and learn how to select the light that is my favorite. So I assigned the homework for week one to challenge the three of us to learn the light in our individual homes. How it changes depending on the time of day, from room to room. How it can also change with the weather. I don't want us to be afraid of the cloudy diffused light, I want us to embrace it! Here is one example of my light series showing how the light changes through the day. I started at 10:00 am and went until 3:30, taking shots every 1.5 hours. That was when I lost the light completely. The first two are at 10, the third at 11:30, fourth at 1:00, fifth at 2:30, & sixth at 3:30 (I knew I was losing the light). So interesting!!

Before it really got snowy I managed to capture some of my favorite light as the sun set over our neighborhood. I don't usually care for long shadows, but this is how I will always remember the view from our kitchen.

Well I can officially say I've been through a real German winter now. It has snowed almost every day since the new year (ish). Particularly within the last couple of weeks. I feel like I live in a snow globe. It isn't even the amount per say, it's more that it never seems to stop coming down. Several Saturday's ago, D and I went out to play in the fresh snowfall in the quite peace of the morning hours. It was AMAZING. We went hiking in the woods near Weilerbach. D allowed me to practice on him (again...) and he was even able to catch some shots of me in turn. I wish we could have stayed out there all day, but Dana we were SOOO cold! I have specific gloves that I use when shooting that leave the tips of my index finger and thumb open so I can adjust camera settings quickly. Those gloves lasted me about twenty minutes before the North Face ones went on instead. It was a great afternoon though and I'm content with my snow day photos. Enjoy!

The flood gates for the new year have opened. I have so many things to do this week I can barely keep track! And what amazes me is I keep piling it on... think this week is booked? nahhh... surely we can squeeze some more photo time in there somewhere.... I think perhaps it feels so squished because it's a four day week. Here's to you Saturday, my day of rest after a looooonnnnng week ahead. Hope everyone is having a marvelous week! Happy Tuesday!