Trendy Tree House: Sports

I promise this will be my last entry for the day and possibly the week. I thought I didn't have a sport picture but then I remembered this funny picture of Nicolas and Leo. Leo was supposed to be teaching Nicolas how to swing a bat but instead he was teasing him and I was able to catch Leo in the act of being a meanie.

Too see more great sport pictures...click below

Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Favorite

Nicolas has the most beautiful eyes and the craziest hair. And these are my favorite things of all time. Last week he woke up extra early and I was able to see him before I headed out to work. When I got him out of his crib, I noticed his rooster hair. It was awesome! I had to get a picture. (Please pardon the look of these shots, there was no natural light)I swear no gel was used.

And this one is of his crazy unruly hair and his beautiful dark brown eyes. It was 90+ degrees and he was sweating so bad. His hair was soaking wet and his eyes were trying to tell me "mom, please stop taking pics, I'm hot"

To see more great "Favorite" shots head on over to

In A Yellow House Challenge: Urban

Downtown Durham was a great location for "urban" shots. This was my first time venturing out to take city/urban/architecture pictures. I usually stick to people (a.k.a Nicolas), bugs or flowers but I loved it. Durham was raw yet beautiful, old yet modern, folksy yet trendy; it was a great backdrop. Here are my picks:

The paint was peeling away and the colors were washed but it was beautiful.

To see more great entries click below

Macro Monday 07/26

On Saturday I particpated in Scott Kelby's Third Annual Photo Walk and was able to capture some great macro shots. I don't have a macro lens but my telephoto does a pretty good job at capturing macros. Here are my favorites:

Butterfly #1:

I followed this butterfly around until it settled on this beautiful purple flower. And as you can see it decided to pose for me.

Butterfly #2

I thought this was the same butterfly but as I took a closer look, this butterfly had even more beautiful colors. I waited until it spread out it wings. The colors on the flowers and the butterfly were amazing.

Moth:

As we strolled along the photo walk, another photographer noticed this huge moth hanging out on the lamp post. I did not have my telephoto lens but was able to get close enough to focus on its beautiful cream colored body.

To see more beautiful macro shots head on over to Macro Monday

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 7/25

I waited until the last minute to get all the pictures for the scavenger hunt. I had a bunch of photography events that allowed me to get all the pictures in time.

Food:These were taken at the Durham Farmer's Market right before the photo walk began. Local and fresh food, yummo!

Portrait:

Ashley and I went together to the photo walk and I told her to please pose. The picture was blown out but I was able to salvage it by converting it to B&W. Woohoo!

Chair:

This chair/bench was calling my name after about 1.5 hours of walking downtown Durham in 100+ degrees.

Game:Nicolas thought this would be a fun "game"; to climb in and out of the shopping cart. I was able to capture the picture right before he fell right on his face. (he was not harmed, just a little startled)

Miniature:

After much thought I pulled out one of Nicolas' smallest onsies. Nic was (and still is) a pretty small baby so when we brought him home none of his 0-3 month cloth fit. This little "miniature" onsie was the only thing that fit. Looking at it now, it is amazing how much he has grown in just 18 months. And in the background is the glider in which I spent many hours nursing and rocking him to sleep. Sweet memories.

To see more scavenger hunt entries click below

I hope you had a wonderful weekend
N@

Fix it Friday Challenge

I usually don't participate in fix-it Friday b/c I don't have a "cool" editing software and have been exclusively using Picasa. But this week I thought I could contribute.

Before:
After:


Here are my steps:
Basic Fixes Tab
Cropped it.
I used fill light slider until it was a little brighter 5-10% to the right.
Tuning Tab
Higlight slider up about 10% to the right
Shadows up about 5%
Nuetral Color picker and picked the white dress
Effect Tab
Tint- picked the white tint overlay and moved the slider to right until about 90% and it brought back some color.
Glow- decreased intensity (to the left) until about 10% to the right
Saturation-a little over 50%.

And those were my steps. I love Picasa for its ease and that it is free.

Click below to see more great entries



Have a great weekend!
N@

Trendy Treehouse Challenge: Faces

My favorite face is Nicolas'. He has the most expressive eyes and while I wanted a blue eyed baby, I think Nic's eyes are just as stunning. (this is coming from a biased mommy). The only time I ever get eye contact is when I strap him down to eat. These are the latest pics of him eating. Please excuse the messy face.

This is his "back up, this is my food" face....

This is his sweet face

Where is your nose? and he showed me...

Lastly, this is his "fake cry" face.

Have a great rest of the week.
To see more "FACES" go to