Warm Fuzzies

Seeing pictures of my family like these gives me warm fuzzies.

 My sister Sherry makes the best grandma

Blessed.

There's just too much man in this picture for me to process.

First Month Down!

So last month I started a 3-6-5 Photo challenge where I have to take a picture every day for 365 in a row (click here to see my last entry about it).  I also have to write a little blurb about each photo, and post it on the blog I created for it.

Now that I've got one month under my belt with this photo challenge (yeehaw!), I'm getting a pretty good feel of what I'm doing.  Below are the pictures from last month which I posted on my other blog, along with my favorite shot from the month.  Enjoy!

Favorite shot for June:

Another picture from my trip...

On Saturday we drove to Arches National Park to get some shots of the the scenery and go on a hike.  On our way to the first stop I made Christine pull off to the side of the road because the view was so breathtaking.  As I stepped out of the car, my first thought was of indecision.  What should I capture first?  The scene before me was too wide to take in one shot, and almost all the pieces of that scene lost their magnificence when I tried to capture them individually.  So, I decided to capture every angle of my view and turn it into a panoramic picture when I got home.  Here's the result:

* Disclaimer: This is the only panoramic shot I took during my stay in Moab, and it wasn't a very good one.  Because I decided on a whim to do a panoramic I didn't fix my camera settings or get out my tripod, so I had to do quite a bit of editing to make the transitions between shots look not-so-obvious.  Not my best editing work, but I still like the shot.  It was my first view of Arches during this trip, and I was so excited to be there that every time I see this picture I remember that excitement!

A Reject from Today's 3-6-5 Post

I took this shot on my way home from work, and it almost made the final cut for my 3-6-5 post of the day.  But, I've had too many nature shots the last few days, so I posted a different picture.  I liked this one so much that I still wanted to share it, so...here it is:

Good Times!

I'm feeling super happy today!  I love days like this when I'm happy for no reason.

Especially after the last week or so, when I was feeling grumpy for no reason.

I think it's a testament to working out.  After an absence of almost 2 months, I went back to the gym this week, and I really think that's why I'm feeling good about life today.  Gotta love those endorphins!

Also, I went golfing with my office this morning and it was gorgeous.  I took my camera along to document the occasion for work, but unfortunately I had it on the wrong setting, and didn't notice until it was too late.

Here are the few shots that turned out.

My New Favorite

This idea came from all the awesome Poloroid decorations I've seen out there lately.  Unfortunately, I don't have a Poloroid camera, nor do I have the wall space I desire to have a truly epic Poloroid collage.  So, I came up with this concept instead, and I just LOVE the way it turned out!!

(click on the photo to see it full sized)


There may have been an easier way to do this, but until I figure that out, here's what I did:

Step one:  I uploaded all my photos from my vacation onto my iPod.
Step two:  I converted the pictures I liked into poloroids using the ShakeItPhoto app and downloaded them back to my computer.
Step three:  I uploaded all the poloroids to Picnik and created a collage with the following parameters:

1. 6x6 grid (which I then changed in the details to 7x6)
2. Spacing: 0 pts.
3. Kookiness: 3
4. Saved as high quality
5. Under the 'Create' tab, I clicked on the '1960's' effect, took off the rounded corners, and faded it to 75%
6. Used the 'Tint' effect with a yellow shade and faded to 75%

Step four:  I saved it and resized the photo to fit my monitor.

Voila!  My very own Poloroid wall without having to purchase a Poloroid camera or make the wall space!

Below are a few variations on the picture (my practice attempts):

An Expose on my Butt

So I've been going crazy with this new iPod application: ShakeItPhoto.  I'm sure anyone who owns an iPod Touch or iPhone knows about this awesome application already.  For those of you who don't...I'll simply say: Poloroids.

Awesome poloroids:

So, I've been having a blast with this new application, and converting my Yosemite photos to Poloroids like crazy.  I'll post more as I have time, but today I'd like to share the story of "The Expose on my Butt."

Here's how it goes:
Christine and I were on our second day in the great basin of Yosemite...taking an easy hike to the lower Yosemite Falls.  We happened along some old indian caves that we remembered climbing on as children when we used to take this hike, and I decided to take a few pictures in one of the crevices just for fun. 

I tossed my camera to Christine (well, not really...obviously) and ran to the crack (no punn intended) to pose for some pictures...

We laughed and had fun taking turns posing at the rock before moving on our way.  When we got home and I was reviewing the pictures from the trip, here's what I found:

The first picture: ok.  A little cheesy, but ok.  Couple it with the rest, however, and it looks like I'm the poster child for a constipation ad.  But, if nothing else...that last picture seals the deal on my never finding another date for the rest of my life.

Can you see?  How every picture automatically draws your attention to my butt?

That wouldn't be so bad, if I weren't STICKING IT OUT, and clenching my butt cheeks like Jack Black in Nacho Libre.  What was I doing?!?

"Then why are you publishing the photos if you hate them so much?" You might ask.

I'll tell you why.  Because it's DANG FUNNY.  I honked with laughter when I first looked at these shots, and then when I showed Christine, I laughed even louder - practically fell off my chair.  Why should I deny the world so much funniness just because it's slightly humiliating!!