The Joy Of {Love}, Day 25

25 when you love them the most

What really makes you tick about your loved one?  What do they do to go out of their way to make sure you are happy and that you have a GREAT day?

My husband doesn't do 'romantic' things, ever.  Something though that he does do is basically anything I ask of him.  If I asked him to help me fold laundry, he would.  If I asked him to get me a drink of water at 3:00 am, he would.  Not every wife has that!  Back to the 'doesn't do romantic' thing.  I don't expect flowers, a preplanned evening out, anything.  But I got quite the surprise this Valentine's.  He bought four roses, one from each of the kids and they came up behind me and said 'Happy Valentine's Day Mommy'.  I turn around and here they are all holding a rose!  I started to cry!  So unexpected.  I love him for the everyday things and for the complete and total unexpected.  Getting these flowers sure tops out for this assignment.

 

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 24

24 where

Where did you FIRST meet your loved one? Or where did you first fall in love with your loved one?  Was it love at first sight?  Do you remember WHERE your heart became his?  If you don’t remember, perhaps you can revisit WHERE you were married?  Or WHERE you gave birth if you are focusing on your child?

(and remember, your loved one can be ANYONE or any pet...and you don’t have to photograph the same person for each assignment)

I wasn't really sure how I was going to accomplish this assignment.  Where we got married - too far to drive, where we had our children.....lucky me, I had to go there today!  My sister in law had her fourth child last night - Feb. 24, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to get some 'real time' shots of where we had our children.

This is the front entry into our local hospital.  We are so very lucky to have this place to deliver babies, the next closest place is 2 1/2 hours away.  For some people, this isn't close enough, my sister delivered her baby in the front seat of my mom's car 5 years ago!  She has her babies way too fast. 

Out of the five rooms down this corridor, I have been in all but one {I have had 4 babies, and stayed in a different room every time}.  Unfortunately, this photo isn't as sharp as I thought it was on my screen.

I have had c-sections with all four of my children so I don't head down to the regular delivery room, I am wheeled through these doors and prepped for delivery here.

A cute little nursery for all the newborns.  This is a shot through the glass {obviously, no one is allowed in here unless you have a baby in there}.

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 20

20 when they're home

What is the energy in the home when he is home?  What makes it special having him home? What physical differences are there when he is home?  What about the non-physical differences?  Your loved one does not have to be in the frame to fully capture this feeling.

(and remember, your loved one can be ANYONE or any pet...and you don’t have to photograph the same person for each assignment)

I am lucky, I am married to someone who takes an active part with our children.  Some I know, aren`t so lucky.  I thank God everyday for the blessings he has bestowed me.  This was taken at the end of January on a Sunday afternoon after our worship meeting and bible study were over.  Let`s just say, the kids LOVE it when daddy saddles up one of our horses and takes them for an 'old fashioned' sleigh ride!

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 23

23 facebook

JUST DO IT!  You know you have some awesome facebook photos of your loved one.  Pick your favorite, copy it (save it) and print it to have forever!  If your loved one is NOT on facebook or you are NOT on facebook, then go through old photo albums, find an old forgotten favorite and frame it.

(and remember, your loved one can be ANYONE or any pet...and you don’t have to photograph the same person for each assignment)

My sister in law took this with her point and shoot camera in October 2010.  From left to right is myself, my husband, a friend of ours then my brother in law (married to the one taking this picture).  The four of us were getting ready to round up some cattle for a 7 mile cattle drive.  I took this off of facebook tonight to use for this assignment.

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 16

16 together (self-portrait)

When was the last time you were photographed together?  Get our your tripod, learn where the self-timer mode is on your camera and get close to your loved one!  Yes, you HAVE to be in this photo.

Well, trying to take something current seems, well, hard...so I will take from my archives.  We used our point and shoot for this one and I did use the self timer.  Settings were ISO 125, SS 1/250, f/ 3.5, flash was fired.  We were in full shade.

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 22

22 face (a portrait)

Your task today is to just capture your loved one’s portrait.  A head and shoulders shot.  Simplify the background (find a neutral wall in the home) so that the focus is truly on them and their beauty.

Just so happens that a couple of weeks ago I took three of my kiddos outside and did this very assignment.  All of these shots were outside on an overcast day.

The above two shots was taken at ISO 200, SS 1/800, f/5.6, no flash.

This shot above was taken with an ISO 250, SS 1/500, f/5.6, no flash.

The above shot is ISO 200, SS 1/500, f/5.6, no flash.

This first shot of my son is ISO 200, SS 1/640, f/5.6, no flash.

The last shot of my son is ISO 200, SS 1/640, f/5.3, no flash.

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 21

21 hands

You love those hands.  What do those hands do that you love????  Document the hands.  It can be a close up macro shot of his hands.  It can be with him using his hands to do something, or hold something.

 

This shot was taken in November 2009.  It is of my son and his daddy.  I love it.  Shot with a Nikon D60, outside, on an overcast day, ISO 400, SS 1/160, F/5.3.

 

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 19

19 when they're gone

What is the overall feeling in the home when he is gone?  What is different?  Is the home cleaner, louder, messier, quieter, lonely?
(and remember, your loved one can be ANYONE or any pet...and you don’t have to photograph the same person for each assignment)

I am lucky, my husband is usually home in the evenings.  On the chance that he is called out on an alarm or something, then I get to pick something to watch on tv myself, no wrestling for the remote.

Settings for this shot were ISO 200, SS 1/80, f/5.6, about 8 ft from a west window on a bright sunny day.

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Project Life Layout, February 12 - 18 {Week 7}

February 12 - We surprised our kids with their first trip of the year to the Bottineau Ski Hill today.  The weather was perfect, and it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't enjoy yourself.  I didn't ski so that I could look after our youngest, but the other three kids and my husband all took to the slopes.  This being only the third time on skis in their short little lives, they did so awesome.  Over and over again - Thank you mom and dad, this was one of the best days ever!  I just love that.

February 13 - Besides all of the snow that we have had to deal with, today, winds were forecasted to be 90 km/hr, and with that, rain.  I don't think the wind topped out at those speeds, but we certainly got the rain.  Rain mixed with alot of snow meant some very heavy slush to shovel off the driveway.  Once my husband got home from work he had to clean it all off the driveway and sidewalk or face a skating rink in the morning.

February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day!  My husband I got married in September 1999, but it was Valentine's Day of that same year that it all started for us.  12 years ago on this very day, God introduced me to the man I would love, marry and have children with.  I can't hardly believe that it has been 12 years already.  So much has happened in 12 years, I wonder what the next 12 years will bring...

So that picture WAS going to be my POTD (above, the rings...).  As evening approached, and supper was ready, things changed.  I had called everyone for supper twice, no response.  As I was finishing setting the table I can hear everyone coming up from downstairs.  I hear Happy Valentine's Day from 4 teeny voices and I turn around and each one of my little kiddos has a red rose to give me, courtesy of their daddy.  Well, the tears flowed.  You see, my hubby isn't what you would call a 'romantic' of sorts, I have received roses twice in 12 years together.  He rarely remembers a card for birthday's or Christmas, so I was not expecting anything today.  WOW!  I did not see that coming at all.  Oh, how I love my family, my life; I really am so very blessed!  Here is my new POTD...4 perfect little roses.



February 15 - The past few days have been very very mild here.  With the rain we got on Sunday and the mild temperatures, alot of snow has melted and made things, slushy and 'fun'!  Yesterday and today the kids got their bikes out of the barn and biked through the snow.

February 16 - We were all sitting here at the dining room table doing school work when I heard a noise and knew exactly what it was.  Sure enough, I looked outside and there were two cock-pheasants!  They look very close to the Mongolian Ring-Neck Pheasant.  There are so few around that I quickly grabbed my camera and realized I needed to change to my 55-200 mm lens fast and I would have to take it through the window.  It was very bright outside - my first two shots were extremely over exposed.  I was fumbling so quickly to get the shot as they were heading out the end of our lane.  In the end there were only two shots that were in focus and good exposure.  There as a third but was too far behind to fit into the frame.  They are such gorgeous birds!  We do have a female the lives on the East side of our acreage and she has nested there the last two springs.  I hope she does again this year.

February 17 - Today I was working on Day 15's assignment for the 28 day challenge, The Joy Of Love.  The topic was 'KISS'.  PERFECT!  My son's response, eewwwwwwhhh!  He wasn't too thrilled about it, but he did do it.  I think it turned out nice.  Check out my day 15 post here.

February 18 - I don't remember the last time I bought a loaf of bread.  I use my bread machine and I make a fresh loaf {or two} every single day.  Here is the recipe {So far, it is the best recipe I have found, and I have been using it for over a year}.

Layer the first seven ingredients in order listed in your bread machine pan.

1 1/4 c water + 1 tbsp water

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp liquid honey

1 2/3 c white flour

1 2/3 c whole wheat flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

yeast {I always dissolve 2 tsp of traditional yeast in 1/4 c of warm water mixed with 1 tsp of granulated sugar.  I let that sit in a bowl and double in size, anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.  I then dump that right on top of the above ingredients.  If you are using quick rise or special bread machine yeast, you can skip the 10 - 15 minutes.  A friend of mine uses 1/2 tsp less of yeast, so you can play a bit with how much yeast you use.}

Here ends {Week 7}.  Hope you all had a great week!

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 18

18 going out

Get a sitter and go out on the town!!!  Take the point and shoot and take some fun portraits of you together.  Tickle each other.  Laugh.  Have fun! 

My husband and I don't get out very often without the kids.  This was taken in 2007 at a wedding reception.  The ballroom was very very dark I remember.  We had just purchased our Sony point and shoot the day before.  Personally I would never be without a point and shoot.  I use my Nikon D3000 for many of my photos, but, that point and shoot is so small, fits into a pocket or a purse and I don't mind taking my point and shoot to the beach where as I don't want to take my Nikon, I just don't want to chance it.  Like I said, conditions in this room were very dark, the camera was on auto {flash was used} - ISO 125, SS 1/40, f/2.8. 

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 15

15 kiss

Smooch your loved one in the mirror…hold the camera in your hand and snap!  Or, hold the camera out in front of you and click the shutter for a self portrait smooching.  You can also snap them smooching the children, the dog, etc. if you are not comfortable being in the frame!

What an interesting few minutes this was.  My son..."Eeeewwwwww, I am not doing this mom, I don't want anyone seeing me kiss my sister!"  I am glad he changed his mind, I think the shots turned out good.

This first shot was taken about 10 feet away from a west window on a stormy cloudy day.  ISO 200, SS 1/15, F/5.6.

This was is positioned in the same spot, ISO 125, SS 1/10, F/5.6.

I notice that I don't really include myself in photos, but tried to here.  Used the self timer for this one, ISO 160, SS 1/10, F/5.6.

Click here to join in on this 28 day challenge.  It doesn't matter that we are this far in, you can start anytime.

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 13

13 routines

The mundane, day to day routines are often the part of life that we forget first.  Capture your loved one going through the motion of his day today.  Getting his coffee, brushing his teeth, reading the paper, checking email…..whatever is a routine should be captured!

My husband doesn't mind being my subject of the day again, he is just glad I am learning to use this camera.  Today, I am capturing a teeny bit of his routine.

This first picture is taken out our front door at 6:00 am so it was pitch black out - there is a yard light about 100 feet away from the truck and the entry way light was on behind me.  Again, on full manual settings, ISO was only 200 (I did increase it to 1600 but it didn't seem to change anything), f/5.6 and SS was 1s.  Since the shutter speed was so slow, I had the camera sitting on a chair to prevent any vibration.  Every single morning, the second thing my husband does (the first being he gets out of bed...) is head out to start his work truck.

No morning would be complete without a fresh pot of coffee and some international delight cream!  My favorite is Hershey's Chocolate Caramel, his is French Vanilla.  The store didn't have either of those, so Hazelnut it was.  My husband will have a sip or two at home, but he is a go-cup guy on the days that he works.  This photo was taken without the flash, ISO 200, SS 1/8, F/4.  I had to edit this in elements because the lighting in my kitchen gives off a warm amber tint when there is no natural light coming in.  I lightened that and made it a bit cooler. 

Sending/receiving a text, not sure which exactly, but again, routine for his morning.  No flash, ISO 200, SS 1/10, F/5.6.  Edited in elements just like the above picture to remove the warm amber glow emitted by my island/recessed lighting.

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 10

10   Space – where they are comfortable

What is their “spot” in the house?  This can be a chair they watch TV in, a manroom, a bedroom, a workshop, their office, the garage, the car, the doghouse (LOL!).  They can either be in the frame or not.

This assignment was delivered to our inboxes on February 9.  I have done some of the later assignments but for some reason just never got around to bogging this one.


I took this photo on February 4 as a POTD for my Project Life album.  That was before I even dreamed I would try anything on Manual!  (Just a note, in the last 8 or so days since we were first encouraged to try manual, I have taken almost all of my shots on full manual mode.  Some I have disliked, and others I can see a huge difference in the quality of the shots.  I just keep practicing each and every day.)

 

We LOVE our bed.  It really is where both my husband and I are the most comfortable.  The kids love our bed.  I have my mattress covered with a feather bed, then the fitted sheet that we sleep on, a sheet on top of that, a cream blanket, then the white quilt you see, THEN the green quilt, and FINALLY the silk duvet all to wrap ourselves into each and every night.  Again, I LOVE my bed!

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 14

14 wedding band/jewelry

Capture that wedding band on his finger today.  if your loved one is not married to you, then try to document a piece of jewelry he or she wears.  If they are a baby and not yet ready to wear jewelry, perhaps try to document the child wearing a necklace of yours or with daddy’s wedding band on his finger/on his little tiny toes.


Our wedding bands.  This is taken on my kitchen island, at night with just my island lights on.  I tried the shot without a flash and bumping the ISO up to 800 but the image was still too dark.  I was still in full manual mode, ISO 100, SS 1/30, f/5.6, and I did fire my in camera flash.

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 11

11 dreams

What does your loved one dream of accomplishing or doing?  Take a photo that pays homage to this dream.

My husband loves, LOVES hunting.  He hunts white tail deer because that is what is here to hunt.  He has said to me on more that one occasion that he would love to go on an African Safari.  Well, that will take a bit of saving...but it is a dream that he has.  I decided to take a snap shot of our globe, focusing on the continent of Africa.  I sat the globe in front of a South facing window.  It was partially sunny outside.    I used my kit lense (18-55mm zoom) for my camera, settings on full manual.  ISO 400, SS 1/640, f/5.6.  (I am excited to say that my husband okay'd my new lense purchase.  After a ton of time comparing lenses, I have opted to get the 35 mm AF-S DX f/1.8 Nikon lense.  It was a tough decision, that or the 35 mm AF f/2.  I am spending about $150 less in purchasing the f/1.8 lense as opposed to the f/2.  I am take more of a beginner so I think this was the perfect choice for me.)

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 12

12 the eyes

Today I want you to take a crisp photo of your loved ones eyes.  The eyes are the window to the soul, to try to truly capture your loved one’s eyes today.

I took this shot today outside in full sun.  ISO 100, SS 1/1000, F/5.0.  My camera is a Nikon D3000 and I used the 55-200 mm lense.  I was zoomed in at 155 mm and between 6 to 8 feet away from him.  The original shot had a bit more of his head, I cropped in slightly to focus more on his eyes and added rounded corners for my blog.  Other than that there is no editing to this photo.

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 09

09 passions and hobbies

Document your loved one’s extracurricular activity today.  It can be of them “doing” the activity or just a photo that indicates what the hobby is.


Today I am using my oldest daughter.  She loves to do puzzles.  Once school was wrapped up I pulled this out for her to play it.  She loves to make patterns and loves color so this is a winner.


I am going to be quite honest, it seemed alot trickier today to get a good shot on manual.  I still had a full sunlight day and she was about 6 feet from the window.  I am certain that because I am using the kit lense of my Nikon D3000, I will have a more difficult time trying to make it 'perfect'.  Not without alot of snaps on different settings, this ended up being taken with ISO 180, F/5.6 (I am sitting about 6 feet away from her and have rotated my zoom barrel to get in closer because when I was zoomed right out and tried to be closer to her with my position, I went right off the charts for underexposure, it didn't seem to matter how I positioned myself in regard to the window), and the SS speed was 1/30.  I know that in day 8 assignment she said she rarely goes below 1/200.  As soon as I would increase this number, I once again was facing underexposure.  The combination of the numbers I have stated got me to one line past my zero in the view finder towards underexposure.   My daughter is fair skinned but she seems a bit washed out here.  Any suggestions to keep skin from being too washed out.  Would it possibly be the background color?

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 08

08 gift from the heart

This morning I took 32 pictures of the exact same thing until I got it right!!!  By right I mean, not over exposed, not underexposed but that I was right on 0 in my view finder.  It took so many trys to finally get it right.  My settings in FULL MANUAL were ISO 140 (I chose 200 but when it was processed in camera it said 140??), Shutter Speed 1/800, F/3.5.  I will also mention that this cd is sitting about 4 feet from a window on a full sunny day (9 a.m.).  This photo is shown here without editing, exactly as taken, with only round corners applied for my blog.  Here it is...

Here is the story as to why I am taking a picture of a George Straight cd.  My dad hardly ever says I love you.  Honestly, I could likely count on one hand the times I remember him saying it to me.  Maybe it is a generational thing, I don't know.  He believes in showing it more so than saying it.  It is just him.  So for Christmas 2009, he gave each one of us {his kids} a gift and were told not to open until we got home.  I opened it to find a cd.  Instructions on the cd said go straight to number 7 and listen to the words...(gee, I am getting weepy just typing this...)  Here are the words in type for you to read...

Love Without End, Amen

I got sent home from school one day with a shiner on my eye.
Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why.
When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed.
And then stood there on those tremblin' knees and waited for the worst.

And he said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
He said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

When I became a father in the spring of '81
There was no doubt that stubborn boy was just like my father's son.
And when I thought my patience had been tested to the end,
I took my daddy's secret and I passed it on to him.

And I said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
I said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates.
When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake.
If they know half the things I've done, they'll never let me in.
And then somewhere from the other side I heard these words again.

And They said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us.
You see Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

You see, I have always known that my daddy loved me, but when he gave a simple George Straight cd to me, he gave me one of the most precious gifts ever.  Even though he doesn't say it, he does have a love without end, AMEN!  I love my dad!

If you have any comments or suggestions about my photo, I would love to hear them.

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The Joy Of {Love}, Day 07

07 generations

Get your loved one with all the generations of family that are close by.

I didn't think I was going to be able to complete this task today, then I get a call from my mom saying they are coming for supper...!  Yay!  Here is my one daughter with my mom and dad.

I really struggled with settings on my camera for this 'nighttime' shot.  I don't have white lighting in my dining room, my walls are brown and the shots without the flash were horrible and this is the best that I could do.  I have a Nikon D3000 and used the kit lense (18-55 mm).  In my view finder I could not get my picture to expose correctly, it was very much underexposed and I could not get my f-stop to move off of f/5.6.  My shutter speed was also 1/60, and my ISO was 200.  The camera was not on manual, I was on auto.  It wasn't until after they all left and the house was fast asleep that I had the time to pull out my manual and re-read the Joy Of Love email over and over that I realized I was all wrong.  Last night I understood for the first time that if you are on full manual mode that you don't rotate the zoom barrel to focus (which before had me frustrated because in just rotating the zoom barrel, you can not focus..!!!), you must rotate your focus ring...I didn't even know there was a focus ring.  I spent two hours lastnight learning how to adjust my ISO, my f-stop and shutter speed all on manual.   Unfortunately, all this after my generation photo happened.  That is okay though because in the end I feel like I came out a winner simply because I learned something lastnight! 

It is certainly true though that using my kit lense is less than ideal in a dark light situation because I can not get the f-stop past 3.5 to 5.6.  I would love to get my hands on either a 35 mm AF-S f/1.8 or a 50 mm AF f/1.8.  This will help me out in these low light situtations, I think.

If you have comments or suggestions, I would love to hear them.

I am so glad that I have joined the 28 day challenge because it is taking me past simply taking a 'prompt picture', and really digging deeper to understand my camera to take the best pictures I can.

If you haven't joined this challenge already, go here and do so.  It is so worth it!

The Joy Of {Love}, Day 06

06 who THEY love

Besides you, who is the apple of his eye?  Is it your dog, the kids, his parents, his sibling?  Document them with their loved one! If the loved one is not close by, then have them hold a photo of their “beloved”…this can also work for loved ones who have passed away.

Today I chose to use my daughter and her favorite horse.  She loves her horse Echo.  I love her horse Echo.  A POA (Pony Of America) horse that we purchased in the fall of 2010.  She wasn't cheap, but she was worth every penny.  This is one horse that we won't be selling any time soon.

Click here if you would like to learn more about this 28 day challenge called The Joy Of Love.