Something Red...

So my lovely friend Georgia and I have decided to do a photo challenge. We thought long and hard about when would be the easiest time to start it and decided that December was definitely the quietest month of the year - haha - why not add another job to the chaos and fun that is Christmas! Woo hoo!! 

So the challenge is a Christmas themed list but I think we will stick reasonably loosely to the theme! Christmas with a summer/kiwi feel!

My goal is to get off automatic mode and start shooting in manual.... time to learn how to use this baby more! First photo above was taken in auto so I could see the settings etc... second photo (a couple of hours later, when the flower was looking a little sad) in manual... I don't think I did too bad with the focus and lighting! Challenges were getting the child to stay still (her arms got tired!) and the wind blowing the flower around.

If anyone else wants to join in the fun let me know and I will send you the list....  

Sweet slumber

I haven't posted in awhile and am keen to get back into taking lots of pictures and a bit of blogging! I have been reading up on lifestyle photography and love it! It pretty much just means taking pictures of life as it happens - not posed and structured. Perfect for kids who don't stay still for a second let alone hold a pretty pose! Rather than getting frustrated at them for not posing how I want, I need to learn how to capture them as they are.

The pictures above are of my two year old. After a busy day out she had fallen asleep on the bean bag in her room - so cute!! I enjoyed playing around with a few different angles and liked how these 4 turned out. I am still much better at taking pictures of stationary objects so a sleeping child is a good place to start on my quest for learning how to take lifestyle photos.

Any feedback welcome!!

Photo challenge Week 1 - Landscape with a tree focus

So this is the first week of our 52 week challenge! A photo a week for a whole year... am really hoping it will encourage me to keep using my camera and keep learning new skills. 

For this weeks challenge I headed out to Western Springs in Auckland New Zealand. We went for a family dinner picnic as I had read dusk is the best time to shoot landscape pictures. Looking through some of the examples I really liked a shot that had the tree trunk in focus and city lights out of focus in the background. It wasn't really a landscape but this was my attempt to do something similar while keeping with the theme. I think it probably would have looked better if the background was more crisp but I love all the detail of the tree trunk and I quite like the ducks in the background too. 

Yay week one done!! What will next week's theme be...

Day 28 - My favourite

And these are a few of my favourite things...

Travelling, snorkeling, my husband, the beach, swimming, colourful fish...

Family, my children, my mummy, colour co-ordination, laughing....

Switchfoot, concerts, parachute music festival...

Day 30 - Something beautiful

For something beautiful I decided to take a photo of my Grandma. My grandma is an incredibly beautiful person. While old age is catching up with her my memories of grandma will always be of her at her lovely house at Mount Maunganui. She was an amazing cook and loved to eat her own cakes and biscuits. She loved to read and sun bathe and has given me many of her books now she finds it hard to read. She is always positive, had a real gift for hospitality and was just the right amount of slightly crazy and really fun!! I love my grandma! Apparently we are a lil alike and maybe that is why!!

Day 29 - A great memory

I recently turned 30 and with that came a bit of soul searching. It felt so old!! As I thought about it I realised I am well and truly no longer a child, adolescent or even a young adult but am staring middle age square in the face. EEK!!!

As scary as that thought feels it is less overwhelming when I reflect on what an awesome 30 years it has been! While I have had my share of ups and downs I have so many great memories to look back on. If the next 30 are as awesome as the last 30 have been I truly have nothing to fear!

Thanks to God for leading me safe so far and I know He will lead me on!!

Photos are such a great way of remembering. They capture moments from big events like weddings, overseas adventures and new additions to small events like fun times with friends. It is one of the reasons I want to be better at taking pictures, to help me remember. Here are some pictures of photos from my living room. Being surrounded by happy memories is an awesome way to live...

Day 27 - Made you laugh

I'm away on my holiday at the moment and have lots of things that are making me laugh and feel happy with life. Beautiful weather, a beach I can see from the couch (and have swam at twice) and wonderful friends who are my family too and so much fun. It has been so cool to watch our kids playing together. Evie and Jack really enjoy each others company. They seem to set each other off and one starts giggling at the other and soon they are both laughing and soon we all are too cos its just to cute! This photo is of them playing in the bath together where there was so much laughter my brother broke the seat he was sitting on!

The other place we have discovered the kids love is to sit out on the deck and watch the world go by. They look so funny but it has become a great babysitter! Here is Milly chilling out and enjoying the view...