Leah | {Not So} Wordless Wednesday

I was so excited when I was asked to take Leah's senior photos! Being that we've known her family for many years, I just knew she would be boatloads of fun ... and I was right, she certainly didn't disappoint. She was extremely photogenic - I could have shot photos of her all day and probably would have if we didn't have time constraints! :D She is such a bubbly and fun-spirited young lady and I love that you can see her smile in those killer blue eyes of hers!! If I had a dollar for every time I said, "Ooo, those eyes!" I would be one rich lady! 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to photograph Leah. Not only did I enjoy the session itself, but the editing process was so fun! I learned a great deal about Photoshop through editing her photos and applying different processing techniques. 


Thanks for stopping by! 
Happy Wordless Wednesday! 


- tish xoxo

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday | Yellow Tulips

I'm back! ha ha


It's been a busy week or two since I've blogged! Middle school soccer, gymnastics practice, end-of-year school and PTO activities, photo editing, hours of mulching, digging up shrubs, replanting, etc. ... this is what I've been up to! Life is certainly busy right now. But with only about ten more days of school left, the excitement is building! I CANNOT wait for some of this busy-ness to come to an end and then the FUN can really begin!


In all the flurry of activity, I've barely had time to even get my camera out, so I thought I'd share a few photos I took of these lovely yellow tulips I've had sitting on my computer.


Happy Not So Wordless Wednesday!


-tish xoxo

                             

Leap Into Spring Finale | Favorite Spring Photos

Sunshine/Light


Easter/Eggs


Blossom/Trees


Rain/Water


Grass/Green


It's hard to believe another photo challenge has come to an end! I have had an amazing time ushering spring in with all who have participated in this challenge. It certainly is a wonderful time of year, when it seems new life is breathed into all things. 
Thank you to Alicia, Rebecca and Kristi who put forth a great deal of time and effort organizing these photo challenges. Each challenge continues to push me to reach further and learn more on my journey into photography. 


And I'm wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are mothers!! Enjoy your weekend!
-tish xoxo

Leap Into Spring | Green/Grass

"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." -Rainer Maria Rilke




"Spring is when life's alive in everything." —Christina Rossetti




"Sit quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself." —Zen saying





"Spring’s greatest joy beyond a doubt is when it brings the children out." —Edgar Guest





I shot these photos with my 50-mm and 18-105 at around 8:00 p.m. one evening this week. My daughter had turned the speakers on outside and was practicing her golf swing! :D She was actually quite good! Anyway, the music wasn't on very long before she let go of the golf club and was dancing about the yard. She is such a free-spirited, happy little thing! I'm thankful to have captured these moments! 


This week in photoshop, I learned how to frame a photo. I think I might have mentioned last week that I purchased some frames and textures from Life-n-Reflection. Kristy offers some amazing textures and frames as well as many other items to enhance photos and websites with easy to follow instructions/tutorials on how to install them.  She is really talented. Her photography is stunning and I am still amazed how her textures can totally transform a photo! (She offers some great freebies as well.)


Today marks the fifth week of the Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge already! I really enjoy these seasonal photo challenges that Rebecca of Bumbles and Light, Kristi of Live and Love ... Outloud and Alicia of Project Alicia coordinate. This one is full of photography tips. Take a few minutes to visit their sites if you haven't already. And it's not too late to join in. They are also showcasing some of their favorites each week on the Leap Into Spring Pinterest Board. Head on over if you want to check out the work of some really talented photographers.


Wahoo!! It's Friday and my girls have a half-day of school! Yay!
Enjoy your weekend!
- tish xoxo

Leap Into Spring | Rain/Water

This week's theme for Leap Into Spring is Rain/Water. We've certainly had plenty of rain this week. Unfortunately, after the wonderful heat wave we experienced last week, a cold front has swept through our region this week. Towns only about an hour away experienced a foot or more of snow. I'm so very thankful we were spared the snow ... I'm not sure I could have handled that very well, ha ha. Anyway, I grabbed my umbrella and pulled on my favorite rain boots and braved the elements to capture the rain drops softly dripping off these flower petals.








And here is a collage of a few shots I captured this week via Instagram.


The weatherman assured us this morning that a warm-up was on the way next week. I sure hope he doesn't disappoint!
Happy Friday!


-tish xoxo

Texture Tuesday & Wordful Wednesday

                   mouse over to check out the before

My husband bought me lovely yellow tulips for my birthday last month. I snapped a few photos one morning before they all dried up. I propped a frame I bought at a sale last summer against the wall and put the vase inside it. I liked how it framed the flower. I used Kim Klassen's Let Go watercolor texture and really liked the result. 

But I wanted to enhance this photo further, really make it something special. If you mouse over my photo, you can see the original photo ... its really pretty dull. I opened the photo in Photoshop and added a hue/saturation adjustment to tone down the yellow flower. I added a layer of Let Go at soft light 100% opacity. Next, I added a duplicate layer with a layer mask and brushed the flower at 50% opacity. I think it adds a vintage effect. I topped it off with the verse by Ralph Waldo Emerson in CK Ali's Hand font.

Adding texture to a photo can add a whole new vibe. If you sign up for Kim's Texture Lovin' List on her site, you can receive a free texture each week! Another great source for textures is Life-n-Reflection. Kristy also offers amazing textures. If you check out her site, she has some freebies along with some great tutorials. As a matter of fact, I just purchased a texture package yesterday. I'm really looking forward to trying these new textures out! 

Thanks for stopping in! 

-tish xoxo

White Beauty

This week was like a blur, running from one thing to the next every day. So, today I am incredibly thankful for a quiet day at home. I've spent some more time in Photoshop today, playing with textures, adding layer masks and text. I am quite pleased how this one turned out. I applied Kim Klassen's Aurora texture at 61% opacity, applied a layer mask and brushed over the flowers at 100%. Next, I added a second layer of the Aurora texture but at 43% opacity this time. I added another layer mask and brushed over the flowers at 40% and applied the Hardlight filter. Last, I added the layer with the beautiful verse by John Keats.


Have a lovely weekend! 
-tish xoxo

Leap Into Spring | Blossoms/Trees

I wish I had more time to put into this challenge this week, but I feel lucky I even had a few minutes to edit these photos. I'm disappointed with my post this week ... I feel like it's just a hodgepodge of photos thrown together. They are even different sizes (frown). But, let's just say it's a sampling of Spring's awesome display of beauty. It's truly incredible, breathtaking. I have a million more photos I could have posted as I can't stop snapping photos of the new life and beauty that is bursting forth each day. The brilliant colors, the new textures and the lovely fragrances are overwhelming. What a truly amazing season. 


 -tish xoxo