Studio photography at home.

This is a great little video because it is simple, fun for kids and he walks you through the shoot step by step. I absolutely love taking photos of my grandchildren, but one is a little too old for this and the other one is too young. I am definitely looking for fun ideas to keep the baby focused on me while I take his photo (he is soon to be eight months old) and my granddaughter at the ripe old age of 12 already has the model pose down pat..lol. She is a natural.

Here a few photos of my grandson that I took on the weekend. I really should've made some decisions ahead of time re shutter speed etc because some of my shots turned out too blurry to use, which is always a big disappointment. I had one that would've been perfect as he has his head back, crying, having a little meltdown and he is wearing the Bah Humbug hat I bought him. Anyway, you could make a whole video of the setup to take photos because that is the funny part. My husband will be my helper when trying to get my grandson to smile for a photo and he will do just about anything to make that happen.

I saw an idea on Pinterest where you tape Christmas wrapping paper to the wall and then you pull it down and onto the floor and then sit the baby on the paper making it a wall cover and a floor cover. Well, that lasted mere minutes until he ripped it right off the wall and tried to eat it. Anyway, lots of fun.

DIY Pop Up Flash Diffuser Part 1

I am sharing this video because I find it really helpful. I just finished a six week course in photography and because the class started from the very basics forward, we only had time to touch on some things. I find this interesting and also great that you don't have to spend extra money to diffuse the light that you are working with. Like I said, I do have an external flash on my wish list but one of these tips may come in handy until then. I am really interested in finding out ways to make different light sources without breaking the bank. There are plenty of DIY soft box ideas and that type of thing. Now, if only I could get my husband interested in building some of them with me..lol. I have lots of experience being crafty but zero when it comes to doing anything electrical (too bad because I just watched a video on how to build a softbox). The easier the design, the better for me and even better if you can use stuff you already have or you can buy fairly inexpensively.

Photography - How To Make a Beauty Dish

I love these diy kind of videos. Camera equipment can be pretty price so it is nice to know that you can make a few things on your own. I am totally going to try this one once I get an external flash. I mentioned to Santa that I would love to have one. I wonder how much a beauty dish costs at a camera store? I am going to look it up and let you know. I think you could buy all of the materials for this diy jobbie at the dollar store. Gotta love it.

My Dream Job - Newborn Photography

How much fun would this be?? To spend your day photographing and posing little newborn babies. I also get that it must be a lot of work on these shoots but aww...look at the babies.

I come from a bit of a "baby crazy" family. Just last week my niece saw a woman at the grocery store with two babies, one tied to her back and one tied to the front and proclaimed "that is my dream". Oh how my sister and I chuckled at that. Well, I actually laughed so hard I snorted. Be careful what you wish for, dreams do come true. I am only half joking, I love that she truly meant it when she said it. She loves babies that much and that warms my heart.

I was just thinking, if I was a baby photographer I would likely get lots of volunteers to help out at the studio. I can think of a few family members that might be fighting over the babies. I better give this whole thing some more thought. Back to the drawing board.

Free Hugs Prank: $2 Deluxe Hugs

I'm thinking about starting my own home business..lol. My sister and I have actually talked about this. Well, not the actual selling of hugs but just how much some people love it, who gives the bests hugs, etc. Who couldn't use one, right?  $36.00 an hour isn't so bad either, right?? wink, wink

I have to go call my sister and tell her we need to grab some bristol board and head down to the waterfront. I know she will make more money than me; damn her and her super deluxe hugs!!!

Conflicted over Candle

 

I am feeling a little conflicted over this candle. I don't usually buy food scented candles. I prefer the smell of clean linen or the spa (and I have to smell them all to find one that isn't too heavy).

 

I bought this particular chocolate chip cookie one because recently I went to visit my second eldest daughter and when I walked in, I thought she had just finished baking. I was instantly happy. This is both good and bad. It smelled good and it tricked me, but then I was really disappointed that she didn't have cookies. See what I mean? I decided on buying just a tiny one. Thought process: if people appear to be disappointed that there aren't any homemade chocolate chip cookies, I won't purchase another candle. This one is actually a tiny one that was $1 something at the Superstore. Great....now I want cookies to go with my tea. Sigh!! really wish I had purchased the linen one..damn it!!

I ate a Poorman's Meal today for lunch

I enjoy watching this lady and hearing her stories. Can you imagine not being able to go to school because you didn't have socks to wear? 93 years of wisdom and stories. She is adorable. Anyway, I thought I would take Clara's advise and cook a poorman's meal toay (with a few adjustments). I used potatoes, onions, cherry tomatoes that I needed to use up, spices, some leftover ham and what was left in a bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce (only a few teaspoons but that was enough). I first put the potatoes and onions in the pan with the olive oil and fried that up for a bit, added the tomatoes, then near the end the ham, hot sauce and a bit of cheese on the top. You can see in my picture that I hadn't stirred it after adding the sauce and cheese. Anyway, it was really good and I used her advise and just looked in the fridge to see what I could use up. I watched another video that suggested one week a month just cook with the stuff that you need to use up instead of running to the store. Thanks Clara!!

How to Tidy Up in Three Minutes

I love this. I think throwing everything into a laundry basket is a great idea. I don't think I would throw crap into the tub though...someone might look in there. Great tips. Not sure if I could complete all of the tasks in 3 minutes though.

I once took all my dirty laundry in my trunk and parked myself down the road in my car while potential home buyers checked out our place....lol Whatever it takes, right? My laundry room was quite small and with five kids and all that laundry?? It was a good idea to take it away.
I can picture people doing this 3 minute tidy and then never emptying out the laundry basket and having baskets and baskets of random crap in your closet. I couldn't, it would drive me nuts but some people can manage just fine.

My OCD has taken on a new life form in my middle age...good lord. A lot of people tell me they are like this and that everyone has a touch of it. Who knows. I know that I have to keep my living room rug lined up with the couch and even on both sides, can't stand it when a picture isn't straight on a wall and the list goes on and on. I guess I get some of this from my mother. She is an extremely neat person who takes some things to a whole new level. Example: Her linen closet is perfect, everything with crisp corners and all lined up, color coordinated (pretty much)...crazy!!! Anyway, she rasied three daughters and one son and I think we all failed Linen Closet 101. I know I definitely did. I actually gave up on the closet in the guy's bathroom. Sometimes it looks like they just stood back and threw the towels in there. It was just too hard to keep up with everything or expect them to keep it exactly like I wanted it. You have to pick your battles and a linen closet is not worth it to me.

I say a clean kitchen and bathroom when someone is visiting is the most important. If you have a multi level home, like me, concentrate on the level where you will be entertaining and drop kick anyone who dares to go to another level.

Dollar Store

This song is pretty cute. I have to admit it, I shop at the Dollar Store. I know a lot of stuff is junk but you can actually find some pretty decent stuff too. I have some soy candles that smell similar to a spa candle that I had which was around $20.00. I love to practice with photography and I can buy some photo props there. I bought my grandson a santa hat, which I had to pin in the back to fit him, some plastic ornaments and a string of lights. One photography homework assignment (for my class) was to take a photo with spot metering. This is how it turned out...oh, and thank god for the dollar store!!!