Fifty-two on Friday: Warmth

I love having the challenge of a Project 52 each week. It was so amazing last week to see all of the creativity flow from the 16 other women in my blog-circle. When I saw that this week the theme would be warmth, I was truly excited to see what the ladies would come up with! This week, for warmth, I immediately thought of these things...

...a smile that reaches all the way to someone's eyes

...cradling hot mug of coffee on a cold morning

...and hand knit mittens

I originally had a vision of processing these with bold colors to showcase the multi-hued mittens, but stumbled and stumbled to make it right.  I finally was pushing some sliders and presets and found the duotone BW, and  fell.in.love.with.it. Goes to show that even when you have a vision, your voice may take you in a different direction (yes, I am reading a book by David duChemin!) 

I have to thank my dear friend Tara for allowing me to torture her again with my camera. She is so supportive of passion for photography, and has not turned down one of my requests to photograph her or her boys!

The outtake, but still one of my FAVS

Now, go check out the amazing creativity of Sarah Bunch at http://www.birthofaphotographer.blogspot.com/ for her take on warmth. Blog love is always appreciated, and see you next week.

Funny Glasses-Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

 I love my two monkeys! When I see these photos, I just think of the song, "So Happy Together"!  Sing along with me!

Nicole was given this pair of Harry Potter glasses as part of a party grab bag from one of the friends in her classroom.  Both Noah and Nicole had a great time trying them on.  I would say, they might be able to pull off the blonde versions of Harry and Hermione? 










They were singing me a song they made up, called, "I love my mommy"  It's one of my FAVS




Those are some true, true giggles and smiles.  I wish I could be that age again, hanging out with my brother!

fifty-two on friday: shades of red

I hope all of you enjoyed the wonderful blog-circle of self-portraits last week for the kick-off of the Project 52. It was wonderful to get a peek at the 16 other photographers behind the camera, behind the creativity, and to see the "virtual" friends that I have made over at the Bloom Forum.

This week I have an embarrassing story for my project 52...This week, I had it mixed up, and thought that the theme was "Warmth". Luckily, my lovely new friends within my blog-circle sent out the list of themes as a reminder on Wednesday, and it was even luckier that I opened the email early in the day, because I realized that the theme this week was "Shades of Red". I was panicked, because I had ideas for this theme that I was thinking and planning for, but knew, just knew I couldn't pull them off by Friday morning. So, out of time and a bit desperate I looked around my house for inspiration, and found "Shades of RED".


Here is my interpretation of "Shades of Red", on a moments notice. Not my most creative, but incredibly meaningful to me. 

Shades of Red

And here are the outtakes... You can get a glimpse of what is on our shelves, and within grabbing reach!  And yes, it you look closely, you can see Nate's Ph.D. thesis on the Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes, right next to Thomas the Train and Georges 1 to 10 and back again.

Now you must head on over to Sarah Bunch and check out her wonderful creativity at http://www.birthofaphotographer.blogspot.com/ for her take on "Shades of Red"

Fifty-Two on Friday: Self

I am really excited to share with you my Project 52 post!

What is a project 52: It's a new theme each week captured and interpreted by what I see through the lens. Last week I started my project 52 alone, but this week and for the rest of the year, sixteen other photographers and I are doing our Project 52 together. Our goal is to learn and grow from each others perspective on the same theme. I am really excited to participate with such amazing women and I look forward to how all of us will be challenged and inspired by each other work and creativity.


How will all 17 of us work together on a project 52, well...I will take a picture of our theme for the week, the way I interpret it, and post it on my site. Then under my post, I will link another photographer who is part of the project for you to see her interpretation of the theme. After you see hers, you will notice a different link under her picture that will then take you to the next photographer’s website. If you continue to click on the link under each picture, in the end you should see 16 other pictures and eventually make it back to my site.


This week, our theme is self-portrait. This theme will allow us to see the photographers who are participating in this journey and put a face to a name. Remember to check out all of the links at the bottom of the portrait!


Here is me. This week, it was my turn to step in front of the camera. Me with my coffee. My day hasn't really started until I have my soy latte in hand, and the cup...well you can't see it, but it has a crab on it. That's intentional, because I can be a bit "crabby" in the morning until I get my coffee (hee hee.)

For the next fabulous photographer participating in this Project 52 on Friday check out Sarah Bunch at www.birthofaphotographer.blogspot.com

Franklin Family 4x12 Project-Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

Along with a Project 52 this year, I have taken on the exciting task of doing a family project. It's called a 4 x 12 project. What this means is that I am committing to taking one family photo per month in 2011. There are four of us in our family and 12 months to a year, so it's called a 4 x 12 :-).

I am hoping that some of the photos will be artistic and creative, but I'm a realist and know that some will just be taken in the brief moments that Nate and I can corral the kids in front of the camera. I am excited about this project because I have so few pictures of the 4 of us together. In the end I hope to have 12 family photos that I will cherish for many years, and who knows, maybe even make a calendar for 2012?

Here is to 2011 and many happy family photo shoots!

Franklin Family 4 x 12

January 2011 

A new year, a new project! Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

This year I've decided to really push myself to be more creative.  I love love love the technical side of photography, but I want to balance that technical know-how with the creative.  When I went through my photos last week to pick out a couple dozen for printing I had stacks and stacks of portrait after portrait.  Portraits are nice, but I don't need hundreds and they don't capture real life.  So this year I have taken on a Project 52!  One photo a week.  Each week I will try and give myself a theme to follow, to inspire me, to push beyond trying to get a perfect portrait of my kids.  Instead, I am going to photograph the fleeting moments where I see beauty, joy, chaos, the details of our lives!

This past week was week 1.  The theme I set for myself was 8:00 am!  8:00 am is the busiest moment in our family's morning.  It is when we are trying to get lunches packed, kids jackets and shoes on (the right feet hopefully), kids into the car, buckled in, giving kisses goodbye and last instructions, and all trying to make it happen without the threat of a meltdown.  

Week 1: Project 52, 2011

8:00 am

If you are inspired to take on a project 52, leave me a comment on my blog.  I would love to follow your journey through the year, don't forget to leave your link!

You know it's bad when...Blogging all about Pebbles and BamBam

You know it's bad when you mother tells you to pick up your camera and take a picture already of your new home. My mom will be the first to tell me, "get that camera out of my face!", but pleaded with me today to show her some pictures of our new home. I was so busy with the move that I didn't even want to get my camera out of the bag, but I did snap a few with my iphone. All of these were taken just about an hour before the movers arrived with all of our stuff (hence the brown paper on the floors still). We waited and waited to find the right home for our little family and this is it. I hope that we will stay here a long long time and make many happy happy memories.

Here are a few of the inside. Our contractor was amazing. We took down one brick fireplace in the family room and dry-walled over it. The second fireplace in the living room we tore down, dry-walled and put up a new stone mantel. We also put in hardwood floors, new carpet, and new paint. We didn't remodel the lovely 70's kitchen this time, someday.


And here are a few of the outside. We completely landscaped the front and backyard to be kid friendly. Lots of green grass to play and a wrap around patio for the kids to ride their scooters and bikes out back. And the best part, is our location! We don't have any neighbors in front of our house, but instead look out onto a cross country course with deer, rattle snakes, and mountain lions! Yes, I said mountain lions! And those deer have already started eating my flowers out front!



Anyway, this is our new place we call HOME!