jenny's photo blog

New Blog!!

2009-09-03T17:31:00.006-05:00

I'm excited to announce the launch of my new blog!! This is so exciting because I am beginning a new journey with photography. Starting a new chapter, but also sadly closing one that is dear to my heart. This blog has been my heart and soul and the paving of my photography adventure. I will look back on this blog fondly and reminisce over so many great memories and where my passion began.

Continue following my journey at my new site Jenny Beck Photography. Take Care!

And because I love dogs.... I now found the kind of dog I want!! This is Ermie, he is the cutest and he is a Schnoodle!

Good Old College Friends

2009-08-22T15:37:00.009-05:00

Good food, wine, concert and old college friends. Life is good! Last weekend my parents had a small get together with some of their college friends before they all went to a jazz concert in town. I came home mid party, but they were telling stories and laughing non stop! It was pretty entertaining, so I pulled out my camera for a few shots! Good thing they all had fun and hammed it up a bit for the camera! haha

Chicago!

2009-08-09T11:37:00.028-05:00

Chicago was such a blast on the 4th of July weekend! I will definitely be heading back again this fall! We cooked out, took a picnic down to watch fire works by the lake Michigan, then drove up to Lake Geneva for the last day. Elaine and Gregg, thanks so much for hosting it was such a great time!!

Lake Geneva

CHICAGO {Preview}

2009-07-19T15:37:00.007-05:00

Here's a small sneak peak of my 4th of July weekend in Chicago! I visited my good friend from high school, Elaine. We went to the beach, grilled out, saw fireworks down by the shore and made it up to Lake Geneva for the last night. Elaine and I always have a great time when we're together! Hopefully I'll see you in Columbus soon!!

Colorado

2009-07-19T14:29:00.032-05:00

Ahhh.... home sweet home! I'm finally home to stay after several weekends of traveling! I've had a ball visiting with good friends and family over the last few weeks! I did Colorado, Chicago and just returned from northern Michigan (don't worry my friends, I was nowhere near Ann Arbor!).

Katie and The Millers, thanks again for having us! We had such a great time!

Here are some of the highlights of Denver and Breckenridge. There's more to come from Chicago and Michigan!

Katie makes the BEST kookies! They are seriously the best I've ever had. She's definitely got great recipes...she showed me how to make them, but of course they weren't the same! Katie, I need another lesson!!

This is the local bar we made a few trips to. The locals call it 'The Spot' though...interesting...

In Breckenridge, we went on a hike through the old mining areas that just recently opened to the public. The Millers are such a neat and active couple! They lead a hike once a week through different trails in the summer.

Hopped on the ski lift for great views and a ride back down!

Found a lot of farmer's markets going on! So many good foods! We bought fixings for a small picnic to take to the Red Rock Amphitheater for lunch!

....still daydreaming of Kaite's Kookies......delicious!

On our last night in Denver, we went to Jazz in the Park. We bought more picnic food at the markets and enjoyed wine and great company. We had a great time visiting with friends from town that we don't get to see enough!

Our last afternoon, we stopped at the Denver Botanic Gardens for another picnic. It was another gorgeous day and a great end to a perfect trip!

The three C's

2009-07-01T20:03:00.004-05:00

Colorado --> Columbus --> Chicago

Just got back from my Colorado trip, but off again and heading to Chicago for the weekend! Denver and Breckenridge were amazing of course (minus the major sinus flare up thing that happened, not so cool)! Did I say that I could move there? Because I am ready to pack up and move across the country! I love the dry heat, they get 300 sunny days a year (who knew, I think Columbus might get 70??), the bar, Spot, is there and Denver so biker friendly! Cooool...eh? Anyway, lots more pictures to share in the near future. Enjoy the Colorado sneak peak!

Colorado Bound!

2009-06-21T21:05:00.001-05:00

Heading out to Colorado this week! Colorado has a special place in my heart. I think it's an incredible place and I only hope that I actually make it back to Ohio! I don't think I'd mind living out there for a bit sometime in my life. The scenery and the mountains are incredible. Why do I live in Ohio again? haha

I am meeting my sister out there and we're staying with her friend. We'll be in Denver and making our way to Breckenridge for a few days too!! Daydreaming of my last trip out there....

Engagement: Lindsey & Greg

2009-06-06T11:02:00.027-05:00

Lindsay and Greg were up for anything for their photoshoot (LOVE THAT!), so I took them to this old truck I've been eying in the neighborhood. I LOVE it! It just sits there...I'm not even sure if it works! I hope it never goes away because now this is one of my new favorite spots!

Lindsey & Greg {preview}

2009-06-06T10:30:00.006-05:00

This week I shot a couple that I enjoyed so much! I'm so glad I got to meet them! They are both fun and really down to earth! Here is a sneak peak of their session!

sRGB vs. Adobe RGB

2009-06-06T09:47:00.005-05:00

I wanted to do a little experiment because I've been frustrated with my blog posts looking a little off. The colors look kind of on the wonky side! Grrrr... In photoshop they look amazing and just how I want them to look, then I post them and they don't look nearly as great. I know the difference might be in the color profile. The Pioneer Woman Blog does a good job of explaining it more in depth. Do these look different to you?

AdobeRGB:
sRGB:

Columbus Clippers Game

2009-06-05T20:52:00.004-05:00

Columbus Clippers have a beautiful, super fun new stadium! I posted a few pics when it was under construction here. I went with my Aunt, Uncle, cousins, cousin's girlfriend and brother (not pictured). What's better than beer, peanuts, baseball game...and a cousin on the team!!? Whoo hoo!!

New Lens: 28mm 1.8

2009-05-23T07:17:00.008-05:00

I'm enjoying the LONG weekend and trying out my new 28mm 1.8! I LOVE it so far! It's wider than my 50mm and so crisp! I think it will give me a little more variety. Can't wait to keep using it! Hopefully the 85mm 1.8 will be purchased soon as well!

....and by the way, i think every weekend should be this long!

Day with Erin Cobb

2009-05-23T06:54:00.013-05:00

I was lucky enough to get a chance to spend the day with Erin Cobb! She is hands down one of my favorite photographers and is so talented in children and family portraiture. Her and her husband were my youth group leaders in high school. They live in Alabama now, but came up to Dayton for two weeks, so I jumped at the chance to get to hang out with her! First of all, let me brag about how cool Erin is! She's stylish, she is super sweet, outgoing and such a great mother! I was so excited to finally get to meet her two little ones, they are the cutest! We talked a lot about photography and I'm so thankful that she shared so much! If you are into photography, check out her personal blog, ThePigBear. She shares a lot of photography information. Here's my day with Erin:

Engagement: Kelly & Chris

2009-05-15T06:50:00.021-05:00

I'm am so pumped about this photoshoot and how the pictures turned out! Kelly and Chris, you are both stunning! We stopped at a few places around town and ended up on these cool railroad tracks! So glad it was easy to get to because I would have jumped the fence to take pictures on them! These are some of my favorites from our session. Let me know what you think!

Engagement: Kelly & Chris {preview}

2009-05-12T19:09:00.007-05:00

This is my first Engagement session and I had such a good time! I had so much fun with Kelly and Chris and they were so photogenic (even though Kelly thought otherwise!). Here's a sneak peak....you'll have to check back for more!

The Cicak's

2009-05-10T10:01:00.017-05:00

This was a really fun family session and I'm really pleased with how the photos turned out. I did get a few good ones of Kyle breaking a little smile! Leave some comments if you like them!

Cicak Family Preview!

2009-05-04T19:11:00.004-05:00

I drove down to Cincinnati this weekend to shoot a young and super fun family, THE CICAK'S! I had so much fun hanging out with them and getting to know their little Kyle better. He was a hard one to crack though! I couldn't get him to smile! haha Here's a sneak peak...

Lakin Photoshoot

2009-04-29T20:51:00.013-05:00

I had such a good time last weekend hanging out with Britt and her two kids! He has the cutest curly hair I've seen! We had fun with the bubbles and running around in the back yard! She has adorable rolly baby arms! I got a lots of fun pics!

Lakin Photoshoot Preview

2009-04-27T19:56:00.002-05:00

I had so much fun on Saturday at a coworker's house. We had a little photoshoot with her and her two cutie kiddos! More to come, here's a sneak peak!

Keeneland & Woodford Reserve

2009-04-26T15:14:00.019-05:00

Keeneland was so much fun, I'm already making plans for next year to go with a bunch of friends! We got there early to watch the morning workouts and eat at the track cafe where the jockey, trainers and owners eat. It was hilarious that most of the horses had their tongues hanging out the side of their mouths! Everyone was dressed up, girls with their spring dresses and big hats, guys with suits and seersucker. Fun to people watch!

After the races, we stopped by the Woodford Reserve distillery. It's a beautiful, hilly drive through horse farm estates to get to the distillery. Im not a big fan of bourbon, if you are you should make a trip!

Keeneland '09 Preview

2009-04-19T20:42:00.007-05:00

I traveled to Keeneland in Lexington Kentucky this past weekend. There are Derby qualifier races and it's a lot like the Derby...just not swarms of people! If you know me well, you know that I LOVE horses! My family has always been into horse racing and being at the tracks reminds me of hanging out on the farm with grandpa. So much fun...I'm definitely going back for year #3! Lots more pics to come!

Good Things this Spring

2009-04-05T14:38:00.005-05:00

Trees are starting to bloom! FINALLY spring is here! There are lots of great things coming up this spring; Weddings with Chantal Stone, shooting my first engagements sessions and traveling! Leaving a picture I took of some blooms in Cincy this weekend. Enjoy!

Portrait Session: Jenny

2009-03-21T10:43:00.019-05:00

Jenny and I had so much fun at a few different locations around Downtown Columbus! She is so photogenic and I got some great pics! Here are my favorite photos from the session:

Portrait Session: Jenny

2009-03-17T20:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a sneak peek of a session with my friend Jenny. It was a gorgeous day today and we had a lot of fun at some downtown locations! More to come soon....

Kate Waldron Memorial 5K Run/Walk

2009-03-10T19:33:00.017-05:00

I had the privilege to shoot at the Kate Waldron Memorial 5K Run/Walk last Saturday. I assisted the fabulous photographer, Chantal Stone, for this event. This was the first annual race and there was a huge turnout to raise money for Kate's three children! I feel honored to be a part of such a wonderful event where friends, family and the community came together to remember Kate.

The Winner! He was fast!!

Axel

2009-03-02T18:45:00.012-06:00

Had some time to get in a few blog posts in tonight to share more pics and things I've been up to lately. My friend, Dave, and his dog, Axel, were in town over the weekend. We headed out for a walk....which didn't last for long since it was like 15 degrees with the windchill. ....what were we thinking?! Is it spring YET? Axel is such a GOOD dog, I am so jealous! I want a (well trained) dog so badly right now!! I'm trying to kick the dog bug I've got!

Macro

2009-03-02T18:29:00.007-06:00

I'm taking a little photography class this winter! Last week was the first class and I'm really excited! Hoping to continue to learn and grow as a photographer. The assignment was a macro or close up shot. This really really made me want a macro lens since neither my 50mm 1.8 or my kit lens can focus super close so I ran into some difficulties.

I'm stuck inside for now since it's been sooooo cold here in Ohio. I saw another photographer do a piece of fruit in soda water and I tried to recreate it.....didn't turn out as neat, but at least I tried. Here's a few I shot this weekend!

Interior Design: Bedroom Redesign

2009-02-06T15:57:00.006-06:00

I love interior design, so I've been helping my mom redecorate her house since they've been empty nesters for awhile now. She is pretty much turning all of our bedrooms into more cozy inviting guest rooms. Hopefully there will be more designing posts in the future as I help out family and friends! Let me know if you want some help...I love to shop on others budgets! ...no really, I do. =)

Everything was existing except for a few things we bought for this redesign.

Shopping List:
1.) decorative pillows with circles - Pier One
2.) navy king pillowcases - Marshalls
3.) (2) lamps, (2) lamp shades & (2) storage squares - Target (...of course, the best store on this planet)

. . . ...and that's it!

Miami Hockey

2009-02-06T15:56:00.003-06:00

My New Wheels!

2009-01-11T14:46:00.010-06:00

Purchased a new bike! Performance Bike is having some great winter deals right now, so I couldn't pass it up! She's a beauty!

Chris & Katie's New Year's Eve Wedding

2009-01-04T15:55:00.013-06:00

An amazing opportunity came up to assist a local photographer, Chantal Stone, for a New Years Eve wedding! The ceremony was at, Liberty Presbyterian, and the reception was at, The Vault. I was soooo excited to have this opportunity and a closer look into the wedding photography world. Chantal is such an awesome photographer and was really welcoming. Hopefully we can work together in the future!

The wedding was pretty dark, so I was a little out of my element shooting with my flash. I made the most of it and got a few good shots. You've got to start somewhere, right? =)

Father / Daughter Dance
Mother / Son Dance

This one is me in action!

Christmas Holiday

2009-01-03T14:15:00.013-06:00

I'm just a little behind on my photos since the holiday has been pretty busy for me. I love the holiday season and spent LOTS of time with family. We watched movies, hiked, visited with friends and, as always, laughed until our stomachs hurt (or as Kelly would say, 'I'm going to pop a vein in my neck'! haha) It's always been a tradition to have an Italian meal for dinner with homemade sauce that has been cooking all day...it's to die for! We also made homemade raviolis which is a family recipe, passed down from before my great grandparents. I need to stop, my mouth is watering now! Enjoy the pics!

San Francisco

2008-12-19T17:44:00.025-06:00

This is most definitely one of my favorite cities! This was my second trip to San Francisco and it didn't disappoint. I always have the travel bug and am always up for getting out of town! It was a spontaneous decision to fly out with a friend...who doesn't love a good adventure!? A fabulous day was spent in the city, Alcatraz & Muir Forest. The second day in Napa...which is flat out amazing! Daydreaming about when I will go back....

(also created a new logo...i'm experimenting to see what I like. Leave a comment if you have an opinion! )

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T20:26:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving was so wonderful this year! We had family travel in from Cleveland, Charlotte, Columbus & Atlanta! We are definitely a family that can eat. We had 22 people and 2 dogs and went through 32 lbs of turkey, 13 lbs of sausage & 22 bottles of wine...oh my! There was plenty of time for catching up, laughing until we cried and relaxing. Can't wait for Christmas....

Up next....San Francisco....!

This was definitely the 'man fire'. They sat out there for hours! Singing 'come on baby light my fire....' they didn't tire of that very quickly! It's was fairly entertaining.

Camping

2008-11-03T21:37:00.006-06:00

I went caming a few weeks ago, it was the night of the first frost and got soooo cold! Had a lot of fun though...until next time...

Ethan

2008-10-05T17:54:00.012-05:00

I had the honor of finally meeting, Ethan, my friend's baby. He is such a cute little guy! I got to hold him for awhile and he loves to sit up and watch the action of whats going on in the room. I'm sure he'll be so much bigger when I see him next! Hope your family enjoys!

Railroad Tracks!

2008-10-03T21:56:00.009-05:00

I was finally able to make it the the railroad tracks I've been eyeing for awhile. I wasn't sure if I would see a train or not, but sure enough I did! I had a really good time shooting at that spot and will probably be back sometime!

Urban City Lights

2008-09-28T10:30:00.007-05:00

I found another great place to shoot downtown. I'm really excited about how great this picture turned out! More to come from my shoot that day...

Downtown Columbus 2

2008-09-20T22:05:00.002-05:00

Clippers Stadium Construction

2008-09-20T22:02:00.005-05:00

The new Clippers stadium will be finished for next season. Can't wait to check it out and see a game there!

Fall Is Coming...

2008-09-16T20:05:00.003-05:00

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-03T19:37:00.016-05:00

This is the Farm...and pretty much my dream property! I love going to the farm when I'm home in Dayton. This is actually family friends who live in this gorgeous place, have horses (they play polo!), always have a couple dogs running around (they rescue Irish Setters!), and this is their guest cabin they built down the hill towards the woods. Yes...pretty much how I want to live when I grow up! =) We decided to take a little trip out into the country (yes, one of my favorite things). We had ourselves some wine and cheese and nibbled for a little while enjoying the view. Here are a few pics from our afternoon!

mmmm....it was soooo good...

I think this is one of my favorites. I love barns and horses, so I thought this vintage look would be perfect!

Meet Tucker. He is livin' the life on this farm! =)

charleston, SC

2008-08-24T18:02:00.016-05:00

I traveled down to Charleston, SC for a destination wedding for two of my close friends from high school. I decided to make it into a vacation since they rented a beach house for 14 of their friends coming in for the wedding. Charleston was a great place to visit, I only wish the weather had been a little nicer for the time I was there. I didn't get to do as much sight seeing because we were on an island about 40 minutes out and the day we went into town to walk around it was raining. I didn't take my camera out as much as I would have liked, but here are some pictures I took of the beach and the house we stayed in!

Sister and Cousin

2008-08-11T20:32:00.012-05:00

My sister was in town from Boston and my cousin came up for Louisville this weekend! It was so good to see them both, it's been way too long! We had a cookout at my aunt's house and my parents and grandparents were there too! I haven't cooked a lot for myself lately, so I was really excited for this cookout with tasty food...mmmm. I had some fun taking a few shots of my sister and it was good practice too!

Also, they voted on me making a new watermark...so here it is. ...still working on the skin tones too...that's my troubled spot.

This is one of my cousins, grandma and mom checking out my blog! =)

Cookout

2008-08-10T13:00:00.015-05:00

Thursday night a group of friends got together to see Lindsay one last night before she heads to North Carolina. We grilled, played cornhole, had a bonfire and ate s'mores! She will be missed...you too Bree!
(this is her dog, Bree)

Hanging With The Lindsa(e)y's

2008-08-03T21:08:00.017-05:00

Sadly, this is Lindsay's last week here in Columbus. She's heading to Duke for Physical Therapy school. I'm trying to get some fun photos of us hanging out for her last week here. We went to dinner in the Short North and then the Gateway for some Coldstone! Hopefully more pics of our week to come...

I went from not getting ice cream....to getting cake batter ice cream....to ordering 'Birthday Cake Remix'! Oh...it was so good!

The other Lindsey is in Law School, so we stopped at Longs for a bit too. It brings back so many good memories! Ah...how I miss college...

Perfect Sunset

2008-07-30T20:39:00.004-05:00

This sunset made my night tonight! I was talking to my sister and saw these beautiful colors through the window. I told her that I had to grab my camera while we talked and shot a few pics.

....Life is scrumptious!

Atlanta & D.C. Visitors

2008-07-27T21:21:00.008-05:00

My cousin, Ali, came to visit this weekend from Atlanta! I finally convinced her to visit me in Ohio. My friend, Angela, was also in town from D.C. We had a fabulous girls weekend...going to dinners, saw 'Mamma Mia', got our nails done, tried 'Pistachio Honey' ice cream at Jeni's, did some shopping, hit up the pool and caught up on the bachelorette episodes we miss. ...Ah...what a great weekend! We hung out a Goodale park for a bit one evening while we enjoyed our ice coffees. I only wish I had taken more pics of our weekend. Someone was being a bit camera shy though...

Bridal Shower & Family Reunion

2008-07-22T19:57:00.009-05:00

The real reason we made the trip up to Cleveland was for my cousin's wedding shower. His fiance is Sarah, who we all adore! She is so sweet and fun to be around! She braved coming up to Ohio and meeting our large Italian family (and this is only half of us!). We had pizza, rigatoni, stuffed shells, pizzelles....mm mmm mmmm!

Gone Fishin' With The Boys

2008-07-22T18:54:00.016-05:00

Here's more photos from my Saturday fishing trip with the boys.... my two uncles, dad and brother. I had a great time and can't wait to get back on the lake!

Lake Erie

2008-07-20T17:08:00.019-05:00

This weekend I went up to Cleveland for a family gathering and cousin's bridal shower. My Uncle took us out on his new fishing boat on Lake Erie! I was so excited just to get out on the water! We got up way early to head to the lake to fish. This boat has radars that detect where the fish are. It was so cool! It was more of a leisurely ride...so we only caught 3. My dad caught a bass and I caught 2 (4lb.) walleye!! Here are some pics of his boat, I will be posting more from the weekend up north soon...

Bento Box

2008-07-16T19:03:00.007-05:00

Lately, I've been assessing how I live and trying to be more environmentally friendly & healthy. I'm trying to use less lunch baggies, less trash in general, recycling and carpooling to work (which is way far! Go me!). I drink out of a reusable Sigg aluminum water bottle that I keep at work. It's supposed to be healthier to drink out of than plastic bottles. It doesn't release toxins and chemicals into your water. Also, I got this idea of a bento box from Erin's blog, which is such a good idea, and you don't need to use extra baggies! This is just a regualar sandwich size container, I used calphalon cupcake holders (bought at marshalls for 1/2 the target price) and cut my sandwhich in half and stacked it. Here's a picture of my environmentally friendly bento box lunch!

Plain O'le Parking Lot

2008-07-14T20:13:00.010-05:00

...so continuing on from yesterday's post. All I found was just a parking lot. A parking lot with railroad tracks! Hopefully I made a plain, old, empty, parking lot look interesting. Let me know what you think....

The, Not So Sunset, Shoot

2008-07-13T20:40:00.004-05:00

A good friend of mine challenged me to capture the sunset from the beautiful day we had today. It was gorgeous today that was semi-cool and low humidity. Lovely! I headed out to find a decent spot to take some pics. Tyring to avoid the highway (under construction) & high gas prices I found a cool spot to shoot right around the corner. Anyway, I got out there....about 8:00 and realized that the sun wasn't setting too fast. Oh well, I got some good shots anyway and found a cool new spot. ...And guess what else I found?! Railroad tracks!! I've had this intrigue to shoot on the tracks, and I think I found just the spot. Now I only need a willing model. :)

Here's a photo of my spot...you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see more!

Cougar

2008-07-07T21:37:00.006-05:00

I finally got to meet, Michael, aka 'cougar'! He was so adorable and such a happy baby! The Kelchner's had a cookout to celebrate the 4th of July with friends and family and I had so much fun with everyone. Except, I'm sad that Brian didn't make it, but he came around and we got to see him on Saturday. Shhh....I think Centerville fireworks were better than Red, White & Boom. I was impressed! Here was my favorite photos of Michael (told ya he was cute!).

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T14:34:00.005-05:00

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had fun celebrating independence day with friends and family. I didn't have the best view...wanted to avoid the crowds downtown. I was just happy to see them! This was only round one, I watched them on Friday night too in Dayton!

Baby Leylynn

2008-06-27T18:06:00.012-05:00

Here it goes....this was my first try at photographing a baby. She is my friend Michelle's little one and she is just the cutest! Leylynn was the perfect little model. Michelle and I had a great time taking these pictures. Hopefully we can do it again soon!

Ali's Graduation: Part Two - The Party!

2008-06-07T12:09:00.002-05:00

Atlanta is a place that's never boring! It's always a great time and love all the family bonding with the Hyatts and the Halls. Every time I head down there, I realize just how much of a northerner I am. I experienced my first 'Country boil' - with sausage, red potatoes, corn on the cob, onions and lots o' shrimp! It was delicious! I'll be back in October!

Ali's Graduation: Part One - Graduating!

2008-06-07T09:26:00.001-05:00

Congrat's Graduate! Here is the beautiful Atlanta church the graduation took place at. Aubrun, here she comes!!

Atlanta Preview

2008-05-26T21:05:00.001-05:00

Ali's graduation in Atlanta...........coming soon....

Sarasota

2008-05-12T20:19:00.002-05:00

It's been a few weeks now, but I wanted to post a few picture of my mini vacay to florida! Keepin' in short & sweet today.

Keeneland Race Day

2008-04-20T21:03:00.001-05:00

So I've had this obsession with horses ever since I was little and I never grew out of it. Yes, I did want to be a jockey when I was young, but clearly I'm not the right size! So I guess I get my horse fix just by being there and watching. I went down to Lexington for the day to see the races at Keeneland. It was a lot of fun, but a bit chilly!

I won some money on the first race #7 came through for me!

My First Half Marathon

2008-04-20T20:02:00.001-05:00

I ran my first half marathon last weekend and wanted to share the pics. Yes, I have been recovering all week and indulging in relaxation. Not running, at all, got a massage, been eating whatever I want (my metabolism is still reved up, right?). I did not realized the pain that can be caused by running such a distance, but alas I did push through and made it in 2 hours 17 min (about 10:45 minute mile....)! Before the race I was considering training for a full marathon....but now... I don't think so. Maybe give it some more time and I'll come around! ha I trained with a group called Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. It's the worlds largest endurance sports training program http://www.teamintraining.org/.

Now my mind is off in triathlon land....that might be my next challenge!

Spring is here!

2008-04-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

It's a beautiful morning in good 'ole Ohio. Nothing is a better mood booster than a beautiful sunny day! Work has finally slowed back down...a little, and the snow has melted away. It's a new day and I am feeling great folks! My half marathon is next weekend and I'm pumped and ready to go. I recently realized that I am an 'on the go' person, that doesn't need much down time. Relaxing is great once in a while, but sometimes I have to force myself to do it because I really like to be doing something all the time. I just want to make the most of life.

I had some time yesterday and finally a subject! Andy was a great sport to let me take some practice pictures of him. I think they turned out great. I also just signed up for a class: Enhancing Photos with Photoshop this spring, so hopefully I'll be posting pics with some fun new tricks applied. Here they are:

Girls Night

2008-03-16T14:26:00.001-05:00

Angela came in town this weekend from D.C. She is the girl who wants to be entertained as soon as she gets off the plane, ususally she has happy hour in mind. We decided to have a big get toghether with everyone close to town and started off at my place for wine and appetizers. I miss you girls so much and always have the best time when we get together! Everyone has come such a long way and impresses me everytime I see you. Miss you.... hope we can do this again soon!!

Snowed In....

2008-03-08T07:27:00.002-06:00

We are in the middle of the biggest snow storm of the decade! I can't even see 10' out my window right now!! I'm snowed in and watching the blizzard continue bury us more and more. I bought some used videos yesterday 5 for $25 to keep me entertained while I soak up every second of relaxation this weekend! Ahhhhh....

I will try to post more photos when the storm is finally over to see how much we end up getting!

Cleaning & Painting

2008-03-01T21:47:00.001-06:00

I have been working insane hours and weekends this month...not so fun. February went by in the blink of an eye and I feel like I could sleep for days! Today was my first Saturday off in a few weeks and my house has been a little messy to say the least. Even though I'm exhausted, I'm not one to live in a pig sty. I pushed up my sleeves and got to cleanin'....so I could spend the rest of my weekend relaxing in my clean condo. I've had some painting touch ups on my to-do list for quite awhile and my parents were awesome to head up to help me out for the day. Like my dad says, where else are you going to find painters that buy you dinner?

I did get a new lens this month, 50mm 1.8! (Thanks to my awesome boyfriend for forgoing valentines flowers for a cord camera gift card!) I'm trying to get used to it, I feel like it's so different from my kit lens, but I love how wide the aperture opens. Here's a few pictures, I'm hoping to get more practice on people and not just my house!

Before:

After:

Downtown Columbus

2008-01-19T20:33:00.001-06:00

I finally got around to creating a signature stamp for my photos! This is what I came up with but, I might change it down the road when I have a little more time to experiement with the design.

I had Friday off work and get Monday off too because it's a holiday. I've had some extra time this weekend to get some great shots of downtown and work on my photos. I think I might frame a few of these because they turned out so well. I'd love to know if you like them too! I guess landscapes are becoming my thing since I don't have a lot of opportunities to shoot people. That goes on my list of things to work on I guess.

Birch Trees

2008-01-13T20:15:00.001-06:00

I was back in Dayton for the weekend and dad and I made a visit to our favorite birch trees up the street. We must have been on some crazy woman's property because she made quite the effort to follow us when we drove off, dad was acting like it was a james bond get away...ha.

Very gray in the winter time, but I loved the colorful tags that came out on the cow's ears!

Home for the Holidays

2008-01-09T20:02:00.001-06:00

Here are a few photos of my Christmas. We looked rough most of the week so there weren't a lot of glamours shots taken. ;)

My favorite meal of the year....our traditional homeade Italian meal!

We had a wonderful Christmas...there's a pick of one of my new bar stools.
The boys went and bought a bibi (sp?) gun and were shooting in the backyard.

Turquoise & Chocolate

2007-12-19T17:25:00.001-06:00

Yes I did take pictures of my bedroom. Kelly thought it was funny that I had pictures of my bedroom on my camera. I've got to practice on something since it's getting cold outside... and I am proud of the way my room is looking so far. :) I still need to hang pictures, find night stands and lamps. I'm hoping to make it to some auctions this winter to find some unique finds. Accomplishment = I finally got my IKEA curtains hung!! I will probably take a pic when they are hemmed and looking nice.

**Two more days until I'm off for a week for Christmas!**

Bostonian Brownstones

2007-12-17T19:29:00.001-06:00

Last weekend was a fun weekend/adventure much needed for my dad and I. We got lots of bonding time...since my sis had to work on Friday and Monday of our visit....and we had to stay an extra night, but I'll get to that later. This is my third visit to Boston and I got to take my new SLR with me! It was fun learning and practicing, but I also slowed the travel pack down a bit stopping so often. I still have a lot to learn.

To sum up the weekend, there was lots of father & daughter bonding time, several trips to Trader Joe's (a day), wine from Chile, Belgian beers in tiny glasses, snuggling up to Holiday Inn (better than White Christmas by the way), and lots of walking the city (its no Columbus you know, apparently we're in the top five for unfit cities!).

I'm still practicing editing photos in photoshop, hopefully they don't look overdone. Here are some of my favorites:

This picture was from our hotel on our extended stay. We ended up spending hours in the airport, and did get on a plane. They then made us all deplane and did cancel the flight until 5 hours later at 8pm. No so fun, but I did get some cool shots of the city.

Colorado

2007-12-03T01:30:00.001-06:00

This is my first ever blog post, so here it goes...

I pulled up a few pics from my family's trip to Colorado in 2005. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I completely fell in love and fantasize about moving there, but I guess I'm just too realistic. We rented an RV for a week and traveled around the state. Such a great vacay and beautiful scenery! Just doing some experimenting with retouching with photoshop.