tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30376691310538114582011-07-07T17:53:10.030-04:00This blog is dedicated to my growing love of photography; to the shots I've taken throughout my life, and the attempts that may still be to come.Janellenoreply@blogger.comBlogger971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-12863422747523455182010-03-03T23:40:00.004-05:002010-03-03T23:52:00.634-05:00

My photo prompt for Image This this week was the letter C. I went through a few ideas, finally landing on a great picture of life cereal. Here are a few runners-up.Life cereal in the bag:My cheese drawer in the refrigerator:Currently, the following cheeses all occupy residency in my cheese drawer:Mild cheddarExtra sharp cheddarMozzarellaSmoked GruyèreMunsterCream cheeseQueso FrescoMonterey

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-91928871592176424572010-02-21T23:31:00.005-05:002010-02-22T00:10:53.547-05:00

I got a new camera last week. I'm really excited. I've been doing some playing with it. I'm trying to get to know its capabilities, its limits, and most importantly what I can do with it.This week, we went to a pancake dinner at the church that sponsors my husband's Boy Scout troop. The dinner was on Tuesday, which was Mardi Gras. As part of the event, they had Mardi Gras beads there. My 22-

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-12937679076666998432009-11-19T22:50:00.000-05:002009-11-19T22:51:08.836-05:00

This is a rushnyk. It's a Ukrainian word that literally translates to "towel," and is pronounced /HROOSH - neek/.My husband lived in the Kyiv, Ukraine area for two years before we knew each other, and became familiar with a native custom there. As part of the wedding ceremony, a rushnyk would be laid on the floor in the place where the wedding was held. The new husband and wife would -- on the

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-53889506269968946302009-11-19T22:44:00.002-05:002009-11-19T22:49:15.064-05:00

A better view:(This isn't the full length of the rushnyk...it's folded in half to hang over the dowel.)

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-84918872428145321192009-11-19T22:38:00.003-05:002009-11-19T22:44:50.104-05:00

I was really late to post these on Mission 24. I took them before the deadline, but didn't get around to editing them until tonight, so I'm just posting them here. This would have been my challenge photo:And here are a few runners-up:

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-14104253628087650552009-11-05T22:39:00.005-05:002009-11-05T22:52:55.972-05:00

I liked a lot of the photos that I took for this challenge, and had a hard time choosing just one. I ended up using the last one.One of my favorite parts of Fall is when the leaves have turned, but not quite all the way, and there is still green on the trees.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-70235380815725278792009-10-18T23:56:00.001-04:002009-10-18T23:56:55.485-04:00

Recognizing that this is not a stellar picture, I still really like it, for a couple of reasons. If you look closely, you can see a pretty yucky scratch coming straight down from my daughter's right eye. I clocked her pretty badly yesterday morning. She had her finger stuck in something, and in my rush to help her free herself, I accidentally scratched her face with my ring. After that. she

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-46634746627579888162009-10-18T23:52:00.001-04:002009-10-18T23:52:51.962-04:00

I took this picture during the "kiss" time frame, but had too much going on, so Blake said I could still post it.I stepped out my back door to go somewhere, and saw this single bright red leaf next to a green spot of weeds poking up through my bricks. It needed its picture taken. If you click the picture to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the fresh raindrops barely kissing the leaf.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-81119844769759724932009-10-11T14:57:00.002-04:002009-10-11T14:57:41.066-04:00

Without going through tons of scrapbooks, I knew of a few scanned old pictures that I already had on the computer. There's really not a ton of difference between the before and after here, but I really like this photo. My birthday is in November, so this was my second Christmas. My great-great-grandmother (yes, you read the right -- two greats) is holding me.BEFORE:AFTER:I brightened and

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-35737451004380229682009-09-20T15:54:00.002-04:002009-09-20T15:54:58.662-04:00

Isn't this the way of Broadway? Wicked is a musical based on a book based on a movie based on a book based around socio-political satire.I have the book (I'm a third or so of the way through reading it, but I'm focusing on a different book at the moment), and I'm going to see the show in November for my birthday.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-46529081486619645142009-09-12T21:29:00.001-04:002009-09-12T21:29:37.283-04:00

I'm glad we can use past photos for this challenge.I chose to use a photo that I took back in April for the challenge word "One." It was a word that I chose (in honor of my daughter turning 1), but I was having a hard time thinking outside the box of an idea to shoot for the word. This photo reminds me of Rachel for several reasons:She suggested photographing a calculator, which this obviously

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-36715402332676993492009-09-05T17:56:00.001-04:002009-09-05T17:56:31.414-04:00

I wasn't going to do this challenge partly because of my camera, but partly because it's hard to sum yourself up in one photograph, even if a picture is worth 1000 words. This afternoon, however, I saw this vase of daisies sitting on my TV console, and realized that they were perfect for this challenge.Daisies are a simple flower. They're pretty and cheery, yet understated and not the "go to"

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-43222779161194137332009-08-27T23:47:00.001-04:002009-08-27T23:47:43.677-04:00

Obviously I'm not 100% camera-less, because how would I have taken this photo otherwise? However, my good camera is broken. It's a Canon Powershot, and I got a "Lens error. Restart camera" message. My lens is permanently extended. I've done a little research and found that this is -- unfortunately -- common and unfixable. So I'm back to using a not-super-great camera, because I can't afford

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-81511015333245910622009-08-14T21:24:00.000-04:002009-08-14T21:26:52.175-04:00

I loved this challenge. I had a lot of ideas. I didn't execute a lot of them -- I mostly took pictures of clocks, but I had some good clocks. The above clock is in the center court at my local mall. It's a really beautiful clock.(See my runners-up here.)CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-10416927098253769322009-08-14T20:55:00.008-04:002009-08-14T21:23:29.612-04:00

A not-super-great attempt at the sands of time.Some Daddy/daughter time, my husband and daughter in the middle, and my two best friends' husbands and daughters (a month younger than my daughter) on either side.A few weeks ago, my mom came to visit. She was staying at a hotel that had this beautiful clock at the entrance to the parking lot. I made a mental note to come back and photograph it if

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-13645370132600851002009-08-12T13:25:00.001-04:002009-08-12T13:25:58.584-04:00

Normally I would laugh about this on its own, but not today. My Wednesday has a Monday complex. I woke up this morning to find my daughter's poopy diaper in the crib next to her, with most of its contents smeared on Donald Duck. Later, while I was preparing her lunch, I found her sitting on the floor in the doorway to the pantry, with half a box of baking soda around her. So I put her in her

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-77292766876610770332009-08-09T21:00:00.000-04:002009-08-09T21:01:10.543-04:00

On our way home from camping on Saturday morning, my husband and I stopped at Dairy Queen to grab a couple of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie Blizzards. It was a great way to cool off (though with today's humidity, I could have used it today instead of yesterday).CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-36843818805945997062009-08-05T16:07:00.002-04:002009-08-05T16:12:07.323-04:00

There is a small bunch of these growing next to my driveway in the back, and I love them. I was headed out to the garage the other day and I had to run back in for my camera, because these were ripe for the shooting. I love this photo -- it's pushed my daughter off the desktop of my computer.I love the grass at the visitor sites in Kirtland. I love to photograph the grass there. It's

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-68358301665402001862009-08-05T15:49:00.004-04:002009-08-05T16:07:12.222-04:00

Motion or fluid(This is the wheel at the sawmill in Kirtland, OH)Abstract(Still in Kirtland, various items in various rooms of the Whitney store)Red(If you look closely, you can see a purple string threaded through these peppers, on which they would have hung to dry out)(Isn't this a perfect flower?)Vintage(I never can seem to shoot books very well, no matter how I try.)Colors

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-14665268032157915882009-08-05T15:42:00.001-04:002009-08-05T16:07:33.416-04:00

Another shot from the Whitney store in Kirtland. There is an old-fashioned checkers board set up on a table there, with two sets of checkers, these reddish ones, and yellow ones on the other side you can see here. Both are made out of corn.About the photo: I desaturated the colors a little, warmified, and added a film grain. I tried to make the vintage era stuff look a little more like a

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-59442224621492590532009-08-05T15:33:00.001-04:002009-08-05T15:33:39.861-04:00

I have a hard time with this word, because whenever I think of "abstract" I think that you're not supposed to be able to tell what it is you're looking at. However, I took this photo with the word "abstract" in mind. It's an old-fashioned (probably hand-woven) basket hanging from the ceiling in the Newel K. Whitney store in Kirtland, OH.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-20054648590381409582009-08-02T22:22:00.001-04:002009-08-02T22:22:46.910-04:00

This photo could work for a few different challenge words, but I chose "fresh." I was at an outdoor shopping center with my mom on Wednesday, and it had been raining a little off and on that day, but never enough that you couldn't comfortably walk through it. I saw these flowers in a huge pot along the walkway, and I heard them call my name and beg me to take their picture. I loved the colors

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-53894306255907198762009-07-26T23:53:00.001-04:002009-07-26T23:53:45.523-04:00

When I was 14, my family moved from Southern California to the Portland, Oregon area. I had a good friend who, until then, I never realized was my best friend. I was always the kid at school who got teased, and I really didn't have friends. She and I knew each other from church (even kids there made fun of me), and our moms were good friends. We met when she was six and I was seven, and we

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-3151334251168956142009-07-23T19:52:00.001-04:002009-07-23T19:52:25.358-04:00

Last year, my Gerbera daisies continued to bloom all Summer long. This year -- not so much. The dead flowers are more metaphorical when it comes to heartbreak, though.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-48129475909928276032009-07-20T15:03:00.000-04:002009-07-20T15:04:11.792-04:00

I had several ideas for this, but I had some trouble with execution. Finally, about ten minutes ago, I got this idea, and I was pretty impressed with my execution. I've never shot anything this way before, and I had about 20 different takes trying to get it right -- with flash, without flash; a normal focus, an infinity focus; black and white, color. I finally settled on this one. I took a

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-62234645256504813542009-07-20T14:54:00.004-04:002009-07-20T15:00:17.083-04:00

I had several ideas for the word "vision" but none of them panned out the way I'd hoped. I really like this verse in Proverbs 29, which says "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." When I was on a mission for my church, my mission president would quote this verse to us in order to help us keep an eternal perspective on things. He quoted a (now

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-71735300414735829582009-07-16T23:41:00.004-04:002009-07-17T00:04:21.680-04:00

Just a few shots from taking walks around my neighborhood.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-82485745209865241262009-07-16T22:25:00.002-04:002009-07-16T22:26:00.881-04:00

I finally bought a case for my camera last night. It's blue. And cute.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-20984505902120216082009-07-12T22:26:00.001-04:002009-07-12T22:26:40.609-04:00

This is the shadow cast in the last afternoon by the mini-blinds on my front window. The lighter half is my wall, the darker part is a wool blanket that is currently covering a card table.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-17436751423354055852009-07-09T15:59:00.001-04:002009-07-09T15:59:39.264-04:00

My husband was hit with a wave of inspiration this morning while brushing his teeth. He wrote this sweet poem on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker, where I found is an hour after he left for work. In case you can't read it, it says:Roses are redViolets are blueI love youCrap I screwed up the poemTo many people, it might sound thoughtless, but it made me laugh, and that's what its

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-52490869859564107842009-07-01T13:48:00.000-04:002009-07-01T13:53:11.596-04:00

Here is more of my mom's fabric. These are the drawers below the pink drawer, but still not all of the fat quarter drawers.More angles on the pink drawer.This was my original idea. When you have a limited budget, you sometimes have to limit your luxuries. We have one cell phone. It's a pay-as-you-go phone, and we usually only put minutes on it when we know we're going to be traveling. As you

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-11444972701249293212009-07-01T13:47:00.000-04:002009-07-01T13:53:51.082-04:00

I'm visiting my parents for a week and a half right now, and I thought I'd add a little touch of "mom" to my entry today. My mom's love of pink and of fabric know no limit. I often think, however, that my dad would like to put a limit on her love of fabric. This photo is a drawer of pink fat quarters. I don't think this is even all of her pink fat quarters, but I could be wrong. Also keep in

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-9466962920090350422009-06-30T19:39:00.002-04:002010-01-15T14:16:04.090-05:00

I had sooooo many ideas for this challenge. I took a lot of pictures, and I had a lot of finalists. In the end, I chose the one I did because it was my first really good Summer idea, and because I love colors.These are all from the same hanging basket plant on my parents' back deck. I loved these flowers, and had to take pictures from several angles.My parents have had this bench for about 15

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-1848174032131774062009-06-30T19:38:00.000-04:002009-06-30T19:39:29.163-04:00

I didn't really get lei'd. I saw these at Joann's last night, and thought "What says 'Summer' more than a luau?" I loved the colors and the outdoor feel.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-20135369034431001662009-06-21T21:20:00.001-04:002009-06-21T21:20:35.242-04:00

There are three natural aspects of this photo:It's me straight out of the shower. No make-up -- not even any moisturizer on my face yet -- and my hair not brushed. I'd had my hair towel on for a few minutes, and then took it off before taking the picture. I'm very natural here.I opened the blinds of the window to my right, and took the picture using natural light.Th only thing I have done to

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-23752775972578810692009-06-19T00:01:00.001-04:002009-06-19T00:01:47.839-04:00

I ended up going with something that I hear everyday, instead of something that I see everyday. I almost always have music playing in my house. Sometimes it's the playlist from my blog, or a Pandora station I've created, or just the radio. But I listen to music everyday. A lot. I think part of it is just that I don't like the quiet house. I just bought this iPod this week -- it's the first

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-67741863792224362062009-06-18T23:53:00.000-04:002009-06-19T00:01:02.995-04:00

Here are my runners up for the "Everyday" challenge over at Mission 24. For this challenge, we were supposed to find something that we see everyday, and make it new with our photo.First, my Asiatic lilies are looking a little new, as their color prepares to burst forth any day. One pink one is already open. I have red, white, and orange to look forward to still!My daughter's little piano.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-85789040242024490552009-06-11T21:45:00.000-04:002009-06-19T00:04:08.822-04:00

I woke up this morning with tell-tale symptoms of my semi-annual sinus infection. It's actually about 4-5 weeks late. I thought I had gotten out of it this spring, but no. So this photo is a sign of what my next two weeks will look like. I used a soft focus effect on it, because my head will be a little fuzzy around the edges.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-89342548780370649652009-06-07T21:09:00.001-04:002009-06-07T21:09:44.287-04:00

I took this picture this afternoon of my little girl. She's about 13.5 months old, but I think she started the terrible twos this week. Hence the already??. But she's still adorable (if I do say so myself).About the photo: Shot in manual mode, ISO 100, early evening. Adjusted exposure, saturated colors, increased shadows.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-72417189588200285782009-05-31T22:32:00.001-04:002009-05-31T22:32:57.896-04:00

I am generally not great at taking picture of people, and I don't particularly enjoy it, because I'm not great at it. You would think that I would take advantage of this opportunity, but with a tension migraine all day yesterday, I didn't really feel like pushing my own limits. My in-laws were visiting all weekend, and after church today, we drove out to Kirtland to tour the temple. For those

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-36065707333741595772009-05-29T09:58:00.001-04:002009-05-29T09:58:21.770-04:00

I didn't get to post this in time (even though I took it on time), but I still wanted to post it.Every year after Easter, I buy a ton of Cadbury Creme Eggs because my husband loves them. I hide them from him, and then give him one at a time throughout the year as he "earns" them. Usually it's for doing something really nice for me, or being especially great when I've had a bad day.CC(See my

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-61044614449364454582009-05-29T09:54:00.001-04:002009-05-29T09:57:27.420-04:00

Here are my runners up for "sweet." I wasn't satisfied with any of the watermelon pictures I took, but it's still my favorite fruit, and oh so sweet, so I had to include it.This is bubble wrap. When coming across a large amount of bubble wrap, who doesn't think "Sweet!!"?

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-50842038257761321342009-05-25T23:50:00.000-04:002009-05-26T00:01:04.484-04:00

There are some set-aside veterans' lots at a local cemetery, and I couldn't help take some pictures at sundown on Thursday night. Enjoy:My favorite:

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-9410267945801764102009-05-25T00:36:00.000-04:002009-05-25T00:53:15.446-04:00

It's Summer again, and the time of year when I take random pictures of the same flowers in my front yard or my walks over and over again. However, I have learned to befriend my editing software (Picasa) and I've learned a lot in the last couple of months about manipulating photos.That said, you can't make a bad photo good just with editing, but you can make a good photo better or at least more

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-25902593954328895292009-05-25T00:21:00.001-04:002009-05-25T00:21:48.455-04:00

I'm noticing a trend. There's been lots of food this challenge. I've got more (no pun intended).Saturday was my husband's birthday. He hates that I do anything for it, but I made a special cake anyway. It turned out that he was actually really looking forward to eating it, and once he did, he couldn't wait to have more. Between the two of us other friends, the cake is already gone, but it

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-85833529865190256172009-05-22T00:18:00.001-04:002009-05-22T00:22:37.573-04:00

Oh my goodness, I had so many ideas for this challenge that I couldn't stay in one place! I cheated (like Rachel said we couldn't). I took pictures for One, Red, Black & White, Vintage, Celebration, Shadow, Reflection, and Fluid. I actually really wanted to do Key because it was my own challenge word and I didn't get a chance to do it. I ended up with a photo that I love and is a combination of

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-15993824135370464932009-05-17T21:38:00.000-04:002009-05-17T21:39:25.535-04:00

Like Mindy, I also went camping this weekend. My husband was at Camporee with his Scouts, and I went with him (me and my daughter). We ended up heading home early when it started to rain, and my daughter decided the tent was more fun to play in that to sleep in. By the time I learned the challenge word, it was too late to take a picture of "roughing it."So I have a picture of brick instead.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-10500722423373271862009-05-17T21:31:00.000-04:002009-05-17T21:38:06.221-04:00

Here are my runners-up for M24 challenge word "rough."(This one was my favorite. I like how the corner is bent and damaged.)(Thanks to her Grumpa, my little girl is a little rough around the edges.)

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-59036772400424680072009-05-14T23:56:00.000-04:002009-05-14T23:57:20.422-04:00

This is the grass in my front yard. My husband put patch treatments on yucky spots two weeks ago, so we can't mow it for another four weeks. Problem is, the weekend before that, he put some kind of Miracle Gro type thing on it, so now it's growing so fast, but we can't mow it. So he weed-whacks the whole yard, which is actually kinda funny. Last night, he did the whole outside of the lawn,

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-28507426556220314732009-05-14T23:37:00.000-04:002009-05-14T23:56:40.451-04:00

This has been the worst week for me in recent memory. Probably the worst in the last four and a half years. I won't get into why, but suffice it to say that I'm still standing, and surprisingly I actually did the Mission 24 challenge.On my worst day, my husband had me come pick him up midday at work (we only have one car), and we drove out to Kirtland, about 25 minutes away, which is an

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-80122834854960715292009-05-10T21:43:00.000-04:002009-05-10T21:44:29.614-04:00

This was my initial solidly formed "change" idea. I took several shots, but wasn't thrilled with it. I got an idea that maybe I could take a picture of my husband changing a tire. I asked him if he'd be willing to pose for a picture shoot for me changing a tire. He said, "So, you want me to pose naked?" I was a little confused, and told him that I was certain that no one on here would want

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-86410363306480214172009-05-06T22:10:00.001-04:002009-05-06T22:10:19.882-04:00

Okay, so these probably don't actually contribute to a balanced diet, but I'd like to think they do. I made these brownies yesterday for Cinco de Mayo. They are easily the richest brownies I've ever eaten. You can find the recipe here (Mexican Brownies), but if you're going to make it, I would suggest almost doubling the amount of cinnamon, using semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk

Janellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-18733507727890407802009-04-30T16:19:00.001-04:002009-04-30T16:19:31.778-04:00

I stepped outside yesterday to grab the mail, and saw these HOT pink azalea buds on the bush in front of my house.About the photo: adjusted color and contrast, saturated color a little, sharpened, and adjusted shadows so that pink was even brighter.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-63460283198337498182009-04-26T21:33:00.001-04:002009-04-26T21:33:37.455-04:00

They say that wisdom is applied knowledge. When I got married, I hadn't really done a lot of cooking on my own, but I found that it came naturally to me. I enjoyed cooking, and I really wanted to be one of those people who can cook by taste and smell. I'm not 100% there, but there are definitely some things I can do by taste. Ever since I started cooking regularly, it's really been easy for

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-61047437180326017402009-04-25T17:59:00.001-04:002009-04-25T18:45:26.395-04:00

Yesterday a friend and I took our kids to the zoo, and I took a ton of pictures while I was there. Enjoy!RhinosGiraffesA bald eagleReindeer (on a 76o day, they were still out!)CamelsGrizzly bearsPolar bear (way back in the back)SealsSiberian tigerChilean flamingos (the last one creeps me out a little...his eye looks at me funny)Koala bears (much uglier than I had been led to believe, and rather

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-21536898541105732112009-04-24T00:24:00.000-04:002009-04-24T00:46:54.007-04:00

I think that part of why my photos for the M24 challenge aren't great (or haven't been, anyway) is that I lack creativity. I haven't had a really good idea for a photo (with the exception of 'vintage') in quite some time. Here are a few other attempts at 'one':I actually like the calculator, but my initial idea for this challenge was to capture my daughter, so I started editing the photos of her

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-24038723228468629412009-04-24T00:18:00.001-04:002009-04-24T00:18:50.404-04:00

Wow, I had a really hard time with this one. You would think that I would have had something in mind already, since it was my challenge word, but I didn't. I ended up going with the obvious (for me) in the end, despite the numerous great ideas Rachel sent my way. This is my little ONE. She just turned ONE year old yesterday. She is my only ONE (so far). This was taken today during the ONE

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-53054451730403484192009-04-18T16:53:00.001-04:002009-04-18T16:53:26.033-04:00

I'm actually really satisfied with my picture this time. These cuff links were my great-grandfather's, the pearls and the book were his mother's. I took this picture mid-afternoon in natural lighting, no flash. I used the macro setting in manual mode on my camera. Then I went to work in Picasa. I adjusted the color, and the exposure, then used the "warmify" option to make it look a little

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-10774381563544525662009-04-16T21:45:00.000-04:002009-04-16T21:46:13.900-04:00

Okay, so I know that "red" was my own challenge word, but I really couldn't come up with anything I was satisfied with. Finally, while I was making dinner, taking pictures of tomatoes and peppers, I thought of my Netflix envelopes upstairs. I get really excited whenever I see these red envelopes in the mail, knowing that I've got something new to watch. Currently at home: the last two discs of

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-20505560809990455852009-04-12T21:51:00.001-04:002009-04-12T21:51:43.506-04:00

This is a super-close up shot of my daughter's Easter hat. She wouldn't leave it on, but my mother-in-law insisted that I let her buy it because it was so cute (it really is cute, and I do love it). Easter is (among other things) an excuse for little girls to get fancy new dresses, and I think it's a perfect day to wear a hat. I also kind-of think of Easter as a bit of a feminine holiday in

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-27178199113327541892009-04-10T23:42:00.000-04:002009-04-10T23:56:36.194-04:00

There turned out to be several that I liked, and I wanted to post them here anyway. I took pictures of some things around the house, but wasn't really satisfied with anything until I went out to work last night.About 8:00pm, after sunset. I saw this shot, and was reminded of my first favorite photographer, Ansel Adams. I actually took about six or seven snapshots of this scene, but none of

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-4287297740666328252009-04-10T23:41:00.000-04:002009-04-10T23:42:39.337-04:00

I had a really hard time with this challenge. I wanted to take a picture of something that looks like it should be black and white, and I couldn't find anything I really liked. I went to work tonight and took my camera with me, snapping stuff while I was out (even sitting at a stoplight through the front windshield). There was a meat truck sitting in the parking lot at my work, and I snapped a

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-49885609875075212122009-04-02T22:01:00.000-04:002009-04-02T22:02:13.485-04:00

This photo does double duty with this challenge. My true addiction is taking pictures of my daughter. Wanting to expand my horizons, I decided to take a picture of my daughter's addiction. She absolutely loves blueberries. They are her favorite food, bar none.About the photo: This photo is straight out of the camera, save a little cropping. No lighting or color corrections.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-27419899747517115932009-03-28T20:11:00.001-04:002009-03-28T20:38:25.127-04:00

My crocuses are in bloom. I like this little flower because of its simplicity. It just sits there, not looking ostentatious, but making the world a little brighter.About the photo: I used the macro setting on the camera, then used Picasa to edit the photo. I made it slightly soft focused, and then also used the "focal black and white" option to really make the flower pop. The editing wasn't very

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-29836119879740030012009-03-26T12:52:00.001-04:002009-03-26T13:03:16.416-04:00

I wanted to do something a little nerdier for this challenge, and I knew that I could. My husband is a statistician. This is a photo of a derivation he did for a homework assignment in grad school. Initially, I wanted to post it and say, "this is a picture of...literally...an abstract." But he said it's not actually an abstract. It's a derivation. Well, a proof, he clarified. But it uses

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-71218460455862524002009-03-22T21:47:00.000-04:002009-03-22T21:48:11.285-04:00

When we were house-hunting, the previous owners of the house we ended up buying were still living in it, furniture and all. I fell in love with the house. It was lived in, but it was full of life with all the colors on the walls. Every room was a different color. I grew up in a home with primarily white walls, so I'm not accustomed to bright colors. After we made our offer and flew back to

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-90300759874203913382009-03-18T09:46:00.001-04:002009-03-18T09:46:40.794-04:00

I definitely wanted to get this up quickly. It was the first thing I thought of as soon as I read the challenge word.My daughter is almost 11 months old, and I'm working on weaning her off of breastfeeding. My supply has been slowing diminishing for several months, but I've only been actively cutting back for a few weeks. Yesterday morning when I woke up, I was completely empty. The well had

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-86238022358498523912009-03-08T23:34:00.000-04:002009-03-08T23:35:12.131-04:00

I took several shots of one of my daughter's dresses that I absolutely love. It looks like the perfect little party dress. I took a couple of close up shots of the fabric and pattern, as well as a beautifully tied bow on the front of it. I ended up using Picasa to stack two of them again, and I just really like it. The dress looks like a party dress to me, and a party is cause for celebration

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-49847850017120913512009-03-05T15:45:00.001-05:002009-03-05T15:45:53.046-05:00

I'd had something else in mind when I saw this challenge, but I took my camera with me when I went to Sam's Club yesterday. I snapped a few photos in the warehouse, not particularly loving any of them. I started looking at them this afternoon, and this one eventually grew on me. I cropped it down to have only the Gain laundry detergent in it (which isn't even my brand), and then I just "auto

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-66197083984548062832009-03-01T14:56:00.001-05:002009-03-01T14:56:26.878-05:00

I almost feel sacrilegious posting something so flippant for this topic, but it's what I've got. This is the book I'm currently reading for my book group. I chose it, and I'm unbelievably excited to read it. I am feeling so nerdy. I chose it for "hero" because anyone who writes a book on the ill-fated consequences of poorly used punctuation is a hero in my book (get it? in my book?). Sorry.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-48359773081678994862009-02-26T23:08:00.001-05:002009-02-26T23:08:30.004-05:00

I think this one is pretty much self-explanatory.CC

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-78182287415265310052009-02-23T10:48:00.001-05:002009-02-23T14:03:03.532-05:00

I was a Strawberry Shortcake fanatic as a little girl. I also played with Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, and My Little Pony. Strawberry Shortcake was quite possibly my favorite. It's a toss-up with Rainbow Brite. Well, SS has made a comeback (as have all the others, except for Rainbow Brite, which I don't really like to talk about), but she's been re-vamped. She wearing blue

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-35019255647133599032009-02-19T23:48:00.001-05:002009-02-19T23:48:27.767-05:00

Actual time on the clock on my computer.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-54562103843343163862009-02-17T23:58:00.001-05:002009-02-18T00:00:18.599-05:00

(originally posted 2/14/09...click here for original, with comments)I wanted to do something a little different, or out-of-the-box for this topic. It wasn't too hard to come up with.This photo has in it the gifts that my husband and I gave each other for our wedding. I gave my husband the book, and he gave me a pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings. Truthfully, he was more excited about the

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-55989653324554432142009-02-17T23:57:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:58:43.301-05:00

(originally posted 2/8/09...click here for original, with comments)I may have cheated a little with this one. A little. I took advantage of Picasa's cool features to make this photo.The first photo was taken while my daughter was still in the hospital, last April. She was so tiny, four weeks early, and slept all the time (more than a normal newborn...we decided it was because she was still

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-64964379403856655772009-02-17T23:56:00.001-05:002009-02-17T23:57:37.858-05:00

(originally posted 2/4/09...click here for original, with comments)I read this challenge and was completely stumped. The only things I could think of are more routines than they are traditions. Then I found I needed to take a picture of something for my personal blog, and realized it would be (or could be) perfect for "tradition."I cross-stitched this for my daughter's nursery. I bought the

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-79921264647968988072009-02-17T23:55:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:56:31.650-05:00

(originally posted 2/1/09...click here for original, with comments)I had a hard time with this one. My initial idea was to take a picture of my daughter sleeping -- "sweet dreams." Too cliché. Then I thought I'd take a picture of my husband -- "dreamy." Too cheesy (plus he hates getting his picture taken). After that I was stuck. How could I take a picture of something I dream of when I

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-4149048059729834532009-02-17T23:53:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:55:11.165-05:00

(originally posted 1/28/09...click here for original, with comments)When I first read this particular challenge, I thought maybe I would actually figure out how to use the timer on my camera. But then I just became so annoyed at the idea of taking a picture of myself that I did this to get it over with. I don't mind having my picture taken, but self-portraits for me usually end up with the

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-19822399472097961522009-02-17T23:52:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:53:45.627-05:00

(originally posted 1/24/09...click here for original, with comments)So they say that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but we know better right? Tonight's dessert: the last brownie in the pan, with some Breyer's chocolate ice cream, and dark chocolate mint topping.I was first thinking I would take a picture of a stack of the quilts that my mom has made for me (there are four when you include my

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-44748072945354290122009-02-17T23:50:00.001-05:002009-02-18T00:04:50.583-05:00

(originally posted 1/21/09...click here for original, with comments)This is my daughter in the bathtub tonight. Tomorrow she will be nine months old. She's been sick all day today and yesterday, but you can't tell it from this picture.The "clean"liness of this picture is twofold. First is the obvious...bathtime, scrubbing, cleaning, bubbles, etc. The second part is a little deeper. My daughter

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-35542182135629228502009-02-17T23:48:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:50:28.154-05:00

(originally posted 1/16/09...click here for original, with comments)Hey everyone! My name is Janelle. I'm excited to be participating in this. I think it will be fun.This is my living room at the moment. Yes that a Christmas tree. Still. (Don't worry, it's fake...not too bad of a fire hazard). Yes, that's a television under the card table. It's broken, but it's too big to fit in my car to

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-14274209520800543902009-02-17T23:43:00.000-05:002009-02-18T00:06:31.732-05:00

This wasn't my idea, but I like it. A friend of mine last year took on Photojojo's picture-a-day-for-a-year challenge. This year she decided to do her own take on their new challenge. It's called "Mission 24." Basically, you get a prompt, a topic, and you have 24 hours to post a photo of your interpretation of that topic. She started a side blog with a bunch of friends contributing, and I

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-31634898577700441022009-01-07T23:02:00.000-05:002009-01-07T23:21:30.660-05:00

While I was in general disappointed with this exhibit, I did enjoy what was there. Does that make any sense? I wish there was more. I have a picture of almost everything there was.This is what you call a glass ceiling. Literally.My little daughter looking up at the ceiling, fascinated by all the colors and the light:This was called "Drawing Wall." I thought it was punnier to refer to it as

Janellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-13327292986302627072008-10-16T01:27:00.000-04:002008-10-16T01:31:44.886-04:00

I tend to focus a lot of my photography on the outdoors, as evidenced in this blog. This weekend I spent time with my in-laws, and took a few shots of my father-in-law's bike. You can see me (and a car) reflected in a few shots. My sister-in-law mentioned that they would look "really cool" without the reflections, but I like to think that the paint job and the chrome are just that good, even

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-5929954821342665432008-10-03T23:59:00.000-04:002008-10-04T00:08:40.925-04:00

'Tis the season for apple picking. I didn't pick these -- a couple of my friends did (I wimped out because of rain). I couldn't resist taking pictures of them anyway.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-69663821616369471072008-08-19T12:27:00.001-04:002008-08-19T12:28:36.759-04:00

I went camping this weekend, and we found this little guy at our campsite. He wasn't the only one.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-58885905291185999432008-08-06T19:50:00.000-04:002008-08-06T19:53:52.573-04:00

I've entered one of my photographs in a contest. I'm currently ranked 402/3904. The voting right now is done by viewers and is a popularity thing. However, the top 100 photos get judged by actual judges. Please help me get into the top 100!!Photo Shoot Out 2BrickfishIf you are a member of Brickfish, please log in before you vote...it carries more weight. Thanks!!

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-67178134056666590622008-07-22T21:32:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:35.562-05:00

I took these yesterday after coming back in from a walk. I'm not sure what kind of lily this pink one is, but it's very pretty.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-42270129016014076082008-06-25T21:30:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:35.655-05:00

I saw this bird in the tree in my front yard this morning. In trying to make sure I could actually capture it on film, I snapped this shot through the front window.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-3640768468856232052008-06-10T10:53:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:41.049-05:00

Having lived in six different states, I've had opportunities to capture many different vistas and sights on film. These are all at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The lighthouse is the Portland Head Light.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-74825022055949922692008-05-14T12:20:00.001-04:002008-12-10T21:15:44.475-05:00

My husband's sister got married in January. These are a few of the shots I took at the reception.The flowers were all daisies:The cake (it's small because all the food was a cookie bar...the cake was mostly for tradition's sake):The food:Gingerbread flower cookies:My sister-in-law can't eat chocolate, so her favorite candy is gummi bears:At the end of a long day at a family table:

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-37819428417304914652008-05-12T12:57:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:48.005-05:00

For Fourth of July last year, some friends and I spent the day at a beach on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Both of my friends had young children, one just over a year, one just under. They made great subjects on the other side of my camera.

Janellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-83259327161520088972008-05-11T09:09:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:52.292-05:00

Last Fall, we were able to travel to California to spend time with family. Ben's oldest brother was getting married, and we thought we'd take some time to visit my family, since I hadn't seen many of my cousins or aunts or uncles (especially on my dad's side) in many years. Two weeks before we were supposed to leave, my great-grandfather on my dad's side passed away. He had been my last surviving

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-43402599512341180252008-05-11T09:02:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:15:55.544-05:00

Last Summer Ben and I went to Boston with the youth in our ward at the time. It was the weekend after Fourth of July, and absolutely beautiful weather. We climbed to the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial (and that's not an easy task), and took a beautiful Boston Harbor cruise. Ben had been serving in the ward Young Men's Presidency for a few years, and this was a great way to spend his last hurrah

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-62877487381817891062008-05-09T13:14:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:16:01.847-05:00

Again, bear in mind that I take pictures for the beauty in them, not necessarily the significance of what's in front of me (hence, lots of pictures of flowers, trees, and wood, as opposed to the actual sites).Checkerboard pieces:Saws hanging on the wall:I think this looks like a moon rock:My other favorite from that day:I was disappointed that there weren't more tulips. This plant had the only

Janellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-70773170583559195052008-05-08T17:00:00.000-04:002008-12-10T21:16:05.828-05:00

I took my first trip out to Kirtland this week with my daughter and my mom. I took tons of pictures, some of which I will share here. These are just on the temple grounds, not at the historical sites.I find beauty in simple things, like this tiny ivy sprout at the base of a huge tree trunk.This is one of my favorites that I took that day.These were just some cool-looking slabs of some kind of

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037669131053811458.post-76685660023593705422008-05-08T16:16:00.001-04:002008-05-08T16:31:51.919-04:00

I have always loved to take pictures, but I've not always been good at it. I most enjoy photographing nature, landscapes, and architecture. I've never been great at capturing people on film. And even my good photos tend to all start looking the same after awhile. Some time ago, I came across a blog that someone had started, and called their "365 blog." The idea was to take one picture a day

Janellenoreply@blogger.com0