Dee's Photo Blog

Back to blogger??? I don't know!!!!

2012-01-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

2012....time for decisions and many are my list. The big decision will be on dropping the Mommy & Me Photography and going with my name for my photography business. It may be time to stir things up in regards to brand recognition. Too many detours with the name, Mommy & Me, and tired of the newbies out there taking the name. God forbid if there is another Denise Marie Olson out there in the world taking photos. If you are out there, please come forward now. Other items on my to do list are are simplifying and cleaning my cyber house. Just too many things to manage and I'm really having a hard time with WordPress right now due to the fact that I have to use a third party hosting site. $$$. My smugmug site will stay. It has been very faithful with my archiving and proofing since I've purchased SmugVault. Plus everything since the origination of my digital days are there. So expect a lot of hiccups with my cyber space adventure. This stuff doesn't come easy for me, but I need to learn. Through it all, expect little words, lots of photos.

~denise

Teacher Appreciation - Kid Project Freebie...

2010-05-03T12:35:00.000-04:00

Maddie, Jack Jack and I are working on our Teacher Appreciation projects. Inspired by the layout provided by Maddie's teachers at Quarry Lane Preschool, we created a layout in which the kids can paste one of their school photos to the layout as well. Simple, sweet, and a big show of appreciation for all of our teachers. Thank you teachers!!!!!

Teacher Appreciation Project Downloads...click HERE
we created a psd, a jpg, and a pdf version...

Happy Creating!!!

Playdate anyone???

2010-04-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

With the warm weather approaching, and for some us its already here, our little ones are begging to go to parks, the zoo, or just in our backyards to play, play, and play!! Playdates, and other spontaneous fun-filled adventures are a fun way to gain social interaction for our children. But have you ever been to the park, and your child makes friends with the other children... the other moms realize that you all get together more often, and you go to your purses rummaging through old receipts to use as paper to write down your contact information...only to realize that you don't have a pen either. Business people have business cards, high school seniors have 411 or rep cards....adults have calling cards...well, kids should have "mommy cards" {daddies too!!}...
These fun little cards are totally custom made. With this set, I had Tina Parker's - My Lil' Creations designing elements in mind from her adorable card sets, "Little Lady" and "Zack"....the inspiration is to create adorable little mommy cards, with matching cute greeting cards to announce the beginning of spring!!!

This is what I got a week ago.....

2010-01-01T13:59:00.000-05:00

The most cutest, thoughtful gift from one of my fav designers!!!

2009 Christmas Ornaments!!!

Thank you Luxecetera with my designing needs....totally looking forward to a creative year!!!

xoxo
-denise:)

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

Ready to be inspired this year???? Follow the Savvy Photographer for some great tips and ideas to grow your business this year....

The Savvy Photographer

-denise:)

Minted.com - Special offer through 11.23.2009

2009-11-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

10% off all Yearline™ Holiday Cards. Use coupon code YEARLINE. Through 11/23/09.

Click HERE to view your options and go shopping.....!!!

Will be working my mine later this week!!! Stay tuned!!

be inspired.....the Savvy Photographer

2009-10-20T19:15:00.000-04:00

The Savvy Photographer.

{Inspiration..revealed}

They are photographers~ they inspire~ they are inspired by others~ they are inspired by eachother~ they seek to learn... then create~ they are bound by a love of capturing moments through their lens...moments that will now last forever...

Find your inspiration~

Marsha Mifsud is the founder and editor of The Savvy Photographer and owner of Sweet Bliss Studios. She has spent over 12 years as a professional photographer and continues to be inspired each day.

I began following this blog about a month or two ago, and never has the inspiration been seized!! Ideas shared willingly, encouragement, and just overall greatness....

Subscribe and follow.....you'll be amazed!!!!

The Savvy Photographer

best friends forever...

2009-09-17T00:40:00.001-04:00

Several of my Zeta sisters from college went on a weekend retreat. My Zeta sis, Raquel, is also practicing her techniques in photography and asked me to "restore" and "add some of my magic" to a couple of photos that she took while on her adventure. This photo happens to be my favorite out of all the ones she sent me. Not only do all the ladies looked relaxed and posed ( I would too after a day's worth of spa treatment), but the composition overall was just fun!!!! While performing the edits on this photo, one technique after another, I decided to try Coffee Shoppe's polaroid emulsion transfer technique. Warning...I did not read the directions, nor did I get the action to successfully run; however, I'm not afraid to play and that is what I did. For all of you...follow the directions...I am the second time around!!! and I'm anxiously awaiting for the 70's polaroid that my dad has stashed in his closet. Not sure of the model, but hey, I still could have some fun with it!!!

In the meantime, ladies, enjoy one of your sneak peeks, and for the rest of you....head on over to the Coffee Shoppe. Rita is great!!! (I will note that Rita and I have A LOT in common....we were both science geeks that became moms that became photographers!!! Small world!!)

SOOC taken by Raquel (or other since Raquel is in the photo)

An attempt of doing a pseudo polaroid emulsion transfer. Yes, more work needs to be done, but the storyboard/canvas came out cute!!!

Fix It Friday #26

2009-08-28T13:11:00.000-04:00

This is my first time participating, but thought I would give it a try..

It's time for another Fix-It Friday here at I ♥ Faces!! This is our day to learn new photo editing tricks from our contributors as they explain how they “fixed-up” the special photo we gave them. The fun part is that we then all get to play along with the Fix-It ourselves!

We'd like to thank Jaclyn from The Polhamus Family for the beautiful photo we will be working with this week. Jacklyn is the SAHM of seven gorgeous children and the little gal in the photo she submitted is of one of her triplet daughters! We have appropriately named this photo "Beauty." :) ...

a link to iHeartFaces for more information on how you can participate too!!!

OK, now for the finished product...

The Original...

My Makeover...

used Jesh de Rox's Colorshift "weathered rock"....provides a wonderful bw conversion with purple duotones. so appropriate for a princess...
also applied Beth Armsheimer's textures...
created a little storyboard and applied Design Aglow's graffetti art..
and forgot to add...my little recipe of a tilt shift.

I wanna win a LensBaby!!!

2009-08-18T19:43:00.000-04:00

Jodi of MCP Actions has got a BIG contest going on and I really really wanna win this one. I'm tired of photoshoping this technique, man!!!! I want it out of camera!!! Hurry, you have until August 23rd!!!

Click below for details!!!!
Win a LensBaby!!

In the meantime, here is my photoshoped version of a "lensbaby"....not as good, but the real thing would seal the deal!!!!!

Here is pretty much SOOC. aperature between 5.5 - 8, iso 200-400 (I was changing the settings constantly while on the beach because we went from full sunlight to the open shades of the ocean caves...oooooo)

and here is adding the lens blur feature in photoshop (I sometimes also add a little bit of radial blur and motion blur depending on what it will look like )....along with some more blurring like gaussian blur...all utilizing as a mask over the background original. In this case I wanted to emphasize Meme and Maddie's hands....converted BW - in this case a straight desaturation, added LilyBlue's Sweet Water from her WaterPlay action set and then some lighting contrast adjustments, and some of Beth Armsheimer's textures {these are totally YUMMY!!!}..

now if I had a lensbaby, I would not have to go through all this work....and I would have tons of fun shooting!!!!

Highlights from Mommy's Blog

2009-08-18T13:41:00.000-04:00

I'm currently transitioning all my client, personal blogging to my "new" blog keeping this blog as reference for all photographers and enthusiasts!!! So to keep all my subscribers in the know, I'll post highligts from my other blogs. Stay tuned for a quickie on lens blurring. and yes, I do want lensbaby so that I don't have to do this all the time in photoshop!!!!

enjoy!!

The Beach...

Butterflies and Blessings...

A little blessing...

Just Because...

First week of Training camp...

Colorshifting....

2009-08-10T22:14:00.000-04:00

I've been following Jesh de Rox's work, well, since my serious beginning 3-4 years ago. So amazed by his inspiration and the expressions of his imagery. I did have the the honor to attend his workshop last August...one year from today to be exact, alongside Jose Villa, and many other gifted artists who came to be inspired by love. Recently, Jesh had released a wonderful tutorial on the "ingredients" of his Colorshift Action set. I had purchased this action moments after release last year and my creative adventures have never seized. Here is an example of my work using Jesh's Colorshift Actions and Textures (separately purchased).

Original:

Colorshift "memory of a friend", "a winter sun", "mountain air" and "soft as a peach" added with lots of adventure and exploration:

Colorshift {same as above} plus textures "moon landing" and "thousand and one"...again with lots of adventure, exploration and beyond....:

Colorshift "Evening" with some adventure:

Colorshift "evening" with a mix of "a winter son" and "memory of a friend" plus more exploration and beyond:

Visit JeshdeRox.com/ENLIGHTEN to get more information on Jesh's actions and textures.

enjoy and stay tuned for more of my post processing favs!!!!

Help, we've been Quarantined!!!!

2009-06-27T14:12:00.000-04:00

Sandy Puc created some awesome brushes and textures while quarantined in China for 7 days because of a passenger suspected with the Swine Flu while en route for her 3 week journey to China with her two children. One of the reasons for going to China was to do her daughter's senior portraits. Well, the series started at their lovely hotel in Shanghai. By all means it was no lap of luxury. The authentic grunge grouping includes, cigarette burned carpets, cracks in the walls, and filthy bathroom stains. They are available at www.samsworlduniversity.com and all of the proceeds will go to help orphans in China. These kids live like this everyday..... {Visit the Campus Store if your are not a member of Sam's University!!}

Used the following: The Quarantine Brush Set
Wall Stain 3 Texture
Fuse Box Texture
lch Designs, 20x20 sloppy borders

Poor Jack!! Yes, he did feel quarantined in his dragon outfit for Halloween this past year. I know that this would have been me if I were in Sam's place in China right now.

Hearts to you, Sam and your family!!!!

Happy Father's Day....

2009-06-21T19:12:00.000-04:00

I cannot say enough good things about Leah of Ich Designs. Visit her blog to see the wonderful template she has made for you photographers. Last year she did the same and it totally sparked my creativity!!! Using her Urban Girl Album template, some of her frames, and her "daddy" template, I created a stunning 30x30 piece of art that hangs in the entry way of our home. Gorgeous and just makes me smile everytime I walk past it. Happy Father's Day Keith!!! You're the best daddy ever!!!!

and of course, this is for this year...

The Cutest Blog on the Block

2009-06-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

Yeah I got it working....my signature and other little graphic stuff. I guess I'm learning html!!! YEAH!!!

A great gem of a site for blog redesign and cool tidbits. The Cutest Blog of the Block

SOOOOO Sorry.........

2009-06-12T18:56:00.000-04:00

I've been neglecting this poor blog for months...believe me when I say, I'm still in the month of April, LOL!!! I have started posting in my new photography blog.
Click HERE to go see!!!!!
So, will this blog be totally gone?....no. I may use it for a photographers reference, tidbits on the latest and greatest, how-tos, etc. In the meantime, please forgive me and go ahead and visit my new blog. I'm still fixing it up and making it pretty!!! Have a good weekend!!!

-denise:)

Mom Paparazzi...."take this mama!!!"

2009-03-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

I think we can all relate when doing a photo session of our own children.....

be ready for a transition...new blog almost done!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

2009-03-14T19:56:00.000-04:00

and for a FREEBIE!!!!....the "Sweet Clover" background paper and png brush of clovers.... clovers were taken in my backyard, and digitally enhanced in photoshop as brushes for my designing purposes.... ENJOY!!!
Terms of Use....just don't resell as is...make pretty creations, then sell your creation!!!! ... oh and leave some love... xoxo
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Salute!!!

"Sweet Clover" background paper
"Sweet Clover" png brush

Oh baby!! you so cute!!.....

2009-02-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

Remember Mary and Nana and their "puppy" Max Parker....I photographed their holiday/maternity session on Point Isabelle during her 8 month of pregnancy. And a month later, Baby Evie arrived...on the same day as my Maddie's birthday!!! and what a cute little muffin she is.... she keeps her mommy and daddy very busy with her wake times...as well, there was no sleep for this little one during our photoshoot. Between Max Parker wanting to kiss her (actually he just wanted keep licking the milk off of her little face), and my son Jack Jack bellowing from his room in the background we were able to acquire good documentary. So I got my baby fix, but can't wait to see her again...I'm bringing the pom pom hat again!!!

Designing / Prop Credits: Jessica Dittmer - InkPen Album pages and dandelion sketch; Design Aglow - Proofing actions; Pay It Forward Photography; lch designs - Wall Border Art; chocolate Puff Ball Hat - Kamieo's Custom Creations
; oops...and another addition: IttyBitty - Coutour Papers

Fellow Photographers....

2009-02-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

Mommy & Me Photography provides lifestyle portraiture and photography for families in Greater San Francisco Bay Area: maternity, birth, newborn, kids, families, seniors, and sports. If you’re not in the nearby area, shop around for photographers using this list. (To be added to this list, you must be a PT4P member and follow the instructions on the membership board.)

AU - Danielle Stahl Photography

AU - Images by Helen ~ The Blog

AU - Jackie Cooper Photography

AU - NFE Design

AU - Skye Rocket Studio

AU - Suze Photography

AL - Monica Carroll Photography & Design

AL - Whispers Photography

AK - Courtney Photography

AZ – Amanda Stephan Photography

AZ - Cherry Moon Photography

AZ - Jodi Davis Photography

AZ – Lovebugs Photography

AZ - Melissa Jackson Photography

AZ - Vision Photographs by Erica Velasco

AZ - Wendi Lee Photography

CA - Aaryn James Photography

CA - Amanda Prince Photography

CA-Crimson Chickadee Photography

CA - Deene Souza Photography

CA - Elaine Begley Photography

CA - Fusaro Photography

CA - Jen Slot Photography

CA - Kristen Elardo Photography

CA - Kristen Mintz Photography

CA- Kristine Andrews Photography

CA - Lisa Reilly Photography

CA - Mommy & Me Photography

CA - Sarah Lane Studios

CA - Studio JE

CA – Vida Photo & Design

CA - Whitney Hartmann Photography

CN - A Day In The Life Photography

CN - Belle Meinerz Photography

CN - Brandi Arndt Photography

CN - Crimson Chickadee Photography

CN - Deanna Hall Photography

CN - Sharon Verbeek Photography

CT - Crista Acosta Photography

DC – Eyes of a Child Photography

FL- Alison Waring Photography & Graphic Design

FL - Arielle Langhorne Photography

FL - Evelyn Laws Photography

FL - Joanna Weiss Photography

FL - Katherine Scruggs Photography

FL - Laurel Housden Photography

FL - Lori Barrett Photography

FL - Michelle Miranda Photography

FL - Nicole Z. Photography

FL - Suzie Seagraves Photography

GA - ebs photography

GA - Eclectic Photo

GA - Sara Wise Photography

HI - At Last Photography

HI - Latina Vega Photography

HI - Windwardskies Photography

IL - Artistic Attitude Photography

IL – Courtney Matevey Photography

IL - Kathryn Pierce Photography

IL - Lisa Vaughn Photography

IL - Lollipop Portraits Inc

IL - Roots Photography & Design

IN - FinnRose Photography

IN - Joni Streit Photography

IN - Simply for Memories ~ Portraits by Kimberly Smith

IR - Roberta Cotter Photography

KS - L. Hardin Portrait Design

KS – Brooke Jantz Photography

KS – Kami Brady Photography

KS - L. Hardin Portrait Design

KS - Tender Portraits

KY - Dragonfly Studios

KY - Priscilla Baierlein Photography

KY/TN - Sincere Photography

LA - Keri Lynn Photography

LA - MarianneL Photography

MD - Ashley Layfield Photography

MD - Eyes of a Child Photography

MI - anita j c photography

MI - Ann Gordon Photography

MI - Little Wonders Photography

MI - McDonald Photography

MI - Natalie B Photography

MI - Summer Lacey Photography

MI - Unscripted Moments Photography

MN - Glimpses of Soul Photography

MN - Regent Hill Designs

MO - Beth Berry Photography

MO - Cynthia Gullett Photography

MO - Heidi Drexler Photography

MO - Jessica Oatman Photography

NC - Kristi Hedberg Photography

NC - Nanine Hartzenbusch Photography

NC - A Thousand Words Photography

NE - Sara D Photography

NE-Teri Yover Photography

NJ - Garden Lane Photography

NJ – Life is a Highway Photography

NJ - Kim Schmidt Photography

NV - Uniquely U Photography

OH - Karin Knowland Photography

OH - Rae Mati Photography

OH – SL Photography

OK - Melissa Gray Photography

OK - Whitecotton Studio

OR – emily g photography

OR – Little Avocado Photography

OR - maricar lianne photography

OR - She Saw Things: Photography by Jen Downer

PA – Amy Ro Photography

PA - Angela Pursell Photography

PA - Artistic Moments by Beth

PA - Essential Imagery

PA - Kimberly Noel Photography

PA - Photography By O'Neil

PA - Riveting Edge Photography

PA - Sheila Y Photography

PA – Shannon Marie Photography

TN - Barbie Schwartz Photography

TN - Marianne Marshall Fine Art Photography

TN - Rebekan Pope Photography

TX - Angela Majerus Photography

TX - Christie Lacy Photography

TX - Claire Hill Photography

TX – Daisy Pearl Portraits

TX - Dena Shipley Photography

TX - Elizabeth Thacker Photography

TX - Erin Carlyle Photography

TX - Herd of Birdz photography

TX - J. Garza Expressions Photography

TX - J. Hintze Photography

TX - Kate L Photography

TX - Life's Images Photography

TX - MinnetteD photography

TX - Melissa Fullmer Photography

TX- Melissa Rodriguez Photography

TX - Natalie K Photography

TX - onelife photography & designs

TX - Pinkle Toes Photography

TX - Red Berry Photography

TX - Reflections of Life Photography

TX - Rhonda Duron Photography

TX - Sarah Anne Photography

TX - Sarah e. Evans Photography

TX - Sugar Shots Photography

TX - Three Hills Photography

TX - Tynan Photography

UK- Alexandra Joseph Photography

UK - Charis Photography

UK - Creative Divas/ ChryssyRaePhotography

UK - Freckles Photography

VA - Amy Sandoval Photography

VA - Angie Brement Photography

VA - Anna Metheny Photography

VA - Blue Sugar Photography

VA - d photography

VA - Erin Colleen Photography

VA - Ever After Visuals

VA - Imprints In Time

VA - Jess Williamson Photography

VA - Little Moon Photography

VA – SNL Photography

VA – Sugar Rush Photography

VE - Jeannette Chirinos Photography

WA - Ali Walker Photography

WA- Angie Penrose Photography

WA - Julie Lewis Portraits

WA - Luce Bella Photography

WA - Polka Dot Photography

WI - Britt Anderson Photography

WI - Funky Monkey Photography

WI - Hip Mama Photography

Create your packages using Wall Displays...

2009-02-20T18:31:00.001-05:00

"Home Devine - a display of Life's Art" is a collection of wall displays where my clients will be able to create their own packages. Here is an example of a wall display that was recently created...my client just received her photos, so I can't wait to see what it will look like in her home...

There will be many options for the wall displays...just prints, fine art velvet, fine art watercolor (coming this summer!!), custom framing, stretched canvas, and framed canvas... the possibilities are endless...

{Designing credits: Design Aglow, Pinkle Toes Photography, and little of my own personal touch!!}

enjoy!!
-denise:)

dandelion kisses.... COMING SOON!!!!

2009-02-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

In addition to my blog, which by the way, will be changing soon too, I'll be creating a newsletter called, "dandelion Kisses" exclusive for my clients!! As part of a survey that was sent out a few weeks ago, one of the notions mentioned was to send out notices via email to get notified of upcoming photography events. The first one will be due out in March!! Stay tuned!!....

Plus, I've been working on my "Mommy's Closet" site...This site will soon be the new site for archiving all of Mommy & Me Photography's galleries - sports and portraits, detailed creations, and personal memoirs...it will become a secured site to ensure the privacy of my clients and my family. In addition, as part of my pricing packages, digital negatives will be an option. And for the convenience of my customers, I will have those photos ready for you to print through my online gallery (with only select packages). Go ahead and visit: www.mommyandmephotography.com and visit, "Mommy's Closet".

A new website, splash page, and blog are in the making for Mommy & Me Photography with the help of Kim Townsend of Kimtown&Co. {http://www.kimtown.com} and designer, Jessica Dittmer {http://www.jessicadittmer.com}. Cannot wait to launch all the marvels!!!

And finally, my sports will have a separate home: http://www.sportsstylephotography.com
....and will feature news and athlete highlights!!!. The galleries and pricing information for Sports Style will currently remain within Mommy's Closet for direct ordering and viewing.

enjoy!!
dandelion kisses!!
-denise:)

{Designers Note: Thanks for the feedback everyone. A lot of people have been asking about the font title. It is called LD Cursive Flourish....currently on sale as part of a bundle on ScrapNFonts. This font was designed by Lettering Delights which provides the cutest fonts ever!! ...commercial license pending...}

New Logo!!!!!

2009-02-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

With the creative spirit of illustrative artist, Jessica Dittmer, my logo has been redesigned!!!! You can also see her splash design work on web guru's Kim Townsend's site: kimtown & co.. Both extraordinaires are helping me recreate and fine tune my look and biz design for Mommy & Me Photography. I'm so excited!!!!

{page insert from Jessica Dittmer's new design creation: "Ink Pen Elegant Book"...on sale for a limited time...just simply elegant!!}

A Tinker Party...dance of the fairies

2009-02-12T15:44:00.001-05:00

My little girl is now four years old. sigh...... and she is quite the girlie girl. She wanted fairies for her party, so thanks to the many of talented mommies who have already hosted fairy parties, I was able to create an enchanting environment for little miss moo. There will be lots of photos, but please do enjoy!!!
Kudos to two of my photographer friends who came to help document Maddie's wonderful day.
Barbara J. Yasuhara of Weddings 9-1-1 and Nancy Porfirio of Nancy Porfirio Photography. Thank you ladies!!! It was such a crazy day....

Games we played included a tinker fairy hunt...we hid little bird eggs, shells and glass stars through the yard to the kids to find; I purchased a tin of TinkerToys for the kids to build and use their imaginations; purchased wands and flags with sticky stickers and and colored pipe cleaners to make gifts to take home. And of course we had fairy dust {I was in charge} and sprinkled magic onto all the kids.

btw, when you buy a box of rolled fondant, shouldn't it be already rolled??? Good ol' Betty Crocker came through...and watch out for Jack jack...he loves cupcakes. He kept sneaking them at the party...but after his 4th one he threw up....gosh...other than that it was a BLAST of a day!!!

some of the details...

The menu:
"Potatoe crackers with sweet thistle dip" - potatoe chips and yummy sweet vidalian onion dip
"Fairy berries with fluffy cloud dip sprinkled with nutmeg" - strawberries and dip {fluffy marshmellow dip & whipped cream cheese}
"veggies & nuts" - carrot sticks and cocktail peanuts
"flower blossom cupcakes for candle wishers" - confetti white cake cupcakes with pink frosting with flowers and pixie dust {wiltons fine silver glitter)
"grilled turtle burgers" - little ground beef burgers
"hot dogs with cheese" - those little hot dogs in the cold meat section...so cute!!
Fufu Berry Soda {made by Jones - great stuff}
"dew" - water and Pelligrino
"mice milk" - just plain cow's milk...no we didn't milk any mice...

The entire yard was planted with flowers the morning before the party. Bought a load of silk flowers from Michaels...so gorgeous!!!
Toad stools - Lowes
Twinkle lights were displayed in the trees
A bower drapped over the kids dining table...well I pinned it up in fear of wreckage - Pottery Barn Kids
Kids table and chairs - Toys r Us
Table settings - a combo of Michaels and www.butterflycraze.com...the grass mats were the cutest darn things!!!
balloons - party city
Maddie's skirt and wings - www.chasingfireflies.com
arts and crafts - Michaels
Butterflies dangled from the trees - Pottery Barn Kids
the lady bugs and bumble bee were so cute - www.butterflycraze.com
dangling fairies - Pottery Barn Kids

The gift bags were the cutest things...
I got the idea from Chasing Fireflies and their "plant a garden" product....
I purchased dirt and put into little baggies, little moss pots, and flower seeds, and a jumping rope, and personalized fairy dust with instructions:

.

Designing credits: Vera Lim - Fairy Garden
Design aglow - proof border actions
lch Design - Wall Border Art

Thanks ladies!!!!

More of the party photos can be viewed in the following galleries:
Photos by Nancy Porfirio
Photos by Barbara J. Yasuhara
Photos by ME

The work of a young artist...

2009-02-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

Maddie never seizes to amaze me. She just turned 4 last weekend, and of course we threw her a huge Tinker Party....details coming hopefully over the weekend. Let's just say, I'm hiring a coordinating next time. whew that was a lot of work. But here is a another share of her art...{now, imagine this all over your walls.....}...

The face that makes my day..."the Maddie face"

2009-01-25T16:08:00.000-05:00

My lit'l girl's trademark happy face. I just love it and always warms my heart...

Part 1 of Maddie's Art....and here I thought sidewalk chalk was meant for the sidewalk???

Happy New Year...bringing in some MAGIC!!

2009-01-01T17:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!! Lots of ideas in store, new products to launch, and lots of magic!! Looking forward to 2009!!! Best wishes and go Penn State!!!

{elements by Vera Lim's Fairy Garden...just too cute!!}

Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-24T16:45:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Tina!!!

in the mood for a New Logo...{inspirations}

2008-12-23T16:23:00.000-05:00

I am totally inspired by all the great logos out there. [b] keeps me going man. Thank you!! I'm sitting here in dire need of a shower while the kids are sleeping and I had the greatest desire to create a brand for myself...a logo...a stance in the world of photography...and I think I'm getting really really close...what do you think?? (btw....big hugs to Stephanie...without her foliage vectors and dandelions, I would be without inspiration!!! and to Lena...I ljust LOVE pressing the GO button on these proofing borders...we need to talk about more of these!!!)..
These were photos taken while out and about in Walnut Creek looking for Santa....they opted for the water fountain instead of seeing Santa. My Kids!!! Figures!!!!

Happy Holidays!!

...the holidays as they should be celebrated...{my backyard}

2008-12-23T00:55:00.000-05:00

children know how to celebrate holidays...if for some chance you end up at a loss, witness a child, and it's OK to be a child again...it is the holidays:)

-enjoy!

(another page spread from my upcoming "Land of Wonder" album coming soon after the first of the year...)

Holiday Cards {my clients}

2008-12-19T12:18:00.001-05:00

Here is just a small sampling of the holiday cards that I've created for my clients this year. thank you and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

enjoy!!

Season's Greetings {home gallery}

2008-12-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

One of my goals this year (and within the upcoming months) is to create wall galleries within my "residential gallery". I work out of my home, and the front room of my home is my office (just wish it had doors to keep the kiddos and our bunny out!!!). In my family room, I have already a wall gallery featuring our family, and it has been 3 years since I updated the photos. So when I saw that Amanda Taylor (another fav designer of TaylorMade Designs) had a contest featuring Christmas traditions, I had to jump in. I guess my Christmas tradition is creating cool holiday cards, and portraits (and eating Christmas cookies). Using Amanda's new kit, "Shine-On" and some elements from the collaboration of her with Sue Cummings, "True Magic Christmas - Vol II", and Design Aglow's Designer Beautiful Mats, I created an entire wall gallery of my family for Christmas. All images were printed on linen metallic. Just Beautiful!!!

here is just a sampling of the mats that I've created....

enjoy!!

more of the Christmas Mats can be viewed HERE

the Olson Family Holiday photo shoot...{my backyard}

2008-12-07T02:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my photog friend, Nancy Porfirio, for doing our family photo session. With kids 3 and 2, the attempts of a group photo are 1 in 250....especially when you are near the water's edge. Can I just say that it was really nice not to feel the pressure of being behind the camera!!! But thank you, thank you, thank you, Nancy. I love 'em...and here is a quick peek...
hugs and kisses!!!

me & hubbie {isn't he the cutest thing??}

Jack Jack with the toy car that Nancy gave him to cheer him up:)

Jack Jack...so mystical

Maddie Moo with her Princess lipgloss that Nancy gave her for cooperating (btw, she did use it all up by the end of the day...she loved it!!)

fishy kisses....

Maddie Moo is the perfect candidate for a "trash the dress"session....

...had to bring out another fav action by Cari McIntyre of Purple Cow Graphics: Classic Mystic

___________________________________________________
To view more of the photos, visit my friends & family gallery HERE.

oh, why is being 2 so hard??? {families}

2008-12-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

I had another family holiday session a week ago with friends, and lit'l E wanted nothing to do with the lady holding the camera (me!!)...lollipops, bribes, throwing rocks....nothing made lit'l E happy. I even offered him my camera...no way. Even Curious George wasn't going to save the day...until mom offered him a brand new red matchbox car...however, the toystore was not in the woods. So we packed up our stuff and hurried to downtown to get the toy. We had about 15-20minutes of sun before it would it go down behind the ridge. So time was ticking...could I do it? Heck yeah, at 6 frames per second, we were going to get the shots. So near downtown, we stopped at one of E's favorite parks and voila....smiles everyone SMILES...that's all it takes is putting a child in their comfort zone (I guess the dirt path with deer, wild turkeys and rabbits was just not cutting it that day). So mom, dad, here is your peek. enjoy!!!

Before the little red car:

After the little red car:

We three....{tweens and teens}

2008-12-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

It is something about photographing kids that is sooo easy....they are easily amused, and these guys just kept me going....Steve being the oldest...totally laid back and every once in awhile caught that boyhood to manhood look...and Megan - telling me her whoas about being the middle child and catching that playfulness in her.. (mom, despite all we discussed prior to the photo session, I think you are going to love these shots of her - her smile is just beautiful), and then there is lit'l sis, Kendalyn...loves the camera, loves the center of attention and ooooh those freckles - too cute...what a joy to capture these moments for your holiday session!!! So as promised, a little sneak peek.... enjoy!!

it is all about Max (for now:) )...{expecting}

2008-11-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph our friends, Mary, Nana and their lit'l dog, Max at Point Isabelle last weekend. Congrats to Mary and Nana, who will be expecting the end of January. I cannot wait to see this little bundle of joy!!! and I think Max is a little excited too!! hugs and kisses to both of you and Max.....:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! {from my backyard}

2008-11-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

card design by Tina Parker of My lit' Creations.....

the attempts of a family photo session {my backyard}

2008-11-21T17:47:00.000-05:00

While my dad, from Minnesota, was visiting us during the Halloween weekend, I took the opportunity to generate a few photos for a fall family photo session. Got some cute outfits for the kids and I even put make up on...needless to say, my husband wanted nothing to do with all this, he just watched while playing darts drinking a nice cold one in the backyard....man, did I need a cold one after this....why oh why does it have to be this difficult.

here's to all my clients for making all of our photo sessions the best ever!!!! {thank you!!}

have a good weekend......

Happy Halloween!!! {my backyard}

2008-10-31T17:34:00.000-04:00

Photos coming soon!!! Naps are being taken awaiting the big scary night (of major sugar highs, that is!!!!)...be safe and "Trick or Treat"!!!!

Maddie was the Princess and Jack Jack was her fearless dragon. Needless to say, he was in no mood to fulfill his role....the custom was off in 5 minutes!!! But they had a blast...Jack jack even learned how to say "trick or treat" and mommy got to tour many of the houses (inside that is) in the neighborhood!!! Yes, Jack Jack was get his candy and then help himself into everyone's homes.

M&M's....the kind that melts your heart ... {kids}

2008-10-30T16:31:00.000-04:00

These boys are the sweetest things next to a one pound bag of M&M's.....both of their names start with M, so I just had to go with the M&M theme....but the moment that I walked into their front door to get ready for our shoot, Lit'l "M" runs up to me and gives me this big hug!! My heart melted...so so sweet. Lit'l "M" just adores his big brother....he calls him, "Bubba". So Lit'l "M" and Bubba wanted to go down by my "infamous creek" to play in the water and take photos. Little did they know that I would be making them truck up grassy hills just to get the perfect shot....was it worth it??? I think there may be tears of joy at Christmas...enjoy Aunt Shelly and Uncle Matt.....can't wait to go through the rest of the photos!!

The album spread below is a sneak peek of an album that I designed inspired by one of my favorite childrens clothing mags, "Olive Juice". I'll be releasing it soon...stay tuned....

These boys are the sweetest things next to a one pound bag of M&M's.....both of their names start with M, so I just had to go with the M&M theme....but the moment that I walked into their front door to get ready for our shoot, Lit'l "M" runs up to me and gives me this big hug!! My heart melted...so so sweet. Lit'l "M" just adores his big brother....he calls him, "Bubba". So Lit'l "M" and Bubba wanted to go down by my "infamous creek" to play in the water and take photos. Little did they know that I would be making them truck up grassy hills just to get the perfect shot....was it worth it??? I think there may be tears of joy at Christmas...enjoy Aunt Shelly and Uncle Matt.....can't wait to go through the rest of the photos!!

This album is a sneak peak of the album that I designed inspired by one of my favorite childrens clothing mags, "Olive Juice". I'll be releasing it soon...stay tuned....

Nanny's 90th Birthday {my backyard}

2008-10-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

My grandmother, also notably called, "Nanny" because her real name is Annabelle and her first grandchild was not able to call her either Annabelle, Granny, or Grandma, so Nanny became her name. This summer, I ventured back to my roots in southwestern Minnesota to visit all of my family.....huge, yes....we were Catholic and lived in farmland USA. I always tease my uncle and dad because the only reason for our existence was to pick rocks and weeds from the 100s of acres of farmland that we owned. It was great to see everyone again and to see everyone grown with more and more kids!!! Kids galore, can't wait to bring the camera next year...its a great way to practice kids in motion. Any who, the weekend started with Nanny's celebration at her assisted living home. Man, these people love their cake and coffee. The few that arrived early for Nanny's weekend, came to home to help serve and entertain all of Nanny's friends. I was particularly taken by one of Nanny's "male" friends who is over 100 years old and is still charming the ladies (I guess he has a girlfriend that is 20 years younger than him:)...one of the birthday wishes that Nanny wanted was to have everyone get together every year for her birthday...so be it. My uncle Butch still has his farm, so we all ventured to the small town of Milroy to celebrated Nanny's wishes....boy, I sure do miss the farm, and the kids love it. Wouldn't you....wide open spaces to just run, run and run...enjoy!!!
and I forgot to mention, that there were many others that were not able to attend...like I said, we are a huge family!!! ... 7 aunts and uncles....they all had 3-5 kids....that got married and had another 3-5 kids....the oldest great grandbaby being Sarah who graduated last year and youngest who was just born this summer. And more on the way, and more weddings to attend!!!

One more weekend left to book Holiday Photo Sessions... {clients}

2008-10-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

I have three more openings left for November (the week of November 12th). Contact me for details. Due to my son's senior football season, recruiting, and holiday family obligations, this week in November will be my last week for photo sessions this year. I'm accepting new photo sessions for the first of the year in full swing. Contact me for details and all the new goodies in store!!!

'tis the season...{families}

2008-10-27T21:46:00.001-04:00

I've known this lit'l girl way before she was born as a bump in her mother's tummy....now, she is blossoming into this lit'l girl full of curiosity and joy. A family so full of life and always on the go.........:) enjoy your sneak peek!!!

Holiday Cards {special creations}

2008-10-22T16:31:00.000-04:00

I've customized some holiday cards using bits n pieces from Tina Parker's collections of My Lil' Creations. So cute and her blank template collection for the holidays really allows your creativity go to town!! Thanks Tina!!!

Amazing finds around my home {my backyard..kitchen too!!}

2008-10-22T15:26:00.000-04:00

Back by popular demand are my infamous stone cookie pan textures....plus I've added a bunch of other textures taken just my walking with my head down and looking through my camera. Amazing what you'll find :)
I also wanted to create something spooky to hang up on my wall for Halloween....nothing is more scary than what my daughter digs up in the backyard....

I took my "web" texture (featured in "My Backyard" texture collection) and created the illusion of punching....added grunginess, golden flares, contrast, textures and came up with a piece of art that is spooky yet quite elegant in its own way. Enjoy the textures. Free to use whereever, just don't resell them. Thank you!!!!

Mommy & Me Textures (available for only a limited time!!)

Plus I'm getting creative with the use of Design Aglow's Proof and Album borders (see in my previous post as well). Soooo cool are they...lovin' em big time!!! BTW, ... yes, I was the Denise Olson that won $150 from Design Aglow and man did I go shoppin'!!! and then some:) My customers are going to be sooooo lucky!!!!

Those Baby Blues.....{families}

2008-10-20T17:23:00.000-04:00

Did one of my first holiday sessions this weekend with the most beautiful family. Baby Carter is just a lit'l ham, gorgeous blue eyes, the cutest smile and two teeth!! He is a very popular lit'l guy to my lit'l ones, Maddie and Jack Jack. He had his christening this weekend and relatives from far and wide came to witness and celebrate with this little man. So as promised, a small sneak peek.......

PS. Showing off my new logo design (thanks Kendra of Moonshot Girl for giving me the insight and pushing the design concept....I just LOVE dandelions!!!)...and a huge thanks to Stephanie Shimerdla, designer of photoshop brushes at www.obsidiandawn.com....without you, my dream logo would not be possible!!!)

Jack Jack Turns 2 {my backyard}

2008-10-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

My lit'l baby Jack Jack turned 2 late September and we had his birthday party 2 weekends ago. He had a blast and just loves Curious George....we had Jack Jackson playing in the background, grilled drumsticks of differing flavors, corn on the cob, cole slaw, baked beans and a cupcake cake in the form of an alligator with brite GREEN frosting!!! sooo so cool... the kids totally gravitated toward the green frosting. Needless to say, the output was totally gross for the next couple of days; but all in a days fun. Enjoy the photos. The entire album can be viewed HERE.
enjoy!!

BEWARE: Your going to see lots of sugar being consumed!!!

"Boo-Sessions" for Lit'l Ones & Family {Clients}

2008-10-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

In the next two weeks I'm offering special sessions for lit'l ones in their Halloween customs. For $75, you'll receive 10 printed proofs and a set (25 cards) of Halloween greeting cards. This offer is good for "Boo-sessions" on Tuesday - Thursday (9am - 1PM) only beginning October 14 through October 23. Book 'em now before the goblins come and play!! :O

{a special thank you to Tina Parker of My Lil' Creations!!}

To view the rest of the Lit'l Spookies Collection, click HERE.

Body of Lies ... {Seniors}

2008-10-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

Hire a babysitter, grab your girlfriends for preshow lemondrops, and head to the movies ladies!!!! Leonardo and Russel are back in action.... Body of Lies in theatres tonight!!!!

So so inspired by the trailer (OK, I just keep watching and watching...and getting hot flashes), that finally I had to whip my photoshop know how and to a side by side comparison of my son to Leonardo...WOW!!!!!

I kept going to get the look and I think I came pretty close....I just love how this storyboard turned out. I promise to share once I dissect the 30 some layers (oh my!!!)...stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy and drool!! :)

(photo of Leonardo DiCaprio by Warner Brothers..for display only)

Derrick's Full Senior photo gallery can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Happy Birthday, Nellie!! {my backyard}

2008-10-09T00:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my lit'l sister, Janell. Couldn't find any recent photos (because she did not go to Nanny's 90th birthday party - well within good reason though...she had to work), so these were better. I found some photos from her FIRST BIRTHDAY which occurred 30 some years ago:) What a cute chunk she was. Happy Birthday! Cheers!!

Love,
Keith, Denise, Derrick, Maddie and Jack

{these photos are part of my Dudgeon Family Album restoration project. more of the project in progress can be viewed HERE. the story about the project is featured in my blog HERE}

A Minnesota Thunderstorm {my backyard}

2008-10-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

While working very hard to get my personal stash of photos up to par, I was working on my trip to Minnesota taken this late summer. It was my grandmother's 90th birthday and almost every Aunt, Uncle and cousin and kids was present.....close to 50-75 people (that's immediate family!!!). Yes, we're farm raised(teasing my Uncle and Dad about the reason of our existence was for rock picking and pulling weeds from the bean and corn fields) and Catholic. But on one hot hot humid day, a thunderstorm started to develop. Looking above me while holding an ice cold Mojiito, and camera in hand I started taking photos instead of running for cover. You see, out here in Pleasanton, we haven't seen rain since March (well, we did have a small Pacific storm roll in last week, but that was a huge teaser...no thunder or lightning...darn). I just found the cloud formations stunning and amazing. Very relaxing and tranquil (except when an actually tornado develops...eeek...run for the cellar!!!) and yes, we did witness lots of rotation, but no funnels. Amazing. Enjoy the sneak peek....more photos of my Minnesota trip coming soon!!!

-denise:)

PS. I based one of my first layout designs from my GridIron Supremacy album by using this cloud formation as a brush and png file. Cool, huh? FREEBIES - go get 'em while they last!!!. Go check it out here: GridIron Supremacy FREEBIES 1

Pony Rides {my community}

2008-10-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

On September 14th, the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Foundation provided a day of festivities {the Firehouse Fling!!} in efforts to raise funds for the the new construction of the Firehouse Arts Center. My contribution to the organization was taking photos of all the kiddies riding ponies {provided by Tickle Me Pony Parties} and having the sales proceeds donated. With about 500 children riding the ponies within a 4 hour time frame and thousands of priceless smiles, the photos are finally completed and ready to view and purchase for all the moms and dads. (Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any ordering problems or questions: mommyandmephoto@sbcglobal.net)

The link to the "smiles" can be found here: Firehouse Fling Pony Rides
The link to the photo finishing options can be found here: Pony Ride Photo Finishing Touches
The link to the all the wonderful storyboards and button options can be found here: Storyboards and buttons

Thank you again, dear Debbie, for the wonderful opportunity!!! You've done an excellent job in the organization of this fun filled event!!

For more information about the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Foundation, please contact Debbie Look at dlook@pleasantonartsfoundation.org or call 925-846-1007.

Happy Birthday Jack Jack {my backyard}

2008-09-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

Not only is our wedding anniversary, it is also the 2nd birthday of our lit'l Jack Jack. He celebrated in style today doing his favorite....playing in the mud. And his special birthday dinner was a McDonald's Happy Meal. Happy Birthday baby boy!!!

Ok, some things just aren't right...Arial swim swims and a Cinderella purse??? And of course, Maddie has so much love to share...never ever a dull moment in the Olson household.

-enjoy!!!

Happy Anniversary {my backyard}

2008-09-25T11:42:00.000-04:00

Today is our wedding anniversary.....it was on this day years ago that we declared our love for each other to cherish forever. Happy Anniversary sweets!! I love you!!!

Off to Pittsburgh for the weekend... {sports style}

2008-09-18T00:58:00.000-04:00

leaving on a jet plane to go see my son, Derrick play some football and visit his first college for recruiting. You can visit my Sports Blog for his play by play and updates. until I return, have a good one. and for those inquiring about the pony rides....all I can say is all 500 kids that were photographed that day were absolute HAMS!! oh my gosh.....all of them posed in their own lit'l ways and the expressions...timeless. Thanks Debbie for the opportunity to participate in the Firehouse Fling!!! Pictures to be posted end of next week. gotta wonderful farmer's tan out of it too :)

have a good weekend!!!

Firehouse Fling... {community}

2008-09-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

You can visit their website for more details about the new center:
Pleasanton Center of Arts Foundation

This weekend I'll have the fun task of taking photos of kids riding ponies!!!! hey, I am "mommy & me", right??? Our local community will be hosting a carnival of events to raise monies for the development of a new arts center where the old Pleasanton firehouse used to be. See flyer above for details!! All photos taken by me will be for sale and the proceeds will go toward the Firehouse Center of Arts!!! Hope to see you all there (if you live in Pleasanton, that is :)

-denise:)

"Fiori di Zucca Rupieni"...{my backyard}

2008-09-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

My neighbor Liz introduced me to the most addicting appetizer ever. It is called, "stuffed zucchini blossoms" and man are they yummy. Both of us are so addicted to frying this blossom that it is getting so hard to pass blossoms of gardens and not pick them. We keep experimenting with the recipe coming up with new stuffings, and of course the wine list is just growing on what to drink with this scrumptous delight. Here is the standard recipe made by Napa's Trattoria Grapppolo - Simple Recipes for Traditional Italian Cuisine by Leonardo Curti & James O. Fraioli. enjoy!!!

{click on recipe to view larger}

a family that plays..... {families}

2008-09-04T17:10:00.000-04:00

oh what a joy it was capturing this family's moments. Kudos to Mom & Dad for putting their trust in me....bringing back the times :) thank you so much!! Well, with out further delay, here is peek of some photos from your session.

enjoy!!

{and to the photo with Mom & Dad, Jesh de Rox helped on this one. thanks for the workshop and inspiration Jesh!!!! I may not do weddings, but I love bringing back that blissful feeling in my sessions!!!}

Dreams of being a Princess... {my backyard}

2008-09-04T12:57:00.000-04:00

Lit'l Miss Maddie Moo loves playing princess, and of course at the ripe ol' age of three she really thinks she is "Princess". So, we always pick out our Halloween customs early in the Olson household and she picked out this princess dress from the Chasing Fireflies catalog. Love this store...not only for the clothes but for the photographic ideas!!! Gorgeous....of course Jack Jack will be her ever beholder, the fearful dragon. So, no problem.......well, the price was $$$....come on now, $68 for a playdress. Sorry Maddie. I think your Cinderella dress will do just fine. But last week, I had my 10% Target card that had to be used before it expired and by golly in the toy alley I saw her dress!!!!! and for half the price. I grabbed it, along with the crown, the wand, the shoes......oh did I mention that there were other dresses too that I grabbed. What the hey, photo props!!!! I grabbed 4 styles, so now we have about 10 different princess dresses in Maddie's closet (thanks to Meme for contributing too - and boy she wears those religiously and even shares with her friend, Katie). Just can't get enough!!!

-enjoy!!

PS. Moms with lit'l girls, get your dresses fast....Moms like me are buying like crazy!! :)

berry pick'n with Alex {friends & family}

2008-09-03T11:45:00.000-04:00

In July, right before his 4th birthday, I wanted to take Alex down to one of my favorite locations down by the creek near downtown Pleasanton. On the dirt path toward the creek's clearing is this wonderful sitting "tree"... a tree blown down by past storms. So lovely, so tranquil and a perfect spot for family photos. Well, on the trunk, are carved-in words of kids' names and phrases. And behold, one of the names carved was, "Alex". So we now call the tree, "Alex's Tree". Here are just a few photos of this cute lit'l button nearing the age of 4. BTW, he is also Maddie's boyfriend (for now anyway, until she sees Nathan, the other boyfriend, lol!)

enjoy!!
-denise:)

the best dad... {families}

2008-08-29T02:47:00.000-04:00

here is a sneak peak of a family I captured during a hiking adventure in the Sunol Regional Wilderness. What fun it was....full of gorgeous scenery and laughter. Could not have asked for anything better. oh, by the way, have you heard of snipe hunting????? [the boys got me on this one, lol!!]

enjoy!!
-denise:)

Derrick {class of 2009}

2008-08-21T18:54:00.001-04:00

A sneak peak of Derrick's Senior photos. What a handsome guy, huh? That's my baby boy!!!!
Love you!!!

-mom:)

For those that just can't enough of this handsome guy, his images can be viewed in my galleries. Enjoy!!

Senior Portraits
Family & Friends - Derrick {class of 2009)

Mini Sessions {holiday greeting cards}

2008-08-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

{click on photo to view larger}
A small sneak peak of the new collections can be viewed here.
A special thanks to Jamie Schultz, Tina Parker, Designers Digitals, lch Design and many others!!!

Visiting Meme and Grampy.....

2008-08-13T15:50:00.000-04:00

Travels and lots of travels this summer. Our first trip this summer was visiting Meme and Grampy in MA. The kids went crazy with buddy the dog, eating raspberries, swimming at Aunt "Feather's" house, playing at Rye Beach with the cousins, and mommy and daddy getting a way for a night in Portsmouth, NH. The weather was great and all was joyful. But please don't ask about the plane ride home. Let's just say that our portable DVD player died 1 hour into the flight, and the kids did not feel like napping. Oh, it was a Boston to San Francisco flight. Just glad we are home. :) enjoy!!!

I've been featured in lch Design....

2008-07-31T11:42:00.000-04:00

I sit here thinking about how I found Leah, at lch Design. It could have been through the ILP forum, but regardless, I found her in January of this year and have been totally blessed by her designs!! and in awe of her photography!!! Her designs are timeless, whimsical, edgy, and elegant....providing photographers like me the time to be creative with our portraiture; providing my clients with fine art pieces that they will cherish forever. Thank you, Leah, for all your creative efforts!!

And for those interested in lch Design by Leah, today is the last day that she'll be offering a $5 coupon for her designs just for subscribing to her design blog. So go take a visit, have a look around and tell her I sent you :)

{template from lch Design's "Valentine's Day/Love" Card Collection}
{her design website: lch Photography & Design}

hugs & kisses-
-denise:)

Time to ReBuild.....

2008-07-24T14:56:00.001-04:00

I'm rebuilding and finding "me" time. With the help of Jerry R, I'm planning on transforming my website from a smugmugish look to a more "me" look!!! Jerry has been very patient with me because I'm gone all the time doing my "me" stuff, but plan on something different by year end!! Thanks Jerry!! Yes, I've looked at Flash Palette and Blu Domain, but my wine cellar will run dry if I keep trying to figure out html and all that other stuff. I also have a very hard time choosing my own photos for portfolios (poor Jesh is still waiting for his for the workshop that I'm attending...it's coming I promise!!!). So if you find any favorites, give me a shoot!!

My "me" time started last week by visiting family in Groton, MA. Gorgeous weather and the kids had a blast (photos to come soon!!)...now I'm getting ready to venture to by God West Virginia to visit my son, Derrick to do his Senior Photos. Cannot wait. He will be totally sick of the camera by the time we are done. Then I fly to Minnesota to visit my grandma, Nanny, for her 90th birthday!!! What a wonderful lady and always gave me the best advice. I cannot wait to see her...in addition to the hundreds of other family members that will be meeting there too. And the fun doesn't stop....once I return to the Bay Area, I'll get to hang out with Jesh de Rox and Jose Villa for Jesh's Life (as an artform) workshop. So I'm diligently preparing for my mentor sessions, yet my mind is racing with tons of ideas....where do I begin????

Life is good....take advantage of the good moments so that the bad moments really won't feel that bad. :)

-enjoy!!!

Creating Photoshop Brushes....{creations}

2008-07-09T14:11:00.000-04:00

Currently working my children's baby albums (just a few years behind), and it came to my attention, that 1. I forgot where I put all of their keepsakes, and 2. poor Jack Jack has no foot or hand prints. Gosh, I'm so bummed...but I have to get over this sadness, because things are there, just misplaced for now :)
I've been creating baby albums of my kids and for a couple of clients using album templates from Jamie Schultz Designs and from Tina Parker of My Lil' Creations, and with these, I wanted to add personal touches of my baby's feet and hands, as well as scanned images of the ultrasound photos so that these lil' memories will be cherished forever. My final books are being printed through Asuka, but I did not want to "ink" up my pages with my smudged babies hands and feet. So this is where you as a photographer can create your custom brushes for your clients.

First of all, go to Michaels and get the washable safe printing/stamping black ink. Your baby will hate it, but Mommy will love the end result!!! Stamp the baby's feet and hands onto white paper. You've already established the black/white contrast, so now you can do a little less in Photoshop.

Scan your prints at 300-600dpi and save the image as a jpeg.

Load your image into Photoshop (this will work in Photoshop Elements, too!!!). If all you had was colored ink with white paper...that is OK. Just convert your image to black and white; with an image like this all you need to do is select your saturation layer and desaturate by moving the saturation slider all the way to the left (flatten the image or merge your layer if you do this step). Add a little contrast to boost the sharpness if needed.

Now that you have your BW image, we will need to extract your custom brush. Select your Polygonal Lasso Tool and draw around one of the objects.

In my example, I drew around Maddie's right foot (oops, my right...it is actually left, sorry).
Now go to: Edit > Define brush... It will pop up a window showing properties of your
new brush. Enter name and click OK.

Now go to the brush tool and pull down your brush menu. Viola....there's the little foot.

When there are more brushes on the list you would like to keep, save them as a brush library
(or set). Choose Brushes > Save brushes..., enter name, save and you're done :)

reference tutorial: Creating and Using Brushes in Photoshop by In Obscuro

And here's an example of the finished product using Tina's Sugar & Spice Baby Album Template.

Load the psd file that she provides. In your layers palette, create a new layer right above the layer called, "block for footprints". Choose your color...I chose the chocolate color that she provided around the template's edging. Select your brush and stamp that cute lil' foot onto the layer. To stamp the other foot, I would recommend creating another new layer. I then used the transform tool for each "footie" layer to either straighten or to make it a more realistic stamping. And there you go.

enjoy!!
-denise:)

a family is forever... {families}

2008-07-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

Been working on some reprints for this wonderful gorgeous family today. My hubbie went to school with the hubbie in the photo...frat brothers...at Carnegie Mellon, and mom graduated the top of her class with a Pharm.D from the University of Pittsburgh. They have three beautiful daughters that are just busy busy busy, and always on the go. I love their look...barefoot in pretty dresses. Loved it. It made perfect photos for that day. Thanks Julie & Dave!!!!

designing elements from lch Design (link in vendor section of my blog:).

Just, "Simply Canvas".....

2008-07-07T20:46:00.000-04:00

For those that remember a few weeks ago, I made my hubbie a Father's Day gift out of canvas. Using a page from Leah's,of lch Design, Senior Urban Girl Album Collection and her Father's Day Template, I constructed the basis of my colors that were painted throughout my home. The piece that I decided to go with was the canvas gallery wrap within a floating frame from Simply Canvas. Oh my, it came out gorgeous!! A stunning 30x30 piece fitted perfectly so.....
These gallery wraps along with velvet printed portraits will be part of my new line of fine art portraiture that I'll be providing for my customers. Elegant, just simply elegant with so much sophistication...

{the overall look of fine art portraiture}

{sideview}

{closeup showing texture and sharpness - sorry this was not taken with a macro:(}

{closeup of frame and how the canvas is inserted within to give the look of "floating"}

{close up to show texture}

Enjoy!!
-denise:)

.

Winners of the Alameda County Fair.....

2008-07-06T12:03:00.001-04:00

Went to the fair on the 4th of July to get my corn dog fix...a couple of maragheritas, and a huge cupcake!!! Yummy. But also to view the other winners of the Photograhy contest.....It was neat to get my name published!!! Yeah..... There were a lot of great photographs, so cheers to everyone that participated....

And here are the winners:

Look under the Honorable Mention, and I'm down there.... :)

Judging this year was: Donald James Cameron, Maxwell Crumley, and John McNamara. Thank you!!!

.....and spent the rest of the time at the horse races....LOST!! every race :( oh well, ....last year I won every race including the races at Hollywood Downs!! So, can't be a winner all the time!!!!

No more sessions after August 31st.....

2008-07-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

Due to personal circumstances I will not be taking any sessions after August 31st. I plan on resuming business after the first of the year. For all those with current sessions booked or in process, your sessions will be fulfilled. As well all order processing will continue. For current customers with previous sessions, I ask that you fulfill your orders by this time. Thank you!!!!

My free lance sports photography business will continue :) So let me know if you have little ones in need of getting their action captured!!

-denise:)

Additional Comments: Alright, a lot of questions have rose as a result of this post. Sorry everyone!! No, business is not shutting down. I promise. As a mother pursuing a photography career full time, we become faced with a lot of balancing acts. And I for one will admit that, I, am no "superMOM". With the upcoming Senior year and my son's football season beginning, I need to take the time to devote my wonderful talents on him!!! and to provide the needed wife and mommy time to my hubbie and little ones. I'll be traveling a lot to West Virginia this fall to do his senior photos, to capture his last high school football season, and all that other stuff that "this is my last year high school" routine brings. Also, I'll be needing to help him and his dad in the recruiting process (of course his dad will be doing the football thing, and I need to make sure that the school is academically sound, if you know what I mean??? making sure that this is not going to be a Paid 4 year vacation.) So, I just need to step back to ensure that my family is being taken care. In the meantime, I'll be brewing up some awesome products for my customers, and ideas for all my photographer friends. Stay tuned, keep in touch, I will still be posting business as usual. Thanks for all the kind words and support. Sooooo appreciated!!!

Hugs~
-denise:)

Do the Lightroom Challenge......

2008-07-02T17:28:00.001-04:00

This week, I hosted the Lightroom/ACR Challenge over at the Photoshop Creative Elements forum. The rules are that you can only use Lightroom or ACR for the images, with the exception of Noiseware, cropping and sharpening. I know, you can do these too in those applications, but I don't like to use them in Lightoom. Soooo,
Here are my three images that I chose for the challenge.....

And this is what I came up with:

So come on over and give it a try!!!

You can also visit my gallery to view more variations of these images. Of course I am one that cannot stop with just using Lightroom :)

The Olson Family June 2008

Lightroom Presets that I like to use:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips by Matt
Nichole Van RAW Presets
LilyBlue RAW Presets
Cottage Industry Lightroom Presets by Kim Sayre of Mill Cottage Photography
Ashalee & Sweet Lightroom Presets

Golden Gate School ....what a blast!!!

2008-06-30T09:55:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had the honor to be amongst seasoned professionals. I attended the beautiful, Jennifer Wilson's class on capturing Kids & Families at the Golden Gate School of Professional Photography. She was assisted by the lovely, Lisa Maksoudian , and our class of wonderful wonderful photographers. Needless to say, many moments were made and many smiles were captured. The essence of childhood stood still in time on photo, yet moved with such emotion. That is what Jen taught us..... capturing those moments in time....moments that can be seen again and again by storytelling with our cameras. The love, the joy, the fun, the laughter, the play......the innocence and the life as portrayed through the eyes of a child. "Be the child", she would say. "Talk like the child", "Play like the child", "Be as tall as the child" and those moments will be captured. Forever....

Thank you, Jen!!!! You've inspired me greatly......

(if you see Ken, yell, "Periwinkle"!!!!)

The attempts of a new look....

2008-06-19T18:07:00.000-04:00

I know for some of you, this is change #5, but I really needed something different and something that represented more of me. Some color variations and font types will be changing over the next month. Thank you InfoCreek for your help!!! I also needed more practice with CSS and html (however, I should be spending my free time with my camera!! LOL.) Enjoy!!

For my subscribers, I'm testing to see if you still receive updates, otherwise I'm going to have to reinvent the wheel for my subscribers list!! Thanks for visiting and for your loyalty.

-denise:)

Derrick's (Pre) Senior Photo Shoot {Seniors}

2008-06-17T12:34:00.000-04:00

While Derrick was here in March, we went out to the Thomas Coyne Winery (thanks Emily and Thomas!!) to do some urban shots for my senior studio samples. The photo shoot took place at high noon (which is not a photographer's favorite), but we had to work around the lit'l kids school schedule. Can you image Maddie & Jack Jack running around this winery? They would go nuts!!! I would go nuts!!! And Derrick was a complete trooper...immediately after his flight from Pittsburgh, we did the shoot. We were tired and hungry, but finished off with a double double In-n-Out burger and fries.

More senior photos coming....featuring my "urban girl"....

Feel free to view the entire gallery on my website.

Derrick's Senior Photos

Derrick's Senior Album Vol. 1 - Urban Boy designed by Ich Design

My Little Inspiring Photographer {family}

2008-06-15T13:26:00.001-04:00

While visiting the beach at the end of May, my daughter wanted to take some pictures....as you can see, she did a wonderful job and she's only 3!!!

A father.... {family}

2008-06-15T12:14:00.000-04:00

(Inspirational quote slightly modified from Enid Bagnold)
"A father is always making his babies into little men and women. And when they grow up, he turns them back again."

Happy Father's Day!!!

A Beautiful Collage.....

2008-06-13T17:33:00.000-04:00

Tina Parker of My Lit'l Creations created this wonderful lit'l template...for my client, I added Tina's antique frame and papers from her "Sweet n Shabby" paper collection. To coordinate with this collage that I made for this baby girl, I made matching birth announcements, also from Tina's "Sweet n Shabby" birth announcement collection. Soooo cute!!

Welcome to the world baby girl!!!

The County Fair.....

2008-06-13T10:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I entered my first photography contest at the Alameda County Fair, and out of the four entries submitted, two were accepted and one took Honorable Mention. I think the hardest part for me when entering contests, is choosing the photo. Looking at the photos submitted I wish I would have entered a BW photo (since they are my favorite) oh well, better luck next year. Here are my entries. Enjoy!!!

"The Water Sprite" - Honorable Mention in Photo Manipulation Category
20x30 printed on fine art velvet (this came out gorgeous!!)

"Pitching Kisses" - Accepted
16x20, lustre coated

....and my two that were not accepted

"Bees Eye View" - yes, Bettie, I thought of you!! :)
...if you look at the larger version of this photo, there is a bee in front of my daughter's head....
24x36 canvas gallery wrap - for sale (if interested contact me)

"Last of the Mustard Fields"
24x36 canvas gallery wrap - for sale (if interested contact me)

Don't forget Dad {for clients & photographers}

2008-06-04T22:30:00.000-04:00

don't forget Dad next weekend. Leah, from ICH Design made a wonderful "daddy" template. Featured here using all of her designs (her father's day template, a page from her Urban Senior Girl, and use of her textures) I'll be making a 20x20 gallery wrap (correction, I decided to make a 30x30 floating canvas frame !!!) to give to my wonderful loving husband...let me know if I can help you make your Father's Day Gift, too.

Father's Day Promo - Click Here

Enjoy!!
-denise :)

Beautiful Mrs. Jen {Expecting}

2008-06-04T16:37:00.000-04:00

First of all, a big thank you to Jen for giving me the opportunity to document your lasting days of maternity. Stunning, gorgeous and due next week!! I was sharing my story with her about how Sandy Puc' demonstrated a maternity shot at one of her seminars. For the photographers that attended her seminars, she is a hoot and boy can she talk. But in the demo, she had wrapped the pregnant model in black gauze like a mermaid. The poor model could not move.....all the while I'm wrapping Jen up ensuring her that I wasn't going to do that to her. oops....I did. And Jen did great. Although I think her favorite poses were the relaxing ones while lying on the couch. Do you blame her???? Again, many thanks....lots of well wishes and many blessings for that lit'l one soon to join you and your family.

Enjoy!!
-denise

Beautiful Baby Bella!!! {Newborn Series}

2008-06-03T00:14:00.001-04:00

Had the opportunity to capture images of the most beautiful baby girl. She was only 3 weeks old. What a little bunny....Thank you, Mom, for the wonderful opportunity.... and big brother....you were a good boy!!!

Enjoy!!
-denise

Sports Style Albums.....{Sports Style}

2008-05-28T14:12:00.000-04:00

Nothing is more rewarding than a completed project.....well almost... I still have games to edit, but my creative juices were flowing and wanted to create an album to represent girl's softball. So many more pages could have been added to the album (which is an option) but had to stop at 20....

So, I could not just stop at the ordinary sports photo.....I needed to take it out of the ordinary and add some artistic touches....just can't help myself....so in my example album, many of the photos were artistically done using textures from Jesh de Rox... in addition the backgrounds were designed by me also using Jesh's texture with several different blending modes.. some of the embellishments added were from designers Stephanie Shimerdla and Vera Lim. The quotes came from everywhere and anywhere....even just listening to the girls on the sidelines!!! So enjoy!! Spread the word....

For purchasing information, click on the link below:
PlayBall!! Album Template

The poem reads:
She is Just A Little Girl

She stands at the plate,
with her heart pounding fast.
The bases are loaded,
the die has been cast.

Mom and Dad cannot help her,
she stands all alone.
A hit at this moment,
would send the team home.

The ball meets the plate,
she swings and she misses.
There's a groan from the crowd,
with some boos and some hisses.

A thoughtless voice cries,
strike out the bum.
Tears fill her eyes,
the game's no longer fun.

So open your heart
and give her a break.
For it's moments like this,
a woman you can make.

Please keep this in mind,
when you hear someone forget.
She is just a little girl,
and not a woman yet.

My Kids Love Me!!! {for clients & photographers}

2008-05-13T15:52:00.000-04:00

Just a card a threw together with a recent photo of all my kids. Michelle Kilander of Heirloom Photography has been providing weekly freebies of her template collection since the beginning of year. They are featured in her blog every Monday. Catch 'em quick, they don't stay long. I do have her ProCollection, and this card is a "mommy & me" modified version of one of her templates (with the help of Pioneer Woman, lch designs too). For Mommy & Me Clients, I do have a "I love daddy" card just like this one. Something to think about for father's day.

And speaking of Father's Day....
From now through Father's Day, all my photo session prices are 1/2 off. Plus, get any size gallery wrapped canvas for 25% off my retail prices. I can make 'em as small as 8x8 or as big as 60x100; a single picture can be displayed as mosaic tiles, or the gallery wrap can be featured in a floating frame. Contact me
for a session or a quote.

Welcoming Baby "J" to the World {newborn series}

2008-05-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

The first baby of my Newborn Series, Baby "J". Cute as a button and the best model. I could not have asked for anything more. Thanks to Baby "J"'s mommy & daddy for allowing this shooting opportunity.

Maddie says "Thank You"

2008-05-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here is a "thank you" card that I made for Maddie's guest from her 3rd Birthday. The designing elements are from Nancy Kubo from her "So Sweet" Collection. So appropriate for my lit'l Miss Maddie Moo. And note, her new signature smiley face. Loving it. It is all over our backyard with sidewalk chalk. Enjoy!!!

A photo shoot taken at Augustin Bernal Park

2008-05-07T23:06:00.000-04:00

A wonderful family...we went hiking, took some shots, then finished off the shoot with a picnic and hot cocoa. This was my last shoot from last year just before Christmas...
Enjoy!!

Oh, some vintage that I really really like!!!

2008-05-07T13:38:00.000-04:00

Maddie walking on the Sycamore Valley Trail in Livermore...barefoot no less......

While "lurking" through the ILP forum yesterday, I stumbled across some gorgeous converted vintage photos (thread called, "Princess in the Forest") by Olivia Navarro. She used a vintage action developed by the Pioneer Woman . An incredible woman, by all means. I couldn't stop reading through her website. So full of information, insight, ideas, and aspirations. How does she do it???? (I guess I have to finish reading my book below, huh?) Her name is Ree, and she is a self taught Photoshop user and photographer. Her tutorials and tidbits are easy to digest, her actions just amaze me. Give 'em a try...stop by and say, "hi".

I was a really Good Mom before I had Kids........

2008-05-05T12:04:00.000-04:00

......reinventing modern motherhood. Well, yes..... I picked up this book the other day by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Noble,
because the title caught my eye and fitted the description of myself, as a mother.....
because there was a picture of a cupcake on the front page (I am a complete cupcakeaholic), and
because I read the back cover and it read, "You need this book if......
1. you consider going to the dentist your special "alone time" - I thought, heck yeah, I love seeing my dentist
2. you're competitive about winning Chutes and Ladders - well, in our house it's Candy Land and riding tricycles
3. you reflexively refer to the bathroom as "the Potty" - always....we even tell our guests where the "pottyroom" is located.
4. you once introduced yourself at an important business meeting as "Derrick's mom" - and Maddie's mom, and Jack Jack's mom.....
5. you'd trade your husband for a housekeeper - ummm, already did that :)...just kidding, but he does travel a lot.

Some of the chapters include (and they caught my eye because I thought, hey this is me!!!!):
"the Fake CupCake Problem" - refers to doing things like browsing the aisles of Target as a means of therapy (oh yes, every week!!!)
"I love being a mom, I just hate doing it" - unfortunately I feel like this quite a lot....
"you can have it all. Just not all at once" - I'm always wanting something...
"Am I a bad mom if I don't buy organic spaghettiOs?" - mom's groups make me feel quilty about this one!!!
and so on..........

a great little book and my $20 therapy.... ENJOY!!!

BTW....the photo was taken immediately after my son decided to pick his nose and stick his finger in my mouth. YUCKY!!!

Check out Kimi's Kreations

2008-05-02T22:47:00.000-04:00

In Kimi's latest post, she shares a cool sharpening technique utilizing the High Pass filter on a duplicate layer of your image. Check out her tutorial by clicking HERE. I thought I would challenge the technique on a portrait, since I currently do not have pictures of flowers.
The photo is one from my session of last year. A great family with lots of love. And this boy, or "little man" was a total crack up during our entire session. This photo absolutely represents just how much he made us laugh.

The first photo represents the original with adjustments in curves and color (click on image to view larger).

This second photo represents the same image with the High Pass Filter applied (click on image to view larger).

Give it a try and give Kimi some love for sharing. Thanks Kimi!!!! xoxo

Happy Birthday, Derrick!!!

2008-04-17T13:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my oldest, Derrick!! He is 17 years old today; unfortunately spending it at home with a broken foot. But he is in high spirits. Birthday present coming later, D!!!!

Here is a preview of his Senior Preview Photos. More to come later...

In Honor of Patrick....

2008-04-14T11:46:00.000-04:00

Last November, we lost a very special person in our lives. Patrick, my best friend's son, was killed in action while serving our country in Afghanistan. Life, as all of knew it, has not been the same. He left not only his mom, dad, and two other brothers, but also a wife and a baby son. An avid volleyball player, like his mother, and two brothers, his HS jersey will be retired during a memorial service on April 17th at Montour HS prior to the team's home volleyball game. The American Flag that had flown at the White House will be presented to his wife and young son. To Patrick, you're deeply missed and we all love you!!! Thank you for your honor and courage........

Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum
OEF Page on Patrick Kutschbach
Family of Green Beret knew message meant danger
Afghanistan Freedom Watch
FOB Kutschbach dedicated in Tag Ab Valley

Newborn Babies Needed!!!

2008-04-11T18:13:00.000-04:00

I am also taking maternity sessions in conjunction with your newborn sessions. Hurry, this offer is only limited to the first 5 clients!!

References: Expressions Photography by Sandy (Sam) Puc
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - an organization dedicated in providing memories for those littles ones that will never leave the hospital.

life (as an artform) by Jesh de Rox

2008-04-09T17:37:00.000-04:00

Good news, good news!!! I got in Jesh de Rox's "life (as an artform)" workshop in San Francisco!!! I'm so happy I could pee in my pants!!! Well, I have enough of that going on around here with the little ones running around. I feel like I'm having an affair with my camera and photoshop, but not really. I love my hubbie too!!! A little over a year ago when I stumbled upon a new business photographer while doing one of my many market analysis, Christine Gorczyk, I fell in love with her photography of children. Of course like me, many of the photos were of her own beautiful children. So, I had to ask her about her technique. She referred me to the actions made by Nichole Van. Well, the love just kept growing. And it was through Nichole's blog site that led me to Jesh de Rox. I now have found my true love of photography!! The style, the composition, the meaning. It was all there. Art sings!!! Jesh's texture techniques are just breath taking and to learn and to be inspired by him. Awe, life is just grande!! Well, of course, I've purchased the textures (Fine Art Textures by Jesh de Rox) and immediately started playing them. Here are some images that I've created. Now, because I'm buried amongst sports photos right now, I'll be displaying a major twist in sports photography. So far, other sports phototogs are buying into this and are giving it a try. Enjoy!!!

The photos were created using Nichole Van's Retro Action Set and Color Actions by LilyBlue in Combo with Jesh's Fine Art Textures.

Changes for some 2008 Pricing and Policies

2008-04-03T13:58:00.000-04:00

I've made some changes to some session pricing and policies. The biggest change is that the online proofing galleries will now only be available for one month. After the expiration date, the gallery will be removed. If additional time is needed, a rehosting fee of $50/month is required. This policy will only be applied to new sessions for 2008. Thank you and HERE is the New 2008 Product & Pricing List for your review. Spread the word.

My other Spartan.....

2008-03-31T20:06:00.001-04:00

Very cool effect. I had to try it again!!!

A new blog for my Sports Photography

2008-03-31T18:06:00.000-04:00

An addition that was greatly needed - a new and separate blog site for my sports photography. Check it out. Still in its preliminary stages, but lots more information soon to come. Spread the word!!!

Sports Style by Mommy & Me Photography

My very own Spartan....

2008-03-25T20:51:00.001-04:00

I love the movie 300 for the romance, the action, the plot, and above all, the photographic effects. I usually have my iPod playing the movie while doing my grunge portraiture. Quite an inspiration. Well, in the March 2008 issue of Photoshop User, they provide a tutorial for obtaining the look. GREAT!! Then I stumbled upon Matt's presets in the Lightroom Killer Tips Blog. Even Better. I love easy, and this was easy. But it wasn't too easy to find the right picture to obtain the look. That was tricky. But this photo of my son was pretty close. Yeah, I'm so happy I found this preset!!! Um, can you say, "taking football shots out of the ordinary???" Stay tuned.

A New Look....so, what do you think?

2008-03-18T19:23:00.001-04:00

Playing more with html.....I'm really starting to get the hang of it...well, sort of. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks!!!!

A special thanks to Stephanie of www.brushes.obsidiandawn.com and Leah of lch Design. and her new marketing material. Still playing with changing of the colors, but it is coming along!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2008-03-17T18:41:00.000-04:00

Celebrating St. Paddy's Day the best that a mom can do... this morning went to my dentist, the offices of Dr. Bruce Hartley, got my teeth cleaned and x-rayed all while soaking my hands in a parraffin wrap and receiving a warm neck message. I call him, "my celebrity dentist." Not bad for a dentist visit, huh? The best in the Bay Area!!! He restored my two front teeth from damages acquired during college (um, I won't go there, use your imagination :)) Went home, had a fabulous lunch, now sitting here listening to the Drop Kick Murphies and sipping on some Irish Coffee. Not bad... Life is good and I'm LUCKY!!

Now, for all of you....what is at the end of your rainbow? Well, using Photoshop, it can be anything that you want. Read on to learn how to make a rainbow in photoshop:
(ref: Creating a Rainbow in Photoshop)

This tutorial teaches you to create a rainbow using the gradient tool in photoshop.

STEP 1: Open an image on which you want to add the rainbow. Press D to set default foreground and background colors. Create a new layer by clicking on the 'create a new layer' icon on the layers panel (top for elements, bottom for photoshop)

STEP 2: With the new layer selected, click on the Gradient tool on the tool bar. Now make sure the gradient properties have been:
radial configuration / linear light mode / opacity 100% / dither checked / transparency checked/ (can also refer to the reference to get a visual)

STEP 3: From the presets on the Gradient Editor, select the rainbow looking gradient.

STEP 4: Below the presets, you will see the colored bar with tab stops. Drag the color tabs to reduce the width and opacity using the opacity tabs above the bar. Experiment with them to see what happens. You can also remove tabs as well. It is all about experimentation. I'm still experimenting with this step....

STEP 5: In this step, you can add an orange tab to make a true, ROY.G.BIV rainbow. Honestly, I skipped this step for now because I had to get a refill of Irish Coffee.

STEP 6: All the color tabs should be squished to the right side of the color bar (refer to ref.)

STEP 7: After creating the new gradient, click OK.

STEP 8: having the New Layer highlighted on your layers palette, select the radial gradient from the gradient properties, place the cursor at the bottom left corner and drag it to the top middle edge of the image (play with this one as well, using different positions. You may want the rainbow on the right side of the image instead of the left side)

STEP 9: On the layers panel change the opacity to 30% or lower....I also played with using the soft light blend mode. In the final image if you wish to erase any part of the rainbow that appears out of place, use the eraser tool using a soft brush at around a 50-70% opacity.

And there you go.... a rainbow!!!

And what is FREE??? Doing this paper reminded me of my days during elementary school playtime when we would search the clover patches for that lucky four leaf clover. My daughter and I did that on Saturday, but unfortunately, we did not find any four leaf clover. But after taking the images, I thought that this would make a great background for paper while creating some St. Patrick's Day cards.

So here you go. I hope that you will find some use them. Commercial use allowed (Photographer/S40 regulations and credit is optional; available for limited time). Enjoy!!

Sweet Clover Paper Green
Sweet Clover Paper White
Sweet Clover Paper Unsaturated
Sweet Clovers PNG