More photos

I am having SO MUCH FUN playing with photoshop. Saturday, I literally sat ALL day at the computer editing. And the day before that. And the day before that. I'm seriously starting to worry about how this photo enhancing career I'm choosing might have a negative impact on my fitness goals. I like to keep busy in an active sense. When I sit on my butt all day, even though I might have accomplished a lot on the computer, it really doesn't feel as though I've done a thing. And it makes me tired. And I feel lazy. I don't like that feeling.

BUT, on the plus side, it's so much fun. It's a satisfying hobby and I am thrilled with what I've been able to learn in just the two short weeks that I've had it. I'm not saying that I think I'm very good at it yet, rather that I am pleased with the tutorials and helpful actions that I've found. Actions are kind of like a "cheat". They are a great way to get a desired look without having to do a ton of work. A lot of them still require a certain amount of input from me (like selections and painting on layers) but still, a great help for a beginner like me.

I am personally IN LOVE with the looks of bright soft skin. I like these images. It's my own personal preference. My style tends to get really bright and bold I guess. But I also really love softer tones and pale or faded colors. This is a technique that I need to practice. It seriously needs to get nice outside because I'm going to be in desperate need of more pictures to play with soon.

I had my niece here last week for some pictures. I completely emptied my kitchen of all clutter (nothing on the fridge or countertops), I even took out the kitchen table so I would have a nice empty wood floor as a "studio" where I could use the best light in the house - from the kitchen patio windows. Now I am trying to convince my husband that we need to tear out the carpet in the formal dining room, put in hardwood and add windows all around the walls so that I could have a natural light studio in 5 minutes if I needed one :) But you know us and home improvement projects....

Here are some shots from the day I turned my kitchen into a studio:












And we even took a few outside!


And managed to talk the little girls into a few!