I'm a WINNER

Sitting here thinking, I really can not remember too many times in my life where I have come first in things......except in swimming when I was a kid where it was a wonderful regular occurance.

Last month I entered my first Camera Club comp. I entered 5 photos. Two large, two small and an experimental. The photos were then given to a professional photographer for a month and he was to judge them, give points and critique. Then at the next montly meet we were to recieve our scores and hand in our next months photos.

I was so excited. I had entered one of my all time fav pics and I was certain it was going to do well LOL. The night came around quite quickly and I sat there ill with nerves as the judge put each photo up on the stand and critiqued them and gave the final scores. They started with "smalls" and I could see one of mine but not the other which made me nervous cos the one I couldn't see was one of my bests. Anyway when I knew mine was next I seriously could have puked right there and then, I was so nervous.....and for good reason. The photographer, Peter English (a retired professional photographer) may as well have just told me to bin the photo and start again, and rightly so LOL. Sometimes you just need to be told something is crap by someone else to really believe it. I felt a but better once that one was over, but still wondered where my other photo was, then they moved onto the back of the big photo stand where there were more photos. Yay....it must be there then, I couldn't help but notice that all the pics on this side of the boards were getting high scores and honerably mentions. Now if I wasn't feeling queasy earlier I definately was by now LOL. There were so many photos, I thought it would never end, he awarded third place, then a few more high scores then second place, then an honerable mention......then I saw MY photo being passed to him......I stopped breathing and as he took the photo into his hand he says "Now this is what it is all about" and RAVED about my photo of my little girl. AAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH. I could have cried.....if I didn't mind making an absolute tool of myself LOL. He mentioned the lighting, the eyes, the teeth the smile, the eye contact. He said it was a beautiful portrait of a beautiful girl. I just sat there and beamed my face off LOL. AT this point the judge does not know eho took the photos and doesn't find out till later when he actually hands out the certificates.

You would think that would be the end of my nerves. But no....cos remember I submitted an absolute fav of mine, a photo which I personally consider to be one of the best photos in the world. It was in the "large" category, i'd had it printed 8x10. He seemed to hand out the first place for the large photos really early on, and second and third soon followed so I knew my fav photo had not got as place.......but I wasn't prepared for it to get such a low score. It recieved a 9/15 howeve he did not give me any creative critisism on it like he did for every other low scoring photo so I am going to take comfort in the fact that perhaps there was nothing technically wrong with it and he just didn't like it. He gave another photo of Anna a 10/15, I was not expecting much more cos she had her eyes closed and one eye was slightly out of focus, but he didn't mention those things, he mentioned how the colours were off and he would have prefered to see a tighter crop. SOmething I would never have seen, this is what it is all about for me.....learning to see things alot better so I am just as grateful for the low scores and valuable CC then getting places.

Experimentals were next. There are never as many entries in this category but still I have seen what is done and didn't expect much. I have been to a few judgings now but just never had anything entered. Anyway to cut a really long and what I am sure is a boring story to you short, I GOT FIRST PLACE again. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Peter English raved about my photo again, he said it would make a good advertisement in a magazine, the pose was perfect as was the lighting. Then he wanted to know who took it but was told he would find out when he handed the certificates out LOL. When my turn came to recieve my certificate he said "if you have any money open up a studio". SO if anyone out there wants to give me a rather large sum of money please feel free to do so LOL. I will take free protraits for you for the rest of your life PMSL.

Anyway....here are the winning photos. " Introducing Anna"

and "Bronzed Bride"

If you got this far, thankyou so much for reading XXX

It's Black and White

As I mentioned in my last blog entry i have been working on my B&W's. MOnochrome has never been my thing. I love colour. But there was something the guest photographer at Camera Club sad that got my bum into gear and interested in improving my B&W's. I think I am finding my very own "grove" with it. These conversions are very very different to the "blown out" ones I used to do using actions. I am liking them though, I am even enjoying them. I seem to be finding my style in B&W much easier then in my colours whcih to me is odd. Anyway here they are.

Um, this one is only half processed........oops.

This one could very well end up on the wall.

It's all about photography.

I am not going to lie to you, all I can talk about is photography. I know I am obsessed LOL. I just love it. I love nothing more than taking photos.

I have been hanging out to blog these photos I took for a friend off Parents Home but I wanted to wait untill she got her prints. This lovely Mum and her baby were an absolute pleasure to photograph. This baby boy was PERFECT. He slept and he curled. "Mum" ordered a 10x20 storyboard which I was stoked about but once I got it back from the printer I did not want to part with it LOL. I thought it would look quite nice on my wall, it's nice to be so proud of something.

Anyway here is a small selection of the photos.




The storyboard

He really was such a special little guy to work with. Still I learned heaps from the session, always learning.

I am loving Camera Club. I just entered my first Camera Club comp which is exciting. I am not expecting to do great in the comp but I am really looking forward to getting real constructive critisism from a pro photographer.

The photographer who judged the last comp gave us a little talk on B&W's so I have been working on my B&W conversions lately. I am actually having fun with that by developing a better understanding of tonal range in my B&W's I also improve on my colour work.

I have had two "girls nights out" recently......one was just last night. I am a real girly girl and LOVE getting out with a group of great gals and sharing some good food, wine and adult conversation. Last night was witht he Parents Home girls. I was so excited about it for two days leading up to it in my head I kept saying "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE" every time I thought about it. It's a bit of an "in joke" now on Parents Home LOL.

Anyway, I am soooo tired. Cam is watching a horror movie in bed so I have been putting off going to bed. I just can't stomach that crap anymore. But I am barely staying awake now, have not been getting much good quality sleep lately. Everyone has been sick. Cam has had the flu (the real flu) and TBH has not been very pleasent to sleep next to (sorry honey but you know it's true) the kids have also had a nasty virus and when it's not one of them getting you up it's the other. Now Cam is much better but has this annoying dry cough, so yeah, no-one is getting much sleep and everyone is grumpy. We are going on a holiday soon, we all need it.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have so many photos to blog so I really have to get back in more often. Expect another entry soon after this one.

"when are you updating your blog?"

I can finally add pictures LOL YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

This is the mounted 10x20 storyboard we just got for the dining room.

Here you can see the effect of the linen overlay.

The above two were an experiment gone WRONG!

My absolutely stunning boy, OMG he is just the cutest.

The above two are images from my first newborn shoot.

ANother storyboard I am considering getting printed and mounted. 16x20 I think.

I just did this one tonight, I am happy with it, just experimenting really.

And some more sea/landscapes......whatever you wanna call them. (That middle one is a pond so to all the fickle buggers out there who get thier noses out of joint about the "scapes" being names incorrectly.......it's a "PONDSCAPE")

Ok Ok......I have heard this a few times this week so I am making an effort to update the blog lol. I should be working on the photo I want to submitt to my first comp but I will play here instead LOL.

I have just joined the local Camera club and I am so excited. I feel I have finally found somewhere I actually "fit in". I am really excited about getting my photos judged and critiqued.....the learning really begins now.

I had my second Newborn shoot almost exactly two weeks ago and it went really well. Baby J was perfect and his Mum is one of those natural beauties who shows up as nothing less than radient in the photos. So I am wrapped.

I just recieved an order yesterday with the mounted storyboard I ordered.......it looks sensational and is hanging in the dining room.......hang on have to get my tea, it's been brewing for 20mins........we also got one of my seascapes enlarged to 14x20 just to see what it would look like as I only have a 6MP camera so in theory it should look rubbish but it actually turned out really good......so there goes my dreams of getting a D300 (or better stil, a D700).

The kids are sick, both have gastro. One is sleeping it off in his cot and the other on the couch with her doona. I just sculled my cup of tea, I am so tired.

Anyway, here are some pics. Actually Blogger wont let me upload any pics LOL. So I will leave it at this and come back and finishe this when I can. My Calibration pack just arrived so I am going to get busy calibrating my monitor........my absolute fav thing in the world to do.

Having so much fun

A few days ago while the bay was chopping up a treat Mum Dad and I went out armed with out camera and cut sick. I think it's safe to say we all had an absolute blast.....well I certainly did and now I am having even more fun processing the gems that came out of it.....well I have processed 3 of them and will be getting stuck into them once I finish this CD for a friend tonight.

Dad took this one of me, I think it is cool to have a photo of me taking the photos below LOL. (Thanks Dad XXX)

A little weird and overdone, might take this one back to the drawing board.

My personal Fav, I love the moss on the rock.

I am itching to get onto these pics of Jodi and her Daughter. I could not resist having a quick go at one this morning.

Our boy turns one.

Wow! Our boy is one! And what an emotional day it was LOL. Ryan and I had a very shakey start but the last 7 months have been absolutely blissfull and he is such a charming little boy now I just want to hit pause.

The week leading up to Ryan's B'day was very busy with party preparation. I was pretty much on my own for the week so just did little bit by bit. The day before his party my fav cousin Jodi decided to pop in PMSL. Can you imagine the shock I got when I answered my door and herself and her beautiful little daughter were standing on my front porch? Seems they caught word of my home made sausage rolls and could not resist the trip (they are from QLD). My parents and Cam had known for months they were coming and kept it secret from me. It was an awesome surprise, an emotional one too.

Anyway as you can imagine the party preps were a little harder then, I was excited and the house was a tad crazy. Still we got there and the party went well the next day.

You will see in the below pics Ryan loved his wheat dairy and egg free cake. He certainly enjoyed "massaging" the icing. This was the only time of the day I got pics as I was too busy for the rest of it.

On his actual B'day he had a Paed appointment and just afterwards we managed to get a family shot at Ryan's birth time.

Another cousin from the same family was also in Vic for the same week and managed to get down to the peninsula for a night so we managed to catch up for a few hours which was awesome. Kellie from Darwin grew up in Victoria and even though we were still about 3 hours away we were quite close, we even managed to stay pen pals in highschool (I still have her letters). We are only a few weeks different in age. Jodi and her DD are from QLD and we hit it off when I was about 18 at my brothers wedding. Jodi and her DD were at my wedding and they really took the edge off. I absolutely loved sharing my house with them (mainly cos Jodi cleaned up after me LOL) however I am now 1.5kg heavier and in need of some serious detox, we averaged 2-3 bottles of red per night and about 3-5 hours sleep. Miss A just looooved having a little playmate though I think Miss O was looking forward to getting some personal space back by the 2nd day as Miss A can be a little demanding and suffercating.

Anyway it was a very exciting, fun but exhausting week with loads of fond and fun memories (some of which I caught on video and might have to make a you tube clip of).

Jodi was also nice enough to let me shove my beloved camera in thier faces for some mummy daughter shots. Can't wait to show them off if I ever get time to process them.

Anyway, that's it for this update, thanks for the last lot of messages. And No Na, your not a troll PMSL. Here are some pics.

The family portrait taken at Ryan's birth time.

This can only mean trouble! From left: Kellie, Jodi & Meeeeeeee. These two are horrible girls, they pinned me to the floor and spanked by bum......Jodi's spank bruised, she's a violent soul who then went on the attack me in the local chemist causing a right scene. Nevermind, she will get hers.....on you-tube LOL.

Distancing myself

Distancing myself from the computer that is, for a few reasons. I wont go into one of the reasons, many of you know anyway but I do not wish to give publicity to the matter on my blog.....Trolls do not deserve a mention on my blog.....AAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH, I just mentioned Trolls PMSL. Anyway thanks PH and EB girls for being so understanding. The main reasons however are that I am just too busy. Ryans B'day is fast approaching and I want to try and cater it 100% myself so I know what is in the food I am serving.....the content of party pies frightenes the hell out of me. I also need to try and make him a dairy and egg free cake, I really should get onto that. Anyway my life is just so wonderfull ATM that I can't be bothered with the Net much. I am enjoying watching disney movies with Anna and TBH Ryan needs ALOT of supervision so I can not take my eye off him when he is up LOL. I have also been concentrating on my fitness. I Have been purposely avoided making any posts about my progress and still will not say too much cos I don't want to jinx myself but I will go as far as saying I have ignighted a previous passion and it is going well......slow but steady and with HUGE improvements (though I am still a fatty and 4-5kg off my pre preg weight Grrrrrr). So I am just not finding much time for the net lately.

I have still been enjoying my little photography hobby but taken a step back from the "business" side of it and decided not to take any major steps untill both kids are in school, I just want to enjoy them as much as I can before I "lose" them and gain some time for myself LOL. Infact Flickr is pretty much the only online community I am semi keeping up with during this massive online community break I am having......and even that is giving me the willies with "fakes", "trolls" and general bitchiness that I have been witnessing.

Anyway the main thing is I am very happy, getting fit again, very much in love with my family (and my camera of course) I have been suffering some terrible headaches for the last few months.......but that is my biggest complaint so Yay to me. The headaches are just another reason to back off the computer IMO.

Vanessa, you scolded me the other day for not posting new photos LOL. I know I have been lazy and I am sorry, here are some new ones starting with my latest absolute fav of Anna. I just looooove this photos of her (below).
Ryan testing out his new "first pair of shoes" (also note the cool beanie)

Ryan with his new home made crochet beanie, more pics to come of that with a link to the pattern.

I know I have been slack with pics from Anna's B'day (back in April) but here is her B'day cake. We get this for her every year. It's the yummiest cake I have ever ever had.

And I just had to show off a friend of mine's handy work. Kate in our Mother's Group would have to be the worlds best baker and for Her daughters B'day she made this scrummy choc cake and surrounded it with these delightful yellow spinkled cup cakes to resemble a sunflower. It looked and tasted divine.

I have a few more pics to share soon. Ran out of time today though. Lunchtime here and I am feeling rather empty after this mornings Gym then jog.