Birthdays, Sparkles, Balloons and more... / Project 52 ~ Week 14

  Good Afternoon!  Where do the weekends go?  We've spent about 1/2 of the last 2 weekends traveling to and from St. Louis.  We enjoyed a {busy but great} vacation.  Now, I'm going to try to catch-up on editing the hundreds of photographs I've taken since the beginning of April!!
 
  Today's post is actually for last week, Week 14.  On April 1st, my youngest turned 3!  I could hardly believe that 3 years had passed, and so quickly.  I love to spend birthdays reflecting with my wee ones.  We normally have a calm breakfast, followed by preparing their favorite dinner.  I try to make all their cakes starting at age 3, and they always get to pick their flavor and icing colors.   This April 1st was no exception.  My youngest and I spent the day together baking and talking.  She always amazes me with her stories and excitement...and her "princess" attitude!
 
  We took her birthday photographs in a few different locations this year.  And she was more than eager to cooperate after seeing her balloons.  I couldn't decide on just one for Week 14, so I have added 3 of my favorites:

...every Princess should have pink & sparkly shoes..
{Captured: 50mm,  ISO 100, 1/100, F1.4}

..a bunch of bright balloons, pink tulle on her dress and a sprint to the big tree..
{Captured:  50mm, ISO 160, F4.0, 1/2000}

..bright backdrop of azalea blooms, shady area and lots of pink hues..
{Captured:  50mm, ISO 160, F4.0, 1/400}

  The first image was taken indoors, so I adjusted the shutter speed and the aperture to obtain the desired lighting and a bit of blur.  The second image was taken outdoors, mid-afternoon {I normally only like to photograph during early morning light or late afternoon light}, the shutter speed was adjusted for the bright sunlight and her quick movements.  The third image was taken outdoors, mid-afternoon, the area was mostly shaded by tall pine trees so I was able to adjust the shutter speed and aperture to capture the desired amount of detail in the lovely azalea blooms and her cute dress and shoes!

  I'm hoping to catch-up with editing this week, and post Week 15 as soon as possible...it won't be long and I'll be traveling to a Photography Workshop.  I'm so very excited to work with this amazingly talented photographer and continue to grow and learn for YDP's future endeavors!!

Hope your day is wonderful!
--Jennifer

Balloons + Toddlers = FUN / Project 52 ~ Week 3

  Happy Weekend!  It's been a hectic one here, as we are celebrating my son's 13th Birthday {more on this for next week's post}!  This week's photo was really planned out...and it worked {YAY!}.

  I had an idea earlier this week involving balloons, helium, a floor backdrop, gorgeous headbands/outfits , lots of natural light and my youngest.  I purchased the helium (easy) - but I didn't like the balloons that came in the package (very dark primary colors) - luckily I had some pearlized balloons left over from a while ago in white and pink (love when that happens).  The floor backdrop I had purchased earlier last year, but hadn't had a chance to test it out - this was the perfect opportunity to make sure I knew exactly how it would appear in future photos.  I told both of my daughters the plan (way too early - for exactly one day they wanted to know WHEN the balloons would begin, about every 30 minutes) - lesson learned!  The front rooms in my home receive some great sunlight beginning about an hour after sunrise through about 1pm - so I knew exactly when I wanted to begin.  BUT, the sun decided to hide yesterday...we had nothing but overcast clouds.  That's ok - we had just enough natural light, I'd just to have adjust some minor settings.

  So we began by setting up the floor:

And adding the pink and white balloons at different heights:

  The result was perfectly magical (to my toddler) who was amazed at all the lovely balloons.  Initially she really liked the idea of having her photograph taken (mainly because her older sister went first - and "it wasn't fair"), but I was soon met with a small resistance as seen in these here:

{this one makes me smile - a mini tantrum}

{Yes, she is rolling her eyes!}

 And then I got some silly ones - when we resorted to singing and giving her some balloons ...

{singing 'Hey Jude'}

{she let her balloon go on purpose}

  But when I was finished processing and editing most of the photos - I found my favorite, which quickly became Week 3's image:

Project 52/2012 - Week 3

  I fell in love with this image for a few reasons:
     1. It's totally a toddler attitude
     2. I can sense her complete boredom with her sister and I trying to attempt to amuse her {note to self, must come up with some new tricks...and soon!}
     3. She 'posed' herself, which is always great!


**Red pettiskirt is from Chasing Fireflies...super soft & extra bouncy!
**Headbands from Poppy Row on Etsy...this shop has some lovely hair accessories for little ones to adults!
**The darling knot dress is from MomiBoutique ... we LOVE this designer!
**The skirt and tank top outfit is from Sunnybrook Farm Designs on Etsy ... gorgeous clothing!
**The floor backdrop is from Silver Lining Backdrop Shoppe on Etsy!
**The red sequin heart long sleeve tee is from Gymboree!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!
-Jennifer