BeezEyeView - Photography Blog

New blog site - feeds updated

2009-05-17T19:40:00.004-04:00

I have revamped my entire website and this blogspot.com page will be dormant from this date forward. I have updated my Feedburner to the new blog feed: http://beezeyeview.net/feed.

Please visit my newly designed Word Press photography site and get comfortable ~ I look forward to the new changes and seeing you along the way!

I can't help it!

2009-04-24T16:42:00.002-04:00

I don't know how the average business handles marketing, logo design, and the "look". Well, what I mean... how can they keep it the same for so long? I am one of those people that change my living room around every few months (at least the smaller items if I can't move the furniture). I am so thrilled that I have the chance to change my blog and website whenever I want though! Sigh...no, it doesn't fit the norm to change your branding all the time. But I can't help it! I just cannot help but to change... do you like it?

Oodles of Projects

2009-04-15T23:27:00.006-04:00

It may seem as though I have not been around, but I have been busy! I thought I would post a few samples of the small projects I have done over the last month. The demands for my graphic design have steadily been increasing, so it's nice to work artistically outside of photography for a bit. But, I do miss getting behind the lens just as much!

Here is an existing generic clipart that was requested as part of the church logo. The original colors of the cross were too overwhelming to add anything to them, so I toned them down, changed the coloring a bit, added a few elements, and polished it up.

Here are a couple recent bookmarks - these seem to be all the rage now. They are a great way to advertise, use as a short program or schedule of events, or even have them folded and use as a unique business card!

I am learning to become more proficient in Illustrator and hope to get some intense training in over the summer. Meanwhile, I often start off with some free vector elements that are available on the internet and learn from them. These two I did for my local church.

The woman figure on the far right is an original creation I made (hence the copyright symbol). It is often hard to find this type of "dignified" artwork. I hope to offer this type of elegant, wholesome, female artwork for those seeking it.

Lastly, this one is an on-going "test project" that my kids are designing with me. I hope it sparks their interest to learn more artistic software programs as well! I'll post the final design when it can be revealed. *wink*

_______________

I hoped you enjoyed the "gallery" ~ I do hope to get to snapping some pictures again soon and I'll do my best to get them posted. Wow, I just realized I never posted any pictures from my cruise last month. Oh no! Well, I will post my absolute favorite of my hubby and I at the beach for now.... (didn't get to have fun editing them yet).

And another one of my hubby - no, he's not Mexican, but I thought the picture was THE best! And lastly, the ocean view as we sailed home the last day with high winds. I don't miss the sea legs, but the cruise was amazing!

Until next time ~ happy spring!

Digital Darkroom: Aperture 2 Retouch Tool

2009-03-14T10:21:00.003-04:00

It's no secret - we all have some blemish or other object in our photos that we wish we could erase. Well, for Aperture 2 users, here's one of the handiest weapons in the digital darkroom - the retouch tool.

Navy Man Seeks Family Pics

2009-03-13T23:49:00.016-04:00

What's it like to photograph a Navy man? FUN! if it is Curtis! His warm smile, sweet spirit, expressions and fun poses all his own were a photographer's delight! Not to mention he is very photogenic too! I rarely had to tell him a thing! He has a heart for family and wanted to share some special pictures with his. I am quite sure his family is proud of his military service, but also for the man he has become.

Curtis, thanks for the special task of capturing these images ~ it was a blessing!

You can also view the slideshow here. Online ordering is available by clicking the shopping cart icon below the slideshow or call Bettie at 757-538-1915.

Vacation Days Are Here!

2009-02-25T11:36:00.003-05:00

The time has come... I leave bright and early tomorrow morning! Then it's two days in San Juan, Puerto Rico and we'll board a Celebrity cruise-liner and island hop the Caribbean for seven heavenly days. It is a really tough decision, but I will leave my "heavy" camera gear behind and opt for my Canon S80 pocket camera only. It takes 8MB images and it's great - I know I will have moments where I wish I had my Canon 40D, but hey....that's life as a photographer. This will stretch my skills to capture all the more with the S80 (and I am sure it is more than capable for many things). I will also tote along my new Canon HV30 and get some fun video footage of the warm weather.... ahh, I can feel the breeze now!

So! I will follow up with pictures as soon as I can upon my return, March 7th.

p.s. I have scaled down my website so I only have a "splash" front page. I'll add more back as time permits in the coming weeks. I'll miss ShowIt Sites and hope to return to using their services in the near future. It really is worth the investment, in my opinion.

Family Time

2009-01-28T19:11:00.003-05:00

Business has been slow, but it has allowed me to capture more family time. This is essential since my hubby came back from Iraq! He surprised us (he's known for surprises) when we returned from church one night. I closed the front door, turned off the porch light, and scooted the kids off to get ready for bed. Moments later the doorbell rang... WHO could be here at this hour? I peeked through the window and there stood my handsome husband, in his uniform, holding flowers, with the biggest grin on his face! I screamed and screamed and screamed. And screamed. The kids came running and one burst into tears. It was a sweet moment.

So we are spending time together. We are working on getting our new home in order too (that is a never-ending project though). Taxes are needing filing too. Much to be done!

I'd love to pick up a shoot or two and get some new content on my site and share. Hmm.

Meanwhile, I am very excited that my husband and I will be taking our first cruise at the end of February! Woo hoo!! It is a 7-day cruise through the Carribean - one stop each day. Glorious. Can't wait for the photo-ops there! So look forward to those by mid-March!

So, I am here... just lying low and enjoying the peace and quiet. And waiting for warmer weather to arrive.

It's A Wonderful Life

2008-12-25T22:08:00.005-05:00

We have a rather long standing tradition I started in our family ~ each Christmas Eve we watch It's A Wonderful Life. But first-the kids get into their brand new pajama's and pop lots of popcorn! It is a wonderful evening together and a great way to unwind from the crazy holiday. The movie is a joy to watch ~ if you've never seen it, why don't you get yourself a copy today?

We have other traditions, but they have been harder to stick to this year with my husband gone. We have less than a month to go until his return!

I am not one to make resolutions. I do look forward to the start of each year though. This one is going to be special with my husband's return. I am also excited to see what the Lord has in plan for our family. We did buy a house here in Virginia - so what's next?!!

So, here's me sending you thoughts and prayers for a wonderful life in Christ.

God bless, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Preview~portraits

2008-12-02T18:35:00.007-05:00

The ~D family decided to have their three children, along with the children's cousin, get some updated individual portraits. It was a quick, fun session in beautiful surroundings. The children did quite well and they are all quite beautiful and easy to photograph.

Family can click the icons at the bottom of the slideshow to purchase a version! I will hopefully add a shopping basket to place an order online to order photographic prints as well. Meanwhile, drop me an email for orders!

Farm Fun~slideshow

2008-12-02T17:41:00.013-05:00

Warm, fall (okay, winter, but I won't admit that yet) afternoons are the greatest time to enjoy the sites and sounds (errr, and smells?) of a farm. I discovered a local petting zoo that has no admission fee! My niece was entertaining to watch - she had to tell the squawking ducks to "Be quiet!"

I hope the above video will be the first of many. For my future clients - you can have one-click access to order a DVD or iPod video download of a slideshow (from your portrait session), in addition to a 5x5" hardcover book of the images!

More details coming... meanwhile, enjoy the show!

Full and thankful

2008-11-28T09:30:00.003-05:00

I have the world's sweetest tooth - cake, cookies, ice cream, and chocolate. This was our Thanksgiving dessert. Pumpkin cake with cream cheese filling. YUM! I was blessed to have my younger sister and her two little girls join our family this holiday. In the absence of my husband (in Iraq), it sure did fill the void and made this day much nicer. We are all counting our blessings - even with the trail of sickness that has been left behind days prior - there's much to thank God for each day of our lives.

I hope you and yours have full bellies, a warm house, friends and family, and a thankful spirit always~

2008 Pastoral Anniversary Books

2008-11-14T14:30:00.005-05:00

NEW 10" Hardcover Special Edition!

You can now order an updated 10" square hardcover version of the SPECIAL EDITION. I am quite pleased with this hardcover product and its quality. If you're interested in purchasing this version, please send me an email.

Current Versions For Sale...

Replica of Original:
7" square hard & soft covers
7" square

Special Editions:
8.5" square soft cover
10" hard cover **

** This cover is slightly different than the softcover. The softcover will be updated to reflect this 10" hard cover.

The Greatest Day

2008-11-11T09:08:00.008-05:00

The Greatest Day in the NBA
Minister David Robinson
November 4-5, 2008

I am stretching my wings a bit and dipping into some combination work - or a variety of work! Things have been very busy, especially with my husband deployed to Iraq. I thought I would drop a quick note and let you know what's been going on...

I had the wonderful honor of taking pictures and recording video of Minister David Robinson when he visited a church in Hampton, Virginia last week. I love incorporating these two media! The DVDs are in their final preparations, so I took a time-out to make a mock-up of the DVD covers for promotional flyers, etc. This is not a photograph of the media, it was created in Photoshop - it was my first attempt at working with 3D models and I think it turned out decent. I have to get the tweaks right for the cover placement, but overall, works great! The artwork was a continuation of small and medium postcards used for the two-day event.

If you're interested in purchasing a DVD - one night on each - please send me an email!

Meanwhile - enjoy some of the photo highlights from the two-day event!

TWIP

2008-10-30T22:31:00.002-04:00

This Week In Photography (TWIP) is a great resource for a multitude of reasons, too many to attempt to list. You'll find so much information surrounding photography, you'll easily get hooked on the site fast. Stop over there and see what tips and techniques you'll learn today!

Debut Book Signing

2008-10-21T23:52:00.003-04:00

Author: Stephen McCall

Young Mr. Gibson - featured on book cover

I had the honor to shoot a few images at a debut book signing. Stephen McCall has authored his first book, The Tyrannosaurus Tic: A Boy's Adventure with Tourette Syndrome. You can read much more about it at www.tyrannotic.com. The evening event in Carrollton, Virginia showed a 23-minute HBO documentary, "I Have Tourette's But Tourette's Doesn't Have Me" that received a 2006 Emmy Award.

Moving

2008-10-17T11:23:00.001-04:00

emailsigHey! I am still here - life has been turned upside down the last couple weeks. My husband received short-notice orders for Iraq and left six days later. Within those six days we had to find a home to buy (as our rent was terminated that month). So, I am now sitting in our very first home we bought.... with boxes and an organized mess! Please bear with me as I attempt to settle in and get our homeschooling underway for the year too.

If you're looking for a great deal on portraits - don't forget about the ongoing HAPPY FACES special going on. Gather a minimum of four people to make a session and get individual portraits done!! Adults, toddlers, school age... anyone can jump in on this one!

My new home business number is 757-538-1915. Call me!

I won!

2008-09-27T00:46:00.001-04:00

emailsigThis day was more than sweet - my daughter turned 11 years old, we got the keys to our very own home (first time homeowners), AND I won a SWEET contest. Check it out here at MCP Actions - I am SO thrilled - my sincere thanks to everyone who voted for my image!

This is what I won - six photographic software applications from onOne Software that are amazing. They are going to be so much fun to use - I can't wait!

Again, thank you... to everyone! It really was fun. And thanks to Jodi and onOne for sponsoring the contest!

Sweet Contest

2008-09-20T11:04:00.005-04:00

Ok, I could not resist this sweet contest - I rarely enter contest because the inspiration doesn't strike me and I don't feel like my work would compare to others sometimes. But, I was tickled to use my recent marshmallow collage and fix it up to enter the contest! Visit www.mcpactions.com starting September 23rd and place your vote! The prizes are really sweet - I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! *This is not a popularity contest - vote based on YOUR favorite!*

Here's my fun entry - whether I win or not, this was so much fun to create! And I really would love to have more of the MCP Actions! Here I used (on the base image) the Magic Skin and Skin Cast Blast actions.

Thanks for the awesome contest Jodi!

Aperture 2.0 and Blog Boards

2008-09-18T10:49:00.011-04:00

I have always wanted to master digital scrapbooking but never dove in because I knew it would be a terrible addiction for the rest of my life! Now, in a modified format, I have discovered "blog boards". Jodi at MCP Actions has a wonderful Photoshop action that will create a variety of photos in a creative collage to present them as one image to post on your blog. I highly encourage a visit to her site and purchase the action - you'll love it!

Meanwhile, I am not a heavy Photoshop user for projects with lots of photos due to the fact that all of my images are held hostage in Aperture 2.0. That's okay because I like it that way, but sometimes when I want to use multiple images for a task it requires exporting additional images to use in Photoshop. This results in stray files scattered here and there outside of Aperture and they take up hard drive space.

Okay, as promised - here it is. I discovered a way to create a blog board (aka mini-collage) AND make this image within Aperture AND keep the image in Aperture WITHOUT leaving Aperture 2.0. Impossible you say?! How can it be?! No Photoshop? No external editors or third-party plug-ins? No - only Aperture 2.0 and it starts with creating a new book.

For the sake of time, I created a PDF for this tutorial. You're going to love it - not only can you create really interesting blog boards, all your efforts are saved in a book that you can print and/or order from Apple to have a keepsake or portfolio of your work!

Download the PDF Tutorial today! Please leave a comment on the blog and let me know what you think!

{Based on initial inquiries, this only works in Apple's Aperture 2.0. The tutorial assumes basic knowledge of the application. Feel free to post questions or problems on the blog.}

Family Portraits

2008-09-06T23:21:00.004-04:00

I have had several people ask me if I take family portraits - YES, even pets if you have them! Although I have some lighting equipment for indoor use, I will almost deny it and say that I only take outdoor images. There is nothing better than natural daylight on the skin and the fresh air to make you smile!

Do you have a toddler and hope to capture some of those crawling, almost walking, and curious stages? View this gallery to get inspired and you'll have an idea of my style (though it is constantly growing). You'll experience a very fun session with your little one(s).

Would you like to get your family portraits done? Call me at 757.483.4786 to schedule your appointment today ~ and keep your eyes peeled here for an upcoming special called "Holiday Cheer" and other current offers.

Happy Toes

2008-09-04T23:07:00.003-04:00

One day I was trying to keep my two-year old quiet and drew a happy face (two dots for eyes and a mouth) on her fingernails and toes. She loved her "happy toes" and "happy fingers" and she sat still enjoying the moment.

Today she asked me if she could draw happy toes and I said sure! She came back with a new version of happy toes - and I had to grab my camera! Then she asked me to draw happy faces on her forehead. After my decline, her bigger brother was happy to help!

Photo Tip: Get down on your hands and knees to grab shots of your kids doing what they do best and then stand up over them for another perspective. A wide angle or fisheye lens can be lots of fun to use too! To get the great focal point with a blurred background, use a large aperture (that "f" number on its smallest numerical value that it can go) and shoot in aperture priority mode (typcially "Av" mode on cameras).

p.s. Are you curious how I made this photo layout above? Stay tune for a tutorial in Aperture 2.0 that you will NOT find anywhere else!

S'More School

2008-09-02T17:39:00.010-04:00

I hope you've enjoyed your summer and look forward to a wonderful fall season! A couple of my kids and I enjoyed making some S'Mores over our mini charcoal grill. They tasted just as good as they do when we go camping!

So, now that the kids enjoy S'more school, the school pictures soon follow! I am working on a promotional package for parents. You don't want to miss this opportunity - great outdoor portraits and you create your own package. This gives you professional portraits that you will love and use! Watch the blog for more details - coming soon!

Vacation Coming to End

2008-08-26T12:21:00.003-04:00

I am out of town and my vacation is coming to an end. I'll be back home on Wednesday, so I'll share a few pictures soon! Upper Michigan has been its usual beautiful country and its always great to be back home.

Book Viewing Online

2008-08-09T23:37:00.003-04:00

I am always looking for fun, new ways to share images with clients, friends, and family. Sometimes there isn't enough space, time, know-how nor energy to do that. I took a sampling of images from the Revival by the Sea and created a quick book layout in one of my applications and uploaded it to Issuu. Thier site has a huge variety of magazines and photo books you can view for free - anyone who wants to publish something can join for free. You just have to have access to creating PDF files.

The end result is what you see here - a live book online that you can flip through! If you click on the arrows below you can navigate, but you can also click and get into full screen viewing!

Enjoy... and leave a comment to tell me what you think! Do you like this or videos better?

Online Ordering Now Available

2008-08-09T22:39:00.005-04:00

This is exciting - jump for joy! Online ordering is available for select images and events. If you find yourself saying, "I have to get an order in" and never get around to it - you're going to love the convenience of online ordering!

With the hundreds of images in my current online proof area, it is not an easy task to order if you want something with a quick click of the mouse! Now you can click on the ONLINE ORDERING button in the right column on the blog only. The events do have an expiration date - so don't miss out and visit often as new images and events are added.

This is a new service - I am sure it will go through some changes if it is successful. I'd love to hear your feedback as well. There are lots of features available too - save your "favorites" in an album (if you create a login), send an image as a digital postcard to friends and family, order single images or packages. If you'd like a custom package created just for you, email me! Of course, if you'd prefer to handle your orders in-person, I am always available.