Right now this is my favourite photo. Next week I’ll probably have another.

The focus. light and colour aren’t perfect. There’s just something about it, maybe it’s the subject?

I was going to guess and tell you that I took it this summer. Mostly because Georgia is wearing a tank top in the photo. However, today she is wearing bikini bottoms and a tank top and it’s just a degree above freezing (HUH?). I double checked my exif data and it was taken in late September.

I took a whole series of these. They’re on flickr –> Show Girl.

MK xo
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I have several hard-drives full of photos. For every 100 I take, I generally like 3 or 4 and it’s only those few that I process and upload to Flickr.com. I’ve been going through them and finding images that I love (now), I remember being disappointed when I took them. They weren’t what I wanted or expected in terms of lighting and composition. Now that I have forgotten what that was, I see something else there …

A sweet child.

The world’s best dad.

They make each other happy.

I probably like these photos now, because I’d forgotten that this next photo was taken just a few moments prior.

How do you deal with ALL of your digital images? What should I do with all my photos? Any suggestions?

MK xo
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My cousin came by today with her new baby Jax.

Oh she’s so cute.

I can hear my ovaries calling to me. Mr. MK swears he can’t hear a thing. He says it’s a discussion I need to have with my ‘new’ husband. GASP!

I took tons of photos (see flickr). We had fun, mostly just talking about all of our other weird cousins. KIDDING!

Awe … baby hands. Be still ovaries.

MK xo
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It was -39 with windchill this morning. (This is not a post about the weather. Honest!) I mention it only, because it makes the fact that Georgia wore her swimsuit all day, that much more odd. I shivered every time I looked at her. I wore polar fleece and decided to this wasn’t a battle I needed to fight (or win). Goosebumps never killed anyone right?!

Here is my oddball in colour. This is also my 365Project photo for the day.

Here she is again in black and white.

I keep trying to ‘do’ black and white, but I always end up liking the colour versions better. How about you, do you prefer colour, or black and white?

I’ll be announcing the ‘Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series winner shortly’ make sure and check to see if you are the winner.

MK xo
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I’ve joined the shutter sisters one word project. I’ve chosen the word ‘hope‘. I will take a photo each day with this word in mind and upload it to the shutter sisters feed on flickr. I figure it should be easy enough, as I’m doing the project365 already. It gives me some direction.

photography 8/365 ~ hope 1/28

I’ve started to dread this Avonex shot I take on Sunday. It’s not so much that it hurts, it’s just long, and it is difficult to give. I am far from the ‘delicate woman’ sort (especially to look at), but this shot makes me weak, faint, woozy.

At the same time, this medication gives me hope. I hope I don’t relapse. I hope while it keeps me healthy, a cure is found for MS.

Tell me what you’re hoping for today.

MK xo
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Photography 2/365

I’ve been looking out the window at this bird house the kids made me eons ago, thinking it’s weathered look was worth photographing. This morning, about 500 days after the original idea, I opened the back door and took the photo. My God the effort. * L * A * Z * Y *

In my own defense, I am not well today (I wash probably fine 489 of the other 499 days though). Sunday is the day I take an intramuscular shot for my MS and often I have flu like symptoms for 24-36 hours. Not terrible, but not good. Tylenol helps.

I was going to start my NEW weekly giveaway today, but realized that Monday isn’t going to work. (HELLO! Yah think!) It looks like Tuesday will be the day. Pop in tomorrow and READ all about it (that was a hint folks). HEADS UP!

I love to take photos of faces, kids faces mostly. I am always striving for the perfect shot (it hasn’t happened yet), much like Miz Booshay does pretty much every day. Is there anyone out there who can come to my house and teach me how to do this? I’ll pay.

My friend Kim takes photos like that too. Look at this photo she took of Georgia: http://flickr.com/photos/twonewmommies/2906776030/ – Fabulous. You can find her at: Real Moments and her Blog. If you scroll down on the blog you’ll see the photo shoot she did for me with ALL four of my kids. I love it.

After kids faces I like to shoot old abandoned stuff. That reminds me, if I don’t start pulling my weight around here, I might just might find myself an old abandoned stuff.

I meant stuff like this:

The old barn at my grandparents farm. Isn’t it great? I hate that people don’t build proper barns anymore!

This old boat on the restricted beach in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

I am going to try and get out this week and drive around looking for old stuff. Weird but true. It’s probably going to require that I get dressed. I am not looking forward to that part.

Here is a new blog I am loving: Mother May I – a big part of my inspiration to do the 365 insanity project.

So come back tomorrow for the giveaway. Tell your friends!

MK xo
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I need a photography challenge, a reason to pick up my camera each day.

It sounds odd, but I love to have photos, to look at them (mine and yours), but I hate taking them. I want to be a better photographer. I once took a class, but I didn’t do my homework. Maybe I do like taking photo’s, I just don’t like getting organized to take photos. You know getting up to get the camera, finding the camera, choosing the settings (hahaha choosing the settings — like I know what that means), changing the lens, replacing the batteries in the flash. If I only had an assistant, a good looking, muscular assistant with a hot bod, 30 something — oh yeah, I do, he’s just busy with the kids and the cooking (bwahahaha)!

I suppose then, that I like photography like I like scuba diving or downhill skiing. The results are enjoyable, but getting ready … OH, what a pain in the keester! Being a lazy being means it’s a miracle I have ever attempted these sorts of activities more than once!

Back to the challenge, I’ve decided to join Project 365 –> take a photo everyday and upload it to the flickr group.

I heard that SIGH, that GROAN, the ‘as if’ under your breath! I know I dropped out of the 365blog thing, but this will be different, it’s just a photo! I think photography takes practice and I hope this will give me the just the practice I need. Don’t forget –> I stuck with the 30 Tiny Moments and the NaBloPoMo.

1/365 – Not a Great Start!

Hey, give the kid a break, it’s only day one of a very, very long year!

MK xo
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You probably think that I like taking photos, right? If you said right, you’d be wrong. I quite dislike it. I hate getting out the camera, adjusting the settings, trying to figure out the best angle, where the light is. Are there shadows? The more I learn, the more critical I become, the more mistakes I see, the worse the photos get.

Mr. MK is a really swell kind of guy. If there is anyone reading this, that knows Mr. MK, this is when you’d comment and agree with me. Because he is so darn swell, he carried the heavy camera for me pretty much the entire holiday. Being lazy, I set the camera on the ‘P’ setting (about as Auto as my camera gets) and just snapped pictures. They all looked really dark on the camera’s display, but the display is hard to see in the bright sun, so I just let it be. I did comment a few times that, “my pictures SUCK”, and then forget about them. Whenever, I said that Mr. MK had to look and fiddle, which bugs me because he has no clue how my camera works!

It was one of those holidays where you drag your ass back to your hotel room about 10 pm with 3 tired kids, legs worked to death thanks to your new MBT shoes and then you thank God you snapped a couple of photos on your iPhone, so you don’t have to download/upload/edit your camera photos for that days blog post. In short, I didn’t bother looking at the photos on my computer until I got home.

BIG freakin’ mistake … they’re all DARK, under-exposed, upon further inspection of my camera, a setting had been adjusted (about 2 days into the vacation) to making all my photo’s 6 stops darker than ‘auto’ and they so, so, so suck. Hmmm … could some swell guy be responsible for this? Hmmm? Could he?

I have managed to salvage a few, however, the beautiful landscapes of Utah aren’t in the salvaged few. I think I may have to scrap the “Guess that Canyon” contest. *SIGH* Don’t cry, really, it will be OK. It was just a contest and the prize probably would have sucked. REALLY! Who wants a trip to the Grand Canyon anyway. NOT ME. HA.

Even worse than the camera settings, were the subjects! The holiday was filled with, “OH Moooooms!” and “the suns in my eeeeyeees!” and “I feel stupid”. Good grief! They better not dare complain when they’re older and there’s not a single great picture of this trip.

Here we are in the wilds of Utah …

Me: Georgia, smile at mommy

I should have quit, while I was ahead.

Me: NO, look at me and smile.

Me: That’s not looking at me. GEORGIA. SMILE. LOOK. AT. ME. AND. SMILE. Be a good girl and I’ll Give you a gumball.

Me: A gumball … a yummy pink gumball.

Me: Georgia … do you want Mummy to eat your gumball? Do YA? HUH? ‘Cause I will you little shi …

That’s when I noticed the elderly couple watching us! They were lovely (from St. Paul, MN … loved her blonde hair, just like their 5 year old granddaughters), they wondered if she were 5. Nope just three …. AHHH … they said all knowing. Just about then, Georgia escaped.

Three really does explain so much, maybe even my camera settings, right Mr. MK?

All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win one of two Power Ranger action figures (includes shipping and handling) in my ‘Power Ranger Giveaway’. If you comment and blog about the Giveaway you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I’ll randomly choose two winners on December 1st, 2008 @ 9 p.m. –> make sure to come by and enter often.

MK xo
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Winner is: Kim R. – Kim please email me: kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com with your address :)

Summer is flying by. This is our last week before school starts. I’ve been battling a 4-5 day head-ache. The pain-killers are making me so lethargic. I finally forced myself out of the house today.

I took dozens of photos. Most of them stink (I can’t get the lighting right, shadows everywhere). A few worked out OK (after a lot of work). It’s extremely frustrating. MUST. READ. THE. MANUAL. It’s just that with the head-ache the last 200 pages of the camera manual aren’t at the top of my list of things ‘to do’.

Here are a few that turned out OK.

I am not sure why she has her tongue stuck in her bottom lip like that?! Regardless, I loved the colours, especially her eyes and the highlights in her hair. Note to self: buy Lizzy lipsmackers.

Georgia picking flowers. I took a dozens of photo’s at this spot. Her hair is really hard to photograph … too white. Unfortunately, she often ends up looking like the off-spring of Einstein (we’ll take the hair if she gets the brains that go with it). To those of you wondering, YES … I brush her hair.

This is ‘C’ a friend of Lizzy’s. Isn’t she gorgeous? She was also extremely cooperative, unlike my own children, who have a tendency to frown/glare at the camera or just refuse to look at it all together (Georgia … I’m talking to YOU).

Are your kids back to school? Are you ready? Are they? Sigh … so NOT looking forward to it.

All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card (includes shipping and handling). If you comment and blog about the contest you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I have a whole ‘schwack’ of Gift Cards to give away, so make sure and come back often for a chance to ‘have a coffee on me’.

MK xo
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Are you sick of my holiday photo’s yet? This blog is like your great-Aunties slide show … only worse, because this goes on for STINKIN’ days. Sheesh! You’d think I’d never seen an ocean or taken a vacation before.

Sorry! This beach was so fanfrickentastic, I HAVE to share. It wouldn’t be right not to.

It went on for miles and miles and miles. There wasn’t another soul to be seen. This is Yakan Pt. North Beach, Queen Charlotte Islands.

It wasn’t just deserted, because it’s remote location; it’s also part of an Indian Reserve that doesn’t allow trespassers. Unfortunately, we missed that BIG RED BOLD lettered sign directly in front of our parking spot, because Mr. MK and I were busy fighting (:( Sigh). Thankfully, we weren’t discovered and kicked off the beach. We felt pretty stupid, when we got back to the car though!

Yakan Pt. is where I found this pretty little starfish.

Apparently, it’s also the spot where Gilligan, the skipper et al. were stranded – HA. It makes for a pretty picture though.

The kids had a great time too! Due to the fact that it was only about 15c (60f). We went to the beached unprepared to swim. That didn’t last long! I think Lizzy is already down to her underwear in this picture.

The REAL fun started when some genius (psst. it’s the same guy who parked next to the NO TRESPASSING sign) decided to bury his son with 30lbs of wet sand. Remember, we have no swimsuits … no dry clothes. I have to say it, “HELLO McFLY”!

Of course Georgia had to throw on her handful of sand …

It’s too bad she threw it on his face.

Don’t worry Sam, I’ll get it off!

Way to go Lizzy … sandy water! Sorry son, mom can’t help … I’m taking pictures.

Dad to the rescue (don’t forget … he started it all).

Ah … that’s better!

Much better!

Come on Sam, I’ll help you wash off!

All’s well that ends well.

MK xo
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