Dreadlock Girl
28Nov/118

Family Photo Shoot

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Pointing at BABY!! The boys thought this was pretty fun.

All the photo credit for this shoot goes to Travis Johnson, who does exceptional work.
Find him on Facebook: Travis Johnson Photography
Or through his website: TJ Photography

29Oct/093

Summer Memories

I love thinking of seasons passed, how one day its warm enough for shorts and running through the sprinkler and within that week everyone is grabbing sweatshirts and watching the leaves change. The trees on the country roads right now look like the burning bush must have displaying fires of bright red, yellow, orange and some are still green. The scenery is so pretty it makes me stare every time.

I guess most of the time there are things about each season that I wish would linger (except maybe winter). Every year I have a summer fling with warm evenings and medium days- I love the beginning and end of summer when things cool down a bit  but still are completely enjoyable.

This summer was a new milestone for us. This summer was the first summer we braved camping with the boys, they are 3 and 5 and did spectacular- now we just can't wait to take them again. We probably wouldn't have thought to go on our own, but our new church does an all-church camp out every year and we signed up. We didn't even have a tent that would fit us all!

We had never camped with electricity and water capabilities before, we were into hardcore backpacking camping pre-kids. I think that is why we didn't go for so long after we had them. We used to only eat power bars and trail mix when on the road, our bodies craved hot nourishment.That was not a problem this time! A friend let me borrow her dutch oven and it is now on my wish list. The food was so good- none of the typical hot dogs or hamburgers...well, just check it out for yourself.

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PS.Recipes for these dutch oven dishes to follow, stay tuned friends they are worth it.

24Sep/0915

Rejected. Shot Down. Failure?

Do you ever do something in your little pond and think that maybe you have a gift? What if you do have a gift, but you let others judge you and make you think that you don't? Yes, call me pensive. Those questions were popping repeatedly in my head yesterday after I got the message below of my denial for entering my photos on a stock images site. I thought I would make it, that I could earn some dough by just having my photos sit on there and lazily earn dough even while sleeping. I guess I should try a different get-rich -quick scheme? HA.

Anyway, what do you do when rejected? Do you consider yourself a failure, or do you toughen up and move on-learning from your mistakes. I guess I do both, maybe at the same time. I first opened the rejection letter below and then scoffed and deleted it. Luckily I have gmail and digging though your trash is one thing it is great at-so I dived the dumpster and re-read. The second time I read it I thought, well, I do agree with some things (although other comments are too vague) and really criticism is good. What is hard is that I shoot for fun, and if I like the shot that is all that matters. When I put my hobby up for people to judge and also to earn money then I no longer am doing it for fun. I am not sure what I think about that either.

Anyway, I wanted you to read my rejection. I may try again, but I still don't really know if I want to. Maybe because it is better to just do it for love, and not worry about what everyone thinks. That is hard to do though-of course I care! It is easier for me if I just think I can do things, but never try, then I never fail. Or do I?

Hi,

Thank you for your submission to Shutterstock.

In order for Shutterstock to maintain the high standard of our photography collection, new submitters must receive approval on at least seven (7) of their first ten (10) images to continue uploading. Unfortunately, while some of the images you submitted may meet our guidelines, we are unable to approve the requisite number and have temporarily disabled the uploading function on your account. This decision was based on concerns about quality, composition, lighting, or other features of your initial batch of images and we have listed the reasons below.

Thank you for your interest in Shutterstock. We look forward to seeing you again in 30 days!

37594939
stock photo : serious boy
Not Approved
Model Release--Please re-upload with release.
Poor Lighting--Poor or uneven lighting, or shadows. White balance may be incorrect.
Focus--Your image is not in focus or focus is not located where we feel it works best.
Noise--Noise, film grain, over-sharpening, or artifacts at full size.
Composition--Limited commercial value due to framing, cropping, and/or composition.
37594942
stock photo : vintage water pump
Not Approved
Composition--Limited commercial value due to framing, cropping, and/or composition.
37594945
stock photo : boys being boys playing Foosball
Not Approved
Composition--Limited commercial value due to framing, cropping, and/or composition.
Model Release--Please re-upload with release.
Poor Lighting--Poor or uneven lighting, or shadows. White balance may be incorrect.
Focus--Your image is not in focus or focus is not located where we feel it works best.
37594948
stock photo : Main Street in small village
Not Approved
Composition--Limited commercial value due to framing, cropping, and/or composition.
Poor Lighting--Poor or uneven lighting, or shadows. White balance may be incorrect.
37594951
stock photo : Aqueduct in Segovia, Spain.
Not Approved
7 of 10 must be approved
37594954
stock photo : Segovia Cityscape
Not Approved
Poor Lighting--Poor or uneven lighting, or shadows. White balance may be incorrect.
37594957
stock photo : Sleeping Boy
Not Approved
Model Release--Please re-upload with release.
Focus--Your image is not in focus or focus is not located where we feel it works best.
Noise--Noise, film grain, over-sharpening, or artifacts at full size.
37594960
stock photo : Coffee for You
Not Approved
Model Release--Please re-upload with release.
Noise--Noise, film grain, over-sharpening, or artifacts at full size.
37594963
stock photo : Young Cowboy
Not Approved
Model Release--Please re-upload with release.
Focus--Your image is not in focus or focus is not located where we feel it works best.
37594966
stock photo : Cap Gun Toy
Not Approved
Noise--Noise, film grain, over-sharpening, or artifacts at full size.

Regards,
Shutterstock Support



Read Dreadlock Girl Photography Tips:

The Basics
Capture Real People, In Real Life Shots
Work That Thing! How to Get the Best Shots
Tips for Group Shots: How to Shoot a Group Session Like You Know What You’re Doing!
Photo Editing, Fixin’ Your Images
Taking the Best Black and White Photos: What to Look For
What does the ISO Do For You?: Learning more about the ISO

19Sep/098

Our Conquest of Spain: Castles, Knights and Aqueducts

On our first stroll through Segovia, Spain:

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Photo Spain Posts to Date:
Spain Through My Camera Lens

Our Conquest of Spain: Arrows and Sticks

I will try to post pictures here again, but I will be uploading them all to my flickr album España.

If you want to see our pictures of Spain in your google (or selected) reader sign up for the RSS for the España flickr album.

18Sep/093

Our Conquest of Spain: Arrows and Sticks

Through the fine skill of archery, we have conquered little kid step at a time the northern mountains of Spain: Los Picos de Europa. Our journey has taken us from Soto de Sajambre to Oseja de Sajambre by use of our somewhat faithful feet and our trusted silver steed (a huge Ford van). The sights have been incredible-too much to see and enjoy. The boys are loving every new adventure and are very good at taking things as they come, it has been  a very good trip so far!

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Make sure to check back in soon for pictures of castles and aqueducts and the boys avidly eating it up!

Photo Spain Posts to Date:
Spain Through My Camera Lens

I will try to post pictures here again, but I will be uploading them all to my flickr album España.

If you want to see our pictures of Spain in your google (or selected) reader sign up for the RSS for the España flickr album.

15Sep/098

Spain Through My Camera Lens

We are in Spain for the next bit, some of you have begged for pictures, others have done nothing short of threatening me....either way I feel the love, thanks! We have loved every day so far, and we are headed to Segovia to see the sights there, the castle there is impressive and the aqueduct is insanely cool. Stay tuned, I hope to have pictures up of that soon....depending on internet connection. Until then, enjoy a little tidbit of our journey in photos.

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I will try to post pictures here again, but I will be uploading them all to my flickr album España.

If you want to see our pictures of Spain in your google (or selected) reader sign up for the RSS for the España flickr album.

2Sep/0910

Trikes and Scooters

The boys love the summer, the heat, the long days and most of all that they can play non-stop outside. They have been on a mission run, play and dig enough to last them throughout the rainy season. I don't quite think it will work, but I don't tell them that!

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What do you miss most about the summer after it is over?
I miss fresh tomatoes the most, and wearing sandals everyday.

For more pictures like this, check out my flickr album titled: My Boys