Winter Update

This winter has been a busy one for our family.  We've gone on some adventures (camping and one-day trips), passed around a few illnesses (flu-A, walking pneumonia just to name a few), and are generally ready for spring.  A few quick pictures from the last few months:

Thanksgiving was wonderful - enjoyed the family time and took lots of pictures.  We enjoy this lake.

Christmas concerts for all of us -- I think we played in 4 concerts between me and the kids.  But we love playing with our bands.

Of course horses were involved.  A horse show and lots of lessons.  I think they kind of like each other.  She earned an end of year award from Houston Dressage Society as well -- nice recognition to end a tough year of riding (she's been growing way too fast).

She and I also took a quick girls trip to Texas A&M to check out one of their hunter shows in their new equestrian complex.  It was a really nice facility - hoping she gets to be involved in some capacity with the team while she (hopefully) attends A&M in a few years.  For us it was a very educational experience - nothing like what we are used to for shows.   (A&M won against New Mexico)

And believe it or not - we camped a little.  The dogs kind of show you what we did a lot of -- nothing.... it was cold, rained a lot more than was forecasted and we had several things go wrong with the camper.  But knowing we will also have an adventure - we just chalked it up to our typical family fun; still managed to do a little hiking and see a few deer.  We've since decided we aren't winter camping people.

One last note - My personal essay (about winter) was fortunate to be included in the Shutter Sisters online publication of X: Our Collective.  You can find them (and my essay) here.  

Looking forward to spring, but grateful we are not dealing with what the northern US has been dealing with during the past month.  Although this morning we did have some sleet - sounded like someone was throwing rocks at the door.  

Horse Wednesday (late)

Seems like most short weeks are the busiest; Wednesday came and went before I realized it.  Here's my Horse Wednesday contribution - just a little late.

Young siblings hanging out - watching the goings-on of the farm.  Their bios could include:  love children, attention, petting and especially spring clover.

Posting weekly horse images with Shirley  - check out her site for beautiful images (not just horses).

Have a good Easter!

Monday

A Day of Photo Viewing/Editing

I've spent most of the day looking at images from the past month - using some post processing, creative cropping, etc., just to see how it changes the feeling of the image.  I'm also using it as an excuse to learn a little more about PS Elements (not to mention skipping any household work to be done).  I've uploaded these to my flickr photostream, but wanted to show them here as well.  I'm pleased with these results - going for more of an artsy look to them as opposed to super-sharp snapshots.



A horse running free - creative cropping allowed me to eliminate some background clutter and focus on her face/expression.
 

Night time riding lesson - hand held - using arena lighting only.

Night time riding lesson - hand held, using only the lights in the arena (and a very fast 50mm f1.4 lens)
 

Hello barn cat - peaking over the edge of the barn roof. 

I feel as though my approach to photography is evolving and finding its own way.

Wordless Wednesday

Whassup?!?

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday - click here to see other wordless images.
Also linking up with Wordless Wednesday Bloggers - click here to join/view their images.
Happy Wordless Wednesday - and I kept it "wordless" this week!!

Focus 52 (week 34) All Creatures Big and Small

Again with the last minute post for this prompt - the only photos I took this week were (as usual) horses (fit into the "large creature" category), but this lesson was different -- everyone was bareback.  A small herd of horses, all bareback riders (some for the first time in a very long time) - working on finding their seat and balance.  It was funny to watch their faces as they tried to keep everything balanced and in the right place without stirrups to brace themselves on or saddles to distribute their weight.  Happy to report - no one came off, but this was mostly a walking lesson with a little trotting down the long side.  Was a good change up from the usual lessons and a good/fun way to end the summer. 

Linking up with Two Scoopz's Focus 52.  To see other images of big and small creatures - check out Jan's website.

(Eventually the herd did spread out & everyone got their own personal space - confused horses at the beginning with no tack tended to want to stay with the herd.)

Weekend Rewind 7-23-12

To not have accomplished much over the last weekend & week we sure were busy, and this week is already looking to be as busy - what happened to the lazy days of summer?  Guess all those well-child doctor visits, dentist appointments, etc... keep us hopping, along with a few fun things we squeeze in.

We started off the weekend with cub camp family day/evening - wrapping up a week of fun (& exhaustion) for the boys.  I think there are a lot of cub camps going on this time of year all around the country.  This was a puppet show put on by Webelows II den - working towards their showman requirements.

We managed to squeeze in a movie - I know this has been out for a little bit, but we rarely get to the theater the first weekend.  We all enjoyed this cute movie.  Yes, I stole this image from www.imdb.com.

Of course we can't forget about our time at the barn.. riding (her, not me).  I sat in the middle of the arena, collecting dust & flies while taking a few pictures.  She has been saving up for one of those phone cases/protectors that you can put your own picture on - she (of course) wants this horse's head/face on it, so I've been trying to get a really good image for her.  She would be happy with any of the photos I have, but she'll be showing it off - everyone will know I took the picture (just want it to be a good/decent one).

I usually try to participate in Jan's Focus 52 weekly prompts (over at two scoopz), but this week's prompt of Street Photography was nearly impossible for me.  I live in a small town, not really historically significant and not many cute shops around a central town area, so not many people walking around in any "downtown" area.  The image above is just about the only type of "street" I saw last week - dropping off at cub camp (not in town), dropping off at barn, etc... guess the horses grazing would be about the closest I got to seeing interesting "characters" along a street. 

Here's one I suggested..ha ha... tongue hanging out -- actually he was licking & chewing - which to equestrians means showing respect to the rider (a good thing - especially when you are sitting on a 1,500 lb thoroughbred). 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, but with a little cooler temperatures than we have had (or least less humidity).  Is anyone else having a problem keeping up with the photo prompts they started the first of the year?  Fun or commitments getting in the way?  I've been making an effort to take my camera everywhere, but that hasn't helped.

Focus 52 2012 (week 23) - Get Down

Almost too busy this week to take many pictures, but managed to get one for this week's prompt - Get Down.

Feet - horse feet & girl's feet in rubber boots - this is what I saw most of the time this past week at ground level.  We helped out at the barn this week during several activities, so between the dirt, the heat & the horse work (tacking up, leading, etc) - I've been a little worn out.  Once a week my daughter washes tails & grooms those horses who don't get groomed/brushed regularly.  She's probably one of the few people who actually wear out rubber boots. 

Linking up with Two Scoopz Focus 52.  Click here to see other images that were taken from a different point of view - down.

Weekend Rewind (3-5-12)

It was one of those very fast, long, exhausting weekends - mainly a horse show weekend for us (well my daughter & me).  She rode well - first show she has cantered this horse - so that was the big hurdle, but she did great.  Here are a few shots from the weekend.

Did I mention she LOVES pink?  A barn friend gave her the pink/white saddle pad (has rhinestones on it too) for Christmas, matches her pink/black gloves & the pink peackock bands on the stirrups.  Although black and white is the preferred tack/clothes colors - this horse (not ours) loves the weight of this pad combined with the fleecy pad (also pink), so we do what makes the horse happy - if she loses a point or 2 overall, oh well.  If it was a really big important show, we would definitely try to find another saddle pad that exact thickness.  For some education/background - the white stuff in his mouth is spit - called lipstick - sometimes it gets thick & drips - but that is a good thing - means he is comfortable, connected, etc with the bit - things are going well. 

diamond pattern mane braid

My daughter (12 yrs old)  also had a chance to try her hand at mane braiding.  Again, not our horse - but a friend's who kindly let my daughter "have at it."  She has a braiding book & has been reading up on the different styles - this is an acceptable style for arabians (this is horse is arabian) and he was also going be ridden in the show - so perfect timing.  She did a really good job for her first try & it stayed in all day until she took it out that evening.  She has a few finishing touches to fine tune, but she's got the idea.

straight pin her her jacket seam

Here comes the bad mom part -- I had to alter her show coat a little so it wouldn"t be so boxy and accidently left a straight pin attached to the inside of the lining.  I didn't realize it until she was warming up just before her ride - it glistened in the sunshine - can I you how she felt about that?  I tried to bend it a bit so at least it wouldn't come loose, move around & stick her (or the horse) during her ride, but she really wasn't happy with me about this (can't blame her).  The only funny thing I could tell her was - sit up tall & straight & you won't get stuck.... this is kind of a joke, since that is one thing she is working on - sitting up taller than tall in the saddle. 

replaced the plain black buttons with a little more flashy silver toned button

Note about the jacket & my tip of the day --- I can't & won't buy an expensive dressage show coat for $175 & up - especially for a growing girl, so I buy a suit jacket from the boy's dept at Target.  This one I took in at the waist just a bit so it was a bit more fitted - when the pin incident happened.  I also buy the fancy/pretty buttons at JoAnns (fabric store) & replace all the buttons on the coat.  This jacket only had 2 front buttons & dressage coats are supposed to have 3 buttons... so I added a fake button towards the top & put a heavy duty snap to close the front - didn't do velcro closure since the horse doesn't like that sound (just in case it came undone during her ride).  So, my $29.99 purchase - (actually $19.99 since I had 2 - $5.00 gift cards) was turned into a dressage coat - buttons cost about $10.00, and a little of my time/effort.

Although she didn't place first (came in 2nd) - it was still a successful show - she rode well & performed some of the movements better than she had during her lessons (and didn't get stuck with that pin).  These events take up most of our weekends, but we do get to share it with good friends from our barn and meet others who come & show. 

I also tooks pics of all of our riders, and it will take days to go through them.  I can tell I've improved in a few aspects of (horse) photography - I didn't take 50 pictures of each rider, hoping to get 10 good ones - I averaged 20-25 of each rider & know that I will be able to get several good shots from that amount.  This time I also shot in RAW in addition to JPEG Fine - so I'll be able to adjust some things - it is really a challenge to shoot into shade - I can't enter the show arena, but stand outside (in the sun) & shoot into the shade of the covered arena - not to mention those horses aren't standing still.  My other job(s) of the weekend, besides photographer, mom, etc.. grounds crew, gatekeeper for the show -- nothing like multitasking -- now where's my aleve??

Other details:  all photos SOOC - only slight cropping, 85mm lens and 50mm lens; button pic - Droid phone (older model) camera

Hope everyone had a good weekend - our weather was perfect for spending time outside.  Hope no one over-worked themselves where they are feeling as sore (& exhausted)  as I am.

UPDATE:  I have also added the 1st image (daughter on horse with pink/white tack) to the weekly challenge found on Mom Tried It: Shoot.Edit,Submit.  Click here. to see other great submissions.  This is my first time to participate in this group.

Exploring With a Camera - Silhouettes

For those who read my blog - I'm sorry for yet another horse photo, but I do spend a lot of time at this place, in this arena, watching this scene - a lot.  However I needed something for the silhouette prompt at Exploring with a Camera (Kat Eye Studio).  This wasn't taken at the usual sunrise/sunset time, but in the middle of the afternoon on a bright sunny day.  I sat in the middle of the covered arena (in the shade) and looked outward (toward the sun) at her riding, and the silhouette was created.  Thought I would add a touch of sepia to change it up a bit.  For those who are curious (or horse savvy) - this is a working trot rising, allowing the horse to deeply round/stretch - she was also working on her stretchy circles - good thing to let your horse stretch.

To look at other wonderful silhouettes (that aren't all horses) - check out Kat Eye Studio's Silhouettes.

Black & White + Something

Just wanted to quickly share what I've recently started enjoying.  Black and white photos with just a hint of color added in - all over color/tint, not just a selected item.  This looks reminds me of the old black & white photos that were hand colored - watercolor (I have a set of Johnson Brothers dishes from my grandmother that use this effect - although it is more sepia - but I won't split hairs).  Anyway this is another HDR/fused photo that I slid the saturation bar all the way to 0, then just so slightly slid it back to add just that of touch in.  I can't wait to use this with other situations/images.  My other alternative reason for posting quickly -- I couldn't stand looking at my attempt at still life & wanted to move that posting down just a bit so it wouldn't look at me everytime I got onto my blog.  For those who were kind/encouraging - I really do thank you - but obviously I do much better with living horses out in the real world.

Weekend Rewind (jan 30 2012)

The weekend was calm, but busy as usual.  My son had an academic competition of which he was an alternate (still had to show up), but sadly did not get to compete (I think I was more disappointed than he was).  As a treat I let my daughter spend time at her favorite place - the barn - while I was with my son.  Our family dove into some of our decluttering efforts by going through all the DVDs in the house (no small task), and deciding which could go and which could be passed on to someone else.  I think we did a decent job without causing too much pain.  The remaining DVDs (still many many of them) were grouped into categories (drama, action, etc) and put into binders with sleeved pages to hold DVDs (tossed the cases).  I know some people who disagree with this process, but for us it freed up a ton of space in a cabinet - enough to put all the gaming CDs, controllers, etc., in the cabinet as well.  Besides, I'm hoping not to no longer find empty DVD cases laying around.  Sunday we split up, boys stayed around the house & played with neighbors, and girls spent the afternoon at the barn.  I got a chance to practice a little photography, and now I have new pictures to practice post-processing.  The pictures were taken with the purpose of fusing them in mind (we had some nice clouds and sunset colors). 

The above picture was taken Sunday.  Trying out new ways of actually taking/capturing the picture is always risky, but I do like how this one came out - not tack sharp in focus, but a dreamy feel.  The dust from the arena is nicely highlighted, and the sun's rays are barely visible (with some flare).

Hope everyone has a great week - I'm starting mine with a sore throat (from all the dust we stirred up in the far reaches of that DVD cabinet I'm sure).

UPDATE:  I've added this to Kat Eye Studios Photo-Heart Connection for January - because of the dreamy qualities (not to mention it is of my daughter & I am a very proud mother). 

Weekend Rewind

This weekend our schedule was filled with our usual activities (sports etc), but we did have a totally new adventure too.  My daughter's barn decided to take advantage of our 75 degree January day & introduce a few horses to the beach & the surf.  It is always a lot of work going away from the barn, but it is worth it - it was fun for the riders/handlers, for the horses & especially for all the other beach-goers -- watching us.  Just wish the cleanup (sand, salt water) was as much fun (riders were wearing their paddock boots & 1/2 chaps).  Good news - I got some really great photographs (perfect photography weather - overcast, semi-foggy); bad news -- I lost a lens cap out on the beach somewhere... Our family did get a chance to relax and hang out together too (we even watched 2 movies)  - which we needed.  How was everyone else's weekend?  Do anything new or different?

Dealing With Life

I think this picture says it all without any caption.... an arm that is bent not at the wrist, but where it shouldn't.  This has been one of my excuses for not posting - dealing with life right now.  Good news - my son will be fine after the usual period in a cast - although his arm was slightly manipulated again after the initial set - he's a strong guy to tough it out.  As for taking pictures - I snuck this picture with my phone really quickly in the hospital ER while it was up on the lightbox.  I don't have an iPhone, but I still find my phone's camera very handy for these kind of quick pics - don't think it would be proper to haul out the big camera and ask everyone to pose just for historical recording purposes.  But I did have a chance to use the real camera at a dressage schooling show.  I've been photographing horses with and without riders for a few years now and at least I can say I've seen an improvement in my efforts.  Here's a couple that I took that were from a little different angle than you usually see.  An additional benefit from these pictures - they can be used as teaching tools - showing the rider what they could do differently or what they did really well.

A rider's hands help guide the horse.
FYI... the fingers should be closed.

A young horse looks relaxed in her
first dressage show.