I cannot get enough Gaussian Blur...

I have been staying up way too late playing in Photoshop Elements. I took this picture of Lydia while we were waiting for our dinner at a restaurant in Grand Haven, MI. Look what I can do now!!! This is actually a bit sloppy as it is getting late and I am tired, but none the less you can see the difference!

This is SOOTC (straight out of the camera)

Then some recomposition, color adjustments, and my new favorite thing - Gaussian Blur, along with layers and masks (stuff I still do not get, but I follow direction well) and some eye popping tricks and you have...

A very dreamy and creamy photograph!!!

Beach Theme

Ok, I know I just posted this particular pic! However, I thought it was worthy enough for iHeartfaces weekly blog contest, which happens to be a beach theme this week.

This is currently one of my favorite, favorites! Of course you put a baby on a beach and it does not get much better!

Family Summer Vacation

We recently got back from Michigan's westcoast beach towns. I know I am biased, but I love this photo. I thought my favorite picture was the one I posted yesterday, but I maybe leaning towards this one!
One of the coolest things was the sand dunes in the Silver Lake area. This is a stop on the ride with Mac Wood's Dune rides.

Evan hanging out on a sand dune. You can climb some of the little ones that are found on some of the area's beaches. You actually get quite a leg work out, especially if you have to tote a baby!

This would be the baby I am referring to. The one who would not share the chocolate milk shake!

Our family for a kodak moment- of course someone has to not look!

And what would a family vacation be without posing in one of these things!?

This is Little Sable Point Lighthouse. This ended up being one of our favorite beaches.

There was some serious play going on. I could not capture this girls eyes when we were on the beach...just way to busy to look up at me with the camera I guess.

I think this was day one actually. Running sand through the hands...I am such I mean mom to not let these kiddos have a sand box in the backyard. But that just makes the sand experience so much more, rather than have access daily, right?...

Those pesky tourists in my background! I still have not figured out how to "rid" them in PS Elements...

They scooped and unscooped and dumped and filled with water and dumped water for a long time!

Our favorite beach had a mini lake that was kind of cool where the kids liked to hang out as well.

Of course, this is still lake water, and does gross me out as all lake water does... but it sure makes for fun.

This photo I photoshopped, I do not really like the results, I saturated the color too much. But here they are...It is near impossible to get a decent shot with all three, this is the best I got!

I will end with this little guy. He was fun to take pictures of. I think this one is just from my point and shoot camera. It took some great pics and that is all you have to do with it, point and shoot! You do not have to think of picture style and settings and light metering and white balance and shutter speed. I know all those fancy buttons can do things for me, but hey, sometimes I just want to point and shoot! And look, I think I got a good one!

The Beach

We just got back from Michigan's west coast beach towns. This is my favorite picture. I know, no face, but it just says so much. I have to say my all time favorite photographs are of little ones at the beach, it just does not get much better!
I am forever trying to figure out what my D-SLR camera all does and trying to mess with buttons and capture FOCUSED little ones was quite difficult. But this guy does not move too fast yet!

This one may be frame worthy! In fact, I think I will make it my facebook profile pic! I am sorry I hate to come off as egotistical, but I am so proud of myself right now!! And it was not really touched up in photoshop either. Honestly, I "auoto sharpened" in elements (but I could not tell what it did?) and my "picture style" in my camera was set to landscape so I think it saturates the blues and greens, but otherwise it is SOOC! I think that is how the pro's say straight out of the camera!