Foto Friday!

This week's photo features my very own Marley. He is our loving 7 month Golden Retriever. With Golden's having a natural liking to water, this photo is one of my favorites of him because it captures so much thought. This was taken back in June when we went to a friend's lake house to kick the summer months off. Everyone was playing in the water, splashing and having a great time and then there is Marley, very concerned about the water and not quite sure what to make of it. Rest assured, his natural water instincts kicked in and he finally decided to take the plunge and go swimming (now we can't keep him out of the water!).


Taking the original photo, an aged lighting filter was applied. After playing around with the curves and tones to further emphasize the shadows in this image, the photo was then softened and slightly cropped in. I feel the edited image almost looks like an old post card, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. It also reminds me of young Marley's fears and reservations when he was a puppy. Now he is a little dare devil in the water!

Got a special photo you want featured for Foto Friday? Feel free to send them to me and they may be featured!

I ♥ Faces - Week 33 - Nostalgia Photo

This week at I Heart Faces, blog viewers are asked to post a picture representing just one word...'nostalgia'. This was quite challenging for me, but I still welcomed the challenge.

First I had to define what nostalgia is. Dictionary.com defines this as "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days."

In looking through my photos, I came across a photo of myself as a child. Who wouldn't want to be taken back to the simplicity of their childhood? As I was color correcting this photo, I was instantly taken back to 1988, when this was taken. I distinctly remember my favorite Rainbow Bright tricycle that I had just gotten! I felt like I was on top of the world...barefoot and free, with no worries. I could let my childhood imagination roam and there was no stopping me!

I think we should all have moments of escape to our childhood. Remember our childhood dreams and imaginations. Remember the people that surrounded us with love that may no longer currently be with us. And remember how the small things (such as your favorite tricycle or toy) made the biggest impact. What do you think? What are some of your favorite childhood memories?

Foto Friday!

It is time for 'Foto Friday', where I will display a photo I have taken the time to edit in various programs. Today's honored photo is a picture of my adorable niece, Caroline. My amazing sister-in-law and her daughter came to visit a couple weeks ago to embark on their first mini-vacation and also to celebrate Caroline's 6 month birthday. Let me first just explain, that not only is Caroline a sweet heart and such an easy baby(!), she is also a very gorgeous child! That weekend with Caroline was among many firsts for her: First long trip, first time eating bananas and first time swimming in the pool, which is the photo I have taken and edited.

Below is the before image. Aren't my sister-in-law and niece so adorable? She had the best time in the pool, was splashing with her tiny hand and laughing! It was such a precious site.
Although the original image is a very cute one without the editing, I wanted to capture Caroline's true soft beauty, which is shown below. After a bit of cropping, lighting adjustments, color changes, sharpening, surface blur and burning shifts, below is the final outcome!
Got a special photo you want featured for Foto Friday? Feel free to send them to me and they may be featured!