Week 31/52 - Wild Card

This week was a wild card pick so I chose to represent something I've been practicing lately. Meg Bitton is a huge inspiration for me and all the magic she can bring to an image. And she encourages it on her fb. So I took up the challenge. In a similar image I added the rainbow action she released on my birthday! Recently she posted a firefly image (well if you look through her blog she posted a couple) and it inspired me to play. Jessica Drossin also inspired me to push my usage of her textures a bit more. I have been a bit too afraid to use more than two on a high opacity but I think the outcome was spectacular! I might just post a before and after to illustrate the difference a few textures can provide! While I love pure, natural, and clean images to represent my brand I think adding a little magic from time to time in my repertoire would be healthy <3 I honestly love discovering new editing techniques and learning as much as I can about shooting and editing!

And also if you notice, I'm starting to define my brand with a vintage, british rose to represent the beauty and natural feeling I hope to bring to my future clients. I'm really determined to get my business up and ready to take on clients by the end of this year! I have a few goals but, aside from all the licensing, my primary goal is to work on building a portfolio of this desert area.

Desert editing is not as easy as editing a scene as depicted above. We don't have the tall cacti like Arizona to help make a scene interesting and the warm yellow colors from the surroundings can spill onto my subject's face. And then there is the heat and sun :oP My uncooperative model (being a toddler is no excuse :oP) cannot be out when it's so hot so practicing with the bright sun has not been possible and we just haven't been able to get out in the evenings. Oh my, I really sound like I'm whining. I will admit it sometimes puts me in a rut, but days like today when Zoey is just smiley and snuggley and sweet makes me realize my family is my number one priority. And I am grateful, too, that they are so patient with me as I go out and pursue my dreams! As I just read somewhere, sometimes being in a rut can inspire and that's when this new edit of this image came about.

I just love photographing moments and giving my daughter a ridiculous amount of memories to look back on that she doesn't remember :oP I just know she will have fun looking through the 10TB of images I will provide her for her wedding slideshow (who am I kidding with only 10?!?) :oP Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the sprinkle of magic I hope to grace my blog with from time to time!  It really is a fun release of creativity now that Zoey has made it absolutely clear she does NOT like wearing my bonnets I've been making her :oP

I will say though, I'm looking forward to a little shoot of Zoey sporting something her Oma is making for her! :o)