our week in pennsylvania

Embrace the Camera | Pennsylvania

me and my girl and my nephew Frankie at the children's museum in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

She wore herself out playing every day we were there.

Did YOU "embrace the camera" this week and get a shot or two with your loved ones?

*inspired by my friend annalee, who is inspired by the anderson crew*

First Braids

One Year | houston baby photographer

I'm sitting here trying to think of the right words to say. And there just are none. No perfect words. I photographed her entry into the world (click here and here). And her "official" newborn shoot (here). I get all choked up by these pictures. And these.

Oh, Karis Kiser. I sure do love you. How can you possibly be ONE already? And walking? You screamed through your first photo shoot, slept through your second, and ran away from me during this one. You are a busy girl, exploring your world.

Karis, it is a privilege to be friends with your mama, and a complete joy to watch you develop your own friendship with my sweet girl. I look forward to all our photo shoots to come, and watching you grow into the woman God intends for you to be. I love you.

Embrace the Camera | Sunday, September 18, 2011

When Elizabeth started preschool a few weeks ago, her teacher asked for us to bring some pictures from home of Elizabeth with her family and friends. There were two problems with this.

1. I have like, zero printed pictures in my house. Oh, yeah, I take a million of them. But the number that are printed, or in frames, or on my wall or in a scrapbook (ha!) is PITIFUL.

2. I have like, zero pictures of me and my child. Oh, alright, I have a FEW. But believe me, they are FEW. That's just sad, y'all.

And then I thought of my friend Annalee. She posts pics every Thursday of herself with her loved ones. So, if I do the same thing, that'll make me much more intentional about taking photos with my daughter, right? Or maybe even with my HUSBAND. Wouldn't that be something?

So, here we are. Me and my 2 year old daughter. We were having dinner over at Becky's house on Sunday with some other friends, and I made her pick up her camera and snap a few pics. I told myself I'd try to take a few more this week so I'd have more than just one to post. And of course, that didn't happen. This "being intentional" thing is hard work, yo.

So, mamas: who's with me? Who wants to join in on the "Embrace the Camera" Thursday fun? You don't always have to be behind the camera, you know. Sometimes you can be in front of it.

*inspired by my friend annalee, who is inspired by the anderson crew*

Tuesday's Tip | Focal Points

One of the great things about taking your camera off AUTO, is that you can now play around with your focal points. When your camera is in auto, it also automatically chooses your focal point. It guesses where you want your focus to be. And that can be a little frustrating. Since you are playing around in Av mode this week, you can also start choosing exactly where YOU would like to focus. And by focal point, I'm referring to those little red dots you see when you look through your viewfinder. (Don't know what it's like if you're taking pics by looking at the screen on the back. I only look through the viewfinder when I take pics. Someone with experience with this feel free to jump in with a comment.)

I shot a few pics of my Canon Rebel xsi. Yours might be different depending on your camera make and model- so double check your owner's manual for this one. But here is where you would change the focal points on my Rebel:

Look through your viewfinder as you scroll that little wheel and you will see the red dots change- keep scrolling til you find one you want to try, and then just take your picture. And what should you be focusing on anyway? If you are playing around in Av mode, and trying to take pics of a person- your focal point needs to be on their eye. Depending on what your aperture setting is, this will ensure that their eyes are nicely in focus (which is usually the most important part, right?), even if other parts of their face or the rest of the picture aren't. Make sense?

If you have any questions, leave it in the comments or email me at sarah@fishlipsphotography.com.

Aperture Homework

Looky looky! Miss Kristen did her homework! :)

She has that 50mm f/1.8 lens I was telling y'all about last week,

and she got it out and played around with the Av mode on her Canon Rebel.

And look how CUTE they turned out!

(and yes, that is my child's best friend Aubrey w/her baby sister Taylor)

I just love how these pictures turned out!

If you've got homework to share,

throw it up on your blog and post a link in the comments.

Or do like Kristen and just email me your pics.

This week's Tuesday's Tip will be up this afternoon, so check back later!

Our Weekend: pedicures, painting, & pitter patter on the roof

My mama, grandma, and brother were in town this weekend, visiting us from Mississippi. Mama and I left & got pedicures while Elizabeth napped. When we came home, we decided she needed "pretty toes" too.

I don't know if y'all heard all of Houston hollering with joy this weekend, but we are finally getting some AWESOME RAIN. Elizabeth knew it was raining out, and when we opened the door to let the dogs out, she yelled, "I WANNA GO OUTSIDE!" and she RAN to get her rainboots, shoved them on her own feet, and came running as fast as those little legs could carry her. It was such a joy to see her dance in the rain. Finally.

After the rain, she came in and did some painting with her grandma. She LOVES those Dot Art markers. Thank you, Lakeshore Learning.

We also went to High Fashion Fabric (love that store!) for my mom to buy some fabric for more dresses for E. Y'all are gonna die when you see the 2 she just made. Sure is nice to have a sewing grandma! ;) Then we took my grandma to the Container Store. There are no words to express her love for that place. She could stay there for hours. Makes me laugh!

So, what did y'all do this weekend?

Oh, sweet baby girl | houston baby photographer

Remember her newborn shoot? And the maternity session?

Well, Miss Hadleigh is 6 months old now (well, really, almost 7), and my, how she's grown!

It is SO crazy how much they change in the first year. She was a tiny, sweet newborn, but at 6 months, she will truly steal your heart. I mean, look at those eyes! And that dimple!

She is sweet, and so, so happy. She smiles a ton and was very curious about my camera. And pine needles, but that's a whole other story.

When I was describing to my best friend who I would be shooting yesterday, I said, "You know- the guy's really tall and the wife is blonde" and Becky goes: "Oh yeah. The people who look like models." Yes. The people who look like models. :) They are such a gorgeous, sweet family and I am already looking forward to our next shoot in February!

THE Swing Set/Fort/Best-Playdate-Ever Maker

Elizabeth's grandpa (my dad) very generously offered to buy her a swingset for her birthday this summer. He let us pick it out, so Elizabeth's daddy poured over websites and plans and visited other swing sets and agonized over the decision. He wanted it to be perfect. Never one to do things half way, my manly man hubs decides he doesn't want to just buy a ready-to-go kit. He wanted to do this thing from scratch. He bought plans, purchased the lumber and the hardware, and started cutting. Just the cutting of the lumber took a full 12 hour day:

This is Day 2: Ryan's dad came over to help him get started:

In the below pic, Ryan is saying: "Elizabeth will be able to see for MILES!"

Day ???- He's been working on this thing every spare minute he has. I've totally lost track of what day we're on here. He was working on it every night after work. He got as far as he could by himself, and then called over our super duper handy friend Kevin for some help:

*those black socks? dead sexy.*

And NOW, for the big reveal! Elizabeth has LOVED playing on her play set!

And so has her daddy.

We've already tested it out on her friends. They like it a lot, too.

We can't wait for more playdates in the backyard as the weather gets cooler!

Two Days After Her Second Birthday | houston child photographer

I can't believe I forgot to post these! I put them up on Facebook 3 months ago, and just never got around to putting them on the blog. When I look back at these pictures, I cannot believe how much she's already changed and grown since then. She's grown 2 inches in these last 3 months. Even her face looks so much more grown up, and less like a baby's. She's speaking in sentences. She knows all her colors and shapes.

For those of you who read yesterday's post about APERTURE- each of these pics was taken at f/1.4. Don't forget to email me your aperture homework! sarah@fishlipsphotography.com. Or write a blog post about your practice and leave me a comment with your link so I can go see it. As an incentive- next month we'll start doing GIVEAWAYS for those who participate in the homework. This month will be a practice round while we work out all the kinks.

Tuesday's Tip | Aperture

Well, since it's taken me so dang long to get this series started, let's have TWO tips this Tuesday!

1. Read your camera manual. Seriously, people. If you ever want/hope/dream/desire to switch your DSLR from the little green auto box- you are going to have to read your manual. It doesn't matter how many tips I give you if you don't crack open that owner's manual. I have read mine- for both cameras- at least a bazillion times. There's a reason they include that thing! If you don't know what half the words mean and it feels like you're reading Chinese- KEEP READING. It might be unfamiliar territory at first, but PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL. Don't make me get all biblical on you.

So, it seems like what y'all want to know are some BASICS. Don't freak out on me, we are not going to go straight from auto to manual. Let's discuss that little thing on your dial that says: Av.

2. APERTURE- aka Av on your camera dial. Keeping this very basic- have you wondered how you can get that blurry background in your pictures? It's all about the aperture, baby. When you have a LOW number, the background is blurry. When you have a HIGH number, the background is crisp. Now, by LOW number, I mean: 1.8, 2.0, 4.0- those kinds of numbers. By HIGH number, I mean: 8, 10, 22 etc. And those numbers are called f-stops. So if you are ever on a website and read people talking about f-stops, now you know they are referring to APERTURE.

Now then. These pics and the ones just below were taken with my 50mm f/1.4 lens. It's what they call a "prime lens", meaning basically, that it doesn't zoom in and out. Prime lenses are GREAT for getting that blurry background look, b/c typically they have very wide apertures (aka- the lowest numbers possible). The lowest I can get that number on this particular lens is 1.4 and just LOOK at that blurry background on the right. Contrast that with the f/6.3 and f/8 on the left- and you can see the difference, right? If you want to add a prime lens to your camera bag, start out with this one: the 50mm f/1.8 lens. It's not super expensive and that f/1.8 lets you get the job done. It's the very first lens I bought (or rather, the hubs surprised me with on Christmas). So, mamas- add that one to your Christmas list!

Again: the LOWER the number, the more BLURRY the background.

*ugh. please ignore the "place logo". clearly i was in a hurry in photoshop.*

I took these pics of my lovely Phoebe inside with my 24-70mm 2.8 lens. Because it zooms it is NOT a prime lens, and it can NOT get down to a super low number like 1.4. The lowest this one goes is f/2.8. But again, you should see a difference between the 2 pics above and their numbers. f/2.8 is LOW and f/8 is HIGH. Are y'all with me? It's not quite as dramatic, but it's there.

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II & these different lenses now, but my first DSLR was a Canon Rebel. So I pulled it out for these last shots while I was cooking dinner last night (a bean and rice dish that did NOT turn out like I'd hoped and dreamed).

So I took those with my Rebel and the kit lens that came with it. It's not a great lens. And it doesn't let you get those low numbers- the lowest i can get is f/5.6 with mine. But even with that lens, you can see the difference in the "blurriness" of that versus the f/10. Again, not nearly as dramatic, but it's there.

Alright, how do YOU get to play around with aperture? Take your camera (I know you've already read the manual through at least once) and look at that little dial. Switch that sucker OFF the little green box (or auto) and switch it to "Av". In Av mode, YOU decide how high or low you want that aperture number, and the camera will adjust all the rest of your settings automatically. The ONLY thing you have to do in Av mode is decide what you want that number to be. Now- you're going to have to read your owner's manual to know how to set that number. :)

Your homework? Play around in Av mode and have FUN! If you want, blog about your experience. Or send an email to me with 2 examples- one w/a high number and one with a low number. I'll put it on the blog and we'll chat about it. Like the girlfriends we are. :) Photography is something I find super fun and I've spent a lot of time learning about. I have so many girlfriends with great cameras and they shoot everything in auto and wish they knew how to do more. That's what I hope this little series on Tuesdays does. If you ever have a question you think would make a good Tuesday's Tip idea, just email me! I promise- there are NO dumb questions.

Want to know more? Here are a couple great resources for you to learn more about APERTURE:

What the Heck is an Aperture? ~ The Pioneer Woman

The Monday Lesson- Aperture ~ Farrah Braniff

Oh yeah! And my email for your homework or ideas: sarah@fishlipsphotography.com

I can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

Something Magical for your Monday

Like a lot of other people, I struggle with feeling content. Feeling at peace with this stage of the journey. Sometimes wanting more, and wanting it very much- more stuff, more opportunities, more vacations, cuter shoes, a different handbag, another baby. I think I'm not alone here- but sometimes I focus on that "other" that I don't have yet. And I forget to focus on what is present today. Anybody else feel this way sometimes? My birthday was last week, and on the day I turned 32 we had some good friends over for dinner. They brought their daughters, one of whom happens to be one of Elizabeth's dearest friends. To watch Aubrey & Elizabeth play together is nothing short of magical. They are silly and sweet and try so hard to share toys and then they boss each other around. Which is pretty funny. They give each other hugs and are just so excited when they see each other and they share an obsession with Dora. And princesses. Last night we had dinner over at their house, and during the prayer before dinner, Kristen and I peeked over at our girls and saw them leaned in close to each other at the "kids table", whispering and giggling together. My heart swelled with happiness.

It struck me on my birthday night that I have everything I've ever wanted. I wanted a husband, a house, a child. Then Jesus went and got all extravagant on me: a man I adore- who loves me and makes me laugh and works so hard with me on our marriage. a house I really love and that truly feels like home. a ridiculously adorable, happy, funny, sweet little girl with glitter on her face, squealing with her best friend in princess dresses. It struck me that I've wanted this moment in life for as long as I can remember. And it's here. Now. It was a good reminder from the Lord to be content with the present. With where we are today. And to cherish each and every one of these magical moments. Because too soon these girls will be too cool for princess dresses. Or cuddling with their mommies. They'll be wearing makeup and begging us to let them go to the mall and giving their daddies anxiety attacks. I hope this is a reminder to you, too. To cherish the now. To see these moments as magical, because really, y'all- it's so fleeting. It all goes by so fast.

Dearest Elizabeth- please always be as good at choosing friends as you are right now at two.

Dearest Aubrey- please always be my daughter's friend.

watching out the back door for their "princes"- the daddies were outside grilling.

you can't tell that great from this pic- but i know that at this exact moment aubrey has grabbed elizabeth hand and is showing her exactly how to do it. like she knows.

By the Seashore | houston child photographer

As I greet Fall with open arms- cooler temps & sweaters & fall scented candles & pumpkins & all things orange & red- I cannot help but think back on our sweet, sweet summer... that tutu swimsuit from Target, that Minnie Mouse hat that she ended up loving and that I never had to fight her to wear, the smell of sunscreen, the hot sun on our skin & sand between our toes. Thank you, Jesus, for our sweet summer moments.