Clicked and Captured | photography

i heart faces :: boys

2011-06-20T20:41:00.001-05:00

First of all, excuse my absence (a month, ack!). I hope to start posting on this blog more often now.

"Let's Hear It for the Boys" is the current I Heart Faces challenge and I couldn't help but remember this darling shot I captured of my dad and little brother yesterday while opening Father's Day gifts. Perfectly imperfect, anyone?

more lovelies here. thank you for stopping by!

love,

hannah

little things

2011-05-20T14:21:00.001-05:00

"The best things in life are nearest; breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."
–Robert Louis Stevenson

pictures like this make me happy. i love the little things in life. and capturing them.

loveliness

2011-05-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

i live for light like this. and the bokeh. gorgeous.

i know when i posted way back when (*blushes*) i mentioned a certain camera-related birthday present. though i've already told those who read my main blog about it, it seemed rude not to mention it here like i'd said i would. it's...adobe lightroom 3! and i absolutely love it. picnik, i'm so happy to say i won't be editing with you any more. (all photos shown here have been edited with lr.)

and many of you have asked me "what on earth happened to Project Me?!" don't worry, i'm still taking self portraits. as soon as i get the chance i will put together a few posts with favorites from february up to the present and update my flickr set. thank you for being patient!

i'm off traveling this weekend/week, and i'm quite excited. stay tuned for some more photos, friends!

have a lovely day!

-hannah

i heart faces :: pet week

2011-04-24T22:37:00.001-05:00

We were at a lovely little Easter event yesterday, and let's just say Stephen totally adored the chicks and bunnies. Yeah, just a little bit sweet.

Hope you all had a beautiful Easter! In my case, today was a celebration of my birthday as well...so much fun!! (Like, two of my favorite days of the year combined? Pretty much.) Currently, I'm longing to try out a certain camera-related-lovely-item that I've received. Eeeeep!

In the mean time, I'm linking up to I Heart Faces' Pet photo challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by--I love getting the chance to return your sweet comments and "meeting" y'all!

with love,

---hannah m.

flag football : cj

2011-03-30T23:01:00.001-05:00

(Before I go on, I'm super-sorry about my absense over the past couple of weeks...and thankful to all of you for sticking with me. Keep checking for more photos comin' soon - I have so many to share. Eep! And never mind the fact that my header still says "February" on it. Ahem. Should be changed soon.)

My brother CJ's very last flag football game of the season was a little over a week ago. Like, the championship, y'all. They played valiantly, really they did. And...lost. But, seriously, second place in the league is underrated, right? These guys are still awesome. ;-)

I realized that I hadn't photographed a single game this season (what got into me?) so I totally had to tote my camera bag along and brave the fifty-degree, earlish-morning temps to get a few shots. (Seriously, it felt cold...like, I was wearing a scarf.) Here are some faves...

Okay, so see that lady with the totally awesome telephoto lens? Little-miss-had-to-use-her-kit-lens-me was kinda jealous.

Stephen, you're cute. Just thought I'd mention it.

I found myself obsessing over landscape shots...both this and the one a few photos about were shot at 18mm, I believe. Happiness. ;-)

And, after the game...*sniff*

Taken any action-like shots lately?

with love,

---hannah m

i heart faces :: favorite face from february

2011-03-07T09:28:00.003-06:00

It's another "people's choice" week at I Heart Faces...where we share our favorite face shot from last month. This is a selfie that I took towards the beginning of February. To be honest, it really put me out of my comfort zone to shoot myself this close up...but I ended up really liking this photo:

More lovelies at I Heart Faces this week!

And those you stopping by, so glad you're here! I always do my best to leave you a comment in return and love seeing your photos. ;-)

Update - also, starting Wednesday, I'd love for ya to vote for my photo - #34! I know Hannah (oh wait -- that's me!) would really appreciate it! ;)

---hannah m.

PS - have you entered the giveaway over at my main blog yet? You have until tomorrow!

i heart faces :: anything but a face

2011-02-28T00:08:00.001-06:00

Even before I really got interested in photography, I loved focusing on parts of the body other than the face when telling a story with my camera...and so I was excited when I Heart Faces decided to devote this week to "anything but a face".
The only problem was, I had a lot of narrowing down to do. Eep.

Finally, I decided to go with this lovely that I just "rediscovered" today. I'm really happy at how well it converted to B&W, and even though her face isn't showing, you can still tell she's a sweetie. Most of the time. ;-)

Looking forward to seeing the entries at I Heart Faces this week!

Also, thanks to those of you who stopped by - so glad you're here! I always do my best to return the sweet comments you leave me.

with love,

---hannah

Bloom Magazine | hearts ♥

2011-02-15T12:10:00.001-06:00

These were a few shots I took the other day for Bloom! magazine's February issue (coming out, hopefully, today - I'm excited). Because of church and my brother's basketball game, I didn't have a lot of light left as I was shooting, but I took advantage and had some totally lovely sunflare for the second picture. And all was well. La sigh!

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ~~Mother Teresa

Happy {belated} Valentine's day, friends! I heart ya bunches! : )

---hannah m.

i heart faces :: hearts

2011-02-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

I had grand and imaginative plans for this week's challenge, really I did. I'm a girl, you know, so I was kind of bursting with ideas for incorporating a heart and face into a photo...But was never exactly able to carry any out, courtesy of a certain Pride and Prejudice play and exhaustion. With "something new" out of the question, I considered something from Megan's shoot, but since it's nothing extremely special and I had already shared them, I decided on something else.

This is me testing out an idea that I'd wanted to try on Megan. No, it was not entirely successful, but still rather cute. (Whoa - did I just call myself cute? I don't think I meant it.)

Thanks bunches for stopping by - I always do my best to leave a comment in return at your blog and love getting to "know" you a little. ;-)

More lovelies at I Heart Faces (oh, no pun intended...heehee!)

---hannah m.

happy february ♥

2011-02-05T13:20:00.001-06:00

Hey, sweet friends! My apologies for barely posting this past month - I have a few spare moments today so I'm aspiring to prepare some Clicked and Captured posts for the coming week, since I've been lacking so much lately. I'm also thinking it's time for a fresh look...we'll see how far I get there.

These shots are of Megan, taken a few weeks ago. They are so far from perfect, but I love them. They're still beautiful.

she came up with this on her own....promise <3

.Hope you're having a lovely February...stay warm! ♥ (Not sure about you, but I'm so looking forward to spring!)

with love,
---hannah m

project me :: recent favorites

2011-01-23T21:45:00.003-06:00

A little behind on my weekly updates, I know. Here are some favorite "me" shots from the past two weeks:

taken jan 8. This is the little handheld mirror by my nightstand. Please ignore this gal's freakishly large hands...yeep.

taken jan 15th. I love coffee in my pink mug. Sigh.

taken jan 16. One of my favorite pairs of shoes. ;)

taken jan 21. I snapped all of these right before bed, just to explain my hair and shirt. Ahem;)

taken jan 23. Lately it's been snowing epicly for St. Louis and today I braved the frigid cold (read: 20 degree weather) to take some nature shots (to be shared shortly). My boots were completely caked with snow when I went in.

I realize I've been kind of struggling with taking pictures for project me these past two weeks, and I want that to change. I'm so tired of night coming and me thinking how I'd forgotten to take a picture of myself...and then grabbing my camera and snapping something I'm not proud of. I owe it to myself and you guys to produce fresh, unique, beautiful shots for my project; otherwise it doesn't really amount to anything worthwhile, right? So with that said, I'll be really, really trying this week. And I'm excited.

Taken any selfies lately?

hannah m

♥

because i felt artistic...

2011-01-11T13:13:00.001-06:00

Those of you who read my main blog know that I had the sudden inspiration to edit photos from and post about some things from our Virginia Beach vacation last summer. While editing, I came across this certain lovely landscape. (Below SOOC)

I liked it, although, obviously, it looked rather bland. I uploaded it to Picnik and did this rather basic edit.

Nice, but it needed something...more. It was then that, feeling a bit artistic and odd, I created a this set of edits, working off my original basic edit for the photo. I had lots o fun messing around....

Here's my first one, using Cross-Process to a certain extent (I forget what). Mmm, I love this Picnik effect.

For this, I brough the exposure down and contrast up. Funky, I know.

This one consisted of bring the saturation down and the temperature about as high up as it could go. It ended looking sort of old-photograph-ish.

I decided that I needed to revert back to something I knew well at this point. Which brought me to a traditional black and white image. I used my Picnik recipe consisting of using "Boost" after the inicial revert. Because Boost with the strength to 30% (what I wanted) was blowing out some of the clouds up top, I used the eraser brush

I started this edit with the previous black and white and faded the Sepia about 30%.

So now I'm a bit curious...which is your favorite?

And am I the only one who goes on strange editing stints like this sometimes? ;)

love!
hannah m.

project me :: favorites from the week

2011-01-08T21:02:00.002-06:00

It's been a week since I started my original "project 3.6.5 - me" at the beginning of the year, and I've been throughout the week. Through it all, though, I have realized that it's a bit unrealistic - at least for myself - to take a "me" photo every single day of the year. So, tweaking the project a little, it's going to be my goal to have 100 unique, beautiful "me" images by the end of the year...not 365.

here are some favorites i've taken so far. (all shot with my 50mm lens.)

taken jan. 2.

taken jan 3. I asked Megan to take a picture of Stephen and me at lunch time and I adore how it turned out. so cute!

taken jan. 5. One annoying thing about the 50mm lens is that self portraits taken holding the camera out at arm's length rarely work too well. This turned out alright, though...if you just ignore my expression. *sigh*

taken jan. 7. (I spent the day in curlers due to a Pride and Prejudice hair rehearsal last night.)

taken jan 8th. I cleaned our bathroom today, and couldn't help but get a reflection shot with Windex dripping down the mirror. Yes, I do realize that I'm a bit strange, but I think it turned out pretty dang neat. ;)

shot any selfies lately?

love!
hannah m

a vote, please?

2011-01-04T22:35:00.001-06:00

The voting for this week's I Heart Faces challenge has begun! And, I've a favor to ask of you - would you like to spare me your vote? I'm link #76. And if you're having trouble finding me, I'm on the very far right in my line. You'll also see Megan's laughing face and the link to my blog - Hannah M. Head to the direct link by clickin' here.

In my title, you'll notice I said please. Now, honestly, how can you resist that?

And this too.

No pressure or anything! But you do realize Megan will love ya forever, right? Okay, so I can't really promise that. Don't be deceived by her angelic expression above!
I just realized I need to take today's 365 picture, so I'm off. Hugs!

with love,
Hannah

i heart faces :: favorite from 2010

2011-01-02T22:58:00.000-06:00

It was so incredibly difficult to choose a favorite face photo from 2010 to share at I Heart Faces this week...but I've (finally, finally, finally) decided to share this. I'm pretty sure I've posted it in color before, but I was experimenting with alternate edits today and fell in love with the following...

Laughter is, by far, one of my favorite things to capture as a photographer. It's beautiful on so many levels. And so, although this was taken back in July...when I barely knew the difference between aperture and ISO...It's what I'm entering today.

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's favorite photos from 2010 at I Heart Faces! Do join in the fun - just click below.

Blessings,Hannah

memories, dreams, and reflections

2011-01-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

I'm linking up with Ashley Sisk for a lovely end-of-year photo reflection. With a bunch of fun prompts, it's a loverly way to look back on this past year. I'm just going to be honest with you...And say that I did not try in the least to find new never-before-been-shared shots. In fact, most were dug up from my Flickr Photostream, or at the most from my Picnik History. Really, though, I think that just kind of adds to the whole "looking back on the past year" aspect of it all. Or maybe that's just my excuse. ;)

1.Me!

A recent selfie...SOOC.

2.I Love You

This is Stephen. My baby brother. At Christmas. Can you see why I love this guy?

3.Still Laughing...

I took this in March, during my trip to Rome, Italy, near the Colosseum. This gladiator was, well, on break. And, well...texting. Totally cracks me up. (I apologize for the grainy photo - yeep!)

4.Winter Wonderland

You can hardly tell it's snow, due the the texture and flowery-something, but I really love this photo.
5.Birthday

Megan at her 8th birthday in September. Sweet gal!

6.Friends.

Megan and Scott from Virginia beach last summer. We joked that they were "twins";)

7.I Was Inspired...

Blogging has inspired and challenged me so much this past year...in photography, my Faith, my writing. Love you guys!

8.Spring Fever

taken last spring.

9.Travel or Vacation

I took this on a recent visit to North Carolina. I love the sunset and angle...and the plane wing.

10.Summer Days

11.A Day In My Life

This was so difficult for me to choose...finally, I just picked out a random photo of Stephen from what I remember to be an, um, "normal" day last summer;-)

12.All Smiles

Upon seeing the Cardinal Redbird at a baseball game last fall...

13.Autumn Harvest

14.Family

One of my favorite photos from Christmas. (That's my dad and my uncle's fiance.)

15.Celebrate!

I stretched this. A lot. But, you know, it looks like some body (not sure if it was my brother's team or not) was about to...celebrate...a goal. Anyone?

Whatever.

16.Let's Do It Again...

I loved our day bike riding at the beach last October. Totally something we need to do again;)

17.I Miss You

My aunt and had so much fun together when we saw eachother this year (which was four or five times, I think?). My mom took this at Thanksgiving - thanks Mom!

18.Beautiful

19.Dress Up

Me! Not for Halloween, but for "In Disguise" from the October Photo Hunt.

20.Macro

I've shared this at least twice before, but it's definitely one of my favorite macros.

21.Holidays

Kirbus among our Christmas presents...So cute.

22.My Favorite

Bokeh and typewriters...two of my very favorite things. I love this photo.

23.Don't Ever Change

Stephen, please don't grow up. Ever. The end.

Love,
Hannah

24.Just Because...So There!

Hmm...I could use some of this right now. I love this picture of Kirby.

25.Hopes and Dreams

I have many, many hopes and dreams for the coming year...Improve my photography, hopefully start doing some photoshoots, open a shop on Esty, complete project 3.6.5. - me. Just branch out...and grow, and bloom.

~~~~~~~

View some beautiful photos and memories at Ashley's today!

Blessings on your week, sweet friends! Thank you for stopping by.

Love,
Hannah

project 3.6.5. - me

2011-01-01T20:51:00.002-06:00

Hello, dears! How I've missed you these past weeks...I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying your 2011 thus far. In the time that I haven't been posting here, I've been sort of rethinking my goals for Clicked and Captured Photography...I'd like to post more photos, less words - and not quite as many how-to type things, or photo challenges (although they won't be completely gone). In addition, at least for the time being, CC photo-challenges will not be held. Sorry! I know their are many, many other options if you're looking for a fun photography-centered challenge to participate in.

I love photography blogs where I can just scroll through the pages, and see the photographer's photos - beautiful photos - and be inspired. And that's what I'd like Clicked and Captured to be become.

Also - for the year of 2011, I've started my own Project 365 - you know, the popular one-photo-a-day-for-a-year challenge?
However, I've decided to give myself a theme for these 365 days - "me". As a photographer, I sometimes feel that I'm a bit neglected in my photos. Other people, other emotions, other things. Those, obviously, aren't bad at all, and I'm definitely going to keep snapping those photos as usual.

But, for this project, my goal is to capture ME each day...Not necessarily a self-portrait, but somehow incorporating myself, what I did, where I was at and how it applied to me...into the photo. Every day, for the whole year. It's a little bit uncomfortable (I almost feel selfish) focusing completely on "myself", but I'm looking forward to exploring more creative ways to incorporate me in my photos.

h e r e ' s d a y o n e . . .

{taken with my new 50mm f/1.4 lens that i got for Christmas. totally love it!}

We celebrated the new year by visiting some friends of ours yesterday and staying until midnight and beyond...needless to say, I slept in rather late today. And then stayed in my pajamas until about 4pm. I love Christmas break so. (And these coke pants are favorites of mine.) ;)

I'll try to keep you updated weekly on my "me" shots (and they'll all be uploaded to flickr!). Also, stay tuned for more photos and such coming this week!

love,

hannah

♥

ps - if you'd like to join my challenge - for a week, a month or two, or the whole year - you're more than welcome to! be sure give me due credit for this idea, though...and please, send me a link to where you'll be sharing your shots!

Before&After | merry christmas

2010-12-16T12:42:00.000-06:00

I took this photo at a loverly old house we were touring while in NC (which I'll be posting on my main blog later today). Besides the fact that I unintentionally cut off the C in Christmas, I really and truly like it.

To give it a bit of umph, though, I wanted to warm it up a bit and bring out the red lettering. After a bit of experimentation on Picnik, I came up with this...

And, I am in love. :)

More Before's and After's at Pixel Perfect today!

-Hannah

Warmth Photo Challenge | winner

2010-12-14T12:30:00.000-06:00

The votes are in...Once again, thank y'all for pitching in and choosing a winner. I truly loved all of the finalists (and all of the photos entered, for that matter!) so I'm eternally grateful to y'all for joining in on the fun.

This week's "Warmth" Photo Challenge winner is The Clip Cafe!

Congrats, dear! I truly loved your photo - it displayed the theme wonderfully and definitely warmed us all up this week;) And I needed it too - There's snow on the ground here in St. Louis and my coldblooded self is rather chilly...Actually, that was a big 'ole understatement.
(Buttons will be coming soon, for winners and finaists. Once again, I'm super-sorry for the delay.)

Thank you all once again for joining in on the fun - I love being inspired by you through this. New CC assignment coming this Sunday! In the mean time, I've several photos to share with you soon.

Stay tuned!

-Hannah

I Heart Faces | pet week

2010-12-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

I've shared this before...but it's definitely a favorite photo of mine. This little fellow was in our dill patch early this fall. And after getting in some of the most uncomfortable positions ever, and braving swarms of bees (kind of), I finally captured this.

And it was seriously worth it.

More pets and animals at I Heart Faces this week...

And don't forget to check out CC's "Warmth" finalists and vote on a winner (poll above). Thanks for your help! -Hannah

Warmth Photo Challenge | finalists

2010-12-11T19:12:00.001-06:00

Totally loved all of your "warmth" photo challenge entries, guys. I had the hardest time coming up with finalists - definitely wasn't easy.

In fact, it was really, really hard.

But, here's what I've came up with. Like last time, remember to help me choose a winner out of my group of finalists by voting on the poll (above) about for your favorite entry. Winner to be announced on Tuesday.

Oh, and remember to leave comment of congratulations for these lovely finalist photos:) You're welcome to shout of favorites in my comment section, too.

By a good life, photos.

This is such a sweet photo - I am loving the doggy footies. That, and the tones - both beautifully following the theme! Loverly job.

By Haley Q:

This displays "warmth" wonderfully for me - the sunflare, the tones, the leaf. Gorgeous shot, Haley!

By JM PhotoArt:

There were many landscape-with-sunflare photos entered, and I immediately loved this one. It's beautifully vivid, but then not overprocessed or anything. Gorgeous photo!
By The Clip Cafe:

I had so much trouble choosing a last finalist, and finally picked this one. It's so simple and lovely...made me feel all warm inside:) Wonderfully captured!

So, vote away now, lovelies! I can't wait to see what you decide on.

-Hannah

Bokeh makes my heart sing...

2010-12-07T23:56:00.002-06:00

Really, it does. Which is why when we put up our Christmas tree yesterday I was a wee bit giddy with all of the out-of-focus shots I'm getting.

Now, quick, someone, get me a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens so that I can have a subject in focus with big, lovely bokeh in the background. F/4.5 doesn't do it, you see. As I've already figured out.

And, someone, please cure my laziness so that I'll get around to making this little lovely contraption for super-cool shots.

But in the mean time? I'm pretty happy with what I've got. You see?

{linking this up to Iona's photo challenge: Decoration}

{linking this up to Hannah's photo challenge: Christmas.}

{and linking this up to Sereina's Christmas blog hop: Christmas lights}

Do you prefer bokeh in the background of an photo or in a completely out-of-focus photo? I can't decide because I love both so very much. But do tell!

Note: As I'm about to write and explain on my main blog, I'll be out of town from the 8th-10th (North Carolina to visit some of my dad's family). No Internet, as far as I know. Then this weekend, I probably will not be able to do much online, either, seeing as I'm attending a wedding and Nutcracker dress rehearsal. Yeek.

So, please be patient as I catch up with the blogging world soon enough. Photo Challenge finalists will still be announced on Saturday. I'm in love with all of your entries, by the way.

See you soon!

Which of these is your favorite?

-Hannah

Me | i heart faces and happy monday

2010-12-05T22:03:00.002-06:00

It's been such a long time since I participated in an I Heart Faces challenge and I've been meaning to participate in "Happy Monday" (now hosted at Allie Photography) pretty much ever since it began. So I'm feeling super-duper-proud for finally getting around to both.

The themes for this week are both "self portrait". This is one I took back in October during my quest for a new profile picture. I truly love it:)

Find more selfies below~

{Actually, I've absolutely no idea if anyone else calls self portraits "selfies". But seeing as it's 10pm and I've a rather annoying headache going, please give me a break. ;) }

Also, don't forget about the latest CC Photo Challenge - right here. This week's theme is "warmth". I can't wait to see your interpretations!

-Hannah

Clicked and Captured Photo Challenge | warmth

2010-12-05T11:02:00.002-06:00

Wow - what a long time it's been since I posted here. I've been back from Chicago for a week now but just haven't been able to get back into the swing of things, exactly. Photos and photo shoots coming soon, but right now I'd like to introduce a new Photo Challenge assignment for the coming week.

It's winter (well, almost)...It's cold...So why not try and warm up a bit with this new photo challenge?

This week's theme is warmth.

I love this picture because it reminds me of the lovely warm October we had, the warmth of the sun, and then the warm tones of the photo just make me happy.
Let your mind run free...Whether it be something that keeps you warm, a memory of summer, or just a photo that warms your heart (heehee)...the possibilities are endless.

Now for a quick review of how Clicked and Captured Photo Challenges will work~

-Anyone can participate. Just post your one "WARMTH" photo - taken by YOU - on your blog or Flickr page sometime before next Saturday. Feel free to snag the button above.

-Then come back here and link up your post below. Blog-hopping is a seriously cool thing to do, too, by the way. But please make sure you enter the link to your post, not your blog address. Incorrect links will be deleted.

-On Saturday the 20th, I'll pick four to six of my favorite entries (depending on how many I get and how hard a time I'm having deciding) and then put up a poll so that YOU can decide on a winner. Photos will be judged on quality, creativity, and coherence to the theme {in this case, warmth}.

-After two days of voting, I will post the winner (the finalist with the most votes). For this week, at least, the winner and finalists will receive nothing except Clicked and Captured Photo-Challenge buttons claiming that they won. And of course, that satisfied feeling that always comes when one wins a photography contest. ;)

You've got through the 10th to link up, lovelies! So grab a button, join the fun, and do a bit of blog hopping while your at it, okay? I can't wait to see your interpretations!

Love,
Hannah

Emotion Photo Challenge | winner!

2010-11-23T10:58:00.001-06:00

It's Tuesday, folks! Time for me to announce the winner of CC's first photo challenge.

Thank y'all for deciding on a winner for me....I know that it would have been pretty much impossible for me to narrow down our finalists like that. I mean, it was hard enough to choose our finalists to begin with. So I'm eternally grateful to you guys for helping me out, ;)

With that said, I'd like to announce the the "emotion" photo challenge winner is The Huchette Crew!

Congrats! I truly loved your photo, and it seems I'm not the only one who did. :)

Everyone's entries were wonderful, though! I so enjoyed this past week.

Note to winners and finalists: I did promise you buttons, but I haven't gotten around to designing them yet. No worries, I'll have them out by next week for our next photo challenge. I'm just way too busy right now - Sorry!

And with that, I bid you farewell! I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday evening. As super-excited as I am to be going laptop-less for a few days there, I know I'll miss you as well.

I'll be back before you know it, though!

Hopefully before I know it, too.

In the mean time, Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Hannah

Emotion Photo Challenge | finalists

2010-11-20T15:09:00.008-06:00

What a fun week it's been for me going through your beautiful "emotion" entries! I enjoyed each and every one - you can view the lot here. After going back and forth several times and thanks to the Starbucks drink I enjoyed this morning, I've finally decided on four finalists.

I'm just thankful I don't have to make a decision on a winner - that's up to all of you. You probably saw the poll at the top of my blog; I would so appreciate your deciding on a favorite photo and voting. The more the better!

Due to my delay in getting this up, the poll will be up until Tuesday, when I'll announce the winner.

By Haley J:

This photos speaks "emotion" to me on so many different levels. First, in the sweet boy's faces - their expressions and (especially in the little fellow in his, um, underwear? Excuse me while I go die.) their love. Then, I think about their living conditions - which you can see a little of behind them - and their life, and my heart just starts aching, full of emotion.

By Allie Photography:

Beautiful portrait! Everything from the black and white to her slightly wind-blown hair...simply gorgeous.

By The Huchette Crew (in the poll, I put "Huchette and Crew"...man, I feel dumb today. I'm really sorry about that!):

This is such a sweet moment captured. The love in this photo is so genuine and easy to see - I loved it for that.

By SJ:

Oh my, what a shot! I love her expression, emotion, and the fact that you captured it. Really well done!

________________

Vote away, dears..and don't forget to comment on some of these lovely entries, too!

-Hannah

Your Questions, My Answers | photo-editing edition

2010-11-18T13:37:00.001-06:00

Welcome to part two of the epic me-answering-your-questions-in-a-fashionably-late-manner. Actually, forget the fashionable part. I think I've passed that stage.

Moving right along, though - If you missed part one, head on over here. If you don't fall asleep before you finish it, you can come back on over here and digest part two - all about photo-editing. This is actually the shortest section, so you might be actually be able to do it. ;)

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Black and white or sepia?

Oh, fun question! I go in phases...and right now I'm in black and white mode. But really, it depends on the photo. Sometimes it's just begging for some sepia, you know?

Or maybe that's just me.

How long would you spend on editing a shot, if any time?

Once again - depends on the photo. Unless I'm doing a bunch of different edits or am working on a particularly difficult case, then I'd like to say about three minutes (this includes Picnik's uber-duber-slow uploading system, which does not agree with the high quality images my camera produces, at all.) I should time myself sometime!

Do you have any "basic" or "standard" steps that you take when you edit photos --i.e., you do this for pretty much each and every photo that you edit?

Well, I edit my photos in you-know-what. So, unfortunately, editing photos for me does not mean messing with layers and actions. Basically, the routine goes like this:

-fall asleep while Picnik uploads my photo (okay, fine, I'm exaggerating)
-do basic editing: exposure/contrast, color, cropping or rotating if necessary, etc.
-then, analyze things: is it good to go or does it need something more?
-if I go with "something more", I'll then move into create and experiment. my go-to items are Black and White, Sepia, Cross Process, Texture, and Curves Adjustments. (that sounded like a really strange bunch, but it's true.) If it's a portrait, I generally do eye-brighten and some other things too. it just all depends, you know, on the photo.
-and, most of the time, I'll add my watermark sometime before I leave

Ta-da. Gotta love Picnik. (Or not.)

Are you a BIG editor (meaning you edit a lot of your photos)?

I edit just about all of the photos I post on my blog and then some. I don't edit as many photos as I'd like to, mainly because of, you know, Picnik's uploading system. And because of my lack of time to spend in front of the computer editing pictures that I don't have anything to do with at the moment. So, I'm not exactly sure if I'm a "big editor" or not - kind of sort of maybe is the only answer that my mind is currently generating.

Sorry! It malfunctions a lot.

Do you plan on making more "Picnik Recipes" in the future?

Oh, I'm so glad you found those helpful. Yes, I think I will be sharing some more recipes soon. Hopefully I'll get a post together within the next few weeks or so.

Or, actually, while I'm at it, here's a renovation of my original "Black,White, and Wonderful" recipe (I've simiplified the original a bit and have been using it all the time):

(Here are the other recipes I made a while back.)

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Once again, if you have a photo-editing-related question that I didn't answer, you can test my knowledge below and I'll get back to you (also in the section below).

Part three - about me and my photography, as well as some misc. questions - will be up shortly, along with photo challenge finalists! You still have some time to enter if you haven't already (click here).

Love,
Hannah

Your Questions, My Answers | camera edition

2010-11-17T08:41:00.002-06:00

Remember a few centuries ago when I put up the "ask me anything" post? Remember how I said I'd get my answers up within the next week? And remember how I never did?

Yikes, guys...I feel really bad about that. I've had a draft going for quite awhile (you know, like a few centuries ;) but never exactly finished it. So to make up for things, I'm going to answer you in a few posts, and you use your questions as more like posting prompts. Here's edition one, covering the camera-related questions I got.

I received an abundance of these - what camera, what lenses, which do you recommend? Hopefully those of you who asked me these have gotten a chance to look at my camera bag page where you can see all of my (super-minimal at the moment) equipment. But just to summarize things:

-I have a Canon Rebel T2i, which yes, is an DSLR camera. I'll also occasionally use my Canon Powershot.

-It does change lenses, although (I hang my head as visions of me as miss-lens-junkie slip from your mind) I only have one right now, an 18-135mm. It wasn't exactly a kit lens, but it came in a separate "camera package" at the store I was buying it from. The one thing that I don't particularly like about it is that it has variable aperture, which means that the its aperture abilities change depending on how far it is zoomed. (As in, at 135mm the lowest it can go is f/5.6, but it can get down to f/4.0 when at 18, etc.)

-In the near future, I'd like to get a telephoto and 50mm. By the "near future", I mean as soon as I have a couple hundred dollars on my hands.

What are the "goods" about Canon Rebel? What are the "bads" about it? Is it worth it?

The "good"...Well, where do I begin? I don't have any other DSLRs to compare it to, but I really like this camera. It has wonderful auto modes for some one just wanting to get some nice pictures, then Shutter Speed and Aperture Priority modes for those wanting to do a bit more, and lastly, full Manual where you can play around and control, well, everything (it sounds scary...but, seriously, if I can do it, you can too!).

I really love how my pictures are turning out - great quality, wonderful bokeh, and I don't have to do as much basic photo-editing (although they tend to load pretty slow on Picnik - gah), etc. Oh! And the shutter makes an awesome clicking noise when I take a picture. Which, of course, makes a world of difference in and of itself.

The "bad"...I can't think of much I don't like. It's a little heavy/bulky, but I think you'd run into that to some extent with any DSLR camera, and it depends on the lens, too. Sometimes I feel a little odd carrying it around, especially when we're like running errands or something, but I don't mind all that much.

Also, just throwing this out here - The Canon Rebel T2i also had an HD video-recording mode, which is pretty neat and comes in handy (although I'm no video-tographer, or whatever you call them). I *think* that this is its main difference from the Rebel T1i...So, if you're not interested in having video, you might as well save a bit of cash and go for the T1i instead.

This camera was worth it for me. It's not up to me to decide whether it will be for you - but do consider it.

What made you choose Canon over Nikon (or another brand)?

I've sort of grown up with Canon, you could say. The point-and-shoot cameras I had before my Rebel were Canon (And I had loved them), so it felt sort of "right" to continue with that brand. Probably the biggest reason for choosing Canon was the price, however. When my dad and I were at the camera shop comparing things, The Rebel T2i was on sale and with a better lens than the Nikon I was looking at. So there ya had it.

But, truth to be told, I love love love Canon now.

I got a lot of "What DSLR camera would you recommend (someone mentioned a budget of $1000:)?"

Wow, I am definitely no camera genius here, and besides my own camera and a lot of recommendations and such from other photographers I seriously don't know a lot about this. Above I rambled a bit about why I like my Canon Rebel, and if that sounds like something you're looking for I definitely recommend it.

I've heard many different philosophies when it comes to camera-upgrading: get the best you can afford, only upgrade to a DSLR if you're going to use it like one, etc. Personally, I don't have a strong opinion on this topic, but I recommend doing a lot of research and comparing before making your final decision.

About the pricing: If I remember correctly, my camera cost about $829 new (with basic lens). I had to pay more, however, because I purchased a the better lens as well as a warranty type thing, which I totally recommend. All in all, it may have cost a little over $1000, but it was totally worth it for me. Keep in mind, however, if you're really interested in photography you'll soon need want many more lenses, filters, a flash....You see, it's kind of an expensive hobby. ;)

I know that there are Nikon DSLR's or comparable (perhaps even better) prices . I'm a Canon gal all the way, but don't think I'm telling you not to look into other brands.

If you're in the market for a DSLR camera, I recommend reading this post. I found it the other day and it was very helpful for me even though it didn't completely apply to myself.

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Thanks for letting me ramble about this - I'm hoping someone might have found this semi-useful;)Do you have any more camera related questions after reading this? Drop me a comment and I'll answer it - to the best of my abilities - in the section below.

And...don't forget about my photo challenge! See here.

Part two - photo-editing edition - coming soon.

See you then (or before, knowing how I am with these posts:),

-Hannah

Introducing CC's First Photo Challenge!

2010-11-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've been toying with the idea of hosting photo challenges, and, because I got a some support on the idea via some polls and comments, I am finally giving things a whirl. I just hope that, with all the other fun photo-related events circulating the Blogosphere, this is a semi-wise decision on my part. Menacing thoughts of getting about three (or zero) entries have been circling my mind - yeep.

But, before I rot away continuing to wonder whether or not to do it, I'm going to go ahead and introduce to you Clicked and Captured's very first photography challenge! There, I just said it.

I'm going to start hosting these from time to time - every other week at most, every couple of months at the least. To keep things uniform, however, they will always appear on a Sunday and run through the following Friday. I'll have various themes, occasionally throwing in prizes or a guest judge. Sound fun?

With that said, I'm super-pleased to announce that this week's theme is...

Emotion.

There's no particular emotion I'm looking for...just a photo that conveys a feeling. Whether it be joyful, serious, surprising, peaceful - show me something full to the brim with that sensation. It doesn't have to have a face or person in it to show emotion, either. Totally let your mind run free...I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Alright, then. Here is how this (and all other photo challenges here) will work:

-Anyone can participate. Just post your one "EMOTION" photo - taken by YOU - on your blog or Flickr page sometime before next Saturday. Feel free to snag the button above.

-Then come back here and link up your post below. Blog-hopping is a seriously cool thing to do, too, by the way. But please make sure you enter the link to your post, not your blog address. Incorrect links will be deleted.

-On Saturday the 20th, I'll pick four to six of my favorite entries (depending on how many I get and how hard a time I'm having deciding) and then put up a poll so that YOU can decide on a winner. Photos will be judged on quality, creativity, and coherence to the theme {in this case, emotion}.

-After two days of voting, I will post the winner (the finalist with the most votes). For this week, at least, the winner and finalists will receive nothing except Clicked and Captured Photo-Challenge buttons claiming that they won. And of course, that satisfied feeling that always comes when one wins a photography contest. ;)

So, link up, lovelies! Grab a button. Spread the word. I'm really hoping that I get a bit of entry love this week;)

Love and Blessings,
-Hannah

soccer adventures

2010-11-13T10:19:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned Thursday, I had the opportunity photograph a bit of my brother's soccer game a few weeks ago (he's the player with the yellow shoes in case you're wondering). Actually, my mom volunteered me to help out with taking action shots for a slide show that (apparently) will be played at an end-of-season something-or-other. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm not really involved in CJ's soccer;) But, I had a lot of fun and am rather pleased with the result:)

A few things I learned during the shoot?

a | I need a telephoto lens - bad. 135mm ain't gonna cut it. (Any donors will be loved and adored by me until their very last day.)

b | It is extremely hard to get a good action shot without the subject being partially blurry (in a bad way, that it). Gah.

and c | I might possibly be color blind when behind a lens.

Why do I say that? Well, you see, our team is blue. The opposing team is green. But? Looking back, I seem to have a lot of photos focused on players in green. Like these....

Whoops. Not a blue player in focus. Um, my bad! But green is a pretty color, don't you think? ;)

With all that I've learned in mind, I'm hoping to make it to another game before the season ends so that I can practice shooting them a bit more. As I proved in Thursday's post, there are some seriously awesome soccer players on that team. ;) (Translation: Everyone on the team is a heck of a lot better at soccer than yours truly. Which, sadly, isn't too much of a complement.)

Oh, and I had to throw these few shots in as well...

Some supportive siblings paying zero attention to the game and playing...was it Polly Pockets? I forget.

I am led to think that this little friend of mine was inspired by my taking pictures. At any rate, he got out his mom's cell phone and decided to take a few action shots of his own. Look at him go!

And, Stephen. His signature move whenever I point the camera at him. I guess he's using the if-I-can't-see-you-your-camera-can't-see-me approach. Or something like that.
Have a lovely weekend everyone...and let me know what you think of these:)

-Hannah

Before&After | Soccer

2010-11-11T11:07:00.000-06:00

I'm using this as a little sneak-peek opportunity for a shoot I did during my brother's soccer game a few weeks ago. Something I learned here was how annoyingly hard it is to get an image like this completely in focus, and I nailed it here. Oh, and #13 (whoever he is) is a pretty awesome. Just sayin'.

SOOC:

Canon Rebel T2i | 1/250 | f/8.0 | 135 mm | ISO 200

And my edit, on Picnik.com using premium elements...

I forget exactly what I did here, but I know everything was pretty basic - cropped, brought up exposure/contrast, perhaps done some things with curves...but that's pretty much it.

More Before&Afters today at Pixel Perfect - Just click.

Happy Thursday!

fix-it friday #77

2010-11-05T19:22:00.003-05:00

Man, it's been awhile since I've participated in a Fix-It Friday over at I Heart Faces. I was very much afraid that I was going to have to bypass it again this week, but when I saw this sweet gal being featured...well, I couldn't help myself. ;) Today we're using these beautiful photo of Michelle Johnson's:

Here's SOOC:

I really didn't have to do much here - Just a few minor changes in layers, exposure, and temperature in Picnik.

I then decided to add some texture just for fun - and I really like what it did.

I was also curious to see what this would look like in black and white, and did an addition B&W with sepia edit as well (click to enlarge). Loveliness:-)

What do you think? And, as usual, which is your favorite?

More beautiful edits of this photo at I Heart Faces!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Hannah

the october 2010 photo hunt - my entries!

2010-11-01T09:22:00.003-05:00

Y'all have heard me ramble and lament and muse and lament and ramble about the October Photo Hunt over the past few weeks, right? Well - The end of the month is here and I'm happy to say that I've pulled through with all of my entries - yay! So, without further ado, hope you enjoy. ;) This has been so much fun....

In Disguise

Yes. This is me. In diguise, you see. I love how dramatic the B&W makes things look.

Crisp

Pie. 'Nuff said.

Fall Colors

Oh my...I love this shot.

A Jack O’lantern

a Shot from the Ground

My kitty...sleeping. And our cozy, yummy, delicous blanket. Don't look at me like that - blankets can be delicious and you know it. ;)

a Landscape

Ahh, loveliness.

a Fall Tradition

Megan - helping to carve the pumpkin pictured above. I realize the photo-quality isn't too great...but the face is precious to me.

Books

Dining

I. Love. Goldfish. sigh...

Child/Children

This is what Stephen generally does when I point the camera at him. Little does he know how stinkin' cute it looks when he does that. Ha.

Faces formed in Nature

Okay, I cheated. Stop looking at me like that. This was a difficult one for me - I honestly couldn't find any "faces formed in nature"...So, I decided to creatively make on of my own. Using jewelry. Interesting, I know.

Tilt-Shift Photography

I really apologize, guys. Time #3 this has appeared on my site - and all within the past few posts. Never again;)

B&W with selective coloring

I'm not a huge fan of Black and White with selective coloring, but I think I did a rather interesting job with it here.

It's...interesting.

But you probably already knew that.

Bokeh

I happen to adore completely out-of-focus photos. <3
Best Photo taken October 23rd

A lovely rose from out front.

Something from the Kitchen

Another shot of the mousse I made the other day. Note the little bit of it on the side of the bowl - hee!

Something Vintage

An old coffee grinder. And a lovely blue background. So, maybe more like retro. Well, except for the coffee grinder. Oh, never mind.

Something Creepy

At the end of the month I found myself left without anything truly creepy, so I decided to go with this. It's another Jack O'Lantern shot, just when I was experimenting with larger shutter-speeds. Does anyone think it's creepy, by chance?

Something Golden

Fall beauty. Beautiful.

A Self-Portrait

This is my profile picture and flickr icon, so chances are you've already seen it before. But, I like it. And that's not something I often say when referring to a photo of myself. Look at that reflection in my eyes that I was so happy about...

____________________________

There are some simply fabulous photos over here, if you'd like to be impressed and perhaps drool a bit. I'm off to go look at them right now...

Have an lovely day, everyone! This is, actually, my second anniversary in the blogger world (aka, when I started my main blog). So, it's a rather special day for moi. :)

More photos and things coming soon...

-Hannah

scavenger hunt sunday

2010-10-31T09:01:00.003-05:00

First of all, noticing anything different about Clicked and Captured? Yep - I've given myself a little makeover. My old design was just getting so...stuffy for me, and I needed to change things up a bit. I'm now in one-column, have simplified the colors, and made a new header. ...Your thoughts? I'm rather liking it.

I'm doing another Scavenger Hunt Sunday over at Ramblings and Photos today. Sadly, with the October Photo Hunt getting rapped up, I have to do a lot of looking in my archieves for this. But, it all worked out...

1. my town

I was forced to get a little creative with this one. This is Rome, Italy. I (rather sadly) do not live there, but...it is sort of "my town". I love it to pieces, and ever since I visited last March with my dad I've wanted to go back - especially now that I have my DSLR camera and a lot more photography experience. Sigh. This picture was taken from the top of the Vatican...*swoon* I love it there.

2. something vintage

An old coffee grinder of...my grandpa's, I think. Our kitchen wall made a most amazing background. ;)

3. tilt-shift photography

Just bringing back the tilt-shift photo I'm using for the October Photo Hunt (I posted about it here).

4. dress-up

Okay, I had a bit of fun for this one. Slapped on some make-up yesterday and proceeded in taking several less-than-flattering pictures of myself. Some of them crack me up. And others make me wonder how I had the nerve to post them here. I scare myself sometimes.

5. chocolate

I made an this amazing Chocolate ~~Almond~~ Mousse last week. Minus the almonds because Megan is allergic, but it was still surprisingly delicious. And easy, too. You should so try it - like, now.

Head on over to Ashley's for more Scavenger Hunting fun...

And have a loverly Halloween, everyone!
-Hannah

macro friday :: cookies

2010-10-29T08:27:00.007-05:00

My brother made the most amazing chocolate chip cookies last weekend. Deliciousness. Our family kind of devoured them within a day or two - and now they're being sorely missed.

Excuse the, ah, difference in shade-of-cookie here. I had a sort of editing-block yesterday. But, I think we get the point.

Linking this photo up to Macro Friday. More lovelies below...

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone! Invite me over if you're making cookies;-)

(Also, some changes are being planned for Clicked and Captured over the weekend, so stay tuned!)

~Hannah

psst...a giveaway!

2010-10-22T17:31:00.006-05:00

Hello, lovelies,

Just wanted to quickly let you all know that I currently have a giveaway going on over at my main blog. If you haven't already, you should so head over here for a chance to win a simply darling handbag from OhSewStylish. I mean, like definitely. And I'd love it if you followed me over there if you haven't already! I post many, many photos ;) But do hurry, it ends this Monday!

Oh, and just one of the many reasons I love fall...

Sighing with delight,
-Hannah

tilt-shift love

2010-10-21T11:29:00.005-05:00

As you may or may not know, I'm participating in the October 2010 Photo Hunt. It's been a very neat experience so far, although I'm quite behind in getting all of my photos taken for the month - Eek, it's not the 21st by chance, is it? Goodness. I need to get moving.

But anyways, I was rather scared of a certain assignment by the name of "Tilt-Shift photography". After doing a bit of research and finding out what the heck it was (*blushes with embarrassment*) I got freaked out. How on earth was I going to achieve this - without photoshop?

In all my excitement, I forgot about a link I had been given to an actual Tilt-Shift maker. After finally heading on over, I was a little relieved. It seemed that they did the whole thing for you. I had hope.

So, after taking this shot while on a bike-ride the other day, I decided to give it a try. I did a quick, basic edit...

xposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
{E

Aperture f/14.0

Focal Length 135 mm
ISO Speed 400}

And then headed over to TiltShiftMaker.com. And uploaded my picture. And had the jitters.

But for absolutely no reason at all; a moment later I was looking at this...

It worked like magic, and only required a few little adjustments on my part. Then I just downloaded it onto my computer to gaze at. Yes, Hannah, you actually took this picture.

I'm kind of excited. And I have another item to check off the list, which is undeniably satisfying, too;)

Have you ever tried Tilt-Shift Photography before? Do share! And if you're new, TiltShiftMaker.com does a wonderful job of explaining and creating everything for you.

And have a lovely Thursday, sweet friends!

Love,

Hannah

textures in picnik - a tutorial

2010-10-16T06:51:00.007-05:00

After posting some of my texture photos and telling you I got them through Picnik, I got a few questions as to how it was done, where the textures were, etc. I thought I'd do a quick tutorial/explanation for those of you interested...and/or confused.

Before I begin...

First, please note that textures are only availible when you have Picnik Premium...This is something I totally recommend, but I understand if you're not interested. Just realize that non-premium Picnikers do not have access to this.

Secondly, I am NOT talking about the Halloween Textures. Those are in the featured Halloween section and are just plain weird (and, in some cases, gross - who'd want blood as a texture, anyway?). The textures I'm using are found in a different place and are much nicer looking.

Okay, then.

A. Upload your photo to Picnik and do any editing necessary (y'all knew that was coming, right?).

B. Head down to the textures section. To do this, go to Create :: Effects :: Scroll down to Artistic and Textures should be the first item. I've circled it below.

C. Choose what ya like, like what ya choose.

There are many things you can do in this section to make your photo completely unique. Okay, that sounded corny. Like, really corny. But it is true.

Okay, so as you can see, I've (really messily) marked some of the different things you can do in the section.
To go over them briefly...

1) Choose a texture (just click on the little squares;). At first, I thought that there were only a few too choose from...But then I noticed that you could scroll sideways and few several others - see circled area. Score! Mess around - there's definitely a lot of verity there.

2) You can click next to where it says "Multiply" to find a number of options for how the texture will look on your photo. You can scroll over these and decide what gives the look you're going for. (I know, this is a little confusing, but it's quite neat.)

3) Flips and Rotations will position your texture where it looks best (e.g. - you can rotate the texture so that a "crack" in it doesn't cover up your subject, like in my purple rose photo). Click around and decide on what you like.

4) And, last but not least, fade. Definitely something to look into if you don't want the texture to be the star of the show...or photo, or whatever.

D. When you're ready, apply your texture, do any other editing you need to do, and save your photo to your computer or other source. You're done!

Hoping I covered everything...Let me know if this was helpful to you, if I missed anything, or if I confused you. Okay? ;)

Happy editing,

Hannah

IMPORTANT: It has taken me a considerable amount of time and energy in writing this post. Please, DO NOT copy and paste this tutorial to your site, use any of my images, or take credit for my work. If you found this helpful and would like to link back to this post, that would be lovely. I just ask that you give me due credit. Thank you.

scavenger hunt sunday

2010-10-10T07:35:00.024-05:00

{Note: Shoot 'n Tell photo farther down in post.}

I'm linking up at Ashley's today for another Scavenger Hunt Sunday. These are so fun, although I haven't gotten around to doing this in a while. I feel very on top of myself for getting everything ready *before* Sunday this week. Like, I need to go celebrate with cake or something. Really:-)

pink

books

Picnik

fall colors

leaf

Pretty straight forward...But I love all of the waterdroplets. Ohh, so pretty.

orange

I took this one very literally;-) And yes, I really did go take our oranges outside to shoot. This was actually the only photo I got before our nextdoor neighbors came out and I started to feel a little funny lying on my stomach shooting what shouldn't even have been there. But hey, it worked!

I'm entering the above photo into this week's Shoot 'n Tell challenge, the theme being "Circular". Click below to check out other entries...

__________________

And forinterpretations of this week's scavenger hunt, head on over to Ramblings and Photos...

Have a lovely 10-10-10 today! Sorry, I just get a little giddy over dates like that. Anyone with me?

Oh, and by the way, I finally broke down and got a Flickr account. I'm currently a tad bit obsessed. If you're on Flickr, I'd love it if you headed on over and added me as a friend;)

Lots of love,
Hannah

macro love :: purple and textured

2010-10-08T09:55:00.001-05:00

I was a wee bit giddy when I discovered that Picnik was now offering textures to premium users. Like, yay me! I'm simply loving what it did to this photo of mine. Or actually, I'm simply loving this photo of mine. I have this crazy love of textures, you see. And purple. So it kind of all works out.

Do head on over to Blogging From Bolivia for more macros...

I think I might actually hold out for Photoshop until Christmas now,

Hannah

from the beach

2010-10-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

I took these way back in August during our vacation to Virginia, but never got around to editing and sharing them until now. These were all taken from the balcony in our hotel room on the first morning we were there. It was raining, or else just had been. But it was beautiful.

No idea who this guy is...He was technically "supposed" to be in the picture. Tsk, tsk.

This was our complete view - so lovely.

Throwing in this shot of our railing here. Love those raindrops.

which is your favorite?

By the way, thank you for your votes on my poll. I'm currently planning some rather exciting posts for the coming week - tutorials, photos, perhaps even a photo challenge if I can get my act together. And the answers to your questions, too. Be sure to see below.

So long, lovelies!

-Hannah

ask me anything :: q&a with hannah

2010-09-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

I'm always getting questions about my photography, photo-editing, camera....And always feeling really bad about not getting back to them. So, I thought I'd give y'all a chance to question me, and actually have your questions be answered.

Any time this week, feel free to fill out the form below with your name (if you wish) and as many questions as you want. You can ask me what lens I use, how I got interested in photography, or whether I've ever owned a pet hampster.

Which, for the record, I haven't.

Hopefully sometime next week I'll get around to answering everything, in a post or two, depending how many I recieve. Have fun, dears. Ask lots. And if you've left a question on my blog before that I never got back to, feel free to share it again ;)

Love,

Hannah

ps - excuse the, ehhh, not-so-color-coordinated look here at clicked and captured for the time being. i'm doing some construction at the moment;-)

a little heads-up

2010-09-25T20:21:00.001-05:00

Hey, lovely girls,

First off, the Something Beautiful finalists have been posted on Rachel's blog! She chose her favorites from everyone who participated...Head over here to see which of your photos she chose. The judges - Allie, Emily, and I - will e-mail in our two favorite photos, and then Rachel will post the winners soon. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to pick from such a lovely bunch of photos...Your work amazes me. Off you go, now!

Actually, hold up a minute. Kindly look right at the little poll on my sidebar - "What would you like to see here on Clicked and Captured in the future?" I have several posting ideas in mind, but they'd be pretty darn pointless if no one was gaining anything from them. So, what do you want to see? Tutorials? Just more of my photos in general? If I had a photo-challenge, contest, or weekly photo-link up, would you join? Please let me know through the poll, and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section as well.

Oh, and about the whole Imgur photo-hosting thing, most of you could see my photo just fine, but a few couldn't. I've gone back (for the time being) to hosting my photos through blogger. This being a photography blog and all, it would be a wee bit pointless if some people couldn't see my pictures. Just sayin'.

Have a lovely rest-of-weekend, sweet friends!

Love,
-Hannah

macro friday

2010-09-24T20:39:00.005-05:00

There are several of these lovelies on the parsley in our backyard. Naturally enough, I went outside the other day for an epic photo-shoot in which I braved swarms of bees, sat in most uncomfortable positions, and sweat...a lot.

Be proud of me, I hate bees.

But I adore this shot.

I'm doing some last-minute linking up for this week's Macro Friday at Blogging from Bolivia. Do head on over!

PS - Little question: Blogger's annoying new uploading system has a deep dislike for me, so I've started hosting my photos through Imgur. I know that Carlotta did this and that some people couldn't see her photos...So, can you see mine? Let me know if you can't, okay? Thanks, dears! <3

something beautiful contest ~ change and reminder

2010-09-21T09:06:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: Rachel still hasn't posted the photos, but says she will tomorrow (hopefully). I'm still getting questions as to what her blog address is. The link is below. I will notify all of you when she has them posted, don't worry. Thank you.

I got a few questions yesterday about the end of the Something Beautiful Photography Contest that I'm helping to host. I contacted Rachel, and she informed me that the contest is now running until the 22! She says that she will post the photos (her favorite from each entry) sometime on the 22 or 23. You can find her blog here. No, I do not believe that there is an exact time the day ends.

From there, the judges (one of which is yours truly) will select the winners, which I presume will also be posted on Rachel's blog. I'll inform you if I'm wrong.

If you haven't entered Something Beautiful, I'd so love it if you could join. Just read the guidelines and give me your link on this post. I'm sure you have four favorite flower photos lurking around somewhere - why not share 'em with us? And to those of you who have enter so far - I've been literally blown away!

Thankfully I had my laptop with me when it happened ;)

Love ya,

-Hannah M

i heart faces :: smirk

2010-09-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

I wasn't exactly sure what to use as my entry for I Heart Faces this week, mainly because I wasn't entirely sure what one should consider a "smirk". Here's how it's described...

A smirk refers to a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness. Whatever you think constitutes a “smirk” on someone’s face will be acceptable for this week’s challenge.

I finally decided upon this one of Megan from the "pixie photo-shoot" I did with her a while back. I rather think this pixie expression could be considered a smirk...It's definitely something:-)

Isn't she darling? This photo makes me smile. Like, real big.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's entries at I Heart Faces this week. Do head on over!

scavenger hunt sunday

2010-09-19T14:29:00.002-05:00

I'm joining my lovely friend Ashley of Ramblings and Photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday. It's super-duper-fun, dear friends. You should definitely head on over and check it out. Like, really.

wish/dream

I'm sure Kirby wished he could reach up and play with Megan's birthday balloons. But alas, it was all for nought:-) I love this shot - look at those whiskers!

clean

I love showers, mainly because of the exhilarating clean feeling one gets after taking one. And I love our messy, wide selection of shampoos, too. Although it's never fun when they all fall over on you. Just sayin'.

currency

I took this pretty literally...sorry if you're falling asleep or something. The main reason I wasn't thinking outside the box here was because I wanted to try "the plate trick" that I had learned from Louise. I'm loving the clean, undetectable background that the plate gives. Yay!

pair

My dirty, too-small, about-to-be-replaced pointe shoes. I adore them.

square

I was looking around the house for something "square" to shoot, when my eyes fell on this. A block on our whatever-you-call it. Well, you know. The thingy where you push the thingies on the thingies? Never mind.

Which of these is your favorite? I'd love to know!

lovely photo wednesday ~ sunkissed

2010-09-14T22:36:00.004-05:00

My baby sister Megan turned eight last Saturday.

isn't she a beaut?

I'm uber-happy with the sunburst I captured here. And I was in a "cross-processy" mood while editing these. Loving it:-)

It's Lovely Photo Wednesday at Aspire today. And guess what? Things are a bit different this week. As in, excitingly different. Head on over to Hannah's to find out more...

I'm also linking up at Alicia's and 7 Clown Circus.

Have a really wonderful Wednesday, sweet friends!

i heart faces :: vroom, vroom!

2010-09-12T22:31:00.004-05:00

I had some grand plans for incorporating a vehicle into this week's challenge, but, me being me, none of them ever came into being. I'm still working on it.

I therefore had to resort to a shot from Stephen's birthday party on Labor Day weekend. His brand new Playmobile motorcycle - definitely the best present, in his opinion. It lit up, and it was a motorcycle, for goodness sake.

He loved it like I would love it if some sweet person randomly decided to give me photoshop, a few new lenses, and an this camera bag. (That's another way of saying a lot, just so ya know.)

The downside to the shot? It was taken at 9pm, meaning a high ISO and not-so-great lighting. Sigh...

But hey, when you have a cute three-year-old model by the name of Stephen, things like that don't really matter.

Nope, not at all.

More vehicle shots at I Heart Faces this week...

i heart faces :: fix it friday #70

2010-09-10T13:44:00.004-05:00

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Fix-it Friday, but I had a bit of time over lunch today and jumped on the chance to join the fun and edit this adorable gal...

{above - sooc}

My edit, done on Picnik.com, using premium elements. In a nutshell, here's what {I think} I did...

~adjusted exposure, contrast, and colors a bit

~cropped and sharpened

~applied airbrush to background

~applied "shine-be-gone" to cheeks and forehead to reduce glare.

~added text

I didn't have the time to do multiple fixes for this shot, although I wish I could have. What do you think?

More lovely edits at I Heart Faces.

something beautiful - moi's entry

2010-09-07T07:22:00.001-05:00

You'll remember from my last post that I'm helping to host the Something Beautiful photography contest held at the Bloom! Staff Blog. You can read about it more and link up at my blog here. Right now I'm linking up at Rachel's blog (another gal hosting) and posting my own entries for the contest.

Flowers. Ahhh, love these...

editing: just a slight boost in exposure, contrast, temp, etc.

editing: cropped, boosted in exposure, contrast, etc.

editing: once again, just raises in coloring and contrast

editing: more basic adjustments, as well as my vivid sunlight recipe.

What do you think?

Which is your favorite?

And now - do come join the fun! Just read through the rules on my last post, post your four flower shots, and leave your link here! I'd love to have plenty of entries here on my blog for the Bloom! contest. thanks so much ;)

something beautiful photography contest

2010-09-06T18:59:00.008-05:00

{shot taken earlier today. not edited. just needed a random photo to brighten up the post;-)}

CONTEST NO LONGER RUNNING

As some of you may know, I'm a photographer at Bloom! Magazine, and a fellow of mine Staff Member, sweet Rachel, has started a photography contest. Doing my Staff Member duty, I'm spreading the word in hopes that some of you lovelies will get the chance to enter:-)

HOW TO ENTER:
Post four pictures on your blog. Be sure to leave a link back to this post.
Come back to this blog, and leave a link to that post. Leave the link in a comment.
You will recieve a comment on that post so that you know we saw your entries!

THE RULES:
You may only enter four photos.
They can be edited, please say how you edited them.
Photos must be your own, taken by YOU.
Photos must follow the theme.

THE THEME:
Flowers!

WHEN THIS CONTEST ENDS:
This contest will end on September 20th, 2010. It starts today! Please enter and tell your friends!

WHAT THE WINNER RECIEVES:
There will be: ONE First place winner
And: ONE Second place winner
The winners each will recieve a pretty button saying that they won
When this contest ends, Rachel will select one photo from each contestants entries and will post those on her blog! You can check them out, while the judges choose two photos out of that selection!

Thanks, girls:-) Please link your entries up to this post of mine. Looking forward to seeing some gorgeous photos<3 ...

wordless wednesday

2010-08-31T22:50:00.000-05:00

I'm becoming well aquainted with these lovelies this week.

I'm sure by next May we'll be getting on eachother's nerves mucho, but for now, I'm enjoy them a lot...

Wait, do pencils have nerves? Never mind.

Do share your Wordless Wednesday photos at Hannah's and Alicia's today (just click)...

{I've decided to start doing Wordless Wednesdays here on my photography blog from now on. It just seemed more...fitting:-) }

Does anyone else here adore new school supplies?

big photo challenge :: is combining cheating?

2010-08-30T11:10:00.003-05:00

I'm taking a break from I Heart Faces this week (wasn't really on the ball, I'm quite under the weather right now) but I decided to join the Big Photo Challenge at Adorible Photography instead. This week's theme is Black and White, and last week's theme (which is still open) was Signs.

You'll never guess what I decided to do.

Does one's mind work better when it one's head is aching horribly?
'Cause I feel extremely smart.

I really hope that I'm not breaking some unspoken rule about how you can't make one photo apply to two themes and use it in the same post.

Yes, that's what I did. Take a look...

A lovely black and white sign. I took this in on our trip to Williamsburg. I wish I could have gone in here - doesn't it look just darling? I love how vintage this looks.

So, now that I've just proved to you how smart I really am (wink, wink) pop on over to Adorible Photography to learn more about their lovely photo-challenges. Just click below...

my lovely pixie

2010-08-24T21:46:00.002-05:00

I rather fell in love with some of the photos that the my friend Hannah posted a few days ago, and decided that I needed to do a similar shoot with a certain little sister of mine.

So, today Megan sweetly agreed to become a pixie and pose for me.

A few things I learned from the experience?

1. I'm not (not, not, not, not, not) meant to be a make-up artist. It must have taken me about an hour to get her eyes the way they are. And the way they are is far from amazing.

2. Next time I do this, I probably shouldn't put her make-up outside. The result? Shortly into the session I have a hot, sweaty, and rather cranky gal on my hands. *Sigh...*

and 3. Megan is quite the little pixie. I am absolutely loving some of these...

which is your favourite?

i heart faces :: beach fun!

2010-08-22T21:15:00.005-05:00

This week's theme for I Heart Faces is "Beach". So I thought of this one of Megan from our trip to Virginia. She was digging an epicly massive hole one day when she found this rock.

I love her wind-blown hair here.

More "Beach Fun" at I Heart Faces this week...

i heart faces :: fix-it friday #67

2010-08-20T11:20:00.001-05:00

It's Friday again, and I couldn't help but fix up this adorable gal I Heart Faces is featuring today!

SOOC:

All edits done on Picnik.com with Picnik Premium.

I bumped up the exposure and contrast, and raised the temperature a *lot*. I then cropped, sharpened, brightened her eyes, and messed around with curves a bit. The final product...

I'm really loving how this turned out!

And, of course, my customary black and white edit...

More lovely fixes at I Heart Faces...

What do you think?

Those Sweet Candid Moments...

2010-08-17T11:26:00.004-05:00

...Are often the very best ones.

♥I love these♥

.:Peach-Picking:.

2010-08-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

Just a few "peach-picking" photos from a couple weeks ago, as my wowingly creative title states;-) Our family usually goes to Eckerts every year to do this, and I had so much fun with my camera this time. So many lovely photos were taken - these are a few favorites, even though I know it seems like a *lot*. Just couldn't help myself!

Which one is your favorite? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I Heart Faces :: Gotta Wear Shades!

2010-08-15T22:38:00.005-05:00

We're celebrating sunglasses at I Heart Faces this week - how fun of an idea is that?! I don't have anything extremely amazing or unique for this week's challenge, but I do have plenty of lovelies in my folders that would qualify for the theme. Looking back at our Virginia Beach vacation (which I really, really, really need to edit!) I found this one of my sweet Godfather...

Taken on the dolphin-watching cruise we went on - lots of fun! I love how you can see the reflection of the deck in his glasses:-)

Head over to I Heart Faces for more photos...

And I'd love to hear your thoughts as well, my dears!

Kitty Paws

2010-08-12T16:54:00.001-05:00

Kirby. Sleeping. On my bed. With his little paws in the air. I love it.

♥♥♥

My White-Chocolate Morning;-)

2010-08-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

A few days ago my sweet dad went to Starbucks and bought the whole family drinks for breakfast (It was actually a kind of "reward" for a particularly hard flight back to St. Louis the day before...long story:-).

I got my absolute favorite coffee drink of all time (or at least, my favorite Starbucks drink), the lovely White Chocolate mocha.

Aside from being my favorite, this also happens to be the most expensive drink in the shop. Which is saying something, as we're talking Starbucks.

Just my luck, right?

But complete with some delicious blueberry bread and a taste of CJ's cinnamon roll,

It was quite the white-chocolate morning!

♥my favorite shot of the day♥

{you're gonna have to excuse the sheer and utter randomness of this post. It's about 11pm and I way need to get to bed...if you haven't noticed;-) I just couldn't resist sharing these lovelies!}

What's your favorite coffee drink?

I Heart Faces :: Surprise!

2010-08-08T22:05:00.003-05:00

This week's I Heart Faces theme is "Surprise".

And I had my customary hard time picking out a photo.

I looked through my shots of Stephen in the airplane, but none of the pictures really seemed to fit ...although he did display just about every other emotion out there: )

Then I thought of this photo of Megan.

Taken way back in April, with my point-and-shoot...

when I wasn't nearly as good at photography as I am today.

So maybe the quality isn't the best in the world, but I love this photo.

I love it lots.

Come share your favorite "surprise" photo at I Heart Faces this week...Because you know you want to!

Love and Blessings,
~Hannah

me

2010-08-07T19:16:00.001-05:00

A self portrait. Taken in Virginia on our last day. I don't think I meant for that little of my face to be showing, but I kind of like it this way.

What do you think?

I Heart Faces :: Fix-it Friday #65

2010-08-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

I know that I should technically be editing and posting pictures from our lovely Virginia Beach and Williamsburg vacation, but I couldn't help but edit this sweet little boy featured on Fix-it Friday this week. So, sorry Charlie, those Virginia pics are gonna have to wait;-)

Original picture:

Look at those eyes!

I really didn't have to do much in my edit - basically raised the exposure, saturation, and temperature slightly, and brightened the eyes.And my additional edits...

Ahhh, the chocolate egg recipe, my personal favorite:)

What do you think?

And, if you, like me, were unable to resist those sweet blue eyes, head over to I Heart Faces to submit your own edit and see others' as well.

And now - off to get to those Virginia photos!

Love and Blessings,

~Hannah~

Sweetness

2010-07-29T08:07:00.002-05:00

I must have looked a little weird sticking my ginormous camera lens through the seat behind me and taking no less than fifty pictures, but can you blame me? Tuesday was Stephens first time flying, and well, the photos tell you the rest:-)

{More Virginia pictures on the way...}

Goodbye, my Dears {for now, at least}

2010-07-27T08:22:00.001-05:00

On my main blog, I've posted about our vacation to Virginia that my family and I are taking {you can about read it here}. I'll be leaving today for a blissful ten days in Williamsburg, at the beach, with my wonderful family and our friends. Ahh, I'm looking forward to this.

I shall be taking my laptop along, but most likely will not be using it much. If I feel the urge (and I'm almost sure I will) I'll edit some of photos that I'll take while I'm there, and I shall probably be inclined to share some of my work with you:-) If not, it simply means all the more photos for when I return;)

So, goodbye, my dears! I shall hopefully be seeing you soon rather soon. {You can also check for updates on my main blog, which I hope to give every once in a while during our trip.}

MuCh LoVe,
~Hannah

Photo Shoot :: My Violin

2010-07-25T11:43:00.001-05:00

I always thought my violin was very photogenic. As a photographer, I'm constantly seeing photo opportunities every where I look, and with my violin it was no different. Sadly, my Canon Power-Shot wasn't very cooperative in capturing the look that I wanted...it had trouble focusing properly so I wasn't very successful. One of very first things I did with my Rebel, therefore, was to try it out out on my violin. Ahhhh, achieving the effect that I wanted was suddenly so, so easy;-)

Here are a few of my favorite captures from the little "photo-shoot" that my violin and I had. There's something so beautifully simple about these - and I just love them. Which is your favorite?

My Sweet Little Knight...

2010-07-22T07:20:00.003-05:00

♥♥♥

A Word of Thanks...:-)

2010-07-21T14:57:00.000-05:00

In the past five weeks since its opening, Clicked and Captured has grown (in my opinion) enormously:). I now have over thirty-four followers, and an abundance of comments on every post. A couple of days ago I spent the night at a friends house. A few minutes before I left, I published my last post...and when I checked my blogger account upon arriving home the next day there were no less than 11 comments waiting for me! It simply made my day, as that's quite a lot for this little blog of mine.

I would like to thank each and every one of you readers, commenters, followers, and supporters...because, frankly, you guys are awesome:-) Thank you for helping my blog grow so quickly, and for being the inspiration that you are. I know that you'll always be there to tell me which picture was your favorite, to let me know if something was helpful, to ask me question after question.

And that just means so much to me.

Love and Blessings to you,
~Hannah

Children :: Stephen

2010-07-18T17:15:00.002-05:00

Just sharing a few favorite captures of Stephen that I took a few days ago....Which is your favorite?

I Heart Faces :: Fix-it Friday #62

2010-07-16T11:54:00.001-05:00

I'm joining Fix-it Friday at I Heart Faces today. I absolutely love the sweet picture we were given to edit...

Original SOOC:

My Basic Edit:

I cropped, re-sized, sharpened, and brought up the exposure, contrast and temperature a bunch.

I then decided to try out some of the Picnik Recipes that I shared in my last post (thank you for the feedback on them, by the way! I'm so glad that they were helpful!)....

{Actually, I tweaked this recipe a little here and brought the exposure up as well as the contrast, just so you know.}

I love how these turned out - Which of these is your favorite? I can't even begin to decide on mine!

Head over to I Heart Faces for more fix-it fun!;-)

Love and Blessings,

~Hannah

Picnik Recipes :: Fun, Tasty Ways to Jazz up Your Photos!

2010-07-14T20:42:00.001-05:00

You know how you can buy/download photoshop actions? Actions are a combination of steps used to produce a certain effect for your photo, and (from what I understand, at least, haha...) they're easy to upload and apply through photoshop.

Sadly, dear Picnik doesn't have such an option. It has it's own "effects" but I find them pretty limited...and some are just plain weird. However, I've recently been experimenting with combining different effects to produce a unique, fun, and beautiful look for my photo...similar to what actions on photoshop might do.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite "Recipes" with you. Hopefully you'll be able to pick up a thing or two here....

{Note: I'm trusting that, while you're doing this, you're pretty familiar with Picnik and know where almost everything is. If you're having trouble finding something on the site, please let me know and I'll be sure to help you. Remember that some of the things are under "edit" and others are under "create".}

The * mark specifies that premium effects are included in the recipes.

Let me know what you think, and if you tried any of these! Once again, if you have a question, well, you know where to find me:-)

Love and Blessings,
~Hannah

Embracing the Unexpected...

2010-07-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

My lovely friend Guin is having a photography contest at here photo blog, and I couldn't help but enter:) Here's how Guin describes the theme:

The subjects must be something out of the ordinary, something unnoticed but beautiful once you see it. Something different. I know this sounds like a lot to ask, but I mean, a flower stuck in the rook of a tree, an interesting crowd of people,a small single clover, something in an odd position.

Wow - out-of-place but beautiful. I love capturing that kind of thing.

I quickly picked out the four pictures in my head that I wanted to enter - you'll notice that most of them are kind of relating to the examples above:-)

{1}

{2}

{3}

{4}

Well, this one is actually a bit of a joke. It's not exactly a "good" photo and I'm not sure if it quite fits the theme, but it's just about my favorite thing ever. As you might have guessed, I took this on my trip to Rome. Dad and I were just exiting the Colosseum when we saw this dude texting and decided that I NEEDED to get a picture of it=) He looks so tough, so serious, so fierce, I wondering what he was texting about? ;-)

Well, that's that, my lovelies! Be sure to check out Guin's blog to learn more about her contest!

Which entry is your favorite?
Love and Blessings,
~Hannah~

Photo shoot :: Megan

2010-07-11T06:34:00.019-05:00

Those of you who read my main blog probably already know about the new camera that I got last Wednesday (you can read my post here).

In short, I was finally able to buy the DSLR camera that I was saving up for: the Canon Rebel T2i!!!

I've been continually amazed this week with the photos I've taken - it's really bringing my photography up a level. Yesterday Megan graciously agreed to pose for a few photos for me so that I could practice working with people. I'm absolutely loving the result....But, having such a beautiful cient, it's no wonder!

My camera does such a great job with capturing eyes....And, of course, the Picnik eye-brighten effect helps, too. ;-) These pictures make me melt!

I'm trying to decide which of these two I like better, and Megan can't make up her mind either. What do you think? One or two?

Ahh, bokeh! And the Picnik sepia effect...

And here's a collage of my favorites that I thought I'd share with you...

Which of these is your favorite? I'd love some feedback here!

More photos with my new camera coming *very* soon!

Love and Blessings,
~Hannah

.:Fireworks:.

2010-07-10T11:03:00.001-05:00

Just like my uber-creative (not) title up there says, I'm sharing a few favorite firework photos with you from the fourth.

Naturally, I don't get to take firework shots very often - well, only once a year:) - so it took a bit of getting used to for me. At times I had my shutter-speed too high, resulting in the squiggly-line effect, but when I lowered it, the colors wouldn't come out as well. Nevertheless, I acquired the following favorite captures...

{This one was supposed to go the other way, but for some reason it uploaded wrong. Thought I'd share it anyway, though...}

And sweet Megan from the little photo shoot that I did with her. I love the sunburst here:)

Which one is your favorite?

I hope that you all had a wonderful Independence Day, my dears!:-)

Love and Blessings,
~Hannah~

Please Don't Splash my Camera...

2010-07-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

As promised, some more pool pictures from last weekend.

(Coming very late, of course. Those of you who read my main blog would freak out if they were on time any way, so why not?)

I'm just wondering, does any one else get as worried as I do that a rambunctious, in-the-moment sibling is going to splash and completely break your camera? Like beyond-repair break your camera?

Not that I wouldn't mind them having to pay me back for it, but the problem is, Stephen simply doesn't have the money to buy a new camera for me. I hate to repeat myself, but that's a {big} problem.

To prevent this, I have to stay far away from the action and use my not-so-great zoom to try to capture moments like these...

And then these....

{trying out my new watermark here. Like it?}

I *do* love taking pictures at the pool though. And most importantly, my camera is still alive and able to prove it. :) Ahh, life is good.

I Heart Faces :: Teens Only

2010-07-06T13:54:00.001-05:00

This week, I Heart Faces is having a Teens-Only photo challenge.

For me, it's not much different than usually, except for the fact that all of the other entries are from teens as well.

It was super-hard to decide what to enter this week, as there's no actual theme and I have so many favorite face photos!

I thought and dug and thought some more and finally decided on this...

I'm still trying to decide if it was the right decision:-)

I'm so excited to see all of the fabulous teen entries this week!

I want to view every single one.

You can head right here to see for yourself!

Love and Blessings,

~Hannah~

Pool | Sneak Peek

2010-06-29T17:25:00.000-05:00

Just a sneak-peek at a few pool photos I plan to post on here soon....

I Heart Faces :: Pets

2010-06-27T18:54:00.003-05:00

My first time entering an I Heart Faces challenge here on my photography blog. This week's theme is "Pets Only", and although a human face isn't mandatory as usual, Megan happens to be in my photo as well:-)

I love how Kirby's kind of smiling here. You've gotta love the rare occasion when a cat smiles....

More pet/animal photos at I Heart Faces....

Love and Blessings,~Hannah~

Watermarking :: What I use

2010-06-26T15:26:00.002-05:00

Sveta asked me a week or two ago what I use to watermark my photos. I thought I'd give a quick overview/tutorial on how I do it, and am finally getting around to it now. Thanks so much for your patience:-)

So, why do I watermark my photos? Mainly because I do not want someone to take one of the photos on my site and use it as their own. Although the chances of this might be slim, why risk it? I've noticed that my watermark tends to give a "professional" look to my photo. In a nutshell, watermarking my pictures gives me a sense of security...not to mention how nice it happens to look. :-)

As you might know, all of the photos I edit are done on Picnik.com {there's the answer to your question, Guin!} where I have a premium account. Picnik has a wide variety of fonts {most of which aren't even premium, so don't worry} and many options when using them. As I don't have a photography business or anything yet {obviously...} Picnik is perfectly sufficient for my watermarking needs:-)

Here is a quick over view on how to watermark your photos on Picnik....

{1} Upload your photo to Picnik.com. I think that you have to make an account first if you do not already have one - but it's free. Proceed to do any editing to it that you'd like.

{2} Under the "Create" tab, go to the smaller tab, "Text". Type whatever text you want into the "Type Here" box. You can then select the font that you'd like to use. Basically I write

Hannah Magdalene | Photography

in the box and select the font FF Meta Serif SC. Please note that this is a premium font, which requires that you pay for a premium account to use it. However, like I said, Picnik has a wide variety of other fonts that are NOT premium as well. I really like FF Meta Serif SC because of it's simple, clean, and professional look.

Hit "Add" and your watermark should appear in the center of your photo in white.

{3} Now you can further personalize your watermark however you'd like. When you click on the text a little box should pop up in the vicinity showing you a variety of options. You can move the text to a corner or other spot where it's not in the way of your photo's subject, make it smaller or bigger, change the color if necessary, tilt, fade, bold, or italicise it...It's up to you.

I generally move the text to a spot near but not covering my subject and then proceed to fade it, edit the size, change it from white to black if necessary, and sometimes tilt it for a creative effect. Just a peek at some ways I've found to put my watermark in photos.....

{4} Do any other editing that you'd like {It won't effect your mark} and save the photo to your computer. You're done!

Adding an Image to your Watermark:

Adding a little image/flourish to your text can really make your mark more personalized and professional looking. Under the tab "Stickers" {It's next to "text"} You'll find a host of little, well, "stickers" that you can add to your photo and incorporate into your watermark. I was experimenting the other day with ways to to this, as you can see below. All of the images I got were free from the "Floral" section. All the text except for the very bottom one was free as well.

{In case you're wondering, this picture is from my trip to Italy - a small Italian town that I captured from the plane.}

The down side to adding an image to your watermark with Picnik: It takes quite a bit of time, seeing as you have to re-add your mark from scratch every time you use it. You have to not only select your text and image, but also incorporate them together and do everything else: sizing, fading, moving, etc. I've learned that time is of the essence while editing photos, especially several at a time, and this just adds and extra two or three minutes to everything else. If you're not worried about the extra time, however, go for it! =)

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Do you have any further questions about watermarking that I might be able to answer? Or do you have any watermarking tips for ME? Do drop me a comment and let me know!

I hope that this answered your question, Sveta. And I'm also hoping that it may have given some of you a few watermarking ideas to use:-)

Love and Blessings,

~Hannah

Chocolate Ice Cream, Anyone?

2010-06-22T14:37:00.005-05:00

How cute is that? Sweet little messy ole face... .Yup. Chocolate ice cream is the best.

Which one is your favorite?

~Hannah~

PS - He didn't want to be photographed in any of these pictures {You know, ice cream tastes best when you eat it in peace}, which explains his sad face and hand in the second one. ;-)

Rainin' Up a Storm

2010-06-18T00:18:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday it was storming and raining like crazy. After downpour number three, I headed down to our garage to take some photos of the storm.

{My attempt to get a lightning shot - I got the cool cloud at least. Ha!}

Then...

It started downpouring. Again.

And our gutter was having a field day.

I love these photos. =)

After the rain had died down, I braved the thunder and came out of the garage to photograph our beautiful hanging flower plants with raindrops on them. Ohhhhh, love these!

{Taken of the our window from the inside}

I've officially decided that I love rain photos. A lot.

~Hannah~