Best Face of 2010

On January 4, 2011January 4, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Posessed by Nikon16 Comments

i Heart Faces Photo Challenge

I entered a photo contest before.

Once.

I totally choked, hence, the once.

It was on best eyes and I used a B&W picture.

:awkward silence:

It’s okay, you can laugh, chuckle, or chort. I have. I had many vibrant images. Many eyes framed perfectly to pop, but did I use them? No.

I’m just a ~~total rebel~~ little rusty at this photo stuff.

But if you ~~fail~~ fall, get back up, right?!?

So, I am joining in a new photo challenge on iheartfaces. I added the entry to my pages at the top.

This was very hard to choose. I was going back and forth on several different ones of my daughters Sydney, Bridget, and Molly. In the end, I picked this one from my family of faith shoot. It’s my friend Kristin’s daughter. It is the real deal. Unedited. Just simply a great shot with gorgeous colors and natural expression. She is an adorable girl and terrific model.

My submitted entry:

boasbowsandflowers — Best Face Photo of 2010 -Family Photo Shoot portrait of my friend's daughter

Here are the photo entries considered (that are my favorite too).

I think I went the safer route on this challenge. I chose the best photo that fit what most everyone else submitted.

Will it win?

Well, here is where you come in……..you can vote to help me win! Yay!

Dear friends,

I don’t ask you subscribe by email (do you?). I don’t ask you to read (okay, I do ask that). I don’t ask you to comment (much). And I don’t ask you to Like my posts (which is a really simple click). But can I ask you to please vote? For me? This one little thing. I think you can vote once a day.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE #816 Look for the photo as this number could change (and has) due to links being deleted that did not qualify.

Facebook Teenage Angst

On December 9, 2010December 9, 2010 By AngeliaIn In the lives of children, Mama Kat's Writing Workshop22 Comments

Back in my teen years there was no Facebook. No immediate social interaction with boys across the country, or globe. At the most you could be pen pals, remember those?

(source)

But if you didn’t like them anymore, or moved on to the next pen pal romance…..no big deal. Just stop writing. This was the 80’s.

Today…..

(source)

Facebook completely changed things. You have immediate connections. Friends in common. Pictures to peruse and many, many other crush worthy items from her bio, to music, to interests. She likes silly bandz, she likes COOKING, she likes Hot Topic, and the mall. We are just alike….I Facebook HEART her. The boy creeps hard on her page, and her online hangouts. They can be from the same town, school, or even from across the country; like New Jersey.

From the Facebook platform communication can progress to text messaging, chat, and skype.

Then, when a teenage girl decides she doesn’t like a crushing boy. How does she lose this creep? It’s very similar to my day. Just stop ~~texting~~ ~~skyping~~ ~~chatting~~ ~~talking~~ facebooking. Simple.

Not so simple for him. He is still crushing on his Facebook teen idol.

Her. My daughter.

But she has moved on and is not looking back.

Teenage angst ensues.

(source)

And you would think that is the end. Crush over. He moves on.

But, noooooo!

See, Facebook gives you the option of listing your PARENTS on your Facebook page and if there is one thing a teenage crushing boy knows is his stalked’s page forwards and backwards (because he creeps it).

The boy emails the mom. In this case, ME.

And what could he possibly say?

He says, “Sydney is in a bad place and is cutting herself.”

What?!?!?

Oh, and please don’t tell her he sent me a Facebook message. He is just trying to ~~get her in trouble~~ save her.

I’ll admit, I had a bit of angst myself. Did I know my child? Was she EMO? Was I missing something? Was I completely freakin’ BLIND?

Um. No.

This girl cries from a scratch that doesn’t break the skin. She points, and points to a tiny mark. I squint to see it but can’t. Mooommmm, it hurts. What hurts? I can’t see a thing!

Cutting? I don’t think so.

But I did learn something. Teenage crushes snuffed on Facebook cause great ANGST.

Poor guy.

It was pretty sneaky to facebook message the parent listed on her page. But, I didn’t fall for it. And he is soooo busted. Please, move on to your next ~~victim~~ crush. Sydney is just fine.

I don’t just Facebook with her. I live with her.

I know I sound old, but my how times have changed….

See what others are saying about angst on Mama Kat’s Losin it writer’s workshop.
Prompt 2) Angsty

Sunset of Fire – Blaze Sky Blaze

On November 22, 2010November 22, 2010 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Love and Light, Posessed by Nikon24 Comments

Animate us with your feverish good-night. Saturate us in your fiery exit.

It’s not often I see a red sunset. I see pink ones, yellow ones, pale orange with purple swirl ones, and aqua blue hues with hot pink center ones. Lovely pale palettes of majesty. All sorts of gorgeous colors, but nothing ablaze, not until last night. And maybe? I just haven’t been paying attention.

I’ve noticed it’s rare for me to watch a sunset, or better yet take the time to watch a sunset. I’m usually driving home from work, doing weekend laundry, making or eating dinner, and every other thing that snatches our sunset watching time. Besides, I live in an urban area. It’s hard to see the sun setting through the new housing additions, and shopping centers.

But last night, we happened to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right view.

A park.

The sun’s timing was impeccable. It was just as we were getting into the car, I saw a red glow from the hillside. I thought…… why don’t we just walk up there and see. I had practiced silhouette portraits earlier with the family I was taking pictures for; the reason for being at the park that time of day. It’s something I have admired on other photo blogs and wanted to try to for myself.

In the midst of a red sunset, I was in photography heaven. It’s not often I have a crimson glow, my new camera, and my teenage ~~model~~ daughter with me.

These pictures are unedited. I did not add my watermark, nor alter them in any way. It is exactly as I saw it through the lens.

Blaze sky, blaze.

What a way to end the day. Thank-you God for such a stunning scene. And my teen?

Was she adrift in the moment of her silhouette debut? Soaking up the rays as one with nature? Ummm, not so much. But, maybe she lit a text or two ablaze. Heh.

Happy Monday of the Thanksgiving week!

The Color Blind Photographer

On November 11, 2010 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Mama Kat's Writing Workshop, Posessed by Nikon37 Comments

My secret is out and I might just lose a few clients over this. But, considering I haven’t even started my business, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Here is my dilemma.

Do you see what I see?

All I see is a yellow square. Nothing else. Apparently, there is something else. Maybe a rabbit jumping through a hoop? Or a children’s choir singing Kumbaya? Me? I don’t know. That’s my point – I don’t see it. Here is the online color blind test I took. See for yourself, or in my case – not.

It started in fourth grade. We had one of those health books. They had these circle thingies where a number is displayed. I couldn’t see it. If I couldn’t see the number, it said I had red-green color blindness. What did that mean to a ten-year old? Absolutely nothing. My Dad was color blind and from other parts of the health book I learned about heredity traits. I guessed I got it from him. I knew the color red. I knew the color green. Didn’t I? I mean I saw those colors. It’s just a number in a circle, right?

Except now……

Now that I am considering a side career. Charging people to take pictures. Launching a photography business. Would you pay a color blind photographer? Is that something I’d have to disclose?

Maybe, I can use color blind photography to create a niche market. It could be a catchy. You’ll never know what colors you’ll get, but we can always revert to black and white.

I happen to love black and white photography.

It’s a little comical now. I remember watching my Dad tune the colors on his TV over and over. It was never quite right. I used to tease him and ask him what color his curtains were. He would look and look and look. Finally, he’d say red and I’d laugh. “No Dad, it’s orange. Ha. Ha. Ha.” Oh yeah, I thought it was sooo funny. Did I mention what a bratty kid I was? How about karma? Have I mentioned that lately?

I have a confession…….I am color blind and I want to be a photographer.

I confess to not seeing the numbers in the circles.

I confess.

But I will not apologize for the colors I do see.

Vibrant, rich glorious colors.