Happy Weekend : The Kansas City Zoo

This year we were fortunate enough to be gifted a membership to Kansas City Zoo, and man oh man, are we wearing that thing out! It’s funny, I’ve lived in Kansas City for nine years now, but until this spring, I think I’d only gone to the zoo once or twice. Horrible! Now that we can go whenever we want for no cost, we have been going as much as possible. This week I decided to spend a one-on-one day with Mr. Tate before summer starts and his schedule is thrown for a crazy loop. After a breakfast of Starbucks at the park, we headed for the zoo, where we spent the day growling at polar bears and laughing at monkeys. It was a fantastic day.

Tate_Breakfast

Tate_Zoo_Bears

Tate_Zoo_Eyes

Tate_Zoo_Gondola_Feet

Tate_Zoo_Giraffs

Tate_Zoo_Elephants

Tate_Zoo_Eyelashes

Tate_Zoo_CarouselSmile

Tate_Zoo_Sleep

In fact, my day with Tate was so fantastic, that Miss Lulu got a tiny bit jealous. So yesterday, after school let out for the summer (ahhhh!), I took Lu and a friend back to have a fun day to themselves. We are officially zoo addicts.

IMG_6725

Lu_Zoo_Lions

Lu_Zoo_SkySafari

Lu_Zoo_Tortoise

Lu_Zoo_Cheetah

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend, and if you’re in KC, check out our fabulous zoo! You won’t be disappointed!

A Photography Guide for the Non-Photographer

Photography-Tips

So, you got a new camera for Mother’s Day, huh?! Lucky you! Or maybe you finally got your friend’s hand-me-down point and shoot. Or you’re just an Instagramming fool, taking tons of shots with your phone or other mobile device. Well, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take beautiful photos, and you certainly don’t need the most expensive camera on the market. With a few easy tips and tricks, your photos will look awesome, regardless of your professional status or equipment.

1. Find the Light – I think this is the most important rule of thumb when it comes to any kind of photography. Light will make or break your image, and natural light is the way to go. Look for interesting shadows or backlighting that is a bit different from the norm. If you’re taking portraits of people, make sure not to have them in direct sunlight. Find a shaded spot or head out on a cloudy day instead. In terms of shooting time, first thing in the morning and right before sunset is when the natural light is at it’s best, so if you can work around that schedule, do it.

IMG_3665

2. The Rule of Thirds – This is a basic photographic principle that’s pretty simple for even a novice to use. In it’s most simple form, the rule of thirds says that the frame of the photo can be broken down in to a grid with 9 parts and if you place the subject of your image on those grid lines it will be more interesting to the eye. For nerds like me, it means, simply, don’t center your subject. Crop at an angle that is a bit different and that can take your photo to another level.

IMG_1163

3. Learn Your Camera – When I got my first digital SLR camera, I spent the first two months reading the manual cover to cover. It sounds tedious, but that was the best thing I could’ve done. Every camera is different and if you don’t understand what the buttons mean than you’re never going to get the most out of it.

IMG_1391

4. Find Tutorials Online – The Internet is a magical place, isn’t it? It’s full of experts who will help you with pretty much anything, and that extends to photographers! Some of my favorite photography tutorials are on the Pioneer Woman’s site, where she goes through everything from exposure to aperture to focus to Photoshop with easy to follow images. If you’re looking for great photography apps, I’ve done a few round ups of those right here and here that will really help you out if your a smartphone photographer.

IMG_1096

5. Have Fun! – I know, that’s annoying advice, but it’s true! Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. Get out and shoot whenever you can and eventually you will find yourself with images that will blow your mind. Happy snapping!

IMG_0960

(All photos in this post, other than the first one (by Christina Gepner), were taken by me with the iPhone 4S, proof you don’t need a $3,000 camera to get some fantastic results!)

Photo a Day Challenge : April 2013

It’s been a little over a year since I did a photo challenge on Instagram, so I figured it was time to jump in again! I find these challenges to be so rewarding, especially since I am totally guilty of being an Instagram mom who only posts pictures of her kids. Photo challenges help me break out of my rut a little bit (even if many of the pics still end up being of my kids…I can’t help it they are ADORABLE!) and gets my creative mind back in working order. My favorite photo challenge is the Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day Challenge, which changes monthly. At the beginning of each month, Chantelle posts a list of photo prompts for each day. You download the list (either on your phone or computer) and then take a photo corresponding to the prompt. For example, a new list came out today for the month of May, and today’s prompt is “I bought this.” You simply take a photo of something (anything!) you have purchased, and then upload the image to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter along with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday. By searching for that hashtag, you can find all the other photos from other participants, which is one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing other people get creative, it’s good for the soul.

Here are my photos from the April photo a day challenge! I tend to post these to my Instagram, so come over and follow me at @crazy_bananas. Sometimes I’ll upload them to Facebook too, so if that’s more your speed, check me out over there. Happy snapping!

FMS-Photoaday-April-2013

Hitting Refresh

Howdy! #fmsphotoaday #hello

Oh, hey there, Internet! It’s been a while, huh?

Last week, as things went from bad to worse in the national news, I found myself, for the first time in ages, unable to post here. I’m going through some personal things as well, and along with my uncle’s funeral and the anniversary of my dear friend Frank’s death, I just couldn’t find the stamina to write. And for the first time in YEARS, I allowed myself that time. Time to work on healing and resting, instead of plowing right through everything like an angry bulldozer. There is something to be said for my new, somewhat forced outlook on life, which allows for such things instead of my trademark “Everything is fine, just leave me alone because I can do this!” Truth is, I probably could’ve gotten a post or two up last week, I just didn’t feel like it. I wanted to snuggle with my kids and go on date night with my husband and work in my yard and visit friends. I wanted to have an evening out shopping and an evening in with a fantastically horrible/wonderful Hallmark movie. I wanted to be outside, watching my daughter conquer whatever has been holding her back in soccer and scream like a madwoman when she played the best game of her life and won MVP for her team. I needed to concentrate on how fast she’s growing, her opinions becoming more pronounced and her teeth falling out of her mouth, completely changing her appearance. Basically, I needed to be elsewhere last week. And so, I was.

IMG_5827

IMG_5895

Little brothers playing pee wee #soccer while big sisters practice for tomorrow's game (@stinads)

Dad, I think I'm gonna pull it out.... And she did.

We love spring! #sun #flare #spring #twirl

Oh hai, we r super funny!

These beauties are straight up making my day right now... #flowers #tulips #spring

Fun night at the @madewell store 1 year anniversary at Town Center with @laneodle!

So, that’s what I’ve been up to. How about you, Internet? Did you take some time to breath this weekend? What’s keeping you sane these days? If you need a Hallmark movie of the week to watch, I have one to recommend!

(Photos from top: My nametag from a fun blogger meetup/shopping excursion at Madewell in KC, Lu playing the best soccer game of her life (2), Tate and his friend playing peewee soccer while their older sisters practice, Lu decided that tooth needed to come out so she pulled it, twirling on a rare spring-like day, goofing in the mirror after bathtime, some pretty tulips from Trader Joe’s warming up my living room, a fun night out with Miss Lane at the Madewell event | All photos excepting the two soccer game images were taken with the iPhone. The soccer images were taken with the Canon 60D.)

Newborn Photos : Simon Potter Stover

IMG_5401

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing a new little boy that has joined my extended friend-family. Mr. Simon is the newest son of my good friends Heath and Mikayla, and as I’ve somehow become their resident family photographer, I was so excited to take some images of the newest member of their little family. Isn’t he just perfect? Thanks for having me, Stover Family!

IMG_5205

IMG_5249

IMG_5280

IMG_5144

IMG_5259

IMG_5206

IMG_5322

IMG_5298

(Just for fun, here are some photos of their older son, Sawyer, around the same age!)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...