Good to Wow: Looking Up SOOC

This has been a great week, and I've got a lot of wonderful shots to go through and expand my editing skills with. For this week's Good to Wow/Shoot and Edit, I found a couple shots that I think will be fun to mess around with!

On the first pair, I'm hoping to turn these over and under exposed images into shots that really POP! *giggle*

And on these two, I want to improve the color quality of these shots of my gorgeous and amazing Roommateo!!

{Disclaimer: I know we no longer room together. We also live several states apart. This matters not in the least. She is still my Roommateo!!!}

BTW- This is my favorite SOOC shot this week!!

Stop by Jill's blog to see amazing SOOC shots and check back for everyone's edits and the weekly tutorial with Ashley!

Scavenging with Friends!

My bestie came to visit me this weekend!!! YYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!! So she has been kind enough to put up with my random photo stops and posing requests (I may actually compete in an IHF challenge!). Of course, so does Mr. Pony, but that is part of his job description! Anyway, without further ado, here are my weekly Scavenger Hunt images. Thanks for stopping by!

1) Classic Still Life- A wonderful start to the day.

2) Self Portrait- I think this counts:)

3) On the Floor- Well, I guess on the ground works, right?? The funny thing is that on and then, she {snapped} this week she talked about not being afraid to crop. I just learned this when I was zooming in to look a detail on this shot, and found that I liked that crop SOOO much better! It is amazing what a good crop can do for an image!

This is the unedited shot- see how much better! Of course, I did also use a PW action (Boost- my fave) and play with the light levels as well. In either case- crop away!

4) Lines- Some day, I will have a bike this adorable!!

5) Fresh- I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but I love it!

Next week's prompts are:

1) HOT HOT HOT
2) Finding Form
3) Front Page of the News
4) Chore
5) Beads

Too many options!!!

So I bought {Pepsi} a chair for pet cuddling and reading. It is gloriously comfy and huge. But it shows some wear and tear. And by some I mean a lot.

So a slipcover it is! But do you know how many beautiful fabrics there are out there? How many types of fabric there are out there?

Do I go with a basic solid?

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Or a bold print?

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Or a combo of the two?

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Or a whimsical print??

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The choices are endless. Who would have thought it would be so tough??

Not that Pepsi appreciates all my decisioning. She just wants me to leave her chair alone.

And on a totally different note- to prove that I've actually used my camera in the last few days, here is a shot of another magnolia blossom! I love the soft texture of the leaves, and if you look deep inside, you can see a fuzzy little bee working at the pollen. They were carrying those little flower bits away, too!

1) My Passion- I think most of us will pick photography as our passion. I love all sorts of other things, but this one is the one that is easiest to share an image of. I'll have to work on adequately capturing my other passions to share...

2) Sound of Music- The birds outside our door are growing their adorable little family! Cheep cheep!

3) Inner Beauty- Look at those eyes- how can you not see beauty and love in there!?!

4) Ethereal- I'm practicing to improve the lighting in my food images, and I love the light in this shot... plus you can't really go wrong with a fresh crepe filled and drizzled with dulce du leche... dreamy...

5) Sharp- I love how sharp this image came out! And how delicious the caramelized carrot soup was!

Next week's prompts are:

1) Classic Still Life
2) Self-Portrait
3) On the Floor
4) Lines
5) Fresh

Fill in the Blank Friday

A new meme for me to try! Here goes:).

1.   People always tell me I look like: honestly, no one famous. However, I have my mother's eyes and my father's coloring, apparently.

2.  Friends don't let friends: buy tragically awful clothing, drunk dial/text people from work or ex-es, or go through tough times alone.

3.  A sunny day is perfect for: lounging with my pets, reading a book and drinking lemonade OR going out and giving my ponies a bath.

4.  My favorite accessory is: my new camera necklace- it makes me feel inspired!

5.  If I could afford it I would: quit my current job and travel around photographing interesting things.

6.  The cure for boredom is: finding a project to complete and getting started!

7.  I am currently "in like" with: everything Etsy, vintage inspired clothing, slipcovering, and adorable fabrics. 

And because no post is complete without a picture, here is my new favorite shot of Mr. P and I!

 

In which I try to take a self portrait...

I'm getting inspired by Elena over at Selfie Magic to try spending more time in front of the camera. There really aren't a ton of pictures of me because, well... I'm always taking the shots! Well, today I spent some moolah and got a haircut for the first time since late December {yup, nearly .5 years ago} and got my hair cut. I'm loving Florence Welch's look {watch her video here and fall in love ASAP}, and was hoping to get a style like this:

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And while my hair isn't that kind of vibrant red, I don't resonate the same kind of quirky British siren songstress-ness, and I don't intend to hold an apple 24/7, I think we got pretty close!

So I wanted pictures.

So I set up the tripod and the lights and settled in my new chair to Selfie the heck out of this haircut.

Then I got some help.

That wasn't so helpful.

In so many ways.

But at least he was adorable! And yes, there is a fuzzy cat taunting him from the left side of this shot.

And then finally I got a shot without canine intervention. It is amazing how much cute he adds to the picture!

BTW- R is for reading, which is what I was supposed to be doing in my selfie shots- it just didn't work out!!!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

1) Give Me Flowers- Hey, you! In the strange chair! GIVE ME FLOWERS!!!

 

No?! Fine! I'll find some for myself!

 Much better!

 2) Visual Contrast- What an odd thing to see when you look down. Of course, I had just climbed a huge pile of organized scrap via a ladder of rebar, so I guess this shouldn't be so surprising!

3) Friendship- I really wanted to make friends with this charming orange tom cat. He was not nearly as interested in me, unfortunately. This is about as close as I could get!

4) Before & After- I love flowers. I love bokeh. I love my new lens (Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens). Joy! These are from the same tree, just about 2 feet apart.

5) Dark- I tried to get a good shot of the crazy clouds ringing the moon a few nights ago, and didn't get the exact shot I wanted. However, I did take a series of shots to turn into an HDR, and I think it came out nifty looking!

Join the scavenging next week! The prompts are:

1) My Passion
2) Sound of Music
3) Inner Beauty
4) Ethereal
5) Sharp