I’m Back To Stay…Hopefully?

I haven’t been the best blogger – I know. Very sorry. I haven’t had a good long photo post in…well, too long. Life has been crazy (and continues to be. ) and I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write a good long post. I’m back again to make up for all that. =)

Want to start with some photos? Okay, good. In the fall I did our family’s school/family photos at Laurel Hill – the birthplace of Jeb Stuart. (Southern General of the Cavalry – amazing, funny, brilliant guy who did wonders for the CSA) Laurel Hill is absolutely gorgeous and we had a blast.















Notice the photo in the bottom right-hand corner just above? Well folks, that is my sister in the civil war dress I made – in a “Gone With the Wind – Literally” pose. =D I’m going to try to sell the dress, and I needed her to model it. Needless to say, we had some fun. =)


Ready for more words? Okay.
This week I’ve been doing double my normal work load – mostly in terms of homework. Because I’m taking my college classes online I have the ability to complete and turn in homework on my own schedule – and this week I did twice as much as required. Why? Well, next week has been designated sewing week. I’m entering the JoAnn Prom Dress contest again, and all of next week will be dedicated to planning, cutting, and sewing the dress! I am very excited because I will be designing a very special dress.

Hint: it’s a pretty girly color; has lots of flounces, beads, and tulle; and is celebrity inspired!
 (Hint #2: the celebrity may just be Carrie Underwood. ;)  )

Try to figure it out if you like. =D I don’t want to post a photo of my “inspiration” because I’m afraid my idea might be stolen. ;) But I will most surely post photos of the dress once it’s finished!
In other news – my reading stack is frighteningly tall. It’s actually taller than it is here in the photo.

Notice any common theme? Yep, you got it – the Civil War. *sheepish grin* I’ve been delving back into my novel, which means much reading and researching. And seriously – the biography I just finished about Jeb Stuart? Amazing. From start to finish. The author did the most amazing job portraying who Jeb was through his letters, battle reports, and other first hand accounts. (Bit of trivia: he called himself “The Knight of the Golden Spurs.” Research that one and tell me why that was. ;) )
In connection with my book – I’ve been going back and actually getting to know my characters. You can read my blog posts here about the subject. It’s been amazing, but I’m finding that much of my book will have to be re-written. I mean, come on – if you start writing a whole book before you really know your characters, of course you’ll have to re-write most of it! Not very cheerful. But I will be able to keep the structure of my scenes – it’s just the interaction that’s all wrong.
We spent our Valentine’s Day eating heart-shaped doughnuts and drinking coffee at Starbucks. ;)


So…has this post made up for my long absence? =D

Can You Help Me Decide?

Alright, dear folks - I need your opinion.

If you're my friend on Facebook or you like my photography page (which, if you haven't, check it out on the sidebar! ;)  ), then you know that a graphic designer designed a book cover for me for free. What I want to know is if I should keep it, or if I should use any of the covers that I designed. So, take a look at the covers and vote on the poll on my sidebar! (I'd love your help!)

Below is Number 1. This is the cover that the girl designed for me - nice, but the dress isn't historically accurate.

 Number 2

 Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

20 in 10 Photography Challenge

Emily at Emily Grace Photography is hosting an Autumn photography challenge! Actually, I'm very late to be entering - the contest ends tonight at midnight. =S

*note to self - try to enter photography contests more than a few hours before they end.* ;)

So, here's my entry - and I'd love for you to head on over to Emily's blog and enter your best fall photo with lots of light and shadows in her contest! (I think she'd like that, too! =)  )

 

Fair Photos

I'll do a big, long post later, but here are some photos to tide you over. =)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14033&id=100001529275090&l=9bf747bc18

Oh, and let me know what you all think of my logo/watermark...do you like it? Any suggestions?

Happy Monday {The Golden Hour}

It's time for Happy Monday again - and this time the theme is "the Golden Hour!" Emily Grace is going to judge all the entries - be sure to check out her lovely blog!

Yeah for changing leaves! Even though it doesn't feel like fall here, it still looks like it! =) I was in love with the lighting here. You know - when it gets to that time of day where the light is perfect, and to not take your camera outside seems terribly wrong? =) I couldn't decide which of these was my favorite...so here are all of them! Which one do you like best?

Photo Entries for the Fair!

Today I sorted through my hundreds of photos and came up with what are (in my mind!) my eight best. It was extremely hard to narrow it down to eight, but I finally made my selections. =) Here they are.

 

Color Photo – People

 

 

Color Photo – Animals

 

 

Color Photo – Other

 

Color Photo – Sports

 

 

Black and White Photo – People

 

 

Black and White Photo – Animals

 

 

Black and White Photo – Other

 

 

 

Digital Manipulation – Any Subject

 

Which one is your favorite?