My Christmas Gift to Everyone!

I was looking through some pictures from my vacation this last summer (probably in an unsuccessful attempt to get warm) and I found this picture that I took. I never did anything with it at the time, but I couldn't resist taking it into Photoshop and giving it a little extra life. Because it was taken on a rainy day, it was very, well, blah - not much contrast and way too boring for my taste. So I bumped up the saturation and I added a curves adjustment layer to really make it punchy (for those of you who aren't familiar with the photographer's lingo, punchy means colorful, contrasty, sharper, and just plain old better.) And then I decided to share it with everyone as my Christmas gift to you. So here it is. Merry Christmas, from me.

So all you have to do to get this desktop (wallpaper, for PC users) is click on the picture below. For Mac users, just drag the picture to the desktop. Then you can set it as the desktop if you add it to iPhoto, click on it in iPhoto, and then click on the Share>Set Desktop at the top of the screen and you're done. For PC users, usually you right click on the desktop and choose either Properties (XP) or Personalize (Vista) and then choose Desktop (XP) or Desktop Background (Vista). You can then click on the Browse button to find the picture and use it as a background.




Here's what this image looks like on my computer as my desktop.

P.S. I make no promises as the accuracy of the included instructions for changing the desktop on a PC. I'm a long-time Mac user and I don't have a PC in front of me to check my steps, so what I'm saying is Good Luck, if you're a PC user ;-)

My kind of gift ideas

I have this very persuasive sister who was able to convince a family of five "kids" (I can say kids because they're all younger than I am) to all pitch in for their parents' Christmas gift this year. Any guesses about what they decided to get their mom and dad? Well, if you didn't guess pictures, then I forgive you, I guess. Some of these siblings have been waiting for years to have their pictures taken again, so I of course was happy to oblige. Actually, these have been done for a week and I've been wanting to post them, but I had this crazy idea that just maybe one of their parents would see them. I know, it's a very, very long shot, but I just couldn't resist anymore. If anybody does know this family, do them a favor and help keep the secret for a few more days.

How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

I really enjoy reading blogs, especially those of fellow photographers that I admire. It's interesting to see what they post, especially when they're not posting pictures. Yeah, I know that I eat up their eye candy photos like cordial cherries in December, but I'm really intrigued by the other things they post that let you know a little bit about them. Like Jasmine Star's last post about eating organic foods and grass-fed beef (it's pretty funny) and Davina Fear's regular posts about staying healthy. Are you seeing where I'm going with this? Those of you who know me well know that I at least attempt to live a moderately healthy lifestyle, or that I like to think that I do. While this post has very little to do with photography, I feel that I should post a little something that lets you get to know me better. And who knows, this may actually help somebody besides myself this holiday season. It's from a Men's Health article that I read online today called Avoid Mindless Eating at Holiday Parties by Erin Hicks. I know, it's sounds so very riveting, doesn't it? By the way, I'm paraphrasing, so be sure to read the whole thing.

1. Budget your calories. You already know that you're going to be at a party where there will be no shortage of food, so plan ahead and save set aside a few hundred calories for the party. That way, the food you do eat won't be extra.

2. Hit the veggie platter. Appetizers are usually high in calories and they're made so that you eat a lot of them. But veggies are perfect for late night parties because they have very few carbohydrates and are less likely to be stored as fat.

3. Pick protein. Turkey or ham is a good option.

4. Talk more, eat less. Spend more time talking to people and you'll eat less.

5. Shrink your plate. This idea is really basic, Brian Wansink (author of Why We Eat More Thank We Think) has challenged people to eat their largest meal of the day from a 10-inch plate rather than a 12-inch plate for one month, which would equal 22 percent fewer calories and a loss of around 18 pounds per year. Awesome!!! Check out his blog here.

6. Shake up your cheat day. One cheat day a week isn't going to hurt anyone and it can be good for you. If you usually cheat on Sunday (like me) then you can simply rearrange your schedule for Christmas day on Friday this year.

7. Wake up to yogurt. Eat something like the day after and like yogurt and a glass of water so your body can detox itself. And don't overdue it on the leftovers. Keep it light for the rest of the next day too.

8. Burn it off. This was really interesting to me. Workouts simply aren't going to undo what we do to ourselves this Christmas. Check out these numbers to see what it will take to burn off calories from some common foods.

2,100 jumping jacks = 1 cup of egg nog
280 pushups = one glass of wine
1 hour, 30 minutes of calisthenics = one serving of nuts
2 hours of moderate walking = one slice of pecan pie
13 minutes of jumprope = one shot (of alcohol, I guess)


Well, that's the short version of that really cool article. Be sure to check out the full post here

P.S. Be sure to check back soon, as I have some cool shoots coming up and plenty of new pictures on the way!

Nativity Fun

I was setting up my parent's nativity set this week when I had a cool idea. Here it is.

First, we have the whole nativity.


Then, I started taking individual "portraits" of the different statues, starting with the most important.


After the baby Jesus, I did Mary.


And then Joseph.


Now we have the wisemen, in no particular order.





And of course, the wisemen's mode of transportation. "Watch out, they spit!"
Last year, my nephew, Max, called them cows. He was still learning, I guess. But hey, they both start with a C.


And finally, the shepherds and their sheep.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I finished putting up the Christmas tree Monday night and I thought that I would take some pictures of it since my younger sister Angie did such a fine job decorating it - I put on the lights, though. I guess everybody likes Christmas lights, but I'm especially fond of them, even though for so many years I was the only one who would ever put them on the tree as a kid. Despite the fact that our old tree made putting on the lights an absolute nightmare, I still would put them on every year because I just love the look of it once it's done. Maybe that's why I became a photographer, because I love light! Anyway, it was always a tradition for me to put on the lights while listening to Christmas music. Every time I listen to Traditions of Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller I feel like a little kid again, totally entranced by the hundreds or thousands of lights that gently lit the room. When I say thousands I mean thousands. That's how much I liked those colorful glowing bulbs.

This project was a lot of fun. The exposure times were very long, anywhere from 10-30 seconds, and my ISO was up to 400, but that's what it takes when you're shooting in a room lit only by a Christmas tree. If you want to try taking pictures of your tree and you're using an SLR, be sure to stop your lens down (set an aperture number as high as it will go, say 22-32) and be sure to have a sturdy tripod. Mine would have worked out much better if I had a better ball head for my tripod, but oh well. I guess I'll just have to take some more next year, right?

I really like the picture behind the tree because it shows the real meaning of Christmas. Without Christ, there wouldn't be a Christmas at all. This picture is from the Hill Cumorah Pageant and it's a portrayal of what would have been the first time the Nephites would have seen Christ in person, an event they had anticipated for hundreds of years. While it wasn't on Christmas, it might as well have been because of the significance of the event. Could you imagine such a present for yourself this Christmas?! Yeah, I love this picture and I'm glad that I can see it every time I look at the tree.