Photo a Day. Week 7 of 365 days.

This past week flew by.  What a busy weekend with St. Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.  A few of this week's images are taken on my cell phone because of a quick trip to Denver over out 4 day break from school.  I hope you enjoy them.

Winter Finch 44/365

Okay, I do have one image, taken on Valentine's Day, that is themed.  This is just one of my little flying hearts from Mexico.  Love these Milagros.

Heart 45/365

And the next few are follow our trip over the weekend.  A hotel room, museum shots, and dinner on the way back home.  And a final image of the week is a photo of the mountain above Santa Fe in the Fall.  Sometimes we get an early snow and it is so beautiful with the fall aspen tree yellow.

Traveling 46/365

Prehistoric 47/365

Art Museum Fun 48/365

Waiting for Dinner 49/365

Aspen and Fir Landscape 50/365

Thanks for stopping by.
Lorissa

Exciting Week 5! 365 - Photo a Day

Hello Again.
Wow! This week has flown by.  I was hoping to get a post up about the valentine's my daughter and I made for her class, but not this past week.  Maybe this weekend?
This week I had some fun and many of the photos are floral.  Last spring I took a bunch of photos of our blooming cherry tree, but just stored them away on my computer.  Finally I got to work on them. I also have a joyful portrait and some landscapes of White Sand National Monument in the mix.

This makes me smile every-time I see it!

Joy in January 30/365

I just can't help it, that happiness is infectious.

The spring theme may have be subconsciously because of the warmer weather.  I could actually go outside without a coat yesterday. These beauties are white plum blossoms.  So sweet.

Plum Blossom Pastel 31/365

Now for the Cherry Blossoms:

Pink Bee 32/365

Pink Bee Flying 33/365

Pink Spring 34/365

Spring Bee 35/365

Did I mention that there is also a bee in the photos?  They just love the cherry tree in spring.

And now for White Sands:

Evening Sand Pinks 36/365

It is the image of the perfect end to a wonderful day, and it was.

I hope you have enjoyed them all.  Come back next week for more.  Also, don't forget to check out my LJ Longfellow Fine Art Photography Etsy Shop.  I might not have them all listed, but you can always use the "You Choose" listing to get exactly the image you want for your home.

Thanks,
Lorissa

Week 4 Already? check out my 365

First, I want to say, "Thank you!" to those who have been following my progress.
I have to admit that this week I did not feel inspired.  Many days were busy with catching up on things that didn't get done while my daughter was home sick from school last week. I did try to work more with layers and textures and think I need to start working with actions again, it has been a long time since I made my own.

Much of what I worked on this week is photos of New Mexico.  I guess that is no surprise as I live here. 

New Mexico Rural Road 2  23/365

In "New Mexico Rural Road" I love the perspective of the road and fence. The small hill in the background makes you wonder what might the viewer be missing.  I also love how the tree branches arch over and block the view.

Claunch, NM Ghost Town 24/365

This building in Claunch, NM caught my eye because of the green used to seal up the windows.   The color really stood out and it looks great hear against the off-white building and deep blue sky. I used a texture in the sky that mimics the feel of the building.

Lamp 25/365

Okay, this may have been a bit of a cheat.  This is the lamp next to where I often sit at night.  The lamp shade is metal so the light is directed mostly down and though the cut outs.  I used my new Flickr app and one of its preset actions.

Hedgehog Dream 26/365

The hedgehog was taken during a photo shoot for a small magazine I do work for.  He was just so cute sitting there in the florist shop.  My 7 year old daughter loves this and wants a copy in her room.

Forest Dream 3 27/365

I saved three different versions of this image.  The first with no textures, just basic Photoshop adjustments, the second with some texture that lightened it and this.  This is my favorite.  I reminds me of dreams I've had. It was taken on a hike at Datil Well Campground.  We stayed there when we went to visit the Very Large Array.

Anyone Listening? 28/365

This is a very small part of the Very Large Array.  This radio observatory is amazing.  We went on a day they were giving tours and learn a lot.   I tried to texture this as if it was an old postcard.  I love the feel, but I'm not sure if it is for everyone.

self  29/365

I end with a self portrait.  I'm not really a fan of photographing myself and I'm much more comfortable behind the camera.

Have a great week!
Lorissa

Week Three of 365!

Hello Everyone,

I've been trying to post on Tuesday each week, but with my daughter off school and up the mountain for a ski lesson all day, I just never got to it.  Growing up in FL, I have never snow skied, but it is nice to give my daughter the opportunity.  I told her I would take lessons if she like it and it would be something we could do together.

This past week I was distracted from working because my daughter came down with a mild case of the flu.  Her temperature of 101 to 102.5 keep her out of school for 4 days.  Thankfully she only had what appeared to be a bad cold with it and not all those other terrible symptoms the flu can produce.

Okay, so what images did I work on this week?

First is a photo of el Santuario de Chimayó.

Chimayó Spring - New Mexico 16/365

Then I found some photos I had wanted to work on a while ago.  While on vacation in Estes Park, CO we stayed at the Stanley Hotel.  This hotel is considered to be haunted and the inspiration for Steven King's "The Shining"  In the book and movie there were ghost twins, so just for fun we made my daughter twins in the photo.  I did two images, one outside and one in.  The inside one was taken in the children's wing on the top floor.  People have reported to have heard children laughing a playing even when there are none staying on that floor. 

Ghost Girls 17/365

Ghost Girls 2 18/365

This beautiful bird is a Blue-crowned Motmot and I only know that because of a kind person on flickr who pointed me in the right direction.  I love the look he is giving me here.

untitled - 19/365

I'm not a good at self portraits, but I though this was fitting.

Self Portrait Jan. 20, 2013 - 20/365

I love Photography and this camera allowed the common man to try photography for the first time.  How can you not feel the love?

What do you Love? 21/365

This was taken with my iPhone while up the mountain yesterday.  She loved her lesson, but didn't finish due to exhaustion.  The thin air really got to her.

Ski School 22/365

Thanks for stopping by.
Lorissa

365 - Yes, an Image a Day

I can do that. Something new every day, right?

Okay, so this year I am going to do it, and if I'm on vacation it might just be snap from my phone. I guess we will see how it goes.  I've gotten off to a good start.  Okay, well, that is, once I got started.  I started off the 2013 sick and in bed, so I ended up posting late.  But see what I've done so far! (more info at end...)

Morning Snow Crystals 1/365

Winter Aspen 2/365

Yucca Winter White 3/365

Winter White with Juniper 4/365

Yucca Seed Pods, NM State Flower 5/365

Beach Sunset 2012 6/365

Giving Hearts 8/365

Winter Globe 7/365

A's Valentine 9/365

So, you many have noticed that some photos look like they were taken on the same day, or in the past.  That is why I'm calling it an Image a day, as a photo a day makes one think of an photo taken that day and that is not exactly what I'm going to do.  I have so much on my computer that I have simply downloaded and never got back to that I need something to motivate me and get this stuff out there. Some days I will take new photos and process them all in one day, sometimes I may just go back to my archives and find something I've been wanting to process, sometimes I may just play around with layers and textures for something fun, and others I may just post something fun from my phone camera.  I'm planning on blogging about the progress I am making in this, so you can come back here every week or so and see what's new or you can follow my 365 set on Flickr at LJLongfellow Photography 365.

Family Hiking in Canyonlands - Needles District

This past fall my husband, daughter, and I went on a little RV adventure to Canyonlands National Park in the Needles District. There is nothing much to do there except enjoy the beauty of the the area. Really, in the needles district there are no cell phone service, no showers, but a lot of trails. Backpacking, hiking, and some truly 4 wheel driving roads are the only way to explore this beauty. There are easy trails like one to an ancestral Puebloan granary and another takes you a historic cowboy line camp and prehistoric pictographs. Then there are long trails (about 60 miles of interconnected trails) to fantastic views, colorful sandstone spires, arches, and archaeological sites. The best way to explore these long trails is to go backpacking overnight with lots of water. Basically there is something in Canyonlands for every skill level and it makes a wonderful place to visit with the family.

During our visit we hiked a few of the shorter trails, along with a small section of the larger trail called the Squaw Flat Loop that was near the campgrounds. They do tell you that the longer trails are especially rough and require negotiating steep passes with drop-offs, narrow spots, or ladders, but we thought we would be safe close to the campground on a short loop between the two. LOL - We were so wrong. I didn't take my camera, because we thought we were going on a flat trail with not much to spot but cactus and lizards. The trail looped around and up and over the formation that sat right behind our campsite. It was amazingly beautiful, but I was a little worried as we were walking on the top of the sandstone structure with only five feet of rock between drops off on each side. The rock rose in a way that made it difficlut to judge what might come next and we kept just pushing ahead thinking it would be easier then turning back. We "scrambled" a lot and I even tore a large hole in my jeans from shuffling over the rock with my daughter in my arms. The photo above shows the formation we hiked over. It was just the lower part on the left, but we walked on the top of that and came down the steep slopes and sandstone rims to get back to the campground with a 4 year old in tow. Looking back it was beautiful, but I don't think I would have taken a 4 year old up there to hike if I had known. She did wonderfully though and it is a memory and accomplishment I don't' think she will ever forget.

The next day we hiked the Slickrock Trail. This is the longest of the short trails and is about 2.4 miles round trip. It was listed as having uneven surfaces, viewpoints, and sometimes bighorn sheep. We didn't see many sheep that day, but lots of beautiful views. This is actually a great trail for kids. Enough "scrambling" over the rocks to satisfy them (really very little for those who have long adult legs) and a few shady places to stop and rest when needed.

The panoramas from my blog post Hiking at Canyonlands National Park were taken while we were on this hike, but I thought I would share some more personal photos that show my hubby and daughter actually hiking.





As you can see they have the trail marked with cairns (small rock piles) which really helps you not get lost when the trail is mostly sandstone. Though, we did get off trail a couple of times and had to go back to the last cairn we were at and then scout around for the next.

The viewpoints were well marked. One you had to go out on a long thin rock formation that had a major drop off on both sides. This was the one viewpoint we didn't go all the way out to (because we had enough of our heart popping out of our chests the day before with our four year old so close to the edge of drop offs). Then, once we thought we found the view point:

Only to find this sign at the bottom once we figure out the way down:


You can actually see the sign in the last photo. I thought it seemed kind of a funny place to have the sign laying, but it worked and we found our way.

While this isn't the Grand Canyon, it is just as beautiful and a lot less crowded. It is a place that everyone should try to visit at least once.

Thanks for letting me share this adventure with you.
Lorissa

PS. I thought about being Wordless today for "Wordless Wednesday" but decided I had to much to share with these photos. Maybe next week.

New Year's Resolutions - Not

I don't know about you, but I don't do new year's resolutions. I seem to have enough in my life that I'm trying to get done without adding to it. But that said, I do though find that after a busy fall and holidays, that January is a great time to get some of that lingering to do list finally accomplished.
Last year I started at Weight Watchers with a friend and lost 25 lb. This was a continuation of a goal that I had started during the summer, but could not seem to get myself past a 5 lb lost.
During the last part of 2009 I have managed to keep it off, eat better, and continue to be active. I would love to lose 5 more pounds and I'm hoping to do this in the next month or so. Here is a photo of my and my daughter that my hubby took recently. One of these day's I need to post a before and after, but I really don't like my before.

Another thing on my to do list is to update and redo my website. I'm doing more portraits then ever, and enjoying it. My website does not let anyone know I'm also a portrait photographer and it really needs to. I love photographing both children and adults and really enjoy photographing a family in their home and capture them in their own environment. Here are some of my recent favorites.

Other things on my to do list include traveling more, finishing up some scrapbooks, organizing my digital negatives better and spending more time playing with my daughter.

So instead of adding to your busy life with new "resolutions", just say no and try to get some of that never ending to do list done.

Hope you and yours has a happy and beautiful 2010!!!
-Lorissa