Friday, December 27, 2013

Happy New Year

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays this year.  It's time to get back to work... if you want to call it that.  I took these pictures of this handsome little guy a few weeks ago. I am so blessed to meet such a great family and I wish them all the best for the New Year. Little Isaac is not quite 1 yet but getting close so his Mommy and Daddy wanted to capture this milestone in his life. I'm not going to release all of his pictures just yet because the others are a birthday surprise. It was my pleasure to get to know this sweet little baby and capture this special time of his life for his family. All my best to you and your family Isaac. You handsome little GQ man!




Saturday, December 21, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

This might be my last post before Christmas.  I'm planning on doing some cooking and wrapping the rest of the presents.   But more importantly, I'm going to enjoy the real reason for the season and reflect on why we celebrate this holiday.  Spend time with family and try to relax a little in the process.  I think it's so sad that we have become a country where we are so stressed because we might have forgotten one little gift or one little detail that we think we can't live without.  One fun thing I did this winter was take some pictures of the cutest little guy.  I'll make sure to post them soon. Here is picture of a pine cone I took in Lake Tahoe. This looks like Christmas to me.  Wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  Hope you have a blessed New Year.  Be safe and stay warm. 


Saturday, December 7, 2013

Wish I was here right now...

I'm home editing old pictures. Don't get me wrong I LOVE to edit but we are snowed in so here I sit editing because I'm a big chicken and not too crazy about driving on icy roads. I was invited to three parties today. BTW, Thank you ladies for the invite, I really would have loved to have made all three.  Here is an old picture of Derek and Daddy, not sure the location? FL maybe. "Mini Me" Doesn't it look nice a warm? Any warm beach would be nice right now. I love the ocean and can't wait to visit it again. I might even have to dust off my swimming suit this time. I added some puffy clouds, depth and color.  Before and After.






Friday, November 22, 2013

Visit

We were so blessed to have our cousins from Arizona visit us. They gave up their yearly trip to the beach to reconnect with our family. I did a short and sweet photo session for her and her husband in my backyard. Just a few shots to remember their trip to Utah. We had a blast. Growing up... her and her sister were such amazing role models for me. They are both successful strong women that taught me so much. She is such a beautiful person, inside and out.



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

White Christmas

I'm not trying to hurry the snow but the first big snow storm of the year is always beautiful. And a white Christmas is a must but after that it can snow up in the mountains all it wants. I took this picture of my son last year at Layton's duck pond after the 1st snow fall. I put a Vintage action on it and turned it into a Christmas Card. I'm thinking about running a special for a Mini Photo Session -.$75.00. Immediate family, couples, kids, etc. 6 Edited pictures, the DVD with printing privileges so you can make Christmas cards or Wall Prints to give away as gifts. I love the back ground.



Thursday, November 14, 2013

My Mentor - Andee Tate - Crave My Photography

Who is my Photography mentor???  Andee Tate,  from Crave My Photography.  She is worth her weight in gold.  It would have taken me years to learn what I learned from her in an afternoon.  You see my portraits, ladies having creamy skin, colors being bold, rich and vibrant.  Use of several different actions, beautiful eyes that sparkle. Yes she showed me all this and so much more.  She is known world wide for her work.  Check her out, you will be inspired.  She is having a give away and I'm hoping my stars are still lined up.  Wish me luck!!!  

Share this giveaway with your readers http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/lens-giveaway-2/

Monday, November 11, 2013

Thank you Veterans

Wow I'm sitting here trying my best to type this message through my tears. Just being truly thankful for every Veteran that has ever served. Listening to the radio and hearing the voices of their loved ones that can't express their sorrow enough for those they lost.  Those that were drafted and those that volunteered. My dad, Alfred Salas served in WW II.  I'm also remembering my other family members and friends who served. I have always looked at our Military men and women with admiration. We could never possibly thank our Veterans for all that they have sacrificed for us all here at home to be safe and enabling us to create our own life and to go after our dreams while they are having to put their own dreams on hold. Now that you are back, coming back or never came back... we owe you so much. Thank you Past, Present and Future Veterans for everything you have done and are continuing to do for us all.   -   Enjoy your day, our Military is making it possible.



Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Colors

We also shot pictures of this beautiful family...  The Fuentes family. They are such nice people and this is why I love my job so much because it doesn't feel like a job when I get to meet such great people.  It was such a fun time and the day was nice and warm. They're from TX so they wanted the beautiful colors of fall that Utah has to offer.   The last one is my favorite... Why?  Because I love taking candid shots more than anything. But for Christmas/Holiday cards, go ahead and strike a pose.  






Fall's beautiful colors

I was so glad when my oldest son and his beautiful girlfriend agreed to have me take a few pictures of them this fall.  I mostly take just fun shots of him but haven't done any real portraits of him in a while.  What a beautiful couple.  We took these up Ogden canyon where we were able to find one bright red tree to snap these pictures.  The colors are a little less vibrant this year due to the dry summer,  I'm guessing.  I love this time of the year for the colors and the nice cool days to shoot.  



Sunday, September 22, 2013

Fall colors are around the corner.

Who's ready for fall?  Not me!!!  I love the summer but I have to admit I also love the colors of fall.  I'm always behind the camera so now I'm teaching my son Derek how to shoot. He snapped a few pictures of me yesterday. I fixed the settings but he has me in the frame and he also did a manual focus.  Great job right?  We all took a drive up Ogden canyon to see what the colors look like cuz I have some upcoming photo shoots this week.  I can't wait because I'm going to also be taking some pictures of my oldest son Casey and his beautiful girlfriend.  I can't wait to show off their pictures.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Dreamy clouds



Here is a before and after picture (switched) I took last week. I'm finishing up on this batch and can't wait to show them the rest. It's amazing how a little drama in the clouds can make a picture pop.  DBL click. 



 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Young Love


I'm wanted to share a few pictures that I took last weekend up Ogden Canyon. What a cute engagement couple. Thanks Lalo and Brittanie for being such great sports.  They didn’t even question a single strange request I had.  I love open minded clients.  Wishing you two all the happiness life has to offer. 
 Double click to enlarge.

I loved riding horse when I was a kid so I think I'm "gonna" take another drive up there and get a few more pictures of these beautiful animals. They made perfect props for this couple's engagement pictures. It was such a fun photo shoot even if I had to dodge the doo doo.


What a fun football picture. Sporting their team's jerseys. I LOVE this idea. I'm going to have to find more couples that are die hard football fans. The sky was totally gray that day so I added some Happy Little Clouds. Does anyone remember who I borrowed that line from? Actually they look a little angry... the clouds, not the couple.

 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Yosemite 2013


A year or two ago we went there and found out it was still closed for the winter.  So we took another trip there this year.  I took this picture and thought it didn't need any "work" at all.  It was already beautiful and so colorful. I think it needed to stay natural.  It's so sad to see how much has been devastated from the fires in this area.  I’m all for reforestation but these old trees are irreplaceable. 
 
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Fall colors


Here's an old picture I took with the help of my brother-in-law’s finger up Ogden canyon last fall.  I love the color.  I’ve posted this before but I’m just showing how added clouds can add to a picture.  It’s not for everyone and even I like some of my pictures more on the natural side.   I don’t mind when a client wants to keep their picture more true to life.  However, I also get clients that would love to capture additional color in the sunrise or sunset.  When you shoot in Manual mode with a DSL camera, sometimes you lose the color in the background because you are trying to meter for their skin tones.  So here’s a before and after of our 2012 fall picture.  I actually enlarged this picture for my wall on a canvas print without the added color in the clouds.
 

 
 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Animals from our recent trip to Alaska

Here are a couple of pictures from our recent trip to Alaska that I took with a rented extender lens. This lens is a little pricey so I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon. I'm just trying my hand at everything to see where I really want to focus. No pun intended. It extended my current 400mm lens to 800mm so I could shoot from far-far away and not get killed in the process. I really enjoyed these subjects but it's not what I get to do a lot of.  I do more portrait work. I've been able to meet some great people and made a few new friends along the way. These two bears look kind of fierce but they were just playing around.  I love the way this elk is curled up and soaking in the warn sun.  It was a warm day when I shot these pictures with lots of sun, my kind of day.  Sorry for the poor quality but it takes too long to load if I don't reduce the pixels.
 

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Macro prints from Alaska

So now I'm trying my hand at Macro photography. I didn't think I would like it this much. I took this picture in Alaska. Just flew in last night. What a beautiful place. I want a summer home over there and I would settle for a shack by a river full of salmon.  I'd grow a big garden and enjoy the beauty.  It's on my top ten places to have a summer home.  I have never seen this flower before but it's real, just super close. I'm definitely going to have to blow this one up and put in on canvas.  Below is another macro picture I took. I know the bug is creepy but I kinda like it!!! Not sure if I'm going to remove it just yet. It's kinda like Beauty and the Beast.


Pickers Dream

Here is another crack at an HDR photo I took in Alaska. However this one has a little personalization added to it. Some pictures are absolutely perfect as an HDR print and as soon as I took this picture, I just knew it was screaming "HDR".... It's amazing how HDR possessing can turn an ordinary picture into a work of art. I took me about two hours to create but it was worth it. I made this print for two Very Special People! *****DBL click to see the BEFORE & AFTER detail.
 
 
 

Friday, July 26, 2013

On the way to Whittier

I took this picture in Alaska on the way to Whittier. Can you imagine having a little cabin right here. Love this place!! And look at these flowers. They are everywhere. Can't wait to edit the ones I took with an entire field of these beautiful flowers.
 
 

Sunshine

A few more shots of little Azlyn.  We took these shots when the sun was setting so it sure does give here skin a pretty golden glow.  I had so much fun with this shoot.  I love thinking up new ideas.  So I'm always open for suggestions. Love thinking out of the box a little. 



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Butterflies and Bubbles

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday of my niece Azlyn.  She is such a pretty little girl.  Took these in my back yard.  The sun was setting so there was perfect lighting for us.  It was a hot day but she was all smiles. Butterflies and Bubbles. Thank you Azlyn for being such a great little model for me.  I enjoyed our photo shoot so much.  Sorry these come out not looking their best but I have to minimize them so they won't take so long to load.  DOUBLE CLICK TO ENLARGE. 




Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The colors of Fall

This is why I love the Fall. I took this picture October 2012 coming from Lake Tahoe on the way to Sacramento on CA-50. I couldn't believe the colors in this shot. Perfect place for a picnic.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Sunset evening... Well kinda.


Here is a before and after of a picture I took of my little guy.  He looks so much like my brother.  I took this on a cloudy day with no color in the sky.  The only Photo Shopping I did was the sunset back ground and a vignette boarder.  That's why his hair looks, well the way it does.  Before and After.    

 

More from Monterey.


A couple more pictures from Monterey.  Just a color pop on these and some sunbeams.  I tried this in HDR and didn't really like it. What a life these lazy seals have.  Eating, sleeping and whatever comes naturally to them. I love the ocean.  I remember when we took my son Casey to see the ocean for the first time.  He loved it too.  Must run in the family.  But really, who doesn’t love the ocean. DBL click. 

 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Monterey, CA


We just made it back from a road trip to California.  This was a picture I took of my son.  He loves to walk on the beach and look for treasures?  I know I still do it.  This is Monterey.  One of my favorite places to hang out.  It was a cool day around 60 degrees.  We all had our jackets on and I was hearing angels sing because we were in other cities that were well over 100 degrees.  Too hot for me.  Many more pictures to follow. 
 

Monday, June 17, 2013

Father's Day


I hope you all had a great Father's Day.  We celebrated with both families yesterday so I didn't get a chance to post this picture of my husband and our little guy.  I took this picture two years ago in Australia.  We went for a walk along the beach but this was a sheer drop off cliff.  Scary!  But I made a deal with them that they go hand and hand to see the beautiful view. I guess sometimes we have to take  risks to experience something out of the ordinary.  I love this picture.  It reminds me of how we allow our kids to venture out but we will always be there for them if they need us. I love my guys, all of them. 
 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Sunrise


I just had to share this photo I took the other morning.  My husband woke me up out of a dead sleep, 100% REM!!!..  and told me that I had to come and take a look at this sunrise and snap a picture of it.  I was half asleep but the color was stunning so I had to try and get a shot.  I just wish I would have known it was going to be so beautiful so I could have had someone up this early looking lovely to pose for me.  How beautiful would this be to take bridal pictures? Hard to believe but this picture was not photo shopped like my others. 
 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Little Luke


This little boy will just melt your heart.  Little Luke is just as sweet as he is cute.  It was such a pleasure to meet this family and take pictures of their little guy.  He is so friendly and welcomes everyone he sees with a big “Hi”.   My son made a new friend.  He calls him Luke Skywalker.  Luke is almost two but is so smart for his age.   The first picture shows him praying.  Too dang cute.  The second picture shows him throwing us a kiss.  Is this precious or what?