OLD TRUCKS

I saw these old trucks by accident and didn't think much of them untill Kadence ran over to explore and then getting a closer look i thought they would take interesting pictures. I didn't do any photo retouching the only change i did was to turn the one to sepia tone. I am fairly happy with the lighting on most of them and kinda like the effect with the bright sky behind. I had been reading about using angles with photography and so i tried getting really low looking up. I uses my macro setting on the close ups and changed to Aperture priority on a high Fstop for the others. I think i did something else also but can't remember. Doesn't that just sound like me ! I hope you enjoy these.

Montana Horse Drive

 "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Winston Churchill

Three Forks, Mt.(sponsored by Montana Horses) had their annual horse drive through town into the lower pasture area. We were too late to get pictures of them going through town(sad) but I still was able to capture some nice action shots of the horses in the pasture.I was testing my settings so the lighting is a bit different in some of them. It was so fun watching so many horses running around together. Kadence, of course, had a blast and was able to go on a stagecoach ride in town which completely made him grin from ear to ear. He saw a pretty white horse running around in front of the others(you can see it in a couple of my pics) and said,"Look mommy it is my Prince".  Prince is a toy white horse that Kadence likes to take everywere with him including a trip to Singapore.:)

It was a fun family afternoon hangin out together.

Devil's Brigade Warrior Challenge- Mt Army Nat.Guard

Joel was assisting last weekend in the "Devil's Brigade Warrior Challenge" in Helena, Mt. This was a three day training event that new soldiers from around Montana attend that are waiting to go to basic training. They must compete against each other in different skills tests as well as being shot at with blanks by SSG Pitsch.

                                                 

(Joel on the left)

(Joel on the Right)

(Joel climbing up in the middle)

Formation Drills

Planning the attack on the Privates...

Joel in the armored HMMV as the gunner shooting blanks at the privates.

Kadence and Buster playing in the yard

I know this title is so generic but what mommy can resist taking pictures of an adorable dirty boy and his cute bunny. Buster is growing so fast, I am surprised at the growth in 2 short weeks but then again that is really all he does is eat and sleep...and something else. He has been alot of fun so far and had given me a great opportunity to teach Kadence gentleness.  I actually heard him today telling the little neighbor girls to be very careful and not hurt his bunny. Kinda cute to see the softness in his heart!

Yellow Friday

Finding yellow really gave me some SUNNY moments as I looked for things around me that were cherry and bright. I didn't have too look far to find an allready well used digging truck sitting in the dirt and a rusty gate that stood out around the dingy buildings and fence.  My neighbor supplied the flowers and the adorable dog ! I sure wish we had sunflowers allready in Montan but as this is one of our first really warm days you must realize those beauties are not real. However they afforded a fun picture to add to the burst of color. See Renaissance Blog today for more pictures to brighten your day.

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IMAGINE

This last weekeend I attended  a Women of Faith conference in Billings, MT. The theme of the conference was "IMAGINE"  and the key verse used many times was the following: "God can do anything, you know far more than you could ever imagine or request in your wildest dreams! (Eph.3:20 MSG)

Several of the key speakers impacted me in different ways but the one that I enjoyed hearing from the most was Luci Swindoll. She primarily addressed the subject of living in God's moment and not always being so worried about what is happening next or focusing on what we don't have in life. She used an illustration from a 3rd world country she had visited how the people were so destitute/hungry and yet when she started singing with them they broke away from all the ugliness and became lost in the moment with Christ.
   Her lecture covered many points on enjoying life and not wanting bigger and better but truly living with satisfaction. She also gave some neat tips on encouaging children in the same principles that she was teaching us; such as encouraging a love for music, poetry and the arts. I truly was so challenged and humbled by this topic and am so grateful for reminder I received this weekend on perspectve in my life and living it to the fullest for Christ.
Check out Luci Swindolls latest book called "Doing Life Differently" .

Nikon Class Assignment Pictures

I recently finished my Nikon Essentials Class at F11 Photography in Bozeman. On our last night we were given a series of assinments using different functons on our camera's and applying principles. Since it was a snowstorm outside we didn't go to a park and instead just shot pictures down mainstreet and inside the store. I am posting a few of the better shots i took in the diffeent areas. I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to Jennifer for her explanations and assistance in the homework. The more I learn, the more I truly appreciate her photography and the talent she has.

                                                            Fast Shutter Speed

Metering Levels:

a)Matrix

                                                                          b)Spot

c) center-weighted

Slower Shutter Speed

Note: Look at the difference in the snow how the texture changes based on the shutter speed.

Faster Shutter Speed

 Greater DOF( depth of field)

Shallow DOF

Focusing Action(tracking the blue truck in a sequence of shots in focus)

Shallow DOF/Focusing(subject-white car in focus only)

Optimize Image Shots