:PHOTOS: Eagle

On the way to in-laws a couple weeks ago, we saw this eagle out in a field and scrambled to take a few shots from the car.

(Click an image to see a larger view.)

 Quite a sight!!

:GIVEAWAY: Mamarazzi: Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids by Stacy Wasmuth

Wiley Publishing has recently received Mamarazzi: Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids by Stacy Wasmuth.

Every mom who loves taking pictures of their kids and wants to improve their skills NEEDS to get this guide!

One thing that I loved about this book is the down-to-earth writing style of the author. It felt like I was getting personal (and functional) instruction from a friend...rather than an author who wanted to impress with a bunch of hard-to-understand technical jargon.

Another great aspect of this guide are the stunning photographic example throughout the book. I was inspired to try locations, props and poses just from the initial flip-through!

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:

Moms, if you can't seem to take enough great photos of the children in your life, this is the book for you.  Now you can learn how to photograph children with the style, clarity, color, and beauty you see in professional photographs.  This fun guide combines humor with solid know-how to show you how to compose shots, handle cameras from basic compacts to advanced dSLRs, take portraits or candids, create prints that impress, and even work with kids! Packed with beautiful examples and written in a down-to-earth style from one mom to another, this book will help mamarazzis everywhere take better photos.

• Moms are one of the fastest-growing segments of the camera-toting demographic, and the blogosphere has a term for them, mamarazzis
• Mixes information, inspiration, and fun for women who want to take better photographs of the children in their lives
• Explains how to set up a camera and use the controls on basic compacts up to advanced dSLR cameras
• Covers shot composition, determining settings, exposing images correctly, the essentials of printing images, how to process for clear and bright color, and more
• Includes stunning examples of portraits and candids of children

Become a better mamarazzi with this fun and informative guide!

:GIVEAWAY:
Lucky for you, I have a free copy of Mamarazzi: Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids to give away to one lucky AMOM reader! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment to this post by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2012 and you'll be entered for your chance!

Random.org will choose and I'll announce the winner on Friday!

GOOD LUCK!

:PHOTOS: My Neice, Ellie...

Just wanted to share a few pictures that I took of my adorable little neice, Ellie, a couple weeks ago.

Unfortunately, she wasn't really in the mood for pictures, so no smiles this day, but she still humored us and gave us a few very cute shots.

:PHOTOS: My Cute Little Car Hop

Kaitlin got SO MANY smiles and comments on her costume this year.

With all the locations we trick-or-treated around town, we didn't see one other girl with a similar costume and she took a lot of pride that she picked something so unique.

Wouldn't you buy a burger and a soda from her??

:PHOTOS: At the Pumpkin Patch...

LOVE the annual trip to the pumpkin patch!!

Here's a few favorites from our trip from a couple weekends ago...

(click any image for a larger view)

:PHOTOS: Indian Summer...Part II...

Same day, same outfit, different location...

(click any image for a larger view)

:PHOTOS: Indian Summer...Part I...

Where did the summer go??

Luckily, we recently enjoyed a bit of an Indian summer and finally had the opportunity to go out and do a shoot in this outfit...which I've been wanting to take pictures of Kaitlin in ALL summer!

(click any image for a larger view)

Love those boots!

AND that smile!

In almost every shoot, she has to throw in a few of these for good measure! Love my goofy girl!

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Don't Say Cheese from Ella Publishing [CONTEST CLOSED]

What is the most personal element that you can add to any scrapbook layout?

Photos, of course!

Isn't it all of our wonderful moments and memories caught on film that got us wrapped up in this wonderful hobby of scrapbooking, after all?

Well, I don't know one scrapbooker that doesn't strive to make the most of their photos and Ella Publishing has a great new eBook available to offer you all the tips and tricks you need to really make your photos shine called Don't Say Cheese! written by family and children's photographer Rebecca Cooper.

Description from Ella:
In Ella's longest eBook to date, Rebecca Cooper is back with a new photography guide that's all about taking photos of kids. This 52-page downloadable eBook is packed with 247 tips, tricks, and ideas to help you capture your children's real smiles and authentic expressions—images that show who they really are (and go far beyond asking a child to just "say cheese").

Drawing on Rebecca's years of professional experience with little kids' photography, this eBook is divided into sections specifically for children, toddlers, babies, and newborns. With all this, plus the bonus Photo Games and Checklists section, you'll be capturing real smiles in no time at all—and having a great time with your kids along the way. Save the cheese for your pizza and try Rebecca's tips for photographing children instead!

Here's a few pages to give you an idea of all the wonderful ideas (and photo samples) inside:

There are five sections: Natural Newborn Photos, Beautiful Baby Photos, Terrific Toddler Photos, Authentic Kid Photos and Photo Games & Checklists.

Each section starts out with an amazing list of tips and tricks and is followed by an array of amazing sample photos. Each sample photo include a "How I Got the Shot" commentary from the author and specific camera specs.

At the end, there are four checklists of 25 shots to take of your kids...one for each season!

GIVEAWAY:
I have a free copy of Don't Say Cheese! to give away to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment answering the following question by 5 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, September 8, 2011 and you'll be entered for a chance to win.

Do you have difficulty getting natural expressions out of your photo subjects? Do you have any tried and true technique for getting a 'keeper'?

Random.org will choose and I'll announce the winner on Friday.

GOOD LUCK!!

:PHOTOS: Black Hills Vacation...Day Four

It may have taken a while for me to get through all our vacation photos, but the vacation itself sure flew by.

We might have been heading back east (and home) on our fourth day, but we still had a very full day planned.

First up was a quick stop at Wall Drug...

"Mom! Look where Dad put his hand!"

Throughout the trip, we had been keep a list of all the state license plates and added quite a few just by walking up and down the street at Wall Drug.

We ended up with every state except Vermont and Hawaii. We also had about four Canadian provinces on our list!

Then, it was off for a drive through the Badlands. Talk about some amazing views!

Kaitlin wanted a closer look.

I found this lonely little flower in the Badlands...actually one of my favorite pics from the day.

Justin and Kaitlin had to get some climbing in, of course.

On the way out of the Badlands, we stopped at Prairie Dog Town.

This guy was hungry...

Then, since none of us had ever been to the Oahe Dam, we decided it was a must see stop, especially with the record water releases.

Obviously, the water was a lot higher than normal!

This water was rushing out of pipes that are 15 feet in diameter.

Then, we took Hwy 183 and came across this...

I guess we didn't have to drive all the way across the state to see buffalo.

Of course, it was totally worth it...can't wait for another family vaca!!