Seeking out the epic sunset …

Last Friday night was perhaps the most epic sunset I’ve ever seen.  Middle Dude and I watched it, completely mesmerized, from our front yard.  I might have kicked myself a few hundred times for NOT being at the beach at that moment.  Regret aside, I determined to be at the beach Saturday night, just in case it happened again (which it didn’t. boohiss. marine layer. boohiss)  Anywhooo, these yahoos below did not choose to come along with me.  They stayed back at Chez-Papa-Nana. So I set off with my tripod (something I rarely use) and my 50mm lens (notoriously NOT my favorite lens) and a determination to catch the sunset and play around with some long exposures. (on my bucket purchase list is a multi-stop neutral density filter & a graduated ND filter)  I also changed things up and put my camera in [medium] RAW mode, because I knew I also wanted to experiment with some new editing tricks.  (I’ve been watching Jinky’s editing videos – which are amazing, btw – and I wanted to bling-up some sky detail) The pelican parade … Tons of surfers … And all those clouds at the horizon are about to close in on each other before the sun dips below them… [sniff sniff] Below is my first attempt with longer exposure.  It was still quite a bit too light to attempt this without a filter, but I closed my aperture down to f/22 to get a 1/25 second exposure. It wasn’t the epic sunset that I was hoping would put on an encore presentation, but it was still a pretty nice place to hang out for awhile …

Sometimes you just gotta …

techie info:  Samsung Galaxy 3 phone pic, cropped to a square with some Florabella texture magic (goddess, I believe) on top...

Click on thru to see more fun jump shots at I Heart Faces...

The LORD Watches Over …

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and He delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His holy people,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord watch over the righteous,
and His ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
He protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord will rescue His servants;
no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.
Psalm 34

Beautiful Life … A Creek Runs through It.

In a nutshell, here’s what you’ll see in these images:  a Mom who fiercely loves her boys and has intentionally created a home for them – a beautiful home specifically chosen and delightfully crafted to feed her boys’ imaginations and spirits …  both indoors and outdoors.  Please enjoy the slideshow and images from our session together.


Baby Brother is not quite as enamored of his backyard creek as Big Bro.  But I predict that in the blink of eye, he’ll grow into those boots and fall in love with the nature just out his door …In the meantime, kisses from Mama and a little milk make everything better … Big Bro:  “Hey Mom!  Come on my adventure with me!” Growing strawberries … The reading nook.  Oh, be still my heart … And what are brothers for, if not to help each other out and …. wrestle!

ORANGE COUNTY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER