YAY!!!!!!! I finally got into my blog!

I have been trying now for over two months to get my sign in to work on my blog. FINALLY I am back on! Whew. What a huge hassle. You would have thought I was trying to get into some top secret national security site. Holy cow, just reset my password, come on people!

:-)

I am so excited that I can now start posting and blogging again. So it goes...just more random thoughts and a day in my life...

Hello blog followers!

I will have to find a random photo in my folder of 365 project pics to post. Until then, I will post this one, it is our daughters. They are such a riot to be around. Never a dull moment. :-)

Engagement Collage

Engagement collage; this is from one of my recent sessions. Great SUPER CUTE couple, I can't wait until their wedding in September. :-) Thought I would post a collage; this is from one of my recent engagement sessions. Great couple, I can't wait until their wedding in September. :-)

Summer Sunshine

It always warms my heart when a child shows their carefree side. To not be afraid to dance in the sun, enjoy life. As adults we too often hold back our inner child, afraid of what others might think. We all need to let go, let the inner child in us dance in the sun.

Absolute doll

How can you not instantly fall in love with this little darling?! This little diva from one of my recent sessions is just the cutest ever. A little sweet, a little sassy and all girl. She stole my heart, that's for sure.

HL prop find

I am tired of my baskets that I have for newborns. Well, nothing wrong with them, but I like to keep things original and change it up a bit from time to time. So, I decided I needed a couple of new baskets. Had a couple hours this morning before my first session so I decided to head out and just look around. Hobby Lobby is having a sale! And, they finally had the baskets in that I have been looking for quite some time now! Score.
I bought two newborn 'twig' baskets and two parasols (for the older girls spring/summer sessions) and with the sale they are having I got all for for $20!
Here are quick picks of the two new baskets. I am heading out for a session so I just snapped quick pics of them in the yard. They are so cool!

My Sunday Project - Chair props

I have a few chairs that I use for photo props, but decided I wanted new ones with bright color pop. Here are my before and after photos of the chairs that I painted on Sunday. I am in love with the red one. The pink one is cool too, but I really love the yellow popping through the red.

Before:

After:

Solitude

Some view solitude as a punishment, something that is not pleasant or desirable. Some view solitude as peaceful, calming and inviting.

Solitude is what you make of it; it can vary depending on the day, the hour or where you are in your life.

Wherever you are in your life, I hope that any solitude you find along the path creates a peaceful calmness, is enlightening and enriching to your spirit.

Wishing everyone a very Happy, peaceful Easter.

Every road leads back to thoughts of You

Post processing includes slight desturation, orange color pop.

This particular expression, to me, expresses deep thoughts and thinking of someone special.

But, who knows what could actually be going through this young, beautiful girl's mind.

The youth of today definitely have a much different world to grow up in compared to previous generations. Peer pressure is magnified ten fold.

The fact that these kids keep a good head on their shoulders and stay true to themselves is beautiful and gives hope.

Heartbeat of Mass Transportation

Joel (my husband) works for BNSF railroad, so this image is dedicated to him and all of the hard work he and others do to keep the railroad moving each day. The railroad is a major artery in the movement of goods throughout the country and without it many things we take for granted each day would come to a slow crawl.

In processing this image, I combined sepia and color to create the dark glowing color to the metal.

Brown Eyes

Such a cutie, so sweet and quiet too. Her brown eyes are amazing. Her family came from out of state for their family session. The family was awesome and the session was great!

Natural Beauty

This little girl was a guest at a recent wedding I photographed. She has the most beautiful eyes, and look at those curls! Complete natural beauty; she is going to be gorgeous as she grows.
She was intrigued with the camera. So photogenic, wouldn't it be nice if we all were that way! :-)

Jazzy

Meet Jazzy. She is my baby. Almost two years old, and attached to me at the hip like their is no tomorrow. Sometimes I feel bad when I leave her at home. She loves to go on road trips, ride around and leave her nose prints on my windows. :-) What a joy to clean that off every day. hehehe If I am gone too long, she honestly starts to gets depressed. But, when I come home she 'talks' to me (not barking, but more of an actual talking sound!) and welcomes me home like I am a long lost friend. She is awesome. The best dog I have ever had. Oh, and she hugs people too. She comes up to you, puts her head on your shoulder or into your chest and pushes. And if you don't hug her tight enough, she puts her paw on you to hold you. (Like a person would with an arm) She is so loving; I am amazed by her selflessness every day. Each day she reminds me how to be patient, kind and show unconditional love.
I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I did, I would say her and I were sisters in a past life. Whether I was the dog, or she was the human, lol, we would have been sisters.

I'll leave the porchlight on...

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I always leave my porchlight on. The guiding light for friends who are in need of someone to talk to, someone to listen or just otherwise in need of a friend. You may not need it today, maybe not even tomorrow. But, when the time comes and you ever do need that extra support, extra ear or just some coffee or hot chocolate, the porchlight will be on.

This is actually the porchlight in the back of the house. So, I guess it should be plural. The porchlights are on. Now, you won't be able to come to the backdoor. Fence; locked gates; big dogs; and maybe, just maybe if you are in the backyard you will scare me and I may have to call the police and tell them a stranger is lurking. So, please remember the front porchlight is for you! But...you get my meaning.

Everyone should always leave the porchlight on for friends and family so they can find their way home or find their way to a friend.

Minimalism

This is the bottom of a windchime, hanging all alone. It is on the inside of a screen porch, so it doesn't even get the pleasure of really chiming. I often wonder if it feels sad and alone - - - on the inside looking out with no interaction. The same as humans can often times feel.

Dakota

This is Dakota, our yellow lab. He is such a handsome young man. He is 2 years old and the clown of the house. I just love him to pieces.

I changed the images in lightroom and gave them an old school, vintage type look. The process made the head appear to be burned out a bit, but that's ok with me; I like the old school look and his pretty eyes are still shining. :-)

Sweet Angel

This is not part of my 365, technically. Although I guess it could be since I did take them on a 365 day, lol.
Part of the reason for being behind in uploading my 365 images is due to sessions. (which I guess is a good thing!)

I have not created a blog for my business. I have thought about it and probably should. Anyway, since I do not have a Shawna Lynn Photography business blog, I thought I would share a couple images of a sweetheart and angel from a recent session.

Kodak Gallery - Live Forever

I am still in the process of catching up on my blog. Oh, I should never have gotten behind. I am putting the pics in date order and will have them up soon.

Until then, I thought I would post one of my favorite videos that conveys many of the reasons I am so passionate about photography. Why I am always the advocate of prints, and sharing them with friends, family, loved ones and the world!
Very motivational ending "keep me, protect me, share me and I will live forever".

Enjoy, and let this Kodak video rekindle your passion and love for photograhy, images and prints.

More rust

Everyone who knows me knows I love rusty things. The rustier the better. The textures, colors and altered shapes within the rust is beautiful. Here is a piece off of an old railcar that is out in the country sitting in an old field. Abandoned and alone. Well, not any more. I will be visiting that railcar (actually it is an old caboose) many more times.

Escape of the Gummy Worms

These are the yummy sour gummy worms. I love the colors, and I espcially love how sour they are!

The images are nearly identical. I closed down the aperture on the second one to gain a little more dof in the foreground and background. I wanted to see if the blur in the front of the image takes away from the 'escaping worm' focus and exactly where the eye was drawn to. In my opinion it didn't make much difference.
I had taken several images ranging from f1.8 - f16. I didn't care for the images that displayed the entire image in clear focus. They were boring and had no character.

Winter is nearly over...finally.

Oh, how I long for Spring and Summer to arrive. Green everywhere, warm weather, interesting landscapes and the warm sunshine on my face.
This image is definitely far from that! I was out searching for old barns, and ran out of luck. Sometimes it is luck of the draw as to which direction you decide to 'road trip'. Today, we went in a direction that held NOTHING visible, nothing interesting for miles and miles.
Oh well. The road trip was fun. :-)

A drive out to the lake...

One of the lakes near here, a day before the snowstorm we just had. It was 65 degrees this day, and snow, ice, wind, winter storm warnings and 10 degrees the next. Good ol' mother nature...

I love reflections. These trees and a few clouds were reflecting beautifully off the water.

And reality is back...

And here is the the reality... ol' man winter is back and layered us in ice and snow. Yippee...NOT.

Wishing for summer...

This was taken this past summer; not counting as my 365 pics, just an extra post. I was going into archives to find a fine art image that a client wants to purchase for their office, and saw this one; made me think of summer and wish it would get here!

I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing

This post would have been very cool, very retro if I had an old fashion coke bottle. That would be the coolest. Not retro here today, I have an aluminum can. Sigh...

You know you have made it as a company when only portions of your logo can be seen, and the world knows who you are.

Coke is one of those companies. Lyrics from the original 1971 song ad by Coke, sung by The Seekers...

I'd like to build the world a home

And furnish it with love

Grow apple trees and honey bees and snow-white turtle doves

I'd like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony

I'd like to hold it in my arms and keep it company

I'd like to see the world for once

All standing hand in hand

And hear them echo through the hills "Ah, peace throughout the land"

(That's the song I hear)

I'd like to teach the world to sing (that the world sings today)

In perfect harmonyI'd like to teach the world to sing

In perfect harmonyI'd like to build the world a home

And furnish it with love

Grow apple trees and honey bees and snow-white turtle doves

You're the BEST Dad EVER

This is my husband Joel and our black lab, Jazzy. She is the best dog I have ever owned. We have her and a yellow lab, Dakota. The two of them have been together since they were just a few months old and are best buds. I had already gotten some images of Joel and Dakota and ws in the process of getting some with him and Jazzy. She was very persistant on giving kisses and showing affection. Every time I would press the shutter, Jazzy would either put her head down on him, give him a kiss, or want to go get her ball. That girl! lol It is funny how they become attached to specific people. Jazzy is definitely 'my dog' and Dakota is definitely 'Joel's dog'. While they love us both, it is very evident that they are more attached to one over the other. Nothing wrong with that. :-) I will take one of Dakota and post sometime too, so he doesn't get jealous or feel left out. haha

Nothing like a favorite pair of Cons

Ah, yes. My red cons. I adore them. Out of all the shoes I have, expensive, cheap, dress and casual, I must say these are my fave. They rock! I don't know what I will do when they wear out completely. I sure hope they still make these particular ones! I have them in several colors, but nothing beats my red cons.

Ode to the cons...In honor of my red cons I am going to upload a large image in the blog, not the medium size that I normally use. Rock on red cons! And I even made sure that I took this image after midnight, so that it would be counted for my daily upload for 365! Sweet!

Weakest Link

We are only as strong as the weakest link. Live life to the fullest; be honest; be honorable; be trustworthy; be a friend; and always strive to be the strong link, not the weakest link. Be the leader, not the follower.

Little one, big dreams

For this image I am not going to say much; I don't think much needs to be said. Let the image tell you a story, or better yet, let it allow you to ask questions to create your own story.

Depending on your mood and how your day went, this image can be a wide array of stories.

Is she happy about what she sees on the other side? Is she excited? Or is it the opposite?

Is that anticpation, or rather, has she been left out of the fun? Inclusion or exclusion?

I was going to crop it from the top down a bit, but felt that I should leave it as created. It gives a better feeling of being so small in such a large world. Looking out with wondering eyes, thoughts wandering, feelings shared.

Ah heck, I said more than I was going to. :-)

My Country

"...The love of field and coppice Of green and shaded lanes, Of ordered woods and gardens, is running in your veins. Strong love of grey-blue distance, Brown streams and soft, dim skies I know, but cannot share it, My love is otherwise. " ~exerpt from a poem by Dorothea Mackeller

Dorothea Mackeller is referring to her homeland of Austrailia, but as with any poem or song, we can somehow relate and find meaning that pertains to our own lives.

This is actually taken on my in-laws farm. I really like how the snow clouds are coming in and creating the grey blue sky, the colors on the ground not giving in to the harsh winter weather, and the seeming calmness and silence you can hear just by sitting and looking at the land.

Days Gone By

Driving down a country road and came upon this old abandoned home. It was surrounded by harvested corn fields on all sides. I found it interesting how the trees seem to be growing and crossing each other in a manner that appears to 'protect and hide' the memories inside. This was shot from quite a ways away as it was sitting on private property with barb-wire fence.

If these walls could talk...I wonder what they would say.

As the colors melt away

Yellow daisy backlit, sprayed with water from a bottle.

And I dream of you in a field of yellow daisies, the sun is warm and the air sweet. Running, laughing, so carefree; as we lay under the shade tree you pick a flower for me. One petal...two petals and three; love me, love me not, what will it be? - :-)

The Rose

Winter blahs; bitterly cold; snow falling.
It is just too cold to be outside, so one improvises. Michael's and Hobby Lobby has great flowers that look increidable real. Combine that with spray from a bottle of water, and a simple light, and there is an image.

"...Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed
That with the sun's love, in the spring
Becomes the rose." - Lyrics from song "The Rose"

It was a hot summer night and the beach was burning, there was fog crawling over the sand...

(Boy)"On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?"

(girl)"Yes"

(Boy) "I bet you say that to all the boys."

~~partial lyrics to 'Bat out of Hell' by Meatloaf.~~

I love their old songs.

This image was not taken in the summer, it was taken this week, in the good 'ol January winter. But when I saw the scene, it reminded me of the song. The ice skaters had gone home, and there was light snow blowing across both the water and shore from the wind. The snow looked like fog, crawling over the 'sand' and just like that, I was singing to the Meatloaf song in my head.

Life is good.

What do dreams really tell?

Dreams are a funny, yet strange commonality that we all share. But what is a dream? What does it tell, if anything?

This image made me think of a dream. "In my dream I am alone; for the world has disappeared and left me behind. I can smell loneliness, taste silence and see my heart beating. I am alone, and my senses are not what they seem, not what I know to be real. In my dream, is nothing real, or in fact, is everything real? Is it imagination, or all a matter of perception?"

Don't sneak up behind someone with a hood up!

We were only suppose to have a slight chance of scattered flurries; well, once again the weatherman was wrong (must be nice to be wrong more often than right and still keep your job!). Well, this gal believed the weatherman and was clearly not dressed for the snow that started to fly. She was hopping from foot to foot and not paying attention. This guy came up behind her with his hood up and walking VERY quickly (he was cold!) and scared her pretty good. She nearly fell down. I had taken this picture right before she nearly fell backwards when he startled her.

Within a few minutes the wind was blowing 25-30 mph and the snow was blowing hard; created white out conditions. All in all we only got an inch of snow before it passed through, but it sure made for bad driving conditions and cold temps.

Take me out to the ball game

This is the outside the Lincoln Salt Dog Stadium. Saltdogs are a minor league baseball team that is part of the American Association. They rock. During the summer this place is buzzing with crowds, great baseball, and a blast. A great way to spend a summer evening.

During the winter there is only a few employees that maintain the fort. No laughter, no smell of hot peanuts, hotdogs and beer.

The snow was flying on this day, but like all things, this too shall pass and soon Spring will be here and the stands will be filled, the players will be playing and good times will be had by all.

I see the forest beyond the trees

Taken at dawn. When seeking dreams, we must go beyond the obvious barriers and look beyond what tries to obscure. Always look to what is further out, not what lies directly in front of you. Look for the forest beyond the trees.

Playing Catch Up on 365...

It is sooo good to have my computer back and working; it may have only been a week and a half, but it felt like 6 months.

I will be posting 10 images in the next couple of hours...be prepared! :-)

This is at Mahoney State Park in Nebraska. Winter doesn't generally lend much in the way of colorful landscapes, but I still like them just the same.

I have nothing; Only time, promise!

Well, I can't believe it. I was super busy all day and evening. Have only had a few moments this past half hour to stop and take a breath. So, alas, I have image today worthy of a blog. LOL. I took a few quick shots of things...hate them all...they bore me to pieces...they would bore you more.

So, I am pulling from my files. I promise this will be the only time in the entire year I do this. Pinky swear! And since I have to do this, and it will be my only time, I might as well make it worthwhile and post two images that were taken on the same day, same subject.

These two images are lilies that grow in our back yard in the summer. They are the most beautiful colorful flowers, and they get super tall. I am talking over 4 feet. Crazy tall. Maybe these images will break that darn Alberta Clipper that is hitting us and a very large portion of the country for the next few days. I have had enough of the cold weather. You know you are getting older when you decide you don't like snow anymore. lol. As a kid, its so fun. Young adult, snow is still ok, can be fun, don't mind it. Get into your 30's and beyond, and it just starts to piss you off. :-)

Stay warm everyone! And for those of you in warm climates right now...send some of that warmth and sunshine our way. We would love it if you would share. :-D

Whatcha looking at?

Had passed by the same field a couple times; the cows were all huddled up, waiting on the winter storm that was heading in. You don't need a weatherman to tell you what the day is going to be like. Just watch the animals, they will tell you. (Anyone who lives near livestock knows what I am talking about) A few of them kept looking at us like we were crazy, this one in particular. So, I decided that she deserved to have her picture taken; sort of a payment for disturbing them. lol.

Gave this one a nostalgic look, antiqued it a bit and vignette for an aged look. Living in Nebraska, I guess you just get used to all the cattle and don't really think much of them. There is probably as many cattle in the state as their is people. :-)

I don't mind. It's a great place to live.

Books of the trade...

I was doing some re-arranging and cleaning today and decided to move some of my photography books to a different bookshelf. You know, you really don't realize just how MANY books you really have purchased and read involving one subject until you want to move them. Here is a very small portion of my 'light' reading. Get it? 'Light'? Photography? Oh come on, you know that was funny. lol, hahaha

I know, that was a lame attempt at a play on words. But you have to admit, it made you laugh. Even if you were laughing at how dorky I am, you still laughed. And laughing is good for the soul. :-)

Everyone has a vice...

Ah, the smell of fresh espresso; the sounds of the steam machines heating up the 1/2 and 1/2, the slight hint of chocoloate, and of course the whip cream. I have just entered...the breve zone.

Yes, I admit it. I am a coffee junkie. A lover of the beans. And my absolute favorite is a Mocha Breve with extra shot, no foam with whip. A little taste of heaven.

Out of the blue...

I was at a loss today as to what to create an image of. Usually it just comes to me sometime throughout the day; I will be going about my business and then I just see a subject or a scene and know that is what I will create. Not today. All day long I have been doing this and that, running errands, watching the bowl game and nothing...

Then, I go out to the garage to simply put something in the fridge out there, when low and behold I look over and see my husband's drill bits just sitting on the workbench. Begging for 15 minutes of fame. So, I took them inside, lit them with a strobe and blue gel, and voila...my photo for the day.

Proof that I sometimes over think things and should just let things happen as they may...Happy Thursday everyone!

Where are you, Mr. Sun?

So, yes it is winter, and yes I should expect it to be cold, cloudy and gray out. But I just want to see the sun for one day...the entire day. Is that too much to ask? :-) This guy sits out on one of our back decks, calling to Mr. Sun and requesting an appearance. Not today, it was cloudy and cold all day. But, other than a dozen flurries that tried to act all big and bad, it wasn't a bad day. High in the mid 30's. No snow, no ice so all is good in Nebraska. hehe

Don't let the image fool you. It appears to have sun shining on it from the right, but that was my flash, off camera and set to the side to give dimension. Maybe tomorrow Mr. Sun will grace us with his warmth. And then again...maybe not...after all...it is winter.

Words of wisdom

I really enjoy reading words of wisdom and quotes by the Dalia Lama. This is one of the pages from a book he has written. The passage is not from today's reading, but it has a powerful message that I wanted to share. More words of wisdom from him:

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. Dalai Lama

Winter Sunset

One of the awesome things about winter is the sunrises and sunsets. The colors are simply amazing. It may be cold, windy and otherwise uncomfortable to be in, but you can't deny the beauty of a winter sunrise or sunset.

This was the sunset that mother nature blessed us with. A cup of coffee (or the occasional hot chocolate, yummy) and this view...who could complain about ending their day this way?!

Glass Refraction

This is part of a hanging windchime that we have on our back deck. It has many glass droplets that hang and swing in the wind. I have never understood why they don't break when they clang together on windy days. Good thing they don't I guess!

While cleaning it today, I was intrigued by the reflections it was displaying. Isn't it interesting to see that the glass acts not only as a mirror, but does so in a similar manner as our cameras see? Everything is upside down in the reflection. Well, I thought it was interesting anyway...lol. But then again, I am easily entertained.

:-D

Foggy Morning

The weather sure changed within the last few hours. It was a fairly decent day yesterday temperature wise, but today...not so lucky. We are in a freezing rain advisory and winter storm warning. Ick. The temp has slowly dropped all day, and now the wind is blowing and the misty rain is falling.

We had some things to do this morning, so made it a 'road trip' day out of it. Love road tripping!

These trees caught my eye, love the contrast of the winter grass color, the fog and the trees.

I love Red

Red is my favorite color. And I love anything that has a rusty look. So, put the two together, and I definitely love it!

This is an ornament that I bought from Pier One a few years ago. I have it in a few different colors, but love the red one, against one of our doors that is red. :-) When I looked up and saw it today, it made me smile, and I know it will be a good day.

And in comes 2009...

Had you of asked me yesterday, I would not have said it was going to be a happy New Year. 2008 appeared to be going out on a very low note, and 2009 coming in just as low. Without going into detail, I will just say that our youngest daughter was 'missing' for several hours, and no-one knew where she was. She was at a friend's house and that friend convinced her to go with some people that my daughter did not know. (this girl knew the people) My daughter relunctantly went (grrr) and was taken not allowed to leave or be taken home. Her phone died, and she had no way of contacting us. Needless to say we were panic stricken and scared to pieces. Several hours later, we received a phone call from someone who noticed her, cold and alone. She had left the location (abandoned place) and started to walk. She had no idea where she was and wound up lost and scared.

She is home safe now. Needless to say, she will be ever going with anyone she doesn't know again, even if her friends know them. Hard lesson learned, a lot of tears shed and nerves frayed. We are so thankful that everything turned out ok. She isn't the same today. I can't put my finger on it, but she is somewhat withdrawn and quiet. Just not herself.

The pictures aren't very good, they were taken today with my camera phone. (which take crappy pictures) but I don't care. It is of our daughter, home safe, and we are thankful.

Welcome to 2009

Orange Dreams cricket1442

Happy New Year to Everyone. May you blossom and prosper, and all your dreams come true in 2009. I hope this photo I have named 'Orange Dreams' inspire you to reach for the sky and look to the future.

Starting today, I begin my Project 365. My first official photo post will be sometime today, but for now I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open!