DIY Tilt Shift!

So I found this new way to do a tilt shift with my DSLR camera!! I am absolutely in love with the effect that it has on my pictures. It is such an easy DIY to give such an impact to your pictures, but it does also have a few negatives to the process as well. To get the effect you have to physically take your lens off of the body and hold it at various angles from the body to create the blurred edges. It took me quite awhile before I was able to find the plane that would be in focus while I was experimenting with my first tilt shift pictures! Luckily I have some pretty photogenic dogs so a good picture of her was not hard to do, I was also able to work a little lens flare into the mix as the sun was setting behind her.
As you can see, it increases the amount of the picture that is out of focus really giving my subject the attention in the picture. The negatives of taking your lens off  the camera, this definitely allows for dust to get behind the lens, you should not try this outside on a windy day or if you are at all uncomfortable with creating this accessibility for dust to get into the inside of your camera. If you are in a controlled environment and would like to experiment some more, it is a wonderful new technique that I can not wait to try some more!!

Autumn, Fall, Cold Weather I miss you dearly

We had our first curiously cold cold front this last weekend and it was fantastic! Way too short but hopefully just a teaser for the fall/winter/slightly cooler weather in store for us. Us texan's really only have a few season's between hot, really hot, unbearably hot, and maybe I should put on a light weight jacket not that hot. Nine to ten months out of the year its tank tops and short sleeves but I have been missing my chilly weather and all that it comes with!! My puppy included really appreciate those days below 80 degree weather. We went for a nice run through the woods on one of those perfectly chilly days and did she love it all right! Lovely autumn colors, had to share one of the many pictures I took of her.

Hey Girl, You should text me ;)

We have all met new people in unexpected situations, or was left a little note from someone that you exchanges a few glances with. That secret admirer who finally got the courage to speak up and approach you. One of my favorite things to ask couple's who are getting married at my resort is, "How did y'all meet?" I love hearing how two complete strangers can unexpectedly meet or how one of them had the courage to start a conversation. I can't wait to have a story of my own, I have no idea how or when that will be but it will be my favorite story to tell over and over. What I do know is that it will not start with a text.

Call me old fashioned if you will, but what happened to "Can I call you?" at the end of a conversation with someone that has sparked your interest? How did it get replaced with "Can I text you later?" The moment after the first interaction where you are filled with such mixed emotions between excitement and nerves and anticipation for that next contact is as scary as it is exciting, but for that next interaction to be a simple text message? What a let down! I want to hear a voice, to hear him be as nervous as I am, to hear the excitement caused by the first meeting! Anyone can have a little bit of chemistry through text messages, but for someone to have the courage to call and talk for those few minutes, thats a man move in my opinion.

I have only had a few secret admirer notes left for me, today was one of them. I found this note on my car as I was leaving the post office this morning. I give him full credit for giving it a shot, but "txt me" is not the same as "Call Me", this shows me that he will probably try to get to know me through a constant conversation through out the day of small question's about "me", those basic question's that you would ask a complete stranger on the subway to make the time pass, and at the end of the day possibly see about "hanging out sometime". This is a boy move, not a man move. The text should come much later in first getting to know someone. The call creates anticipation for the date, makes your mind wonder what type of person is behind the attraction created initially, makes you nervous and excited at the same time. The call is what a grand gesture of courage and respect to whom it's directed. Men call, boys text.