Cowgirl Photography

Foray into HDR

2012-01-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Randomness

2012-01-14T14:46:00.003-07:00

Also, I'm 10/90ths of the way through reading the Bible.... You can read about it here, at 90/2012

Worth your time...

2012-01-09T22:01:00.002-07:00

....every second of the 33 minutes. Please, watch this movie. I want to challenge anyone who is reading this blog who is a non-believer, who maybe hasn't thought about the issue of abortion in today's society, or maybe thinks they have a firm opinion on it, to watch this movie. If you make it through 10 minutes and absolutely can't stand it, that's fine. But I would bet a enormous amount of chocolate chip cookies that once you start watching it, you'll finish it. And once you finish it, you'll be thinking about it for a while.

90/2012

2012-01-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

New blog, titled 90/2012. I'm going to do a 90 day bible reading program, and I thought it would be a great thing to blog about. I could definitely use the motivation and encouragement to stick with it! I have a horrible problem with sticking with things and finishing them. I definitely want to FINISH this. Check it out. http://90daysin2012.blogspot.com/

attitude (spill my heart post) (no pictures)

2012-01-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

It's no big secret that I'm a huge fan of the tv show NCIS. Abby, Tony, Ziva, I love hanging out with them. In a strange sorta way.... Anyways, I got a good friend of mine hooked on the show. I made her start at the first season and go through them in order, because I'm just a good friend like that. It's been funny watching her reactions to new developments in the plot that I've already seen 5 times. There's this Mossad Israeli gal who is a kicking-butt, taking-names, no-nonsense tough gal. I absolutely love her. She's tough, she's strong and she can handle herself. But my friend cannot stand her, because of "her attitude". That's not the first time my friend has commented on a gal having a bad attitude. Not the whiny kinda "diva" attitude, but a tough kinda attitude. For some reason, she sees that as being a negative thing. And I realized that, since I've had many people tell me I act just like Kate and Abby from NCIS (whom my dear friend has also criticized because of their attitudes), my friend probably thinks *I* have an attitude. I said as much (we're best friends, so we speak our mind. in a tactful way...I try not to purposefully pick fights) and she wouldn't give me a straight answer. Replying "lol :)" to a direct question is not an answer, girl! Being the nice, sweet, quiet girl that she is, she's agreeing by not disagreeing.

Is having an attitude a bad thing? I don't see myself having a bad attitude.... Maybe on those days when I'm tired and crabby and being suffocated under a semi-truck load worth of homework, yes. But in general, no. I get FAR more compliments on my attitude than complaints. I'll be the first to admit, I break the mold when it comes to personality and attitude. I'm a rebel, fiercely independent and I don't like having my style cramped. I run in a lot of circles. I'm the homeschooled daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. I play poker (I have a mean poker face at 5 card draw), design tattoos (I have needle phobia though, so they're just ink and paper designs) and listen to rock music. I play piano at church, and for Christmas I canned 2 dozen jars of homemade jam to give away. (I'm getting better about "yes maam" and "yes sir", it was never made a habit for me growing up so I'm MAKING it a habit now.) I ride colts, rodeo, and was recently crowned County Fair Queen. I spent New Years playing cards until midnight with several couples-all over 50-who attend our local biblestudy. I work right alongside guys while we're shipping cattle, doctoring calve, working colts, whatever. I rock my blingy Adiktd jeans and high top boots. I hate admitting I'm wrong, and I hate asking for help. I have attitude! At the same time, I love my parents (yes, really), I have a rock solid faith in Jesus Christ and I love helping people out. I'm known as a "good girl". I also have a backbone and opinions that I will fight tooth and nail for. I once had a 14 year old guy pinned against the side of a 15 passenger van with one finger (the pressure point under the chin works wonders). We're good friends now, by the way. So what's the deal? Is the attitude bad? Is it just a redneck/ranch girl thing? {I'm gonna do some major generalization here and match up "groups" with "opinions". No offence meant to anyone, I'm just organizing my thoughts.} The Baptist/homeschooled group says I should be wearing floral-print jumpers, staying inside taking care of babies, and being meek and docile. The fair/rodeo group says I should be wearing too-tight spaghetti strap tank tops, talking trash and kissing every boy who will stand still long enough. Who am I gonna please? I have to fit in, right? (wrong) So which group am I gonna pick? I'm not popular, but I have friends who love me no matter what. I have friends I've had to let go because they didn't understand who the real me was. I've had friends try to change me into something I'm not.

So this year, I decided...

I'm gonna be me. Attitude and all. And THAT...is attitude.

Seriously though, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. From a Christian perspective, from a guy's perspective, from a parent's perspective, whatever.

2012

2012-01-01T01:08:00.002-07:00

Well I gotta say it, 2011 was a pretty great year.

Not everything went good or smoothly or exactly how I wanted it. But it was EXACTLY how God wanted it! My policy is no-stress (doesn't always work though). I want to live life to the fullest, with no regrets. Live-Laugh-Love, ya know? You only go around once! That doesn't mean doing whatever-the-heck-you-want-to even if it's wrong type of "no-regrets:, but the kind of "no-regrets" where you know God is in control and it's all going to work out. So you messed up? We're human. Forgive (even if it's just forgiving yourself. No, especially if it's forgiving yourself) and move on. Don't forget the people you love and the people who love you. Don't sweat the small stuff. So what if you're 5 pounds heavier than a Covergirl model? The ice cream was SO worth it. So what if your life isn't perfect? Life is still beautiful. Stop and smell the roses. Stand in awe at a gorgeous sunset, and the Creator who made it. Dance in the rain. Sing at the top of your lungs with the radio, even if it doesn't sounds like Lauren Alaina or some other incredibly talented singer. Love yourself for who you are, and not who people think you are.

I'm still learning these things.... I'm a work in progress. I obsess over my weight, it bothers me when I'm anything less than perfect, and I stress over the stupidest things. But the bottom line is God is great. And Jesus saves. What else do we need? I have family. I have a roof over my head. I have a lifestyle that most people would give anything to have. I have friends who love me for exactly who I am, even when I can't love myself.

I am blessed.

So, 2012? Bring it.

Joy

2011-12-16T17:40:00.002-07:00

peppermint fudge

random phone calls about inside jokes, life and snow

canning apricot jam and salsa and giving it away

chocolate peanut butter fudge
singing christmas carols 3 keys too high and not caring about about how it sounds

chocolate chip cookies

homemade pizza

orange and pink sunsets sparkling off the snow

good customer service on last minute returns

A Savior, which is Christ the Lord

camo and lace aprons

peppermint-chocolate mochas with whipped cream on top

family coming home from far off scary places where there's things like war and lots of sand

George Strait singing 'traverse' instead of 'travel' in We Three Kings

hearing the tops on cans ping as they seal

cold clear winter evenings

cherry dr pepper

fuzzy horses (and especially one with blue eyes)

Alan Jackon's christmas cd

bokeh from christmas lights

a rainbow in the snow

Really cool giveaway

2011-12-12T17:19:00.003-07:00

Here. And I would really love to win :) Anyone want a giveaway here? Any suggestions on WHAT to giveaway?

2011-12-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

December 7th, 1941

2011-12-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I was blessed enough to be able to visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. I'm not a huge history fan, but standing in that place was indescribable. The raw emotions that exist there are unbelievable and unforgettable. The events that happened there are unforgettable. One time I was in our local auto parts store (in a town of 2000, everyone knows you) and happened to realize that it was December 7th. The older gentleman behind the counter (who I'm nearly certain is a Veteran) asked me what happened on December 7th. When I replied with 'the bombing of Pearl Harbor, in 1941' he was amazed someone as young as I am would remember, or even know, about the dreadful events surrounding that day. Lets not forget, shall we?

thanksgiving recap... And busyness!

2011-12-04T21:21:00.001-07:00

firstly- I was lacking in the usual 'happy holiday' post this year, sorry if I just broke anyone's heart. Or not. I was down in Southern NM for Thanksgiving week, had a super fun time...

secondly- some major health issues going on the family now, lots of time away from home and lots of tests and not many answers.

thirdly- between finishing high school, starting horseshoeing school in the spring, and trying to break/sell 6 horses.... I'm a lil' busy... so blogging will be sporadic (it HAS been, but now it's official)

'dats it... for now!

WRCA Part 2

2011-11-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

So could have done without the monkey on the dog. But the dog working sheep was COOL!

Wild cow milking, the object of which is to milk a wild cow. Aren't you glad I'm here to explain these things?

Sorry if you get vertigo staring at this too long. It was one of those shots that turned out horribly right, I actually like it.

Best part! The Budweiser Clysdales!

WRCA Rodeo part 1

2011-11-14T18:31:00.001-07:00

Grand entry: 23 teams from 6 states including New Mexico, Texas, Montana, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida.

Each night they bring in the military flags, and the US flag. The national anthem was sang each night by a 6 year old girl who ROCKED it.

Two rounds of ranch saddle broncs each night!

Stray gathering: Each team has 4 ropers and two steers. Steers must be headed/heeled and 3 legs tied; timed event.

Near-perfect catch! Neck catch and double hock. Would have been better to have a horn catch, but oh well. One night there were only about 2 teams who actually made a time, so nobody is complaining about neck vs horn loop.

That right there is Cowboy Tim, Cowboy Josh and the one and only Marlboro Man. If you don't know who that is you obviously aren't a Ree Drummond/Pioneer Woman fan!!!! Really neat seeing them in person, I wanted to meet Ree but I never could find her.

So this was my 4th year to go to the WRCA Ranch Rodeo, first year to go all 4 nights. I took 295 photos the first night, filled my memory card and realized that I had brought my laptop (intended to download photos each day) but no card reader. Fail!!!!!! Still ended up with 85 photos after going thru and getting rid of the 'icky' ones, so I'm alright with it. Part 2 coming up soon!

PW and MM

2011-11-10T22:05:00.001-07:00

Any Pioneer Woman fans out there? I got to see Marlboro Man and her kids today, fingers crossed Ree herself will be here (rodeo!) this weekend, and I'll get to meet her. I have the VIP pass to this rodeo, so if she's here, I'll see her. I have 294 photos on my camera... And forgot my card reader. -sigh-

Non-artsy photography... What I've been up to!

2011-11-04T20:05:00.003-06:00

We run yearlings on our ranch, meaning we bring them in around April-May and ship out October(ish). 4 days of riding, working the pens, loading trucks.... It's fun though!

It was c-c-c-c-cold!!!

Casper and Banshee... Untouched weanling colts I'm messing with

Calgirl, waiting on me (she looks a lot like Duvall's horse from Open Range )

My little bay gelding (Calgirl's brother) getting worked in the alley

Running gates! Conversations consists of a sentence or two in between drafts of cattle...

Bringing a morning's worth of yearlings into the pens to ship off

Mobile site

2011-10-28T20:58:00.000-06:00

Cowgirl Photography now has a mobile website! So if you check this site from a mobile phone.... You can see it!

In other news.... A never before seen photo!

Ansel Adams... Sorta

2011-10-26T09:19:00.001-06:00

Old Buildings

2011-10-16T15:59:00.001-06:00

Also, if you're on Facebook make sure and check out Cowgirl Photography's page! Might just be doing a giveaway soon, who knows :)

Harvest Moon

2011-10-12T21:28:00.003-06:00

Road Trippin'

2011-09-29T09:14:00.002-06:00

Hello, Instagram

2011-09-05T19:20:00.001-06:00

170 bits of randomness

2011-09-03T14:43:00.000-06:00

Well, this is my 170th post on this little blog. Not a big milestone (200, here we come) but I noticed that when I went to write this and thought I'd make mention of it. These two pictures really have nothing to do with each other... Besides the fact I finally got around to downloading and editing them. Life is busy lately!

We've been having storms come through nearly every evening, makes some some gorgeous lighting!

Went over to neighbors on Friday and canned about 30 something pints of jam

Miscellany Monday (or, A Real Post)

2011-08-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

My filly who got snake bit is almost 100% better. I say "almost" because the skin on her nose is dying off from the poison, and we still need to get her weight back up. She'll need some more TLC for a while, but she outta recover just fine.
School starts today... Physics, Algebra/Geometry, English Lit and I think I'll see how far I can get in my SEE book. Should be fun! Sad that summer is over though, as busy as we were it doesn't seem like we got to do nearly as much as I wanted to.
The Vet Tech school that I really, really wanted to go to........has just dropped their Vet Tech program. Guess that door is shut for now at least. I have plenty of other options, but the vet tech was looking so promising!!! I'm having a hard time finding any other vet tech schools between here and California, so I may stick with my original plan of Equine Management.
Senior pictures on Labor Day!!!!!!! Don't know if I'll be able to post any but we'll see. It's gonna be really fun!! Gonna do some pretty artsy/crazy stuff, and really play around with it
I can't think of anything else new and exciting I just really need to tell y'all....

Sick baby,,,

2011-08-24T08:09:00.000-06:00

I had every intention of catching up on some posting today... But one of my yearlings got herself snake bit Monday, so I'm a little busy at the moment... Currently waiting for the conbiotic to warm up before I give her another dose. In other news, I think I'll look into going to school to be a vet tech....

Fair photos

2011-08-21T19:17:00.000-06:00

Looking through all my photos, there's a bunch more I should have entered... Oh well!! Always next year :)

Stuff....

2011-08-20T13:02:00.000-06:00

My computer is on the fritz... "My baby just french-fried!" (1,000 CowgirlPhotography points if you can name the TV character who says that). So I apologize for the lack of posting, I will try and get new stuff up soon.

Results from county fair:
Canned Salsa-1st
Amish Friendship Bread-1st
Jewelry-2nd
Counted Cross Stitch-1st
Photos-2, 1st; 2, 2nd; 1, 3rd (I'll post what photos I entered... sometime...)
Horses-Hot Sauce got 2nd in her class, Cheerios got 1st and also Reserve Grand Champion Mare....

Oh yeah, and the little thing called County Fair Queen :)

Overall, I was pretty darn happy!!

Amish Friendship Bread

2011-08-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

County fair is coming up fast... Gotta enter my bread!!

Horseshoeing

2011-07-28T14:39:00.000-06:00

"Are we DONE yet?!"

Randomness

2011-07-24T21:22:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy, busy.

2011-07-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

Sorry for my absence in the blogging world!!

County fair is approaching fast (showing 2 yearlings in halter, running for Fair Queen and several 4-H projects), I'm still working on finishing up school (BOOOYA! I finished the entire chemistry book!!)
We have 2 camps/road trips coming up fast (packing, planning, etc)
The jewelry business is picking up (2 custom orders in the past month, several other orders)
It still hasn't rained (hauling water, feeding cattle, stressing, worrying, praying...)

So life is crazy. Pictures soon, I promise!

Happy Independence Day!!

2011-07-03T19:19:00.001-06:00

Lets remember that freedom isn't free!!

Thank a serviceman, for keeping us free

Thank a firefighter, for keeping us from all going up in flames

Thank a policeman for keeping these holidays safer

And all the other hard working people doing their civic duty this weekend, and the other 361 days of the year

Be safe!

Ranching life...

2011-06-24T23:08:00.000-06:00

Valle Caldera

2011-06-11T21:39:00.002-06:00

This past week I spent at the Valle Caldera National Preserve, at a ranch management camp. It was totally amazing!! I can't even begin to tell you all the stuff we learned... But here are some pictures!

Free and easy down the road I go.. -Dierks Bentley

Wicked cool cliffs!

Bat caves, made from the erosion of the volcanic rock

Gorgeous!!!!!

Guitar

2011-06-04T10:39:00.000-06:00

Remember

2011-05-28T09:57:00.001-06:00

Remember, remember, the 5th of December... Oh wait, wrong movie.

But seriously, lets not forget WHY we get a long weekend off.

No it's not to break out the grill and party away.

It's not even just to spend time with our loved ones (but that does come highly recommended)

It's to remember the men and women who give their lives, so that we CAN sit around and BBQ all weekend

The people who sacrifice everything they have in order to insure that America stays America

Let's remember them, shall we??

"Only two people have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ, and the american solider"

While I don't agree 100% with this quote, I think it is a powerful reminder. And with that I leave you one of the best songs and movies I've heard. Please take 3:46 minutes out of your busy day just to watch it.

Before and After... The Magic of Photoshop

2011-05-21T10:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, first of all I am using Gimp and Paint.NET and not Photoshop...

This is the photo straight out the camera (SOTC). Not bad, but could be better...

So I pulled in into Gimp

And colorized it, a light purple shade. Took the saturation of the color way down, and then boosted lightness and saturation. Sorry I'm not more specific, but this is something ya just gotta play with...

Then I saved the Gimp edit, and pulled it into Paint.NET

Added the texture file (which happened to be this) on top, as a separate layer

And changed the blending mode of this layer to Color Dodge. Normally I use Overlay, but sometimes a different blending mode works better. I left the texture layer ar 100% opacity, (which is 225 in Paint.NET) you might need to drop it down to 85% or lower, depending on how much texture you want showing.

Then for the watermark, I added a new layer and "drew" the long rectangle, fill with white and change your opacity to 100 (not 100%, but whatever the "100" is in P.Net. Around 45%). Add another layer on top, type your watermark using dark grey font at 100%/225 opacity. It will look harsh and "too grey"... Until you merge the two layers together. Keeping the font at 100% and the background at 45% will make your font look "see-through" when you merge them. You could type your text in the same layer as the background, however I find that if I need to adjust the position, or the font or something it's easier to have 2 separate layers and then merge them when I'm happy with it. Save your file, and you're all done!!

If anyone is using these programs and needs more specifics on how to do things, just drop me a comment. I didn't want to get too detailed on "Go to Menu, click Edit, click Layers..." etc...

A slice of ranch life...

2011-05-20T12:26:00.002-06:00

The office...

All ranch kids learn to drive a trailer at a young age... And back up a trailer, and hook up a trailer, and drive a standard, and drive in 4WD. It never ceases to amaze me when people can't drive "stick", or know how to get out of a spin or slide. The advantaged of going muddin', I suppose :)

I would highly suggest you avoid being downwind of all the dust, especially when you wear contacts and forgot your sunglasses....

We are feeding the cattle a very high-protein "cattle cake" right now, until we get rain and the grass greens up. Right now we have last year's grass which is good forage but low in protein/nutrients. A semi truck brings a ton (literally) of cake to fill up these overhead bins, which we use to fill up our cake wagon. The cake wagon dumps a certain poundage of cake in nice little piles while you drive, getting the cattle spread out more to eat.

Cattle!!

They are getting "broke" to the feed wagon, meaning when they hear your honking and see you , they come stampeding to get fed. Makes life much easier when you have 200 of them in one pasture. Caking cattle also makes it easier to get a good count, since you get your cattle all together and strung out. Most of the time you want them scattered around in groups of 5-10, but that makes it really hard to count!!

Think we're "wide-open" out here??

2011-05-19T13:23:00.000-06:00

I'm gonna run a quick tutorial/before and after post on that last photo... I think y'all might find it interesting to see what it looked like before!! Peace out <3

Life...

2011-05-15T14:04:00.000-06:00

My baby girl :)

Cattle on the ground here at the ranch...

Riding dad's 5 year old ranch broke gelding

Those babies are too smart for their own good!! She's trying to open the gate here...

It's summmmmer!!

2011-05-05T19:21:00.000-06:00

Cattle are here, which means life is hectic. Hence the lack of blogging. In a nutshell...

I am going to a Lynn McKinzey barrel racing clinic this month
I finally got my colts halter broke, and my 5 year old mare to lope without going immediately into 4th gear
I have a weight-loss goal of 15 lbs in 8 weeks. I am armed with a calorie-tracking app and a weight-tracking app, and I'm not quitting on it this time!!
I am hoping on making it to state 4-H competitions in public speaking, hippology and horse judging this year, maybe the talent show or something home ec too.
Please pray for rain. I know some areas are getting flooded, but we had a 27,000 acre fire a couple weeks ago, and it's still horribly dry.
I am ready to be done with school!! Unfortunately... I have to do school through the summer. Boohoo.
And that, my dear readers, is about it... I hopefully will have some pictures soon. Y'all take care, and God bless!

New look!

2011-04-28T14:31:00.002-06:00

So... What do you think?

Because I want to win!! :)

2011-04-28T08:11:00.000-06:00

Miss Rachel from Once Upon A Miracle is holding a very-cool giveaway... And I really want it :) So, I'm blogging about it which gives me 3 extra entries! Stop by her block on the cyber-space neighborhood and say hi!

RISK

2011-04-17T20:05:00.000-06:00

Spring...

2011-04-09T11:24:00.001-06:00

What I have been up to...

2011-03-28T18:45:00.000-06:00

I have recently discovered textures! And, how to properly overlay them... They're so much fun!

2011-03-27T17:12:00.001-06:00

I really, really liked this texture!

These are made from bullets picked up in Monrovia, Liberia, left over from their civil war. Talk about holding history in your hand...

I went a little crazy with the textures, but I just loved how they looked on these!

EDIT: Ok, there has been some comments on the fact that the texture on the 2nd to last photo looks like blood... It's not, I promise... Here's another texture on it:

Aaaand another

Random, bullet's style

2011-03-15T21:40:00.000-06:00

I really dislike time change. The ONLY thing I like about it is the late evenings. I love coming in from working horses, during that "golden hour", and it's already 7:00. Makes me happy :)
Horses are my therapy... It's pretty hard to be anything but happy when the weather's gorgeous, there's horses to be messed with and a nice set of speakers at the barn.
God has really blessed me with being joyful this year... Not everything has been perfect, that's for sure, but I've been able to stay positive about it all.
I can't wait for summmmmmerr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lakeside Schoolhouse

2011-03-04T12:17:00.001-07:00

While running around the county to meetings yesterday, we took the scenic route home. Mom had taken the road before while running the mail route, and she told me I needed to come back sometime and photography this old schoolhouse... So I pulled in and shot some photos! Who knows if we'll ever be back, and the lighting was gorgeous, and I was in the mood for some photos, and I had my camera, and I had no other reason not to. Even the gate was already open!

Wedding!!

2011-02-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dad preached a wedding today at a neighbors ranch, very small and fun. I came along to help dad hear and take pictures!! Here's some of the shots...

I'm not sure if I like the texture or not... Here's the original (well, basic editing but no texture)

Loved the 75-250mm lens, even though it had trouble focusing and I ended up using manual. Not sure what was up with that!

Gotta love the boots...

Gotta take a horse picture, we're at a Thoroughbred farm, hello!! :)

Fitness...

2011-02-27T20:48:00.001-07:00

This summer I have decided to bite the bullet and get in shape! So, expect to hear some blogging about it... Goals are to lose 15 lbs, and run a 5k in the fall. There is a local race in the fall (can't remember exactly when) that has a fun run, a 5k and a 10k. Everyone says the 10k is actually easier, because it's downhill, so I may end up doing that... Right now I am doing the Couch-to-5k program (walk/run) and some Tae-bo and core workouts on the exercise ball. So far I'm doing good about staying motivated, but we will see... I can't wait for the weather to warm up, I love being able to hit to road and get OUT to burn calories! Also trying to eat healthier, but in all honestly I'd rather workout more and not worry TOO much about what I eat.

I like food, especially cookies :)

Oh, and we may be getting *another* horse tomorrow. That takes the count to.... Seven? Yeah, I think that's right! Rodeo season is coming up fast, and I'm going to have to buckle down on some serious riding soon, which is fine with me as long as the weather cooperates (does it ever?!). On that note, I leave you with a little something for your week...

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:15-16

Lunch...

2011-02-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

I have a slight obsession with the Pioneer Woman. Not quite to the point of stalking, but close. She does every single "hobby" I do, such as photography, interior design, ranching, cooking/baking, homeschooling... And the list goes on. Recently she posted a recipe on Fajita Nachos, which I made today. Whenever I am stuck at home doing something such as homework, I console myself by making something fun for lunch. We had chips, salsa, and some skirt steak already cooked up, so I knew just what I wanted!!

She also has the best salsa recipe on the face of the earth, which I make regularly. I can't find the exactly link on her site, but if here's the recipe if anyone wants it

2 cants Rotel (1 hot and 1 regular works well)
1 16 oz can of whole tomatoes (not sure if it's 16, but whatever is closest to that)
1 jalapeño (I never can keep these on hand so I just skip them, there's enough in the Rotel)
1/4 of onion
1/2 of a lime, juiced
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
cumin, cilantro, oregano, etc...

Half the jalapeño, remove the seeds, and chop it coarsely. Chop the onion, and dump all the ingredients together in a blender. Pulse until it reaches desired consistency, and taste for spices. I generally end up adding more salt! It's better if you refrigerate it for about an hour, but we can never wait that long :)
The best guacamole ever: take several avocados and mash then, then add the juice of 1/2 a lime, a big spoonful or two of salsa and a little bit of salt. We made this for a get-together a while back, and it got inhaled.

I'm home!

2011-02-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, I was gone all last week at a Christian leadership called TeenPact... Awesome experience! I was a first-time alumni (I just love saying that, what I mean is it was my 2nd time), and it was still just as wonderful. I toted my 100 lbs camera up there but didn't take any photos until the drive home... Mom got photos but you don't get to see any of my beautiful face on here, hehe! I am just now downloading all the photos on my memory card though, so there will some neat ones that I forgot I took. Like these...

And these... All from a moving vehicle, FYI, and with my new lens. I think I'll keep it!

Add caption

Weiner!!

2011-02-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well the giveaway is official ov-ah... Ya snooze ya lose :)

The lucky number was comment #3, Samarah! So, I'll be contacting ya to get your lovely print sent... Thanks to everyone for participating!

God is so Awesome!

2011-01-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

I tend not to be an emotional type, but this evening as I was at a church music service, sitting there thinking about how many blessings God has given me, I couldn't help but get a little teary. We are all surrounded by people who maybe aren't so blessed, or maybe we looked at people who have more than we do and get a little twinge of jealousy. But if we stop and think about every little blessing, all which are from God, how can we NOT stand in awe??

Layout

2011-01-29T12:52:00.002-07:00

The Blogger Design feature now has some really neat fonts! Make sure and check it out!!

Alrighty!

2011-01-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well I did some nagging/hinting/cajoling via comments and Cowgirl Photography has 50 followers! The giveaway is on!

To enter: you may do any combination of these entries... Well almost any, since #1 is mandatory.

(mandatory) Follow my blog (or tell me that you're already following) and leave a comment telling me...
Leave a comment at this post telling us who your favorite photographer is (and no, naming me will not give you better chances lol)
Facebook, tweet or blog about the giveaway and get a bonus entry. Again, leave a comment, blah blah, you know the drill.

The giveaway will run for a week, and I'll randomly draw a name February 4th or thereabouts. Spread the news! The more people we get to enter the more fun it will be!!

Good luck!

Giveaway!!

2011-01-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Now before you get excited, the giveaway ain't happenin' yet. See, I told my avid readers (ha) that I would do a giveaway when I hit 50 followers.

I think I said "if" but we're going to be positive and said "when".

The blog is currently hanging at 49 followers right now... So I though I would give you a little preview:

Do you know that it's impossible to take a photo of a photo without a weird reflection?

The giveaway is for a framed 8X10 print of thisssss photo

(minus the watermark of course)

So! Get your friends over here and lets get this going!

Owl City and photo editing

2011-01-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Lyrics from Meteor Shower by Owl City

First time doing this... I like the way it turned out! Wasn't too hard either, took about 15 minutes to add the font.

Followers

2011-01-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

First, hello to my new followers! Glad someone likes me :)
Second, there might be a surprise coming if Cowgirl Photography hits 50 followers :) It's spelled sorta like g-i-v-e-a-w-a-y. Jus' saying...

Top 10 Tips from 2010

2011-01-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

Watermarking: Not sure if it will help keep my photos from being stolen... But I think it adds a professional look to photographs. It can be done without anything fancy, just a photoshop/paintshop (or an alternative) and a little time. I downloaded some font fonts to use and just came up with a simple bar and font watermark. Easy and quick to use and can add a nice touch to some photos.
Don't be afraid of editing. I used to think I had to get perfect photos straight out of the camera. Well if you notice, all the professionals (and the really good people who don't consider themselves pros) use editing to some extent or another. Almost all the photos you see on here are edited at least a tiny bit for contrast, saturation, etc. I'm not a big fan of major photoshopping such as "creating" images, etc. My general rule is if you can tell it's been edited (unless doing it purposely, like adding texture) then it's overdone.
Don't obsess! On some occasions you just need to put the camera on auto (or put the camera DOWN) and capture the moment. Don't worry about whether it looks like a professional portrait. It's not. If you want professional portraits then go hire someone to do it so you don't miss the fun of the event. Hey, even the Pioneer Woman did that!!! (Don't believe me? Click here!)
Get more pictures from the front view of the camera. AKA get some photos of yourself!! I know almost every photographer is more comfortable behind the lens rather than in front, but when you flip back through the year's photos and find 5, 867 each of every member of the family and 2 of you, you need help. Try a self-portrait "challenge" where you do one every day for a month... Or a year if you're adventurous. Hand the camera off to someone else with a smattering of artistic talent. Just get some photos of YOU!
Find what you like to shoot, and shoot it. Photography is an art. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it. Pick up the camera and do something new. Think out of the box!! When I shoot a photo I really don't care what other people think of it. It's my photo, I'm gonna shoot it in the way that appeals to my artistic sense. I shoot a lot of abstract close-ups of random things. Some people might think, "Um, WHY?!" but to me it just looks cool. You don't like it? Then don't buy it. Just like writing, you need to find your style. However, do a LOT of experimenting! Having a style is not being stuck in a rut. Shoot portraits, shoot macro, shoot landscapes, try different angles, try ditching the rule of thirds, try something "hard" like shooting a great bokeh or shooting candles when it's dark. That's what makes photography fun for me, is trying new things!
Get inspired! Do some blog-hopping and find some photographers who's style you like. Look at the way the shoot certain scenes, and try to figure out what grabs you. If you can, shoot them a comment or email and chat with them! Find out what equipment they like and why. Find out what editing they do to images. Just get info and look at some eye candy!! (Links to some of my inspirational photographers at the end of this post)
Take a look at your camera. You don't need a $5000 camera and an arsenal of lenses. If you have a decent point and shoot, you're good to go! Perspective, composition, subject, etc all make more of a difference then WHAT you shot the photo with. In my Cameras page there is some more info on the cameras I have used. I just moved to dSLR in the past year, and I love it. But I love my point and shoot too, and it's doing a fantastic job as my mom's camera now. Also related to that...
Use your camera. Do some research on the basics such as aperture and exposure, then dig out the manual (You know it's around... Somewhere) and figure out how to really USE your camera. This goes for the people with dSLR's (or SLRs!) and people with point and shoot. Get the manual out and get that puppy off auto! Having a good camera won't make you a good photographer. But having the tools to use and knowing how to use them will certainly help!!
Get feedback. Ok, so after my point about finding your style, this is about tweaking your style. Post your photos somewhere where you can get good feedback from good photographers. If you personally know someone whom you admire their photography, see if you can get them to critique a few photos. Don't just show them the ones you like best, but also show them the ones that you didn't really like but couldn't say why. Of course there's not really any right or wrong remember, but just more-appealing and less-appealing. Find out what they like about your work and what they don't. I was able to show some photos to a professional photographer, Leslie Davis. She told me I had a good eye (encouragement), but that I needed to watch backgrounds and "clutter" that distracted from the main focal point (constructive criticism). Ideally, I would be able to send some photos to her now, a year later, and see what she thought...
Photographers (and their blogs) that I <3

LeAnna@Thoughts and Whatnots (love her "random" stuff and portraits)

Lana@{Mz}-cellaneous (I think I've looked at every single wedding she ever shot... Gorgeous)

Sara@Pearls and Petals (Western stuff and more recently, a wedding!)

Ree@The Pioneer Woman (everything and anything. Western, abstract, portraits, lessons, guest photographers, giveaways, free downloads...)

Leslie Davis@Her Collection (GORGEOUS scenery)

An informational site I love is http://www.digital-photography-school.com/. They have a lot of good information on aperture, contrast, f/stops, etc.

These are some of my favorites, but there's tons out there!!! Have fun looking at all the eye candy :)

That's about all I can come up with... Feel free to pop me a question if you have a suggestion on some tutorials or anything just leeeeemmmmmme know!!!

I Need...

2011-01-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Uh, totally!!!!

Top 10 Photos in 2010

2011-01-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

March 2010

February 2010

July 2010

September 2010

October 2010

December 2010

For some reason I can't find the original... This was from sometime this spring

Of course there were many more than just 10... But these were the ones that seemed to pop out at me. I will do another post soon on the Top 10 photography things I learned, developed or discovered. Stay tuned!

FINALLY! Almost a year later...

2011-01-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

I finally got this panorama done! It was tough!!! I really need a wide angle lens soon!!

A real post!

2010-12-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

So, since my last several posts have been short, sweet and to the point (ok, maybe not sweet, but to the point at least), I figured I was overdue to sit down and write a post. Plus, it counts as a writing assignment. Not like that really would make any difference because everyone knows I just love writing.

I rest my case.

In case you were wondering what I have been up to...

Some friends of ours who breed Quarter Horses kindly offered to give me one of their fillies this fall. We went down in November and looked at a couple of their babies. They had two sorted off for me to pick from, so we looked 'em over and talked about them... Then they asked me if I wanted both! So I ended up with two pretty, well bred fillies to break. And because of my wonderful gift of procrastination... They still are not halter broke! But they're coming along good so I'm not too worried. Earlier in the summer I also got a gorgeous 4 year old mare who I haven't been riding nearly enough... Soon though! I'm hoping on doing some more rodeoing this summer, since our local playday dropped most of their show classes. I finally got a good horse and then they go and drop most of the classes! I was not very happy...

I have organizing my gramma cds (around 700) and loading them on her iPod in exchange for getting her iPhone... I am so ready to get it done with! It's pretty easy to do-just takes time-but I'm just ready to check it off my to-do list. Not to mention, iTune drives me absolutely crazy... -er. I'm a PC girl through and through and Apple's software is just way too clunky for me. Oh, I love my iPhone but that's probably about as much Apple hardware I'll be toting.

I'll be going to a week-long Christian government/leadership program in a couple months called TeenPact. Last year was the first year I went, and it was a great experience! The homework for it is pretty in-depth, with lots of reading and writing. TeenPact holds a mock legislature where students submit bills for review, speak on their bills, serve on committees and run for senator and governor. I met a lot of new friends last year and I'm really looking forward to this year!

School... Ah school. With the end of highschool getting closer and closer, I find that my motivation is dwindling. I'm no video-game couch potato but I am ready to be done with school, already! We have started looking at colleges now, which is a learning experience in and of itself. Most of my friends have already made the leap from home and highschool to a college campus. I must admit that all this pondering my future can really pile on the doubt and worries. Makes me want to curl up on the couch with some NCIS and a bowl of chocolate. Or popcorn. Or maybe chocolate-covered popcorn. But! It definitely provides a plethora of opportunities to trust in God more. After all, it is His plan, not mine!

Oh and of course I can't forget Christmas!! We had a small family dinner Christmas Eve at my gramma's house in town. Family, food, gifts... What could be better? No snow on this Christmas though. Which would have been a nice decorating touch, but chores are so much easier when it's not a blizzard out.

Things for this upcoming year will be my foray into running, more rodeo and my jewelry making! And of course my photography; How could I forget? On that note, I have a new lens coming!! I bought the Canon EF-S 55-250 mm lens, it should be here next week!! Yay!!!

So, there is my update for the year (har har)! Here's hoping all my lovely readers have a wonderful 2011 and remember.... God thinks you're special and He loves you very much! (Name that movie)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Merged blogs!

2010-12-30T09:49:00.002-07:00

Ramblings of a Prairie Girl is gone!

Private blog...

2010-12-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

I think most of my readers here are also readers of my private blog (aka invitation only...). If you are, you might realize that it's been 2 1/2 months since I posted anything on it! I'm thinking about closing it down/merging it with this one... So this blog wouldn't be strictly photography (not like it is now anyways.) Thoughts??

Don't wait...

2010-12-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

So, y'all probably remember my kitty...

Over the past week I kept telling myself I needed to get some new photos of him, cuz he was getting so big and pretty...

Well I'm afraid that's never going to happen. If only cats truly had 9 lives... I still can't believe he's gone.

RIP "Shadow"

Merry Christmas!!!!

2010-12-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hope y'all had/have a wonderful day. We had a nice family dinner last night, and just a normal day today.

In photography news...

I'm shopping around for a new lens, that has more zoom than my current one. Right now I'm looking at either

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom

Review on both say that they're good for the price... I think having a macro option would be really fun to play around with. Any advice??

Babysitting

2010-12-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-16T13:54:00.001-07:00

I got the bokeh by shooting in Aperture Value setting, at putting it as low as it would (5.6 for me)

Neat thing on the watermark: Make one layer for the stripe and one layer for the font, then change the stripe layer to 100 opacity and keep the font at 255, then merge the layers together to make the cool "see-though" font :)

Finally!

2010-12-13T18:24:00.002-07:00

Some photography inspiration :)

My poor camera...

2010-11-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

... is so neglected lately!

So, how was your Thanksgiving? Do you have a lot to be thankful for? I know I sure do!

This was about the extent of my "artsy" photographs from the past month...

Pathetic. I know. But, what can I say! I've been BUSY!

2010-11-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Check out my new boots!!! LOVE em! I had to mail order them so I was a little scared they wouldn't fit right but they're perfect! Exactly what I wanted... All black with with multi colored stitching and white accents. Can't wait to wear em with a skirt!

New acquisitions

2010-11-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hot Sauce and Cheerios!! Both untouched, but very sweet. I put them each in a small pen today and messed with them, and they were very calm. My schedule has gotten REALLY full!!

Whirlwind!

2010-11-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Quick update, bullets style.

I have Taylor Swift's new cd! I didn't fall in love with it at first but it's growing on me. Figuratively.
I am really busy lately!
School has started. Molecular structure here I come.
I have a lot of babies right now! Four legged, domestic kind.
I am very thankful for the life God has given me
I am NOT ready for the holidays! Surely summer isn't over yet?! Please?!
There is a wonderful giveaway from my shop going on right NOW, right HERE at Once Upon A Miracle. Stop by and say hi!
I came home from the WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo (which was WAY fun. Bad grammar and all) and I had to clean my room so that I had room to unpack my luggage. Pathetic. But I really hate cleaning before I leave for somewhere!
Another giveaway coming up soon, as soon as I get some photos taken and more coordinating.
We got snowed on over the weekend! I was NOT prepared for that!
Kitty is getting big and spoiled. Time to start turning him into an outside cat!
I'm starving. Time for lunch....

Make SURE and stop by the giveaway!

In the past few days....

2010-11-04T11:53:00.000-06:00

I have given a cat a bath, which wasn't as traumatic as you would think. For the cat, not me.

I have watched (in hysterics) as a kitten tried to attack it's shadow...

I have been woken up at 7 am to a kitten who thinks he's starving to death and is letting the whole world within a 50 yard radius know that we are cruel and abusing. Or so he thinks so.

I have discovered that this kitty seems to have a "thing" for white objects, such as anyone who has white socks. The ravenous monster will chase, attack and attempt to eat any such white object. Such as feet with socks on them.

I have watched a kitten unravel a ball of yarn

I have still not settled on a name for said cat!

Lookie what I got!

2010-10-31T14:56:00.000-06:00

I though my camera was going spacey until I realized I had changed the focus point off-center and hadn't put it back. Duh! I was having a hard time getting the exposure coming out right for these photos, I don't know what's going on with it. Argh!

Shipping! {long post}

2010-10-25T17:32:00.000-06:00

We just finished a whirlwind week of shipping out yearlings. Talk about BUSY! We started gathering in cattle on Wednesday, and just finished today. Sunday we didn't work cattle, but had several other things going on that day. We spend a lot of hours in the saddle, and even an hour or so bareback on the horses, just messing around. There were several other kids that came to help, so we had fun.
Over the years, we've used several different methods to gather cattle. 50 years ago, horses were about the only option. My dad never was in to horses, so when we started working the ranch, they were using ATVs to gather everything. After many years of that, we moved to a helicopter to gather.

That was nice, but pretty pricey! We used different combinations of ATVs and the chopper, until 2 years ago... When I got a horse! I talked dad into uses horses to gather again, and it went really really well last year. So, this year was the 2nd year we used horses and 1-2 ATVs to gather. It didn't quite so smooth as last year, but we did pretty good. I actually got dad on a horse this year! Most of the time he would take the ATV and go around the edges of the pastures and push cattle towards the middle, to save miles on the horses. We have one pasture that is 14 miles square, so every little bit helps.

My new mare needed miles on her, and she sure got them this week!! At one point we had to trot 2-3 miles cross country looking for cattle. She has a really nice slow jog now! For you non-ranching people, a yearling operation is a ranch that brings in young cattle in the spring, puts them on grass for the summer then ships them out in the fall. We ship out to a feedlot, and from there they might go to wheat circles, or get processed. A cow-calf operation keeps cows year-round, breeds them in either spring or fall, then ships out the calves when they're old enough to be weaned. On our place, we don't have enough shelter to keep very many cows through the winter, so it's a LOT less stress to just run cattle in the summer.

Last year's calf

One of the big calves from this year's batch


The big black heifer is my "baby" from last year, with the babies from this year!

Last fall I got to keep an "extra" calf that was born over the summer. This spring I bought another heifer, so that gave me a nice starter herd of TWO. Welllll, this fall I managed to get myself TWELVE CALVES!!!!! Seven of them are being bottle-fed, and the rest are big enough that I can get them weaned. Needless to say, I'm very busy now. Like, crazy busy! I had a couple extra horses I was keeping for the cowboys while we were shipping, so between my horses, the calves, the extra horses and everything else, my chores had suddenly tripled. It's great though!

One other thing we dealt with this year was the weather. Typical fall weather, at different times it could be about any combination of heat, cold, rain, sleet, wind, sun, or clouds. Thank goodness for a calm mare who didn't mind me putting a slicker on! It was pretty nasty out there, especially for the guys running cattle in the alley. It was really slick once it got muddy. Today it was gorgeous this morning, then we had 60 MPH winds pickup right after lunch. Yuck!


One of the nasty days


Putting the cattle through the gate... On a nice day!

In other news... I've been very busy working on 4-H Record books, and I think I'm DONE! We've also gotten ever-so-slightly addicted to the TV series NCIS. We don't get cable at our house, but it just so happens that a family we go to biblestudy with has all. seven. seasons. on dvd. Yay!!!! The jewelry business is going reallllly slow right now, so I haven't done much with it lately but keep your eyes open for something fun coming up in the next couple weeks!

I guess that's about all for now.....

Northern Scenery

2010-10-15T09:27:00.000-06:00

New Etsy stuff up!

2010-10-03T17:32:00.000-06:00

Check out the link in the sidebar!

I want

2010-09-25T21:09:00.002-06:00

What happens when you get 4" of rain

2010-09-23T19:54:00.000-06:00

There used to a road there... You can see where the blacktop ends; Literally! All the rocks you can see on the bottom and on the right side have been washed down; That used to be the other side of the bridge.

What's left of the fence...

See the fence post sticking up? That's all that's left! We fixed 8 creek crossings today (YUCK!)

PRAISE THE LORD for the rain though! We were getting very dry and this rain will carry us through the winter. Our neighbors who's pasture is in the above photo said that their lake is almost the highest they ever remember it being. Thank you God!

On a side note, I did get a couple more things up on Etsy today so check it out!

WATER!

2010-09-23T13:04:00.000-06:00

4" of rain in one day=at least 6 water gaps needing to be fixed AND the road is washed out!!! Photos on my iPhone, coming after we fix the other 5 fences!

Etsy shop OPEN!

2010-09-22T17:47:00.000-06:00

Only a couple things (two to be exactly) up right now, but I will be listing more over the week!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CowgirlUnique

Coming soon...

2010-09-20T14:17:00.000-06:00

Keep your eyes open for my new Etsy shop... Actually it's up but nothing is listed yet!

Sunday Stills 9-19-10 Flags

2010-09-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Been keeping crazy busy, hopefully I will be able to post more! Thanks everyone for the comments too, I'm lovin' it!

Seriously?!

2010-09-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a photo for Sunday Stills and I came across this:

I think I'll go find something to eat.

Now.

2010-09-17T16:33:00.001-06:00

Have We Forgotten?

2010-09-11T08:48:00.000-06:00

Don't...

2010-09-09T19:54:00.000-06:00

...Forget your camera. Ever. You will end up having to take photos with your iPhone

... Snarf down an early 5 minute lunch...

...Then drink a whole Rockstar energy drink...

....While mowing the (front and back!) lawn in record time....

...Then nearly pass out coming down the stairs 8 hours later because you haven't eaten since that 5-minute lunch.

Wordless

2010-09-09T10:35:00.000-06:00

Absent, I know!

2010-09-06T10:03:00.000-06:00

Been on somewhat of a bloggy break... I've been coming-hither-and-running-to for the last... Month?! We had county fair of course, then it just seemed like one thing after another came up. A weekend to a bluegrass festival, came home in time for a church BBQ and the next day went with friends for a couple days to state fair... Came down with a nasty cold... Going to the Big City for a week... I haven't touched my camera in weeks.

Phew, I feel so much better saying that.

I told myself yesterday I wanted to run out and take photos of this old house down the road... But we ended up watching several NCIS episodes instead. ~~Well actually, it was 8 episodes.~~ You didn't read that did you?

On another note, I went through my list of blogs I follow, and had to cut some out. So if you lost a follower, don't take it personally... I love all the blogs I read but sometimes I just don't have time to read to all of them. So instead of thinking I didn't like you instead think that I felt I didn't have enough time to devote to you and it was more merciful to me to just drop you from the list than not have time to read you. Sounds much better huh! And to all the people that follow me, thanks a mil! Can we get the comments going a little more though? It's discouraging when I check my Dashboard every day and there no comments -sob-

Well, that's all for now... Just though I would check in!

{Hm, I think I posted this recently... But the watermark is new!!}

Another chemistry post

2010-08-23T18:07:00.000-06:00

Remember my spiel on the rainbow? Well chew on this then:

According to my textbook, it's a fact of nature that "all forms of matter try to stay in their lowest possible energy state". So basically, it's an irreversible fact that I WILL be a couch potato.

Amen.

A foray into watermarking...

2010-08-23T13:59:00.000-06:00

Since my family insists that they can download any photos they like off my blog and set it as their desktop background... Now at least they'll be watermarked ;)

I want to find a way to put some kind of graphic in it, but this is what I got for now... Thanks to LeAnna for the help! I ended up using Paint.Net since I don't have Elements yet.... (Christmas wishlist!)

I double-dog dare anyone to NOT cry

2010-08-23T08:22:00.000-06:00

Enough said! I nearly didn't watch this over on Charla's blog but OH it is so worth it!

Look, its a... Rainbow?

2010-08-18T14:06:00.000-06:00

Can you tell what we're going through in chemistry today?!

For some strange reason saying "Look, it's a visible wave spectrum made up of light particles being broken into different wave lengths of light by suspended water particles" doesn't sound as good as "Look, a rainbow!"

A slight diversion from my usual fashions...

2010-08-15T19:36:00.000-06:00

Results from the fair are that I got first place with two photos and second with one, didn't place in either of my horse classes and didn't make the Fair Queen although I was close :)

Busy busy busy....

2010-08-08T20:56:00.000-06:00

I'm not used to being this busy! We were at a music camp in the DFW this weekend, which was great! I got to meet some of the best players in the bluegrass music industry, and also some of all-time favorites! The county fair is this week too, so I'm going to be super busy. But I thought I would show you a couple of the photos I'm entering in the fair...

New laptop... Sorta!

2010-07-28T11:48:00.000-06:00

So, since my laptop was still under warranty, they fixed it for free!

Gotta luv free huh?

So I basically have an all-new laptop; new harddrive, motherboard, heat sink, etc. I don't like having to get used to new stuff! I had it all customized and figured out and all... Bummer...

But back to photography!

Remember this photo:

Kinda not-so-great huh??

Well look what I turned it in to:

Little better huh?!

What else would you to to photo #1 to spice it up?

Wordless....

2010-07-22T13:33:00.000-06:00