Food Fun Family

This Week on Instagram – Give Me Your Best Shot #PSF

Lolli — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:19:59 +0000

You’ll have to forgive me for being short this week. I just walked in the door from the Washington Auto Show, and I honestly feel like I’ve never been more tired. I’m sure I HAVE actually been more tired, and I don’t really have a good reason to be THIS fatigued. But regardless….I am 100% pooped.

This past week, I decided to try to kick my Instagram photo challenges up a notch. I actually joined in on yet another challenge (#fmsphotoaday) that I am loving. I needed this challenge to find beauty in my day-to-day comings and goings. I am loving this.

Obviously, some pictures are better than others. Some themes are better than others. But the fact that I am taking pictures very regularly right now and only *some* of them are of food makes me happy.

Remember, if you’re not already following me on Instagram…or if you already are (hooray!), I hope to see you there this week! You can check my Instagram photos to see what each of the daily prompts were. Some of the daily prompts are tough!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Shot – Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a> Hosted by <a href="https://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="https://www.foodfunfamily.com" target="_blank">Lolli</a> </center>

An InLinkz Link-up

Instagram It! Give Me Your Best Shot #PSF

Lolli — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:46:33 +0000

I’ve practically given up on myself taking any photos of note anymore (unless I’m traveling, of course). I scroll through the photos I’ve taken each week and see a whole lot of food and not much else.

My phone, of course, is a different story. A few weeks ago, I decided to do step up my Instagram game. It’s not quite the same as my old hobby/business taking lots and lots of pictures with my big girl camera, but it’s a step in the right direction. I may just be 15 days into the new year, but I am loving my focus on participating in a few daily photo challenges.

Here is a peek at what I was up to last week:

As much as I miss capturing beautiful images on my Canon, I do love the fact that I’m capturing my day-to-day life, raw and natural, as it happens…thanks to my phone.

If you’re not following me on Instagram, I’d love it if you connected with me there!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

An InLinkz Link-up

Reese’s 5th Grade Graduation #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 02:49:14 +0000

What a day! Today started early like most school days do…but today was no ordinary school day. Today was the day of my youngest daughter’s graduation from elementary school (though they refuse to call it a graduation…).

I left for an end-of-year trip with my 2nd daughter, Necco, and her high school quartet directly after the 5th grade graduation – promotion – celebration ended (and drove 3 hours through torrential rains to the college where we’ll be staying for the next several days).

Here’s a peek at some of the images that I’ve captured for my #30SummerDays photo challenge this week…including my beautiful 5th grade graduate!

Reese and her wonderful 5th grade teacher

Side note: working without wifi is like torture.

I’m still having a blast with my new camera. Want to hear more about my 30 day photo challenge? Then check out that link back there <--- Until later!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Shot Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href=”https://foodfunfamily.com/tag/give-me-your-best-shot” target=”_blank”></a><a href=”https://mychaosmybliss.com” target=”_blank”></a> Hosted by <a href=”https://mychaosmybliss.com/” target=”_blank”>Cecily</a> and <a href=”https://foodfunfamily.com” target=”_blank”>Lolli</a></center>

An InLinkz Link-up

Join Me on My #30SummerDays Photography Challenge

Lolli — Sat, 31 May 2014 20:17:05 +0000

I’m so excited to introduce you to the #30SummerDays Photography Challenge. By the way, I received a Samsung NX300 camera from Staples in exchange for participating in this 30 day challenge…and (most exciting!) I get to give away the SAME CAMERA (but a new one…not mine) to one of my readers at the end of the month! So please be sure to follow along on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook as I post photos through the month, starting June 1st!

I have been a fan of photography for years. I even had my own photography studio for several of those years. Lately, my hectic work and family life (it’s all good…just busy!) has kept me away from taking pictures just for the love of taking pictures. And I miss that. But my new camera has me not only enjoying taking pictures again but actually looking forward to it too.

Here’s my new little toy (it could be yours, too, at the end of the month!) – the Samsung NX300 20.3 MP SMART Microless Camera With 20-50 mm Lens.

Details: Samsung 20.3MP smart compact wi-fi enabled camera in white color with 2.5x zoom and 3.3″ touch screen AMOLED display features a lens of 20 mm to 50 mm focal length. Camera has 5472 x 3648 & 1920 x 1080 image and video resolution respectively.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about this camera is its WiFi capability. You can upload pictures straight to Facebook or videos straight to YouTube. You can edit pictures right on the camera, using the super-easy-to-use touch screen and then email them to a friend.

I LOVE IT.

Now on to the daily challenges. Ready to see what pictures I come up with this month? In addition to sharing my pictures socially each day with the hashtag #30SummerDays, I’ll be sharing my weekly #30SummerDays pictures each Friday on my Give me Your Best Shot post (with linky) so you’re welcome to do the same! By the way, those photos in the first image up there? All taken with the Samsung NX300!

#30SummerDays Photography Challenge Prompts:

I made a sharable image for the prompts…

Or you can copy and paste the text if thats easier!

June 1 – Rabbit, Rabbit! What brings you good luck?
June 2 – Monday, ugh! What’s keeping you going today?
June 3 – Who made you smile today?
June 4 – Look up. What do you see?
June 5 – #TBT Share a photo from a past summer trip!
June 6 – National DoughnutDay! Snap a pic celebrating! Or, what did you have instead?!
June 7 – Saturday! What are you up to?
June 8 – Time to relax before the start of the week. What does relaxing look like to you?
June 9 – Manic Monday! What’s giving you a case of the Mondays?
June 10 – Is the sun out? Snap a pic! If not, what’s it like out there?
June 11 – Get over the hump of the week. How were you productive today?
June 12 – Treat yourself, it’s almost the weekend!
June 13 – Friday the 13th! Are you superstitious and ducking for cover, or out and about?
June 14 – Flag Day! Got one flying in the warm breeze?
June 15 – Happy Father’s Day! Snap a pic or share one of an awesome dad!
June 16 – Monday motivation. What motivates you?
June 17 – Got a pet? Share them with the world!
June 18 – Stretch those legs mid-week and go outside or for a walk. Snap and share!
June 19 – #OOTD, what are you wearing? Got your summer clothes on?!
June 20 – Happy Friday! You made it! Smile and say cheese :)
June 21 – HAPPY SUMMER! Take a picture of what summer looks like to you to celebrate!
June 22 – Sunday Pancakes! Do you have a Sunday breakfast routine?
June 23 – Got those sandals out? What’s your favorite pair?
June 24 – What made you happy today?
June 25 – Are the flowers blooming? Take a picture of your favorite!
June 26 – Whew, it’s hot out there! How are you cooling down?
June 27 – Last Friday of the month, what are you up to?
June 28 – Is today a beach day? Snap a pic and make everyone jealous!
June 29 – Go out for a picnic! Make sure to take a picture!
June 30 – Last day of June, how are you sending it off?

Note: Want to join me, but don’t like one of the prompts? No problem! You can post anything…Ill be following and liking and sharing all of YOUR #30SummerDays photos, too, no matter what the theme or prompt.

Focusing on the Find – Avoiding Auto

Lolli — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:09:20 +0000

At the beginning of July, I started a Summer Photography Series on 5 Minutes for Mom, and I figured I would “play along” with the weekly challenges.

This week’s challenge was simple – get out and take some pictures in any mode EXCEPT AUTO. I’ve had a TON of picture-taking opportunities this week, so the only challenge for me was finding a favorite shot to feature…and then figuring out why this picture was a good example of utilizing the different modes on my camera’s dial.

Here’s the shot I picked:

For this shot, I put my camera in AV mode (aperture priority) so that I could focus specifically on the crystal and make everything else in the picture blurry.

Twizzler had a blast mining for fossils and gems at the mining station at Jellystone Park. His mining career got off to a good start when he walked up to the mining trough (is that what you call it??), reached in to the murky water, and pulled out a crystal bigger than his thumb.

I loved this picture because it focuses on his cool discovery, but you can see his happy face in the background. It’s just not the focus of the picture. I also love that his dirty camping fingers are so clear.

Have you taken any pictures this week in a mode OTHER than auto? You should totally link up to the challenge at 5 Minutes for Mom. We’ll have a new challenge coming up this Thursday, too!

Bloggography Challenge – Focus

Lolli — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:00:46 +0000

Two weeks ago, we featured photos from users who took the challenge to use their current lenses to do what they do best, whether that was macro or landscape or action. I loved the variety that we had from last week’s participants. Here is one of the photos that stood out to me, from The Grammie Diaries:

I totally want to go there. This week, I keep talking about Happy Places and Mental Health days. THIS is a place that would make me feel happy, I guarantee.

Did Manic Mother feature your picture? Stop by her blog to see!

And now on to this week’s challenge. Last week, we talked about focus and how to make sure that your images are focused on your subject (versus some other random point in the picture). How did you do? Did this tip help at all this week? I’d love to see your pictures! (PS–this week I will be around to come and visit each and every link, I promise!!)

These are not my best pictures, but they were some fun shots I caught during last week’s cub scout activity (we painted rock pets!)

That last shot is of AJ, who joined us at Scouts this week, and the rock pet he painted himself.

By the way, I am giggling over the fact that I showcased pictures of CUB SCOUTS in a post about FOCUS. Is that silly or what?!

PS–Have you entered my Photo Book giveaway yet? It’s my easiest giveaway ever!

Bloggography Challenge – Lenses

Lolli — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:00:44 +0000

The last Bloggography Rule of Thirds Photo Challenge was one of my favorites to date. I am apparently naturally drawn to photos that follow the rule of thirds. Here’s one from two weeks ago that particularly stood out to me. Isn’t this a stunning photo from Jacki at Ravensspell.blogspot.com? Did Manic Mother feature your shot?

Last week’s tutorial was all about lenses. The challenge was to use whatever lens(es) you’ve got to do what they do best. If you have a wide angle lens, try a landscape shot. If you have a fixed lens with a large aperture, try a shallow depth of field picture. If you have a telephoto zoom lens, see what you can get a picture of in the wild.

I’ve got the Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L. Here are two pictures I took with my 28-75mm lens at last week’s Arts Night at school (the school is set up like a museum, with art work from everyone in the school). I love my Tamron because it’s good for both wide angle shots like this one:

The cute boy, third from the right on top, is Twizzler’s self-portrait.

(edited in Lightroom with Pretty Presets Golden Light)

As well as shallow depth of field shots like this one:

None of my kids made penguins this year, but I just loved this table full of penguins!

(edited in Lightroom with Pretty Presets Deep Blue)

—–> And now I’d love to see what you captured for this week’s challenge. Let us know what lens or camera you used!

Before you go, though, be sure to stop by my brand new Photography-related giveaway!! I am giving away TWO full sets of Pretty Presets. Lucky you!

Bloggography Challenge – The Rule of Thirds

Lolli — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Before we get to this week’s challenge, here’s one of the photos from our last challenge that stood out to me:

Exposure compensation, by Grammie Diaries. I just love this shot! Check out Manic Mother’s post to see who she is featuring today. In two weeks, we’ll be featuring a photo from today’s Challenge. Could it be you?

For this week’s Challenge on the Rule of Thirds, I put the Rule to good use while taking my family’s yearly Spring pictures. Yes, I stick my kids in a big basket filled with eggs and make them smile. Every. Single. Year. You’d think I was torturing them, making them do this year after year.

Amazingly, because Cousin Chick was staying over this weekend, I was able to pull off the Easter basket pictures with minimal whining (although I do fully admit to whining myself while picking up and putting back together about 300 eggs, 5 times).

See how I applied the Rule of Thirds to these photos (remember to picture the tic-tac-toe board over the picture). In each of these images, the face is at the crossing of two lines.

I’d love to see the pictures that you have captured this week. How did you do with the Rule of Thirds? Post a picture or two, link your post to the MckLinky below, and be sure to add a button or link back here so that we can get more participants. Click here to grab my button! And don’t forget that you can add your picture to the Flickr group as well. You don’t even need a blog to participate; you can just leave the link to your picture in the Flickr group.

Visit my co-host, Manic Mother!

Bloggography Challenge – Exposure Compensation

Lolli — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:00:13 +0000

It’s time for another Bloggography photo challenge! Last week, we talked about Exposure Compensation. This is one of those areas where I could really stand to improve, so this lesson was as much for me as it was for you.

Before we get on with this week’s challenge, I have a favorite to share from our last challenge (Exposure Triangle):

I loved this simple picture of crayons, taken by Amy of Snap To It!

Here are my attempts at using Exposure compensation (shown with virtually no editing. Yeah!)

Because Saturday was very sunny at the park, I used negative exposure compensation to subtract light. And I was very happy with the results!

Visit my co-host, Manic Mother!

I’d love to see the pictures that you have captured this week. How did you do with exposure compensation? Post a picture or two, link your post to the MckLinky below, and be sure to add a button or link back here so that we can get more participants. Click here to grab my button!

Bloggography Challenge – Aperture

Lolli — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000

It’s Bloggography challenge time again with me and Manic Mother!

Last week’s tutorial was on aperture, one of my favorite settings to manipulate and play with on my camera. And just in time for this challenge, I got my replacement 50mm f/1.8 lens in the mail last week! Perfect timing! (For those who haven’t heard, I mysteriously LOST my 50mm and finally was able to buy a new one).

Before we get to this week’s challenge, though, I wanted to share one of my favorite entries from our last challenge, on shutter speed. This shot of Marie’s daughter (from Everyday Matters) spinning made me smile:

Here are a few of the shots I captured this week while playing around with different apertures. All of these pictures were taken with my Canon 40D and my 50mm lens, using ISO 640, because it was rainy and overcast outside.

Pinecones from my honeymoon:

1st: f/2.0, 2nd: f/9.0

Rainy bushes in my front yard:

1st: f/1.8, 2nd f/9.0

I love seeing the differences between photos taken with different apertures. I almost always prefer the larger aperture (ie–the smaller number).

We’ll be posting some of our favorite shots from this week’s challenge in two weeks. Will we pick yours?

Don’t forget to grab a button or link back to me or Manic Mother on your post. And we’d love for you to add your picture to the Flickr group as well. You don’t even need a blog to participate – you can just leave the link to your picture in the Flickr group.

The MckLinky will be up for one week, so you have plenty of time to take a picture and link up any time this week!

And now it’s your turn to share. Did you challenge yourself this week?