The whole snow days last week into the MLK holiday this week has totally thrown my sense of time off.  I thought today was Tuesday.  Turns out it’s not.  It’s Wednesday.  Yay for being one day closer to the weekend!!!  But EEK for having lost a day somewhere!   So today, my Ten on Tuesday on Wednesday!

1.  I am off for an adult vacation starting this weekend.  Can’t WAIT!  It’s only been six and a half years since we really did anything without the kids that wasn’t work related.  🙂  So so so looking forward to it.  I even rented a different camera body and fun wide angle lens to play with on the trip.  So look for some ocean / beach landscape stuff sometime in the next few weeks!

2.  Are you due in February or do you know someone who is?  I will be announcing a special for February newborns only tomorrow (Thursday) so check the blog and Facebook Business Page

3.  I keep getting people asking me about how do I get babies to sleep.  Let me tell you, I am soooo due a sleepy baby!!  My last three newborns have slept – but only after a few hours of being awake!  🙂  They were still awesome but I just feel that I am due a nice super sleepy the entire time newborn bundle of cuteness.  The upside of not sleeping babies?  Lots of snuggling on my part  😉

4.  How did you learn Photoshop? If you are “self taught”, are there any books or resources you really like?

Self taught.  🙂  Lots and lots of trial and error though, and taking time to learn what the different tools do.  I definitely went through an “actions are AWESOME” phase hahaha!  Then I backed off of that.  I still don’t know what everything does – I was on a board the other day where they were talking about a radial tool (I think?) and I had no clue what they were talking about!!  In terms of resources, I really highly recommend the Scott Kelby books.  He explains everything in very simple, easy terms.  I started with him when i started way back with PS Elements.  I also go the regular photoshop book when i moved to that but I haven’t tried any newer books.  You start learning what things are and what they do.

5.  What is your favorite book?

This is actually really REALLY tough for me!  I even gave myself an extra week to think about it.  It ends up being a tie, but only slightly because they are the same author.  I have to say one of the most powerful books I have ever read was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  Absolutely amazing.  So hard to read but so incredibly amazing.  I read the entire thing in one sitting – I couldn’t stop.  My other favorite, also by Hosseini, which was equally powerful was The Kite Runner.  Two just heart wrenching novels.  On a more lighthearted note, I adore the Harry Potter series.  😉

6. How do you prepare your images for Facebook?

Ahhh great question.  For a while I didn’t really do anything special.  And I still don’t have a “perfect” method because there is something in Facebook’s interface that messes up colors and sharpness.  All of my images from camera to the end are shot in sRGB (though technically because I am shooting in RAW there is no profile until it is brought onto the mac)  I know that the widest image it will display is 600px.  I use a free resize and sharpen action that I got years ago (I believe on ilovephotography.com).  I size it to 600px for horizontal and 428px for vertical.  Then once it is resized the action sharpens it for web with two different unsharp masks.  The last step that I so is Save for Web.  This helps to prepare it for the web.  Then I just add “fb” to the end of the filename so I know which version to upload!

7.  What is your favorite (and most used) lens for newborns? kids/families?

For newborns the 50mm 1.4g.  Definitely.  And for kids, my 70-200 vrII.

8.   Do you ever use off camera flash for newborns?

If a house is really really dark and i find myself having to crank up to ISO 3200 or something, I will throw a speedlight on and bounce the light behind me, preferably off a window.  But in general, no.  You will almost never see me use a flash, ever.  I find the light and make the shoot work there!!

9.  Where do you find your inspiration for new ideas?? Do you ever get the photographers version of ‘writer’s block’?

All the time!!  I feel like I get suck in the rut of doing the same thing over and over.  Sometimes I just peruse Flickr.  Literally, I relax my eyes and scroll through images.  I don’t know if this will make sense, but things register without becoming permanently imprinted on my brain.  Like if I am doing a couple’s shoot, I will go to the blogs of some of my favorite people.  I will set back in my chair, relax and scroll down their blogs.  I don’t stop and read and I don’t really stop and focus on the images – I kind of let them wash over me…  Another new site that I am finding very useful is pinterest.com.  I see things that others “pin” and get ideas from that.  I flip through catalogs, store advertisements, etc.  Ideas come from all over!

10.  Do you have to jump up and down to get the kids to look at you?

HA!  Oh my goodness do I!!  I jump up and down.  I dance, I hop.  I sing songs.  I lay on the ground, I quack like a duck and moo like a cow.  I put things on my camera, my head, my nose.  You name it I’ve done it.  Even farting noises for the boys.  Anything to get their attention.