It's finally October

I love this time of year! I love halloween and Patrick loves that there is a bucket of halloween candy for him to sneak into.

I took a series of fall inspired photos, please head over to The Elephant of Surprise to see me and let me know what you think!

The Elephant of Surprise Guest Post | Free Printable

My sister and I teamed up to create this free printable for back to school. I can't believe that summer is almost over, I feel like I have so much left to do before it ends. My sister has a great blog that if you haven't seen it, you must! Thanks Aimee, for always so many great and creative ideas and I am anxious to get this printed and in Patrick's room. 

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I'm a little sniffly today. It's my first-born's first day of preschool! I know, I know, it's preschool. One day a week. For 3 hours. But, sheesh, today it's preschool, tomorrow he's going to be driving! It's a killer, but I'm also so happy and excited for him! He has been asking me for almost a year to go to school. He's so eager, the first time I dropped him off at the IKEA play land a couple months ago, he ran in and said, "Bye, Mom. I'm going to my class!" 

I hope today exceeds all his expectations.

I came across this quote last week, and I immediately loved it. Short and sweet, but so wise. I thought it would be a great theme for my kids during their school years. (I know, my oldest is starting preschool. Eyerolls appropriate.) I envisioned it hung somewhere they would see it often and be reminded of the choices that bring happiness in this life. So I asked my talented sister, Leslie for a photo to pair with the quote. This is what we came up with together. Now I just have to find the perfect spot to hang it.

Leslie was kind enough to offer this image as a FREE PRINTABLE to all of you! Click here to get a copy for your personal use. If you need it resized, feel free to email me.

Thanks again to Leslie Leavitt Photography. 

Spring Break

Hello, hello..

I am so excited to share with you all of the fun pictures that I took over my "spring break" (Yes, I gave myself a spring break) I took about a week and a half off of blogging, editing and all other business related things and enjoyed an amazing trip to Disneyland with my family. 

Since my sister just returned home from her mission, we all were so excited to spend three days at this magical place! We enjoyed the famous churros, corn dogs and loved watching Grant and Patrick play and experience Disneyland. Even though I was exhausted and my feet hurt, it was worth it!  

You Deserve A Photo Project | Guest Post

I am so excited to be apart of this great program called You Deserve A Photo. You should check out the facebook page and all of the other wonderful photographers involved.

I'm Alana Allred.  I am from Calgary, Canada and I am living in Rexburg while my husband and I attend school at BYU-Idaho.  We are the proud parents of a rowdy 18-month-old boy.  I am studying communications with an emphasis on advertising.   I married the boy that I fell head-over-heels for when I was 14 at EFY, but it took a lot longer for him to notice me.  

You Deserve A Photo is a project I started in January where I have collaborated with some South Eastern Idaho photographers who have donated some mini photo sessions for families in need.  Families are nominated by either themselves or someone else.  Throughout March families will be picked from the nominations made, and if all goes well, maybe we can do it all over again.  There is more information on the website: www.youdeserveaphoto.com

I decided to create You Deserve A Photo for a couple of reasons.  In order to graduate I need a senior project that applies some of the things I have learned in my schooling and occupies 50 hours.  As a mother, wife and a student, I already feel like my time is being pulled in too many directions and it is hard to create a balance.  I decided that I wanted to have a senior project that was worth my time, I wanted to do something that I felt good about.  

I also had this experience before Christmas in 2012 that made me realize just how fortunate I am, and I took a new interest in helping those around me who aren't so lucky.  We were providing Christmas for a family in need, and I kept thinking about how I should find a way to give them something that they probably couldn't give themselves, like family pictures.  I ignored that re-accuring thought, because I am no photographer, and it might be hard.  

When contemplating a senior project, I remembered that thought - and I realized I could probably do it.  I felt like I finally found something that would be worth my time, and also give back to the community.  I couldn't have done it without so many awesome and willing photographers.  

I just can't wait to be able to bless the lives of some families in Idaho.

spring cover contest

This will be my first time entering one of my photos for a chance to be on the cover of Chic Magazine. I am submitting one of my favorite photos of my friend Paige. I hope that this will be a good fit for what they are looking for. Wish me luck! 

Hair and Makeup: Jenessa Evans       

Model: Paige Dickson

weekend getaway | utah

Since it was President's Day on Monday, Tyler had the day off so we drove to Park City, one of my favorite places to go. All we did was relaxed. We swam in the pool, did a little shopping, ate at some really good restaurants and caught up on some sleep. It was nice to spend some quality time with my little family since I will be gone in Washington next week, leaving Tyler behind in Rexburg. sad:(

Self Portraits | Rexburg, Idaho Photographer

Today has been a busy day! My little boy is sick and my husband is sick. I don't know what it is but my husband acts like a bigger baby then Patrick when he is sick - is this just my husband?

So with a late night, a late work out and a late blog post, I wanna post about my self portraits. I am usually the one behind the camera and I love that. I am no a huge fan of my picture taken. But how can I become a better photographer if I don't get in front of the lens myself. So I set my camera to the correct settings and grabbed a friend and this is what I got! Let me know what you think, I would love to hear.

The Jean Girl \\ Rexburg Idaho Photographer

Last week I was busy doing a photo shoot with Stephanie from The Jean Girl. She asked if I would take photos of all her clothes so she can launch her new website. How could I resist!? I loved the experience and I hope to be able to do more product photo shoots, just like this one!

Guest Blogger \\ Pacific Northwest Hikes

I am so excited to be having Justin Garin, the writer for Pacific Northwest Hikes, on my blog today! I follow him on instagram and I am a huge fan.  I asked him to tell us a little bit about all the adventures he goes on and how he gets such amazing photos. 

Follow Justin on instagram @vapormonkey

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Lena Lake, Olympic National Park

Hello followers of Leslie! My name is Justin and I write the blog Pacific Northwest Hikes & Adventures. Leslie has always shown great interest of my photography and I'm very excited to be writing on her blog. I have known Leslie in high school, but had no idea that she shared a passion for photography as well. I enjoy her photography, especially her portraits!

     Now for a little about myself. I grew up here in Washington and the Olympic National Park served as my backyard. At a young age I always found myself gazing at the mountains and I enjoyed the weekend trips to the Olympic National Park with my family. It wasn't until 2009 that I started venturing pass the full parking lots and well groomed trails. I can still remember my very first backpacking trip.  It was to a place called Enchanted Valley and we had hiked 13.5 miles to our destination. From that trip I realized that I wanted to be able to share the unscathed landscapes, the towering trees, cascading rivers, and snow covered peaks. I wanted people to see what I saw and to appreciate mother nature more.

     I could go on and on talking about the things I have seen, but lets get back to talking about photography! There are many places to see here in Washington, but if your fairly new to hiking I would recommend Marymere Falls trail. Marymere Falls is a fairly short hike at 2 miles, but every person I have brought falls in love! In the summer the trail is usually busy, but around this time of the year the parking lot is fairly empty. Marymere falls is located in between Mount Storm King and Aurora Ridge and tumbles its way into Barnes Creek, which drains into Lake Crescent. It's a well groomed trail with plenty of signs! Marymere falls is a short hike, but leaves you plenty of time to go swimming at Lake Crescent or explore some more!

Marymere Falls

f/22 iso @100 5s exposure

Barnes Creek 

f/22 iso @100 10s exposure

Here are few things that I do to take long exposure shots.
1.  Be sure to pack a wide angle lens, a neutral density filter, tripod and a remote to have your camera take the shot.
2.  Try to compose your shot before setting up your tripod it will save you a lot of time!
3.  Be sure to put your ISO to the lowest setting and I find that using the highest aperture helps get a long exposure.  Shoot in manual!
4.  Use a neutral or graduated density filter.  These filters allow you to get smooth silky water.
5.  Use the remote to take the picture.  Pushing the shutter button on your camera moves the tripod, which results in a not so sharp photo.

Another helpful hint is that sunny days aren't the best days for long exposure shots.  Cloudy days act as a filter and allows you to get long exposure shots.  
I try to follow these five rules every time to help get a great long exposure shot.  On top of all of that be sure to pack the "ten essentials" for hiking and make sure others know where you are at.  Do some research on the trail and try to find recent trip reports.  

Hope these tips help and you inspire you to get out and explore! Thanks for reading and thank you Leslie for giving me some space on your blog!     

Staircase Rapids is another short enjoyable hike full of cascades

sunsets.rexburg photographer

Rexburg has some amazing sunsets. I went out to try to capture a sunset however, I had a bit of an incident. I was driving down the back roads and my car got stuck in a big pile of snow. After trying to get out myself and only making things worse, a nice country boy pulled up on his snowmobile and pushed me out.

Guest Blogger | Mandy's Recipe Box

Have you ever thought about starting a blog? Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box is an amazing food blogger and it is filled with delicious recipes and pictures. She will be sharing some great tips on how to get great food photos!

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Hello! I am Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box. I am happy to be here on Leslie's blog to talk about food blogging. Leslie's husband and my husband are cousins and it's always fun to see each other at family get-together's. I love her photography and gotta get her to take my family's photos this year! Now, let me tell you a little about myself...

I have been married to my farm boy for 12 years and we have 3 great kids ages 10, 8, 4, and one due in February. I grew up in Ogden, UT and met and married Lance in 2000. We moved to the middle of nowhere, Idaho and I have been converted to country girl. The nearest store is 30 miles away so I have to be well stocked in the kitchen and my food room. There's no making a quick trip for some vanilla extract where I live, especially in the winter!

I started my food blog in 2009 because I wanted to share my favorite recipes and love of food with whoever wanted to read about it. I have learned so much on taking great photos of food since I started. Here's an example...

This was how my photos looked at the beginning. Not so awesome.

Here's how they look now...

Much better, I believe. Here's what I've learned.

1. Always take photos in natural light when possible. I never use a flash. There are lots of tools you can use, such as light boxes and a light scoop, but I just use good old fashioned natural light. I have my kitchen table with french doors to the right of it. Then I put a large white poster board to the left of my food to reflect the light back on the food, eliminating shadows.

2. I use a Canon Rebel T2i with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. I use it for all my food photos. I used to have a regular point and shoot camera which is what I used in the old style photos above. It was fine, and I know lots of bloggers who only use a point and shoot camera rather than a DSLR camera. But I also take my kids' photos and photos for other people so I wanted to upgrade to something nicer.

3. I use the internet for tips. Sites like The Pioneer Woman and Kevin and Amanda have great tutuorials. Check them out.

4. I look to other bloggers for photo ideas. Some of my favorites are Chef-in-Training, Life as a Lofthouse, and Something Swanky. These are just a smidgen of bloggers whose photos I admire. It's ok to use other blogs to get ideas for your own. Just make it your own. Don't be a copycat. Be your own unique self.

5. I use Picmonkey for my editing. It's great and simple to use and suits me just fine. 

Other than that, I just experiment and do what feels good.

I get my ideas from family recipes, favorite cookbooks, and other bloggers. I also love finding something I love at a restaurant and re-creating it at home. I hope you have learned something useful! I'd love to hear from you so please visit me on facebook, pinterest, or drop me a note at mandybird208{at}gmail{dot}com.

Thanks for having me, Leslie!

paradise island

I am finally getting to post my photos from our most recent trip to the Bahamas! I couldn't believe it myself, that we got to leave all our responsibilities (literally!) and the cold weather for the beautiful and incredibly warm waters of the Bahamas.

We left little Patrick with my parents and even though it was only for 4 days, I was heartbroken. Everytime I saw anyone that reminded me of Patrick, I was a wreck. I was constantly saying, "Patrick would love this", "Patrick would have had so much fun" or "I miss Patrick."

However, I still had such a great time. It was nice to have a mini vacation with just Tyler. We ate a ton of food, relaxed in hammocks under the trees and swam in the crystal clear ocean.