The Paustenbaughs

52 Fridays: Winged Creatures

This week from The Bloom Forum our group of photographers is taking on winged creatures.  This week we are traveling and transitioning over to Japan, but in the midst of all that some winged creatures essentially placed themselves in my lap to be photographed!  Unfortunately I didn't have "the big camera", but did have my phone.  Not the same, but with a bit of photoshop and picmonkey effects, it's at least suitable for now.

Those little ducklings are some serious cuteness!  We went to the park one afternoon since it was so nice and these little darlings came right up to us.  As you can see the mama was not too happy with them and especially with us, but we enjoyed them while we could!

Now head on over to Amy Ames, NC Photography to see what they have in store for today!

52 Fridays: Slow Shutter

This week The Bloom Forum has 10 participating photographers in our weekly theme for capturing photos each week.  This week's theme is Slow Shutter speed with a Long Exposure.

I have to admit this is the hardest to date!  This is something I've been wanting to try, but have never gotten around to doing it.  I think I need to keep trying!  I nearly didn't participate/post this week, but I figure I can't learn if I don't try, right? 

So here goes.  Slow shutter speed for the girl who never stops moving, especially at the playground:

Now head on over to Jenny Singleton Frisco, TX and take a look at their takek on this week's theme!

 

52 Fridays: Vintage

This week we have 12 photographers taking part in this week's The Bloom Forum weekly theme.  The theme for the week is Vintage and I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph when I saw the theme.

I just got vintage camera last month from a small shop in Indiana when I went to visit my family and I'm in love!  I'm dying to get another one to start adding to a collection of one!

Now head on over to Faye Kingston, Miramichi, NB to see her take on the theme!

52 Fridays: Self Portrait

This week we have 12 photographers from The Bloom Forum taking part in the 52 Fridays project.

This is normally a difficult one for everyone, especially photographers since they are the ones since they are the ones behind the camera most of the time!  I don't love my self portraits, but I have come to embrace it more.  Mostly because I know my family and children want me in those photos too.  Plus I like to do a little tongue in cheek sometimes with them.  Like today!

We are knee deep in organizing, packing, rearranging, and just basically in a moving 8000 miles away frenzy.

I'm tired.

Very, very tired.

Now, head on over to see Genevieve Flynn's beautiful self portrait!

52 Fridays: Round

This week from The Bloom Forum we have several photographers taking part in our theme for the week: Round.

I was at a loss since last Friday thinking of something fun and creative that I wanted to do.  I have been waiting until the last minute recently with all the craziness in our family and this week I actually got my act together early!!  Yay me!

I have several photos this week to share after going on a walk around our neighborhood with my girls.  I didn't think we would find much, but we ended up finding lots of round things around our house.  First up was sitting right in front of me-my youngest daughter who has the biggest, brownest eyes that I love:

They both talked me into slushies from the local convenience store on our walk and they let me borrow them briefly for a quick photo op:

I of course needed a quick pick me up as well, but not in the form of a slushie:

And I found one more when we were almost home at our playground.  It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I still liked the effect:

Now head over to see what Emily Bjornson has to offer this week!

Spring Training-Photography Style

I had the great opportunity to preview one of Erin Cobb's photography videos for the current Ella Spring Training class.  I have followed Erin for some time now and just love her photography style, so I was excited to get this assignment for spring training!

Both girls  have entered that stage in childhood that their paparazzi mama has run her course and I get super goofy smiles or the super fake ones.  Not good.  I love candids, but once the camera goes to my eye I immediately get the stink eye from them.

Erin had some great tips for pulling out some expressions from your kids without them even knowing it. 

I still got some goofy grins, but ended up with some very expressive ones as well!  I took a few of Ella, who happpens to be Mrs. Expressive of our family, and turned them into a layout for the Ella blog today:

Thanks for stopping by and if you're taking part in Spring Training, let me know how you're liking it!  I'm loving all the tips in the videos already!

52 Fridays: Perspective

This week we have 15 photographers taking part in the 52 Fridays series from The Bloom Forum and the topic this week really hits home.  Our theme this week is PERSPECTIVE.

To say our lives are a little bit chaotic right now is quite the understatement.  In just 4 weeks all of our belongings will be packed and either headed to storage or headed to Japan (eventually!).  Moving so far away, combined with selling our house, combined with working part time, combined with regular mom duties and finished off with doing it primarily on my own Monday through Thursday and my stress level is a WEE bit high these days.  My patience is thin and it's easy to get wrapped up in how things are affecting me.

That's when perspective kicks in.  I'm not the only one moving so far away, packing away my belongings and trying to relish friendships while knowing I have to say goodbye soon.  These 2 did not choose this life, but roll with it as if they wholeheartedly signed on themselves.

They teach me so much during these difficult transitions.  In the grand scheme of things as long as we all have each other, we will be ok.  Stressed at times, but A-OK!

Now head on over to Jenny Singleton, Frisco, TX Photographer and see her take on this week's theme!

 

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And don't forget Spring Training starts on Monday!!  So excited for this!  Save 10% this weekend.

Seeing Things Anew

First, thank you all so much for the birthday wishes yesterday!  I had a great day with lots of birthday wishes, a rainy run with an incredible friend and topped it off with cupcakes with my 2 favorite girls!

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I posted last week about our trip to see family over spring break and to say I took a lot of photos is quite an understatement!  I think it was a combination of knowing we won't see family for a long time, trying to practice some photography skills and looking at my home town in a new way. 

I grew up in a town of 350 people. Yes, you read that correctly and no, I didn't forget a number or a comma in there anywhere.  It's a 1 flashing light kind of town.  Literally, if you blink, you will miss it.  I have to be honest here and say that growing up there I quite honestly hated it.  I had a couple of friends that I ran all over the place with, but I knew from a young age that I was leaving and going to a city.

My parents still live there and will live there for the rest of their lives.  It's what they love.  When they come see us I think it kind of scares them a bit with all the people, traffic and fast pace!  The girls and I took a walk one afternoon and I went into old lady storytime with them, but lucky for me they enjoyed it and didn't throw me out to the road for the nearest tractor truck to run me over.

This building has been red for as long as I can remember and I never thought anything of it growing up.  Now as an adult I absolutely love it and wish we had had more time for a mini photo shoot with the girls and my parents. 

To me, it's as if time stands still here.  This is something I hated as a child, but now I see the value in that, the sameness.  I see it as a "vintage" town with all kinds of quirks and stories behind the buildings and houses.

I mean, where else can you stand in the middle of the street and snap away with no car in sight?!  We'll be there again before we head off around the world and I'm hoping we have some time to do that mini photo shoot and my kids have the chance to make their own memories in this small pocket in Indiana.

 

52 Fridays: Blue

Today we have 13 photographers taking part in the Bloom Forum's 52 Fridays series.  Today our theme is blue.  I had a few ideas, but didn't pinpoint it until yesterday afternoon at 5:00.  Talk about going down to the wire!

I've been on a mission the last few weeks to get a bit more toned, especially in t he arm area.  Sure, I'm an avid runner, but these puny arms have a bit to be desired! And Jillian Michaels  is the lady I turn to to help me out.

Now head over to Amy Ames, Holly Springs, NC to see what she has in store for today!

52 Fridays: Metal

We have been out of town all week so I wasn't sure if I would get to participate in this week's Bloom Forum 52 Fridays or not, but to my pleasure it did end up working out!

I normally like to have some kind of meaning behind a photo, but this one just struck me out of creativity and texture.  No, it isn't a ground breakingly creative photo, but just something that hit me when I looked down.

I took Maya and Ella and my nephew to a playground I used to visit growing up as a kid and there are little bridges throughout the park.  I looked down as we were walking to another area and the grated "bridge" that has seen years of wear and tear really struck me with it's texture.  So there you have it-my interpretation of this week's theme!

Now head on over to Liza Hall Photography to see her great photo!

For those celebrating-have a happy Easter!