Apple Orchard 2018

Every year my family treks up to SkyTop Apple Orchard with dear friends (Mike & Courtney Schnee and kiddos) for a fun day at the orchard. We pack a picnic and hike to the farthest end of orchard to get the exact kind of apple we like (pink lady). Of course we end the excursion with apple cider doughnuts. 

Normally this trip is prime time for me to take beautiful pictures of my family. But this year I was in charge of Grant AND puppy Shiloh while Aaron and Wesley focused on picking apples. Pictures didn't quite happen as anticipated. Oh well. We have the great memories. :-) 

AND!!! Thanks to my dearest friend, Courtney, I still have some photos because she was thoughtful enough to grab my camera and snap a few pictures. 

Summer MISC {Blog Catch-Up}

 Minnesota Landscape

Summer has come and gone, but many of the great memories linger. I didn't take many photos over the summer months ~ however ~ the whole family captured and stored up countless snapshots of memories from our summer of fun.

     Pool time.
     Slowing down.
     Family time.
     Trip to the family farm in Minnesota.
     Family vacation to Joni & Friends Family Retreat.

Here are a few VERY random photos collected from the summer...

Life lately through film {Film Journey}

I received my second set of film scans back from the lab. I must say I was extremely disappointed in myself. :-(

It is clear that I need to vastly increase my exposure. Sigh...

My goal for this roll of film was to capture movement while working on my camera settings - and trying out my incident light meter. I shoot with Fuji Film 400 and Fuji film is known for being very "light hungry". 

Film and digital photography are different in many way. One big difference is where the "information" is stored in a photo. 

When shooting digital, I usually err on the side of underexposing - because the info is stored in the shadows/dark areas of the picture.

Shooting film is the opposite. I need to overexpose more because the info is stored in the light areas of the picture. Interesting!

Anyway... moving on to more photos!

 I caption this photo: "Expressed Joy!"

Grant is singing "blue" at the top of his lungs while wildly swinging. Lately Grant will sing a single word - usually about something he really likes. I want to be more like that. Lean my head back and sing loudly about something that brings me joy. 

          "Sunshine!"  

          "Autumn!"

          "Sleeeeeeeeeep!!!"  :-)

Confessions of a... DOG LOVER! {Therapy Dog Saga}

Yup, you read the title correctly. While I have no problem declaring my love for cats (see post: Confessions of a Cat Lover), I have now fallen head-over-heels for our new furry family-member. 

Week One with Shiloh

Unfortunately, the timing of getting the puppy for Grant coincided with a HUGE work deadline. Between family, work and taking care of a new puppy, I have not had time to take pictures. So I decided to take a quick break from work this morning to snap some photos of our beloved labradoodle. 

Here are a few...

My New Journey with Photography

Meet Shiloh {Therapy Dog Saga}

Great news! The puppy has been selected for Grant!

Introducing Shiloh: