project 52 of 2013 | backlighting

Our challenge this week was backlighting - one of my very favorite ways to photograph portraits...and pretty much everything else :) I just love the softness it creates and the opportunities for some unique sun flares.

project 52 of 2013 | bokeh

Our challenge this week was "bokeh" - that delightful blur that comes as the result of a shallow depth of field. My aperture was set to f/5.6 for this as I was busy taking my younger daughter's one-month pictures - and just happened to see this opportunity with Izzy - so I added a cute bokeh overlay by Ginny Haupert to give it some flair. Not normally my style but I figured it worked this time because, if I'm being honest, I actually forgot about our challenge.

"A Day in the Life" | Northern Virginia Photographer

Yesterday, I joined several other photogs for my very first "A Day in the Life project" and I was super excited about it. Having a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 week old, it's hard to tell where my nights end and days begin. So, I started my project after my cup of coffee and ended it with my oldest's bedtime.

project 52 of 2013 | nature

This week's challenge was nature. Such a broad subject that it's hard to zero in on what you want to accomplish. I decided to take my Canon 100mm macro out for a walk with my family one evening and this is what I came up with.

project 52 of 2013 | red, white, blue

Getting my post up a smidge early this week! This week's theme, fittingly, was "red, white, blue." I had wanted to get a picture of the flag guy in Leesburg, VA - this guy decks himself out in American flags and rides his bike around town planting them everywhere. All year. It's amazing and he is nice as can be. But I couldn't find him!