And so I stepped away from the computer, and shot some new pictures. Thanks, ladies, for giving me the push to get out there and do some shooting. I have MAD LOVE for y’all.

Oh, and if you have no idea what this 11 on 11 thing is, you can read about it right HERE.

So, since I missed last month’s, if, theoretically, I posted 22 images instead of 11, then that would be okay, right? And likely, no one bothers counting how many pictures are actually posted so whatever I post would be fine, right? OK. Just making sure.

Let’s get this party started. First, some that I shot in May. My daughter donated 10 inches of her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

You can see what she looked like before the haircut right here.

Self portraits seem to go way better with the kids when I hand them the remote.

And some from June….

Crazy Hair Day at school may very well be my daughter’s very favorite day of school. She practiced doing this all week and woke up early to get it just right. We went organic strawberry picking at Swanton Berry Farms in Davenport. Loved it. Want to go again.The sky was having a hard time making an appearance that day. It was gray and dingy looking for a good chunk of the time we picked strawberries. Luckily, I know how to add a fake sky. Wanna learn how? Check out my upcoming editing workshop on June 23.

After picking 20 pounds of strawberries, we headed toward the store to weigh, pay, snack, and play.

This place was just cool. Lots of neat antique toys and games. I was dying over the window light and colors.

The dude was pretty interested in the Magic 8 Ball. “Will I get lots of new Pokemon games for Christmas?” Um, sorry, dude. Outlook Not So Good….

My little reader…..

There was an antique Howdy Doody doll just hanging out. Sorry to break this to you, but Howdy Doody is sort of creepy.

Despite the creepy factor, I found myself rather enamored by the antique ventriloquist doll with no clothes and a gap between his teeth. I figured he deserved a seat in one of my self portraits. Not as cute as my son, for sure, but Howdy Doody DOES stay still. That’s a plus.

So, that was pretty much 11 pictures… times three or something. Next up is the fabulous Alison from Alison Janki Photography. Go check her out and follow the link at the end of her post. Keep clicking through for lots of wonderful eye candy. Make it all the way through the circle, and you’ll make it right back here, just in time for Howdy Doody Time.

Check it out! It’s called SHINE–Unleash Your Awesome.

You should have a good understanding of how to use Photoshop for this course. We are giving away all our secrets.

These are the edits I’ll be covering. Hold onto your seats. I’m unleashing some awesome.

Want more info? Click RIGHT HERE!

In this one, I’ll start editing the picture in Lightroom and then bring it into Photoshop where I’ll bring out the color, get the subject to pop, and remove some of that haze. And for kicks, I’ll show you how to add some sunflare with a cute little rainbow in it.

This image, shot in full sun, had some lovely blue sky in the background. I’ll show you how to clean up the background, straighten out that balloon, change it into a heart, and add a cloud overlay.

Lots of people can add a fake sky in Photoshop, but to make it look believable is a whole other thing. I’ve developed a technique that works wonders on adding a fake sky without going completely and utterly insane.

Here’s some of our ads.

Wanna see what we’ll be teaching? Check THIS out!

If you want more information about the workshop and how to sign up, CLICK RIGHT HERE!

But that’s not all! (I’m feeling like a game show host!) Let me tell you what else we have in store for you!

We’re doing a GIVEAWAY!!! And who doesn’t love a giveaway??

The grand prize winner wins:

1) Jackie Jean Photography’s amazing Imagine series. It’s a set of 50 actions for CS2 and up. AND you win…

2) a sunflare overlay with a cute little rainbow for some added awesome to your backlit images AND

3) a butterfly overlay to add a little whimsy into your day!

And if you come in second or third, you can STILL win the sunflare overlay AND the butterfly overlay. Yea!

Here are the two overlays in action:

You want it? Well, read the details below and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Lol! We have already seen lots of people entering to win who clearly have not read the fine print. You gots to SHARE, people. SHARE!

The contest has already started and ends on May 15. Time’s a tickin’ people!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Go to Jackie Jean Photography’s Facebook fanpage and click on “LIKE.” (They really  need a “LOVE” button, if you ask me.)

2. Go to Laura Morita Photography’s Facebook fanpage and click on “LIKE.”

3. SHARE one of our SHINE ads we have on either of our Facebook pages. We made it easy and pinned an ad at the top of our Facebook pages, so it’s niiiice and easy! All you gotta do is click on “SHARE” and post it to your wall.

4. Come back over here, look for that doohickey below this information that says LOG IN TO ENTER and do what it tells you to do.

That’s it! Winners will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends, and if you didn’t follow the instructions on how to enter, then NO SOUP FOR YOU! You won’t win. You gotta do all the steps listed above!

Oh, and just so you know, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Facebook is released from any liability.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let’s get this party started. If you saw last month’s post, then you know my daughter turned 10. I had fun with her pictures for that. She celebrated her birthday with her friends at a gymnastics place. She had a blast. And because I didn’t want any leftover cake, those kids got the BIGGEST pieces of cake ever. LOL. I don’t think any of them even finished their plate.

We went for a hike. It was a really pretty day.

My daughter was having a grand ol’ time.

My son… well, he was sighing heavily because I made him stand there for 2 seconds. Poor child of a photographer.

The planets aligned this year because all of my siblings’ kids had the same Spring Break. This hasn’t happened in three years.

It.  Was.  Awesome.

I love my family.

Of course, we had to go to Target. And in a rare moment, the dude WANTED me to take his picture. Shocking.  Seriously.

We went to Japantown in San Francisco. I am in love with this wall.

And for a very strange reason, my daughter’s head grew very very big. Her usually normal sized hat now looked incredibly small. Weird.

My niece is actually a panda with duck lips.

And my nephew is uber cool.

My niece is seriously just the cutest little girl. I adore her little underbite and her voice and her giggle. She’s fantastic.

This is my  youngest nephew. He’s in love with my kids, especially my daughter. He is energetic and adorable. I swear, my siblings make really cute kids.

Um, 11 is not enough pictures when my entire family was here. Don’t count. I can’t stop.

My dad has a photography gallery going on right now. He’s an incredibly talented photographer.

My mom continues to fight hard. She starts “maintenance chemo” this week. Hoping those brain tumors get the message and just stay the heck away. I love the relationship my daughter and mom have. It makes me melt. That one on the left was a simultaneous blink from the two biggest blinkers in my family. I love it. I love them.

OK. Let’s pretend that I have now shared 10 images. I will now share my 11th image!  A self portrait of sorts. A family self portrait at that!

The story that goes along with this picture is a doozy. If I ever see you in person, you should ask me about it. Let’s just say it’s a miracle that this picture happened with relatively everyone smiling. Most of the spouses couldn’t make it since they have non-school jobs and don’t get a Spring Break. My sister in law was respresentin’ the in-laws. She’s aces.

And one last one of my parents and their four children. The one in the striped shirt is their favorite. Obviously.

I had to do some serious culling to get that down to 11, or um, close to 11. Next up is the insanely talented Sallykate Photography. She’s such an amazing photographer, and I am honored to be part of this blog circle with her. Go check her out. She just got a fisheye lens, I’m just gonna take a guess that MAYBE she’s showing some of that stuff off over there.

Bye now!

But I was determined to get my 11 pictures for this month. If you don’t know what this 11 on 11 thing is, you can read more about it HERE!

So, while pickings may be slim this month, what I can show you is this:

This is Om Nom. Om Nom is the lovable little green guy in the game ap Cut the Rope. My kids are obsessed with him. Um, so am I. He is totally adorable.

My daughter performed in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade for the second year in a row. This parade is the biggest Chinese New Year Parade outside of China. They work SO hard to learn their kung fu moves, songs, and dances. Here’s a shot of her before the parade.

My little guy got his orange belt this month. He refused, I mean REFUSED, to let me take a picture of him wearing his new belt. But I did manage to get this shot of the guy.

He hates my camera now. It’s such a bummer. He used to be my go to guy for pictures, but not anymore. This is more what I usually get. And why is he smiling in that last one? Oh, because he’s doing a spit bubble. Well, at least he’s smiling.

And if you’re counting, these three count as one, cuz I said so.

Wielding a light saber is serious business.

My sweetie had a birthday this month. Can you guess how old she is?

You got it! She’s TEN! HOW did my little baby turn TEN?  How have I been a mother that long? It’s been an amazing ten years, and watching her grow into the amazing ten year old that she is makes me all sorts of proud and giggly. She’s an amazing child. She has been growing her hair out forEVER and is getting ready to chop it all off to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths so that her hair can make a wig for someone who is fighting cancer. She decided to do this on her own, and I think that is amazing. She’s a special girl.

Ten candles for ten years.

I got a little weird with this one. But I LOVE it.

And finally, the self portrait. This almost didn’t happen this month. It’s March 10, and I shot this today. SO thankful I have mad skills in Photoshop. Goodbye wrinkles!

Next up is the amazingly talented Atlanta Area Family Photographer and Rockstar, Kate T. Parker. She’s insane. Like, in a good way, insane. Like, OMG, does every picture she take have to be so dang good??? Answer? Yes. Check her out!

And if you like what you see and want to follow me on Facebook, I won’t complain.

If you are just tuning in, I am very much honored to be participating in a monthly project with incredibly talented photographers. On the 11th of every  month, we will post 11 pictures. The doozy being that the 11th picture is a self portrait. It’s our attempt at getting some pictures of ourselves. We all recognize the importance of being in front of the camera, even if we are way more comfortable being behind it.

Let me start with this: an image of my amazing mom and my beautiful daughter. My mom has been fighting brain cancer for three years now. The cancer and the chemo have taken a lot of her strength, and sometimes, I fear it has taken her spirit away too. But when I see a picture like this, where all I see is her strength, and her spirit, and her love shining so powerfully out of those hazel eyes, I take pause, catch my breath, and remind myself to be grateful. I look right back into those eyes and whisper quietly, “I love you mom.”

And here’s a shot of one of our pretty kitties. I loved how the sun was lighting up her whiskers.

My little guy turned seven. That’s a lot of years that I’ve been loving him madly. I’m looking forward to loving him madly for the rest of my days.

This counts as one picture cuz these two kids complete me… you know, in that dramatic Jerry Maquire sort of way. hehe.

I love her joyful face celebrating her little brother’s birthday. I love his puffed up cheeks. Yep. They complete me.

The dude loves orange soda. I’m personally not a fan of giving them soda at all. But as a very special treat, he got some.

He sort of kind of loved it.

This also counts as one picture cuz 14 on 11, um or uh, 17 on 11 doesn’t have the same ring….

I really just wanted a picture of him sitting on his bed. I got these instead. But I love them even more because it’s him. He lies on his back all the time with his feet in the air. He loves Gangnam Style. And he loves not listening to me. LOL.

Come on…. Look at the camera…..

For his birthday, he had his best friend over for a sleepover, and his sister had her best friend over.

I played a little with some long exposure/light painting with the kids. It was kinda fun. Can you see me?

I love swings. I love love love the happy expressions I always get out of this guy when he’s swinging. So carefree.

I much prefer that happy face to the “I’m lost in Nintendo DS world” face.

Oh, who am I kidding. I love all his faces.

Last month, my son tested for his yellow belt. This time, it was my daughter’s turn.

She’s got a mean sidekick. This makes me giggle every time I see it. Kiai!

And I’m just gonna pretend you aren’t counting pics here, cuz I had to share these two of my beauty, just standing in front of the house being her, which is beautiful. Like, crazy so.

OK, seriously. I do know how to count. But, c’mon. How could I NOT share this one?

Getting a self portrait this month almost didn’t happen. I’m bummed I cut off my beautiful Miz Mooz boots, but super happy I have a picture of me with my kids sitting outside our house. They make me all sorts of happy.

I’m doing a horrible job of limiting these pics, but I  just can’t stop myself. Look at my sweet little girl. I love her room. The cloud with the rainbow above her bed was made by my mom. The paper cranes that are hanging in the corner? Also made by my mom. And the butterflies? Well, some came from Pottery Barn, and some were made by me. I love her room, decorated by the women who love her best.

You guys are just not gonna believe the talent that this blog circle has! Go check out Columbus Ohio photographer, Alison Janki Photography.  I know you’ll love her!

And if you want to see more of my stuff, I am better at posting to my Facebook wall. Come on over and like me. I’m a sucker for new likes. 

But, I know how important it is to have pictures of my parents…. I LOVE the images I have of my mom and dad.  There really just aren’t enough pictures of my mom and dad when I was growing up…pictures of them with full heads of hair, no wrinkles, no age spots, young and just beginning their lives as parents. So, I decided to change that for my kids. I want them to have lots of pictures of me. I want them to remember when I was young(ish) and carefree(ish).

I want them to remember me.

This desire lead to a monthly project I am participating in this year called “11 on 11.” You can see the first installment right here! This was to be like a lot of other blog circles, where photographers share their favorite personal images from the month, but this had a twist. I suggested to this amazing group of photographers that we include a self portrait, and while there may have been some inner grumblings about it, I’m pretty dang sure they are all starting to love the idea of including themselves in their pictures. It’s fun!

My first self portrait photo shoot of my kids and me was amazing. We laughed the whole way through. It didn’t seem like work. I didn’t have to beg.

It. Was. Magic.

I shared this image as part of my 11 on 11 project.

But I have so many more I wanted to share. So without further ado, here you go… the story of striped pajamas, crazy children, and me, their mother.

They were already playing in my room when I decided to grab my studio lights, tripod, camera, and remote, and get snapping.

My son’s elbows trip me out. Eep!

I can’t stand how much she’s grown up.

I have mad balancing skills AND mad “hide-the-remote-so-you-can’t-see-it-in-the-picture” skills.    Oh wait.. the remote is sitting on my tummy. At least it blends in with my shirt.

That last one cracked me up. I asked them to give me their “nice faces” and that’s what I got. Hahaha! They totally know how to wrap me around their cute little fingers!

If you like what you see, you can always follow me on Facebook.

I hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as I enjoyed shooting them! Who knew self portraits could be fun?

I forgot to mention that this Life Stories thing is a blog circle I have been participating in for over a year now. You can read more about it here.  This might be my last one. I have more on my plate than I can chew, but gosh I have loved doing them!

Next up is the Azure Marie Photography. Azure is a very creative person with a unique and wonderful eye. She’s also gorgeous and kind right down to the very bones. Love her. You will too.

You may have heard of the project 10 on 10, where photographers share 10 images they took that month and share it on the 10th of the month. Well, in honor of Spinal Tap, we’re doing 11 on 11. If you don’t know what my Spinal Tap reference is, here’s a clip:

So, yes, indeed. These will go to 11! I will be sharing 11 images I’ve taken of my family and will share them on the 11th!  The catch is, that 11th picture needs to be something different. For me, that something different will (hopefully) be a self portrait of me with my kids. I am so seldomly in front of the camera, and so desperately want pictures of me with my kids, so this project is my little push to make sure that I not only document my kids’ lives, but also include me in some of those pictures!

Let’s get started!

My freakishly tall daughter had the honor of placing the star on the San Francisco Union Square Christmas Tree this year. We’re so proud. Hehe.

My son graduated to yellow belt in karate. He already has a black belt in Cute.

My beautiful mom celebrated another year on this earth, for which I am incredibly grateful. Also pictured here is my amazing dad who lended his lungs when my mom couldn’t get those candles out. For those who don’t know, my mom has been battling brain cancer for almost 3 years now. Good thoughts and prayers are always welcome. It’s been tough.

The dude got a Flashrider 360 for Christmas and clearly owns the neighborhood now.

We went up to Reno to ski and play in the snow.  She allowed me pretty much this one picture in the parking lot before running off but dang, how I love it.

Taking a break from sledding to eat some snow. He may have eaten his weight in snow that day.

We stayed at the Circus Circus in Reno. I woke up to see my little guy sitting on the heater, peering out the window at the newly fallen snow.

Up the escalator to go to Circus Circus’s Midway of Fun.

She bought some light up glasses with her winnings.  It took her a gajillion minutes to decide on what to get and then she wore them for about a minute before she was done.

A shot of my daughter’s eyelashes while she was doing some artwork at the table. Love finding quiet moments like this.

And now for the 11th picture!  This was shot by me, using a tripod, one light set up, and my remote.  My remote has a 2 second delay, so once I fired it, I had two seconds to hide it and get ready for a shot!  LOL!  We had SO much fun!  I couldn’t decide how to present it, so I went a little crazy.

I will have to do a separate blog post to share all the fun pictures I got!  I rarely use studio lights and hope to try to use them more this coming year. I’m so glad I am challenging myself with this monthly self portrait. I hope I can keep the creativity going for 12 months!

(Hey! I DID do a separate blog post of our striped pajama insanity! You can check it out right here!)

If you like what you see, you can always FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

Next up is the incredibly talented Australian photographer, Leah Robinson of Leah Robinson Photography. I absolutely adore her work and know you will too!  Go have a look!

We brought our kiddos here so they could bask in the greatness of Country Club Bowl.

Lots of memories came flooding back as soon as we drove into the parking lot.

It totally was exactly as I remembered it.  Same orange and white lockers.  Same water fountain.  Same vending machines.  Same arcade. I do think the bowling balls have better colors now.  I seem to remember they were mostly black when I was a kid.

Let’s get started!

The kids started with the tried and true roll-the-ball-between-your-legs technique.

My nephew tried out the ramp.  Pretty slick.  Just put the ball on it, aim the ramp, and push!

I really enjoyed watching the moments after the ball was released but before the pins got hit.  My little dude did some funky things with his hands.

My nephew is just a little bit cute.  He gave up on that ramp pretty dang fast.  If his cousins didn’t need it, he most certainly didn’t.  I loved how he squatted down to watch the action.

My daughter held her ball just like that the entire time.  Not sure if she was just really eager to have her turn or if she was keeping that ball all to herself. 

Love this.

And OMG, how is he so devastatingly cute?

My serious bowlers.

Guess who won.

After two games, we stepped outside into the bright sunlight.

Time to load into the car.  But wait!  HOW is she just standing there looking like that?  Le sigh…..  My beauty….

Next up is the wonderfully talented Kel Ward of Kel Ward Photography!  Click on her link to see her Life Story, and then find the link at the end of her post.  Go through the circle and find yourself right back here. 

Thanks so much for looking!  You can follow me on Facebook, if you’d like!

It’s been a year since I posted images from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  It was my first Life Story.  You can see those images RIGHT HERE if you’d like to take a walk down memory lane.  And now it’s that time of year again.  My kids are really into pumpkins and really, what’s not to love?  Brightly orange colored pumpkins littered all around the ground.  So many to choose from and only ONE that is right for you.  My daughter, especially, takes her pumpkin finding responsibilities very seriously.  We found our way back to Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch. 

It was a bright and sunny day.

They quickly got to the tasks of choosing their pumpkins.The little guy dropped his pumpkin and the stem scratched his knee.  He wasn’t happy about that.  I went to get him a bandaid from my camera bag and simply couldn’t stop myself from taking some shots of him sitting amid all those pumpkins.

Can you blame me?  Look at him!

He was a bit annoyed with his crazy mom who takes pictures of sad boys.  He refused to smile for me.

But I worked my mama magic.  Look at him pretending he isn’t listening to my hilarity.

My little guy.  I love him.  I love his toothless smile.  I love his personality.  I love loving him.

And look at this sweetie.

She has this thing about baby pumpkins.  Ever since she was a cute little toddler, she’s just loved baby pumpkins.  When she was little, she would carry a little pumpkin around with her all.day.long and put it right at her bedside when she slept.  It cracks me up.  She treats it likes it’s a baby.

My kids are goofy.

I have no idea from whence this goofiness comes.

Total mystery.

I adore my kids.

Now all we needed to do is ride those pumpkins to the car and head home.  Another great visit to the patch.

I’m already looking forward to next year.

Next up is the amazing Northern Illinois photographer behind Heather Wilson Photography.  She never disappoints! Head on over for some beautiful images and then click your way through all the links to find your way back here!