the little things (a guest post by Alexandra Robbin)

Hello, I'm Alexandra. Generally, I'm a very happy, bouncy person. I'm that person who ends up bugging everyone to death with their singing and cheerful disposition. What can I say? I love life and all the pleasures that come with it. I try to appreciate the small things in life, like a small bouquet of wild flowers, there's something about wildflowers that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I love floral patterned sundress (floral patterned anything would do!) they always make me think of springtime.

I love feeling the sunshine seeping through the tree tops and warming my back. Some days I'll sit outside for hours on end just soaking up the sun.

I love going into cute little vintage shops, you never know what you're going to find!

and last but not least, I love weird signs! You'll just be walking down the street feeling glum and you'll suddenly see some sign hanging in a shop window and it will light up your day!

This is just the beginning of a very long list, but I will spare you and stop at five.

What are some of the little things you love?

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I'm Alexandra Robbin W. I love photography and writing more than anything on earth. I love God more than anything in the universe. I believe in long walks on the beach, curling up to read on rainy days, eating pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, smiling at total strangers and blogging on occasion (by 'on occasion' I mean daily!). For more about me and my life check out my blog!

who i am and what i do. {a guest post by Ellie}

Hi there! I'm Ellie and I am SO exciting to be guest blogging over here on Rachel's fantabulous blog! Who exactly am I? Well let's see.... :]

I am a girl (good start) that is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that the Bible is His living Word and that it can speak to us every day. He is my Savior and King and I owe my life to him.  

I also have an amazing family. Two wonderful parents, four younger sisters, and a younger brother. I. love. them. They mean the world to me and honestly my family are my favorite people in the world. We are crazy and I love it.

{a picture from a recent photoshoot of mine} 

PHOTOGRAPHY is the best invention ever. Ever. I have such a passion for it that I started my own business! A few years ago, I made a blog. It was ugly, I had no idea what I was doing. Over time, I got better at the art of photography, took pictures of families and people I loved, and last year launched a website. I did an internship this past April and decided that after I graduate I want to go into wedding photography. Why do I do photography? The smiles. The emotion. The reward of looking on the back of my camera and seeing a captured moment. I do it for posterity. I do it because I seriously and honestly love it. If you are just starting out in photography, I'd really encourage you to practice, practice, practice capturing real life emotion. Because those pictures are the ones that will mean so much to people 30 years from now. The posed ones, yes they are important and yes they should be there. But when you capture a genuine smile or a real interaction, something magic happens. Ba-da-bing. (That was for effect. Not sure if it worked.)

I think it's so important to love what you do. If you are a writer, embrace it. Write your very best. If you are a photographer, take those gifts you have and embrace them. Take pictures and grow and learn. If you are an artist of another form, take those opportunities and let them blossom.

A few more random facts about me? (that you probably will never need in your life but it's just fun. you know.) I love strawberries, the color yellow, vintage stuff, blogging, ice cream (vanilla!! i'm a plain jane kinda girl), organizing, and babysitting. I painted my room aqua and my closet bright yellow. I have kept a journal for three years and I love country music. I am usually pretty random, so watch out. :)

So there you have it! That's me and my business and why I do what I do. What do you do? And do you love it? Do we have anything in common or am a totally wacky and crazy person? (that isn't out of the question. yet.)

I'm Ellie. i am a follower of Jesus Christ, oldest of 6, and 

photographer of life. i love strawberries.

{blog | website | facebook}

photography tips [guest post by Julianna]

Hey guys,this is Julianna, guest posting for the awesome Rachel while she's on vacation! Today I thought I'd share with you some photography tips, I'm by no way an expert at this, these are just some things I've learned along the way :]

one. [Shoot Manual] The number one thing I've learned is to shoot in manual mode,it opens up a world of creativity for you,and can seriously make your pictures look 10 times better! You really need to try manual out sometime! Kate just wrote a post on how to start shooting manual,check it out here.

two. [The Light] The light is vary impotent, you want soft, diffused light,not harsh,hard light. Therefore when shooting outside, you don't want the light right on your subjects face, you want it behind them. And if you're taking pictures in side try using window light!

three. [Get Creative With Shutter Speed] Taking pictures of a fares wheel? Try using a slow shutter speed to capture the motion of the lights. Also if you have a zoom lens try zooming out as you take the picture. The example below shows just what I mean. This technique also works on alot of other things like moving headlights. Pretty much any lights that move.

see? the top one is a lot more interesting!

four. [Don't Use Your Built-in Flash] Usually when you use your built-in flash it just makes your pictures look flat, washed out,and unnatural! I'm not saying all flash is bad I'm just saying most of the time the one on your camera is ;) You can just look at the example below,both are sooc.

five. [Its All About The Angle] Don't just go with the ordinary, try out different angles, and don't be afraid to lay on the ground, or stand on a chair, just to get good angles.

   Thanks Rachel for letting me guest post!

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Me? i'm a fifteen year old girl,blue eyes,wavy hair,takes her camera everywhere she go's,loves chocolate,late night laughs,and most of all her Lord Jesus!! You can learn more about me at my blog here.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies! {a guest post by Jessica}

Who doesn't love chocolate??? And what could be better than double chocolate? How about Double Chocolate Chip Cookies? These are sooo good!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approximately 3 to 4 dozen delicious morsels

In a large bowl, combine:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter (1 stick and 2 Tbl)
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix with an electric mixer for a few minutes until ingredients are combined.

Now, in a separate bowl, stir together:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand, using the mixer for the first half and a stirring spoon for the rest.

Add one bag of chocolate chips and stir them into the dough.

It's always nice to have a helper, right? :)

Using a teaspoon, scoop cookies onto a greased cookie tray.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook for approximately 12-15 minutes. (The original recipe said 10 minutes but the cookies weren't done so I left them in for longer.) Keep checking every few minutes and then...

Take them out of the oven and put them on a cooling tray. Eat one or two and share a few! (You probably didn't need to be told that, did you?) ;)

Thanks for letting me post, Rachel!

I'm Jessica, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and a missionary kid from Papua New Guinea. Photography, writing, languages, cooking, travelling and guinea pigs are a few of my favorite things. If you'd like to know more, please visit my blogs and feel free to introduce yourself. :)

Image-ine, Jessica's Journal, Facebook, & Twitter

On entertaining yourself (guest post by Megan)

You know those times when you are outside, in the car, waiting for your mom to come out of the grocery store? When you're thinking to yourself 'I thought she said that she just had to get bread and pretzels? What's taking so long'. Or when you little sister decides that she randomly has to go to the bathroom just before you were about to leave the library. And fifteen minutes later, she finally comes out.


All of the above happens very often in my family of seven members. I can remember endless hours of sighs and complaints while we waited unhappily for family members to return to the car from stores, or the youngest child to finally stop throwing a fit. And through all the years, I've needed to come up with endless things to entertain myself during these times of what would normally be boredom.

1. Take Random Pictures.
If you're like me, you will probably have your camera handy (itouch and phones work too). Start snapping some random pictures of your surroundings. You never know what interesting photos you can come up with!

2. Make a bracelet.
I usually have some floss or hemp stuffed away in my pocket incase I ever get bored and need something to do. It's come in handy plenty of times and never gets in the way when I'm not using it.

3. Study designs and color schemes.

When I'm bored, I often find myself studying designs; chairs, carpet, wood, jeans, teeshirts, jewelry--everything. I then go on to realize the colors of things. I find colors and patterns that go good with each other. Oddly enough, this can be very entertaining.

4. Weave Grass Together.

I know, I know, you are probably thinking that I've got to be the weirdest person on earth to actually go as far as weave pieces of grass together--but I was really tired and was trying to keep myself awake while being extremely bored. And it was actually kind of fun. So yes--if it ever comes down to it, you can always weave pieces of grass together.

5. If all else fails--play the metal on the vents.

Okay, now you're not just thinking it--you know it. I'm crazy. I know. But when you're bored, you really have to rack your brain for things to do. Unfortunately for me, there happened to be a vent there which played three different distinct notes if you plucked the bars. So I began plucking them. Eventually my sister came out of the bathroom. And dad had taken a video. I'm really very smart sometimes.

Now you'll never be bored again. You may thank me later.

My name; Megan. 13 years old. Soon to be freshman. Friend. Daughter. Sister. Writer. Photographer. Artist. Musician. Following God's plan to the best of my ability daily. One of the craziest people you'll ever meet.  Blogger at Me. {That's all I have to be}.

Capturing Sunlight {digitally} (a guest post by ashlyn)

hello.

my name is ashlyn.

i own an Olympus Digital, Point and Shoot, Camera.

and i realize that it is diffucult to get

a

 beautiful sunlight look

in your pictures.

One thing that I definitely have trouble with is

getting a good picture with good sunlight in it.

and it not being silhoutte.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Don't get me wrong. I do like silhouette, when I want it.

Hey, do you want every single picture that way when you are taking pictures in bright light with a Point and Shoot?

Because there are times when the sun is extremely bright, there's no shade trees in sight, and you just have to take a pictures of your sister running to you.

But, doesn't the picture above look better instead of the one below?

Evening is especially hard. This is around 7:30 central.

It's completely dark in the shade; glaring without.

You know the feeling.

So... what do you do???

I have three tips. Number one is definitely important, the most helpful. Heeeere goes.

 

1. Shoot in Macro/Super Macro.

{I use this mode all the time}

Let me explain why.

Your focus point in your camera, naturally, is drawn to the light.
Thus making for the sillhoute effect.

When using macro, you can manually 'figure out' where you want your focus point at, and it still gets the sun as well.

Here's an example(s).

example #1.

Below: This is in macro.

Notice that while the sun is there, you can still see the purple flower and the green leaves.

 Not taken in Macro. All you can see is the sun and the trees in the background.

example #2

please ignore the red dots. that's something I'm working on.=D

Anyway, the one below is in Macro. The green is still there and you can see the red raspberries.

 Below, not Macro. The camera focuses on the light, thus the result.

 example #3

This one I had in Super Macro. I focused on the grass a few feet ahead, thus blurring the ones there. You can still see the bright lighting in the picture.

Not macro. (although, I do like this picture!!!)

Does everyone see the difference. Macro changes your whole picture. Also.

Macro is not just for close up--- it can be used, basically, in every picture.

{Unless.... you are trying for a sillhoute.}

2. Darken Manually.

Turn the brightness down!

(a.very.simple.one.)

example.

See the drastic lighting in this picture? The shaded area looks almost completely black. Not what you want!

 Too bright!!! Yes, the shady area is not as dark- but look beyond. yuck.

 not perfect, but better. The shade area you can tell is actually green, and the place where it is getting direct sunlight is not causing you to blink your eyes.

It can really change a lot!

3. Position your camera better.

As you will see below in the two pictures, I noticed where the glaring sun was at and changed my position.

Well, Hope that Helps! It has helped me anways!

I know these ideas are simple, easy, and I'm sure ya'all already know, but I'm learning!

Until Next Time, Happy Shooting in

The Sun!

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Ashlyn: A Christian, saved by the blood of the LORD Jesus Christ. A daughter, homeschooled by her mom. A sister, to six in September. Aspiring Photographer, loving and learning to Capture Memories for a Lifetime. Avid Piano Player, History Lover, and a girl who loves to write. {Read more about me here. }

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Thanks for guest posting Ashlyn! :)

Hi! :)

Hey Guys!

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm Guest posting here today.. I hope you like it..  

This next week were going to have a fun week. no sneak peeks, You'll just have to wait. Muahahha....!

.

Have a wonderful nIght! ♥

Still here.... Lately I've been.

Miss me? haha.
Just quite busy guys, sorry for the lack of posts, Should have had a few extra emergency Guest posters! =P
Lately I've been..

Been Making some yummy cobblers... ♥

Recently Got a Jo-tote in the mail.... ♥♥♥♥♥♥

 I'm pretty much Lovin' it... :D

Lately I've been Makin' some pretty good Potatoes.... :D

Yummers!


  Lately Been Realizing that i have wayyyy to many books i am reading @ once.

Lately I've been Reading This awesome\funny\good book mostly lately... You gotta read this!

PSsssst! If anybody wants to guest post, please email me!

Have a lovely 4th of July! ♥