My Experience! Newborn Posing with Kelly Brown

Today I started a 3 days course in Newborn Photography at Creative Live with Australian Photographer of the Year and newborn posing specialist, Kelly Brown.

It's has been a great experience, loaded with new techniques, ideas & wisdom from another mom who has built her bussiness photographing newborns and babies. Kelly covers everything I needed to know from basics like using creative props and taking vital safety measures to the more complicated tasks of working with parents to gain trust.

This course has boosted my confidence, my knowlege in safety techniques and so much more. Such valuable information.

Creative Studio Backdrop Ideas for Photographers on a Budget

Oh that day, when you see all the beautiful drops being offered on a spring clearence on every backdrop store you have bookmarked.
I'm on a tight budget, I'm a mom, I don't have a bussiness, so creativity is a must, so here is my list follows with my try out pictures.

1. Shower curtains
2. Large towels (such as beach towels)
3. Blankets (especially King Size)
4. Tablecloths
5. Quilts
6. Wood paneling
7. Christmas lights (if shooting very shallow DOF)
8. Sheets
9. Fabric (velvet, cloth, flannel, etc)
10. Curtains
11. Quilts
12. Antique or painted door
13. Bubble wrap tacked to a board
14. Upholstery fabric
15. Old newspapers
16. Wrapping paper
17. Scrapbook paper
18. Rugs
19. Kitchen drawer paper liner
20. Bamboo shade
21. Plywood sheets
22. Mirrors
23. Tile board
24. Old display boards from department stores/retail stores
25. Wooden blinds
26. Painter’s drop cloth
27. Seamless paper + added recycled party decorations
28. Wall paneling from a hardware store + paint
29. Huge flag
30. Old garage door (recycled)
31. Aluminum foil glued to a board
32. Garage floor

Places to Photograph in Katy,TX and surrounding areas - (Part 2)

Mary Jo Peckham Park - 5597 Gardenia Ln  Katy, TX 77493

White Oak Bayou Trail at Houston heights. A friend spoted some beautiful bluebonnets here. Corner of TC Jester and Ella Blvd. (2001 W 11th St, Houston, TX 7700. Thank you Leticia Carlson for the tip!

Rob Fleming Park
The Woodlands, TX
(Take some silk bluebonnets with you, and tell the children those are the ones they can pick up! or just put them on a basket for extra beauty)
Craftsman-style Pavilion. Naturally landscaped lake with lakeside conservation trail, tree-lined promenades,
Bluebonnet meadow, festival field, butterfly garden, pine forest picnic area, groves of specimen trees, planned wildlife sculpture trail, and trailhead to the George Mitchell Nature Preserve.

Here are some images we made at this place.


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Places to Photograph in Katy,TX and surrounding areas - (Part 1)

Enchanted Meadow Ln and Cinco Ranch Blvd
Driving on Cinco Ranch Blvd I saw another little lake/park, cute location in case all the parks along Cinco Ranch Blvd are crowded.

Cincho Ranch Water Park
Cinco Ranch Blvd with Hamptonshire Ln has this tiny little 'water park' - I have photographed there and never saw a shooter in this little spot.

River Green Park on Cinco Ranch Blvd.
Cinco Ranch Blvd with RiverGreen Park Ln. Nice little park with a lake, some rocks, and I love the little hills all around the park.

Katy Heritage Park
5990 George Bush Drive
Katy, Texas 77492-0359
I recently did a photoshoot at this place for Debboutique but I couldnt remember the name of the place! so I drove there on Sunday and snapped this shot from the parking lot. As you can see there is always somebody with a camera there. It's small, and super cute.

Mary Jo Peckham Park
5597 Gardenia LaneKaty, Texas 77493
This place is huge, tons of trees, picnic areas, walk trails, play grounds, open shade areas, lots of possibilities.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
6003 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX (713) 639-7750
Located in the River Oaks community in Houston, Texas, United States, is a 14-acre (57,000 m) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) that houses a collection of decorative art, paintings and furniture.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)
1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005
Located in the Houston Museum District, Houston, is one of the largest museums in the United States. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 6,000 years of history with approximately 64,000 works from six continents.

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Parenting has never been so cool! The Parent Rap

When you are a parent, movies like this really makes sense! SPOT ON!!
This depicts perfectly the demands that we must meet as parents! I just had to share it here on my Blah, Blah, Blog for a good laugh!

Clean With... Kool-Aid?

It’s ironic that your dishwasher—a machine devoted to cleaning dishware—can itself get dirty.

Clean lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher by pouring a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and running the (empty) dishwasher. The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains; you don't have to.

This stuff really works!

Tip learned from Real Simple Magazine/Monica Buck

How to teach your kids to blow their noses

With the season change comes the stuffed noses and the new challenge, how to teach my toddler to blow her nose. The sooner you do it, the better it will be for your child. These are my favorites:

1. Piggy!

2. The Puff Shot : Neat gadget to teach your kids how to blow their noses. I have contacted the website in November to check if product is available for purchase but I havent heared back from them yet.


3. Blowing through the nose

Once the idea of blowing is established (blowing candles, blowing bubbles), then the task is to move on to blowing through the nose.

One of the best games (remember, these are all games and we are having FUN here!) is called “Blow the Hankie.” Get a tissue. Have your child take a deep breath and clamp her teeth together. Gently hold your index finger up and down across her lips as though you are telling her to shush. Hold the tissue about an inch from her face and see if she can move it by blowing the air from her nose. If she does, SHE WINS!!!!

It may help to have her gently close off one nostril and blow through just one side at a time. Somehow this seems to help some children “feel” the air move through their nose better. Each time, you move the tissue about a quarter of an inch further away. This teaches her to blow with more and more force, keeping her mouth closed, which is the entire key – and the hardest concept for children to grasp.

Toodle-loo, Kangaroo!

Because saying bye-bye kid's way it's so much more fun! (studio is closed, but I'm still around ;)

When Are the Best Times to Buy?

This infographic acts as a purchasing calender and shows consumers when it is the best time to buy everything from bicycles to mattresses. Had to post it for my own reference.
For a larger image: Right click, View image.

Nature Photography

Last Cartoon from the series I had made for my office.
♥ Nature Photography
All art is copyrighted under Creative Commons/noblerab ©2012

Willing to Travel

Fourth Cartoon from the series I had made for my office.
♥ Willing to Travel
All art is copyrighted under Creative Commons/noblerab ©2012

Big Events Photography

Third Cartoon from the series I had made for my office.
♥ Big Events Photography
All art is copyrighted under Creative Commons/noblerab ©2012

Business helping Business

Second Cartoon from the series I had made for my office.
♥ Business helping Business
All art is copyrighted under Creative Commons/noblerab ©2012

The Engagement Photographer

Recently I had some commissioned chibi/cartoons made for my office. Loved them! I'll be posting the series.
♥ Couples Portraits
All art is copyrighted under Creative Commons/noblerab ©2012

The process of thoroughly documenting our lives

Digital photography has revolutionized the way we document our lives. Not too long ago photography was a much more involved process. First, we had to buy film. Since this wasn’t exactly inexpensive most of us were fairly picky about our shots, making sure to save them for the most special moments. The instant gratification of the LCD screen didn’t exist, and we had to be either skilled photographers or hope that our camera’s automatic setting would be sufficient. Then we had to develop the film, and hope that our precious family snapshots turned out as we hoped.

In the world of film photography, images of our loved ones were preserved in print. Most family photographers would take the time to arrange photos in albums with the intention of preserving these memories for generations to come. Albums were passed down from parent to child and were treasured heirlooms.

While digital photography most definitely has its advantages, those advantages have come with a steep price. The vast majority of us no longer prints our family photos and arranges them in albums. For most, digital photography has turned preserving family memories into a virtual process. Our children’s adorable birthday parties are stored on our hard drives, or uploaded to our Facebook galleries for storage. Weddings, graduations, and vacations are all relegated to the virtual world and shared via email or in slideshows on our monitors.

It’s easy to get complacent and feel that our images are safe, and that our computers are infallible. However, countless people have lost years’ worth of invaluable memories with a hard-drive crash. Truly, each and every computer system will one day eventually crash. If those photos have not been printed or stored in another location such as an external hard-drive, they will be lost for good. This would be the equivalent of losing the family albums to a house fire and is equally devastating to those it happens to.

A professional photographer can be invaluable, in that they will do all of the work of documenting your important family events for you. Not only will they take the images themselves and provide the digital files, they can also provide prints. Many will even artfully arrange your prints into albums which will certainly only grow in sentimental value as the years pass.

While it is definitely possible to print our own photos, the quality produced by most desktop printers is truly substandard. These prints may look pretty good for a short period of time, but in a few short years they start to fade and discolor. Commercial quality photo printers, paper and ink are very expensive to obtain. So, unless you plan to do large volumes of printing above and beyond your own needs, it is just not reasonable to do your own photo printing.

A professional photographer will be able to focus on the process of thoroughly documenting your event, which frees you to enjoy yourself and not get stressed over missing an important moment with your camera. Then, you can enjoy the feeling of actually touching your valuable memories and rest-assured that you won’t lose them forever to a computer crash.

Designy Tattoos by Tattly - Who said forever is the best?

As as kid I always loved drawing on my arms and legs. I remember so well all the rings I would draw on my fingers, all 10, plus toes. As a teen I always wanted a tattoo but never had the courage do it because it's a decision you carry on your body forever! And when it comes to design, I'm not a forever girl. I like changes, ups and downs, new things, and new looks. Then last week I came across this awesome Tattoo designer team, and the best part? It's temporary!

Tattly is a temporary tattoo store for design-minded kids and kids-at-heart. If you have children, or any excuse to play with tattoos, this place is heaven. Quality is high, price is low, the hard part is to decide which design to pick!

Here are my favorites (mostly from the photography section)

Fun Food for Kids

I'm on a roll! my 3 years old is a hard one to please when it comes to food. She refuses to eat anything other than Nutella sandwiches, orange juice, popcorn, saltine crackers, yogurt, and ice-cream .... and french fries (how could I forget this one). NO meat, NO veggies, NO fruits, Nothing raw, No rice and gravy, and Broccoli is just out of the question. I started collecting Fun food ideas for kids to implement at home just for her. Time consuming, but I at the end of the tunnel and willing to try anything!

If you're mom and have any advice, suggestion, please please leave comment and give me some light!
And if you don't see many blog updates lately is because I'm in the kitchen cooking for her...

Trinity Bible Church - Staff Pictures

Yesterday was a great day. It was the kind of day that I got to do everything that I love to do. First, I got to meet with some of my past co-workers & friends from Trinity Bible Church. Then I got to photograph them!
It was a very laid back shoot, about 3-5 minutes each (at the most!).
I'll miss this gang when I move Katy, Texas.