My life with the 4k's

One Friday, 15 years ago...

2011-07-12T12:14:00.002-05:00

I married my bestest friend... And he continues to be that: my bestest, truest, most sarcastic and irreverent, very stingy, oftentimes grumpy, difficult and irritating but always ready to support me friend...

I think I'll keep him... :D

One more time...

2011-03-21T19:32:00.006-05:00

So yeah, we lost our Zoo membership cards and the girls happened to want to go there... And $15 later, the replacements were paid and we were able to go in...
But the girls had a blast and that's what matters right? Don't mind the fact that it only took about 30 minutes before one of them started with the "I'm tired," "There's too many people," "it's hot," "I'm hungry..." :/
Still, it was a great ending to our Spring Break and to make it even better, I was able to capture a bit of our trip -and I even got into ONE picture!!!!! Beat that one!!!!

xoxox to all :)

Lore shooting away and ENJOYING it!!!! :)

Few days later...

2011-03-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

How about - 2 years later... but it's better late than never... I guess I've forgetten what it's like to write, and boy do I like to write. I will attempt, once again, to keep up with my blog. Though I don't guarantee I will succeed at it... If nothing else, I can ramble on without the dreaded count down of words left that FB gives me nowadays... Plus I can share a pic w/o much fuss... Gotta love that... So here's to blogging again, to Spring Break being over and to my bestest friend turning 40 years old!!!! Luv ya honey!!!!

xoxox

14 years ago...

2009-06-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

I dropped off a smiling dark-brown haired boy at a school and not once did he cry or reach out to me to take him back... That must have been a sign from God telling me that his academic journey would be one he'd throughly enjoy...

Fast forward 14 years and that young man has made me so proud to be his mom... His faith is unyielding, his love and respect for others is obvious, and he is truly the man I asked God to help me forge...

I love you so much my son... my sunshine...

Mom

ABOUT LAST WEEK...

2009-05-22T19:14:00.002-05:00

This is what happened... And I couldn't be happier... The people that were there to celebrate with me were all my loved ones... The ones that made this journey possible and were there in every step of the way ... sometimes pushing me... sometimes pulling me... and sometimes just sitting right there beside me... This one is for y'all...

xoxox

BY THE NUMBERS...

2009-02-15T16:20:00.005-05:00

i have an assignment for the film-photography class that i'm taking...
i already shot it but i won't be able to see/develop/print until monday...
so i decided to redo it but with the digital camera...
it was not as easy as i thought which frustrates me because
i don't know how the film/prints will turn out... oh well...

anyway, here's my project titled: 'BY THE NUMBERS' ...
and yes, i ran out of objects to fit nicely in the frame...
wanted to use a deck of cards but the 9 was too big...

ideas for a re-shoot?

MEET PACO...

2009-02-07T23:00:00.003-05:00

yup, we've done it again...we've gotten ourselves another pup... this time is a maltipoo... and we've all vowed to be extremely vigilant and we're not letting our PACO out of sight...

as it is, he's spoiled to the max... he loves his scooby snacks and for me to brush his hair... maybe it's because we've been waiting anxiously for him... before he even came home we were already picking names and the girls were fighting as to who was going to sleep with him... and that's still the fight today...

our baby is only 11 weeks old and he's adorable... he's easygoing and loves to be cuddled... he looks at everyone with those marble looking eyes that just melt your heart...

our dear PACO is here to stay...

READY SET GO...

2009-01-03T17:45:00.005-05:00

if i had to sum up our last two weeks - the title would do it... and of course, it was a non-stop whirlwind of activities since the day we let out for vacations... but no complains... loved every minute of it...

and to make it even more memorable, the pic below is exactly what we've been doing this past week when everyone went back home...

not much of a mystery what the family has been doing huh? but the girls have enjoyed it and we've managed to survive hours of "LIFE" "BLOCKUS" "TROUBLE" and of course "TABOO"...

SETTINGS: Canon Digital Rebel XT with 24-70 f/2.8L lens and 420 flash

ISO - 1600, MANUAL MODE, AV -F/2.8, SS 1/100

MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE JUST AS BRIGHT!

2009-01-01T14:39:00.008-05:00

happy new year 2009!

for us, the celebration has just begun...

well it actually started yesterday... you see, we had a blast with our PJ "party" (which was our excuse for not getting dressed up)... we had chocolate covered strawberries, white zinfandel (for chris, jaime and me) and coke for the girls... and of course, we played games, took pics, watch the fireworks and the girls kept saying this morning: "when are we having another new year's party mom?" ...they're funny...

but of course, i missed everyone... wish we could've all been together like last year...
but i know that's hard nowadays... i wish we could though... and you can't blame me for that huh? ... maybe this year, with all the events that are coming up... so many quinceaneras, weddings, anniversaries... which means quite a bit of dresses for the little ladies ... and moi of course... ;-)

what about the goals for this year?
simple: shoot more (of anything) and enjoy each day we're given... none of that diet stuff and certainly no exercise (unless i must)... i've learned that it's useless to have a resolution that i already don't look forward to... so that's that!

so here's to another year and wishing many, many blessings to all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BEFORE THE YEAR IS OVER...

2008-12-31T09:53:00.011-05:00

Wow! Can't believe the year has gone by already...It seems like yesterday that I started blogging and eventhough this year I didn't do much (blogging that is)... My resolution for 2009 is to get back into the swing of things and start blogging again... and of course, with that comes taking pics...

I can't complain though, once again, we've been blessed with wonderful friends and a very loving and understanding family... what else can we ask for?

At any rate, here's a pic of my ladies... C wasn't home when we took this pic, he was playing at the midnight mass...There's more but I refuse to put all of them here... This is my pic for Christmas memoirs this year... and tonight I'll choose another one for the end of the year!

Hugs!

Cris

SENIOR 2009

2008-09-14T16:33:00.003-05:00

Gosh... Where has the time gone?
It wasn't that long ago that this boy was a little sunshine that entered my life...
And now, 17 years later, I'm so lucky and blessed to have him with me.
He's still my sunshine and my little boy.
Except that now he's about to go off on his own...
And I'm not sure I can handle it...
But for now, here are his senior pics...
Or at least a few ...

ABOUT THAT DOLLY...

2008-07-27T00:38:00.008-05:00

We waited and waited...and this is how it looked...of course we didn't really get hit as much as other parts of the valley...Most of the pics below are from South Padre Island and a few from Port Isabel...

Anticipating Dolly...the sky is changing...

C'MON DOWN DOLLY....

2008-07-22T20:24:00.002-05:00

No pics today... Just an update of what's going on in case I'm out of electricity later on....
Dolly has scared our neighbors down south (Matamoros)...and it definitely has kept us on our toes here as well...
We have purchased the necessary stuff, we have boarded our windows, and now we just sit here and wait...

The whole city seems to be having a party...there's nothing at the stores, no batteries, no flashlights, canned food has disappeared...chips/doritos are gone as well....Where's the party .... really?
The atmosphere at Wal-Mart or any other supermarket is light and optimistic...we have to stay that way... It's just rain, we keep saying to ourselves...
We haven't seen a real storm for a while now, but it doesn't scare us...
What does scare me is the fact that mom might miss her dialysis...or things might get complicated for the elderly or less fortunate...and trust me, if you've been to Brownsville, there's quite a few less fortunate...
That's the scary part...

But this too shall pass...and we'll be OK...

OVERWHELMED?...NOT EXACTLY...

2008-07-16T16:51:00.008-05:00

Here I thought...

YAY! It's an easy summer...

NOT!

Taking an online class is killing me...

Really...

Much more work than expected...

So time consuming...

So much reading...

So much to consider and write about...

On the upside, I've researched so much...

And I've learned so much...

What have I learned?

Well...that I can trust my instincts...

That eventhough it's a tough road to travel alone...

I managed to stay true to my ethics and standards...

That I don't need a crutch to get me through...

That my achievements are exactly that...

MINE!

And I intend to keep it that way because...

I won't settle for less...

I will never accept "good enough"

It's either black or white...

All of nothing...

That's what you get from me...

That's what I expect in return...

That's how I am...

That's who I am...

But I need that class to be over...

And I need to find a job...

And I need to keep shooting...

And I need to keep exercising...

And I need so many things...

Like to stop watching soccer...

None of which are happening any time soon...

But what is one to do...?

Miss "L"

2008-07-05T18:02:00.005-05:00

Finally...My first day off in the entire year...No class...No work...No getting up to take the girls anywhere...Absolutely NOTHING to do... But I chose to finally photoshop/edit the pics from my trip to Dallas...

It was cool to finally get to PS anything after so many months of nothing but school/work...And it was a bit of an eye opener as well as I had forgotten how to do some stuff...and I couldn't figure out how to put my watermark on the pics with a ribbon thingy and as an action...But without further due...Here they are...Pics of Miss "L"

MY BROTHER'S GRANDCHILD...

2008-03-30T23:04:00.003-05:00

meet marcela... she's the newest addition to our ever growing family...
my brother chuy has been bugging me to get these pp that i actually had to do it...

i shoot these exactly one day after she was born... can't remember if i used flash or not...but you can always check the exif data if you'd like...

please cc the pp - still trying to get the feel for the laptop... dark? light? color casts? anything?

tia!

ps - click on the pics to view them at a larger size...

VERO & CHRIS' WEDDING

2008-03-24T22:25:00.002-05:00

guess where i was this past weekend?

my family traveled north...to austin, to celebrate our nieces' wedding...
this was a tiring but lovely experience for me as a photographer...
i loved it and i know we all had a great time!

here's a sneak peak for all of you guys...
hopefully i'll be able to post-process all of them before the weekend...
no promises though...

my monitor is not calibrated...and i pp these in my laptop....
do you see something odd in the coloring?
please CC the PP as much as you'd like...

TFL!!!

ps - ****familia: yo les aviso cuando termine las demas fotos...***

2008-03-18T21:08:00.005-05:00

So this year Daniela got a chance to perform at the Charro Day's presentation at her school... She absolutely loved it...especially since she was performing in front of everyone...

Dany luuuuuvs the attention...so much that even her teacher calls her "Diva Daniela"... Her partner was not very amused but he enjoyed it as well...or so I think...

Dany and Leo before the performance...

Leo,Dany and Ms. Esparza (her kinder teacher)

And like every kid in the class...Dany loves her teacher...
Makes me wonder why my students don't like me as much...???
Must be because I do high school math and it's no longer FUN ... :(

My little diva posing...as usual...

Let the dance begin...concentrate...concentrate...

OK, dance but remember to look at Mommy...and smile...

For the grand finale...sit on partner's leg...c'mon Leo...stay put...

Leo...c'mon...stay put...look at the camera...but where's the camera???

No more pics...TFL!!!!

TESTING WITH DANIELA

2008-03-16T20:07:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to get a feel for 'textures'... I guess I'm not one to be sold on them...just yet...
I'm sure there's a time and place for them all and I just haven't found it...
In the meantime, here's one done with Renee's textures and one done with her actions...

What do you think?

AT THE ZOO...

2008-03-11T17:38:00.003-05:00

aha!

after visiting your blogs yesterday i figured it out...it's ANIMALS WEEK!!!!
well...i guess it's meant to be because of our trip to the zoo yesterday, i was able to capture a few not-so-cute animals...

i didn't want to take pics at the herpetarium but oh well...these creatures seem to stay still long enough for me to achieve 'some' focus...

if only my girls would do the same...arghhhh....

tfl!

1. green snakes...
don't know their name....
don't think they're venemous...who knows...

2. king cobra snake...
pretty scary and definitely venemous...

3. i'll call this one the beige snake...
obviously i don't know the name...
doesn't look quite venemous...hard to tell...

4. komodo dragon...
this one is a bad boy as i'm sure you know....
but it doesn't look like it....

BACK AGAIN...

2008-03-10T19:59:00.007-05:00

where to start????

gosh...it's been since december since i was back here...a little over 3 months...nonetheless, i finally found the time...and it's not because i didn't have pics...it's just that i didn't have time to download them to the pc and then upload to the blog...so there's so much catching up to do...so instead of continuing where i left off...i'll just start where i'm at right now... first day of spring break - you'd think we'd be at south padre right? negative, it gets too crazy to take the girls out there...instead, we took them to the zoo and i vouched not to use my 24-70 or 70-200 and force myself with the 85mmm lens...so i did and ended up photographing 'stuff' that i usually don't...it's all good...the kids had a good time and we were tired afterwards...

some of the weird stuff that i never photograph (don't ask me what it is because i don't know the names of these plants)...tfl!

The Posada at Quique's House...

2007-12-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

Once again, our tradition continues...Quique hosted our Posada at his place on the 23rd...We had the usual...the Pedir Posada songs, we prayed a Rosary together as a family and then we ate pozole...and at the end...we all ... and I mean ALL sang KARAOKE...

Needless to say it was a blast...we laughed sooooooo much...my sisters are CRAZY... People usually think I'm fun and lively but believe me...with the girls (sisters) around...I'm nowhere near... I really love it when they come down and we have fun together... Even if it's only 2-3 times a year it's bound to be a blast!!!!

Watch out Houston! We'll be doing the same on New Year's Eve & New Year's Day ;) !!!!

The last week of school...

2007-12-29T22:17:00.000-05:00

Soooo... this is what went on during our last week of school... it sure was a hectic week but we somehow managed...

1.Chris was inducted in the Honor Society at MedHigh...AWESOME!

2. Danny earned a Coyote Character Award...go figure but she was beaming at the ceremony ;)

3. Andy had a 'singing' program at her Pre-K class and she didn't want to have her nose painted red so she removed the paint while singing....

4. Lorely sang (along with the rest of her group) in her Christmas program (at school)...

Now, while at Lorely's program, I finally got a chance to meet 'Betito' whom I have learned is Dany's best 'friend' and they love playing with each other... Just look at how she poses with him...

Claudia's Graduation at the University of Houston

2007-12-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

Trying to catch up...and hopefully I'll be able to post all the pics in time for New Year's Day.

Here's a small glimpse at what went on in Houston (Dec 14) for Claudia's graduation. It was such a moving moment to see her accomplish her longtime goal...and to be part of it - priceless... You sure made us proud girl!

The proud hubby with Jasmine looking on at Mama...

And here they are, Betty & Rigo...beaming with pride at their little girl's accomplishment!

And of course... all of us there to share in her moment of joy...

And at last...we eat... delicious luncheon at the Olive Garden... Thanks for having us!

Until next time... when it'll be Ricky's turn...and again, we'll be here too...God willing...

The November Entry

2007-12-27T23:44:00.000-05:00

Here they are. Officially. My Thanksgiving pics of the family in Austin...We had such a blast...especially on Friday morning when we all went shopping...I love it when we all (sisters) get together to go shopping...especially in Austin.... And to think we'll be doing the same thing next year.... :D

And though we had a great time... we miss all that weren't able to make it... but heck, 1/2 the family is better than nothing huh?

It's been a while...

2007-12-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

But I'm finally back... with graduate school and all I haven't had any time to post much...but pictures had been taken and the memories are still in the making...

Here are the girls, Chris and Ana Maria in their Haloween outfits... They had much fun (especially Chris and Nena) dressing up... Dany had a cow by the end of the day and complain about her dress 'itching'... go figure.... Lore was dress as an adjective 'RAMBUNCTIOUS' (sp???).... and wasn't too thrilled of not being able to wear her 'Genie' outfit...

Oh well... here they are...

ANDREA CAROLINA -

AKA 'SNOW WHITE'

DANIELA SOFIA -

AKA 'SLEEPING BEAUTY'

LORELY ALEXA -

AKA 'RAMBUNCTIOUS'

CHRISTOPHER AND ANA MARIA -

AKA - FRED FLINSTONE & PINK LADY

MY FRIEND THE FAIRY

2007-09-16T16:44:00.001-05:00

Meet my friend... the fairy :D .... OK, OK, it's not a fairy... it's really Marco...

Mark and I have been working together since day 1... we go back at least 12 years (not including college which would make it even more)... and I'm so proud to have him as a friend... Mark is an excellent person and an outstanding teacher. I've gone to him for advice countless number of times... He's selfless and always willing to help... plus he makes a killer coffee every morning and he cracks me up ALL THE TIME!!!

Well, being the clown that he is...Marco decided to teach this past Friday with this wig on just to see what his kids had to say... of course, I couldn't miss the photo opportunity and snapped a few... what he didn't know was that I was going to make him into a fairy... but he looks like the TOOTH FAIRY don't 'ya think?

TFL!!!

ANDY'S TURN

2007-09-13T18:13:00.000-05:00

Meet Andy (actually Andrea Carolina)... She's our baby who is TOTALLY daddy's girl... Daddy even takes her to school ... not me ...

Andy was born with craniosynostosis which is a birth defect ... thank God, she was detected early on (DH was the first one to notice it at 2 weeks old)... and was operated on at 5 months old... Here's what she'd look like if she hadn't been operated:

http://www.safebryo.cz/images/oblicej/craniosynostosis.jpg

And the following shows the cuts that she has on her head/skull...
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/vol100/issue1/images/large/pe0772829002.jpeg

Basically, craniosynostosis is a condition (or actually Andy's condition/case) in which only one side of the face would grow .... but look at her now... all grown up and aside from one eye being slightly smaller, no other facial features are evident...

Andy is a sweetheart and the last pic is absolutely HER!!!! Simply adorable... but what else can I say huh? She melts my heart that little one...

PICTURE DAY!

2007-09-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

Today was picture day for Lorely and Daniela... needless to say I decided to take a pic... just in case... just in case what? Well, just in case I don't like them... which between us, it's always the case :D
Somehow the pics never end up looking the way I want them... Anyway, I showed these to Lorely and she said - I don't like my smile... I showed them to Daniela and she said - I look georgous mom! I guess it's a difference in the ages... Lorely growing a bit more insecure as the years go by (do I see a teenager lurking here)... Daniela always so sassy and sure of herself...just hope she stays that way....

Tomorrow is Andy's turn... so I'll be back...

PS - And I don't know what's up with the colors... they look muddy to me... what do you think?

NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY

2007-09-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

Meet snowflake... or is it snowball? I can't remember... Anyway, Camay (sister) gave her to us today since we lost Bubbles over the summer... The girls were elated to have, yet again, a puppy... and so was Chris...

Needless to say they carried that baby everywhere... including the jacuzzi where they (girls) bathe her using their own shampoo... Let's see if we don't loose this one either...
Hopefully not...And just so you know, Jaime isn't too sold on having a puppy... but she's adorable and I'm sure she'll win him over in no time!!!

ps - Andy (youngest) refused to take a pic with the puppy... she's still a bit afraid of her...

A BIT NERVOUS...

2007-09-02T11:37:00.000-05:00

i'll be receiving my senior trifolds soon and i'm a bit nervous about the whole thing... what if it doesn't work? should i buy the 70-200 f/2.8L IS already? i have the 24-70 but i KNOW i have to shoot with the 70-200... that's the best lens for portraits (as far as zoom range)... and what if the kids aren't interested? or they think my prices are too high? what if i screw up? i'm just sooo nervous about this and the possibility of not turning out for the best ....

and to top it off, graduate school is boring... i don't even know if i should continue or just take courses in business like the peas suggested... do i even see myself as an administrator? so many things to think about...

but i'll give it my best shot at both of them... grad school and shooting seniors... hopefully it'll pay off... i don't want photography to be my 'full-time' job... just a nice enjoyable 'part-time' where i can help out others who want decent pics at reasonable prices and at the same time, make a bit of $$$ to buy new toys and pay for my family's vacations...

that's what i want...

and btw... here's a snapshot of my new hair-do... short as the girls ; )
DON'T LAUGH!!!! i know it's a bad shot... DH can't take pics if they paid him a million dlls... what's a girl to do ???

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

2007-09-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

We're in action... once again football season has begun and with it, it comes the popcorn, hotdogs, cokes, humidity and the like... And as usual, I'm loving it... here's a shot of the tunnel we've had for the last 5 years and that I finally got a chance to see... it's because I'm always late to the game and don't get to see the guys run thru it .... TFL!

GOOD NEWS ...

2007-08-18T03:09:00.001-05:00

Today, call it luck or what have you, but I received 3 calls, about possible shoots. Well, not really calls. Actually it was 2 website contacts and 1 actual call. Out of those 3 I didn't know 2 of them so I'm a bit excited. At any rate, were about to start school (Monday) so that's going to cut into my photography time tremendously :( I let them know (all 3 of them) that this was going to happen just in case...

And in other news, I decided to update my website (business site of course) since I felt it truly didn't convey my image or where I want to go with the business. I'm a more practical and upbeat person so the pink and browns (while lovely as they are my faves) didn't make me 'happy' enough.

The color blue does that for me :D
The pic below is a sneak peak of my new colors and design...

Soo... if you have a chance, check out my newly remodeled website and let me know what you think... Oh, and if you don't like music this is your heads-up for it...

You've been warned! TFL!!!

NEW HAIR-DO!

2007-08-16T19:45:00.000-05:00

Well, the girls got a haircut. At first it's been quite odd to see them 'hairless'... I'm so used to their long mostly messy hair, that now that they look quite 'combed' it's stranged...

Lorely was not happy at all with her bangs when she first saw the style, but after a while she got used to it... Dany and Andy immediately loved it, but then again, they're babies so what do the know right?

They even stated (the babies) that they look like "JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS".

Hmmm... of course guys, of course you do! ;-)

AND NOW WHAT?

2007-08-15T19:03:00.000-05:00

Soooo.... I've purchased the ribbon, now what? This ribbon is supposed to be used to make myself a 'neck strap' and replace my generic Canon one. But I don't have a clue where to begin. I figure I could figure something like this out but honestly, now that I've tried to... it doesn't seem lie such a simple task anymore... oh the things I get into...

I need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE EVIDENCE.

2007-08-11T21:57:00.001-05:00

The only evidence of my travels to Houston and Austin... as sad as it sounds I was behind the camera 99.9% of the time. This shot was taken by a passerby (a mom nonetheless) who saw me shooting D... she said
- go ahead and pose with her, I know what it's like to never be in their pics -
What a sweetheart!

TFL!

START THE PROOFING...

2007-08-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

Here's Lilly! Georgous eyes... and only one of many more shots to go through... I did a quick proof on this one so that I could update my blog...it seems like I've been gone forever... Anyway, I got my work cut out for me... And I must admit, I love my lens (24-70), makes me want another "L" one ; )

TFL!

JACKIE O ME!

2007-07-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here's yours truly with my brand spanking new (I call them) Jackie O glasses. For a whole $4.00 I bought this georgous sunglasses at Progreso yesterday. Jaime (DH) took these pics in the morning... So there I am... TFL!

ps - please excuse my double/triple chin... I'm working on that ; )
Oh, and I'd forgotten to change the WB in the settings... but wth, it's only me !

DADDY'S NEW GIRL

2007-07-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Daddy's b-day (73)... and of course, we got together, I took a gazillion pics of everyone eating (which I'll post later) and then we had cake and the usual...

At the end I had to ask Chuy (DB) to take a pic of Daddy and I (otherwise I wasn't going to be in any of the shots)... and by the way, Chuy didn't have his glasses on and couldn't see... thus the blur in the shot (or so he said)...

I took the other pic (Daddy and Andy)... and just in case you didn't know...
Daddy has a new girl... her name is Andy ; )

DOWN THE STREET

2007-07-24T23:29:00.001-05:00

Just sharing a few pics from the trip to Progreso this afternoon... I call them... Children down the street !!!! So creative right? Oh well...I'm not much of a 'namer'... but nonetheless... here they are :D

NENA'S XV BIRTHDAY PARTY

2007-07-22T22:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you that missed it (Lila & family)... Here's a few pics from Ana Maria's XV party. It was lots of fun and EVERYONE had a blast. Afterall was said and done, we look back now and realize that it was quite a bit of work but well worth it...Now let's get ready for Disney next year (first week of August 2008).... watch out Florida!!!!

PS- Compadre (Pepe) - mira lo que Rigo hace cuando tu no estas...dice que ahora quiere a Jaimito mas que a ti....y hasta lo invito al bano con el...fijate, fijate, fijate...!!!

NEW TOY

2007-07-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a toy girl... ok maybe I am... especially photography gadgets... but today I'm sooo happy... look at my new toy :D

LA PALETERA

2007-07-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

Here's one of the pics I used for the Contre-Jour challenge. This lady was selling popsicles at the beach and I snapped this as she walked right behind us... She turned and smiled at me which in my own mind, granted me permission to keep it... ;)

PS - I took this pic last summer...when I was still shooting in 'Normal' mode...Hmmmm does that mean I'm abnormal now?

TFL!

IT'S ALL IN THE EYES

2007-07-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

PIERCING EYES

This tiger shot was done across a glass window... luckily because with such piercing eyes I would've been long gone if he/she? ever came across... they're just too scary ;)

BTW - The borders are from Renee's Grunge Border Collection and I'm testing my logo on these sots as well... what do you think the black or white version of the logo?...Any HHCC is always welcome!

MINIMALISM - OFFICIAL

2007-07-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

RESTING

IS IT OVER YET?
RESTING #2

Here are my 'official' entries for the challenge. I like these better than yesterday's. I still have one other shot in mind but I don't know if I'll get the chance to set it up...

TFL!

MINIMALISM-#1

2007-07-04T23:47:00.000-05:00

Here's my first attempts at the minimalism challenge... not too happy with the 'image' I want to convey...so these are NOT my official entries... just my practice shots ;)
TFL!

TWO TO THE 2ND POWER

PINK & BLUE

ABOUT THESE HANDS

2007-07-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

These hands have cuddled, spanked, slapped, hugged, worked, helped , but most of all, they have prayed. These are my mom's hands.
TFL!

A PURPLE XV

2007-06-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a few more from the purple dress shoot I did this past Saturday (for my niece).... These have been resized and USM... I might need to still do a bit of a color pop or such to them... Any HHCC is welcomed!

TFL!

ON FIRE...

2007-06-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

A few shots from the fireworks over the bay .... two weeks ago .... nothing like Rebecca's but again, these were handheld . . . TFL!

SETTINGS: Manual Mode, ISO 1600 (thus the noise), AV f/4.5, SS 1/40. Kit Lens

FROM THE STRATOSPHERE

2007-06-21T22:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a view of the strip at night...live, from the Stratosphere Hotel...
ps-I was freezing my ass off as all-of-a-sudden it got cold ... wth... daytime @ 110+ degrees and temperatures in the 6o's at night... something is definitely not right....

TFL!

THE PEOPLE

2007-06-19T22:18:00.001-05:00

Today I'm sharing a few shots of some of the people I went to Vegas with... These are also the people I work with so it was lots of fun...not that we don't have fun at work but.... it's a different atmosphere kwim?

Joe is with Elvis after a show, Sandra and Me are with .... don't know who he's supposed to be... a country singer I think... just can't think of his name... country is not my strong point... and last, me with the Green M&M girl... nothing but celebrities today :D
PS - I know my skin looks funky in the shot w/the country boy but DH took the shot w/flash so... you know what happens when the flash is on and you're too close to the subject...

TFL!

REVOLUTION AT THE MIRAGE

2007-06-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

This is the Beatles - Revolution Lounge at the Mirage. The lighting was horrible for pics but the place was supercool to photograph... Regrets? Didn't have a wide enough lens to shoot as I'd wanted...hey but DH was kind enough to pose for me (had no choice actually), and there was a lady who didn't want to get out and pretended that she hadn't seen me shooting (2nd shot)...rrrrrrrrright.... The stuff in the middle of the letters is the reflection from the casino which was right across...

These were shot with the kit lens and even at 18mm (but with a crop of 1.6) it's still not enough...plus my max AV is nowhere near where I needed it to be... These were handheld and I'm going to say I really like the shots... kinda moody I think...

TFL :D

GOING FOR LINES

2007-06-15T19:24:00.000-05:00

So I'm sharing a few lines from Vegas ... yeah.. I know, you're probably tired of seeing Vegas shots but I finally got my laptop from work and I can work on them...and on an order I've had since I returned :( which I've yet to process. Anyway, I think it's just in my nature. I'm drawn to lines. It doesn't matter what I'm shooting, I tend to find lines in the stuff I see...

1. Lines at the M&M Store. Yup. Those containers are filled with nothing but plain m&m's and you buy them by the pound in whatever color you'd like.

ISO 1600, Manual mode, 18-55 mm lens @ 25mm, AV f/5, SS 1/100.

Same shot but ran through NR

2. The entrance (pathway) leading to the 'main' entrance at the Luxor Hotel. This shot was hard because people wouldn't get out of my way...and I was getting tired of kneeling...I'm getting old I tell 'ya .

ISO 100, Manual Mode, 18-55mm lens @ 33mm, AV f/5.6, SS 1/1000

3. & 4 are shots of the entrance to Bally's. We were waiting for a bus to take us to the other end of the strip but were too tired to walk anymore...and what do you know, I turn around and there's this beautiful.....stuff...with lights and lines...so I just had to shoot... I know it may not make much sense but it's just ME ...

ISO 1600, Manual Mode, 50mm lens, AV f/5, SS 1/40

Same shot ran through NR

ISO 1600, Manual Mode, 50mm lens, AV f/5, SS 1/320

Same shot ran through NR

PP includes resizing 4x6 @ 150 ppi. No other PP done.
Let's hear your HHCC on them (please).

MY RAMBLINGS TODAY...

2007-06-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

I have no pictures today. I was called to work the day after I arrived from Vegas and I'll be working until the end of June. That pisses me off (a little). I had plans. I was going to stay with the girls and DH was going to teach summer school. Now it's the other way around. Go figure.

The good of all this? With this check I'll be getting the lens that Sara refuses to hand over - yeah, I'm talking about you Sara. I know you don't use it now since you're too busy with your new toy 70-200 ;) and that poor baby could have a lovely home down here in Texas...but noooo, you want it all to yourself...

Sooooo...I guess I gotta look at this from the bright side, I'll be getting that lens, then I'll bug Lauren with a gazillion questions, and ask her how to do this and that... and then I'll be set... until the lens itch bites again...

But right now, I'm pissed because my laptop (with the rest of my Vegas pics) is at at school, and I refuse to carry that sucker back and forth everyday. So until I stop being lazy, I'll post from my DS's laptop (which has absolutely NO photography software or anything fun/picture related).

Oh, and in case you didn't know, I'm trying to loose weight (I started in April 30th)... and thus far I've lost 15 lbs (from Apr 30 - May 30)...then I took off 1.5 weeks (the Vegas week)... and now (since Monday) I'm back in track - and not that you're interested or anything but here's my daily routine (M-F):

Gym - 530am for 1hr (I hate exercising...but gotta loose that weight)
Work - 8am - 3pm (don't mind it since most of my buddies are working there anyways)
College - 330pm - 730pm (did I tell you I hate going to college nowadays?)
Home - 745pm - till I go to bed 1130pm (unless I'm peaing or blogging like today)

So I've got about 30 lbs to go.... yup, you heard right...about 30 lbs to go... I'm not a bit embarrased to say that I weighed 175 lbs in April 30... yesterday I weighed in at 158lbs... so my goal is to reach 130... so wish me luck...

OK...enough rambling for today...

BODY PARTS AT MANDALAY BAY

2007-06-11T00:57:00.000-05:00

This is some cool art I found embedded in a wall at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in LV. I tell you, I saw pretty cool stuff and I spent most of the trip making DH wait just to get the right shot kwim? He totally deserves an award for the most patient man on earth... and I might just have to give him a very special one ;)

**** My favorite picture from the previous post was the Eiffel Tower shot ;D ****

SPECS: Manual mode, handheld, ISO 1600, can't remember the exact AV or SS but do right click to see my exif-data if you wish.

PP:USM 30-10-0, Resized at 4x6240ppi and then NR - in that order...

Do you think this is the correct order or should I've done the NR first and then the USM and resizing?

TFL!

VEGAS - THE HOTELS...

2007-06-09T00:38:00.000-05:00

****WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD AHEAD ****

OK, so on the MB I've shared the night shots so I'm posting the hotels that I took pics of...I guess you know which one was my favorite since I ended up taking sooooo many pics of it... yep, the Luxor. So many photo ops in there...

But do you know which one was my favorite pic of the entire trip????? Take a uess...it's on this post....I'll let you know tomorrow....

BTW - The shot where I'm on the phone was taken by DH - and yes, I know it's out of focus but I forgot to change the settings back to auto mode...live and learn...at least I'm in the pics this time huh?

* * * And that 5million crumpler was TOTALLY worth buying. I carried it during the entire trip with the following stuff in there - 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, and the camera with kit lens attached, spare battery for camera, CF cards, make up (i.e. lip gloss, mascara, eye liner, powder, lip liner & eyelash curler), dentyne artic ice gum, & a little coin holder * * *

SUMMER'S HERE!

2007-05-28T00:07:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to the park today...unfortunately, it was about 1-2 pm when we went and it was H.O.T. to the max...and it's not even June yet!
Luckily, there was a van parked selling snacks (i.e. candies, fritos, and of course popsicles) and some other stuff...the lady even offered me a watermelon for $5.... I guess I'll pass huh...;)
Which one has gives the best 'feel' for summer? And tell me if none of them do... or what I could've done differently... TIA & TFL!

MORE PRACTICE

2007-05-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a few shots of two of my girls (i.e. students) who graciously allowed me to take their pics. Actually, I was practicing my one-point focusing techniques with the 50mm 1.8 lens (which by the way, is my worst lens and I hate it!).
What do you think? Did it work? Where do you see the focus?
Also, the two versions of the shots are the SOOC and the PP'ed shot.

TFL!

TEACHER'S PET

2007-05-23T22:17:00.001-05:00

Four years ago, a little kid walked into my Geometry Pre-AP class as a freshman. I met his mom during open house and I spoke to her (in Spanish of course) about the importance of getting him an education. After speaking to her for some time, she asked me if I would please guide her son through his high school years...of course I said yes...That was four years ago...and the time has come...and I think too quickly for in less than a week, that same little kid (although no longer little) will be graduating #3 in his class of 487 students.

That's my boy Jorge. And he's just a great kid. And even though he's not my son, he knows I love him as one. He's truly my OTHER pride and joy (aside from Christopher of course). He's a humble kiddo who doesn't like to show off his accomplishments... but there's one particular accomplishment that cannot be overlooked: He's the receipient of the BILL GATES MILLENIUM SCHOLARSHIP (which pays all of his schooling through his PhD or MD whichever he chooses).

Jorge will be the first one in his family to attend college. He has chosen to go to Wabash University and major in Biology since he wants to study medicine... I don't like to think about that day in August, but I know that seeing him graduate next week will for sure bring tears to my eyes...tears of pride and joy but at the same time, tears of sadness at the realization that my little boy is no longer a boy...he's already a young adult who will soon face a very different world that he's never seen...

May God bless you always my boy...

BUBBLES

2007-05-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

Meet our newest family member: Bubbles. She's a mutt that my students found at the school's cafeteria one day and I decided (against Jaime's wishes) to adopt her. The kids had been wanting a puppy for the longest time and Jaime and I kept saying no since we didn't (still don't)have time to take care of it...Well that changed when I saw this puppy...and yes, I'm like that, change my mind from one minute to the next w/o thinking of the consequences...

Needless to say poor Bubbles has already gotten lost twice around our street...
but luckily enough twice we've found her...
I guess it's meant to be isn't ?

And really, what does Jaime know? It's for the kids, and the kids love her... ;)

TFL!

CYBER CHICKS

2007-05-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, I wonder who they take after ??? It's not like Jaime or I are at the computer THAT long is it? At any rate, the girls have their own 'favorites' listed on the laptops...and that makes it sooo easy for me at times...of course, with 3 girls and 2 laptops, one of them is bound to be left out, but it's no big deal...Lorely usually helps out Andy (since she doesn't maneouver that well yet) and they take turns...so at the end, it all works out well...

PS - I metered the girls' face since I had wayy too much light coming from the window behind them, but in turn, the window light is all blown...any tips on how to do this right?

TFL!

CONFIRMATION OF FAITH.

2007-05-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday (Wednesday) Christopher (ds) was confirmed at Christ the King CC. It was a beautiful ceremony to say the least. And though it never dawn on me to ask him why he had chosen my BIL to be his Godfather, my BIL asked himself as they waited for mass to start:

****This conversation was told to me by Pepe my BIL ***

Pepe (BIL): Why did you choose me for your Godfather Chris?

Chris: Because I know you love me like a son. Because I know you can guide me in case my parents aren't with me anymore. Because you're a good Christian. And because I know I can count on you.

Pepe: Trying to hold back his tears...yes Chris I love you and know that I'll be here to listen to you, to talk to you, to give you advice, and to help you in anything I can. You are like a son to me.

Pepe: So Chris, are you in love? You seem thinner now, are you on a diet or something?

Chris: Yeah, I've been running a few days of the week. And I am in love.

Pepe: So you are huh? Who's the lucky one?

Chris: I'm in love with God...

All my life I've always thought that my Chris was a very religious child. I really did. I just didn't know the extent of his committment to the Lord...

TFL!

PROM 2007

2007-05-16T23:07:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I don't have ANY pics of Jaime (dh) on my blog....so I decided to share this one with ya'll. So here we are at this year's prom. It was truly a fun night where we got to hang out with our 'older' students and coworkers who 'chaperoned' the event. FUN. FUN. FUN.

BTW - I think I over did the skin softening on these shots...We look like...hmmm...I don't know....weird I guess...can't really think of a word to describe this 'skin look'....maybe 'bad' is the word I'm looking for...gotta stop that....but I'm too lazy to redo them now...next time...

TFL!

****and obviously the preceeding pic was taken by my comadre Minnie, who also attended with her hubby...so I'm posting a shot of the 4 of us together ;) ****

MI MAMA.

2007-05-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Ana.
My mother.
The pillar of our family.
Our fountain of strength.
The one who carried twelve pregnancies always full of love.
The one who sang to us in bed even after a long day of work.
The one who fought so hard to give us everything we needed.
The one who never gave up.
The one who believes and sees the best in us.
The one who stood by dad's side through thick and thin.
The one who's seen two of her young ones pass away.
The one who cried with us during our failures, and rejoice in our accomplishments.
The one who forgives and loves more than I've ever known.
The one who always trusts in God and instilled her faith in us.
That's my mother.
My friend.
And I love her.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS...

(in order from eldest to youngest )

Isabel - (Chabe)

Jesus (Chuy)

Lilia - (Lila)

Beatriz - (Betty)
Laura

Gloria - (Camay)

Enrique - (Quique)

Cristina - (Me)

Nancy - (Nany)

* *Not pictured - Rafael and Patricia (RIP), and Ana because she hasn't let me take her pic.* *

TESTING AGAIN

2007-05-12T23:54:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here's test #3 on the sizing saga.... i ended up deleting test #1 by mistake and i'm just too lazy to re-post...so here's my try just to test if it works...again... this one is sized at 4x6 @ 250ppi

OK, so it worked for vertical shots...but it doesn't work for horizontal shots....wonder what I need to do to make it BIG ?????? Anyone????

************************** ETA: I DID IT!!!!! *************************

I found out how to make the horizontal shots bigger...all I had to do was change the width of the image on the HTML section of the post...Oh I'm so happy!!!! *****************************************************************************

Testing for size

2007-05-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

OK, so here's my 2nd try at Lauren's size of pics. Hope this one works!

I'm not on theme huh?

2007-04-29T23:10:00.000-05:00

Yeah , I know...but I didn't even check the theme...I'm just posting this pic because I like the 'mood' of it...It's one of the ones I did on Friday while I was 'testing' the light at the house where I was going to shoot on Saturday...does that even make sense? I did a BW conversion (all by myself) ... so you guys should be proud of me :D...and I know it's soft...but wth...I like it...

TFL! :o)

Are they old?

2007-04-28T21:05:00.000-05:00

I guess they're as old as the youngest one huh? Though DS thinks he's already old enough...for what? God knows...but he still manages to sit still for a few shots...noticed I said 'few', because that's exactly what I get...

These were shot this morning at the beach. I was testing my new lens (Canon 70-200 f/4L) and am still undecided whether I'll be keeping it (or the Tamron for that matter). I guess I got to make up my mind since my 'deadline' to return is tomorrow Sunday...oh decisions, decisions...

DH says just to return both and get the Canon (24-70mm 2.8L) that I had wanted to begin with...what would you do?

TFL!

Old friendships

2007-04-24T22:36:00.001-05:00

Check out the rattler...it sucked!!! Too rattly and not enough adrenaline :( a whole 1.5 hrs in line for nothing....oh well...

My buddies. The people I eat, laugh, cry, get mad, make fun, ignore, pay attention to, bitch at, ask advice from, give hugs, drive me nuts, keep me sane and basically do everything with...literally. These are my coworkers...(only some are pictured here)... Most of us have been here (at Rivera High) at least 10 years. And they're truly the best at what they do...teach math...really...

This past weekend we did it again. We chaperoned the trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio) and we had a blast. We rode all the 'scary' rides...except for Minnie because...well because she's just like that...chafas...(j/k you know I love you)....Indeed we are a great group...And here's just a bit of proof of that...

And soon we'll be going to Vegas together...watch out...

All shot with the Tamron lens...TFL!

Test #2

2007-04-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, so following Amy's advice I decided to run a little test on close ups at 2.8 and then magnifying the eyes to 100%. (Thanks girl, you're awesome!)

Now, based on the DOF calculator over at ILP, and the focal distance and aperture at which I was shooting, I only had 0.14ft (when at 75mm) to 0.22ft (at 60mm) to work with. In reality, that's approximately 1.68inches to 2.64inches to work with (or that would be in focus). Man that's some little tiny space!

Here's what I came up with...oh and btw, I just went looking for a BW action and (though I have purchased a few before) and ran across Kristina's....I must say, it's a pretty cool one. Doesn't blow my whites like the other ones that I own (which are too contrasty at times). Anyway. Here are the shots. I think... well.... you be the judge...and DO tell me as you see them please. And I'm sorry I forgot to mention that my lens is the Tamron.

The focus on Chris and Lorely's shots is on the viewer's left eye.

The focus on Daniela's shot is on the viewer's right eye.

PP - USM at 20/25/0 and resized (4x6 @ 150ppi). BW done with Kristina's conversion.

SPECS: AV Mode at 2.8, focal length at 65-75mm (very close to them). ISO 200. SS - ????

TFL! :D

Nothing old...just my NEW lens

2007-04-22T23:34:00.000-05:00

OK, be honest and really DO tell me if my lens is a good or a bad copy...I bought the 28-75mm 2.8 and I'm wondering how to tell the difference between 'good' vs 'bad'. Here's some examples that I've done... TFL!

PP :USM (at 20/25/0) and resizing (4x6 @ 300ppi).

SPECS: All shots in Manual Mode, RAW, ISO 400, AV 5.6 - Various SS's.

Emotions: Love

2007-04-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

These are from last week session. This family was lots of fun to work with! Of course, the little one was non-stop all afternoon (can you tell?) but overall, it gave me lots of practice and made me realize how much I still have to learn if I want to be good at this... TFL!

PP: USM and resized with watermark embedded. No color pop or any other action used.

Emotions: Sadness

2007-04-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

This is my representation.

My sadness.

The news reports are filled with different accounts of what happened in Virginia. Psychologists and experts trying to understand the oriental kid who had no motive. Questions keep piling up and answers are often not found.

As I sit at home, all I could think of was my students. These tragic events left me with a heavy heart. To think that this could have been any of my students killing. Or any of my students dying . Just the thought of it proves to be too much...

I could have lost an entire class period to this other kid... This could have been my son...or neighbor... or former student. This could have been anyone.

Where did we go wrong? Is there something that we could have done as teachers? parents? society? Are we too blind to see what's happening right before our eyes? Maybe we choose not to see it.

The flags will fly at half-mast until Sunday...but for me, it's a bit more than that. It's a personal struggle to make a consciencious effort to really 'listen' to those that have been here all along ...you know which ones, the quiet ones, the rebels, the gothic, the rich, the poor, the airheads, the pregnant, the jocks, the nerds... Could one of them be next? Where's the stereotype? How can I know? No one is exempt.

I can only hope I can make a difference...I can always pray...

Emotions: Grumpy

2007-04-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you've seen this shot before (MB) but here she is. My grumpy Dany. At this point, I think she's beyond grumpy, she's just plain spoiled... Seriously. To the point where she makes a scene every morning and refuses to go to school and every night she packs her little sack and tells me she's ready to go to Grandma's house...And I have no idea how she got that way ... I think it's Nany's fault!

BTW - The color-pop (settings) for this shot are compliments of dear buddy Sara (SocialWorkMama). Thanks girl! You're the best ;)

SPECS: Manual Mode with 50mm f/1.8 lens, Natural light, ISO 400.

PP: USM and Channel Mixer with Sara's #'s.

Emotions - Winning

2007-04-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

Our soccer season has come to an end. Unfortunately, we lost in the state semifinal match this past Friday. However, I couldn't be more proud of the accomplishments of this year's varsity team.

MUY BIEN RIVERA!!!!

Here's some shots of the awesome feeling of 'winning' as experienced by our Raiders. TFL. :D

First Holy Communion

2007-04-13T00:15:00.000-05:00

DD will be receiving the Holy Eucharist this Sunday for the first time...or so I thought... You see, today she received the sacrament of Reconcilliation...and while we were there waiting for her turn to go to confession... The director of the religious education program says very non-chalantly.. "and we'll still continue to meet until May 6th when we'll have our First Communion celebration..." Parents looked at each other like...what?? She just said May 6th...Oh well, I guess I'll be going to Austin this weekend to see our Rivera Soccer team compete in the state finals... Just gotta make the best of it...plus I didn't have anything 'nice' to wear anyway...

SPECS: ISO 100, Manual Mode, in RAW, AV 11, SS 1/250, studio lights

PP: Resized and cropped (all of them), Linna's Sepia (on the sepias), Glambur (on all). No color popping this time...maybe I should have huh?

More Action...

2007-04-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

This shot (just like yesterday's post) was enhanced using a Soft Color Action. This is my little Andy. Her eyes totally reflect her personality.

Shot taken last summer by our stairs...who'd known huh...that's where I have my best light at home ;)

SPECS: Shot in JPEG, P Mode and using the kit lens...That's all I remember from then...

Teya's Soft Color Action...or what is it called?

2007-04-10T22:01:00.000-05:00

A shot I did for one of my friend's DD. She has georgous eyes with extremely long eyelashes...Shot at the university during dusk... No sun today, sorry... :(

And yes....I forgot to add my Copyright thingie but I'm just too lazy tonight and want to go to sleep...

Sunrise at Tranquil Trail

2007-04-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

The only day (last week) I go to the gym I get lucky...heehee, not THAT type of lucky, I mean lucky in the sense that Lorely runs out to tell me "Mom, come see the sun! You gotta take a picture of it!" I'm starting to think I'm ruining this girl with my obsessions....hey but at least she can find beauty in the everyday things...

Now, since Lorely and I were the only ones still at home (DH had left with the little ones already), we took our time shooting (we meaning, me), and I played around with the settings to see if I could make the shots a bit different. Didn't work. At least I don't think so. Anyway, here's the settings:

All shot in Manual Mode with 50mm 1.8 lens and ISO 100 and taken a few min/secs apart

#1-AV f/5.6, SS 1/320 in RAW

#2-AV f/5.6, SS 1/160 in RAW

#3-AV f/5.6, SS 1/320, changed the temperature in RAW processing to the left (don't know #'s)

TFL!

Sunset at South Padre Island

2007-04-09T00:02:00.000-05:00

The picture was taken on our way back from South Padre one summer night last August. Jaime (dh) was driving on the causeway and I was literally sticking my camera out of the window trying very hard for the rail not to come out (at the bottom of shot)...looking back, not a very good idea :D

TFL!

Twins? ...I think not.

2007-04-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

It's Palm Sunday so we're off to church. This week will be a slow one in my POTD. See, Holy Week is one of the most important times in our family. We'll be spending lots of time at church from Thursday until Sunday... just doing the many services that accompany such an important time of the year ...So, today I have no particular shots (I took some yesterday but I'll use them later since I did not developed them... from RAW).

Anyway, here's a quick shot of my little ones: Andrea Carolina (left) and Daniela Sofia. Sometimes people ask if they are twins...I just don't see it. They're 1year and 5 months apart... Maybe if I'd stop dressing them alike that'd help.

TFL!

SPECS: Taken sometime last year (maybe Jan/Feb) in JPEG. Don't have any other specs...Sorry :(

PP: Added border and my "then" signature...We've come a long way baby....

TFL!

Growing Pains

2007-03-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

Lorely comes out of the bathroom and starts asking questions...

"Mom, at what age are you a woman?"....

WTH? Where is this going ...

Me - Baby, you're a woman from the moment you're born.

Lorely - Oh, I thought you turn into a woman at 10, or so....Anyway, can I tell you something?

Me - Of course, what is it?

Lorely - I just shaved my legs in the bathroom...I don't know why, I just did. Both of them...

Oh, I just want to pull that hair right off her head. What the heck is she thinking? Doesn't she know how much worse it'll get. Didn't I tell her that if she ever wanted to get rid of the hair on her legs I'd take her to the spa to get it removed? And what is that about "I don't know why?" is she acting dumb? Like I believe it. I should've gone to check on them while they were showering. I knew it. I knew they were up to something. It just pisses me off...OK count to 10, don't scream at her or anything, she's trusting you isn't she?

So I answer

Me - Oy Lorely. Not a good choice. Why did you do it?

Lorely - It's because Chris (ds) told me I had hairy legs. And I felt bad. And so I wanted to get rid of the hair.

Me - Well, not a very good choice. I think it'll get worse. We'll just have to wait.

Lorely - Oh no Mommy, no! .... I'm sorry.

And off she goes crying...

And I feel like immediately calling my mom to ask her what to do. Heck, she had 12 girls, she's bound to give me pointers on this stuff. And to think Lorely is only 9. Gosh, she's only a baby. She's my baby. Lord, where has the time gone. I don't know who's suffering the growing pains more Lorely or me. But I think it's me, and this whole ordeal makes me want to cry...

Thanks for listening (or in this case, reading).

PS- And of course, being the bad mom that I am, I had to take a picture of her crying...I might even scrap the incident...maybe...

SPECS: Manual Mode, ISO 400, AV 1.8, SS 1/100, RAW

PP: Resized, USM, #1-Indie's BW, #2-Urban Acid, #3 Teya's Little Christmas

Breakfast tacos

2007-03-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

Every morning (just about) I have a breakfast taco. It could be potato & egg, bacon & egg, chorizo (mexican sausage) & egg, but regardless of what taco it is, it must have beans in it. Yup. A taco for breakfast. Of course, the flour tortillas don't really help with the diet...but at least it carries me to lunch...which is at 2:20 nowadays :(

Again this shot is from the flea market...and no, I don't buy my tacos there, I buy them at the gas station (Stripes) near school, but this taco was absolutely HUMONGOUS!!!!! I think it could've fed about 3 of us...Anyhow, since the shot is sooooo boring, I decided to try something funky and used some actions. Let me know what ya'll think...especially since I didn't like anything....(only the original)

TFL!

SPECS: Manual Mode, ISO 400, AV 1.8, SS 1/1000, in RAW, 1-point focusing (can you tell where I was focusing?), natural light.

PP-#1-Indie's Subtle, #2-Sketch, #3 Acid, #4-Modern Art

The week of food...

2007-03-25T22:24:00.000-05:00

Yup, my favorite subject. However, since I'm in a diet, I'm going to excuse myself from it and eat my favorite foods in order to take their pic right????? Thank you, I knew you guys would agree with me. So without much delay, here's my first try at food. Shot at the flea market last week (on purpose) specifically for this week...now ain't I clever, shooting ahead...

Now, if I could only plan my meals ahead of time I'd be set...

Colorful

2007-03-24T12:40:00.000-05:00

I went to Mexico last night to look for "colorful" shots for the CC-Color Challenge....or at least that was my excuse before the margaritas...heehee

Anyway, I figure I might as well share them with the gals from the POTD challenge...so here they are.

And just to let you know, the "beggar" was not letting me take her picture so that shot is extremely cropped (hence the pixellation). I had to go across the street, change to the 85mm lens, and shoot inconspicously so that she wouldn't cover her face...hmmm, maybe I should've given her a $10 and that'd done it...

SPECS: Manual Mode, 50 & 85mm lens, ISO 400 (all shots) AV 1.8-2.5, SS 1/800 to 1/4000.

PP: Resize, USM, and Indie's Subtle (as if they needed more color huh).

TFL!

More of the same...

2007-03-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

Gone yesterday but back again. I've been working hard at school so I really haven't been able to see anything @ 2 peas :( but I'm trying to keep up).

Anyway, here's two more shots of the flea-market. I like the fan one. I found it so neat to shoot the fan from the back. This fan was at one of the food stands. The patrons looked at me funny (but I got over that real quick) and the worst thing was that I kept rearranging my "angle" because I wasn't liking it.

The pots shot was done with "permission" from the booth owner. Again, she looked at me funny but said, go ahead...and even asked for her daughter to get out of my way. That was nice of her. :)

TfL!

SPECS: Both shots: Manual Mode, ISO 400, AV 2.0, SS 1/250. In RAW.

PP - USM, resize for web, color pop:Indie Rich.

My curly locks

2007-03-20T23:44:00.000-05:00

She's child #3. My miracle child. She is the only one who had curly locks as a baby. She loves to draw and paint. She loves her grandparents and is crazy about her aunt Nancy. She is feisty, and grumpy, and likes to be alone. She is always pinching/squeezing elbows, knees, or any other place that feels "wrinkley". She kisses hands often. She gives hugs unannounced. She only talks to you if she wants to. Otherwise she'll just look at you and walk away. The one that sings and dances uninhibitedly in public when she so desires. And if she tires, she expects for someone to carry her as if she was a baby. My little Danny. Born with Tetralogy of Fallot. My curly chubby baby who had open heart surgery at 6 months. The one that kept us awake for many nights prior to her surgery. Who had us on rosary after rosary during her hospital stay, and then after. A child that when you see now, you wouldn't think she had a heart condition. The child who was given a chance by God, and last week diagnosed with "no further surgeries needed at all." Yeah, this is my Daniela, and I love her.

More fleamarket finds

2007-03-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

More stuff from the flea market...I wonder if yours (wherever you might be) are like this one.. You can find anything from "exotic leather" boots (mostly made of plastic I think), old sewing machines, homemade scrubs, or just water (naturally flavored) called "agua fresca"...same concept of lemonade but made with strawberries, or melon, or watermelon, etc...does that make any sense?

TFL!

Objects...

2007-03-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

I don't remember if it was objects or specifically objets around the house...at any rate, I took this pic at the flea market today. They were on sale for $0.25 each...and I didn't buy a single one...Man, with all the ones we have at home from eating at McD's so often I think I should set a booth myself...heehee...

We don't usually go to the flea market, but the girls were bored and so we went. Oh but when we do go, we like to see all the animals, and furniture, and toys, and all the stuff they sell there, but the best part is the junk food. Oh yeah, lots of junk food. Doesn't matter how hot the day is, or if the locale is of questionable hygene... nope, we eat away...I guess it's part of the experience isn't it? Anyway, the wind was terrible and there was plenty of dirt flying everywhere; nonetheless, the place was packed and it was pretty colorful to say the least.

Coming to think of it, I think I took enough pics to last me all week so I'm set. One thing I must say is that people looked at me weird...like what the heck is she taking pictures of...DH just walked away...like he didn't even know me... :(

SPECS: Manual Mode, 50 mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 400, AV 1.8, SS 1/400. Natural light.

PP: Cropped at 300ppi (or 250?)and USM.

TFL!

More of it...

2007-03-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a bit more terracotta (in case you missed it). These were shot today (Saturday) at our local university for the CC-Composition Challenge -Frame within frame. Lorely (oldest dd) not very cooperative but I did what I could...BTW -sorry about the repeat (from MB) but it fits both categories and some of you might not see it over there :)

TFL!

SETTINGS: ISO 400, Manual Mode, SS 1/100, f/13, RAW.

PP - Resized and watermarked for web.

Fav Color and a ghost

2007-03-17T00:16:00.000-05:00

OK, so I haven't been up for a while, but you really shouldn't blame me. It's just that the "topics" aren't doing anything for me, nope, no inspiration on my end....OK, OK, so it's just an excuse I know, but really, I think I'm just gonna keep posting whatever, and be mostly "off topic". Hope no one minds and that it'll be OK.

But for today, I'm on topic. Here's my favorite color "Terracotta". DH says I only like the color because it "sounds" so cool. Maybe. But then I went ahead and checked my house and whadayaknow, I have "terracotta" colored items everywhere, even my formal dining room (AKA photo studio) is painted "terracotta". So from now on, I'll stop saying my favorite color is pink, or blue, or even red, because I think I have found my baby: terracotta. Yup, terracotta...terracotta, terracotta...It does sound nice doesn't it (I prefer it over burnt orange haha)

Anyway, here's a few of my Mexican artifacts in that color, and the second shot is a ghost that was wondering around the house messing up my pics (yup, that's Andrea...AKA Andy, our baby girl). I just thought it was a cool shot and she loved that she looked like a ghost.

Enough rambling. TFL!

Settings: Manual Mode, ISO 400, 18-55mm lens (yup the kit lens), AV f/11, SS 4 secs, mounted on a tripod, shot in RAW

PP- Resized @ 300ppi and enhanced with Teya's color pop.

Off to the beach we go...

2007-02-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

I guess it's not an object, but rather a place that helps define who I have become...the beach. You see, the girls and Chris have a blast when we're out there, and we try to be there very often. As soon as the weather is right (warm enough), we're off to the beach. Sometimes as often as 3 weekends in a row. Warm weather is good, but in the beach is even better.

We all love the beach. Love it. I love the smell of salt water, sunblock, meat being grilled, and I love getting to SPI and eating sandy sandwiches and doritos. Weird, I know. But you know what, something weirder is that even though I love going to the beach, I do not like getting in the water. Now, I do get in the water for the shots (of course) and it's not like I don't get wet, it's just that I prefer to watch everything from a distance and just cool off by the shallow area (plus I can't swim anyway).

So what do I do while the kids are playing? Well, I just take pictures, lay down, talk to dh, read, and just enjoy the sun. So here's to another warm spring hoping that it gets here a bit faster (though we're averaging in the high 80's everyday).

TFL!

Am I Mexican?

2007-02-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday Lorely asked:

Lorely: Mom, am I Mexican?

Without skipping a beat I answered: Si m'hija, of course you are.

Lorely: Then why can't I speak in Spanish like Grandma does?

Me: Hmmm, good question. I guess because we never speak in Spanish to you.

Lorely: Why not?

Me: I don't know m'hija, I guess we just thought you knew it, but don't worry I'll teach you.

And with that, I felt very, very small. How could I have overseen something so obvious? How could I assume that my kids would know the language and heritage just because everyone else around us does? Yep, indeed, I'm Mexican; and this past weekend, our city celebrated the camaraderie between the border towns of Brownsville (USA) and Matamoros (Mexico).

Every year we celebrate Charro Days (3 day holiday) towards the end of February. We have parades that run from Brownsville to Matamoros (International Parade) and we have lots of fun in places like "Sombrero Festival" and the "Fiesta Internacional" where people eat, drink, dance, and basically have a good old time. There's a 5-K race, outdoor concerts, gala dinners, and a special guest from Mexico is invited (usually a TV/Movie Star) and they call the special guest "Mr. Amigo." Everyone wears traditional Mexican costumes and it's a very colorful event (to say the least). My girls had an opportunity to dress up (and they did) and Christopher ran the 5K race on Saturday morning (no convincing him to dress up). Having felt bad , I took the opportunity to explain a bit of our heritage to Lorely. Hopefully, I can do better next time she asks ...with a bit of luck, maybe next Charro Days she'll be fluent in Spanish...all I can do is hope...

Geometry

2007-02-16T00:11:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

Here's my first (and possibly only) attempt at this week's theme of 1-in-5. I really looked forward to doing this series because in my field (High School Math) this is something we actually have the kids do while taking Geometry. Somehow, our kids have the darnest time trying to see the different faces/perspectives of orthographic drawings (side view, top view, right & left view and orthogonal view). We ask them to draw the different plane perspectives (left, right front and top) and then ask them to do the orthogonal view using orthographic paper. Everything is OK until they get to the orthogonal views. Man, you'd think we ask them for the moon...I wonder if kids all over the States have the same problems as our students down here???... Anyhow, this is how we help them. We hand them actual 1-inch cubes and have them model the problems (yup, manipulatives even in high school) and then (hopefully) they are able to better see/draw the views. For some kids it works, for others, it's a lost cause.

So there you have it. One of my favorite lessons.

SPECS: All pictures except top view shot in - Manual Mode, ISO 800, f/11, SS 1/4 (on tripod), pop-up flash with Exposure Compensation of -1.

Top view shot in AV @ 2.5, SS 1/80.

PP - Cropped and resized for web. Indie's Subtle color pop. Curves adjustment.

ps-I know something is wrong with my WB but I still don't get the hang of metering using that 18% gray thingy that I have :(

HHCC Always welcomed and appreciated!!!!

Parent's Night

2007-02-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

PICTURE SPECS: 85mm lens, AV Mode at 1.8, 2.5 and 2.8, Various SS, ISO 1600, AWB, no flash HHCC welcomed.

I know we were supposed to do botanicals this past week but the "topic" was just not cutting it for me (plus I was extremely busy "helping" Christopher with his HOSA project). Anyway, since we were finally off Friday afternoon so we went ahead and attended the JV game where I shot a few pics of the team. Then today, Quique (my brother), called me to ask if I could make a DVD for AnaMaria's Quinceanera (15th Birthday Party). I said hmmm...I dunno. I do have Pro-Show Gold since Mar (from MB) had suggested it, but I hadn't really done anything with it since I bought it... So guess who ended up being my first subject (more like guinea pig)? Yup, the JV team. And there you have it. My first video CD using Pro-Show Gold. Click on the link video above to see it if you'd like. I'm giving the coach a copy of the original...Hopefully he'll like it. And since I know this "element" of my blog is in the way of my posts, I'll only keep it up there for a few days ... :) TFL!

-BTW- The actual Video CD is really much better than the upload...trust me, but photobucket can only do so much with my files...I wonder which host can provide a better resolution video?????

No sports today :(

2007-02-03T18:07:00.001-05:00

well....i didn't go to the soccer game last night...it was freezing (about 45 degrees) and i wasn't about to take my butt out there, nor my girls...of course dh, being the soccer fanatic that he is went...it figures...having the top 2 soccer teams in the state competing vs each other (5A level) does make for an interesting game...in the end, our high school (rivera) won 3-2 (including a penalty kick).. go raiders!

my attempt at a portrait with my new 50mm lens. not too thrilled with it though (the lens). it searches waaaay too much as compared to the 85mm. i should've waited and used that money for the 1.4. once again, live and learn...(the good thing is that it wasn't so much $$$ spent on this lens).

SPECS: 50mm 1.8 lens, AV Mode @ f/2.8, ISO 100,

PP: Resized (12x12 @ 250 dpi). Nothing else...the color pop i used wasn't working ...arghhh, i need to play with them some more. i did try b&w but didn't like it either.

HHCC PLEEEEAASE!

Sports related

2007-02-02T00:19:00.000-05:00

The Special Olympics Team

On Wednesday, we had a pep-rally at our school. People usually hold pep-rallies for the football team, but ours wasn't. It was for the "other" sports going on at school. We had the usual things, the cheerleaders, the dance squad, the band, the games, but I thought it was pretty cool when they announced our "Special Olympics" team. The students cheered them on and you could tell that our kids were just beaming. We are truly, a special place here at Rivera High School!

The Boys and Girls Basketball Teams

SPECS: Manual Mode, 85mm 1.8 lens, AV 2.8, SS 1/250, ISO 1600.
PP- RAW Mode, Glambur action and cropped at 5x7@ 250ppi.

Oh! I almost forgot that Michelle tagged me...so

6 weird things about me (and I'm sure there's more but that's all I'm sharing)

1. I tend to forget what I'm talking about from 1 second to the next...pretty often too :(
2. I read things just to know about it, not because I have to...that's including manuals, instructions, medicine's side effects, tools, etc, etc.
3. I have a problem with silence. I have to sleep with the TV on, keep a conversation going, or do something to avoid being in silence.
4. I hate for my husband to fall asleep before me. I wake him up if he does.
5. I set my clock 30 minutes ahead and when the alarm goes off, I press the snoozer button for the next 40 minutes...always.
6. I love going to the beach (South Padre Island) but I hate getting in the water. I just like to sit by the sand and read, take pictures, and eat...and I'm always hungry by the time we get there anyway...

Soccer Boy

2007-01-31T22:32:00.000-05:00

Click the pictures to enlarge them...

Today I shot some pics at the school's pep-rally, however, I didn't have any time to download them or PP them at home so I'm posting some from a shoot I did for my dear "comadre."

I present to you my "Ahijado"[pronounced-aeehado]...(Godson). He is Mr. Athlete if you ask me. My girls love having him over to play and I think he enjoys it too.

I shot this in my kitchen with a black background from a kit I had purchased @ ebay. For the lighting I used my AB's 400's. This was my 2nd time using the Alien Bees lights and I wasn't too sure how much or how high (power wise) to have them. Lately, I haven't tried to shoot with them so I can't tell for sure if I've progressed either. I think that in some I underexposed but heck, I'll get the hang of it...I think...

Another problem I had was that he was sitting on the floor, not a problem for me because I could be on my knees or a little chair, the problem was how to position the lights to go that low...hmmm...maybe I should have brought them down (I kept them at about 5 ft high but pointing down with an umbrella). And sometimes I just turned the right side off and I think you can tell in the last picture.

Also, I didn't know whether to use the black umbrella or the silver lining one...so I used both, one on each side...the power being less on one side. Since this was shot at night, I thought the background would be OK...not so...I had to clone out every little single speck of white stuff, because believe me, EVERYTHING shows up...dang it...that was quite a bit of cloning...

And then there's the fact that his head blends with the background...how do I fix that? I tried levels, and curves, but I'm not too good at them either so I just left it alone. I did, however, ran a "glambur" action on all pictures along with a crop. The "glambur" has a USM embedded in it so I think that was it.

PLEASE HHCC all the pictures!!! I really need it!

SPECS: Manual Mode, 18-55mm lens, SS 1/250, AV f/11, ISO 100, AB's 400's with 2 umbrellas @ 5ft (height) on left and right (I think they were at 3/4 (silver umbrella) and 1/4 power (black umbrella) )

BTW, my comadre was happy with them (though I wasn't) and so that was that. It's not like I was selling them or anything...they were my willing subjects/models (I just hope they continue to be as willing next time I need them ...).

TFL!

Nothing but net

2007-01-29T23:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been almost a week (really a week) since I last posted. And it's not because I didn't want to. It's simply because I spend all day at work and by the time I get home there's hardly any time to post/comment/shoot/etc. So today, I'm posting 2 more water pictures (I know, I know, the "WATER" shots are over but I'm gonna anyway because I worked really hard at them...so here they are...

And then of course, the subject for the week: SPORTS. Here's my first ever attempt at a Basketball game. I followed the advice of the MB and I think it helped a bit. Took my 85 1.8mm lens, no flash, ISO 1600 (lots of noise by the way) and set my SS to @ least 1/400 (as most ladies mentioned would be ideal). Well, I sucked. Truly, royally sucked! I would say to myself: I'm fired! Now go away...

You see, I forgot to take the polarizing filter off the lens (duhh!) and I'm sure I would've gotten better shots if my big head would have remembered to take the hood and the filter off. That just pisses me off! So frustrating...

Ohhh but never fear, there's always soccer, or the girl's BB game tomorrow!

Like Arnold says..."I'll be back"

TFL!

Assignment #2

2007-01-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

OK, here's waterfall #2 (and I'm done with waterfalls for now). This one is at the entrance of one of the parks. I used my 50mm lens (on a tripod).

Picture #1- Indie's Rich Color Pop to enhance the color in the rocks, USM and resized for web.

Picture #2 - (Same picture) I used Sweetcheeks BW conversion. I don't know if it's just me, but I think it kind of blows some of the highlights. USM and resized for web.

Anyway, water assignment day #2 done.

On to do other ones.

TFL!

SPECS: Manual Mode, ISO 100, Lens 50mm 1.8, f/22.0, SS 1/8

HHCC Welcomed and appreciated!