Depth of Field

Hey everyone! Here's your tip numero dos (2)! Depth of field describes the portion of an image that is either sharp or out of focus. Great depth of field = everything in the image is in focus. Low depth of field = one portion of the image is in focus and another portion is out of focus.


In the picture below we have low depth of field. See how the boy in the front is in focus, but everything else is out of focus? This is great when you want to draw attention to just one subject in your image, for example the boy in this picture. I wanted him to be the focus. (Also notice the rule of thirds!)






The picture below has great depth of field. Everything in the picture is in focus. This is great for scenery if you want the whole scene to be the focus of the picture. It also is important to use this technique when taking pictures of large groups of people so that everyone in the picture is in focus, and not just one person is the center of attention.



You can get low depth of field with your point and shoot camera by focusing your camera (hold the shutter release half way down) on the subject you want to be in focus then moving it away to capture the whole scene. The camera should stay focused on your subject. Also try putting it on the macro setting. With SLR cameras make sure you have your aperture set at something like f/5.6 or smaller like f/2.8.

I love working with depth of field because it brings a whole new dimension to your images! Have fun playing with it!

Devan + Lauren Wedding

Tuesday night I got a call from Sister Jensen in my ward asking me if I would be willing to shoot her friends sons wedding Thursday morning. Their photographer canceled on them last second and when they didn't know what else to do this friend (who is also the grooms mom) decided she would take the pictures. Of course we couldn't let that happen so I said I would be happy to step in. Devan and Lauren tied the knot on this beautiful Thursday morning. It couldn't have been better weather, the sky was almost cloudless and it was warm enough that Lauren didn't even need her furry boots to stay warm! It was so fun to work with this cute couple and be able to share in the biggest day of their lives!

Rule of Thirds

Ok, so here's your first photo tip from Leah!


Now, a lot of photography consists of good composition (composition is how all of what you're shooting fits together in the frame of your camera). Good composition = an interesting photograph. So, how do we make a good composition? Why, by using the Rule of Thirds of course!


In order to get the rule of thirds, go ahead and split your picture into a grid of nine quadrants like so...


See where the lines intersect? That's where you put the subject of your photo, like the flower in this picture.


What this does is make your photography more dynamic and interesting than it would be to place your subject in the center of the frame. Easy enough, right?


Now it's your turn to go out and practice. Good luck! And remember good composition = interesting photograph!

Starting something new!

Hey everyone! I've been thinking... scary I know... and I've talked to a lot of people that would love to get into photography as a hobby, but they don't really know how or where to start. Photography classes are always an option, but let's be honest, who has the time?! So, to make things a little easier for everyone and as a good refresher for me I've decided to start posting photography tips on this blog! Now, I'm not a professional yet, but I do know a little more about photography than your average person. So, here's to you three people that read my blog, hopefully you won't get too bored as I give myself a little refresher on my photography classes. And, hey, you might even learn a thing or two!

I love this girl!

I pulled out my camera today and was able to convince Erin to pose for me (which doesn't happen very often). Isn't she just cute!

Our aventures on the creepy train

Story time.... It was late at night by the time we finally left Santiago to venture down to Chillan and see our new home for the next month. After some crazy taco’s (traffic jams) in Santiago we finally made it onto the highway that heads south to Chillan. After our fiftieth bathroom stop we were driving along minding our own business when Jamie looks out her back seat window and says something to the effect of “look at that” (sorry if I misquoted you Jamie). Well, I looked out her window and had the strangest experience. It looked like a television screen was following our car and was playing right outside Jamie’s window. After all of us trying to process in our brains what our eyes were seeing we finally figured out that it was a train running right next to our road. The windows all seemed enlarged and we could see the people in the train as if they were just a little ways away from our car. Well, after that experience of course we really wanted to take the creepy train back to Santiago! When we bought our tickets there was a poster by the ticket window at the train station advertising the train. This ad showed some young adults all having a great time playing Uno on the train at one of the two table in the car. Naturally we asked for a table seat and went and bought the game Uno. I would definitely recommend the train as a means of travel if we had passenger trains here. We played our Uno and made a few friends on the train. It was a very fun, relaxing ride.

Us on our creepy train at our table

Gotta love Uno

Mercedes and family waited on the station platform until we left.

When the train took off Mercedes and Francisca chased after it waving goodbye like in the movies!

McDonalds

Our last day at CONIN we bought the kids McDonalds. You should have seen the looks I got when I asked for 10 happy meals to go. It was a very funny experience feeding these kids McDonals because they didn't know what to do with it. After the first shock of carbonation the loved the Fanta. The french fries were a big hit. But the hamburgers were sadly rejected. We got three of the 12 kids to try the hamburgers and they only ate a few bites. It's a sad day when you find a kid that doesn't like McDonalds, but we had 9! Hopefully some day they'll grow up and learn to appreciate it.

This is the box full of happy meals that I had to carry on a very full very bumpy bus. Yes, I did have Fanta spill on me before the ride was over.

The kids with their Caja Feliz.

More of the kids.

They gave Ruben his Fanta in a bottle

Belinda loved her french fries and tia Paige loved being with her while she ate them.

Marco LOVED his Fanta. He drank almost that full cup without stopping. I feel bad for the poor tia who had to change his diaper after that.




After the kids wouldn't eat their hamburgers they gave all of them to Francisco because he had eaten a few bites of his.... not sure if they really though he would eat all of them, but it made for a funny picture.

Termas de Chillan

Sra. Gloria asked us one day what all we had done in Chillan. She was so disappointed that we hadn't been to the Termas (hot pots) yet. She told us she would take us that Friday when we got to CONIN. Paige wasn't able to come because she wasn't feeling well. Sra. Gloria and two other tias took time off from work and drove us up the mountains in the CONIN van. It was beautiful. The snow was coming down gently like in the movie White Christmas and everything was covered in it. We weren't able to make it all the way up to the termas because the road was slippery, but it was still a lot of fun. They had packed a lunch for us and even offered to take us to taste some of Chile's famous wine! Of course we had to disappoint them and turn it down even for medicinal purposes, but it was a sweet gesture.

All of us up in the mountains.

Sra. Gloria really really wanted us to take pictures by these strange things on the side of the road because they had volcanic rock on them. We decided they made us look like peacocks.

Peacock Jamie.

Us getting a little too excited about snow.

Jamie really liked the snow.

Esperanza

We went to an orphanage called Esperanza where all of the kids are up for adoption, the same orphanage where Jason and Damian were taken. We went one day for our lunch break and then the next day to give the kids cookies. The kids were so stinkin' cute and were so excited to see us again when we came back the second time... I got the best hug ever just for coming back. It was fun to communicate with some of the older kids... about six years old... because their spanish was better than any of ours. We even got laughed at for sounding so stupid when we talked in spanish! They thought it was hilarious.

Paige being funny with some of the kids. Jason in the highest making a funny face.

Me with some of the kids.

Paige and Jamie with some kids. Jason is in there again in the grey.

Meet the Fourth Room

Welcome to the fourth room. We had a lot of fun with these kids. They are full of energy and smiles. We would play with them, do file folders, paint fingernails, and do music time. I absolutely love these kids!!!

Alexander

He is constantly tied in his crib because he is crazy. If there is something that shouldn’t be gotten into, he will find it, and will get into it. He has an old man laugh that is trapped in his little kid body. He is super happy, despite always being tied in his crib. Jamie claims him.

Benjamin

He loves to be held and gives amazing hugs. He has cute little dimples. He loves to say “No” in a joking way because he thinks it’s funny. He has a lot of energy and is bound to be an athlete because he has amazing aim and an amazing kick. Leah claims him, because otherwise she’d throw a fit.

p.s. Paige wrote this, not Leah

Franco

He gives the best kisses and hugs. He is a smart little kid and excels at the file folder games. He loves doing thumb wars, but cheats to win. He is the only child to know all of our names. He loves to brush his teeth. Paige has claimed him.

Fernanda

She loves attention. She struggles with eating, but somehow they always get her to eat in the end. She loves being tickled and being in the oldest room now. We all claim her.

Scully

She is out of control crazy. She’s poco loco. She likes to bite, hit, scratch, and throw toys. However, we know she has the ability to be sweet. For example, when she sleeps she looks like a little angel. She loves one-on-one time. She surprisingly loves getting her nails done. She has lived her entire life in CONIN. Paige has claimed her.

Jose

He is the kindest, most loving, most affectionate child you’ll ever meet. He is very caring about the other children and always wants to make sure they’re ok. Jamie claims him.




Belinda
She is gorgeous. She gives THE most amazing hugs ever and just loves to be held while hugging you. She gives the sweetest little kisses on the cheek. We let her follow us everywhere because she is so good and such a great help with everything. Paige has claimed her.

Elena

She is the chunkiest, most solid girl at CONIN. She likes to claim her territory, and when you invade it she gets upset. She is sweet and loves everyone. Leah claims her.

We Love Comments!

Hey everyone! We've noticed that there are a lot of people that look at this blog every day. Thank you so much for caring about what we are doing. However, even though there are a lot of people that look at this blog we don't get very many comments about the posts. We love to read your comments and thoughts so please don't let us down and make sure you let us know what you're thinking. Thanks!

Love,
Leah, Paige and Jamie

Meet the Third Room

Welcome to the third room. These kids are so fun! They are at the age where they just love to play and dance.

Claudia

She loves dancing and twirling around, with the help of a tia of course, because she can’t walk yet. She has cute, curly hair. Leah has claimed her.

Felix

He is most often seen crying, but when he smiles it is so adorable. He generally cries when his mom and grandma leave, because he misses them. He wins the prize for the best eater. He LOVES watching us through the glass into the next room. Paige and Leah claim him.

Marco

2 years. We love to call him Marco Polo. He is Marlene’s older brother. Before his hair got cut he looked like the little crazy ape from Tarzan. He is a fairly mellow kid, but when you can get him to laugh he has the biggest smile. He can’t talk, but he loves to make many different sounds. He has a million different facial expressions. Leah claims him. Gotta keep the siblings together, right?

Exequiel

This little boy looks slightly Asian and has 2 huge front teeth that are so cute. He always has the biggest smile whenever anyone looks at him. He enjoys playing bumper cars while in his walker, both with other walkers and with adult’s legs. His mom comes in everyday to see him and seems to be working really hard to get him back. We all like her a lot. Therefore, we give claim to his mom.

Jeison

He rocks from side to side in his crib. He has huge, unblinking eyes. When he cries it is the saddest cry with huge tears. He loves being tickled and held upside down. Paige has claimed him.

Irma

She has the cutest, curliest hair. She is always happy. She has the brightest eyes and biggest smile. She does really well at playing by herself and keeping herself entertained. We all claim her.

Constanza

She loves to be held. She loves to mix her vegetables with her fruit at every meal. Hailey claims her.





Javiera
She loves attention and cries when she doesn’t get it. She loves playing with toys, especially ones that make noise. Paige has claimed her.






Ruben
He LOVES to dance. Whenever music turns on he immediately starts to dance. He loves to hit, especially tia Leah. He likes to hit, and gets in trouble a lot, but he has people wrapped around his finger. (Including the cooks, who give him extra little treats all the time.) Whenever he does something wrong he gets a little “oops” face, whether he meant to do it or not. He loves having toys put on his head. Paige and Jamie claim him.




Francisco
He is so sweet. His most commonly used phrase is “TIA!” He tries to act like he’s not excited to see us, but you can always see the smile he’s trying to hide. He loves to take toys from the other little kids and keep them for himself. He hates being left out of the action. He really loves hard boiled eggs. We all claim him.