Despite waking in a deathly, lethargic state I found myself brightly inspired by the sun today! Instead of grocery shopping like a dutiful wife, I decided to paint today.
It was quite a feat digging out all of my old supplies. It took me about 45 minutes of searching before it dawned on me that all of my brushes had been stored in the garage. Once all of my supplies were properly dragged into one place, however I felt myself growing excited! It has been far too long...
Anyhow, I am posting this "first draft" of an idea, or an image I'd like to get down. I may try the second attempt with watercolor and ink. I am certainly the most impatient painter I've ever met, so oils are not yet an option ( : We'll see.

Loving the Mama Belly

Here are some shots from Caylan's (good friend from high school) maternity shoot. I loved her ideas and inspirations, which we executed at her farm down in Lebanon this weekend. We took advantage of the rare, sunny day as well as the gorgeous country landscape. We managed to squeeze in a few shots of her daughter, Nalia and the hubs as well!

I am just about 4 months along. According to my baby-fit updates, I should "no longer be able to hide my pregnancy". And it's true, believe me you. I am finally beginning to understand the horror of having my amateur pregnancy ignored and mistaken as a little "belly weight gain". I feel compelled to accessorize every outfit with a giant pin stating that,

YES, I AM Pregnant!!!

On the other hand, it is quite a comforting thought to know that our little one is growing like weeds inside there. On a walk toward our favorite cafe this morning, I found myself touching my rounding belly ever so often, wondering when I'll feel his/her first movements.

Our "sex" ultra sound will be scheduled for the first week in May. It will be an early birthday present to finally learn the sex of our growing baby! I aim to post our discovery just before we leave for our trip to Texas! Till then...

Summer

I am so excited to begin working on new projects this summer... I am interested in playing around with lighting effects, natural and strobes. Here's a few photos of things I'd like to try:

Hopefully I have lots of 2nd trimester energy to execute these ( :




*All of the above photos are copyright owned by Glynes Selina Arbon

3 Months Along... Sex Prediction

So, my belly is finally starting to round out. I am very excited for it to grow into a little baby ball. ( : Don't worry, I'll be posting belly photos asap!
I recently took a Chinese Prediction test for the baby's sex! I'm trying to not get to excited about it, but the prediction came out as... (drum roll please)... A GIRL!!!
So, I know that that is not enough information to justify a pink and yellow shopping spree for baby, but my excitement is growing even more as the "sex ultra sound" day approaches!

To try your hand at a simplified version of the chinese predictor (between 80%-90% accurate) just click on Chinese Predictor.

Before and After Headshot

"After"



I wanted to post the "After" photo first, because I want you to experience it- first glance- as a finished shot. ( : I chose to go with black and white in this photo, because Holly, the model, is trying to build a basic portfolio for her modeling book.

Here is the "After photo". I will discuss the changes I applied at the bottom.



Here are the following steps I took in processing this shot:

1. I did a basic cleanup of her skin.
2. I blurred out some of her lines and bumps.
3. I realigned her lips and nose.
4. I applied a high pass layer- only to her eyes, brows and details of her shirt.
5. I thinned her neck and realigned her shoulders.
6. I brightened her face and neck.
7. I "multiplied" or darkened the background.
8. Back in lightroom, I added some blacks.

Mommy Brains

>From a shoot this weekend...

I am still surprised by the alien changes taking over not only my body, but my mind! The day of this shoot I drove all the way to Freddie's for supplies, couldn't locate my wallet- forgot that I had stowed cash in my back pocket for the purchases- made my way to the studio, forgot to turn down the correct street and arrived WITHOUT a camera. Haha.

What photographer can beat that? ( ;