Just heard this song on the way home from work

mixes

I am made a couple mixes of stuff I have been listening to lately.  Most of it is from the radio to and from work.  This first one is high energy songs that I love to hear when I fight my way down 270 into DC. Flo Rida definitely is one of my faves nowadays (and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros).  He just makes the awesomest songs that makes me feel invincible (but his music videos are stupid and highly inappropriate).  It's also a trillion times more awesome when you blast it super loud.

WARNING: I couldn't find the edited version on here so if you have virgin ears around, don't play this one.  The other ones are ok tho.

This one is my chill out faves. My only issue with Edward Sharpe is he wears gross hobo clothes.  

As my husband is well aware I have this special place in my heart reserved for disco.  One of the highlights of my life is listening to "Retro Saturday Night" on 97.1 with cool lights.  You probably don't have a soul it this music has no effect on you.  My arms and legs just lose control and I get funnky!

So yeah, that's it for now.  Until I change my mind and hate all these songs.

home video update

Ellie is getting so big.  Time goes by so fast.

The weather has been really nice lately and so we took advantage of that and went to the park.  Ellie loved going down the slide and the baby swing.  She cried when I took her out.

This video has been on my phone forever.  Ellie looks really young here and she's just acting all crazy.  You can tell she knows and loves her daddy and grandma by her reactions to their names.  We are still working on "mama" no reaction for that yet. : /

My photography stuff lately

I have been trying to promote my photography lately, and that is one thing that I am horrible at.  I don't want to be annoying people because I want business.  I have made a goal to talk about it in person and online.  So I have invested some of my time updated my website, built a facebook page and I want to do photo shoot giveaways and stuff every so often to get more exposure. Here is the banner I designed for my facebook page.  Which one is better? The bottom or top?  McKay and I are having a debate.

I am happy with the way they turned out, really urban outfitters-esk.

so yeah, you should go like me on facebook 

(jessicawilleyphotography)

 I had one person respond to an ad I put up saying he would like some pictures taken of a car he built (which I am fine with). And upon further investigation was also hiring a bikini model to be in the shoot also!  Uhhh... I'm not that kind of photographer.  I don't do pin-up car photography.  I told him I couldn't do it so now here I am again trying to find people. So if you have any words of wisdom I would be happy to take it.

During the past two weeks I have done two photo shoots for fun and here is some samples of what I got, one newborn and one maternity.  I'm pretty happy at how they turned out. Congrats Jamie, Brice, Lindsay, and Sam!

Some funnies

I have had this ad song stuck in my head for the past two days, and those little cartoon guys are so cute! I like the astronaut, kidney, and moose guy the best.  La La La!

slides...

For real...

Photography Tips & Tricks

There's a lot of things that I have learned about photography since  I have started.  Here are some basic tips and tricks that might help you.  To my friends who already know this, I'm glad your so advanced, but I'm just sharing the knowledge with those less fortunate.  And I am not some expert either, so don't think that I am.

1. Using Mat board as a backdrop.  Very inexpensive and is stored easily.
2. One person in the photo? Shoot at f2.5 or higher (smaller hole).    For each additional person increase the f a stop or two.  Sometimes it is hard to get right, please don't blur out your subject by going too low.  I still struggle with this problem sometimes.
3. The page of this magazine.  You can read the rest of the article here.

4. Shooting stuff in cages or through a window?  Press your camera all the way up to it to get rid of the stuff in your way.

5. You want bokeh in your pics?  Look for lights, water droplets or anything that will catch highlights, and put them varying distances away from your lens blurred especially the in the blurry areas.    and lower your f stop. 

6. Ever wonder why you look weird in pictures sometimes?  It's usually because the picture is warped.  At 55 mm and above there is no warping, but as soon as you go below that it starts warping and warping until you have a full on fish eye effect going on (8mm).  So if you don't like it, any chance you get keep it near 50.  you might have to back up but it will solve the problem and more true to real life.

7.  The red ring around some of the Canon lenses means it's the cream of the crop.

8.  Are you a little bit crazy and a little bit cheap?  You might like a lensbaby but I've never tried one myself.  I want to, it seems a little loco...

And speaking of photography stuff this is funny, you so tricky dove.
yay for natural beauty

I will probably add to this list later but for now this is all I can think of.

update

Not much has been happening here, I went on a couple photo shoots, work, and taking care of Ellie.  I have to work tomorrow and then I'm free for a few days.

McKay surprised me the other night with a Wacom pen tablet!  COOL! I would have never bought it for myself but he did and it's so nice.  I have been secretly wanting one of these for forever.  I don't even know all the stuff it does but I'm so excited to use it.  Is he trying to get me to ignore him?  Cuz I could spend hours on this thing.

I'm a bit awkward with the stylus but I'm sure I will get the hang of it.  Now I think I need to download some good Illustrator and photoshop brushes... Know of any good ones?

Here's some home movies as of recently.  Here's Ellie showing you her sign language and animal sound skills.

This other video is of us being bad parents. My mom brought this hopping chick home from the grocery store for Ellie to play with.  haha.  She hates the evil chick.