Gloria .... in a 'senior' moment!

A dear, sweet friend ... a beautiful summer day in the country ... and my camera = Gloria's Senior Session . 2011!  I must be honest and say, that this was my very first senior portrait session and I have to admit, I was just a bit nervous, but Gloria's kind spirit along with her bubbly personality, truly made it a joy!  We have known her family for quite sometime ... fifteen years to be exact, and I've watched her grow into a beautiful young lady.  Needless to say, I was very blessed that she had asked me to take these pictures for her.  Senior portraits are pretty important these days, and I prayed that she would be happy with them ... and, thankfully, she was!  The session went very well, with her mom and sisters along for ideas, and encouragement.  Gloria was a perfect 'subject' and as you will see, besides having the prettiest eyes, and smile, her hair was stunning!  Blonde and beautiful!  They live on a country road, and the setting was perfect!  Here are a few of my favorites .....

Well, there, you have it ... the session was almost over, and Gloria had just about run out of steam ... it was a very humid day, but she did have one perfect expression left!  Now, I do believe this one reminds me of a picture from an old, black and white, silent movie!  Ya think?! Lol!! 

And, finally ... these were the three adorable ladies I was so blessed to spend that afternoon with ... Hope, Mercy, and Gloria.  Thank you, ladies, for making my first senior photo shoot a success ... I couldn't have done it without you! 

You'll be seeing more of these ladies as time goes on!  I do want to thank you for dropping in ... it's such an encouragement to have you visit, and to read your comments!  Hope your weekend is blessed!  xoxo

Texture Thursday | Ancient Remedies

Well, it's been a little while since I've entered the Texture Thursday challenge, but here I am!  We've had a busy summer getting to know our new daughter-in-law, as well as getting them all settled in after moving back home from California ... they say the weather out there was much better compared to the heat we've been having here!  It's just too hot for me!  I'm so thankful for air conditioning here in our home ... the one in our car just 'died', and I'm not overly excited about going anywhere lately!  I do hope you're all finding ways to beat this heat.  Honestly, I'm ready for the cooler days of fall!  If this heat keeps up, it can't come soon enough for me!

For this weeks entry, I decided to use an image of old medicine bottles, although I do notice an old English Leather box, and a couple other things that wouldn't be considered remedies.  It was pretty much SOOC, but I did brighten the colors just a bit, then used a texture from Paul Grand.  I love all things old, and thought this would be a fairly good choice to share.  To see more interesting textures, or to add one of your own ... come on, you know you want to ... just click on the logo below the photo! :)  Have a blessed weekend, and we'll see you again soon!

Texture Thursday | Framed

Another Thursday, already! It's hot here, and it just seems the days and weeks are flying by ... melting into yesterdays.  Is it me, or do you all feel the same, too?  Nevertheless, it's upon us and for this week I wanted to share a photo 'of a photo' of some sweet friends of ours.  We were at their house for a picnic and I adored her flair for decorating ... there was a touch of 'Paris' in every room.  When I saw this shelf and the photo of the two of them, along with a couple of old books, I couldn't resist.  I played around with this image in PSE7, and although I liked it without a texture, I found that using one added so much more.  First I tweaked the colors a bit, then added this layer that I got from Shadow House Creations.  Jerry has a nice website there, and some really pretty textures you can download for free.  I liked the effect this particular one added.  I really enjoy using texture layers to give an image even more character and depth. If you'd like to see what others do with textures, or to share one of your own, hop on over by clicking on the button below!  Have a blessed day!

The virtue of the camera is not the power it has
to transform the photographer into an artist,
but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking.
~ Brooks Anderson ~