Over the holiday season our family attended two different Christmas parties. Here are some of my favorite shots from each.These first few pictures were taken during a white elephant party we attended.

I just love this little girls bright bold eyes and her mischievous glance. It's like she's thinking, "Does mommy know this is my fourth cookie?"

The lighting on this one isn't so great but I love the expressions on mother and sons face.

The following little dudes have the most gorgeous eyes and cute chubby cheeks!



These next pictures were taken at our Church Christmas party.




My daughter made sure I noticed the snowflake confetti sprinkled on the tables. She loved it!


This woman is one I see at church nearly every Sunday and I have always thought she had such a beautiful weathered face. When I walked by her I knew I wanted a picture. She was a bit reluctant but cracked a little smile for me.

I've tried to capture good pictures over the years with what I've had available. And I really believe that you can get good shots with the simplest of cameras; it's the human being behind the camera who has to come up with a good photo composition, after all. Obviously a really nice camera with interchangeable lenses has some fantastic advantages, but don't let that discourage you from learning the basics of photography and trying your hand with what you have.

I wanted to share with you some pics I'm proud of that I took with our 7 year old Kodak Easy Share last December on my sisters wedding day. A little bit of brightening and contrast in photoshop was all these photos needed to really make them pop:

The rain started last night and kept going all day. That's usually how it happens here in Maryland. When the rain comes, it's going to stay a bit. I decided I needed some pictures of the damp, overcast world.

Right now we are dog sitting for some friends. Isn't Linkin the cutest little Maltese?

My kids love to make 'gingerbread' houses every year. This year we started decorating after the sun went down so I was concerned about lighting. We have a chandelier over the table but it's not that bright so I cranked up the ISO on the camera. A little too much I think, as the pictures are fairly grainy. But I do like the natural warm glow of the photos.




Guess what? I don't own a genuine macro lens. So how did I get so close to those marshmallows you ask? A macro filter. I'll post more about it later.



I am particularly fond of the photo above. Maybe it's the composition/angle or the stray, blurry m&m's. Or perhaps it's because my adorable two year old just had to build a tower out of gum drops atop her house. I don't know. But I really like this photo.