it's happened...

... I finally caved and purchased an actual editing program (Adobe Lightroom 5). And, being the instant-gratification kinda gal that I am, I immediately ran outside to my models, yelled some quick instructions at them (lie down there! look that way! don't stick that up your nose! DON'T EAT THAT!!) and shot some pictures in magical RAW format to experiment on.

And experiment I did. I have been at it non stop since last night; at first filled with arrogant delight that I was going to be that protege who would be able to just fiddle around with Lightroom for a few minutes and be an expert (I am able to use my camera without ever having so much as glanced at the manual, after all!) .... You'll be happy to know that three hours later I was grunting loudly, pulling out my hair by the fist full, and seeking out the help of experienced Lightroom gurus on YouTube whilst crying tears of humble repentance. 

It's been a day. I have edited a handful of photos. I promise I will get better at this (meaning I intend to download every free Lightroom preset known to internets). Until then, here are the pictures:

blessings

Baby Aria is a blessing in the lives of all those around her, so it's only fair that she receive a blessing in return. I love this beautiful tradition at church. It's such a special way to give new life a foundation and a boost. Not to mention how it strengthens the family bonds when we all gather to celebrate the event, and are lifted up by the sweet spirit that is present at these events.

I am pretty proud of my brother Mike, and the husband and father he is turning out to be. We were quite close growing up, sharing a sense of humor and a love for mischief. Now we're all grown up and our paths have gone all over the world and far away from each other, but I can see very clearly that his accumulated experiences during that time apart have shaped him into a pretty great guy! (I guess he put in some hard work towards that effort too...) Also, he got super lucky to find Kate and succeed at getting her to marry him. Let's face it, he was going to need someone to help him navigate through life, and if it wasn't going to be me, Kate was definitely the next best option. I have just one request, Kate: please tell your husband to pose for my camera like a good boy, instead of pulling every funny face he can summon? All I could manage was to sneak in a shot of him while he was engrossed in the basketball game...

The one person I did succeed at getting well-posed shots of, was Aria. We definitely have a natural on our hands! So without further ado, I am excited to present  to you: Aria Kate Blom & her Gushing Gang of Groupies.