Take a Hike--Photo Collage | Wordless Wednesday

by: Kristina

Holding On To Summer--Wordless Wednesday

I will miss you summer......

Wordless Wednesday--An Apple A Day

Good-Bye April, Hello May! Wordless Wednesday

Beach Love--Wordless Wednesday

Longing for more time at the beach....why do vacations go by soooo fast?

Wordless Wednesday--Molly Gif

My son wanted me to take some photos of our new puppy, Molly, with his football so that he could show his friend just how small she is.  Getting her to cooperate and sit still was no easy task.  I had my camera on high speed continuous and caught these images which made for a good animated gif.

Don't look at it too long, or you'll get dizzy.  I realize (once again) that when making gifs, you really need to have your camera on a tripod, for even the slightest movement is magnified.

If you are not too dizzy and want to see another gif I made last summer plus a few tips on how to make one click here.

Enjoy the Ride- Walk and Click Wednesday Santa Cruz Board Walk

by Kristina Rust

It's been awhile since I've joined Lissa's Walk and Click Wednesday prompt.  If you are not familiar with WCW, the idea is to go out and enjoy your world and to capture some images and then share them in her Wednesday link up.  You don't have to take your photos on Wednesday, just one day during the week or the weekend before.

I love this idea and how it prompts you to go and explore your neighborhood and surroundings and to share it with others.  I find it incredibly inspiring to get a glimpse into the world of each participating photographer.

Below are some photos from my family's day trip to the Santa Cruz boardwalk this past Sunday.   I love going to the boardwalk to take photos.  The kids love all the rides and I love staying on the ground  below taking pictures of the ferris wheel and swings.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

by Kristina

Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope your day is filled with lots of love, hugs and kisses!

Believe in the Magic--Wordless Wednesday

We hope you are enjoying this holidays with family and friends and that your days are filled with lots of love, laughter and the magic of the season.

Continue to Sparkle---Wordless Wednesday

by Kristina

Take a Break and Take a Walk--A Not So Wordless Wednesday

Last week, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that I had on my plate.  Not only was the laundry piling up, and the dust bunnies were starting to multiply but it was slim pickings in my fridge (wilted lettuce, questionable lunch meat, you get the picture).  On top of all that I had several photo shoots to edit and more sessions to plan for.  I'm usually a fairly laid back person, but I was feeling a mini-panic attack coming on.......

But then I took a deep breath and decided to go out for a walk.  I gave myself permission to leave all the items on my ever growing to do list behind for just one hour and take in some fresh air.  And you know what, it was just what I needed.  As I was out there I had a new favorite song playing in my head.... Take a Walk by Passion Pit (see the link to their video below).  

I drove to a nearby park and spent time enjoying and snapping photos of the beauty in my neighborhood....literally 10 minutes from my home.  The afternoon light was amazing and playing around with my camera was exactly what I needed to relieve a little stress and spend time doing something that I absolutely love...taking photos.

When the pressures of work and home start dragging you down, what do you do to recalibrate?


Oh and don't forget to take a listen to this song....it will stick with you and have you grabbing your shoes and heading out the door......

Linking up with LAF Custom Designs and her Walk and Click Wednesday.  Click on over to her site and see how others are exploring their neighborhoods.

Baking + Math = Fun Wordless Wednesday

I love math projects that involve baking.  This lesson was on fractions.  My son had to figure out how  his brownie recipe would change if the quantity changed.  For example if  you made brownies for only the people in your family (6) versus the number of kids in your class (32).  I loved that this project gave him a real life application on why learning how to add and subtract fractions is important (and tasty).  

Yes, baking + math = a whole lot of fun! 

Face Your Fears--Wordless Wednesday

Two weeks ago, I joined my daughter and a group of other 13 year old girls on a ropes course. It was meant to be a team building experience for the girls and I was there as a chaperone/car driver. When we arrived at this beautiful course, located deep in the Redwoods, I decided to join the girls. I thought the photo ops would be fantastic (and they were). 

I don't really have a fear of heights, but the idea of tightrope walking or crossing swinging logs while 90 feet in the air turned out to be very scary. While I was unable to muster up the nerve to do some of these challenges, I was in awe of the courage the girls had. They worked together...encouraged, communicated, problem solved and made it through a variety of challenging elements. I was in awe and nearly moved to tears. As I watched them, it reminded me that it is true....when you face your fears together, most any challenge can be overcome.

Happy Halloween--Wordless Wednesday

Fall---Wordless Wednesday

Knock, Knock..... Wordless Wednesday

An Afternoon in Half Moon Bay--Wordless Wednesday

My parents were visiting this past week from the Midwest and whenever they are here, we always take a trip to the beach.   My mom loves the smell of the air and walking barefoot in the sand.

We  started the day in Half Moon Bay and then drove down the coast.  We had a great day together and the weather was gorgeous!

Love Lock Bridge, Paris--Wordless Wednesday

This photo was taken on the Pont de l' Archeveche bridge (also known as the Love Lock Bridge)  in Paris this summer.  It is a bridge where couples from all over the world attach a padlock to the metal railings and toss the key into the Seine to signify their everlasting love.

The bridge is filled with thousands of locks in all different shapes and sizes, some engraved with initials, some with names written in sharpie  each with a story behind it.

I'm still regretting that my family did not add a lock to the bridge.  At the time, I was so mesmerized by taking photos and reading locks that my family was getting a bit irritated and the thought of stopping to buy a lock would have generated more moans and groans.  I guess my husband, tweens and teens did not find this as romantic as I did. 

One thing is for sure, the next time I visit Paris, I will be adding a lock to this bridge.

Wordless Wednesday-Yellow

I've been on a sunflower kick lately.  I love these flowers.  They are majestic...so tall and bright......

As it so happens, this week the prompt from LAF Custom Designs is yellow, so my photo turns out to play along well with her theme.   Check out her site and join in the Linky Party fun!

Sunflowers and Let's Share a Moment

While driving through Italy we passed this field and I made my husband pull to the side of the rode so I could get out and snap this photo. It was so gorgeous and such a beautiful moment that I wanted to capture. I had seen many other fields during our trip but always from the busy highway. So this was the first one that I actually had access to.

On Saturday, July 28, Shutter Sisters is holding a share a moment day (or many moments). All you need to do is take a picture of whatever you are doing and share it on any of your social media platforms. Be sure to tag it #ssmoment and #hdmoment (they are working with Hagen-Daz and your photo may be chosen as one of the photos featured in Hagen-Daz's 50 Summer Moments e-book coming out this fall...yum!).

It is going to be so wonderful to share moments with all of you. We hope you will participate in sharing a collective moment together.