First Hershey Gardens trip of the season

I am lucky enough to live about ten minutes away from the Hershey Gardens, something I plan on taking full advantage of this summer. I was trying to convince myself this morning to go to the gym, but I just wasn't feeling it today. So instead I decided to go walk around the Gardens and take some pictures. It ends up being a pretty good workout because you are constantly getting up and down from the ground to get the best angles on a flower.

I was very happy with my results today. My photos are getting better and better straight out of my camera, before any editing. So I thought it would be fun if today I posted my favorite SOOC (straight out of camera) photos, and tomorrow I will post a few that I have edited along with the originals just to show the difference a little editing can make.

Here are my favorites from today:

I was literally laying on the ground for this one. Unfortunately the grass was a little wet, but it was worth it.
I love tulips that look like the color is painted on with a brush.


A flower after it has lost all its petals.


I think this guy looks like Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors.




For this one I was standing on a boulder behind and above the tree
(not sure if I was allowed to be there or not).


Bleeding Hearts, the flower of my people.


A pansy from the side.


No idea what this flower is,
but this was the 4th shot of the day and one of my favorites.

IVF Meds

Art project with my syringes and meds from IVF #1

Trout Fishing

April 2nd was opening day for trout season in the midstate. I went out to take some pictures. I really wish I had some waders so I could get into the river to get some better angles.

Playing around with my new Neutral Density Filter and some long exposure shots. This is the only one that really turned out.

Can't have a post about trout fishing without showing some trout!

Birds and Cupcakes

I managed to find some time to make cupcakes last week and set up a mini-photo shoot to show them off.

I also ventured out Saturday morning to go to the Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve to check out the thousands of Geese and Swans that gather there every year on their way back to Canada for the summer.

Rock Climbing Kids

For my birthday I wanted to take my niece and nephews rock climbing, they all love it and I like that it gets them away from video games for a while and doing something active. The place we go to is called the Climbnasium and it is basically a barn with rock climbing walls everywhere. The lighting is challenging to say the least. But I managed to get some pretty decent shots.

Conner with a look of pure terror on his face.


Kayla Tackling the curved wall.


Aidan rocking the wall.


Noah made it half way up the slanted wall!


Kayla taking a break half way up the 40ft. wall.


Kayla making it to the top of the 40ft. wall!

Conner and Aidan hanging from the ceiling




Aidan doing what he does best, making a funny face for the camera.


And Noah is done...

Best Buddies

I was just playing around the one day and took a bunch of pictures of the dogs playing. This is what happens when I am bored out of my mind and haven't taken photos in a while. Don't ask me why I made them all B&W, cause I really don't know.









And now nap time...

More Flowers!

I had the pleasure of meeting some fellow photo nerds at Longwood Gardens today to take some pretty pretty pictures of flowers. I wasn't as thrilled with my photos today as I have beenin the past, but I still got some fairly decent shots. So here they are...