1. Sunday morning services 2. First day. Kicked my butt. 3. Guitar statue 4. The hubs, @labeldude, on @ScottKelby’s worldwide photo walk with me #wwpw 5. Superhero row #wwpw 6. Amen. #wwpw 7. True dat. #wwpw 8. Dahlonega square #wwpw 9. Main Street U.S.A. #wwpw 10. Awesome hubs @labeldude toting my bag & instagramming #wwpw 11. Teaching biology @classicalconversations 12. Earl Grey, take me away!

Welcome! For those of you who’ve found your way here while cruising the 700+ blogs participating in the 31 Days series (I’m #528, thankyouverymuch), let me tell you about Camera Phone Friday. Currently in its 32nd week, Camera Phone Friday pays tribute to the gloriously mundane details of my everyday life as captured by my iPhone 4 and documented via the Instagram app.

At the bottom of the post you’ll find a button to grab and even a cool photo linky where you can submit your own camera phone images each week. You don’t have to write a blog post, just link to an image on Flickr or Instagram if you like. Check this page for more info on how I create collages out of my Instagram photos, like the one at the top of this post, or how to get a link for an individual Instagram image. (This page can be accessed at any time via the “Camera Phonography” tab at the top of my blog. I need to update it to include the assortment of photography apps I use on my phone.)

If you’re on Instagram, my username is dawncamp. (FYI: Instagram is currently available only for iPhone or iPad, but I’ve heard that PicPlz is the closest alternative for droid users.) See How to Create Your Own Instagallery for how I display these photos in our home.

Most of this week’s shots are from Scott Kelby’s 4th Worldwide Photo Walk last weekend (I attended the Dahlonega, GA, walk), but one of my favorites is this one of my 16-year-old son helping teach his 6-year-old sister to read. He saw me double-tasking—teaching her phonics while dictating sentences for a grammar lesson to her 11-year-old sister—and jumped right in to help.

Moments like this sweeten the rough days.

What did your phone capture this week?

***

All 31 Days of Real Life posts can be found here.

{31 Days of Real Life} Camera Phone Friday: Worldwide Photo Walk Edition is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

As an evangelist for NAPP, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, I get to offer you an awesome sign-up bonus with your membership: a $10 discount and Scott Kelby’s new Photo Recipes Live: Behind the Scenes, Part 2: Lighting Techniques DVD/book combo.

When the first book came out, Photo Recipes Live: Behind the Scenes: Your Guide to Today’s Most Popular Lighting Techniques, I asked for it as my sign-on bonus. I’m happy to be able to offer you the new volume now.

Here’s the scoop:

Scott Kelby, author of the best-selling The Digital Photography Book, once again brings to life his “Photo Recipes” chapter—not just from this book, but from his smash best-selling follow-ups, volumes 2 and 3. In this two-hour video and companion booklet, Scott shows you exactly how it’s all done, from scratch, without holding anything back.

If you’ve ever wondered how the pros use natural light, studio light, and even direct daylight to get those amazing shots, you’ll see it all here, live, as it happens. For this follow-up to the incredibly popular first volume of Photo Recipes Live, Scott heads to Miami—both on location and in the studio—to re-create the looks he describes in the book, along with some bonus lighting set-ups that aren’t in the book.

Everything is put together from scratch (from studio shots to location shots), all while the cameras are rolling— you see it all from the very beginning so you’ll be able to re-create those same looks without spending thousands on expensive high-end equipment.

Best of all, Scott explains everything in simple, plain English, just like he’d tell a friend, using the same casual, conversational style that made his series of books a worldwide sensation. If you’ve ever wondered “how they do it,” you’re about to find out in this amazing DVD/book combo that shows how easy this all can be—once you know the secrets.

What a great time to join NAPP—just enter DAWN as your promo code.

[I wrote recently about attending Photoshop World in Orlando this week. I've made the decision to reschedule and attend the conference in Las Vegas in September instead. I'll miss my NAPP buddies this week!]

I’ve Got a New NAPP Referral Bonus! is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

My pass for Photoshop World arrived in the mail yesterday for March 30-April 1 in Orlando. Today—Friday, February 25—is the last day to register and receive the $100 Early Bird Discount. I would love to see you there.

Photoshop World is a creative high. I always walk away motivated, inspired, and with fresh editing and workflow tips that revolutionize my whole photography process.

The classes are varied and relevant, and taught by industry leaders. During the course of the conference you can learn lighting tips from Joe McNally; Lightroom from Matt Kloskowski or Julianne Kost; portrait retouching from Scott Kelby; how to make an online portfolio from RC Concepcion; concert photography from Alan Hess.

For a photography junkie, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

It’s my personal wish to see more camera-toting blogging mamas like myself there. If you can’t make it this time, Photoshop World happens twice per year, once on the east coast and once on the west coast. The west coast locations is usually Las Vegas.

If you join NAPP (see the NAPP tab in my navigation bar for reasons why you should), be sure and enter my promo code—DAWN—for a $10 discount and a free bonus offer, which is currently Scott Kelby’s Photo Recipes Live DVD/book combo. Once you’re a member, you can start racking up benefits when others join through your referral link. Refer eleven new members and earn your Photoshop World pass for free.

Are you going to Photoshop World? Do you want to go?

It’s Almost Photoshop World Time! is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Joe McNally’s KelbyTraining LIVE Location Lighting Tour

I wanted to share a couple of awesome but totally unrelated happenings here in Atlanta: Joe McNally’s Location Lighting Tour through KelbyTraining LIVE will be at the Cobb Galleria Centre this Monday, November 1. These tours tend to sell out, so I’d nab that ticket ASAP if you’re interested.

Tickets are $99 for a full day of instruction, $79 for NAPP members. If you use my promo code—DAWN—when joining NAPP, you’ll get a $10 discount and Scott Kelby’s Photo Recipes Live DVD/book FREE. If you qualify for an education discount (teacher, student, homeschooler), that’s another $10 off. Join for two years—which is what I did when I joined—and the savings multiply.

Middle School the Musical at the Alliance Theatre

Three of the kids and I were invited to attend opening night of Middle School the Musical Monday at the Alliance Theatre. I admit that I held a couple of pre-conceived notions: (1) that it would be a direct take-off of High School Musical or (2) that it would be full of inappropriate humor, designed to appeal to kids, but not adults.

Thankfully, it was none of the above.

What we saw was a cute and engaging play—written by the actors themselves—with likable characters and good use of crowd participation. This production successfully managed to appeal to adults, teens, and tweens; my 15-year-old son, 13-year-old daughter, 10-year-old daughter and I all enjoyed it.

{Oops! I just realized that this play only had a one week run and the last shows are today! Here is the full 2010-2011 schedule for the Alliance. }

Related Posts:

• Photoshop World Most Embarrassing Moment: The Joe Pic
• Photoshop World Orlando: Joe McNally’s Big Light from Small Flashes

{Disclosure: Middle School the Musical tickets provided for review.}

Last-Minute Atlanta Happenings: Joe McNally’s Location Lighting Tour and Middle School the Musical at the Alliance Theatre is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Photoshop World was Tuesday-Friday this week in Las Vegas, and while I would have loved to have been there, I had a great week at home.

Wednesday I took head shots for a lovely young actress.

Thursday night two of my kids and I went to a Latin party. If you’ve ever thought I’m a little nerdy, this might confirm it. We hung out and watched videos about the Latin language. I took six pages of notes and a screen shot.

Friday was my seventh child’s seventh birthday! On each child’s birthday, if at all possible, I take them out for lunch. Chili’s is always a favorite and that’s where we went.

Are they just born knowing that tilt of the head?

We’ll call this, “Wait, it’s my sister’s birthday and she’s getting all the attention!”

I cut everyone else in my household’s hair, so I’ve never felt too bad about paying to get mine done until this year. In an effort to save, I haven’t gone to get my hair cut since last December. A good friend, another stay-at-home mom, has done it for me a couple of times, whenever we’ve had the opportunity.

After Google image searching “haircuts,” I saved this to my phone before we left for the birthday lunch.

Although well aware that no mere mortal could make me look like that, I thought the style was realistically possible for my hair.

On a whim, I called a salon that I hadn’t visited in over a year and a half and where I knew my former stylist no longer worked. Could they work me in? Yes, if I could be there in 30 minutes!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that while the salon had been a little snooty, it’s now a more relaxed and enjoyable place to be. I really liked the girl who cut my hair and will probably go there again.

I don’t know about you, but after a haircut I like to get a picture to remind me how it was styled at the salon, although it’s usually difficult to replicate by yourself. My husband snapped some pictures for me while I gave lots of instruction on where to stand, focus, etc. After that Jasmine Star wedding photography course at Creative Live last weekend, I harbor a secret agenda of transforming him into my own personal JD (Jasmine’s husband and second shooter). I’ll let you know when you can book us to shoot your wedding. ;-)

The good news is, I got a new headshot! Woo hoo!

It’s cropped in the sidebar enough to disguise the fact that my roots needed a touch up, which I took care of this morning. ;-)

My daughter snapped some pictures of my husband and me; we’ll celebrate our 25th anniversary next month. I am beyond thrilled to have them and to have been blessed with such a man to call my own. I’m convinced there’s not another anywhere who would put up with me.

What have you done this week?

I’m crossing my fingers to be at Photoshop World in Orlando next spring!

What I Did this Week While I Wasn’t at Photoshop World is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Lightroom 3 for Digital Photographers

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers plus BONUS

If you use Lightroom 3, you’re going to want Scott Kelby’s new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers. It retails for $39.99, but NAPP members can get it for $29.99. I ordered it early because Kelby Training was offering a pre-order bonus: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Killer Presets CD with Matt Kloskowski ($39.99 value) for FREE.

Even though the book has been released, the pre-order bonus is still available on the Kelby Training website. I don’t know how long this will last, but if you’re interested in the book I’d recommend ordering it now while the bonus offer is there.

Matt’s presets ROCK.

Luna Blue Healing Balm

Luna Blue Healing Balm

Rachel Luna of Luna Blue sent me samples of some of her healing balms. I’m completely addicted to the Lavender and Peach roll up tubes (pictured); they are perfect lip balms and the scents are wonderful.

Here’s some info from the website:

LUNA BLUE products are all natural, safe and 100% free from artificial preservatives, fragrances or dyes. We pride ourselves in using only the highest quality organic herbs, essential oils and natural ingredients. We never test on animals, use any nut oils and we are 100% toxin free.

LUNA BLUE healing balm is an all natural salve for many different ailments.
Wonderful for dry, chapped lips, hands and cuticles. Healing moisture for dry, cracked heels, peeling feet and other areas of dry skin such as elbows and knees. Moisturizes, softens and heals naturally and effectively. Made with pure essential oils, natural beeswax, sunflower oil, vitamin E, and healing herbs.

The Voskamp Family Schoolroom

Best Ways to Organize a Homeschool

If you’re gearing up for a new year of homeschooling, be sure to check out Ann Voskamp’s post Best Ways to Organize a Homeschool. Ann inspires me on so many levels. I wish we could homeschool with her family in that room.

Be sure to check out the bottom of her post for all details on where everything was purchased or its source of inspiration.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk

Visual Inspiration

(yes, I’m aware of my overuse of the word inspiration; it’s a hot topic in photography, which gets you three bonus links)

Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk Winners

More Worldwide Photo Walk Winners Honored

A Little Link Love is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Last Saturday, July 24, was Scott Kelby’s 3rd annual Worldwide Photo Walk, which I attended in historic Roswell, GA, on a very hot and humid morning here in the Deep South.

One of the greatest things about a photo walk is hanging out with people with a common interest in photography, sharing ideas, tips, and advice. I watched one walker eagerly show another how to shoot for HDR on his new Canon, and how he jumped right in and enjoyed building a body of work to develop this new angle in his post-processing.

I also love the extended camaraderie of viewing and commenting on each other’s photos in our group’s Flickr pool after the walk. I’m looking forward to some time going through my group’s photos. The full pool of Worldwide Photo Walk photos can be found here.

Our group broke into three sub-groups, starting in different directions. Mine began at Bullock Hall, an 1830′s pre-Civil War estate spared by Sherman. Seeing nearly 200-year-old gems such as this preserved makes you realize just how much was lost.

A woman who was working on the grounds told us that there was a nature trail behind the house, including a waterfall. She then looked at my feet and said that I couldn’t go because my shoes weren’t appropriate. I didn’t bother saying that they were 3-year-old Aerosole sandals that I live in because they’re so comfortable. Maybe they looked more like velvet heels. :-)

There was a lovely garden, though.

This little bunny is almost completely covered in ivy, all but his ears. At that point, I don’t think you’ll even be able to tell what he is.

Next was Barrington Hall, where they had graciously placed cold water (with cucumber slices!) on the front porch. Considering the heat index was over 100°, it was a most welcome site.

Of course, it’s the other photographers that make a photo walk fun. We had a great crew.

Four of us wound up in a cemetery toward the end of our walk. I loved this blue ornament I found there.

They don’t call kudzu “the vine that ate the South” for nothing. I’m assuming this was once a tree.

At the end I took off my shoes, climbed in the fountain in the middle of the town square, and let this little guy spit water on my feet. It was a beautiful moment.

Next, I met my family and went downtown to Centennial Olympic Park for the Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic picnic. But that’s for another post…:-)

Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk in Historic Roswell, GA: People, Pictures, and Perspiration is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

First, I want to give you a heads up that I have a new NAPP referral bonus—now you not only get a $10 discount, but Scott Kelby’s Photo Recipes Live Behind the Scenes: Your Guide to Today’s Most Popular Lighting Techniques DVD/book combo! (Click the link to read my review.) I’ve also added a NAPP tab to my top navigation bar for easy access.

Second, I’ve got a post up on the Elmer’s Bag it Forward site, Back to School Project: Class Pictures, a family project I highly recommend.

Third, the Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic for Atlanta is this Saturday, July 24! Click here to read all about it.

Last but not least, I want to introduce you to my aunt’s Etsy shop, October Moon Boutique, where you’ll find beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade necklaces like this:

I hope you’re having a great week!

A Few Announcements is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Inspired by Zack Arias’s white seamless tutorial and needing to take head shots for a friend’s daughter who is involved in acting, I recently ordered two light stands, a crossbar, and a roll of white seamless. My dining room and our computer room both have large north facing windows with Palladian arched windows above them for lots of natural light.

Ultimately, the computer room provided the best lighting setup, angled right in front of my desk. (I could claim that my desk is usually much neater, but I wouldn’t expect you to believe me.)

I messed up and only got a six foot wide roll of white seamless, so I won’t be using it for any large group shots. :-) I’ve already decided this stuff is probably the most economical way to buy drawing paper for your kids, although I won’t be sharing that thought out loud or my roll might disappear.

Those clamps are insanely hard to squeeze open, but they keep the paper from unrolling.

[I ordered all of these things from B&H Photo and paid no shipping, a perk for NAPP members.]

As far as lighting goes, I’m using sunlight, bounced on-camera flash, and a reflector. Amy and Angie from iHeartFaces gave me a Lightscoop at BlissDom. I’d never tried it, but decided to see if it would block and deflect my on-camera flash, while triggering my external flash unit placed to the side. (That sentence doesn’t even make sense to me, so I hope you get it.)

The funny thing is that I started using the Lightscoop and completely forgot about the external flash. For $30, it’s really an inexpensively brilliant little contraption.

My kids are good sports and let me experiment on them.

Here are a few of the head shots for our friend.

[How many pictures are too many in a post? Will Flickr explode?]

I manage to completely blow out my first shot each time I begin. I also tend to really like those blown out shots.

The key elements have been keeping the focus on the eyes, watching for catch lights, and having someone who is paying attention hold the reflector.

Lens vignetting really shows up with the white background. To eliminate it, you can drag the Amount slider under Post-Crop Vignetting (in the Effects panel of the Develop module) to the right in Lightroom. You would drag it to the left if you wanted to add a vignette.

If you start to wash out clothing color and detail when using this slider, just use the adjustment brush to increase the exposure on the darkened areas instead.

What do you think? Do you like the white seamless background effect? It definitely isolates your subject.

Some day I hope to create a real studio when we’re able to finish our basement, but for now I’m thankful for what I’ve got, and a location that can utilize natural light.

Welcome to My Studio is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

After months of suspense, Tuesday morning Adobe announced that Lightroom 3 is available! The retail price is $299; however, if you homeschool, go to this page and scroll down to where it says Home Schooling to find out how to prove your eligibility for an education discount. With the discount, it’s only $89!!! (I have a Lightroom ad link at the top of my blog)

If you want to get up to speed in a hurry with Lightroom 3, go visit NAPP’s public Lightroom 3 Learning Center.

I’ve been working with Adobe’s PR company since March of last year. On Tuesday I had an email from my contact there telling me that I had a profile live on Adobe’s Customer Showcase. It’s a surreal feeling to see my name, photos, and a link to my blog on Adobe’s website. If Adobe thinks I’m a success story, I can do anything, right? ;-)

My weekend has been devoted to Zack Arias’s Creative Live class on studio photography. He is an amazing instructor (and human being, for that matter) and has increased my comfort level with studio photography in a mighty way so far. If you watch the course live this weekend, it’s free! It will run again on Sunday from 1-9 EST.

One of the main things I’ve learned today is that I could rule the world with a Westcott 7′ Octabank softbox. :-)

{Disclosure: Adobe and Westcott product links are affiliate links.}

Lightroom 3 (and my Adobe Success Story profile!); NAPP’s Lightroom 3 Learning Center; Zack Arias’s Free Creative Live Workshop: It’s a Great Week to be a Photographer is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved