3 Quarters Today

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Day 163/365: Crabapple Tree in Bloom

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More flowering trees, this time I know it’s a crabapple tree, unlike last time,  as I saw last years lingering crab apples. Still experimenting with an old Olympus E-10 I bought off eBay several years ago as I like the clarity it gives, only wish it gave more than four megapixel images. Maybe I’ll get lucky on Craigslist and find a great deal on a high end camera.

CrabApple Tree
Day 163: Crab Apple Tree (Olympus camera SOOC)

This photo above was straight out of camera on my old Olympus digital camera. The lens quality is really sharp, better than my Canon Rebel, but it’s only a 4.6 megapixel so I have to be happy with small images. Here at the lab we can print some nice 16×20’s but I can’t crop anything out, this size shrinks too low to make a sharp print.

Photoshop CS5 Filter/Render/Lighting Effects/Crossing Down/Spotlight

But I’m learning it’s not just the equipment that makes a photographer, it’s skill. I have now gotten better at aperture, shutter speed and exposure on my manual settings, some day when my camera hobby starts to pay for itself I’ll get a better camera.

Thanks to suggestions from my friends at Chick A Day Blog and Anglin Photography  I’ve experimented with this photo a little. Some like more contrast, others like a softer look, or maybe a more artistic flair. This photograph lends itself to all of them. Never think that you can’t learn from others. Straight out of camera images can be really really good, but they can be made “GREAT” by a little tweaking of Photoshop Magic.

Sepia Flowers
Photoshop CS5/Filter Sepia/ Select Color Layer
Cooling Photoshop Filter on Flowering Tree
Photoshop CS5/Cooling Filter & Pink Selection layer for Flowers on Top

I love my blogging friends, I learn so much from them, amazing photographs and Photoshop artists.

Photography Notes: After playing around in the Photoshop CS5 my son gave me when he came home from leave I like the post production images better than the straight out of camera.

More Information on Crabapple Trees

Day 162/365: Spring Returns With Lilacs

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Day 162: Lilacs (SOOC)

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Spring Flowers! Lilacs, one of my favorite flowers both to look at and smell.

Yes, graduation is over, although there may be a stray post along the way, especially as I put together a video from the senior song written by two choir seniors. But, right now, it’s back to flowers and I have been waiting to post this for a week. Ahh….a breathe of fresh air, can’t you just smell them.

I have told everyone I love sun and warm weather haven’t I, thought so.

Photography notes: Didn’t do anything to this photo except resize and border. Straight out of camera. Love it when this happens!

Day 161/365: Graduation Hats in The Air

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The moment every high school senior waits for, the traditional tossing their caps in the air at the end of the graduation ceremony. Always puts a smile on your face.

Graduation Caps in The Air
Graduation Hats in The Air

I have had four seniors graduate from high school and every spring I still get excited around commencement time. My son will graduate from college and although it seems as though the occasion should be celebrated with more fan fare it’s not the same as graduating from high school.

The end of high school marks not only twelve years of basic schooling but an entry into adulthood and the leaving behind of childhood.

To most 18 year olds it’s the start of a new life away from home, college, the military, moving away and living on their own without Mom and Dad hovering over them. It’s freedom to stay out as late as you want with no questions asked. I think the photo above says it all, pure joy.

Parents on the other hand tend to cry, weep and feel melancholy during May and June. Their baby is going away, they won’t hear their voices in the house and it’s the last pull of the apron string.

So what do you get a high school graduate to commemorate this special occasion in their life? How do you put into a gift what your heart feels yet give them something they will cherish and keep? If you think about it kids want money, but money doesn’t last.

I’ve asked my Twitter (I am @3Quarters2Day) followers what they suggested and I had many suggestions. Here are just a few.

  • Money (of course)
  • Gift cards
  • Movie Cards
  • Gas Cards
  • Then of course the gifts you can’t buy: a job, brains, common sense

 

Memorable Gifts for High School Graduates

American Tourister Luggage AT Pop 3 Piece Spinner Set, Black,Jeremiah 29:11 KeyringYay, You! : Moving Up and Moving OnWillow Tree Love of LearningThe Journey Begins with a Single Step – Pocket CompassVandor 17151 Dr. SeussCap and Diploma Charm Layered Over 2015 Penny Keychain –Seuss-isms! A Guide to Life for Those Just Starting Out…andSerenity Prayer Necklace Pendant – Dog Tag style (18.51001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know: (Like Buying

Graduation Around the Country

LSU seniors talk life after graduation

BATON ROUGE – While on campus at LSU on Wednesday, education reporter Leigh Guidry asked seniors in the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture about what’s on their minds as graduation looms. Elizabeth Boudreaux, of Houma. “I’m thinking …
2015 TeamMates Graduation

TeamMates held their annual celebration ceremony Wednesday morning to honor 72 high school seniors who are getting ready to begin new chapters- the most the program has ever had. Coordinators say the goal of the program is to help kids reach their full …
Graduation Etiquette and Preparing for the Next Chapter …

Graduation Day is right around the corner, and there are many anxious parents in the middle of planning a perfect day for their grad. Celebrating this milestone is always more pleasurable when those involved are mindful of a …
Why taking a break after graduation is the best move to make

Taking a break after graduation is a great idea to relax and recuperate from all the stress. (Courtesy of Flickr user jamelah e.) As graduation inches closer every day, many students are worried about their future. The entire …
This might be the best graduation speech of all time

America’s colleges have already selected impressive graduation speakers this year, but it’s going to be hard for even Tim Cook and Samantha Power to outshine history’s greatest commencement speech. Although the choice …
Great Graduation Party Ideas to Copy ASAP | StyleCaster

If you’re stressing about planning the perfect graduation party, no worries! Here are some of the best ideas from Pinterest.

Day 160/365: Graduation Day Smiles

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Congratulations to all the graduating seniors at Elmwood-Murdock High School. My favorite graduation photo is still my son’s smile that radiated to his eyes. Can you find him in the photo? He’s the one with the big smile on his face. He spent the previous years of his childhood avoiding my camera, but here it’s almost like his eyes and smile is talking to me from across the gymnasium.

Even years later I look at this photo and get misty eyed remembering the day.

Graduation Smiles
I love the smiles on graduation day

It was a long and stressful day, but so worth it and a day this Mom will never forget. His graduation party was the week before and instead of him taking off after graduation to hang with friends he wanted to go with me to the parties. So to nine parties we went, eating cake, pulled pork, ice cream, and more food than I want to think about. It was a long day full of smiles and memories.

As a Mother of a graduating senior it’s hard to smile during the day and easy to cry. The day isn’t about what you’re losing it’s about what is in the future and the road ahead. Where is my son now? He is a United States Marine and looks quite a bit different.

A guaranteed way to bring smiles to the students and parents is to surprise them with small gifts and graduation tokens. Imagine the students going outside to their cars with smiley graduation smiley faces. Now that is a video I want to take. We only have an average of 32 kids in the graduation class so it would be an affordable gesture.

6 Smile Face Graduation Antenna ToppersGraduation Candy Lollipops 12ct.

One tradition we have at Elmwood-Murdock is the senior reception line, very similar to a wedding when friends and family shake the hands of the new graduates and tell them congratulations. I will often give them their cards in line in case I can’t get to their party. Graduation Lollipops would be a fun and cute remembrance of the day to tie with ribbons and a memorable quote to hand out in line.

 

Related Graduation Day Advice

Graduation Etiquette and Preparing for the Next Chapter

Graduation Day is right around the corner, and there are many anxious parents in the middle of planning a perfect day for their grad. Celebrating this milestone is always more pleasurable when those involved are mindful of a few simple courtesies.

A Memorable Graduation Day-Culmination of hard work and …

Life is exhausting; it is tedious, and sometimes full of impediments. The daily tussle of our lives might leave us in regret sometimes by the end of the day. Occasionally some things leave us more shattered. Convocation day …

Graduation Day Style | Witty ‘N’ Pretty

I want my graduation day to be special and Lilly says special to me. Better yet, it’s my very first Lilly dress! I’m not one of those girls who grew up wearing these expensive, bright clothing designs. My family didn’t have money to …

rticles

 

Day 159/365: Graduation Party, Friends

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Laughing with Friends
Laughing with Friends

I love watching my son laugh, it is contagious and when these two start laughing they can’t stop. My son, on the right, has been best friends with Luke for many many years.

Luke is a musical genius and his future includes a music major and composition. He co-wrote their senior song for graduation, and I was fortunate to sit in his Senior Project, which went over the writing, composition, performance and publishing process. I will post the performance in a few days. So stay tuned.

Photography Notes: Lesson learned, don’t talk pictures with sunny windows behind your subject. But it was the only place to put the cake table, so there wasn’t any other option. Even my flash it wasn’t enough to lighten up the foreground. Through the wonders of Photoshop I used curves, adjusted the highlights, and shadows to salvage this moment.