Europe Vacation: Intro & Paris Day 1

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Posting pictures from our trip is going to take me a while. I took more than 2000! It takes time to cull, edit, and prepare them for blogging, so I'll just post them in groups as I finish them.

If you just want to see pictures, scroll right on down. If you're interested in my photography thoughts, read on!

It's no surprise that one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me was the photography aspect. I knew I needed a wide-angle lens to be able to capture sprawling landscapes and tall buildings, so I rented a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. I also wanted to be able to have something that could get in a little closer for detail shots and for pictures of us, so I also rented the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 mid-range zoom. I went with the off-brand because it was cheaper than renting the Nikon (my bill added up fast for a 10 day rental), and I was curious to try the Tamron to see how sharp of a lens it was. (A mid-range zoom would be a nice lens to have for my arsenal, but the Nikon version costs about $1800 while the Tamron is just about $500, so I thought I should give it a test run!) Finally, I rented a Lowepro SlingShot 200 camera backpack. It was perfect. Even with a heavy camera and multiple lenses tucked inside, I barely felt anything on my back throughout most of the trip.

With the wide-angle zoom lens, mid-range zoom lens, my 50, 35, Holga film camera, and iPhone, I was ready for almost anything! Turned out that the wide-angle stayed on my camera for 95% of the trip. It wasn't easy (or safe) to stop and change lenses, and the wide-angle helped me to capture a larger view without having to stand too far back.

You know that most of my photography is portrait work. When it comes to using a wide angle lens and capturing architecture and landscapes, I really don't know much. I definitely learned as I was going! Here are the thoughts I jotted down when we were there:

  • Add interest. Frame with a door, window, or arch; place something in the foreground; try for sun flare.
  • It's difficult to expose properly; I take several shots at different exposures to have choices later (guess I should bracket); snow also makes exposure difficult.
  • My light's flat. Just lots of snow clouds and dull skies.
  • I get so excited to see the sun, and I watch carefully for where to stand to get flare. I started noticing  that the line on the ground where the shade started is where I should stand to find the sun just peeking out from behind a building; however, the wide-angle lens doesn't capture the flare well in every instance. Maybe there's a trick to it.


After I uploaded my pictures and started editing, I quickly saw a few mistakes I made with the wide-angle lens. First off, you have to be directly centered (I mean dead on centered) in front of a building or for architecture shots that you want lined up. It's not something that can be straightened later if you're angled even slightly. Of course, there were other times that I meant to be angled, and that was fine. I was just disappointed on a few where I wanted symmetry and didn't get it straight. The other thing I dealt with was the lens distortion you get at such wide angles. For instance, while I really like shot of the clouds and the sky with the tiny Eiffel Tower in the bottom left, the tower looks like it's leaning! Not much you can do about that I guess.

Okay, enough chit chat... on to the pictures!

First up is Paris!
I arrived in Paris around 10am on February 3. It was COLD. After a little nap to help ease the jet lag, Nick and I set out to the Arc de Triomphe first. Nick almost always stays at the Hotel Ceramic when he's in Paris, and it's just a stone's throw from the Arc. It was quite a hike to the top, and the black and white picture is of Nick climbing the spiral staircase. Obviously, I didn't take time to fix my settings, but I liked it for the spooky feel! Below that you'll see the pictures I took from the top of the Arc.

arc-storyboard



After the Arc de Triomphe, we took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower. The sky was dull and gray by this point.

eiffel1-storyboard



We walked around for a bit, and as the sun went down it got unbearably cold! We ducked inside a corner bar to bide our time until the restaurant opened. Dinner was a Rick Steves recommendation, and it was divine! We walked back by the Eiffel Tower all lit up (we had just missed the sparkles) and called it a night!

paris-day-1-remainder

Editing with Totally Rad's "RadLab"

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ETA: I've noticed this post still gets a lot of hits, so I wanted to give another example post of some images I edited w/ RadLab (excepting the black and whites). My editing eye has gotten a lot better than it was when I wrote this post! Always growing! :)And go here for a before/after post from that session plus a recipe to download.

Also, coupon code 1338SARAH gets you 15% off your Totally Rad store purchase!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - I edited my 365 pics today with RadLab (my bday gift from Nick and the girls).

Let me start by saying I'm no Photoshop wiz. At all. My workflow currently is to import into Apple Aperture 3 to make basic adjustments, and then I open the keepers in Photoshop Elements 8 for further editing. I'm about to upgrade, though, to Lightroom and Photoshop CS5, and I'll be looking to streamline and make my editing time more efficient. Workflow is definitely on my "need to research" list.
In Photoshop Elements, I have several actions I've purchased. Okay, I confess. I have an action addiction, and I have a TON of actions in my effects palette. Editing takes me forever because I like to play with the photos to find the right action for the batch, and then I have to tweak the opacities for each photo to get just the right look. And those actions can be SLOW. I play an action and get up to do something else while I'm waiting on it sometimes. It reminds me of a quote from Gilmore Girls about dial-up internet when Lorelai says that they like to walk around, dance, or make a sandwich while they're waiting for it to connect. That's how I feel about playing actions sometimes.
Totally Rad's actions are just my style, but they are only available for Lightroom and Photoshop CS5, not Elements. I was beyond excited when I saw RadLab advertised and learned it was compatible with Elements.
RadLab does not use actions. You open it through the filters menu and a whole new window pops up. It has your photo and all the "stylet" choices pictured. Like this...
The best part of the program is that you have an immediate preview of the stylets' changes on the photo. No more running a million different actions to see which one looks the best. You see them all right there - no waiting. Also, it's super easy to combine the different stylets, or effects. For today's pic of Kate, I used "blueberry cobbler" with a decreased strength and "divine light #2" with variations. You can then save your recipes to use again later.
I still have many things I'm sure I need to learn about it, but there's one major thing I need to figure out ASAP. When I run actions from the effect palette, I change the opacities and mask certain layers depending on the image. In RadLab, I don't know how to mask yet. I think it can be done, and I think it has something to do with Smart Filters and Smart Objects, but I haven't gotten that far yet.
Many of my photog friends reading this already have Totally Rad actions for LR or Photoshop. You are probably curious about RadLab, but wonder if it's redundant to what you already have. The answer is... yes and no. You're missing out on the immediate previews and the ability to combine actions at a rapid pace; however, combining and tweaking the traditional TR actions may already be like second nature to you. RadLab has 50 of their actions turned "stylets," as well as 28 new effects. They'll be offering new stylet bundles for sale in no time, I'm sure. Without having been a TR actions user in the past, I can't fully say if your money would be well spent with RadLab. I can only tell you that it's pretty darn cool.
Here are my before (SOOC) and afters with today's pic. I loved it in color and black and white. It was hard to pick, but in the end, her beautiful blue eyes clenched the deal, and color won.
The black & white... stunning, if I do say so myself.

the color...

Home Organization Binder

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No more excuses. Pregnancy pains and exhaustion are past. Newborn sleepless nights have been over for quite some time. I need to start cooking meals and cleaning my house again! Feeling the need to get back on my game, I created a Home Organization Binder to help me get my head on straight.

I'd been seeing a lot about these binders on Pinterest and some completed ones on blogs I follow. Of course, every binder needs to be tailored to the user, so I created a Pinterest board to collect the different links I found. There are innumerable printable pages and suggested sections on many blogs and sites, but I thought I'd share how I chose to put my binder together.

Some people choose to have calendar pages in their notebooks, but I still use my Google calendar. I'm a monthly-view kind of girl when it comes to calendars. Always have been.

I bought my binder from Target. It's one of the cute Green Room brand ones. It was so hard to choose! I already had a few of these plastic pocket inserts. I put one in the front for miscellaneous items to keep safe. You'll see I also just did a sticky note checklist for today. I like sticky notes.

Right behind the plastic pocket, I keep the current "week at a glance" page.

I also printed this "daily do-it checklist" with morning and evening columns.

Here's how I labeled my 10 dividers:

  • agenda
  • chores
  • meals
  • blog
  • kids
  • photography
  • home
  • events
  • misc.
  • notes

AGENDA Behind this first tab is a "master to-do" list is where I'm keeping every little to-do or idea that pops into my head. I need to go through and assign priorities to them. These to-dos get transferred to my weekly agenda to set goals for completion. Behind this tab I also keep extra copies of the week-at-a-glance page. Anything calendar-related will go here.

CHORES The charts I found on many sites (like this one) had the days of the week on them for you to put the chores you want to get done each day. This was too overwhelming for me. I'd rather have a checklist of things to get done during the week, and just get them done when I can. Email me if you want it. It is very simple with four columns: daily, weekly, monthly, other. I'm adding the chores as I think of them... this list is probably not complete!

The next tab is "meals." I really like this meal planner printable. I use the pages following it (scroll down to see "favorite recipes" and "recipes to try") to start with and choose the meals for the week. It even has a grocery list starter for you. I was using ZipList on my iPhone, so I didn't write out my ingredients this time.

BLOG I printed out this basic weekly planner to plan what I want to blog for the week. So far I just have my Project 365 numbers on there, but I would like to get better about posting other content. Like this post! A sticky note is there for me to keep notes about where I am and what I've skipped with my blog restoration (after all those pictures were lost). There's notebook paper behind this planner to keep a list of post ideas to get to as I can. I also have my lists of what the girls have been up to for the month so that I can easily type up their monthly blog posts when it's time. It's nice to have a home for this. These lists were just floating around the house before!

Behind the rest of the tabs there is just plain paper with notes, so I didn't feel pictures were necessary. I'll just explain what I intend to do keep behind these tabs.

KIDS Right now I have a plain page for "activities to do" as I hear about neat things for toddlers on blogs or Pinterest. Behind that I have the girls' schedules written out and a page with the names of a few babysitters I've gotten recommendations for, should we ever need one. This is a great place to keep information about the kids for a babysitter.

PHOTOGRAPHY I have plain paper here with these headings: goals (& things to figure out), wish list, locations, and ideas.

HOME On plain paper I listed the rooms in our house. Next to some rooms are ideas I have for changes or things we "need" for that room.

EVENTS Currently blank. Here I will keep plans for parties, holidays, and vacations.

MISC. Right now I just have my neighbors' (and their kids') names written down so we don't forget! This is a catch-all tab.

NOTES As I research things, this will be where I keep my notes. I'm thinking about hiring a cleaning service to come do a one time deep clean of my house... blinds, fans, baseboards... the whole nine yards! I'm keeping notes as I do my pricing research of the recommended individuals behind this tab.

I've just started using my binder this week, and so far so good! I'm not completely where I want to be yet, but the binder is getting me on the right path. I'll have to update again after I've used it a while longer to let you know how it's all working, if I'm actually achieving these goals!

Do you have a binder (or some kind of system)? Share, please!

Clickin' Moms

I'm sad.

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All of my blog pictures from Friday and back are gone. I was deleting albums from Picassa to clear them off my Google+ profile, and I didn't realize one of those albums contained every single picture from my blog. I was even on the lookout for those, and I completely missed them. I'm sure I just clicked "OK" when it asked me if I was SURE I wanted to delete the album. Good grief.

It'll take time, but I can rebuild most of it. Most of the 365 posts will be easy to fix. The others will be a bit harder since I don't remember what pictures I posted. It takes time to resize images, and do the pretty, rounded corners. There may be a few images that are gone for good.

Join Pinterest!

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See that new little teal "P" logo at the top of the blog? I joined Pinterest! I finally started using it a couple of weeks ago, and I love it! It's such a fun and handy site. And maybe a little addicting.

You'll pick up on it fast. Basically, you "pin" online pictures to boards as a way of bookmarking and collecting ideas. Then you can see what other people are pinning, and repin those items if you want. For instance, I have an "events" board, and as I come across cute party planning pictures online, I pin the picture to that board. The link to the site I took it from automatically appears alongside. Click on that new "P" button at the top of the page to browse my boards.

My main "pinning" time is when I'm going through my blog subscriptions in Google Reader. When I come across a neat image or idea, I pin it to my board. Idea NOT lost! Make boards for whatever you're interested in - kids' activities, style, crafts, stuff for the home, recipes, traveling, books to read, etc.!
The site is by invitation only, so email me at spcarlson04 {at} gmail {dot} com or comment below with your email addy, and I'll send you the link! It'll be fun to follow each other and share all the cool ideas we come across.

Public Service Announcement: Google Reader

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Tell me if this is you: You happen to have a few free minutes with your computer, and you want to check to see if the blogs you read (like "The Carlson Family") have been updated. The problem is, that some bloggers (we won't name names) go for like a month without posting then suddenly start posting several times in one week. Because you don't want to miss a new post, you check the site regularly, only to find it looks the same as the last 5 times you checked. Also, to open these sites in the first place, you probably just have them all bookmarked in your Favorites tab. You pull it down and click on each one at a time. Or maybe you subscribe to email updates that flood your inbox. I know. This was me a couple of years ago.


If you're raising your hand, don't be embarrassed. This post is for you! Google Reader is the answer to your blog-checking inefficiencies. (And yet it does so much more, too!) For your own sanity, watch this short video tutorial:


What's really cool about Google Reader is that not only can you keep up with the blogs you follow, but you can also receive Facebook notifications and Twitter feeds there too. It's your one stop shop. You can also download a free app for iPhone that allows you to view your Google reader wherever you are.

So what are you waiting for? Get Google Reader. Start clicking those little RSS feed icons and build up your subscriptions. Then come back here and let me know how much you love it. If you already use a reader, feel free to outline the many reasons you couldn't live without it.


And because I can't post without adding a picture of Kate, here 'ya go. 

Los Cabos and the story of "The Great Collapse"

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Nick took me on a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, and it happened to fall on my birthday! It was only for 3 nights (I couldn't bear to leave Kate for longer than that), but we made the most of our time! Scroll all the way down for the Flickr link to all our Cabo pics.

One funny story (funny to you, embarrassing to me)...

The night before my bday, we went to one of the restaurants there at the Hilton. As you can see, I had gotten a lot of sun that day.

The restaurant was mostly empty, as was the resort on the whole. We ordered a fun appetizer...

...and that's where the photos stop. As soon as they set my beautiful main course in front of me (salmon with almond something or other and risotto), I started feeling, well, not so good. I turned to Nick and calmly said, "Just so you know, I feel like I'm going to puke, and I feel light headed." Nick gave me a quizzical look and dismissed my warnings. Seconds later I said, "I need to go to the bathroom now." I stood up and told Nick he needed to go with me. He thought I was nuts. I stood up and immediately went down. No kidding. Right there in the restaurant, I was on the floor with black spots swimming around me and only static in my ears.

And then...

I was surrounded by all the waiters... "Senora, Senora!" (and to Nick) "Is she pregnant?" (NO, I'm not pregnant! And why do men always jump to that conclusion??) After un momento, there was an attempt to get up, followed by a second fall to the floor. No lie. By this time, a couple of security guards added themselves to my entourage. They leaned me back. Ahhh... much better. Blood was getting to my brain now. Deep breaths... yes, all was good. I tried to tell them.

And then...

One of the security guards had an oxygen tank. Yes, my friends, an oxygen mask was applied to my face. I really was feeling almost my usual self, yet I was forced to breathe nice and slow into the mask. For real. The sweet Mexican men kept proclaiming, "El doctor! We need to get her to the doctor." "No, I'm fine... really." I must not have been convincing.

And then...

They brought a wheelchair. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. They lift me into the wheelchair and have to hoist the thing (with me in it) down a few steps. (Insert some grunty lifting noises here). They now were wheeling me to el doctor on the premises. We get to the "doctor's office..."

And then...

No doctor is there. Nick asks how long el doctor will be. "Only 30 minutos, Senor." Yes. El doctor had to DRIVE IN from where ever it is he lives. You need to know that by now I'm seriously fine, and feeling almost perfect. We wait for el doctor. What else can we do? I'm on the patient bed thingy....

And then...

One of the security guards gets the aloe. He puts on gloves and starts rubbing it all over my scorched back. The security guards all keep saying, "Mas aloe (pronounced all-o-ay), mas aloe! Es muy fresca!" over and over and over again. I think he put like 5 layers of aloe on my back. Disgusting.

And then...

El doctor arrives. He's 26 years old. Seriously. He says my blood pressure probably dropped. (No, really???) I had to sit up slowly, stand slowly, and take a few steps to prove I was not going to drop again.

And then...

We paid el doctor 100 US dolores for his services.

Not how I would have liked to spend that money.

Please don't make fun of me. No one believed me when I tried to tell them I was fine.




The rest of the trip photos:


My Book Habit

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When we were in Minnesota, one thing on my to-do list was to visit The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. When we visited two years ago, I happened across it just when author Kate DiCamillo was there (author of Because of Winn Dixie). I was able to meet her and get a couple of books inscribed to my class and autographed. To me, it was like meeting a celebrity! It was important to me to get back there.

Being in The Red Balloon to me is like being a kid in a candy store. It reminds me of the fictional "Shop Around the Corner" in the movie You've Got Mail. Because the store has many authors come for signings, they have many autographed books on their shelves. I probably shouldn't have asked the sales lady for help finding the autographed ones, because she started pulling books left and right and piling them all around me. Talk about pressure to purchase! It was OK, though, because we were on vacation, right? Here's what I walked out with:

Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks by Barbara Joose, illustrated by Rick Chrustowski (signed by the illustrator).
This is an author I like. In this picture book, baby chicks learn what safe and what's not on the farm.


Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (not signed - this is just one I had to have).
AKR is an author I have mentioned on my blog before. Her ideas are fresh and funny to kids and adults alike. This one is another role-reversal story. A little girl puts her mommy to bed while Mommy stalls just as a child would.

One Pup's Up by Marsha Wilson Chall, illustrated by Henry Cole (signed by the author).
Marsha Chall is a Minnesota author, so I decided to go local with one of her books. It's as cute as can be! It's a rhyming counting book with text that sometimes is a tongue-twister. "4 pups drink. 5 puppies huddle. 6 puppies piddle in the middle of the muddle." It counts to ten puppies, then counts backwards. The circular ending will have kids begging you to reread it!

Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee (chapter book signed by the author).
I haven't read this one, but it's one I bought for the library last year. It's well reviewed and the first in a new series.

Judy Moody Goes to College by Megan McDonald (chapter book signed by the author).
I read the first Judy Moody book, and along with the Stink books about Judy's brother, these are popular with the kids. Megan McDonald is a big name, so I decided to get this autographed copy.

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm (chapter book, not signed).
I had to get this one after reading several starred reviews and blog buzz. I liked Jennifer Holm's book Penny from Heaven, so I know I'll love this one too. It's historical fiction set in during the depression.

Countdown by Deborah Wiles (chapter book, not signed).
This is another book that I've read a ton of buzz for. It's already a favorite for the Newbery Award, which won't be given until January. It's another historical fiction book, but this one's set in the 60s during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It's got tons of period photographs in the book and text variation, so it looks interesting from first sight. Another book for my "next read" stack.

I'm so excited about these new additions to my book shelves. Normally I'd be itching to share these titles with kids, but now that I'm not in a school, I will share them with you! Happy reading!