Through Maan's Looking Glass

SIMC: Family Photo Shoot, circa Spring 2010

2010-08-08T01:00:00.001-04:00

I've had this photo blog for a while now, plus my main blog over at POCKETFUL OF BLISS, and I don't know why it's taken me this long to share the photos from our informal FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT this past spring. Coincidentally enough, they were taken on a Sunday. So I thought, why not share them for Unknown Mami's weekly meme called Sundays in My City. If you've never participated, give it a try. It's super fun!

These photos were taken in our house, in front of a cranberry red wall. Some of them were obviously digitally edited and enhanced. We had a lot of fun with this, our first family portrait photo shoot, and I was quite pleased with the results. Who says you need a formal photography studio to get some great family pics? If you're anything like me, who's always looking for ways to save money and have fun at the same time, try having a photo shoot at home. The amazing results just might surprise you.

My Jeromy, looking like a rock star, as always!

Me and my sweetheart of a hubby, Fred...

INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS

2010-07-04T11:38:00.004-04:00

To join UNKNOWN MAMI's super-fun Sundays In My City meme, click on the above button!

"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air.
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
O say, does that spar-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL!!

I ❤ Faces: Prom Night

2010-06-21T09:10:00.006-04:00

Week 25 • “Celebrating Teens” Photo Challenge

This is my very first post for the I HEART FACES PHOTOGRAPHY weekly challenge. I've seen this meme around for awhile, and I thought it's about time that I participated. As this week's theme is Celebrating Teens, I'm sharing some photos I took at a beautiful teen girl's prom night. Kim, who is my best friend Lisa's daughter, had her Senior Prom this year. Although she didn't have a boy date, she invited her best friend, Ashley, to come along with her. I had so much fun shooting these pictures. Kim was absolutely radiant and made for a beautiful subject, and the whole family was just so happy for her:

Beautiful Kim

Kim and her parents, Lisa and Rob

A beautiful mother and daughter pair.

Fun in the stretch limo!

Catch of The Day

2010-06-20T08:57:00.001-04:00

Click on the button to join in the fun of Unknown Mami's Sundays In My City!

These photos were taken during our homeschool group's field trip to a local fishing farm. Living so close to Baltimore City, I sometimes forget how beautiful, green, and peaceful parts of Maryland are. This particular "Sunday In My City" was in Whitehall, Maryland, not too far from the Pennsylvania line. Our group was fortunate enough to have beautiful weather; it was mostly sunny, but not too hot. Jeromy had so much fun learning how to fish, and of course was overjoyed when he caught one. And I enjoyed catching some great photos:

Sundays In My City: Oregon Ridge

2010-06-13T11:14:00.003-04:00

I love Sundays in My City, a meme hosted by the wonderful Unknown Mami. If you haven't been to her blog yet, I highly recommend you do. These photos were taken during a nature hike with our scout troop. These were taken at Oregon Ridge Park. Jer and I had never been there before, and it was a great experience. Despite the 90-degree-Fahrenheit heat, all the kids still managed to have a great time, and I managed to take some great outdoor photos:

Looking for butterflies to catch...

Honeysuckle...

I hope you're enjoying Sundays in Your City!

Roxy Bathes In the Sun...

2010-06-01T13:10:00.002-04:00

These photos are of Roxy, our 8-month old cat that my husband rescued from the steel mill where he works. She's come a long since the day we took her home, and she's loving life. She loves to do all the normal things cats love, such as finding a spot in the house where the sun is shining, and just basking and bathing...

If you'd like to read more about Roxy and how she came to be part of my family, please visit my BLOG POST about her on my main blog, POCKETFUL OF BLISS.

A day at the Baltimore Museum of Art...

2010-05-02T00:41:00.004-04:00

This is a collection of images taken from a recent trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art. My family and I had never been there before, and we were all blown away by all the beautiful artwork. Thankfully the museum does allow photography, so I'm able to share some pictures with you. Unfortunately I couldn't write down or memorize all the names of the art pieces and artists, so not all the photos are labeled....

A collection of Native American sculptures

Detailing of a Japanese painting of a woman washing her hair.

A view in a "room" in the museum's Miniatures collection. The detail on these pieces are amazingly intricate.

A gorgeous miniature chandelier. I personally love the decorative molding around it on the ceiling.

Left: Degas' "Little Dancer Age Fourteen"
Right: Picasso's "Mother and Child"

A couple of pieces from the Contemporary Art wing.

Two of my favorite pieces: Georgia O'Keefe's Waterall I (left), and Joseph Stella's "The Amazon" (right)

Jer's "GQ-esque" Photo Shoot...

2010-04-18T07:00:00.018-04:00

These are some pictures I took of Jer during a recent impromptu PHOTO SHOOT at the park. My little guy, whom I now like to refer to as 'MY LITTLE GQ MAN', had so much fun smiling and posing for the camera, and it was a great opportunity for me to get some practice taking pictures...[to read the full story of this fun day, please click HERE to read my post on my main blog, POCKETFUL OF BLISS]

It's hard to believe by these pictures that my little man is only nine, as he's starting to look so grown up.

Beauty At The Farm..

2010-04-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

These are some photos that I took during a trip to a local sheep farm with Jeromy and our homeschool friends. It's not exactly in the city, but not too far from it either. It was such a lovely day, and a wonderful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Charm City...

Surprises Can Really Brighten Your Day...

2010-04-04T22:30:00.003-04:00

What a busy Easter Week! During my short absence from posting, my family and I were very busy with a few things. But in the midst of it all, my wonderful hubby still managed to brighten my day with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I absolutely loved all the bright colors, and of course I took the opportunity to take some great macro shots. The three shots here are the ones that turned out the best. I hope you enjoy these beautiful images as much as I enjoyed receiving the real thing:

Playing With Textures

2010-03-26T07:59:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite places to shoot macro-shots is on the windowsill in my dining room, mainly because that's the part of the house that get's the most sunlight, hence it has the most natural light. I took some random shots of different objects around the room, and the result was pretty interesting. The items I choose all had mostly smooth textures, and it's interesting to see the contrast between them and the rough wood of the windowsill. See for yourself....

A few rocks from my candle display.

A much more precious rock!

Yummy M&Ms! Which is your favorite color?

Colorful Macaroni = LOVE!

2010-03-24T10:04:00.002-04:00

Not too long ago, my son fashioned a hand-made bracelet made out of colorful macaroni. This is him wearing it...

Imagine my surprise when he says to me, "Mommy, I want you to have it. That way when you wear it, you'll remember that I love you." Boy did my heart melt! It was actually a bit small for me, but nonetheless, it's probably the most treasured piece of "jewelry" I now own.

Later on that night, after he had gone to bed, I was still so touched by his gift that it prompted me to write him a little note, an outpouring of how much I loved and appreciated him....

A child's love is truly unparalleled, unconditional, and everlasting.

New Beginnings...

2010-03-23T11:01:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the first post of my new PHOTO BLOG! I've been wanting to undertake this project for some time now, so I'm glad to finally be getting it off the ground. I've always loved taking pictures, especially after my son was born. Most of the gazillion photos I have are of him in various stages of his young life. Lately, especially after hubby surprised me with my very own Nikon D3000 Digital-SLR camera, I've been fascinated with capturing images from my everyday wanderings, trying out the new and exciting features my camera has to offer, and learning how to use light to produce beautiful images. Here I hope to post both untouched and digitally enhanced photographs, as working with digital design has also been a passion of mine. And every once in a while I my share with you all some of my scrapbooking pages, for what better way to showcase photographs that tell a story than in a scrapbook page?

I decided to name this blog THROUGH MAAN'S LOOKING GLASS..Maan was my childhood nickname, one which my parents and siblings still call me by, and I like to think of my camera as my Looking Glass, whereby I'm able to look upon the world in varying perspectives, while in the process seeing a reflection of me in every image. So I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as I've enjoyed taking them.

These first images were taken this past weekend. Spring is upon us, and these delicate flowers show how beautiful the change of seasons can be. Looking upon them, I imagine the sheer happiness and heartfelt joy that Persephone felt as she ventured out of the Underworld to visit her mother, bringing with her the beauty and warmth of Spring...