Double Exposures: How To.

Double exposure photographs have a beautiful, whimsical feel. Ordinary photos that may lack luster can become stunning masterpieces when combined together. Traditionally, double exposures are created with film cameras by taking two photos with the same piece of film. But if you don't have a film camera, you can achieve the same effect in a short period of time digitally.

You'll need:

-a photo editing program, either Photoshop, Gimp, or another program that will allow you to create and manipulate layers.
-two photos that you want to paste together (it's easiest if they're the same size).

Step 1:

Open up the first photo in your program of choice.

Step 2:

Open up a second photo as an additional layer and then adjust the opacity to your liking. (You may need to open up the second photo as another file, select all, copy, and paste on top of the other photo in some programs.)

Step 3:

Save your new double exposure, and you're done! It's really easy once you get the hang of it, and honestly, the only hard part for me is choosing which photos to put together.

Have fun creating your own double exposures!

April Photo A Day

In previous months I've thought about doing this sweet project hosted by Fat Mum Slim, but I haven't even really tried. This next month I'm going to try to put forth a whole lot more effort and maybe, hopefully, make it through the entire month! I'll post my photos here on the blog, probably every 4-5 days. Wanna join the fun? You know you want to!

Home, Sweet Home.

I've only lived there for two years, and not even two consecutive years, but it's become a cherished place of mine, a home that I love returning to. The Grace Church missionary house is a beautifully furnished house with a large plate glass window in the front room and comfy couches in the large family room at the back of the house.  I love hearing my parents voices float down the hallway from the study where they work at their individual computers, towards the kitchen table where I sit at my own laptop. It's a blessing to have a father who works from the home and a mother who works part time from the home.

Every day at around the same time, Jon walks through the door, home from another day of high school. He immediately rushes to turn on the laptop my brothers share, and then heads to the refrigerator to grab an after-school snack. An hour or so later, the front door opens again, and in walks Christopher, done with middle school for the day.  He darts up the creaky stairs to his upstairs bedroom and finds his Ipod Touch, which he spends hours on, using it to play games and chat on Facebook.

Dinner time arrives around 6 pm. It's my favorite time of the day because often it's the only time during the day when the whole family is gathered together. Every once in a while there are fights and tantrums and even a shed tear or two at the dinner table, but most of the time there's a gentle spirit of peace and harmony. My mom's a great cook, (which has come in very handy for living in PNG for 23+ years and having to cook almost everything from scratch). She makes a mean pot roast and homemade oatmeal rolls!

Nights go by fast, and soon everyone is saying goodnight and heading to their beds. I'm usually the last one up because I love nighttime and staying up late. =)

Spending quality time with my family means so much to me. I love my parents and little brothers and I'm looking forward to seeing them over Easter weekend, which is coming up in just six days!

Double Exposures.

I didn't want to miss out on the fun of creating double exposures that's been going around this side of the blog-o-sphere, so I created a few double exposures of mine. The first three double exposures have shots from my advice shoots that I did last week to help out my friend Candace. Her idea got me thinking, and now I've got my own idea that I'm hoping to make a reality. I'm so excited about it and I really hope it happens! If it does I'll be sure to post about it on the blog right away!

2012: Theme Song.

The time is now. I've said yes to God's call on my life. My word for 2012 is courage and I intend to obey God fearlessly this year and for the rest of my life!

The Many Sides of Us.

Last Saturday, on March 17th, some friends and I celebrated Mia's 20th birthday dinner at a Japanese restaurant. When I pulled out my camera after dinner, we started acting a little crazy.

I love the cool effect I added to the shot below. It makes it look like old film with the colours starting to run. 

We had way too much fun and it was such a blessing for all of us. Mia, Amy and Caleb encourage me often with their love for God and his Word, as well as their kindness and great sense of humor. 

I admit that sometimes I don't feel loved by or significant to even my closest friends, but that's when God reminds me that people mistreated his Son, Jesus Christ, too, but he never mistreated them back. God doesn't promise that there will always be smooth sailing; in fact, he promises that his followers will suffer. We must willingly take up our crosses and follow him every day. I just tweeted: Injustice is going to happen, whether we like it or not. What matters is how you and I respond. #lovelikeJesus 

How do you and I respond to injustice? Do we love like Jesus does?

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: March 25th

1. Whimsy

I don't know if this would be considered whimsy or not, but according to The Free Dictionary , whimsy is defined as:
1. An odd or fanciful idea; a whim.
2. A quaint or fanciful quality: stories full of whimsy.

My idea to write a Bible verse on a cardboard box and then have Natalie wear the box on her head for the project we were working on seemed rather whimsical at the time, but now I just think it's cute.

2. Create

I wanted to think of creative ideas for the project my friend asked me to do, and one of them was writing on hands. Originally I wrote, "Be thankful," on my right hand, and then afterwards Natalie wanted to write, "Small, Blonde, and Beautiful," on my left hand because she's pretty much obsessed with Hairspray. I'm not big like the song goes, so Natalie decided to write small instead. It was also my idea to put my hands together out in front of me and have her take a photo with them in focus and it worked brilliantly.

3. Dust

Okay, so instead of going with the typical idea of dust, I decided to be more creative. The sun created beautiful speck of dust in the form of light as it was setting on Wednesday afternoon. In my exhaustion I happily laid down on the cool green grass and started snapping away with my camera.

4. Seed or Sprout

Everywhere there are beautiful flowers growing and this kind is one of my favorites. I love the bright pink petals.


5. Swing or Drop

I stole this from my archives from last April. My friends Amy and Chelsea had a photo shoot at the park in Cedarville one warm Friday afternoon. Going through the photos of the girls on the swings, this one caught my eye. I love how the motion of Amy swinging is captured here.

Scripture and a Snapshot: March 25th

God has been teaching me so much lately and one of the things he has repeatedly pouring into my heart is that I need to wait for him. It's easy to be anxious about the future and worry about what God's will for my life is, but God has commanded us to wait quietly before him. The next verse goes on to talk about how God is our rock and salvation, our fortress where we will not be shaken. God is the only one we can fully depend upon. He will lead us where he wants us to go, but we must be willing to go there by surrendering to his will. God is our Savior and the only one who knows the future, the present, and the past; the one who we hope in. That's such an encouraging promise! Are you willing to wait patiently before God, to rest in his goodness and let him direct your steps?

Scripture and a Snapshot: March 23rd

Happy Friday, friends! Have a wonderful weekend!

Read my latest post to find out how Isaiah 43:19 hit home in my life this past week.

A New Thing.

This past week has been rather rough and I've been tempted to just let studying go. In fact, I've sort of pushed it to the wayside, wasting quality time just listening to music and editing photos. There's nothing wrong with doing either of those activities, but when they're taking away from homework time, that's when they become a problem.

It doesn't help that I haven't been getting adequate amounts of sleep at night or taking naps during the day. I'm physically exhausted, but my mind wants to keep pushing forward. (The coffee might be helping with that.)

I've come to realize that we cannot be consumed by the past. What was done in the past is over. It cannot be altered. We must be intentional about what we are doing in the present and be looking towards the future. That just reminded me of the LORD's promise to the Israelites in Isaiah 43:19. What a sweet promise! Read the entire chapter if you have time. It's really good!

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. -Isaiah 43:19

So from now on I will attempt to be more diligent in my studies and push listening to music and editing photos off to the side, because they are of lesser value than getting a quality education here at Cedarville University. God has blessed me immensely by placing me here at this university, for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). It would be a shame to neglect the work that God has given me for lesser things.

Summer in March? Well...maybe.

Spring has sprung! (Or perhaps this is the start of an early summer, considering the heat wave we've been having.) Everywhere the flowers are blooming, the sun is blazing, and groups of people are out playing frisbee and volleyball. I've had several picnic dinners by Cedar Lake as of late, getting food from the Hive and sitting out on the prickly, crisp green grass. This beautiful weather is just too nice to pass up!

Sunshine, Signs, and Advice.

A friend of mine asked me to help her out with a project for her ministry involving sharing advice for middle schoolers through photography. She's making a video of a bunch of different photos to share with the youth group at her church this coming weekend. Since I love photography, and I haven't had any real shoots for a long time, I was more than happy to help out. Today I had two shoots with a couple of different friends and I have another one tomorrow. 

We took the permanent markers I brought and the cardboard box that we got from Chucks and wrote down our advice.

I was more than happy to plop down in the prickly green grass, kick off my flats, and watch as Natalie wrote some advice on a blank piece of paper.

The sunshine was glorious and it was so peaceful back there. I can't wait to see the finished product when my friend has finished making it!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: March 20th

1. Vintage

This isn't really vintage, but it's a piano, and pianos are old, right?


2. Word or Quote

3. Nature's Own

4. People

Amy, Caleb, Mia, and I all went out for dinner to celebrate Mia's birthday on Saturday at a Japanese restaurant less than an hour away. After the buffet dinner, I got out my camera and we went a little crazy with pictures. I have the best friends ever. =D


5. Photographer's Choice

Some friends and I are working on a project for another friend and her ministry. Here's one the shots I just took a little while ago!

I Wore My Striped Skirt.

I haven't had my camera out much lately, which is a shame because we've had such beautiful weather! On Wednesday Mia and I had a picnic by Cedar Lake, and later our friends Caleb, Tim, and Anh Thu joined us. It was so peaceful sitting on the grass and watching the sun set in the distance. I could have stayed there for hours if I had not had homework and if it had stayed warm, but as the minutes wore on, it got chillier and chillier. This morning when I got up I decided it was the perfect day to wear a skirt, so I found the new grey and red skirt that I just bought at Salvation Army last week and pulled a plain grey shirt from my closet. Then I grabbed my ballet flats and I was ready to go. The weather today was absolutely amazing, and I wish  I could have spent more time enjoying it but I have a ton of homework to do.

Although I haven't taken many photos lately, I have been doing some editing and these are some of my favorites. I love the way all of them turned out. Which one is your favorite?

Scripture and a Snapshot: March 14th

Last week was Get Global (missions) week at my church, Grace, (although there are always missions-related events going on), so there was a special emphasis on the spreading of the Gospel in other countries around the world. During the week, Jo Kiel and Peter Marshall shared their heart at multiple events. On Sunday morning, Bob Fetherlin delivered the message, and he said that we would have to talk to 6-7 people in the US before discovering someone who could use the Bible to help us know God through Christ. If we did the same experiment in Spain, we would have to talk to 500 people. If we did it in Morocco, it would be over 30,000 people. He went to talk about how Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). As children of the King, we are the light of the world, too, with Jesus shining through us. Be sure to let others see your good deeds so that they will praise the Father in heaven! And if God is calling to go, don't resist his pleas...just go!