I repurposed the tin a little. So far I've put CDs of digital negatives in them. But when I was getting ready to send out Kayla's prints I had an idea.


When I was in high school *ten years ago now.... ouch, hurts to type it* we carried around our wallets. That way our classmates could pick their favorite. You wrote everyone a little message on the back of your photo. If they were a close friend you rambled on and on. If they were just an acquiantence they might get something like "good luck in all you do." I'm guessing just my little high school did that, because most every where else you don't even know half the kids you graduate with.

At any rate. I thought it'd be fun to make a tin for Kayla. Who knows what use she'll have for it. But it's wayyy better than sticking her prints in some boring envelope!

P.S. The inside is purple and gold - because this fall Kayla will be a UNI Panther!

Oh happy day!

I think I've mentioned my love affair with the post office before. Every time I visit I know one of my couples is going to be very happy in a few days.

Today I mailed this:


...to Breanna and Reid.

These tins, they make me happy. I put them together based on the flair of the wedding. And I adore each one. More than anything I have a ton of fun making them! My actual scrapbooks haven't been touch in... oh, ten months. But that's okay.

I'd also like to take this moment to show you something. Can you see the difference between the first photo and the second photo?

Both photos are properly exposed, but the lighting in the first one is very harsh. The lightest areas are blown out. Blown out means there's so much light all you see is white. No color, no pattern. And it has that really nasty rigid shadow. Yuck. It was taken in full sunlight around 2:30 - 3 pm this afternoon.

So what did I do differently for the second photo? I positioned my body so it was blocking the sun. By completely shading the photo you eliminate the harsh look of direct sunlight. You can see the texture in the paper and there's a much more natural shadow to the right of the tin.

Amazing what a little shade can do isn't it?!

All of a sudden I feel like those cheesy don't do drugs, don't give into peer pressure, or always wear your seat belt commericals that end with "because the more you know..." It kinda fits though.

Apple orchard

Last weekend we went to Deals Orchard just west of Jefferson, Iowa with Ryan's family. It's a cute little place where the store is inside a huge barn. They have the best caramel apples, so warm the caramel is practically dripping off them. Mmmm... delicious.

Ryan's mom let all the grandkids pick out a pumpkin. Total they went home with 80 pounds of pumpkin! I'm shocked we didn't take one home too. Ryan's been talking about carving a jack-0-lantern for weeks.


Random tid bit - my new camera still rocks. If it weren't for snow in forcast this weekend I'd be out all weekend shooting. Most likely, the two family sessions that are just waiting for the fall colors to really pop.

It's too bad my photo editing software doesn't like the huge file sizes. It freezes every time I try to open a photo. Which is why you don't see the Tracy Anne Photography watermark on the photo above. Considering I used to get "memory low" messages all the time before, I'm sure my computer will be blaring them at me now.

I can't complain too much. That desktop has lasted me eight years! LOL. My father-in-law would say "they just don't make 'em like that any more!"

Friday fill-in

One of the blogs I follow, the Quiet Life, does a Friday fill-in. Donna posts a handful of statements with blanks. You fill them in and post to your blog.

1. My car is fixed.

2. Michelle and Jason's wedding is coming up next.

3. Lately, things seem busy.

4. Hubbard's Hill is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.

5. What happened yesterday?

6. Forever is not impossible!

Good day

Yesterday was a good day. Ryan brought this home.


It was no ordinary brown box. My new Canon was inside.

I was so excited. Like giddy school girl at a Britney Spears concert excited. Okay, maybe not quite to that extent. But I may have been bouncing around a little.

Hello gorgeous.

I spent a couple hours shooting with it already, and I looove it! It's lighter, faster, and easier to use than my old one. The sensor is bigger, which I discovered means larger file sizes. So large in fact my computer nearly imploded when I downloaded them.

Perhaps a new laptop is in my future... : )