How bad is this? Nearly two months later, finally editing and blogging about Independence Day. This is better than I've done in the past, though, so I feel pretty grateful. Being part-time at my other job, which allows me to edit over my daughter's 2-3 hour naptime and also get to bed at a decent hour, as well as not taking on more clients than I can handle this year, has been a huge help with editing my family's photos. Documenting my children's lives from a mother's view of watching them grow and learn and investigate and celebrate is the sole reason I bought my first camera to begin with, and this year has been an amazing reminder of why I originally chose photography, even before I was blessed with my first beautiful child. So I don't want these photos to sit on my computer, completely untouched, when this is my primary purpose in photography.

Our friends have a really great piece of land and an incredible house for hosting. They are kind enough to host a wonderful 4th of July party, and this year they even had a bounce house. I think you'll see below just how much fun Little One had.  How long ago that seems already!

We're nearing this month of {hard light}, and I feel like I'm finally getting a grasp on how to utilize it best without blowing out highlights or getting crazy shadows. How lucky to be a part of Erin Hensley's Finding the Light group so that I can learn from my amazing peers and improve my photography!

The 3rd week of {hard light}. Still struggling and still learning. I love the hard light photos my peers take, but I have a tough time handling the contrast in my own photos, and I've found that I tend to mute the contrast a bit to soften them up. I think I've also run out of places at home to take original photos....they all showcase the same activities month after month, and while I love watching how Sweet Girl develops and learns to do things differently, I'm aching for a change of scenery. Regardless, I have learned, and I've learned I don't just have to take photos in the style of the month just so they fit in my 365 project. I've taken photos that just tug at my heartstrings, no matter the kind of light.