{Januaries} in Texas

Somehow it has become a tradition to take a photo of {A}lex in this spot every January that we have been in Texas. I am sad to say this is the last one. I hope our new house in Arizona has an equally fun spot to show this silly guys growth.

January 17, 2014                                                January 26, 2015

January 23, 2016

{A}lex has such a fun personality. He can be quite silly and sweet. He is very reserved in big crowds and in front of strangers, but his wild side will shine if you stick around long enough.  He is very independent and thinks he is the "smartest ever". This sweet boy loves his baby sister and smothers her with kisses all day. I am so blessed to be his mom.

{Sweet}ness

I have no words that adequately describe the love I have for these sweet babes of mine. I am so blessed Heavenly Father blessed me with these two. And my heart fills with more love everyday as I see how much {A} loves his sweet Baby {E}. 

I love seeing her fun personality grow each day. I love watching her watching {A}. She loves him so much.

A Fallish {Spring}

Wait, what? What is a Fallish Spring? That doesn't make any sense! Well, in San Antonio, the leaves on most of the trees never actually change colors and fall off in the Fall. They just hang around all winter until the new leaves come in the Spring and push them off. It is very confusing for a toddler. Little {A} keeps asking if its Fall and if all the trees will change colors. I tell him, No it's Spring. It just kind of looks like Fall too.

Now do you know what I mean by a Fallish Spring? I love Spring here! Especially this year. Our grass in our backyard is so green! The wildflowers and Blue Bonnets are starting to bloom everywhere. It's mostly perfect temperatures. It's perfect.

{The} Beach

So I love the beach. Like really, really love the beach. I love to soak up those warm sun rays. Dip my feet in the cool ocean water. And just plain RELAX. Last month was "vacation" month (aka a normal 8-5 with weekends off month). It was so nice to be a regular family. You know, the kind where the dad is always home for dinner and has ample time to spend with his family. We only get these kinds of months a couple times a year so we pack in a LOT of fun. This time around we spent four days at the beach. Every morning we'd wake up, eat breakfast, go to the beach. go to the pool, shower, eat dinner. That is the life I tell you! Living in swimsuits, no make up, never cooking. Man I could get used to that! But I think there is a very good reason vacations have to come to an end. I don't think I would appreciate the beach as much as I do if it was always accessible. I might take it for granted and not visit it everyday. Okay who am I kidding, I don't think I could ever get sick of the beach. But back to my point. Vacations have to end. Vacation months can't last forever (at least for us Dr. Families). But I am so grateful that these wonderful things come around so I can remember all I love about them. I love the beach, but honestly I love my family more. If I could spend everyday at the beach, but have to be by myself; honestly, I don't think it would be that great. We could have gone anywhere and it would have been the perfect vacation for us, because we were together.

This is my favorite "moody" sunset picture.



So the point to this whole post? I guess appreciate what you have in those everyday moments. Those "perfect" vacation months come around only every so often; and if you are always waiting around to be happy I don't think you ever truly will be. So be happy. Don't wait. Look for the the good and fun in everyday. And then when those great perfect moments do come, they will be even better.

How do you make everyday a good day?



Kelsey B

Sun Flare {How To}

Step one: Look directly at that beautiful setting sun. Bright right?! Are you squinting? Probably, huh? Well squint even more, you see how the rays of the sun get longer? Your camera lens works the same way. The more it "squints" the longer the rays will be.

Step 2: Move that dial over to M if you haven't already. Bump up the ISO to whatever you and your camera are comfortable with; maybe ISO 800. Its okay to have a little noise :)

Step 3: Make your camera squint. Close that aperture; maybe f/22.

Step 4: Aim your camera down so no sun or sky is showing in your view finder. (Like at the grass or trees just below the skyline). Set your exposure.

Step 4: Raise your camera. Compose your shot so the full sun is exposed. (Your camera is going to tell you your shot is WAY over exposed. Ignore it!)

Step 5: Click away!


Extra Tip: I have found my zoom lenses (18-55 and 18-140) make capturing sun flare so much easier. I don't know why, but it is just something I have noticed.





Did it work? Let me know! I want to see your beautiful sun flares.


Do you have any tips for me? How do YOU best capture sun flare?




ISO 800          18mm          f/22          1/20sec























Shot is SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) + Watermark.





Kelsey B

My {B}ag

It's orange, full of goldfish, monster trucks, candy canes, receipts, and occasionally a Nikon D3000 with a 50mm lens. In a couple months I'm hoping a D90 will replace it. If you are wondering why I want the D90 check these out. I love going to this site and comparing different cameras. I would love to have the D7100 or a full frame, but those just aren't in my budget right now. I do however keep going back and forth between the D5100 and the D90. I like the D90 because well first it is a little less expensive and I could use that extra $$ for a better quality lens. Also the big draw to the D5100 is the flip out screen which I really am fine without and high res video. I honestly will rarely use the video anyway. The D90 has video option as well if I were to ever use it, which I doubt I will. What is your dream camera?

My go to {L}ens: For sure the 50 mm. It is always on my camera. Always. I love how crisp and vibrant the images are. It is wonderful in lower light and perfect for most anything. I also have the "kit" lens 18-55mm. This lens really comes in handy when I need to zoom out. The 50mm I "zoom" out by stepping back, but if I am in a cramped space or a building is really tall and won't fit it the frame I grab the 18-55. Like for example: Last summer Steve and I took a trip to Mexico. A much needed vacation after Med school! We took a day trip to hike the Mayan ruin Coba. One of the last you could still hike. (Now closed I believe). Anyway I only took my 50mm and so all the pics I have I had to either stand like way back, waaaaaaaay back to get the whole thing in. Or only get the top or bottom half. If I would have had the 18-55, I could have simply zoomed out and snapped the picture. Done. Another reason I like the 18-55 is for some reason it captures some AMAZING sun flare. I'm not sure why, but it does. I've tried to get some with my 50mm, but it is so much easier with the 18-55.So why not only use the 18-55? Great question. It is not great in low light. I also love to shoot with the aperture wide open like 1.8 or 2.0 to get that great depth of field and blur everything, but my subject out. I can't do that with the 18-55. Well, I can, just not as well. It only opens to about 3.0 give or take depending on the lighting and my shutter speed. There are definitely advantages to both lenses.  Now onto research more lenses! My amazon wishlist is always full if anyone is in a giving mood ;)

Other {G}ear: Steve bought me a 5 in one reflector for Christmas.  I am so excited to use it more! I used it a bit in my recent newborn session and it is so versatile. I used it to block bright spots, while still letting through soft light. I used the gold side to give some of the photos a warmer feel. And the white side for a bright crisp look. Now I just need an assistant to stand behind me all the time whilst holding it. :)

{F}lash: I hate flash! It gives off unnatural shadow. Everything is too white, while the background is usually too dark. I just honestly prefer the warm look of natural light. If I were shooting a wedding that would be a whole different story! But I have no desire or the budget to invest in amazing off camera flash equipment. But when I am at The Children's Museum with crappy lighting and my camera is on Auto - it's going to use flash. And that is okay. I'm not selling or showing off these images. They are just capturing that sweet moment of my guy driving a trolly.

And yes he is always wearing sunglasses. :)



Feel free to comment if you have any questions or would like to know more.  Or if you have any tips and suggestions for me, I'd love to hear!

Kelsey B


P.S. If you are interested in learning more about the class I am taking, head on over here. Sarah is an amazing teacher. She has changed how I see the world through my lens. I have become more aware of elements that will make my images more stunning and elements that will distract. She gives great feedback and I wish the class would never end!