Truly Gifted Design and Photography

Baby K.

2010-12-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

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Storybook 1

Storybook 2

Storybook 3

Baby K. Sneek Peek!

2010-11-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a litle Sneek Peek of Baby K! Such a sweetheart!!!

Spooky Hallows Eve Everybody!

2010-10-27T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well I was really feelin' some artistic stress relief and I've been mulling this idea around in my head for a while. So I decide to go for it and vamp myself! I caked on the makeup and set up the camera. It was a little hard to take a picture of myself and even harder to look at the ones that didn't make the cut! 80) I then used various photoshop techniques to get this final result. Maybe I'll try to make this a yearly tradition, ya know just like when Martha Stewart does her special Halloween magazine cover every year. I hope you all enjoy and have a safe and Happy Halloween Everybody!!!

(Click to Enlarge)

Thanks Everyone, Emily A.

My Trip - Part One

2010-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well I had the opportunity to go to a week long training in Emittsburg,MD for work. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the sights. here are some pictures I got at Gettysburg. It was a beautiful place and the history there is amazing.

This is the cathedral on the FEMA campus. This land used to be owned by Nuns and was a girls school. The buildings were very pretty and very old some dating back to the early 1800's.

These next pictures will all be of the battle fields and monuments in Gettysburg.

Looking out from Little Round Top

The Pennsylvania Monument

If you wanna check out some awesome night trips check out my husbands blog (click here). He also has some shots of Washington D.C. and Yellowstone that turned out pretty amazing as well. (oh and he loves to hear feedback whether it's good or bad.)

Well, Farewell for now and Best Wishes stayed tuned for part 2 of my trip back East. 80)

Truly, Emily A.

Mrs. T's eggo is preggo.

2010-04-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

This is Mrs. T (my little sis.) She's about ready to pop any time now as you can see by the second pic! Yea for mommyhood!

I Heart Faces Week 13 Black and White Dramatic

2010-03-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was a Dramatic Black & White. This is Miss K. I've know her since she was a baby, she is a timeless beauty. She's a senior this year with alot goin' for her. When I saw this next challenge I immediately thought of her. Thanks Miss K. your a stunning girl.

For more Dramatic Black & White entries click here

Oh My Red....

2010-03-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

Is this Baby not one of the CUTEST ever! This is my second cousin's baby. I just Could not get over those BIG Blue eyes and Red hair! Thanks baby O. for being a sweetie. Good job mom and dad you make adorable babies! 80)

2010-03-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

World get ready for little J becuase he's a comin' 80)

To see some more great pictures..."Jump" Here.

4 Shoots and tons of smiles

2010-02-19T23:49:00.000-08:00

Josh and I Had a crazy but Fun time last week. We had 4 different sessions over a period of 3 days. Here are some of the pictures we had so much fun taking. Each session was a creative experince and so great. This 1st little gal is 6 months. She was a smiley rosey cheeked girl with lots of personality.

I love her face in this pic! Her outfit was adorable!

Look a those hot pink converses so cute! Mom told me that dad is the one who is always buyin her shoes...lol too funny!

This next set if from a newborn session. This little guy was a sweetheart and very patient with us.

Josh editied this session and did a great job! I love the textures on this last one!

The next shoot is my first maternity shoot. We had alot of fun and the gal we did was so laid back and let us be creative.

We used wet guaze to give the picture above a great texture.

Here eyes and hair are so pretty!!!

This next little man was a so funny. He's 3 and loves loves loves cars. He remebers what everyones car is and he'll tell you without any help. He was just a sweet little guy! It was a joy meeting him. 80)

I love this picture he looks like a little man. The best thing is he just poses for me he was so easy.

Notice his name in the background. I love that his face is like I didn't do it!

Thank all come again! 80)

Baby G.

2010-01-15T15:56:00.001-08:00

We had a great time with this precious little babe. He was very patient and a little sweetheart. Thanks mom and grandma for letting us have such a good time with you little monkey.

Oh and did you notice our new name? Yep my husband and I have finally started our own biz together. We are officially DEFINE:PHOTOGRAPHY and will have a cool website up an running hopefully by spring. Thanks to all our very supportive family, friends, and critics!!! 80)

Copycat....

2010-01-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

So I found this really great print in a home decorating magazine and fell in love with it but they wanted a ton for it so I came up with my own version.

Here's there's....

And here's my version. It took some time but I'm happy with how it came out. I can't wait to see what it looks like printed up! 80) Yeah for photoshop!

FrOstEd

2009-12-21T00:28:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning to a beautiful frosted world and just could not resist capturing the loveliness.

Our neighbors frosted willow tree.

The tree in my front yard.

My tiny regal frosted fir tree in the front yard.

Wishing you a lovely winter!

T. Family Photos

2009-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Baby B. Sneek Peek

2009-11-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

I had a sweet photo shoot with this little miracle named Baby B. he was adopted by very loving and excited parents. Their story is one of Love, Joy, and Blessings from above.

What a sweet sweet child I'm so excited to watch this family grow. 80) Thanks for the great experience guys.

Baby K and his Winter Hat

2009-11-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Did a fun little mini shoot with baby K and this cute little winter hat he had.

Love these last too. 80) What a sweet little guy!

More Info....

2009-11-04T21:09:00.001-08:00

So I've had a lot of requests for more info for my card designs. So here it is...
First 2 new design for you...
This one I call Winter Mod.(Got in a snowflake mood)

I call this Holiday Mod...(Again lovin' the snowflakes)

Prices:
Cost: $2.00 per card
Cards come in packs of 25 ( so if you need 40 you'll have to order 50).
I can change or tweek the card anyway you like. Text is at no extra charge and the card can say whatever you want. yea for personalization.
Printing:
They are printed on a high quality card stock including the envelopes(hand stamped design on the front of the envelope to keep it festive of course for no extra fee).
You also have the choice of a regular finish on the card or a very beautiful pearl finish(adds a subtle shimmer) which is very popular right now and gives the card a very luxe look.
I can have them printed in 4x5 or 5x7.

***(side note: I would love to do the printing for you because my computer is calibrated to the printing company I use. So I know and you know as well that your holiday memory will come out just as it's supposed to with the correct color and no unnecessary cropping that happens with big box printing from stores.)
Any question please email me at emilyashdown@yahoo.com
Thanks 80)

Fall Fun...

2009-11-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's taken me awhile to post these. They are fresh from being edited. I did some fun things to them and each one has it's own style. The top picture is of my friends Sara's little girl Emma. That's what all the pictures are actually. She a cutie puhtootie! 80) She was having a fun time with her mom who was bouncing her over the fence.

This photo is with a contrast edit so that Emma stands out and doesn't blend in with the background colors.

Emma showing off the bling I let her play with. She's definitely a girly girl.

I love her grin in this one. So excited!

Here is the pond at Fort Buenaventura the fall leaves were amazing this is my favorite fall picture!

Holidays Card 2009 Design

2009-10-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well here they are folks the first installment of my Holiday 2009 Card Designs.
If you are interested in any of my designs please contact me at emilyashdown@yahoo.com.
I will take the design you pick and pair it with your family photo to make a fabulous holiday card for friends and loved ones. I can also add text if wanted i.e.-family members names or a more personalized message.
Each design is $25.00 (not including printing)
If you would like me to do the printing I can accommodate with envelopes included. For more info on sizes and pricing please email me.
This first set I like to call Holiday Whimsy. It's bright, fun and light! 80)

Green Holiday

Ordamental holiday

Stocking Holiday

Very Merry Berry Christmas

Lite Brite Holidays

This next collection is Holiday Elegance.

They are more my traditional cards with an elegant script and detail. I can do these in any color scheme you would like.

Holiday Elegance 1

Holiday Elegance 2

Holiday Elegance 3

If looking for an even more personalized card contact me and we'll come up with a card that's just right for you and yours.

Thanks

**** Don't forget to leave me a comment and tell me what you think**** 80)

In the Ghetto

2009-10-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Josh and I went to a building Josh found while working and it was fantastic. See I've been craving a great wall of graffiti to take pictures of. I wanted something that had some real substance to it not a bunch of gang crud. This wall looked great with it's Halloween theme and bright colors. FANTASTIC. On the picture above I made the garage window and ground black/white and muted the rest of the colors.

On this next picture I muted the colors of the dumpster to help make the background pop. I love the purple suited killer guy. My name for him shall be thriller.

Side view of the wall. Great use of color.

This is a picture of the garage door. I pumped up the colors a bit and then put a crackle texture over it. Make it look a little more distressed. I haven't quite figured out what it says though. What do you think it says?

And lastly this picture of Josh. i pumped up the color a little without changing Josh's skin tone and it worked out quite well. I like the angle of the picture and that it looks like the thriller guy is coming after him. 80)

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-10-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of my niece and nephews who were kind enough to let their aunt intrude on their day to take pictures. Something I hope they are getting used too. LOL

These next ones I gave a seventies texture...just some fun silly Pic.

Dane with his tongue out just checking the weather I guess.

Reilley givin' me some top model attitude.

Cole Showing me how he's gonna be a ninja for Halloween.

This last one I of Cole I absolutely LOVE... Before we had him do this tough guy pose he clearly stated to me that he was not a model! LOL

Las Vegas Pt.2-Valley of Fire

2009-10-14T21:00:00.001-07:00

These are the second round of pictures from Vegas. We got out of the city and went to the Valley of Fire state park. It's about 45 mins away from Vegas and is BEAUTIFUL. There were amazing sandstone masterpieces and petroglyphs. If your in the area this is a must see!!! The picture above is my obsession of photographing myself again. 80)

A petroglyph of a small foot. I don't know why is struck me so hard. But when I saw it I thought of all the little children running around thousands of year before me. When we think of ancient villages we usually only think of the adults running them not the children growing and learning in them. This was one of my favorites.

This is looking up at a cliff above. I like the lines and color of the sandstone.

A cliff with a little sun flare. Everyone loves a good sun flare.

Las Vegas Pictures...Part 1

2009-10-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

My Husband and I went to Vegas recently for our Anniversary. We thought it would be fun to see what kind of pictures we could get. This defiantly turned out to be more of a chore than we thought, What with thousands of people always around. We finally got up very very early to get some shots we wanted. But here's what I came up with. ( To see my husbands fantastic pictures go to his blog here. We tried not to post the same pictures) My second installment of this blog article will deal with the second day of out trip where we were able to escape the large crowds and spend some time at a place we never knew existed. So stay Tuned for that. The first photo is from the Belliago walkway looking out at the Paris Hotel (we've both decided that the Bellagio is out favorite hotel to sit at.)

This is what my husband is now calling my signature Shot. I tend to want to find my reflection in anything I can and take a picture of it. I guess I'm just selfish that way. This mirror caught my eye while walking by the escalator in the Venetian. On most of the lower parts of their columns they have these really neat vintage antique looking mirrors. I really liked the refection of the chandelier from the store behind me and the cool doubled look the beveled edge of the mirror gave.

In the end courtyard of the Shoppes at the Venetian, They had a Beautiful Fall display this is only one picture of a side garden. They also had a great hanging display.

This is in the Atrium at the Bellagio. They change their displays with the season and they are always the best on the strip. It was quite a trial by fire to get this picture and the next. I haven't yet mastered the whole low light photography thing. I was in love with the copper metal tree fountains they had in the middle of the atrium the light they had on them changed with the music. It was gorgeous.

This is also at the Bellagio Atrium they had these old trees on both sides of the room (I'm still working on finding a photo I'm happy with to show you the 2nd one) This one talked, just a simple recorded welcome message but you would have thought people had never seen animatronics before they way they gathered around to listen to this wise old tree.

I recently learned about a photo style called Bokeh: is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field. This is my first try at it. The flower is from the Bellagio main lobby. The background is an array of amazing colored glass sculptures flowers hanging from the ceiling.

Well hope you enjoyed and there's more to come so stay tuned. And remember that it's a great time for photos for those holiday cards for loved ones. I have designed several card layouts. I would love to design yours. Just email me at emilyashdown@yahoo.com and an idea of what you have in mind. Thanks and Have Fun

Emily 80)

Happy October to One & All....

2009-10-01T09:28:00.001-07:00

I Love Brushes!!!

2009-09-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

So for those of you that don't know a brush is a cool little tool that you use on Photoshop. It's like a paint brush with a designated design on it to use. Almost like a stamp. The best part is that my pal Sara (Sara Gilchrist Photography) told me about a bunch of website were I can get them for free!!! So Sweet... Here are a few of the things I've done so far!

These are Some of my sweet nephews and niece posing for me. I love the boys out of focus and you attention all goes to my niece. Which is how I'm sure she would prefer it. The Brushes used are the whold damasks backdrop and the swirl flourishes in the top corner.

This is my new SIL's bouquet it was so beautiful. I add a little antiquing actions and used the brushes for the red damasks background and the cream picture holders on the corners.

And this next one I had so much fun with!!!! LOVE IT!!!

This is my little bro Wyatt and some of his buddies on the half pipe in my parents backyard. (some how my brother was able to talk them into putting it in a quarter of their amazing garden)
Josh took these pictures and they turned out great. I added a little colorizing texture action and used multiple brushes like the paint splatter, Tape(the brush is named Tizzape, LOL those who know me know that's my kinda word!), and the skull in the right hand corner.
Thanks for looking and comments always welcome! 80) p.s. make sure your following me. 80)

I heart Faces...Contest Blue

2009-09-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful blue eyed niece. She's a ball full of spunk! If you click on the picture you will see how blue her eyes really are. Love you Roo!!!

I Heart Faces-"Completely Candid"

2009-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

As the family waited outside for my brother and new sister in law to come out of the temple, My sweet nephew Baby D. decided to do a little exploring on his own. As I quietly followed him I took a picture just as he was turning around to make sure he was really alone. That's when I caught this mischievous but absolutely delicious face.

2009-09-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is my Nephew Baby K... Here are some projects I did for him...
Digital Scrap booking page and Blessing Announcement

He looks just like his daddy to me but has his mommy's cute spunk! 80)
(side note: This is my early early days of learning about my camera and Photoshop so the colors and resolution maybe a little off. I learned alot since then and am excited to apply it.) 80)

Random Flowers

2009-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here some Random Flowers I've taken pictures of over time and editied for artistic beauty. I love the Rose above(Notice the little droplett of water...so sweet)

Thank Goodness For Rust

2009-09-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

I took these Pictures at a local Resturant called the Timbermine. They have this truck in their parking lot I fell in love with.

Side Mirror Reflection

Thank for looking 80) Comments Always Welcome!

Here It Is...

2009-09-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all to my 3rd blog ~Truly Gifted Design and Photography~. Now I know what your thinking "a 3rd blog isn't that excessive", but I would have to disagree. This is where I will be showcasing the pictures and graphic design I'm doing. I would love to have any comments and feedback I can get. So Show me some of that good old fashion comment Love and don't be afraid to follow. If you want anything done or like what you see just click on my "Contact Me" Email and drop me a line. Thanks all, and Have fun! 80)