Chris in the Park

Chris in the Park, originally uploaded by AmyJoVanB.

I don't know how many pictures I have of Chris with his mouth open..... he jumps in front of the camera and opens his mouth...... his mouth is not a terribly interesting subject, but I thought this one was kinda cute.... i was just trying to get a picture of the leaves!

Hair Cut!

I went yesterday to get my haircut before we leave for our busy July! I'm super excited to go down to Wisconsin to see all of our family there, and introduce them to Chris! Then we're off to Vancouver Island for Shari's wedding.

As I have a bit more time these days, I've been thinking more and more about trying to blog a little more often, and keep this up! (also my flickr account..... i rarely upload any more)... so heres a June resolution to do more blogging and picture taking!!

Let's see how this goes!

Summer has arrived!

We've finally been able to get out of the house and enjoy some beautiful weather. While we woke up to rain this morning, by mid-afternoon it was sunny and lovely!

We packed up some egg-salad sandwiches, and took the football, soccer ball and the croquet set out to the legislature grounds to have some summertime fun! A lovely May long weekend for sure!

On Friday, we had a bit of a garden party (in our teeny garden) to kick off the summer weather and have fun time with some friends (and family).

Weekend Creative

Weekend Creative, originally uploaded by AmyJoLovesChris.

I've had alot of fun looking over Ali Edward's ideas for her weekend creative group, and while i haven't done all of them, this was way too cute to pass by. The only problem i have now, is i want to do another one...... maybe in a couple of weeks.... i'll let this one have the spotlight for now

Alberta Legislature - Front Entrance

Alberta Legislature - Front Entrance, originally uploaded by AmyJoLovesChris

Here is another pic from our night wandering the other day. I love the glow of lights under a long exposure. I may go back and retake this picture once the weather gets better though, the gap between the first two columns is a bit distracting to me.

tfl!

AJ

practicing night time photography

Chris and I took a break from being around the house to get out and take some fun pictures last night. He had been sitting on a few good ideas, and took me around the city to get some good shots. This first one is from the top of Connors Hill.


Here is City hall, the blue tint actually runs through the roof, I just added it to the building itself. The effect is really neat.

And finally, a stop at the Legislature (one of our favorite spots) and we got some really neat shots, I'm loving the long exposure and the ability to control the quality of the photos I'm taking.

birthday wish list

I've been asked repeatedly by Christopher what I want for my birthday, so I thought that I'd post a quick list of ideas for any birthday buyers......

1. a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. You could look here.

2. a UV filter (either 58mm thread or 52mm thread)

3. Starbucks Tree Leaf Mug. Look Here or at any starbucks

4. Adobe Photoshop Elements 6: A Visual Introduction to Digital Photography. Can be found here



5. I almost forgot... and IPOD! this is something I've wanted for awhile.... and I don't care which iPod, just not the shuffle.... one that can sync with iTunes and hold specialized playlists...

a peek at some new (and old) equipment

Here are some photos of my most recent photography equipment. Enjoy.

The two tools I use the most, camera, and computer.

My new bag, filled with all my fun accessories!

(without the camera.....)

Thanks for looking!

aj

A New Photo Project

Chris and i have begun a new Photography project together. We are going to make a book of images that showcases our lovely city of Edmonton. Together, we will go around town during various seasons over the next year, and photograph places and things about Edmonton that we love. I am uber excited about the project, especially since it was all Chris' idea (perhaps a ploy to get me to stop taking so many pictures of him..... hmmmm), but all the same, it was an excellent idea, and the first picture taking afternoon was a success, here are some images from the day.

six and a half hours

Did I mention that I'm totally psyched for the Michael Buble concert tonight...... can't wait... only 6 and a half more hours!!!

Thursday Morning Laziness

Well, the end of Thursday Morning laziness has arrived. My first student will be arriving in a couple of hours, and i have to make some lesson plans for my afternoon classes..... But nothing beats a morning spent with pictures, Flickr and some yummy breakfast.

Pictures from Christmas!

Well, my camera sure got a boost this Christmas! Not only did I get a Speedlite flash, but Chris got me a filter for glare, which resulted in this picture of him playing hockey... It sure helps the sky look awesome! I am super excited to try out more fun shots with both my Speedlite and the filter!!

totally addicted to flickr and making mosaics.....

Here's one more of the MANY i have made today.... this is totally addicting, and so much fun to see other people's photos and to put them into a neat arrangement.....



1. Multi-coloured door, 2. Rusty Hinge on Blue Door, 3. behind the blue door, 4. Door in Fira, 5. Green door, 6. Christmas door, 7. door 212, 8. Red Door Somewhere in Italy, 9. Door with a dead tree, 10. screen door rainy day late October, 11. red door detail.jpg, 12. Buildings: Door, dated 1762, 13. DOOR 13, 14. red doors, 15. Knock Knock Knocking On Heaven's Door, 16. Jounieh, Lebanon; door detail

Mosaic

Just having a little bit of fun on Flickr! Enjoy.

1. rose garden, 2. Lime, 3. 32 / 52: Your Gift, 4. sk, 5. verdigris, 6. Roxy Cafe, 7. Spectrum, 8. e x p a t r i a t e, 9. Curvillicious, 10. Rain, 11. Missed my coffee shots?, 12. Day 136: And we wear special shoes to beat the path to my house..., 13. The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day, 14. red_shoes_by_UltraViolett, 15. You cant look inside the red window / Valparaiso, 16. shades of green, 17. Green is my color for 2006, 18. green beach, 19. Red, yellow and green, 20. Blue mood, 21. Blue Skies Bring Tears, 22. Orange Reflection, 23. white, orange, blue, yellow, white, pink, grey etc., 24. Flower on grey, 25. Sotto una pioggia di stelle

Annual Vanden Brink Christmas Album!

Well, here it comes, the annual Vanden Brink Family Christmas Album. With lots of hard work, and large sacrifices of sleep and time, it is finally completed, and ready for production!

Here are some snapshots of the work that went into the project!

Fun for all, and an excellent time of year!