Who knew a pet pig would be so cute?! When my friend, Summer, bought a miniature pot belly pig I'll admit I wasn't convinced that it was actually going to be cute. But, as soon as I saw this pig I was hooked! I mean, who doesn't love a pig named Bacon?! I knew I had to set up a photo shoot for him so I could capture his cutes features. I think this was a real success. We had three major locations, all of which were quaint and interesting downtown areas. And I kid you not when I say this pig was stopping traffic. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who pulled over only to ask, "Is that a pig?" and, "Can I take a picture of him?" It was hilarious! People who didn't pull over did a triple take to verify their eyes weren't fooling them, and when we were in a crowded area hoards of people were coming up to pet him! Bacon was a huge hit! It was a great day! Here are a few of my favorite shots. Check back soon to see a photo slideshow...as soon as I can get my husband to help! :)

I really hate snakes, but these were just too cool! I loved the bulky bulbs in the overhang and how the coloring of snakes matched the coloring of the bulbs. This is one of my favorite photos I've ever taken. Happy photo-ing!

These monkey/apes were too cute to pass up. I love the contrast between the brown/tan monkey up front and the black/gray monkey in the background coupled with the blurred ride on top. I think this shot is framed well and the black sky provides the perfect backdrop for the pops of color you see here.

Now, I don't know if i would have gotten on this as a kid. I like big and fast roller coasters, not freaky spinning circles that make me...well...you know...I did, however, really enjoy capturing the blurred lights thanks to the shutter speed! I also changed the coloring to include more cyan and red than what was originally in the photo.

This was definitely one of my favorite rides as a child, even though it doesn't go very fast! For this photo, I really wanted to make the colors bold and gritty; I wanted a lot of noise in the photo. I amped up the gamma settings to really draw out the blacks in the photo and I think I achieved the perfect balance of blaring light and deep darkness.

As a child, I never really got a thrill out of this ride. I preferred the bigger, faster rides. But, as an adult I appreciate the beauty in Merry-Go-Rounds. No, this isn't the most beautiful painted horse you'll ever see--I'd love to find a fair with pristine painted horses--but the colors were stunning. I amped up the contrast, vibrance, and saturation, cropped off the ugly metal fence, and called it a day. I think it came out pretty good!

As I continue to play around with Photoshop, I'm finding out more and more that this program is endless. I decided to distort a picture and add some funky texture to it only to find the "Stained Glass Window" effect. I wouldn't use this on very many photos, but it sure does achieve an interesting effect on this one. Maybe it should have been part of "Random, yet Interesting"? As always, click on the photo to enlarge. Happy photo-ing!

I think I said I would do Nature next, but I have so many of those photos (and they're my favorite to do) that I don't think the series would ever end! This series, though, does have a stopping point; just 7 pictures make up this series and I have to put them up before summer vacation is over! My husband and I went to a little street carnival one evening when I had just gotten my camera and I was able to start practicing. I don't think these shots are as good as some of the previous ones I've shared on this site, but you get the point! Night shots are tough--especially when there are moving images involved! It's something I'm still not great at, but practice makes perfect so practice I will!

Singing in a choir is another one of my passions. I got to be a part of the church choir this summer and am really looking forward to being in it come September. We put on a huge American musical for 4th of July and I found it to be a really great opportunity to reflect on both God's sovereignty in our nation and on the sacrifices men and women have made for our country. These three pieces of music feature words that really speak volumes about this country.

Again, this photo was entered in that Americana photo contest I told you about. I'm an English major so reading is something I actually do for fun...and I do lots of it! The Americana theme of the contest inspired me to find a collection of some great American literature I've read over the years. I loved the effect I created in which I made the entire photo black and white and the colored back in the red. Photoshop rocks!

Growing up I always heard that the American dream was enclosed by a white picket fence. I never really thought I'd live in a house that had a white picket fence, but it is kind of fun having one! I love the contrast in this photo--which I achieved in Photoshop--and the odd spots of focus. Normally, I would focus up close or far away, but I tried focusing in the middle this time and achieved a neat effect.

I love me some black and white! Yes, the flag is still in the shot, but you can see that the focus is really on the fence. I loved the shadowing and the muted white tone of the fence; sometimes black and whites have a huge contrast between the shades, but this one seems very fluid.

Essentially the same shot as yesterday, but for this one I really muted the colors in Photoshop while the one yesterday featured intense saturation, vibrance, and contrast. I love the bokeh in the background (the blurred parts) and the dark shadowing up front. This shot was taken right after the shot from yesterday but it achieves a totally different effect on the viewer.

I can't begin Americana without first showing you some shots of the American flag. I love the crispness and the clarity of this first photo. I also really enjoy the criss-cross pattern that the stripes made in the front flag. Finding a perfect shot took--literally--forever! I must have taken 100 photos of flags flying in the wind. I wish both flags would have been unfurled and flying, but it just wasn't my lucky day!

The "Random, yet Interesting" series has come to a close. This next series will be rather short, but definitely important as we remember the soldiers who are fighting for our freedom right now. I take for granted that I live in America and I take for granted all that it has offered its citizens over the last couple of centuries. What I hope to achieve in this series is a portrayal of that which I believe to represent America given the small town I live in. Enjoy this series!