Happy New Year!

Well, I thought I posted this on Monday, but I forgot…so goes my life!
Anyway, my New Year's resolutions for blogging:

• Post at least one blog post per week.
• Provide a useful tip in each blog post.

We had an awesome time visiting our parents in Pittsburgh. My husband's parents and my parents live 10 minutes away from one another so it makes life easy! We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope your holidays were great, too. Here are some photo highlights from our past week:
Christmas morning:

Before everyone gets up

new beer brewing kit -- best present ever for him

My talented son, Nolan, designed this tee shirt for my oldest (Houston).

Very surprised at his gift (it involves going somewhere…more to come in a later post).

Christmas Dinner at my sister's:

The celebration continues in Pittsburgh:

Photo fun with my niece and sister-in-law

Chatting after dinner.

 "Reverse Charades" fun:

This one …I just can't figure out!

Birds?

New Years and Skiing:

Everyone gets champagne or sparkling cider.

Gigi plays some tunes

My niece sharing the celebration via "FaceTime."

My brave son, trying telemark skiing!

Useful info:

How to take great photos (obviously, I didn't actually listen to this advice for all of my photos…hey, the lighting was pretty bad forcing me to use a flash! Excuses, excuses)

1. Make sure photos are in focus and light enough to see the subjects. Use a tripod if the setting is too dark so you won’t get a blurred image.

        2. Remember composition: Try shooting photos from a different perspective; for example, from above or from the side. Step closer to your subject. Questions to ask yourself when taking a photo: Where is the point of interest? What would happen if I zoomed in? For more information on composition, search online for “photography rule of thirds.”

·       3.  Use natural light when you can. Using flash is OK; just make sure the photo isn’t taken against a reflective background (such as a window). Also note that using flash may or may not work depending on how far away you are from the subject.

                  So, that's it! How is your new year going so far?