Photography

The Start of Cherry Blossom Season in DC

by Sarah Novak on March 21, 2012

It’s that time of year in DC when the city comes abloom with cherry blossoms!  I can honestly say that I now understand what all the excitement is about – they are breathtaking!  The peak viewing window for this year is March 20th-24th.  It’s also the 100th Anniversary of when the trees were gifted to the US from Japan.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 million people will travel to DC to see these gorgeous blooms.  Amazing, isn’t it?

Baby-willing, I’m planning to go out at sunrise tomorrow to shoot the blooms again.  Hopefully I’ll have more stunning shots for you to enjoy…

I should also apologize for my lack of posting lately.  All spare time has been allocated to showing visitors around, learning Spanish and shopping for our move.  We’re less than 60 days out to Peru and things are getting really busy around here!

Do check out the full gallery HERE.  I’ll be adding additional pictures to it as I continue to shoot.

 

 

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So Much for the Baby Photo Shoot

by Sarah Novak on November 2, 2011

Oh friends, it’s starting to become laughable how many things have not gone according to plan.  Of course, I’m still shedding a few tears over each miss but I expect that I’ll eventually get to laughing about it, right?

Pretty sure part of my problem is that I hold myself to insane standards.  That, when coupled with over-inflated expectations SPELLS DISASTER.  Let’s take the newborn photo shoot, for example.  I was dreaming of getting angelic shots like the one above from Etsy (note: that’s not Nia above).  I had spent hours acquiring the perfect props, found a photographer who was in the price range that we agreed on and got on her calendar.

I started to get anxious when I woke up in the middle of the night to check on Nick and Nia (it was his turn for the late night shift) and he told me she’d been fitful all night and hadn’t slept barely at all.  I remained optimistic, thinking this could go one of two ways – she would either be really sleepy (which is good for the photos) or she could be difficult.  Unfortunately it was closer to the latter.

I’m starting to realize that we have what I’d call a ‘touchy’ baby.  She has a good temperament, but is sensitive like her Mom and Dad.  Therefore, she doesn’t do well with low sleep or when she’s overstimulated.  She also is incredibly physically strong AND strong-willed.  That meant that every time we put her into a pose (while she was supposedly appearing to be asleep), she’d kick out of it before we got the shot.  The photographer said she’d never seen a newborn do that before (quite literally, she’d try to launch herself off of the beanbag chair – thank goodness I was on safety watch).

She also showed her dissatisfaction with the session by peeing and pooping on Nick and I EACH two times.  The photographer had the patience of an angel and kept trying for 4 hours to get some shots (note: this was the longest shoot she’d ever done).  Now mind you, it wasn’t like we were agitating her, she just never felt like cooperating and then just petered out and let us know she was done.  Honestly, it was sooo exhausting and hard for me to watch as a Mom (Nick abandoned ship hours earlier).  I’ll definitely think twice about doing this again with the next babe.  It’s just that I wanted so badly to have some quality images from this stage of her life.

BIG SIGH.

Soooo, take a guess at the approximate number of images the Photographer told me to expect after 4 hours of shooting?  Ummmm, yeah, that would be 15.

Epic fail for Mommy?  We shall see when the pics come back…

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Our Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Part 1, The Oregon Coast

by Sarah Novak on August 23, 2011

Nick and I started our 8 day Road Trip in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.  We left from Bend, Oregon in our borrowed mini van (thanks to the in-laws) and motored our way west to the Oregon Coast.  We spent our first night in Newport and enjoyed the best fish and chips the area had to offer.  On day 2 we continued up the Coast to our end point of Lincoln City, Oregon.  Along our route, we pulled off frequently to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The shots above and below were taken at Cape Kiwana.

I can’t get over how intense the sand dunes are here.  We are talking VERY LONG beaches here people…

My favorite roadside stop was at Cape Lookout, where we got a great shots of both Nick and I.  Who doesn’t love a dramatic coastline??

Although disappointing because we couldn’t find the promised lighthouse, I love this shot I got at Cape Mears.  Nick and I saw lots of parallels between this type of coastline and what we saw in New Zealand.

The hands down most exciting stop of the trip for me thus far was the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  As you may know, I was the Cheese Buyer for SuperTarget for 2 years and I developed quite the fondness for cheese.  And even though I got to tour many a food production facility during that time, I am still awed by the magic of watching cheese go from start to finish.  Definitely put this on your to-do list if you’re in the area (although I must admit, the walls of people were intense).  My crowd-averse husband definitely deserves a nod for hanging in there with me, despite being in his own personal version of hell.

Here’s a shot of me enjoying my Centennial Grilled Cheese, made with aged cheddar from 2009 (their 100th year of operation).  It was mouth-wateringly good and well worth the 30-45 minute wait (Nick didn’t initially agree, but thank goodness I have some extra pregnant-woman leeway at the moment).  Once that settled in my tummy, it was on to try a Tillamook Ice Cream cone.  Thank the Lord I’m not lactose intolerant because boy oh boy do I love me some dairy products!

And here’s one final shot of us heading over the Columbia River into Washington State.  If you want to see the full gallery of pictures, feel free to click HERE.  I’ll write again in a few days once we get internet again…

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A Recap of Week 2 in Bend, OR

by Sarah Novak on August 22, 2011

What a fantastic second week in Bend, OR!  We got to check out a couple of the hot spots including Smith Rock (top 3 photos) where rock climbers do their thing.  Unfortunately we went at a time of day when not many were climbing, but the beauty of the place was still impressive.

So cool to catch a glimpse of the moon during the day!

These final 4 pictures were taken atop Mount Bachelor which can be seen from my in-laws deck.  We got to go to the 7000 ft point, as the summit (9000 ft) is only open in the winter when ski season is going on.  In the shot above you can see both the 3 Sisters Mountain Group on the left and Broken Top Mountain on the right.

This is the Summit of Mount Bachelor and YES, that is snow!

Here’s a great shot of the Novak family!

And I managed to find the cutest little puppy to hang out with!  Sorry for the brevity, but we just started an 8 day road trip with just the 2 of us!  It’s been FOREVER since we’ve had any alone time and we’re relishing this pre-baby opportunity to chill.  Only 2 weeks to go til we land in DC and 2 months (hopefully) til little Nia comes into the world!  My how time is flying!  Stay tuned for upcoming posts from the Oregon Coast and Washington State…

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A Recap of Week 1 in Bend, OR

by Sarah Novak on August 16, 2011

We just wrapped up our fourth week of home leave (2 more weeks to go).  A week ago we transferred from Minnesota to Bend, Oregon to visit Nick’s parents.  This is my first time visiting the Northwest and WOW has it knocked my socks off.  Perfect weather every day, fit people as far as the eye can see and views to rival New Zealand… Bend definitely has it going on.

Bend is a relatively small city, with just 75,000 people living here.  What they lack in numbers, they make up for in charm.  This places just oozes culture.  Take the adorable Mill District, for example (pictured above).  It’s set right on the river and was converted from an old mill into dozens of cute shops and eateries.  Bike and walking paths abound and the river is always packed with tubers, swimmers, kayakers and canoers.  In fact, during a majority of weekends in the summer you will find some kind of race going on in the water.  This weekend we got to watch a Stand Up Paddle Board race (which was going to be followed up by a combined Dog/Owner Swim heat).

Here’s a beautiful shot I captured along the Deschutes River.  You can see the kayaks blurred in the background, along with a tent from the weekend’s festival.

Bend may not be big enough for the major leagues, but it has drawn over 50,000 fans to its minor league stadium this year, where the Bend Elks play.  We were lucky enough to join in the excitement of the last game of the season.

Not ones to waste time, Nick and his Dad scheduled a 2 and a half day Whitewater Kayaking Course for the first weekend here.  The first day and a half were spent training, followed by a full day tackling the rapids of the McKenzie River (class 2 and 3 rapids).  They came home exhausted but exhilarated.

Joyce and I made the most of our girl time by scheduling RELAXING things to do.  We got Manis and Pedis, went to see the movie The Help, took long walks and went out to dinner one night.  It was nice to have some quality time to ourselves!

Since I put in a shot of Nick’s Mom, I thought I should throw in a picture of Nick and his Dad too.  Here they are on top of the Pilot Butte lookout.  Aren’t they a cute pair?

It’s tough to explain how breathtaking this scenery is because the pictures just don’t do it justice.  That’s the best I’ve got though, so it’ll have to do.  Above is a shot taken from the Lake Paulina Peak lookout which is part of the Newberry Caldera.  All of the formations in this area were shaped by the volcanic eruptions that happened long ago.

I’ll leave you with a beautiful shot of Lake Paulina Falls.  If you look towards the bottom of the shot, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of a beautiful rainbow!

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A Photobook: Our Second Year in Manila!

by Sarah Novak on May 31, 2011

 

Hard to believe, but here is our Photobook for our second and final year in Manila.  We’re going to miss you, Manila!  You’ve been very good to us…

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A Photobook: Our First Year in Manila!

by Sarah Novak on April 27, 2011

 

How freakin’ cool is this that I can share our photobook online?!?  Nick made this one, but I’m on Year 2 (which will be released sometime in the next month).  Hope you enjoy it!
PS – We HIGHLY recommend Blurb for making Photobooks.  Inexpensive, good quality and lots of customization options!

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Animal Lovin’ at the Singapore Zoo

by Sarah Novak on April 15, 2011

I’m well aware that I owe you a MAJOR apology for not posting for the last week.  It’s just that I’ve been so damn tired and I had to go on Medevac to Singapore for 3 days (more on that in my next post – nothing to worry about).  I was thinking the best way to win your hearts back would be to show pictures of adorable animals.  I know, I know – it’s not going to make up for all those posts I didn’t write, but hey – it’s a start!

So DRUMROLL PLEASE…. here they are:

The Animals of the Singapore Zoo!

The Highlight of the Day: Feeding the Kangaroos

The hands-down best part of the day for me was getting some 1-on-1 time feeding the Kangaroos.  They were so gentle and cute and we were even allowed to pet them!  I loved every minute of it, even getting Kangaroo slobber on my dress.  I was so thankful to have a good ‘Kangaroo experience’ at this zoo because I left the Melbourne Zoo traumatized because the Kangaroos just laid on the ground the entire time looking dead.  Let’s just say it was not the first time Kangaroo sighting that I had hoped for.  I’m pleased to say that this more than made up for it!  A quick shout out to my fabulous travel companion Rebecca, who made sure we made time to fit in fun moments like this!  XOXO

PS – As you may have guessed, there are boatloads more cute animal pictures waiting for you over at SMUGMUG!  :)

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Back Behind the Lens!

by Sarah Novak on March 21, 2011

After MANY, MANY weeks of being cooped up in the house, my dear friends Andrea and Brian took pity on me and invited me on an overnight with their family down to San Pablo (Nick was busy working all weekend, so I would have been all alone).  San Pablo is one of my favorite places and I had the pleasure of introducing them to Sanctuario de San Pablo, Sulyap Cafe and Ugu Bigyan’s Pottery Workshop.

The best parts of the weekend for me were gulping in the fresh air and reuniting with my camera that’s been sitting in the closet for over a month!  Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend – as you might be able to tell, Leni was my favorite subject!  The full gallery is available at SMUGMUG.


 

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Photoshop Day 2: Masks, Borders and Color Correction

by Sarah Novak on February 21, 2011

Can I just say that I am thoroughly enjoying my Photoshop Class and all the cool new tricks I can apply to my photos.  And no, I do not consider that ‘cheating’, it is merely ENHANCING the beauty of the shot.  You’ve still got to get the shot in the first place – now you can just have more artistic freedom with it on the back end!

My only complaint with the class so far is that it is 4 TEN HOUR DAYS.  Seriously, that is way too long for this pregnant girl to pay attention.  I’m ready to nap by 11:30.  In fact, I tried hunting down a couch over the lunch break last week, but didn’t have any success… :(

Here are a few of the useful things I learned how to do this week:

Adding a Shadow to a Person

Sarah: Before Color Correction and Smoothing

Sarah: After Color Correction and Smoothing (please note the baby-smooth skin, added eyelashes, and brightened eyes)

Adding Borders using the Mask Tool, Brushes and the Color Matching Tool

Designing Shapes Using Fun Brushes and the Free Transform Tool

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