So Pretty!

This afternoon, when the kiddos and I returned home from preschool, the most wonderful sight awaited me at my doorstep….

Those two boxes, contained two items I was very excited about… a new camera bag/purse and a new book about Photoshop!

First, the purse. A little over two years ago was the last time I bought a purse. I picked one out on Etsy (thank you Little Happys!) and have loved it for the last 2+ years. It’s held up well (although it is looking worn now) and was big enough for me to toss my Nikon into (along with a bunch of random junk that seems to just mysteriously appear in my purse).

For well over a year now though, I’ve been pining for a certain style of camera bag that has become quite popular, and this Christmas my parents came through for me!

Old on the left and new on the right!

Know what I especially love about the new one? The light colored interior! Now things won’t “hide” quite as easily as they used to! And do see what’s inside the new bag? Not only is my camera, flash, wallet, notebook and a bottle for Lily in there, but my Macbook Pro is also in there, with room to spare! Sa-weet!

Isn’t she purty? Her name is Clover and she comes from Epiphanie!

Obviously this picture was taken with my camera, instead of my cell phone… The little dividers inside can be moved around and re-configured however I need them, which means when the day comes I can buy a bigger camera body, it’ll still fit in the bag!

Love the camera bling that came with it!

The bag came in a bag of it’s own, which Ty thought made an awesome hat. Or tent. Who knows.

Alright, enough gushing over the pretty new bag. Let’s talk about the book that also came today…

This year I’m committing to really try to improve both my photography skills and my editing skills and speed. When you take pictures as often as I do (even before I launched Faces You Love this past summer), there is going to be a natural improvement in photography style, technique and execution. When it comes to Photoshop, I know I’ve also picked up little tips and tricks along the way, but Photoshop (even *just* Elements) is a beast and I know I’m not even skimming the surface of it’s capabilities!

So here we are in January, and I’m already going full steam ahead on my improvements goal. The book that arrived today, The Photoshop Elements 9 Book , is full of awesomeness! My mom has this book and has brought it with her on her last two trips out here. I’ve flipped through it both times, and while there are plenty of things in it that I already know how to do, there are plenty of things in it that I don’t know how to do. The book is on sale right now at Amazon for $28, and while they also have a Kindle version for a bit cheaper than that even, I can’t imagine trying to flip through it on an e-reader (the link earlier in this paragraph will take you right to the book’s Amazon page).

Anyone else make a fun, photography related goal for 2012? Remember, whether you have a DSLR, a point and shoot or an iPhone you can improve your photography whether it be working on lighting subjects properly, trying to take note of what’s in the background, or just taking more pictures period!

Note: Epiphanie and the Photoshop book folks don’t know who I am. I wrote about these items cause I love ’em and I think you will too!