OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson February 25, 2014

Zane Makes Eggs

Our son, Zane, who just turned two and a half a couple of days ago, has always been a big fan of cooking. Over the course of his short life he has dutifully observed me while I cooked for the family, and at some point he just started joining in. I didn’t realize how proficient he had become until I recently witnessed him cracking eggs without getting a single shell in the bowl! I thought this was pretty impressive, so the next time we made eggs I took a little video. Here is Zane making scrambled eggs from start to finish!

Zane Makes Eggs from Kelli Wilson on Vimeo.

Kelli Ann Wilson February 24, 2014

lazy sunday + vsco

I recently purchased VSCO Film 01 for Adobe Camera RAW and Photoshop. It’s not cheap, but I’ve been dying to try it. I like experimenting with different aesthetic presentations for my photos, and I’m not married to any particular “look.” Plus, I like to learn new things! There are some free actions out there that mimic VSCO, and I have used some of them, but they’re just not the real thing and the finished product is evidence of that. Because they are actions, rather than presets, they are run directly in Photoshop on an already compressed image, which gives one less control over the final outcome. Shooting in RAW (vs JPEG) is required to use VSCO with Photoshop and, much to my delight, it has vastly improved the quality of my photos with or without presets. It’s so great to be able to tweak things like exposure, highlights, and especially white balance, without permanently changing the file.

RAW // VSCO Film 01 // C-Kodak Portra 160++

Kelli Ann Wilson February 23, 2014

happy birthday, olde shoe!

Last night we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday (albeit a little belatedly), and I took my camera along. I haven’t been doing as much photography lately, and I’ve missed it. I have been experimenting with shooting in “RAW” mode — actually RAW+JPEG — and using Adobe Camera Raw to make adjustments in post-production. I may never be able to go back to shooting straight JPEG. Many of these images were blown out or too dark because of the indoor lighting (a combination of “tungsten” and “fluorescent”), and I was able to fix that in ACR.

Kelli Ann Wilson February 21, 2014

8 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: It’s school vacation week and you’ve spent most of your time drawing. Yesterday, on the way home from dance class, we talked about college art programs. You really want to go to Keene State (I think so you’re close to home, which is endearing), but I think you’ll change your mind when the time comes.

Zane: You’re up, you’re down, you’re all around — undeterred, as your father says. When we went to the store last night, you saw a little boy about your age in the art supplies aisle. You asked me, “Can I hug him?” I told you that some kids (and grown-ups, too) are a little scared of people they don’t know, and you seemed to understand. You just gave him a friendly wave, instead.

Kelli Ann Wilson February 13, 2014

7 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: It was Spirit Week at school this week. For “Superhero Day” you decided to be “The Sylph.” Now everyone in your class knows what a sylph is (it’s an air spirit, just in case you didn’t know). Always stay true to your quirky self, Lillia. You enrich the lives of those around you just by being who you are.

Zane: You caught your sister’s cold, but it didn’t slow you down a bit. I love this not-a-baby yet not-quite-a-boy stage of your life. You can hold up your end of a conversation, but you can still snuggle up with me at night like you did when you were a tiny baby. I know how fast the time goes, and I wish I could keep you this small for just a little while longer…