they will see us waving from such great heights.

Which version is your favorite?

Keep your high from ever touching ground.

"The trees keep the tempo".

"Weeping".

Autumn's Beauty || Guest post by Nela

Ask me anything! ♥

Hey guys!  Since you all seemed pretty open to the idea of asking me questions, and since I've reached 102 followers, I thought I'd do a special post.  It's time for you to learn a little more about me. ;)  (^^That's me up there. Eyes.  Feet.  Mouth.  Hand. Yep lol.)

Here are the rules for asking me questions:
1. Post a comment below asking me your questions.  You can ask more than one!
2. You can literally ask me anything.  Ask me about fashion, beauty, photography, music, literature, my thoughts on a subject, my eye color, whatever you want!  :)
3. I'm going to leave this up for a few days at least.  I may do some posts in between, but you can ask me questions (on this post) up until I actually do the post answering them.  I'll try to answer all of them! 

Ask your questions about me in the comments section below!

dreams never die when we sleep beneath the open sky.

"Lomish Plant"

"when people laughed their worries disappeared"

 Check out my deviantART, Tumblr, and Flickr where I post some of my photos, too! :)

Simple photo editing techniques. ♥

Today we have a tutorial!  I posted this a while back on another blog. If you have any questions, or you would like to request a different tutorial, please comment below and I'll get back to you. :)  But anyway, here we go!  My camera is a Canon Powershot A560, so it's a point and shoot camera. It has just the amount of settings I need, but it automatically adjusts things like the aperture setting, so I don't always get exactly the look I'm wanting for my photo. So, to the GIMP!



This is the photo I'll be working on. See? It's not too shabby of a photo, but it could use a little boost to the color as well as the sharpness of the image. Also, the background could use a little more blurring. Let's get started!

Who really needs the past with the allure of something new?

"to infinity and beyond"

"Side of the road."

"Oh, there you are."

All Holga pictures above are from my deviantART. :)

This Week: Flowers, rants, lyrics, happy moments

 "the flower that blooms in adversity" from my deviantART

♥ This new AWESOME place to eat has opened up in my town, and it has such fresh, vegetarian options.  The atmosphere is really cool (kind of hipsterish and laid back), and they play SUCH good music (Green Day anyone? ;) ).

♥ I've been really aware recently of all the lies the media tells young boys and girls.  It's not like I didn't know it, but TV and music is just saturated with implications like "you have to be half-naked to be beautiful" and "if you boys aren't players and with tons of girls you're not really all that manly".  It just breaks my heart, because it's like everybody takes the life we've been given for granted.  Don't they know beauty is fleeting?  That true love can exist if you wait for the right guy?  That your standards and morals are more important than trying to please people that will never be satisfied?

♥  I was not thrilled with The Mill on the Floss's ending.  My thoughts on THAT will be posted soon in my next review.

♥ I'm so happy that Nela did a guest post for me!  Didn't she look just radiant in pink? :D

♥  Favorite lyrics this week:

"I'm letting myself off the hook for things I've done
I let my past go past
And now I'm having more fun
I'm letting go of the thoughts
That do not make me strong
And I believe this way can be the same for everyone"

♥ Also I'm really liking "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty.


♥ School is starting back in August!  Eeeeep I'm signed up for General Biology 2, General Psychology, and Expository Writing.  :0

How was your week?

i'll admit I'm just the same as I was.

"it is not only fine feathers that make fine birds"

"Solitude"

 Check out my deviantART, Tumblr, and Flickr where I post some of my photos, too! :)

some days I can't even trust myself

The photo above I call "hope is the thing with feathers".  You can find it on my deviantART.

Does the size of the photo above look too big for my blog?  What do you guys think?

♥

  I've found myself recently listening to "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men a lot recently:

  It's one of those songs that's kind of Indie in nature, but has just the right sprinkling of strong beats and interesting, lively music too (sort of like "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People).  I guess you could consider this a mini review...I was honestly a little too lazy to write a proper one.  xD  Anyway, you should definitely give it a listen!

"Some days I can't even trust myself
It's killing me to see you this way
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry
Our bodies safe to shore."

We forge the chains we wear in life.

We forge the chains we wear in life.

I'd pay to see you frown.

Holga photography tips.

  Lomography is one of my favorite things (which I have mentioned more then once....ahem...), and although I haven't gotten to take pictures with my Holga as much as I'd like, I've gotten some pretty good shots!  Since you voted on the poll that you'd like to see more about photography, below are some of my favorite photos of mine, along with some tips.  You can click them to make them larger. :)

  I'm honestly not even sure how I got this picture.  It wasn't cloudy, and I think I must have just got in the perfect lighting.  Anyway though, the main thing I can suggest with this one is to double or triple expose the film.  How do you double expose a photo?  Take a picture of something (say a tree) then without advancing the film, take another picture.  To triple expose, just take one more photo without advancing the film.  You'll be left with a photograph that has a few images transposed over each other.  Here are some more examples:

 

Day 20: A hobby of yours

 Me and my Holga camera.  :)

  My favorite hobby is photography.  Even though I don't get to do it as much as I like (nor do I always have the best subjects), it's something that is really interesting for me.  I like lomography (or analogue, whatever you want to call it) the best - using real film and not knowing what your photos are going to turn out like until they are developed gets me really excited.  Digital photography is cool, too, plus it can be a little easier and less expensive since you don't have to pay for film or pay for developing said film.  I like messing with the settings, and finding resourceful ways in using my rather inexpensive point and shoot camera. 

One of my favorite digital photos.

One of my favorite analogue photos.

You can find my photos here at my Deviantart, here at my Flickr, and here at my Lomography page.  ;)

Days 8 and 9

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday...I got really sick and just didn't feel like it.  But I'm better today!  So let's get to it. :)

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life 

   Dear boys who have come and gone,
     Some of you have made me really happy, some of you have made me really angry.  But I want to thank you all.  Thank you for helping me realize my priorities and getting my standards straight.  Thank you for forcing me to work through my emotions in a way that I can recognize them when they rise again and deal with them appropriately.  Thank you for making me appreciate my family even more than I already did.  Thank you for pushing me closer and closer to God, even if you don't realize that you did - I know He will love me unconditionally and never hurt me.  Thank you for opening my eyes to the type of guy I want and my own likes and dislikes that make me who I am.  Thank you for exhibiting signs that I can look for in the next guy so I can decide whether to stay or run like the wind. Thank you for helping me be content with being single.  Thank you for the things you have said, the ways you have acted, and the things you did and didn't do because I have learned something from it all.  I should probably be hurt and angry with some of you, and some days I am.  Some of you have been so kind and loving that you have given me faith in the opposite sex.  Mostly though, I'm thankful. I'm thankful, boys, that you you made me stronger.  You helped make me the type of girl I am today.  And I like me. :)


  - Lydia ♥

Picture from Pinterest.com

Day 9: A photo you took 

 

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possibly live without

1. My religion. My faith has helped me through so much.  It's so amazing. It's definitely not something I could through life without - I'd be a mess without it.

2. My family.  Seriously.  I talk to my mom about everything, my dad is so loving and hilarious, and my sister is my bestest friend.  They're the only people I need in my life. ♥

3. Books! My number one source of entertainment.  And you can learn so so much from them!

4. Showers.  Because I need them...I couldn't imagine being filthy all the time. Then again I guess there are rivers and things lol.  But showers are just so convenient!

5. Cameras.  Capturing memories is the sweetest thing ever. I love taking photos.

Day 3: A favorite book + a photo challenge!

A favorite book of mine is Middlemarch by George Eliot.

   I first read this book when I was 13 (I think).  I fell in love with the characters, the quaint story, and the thrill of reading and understanding such a long book.  Soon I'm going to re-read Middlemarch because I'm sure I missed some of the symbolism (and I specifically remember not paying attention to certain parts I thought were boring at the time).  Plus, I'm older and will probably be able to relate to some of the characters better.  You know, that feeling you get when you read something that's just so true and relevant in your life.  Yeah, I'm hoping for that. :)

Also, I wanted to show my entry for the:

Here it is below!

A Very Random Post 1

♥ I took a "Superhero Personality Test" today .

My results?
You are Hulk

Hulk 70% Spider-Man 65% Superman 60% Wonder Woman 55% Robin 55% The Flash 55% Green Lantern 55% Batman 45% Supergirl 45% Iron Man 45% Catwoman 20%

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Mhm....surrrreee.  I wish!  But maybe I'm stronger than I think. ;)

♥ I'm reading Vanity Fair by Thackeray. I honestly got it for my sister, but when I brought it home from the library I was like "I MUST READ THIS."  So...yeah we're kinda having to share it.

♥ Look at this outfit:

  Isn't it adorable?  I'd LOVE to wear something like this! :)

♥  This is true:

♥ For me, anyway:

 ♥ I just freaked out because I thought my anti-virus program that was running a scan was a virus.  Um...yeah.

♥  I reallllllyyyyy need to practice my piano.  But I'm almost too sleepy concentrate. ;___;

♥ I took a lot  of photos outside yesterday.  I got some good shots - I'll post them soon!

♥ It's the first day of June!  I hope everyone is having an awesome summer! :)

♥ How is YOUR day going?

Another photography post.

I call this picture Up up here we go.  That title is taken from a song...by Bruno Mars I think?  Anyway, it was taken with my Holga 120 N on REAL FILM.  That's a novelty these days.

I don't like to post my face on websites (not even Facebook hardly) because I'm afraid of the creepers.  BUT I don't mind artistic shots of myself like this.  This is a digital shot. :)

This shot is called "Piglet is abducted by a swarm of butterflies".  Those butterflies aren't real - they're mechanical.  And this is a digital shot as well. :)

Summer 2012

  This week is my last week of school before summer begins.  Summer.....ah, just the name sounds peaceful.  And usually it is.  Last summer was not very peaceful for me, however, and this year I want it to be (although the emotions I experienced and learned from last summer I wouldn't trade for the world) .  I'm not saying that I want a "boring" summer, but I want one where I'm doing things that are pleasing to me and my education and what I want to do, regardless of what I feel I should be doing or what other people are doing.  This summer, I know I want to be a good one.  Do you know that little interval of time between being a kid and an adult?  Of course "adolescence" is the word, of which I am certainly, but I'm meaning I feel that way now.  Because when you're a teenager, you feel you can do anything.  That part of my life has past.  Now I know that I can't do anything on my own yet, but I'm slowly merging into the time of my life where I will truly have to do things for myself, and only I will have the final word (along with The Mighty One, of course).  So, I feel like this summer is one of only a few summers I have left to really not rush my life and be restless.  This is a summer to do what I want.  So, I'd like to list my summer goals below (some silly, some serious, but all me), and I encourage you do to so as well!

SUMMER 2012
1. Practice piano everyday.
2. Get better at photography; learn more about Holga camera, save money for lenses and film, watch videos on how to use camera, find good places to shoot.
3. Read my bible everyday,
4. Practice my writing everyday.
5. Take a class on world religion.
6. Lay around and do nothing but think.
7. Listen to music.
8. Read everyday, and start a new book as soon as I finish an old one.
9. Spend time on my side porch enjoying nature.
10. Blog at least twice a week.
11. Practice my driving.
12. Volunteer at library.
13. Try to get better at speaking up, even if the answer I get is no.

♥

Photography: More From My Gallery

  Here's some more of the photos I've taken.  Not great, but I'm learning!

 

   I thought the picture above was a pretty cool shot.  It's through my window looking onto the trees. 

 I had REALLY wanted to do a picture of a piece of paper with something drawn on it.  It had been a pretty big trend there for awhile....and what better to draw than a mustache? ;)

  

  I have my mom to thank for suggesting this shot!  It was early in the morning (and COLD, mind you), and she had opened the drapes and was all "Lydia!  You have to take this picture!"  So I did. :D