ginger hansen designs

You don’t realize exactly how incredible people are until you stare into their eyes for a few hours.  {However, they might think you’re a bit creepy.}  And editing photos lets me and forces me to stare at people’s faces for periods of time that would be rude if they were really right in front of me.  After chaining myself to the keyboard and the all-powerful Photoshop the other day {because the holiday photos wait for no one,} I noticed for the first time that my friend’s husband had green eyes and that she had little dimples and a funny crinkly place above her nose when she smiles.  They were cute little features that I had glanced over during the years that I have known them.  This study of laugh lines and other marks of beauty  is an interesting albeit slightly awkward by-product of  my photography business.  I find people’s faces amazingly complex and therefore more beautiful, crinkly spots, dimples, warts and all.

And that’s a fun intro to this gorgeous foursome {who should not to be confused with the people mentioned above.}  I snapped away in just over 30 degree F weather.  Sunny and frosty {by Norfolk standards.}  The family was freezing, but you’d never know if from their smiles.   I gazed on their frigid visages for a while, but they really just look this great any ol’ time.  They were too cool in the cold.

Enjoy, but don’t stare too long…  SPL

We’ve been unusually frostbitten here in Southeastern VA.  But, nonetheless, here is a cute snap from a cold, cold shoot I had this weekend.

Enjoy.  SPL

I am neither completely traditional nor tradition-oriented.  We didn’t have too many family traditions when I was growing up.  We had consistency though: unbelievable food, lots of loud Italians to talk about the food and more pasta.

But, I recently signed up for an online photography class with my neighbor, Kelly Willette, called Finding the Holiday Joy.  If you live in the Norfolk area, drive down my street and you’ll find her house.  You’ll know it when you see it; the Willettes love them some Christmas tradition.

Anyway, back to the class.  It’s all about documenting your holiday traditions on film or SD card, as the case may be.  But, being tradition-phobic, I was completely daunted by the first two lessons: advent calendars and finding the right tree.   To keep my yearly holiday cheer intact, my husband and I decided about seven years ago to buy an everlasting tree {read: fake}.  So, that tradition’s a bust; I always find the tree in the basement.  I did try to take a photo of my husband struggling to pull the beast from that dank netherworld, but needless to say, he wouldn’t strike a pose {or at least one that I would want on film; his hand gestures were not so traditional.}

And, I don’t have an advent calendar!  Yikes.  I immediately surfed to etsy.com for help, but nothing would arrive in time and I really felt that I was forcing the tradition more than feeling it.  “Have I tradition-starved my children?” I thought.  Well, not really.  We do our things, our way.  Like, nothing BEATZA Christmas Eve PIZZA!  {photos to follow after the holiday.}  But, for the sake of my online class, I recorded a few things here that are Christmassy and fun for us.

And please don’t think that I am knocking others’ traditions; I think they are great.  We have friends that eat Christmas Day burritos {and they don’t have a Latin bone in their body…} and some that hide a pickle in their tree {I think that’s German.}  Comment below if you have a favorite tradition.

By the way, my older son did ask the other day for “one of those calendars that counts down until Christmas Eve.”

Enjoy.  SPL

homemade snow globes and chugga, chugga… christmas express

finding the right tree?

shopping and bad mall food.  I’ll tell you another time why I avoid the mall.

bad sweaters, this one was my “fave!” {please note the sarcastic quotes}

better sweaters

holiday dragon lights, of course

If you haven’t seen A Christmas Story, you won’t understand the blog title.  But, alas no bowling alley nor leg lamp arrived, but…

I won, I won, I won…  a major award.  Well, not exactly.  I don’t win things often, but yesterday I did.  There was a little giveaway at Jamie Schultz Designs.  I was randomly picked out of all the entrants.   So, I didn’t win anything on my actual talent, but by random chance.  But, hey, I’ll take it.

I just wanted to share with you what I got from the talented designer:  a Christmas card collection.  It’s odd, because I usually design all of my own cards, but now I can simply slip a cool snap into the template and voilà.

So thanks to Ms. Schultz for passing on her talents.  Check out her stuff.

Enjoy.  SPL

 

Whether you’re going to celebrate a gift-giving holiday soon or not, I am in the mood to give you something.  If you want it.

It’s a free gift-giving holiday card template.  It’s a fully-customizable 5″x7″ psd template.

Click on the image to download. The design’s a bit more scrapbooky, folksy than I normally produce, but it’s still kinda fun.  You can make it your own.  Go ahead, take it.

Enjoy.  SPL

Ok, it’s a Friday and I’ve decided to do a little editing.  I’ve been editing a lot recently, but this one was for fun.

The folks at iheartfaces.com have challenged us to edit this lovely photo for Fix-It Friday.

Here’s the sooc {straight out of the camera} version…

I altered the levels, added Pioneer Woman’s Fresh and Colorful action, added a touch of light on his face, and burned a little of the edges and finally ran another Pioneer Woman favorite, Lovely and Ethereal.

Voilà!  My version.  Enjoy.  SPL

 

Check out the other versions by other photographers at iheartfaces.com

When I went to Switzerland the summer I turned 17, I had my dad’s old Minolta SLR.  It, of course, was a film camera with a rudimentary light sensor.  And, there was nothing automatic about it.  Taking the photos was a labor of love and sometimes my subjects didn’t want to sit still long enough while I focused and changed the shutter speed or f-stop.  So, I captured a lot of landscapes.  But, what landscapes!  I couldn’t take a bad one.  Why? Because it’s Switzerland and it’s unbelievably gorgeous.

And so, now, even though I still shoot in manual with natural light, albeit with a much nicer digital SLR, I still happen upon beautiful subjects.  Some people are hard to mess up.  This family was like that.  They are beautiful people.  And since I’ve known them for over 12 years, I know they aren’t just beautiful on the outside, but also inside.

And, by the way, I couldn’t look this good 30+ weeks pregnant.  I am trying to keep my envy in check, though.

Enjoy.  SPL

Well, a few weeks ago I launched my newly updated website at www.gingerhansen.com.  And it was lovely and beautiful and almost everything that I wanted.  I am usually not the fickle type, but in this case, I really needed to make a change.

So, this weekend I launched my new and improved website at the same address.  I have new styling (not that the old one was bad) and new features including a lovely shopping cart.  Please let me know what you think of it.  I would love any feedback, the good, bad or ugly.  There are still a few kinks to work out, but I need a break from the website stuff for a while; my family would love to have me back.

Thanks for looking.  SPL

 

Yes, it’s twins today!  Aren’t they adorable?

I used to complain when my second son was born that it was so difficult having two kids at different stages.  I am silenced when I see the mothers of twins in action.  Two at the same stage is challenging to say the least.  And in our voyeuristic, hyperbole-ridden era of Kate + 8 and the Duggars, I think that the parents of twins are getting a little less respect.  We mothers of singletons can’t understand their lifestyle, but we don’t seem to respect it anymore unless they’re an Octomom-like creature.  So, I am raising a sippy cup full of whatever libation you choose to all you mothers of twins.  Cheers.

These two beauties were very calm and cool, but never at the same time {except when they fell asleep.}  I shot between cries.  Loved this time with the family, though.  We even got a four generation shot, so sweet.

Enjoy. SPL

I heart faces is running another photo challenge.  This time it’s an orange theme.  I love orange!

So here is my orange man:

He’s a bit silly, but we were having fun.

Check out the other participants at i heart faces.