Four Fab Photography Apps.

Three things I love at the moment: taking photos, my iPhone & Instagram :)

It seems more & more people are using their phone as their main camera source, as it's lightweight, quick & easy....and the photo quality is fairly good too. My poor phone has over 4000 photos on it - all taken THIS YEAR alone, and all taken with my iPhone camera.

I thought I'd share with you 4 of my favourite Apps to edit photos with or to add fun effects.

Phonto - FREE from HERE.

Magic Hour - $1.99 from HERE.

Frametastic - free from HERE.

Camera+ - $0.99 from HERE.

What's your favourite iPhone app for jazzing up your photos?

Happy snapping ;)

5 reasons why you'll love instagram

The cool thing about technology is that there's always something new coming out....a new gadget, a new app, a new game, a new toy, a new way to document, record or store files etc etc. And when that new thing is FREE....well, even better!!! Instagram isn't so 'new' anymore, but it's very cool & also free!

I've declared my love {and addiction} for Instagram a few times on here, and my love affair with this app is still going strong.

A friend recently asked me what was the big deal with it?....She didn't see the point in taking photos & sharing them with people.....and unknown people too!

So, here is my 5 top reasons why I love Instagram {and why you might too!}.....

1.  Like most social medias, you can choose to make your Instagram profile 'private' or 'public'. So if you don't want everyone in the world to see your pics and you feel a little icky about this.....set it to private. You can then allow access viewing to whoever YOU choose. I have mine set to public, as a lot of my photos are random documentations of my day. I don't put anything too private, personal or inappropriate on there for this reason.
2. There's heaps of awesome filters! Filters are the effects added to an image to make it look a certain way {vintage, coloured, b & w, brightly lit etc}. I love playing with these. They can really change a photo's look, feel & interpretation. A few times I've taken a pretty boring {not so pretty} photo but once putting it into Instagram & adding a filter, the photo takes on a whole new meaning & emotion. COOL!

This photo for example. I took it in the bathroom.....minutes before bathing my baby boy. It was the end of a long day. We were both tired. But the filter gave our skin tones {more so mine....he already has perfectly smooth skin} a smoother, blushed look. And the brightness toned out some of the shadows on our faces.

3. It's an online community. Another way to connect & communicate with people, whether they be family, friends or strangers. Photography & art has always been a way to express & share, and Instagram is just a new-aged way to do this. 

4. You start seeing people, places, objects, situations in a whole different way. Once it became habit for me to use Instagram & use the camera on my iPhone more often, I started to think of things as if I was looking through a lens. This may sound a little airy-fairy {she's sniffing rainbow drops again}.....but it's true. Start looking at 'things' with the concept of making it into a photograph. It changes your perspective....and in my case, in a positive way. A happy baby - CLICK - there's a shot. My morning coffee whilst watching the sunrise over the back deck - CLICK - there's a shot. My daughter's room after she's been playing it in...looks like a bomb hit it....but CLICK - there's a shot. A pretty flower, a good book you're reading, the shoes you're wearing, the funny sign you saw at the shops, the kick-ass dinner you made, the amazing moments of your life......CLICK away, coz they're all opportunities to get a good shot. And another way to document, cherish & journal your life!

5. There's other fun ways to get involved. Lots of creative people have started 'Photo Projects' through the use of Instagram. One I'm particiapting in this month is Fat Mum Slim's March Photo-a-Day Challenge. She's created a list of random things for each day of the month, and you can creatively {or simply} snap those things to share with other playing along. Simple, quick, and I'm finding it kind of fun :)

There you go....my 5 reasons, why I'm loving Instagram at the moment!!!There's also HEAPS of fantastic photographers on there {professional & amateur} who I lurve viewing photos with. It keeps the flow of creativity & inspiration moving!!

I'm clairechadwick on there, if you want to follow the feed.

Are you an Instagram user? Love or Loathe?

ENJOY! Have fun with it.....don't take it so seriously is my advice :)

Cousins, Crutches & Cups of Tea. {week-a-boo}

It's 10pm, I really should be in bed, especially if Mr Ryder decides that 3 feeds, 3 nappy changes & 4 dummy re-pipes between 10pm & 5am are his plans for tonight again & because I have to be on the ball physically tomorrow, as I hit the pavement again at my mummylicious training session. But....I couldn't resist! As I trolled through this weekend's photos, I decided to blog tonight, instead of tomorrow.....just to make the weekend last that little bit longer ;o)

Saturday, was the first day back at dancing for Ella, after 6 weeks break! Ummm...excited much? As soon as we got there, my girl bounded off with her friends & I again had to pinch myself as I watched this chatty, confident girl mingle with her pals & teacher! I swear she's grown since turning four. Must be coz big 4 year olds, get to have TWO vitamins each morning.....not just 1, like little 3 year olds :) {that's a big deal to my 4 yr old lol}

After dancing, we headed down the beach, for a swim, play & lunch with cousins & Grandparents. Not many words needed here......cousins playing happily, sun shining, baby boy smiling in between feeds & pram naps, eating lunch with our hands by the sea, Grandparents cuddling their offspring's offspring.....you get my gist......basically, all the small things that make me happy::::

My Dad {Grampy} with 3 of his 7 Grandchildren.

My Mum {Grandma} who I swears has endless energy when it comes to giving her Grandchildren attention.

Cousins. Wow, check out this cool calamari ring :)

3 little Cherubs, fresh from a beach swim, ready for lunch.

Chris had his foot surgery on Wednesday. All went well, considering! It looks pretty scary now, but should heal up fine. Knowing him, he'll be back out running, riding & swimming in no time! But for now, i think the forced resting & lockup has been good for him!! Photo above: his mode of transport at the moment!

Sunday morning, like every morning in this house; started early! And looked a little like this:

By 6:30am, My Babies were fed & busily playing & lying on the floor, kids cartoons blaring on the the TV, the contents of the doll house & puzzle pieces strewn across the room, and me with coffee in hand. Oh, I love instagram, do you use it? Addicted much? Me: YES, yes I am!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!

By 10:00am, the house was somewhat tidy & back in order, washing out to dry, the 4 of us clean and dressed, bags packed & in the car......we were off to a special little girl's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!! Miss Indi's party was today, so we did one of my favourite things....CELEBRATED!!!

Miss Indi loved her new birthday couch :)

Ella loves to draw. Over the past 4 years, I have spent a lot of time with her drawing & sketching & labeling things. But....I can't claim any credit for her talent....because to be honest, my drawing kind of sux. But hers......kind of rocks:

Ella's drawing inside Indi's card. She loves to decorate birthday cards.

This afternoon was spent back at home, messing up the lounge room that I had madly dashed around tidying earlier this morning :) And sipping pretend tea from mini tea-cups whilst dressed in a Rapunzel get-up......because that's how we roll round here :)

Ok, it's now 10:40pm and I really am going to bed :) G'Night All :)

P.S. Oooh, I just discovered that Sonia over at Life, Love & Hiccups hosts a weekly weekend post. Since I stopped the 'inky' thing with week a boo, I'm joining in with her now :)

Week-a-Boo....{through my iPhone's lens}

I'm over 40 weeks now.....and utterly & totally "over it"! I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life....every possible part of my body is aching with exhaustion & swelling! I keep getting contractions.....but not the real ones....just trick ones, practice ones!!!

{40 weeks plus 2 days self portrait}

C'Mon Baby....time's up Buddy :) I may sound impatient {and I probably am} but I want to meet this little baby now....I want to see him & hold him & feed him & kiss him & claim him! I really REALLY want to start the next chapter! The bags are packed, the house is clean {for now}, plans are in place......we're ready :)

Ok....enough of my whining......How was your weekend?

I decided to share this week's weekend {week-a-boo} post with photos from my iPhone. It's become me new little addiction & you will regularly find me snapping away with it instead of my big DSLR camera these days {out of convenience I think}. I love love love Instagram.....and here's our weekend in photos....through my iPhone's lens:

Friday evening kicked off with Ella practicing being a BIG SISTER :) She's had Lucy for a while now.....but the new wooden high chair was a gift from Grandma & Grampy on Friday {handmade by my Uncle Martin! Cool hey!}

I think Ella will be a pretty cool big sis!

Saturday morning, Ella had her Orientation Day at her new Kindergarten for 2012! She'll be doing part-time Pre-Prep there next year & we're super excited...that we not only made a decision on where she'll attend school {who would've thought that was such a mission decision??!!!} but also because we feel like we've actually made the RIGHT decision :) Seeing her mingle & play & explore there.....I felt 100% content with our decision! Although we LOVE the daycare she is at....and has been at since she was 12months old....we think it's time to move on next year! And a curriculum-based pre-prep program is what we think will fit best with our busy little girl :)

She painted!

And set the table for a tea party!

She did an obstacle course & swung on swings. She looked at seeds & bugs through a magnifying glass and did some water play! She did crafty collages and wooden puzzles! She danced & dug in the sand! She played with the doll house, the leggo & the dot-to-dot jigsaw puzzles. She blew bubbles, built a tower & basically ROCKED OUT being almost 4......a big 'school' girl soon :)

Chris bought this little baby on Saturday...and it's cool :) It's a wireless speaker system that connects via BlueTooth. So we can pump out our tunes from the iPad's, iPhone's or Computer anywhere, anytime....at home, in the car, at the park....it's cool :) It's super loud & awesome quality! My new best friend for outside this Summer me thinks :)

How gorgeous was this sunset? Saturday evening....as we drove through the cane fields...heading to a quiet little country town's school fete. {visiting Monica's stall} Before we headed out for dinner.....joking {and wishing} that it would be the last meal before the baby was born......no luck :)

Walking into Ella's room on a Sunday morning & seeing my 2 Loves cuddled up together in books.....melts my heart!

Quiet time at home on Sunday morning....consisted of the 1st of this year's Christmas Craft...YAY!!!!! And some cookie baking :)

And then we had an afternoon browsing the shops, enjoyed an Asian lunch & getting excited that lots of Christmas Fun is already in store....

Told you my iPhone gets a camera-workout these days :) And that's not even half the amount of photos I took haaa!!

We 'SHOULD' have a baby this week! I'm off to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup & to book in an induction for the next few days.....let's hope Bub comes on his own though!!!

Wishing you all a FABULOUS week!