Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #8

gma'sphoto linkup party #8

Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #8

Hi, welcome to Gma’sPhoto Linkup Party #8!

This week’s theme is: Home/Feel Good.

Post about your feel good moments. Feel good moments at home or where ever you felt good! Tell us about the experience that made you feel good.

feel good moment
Click this image to see more sunflowers!


Important things to know:

-You may add up to three family friendly blog post links, linked to specific blog posts.
-Please say hi & add your link post number when commenting below.
-Those leaving entry numbers are eligible to be featured at the next party!
-Be sure to visit other links and leave a kind comment for each link you post.
-Party opens Thursday and ends Wednesday. Each week’s theme can be found here.
-Thank you for participating. Have fun!

By linking to Gma’sPhoto Party LinkUp, you give permission to share your post and images on Gma’sPhoto blog and social media. Proper credit with a photo and link back will be provided.

Let’s begin the fun at Gma’sPhoto LinkUp Party #8!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Word Less Post

word less

Word Less Post

Hi, after visiting other blogging website’s I noticed there is a common theme of Wordless Wednesday. Today will be my word less post!

Just this past weekend, I had gone to my local library. There was a new structure close to the entrance. It caught my eye and I had to walk around the structure to figure out what it was supposed to be. After the walk around, I still had no idea. No door, no opening, the structure did not move. Does anyone have an idea? I would sure like to know what purpose this ‘thing‘ will have!

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -16.4lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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What to Wear | September

what to wear September

What to Wear | September

Hi, we have some holidays soon approaching and this means family time! With family time there will be many photo opportunities. Remember, taking the shot is the first step in getting a good picture. And that is the most important step. However, you may be wondering how to make the picture a better picture. This is the inspiration for the What to Wear posts!

It is not necessary to purchase new clothing for better images. When planning the wardrobe, do wash and dry the clothing. Immediately after drying, hang the clothes on a hanger. Or iron, if you like. The main goal is wrinkle free clothing.

Shoes do not need to be new either. New shoe laces is an inexpensive purchase to spruce up the look. Polishing leather or washing canvas shoes is another solution to brighten their appearance.

Have the socks match either the pants or shoes. This is important for anyone who may be sitting or squatting in the group. Imagine if the pants are navy blue, shoes white and you see bright green socks. Very distracting. Your eyes will go straight to the green socks and not the person’s face! However, if the socks were either white (matching shoes) or navy blue (matching pants), your eyes will flow over the person and land on the face/eyes of the person in the picture.

what to wear September

What to Wear will feature different palettes providing ideas when you plan the wardrobe for individual pictures or your family images during the holiday gatherings.

What to Wear | September features ideas for all family members: mom; dad; big brother; big sister and little brother and little sister. Have fun preparing your stylish look for family pictures!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Follow Up Post

follow up post

Follow Up Post

follow up postHi, generally I schedule my posts for Monday’s. However, this week I wanted to have a post with a follow up to a few of my ongoing goals. And in doing so, I will be able to provide a photography tip I discovered just this weekend and would love sharing with you! Let’s begin with the photography tip.

It was while working with the picture to the left. It could be the image at the top if you are reading this on your phone. It is my selfie taken in the grocery store! 🙂

portrait mode follow up postThe following screen shots were taken on my iPhone 14 ProMax. The Portrait Mode is available on the iPhone 11 and up. I am not sure about models before the 11. I recommend the Portrait Mode in your camera for selfies or when your subject is two to eight feet in front of you. The Portrait Mode is available in the built-in camera app. Once you have the camera open and the Portrait Mode selected, frame the subject to take the shot. When the camera screen displays Natural Light, you can then take the picture.

Notice the background on both pictures. In Portrait Mode, the background is blurred. Looks pretty nice doesn’t it! The Portrait Mode is one way to emphasize the subject. This is especially handy when your background is busy or unattractive. There is more to the photography tip I wanted to share.

Let’s say after you take the picture, you decide you do want to see more details of the background. You can change the background to see more detail. Yes, you heard me correctly. The background can be edited after the image was taken. Let me show you how.

Open the picture you want to see more details in the background. Click the Edit button.

edit portrait mode background

At the top center you will see the word Portrait that is highlighted yellow. Click it. When it is no longer highlighted, the background will not be blurred. Click the word Portrait again, and the background goes back to blurred. Pretty nifty!

portrait mode

Remember the rule of thirds as well. Both of these tips will make your images look better!

Ok, now for the follow up 🙂 This picture is the whole reason for the post today! I have now been an active Weight Watchers member for seven weeks. And yes, I am loosing weight, yippee! However no one seems to have noticed. I notice small changes like today getting in and out of my husband’s truck is easier. My rings seem to be spinning more on my fingers and it is hot outside!

After getting home from the grocery store, I was looking thru some of my past selfies. And lo and behold, I ran across a picture taken just this past May. It was the day I went to the KC Zoo with my daughter and her family. Visit the KC Zoo here!
weight loss

My very first week, I had signed up for Weight Watchers (WW) in the phone app. The service I selected was the online option. Any classes I wanted to take would require me to upgrade services. And eventually I did just that. The meetings have been very instrumental for me. After seeing the two pictures above side by side, I wonder how much weight I lost that very first week. I never weigh myself at home. My weight was only checked when I went to the doctor and now at my weekly WW meeting. In the post, Looking my Best tells the story of my WW discovery.

And with my WW journey I am successfully implementing #69 of my 101 in 1001 goals, avoid or eat less junk food. That’s a win, win for me!

Loosing weight is not easy. Never has been for me. However, the WW point system and the ability to scan bar codes while at the grocery store makes this process for me easy. I will continue with Weight Watchers and post my progress, good or not good here. I need accountability!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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My Cell Phone is more than Just a Phone

my cell phone is more than just a phone

My Cell Phone is more than Just a Phone.

Hi, everyone now days has a cell phone. I remember back in the day when no one had them. And once upon a time, when someone did have one and it rang in public, it was considered rude!

How do you use your cell phone? In this post I would like to share how I use mine. Most of the apps I use are the free version. There are a few applications that I upgrade to the pro or premium. I will notate as I go which app is the paid version. Safety is huge, be sure to use applications wisely. One safety practice I use is not connecting to public wifi.

Now days our smartphones are just that, smart. I have heard we should consider them a computer in our pocket. Like most, I use my phone for calls, regular and by video; social media; taking pictures. In addition to the norms: I edit my pictures; track my steps; calendar to schedule appointments; banking, check balances, transfers and pay bills.

most used apps

Smartphones are not cheap. Because of this I am trying to utilize my smartphone more. The app Adobe Scan has been a wonderful find. I no longer use my scanner that is connected to my PC. Using my phone now to scan simplifies my life. Just take a picture in the app to generate the pdf file. This can be saved right to my phone and I am able to email as needed.
adobe scan

Apps I can not live without

  • Project Life (standard)
  • PicTapGo (this is a yearly subscription)
  • Calendar (standard calendar on phone)
  • Weight Watchers (active member)
  • Bublup (free)
  • Maps (standard on phone)
  • Sonic (half price drinks all the time!)
  • Pedometer (Basic)
  • WW Update:
    Since Start Date; -10.6lbs 🙂

    Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
    Gma’s photo

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    To Face the Sun, or Not

    face sun or not

    To Face the Sun, or not.

    Hi, have you ever thought about the position of the sun when you take your picture? Should the subject be facing the sun or looking away from the sun? This is a question I have been asked more than once. I have taken a few ‘selfies’ to demonstrate the different positions of the sun.

    Let’s begin with the sun behind the subject.

    to face the sun or not

    The image on the left is straight out of the phone’s camera. No edits. The image on the right was edited. As you can see the image was lightened so that my facial features are more visible.

    The next set of pictures, the sun is in the West. The left picture I have turned my face so the sun is shining on the left side of my face. The right picture I turned my face to the right.

    face the sun or not

    Both of these images were right out the phone’s camera. No edits were made to the pictures.

    This next picture I was facing the sun.

    facing the sun

    It’s important to know that when these series of images was taken, it was in the golden hour; approximately 45 minutes before sunset. As you can see all the images look nice with little to no editing needing to be done. Another prime outdoor photography time is in the morning the first hour of sunrise. The sun is softer in the morning and just before the sun sets. If I need to shoot in the middle of the day I look for shaded areas. This next set of pictures was taken in the shaded area of my yard.

    silly pictures in the shade
    Silly pictures in the shade.

    There is no correct way to take an image. Photography is an art. Trying to make the image look nice is the main point to focus on. How to make your image look its best. As long as you are pleased with the result, it is a good picture!

    WW Update:
    Since Start Date; -6lbs

    Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
    Gma’s photo

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