Wow.. I have been having a fun time adding animation to my single photo images. This adds such a new dimension to my photos. So far I have received a lot of positive feedback on adding this dimension to my photos. In the future I will be adding this customization to photos for my clients. They will be able to display these images on their Facebook pages. If you're interested in booking me for a photo shoot I will provide a single animated image for free until the end of January 2017. Contact me to learn more. Also if you have a photo that you would like me to animate I can do that too for a service fee.
When taking portraits of a family or group it sometimes can be very time consuming for them. As a photographer you always are assessing the individuals and trying to understand their thoughts. One of the hardest part of photographing a family is when there is a younger child that rather play, not smile or even start to cry (the one thing you don't want). Parents usually try to get the kid to sit still, look there, smile and then forcable make them do what they want. This is when I step in and try not to allow this to happen, because that is when the kid starts to cry and that is definitely not what we want. Crying pictures don't sell!!! When this happens I usually tell the parents don't worry or get upset. We will just try and capture the child in his natural element. These photos usually turn out to be some of the best ones. See an example below. This boy was awesome. He was fun, but just didn't want to sit and smile. So instead we just let him walk around and do what he does best... I think it turned out pretty good..
Also check out some of the other family photos I have recently took. Book early if you want to get those holiday card done soon. See ya.. Andrew
Well high school senior photo season is coming to a wrap, but now the season starts for fall family photos. Make sure you get your spot booked as soon as possible. Here are a couple examples of my recent shoots.
I have been busy over the past few weeks getting high school senior photos completed. I just wanted to point out a couple recent images that I have done for a couple of clients. First, I had the opportunity to shoot a senior in Golden, Colorado where the scenery was just awesome, plus we had a beautiful town to hang around in. The second image was from the famous photo spot in Parker, Colorado. Both of these students are great young adults and I know will do great things with their lives. I wish them the best and thank them for giving me the honor of taking their photos.
If you are interested in scheduling a senior session. Please schedule it under my services link in the header of the page or use the contact email on the home page. Also referrals that book before your session takes place will get you 50% off your session fees.
Star Light, Star Bright... I couldn't see anything that night, because it was so damn dark. But to my delight, I was presented with a beautiful sight. However, it is definitely true. It was so dark when I decided to setup the camera on the tripod, that I didn't even now what I was shooting. I prayed that the composition would be ok because all I could see was a small camp fire in the distance. Well setting the camera settings with the flashlight I open the shutter for 15 seconds. I didn't realize what I had captured until a couple days later going through the images. WOW.. I was impressed that I was able to get this kind of picture without seeing a thing. I guess a blind horse can find water or is it a blind dog..
Living on 5 hours of sleep to see the beautiful sunrise with a foreground of balloons!!! What can be better than that? Nothing right now because this past weekend Frederick Colorado was hosting a Hot Air Balloon show along with other events. However, in the mornings there was a sight to see with the brightness of the sunrise causing the colorful balloons to glow. I really enjoyed watching the beautiful designs and colors take flight into the morning sunrise. Maybe next time I will see if I can catch a ride.
#Reflections #FrederickInFlight #HotAirBallons @BarelaPhotography
Well there is another home for sale in Aurora Colorado.. This home is beautiful and is currently empty with brand new carpet and paint. Tri-level with a finished partial basement. Check out a few photos below or call Chris Carlucci at 720-980-7755 for a showing... As always if you need photos don't hesitate to call me.
Had the pleasure of taking photo of this beautiful ranch home with a finished basement. This is located a couple minutes west of downtown CastleRock, Colorado. The owners have updated a lot of this home and I am pretty sure it will sell very quick. If interested contact the realtor Shana at 303-588-2170
What a great day. The weather seem surreal here in Colorado. It seems to be more like mid spring instead of end of winter. That is definitely okay with us, because spring brings the new year for real estate business. I was able to take photos of a property that is being offered by Sheryl Crockett with Keller Williams. A beautiful home that I am sure will sell pretty quickly. Check out some of the images below and contact Sheryl if you would like a showing: http://sherylcrockett.yourkwagent.com/
Wow.. time flies. We are now in a new year and I have definitely been busy with the holiday activities. However, now with a new beginning I am hoping to have more time to take wonderful picture to share with the world. While my wife drove us to Loveland, Colorado yesterday, I decided to try and make the white dash lines turn into a single line. Check out the shot below and let me know your thoughts. Also with the new year please start booking your photography session as earlier as possible. Again Thanks for all your support.
Cheers to 2016...
North I-25
Here was a cool plant in Oahu, Hawaii. As we were walking through the Waimea Valley we were told about this folding weed. Below is a short video of them. The Hawaiian call the plant the Hila Hila, but also known as the Mimosa Pudica plant. Basically, the plant folds itself up if it shakes or is touched. It does this to protect itself from harm. Check out the video below and me know what you think...
Hey just got back from Aulani in Hawaii, it was great. Hope you enjoy the video below. Thanks for watching it.
-Miles
"Aulani Disney Resort" - Awesome"Aulani Disney Resort" - Awesome
Wow, what a wonderful day. Started out with morning photos outside the Aulani Resort.
Then the family and I drove around Oahu Island of Hawaii visiting the sites. Our first stop was the Dole Plantation..Awesome.. The Pineapple Express, Garden and Maze are the adventures we did. Also we had a great treat, Dole Whip.. Awesome and yummy..
The Dole PlantationThe Dole Plantation
Secondly we drove into Haleiwa, a small town on the North Shore. We walked around and ate at Uncle Bo's Grill. Great food and the service was awesome. I definitely would eat there again. I recommend Bo's Burger..
The family throwing out the "SHAKA" and riding the waves in Haleiwea.The family throwing out the "SHAKA" and riding the waves in Haleiwea.
From there we made our way to Waimea Valley, we tried going to the beach there, but were not successful in finding a parking stop.. The surf look pretty big though. Instead we went into the Valley and visited the Waimea Falls. This is a 3/4 mile hike through a beautiful tropical forest. There is an admission to get in, but it is definitely worth it. You can even swim at the base of the falls, however, we didn't realize it until we there and didn't bring our swimsuits. Oh well, the colorful views and gorgeous trees are worth every penny.
Wow.. now this was a fast shoot. Everyday this last week and even weeks before this past week it has been beautiful in the afternoons. However, today around 4:00pm the clouds, rain and wind started up. This only meant one thing, yep I was scheduled to photograph the Eldred's. Now this is one great family Eric, Deborah and their kids are awesome. The kids are smart and very athletic and they are just an overall great family. Here is a sneak peak of their photos.. Let me know your thoughts and if you're interested in some family photos...
This mornings shoot with the Kris, Katie and their kids was awesome. We thought it was going to be a brisk, cool morning, but it turned out to be pretty warm and nice. They were really patient as we walked around Larkspur Park to find some spots. Katie was all game to walk in a snake infested field, their daughter showed off her balancing skills as she almost slipped into the water. Kris and their son were fun and patient. Awesome time and hopefully, they will let me take some more photos of them soon. Beautiful kids, Beautiful family... Now if only the Broncos could have a beautiful offense. geesshh.. that game almost gave me a heart attack..
I had a great time photographing Savannah for her senior portraits. I wish I could have spent some more time with the lovely young lady. She has such a big beautiful smile that overwhelms the audience with joy. She is so fun and appears to enjoy life to the fullest. I am hopeful that I will be able to photograph Savannah in the future. Check out some of her photos below and let me know what you think...
Spent the evening taking pictures of this beautiful family. We decided to go hang out by the new Breckenridge Brewery to take photos by South Platte river. It was a very interesting day because it went from warm to cold to windy all within an hour or so. The great idea was to take photos then go have some dinner and beer at the BB.. However, that plan failed when the BB had a wait time of 2.5 hours. So we ended up going to the Tavern in Littleton. The photos I feel turned out awesome and the little girls are so fun.. Here is a sneak peak and hopefully they like them..
What a fun family these 4 are... We had a great time walking around the park, rolling down hills and playing in the field of green. Great family and a great time. Can't wait to take the dancing photos.
Had another great time taking senior portrait shots with Lydia. She is very photogenic and great pictures seem to fly off the camera. This time we were up earlier in the morning to catch some background sun. I think they turned out very well. Check them out and let me know your thoughts. Also if you need portraits please contact me...
Another great Senior, Tanner-man. We had a great time cruising around Denver finding areas to take photos. Check out these and if you need senior pictures, please contact me.
Watch out Cowgirls this hunk is ready to rodeo.. Senior Linc was out and ready to run with the bulls over the weekend. We took some cool urban photos around Denver. Also keep a look out for his Senior Cowboy pics.. We will be working on those later on down the road.
Wow, what a beautiful day. Had the great opportunity to photograph a sweet girl for her senior pictures. I was amazed by how photogenic this young lady is. She was very excited to take pictures and try different poses. Check them out below and if you have a need for senior pictures, contact me.
I received a tip from my Aunt Anne about these great sunflowers that are just south of DIA. So today the family and I decided to go check them out. Well the tip has spread to a lot of people. Everyone was there to take senior pictures, flower pictures, mountain pictures, airplane pictures (since DIA is right there) and insect pictures... However, I was there because the sun was setting, along with smoke from a fire in the sky. I thought.... well... it would be nice to have a huge, I mean big, yellow sunflower in the foreground of my smoke filled sunset sky. How else was I going to frame that beautiful, orange/yellow sunset sky? I tried using a basic flower, but it just didn't do the sky justice. I thought maybe if I put my kids in the scene it would help bring attention to the smoke filled sky.. NOPE.. kids where to damn cute. So I settled for the big ass sunflower... Not sure if people would like it, but I guess we will see.
Let me know your thoughts..
Wow.. I am so honored to know and be friends with such a great family, The Kings. Earl, June, Melissa (Scott), Shawn (Angela), and Patrick (Maura) (aka The Kings) and my family have been friends for a long time, basically we are from a galaxy far, far away, a little town named Cheyenne.
Well, The Kings put on a family/friend gathering called The Milk Can Dinner. This is where you cook potatoes, carrots, sausage, cabbage, corn, and who knows what else in a big milk can. Everyone brings salads, desserts, drinks, and just have a lot of fun. It is such a great time. If you're lucky enough to be invited to this gathering then you better be ready for some good food and fun times with family and friends.
The Kings have a special place in my heart, out of all my friends that I know, I have known them the longest. Together we have experienced a lot; Elitch Gardens (Patrick got his A's hat stolen), Van Halen concerts, vacations, pool parties and even drunken adventures. I have spent many a nights sleeping on a trampoline in their backyard only to be woken by a garden hose. I have many childhood memories; koolaid pitchers readily available to drink when we came inside, the smell of cinnamon apples being baked into apple pies (we picked those apples from their backyard apple trees), the parties, and family dinners.
The only thing I can say is that I hope we always will be friends and to let them know that they all have a special place in my family's heart. Thank you Earl, June, Melissa, Shawn and Patrick for the great Milk Can dinner and all the great memories. Now lets go make some more memories....
Well it has been a rough 2015 year for me. I have been out of commission because of rupturing my achilles tendon, teaches me not to try and get in shape. However, now I am about 75% back and taking photos. I traveled up to Powell, Wyoming to see family and take some photos of Absaroka Mountain range. Specifically the Beartooth Mountains. Here are a couple of photos.. Let me know what you think and if there is any interest.
Beautiful morning today in Colorado. You would expect it to be around 30 degrees, snowing and windy. However, it is about 56 degrees, sun is shining and it will be around 70 degrees today. Amazing, I love this place. My boy and I decided to catch some sunrise this morning of the mountains.. Let me know what you think..
Wow what a fun day. Met up with friends from work at Keystone to enjoy a beautiful day of snowboarding. It has been about 9 years since I strapped on my board and felt the snowy bliss in my face, carving lines through a nicely groomed path, while shooting jack through my camel pack. I turned forty last week and I have about 50 more pounds on my back. I enjoyed the day, but now my body knows that you have to workout 1, 2, or even 3 months before you go. I do enjoy the snow covered mountains and the peaceful sense you get from snowboarding with friends.
Finally, we got some snow here in Denver, but just like usual the sun is out the next day and it is time to play. My dog and I enjoyed the late morning sun and snow. She is definitely a snow dog and love to pounce and catch snow. Check the photos below..
Yes, Yes, it was my birthday and I enjoyed it very much. We met the family at an Italian restaurant name Bova's. By the way Bova's has the best spaghetti and the family style is the only way. Check out a small time lapse of the dinner. The time lapse was set to take a picture every 1 minute. Awesome time... Thanks to everyone that came and hopefully they enjoyed the night.
Here in Colorado we have some weird winter days. Well we are not actually in the Winter season, but close enough. It is almost Winter season and we hardly have any snow, actually we no snow in the Denver area. However, some of the ski resorts are claiming to have 3-4 feet of snow. That is what is great about living here, snow one day, gone the next.
This day it was 58 degrees outside, I met up with another family at the "Farm". This time is was later in the afternoon so the shots where a little more difficult because the light wasn't in areas I usually like to shot family photos. So we did the best we could. Check out the shots and let me know what you think.
Took the family to the Denver Zoo Lights last night. It was cold, but definitely not as cold as it could be this time of the year. There were a lot of people there too. The Zoo seemed to set this up a little differently this year by directing people in a specific direction and follow a path. Overall, the hot chocolate was good and we had a great time looking at all the lights.
What a beautiful November day in Colorado. Started with a few photos of a great family. The family was great and they all had beautiful smiles. A little breezy outside made it difficult to hold on to the hair, but we all seemed to manage. Please check them out and if you're interested in getting your photos taken let me know.
What a great day today. I had the chance of taking a fellow co-workers family out in the cold weather to take some family fun portraits. The day started cloudy and damp outside. I met the family at McCabe Meadows Trail Head in Parker, Colorado. We started roughly around 11:30 am and definitely didn't feel like 50 degree F outside. The wind was blowing from the North and it was sure cold. The family was great sports with taking off the coats and striking a pose. They are a free spirited, fun and easy going family. I am lucky to had the chance to shoot their photos.
Ok.. So don't ask me why I had an idea of getting up early this morning to go take some sun glare shots on a cold day in Colorado. I woke up early, looked out the window and saw the soft light blue sky and said to myself "this is going to be an awesome morning". Well I was right it was awesome, however, my true sense of thinking didn't occur to me until my Nikon D810 sounded slow. At that point my hands, ears, eyes, nose and camera gear were freezing. I looked at the temperature and realized it was -7 degrees fahrenheit outside. What the "capital H, E, double Hockey Sticks" was I thinking this morning, I am freezing. Either way I continued on snapping about 200 photos and once my whole body was numb is when I wrapped it up.
This morning I decided to go to my favorite Colorado country spot to catch the sun glares. This area has a high point overlooking rolling hill plains with a red long cattle gate. I have been taking a few picture here at different times of the year and figure I would get some cold/snowy shot here today. I wanted to compare the summer photos to the winters. Also I wanted to see the difference between the photos that my Sony NEX7 took and now today my Nikon D810. Let's check them out:
Here is the Summer Photo with the Sony NEX7. Awesome colors.. This photo was taken with Bracketing 3 EV on and merged to take the dramatic shot with all the different greens and yellow.
Here is the Winter Photo with the Nikon D810. Totally different look and an awesome sun glare. This photo was a single shot from the camera, no bracketing/merging of photos. As you can see it was exposed for the sky and sun glare so you don't see much of the colors.
So let me know which version you like better. I am one photographer that loves HDR, but you can't beat that sun glare from the single shot from the Nikon D810. AWESOME.
Can you say GoPro? Yes that is what my great parents have given me for my birthday, which is a couple months away. I love these sports cameras. They have so many attachments and the quality is great. So now that I have read all the manuals and bought some of those attachments, Miles decided to take it for a ride. Check out the video below and let me know what you think..
I think the real estate market is on fire here in Colorado. Here is another project that Barela Photography has put together. When first visiting this house I notice the awesome landscaping in the front yard. It had the cement/colored edging that I have been wanting to do on my yard to help with the spread of the grass into the rocks that is easy a $3k project right there. The house even had it around the tree.. NICE... Anyway this house was beautifully well kept, the sellers (older mother and daughter) have taken well care of the house inside and outside. They are also Disney Lovers (just like me), so there are Disney memorabilia all around, awesome. Anyway here are the results from the house, let me know what you think and if you would like to have your property photographed let me know.. Click here to see the gallery..
Do you ever wonder how photographers make those surreal photos that seem to grab your attention at every angle of the image. First off don't get me wrong when saying this, but post processing the images help add factors that were missing. In order to get the ultimate image photographers follow a few important guidelines to achieve that ultimate image. It all start when setting up to take the photograph, each photographer needs to think about many factors, such as:
| Rule of Thirds | Leading Line | Symmetry/Patterns | Angle |
| Background | Depth of Field | Image Framing | Simply |
| Cropping | Shapes | Negative Space | Light |
However, in stressful situations and time sensitive images the best of the best photographers miss one or many of these guidelines. So when this happens the photographer reverts to post processing to try to add the factor back to the image. The guidelines are not always necessary, but they have the ability to create the best composition, contrasting and ultimate photo.
Barela Photography can help you with your post processing needs from making your images more dramatic, adding more color or adding that missing contrast. If you're a professional, enthusiast, or beginner photographer contact us and we can provide you our service to help post process images and help you make that ultimate photo.
Here is an example:
Image of flower before post processing
Image after post processing:
~ Until Next Time
Wow.. what a great day today. September 27, 2014. The family and I decided to go up to Rocky Mountain National Park to check out some scenery. On our way to Estes Park, Colorado we noticed that the traffic was getting pretty heavy. Well much to our surprise it was a "FREE DAY" for entrance into Rocky Mountain National Park (there is an inside joke there for my brother and his family LOL). But we decided to truck forward and check out the mountains and our first stop was Hidden Valley. There is a nice hike for a family with children and there are also nice/clean restrooms with running water :).. There is a small stream that runs down the hill along the path and we noticed tons of algae growing along the stream and on the trees. We ran into this area that had beautiful contrast with the sun glowing through the trees onto the algae. The shot turned out amazing.
Well we toured the Mewbourn Gas Plant today in Colorado. What a great time and great learning experience how the Natural Gas is processed. The team was able to experience what these Gas plant workers have to go through on a daily basis. The plant is manned 24/7 and these guys/gals do everything to make it safe for everyone. I tip my hat to them, because they are the true Americans.
Today the family and I went out to the zoo and to try some different photography equipment. Mike's Camera a local camera gear store sets up a Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, and Lumix stations where you're able to rent out their gear for an hour for free too. My son decided to shoot with his Nikon D5000 so he rented out a couple of lenses 18mm-300mm DX and then a 28mm-200mm. He had a great time especially at the big lens station where you're able to hook up to big 100mm-400mm lenses.
For myself I was really interested in checking out two camera, the Sony A7R and Nikon D810. Both these cameras where awesome, but they did have pros/cons for each. The Sony was just not as fast with the autofocus as I would have liked and the Nikon was big, heavy and it was kind of difficult to get those low angle shots I like. I had to actually get on my knees or stomach to get them. The reason is because it didn't have a nice angling LCD screen so I had to use the viewfinder. Anyway, I enjoyed both these cameras and ones of these days I will pick one up. But for now I need to save the money.
Sony A7
Nikon D810
Daily Photo - Walk About
For my quest of trying to get the best sun gleam photo of either a sunrise or a sunset, I was presented with this nice shot tonight. I usually walk with my NEX-7 and tonight I was snapping away on different soft light items. It wasn't until I turned around while walking up a hill did I realize the sun gleaming through the clouds. So BAM!!! Here it is..
Professional Photos can help you net more for your properties!!
Wow, what a great morning 9/1/2014. My son and I where up at the crack a dawn to try and capture some sun glare shots. We had a great time spending the next hour waiting for the shot. We heard the cows mooing this morning, hawks where circling the field and just spending time listening the great sound of nature. Once that sun popped through the clouds I was getting ready to snap the picture and my son decided to snap one of me. It was great getting up early and spending some time with the boy. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day.
Real Estate photos are exploding. I just added some additional photos taken of 5209 South Elk Street in Aurora, CO. This is a really awesome house. The master bedroom, bathroom and area are very nice. Check out the rest of the house an let me know your thoughts. Also if you are selling and need better images let me know.
So who doesn't like Lightroom? If you ever find anybody then they must be only a film photogragher. I use Lightroom a lot and I have been getting a lot of questions around how I achieve the different contrasts of my photos. Well I normally start off by setting one of my favorite presets. It is very basic and kinds of set the photo with a default look that I usually like. From there I start to make a different adjustments until one or many of the following happen
- The picture looks cool
- I get really excited about the different contrasts
- or I fall asleep because I played with the picture to much and I just need to reset to the original.
So with that said I want to share my default Lightroom preset with anybody that would like to use it. Keep a look out for more and eventually I might create a package of all the ones I use.
Used my default preset with the photo above.
Download the preset here
New real estate project coming down. Shana Barela has a residential property that is almost ready to be listed. So I have taken some preliminary photo and created a "Coming Soon" video for here to start to market. Check out the link below and let me know if you like. Also if you know any real estate agents or property managers that are interested in property photos and video please share my information with them.
Thanks ~Andrew
WOW... Couldn't tell you how long it has taken me to build and decide on a new logo, but it is done and chosen now. Check it out down below and let me know what you think of it. With this new logo I am trying to capture the look of the camera utilizing my initials "a" and "B". I think it turned out pretty good...
Well it definitely has been a while since I have post anything within my blog. However, Spring is here and Summer is around the corner. So we are ready for a new year of beautiful pictures and videos. With that said, my wife and I decided to take an hour drive up north to Laffayette, Colorado to check out my brother band at a place called Nissi's. Nissi's is a live music venue and bistro. They have a wide range of musician that play there and the food is not that bad. The bar is fully stocked and the atmosphere is very nice. I really enjoyed the layout, but they do need to work on their lighting of the stage. The area is good, but not sure it would attracted a big crowd, because it is a little ways out there from Denver.
Anyway, James like usual had a great couple of sets and played some of his original music, along with music from Colorado Jazz musicians and arrangements of a classic Beatles song. James is currently getting started again playing around Denver, recently moving back from Las Vegas. So he is starting out trying to get his following back and I am pretty sure he will. Check out the teaser video from Nissi's and keep a look out for James playing in other establishments www.blu7music.com.
Wow.. Great day at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. The last couple of weeks the Denver area has been getting tons of rain and flash floods. These floods are wiping out road, home, and flooding streets. Saturday September 14, 2013 the morning was nice and the sun was shining. So we decided to go to Elitch Gardens. When we finally entered the park there was barely no body there. We only waited for about 5 minutes to get on any ride, most we walked up to and got on. So had to be one of the best days. It wasn't until around 3 pm in the afternoon did we see the clouds rolling in. So we left and on the way home it was another flash flood, but hey it didn't matter to us because we had tons of fun at the park.. Check out some of the pictures..
Took the family up the Rocky Mountains to see an old gold mine. We had a great time gold panning and looking at the old equipment laying around the place. The gold mine is Argo Mine located in Idaho Springs Colorado. This was the second time we have been at this mine. The first time we actually went on the tour which was pretty cool. However, this time we just spent the extra cash just to gold pan. The kids enjoyed it and they found lots flakes and gems. I highly recommend taking a day tour of this mine and also to check out the Beau Jo's Pizza.
So tonight there is a lot of lighting all around us.. Photographing lighting is one area I would like to master, but still need a lot of practice. The issues I have with it is the ISO settings. I shot this picture at 16000 ISO and the clarity is what always makes me upset. I like my pictures to be as clear as possible. If it wasn't for the blurred image this would be a interesting photo. Any advice??
I definitely need to start riding my bike some more and drinking less beer. The opportunity here is to learn more about a beer that started with a guy bike riding around Belgium. My family and I took a day trip to a brewery up North in Colorado. I would have to say I always like the beer they made, but really never knew the story around it. And what a story and a tour. The brewery tour is by far the best tour I have ever had through a brewery. It was so close to the wort, the yeast, the boilers, and everything else. You had the chance to look inside the boilers and actually see the beer. The whole brewery was so environmental friendly it was amazing. Everyone was so happy and smiling, dark beer, ipa beer, ale beer, aged beer, and sour beer probably plays a part with the happiness. But what I really thought was awesome is that everyone one that works at this brewery is a co-worker, not an employee. They all have ownership and share the profits and the beer.
If I ever do find a position available that I could possibly qualify for at this brewery I am definitely sending in my resume. Because a new bike and a 12 pack of beer every week is exactly what I need.
New Belgium Brewery, Ft. Collins Colorado
Today is a cold day and the sky is sooo blue. Jack Frost came during the night and froze ice crystals on our trees. Today started out as being a nice day and we were looking forward to the Bronco game. However, they lost to the Ravens 38-35. The Broncos didn't look normal. They seemed to be playing scared. Defense was the worst I have seen them play all year and the offense was horrible. They tried to run the ball more times this game when the run wasn't working. They have a great quarterback that can accomplish so many things, but they focused on running the ball. I think a few factors where against the Broncos today; 1. The referees seem to control the game in a negative way. 2. Fox was directing and trying to play a safe game and wasn't taking chances. They seemed lazy and not aggressive. Probably because they had a week off. 3. This very cold weather. The temperature was about 10-18 degrees throughout the game. Something the Broncos haven't faced all season..
Well either way, even if the Broncos lost and it is cold enough to freeze your nose outside.. At least we had the opportunity to see such a beautiful blue sky.
Well in our eyes she's a sleeping beauty.. Our dog Sophie is getting older and with that she is starting to think she owns everything. Caught her tonight sleeping on our couch. I am pretty sure she does this every night after we have all gone to bed, she quietly sneaks downstairs to find her comfortable spot. Anyway can't blame her either. I would like something more comfortable too. Sleep well tonight Sophie...
Today is a special day.. My boy Miles is having a birthday. He woke up early to come into my room and remind Shana and I that he is suppose to have breakfast in bed. Well then he proceeded to climb into our bed to eat. What a great kid... So awesome and so proud of him.. Love you Miles..
So I am going to try it.. In order to keep my photography going throughout the year.. I want to take at least one picture per day and see how my images progress throughout the year.. Here is my first picture.. actually two pictures.. because I wanted to catch the beer that I was drinking on New Years Eve.. just before the year switched over... And here are the eggs I ate in the morning for breakfast..
Here is the link to the gallery: http://www.andrewbarela.com/1-photo-per-day-365-days
Cheers...
Well.. Today is the first day of 2013 and what can I can say 2012 was a great year with some up's and down's.
Here is a list of things that happened..
- Miles 6th Birthday
- Teagan 4th Birthday
- Trip to Disney World
- Trip to Powell
- Trip to Toronto (Work unfortunately)
- 1st Camping Trip.. along with the first broken arm.. Miles broke both bones in his forearm within 4 hours after we setup camp.
- Everyone had Strep throat, Miles had it 3 times
- Denver Zoo
Hopefully, we will be able to accomplish more fun things and have a better 2013..
Friday December 14th, my company had their Holiday Party, so I dressed up and took my wife to a lovely night out in Denver. The party was at a place called Vita and small nice place with good food and really good jazz. I did take some picture of everyone at the party, but ran into issues dealing with the low lighting. So the issue was the iso setting on a lot of the picture which causes a lot grain and blurred pictures. However, the ones that I could salvage I created a nice little video..
Check it out and let me know what you think....
A few days ago we were blessed to have a Christmas Elf come and visit us this year. According to the note the Elf is here to make sure that everyone in our house is good. The Elf has magical powers and flies back to Santa every night to give him updates on how our family is doing and if we should be moved to the naughty list or not. Everyday we are taking picture of the Elf the morning he returns to capture the places he visits in our home. Check out the occasional updates..
Here is Jack (the Elf) hanging out with our Norwegian Troll friend..
Jack again.. Riding the Christmas Star
Wow.. What a beautiful day today. It was sunny with bright blue sky and the temperature was about 39 degrees. My friend Mike and I decided to go an shoot clay trap. We arrived at the Kiowa Sporting Club around 8:15 am, 15 minutes after they open and all ready there was a few sportsmen/women there. This was the first time Mike has ever shot trap and first time shooting. The first part of our game I was doing pretty well and even doubling up on each round, Mike on the other hand was just trying to get the feeling of shooting down. As we went through the course my shooting seemed to get worse, while Mike was just hanging on until............
The RABBIT shot... this is a report call and the first clay is thrown really low to the ground almost rolling on the ground. Mike yelled Pull.. and in a split second he shot and scattered the clay and the second shot was off and a miss.. Even though the second was a miss, Mike had the eyes of a 5 year old holding new toy. Mike hit is first clay ever.. and it was awesome.. Good Job Mike.. Now you need to go and buy a shotgun so we can go more often..
What a great night. The kids had such a great time trick or treating. The weather was so nice and the moon was almost full with some spooky clouds. We make a pumpkin that was throwing up his insides, awesome. And we had a flying skeleton with fog and strobe light (fyi.. don't look into the strobe unless you want a massive headache)
What a view this morning of Heart Mountain and the farmlands around the mountain. God has really kissed the land of Wyoming. The sun had just peaked over the horizon creating some awesome cloud colors and great contrasts over the mountain.
View of Heart Mountain
Wind River Canyon in central Wyoming has some breath taking views. We traveled up to Wyoming to see family and had to make a quick stop in the canyon for these photos. The sun was shinning bright while the cloud hung low over the mountain tops. The top of the mountains had a dusting of snow and the trees looked very cold.
What a beautiful day this was Oct. 21st 2012. First it was my daughters birthday. We spent the beginning of the day at Chucky Cheese Pizza and then finished the rest of the day at the Denver Zoo. The sky was clear and the fall colors where in full bloom. When I took this shot I was amazed at the different contrast and colors. However, what really was cool was the shadows of the trees and the sun light behind them which gave the picture an almost surreal feeling. The kangaroos are hard to make out or see because of the different colors and shadows. Hopefully, you like and will share with your friends..
I traveled to Toronto Canada recently for business. However the time I didn't spend in meetings I walked and walked and walked the streets. The tree where turning and there where tons of different colors and contrasts. Toronto is an awesome town great culture, fashion, architecture and food. One of the best parts was seeing and going up the CN Tower. A tower that stands 1,815 feet and 5 inches. It is awesome view and within the viewing deck there is a glass floor which you can see the little, little cars below. I highly recommend going to Toronto for a nice couple get away. I wish I could have spent some more time there taking more pictures of the great views.
Our dog, Sophie. I think she longs to go for walks. I feel this picture shows a sense of sadness while she looks outside the window.
If you know me, then you know I love waffles. My mom made the best waffles when I was going up and I am lucky enough to have a wife that has learned the recipe. Now my kids can enjoy what I loved to eat when I was growing up. Here you can see one of the waffles traditional style. Yes, I love my butter and syrup. I normally have them with butter, strawberry jam and with gjetost cheese. A tradition in Norway.. LOVE IT..
