I Heart Faces: Messy

There is a really fun photography blog I discovered a few months ago called iHeartFaces. I love looking at everyone's beautiful photo submissions on there - very inspiring! Since they started a beginner's category (and I qualify as a beginner with my dinky little point and shoot that I can pretty much use to just point and shoot), I decided to join in this week! The theme is "Messy" and with Naomi's birthday coming up at the end of the week, I decided to contribute this photo from her birthday last year.

I guess she wasn't super messy in this picture, but apparently I am more concerned about cleaning up my children when they are messy than I am about taking their picture because I didn't have many options LOL.

Maybe that is a photo skill I need to work on :).

I would love to learn some tips on how to improve my photos by editing other than the basics (cropping, red eye, etc). I played around with the contrast on this, but that's pretty much the limit of what I can do.

You’re a beginner if you can answer yes to 3 or more of these questions...
• Have you recently started taking photos or taking photography more seriously?
I've been taking pictures for a long time, but have always been pretty limited by my camera. I currently have a point and shoot and I'm not even sure it has any special settings on it. If it does I have no idea where they are! I'm getting really serious about purchasing a professional grade camera within the next year if I can save up enough for it!
• Do you have NO idea how your camera works yet?
I can point and shoot with it. That's it.
• Are your skills average or below average?
I would say average, but definitely below average based on the great submissions I've seen on your site!
• Are you clueless when we talk about Aperture?
I have no clue what that is or how to say it.
• You don't even know what editing means.... let alone have an editing program for your photos?
I do have Paint Shop Pro X and use that more for graphic design. I'd love to learn how to use it for photo editing beyond the basics. Usually when I play around they turn out looking awful!
• Are you willing to be open for constructive criticism from the other participants?
Yes! I'd love to learn all I can about how to be a better photographer!

Be sure to head over to iHeartFaces and check out all of the beautiful entries from the week!