Catchin' raspberries...

Balancing act...

Round and round and round she went!

Hide and seek...

Fixin' to hide....Love the little mischievous smile and the wind in her hair! I think she has a secret...
She stopped to play with an acorn and let me experiment with DOF...Thought about editing those little specks of dirt off her hand, but decided I love them. :)

Carleigh and Brooks...

A friend wants to learn manual photography, so I invited her over with her kids to practice together. What beautiful children! Brooks is about 6 mo. old and what a flirt! Don't you just want to squeeze him? :)
Carleigh just turned 4 and was such a great little model. Love the rows of teeny tiny teeth, those wispy hairs in her face, and her gorgeous brown eyes! Will post more of her over the next couple days.

Kim & Andy, pt. 3...

I asked her to tell him something funny and now I really want to know what she said! :)
Once again, this last shot was challenging. I tried exposing for the sunny background and using fill flash, but was a little too far away for that to work. Metered off their faces instead. Probably should have taken 2 shots...one exposed for the shaded gazebo and one for the sunny background and combined them in software. Maybe someday I'll remember to try that! :)

Kim & Andy, pt. 2...

I like the way Kim's bracelet looks in the shot, with its intertwining pattern...symbolic...
Have to say I LOVE the bench shot! ...the paved rocks and look-alike shoes...cute. :)

Kim & Andy sittin' in a tree...♥

OK, they're not in a tree, but they're definitely in love! I had a fun morning at the Arboretum a couple weeks ago with these two after they announced their engagement. Kim's mom is a friend of Jenny's and asked me for some pics. I was the one traipsing around with nothing but my camera, while the real photographers had their tripods, reflectors and lighting equipment. :) I learned a few things tho' and enjoyed shooting someone who actually wanted to have pics taken. It was harder than I thought, trying to help strangers feel comfortable enough to look natural...gave me even more respect for the pros.
I tried for a blend of posed vs. candid and my faves were moments like this when they thought I was just setting up. Love the rim light on Kim's hair...Wonder if I should have tried exposing for the light coming through the fountain and used flash tho'. Instead, I moved in close and metered off their faces. The fountain is overexposed. What would you have done?

Glorious color!

I love fall color! I know it's not as spectacular as New England color, but it's a whole lot more than I ever saw growing up in Tucson! My favorite is the tree right outside my study window. Think it's a maple? Its color changes daily...and even throughout each day, depending on where I stand and as the light changes. I was afraid we weren't going to get a good "show" this year, then I waited a few days! :)

Backlit...

Cloudy skies...

The magic hour, right after sunrise...

On the go...

She's crawling quickly now...We're trying to get her to adventure farther by using the music toys as incentive. Works like a charm! Looks like I'll need a faster shutter speed tho'! Check out the motion blur on that hand! :)

Concentration...

She's learned to pull her socks off and takes great joy in it! This is the first time we've seen her try to put one back on tho'. The tongue is bound to help!!!

Little maestro...

She was actually doing "SO BIG" for her mommy, but it looks like she's conducting. :) She really is a musical girl!! LOVES this piano toy...presses the keys to start the music, then stops to "dance". She'll even stop crying to dance if we'll just sing to her. So CUTE! And it makes this piano teacher Grammy mighty happy!!!

11 months old...

"No Grammy...I will not smile or look into the lens! My teeth are hurting, so be thankful I'm looking up with no tears." :)
Hard to believe next month will be our last monkey pic before his "retirement". We may have to bring him out once a year for a birthday shot. :)

When the smoke gets in your eyes...

Yogi's "dad"...Love the blue puff of smoke. Looks like a tough guy, doesn't he?

Winston Churchill?

A little Photoshop fun... Yogi's mom mentioned that she wished she could get Yogi to sit for a pic with a cigar, but he's too smart to put the smelly thing in his mouth. :) Her husband was with her (smoking), so I took a shot to see if I could clone his cigar into Yogi's mouth. What do you think? I'm sure it doesn't look real, but it's pretty darn funny! (And it was surprisingly easy...)
Now, if only I could clone a a dancer's body for myself and make it believable!

Yogi Bear...

I've been watching a neighbor walk her dog and thinking (for months) he has a face I want to photograph. I finally got brave enough to ask her. She was thrilled...said she'll probably use it for her Christmas card. Now, why didn't I ask her sooner? Meet Yogi...

Original or crop? Kinda wonder if I should crop even closer...

I can see my reflection in his eyes...and I love all those curved lines!

And... the creek smells!

Now, that's a candid!

Sisters...

I actually love this shot...Just wish I would have tried fill flash. Unfortunately, this was a couple of days before my experiment, so... shadows....bummer!

New toy...

I know it's kinda gimmicky, but I got a star filter and finally had a chance to try it out. I don't love the stuff in the background, but think the effect is fun. Thoughts? Too cheesy???

Creek boys...

I set up my camera for a shot of Bob and me, handed my camera to Kara, and trotted off to drag Bob to the spot I'd chosen. Kara got bored waiting and decided to take a few pics in the meantime, so this is hers. I only wish she'd tried one focused on the boys instead of the bush, just to compare...Not sure which I would have liked better. I like this a lot...love her composition and the story it tells. What is it about boys and water? :)

The non-comformist...

We met at a nearby creek a couple weeks ago to get some family pics for our Christmas card. (planning ahead for once!) I'll wait till closer to Christmas to post our faves, but will post a few over the next few days that didn't "make the cut". I saw this when I was setting up a test shot and thought it was funny! Oddballs and non-conformists...there's one in every group! If Hannah's and my legs had been in the shot, I totally would have used something like this in our Christmas series. :)

Perpetual motion...

Sometimes, I just want to SLOW DOWN!

Ever wish life came with one of these??

This started as a quest for a unique shot, but got me thinking. I have a little sign on my desk that says "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10) It's especially meaningful because it was a gift from a dear friend who died suddenly and unexpectedly. It's a poignant reminder of how fleeting and unpredictable our time is in this world. I'm still far too focused on temporal pursuits. I want to develop a heart anchored in the eternal. I want to be still long enough to dig deep spiritually and engage in a genuine, intimate relationship with my Creator. I want to stop talking so much and learn to LISTEN!! And I want to invest time in my family and friends in a way that will have lasting significance. I want to get off the hamster wheel and spend time on what really matters.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T....not!

This is what I get when my camera comes out...I wasn't even trying to get a shot...just setting up for the apple shot. Geesh!

Fill flash experiment...

I have SO much to learn! I finally got around to experimenting with fill flash in full sun (late afternoon). My first few attempts were significantly overexposed...hot spots galore! But it finally worked. Wonder how many tries it will take next time....Is there a formula??
What do you think? Suggestions?

Best seller....

Lisa photographed some beautiful honey crisp apples recently and mentioned how great they are. A few days later, another friend commented that she was excited they were in season. I've been on the lookout since then and FINALLY found them! Oh my gosh....best apples EVER!!! Had to try for a pic of my own to pay tribute to the juicy goodness. I love experimenting with DOF and was really liking my shots. It didn't dawn on me until Kara mentioned it that they seemed a little familiar, so I decided to have a little fun. :)
In case you've been living under a rock or don't have a middle school daughter, here's a link to explain...http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Book-Paperback/dp/B0033GFWYC/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288670300&sr=1-13

I've never read it...probably never will, but I DO love the cover art! And I kinda think Kara could consider a side career as a hand model. :)

Kade, pt. 2...

Loved the light coming in his nursery window...Still "on the fence" about color vs. b/w... Love the warmth of the colors, but also the simplicity and textures of b/w.

Baby Kade...

Both Kim and Lisa have commented that they wish they had a baby to photograph. David politely suggested Kim borrow one. :) I understand how they feel! I didn't even begin to shoot manual 'til Hannah was more than 3 mo. old and wish I could go back to redo her newborn pics. Sigh...

Enter 2 wk. old Kade. His mom was kind enough to let me borrow him. He's one of my "grandstudents"...son of my very first student of 11 years...little brother to 2 very active sisters (both under the age of 4). His mom is BUSY, so she fed Kade till he was "sleepy drunk" and let me play with him while the girls napped and she fixed dinner. I had no idea what I was doing, but had a blast trying to pose him. I just wandered around the house looking for good light and props..and the little guy was super laid back...that is, until I put him on his back...and then, we were done! :)
I'll post a few more faves tomorrow...

Busted!

We live just close enough to the creek to get little visitors. Bob has been finding muddy paw prints around the pool and even IN the pool lately. We thought it was a raccoon. Apparently not...

Kinda looks like a big overgrown mouse, huh?

Curious about the bait? It's peanut butter!!! :) Animal control picked him up and released him into the woods.

Silly lesson...

"See Aunt Kara? You pull your tongue like this...and it's FUN!....Next time I'll teach you how to put your feet in your mouth!" :)

Pretty girls...

Love this! These two don't get to spend enough time together either...

Acceptance...

I want her to have plenty of pics with her G-pa when she grows up, but they don't get to spend as much time together as they'd like. I hate to intrude on their playtime by asking them to move to better light and my stubborn refusal to use flash means I get shots like this. Managed to catch the light falling on her face, but couldn't quite freeze the motion. Love the sweet, sincere interaction 'tho, so I'm "embracing the mess" of my technical deficiencies to preserve special memories.
Want to try something like this again when I can use a faster shutter speed...love the DOF.