Monday, December 31, 2007

What were they thinking

My husband and I went to Gettysburg this past weekend. On our drive home I glanced over and noticed this restaurant. With a smooth swoop I snatched up my camera and shot the sign out the car window. There as just something wrong with this sign in Hanover PA.




Grandma

During my absence from my blog I experienced the lose of my Grandma. It was an expected death, she passed three days after her 98th birthday. I flew out to Colorado with my 11-year-old son, Ike, for her funeral. While in the Rocky Mountain State we, Ike and I, long with my parents drove to the homes that were once owned by my aunt, uncle, close family friends and my grandparents. Pictured below is my grandparents house. In it’s heyday a nice middle class neighborhood, beautifully manicured lawns and flower beds. A safe place for children to play in the streets, tumble in the yards and walk to school.

Grandma house has seen it’s better day and grandpa’s yard is but a memory of perfectly edged grass, never the less the sight of the old house brings back a plethora of memories. My fourth birthday was spent on the front porch and riding my new yellow skateboard on the sidewalk around the house. As I grew up I spent countless hours bouncing a ball off the garage roof. Brushing my hair with Grandma’s special hair brush set in my bedroom. Setting the table for dinner, grandpa popping popcorn. Jumping on the bed in basement nearly hitting me head on the ceiling. Many years of memories came from this house. May the new owners have as many sweet reminiscences.





Friday, July 13, 2007

Chimping

You know looking at your LCD making comment, sharing, even a little grunt. We all do it. The trick is not to be caught.

The first image from left Andrea (model/photographer) Rusty and Amanda. All very dear to me and great shooting buddies.








The final image is my littlest boy. My sister let him shoot with her camera. The boy loved it but was the biggest chimper ever.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Holga

I love my Holga. Here is an image of Miles, ready for bed.



Wednesday, July 11, 2007

डींग Dishes

Having a child nearly three in the house is a challenge at best. Miles never stops. If her is awake he is moving getting into everything. While I was online checking up on my forums Miles became quite and I heard the kitchen sink running. There sits Miles with feet in the sink "doing dishes". He has the greatest time playing and discovering for nearly an hour.








Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Not so muddy

I shared the first set of images with with an internet group of mommies, they were very upset with the whole idea. It kinda shook me up. Does any really think they child really wants to wear their dress? They even made some comment about only the rich would do that just to say look at I'm rich. I not rich and I would trash my dress in a heart beat if I had one worth trashing.

So I will pick up my glass of wine and toast these ladies. The world need more people putting boxes around art. I am sure they are good people, just not my kind.

Here is a few more, just for you mom ... Oh mom what are you doing with your dress?








Mudd Mess

Life has changed since my last post, but I will fill you all in on that later. More exciting stuff to ramble about right now. i went out with a group of friend this last Sunday and we trashed a wedding dress. I have to say that was one hell of a rush. So with out making you wait, and honestly i do not feel like typing, here they are, well a few.



















Click on the image to see a large image.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Numbers

I checked the stat of my blog today. Numbers showed I have a infinitesimal readership. I am my own fan. So do to large request of my readers … umm…reader I bring you these images.

My 10-year-old Ike resting on a large stone bench in Paris






The steps that one climbs to reach the top of the Arc De Triomphe in Paris




Friday, April 27, 2007

The Louvre

Last week I was in Paris. I have a new understanding of why people love Paris.

My family and I stopped shortly at The Louvre. One can see pictures but to stand there infront of the Mona Lisa is beyond words. I fell in love with Nike of Samothrace. I would have never thought I would want to photograph a statue, but I could not make enough images of her. Here she is.





And here is my take on the Venus de Milo.





I will have to return to The Louvre with out children on a day I can just take in all the great art. Cause as you can see my little Miles and his big brother Garrett were not having the greatest time.




Monday, April 16, 2007

Lost for a month

Well a month has past with not one word from me. No worries, I am my only reader. I was busy with the visit of my sister. I have hundreds of images to work through now. Here are a few from the last month.

The first is a flowering tree just down the road from me.






I returned to Italy with my sister this last month and shot Venice with out the huge crowds.






Now being overwhelmed with images and behind on blogs I leave you to ponder what to show next.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Stray Cat Strut

My dear friends at PFN ( PhotoFocusNetwork.com ) have a photo contest every week. This weeks theme was blue. Richard recently bought a new blue guitar, making it the subject matter of my blue shoot. My first take turned out okay but I needed to tweak a few things in the image, so I set out to reshoot. I set up again and as I start shooting a cat hopped over the fence and head straight for my staging area. All I can say is this cat love the camera. She must have been a model in her past life.
On the image with the cat I changed the color of the guitar I just felt it worked better being a brown guitar. The second image was what I turned into the contest.






During this time with the cat I have the 80s song Stray Cat Strut stuck in my head. I bring you the Stray Cats complements of YouTube.com Fitting I think.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

It’s all about the Bert Man

Well he is 16 and ready to take on the world. We took the DART down to Bray a few weeks ago all the images are from that trip. Plus one I added from his first shave.





On a side note I was excepted into DWF. It is a big community. I am guessing they will let most anyone in who will pay and wants to learn wedding. I am cool with that that is how I am there. I am on information over load from DWF. I will most likely pay the 100 bucks at the end of my 30 days, hop on the roller coaster, hang on and pray my brain doesn't blow.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Carnival Venice Italy 2007

Venice is truly and understandably one of the most romantic cities in the world. Okay so I am overly worldly but I will say it is at the top of my personal list.

I went with my family and my brothers family the finally Sunday of Carnival. To say it was crowed would have been an understatement. I found it harder to shoot while worrying about were the children were. I will hand it to my brother and husband. When I wanted to shoot they stepped up to the plate with the kids (we had six children and two grown children with us) All in all I am very pleased with I shot.

I would love to fly down for a day for some serious shooting next year. I will return to Venice this month to shoot the city with out the masses.

Here are some of the first images I have edited from the day:



Monday, March 5, 2007

Weddings

The topic of my day. I have applied for a membership to DWF and wait to see if they will except me. At the same time I received word from the States that one of my portrait clients are looking for me to shoot to shoot her sister's wedding this next summer. All signs are pointing for me to open not only my portrait studio but also get into weddings. I am really excited about the thought of it all. Richard and I have been talking about the remodeling that will be done in the house to make all this happen.

When I stop and think about wedding I can’t help but think of my ol' friend Randy Jenkins from Chattanooga TN. August 2002 Randy took me under his wing to teach me the ropes of shooting weddings. Randy worked at a Christian College in the area and shot weddings part time.

Our first shoot together was a Bridal on a beautiful Wednesday evening. I truly enjoyed working and learn from Randy. We had a great time. Here are a few images I shot that evening.





That Saturday I woke early met up with Randy at a convent store. He grabbed a bag of M&Ms and a diet coke (Randy said the diet coke took away calories from the M&M so it was a balanced breakfast) he did this before every wedding. We spent most of the day shooting the wedding finally about 5 pm we head home. He was talking about how much he missed his wife who was out of town, and what he was going to do with his teenage son the rest of the weekend. Randy and his son went to the movie that night where Randy had a heart attack was in ICU for two weeks until he past.

I still stop and wonder why God had me spend Randy’s last living day with him. Why me?

I miss Randy not only was he a great photographer but he was a great man, husband and father. In some way when I rebuild my studio I know Randy will be there helping out on the wedding side of it all. Thank you Mr. Jenkins for all you have given me, I could only hope I can find another mentor as grand as you.

I leave you with an image of Randy driving the bride.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Lunar Eclipse

In the recent days I have found a new photo forum here in Ireland, http://www.photographyireland.net/ . There is a lot of good talent there, that I hope I can learn from. Another thing that really excites this will be a great resource for here in Dublin, and maybe just maybe a few shooting buddies.

From PI learnt of a lunar eclipse last night. So I stayed up, froze my bum off and shoot some of the event. I don’t think I have ever shot images of the moon before. My images were all soft, I found it very hard to focus. So I jazzed of some sad images in Photoshop and will show them in a small version here. I did not think about it at the time, I should have used my 10D. With the digital cropping factor it would have maybe help. Live and learn. I do think in the digital age I do not stop and think thing through as much. I have been sloppy with my work. This I really want to work on.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Another Brick in the Wall

Just up the road from my brothers house in Italy is a place I call the “The Water” . I asked if it had a name no one seems to know. Located at the foot of the Alps this sight is where the water makes first contact with air after going underground in Germany.

On this spot there is the ruins of an old mill in all it’s glory. I have photographed my nieces portraits at the mill and my own children.

Simply beautiful.





Friday, March 2, 2007

The Starting Line

Here I am, joining the hundreds of photographers that are blogging. I have became the herd.

I shut down my web page at the beginning of the year due to the fact that I move out of the country and am no longer in business and not sure if I want to go into business again.

Photography is in my blood, like a sickness almost. At time it has totally take over my life. I am now learning a new balance of photography and family life. I could never walk away from my photography again. I now get to be a flamboyant hobbyist.

I have read, searched and pondered the idea of blogging my images. I think it will be a fit for me.

I would love to say I can post an image a day, but I would only be kidding myself and any reader if I ever pick up any. This I do not expect, thus I am Photographer Unknown.

Welcome to my blog.