The Day I Needed a Reflector

What a busy week! Of course, it always seems to be a busy week around here. ;)  Last week Amelia's hair looked so adorable - I kept telling her so all day long. It was one of those days when it layed just right and her bow was so cute.  In the late afternoon she was outside with the sun at just the right angle to highlight her hair. I quickly ran inside and grabbed my camera. My only disappointment with the whole venture was that I did not have my reflector with me!  It was back at my house. <so frustrating>  But, even without it the pics turned out pretty cute.

I started by positioning her with the sun hitting her
at an angle to create rembrandt lighting

(She told me that she was "talking to the birds" with this whistle)

I later turned her back to the light, creating that beautiful rim light on her hair that we all love!  This is where my reflector would've come in handy.  I used my flash to get the catch lights in her eyes, but I had to raise my f/stop to do so. If I'd had a reflector, I could've created great catchlights while at the same time keeping my f/stop as low as possible and blurring my background even more.

Love this shot!



My adoreable little sister..... so glad she's mine!



A Great Book

One of my favorite books on basic photography principles is this one:

This is an excellent read & I use it in all my photography classes.  It is no longer in print, but you can pick up some cheap copies on amazon.com and half.com  I have found that the 1999 version has more information (it's in sqaure format) than the 2002 version (in rectangular format).  Just a lot of simple information that can be expounded upon. If you're into photography, take a look!

Easter Celebrations, Round 2!

Since we went out to the farm on Sunday, we had another Easter celebration at our house on Tuesday. We fixed our traditional Easter Dinner of Turkey, Asparagus, Twice Baked Potatoes, Rolls, "Angeled" Eggs, A Relish Tray and Strawberry Pie <yum>.  A wonderful twist to an otherwise 'normal' week.

Chocolate Animals

Roses from our Garden - so warm this year
we actually had roses bloom in March!

A Tomb made out of clay by one of my brothers



The Table - all ready for everyone to gather 'round




Daniel checking out all the candy



Asa & Amelia Decorated Eggs

Daniel made this out of Legos to set on our buffet table - so cute & ingenious - Hosanna to the King!



Resurrection Day

Easter morning began with services at our little country church. We so enjoy the fellowship of our church and services were wonderful.  I took these pictures of my littlest siblings after service - aren't they adorble? (Sorry, I'm just a little biased!)

And then I had to take some of Laura & Amelia. They looked so cute and their outfits "matched". (No, that wasn't planned :) Hard to believe Laura is nearly 21 - I remember well the days when she was Amelia's age!

 Laura then turned the camera on myself and Amelia.  It was a normal windy day in Oklahoma, as I'm sure you can tell from my hair in these pictures.

Our good friends (and members of our church) asked us out to their farm and we spent the whole day there. We ate a great meal & visited.  The kids got to see the newest addition (a calf name Hope) and rode the horses.  They also played with the numerous dogs & cats and had an Easter Egg Hunt with Abby & Sarah.

Amelia had the cutest little Easter chicks shirt - only she fell in a mud puddle and was quite a mess! Abby graciously lent her this shirt to wear, which was a little big, but very much appreciated!

My brothers love hunting and guns.  They brought theirs along & had a shoot-em-up with our hosts, or whatever it is they do with guns - target practice?  Anyway, something that made for a lot of noise behind the house!

Laura loves guns too.  Or as our host put it "she's a pistol-packin' Mama!"  She joined in the fun of shooting, while the rest of us went inside to give our ears a rest.

Notice all the shell casings - LOTS of shooting going on

We had a wonderful day at church & with friends.  We so enjoyed the relaxation of the country. And a few great picture opportunities too ;)

He Grew the Tree

He moulded and built

a small lonely hill,

that He knew

would be called Calvary.

Then he made the seed,

that would grow to be

thorns that would make

His Son bleed.

Then He made a green stem,

gave it sunshine and rain

and sheltered it with moss...

Yes, He grew that tree

that He knew would be

used to make the old rugged cross.

Nothing took His life;

with love He gave it.

He was crucified

on a tree that He created.

Great love for man,

made God stay with His plan....

He grew the tree

so that we might go free.

Happy Easter Everyone! 

Inspiration: From days gone by....

Growing up in our extended family on my dad's side, everyone always spoke about Uncle Ted's pictures. Talked about his pictures with awe and excitement. You were priveleged to have your picture taken by Uncle Ted - and he usually did it without your knowing it.  And then, there you were, captured at that moment in time - something tangible to hold in your hand.  Like this one....

My dad and me - 1982

I don't remember Uncle Ted as I was very young when he passed on, but I have some of his pictures, and lots of stories about him. When I started taking pictures, one of my aspirations was to be as good as Uncle Ted. I once had the chance to hold his camera. I don't remember the brand, but it was a semi-automatic SLR. Very heavy! And he knew how to make it work. ;)
When I was just starting my photography business, Uncle Ted's granddaughter Jami (my second cousin) got married. She asked me to take her pictures.  It was only my second wedding and I was a little nervous, but they were wonderful to work with.  Jami is so beautiful. I scanned in one of her pictures.

That was 10 years ago. How time does fly. At the wedding, Jami's mother (Ted's daughter) gave me a picture that Uncle Ted had taken of Jami & I at a family reunion years before. We were about one & two.  I kept that picture in my camera bag for years. I actually thought it was still there, only when I went to look for it, it wasn't. I must've put it away - probably a good thing as my bag get lots of use.

I wanted to take a moment to salute family photographers, and the people who inspire us, in big ways and small.