A large sliding glass door is an excellent location to take a quick portrait because of the flood of natural light. North-facing doors are best because the light is soft and indirect. On this particular impromptu occasion I did not have any additional equipment, although a reflector would have been nice for some fill light on the other side of his face in some of the shots. These occasions useful...
That Time We Went Camping for Memorial Day Weekend
Since my future father-in-law moved in with us, it has been non-stop projects. He is a true busy body and amazingly driven. He always wants to be working on something. Lucky for us! This past Memorial Day Weekend, we chose to go camping to escape the heat of Phoenix. Camping was a major part of Chris (my fiancé’s) childhood and I love the outdoors. We chose to go to Big...
Jaycee Loves Bubbles
Jaycee is a relatively new friend of mine and she loves bubbles. So much so, that she shakes and jumps vigorously with excitement upon seeing the bottle of soapy liquid. Jaycee is turning 2 this September and her birthday party theme is going to be none other than Bubbles. I took these pictures for the invitation to her birthday party. “I wish I loved anything as much as kids love...
The Grand Canyon
Chris, our friends Leslie and Jaycen, and I spent last weekend at the Grand Canyon and in Sedona. The last time I tried to see the Grand Canyon it was raining and eerily foggy. For such a large natural wonder, it absolutely can be completely invisible under the right weather conditions. Luckily, the weather was beautiful this time. I would highly recommend visiting the Grand Canyon in January or February...
Odessa in November
Sarah took the long trek across the country with us this November. Being a little shell shocked and not sure what to do with myself in this very different place, I dressed her up and took pictures. Nothing like something familiar, right? I experimented with some free Photoshop actions from some very talented people. You can find them below. Night-Fate’s actions of DeviantArt Ree aka The Pioneer Woman’s actions on...
Doors: A Collection
I have a fondness, or rather, a really silly obsession with doors. They are the kind of a thing I always like to photograph. There is something quite magical about a really old, or really unique door. It is almost as if the neater the door, the neater whatever is behind it. This of course isn’t always true. The character of a good old door is unmistakable though, and, as...
Forty Shades of Green
“Green, green, forty shades of green I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea From the fishing boats of Dingle to the shores of Donaghadee” – Johnny Cash Green is the color of life signifying growth, healing, and renewal. This past June I went on a wonderful tour of the UK and Ireland. Ireland really is as green and rainy as everyone says. But, it is in...
Hydrangeas, Etc.
I bought my mom some pretty hydrangeas for her birthday. I used the natural light from the windows as the only source of lighting. Here are some fun pictures I took today while walking the dog. I like to call the first one “Reclamation.”...
Making Nicole a Fairy
What girl doesn’t love playing dress up? Nicole brought her trunk full of vintage clothing over early one morning and we promptly disappeared into the woods. I think the golden colored dress nicely contrasts the dark, wet trees and bright green leaves making her pop out. In retrospect, I would have opened up the aperture more for a more blurred background, similar to Ashton’s portraits, but ultimately I like how...
Blizzard of 2010
I cannot remember another storm of this magnitude in my lifetime – I guess maybe the blizzard of ’93, which happened on my birthday is the closest runner up. As I type this Orange county, New York is under a state of emergency and we have 20″ of snow in my front yard with higher amounts in other areas. The best part is it’s still snowing and has been since...