Shockey Photography

Another sneak peek

2012-02-08T13:42:00.002-06:00

Since our daughter's wedding is vintage inspired, I'm making tons of mason jar lights and vases. Here's some of the lights where I'm using a hot glue gun to cover with twine, flat-sided pearl trim and buttons. I found the lace fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It was in the decorator fabrics and is actually plastic tablecloth material that I'm cutting the lace panels out of and using spray adhesive to attach it to the lights.

And here's what it looks like when the candle shines through it. Just gorgeous!

I should have been a graphic designer!

2012-01-24T12:33:00.003-06:00

In the coming months I hope you don't mind me sharing all things wedding since Celeah is getting married on May 27.

Her theme is vintage so we wanted to come up with something that fit that theme for her save-the-date postcards. I went researching for vintage postcard ideas, stamps, anything I could use to make one in photoshop. Thankfully I found the perfect photoshop brushes from pixelsandicecream. I just had to change the colors and use the stamps like brushes onto a 4x6 transparent template I made. It turned out perfect, and all of them went out in the mail last week.

It saved us money, and we got exactly what we wanted and I sure enjoyed the hours it took to make it!

Our daughter is getting married!

2012-01-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

We couldn't be more happy to be gaining a son-in-law come this May! Steven and Celeah have been dating for 3 1/2 years and both of them graduate from college in May. Over the years we've come to know Steven as someone with a sense of humor, very hard working and who treats our daughter with love and respect. He asked her to marry him on Christmas eve in front of the whole family which made it even more special. So right now we're in a wedding planning frenzy, and I'm really enjoying it.

They decided to go with a vintage theme with the colors of dark purple, gray and cream with accents of coral. I've been having fun making mason jars lights and vases, making a set of encyclopedias I found at an antique store into vintage centerpieces, etc. etc. It's right down my alley with my crafting experience. Lovin' it!

This weekend I took some engagement photos of them downtown. I have to say that taking photos of couples in love is my absolute favorite thing to photograph (next to flowers)! There were so many good ones in the bunch that it was hard to narrow down.

This is one of my all-time favorites!

This pose was inspired by an ad I had torn out of a magazine a long time ago. I showed it to them, they imitated it to fit their tastes, and it took off from there.

Tess and Katie

2012-01-06T21:17:00.004-06:00

I was hired to take photos of these beautiful cowgirls who are 4-H Hall of Famers in our county. Needless to say, they were both so gorgeous it made my job easy! This was the first time I was hired for Western-themed photos, and I enjoyed it immensely. I didn't grow up with horses, only rode the rental type and no saddle ever fit my small frame, so I had quite alot of scary experiences with them. But I must say that Pepe was quite the gentleman for our photos.

Being a horse photo, it was sure fun playing with some cool textures. Isn't he beautiful?

Gorgeous Tess who looks like a model in a Western magazine, don't you think?

These photos lend themselves well to a vintage filter.

Her younger sister Katie was equally as beautiful. She's learning how to rope so we captured a few photos of her in action.

Hammack family

2012-01-06T21:10:00.002-06:00

I've been very busy the last few weeks with photo shoots two days in a row. This first one was my largest ever with a family of nine and close friends of ours. In fact, my youngest daughter was the flower girl in both of the daughter's weddings over 10 years ago! How time flies. Needless to say, it was so wonderful being able to capture this wonderful families and make memories to last a lifetime. :)

Shellie and Patrick's little boy was just too cute to follow around and take pictures of!

Their oldest son has the cutest dimple in his chin!

It was so good to see Sheila and Tony and their 4-month-old baby boy. Another cutie!

Holiday Lights

2011-12-19T15:06:00.003-06:00

A few days ago I drove around Ardmore and a few other surrounding towns and tried to capture some holiday lights. These first few were window displays.

This angel was surrounded by all kinds of other distracting elements so I cloned them out and added a filter. I think it turned out gorgeous and looks equally fabulous in other colors!

This snowman was in a bank window. I added the Merry Christmas cuz it reminded me of a Christmas card.

This one was also in a bank window. I purposely blurred it out and loved the effect I got.

In another store window. I love snowmen! But I'm sure you could tell that with my blog banner, right? ;)

These next ones were taken at the Noble Foundation, an agricultural research center based here in Ardmore.

But my all-time favorite photos were these of the trees located across the street at the entrance to their pavilion conference center. Don't know how they get lights to every tip of a tree, but I love it! Spectacular, don't you think?

More textured photos

2011-12-16T12:30:00.003-06:00

This week has been a bit dreary with rainy days (of which I'm so thankful) so I've been having fun playing in photoshop. After the rain as I was driving down our street, I noticed lots of buzzards in the trees with their wings outspread. I guess that's the way they dry them off after a storm. So I quickly ran back home and grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

Loved how mysterious this turned out with a free Jessica Drossin texture (Sublime) added to it and a watercolor PS filter.

While I was out I also took a photo of our neighbor's beautiful field of trees again. And even though they've lost all their leaves, you can still do some fun things with them. I really enjoy adding inspirational quotes and scriptures to my nature photos.

The Bradford Pear trees in our front yard are still shedding their beautiful leaves.

I call this one "Chocolate Dream". It would be gorgeous as a large canvas!

And then I got really creative and decided to not only add a texture to this tree branch but also to use the smudge tool to make all the buds look like heart leaves. Pretty cool, huh?

And this last one is my clematis still trying to bloom, even in December! Never had that happen before. I really like how the red brick of the house gives it a beautiful bokeh.

New Skyscraper in OKC

2011-12-13T22:04:00.003-06:00

I was born and raised in Oklahoma City and have seen the downtown skyline my entire life but in this past year it has been totally transformed. The biggest change is the new gigantic skyscraper being built that will tower twice as tall as any other building. It's being built by Devon Energy and will be a gorgeous building once done.

We were there for Festival Green where they opened the Crystal Bridge in the Myriad Gardens for free public access, the gardens and fountains that have been built around it, the dog park and a large open area and stage for open-air concerts. I took this picture of the Devon Tower during that visit.

This one I took over Thanksgiving when were there to eat at the Wedge Pizzeria (fantastic!) and went to see the Christmas lights around the park. It was a foggy night which ended up raining on us in the end but beautiful nonetheless. I just love it that cities all across America are revitalizing their downtown areas and it means even more since it's my hometown!

By the way, these photos can be purchased at my Fine Art America gallery (link on the right).

Both of these photos have Jessica Drossin textures added to them.

The second half of the Cetean shoot

2011-11-18T18:02:00.002-06:00

Had a good time taking the last of our photo shoot in the Cetean's new home. The kids are much more relaxed and silly when they're in a familiar environment. At times it was a little chaotic, but we got some good ones nonetheless.

Doing a shoot indoors is not my specialty so I was anxious to try out my new CyberSync receivers and transmitter with first my 580EXII off-camera flash and then with my AlienBees 800w strobe with a softbox attached. I first went with just the off-camera flash, but it kept misfiring or not at all. I changed all the batteries both of the flash and the CyberSyncs only to find it kept doing the same thing. Thankfully I had brought along my new strobe and used it instead. The CyberSyncs worked just fine with the strobe so after getting home and doing some research, it looks like the circuit board of my Canon 580EXII flash has to be replaced (can we all say UGH?!).

Anyway, it was good practice to use both, and I was very pleased with the soft light I was able to get with the strobe and softbox and think I'll be using more of it in the future. So thankful for the patience of the Cetean family as I struggled with my lighting! They are such a sweet and dear family.

Both the children are in music lessons with M on the tiniest violin I've ever seen. It was just too cute!

And T is learning to play the piano. He was so cute with his little cushion to sit on and a foot rest for his feet.

Moved to their beautiful master suite for the last ones.

The kids with some of their favorite stuff animals.

Lots of giggly fun!

And with their cat who was so patient with all the tugging and pulling she puts up with!

My favorite of the set.

And the parents getting loving when the kids were out of the room for awhile, so sweet!

Cetean Family

2011-11-15T16:41:00.003-06:00

I've been photographing this beautiful family for five years now and every year I'm amazed how much the children have grown. They are so fun to work with and such beautiful people, inside and out.

We were fortunate to catch the tale end of the fall colors here and some wonderful church friends allowed us to use a part of their land as the backdrop. This place was just gorgeous with beautiful lighting, green thick grass and yellow trees!

Some tickle fun!

Peek-a-boo!

Gorgeous little girl!

Some manly fun!

We're doing the last half of their session tonight inside their new home. Look for more pics later on this week. :)

What a difference a day makes!

2011-11-11T15:54:00.003-06:00

Just one day after I took the photo of Turner Falls they got nine inches of rain! Thanking God for the rain, but it left half a million dollars in damage to the park. It tore out bridges, roads, picnic tables, etc. so the park will be closed for awhile. Too bad, I was hoping to get in there on the ground to take more pics.

These were taken at the overlook right off I-35 with my 70-200mm lens.

I also found some other neat camping spots around the Turner Falls area. So pretty right now!

Laid my camera on the dock for this one so I could get the perspective of the leaf stuck in the crack.

Turner Falls

2011-11-05T17:31:00.003-05:00

Stopped by the falls on our way home from church today to see if there was any water coming over. We're over 10 inches behind in rain this year, and it was definitely the lowest I've ever seen it. Sure hope we get tons of rain this winter to fill it back up again. The fall colors are beginning to show beautifully though. That was surprising after the long hot summer and drought we've had. It's definitely a great time to visit with the cooler temps, lower rates and beautiful colors.

Fall has finally arrived in Oklahoma!

2011-10-28T09:35:00.002-05:00

I love fall with the crisp cool mornings and evenings. We thought we wouldn't have any colors this year because of the major drought and heat we had this summer, not to mention the 10 inches we're behind in rain but lo and behold...we've got color! And it has all happened this week. Hoping I can get out this weekend and get more photos.

I took this down the street after driving my daughter to school this morning. The sun was shining so beautifully through these little trees on the side of the road.

Octoberfest at Dallas Arboretum

2011-10-27T15:50:00.002-05:00

Went to the Arboretum with some other photographer friends a few weeks ago and forgot to share these photos. Sure wish we had a park like that around here. Everywhere you look it's a photograph waiting to happen. Just gorgeous!

They had pumpkins everywhere and even pumpkin houses with each one represented by a Disney princess inside, either a photo or other item. I wondered why I saw so many little girls running around with princess outfits on, so cute!

Can you imagine how long this must have taken?!

Sometimes I overexpose a photo to make it look dreamy.

One of my favorite flowers, gerbera daisies!

Some hot red ones!

2011-10-23T20:43:00.001-05:00

When I was a young woman, I could wear shoes like this but not anymore! Ugh! Makes me cringe just looking at them, but they sure look good on my daughter. :)

More shoes!

2011-10-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

I'm having way too much fun taking photos of shoes! Who would have thought?

New Project

2011-10-19T20:39:00.004-05:00

At the suggestion of many of my friends who saw this:

I've decided to start a new project taking photos of shoes and adding either purchased or handmade textures to them. Any of these can be bought as a canvas, framed print or card at my gallery at Fine Art America (link on the right). They really look cool as canvases and would make a beautiful addition to a bedroom or bath.

Here's two more I did today. Look for more to come in the future. Also, if you have a pair of shoes you would like to make into wall art, just send me an email at cshockeyphoto@gmail.com.

Baby Anabella

2011-10-10T18:25:00.003-05:00

And some gorgeous parents thrown in! Jimmy and Michelle are world travelers but finally decided it was time to settle down and start a family. God blessed them with a beautiful baby girl a few weeks ago, and I had the privilege of taking her photos.

She was the typical newborn needing to be fed often, but we made the best of our quiet times. It was a true joy to handle a newborn, especially since my four are grown.

This post is picture heavy because there were so many good ones, I had a hard time deciding what to share! When you have such gorgeous people, it's a great dilemma to have. :)

Little Anabella looks like a living doll!

Photography info: These were all taken with window light on the right and reflector on the left held by my daughter Tianna. The ones on the bed were taken with ambient light and my 580EX flash and a Gary Fong Lightsphere with the dome attached pointed at the white ceiling. I used Canon 5D Mark II and 40D cameras.

Nolan and Caroline

2011-10-02T16:06:00.002-05:00

Had a good time with our son Nolan and his girlfriend Caroline at the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens yesterday. The weather is perfect for outdoor photos right now.

This first one is my favorite of them all I think. It's just inside the Japanese Gardens which you have to pay to enter so we didn't go in further. Maybe now I wish I had, lol! Besides they make pro photographers pay a much larger fee just to take photos inside.

This one I added two florabella textures to it. Pretty cool, huh?

Caroline has the most amazing brown eyes!

This is another one of my favorites. Can you tell I love black and white?

Red Mums

2011-09-19T11:53:00.003-05:00

I bought a couple of these plants to stick in the pots on my front steps which have been empty all summer. It finally got cool enough to grow anything outdoors. They are just starting to bloom, but I couldn't resist taking some photos nonetheless. I used my 100mm 2.8 macro lens which has really creamy bokeh, perfect for the effect I was trying to achieve.

I think this is my favorite one. The gorgeous green in the background was actually a garden hose laying on the ground. Who would have thought that that would make a great background color, especially with a Florabella texture added to it?

As always, these photos are available at my gallery at Fine Art America (click link on right side).

And here's one I overexposed (by accident) but with a texture added to it, it looks pretty awesome, don't you think?

Lightning!

2011-09-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to finally get a good shot of lightning tonight. I've been trying for years. It's definitely a waiting game with alot of luck thrown in! I had my camera on a tripod with a shutter release cable attached. I had to put my lens in manual mode and focus on distant lights and leave it there. I used a 24-105mm lens and had this shot set at 24mm for as wide as possible. The ISO was 200, aperture f/6.3, shutter 3.2 sec.

Topaz B&W Effects

2011-09-12T13:54:00.001-05:00

I downloaded these effects last week and have been having problems with them freezing up my Photoshop CS3 but someone told me I don't have enough RAM so I've ordered some more. Hope that fixes it because I'm loving all the b/w effects these offer! And until Sept. 16 you can get them for half price, only $30. That's quite a deal! http://www.topazlabs.com/ Just make sure you've got enough RAM to run them. On my PC that's 4GB.

Here's one of our cats Rebel where I used the hand-tinted chiffon from the Opalotype Collection on the photo. It's gorgeous, don't you think?

More Morning Glories

2011-09-07T12:45:00.002-05:00

I can't get over how these flowers are just spreading everywhere and blooming everyday even though I didn't plant them! What an awesome gift from God!

Here's one I edited with a scripture verse that can be bought as a print, canvas or greeting card at my Fine Art America gallery (click on the link to the right).

I think the undersides are just as pretty as the top side!

A florabella texture added to this one.

What is it with cows lately?

2011-09-02T16:16:00.002-05:00

Ha ha, it seems I've been passing unique ones right and left as I drive to and from town. We live out in the country so it's not like I haven't seen them before. We pass a herd of beautiful Texas longhorns on the way to my daughter's school, but they're only by the fence in the mornings. There's no place to park and take a picture so today when I was headed back home I saw one close to the fence again and stopped and took a shot with my Fuji point & shoot camera I keep in the car.

This first one I used the new Topaz B&W Effects filters I just bought yesterday. They're half price till Sept. 16, only $30 and that's a steal for all that you get! The filters are separated by collections and this one is from the Opalotype one called Milk Memories. Thought that was pretty appropriate, lol!

And this one I cropped in a bit closer and used a NicholeVan Dolci texture on. If you haven't used textures before, you should. They are super simple and add such unique artsy looks to your photos. Many of them are free and when I download them, I store them on my desktop in a folder called "Photoshop Brushes & Stuff" so that when I have a photo open in photoshop (I use CS3 but it also works in Elements), you just go up to File > Open > Desktop and click your folder and choose which texture you want. It will open on top of your photo so then you click "control A" to select all, then "control C" to copy. You then click the top right X to get rid of it. Then click "control V" to paste it on top of your open photo. I always have to resize it to fit my photo by choosing the move tool in my tools panel and "control T" for free transform to resize it by the little arrows on the corners. Elements already has those on when you choose the move tool.

Then in your layers palette on the right go up to the tab next to the opacity and choose overlay, soft light or hard light. Those are the three I use the most but play around with the others and see what you like. On this picture I used the hard light because I wanted to see more of the texture. But it made the cow look a bit too yellow so then I used the eraser tool turned down to about 30% to erase over the cow so he would show through again. Flatten your image and you're ready to go!

More strobe practice

2011-09-01T14:31:00.003-05:00

I'm still getting the hang of using indoor lighting with strobes. Got me some Alien Bees 800 with some CyberSync transmitter/receivers and a Vagabond Mini battery pack for portability. So far they're fairly easy to use, just gotta learn more about lighting itself. I started with a one-light setup with a softbox, then I added the other strobe to the background. I used Kovu as my model this time and talk about exhausting! He was all over the place, had to close all the doors to keep him confined. First I put him in a basket on a stool, and he wasn't going for that at all. So then I took the basket off and just tried to coax him onto the stool with a stick toy. It took an hour just to get one decent shot!

My neighbor's cow

2011-08-31T10:56:00.002-05:00

We have some neighbors down the street that have a small arena where they rope cattle, etc. I've been seeing this cow for months now and thought it was so pretty with its black muzzle, ears and spots so I finally decided to get a picture of it yesterday on my way to Lake Murray. It was sitting all alone so it was perfect timing. Of course I cleaned up the ugly patties sitting around it and added a cool filter from Nichole Van Dolci. I also cropped it to a unique size. This would make a lovely large canvas in a Western home! It can be bought at my Fine Art America gallery (click website on the right).

Morning Glories

2011-08-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

These beautiful flowers are blooming profusely right now, and I didn't even plant them. What could get better than that?!

Hammack Family Dogs

2011-08-22T18:54:00.003-05:00

My daughter is house and dog sitting for some friends of ours and one day I went over there and took a few pictures of their dogs. They have some of the sweetest dogs around. Unfortunately, two of them were afraid of my camera and would turn their faces every time I tried to take their picture or follow them. My dogs don't even flinch when I take their picture because I've done it their whole lives, lol! Didn't realize it's something animals have to get used to.

Here's Ginger who was the most cooperative. Here she looks like she's saying "I didn't do it!"

Her spotted feet.

This is Feisty who likes to sleep behind the couch (great hiding place) so I had to turn on the lamp to get a few quick shots of her.

And then I got a few good ones outdoors. I love this one. It looks like she's trying to say something.

And then there's Hannah who I think is the prettiest. She would follow me wherever I went and not go outside unless I went too. Unfortunately, she was the most shy when it came to the camera.

Isn't she beautiful?

Growing up Great!

2011-08-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

Maximus is now six months old and growing so quickly. Just look at this comparison from when he was about two months old to now:

Unfortunately, he is permanently crippled in his back legs from distemper. His back legs bow in at the knees, and he hops instead of walks. His back haunches are not muscular but boney and weak. I'm concerned what's going to happen as he gets older and heavier. It's just so sad! But I don't believe God makes junk. All of nature was created by Him, and it's because of the heavy toll of sin that we have less-than-perfect animals or people. So no matter what, this dog is greatly loved!

Isn't he beautiful?

Dragonfly

2011-07-29T15:25:00.001-05:00

Found this dragonfly on my plants today, and he posed for me nicely. Kept looking at me with those big eyes wondering what I was up to but let me get quite close. Took this with my 100mm 2.8 macro lens, one of my favorites.

More flash practice

2011-07-25T20:34:00.002-05:00

Well my photo shoot went real well last week. I did headshots and group photos for the Craddock Funeral Home here in Ardmore. They are some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet! I worked with a few of them when I was the obits clerk for our local newspaper, The Ardmoreite. Chris Craddock and his staff truly go out of their way to cater to every need a grieving family would want. When I die that's the funeral home I will be using.

Anyway, I decided my shots would be even better with an extra flash and umbrella added to the other side of a person to work as a fill. I ordered another receiver and flash bracket from Cowboy Studio and everything works great now. I originally ordered their wireless receiver and transmitter and needed another receiver to fire my other flash. I'm using the Canon 580EX II and 430EX. I set the 580 as my main light in manual mode at 1/32 sec. I set the 430 in manual mode at 1/64 sec. because I wanted it to barely light up the right side. Both of them were at a 45 degree angle pointed about a foot above my husband's eyes shooting into white umbrellas, which I realize now that I should have been shooting through (duh!). More practice...

Here's the original image with a bit of reflection in the top right corner of his glasses. No matter where I put the flash I kept getting that reflection so eventually I had him tip the back ear pieces of his glasses up just a hair and that fixed it. Yay! Glasses are always hard to deal with.

And then of course I had to practice a bit on Jazzy again. She's always trying to figure out why she has to "stay" on the bed while I point a black thing at her, lol!

I'm excited about the prospect of getting better and better head and group shots. Practice makes perfect, right?

Flash practice

2011-07-11T15:11:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I have an indoor photo shoot so I'm testing my equipment to make sure everything is in working order. I used Jazzy as my model. Cutest model ever, don't you think?

I first took a picture of my white reflector to set a custom white balance in my camera. It makes all the difference for getting true colors, especially with tungsten or fluorescent lighting. I then attached my Canon 580EX II flash on my Cowboy Lighting radio trigger and screwed it onto the flash bracket on one of my light stands. I used a Profoto silver reflective umbrella and bent the flash to bounce off the inside of it. I set that to a 45 degree angle to my camera and lowered it a bit to get just a little above eye level of my dog.

I then attached the other part of the radio trigger to the hot shoe of my camera and turned them all on. The Cowboy Lighting radio triggers are very inexpensive and are a great way to learn how to use flash photography. I pushed the test button on my flash to make sure it was working and set it in manual mode to 1/16 sec. My camera was also in manual mode with my aperture set at 5.6 and my shutter at 125 sec.

Looking at this picture after I had already put away all my equipment, I would have added my reflector on another light stand on the left side to bounce some light from the flash and open up the shadows a bit. As it was, I adjusted light levels and shadow/highlights a bit in Photoshop.

Garden of 2011

2011-06-22T15:08:00.002-05:00

This year Brian planted watermelon and cantaloupe for the first time in many years. We've never had good success with them so I'm pretty excited to see one grapefruit-size watermelon and four baby cantaloupes coming on. I've read how they are very vulnerable while they're babies so we took to covering our watermelon with a basket for now. Our garden is already fenced so no problems with rabbits, but the birds like to peck holes in things when they start to ripen. I'll keep you updated as they grow. :)

Oklahoma sunset

2011-06-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

We sure get some beautiful sunsets, just wish I had a better view from my house to get wide-sweeping pictures.

My first canvas!

2011-06-14T21:57:00.003-05:00

So excited to receive the 24x36 canvas I ordered from Nations Photo Lab last week. It came in only 5 days! And I saved $65 by stretching it myself onto a frame my husband made and using a staple gun to attach it. It was surprisingly easy and something I will definitely do again.

Strawberries on a Cloud

2011-06-09T13:04:00.003-05:00

This dessert is to die for folks! After making it yesterday I ate three helpings and as I sit here and type I'm eating another (whoops!). It's a perfect summer treat with strawberries in season right now.

If you've ever eaten at Smokin' Joe's BBQ in Davis, OK you will know what I'm talking about. They have this same dessert, and I kept trying to figure out what was on the bottom. It's light and crunchy like biscotti but after searching for the right recipe, I found it was actually meringue baked to a crisp.

Strawberries on a Cloud

Crust
3 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/8 t salt
3/4 c sugar

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Add sugar a little at a time until stiff peaks form. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan. I leveled mine out and found that it swelled towards the sides (and almost went over the pan) and sunk in the middle so I would mound it towards the middle next time so it's more even. Bake for 1-1 1/2 hours at 275 degrees. I baked mine for 1 1/2 hrs. and thought it was a little too brown so next time I will try 1 hr. instead.

Turn oven off and leave the meringue in the oven till completely cool. Mine took 2 hrs.

Filling
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 8 oz. carton Cool Whip

Blend the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Fold in the Cool Whip and spread over the meringue shell.

Topping
1 small container of sweetened frozen strawberries, thawed
1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced

Mix the strawberries together and spread on top of cream cheese filling. Refrigerate till serving time.

Try it and let me know what you think. It's definitely a keeper in our home! :)

Carnival Conquest Cruise

2011-06-01T21:56:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post anything. May has been a busy month! Just got back from our vacation and thought I'd share some pics.

This ship holds over 3000 passengers and was so huge that we must have walked miles getting everywhere. We were quite exhausted every night. We were also saddened to see the cruise lines catering more and more to smokers. It was everywhere and hard to escape. You could even smell it in our room at times even though it was against the "rules" to smoke in your room. We were also quite shocked at the Vegas-style shows and portrayal of homosexuality and will probably not go on Carnival again because of that reason alone.

Our first stop was Jamaica, a beautiful tropical island but home to very poor people. There was also alot of trash everywhere, so sad. We took a harrowing bus ride up the winding mountains to go river tubing.

All the tubing pictures are on my water camera which hasn't been developed yet.

Our next stop was Grand Cayman, a very rocky but pristine island. It was originally marauded by pirates so there are pirate statues everywhere. We had to be tendered to shore because the bay was too shallow for our ship to get very close. As we traveled in the small boat I took this picture of a cool pirate ship in the harbor. Here's the original picture and then my editing of it in photoshop with some cool filters added to it. It would make a fabulous canvas and can be bought at Fine Art America from the link on the right side of my blog.

On our way out to the turtle farm we spotted these waterspouts out in the waters. Pretty scary but cool at the same time! They said they're very common there and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

This turtle farm breeds and raises sea turtles to be released and also as food (so sad!). They sure were cute little things!

We also went to Stingray City on a 30-min boat ride to a sand bar where you can feed them by hand. I stayed in the boat as the rest of my family got out to feed them. I had done this once before, and it freaked me out!

We then went on to Cozumel and as we left the dock this is what beckoned us.

We ate at our favorite Mexican food restaurant in Mexico. It was our third time to go there.

Lots of shopping and even cute little cars to rent.

Saw these gorgeous trees everywhere called Flamboyant Tree which fits them perfectly. I even went inside the construction zone and tried to get an inside shot, but there was a huge sand pile in front of it. Did some fancy editing in photoshop and added some cool filters. Again, here's a before and after shot and this one too can be bought at Fine Art America.

Saying goodbye to Cozumel. Hope to see you again some day!

The last sunset before arriving back in Galveston.

After the storm...

2011-05-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

We had a horrific thunderstorm yesterday with lots of trees snapping and damage to homes/businesses in town. Thankfully we didn't have any damage here. We got two inches of rain which we were so thankful for. We've been dry for quite some time.

After the storm, I thought maybe there would be some dramatic clouds to take pictures of, and I was right! These fluffy things seemed to come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly.

And as the sun was setting I walked around our property searching for some neat things to take pictures of. I really like how the sun shines through branches. These are some dying fruit trees we have yet to cut down.

A few wildflowers and our back pasture.

Update on Maximus, our new puppy: He got sick again after bringing him home for a few days and the vet thought it was distemper. Over the weekend he got weaker and weaker, could hardly eat or drink and had to be held up to potty. We figured the distemper had gone to his brain so we decided to have him put to sleep (with many, many tears shed). That afternoon the vet called and said his blood work was normal (except for being malnourished) and that he wanted to keep him and try some other things to get him well. He didn't think he had distemper afterall and felt all his symptoms were from being malnourished. He's not in any pain so he didn't want to put him down. He's now been there for almost 2 weeks and has made a full recovery, yay! We're just waiting to hear when we can bring him home again.

Introducing Maximus

2011-04-21T12:46:00.002-05:00

We are trying our luck again with a new puppy, a full-blood Great Pyrenees, that we got from the shelter. Unfortunately, we only had him 5 days when at his vet checkup they determined he had giardia and parvo and had to admit him. He's been on IV antibiotics now for six days and has made some improvement except that he's still not eating. We're praying he will come through this soon!

He is the fluffiest and sweetest-natured dog, and he and Baxter get along great. He is so even keeled like nothing phases him at all, even a cat swatting him in the face, lol! Here's a few pics before he got sick.

This was his reaction when he tried to get in bed with Kovu, and he slapped him in the face!

Such a cutie!

He will fall asleep anywhere.

Spring has sprung big time!

2011-04-20T19:20:00.000-05:00

Just love this time of year when all my clematis plants bloom and the roses burst with color! This was my front yard today. Just lovely, don't you think?

Sad news...

2011-03-23T19:23:00.002-05:00

I was at the animal shelter today to take photos of their animals for their website, something I do every Wednesday, and was told that our trial dog was euthanized! They said he got terribly sick and antibiotics wouldn't help. It's just so, so sad! We are so thankful we were able to give him some love before he died. Such a sweet, sweet dog!

And right now they are overrun with dogs and at least 25-30 of those are puppies alone! And it's only March. Usually they get overrun in the summer. Why, oh why, don't people spay and neuter their animals?! Especially when they have a clinic every month for one-third of the normal price a vet charges?! Just doesn't make sense.

Cone of shame

2011-03-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

Poor pitiful Kovu had to get a collar today so we can heal his bite wounds from a cat fight he was in one night many weeks ago. He's been on antibiotics for weeks. We've dressed the wound with antibiotic ointment and double bandaids (to keep him from chewing them off) but being covered makes it all nasty and pussy again. And every time it forms even a bit of a scab, he chews and licks on it till it comes off. We figured this is the last resort to get it healed, but he's certainly not happy about it!

We laughed and laughed when we first put it on because he keeps walking backwards and when walking forward, he takes real high steps like he can step out of it. It's too funny! Thankfully he can still drink water, but we'll have to take it off for him to eat. He won't be able to stay in it all the time, but we hope it will be long enough for even a few hours a day to keep the antibiotic ointment on it.

On another note, we had to take our new puppy back to the shelter this past weekend because he got sick overnight. He developed a terrible cough, snotty nose and yellow eye boogers. They have him quarantined and on antibiotics so hopefully that will get him all better.

Survived the night!

2011-03-18T14:24:00.002-05:00

The new dog barked off and on all night and since we put the fenced yard up, it's right outside our bedroom windows. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well. :( Hopefully he'll get acclimated pretty soon. He and Baxter finally started playing together today. It was so cute to see them wrestling and play biting. Baxter seems to be happier already.

He looks to be a mix of Rottweiler and Great Pyrenees which means he's gonna be huge! We're thinking of naming him Stud Muffin and calling him Studley. What do you think?

Trial dog

2011-03-17T20:12:00.002-05:00

We picked up a young dog today at the animal shelter who is here on a trial basis to see if he gets along with our basset hound mix. Baxter, of whom I've shared many pics of over the years, has decided that he's lonely with 5 cats outdoors and ran off to our neighbor's house down the street who has 3 golden retrievers he fell in love with. Everytime we let him out, he was down the street and at one time we thought we had lost him for good not knowing where he was.

So...we built a fenced backyard in our wooded area, but now he yelps and cries all the time. He's a very social dog and needs companionship, thus we're hoping this new dog will work out. Right now, he's pretty much ignoring him but we'll see how they are by tomorrow. He's around 3-4 mos. old and has the markings of a rottweiler but is long haired like a collie. He's very sweet natured like Baxter. We'll keep him over the weekend and see if he will fit into our family.

No name yet. Don't want to get too attached. Yeah, right!

The last of Dallas Blooms

2011-03-14T15:45:00.001-05:00

Finished editing all my pictures today. Hope you enjoy!

Caught Celeah and Steven in a moment of reflection.

Did something fun by slowing down my shutter speed to about 1/40 sec. and twisting my telephoto lens as I took the picture. Cool, isn't it?

More of Dallas Blooms

2011-03-13T15:50:00.004-05:00

As promised, here's a few more photos I took at the Arboretum.

And remember, if you'd like to purchase any of these as a print, canvas or card just click on the link to the right where you can order them from Fine Art America. Can't you just see this blown up in a huge canvas for your wall? It would be just gorgeous!

Pansies galore!

Dallas Blooms

2011-03-12T23:34:00.002-06:00

Today we met some of our kids at the Dallas Arboretum where they celebrate Dallas Blooms every year during March and April. I've always wanted to go since I'm a lover of flower photography, and it did not disappoint--I was in flower heaven!

I have never seen so many tulips of so many colors in my life. God truly is the master creator to make so many varieties and colors of flowers. I find it mind boggling.

These are just a few I took and will upload more tomorrow. I'm exhausted tonight and hittin' the sack!

Our son Nolan with his girlfriend Caroline.

Tianna trying to mess up the picture, lol!

Boy can these two jump!

Our daughter Celeah with her boyfriend Steven.

They just HAD to sneak in a kiss!

Foggy morning

2011-02-18T12:51:00.002-06:00

Finally got my chance to get out and shoot in the fog, and it was awesome! Everything takes on a mysterious calm and beauty that's hard to explain unless you've experienced it. This morning the fog was really thick and hard to see more than a couple of cars in front of you. I drove around the country roads around my house a bit and then ended up at the Ardmore Regional Park.

Here's a few from the park. Lots are black and whites because fog seems more beautiful in that rendering. What do you think?

By the way, if you are interested in any of my nature or landscape photographs, click on the Fine Art America link to the right where you can purchase them as a canvas, framed print, art/poster print or card.

This was the monochrome setting in my camera.

Added a cool ghostly filter to this one. I love it!

These were found down some country roads. I love, love the old shack!

Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens

2011-02-17T16:40:00.003-06:00

This is a mighty sharp lens and creates beautiful bokeh (background blur) but is sharpest at around 2.5 instead of 1.4. It's a great portrait and pet lens so I stuck it in Fuzzy's face today and got a few shots in between his constant licking and grabbing my hand trying to make me pet him.

Fuzzy is a dear sweet kitty whom we've had for 11 years. He's a really long and lanky cat, but I've noticed he's gained weight over the past year. I think that's cuz he's getting older and doesn't run around as much.

If you pet him, he will start licking you like crazy and grabbing your hand with soft bites trying to get you to continue. He's so laid back that anytime we bring a new pet into the house, he just ignores them and never gets riled up. But I've noticed that he's the dominant one because all the other cats keep their distance at times.

He's also got a love for anything with a rubbery feel and starts chewing on it till it's destroyed. He's chewed through our satellite cords, jacuzzi wires, many headphones and one time I found him in my closet gnawing away on my snorkeling mask and fins! Thankfully he seems to have outgrown that desire as he's gotten older, hasn't destroyed anything in a long time. I asked our vet if he was missing something in his diet, and he said no and then proceeded to tell me of a cat at his office that likes to do the same thing. In fact, he said they have to turn all the rubber glove boxes around so he can't get to them or he'll chew holes in the gloves! Funny things animals do!

Kovu is growing up way too fast!

2011-02-11T20:29:00.001-06:00

Sounds like a child or something, and he acts like a toddler at times, lol! I caught him after he had taken a nap today and snapped a picture of him posing perfectly. He's still a very affectionate cat who goes around meowing like crazy sometimes just so you'll hold him and love on him. Never had a cat that did that, love it!

2nd Anniversary of Tornado

2011-02-10T11:22:00.002-06:00

Two years ago today on Feb. 10, 2009 a huge tornado tore through Lone Grove, Oklahoma killing eight people. It continued to travel northeast towards Ardmore where it touched down north of town and hit Rodney and Jo Phillips home and then tore through Majestic Hills destroying many homes and our church school, Ardmore Adventist Academy.

Today I'm here to share with you some pictures of the Phillips' and Pack's homes (who are members of our church), recount their experiences and share their rebuilt homes. Also I will share pictures of our church school and the rebuilding process which continues to this day.

The Phillips family were home at the time of the tornado and tried to jump in their car to get out of its path but didn't have time. They saw the tornado heading towards their home and only had time to step back into the house from their garage and hit the floor. As you can see, it was a miracle of God that they survived. He must have held His hand over their home to keep it from blowing away, thus protecting them from total destruction.

And here is their home today.

After the tornado hit them, it continued through the woods in their backyard right towards the other homes in Majestic Hills including the Pack's house. They were also home at the time and their son Wes called from Norman and warned them that the weather looked really bad and that they should get in their cellar. They and some of their neighbors joined them in the cellar just moments before the tornado hit their two-story home and completely demolished it. While in the cellar the door was actually being pulled out by the powerful winds and the sound was deafening. Again, God had His hand over them.

And here is their home today.

Both of these families are still replacing furniture and other items lost in the tornado.

Here's a few other homes in the Majestic Hills area that were also destroyed. All have been rebuilt except this one. It's just an empty plot now.

After hitting lots of home the tornado seemed to make a beeline for our church school which was northeast of Majestic Hills. It may seem that God didn't have His hand over the school because of its complete destruction, but actually there was supposed to be a school board meeting that very night and for some reason it was canceled. Again, no loss of life in Majestic Hills. Material things can be replaced.

Looking up towards the school from Mt. Washington Rd. and the devastation caused to the school's pecan orchard.

The gym

The gym roof

The gym stage

The library

This was another miracle for our handbells were saved and left right where the students had practiced last.

And here is the school today still under construction. They will have it finished in time for the new school year this fall.

The front office

We're still saddened by the eight lives that were lost in Lone Grove with one little girl losing her mother and father. But we thank God for no more life lost in Majestic Hills. We know that the devil is behind all the destruction in this world, but we praise God that He is bigger than all that and has helped people rebuild and move on. Life is so precious! Make memories with your friends and loved ones while you still have time.

Finished a few more bird photos

2011-02-05T15:31:00.001-06:00

More grackles

A black-eyed junco

A goldfinch

A house finch

More wild bird art!

2011-02-03T19:01:00.001-06:00

These aren't as easy as they look! Took me hours to finish these two photos. Certain editing I did with the cardinals wouldn't work on these photos because the birds are darker so I had to experiment until I found what I think worked with these two.

This first one is called Harris' Sparrow x 3

And this is The Grackle Effect

Making wall art out of my bird photos

2011-02-03T10:10:00.003-06:00

Since being stuck in the house for the third day in a row because of the snow/ice storm, I've decided to play in photoshop and make some of my bird photos into wall art. I've decided to leave the beaks intact to give some authenticity to the photo. If you'd like to purchase a print, canvas or card made any of these, they're available at my gallery at Fine Art America by clicking on the title of this blog.

Here's the first one I finished today called Cardinal Couple. Actually cut out the female cardinal from another picture, flipped it horizontally so it would be facing the male, and added her next to the male. Will be sharing some more as I make them, takes alot of time and effort! What do you think?

Braved the weather today

2011-02-02T14:27:00.002-06:00

to get some snow/ice shots. It was bitterly cold when facing the north because of the wind. My toes were frozen! I also poured two pitchers full of hot water on our two AC units to break up the ice on them. I was surprised that our largest one was even still running because it only had a little hole in the top for the fan to breathe. Hopefully they won't have to work so hard now because it's supposed to get down to zero for the next few nights. The only good thing? Hopefully it will kill off alot of scorpions, ticks and other nasty bugs we battle in the summers around here!

These were all taken with my favorite lens, the 100mm 2.8 macro.

Our solar lights are covered in snow drifts

The branches of trees have all these icicles hanging off of them

When it's bitterly cold outside...

2011-02-01T15:02:00.003-06:00

what else is there to do except stay inside and take pictures through your window? A bad snow/ice storm moved in last night so all of us stayed home today. The winds are blowing from the north 30-40mph and tonight it's supposed to get down to the teens with a wind chill of 0. Brrr!!!! Surely spring is not too far behind, right? Please tell me I'm right!!!

Decided to trick the birds into coming close to the door so I could get better close-ups of them by spreading bird seed over the back porch. It worked like a charm! I just sat on my stool and had my Tamron 70-200mm lens on a tripod and shot away.

Unfortunately when we have bitterly cold weather, the pesky grackles come out in droves and just clean up our bird feeder in no time flat! I must say though, they sure have pretty colors.

This one looks like it's saying "What do you think you're looking at?" lol!

A white-crowned sparrow

Of course, the beautiful cardinals

And a cute little Harris' Sparrow

Yay, it finally snowed!

2011-01-09T16:27:00.002-06:00

Just a few inches but pretty nonetheless! This winter has been very warm and dry, completely unlike last winter where we got at least five snowstorms (very unusual) and one memorable one on Christmas eve of 9 inches. Got out my big hunkin' Tamron 70-200mm lens and took these from the back porch. I've found that even though it's a fast 2.8, it still has a hard time focusing at the 200mm length and is a bit soft wide open. It seemed to be the sharpest at 4.5 or 5.6, but I still ended up doing a bit of sharpening in photoshop.

By the way, if you're going to be out and about taking pictures in really cold weather it's a good idea to put your camera in a sealed plastic bag outside for 30 minutes to let it get acclimated to the temperature change. That way when you go out to take pictures, it's less likely to fog up on you or develop moisture inside. You will need to do the same when you come back in. Put it back in your sealed bag while out in the cold and bring it in the house and leave it in the bag for 30 minutes to let it slowly warm up before removing it. Also, take extra batteries with you because cold weather drains batteries quickly.

Another pointer, expose at least one stop over what your camera meters otherwise your snow will look gray. Your meter sees all that white and wants to underexpose it.

The cardinals always look so beautiful against the white snow.

Here's a purple finch that we only see in the winter. I think it was misnamed since it's really red and not purple, but it's a pretty little bird nonetheless.

Flash photos in my garage

2010-12-30T14:57:00.002-06:00

As promised, here's the rest of the photos I took of Tianna with my flash set-up. I used the inexpensive Cowboy Studio wireless triggers which comes with an umbrella attachment. I already own two white shoot-through umbrellas and a large black reflective umbrella. For this shoot, I used one white umbrella. I really needed another flash on the other side for a fill light (as you can see from the shadows), but I'm still learning studio lighting and don't want to spend alot of money on something I don't use much. I prefer natural lighting over studio lighting any day but sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate here in southern Oklahoma so having a few off-camera flashes and some wireless triggers and portable umbrellas makes it easy to get some indoor shots.

Tianna wanted to get full body shots because of her new Converse shoes, but trying to not include my garage floor and get her far enough away from the wrinkled white backdrop was impossible without including some shadows from one flash. I kept putting my light stand higher and higher to make the shadow fall behind her, but then when she was seated her foot shadow was seen on the floor. Even with a reflector on the opposite side of her, I couldn't get enough fill to overcome the shadow. Like I said, I'm still learning!

The other thing to watch for is DO NOT CUT OFF BODY PARTS!! It's so easy to do in the heat of the moment. Tianna was spontaneously flipping her hat, holding her hands out, etc. and I was shooting away but sometimes I would end up cutting her hands off at the wrist and many of them had her cut off at the knees. It's okay to have a photo with some of the top of the head not showing or part of the elbow or leg. A good rule of thumb is not to crop off at any of the body joints.

Darn floor shadow!

So tell me, which do you like best? The softer, natural light or the harder, flash light?

Miss Photogenic

2010-12-29T19:48:00.003-06:00

That's my daughter Tianna for sure! She has a magnetic smile and my camera loves it. Today we did some experimenting taking photos in our 3rd car garage. This first set was with the light coming through a set of windows in the garage door, no flash. I set up a pop-up backdrop in the background about 5-6 feet behind her. I used a 28-75mm lens set wide open at 2.8, shutter 1/20, ISO 200. I also turned off the overhead garage lights. The natural light was very softening for her skin, something I really liked.

The next set are with my Canon 580EX II off-camera flash unit shot through a white umbrella. You'll noticed the pictures are much harder, but Tianna actually likes them better. I'm still editing those and will share them tomorrow.

My favorite shot!

Playing with filters

The epitomy of relaxation

2010-12-27T19:26:00.002-06:00

Does this cat know how to chill out or what? Every night he has to let it all hang out on Celeah's chest or in her arms, and he doesn't care how much noise is going on around him. He can tune it all out and completely relax in dream world. It is the funniest thing to see! He's only about 4-5 mos. old now and around 7pm or so starts meowing up a storm looking for Celeah all over the house and if he can't find her, then he'll get into someone else's lap trying desperately to curl up in their arms or on their chest so he can go to sleep. I'm wondering what he's going to do when he's a big grown cat?!

This little piggy went to market...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T13:34:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone is having a blessed day with family and friends. We've had a wonderful three days with all our children home for the first time in a year. Managed to get a shot with all of us and some twinkling lights on our dining room floor last night before our oldest son and his wife left for her parents house in Dallas this morning. Also got a shot of the two of them getting a bit cozy under the lights. That was tricky since the lights were getting warm and kept poking Tyler in the eye and ears, lol!

Full moon last night

2010-12-21T11:16:00.002-06:00

Went out in our back pasture trying to get some sunset photos because lately we've had some gorgeous ones but the clouds didn't cooperate. As I was returning in the dark I noticed how beautiful the full moon looked peeking through the trees so I got a few shots. As usual Baxter followed me everywhere as my protector.

Santa pictures were a hit!

2010-12-08T15:59:00.002-06:00

Everyone was very pleased with their Santa photos, and I couldn't have been happier to do them. It was lots of fun! Each day had different men volunteer to be Santa but both did a great job. The shelter couldn't be functional without its volunteers. I would highly recommend you get involved. The animals truly need us.

Here's a few photos of the ones with just pets. I'm not sharing ones with owners and pets because I didn't get releases to do that, but if you become a fan of the Ardmore Animal Shelter on Facebook you can see them.

Photo tip: I used my Canon 580EX II speedlite pointed up towards the ceiling and angled a bit at full power for the flash. That's all the light I needed. I actually had the overhead lights turned off and the potlights on over the backdrop. There were also windows and a door open behind me for some ambient light.

Some of the employees were great helping elves.

This is a therapy dog who also alerts her owner when her blood sugar goes to high since she's a diabetic. Amazing!

The shelter truck decorated for the Christmas parade that won first place in their division for the second year in a row. Too cute!

Merry Christmas from downtown Ardmore!

2010-12-07T19:39:00.003-06:00

The lights are so gorgeous this time of year in Central Park and down Main Street. The window displays are so sparkly and inviting. Love it!

Photography tips:I took most of these photos at f/22 which is what gave me those star bursts on all the lights. Beautiful, huh? It also made for a really slow shutter speed so a tripod and cable release is a MUST!

My favorite shot!

The REAL reason for the season!

Santa pictures this weekend!

2010-12-03T10:07:00.001-06:00

Calling all dogs and cats! It's time for your picture with Santa on Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 pm at the Ardmore Animal Shelter. Have your master bring a donation of $5.00 or 5 cans of dog or cat food to benefit your poor comrades in caged bondage. Be sure and put on your shiniest coat or Christmas outfit of choice and smile for my camera. See ya there!

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

2010-11-24T20:41:00.002-06:00

On this Thanksgiving eve I wanted to share a fantastic dessert recipe just in time for the holidays. I got it from the Kraft website. It's to die for! :)

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin, 15 oz.
1/2 c milk
1/3 c oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip topping, thawed
1/4 c caramel ice cream topping
1/4 c chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans. Beat cake mix with 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice and pour into pans. Tap pans on counter to level and release bubbles. Bake 28-30 min. or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool in pans for 10 min., then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice and mix well. Gently stir in cool whip. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with a serrated knife, then stack on a serving plate and spread cream cheese filling between layers but not on top. Drizzle top layer with caramel topping and sprinkle with nuts just before serving.

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 lens

2010-11-23T16:40:00.003-06:00

Just got this in the mail today. Bought it used from Amazon. I'm really liking it so far and hope to mainly use it for portraits and pets, of course. Here's a shot I took of Baxter while he was sleeping (and snoring). Love the beautiful bokeh it has!

Oh, by the way the little white Schnauzer below was adopted over the weekend. Yay!

Gearing up for Christmas pet pictures!

2010-11-19T14:27:00.002-06:00

In just a few weeks I'll be taking pictures at the Ardmore Animal Shelter for a donation of $5.00 or 5 cans of dog/cat food. No registration necessary. Come out and support the shelter on Sat., Dec. 4 or Sun., Dec. 5 from 2-4pm.

Here's some cuties I took pictures of today.

This boston terrier is 8 yrs. old and has cataracts but acts like she's a puppy.

It was all I could do NOT to take this schnauzer home! He's a puppy and just as cute as can be. An unusual color too.

Fall colors are really brilliant this week!

2010-11-11T13:01:00.001-06:00

Don't know why our colors have come so late. Maybe it's because we've had such a warm fall. Here's a few I got in our yard today.

Baxter following me.

Bringing up the rear are Fuzzy and Baxter, lol!

More adoptable dogs

2010-11-05T15:18:00.002-05:00

Took pics of 19 dogs this morning! Too bad I don't have more time to really pose them and settle them into a nice backdrop to get some better photos. It's just lickety split in and out with mostly hyperactive dogs.

Went out in the kennels and got a few more. Here's a pitiful-looking german shepherd that's 11 years old. He was so sweet sticking his paws through the fence trying to get to me.

Lots of puppies, of course.

Amazing that so many have one blue eye and one brown eye.

Volunteer work

2010-11-03T20:21:00.002-05:00

This week I felt impressed to volunteer my time at the Ardmore Animal Shelter by taking photos of their adoptable animals. I've gone in the last few days for a couple of hours each day, taken photos of lots of dogs and cats and then edited them on my laptop and immediately gave them the files to put on their website. They will also use them for newspaper ads, to put on pet of the week at a local TV station, etc.

What I didn't realize when taking on this work is how fulfilling it would be! To get to meet and greet all these adorable animals, to love on them and play with them, to see the joy and unfortunately, the fear in many of their eyes has touched me in a most profound way. And I've only been doing it for 2 days.

I've always loved animals, had many of them growing up. I even remember finding a kitten behind our backyard fence when I was little and running away because my parents wouldn't let me keep it. Thankfully they found me that afternoon, but that just shows how far I was willing to go to take care of one. They are truly God's creatures and when you spend time with them, you bond with them that much more. They love you unconditionally. They accept your faults without argument. They forgive and forget so easily. There's just so much we can learn from them!

The other "perk" I didn't expect from this was the great joy I experience from helping someone in need. The shelter couldn't survive without volunteers, from cleaning cages to walking/playing with the animals, it's all needed. And they are so grateful for my help. To know I'm truly needed and am doing an important work is very satisfying. I hope and pray that my photos will help more animals get adopted!

So from now on I will be sharing some of my favorite photos from the shelter. And there may be quite a few because this shelter takes in an average of 600 animals a month!

A very sweet pit bull that probably won't be adopted just because of the stereotype.

Beautiful blue-eyed Bruno who's picture will be featured on KTEN television.

A very sweet and attentive little dog that would make a great house pet!

They have alot of cute little chihuahua mixes right now. So cute!

And unfortunately many of them are scared to death with ears always back and cowering on the ground. So sad!

This beautiful pit bull belongs to one of the employees. Her name is momma, and she walked on three legs because she had been shot in one of them. She was so attentive to her owner and sweet as could be.

They have lots of full-grown cats available also.

This one's name is Marshmallow.

VERY generous gift!!!

2010-10-26T12:42:00.002-05:00

I have to give a shout out to a wonderfully talented and generous friend, Loreen Smith, who surprised me a few weeks ago with this gorgeously crafted camera bag custom made to fit my camera and lenses!!!

I grew up with Loreen and remember in academy when I came to her room and asked her what she was wearing to a banquet. She showed me three different patterns where she was taking the sleeves of one, the bodice of another and the skirt of another and combining them into one beautiful dress to wear. I was amazed! She eventually went on to own her own shop in OKC where she made custom clothes, including wedding gowns.

Not only is she talented with sewing ANYTHING, she also crochets, knits, paints and does charcoal drawings. Oh, and I can't forget photography! She's an amazingly talented lady who is now a nurse but still finds time to create gifts for others.

From my heart to hers, it's overflowing with love and gratitude! Thank you just isn't enough for the gift she has bestowed upon me. I feel so blessed. :)

These are my favorite colors, brown and turquoise. The bag fits over one shoulder across my body and sits on my hip.

The flap opens up to reveal clear pockets for storing accessories.

The inside top flap unzips to reveal two well padded pockets for a lens and my camera with a lens attached face down.

The other zips open up to reveal two more well padded pockets for lenses.

Cetean Family Portraits

2010-10-25T10:58:00.003-05:00

So happy to be doing this family again. I've been shooting them since their son was a tiny newborn. They are a beautiful family to work with. Just look at their kids' eyes, gorgeous!

A heart breaker in the making!

Love this soft black and white.

The cutest kids ever!

M was pooped out I think!

Very cool moon tonight!

2010-10-22T21:34:00.001-05:00

I don't think I've ever seen it with such a large halo. Brian says it means rain. We could sure use it.

Signs of Fall

2010-10-18T17:02:00.005-05:00

Just a few of our trees are starting to turn colors. We mostly have oaks which don't turn beautiful colors. Their leaves just turn brown and die, pretty ugly in the winter. But they're sure good for feeding the birds and squirrels with all their acorns. We do have a few silver leaf maples that are turning and our bradford pear trees should be turning soon.

We also have these tiny little white/purple flowers covering our yard. Their only about half an inch wide. So cute!

Doing some more cool things in Photoshop! Just can't help myself, you know.

Recipe time: Apple Pear Crisp

2010-10-17T20:07:00.002-05:00

This is the most delicious crisp I've ever eaten! It comes from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. When I first made it years ago, I accidentally used the wrong proportions for the spice mixture compared to the amount of fruit I used but kept it anyway because it was even better.

I make this in an 8x8 glass dish. The topping will seem like too much, but it bakes down into the fruit so it's just right.

Apple Pear Crisp

3 pears (any type)
3 apples (I use Fuji or Gala)
1 t grated orange zest
1 t grated lemon zest
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Topping

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1 stick butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and cut the pears and apples into small chunks. Place fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into an 8x8 dish.

Combine the topping ingredients using an electric mixer that you press down and around so to integrate all the butter. Evenly cover the fruit with the topping.

Bake for 45-50 minutes till the top is brown and bubbly. At this point I like to turn the broiler on for a few minutes to harden and brown the top even more. Serve warm with whipped cream if desired.

Rusted out cars and trucks

2010-10-17T09:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we went to Hugo Lake State Park in Hugo, OK and on the way back I saw these cool looking old rusted out cars and trucks and did a U-turn so I could get some pictures of them. They are located next to an antique store on Hwy. 70 right down the street from Texoma State Park and the bridge crossing Lake Texoma.

If I lived closer, this place would be so cool for senior and couple portraits! But alas, I live too far so pictures will have to suffice. Very fun subject matter though!

You know you want to drive it, lol!

Autumn beauty at Lake Murray

2010-10-15T20:35:00.002-05:00

Lake Murray is starting to come alive with color! Went out this morning and captured a few beauties. By the way, if you're interested in buying any of my nature or landscape photos just click on the title of this post and it will take you to a gallery where prints, canvases and other artwork can be bought.

Pomegranate season is here!

2010-10-13T18:07:00.001-05:00

When I was a child I would beg my mom to buy me a pomegranate when they came out in the fall. She rarely did it because they were so expensive. I've passed on that tradition to my girls who ate a yummy one today! This photo was taken with my 50mm 1.4 lens. Beautiful bokeh!

New kitten in the house

2010-10-12T17:30:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago Celeah, my oldest daughter, adopted a kitten from the animal shelter. Unfortunately, he died a week later from a respiratory infection. It was awful seeing him take his last breaths!

Seeing that our shelter gives you a six-month credit when you lose one of their pets, she was back there this week and found another little guy to adopt. He came through the vet with flying colors so it looks like he's here to stay. She named him Kovu. He's a very, very vocal cat...constantly meows everywhere he goes and loudly!

Our other outdoor cats are not too keen on having another kitten around. They just hiss and hiss at him, but he's not too afraid. In fact, he goes right up to the dogs with no problems. Here's a few photos I took of him today.

Running from a hissing cat!

More balloon pictures

2010-10-08T20:18:00.004-05:00

We were really disappointed that the glowdeo special shaped balloon show was cancelled last night because of the winds, but today turned out perfect. Had to get up at 5am again but oh, so worth it!

Again, we wore out our legs and feet running across this huge field over and over again. I also did something different to try and get a better perspective. I attached my camera (with my new Tokina ultra wide angle 11-16mm lens) onto a monopod and hoisted it up over my head and tripped the shutter with my remote control. That way I could get above the crowds. Of course, I had to guess where to focus but most of the time it turned out pretty good. I was very happy with the angles I couldn't have gotten otherwise. I also used it to stick out in front of me and tilted up into the inside of a balloon without having to get my face right up there. Of course I got alot of funny looks but hey, when you're as short as I am you gotta do what you gotta do to get the shot, right?

Looking up into the balloon as I described. In fact, the pilot saw me sticking out my camera to take a peek and said, "Are you ready? Are you ready? Here goes!" And then he promptly fired up the gas. Too cool!

One of my favorite photos...the clouds, people shadows, angle, everything! Love it!!

This thing was massive!!!

Another angle of sticking my camera out. Try it, you'll like it! :)

Wells Fargo stagecoach.

The policemen on some beautiful horses.

Looking directly into the sun.

Discovered this little mud puddle and noticed a balloon flying over so I got the reflection just in the nick of time!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2010

2010-10-07T21:59:00.002-05:00

This is our first time to attend the huge balloon fiesta, and we've not been disappointed. Yesterday we got up at 5am and attended the early morning rise. We were surprised at how big the field is and how it's a carnival-like atmosphere with vendors and food booths everywhere. Got some yummy breakfast burritos!

What's so cool about hot air balloons is the chance to be up close and personal, so close that you can feel the hot fire as they blow up the balloons. In fact, many of the captains encourage you to get close and explain how everything works. It was definitely a foot race running across that huge field trying to get pictures of everything going up. Just when we'd get close to one going up, we'd turn around and see another cool one across the field. Needless to say, our feet and legs were killing us after a couple of hours. Makes me wish I had worn more comfortable shoes.

Here's a few pics from the morning with many more to come. I was hoping to also share some from the special shaped balloons that were supposed to glow tonight but it was cancelled because of the winds, so disappointed! We have one last day before we go home so we're hoping the weather cooperates for an early morning rise tomorrow.

Amazing how they can all go up at the same time so close together.

Loved this zebra!

And what's a balloon fiesta without Darth Vader showing up? lol!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies

2010-09-30T20:31:00.002-05:00

Recipe time! I like to call these muffies because they're a cross between a muffin and a cookie--soft and puffed up like a muffin, yet chewy and shaped like a cookie. I used a large spring-wired scoop to measure them out and filled it half full for each cookie.

My whole house smelled like Thanksgiving while baking these, yummo! I've included the title here again so all you have to do is cut and paste or select and print it. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies

3/4 c butter
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 t vanilla
1 can pumpkin
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 1/4 t cinnamon
1 1/4 t nutmeg
1 1/4 t salt
1 pkg. chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in the pumpkin. Stir in the rest of the ingredients except chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

Discovery

2010-09-24T20:03:00.003-05:00

It doesn't matter the time of year, there's always something cool to be found in nature! Took out my 100mm 2.8 macro lens this evening to see what I could find. These were things just in our yard alone.

This is why I love photography!

2010-09-20T20:09:00.004-05:00

To be able to capture a moment in time such as a hummingbird's wings is just so awesome and makes you appreciate these tiny little creatures that much more. We have a couple of them that fight over our feeder everyday. Last summer we actually witnessed them locking feet and twirling around and around to the ground and then letting go just before they hit. It was amazing!

Photography tips: I took these with a 100mm 2.8 macro lens and my 580EX II speedlight set on manual mode at 1/32 power with a plastic diffuser over it. The camera settings were 400 ISO, 80-100 shutter and f/4.0.

Baxter...again!

2010-09-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

Ha ha, can't help myself! Baxter is just too cute for words. He's also very photogenic.

Selling some Canon lenses

2010-09-16T19:05:00.004-05:00

Gotta finally get rid of some of the lenses I've been collecting over the past year or two. Just don't use them enough to justify keeping them. They are in mint condition, only been used a few times, and have all the original boxes, paperwork, etc. If you're interested, leave me a comment with contact info. These are all CANON lenses only.

EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft focus
EF 85mm f/1.8 SOLD
EF 20mm f/2.8 SOLD

I would suggest you go to Amazon.com or some other site and read the reviews before purchasing. They are all great lenses.

A few more of the wedding to share

2010-09-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

Oma (grandma in German)helping her granddaughter with her bustle.

Grandpa and granddaughter. Too sweet!

She danced with Trevor's grandpa too. He had some great moves!

She looks happy and exhausted.

Getting ready to throw the bouquet.

Quick run to the limo!

Ashley and Trevor wedding

2010-09-05T22:30:00.002-05:00

A close friend whom I grew up with, Loreen, asked me if I would help her shoot her granddaughter's wedding this weekend in San Antonio. Even though I don't do weddings as a business, I agreed to help her since they were a young couple who wouldn't have pictures otherwise. It's always a delight to see young couples in love, and these two were no exception.

She has the prettiest green eyes!

Her and her dad whom I hadn't seen since we were kids.

They got married in Pat O'Briens on the Riverwalk where they had beautiful rooms upstairs for renting called the Briars.

Can you tell which four are sisters?

Beautiful mother and daughter!

Having fun with filters again. :)

First dance

Love this expression between father and daughter. So much love shared between them!

And saved the best for last. So very, very happy with these two photos with some very cool filters added to them!

A few more to share

2010-08-30T22:20:00.002-05:00

Playing around with the heart I bought as a prop.

More formal shots

Eric and Amy engagement

2010-08-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

This couple just got engaged, and they were so cute together. Very shy and reserved but I think Amy has a bit of an adventurous spirit as she was the one who suggested they walk through water to get to some small rocks for the pictures by the lake. Too fun!

These are just a few I'm sharing tonight. Will share a few more soon.

My favorite photo!

Down to Lake Murray before the sun set completely. Eric didn't seem to sure about doing this but was a good spirit about it anyway.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

2010-08-28T18:22:00.002-05:00

Can't remember if I've shared this recipe before so bear with me if I have. I KNOW I didn't share a picture which always helps me to visualize the taste, texture and smell of a recipe. I can't take credit for this recipe. It came from www.recipezaar.com and is my favorite go-to recipe for using up over-ripe bananas.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

1 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c baking cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
2 large, very ripe bananas (or 3 small)
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, break up the bananas into chunks and use a mixer to blend with the oil and egg until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill paper-lined muffin cups to the top with an ice cream scoop. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12

Old Red Museum

2010-08-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to downtown Dallas to go to the Holocaust Museum and while walking around discovered this beautiful building that we originally thought was a church. Come to find out it was the original courthouse for Dallas County built in 1892 and was referred to as the Old Red. It's now a museum of Dallas history and artifacts. At the time we were waiting to get into the Holocaust Museum and thought that we've been to this city for so many years that we weren't interested in learning its history. But now that I look at its website and see the gorgeous architecture on the inside, I regret not going through this museum also. Maybe someday!

Photography Tips: I used an HDR filter on all these photos which is bundled in a package from Topaz Labs called Topaz Adjust 4. It's very inexpensive and a great tool to have for adding the pop to your photos.

It's interesting to see the old and new beside each other. That's the Reunion Tower to the left of the museum. It has a beautiful restaurant in the top that Brian and I ate at for our 25th anniversary years ago.

I would encourage you to explore the architecture of your town, whether that be big or small. You never know what you might find!

New haircut

2010-08-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

Lots of changes this week. Tianna got a new layered haircut in time to start high school, and I got trifocals. I think she got the better deal!

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet...

2010-07-26T21:15:00.002-05:00

eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider and sat down beside her and scared Miss Muffet away! Ha ha! I know I'm going to freak out some of you by sharing some spider pictures, but the black and yellow garden spiders all around our property make the coolest webs and if something's in my yard, it's fair game for me to take a picture of!

The females are quite large, with the legs included around 2-3 inches. They hang upside down waiting for prey and actually wiggle the web back and forth if they think something is caught in it. I experienced this firsthand when I tried spraying the web with water trying to get droplets to form (didn't work). I also learned that they eat the center of their web everyday and restring it. You can tell them apart from other spiders by their zigzag silk left down the center. Pretty cool, don't you think? Great for your garden and nonpoisonous!

More of the Hilliard family

2010-07-21T22:32:00.002-05:00

Has anyone ever told you how exhausting editing photos is? I'm such a perfectionist that I've spent the last four hours doing just that, but I'm really pleased with alot of the photos I got last night. Hope the Hilliard family is too!

Louie and Merron have a gorgeous home with stone walls and beautiful landscaping, perfect setting for photos.

Louie's brother Steve and his wife Joanne were such jovial people. Enjoyed them immensely.

Beautiful couple, don't you think?

Having some fun with an old picture frame.

Used an old vintage filter on this one. I love it!

A father and two sons

2010-07-20T22:25:00.002-05:00

Got to take some pictures of this spry, albeit a bit crotchety, 92-y-o dad and his two sons this evening. I asked if he enjoyed his birthday party, and he said "Oh, I don't care about those things. A good day is just to go home and lie down!" ha ha! I'd probably feel the same way if I was 92 years old. :)

These brothers hadn't seen each other in 28 years. Can you imagine? I was so happy to be able to capture this family with one another. Who knows how many more years they have left together.

Here's one photo for tonight. Still have many more to edit that I'll share in the next few days.

Arbuckle Retreat & Conference Center

2010-07-13T21:35:00.003-05:00

Last week I had the privilege of shooting newly remodeled bedroom suites and the skyway of this conference center situated on over 1,000 acres in the Arbuckle Mountains of Sulphur, Oklahoma. It's a place that provides beautiful meeting spaces, healthy meals and spa services all within the setting of gorgeously landscaped trails and wildlife. I would highly recommend booking your next conference here. I'm hoping I have the privilege of going back someday.

Here's a few of the gorgeously remodeled bedrooms. Wouldn't you just love to sink down into one of these?

And this is the skyway that goes between two buildings. It's got lots of space for meetings to be set up and comfortable seating for reading a book, watching TV or taking in the gorgeous Arbuckle Mountain view.

Summer sunsets at Lake Murray

2010-06-29T22:37:00.003-05:00

There's just something about being at a lake when the sun is setting. It's just so peaceful and calming, not to mention gorgeous colors reflecting back at ya! Missed a gorgeous sunset last night but got out tonight for some nice colors also at our beautiful Lake Murray in Ardmore, Oklahoma, just 20 min. from our house. I would encourage you to take the time to enjoy God's beautiful creation this time of year. :)

Photography tips: A tripod is a must! I also used a cable release because sometimes my shutter speed was so slow I couldn't hand hold the camera. Used spot metering and metered the sky (when sun was present) and locked the exposure. Used 100 ISO in AV or aperture priority mode most of the time. My aperture was anywhere from f/13 or 18. I also bracketed one stop up and down and set my white balance on sunny. I had to manually focus because my auto focus couldn't figure out where to focus. For landscapes you want to focus 1/3 into the picture to get the best sharpness throughout the picture.

Pagosa Springs, Colorado

2010-06-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

Went on a much deserved vacation last week and met our son and daughter-in-law who live in Denver. Hadn't seen them since Christmas so it was so nice to spend some time with them! Stayed in a condo right on a small lake and got a few photos as the sun was setting.