Strings

This one is for Jake!

Encouragement

OK!  I know I keep posting pictures of kids, but they are so freaking cute.  Look at this little girl who doesn't offer her hand to her teammate who had fallen... instead she just tells him that he can get up.  Logically, she's right... He doesn't need a girl to help him. ;-)   

Photo was actually taken Saturday April 19th.  I'm soooo behind!

Amanda's Prom

Here's a slideshow of some of the pics from Amanda's Prom...

Make-up provided by: www.marykay.com/angelacooks

Hair: Jen O'Boyle

Photos by: Joyful Creations Photography

1st Paid for Portrait

So last week I volunteered to take a photo of a girl in Grace's cheer class who missed picture day. I told Linda I'd do it for free - just because I think it's fun. As I pulled out the camera, she handed me a gift card for Starbucks (my absolute fav!) and it had the sweetest thank you note with it! I consider it payment, but that's just because I'm so flattered to have been recognized.

Here's my favorite of the bunch:

"Juliana"

Takes me back...

"Briana"

This lil cutie reminds me so much of my sister Katie circa 1980 and then again my sister Amanda circa 1995. I just adore red hair and freckles! They're just so... I don't know - Irish?!

Boys!

I had an overwhelming amount of photo opps this weekend - The fashion show at my mom's church, Monica's son and friend, Elena, and the Bryant family. I took so many photos I'm surprised my camera is still in working condition!! What can I say? I was excited. I just got my new studio lighting. It wasn't what I preferred to have, but it still does the trick. Now, I need to learn how to make it work for me.

"Bobby Velez"

With the new equipment, you'd think I'd offer up a studio shot today, but truth be told - I didn't even get to review them all yet! This on is the one that really caught my eye. I used the gold side of my reflector to diminish the dappled shadows being cast by the tree he was under and in my opinion, this really worked!! I'd like to start using this again, but I think I'm going to need an assistant or some type of gadget to hold the reflectors.

Wow. Photography is not cheap!

Joy Ride...

I'm going to start adding my logo to my photos before posting. I just feel better doing this because every one needs to remember my name! :-P Oh. And it's fun. And I'm addicted to picnik.com..

"Colorful Flight"

This shot was very impulsive. I was running the cheerleaders home after a fun practice when my brother called to coordinate the drop off time. He said I would need to wait about 15 minutes before someone could be home with my niece... I decided my time would be better spent experimenting with the camera than sitting in his driveway... So Sky, Grace and I stopped at Fiesta Mall and parked behind this carnival. I set the camera on the tripod, switched to TV mode and lowered the aperture speed. Then started snappin' away!

(Now that everyone knows I'm fascinated with flying and things that are in the air - I hope you understand why I was attracted to these two rides!? )

On a side note... just as I was getting ready to leave these three people came up to me and offered to be my photo subjects. How could I resist my favorite type of shot? (That's people shots, in case you forgot). I only remember the name of the guy in the middle since I wrote it down but I am hoping he and his fiance might give me a chance to do their engagement photos. I kinda feel bad about the picture below because #1. I only snapped once and #2. I left the camera in TV mode and didn't put the flash on so the shy guy on the right ended up blurry. I learned a valuable lesson... ALWAYS be prepared for every type of shot.

"You never know who you will meet"

The Kid...

This is Princess Grace. Photo was taken yesterday while we were at the airport. I didn't take one today, so I'm gonna go ahead and post an edited copy. I just found picnik.com and am VERY addicted to it. Other photographers tell me I'll get over that, but to have fun with the borders and text while it lasts...

Good times!

Birdwatching...

It seemed my family was off to a bad start this morning when Princess Grace managed to drop a glass bottle of vinegar onto the travertine-tiled kitchen floor. Glass was everywhere and the house reaked of vinegar. I immediately called my boss to let him know I'd be an hour late. No, it wouldn't take an hour to clean up the mess, but according to the bus schedule if we are not out of the house by 6:50 AM I have to wait 7:40 AM... But what do I do until then? That's right... I TAKE PICTURES BABY! YA!!

So, it was 7:20 and Grace and I had 20 minutes to kill... Just enough time to see what's happenin at the airport! (I am blessed to live about 1 block away from Williams-Gateway!)

Many people don't know this about me, but I am fascinated by airplanes, flying, and anything in the sky! Luckily, my work bff and cube neighbor is too. He's the one that clued me into the fact that the runway is easy to spot from the picnic tables at the airport...Naturally, I had to refer to him to find out what type of plane I had captured this morning:

T-38 Talon Hangin Out at Williams AFB

From there, he showed me his favorite airplane website (airplane-pictures.net) which make my shots look hella-crappy, but whatev... At least now I'll have the opportunity to learn the names of those massive birds I love to watch!