Zoo 2!!

A couple more zoo photos. These were both taken at the Detroit Zoo. Enjoy!

I Love the Zoo!

It is amazing what kind of photos you can get at the zoo. I have read articles about highly successful wildlife photographers who suggest zoos for great photos of animals. The truth is, most people will never be able to travel the world to see the animals in their native habitat. So, if you want to take photos for yourself, the zoo is your best bet. In today's zoos, most of the time, they try to math their native habitat. You really can get some great images. Richmond actually has a really nice zoo. (Although it is in Amelia, not actually IN Richmond) I have been wanting to go back, but to take my whole family costs too much. What fun would it be to go to a zoo without my kids anyway? So I thought I would share a few photos that I really enjoy that I have taken at zoos. These two here, the orangutan and the Galapagos tortoise, were taken at the Richmond Metro Zoo. I plant to post a couple more taken at other zoos. I hope you enjoy.

So, to say that life has been busy is a massive understatement. School is nuts and I really have not been able to do much in the way of shooting. I will probably post a few that are overdue, so some may not have much in the way of stories. This one is not a "perfect" photo, but it is important. This is from Wreathes Across America, Richmond National Cemetery ceremony. This is a worthy cause and I recommend everyone get involved.

Death

Death is an unavoidable part of life. Without death, life would not be as important. It would not be valued. It would not be enjoyed.

New Self Portrait

So I have given up on the once a week thing. Life is just too busy to keep that up. I am keeping the challenge of creating new images. I was waiting for the bus on the last day of school. I was snapping some photos when I decided to play with my own shadow. I had not purposefully taken a self portrait in a while. The last I recently posted was more a happy accident then a planned image. After looking through the images, I was not completely happy with any one image. I started looking and realized that if I put them in groups, they had the feel I intended. These images are the result. Three images, acting as on, Self Portrait!!

Nothing major here. I was just playing with a light to see what results I could get. I used myself as the model and was fairly happy with this shot. So I guess this makes this my first official self portrait post.

Ok, so it has been much longer than a week since my last post. Unfortunately this won't be the last time that happens. I wanted to put up a new image, but time has not allowed me to shoot anything lately. What shots I have done have been more on the snapshot level. So, I went back to some slightly older images and started seeing what I would like to put up. I found a few and will be putting some up. For now, here is a simple shot of a gumball. I like this image for its visual appeal, but even more for its the emotions it conjures up. If you live in an area with these trees, I am sure you have stepped on one barefoot. When I see a gumball I remember that feeling, but now I also get the feelings that come with trying to clean up thousands that fall on the ground where my kids play. What do you feel when you see this?

Another from my walk around day. I just like the imagery here, as well as the color. I hope you like.

Been busy studying for my 1st semester of finals. I haven't had much time to make new images, so I went back to my walk around the yard day's photos. I knew there were several that I wanted to see what I could do with. This is just one of those images. I will add more soon. I hope you enjoy this shot. I am quite pleased with the end result.

I took a short walk around the yard today. Partially just because I needed some fresh air, but also because I wanted to look around to see what I could find. I was looking for inspiration. I used to look at things with a different eye. I used to look at things that nobody would give a second glance at, and I would see the beauty, and the possibilities it held. I feel like I have lost some of that. That's one of the reasons I started this blog anyway, to challenge my eyes, and my mind. With the world of digital, I have become lazy. So, while these two images are digital, they were photographed with film in mind, specifically B&W. I actually even broke out my favorite camera today, my 4x5!! I hope to get that processed soon and share an image with you soon. I hope you like these two shots. I purposefully put one in square format. I love 2 1/4 film, so I took it with that in mind.

I love to photograph inanimate objects. I also just love the color here. A simple shot of opportunity at my daughter's first soccer practice.

Many have asked us where the girls get their headbands. We have a friend that makes them. I took some photos for her recently so I decided that would be a nice addition how some product work.

If you would like one, they are only $8 for just the headband. The bows are $4, a headband/bow combo is $10. They can be custom made as well, whatever colors you want. Email bowfairy@yahoo.com

Nothing super fancy about this one. The girls were out picking flowers across the field. I grabbed my cam a snapped a few shots. There were a lot of cute shots, but this one just has a unique feel to it. This is when she turned around to wait for her sister that just called her name.

I decided to take the point and shoot with me as I went to get Elizabeth from the bus. It had been raining quite a bit, but by this time it had pretty much ended. When we got back to the house I noticed the dirt that had splashed up onto the dog's water bowl. I found the texture quite interesting, and tried to capture it. While I don't think this image is perfect, I do like it. I hope you do as well.

It has been too long since I really focused on my photography. So I decided to create this blog as a way to keep myself thinking and improving my image making abilities. My hope is to post at least one image a week. My hope is that you will not only enjoy the images, but feel free to comment, and even critique. I realize that not all images will suit every individual taste. Rather than putting, I don't like it, or it sucks, tell me why. What is it you don't like? My hope is that between my own expectations of producing images and your feedback, I will grow as a photographer.