Bee-mused in the Country

I've moved...

2008-08-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

to my new location on Wordpress.

Sierra Springs Photo Blog

I'm not quite willing to give up Beemused because it's been so close to my heart for 3 years. But, for now I'm posting over at the new joint...

I would love it if you came by.

Face your Manga

2008-08-14T20:07:00.001-07:00

Are we the cute couple or what? They didn't have a camera, but I did add the kitchen background for chef hubster. (Is it my imagination, or does he look a little like a mad scientist?...Oh well, mad scientist, mad chef, what's the dif?)

Girl's Night Out: Izzy's Burger Spa & Traveling Pants

2008-08-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

Last week my daughter and niece invited me to go to dinner and a movie to celebrate the end of summer. I realize it wasn't really the end of summer, but the girls were returning home the next day and school was starting this week for my son and I fully expected to return home from Tahoe this week. (It turned out a little different as I am stubbornly still in Tahoe.)

At any rate...I was quite flattered that they wanted me to go with them. We invited my youngest son to go with us, but when he found out we were going to see a movie with the word "Sisterhood" in it, he thought there would be way too much estrogen going on in the theater for him to feel comfortable. And besides, he had never been to Izzy's and any new restaurant is extremely suspect to him for fear that they may put some sort of sauce or veggie on the burger rendering it inedible.

So, we headed out to Izzy's Burger Spa in South Lake Tahoe, CA, for a quick burger before the movie started.

Izzy's has some of the best burgers in South Lake Tahoe, in my humble opinion. The girls agreed. Daughter (above) shows off one of her favorites: Veggie Burger.

Darling niece and I both ordered a grilled onion burger. I love the onion burger, but I think my favorite is the cheese burger...a true American burger.

We enjoyed our dinner out on the large patio at picnic tables with umbrellas. There is also seating available inside, but why would anyone want to eat inside when they can enjoy eating on the patio? No reason I can think of.

After dinner, we headed over to Stateline, NV, to go to the movie theater in the Horizon Casino. There are two theaters in South Lake Tahoe, both of them are within walking distance at Stateline...one in Nevada and one in California. So, most of the new movies are available when we are up here.

We were pushing the time a little and arrived at the theater about 5 minutes before the movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Part 2, started. The theater was almost full, so we had to sit in the third row...which is a little close to the screen, for me. After we sat down, I looked around to see who all the people were and my son was absolutely right about not coming to this movie. The house was packed with women and young gals...except for 3 guys. I really felt sorry for those three guys and I'm glad my 15 year old was not the 4th because I never would have heard the end of it.

Anyway, watching this very girly chick-flick with about 150 other women, all ohhhhing and awwing and sobbing in unison was quite the experience. My daughter and niece kept looking at me to see if I was crying and then they would look at each other and laugh...the little stinkers know me better than I thought. (I still cry at the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. Sigh.)

Ah well, I had a great time with the girls...good meal, good movie and great company.

Lazy Days of Summer

2008-08-08T13:56:00.001-07:00

Do you remember when you were a teen and spent the summer days reading a good "mind candy" book on the beach or inside in a cool place?

They call these days "Salad Days"...days of youth and inexperience. Days when you were young and naive. Days to make memories.

Happy anniversary to my husband and me

2008-08-07T15:24:00.001-07:00

I took this photo of this darling young couple this past weekend, but saved it for today. These two are about the same age as the hubster and I were when we got married 25 years ago today.

I still love my darling hubby to pieces. He's perfect in every way...

I'm pretty lucky.

When will I ever wear that dress again?

2008-08-03T21:18:00.001-07:00

What do you do with the wedding dress after the party is over? You could save it for a future potential daughter, but face it gals...did you wear your mother's wedding dress?

No. You got your own and it is still hanging in the closet waiting.

And waiting...

And waiting...right next to your mother's wedding dress.

It could be waiting for just this occasion...a "Trash the Dress" photo shoot.

These beautiful dresses were donated to these darling models to help them (and some "starving" photographers) build up portfolios. I'm not sure I could do this with my wedding dress, but I might think about it.

Las Mujeres Perfectas

2008-07-31T18:13:00.001-07:00

Reader's Digest version of our Retreat.

Friends forever

2008-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Some good friends of mine came to visit me over the weekend. They are from Southern California and I have known some of them for 20 years. They have been coming to Tahoe to visit me every year for the last five years and I greatly look forward to it every year. It's always very relaxing and refreshing.

This year we had fun, as always. We went wine touring to some of the local wineries, we ate out at some great Tahoe restaurants...Heidi's Pancake House, Ernie's Restaurant, Izzy's Burger Spa...and we hung out here at the cabin talking about the things women talk about when they've been friends for years, but don't see each other very often.

These are my closest friends and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Yum Times 11

2008-07-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we went over to a local fine dining restaurant here in the area to take some food photos for the owner/chef. We set up a little table in the back patio with a table cloth, table setting and napkin. Then, the chef would make the dish that he wanted me to photograph, my husband and I would take about 15-20 photos of the dish, moving around to get the best angle and turning the hot lights off and on and moving them around for the best light.

Then, the best part...we got to eat the food. After that, we would take the empty dish back to the kitchen and the chef would send out the next dish...usually paired with a nice glass of wine.

That went on through 7 wonderful dishes. We had smoked salmon (cold and hot), shrimp, mushroom pastries, salads, steak and sides and veggies. It was heaven.

My husband and I picked a quiet little spot in the lovely patio area of this restaurant, and even though we were hot and sweaty from the hot lights and food stained from the drips of tasty food that didn't quite make it into our mouths, we had the time of our life. It was romantic and relaxing in a weird sort of way.

We also went into the kitchen during the height of activity to take some photos of the chef and his staff.

As if this weren't enough and just when we thought we were done, he disappeared into his refrigerator and emerged with 4...count them...1, 2, 3, 4...different divine desserts for me to photograph.

The only disppointment was that we were too full to taste them all, after they had been photographed. We did share a wonderfully tart lemon tart with some dessert wine.

As I said...it was heaven.

Reflecting

2008-07-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

This photo almost looks like it's supposed to be this way, huh? Actually, I turned it upside down for fun.

I'm trying to get my photography business started up and I feel all kind of topsy-turvy, so I thought this photo was appropriate.

I'll be starting a new photography only blog and I'm not sure if I will be continuing this blog or not...

My new blog is a Wordpress blog because I can have more control over the way it looks and I can use larger photos. My genius brother has set one up for me but the learning curve is a big one for me. It may take a couple of weeks before I get it truly off the ground. So...

...I've been reflecting.

It's good to get out in the morning.

2008-07-16T11:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning I stopped by the South Lake Tahoe Farmer's Market, which I love to do when I'm up here. I didn't take any pictures this time, but I did find some wonderful things...Cranberry Walnut Sour Dough Bread from a Sacramento bread company...I forget the exact name. My favorite olive oil company, Winterhill Farms, had a booth, so I purchased some of their wonderful oil. My favorite cheese shop, Deidrick's Cheese company, also had a booth. As I had found a wonderful, huge, fresh bunch of basil, I purchased some pine nuts and some manchego cheese from Deidrick's. It's time to make some fresh pesto.

Anyway, it was the first day of blue sky in the Tahoe basin for several weeks. So, after I packed my Farmer's Market purchases in the car, I drove over to Tahoe Keys Marina to see what might be going on. I saw an advertisement for some sort of "Cool Woodie Boat Show" going on this weekend somewhere here on the south shore, but I didn't see any sign of old wooden boats in the Keys.

At any rate, as I was driving home I really wanted to take a photo of the lovely blue sky, but the lighting was a little yukkie and I didn't think a photo would highlight the sky very well.

However, I did spy this little scene in one of the "Keys" as I was leaving Tahoe Keys and thought it would make a fairly decent photo. (The Keys are like little waterways and inlets designed so that homeowners have boat access to Lake Tahoe right from their homes.)

No, the photo is not upside down. The sky, mountains and trees are a reflection in the key, but for some magical reason I was able to expose it so I got a nice reflection of the blue sky, which is what I wanted.

Sometimes I wish I knew what I was doing instead of just getting lucky.

Lagoon of Doom

2008-07-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

I went out for a drive the other night and ended up in the Blue Lakes area above Lake Tahoe. I saw this lovely little pond with lily pads and frogs and everything. So, I hopped out of the car, grabbed my gear and tripod and headed for a good spot. I blissfully imagined myself spending at least an hour admiring and photographing this wonderful find.

"I wonder why there aren't any campers in this lovely area?" I queried myself. "How lucky I am to find this place."

Ha!

No sooner had I set up my tripod for the first shot when the clarion call of "fresh blood" roused at least 1 billion mosquitoes. I am not kidding.

At first I thought I could ignore them, but my arms became a veritable landing strip and my ears were buzzing with the little buggers. I could barely see through my lens because the camera kept focusing on all the bugs swarming around me.

"MY EYES! I CAN'T SEE! MY EARS...I CAN ONLY HEAR LOUD BUZZING. SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I screamed most pathetically...

Not really. But, I did grab my tripod and gear and ran for my car.

"my keys...my keys...my kingdom for my keys." I said out loud most pathetically.

I began slapping my pockets for my keys, while also slapping my arms and forehead to try and kill the army of mosquitoes, who had now called in the reserves.

I not only understood why nobody else was foolish enough to stop at a pond at sundown, but I was glad nobody was there to see some crazy lady slapping herself silly while packing camera gear and a tripod and trying to remember which pocket of my gear bag I had oh-so carelessly dropped my keys. What a sight I must have been.

When I finally found my keys and jumped in the car, two hundred mosquitoes joined me so I spent the next 10 minutes slapping the inside of my car trying to kill the little devils.

I should have learned from my trip to Echo Lake when I vowed to bring some OFF with me. At least I got one fairly decent shot...but without my tripod, so it's not as sharp as I would have liked.

Sigh. The OFF is now in my bag.

I'm so Lucky

2008-07-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

You know you want one of these videos of your very own.

Come on...admit it. You want to be a star.

Sun...day

2008-07-06T16:20:00.001-07:00

"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands forever."

Echo Summit

2008-07-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to get up early every other morning and hit the photo circuit while I'm here at Lake Tahoe. This morning I laid around until about 5:20 because I couldn't decide where I wanted to go and did I really want to get up and go take photos. I checked the thermometer and it was only 43 degrees, but I was already up, so I hit the road. I didn't even make coffee...I just grabbed a soda (what was I thinking?)

This time I headed up to Echo Summit to see what kind of sunrise I could get from up there.

I was surprised that I got there about 15 minutes before the sun came up and there were no other photographers hanging around.

After I got a couple of sunrise photos, I drove over to Echo Lake to see if there was anything interesting going on. I was pleasantly surprised to see a large field of wildflowers. So, I pulled off the road and waited for the sun.

Of course, as soon as I got out of the car the mosquito posse moved in. It is so hard to take a picture with mosquitoes buzzing around my head, landing on my hands, legs, forehead and any other exposed skin, which luckily was pretty well covered due to the temp.

I love wildflowers, but if I waited around any longer for the sun to get just right, I would have been one big mosquito bump. So, I just grabbed a few shots of mostly skunk cabbage and headed for Starbucks.

I took my coffee over to Sawmill pond, stopped the car to take in the sunrise and happened to share the morning light with this little guy.

NERD ALERT: Most people think these little guys are chipmunks because they are small, have a little curly tail and move like crazy. Those people would be wrong. They are really Golden Mantle Ground Squirrels. I'm just saying...because I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself at the next Tahoe cocktail party by mis-identifying these guys.

Early birds and backward hats

2008-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I got up at 5:00 this morning and decided I would drive over to Emerald Bay to see if I could get some sunrise shots over the bay. There were no other cars on the road, so I made it over there in less than 20 minutes. I didn't think there would be too many cars in the parking areas even though this time of year is the height of tourist season. It was just too early and it was a weekday morning.

As I came around the slide area and saw the bay, I didn't see any cars parked in the usual parking places. However, there were already 2 photographers on the scene with their hats on backwards and their fancy Nikon/Canon cameras with the big lenses perched on their fancy ball-head tripods.

I wondered about guy photographers always wearing their baseball caps backwards? Why can't they just take them off. Really, they didn't need a hat because at this early hour the morning sun wasn't going to be an issue. Then, I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw my bed-head hair and I realized why photographers who get up before the sun comes up wear caps. I fluffed my hair with my fingers, but it was pretty hopeless.

Two photographers aren't bad. I parked the car, grabbed my gear and my non-fancy, non-ball-head tripod and trudged across the street. I was hoping to get a spot near Eagle Falls, but there was already a backward-hat-wearing-photographer with his ball-head tripod set up practically on the falls.

I did find a spot, on the other side of the falls where I got a pretty good view of the bay and the sunrise, but no falls in the foreground. After the sun rose, I walked back the way I came and the falls photographer had also moved on. So, I snapped this photo and felt fairly good about it. I guess next time I will just have to get there earlier.

Right.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

2008-06-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

...and throat and lungs...cough, cough.

Because of all the fires in the Northern California area, the skies are filled with smoke and soot. The only upside to this is the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets that are produced by the smoke.

I got up early the other morning and headed over to El Dorado County Beach in South Lake Tahoe. The sun rose and everything turned pink and purple. It was pretty amazing. I don't think I've ever seen the lake this color before. There is a reason the nickname for this lake is "Lake of the Skies".

Hopefully most of these fires will soon be extinguished and the lake will return to it's normal beautiful blue.

Continuing with the pink theme...some little ones left some beach shoes and a floaty, which were arranged neatly on this picnic table for the owners to find.

Keep it Simple...Storytelling

2008-06-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

My style of photography is mostly storytelling...or photojournalism. I like my photos to tell a story. Most of the time that means I take a series of photos to tell the story that I want to tell. The simpler the photo or series of photos, the easier it is for the viewer to "read" the story. The viewer doesn't have to guess about what I'm trying to say with my photo because I am trying to lead him into the story by the composition and focus of each picture. (Hopefully)

The above photo doesn't really tell the full story that I'm trying to tell, but it adds interest to the below photos, even though the picture is very, very simple. It is a little detail that is part of the story.

This photo (above) tells a little more of the story, and if you add it to the first picture, then you will see that she is playing some sort of board game with someone and she's afraid something bad is going to happen. (Actually she was pleading for mercy from her father.)

The third photo lets the viewer into a little more of the story. Here, the camera is closely focused on the two girls playing a board game. I used the "rule of thirds" to draw interest to the hands and the board game. There a few things in the background that may be a little distracting, but the camera is focused on the game and the girls and so the viewer's eye tends to be focused on the same thing.

This last photo includes the whole picture of all the players and what they are doing. This photo is rather boring and uninteresting by itself (plus, I think the background is a little distracting), but when I put them all together, they tell a fun story of three people playing a board game together, intensely involved.

PS. Nobody is looking at the camera because after I took the first 10 photos, they became more interested in the game than in me constantly taking pictures. That's exactly where I want to be...a fly on the wall that nobody notices anymore. I actually took about 25 photos of this little slice of life. These 4 tell the best story.

Keep it Simple...especially in the summer

2008-06-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of my niece the other day when she was visiting us. She's my new favorite subject (aside from my immediate family, of course.) She's just so much fun and she doesn't shy away from the camera.

Then the fun really begins when my niece and my daughter get together. They stay up late, go shopping, ride bikes, take walks and generally hang out together all the live-long day. Plenty of opportunities for me to take photos.

Summer is a wonderful time to take photos because of the long, lazy summer days and all the activities that go with it. Here's a little tip that will make your photos better...Keep it simple. My most effective and best photos are the ones that are simple.

One way of simplifying a photo is to make sure the background is not distracting. When I see something that I want to memorialize in a photo, I make a quick check of the background after I put the camera to my eye. If I see something I don't like, I usually try to change my position by getting closer, choosing a different angle, getting higher or getting lower. If that won't work and I can get the subject to move without breaking the mood, then I will ask them to move to a better location. But, don't let a busy background prevent you from preserving a precious moment. It's better to get the memory than to miss it because some toys were in the background or the house was a little messy or there were telephone wires looking like they were going through Auntie Bessie's head. Just get the shot. You will never regret taking the shot...plus things can be cropped out with photo editing software...including the wires going through Auntie Bessie's head.

Happy Birthday Bro

2008-06-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

Today is my little brother's birthday.

He was up here at Tahoe with me until yesterday when he had to return home. Several weeks ago he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which is rather strange because he is not a smoker and he's relatively young (in his 40's). He underwent a grueling 8 hour surgery which removed several lymph nodes and a growth in his throat. The doctor was pretty satisfied with how the surgery went, but now my brother has to start radiation therapy.

(Here he is recovering in the hospital several weeks ago.)

So, he came up to Tahoe to gather his strength and spend some time with his family.

He's going to try and go back to work today. Good for him. He's a brave guy with a lot of good friends and family that have been truly helpful in his recovery.

I thank God for him, his friends and our family. I pray God's healing and blessings upon him.

Happy Birthday, Bro.

foto friday

2008-06-20T12:12:00.001-07:00

I've been so bad about posting this week and I really had a lot happening. I guess I'm just lazy.

Short recap:

I won 2 thirds and 1 first at the El Dorado County Fair Print competition. Yea me!

I've been up at Tahoe this week with my brother and my darling daughter and fantastic niece.

My bro and I went to Sand Harbor yesterday, which in my humble opinion, is the most beautiful spot on the lake (Lake Tahoe.)

I'm sure many more exciting things have been going on, but I just can't think of it right now. So...until next time...

Aloha from Tahoe...wish you were here.

Foto Friday

2008-06-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

My virus protector has been protecting me from being able to blog or to post on anyone's blog, since Tuesday. (On second thought, maybe it has been protecting anyone who happens to read my blog or some of my postings.) This is the second time I've had issues with my virus protector and losing access to such dangerous websites as Google, blogger, Yahoo maps and KTKZ radio station (which, if I'm going to listen to that radio station, I need streaming because the reception is very bad here in the hinterlands.)

So, I wrote them an email and this morning it appears they have corrected the problem.

I've also been having some issues with my computer compatibility with Photoshop. It does not like my large RAW files and keeps shutting down with no warning. So, my wedding photo post-processing has been going VERY SLOWLY. But, I did manage to find a few shots that I liked...so far...from the wedding.

Note to self: Remember to keep myself out of the mirror shots.

And Speaking of Weddings

2008-06-09T12:03:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I went down to one of my favorite local restaurants to photograph a wedding set-up. How relaxing compared to photographing a wedding the day before.

The restaurant was mostly set up for the wedding (except for the cake and the finishing touches). We got there about 3 hours before the wedding and about 1 1/2 hours before the staff arrived (except the owner/chef and his staff). I got to move things around a bit, I added some flowers that the owner/chef was kind enough to get for the shoot because the bride had decided against flowers for the tables. I had a blast. It was low key and there was nobody around to tell me what to do. Then, when the cake people arrived, I watched them set up the cake and then I took some pictures of the cake using natural window light. (Oh, how I love window light and a subject that doesn't move.)

My staff (my husband) helped move chairs, take pictures off walls, wash vases, cut flowers, set tables, etc. After I had taken about 30 photos, he disappeared. Now, most husbands could be counted on to be found in the car listening to the radio, or outside kicking dirt around waiting for "the wife", or leaning against a wall somewhere.

Not my husband.

No...I found him in the kitchen...cooking. He loves to cook and he's taking every opportunity to learn all he can from the two great chefs of this fine dining restaurant. I was done with the photo shoot long before he wanted to leave the restaurant. I finally dragged him out when the bride and groom arrived.

Oh! Another advantage to a photoshoot at a restaurant...we got a wonderful chicken Caesar salad for lunch. Free! Yum!

2008-06-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

All brides are beautiful. There's just something about a wedding day that brings out the best in women. There's an expectancy in their faces...a serenity. That's the easy part about photographing a wedding.

My first wedding photo shoot is over. Seven hours of taking pictures. I've never done that before and when I got home I could hardly speak a complete sentence let alone look at any of the pictures I took.

Of course, I had my panic of the day when I put my flash on the camera and it didn't work. "Change the battery", I thought and then I followed through. Nope. No go. "I just bought these batteries", I whined. Luckily my husband was there to drive to the nearest grocery store and buy some new batteries. They worked.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur, and I still haven't looked at all of the 800 photos that I took. Once I recover, I'll go through them all...cringing at the bad ones and being surprised at the good ones.

All I want is for my photos to honor the bride and groom and the promises they made to each other and to God.

Oh...and 100 good photos. Just 100.

Okay, maybe I'll settle for 95.

Hick is in: Tahoe

2008-06-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Yea! I love Tahoe. However, I'm here to do my first wedding shoot on Friday night.

YIPES.

So I'm busy polishing my camera lenses, charging batteries, writing lists, studying posing techniques and looking at lovely wedding photos to copy.

If I survive, I might post some photos.

Wish me luck.

Oh...what does this little dog have to do with this post. Nothing really...I just thought he was cute.

Happy Birthday Goofball

2008-06-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

Are all young men goofy when they turn 15? Both my boys were/are. I prefer to think that all boys are goofy at 15 rather than it's a goofiness gene that runs rampant in my family.

At any rate, my youngest turned 15 today, so he had to have the obligatory head shot in front of the BIRTHDAY BANNER (which, I notice, is beginning to show it's age. No matter, it has become a tradition.)

Birthday boy wants an old fashioned barbecue with ribs, chicken, corn on the cob and broccoli (I made him pick a veggie) and cupcakes for dessert. So, I got up early and headed out to the grocery store this morning because I forgot to stop at the store last night when I was done working at the county fair grounds checking in prints and fine arts for the fair competition next week.

I did find the ribs (on sale, too...yea!). But, alas, it's a bit too early for good sweet corn on the cob so I got curly egg noodles instead. Maybe he won't notice. I'm now slooooooow pre-cooking the ribs in the oven with a rub so that hubster doesn't have to spend quite so much time over the hot barbie when he gets home tonight. It will be quite the celebration with all my kids present and accounted for.

We make a big deal out of birthdays around here and the kids have always liked the "king for a day" routine...including a breakfast of their choice.

Happy Birthday, sweetie heart!

Love,
Mom

What to do with the photos left on the cutting room floor

2008-06-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

...after the photo shoot.

String them all together, add music and enjoy.

Click on the picture and you can see what a fun family they are...takes only three minutes to view. (Make sure the little white line under the photo loads all the way before you start the show.)

foto friday

2008-05-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Since I have been a little busy this week, I have not been out to take any photos. Occasionally I click my camera just to make sure it still works, but I haven't taken any photos just for fun. In fact, I haven't even taken any photos for my photography classes (she hangs her head in shame.) So, on this foto friday, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite wedding photographers, Nichole Van. I don't know her personally, but I have purchased her actions and have had some email correspondence with her and I found her to be as charming as her photos.

In fact, I would say that she is more than a fantastic wedding photographer who has been published in bridal magazines and other publications. She is a dang good photographer of people. I am always inspired when I see her work. I would highly recommend dropping by her website. It will make you smile.

And I don't think she makes anyone say "cheese".

My first family foto frenzy

2008-05-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the extreme pleasure of photographing a wonderful family from my church...father, mother, 2 girls and 2 boys. Not only are they a very fun family and love each other very much, but they are all very good looking people. They were cooperative, polite and eager to help me by holding my reflector, moving my car or grabbing some gear that I had left in some other place than where I was.

Things I learned:

1. Be prepared. Have phone numbers handy in case you get lost on the way to their house and you need to call them to ask for directions and you've brought the wrong church directory with their old phone number so you have to call your husband and hope that he is still at home so that he can give you the new phone number but you have forgotten a pen or pencil in your other purse so you consider how you can prick your finger so that you can write in blood, but luckily you see an old pencil rolling around on the floor that your youngest kid left when he was doing his homework.

2. Make a list of the things you want to remember and remember to take the list. Need I say more?

3. Be calm. Leaping out of the car, banging on the door and yelling "Get out here because we're losing light" does not inspire confidence. "Quickly people" and "What's the matter don't you like your sister," and "Who told you to smile like that?" also are not good things to say. Now I am not saying that I used these phrases with this family. I have learned as I traveled the "road of life" that those kinds of words do not produce good photos. This is just a little bit of family wisdom. Also, drop the "Say cheeeeese" mantra. The word "cheese" does not produce a pleasant and natural smile and besides, people do not like to say "cheese".

4. Think long and hard before you agree to do a family photo (especially your first family photo) with 2 horses and two dogs (one being a puppy) along with 6 family members. You can take photos all day long and you will never get all of those creatures and people looking at the camera and not blinking and with pleasant looks on their faces, all at the same time.

Never...never...never.

5. You probably should bone up on your Photoshop skills before trying to swap out a bad horse head for a better one in another photo.

'nuff said.

Fortunately my first family was a lot of fun and they were very understanding with my goof ups. The real best piece of advice I could give is find the best light possible (deep shade with no speckled sunlight works well during the day) and try to get the people to be themselves. They are probably more nervous than the photographer and appreciate feedback from the photographer. Grimacing and muttering makes people nervous, even if you are grimacing/muttering about the bad light or the wrong setting on the camera or anything else. The photographee will think you are grimacing and muttering about them. That makes for bad photos.

Luckily, the camera loved this family and I didn't have many bad photos of them.

I'm a little tired today...

2008-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy with my daughter's graduation from high school, relatives visiting, a family photo shoot and being with my brother as he's battling a recently diagnosed cancer.

But...life does move forward.

Daughter is now graduated.

Our out-of-town family has returned to their homes. We had a great time together, even though the weather was pretty bad. Rainy and cold.

The family shoot was fun and I'm still working on the pictures that I took of them. They are all lovely, beautiful people and so they were easy to photograph. But, that also means that I have lots of photos to post-process.

My brother is beginning his recovery in the hospital, having made it through almost 8 hours of surgery on his throat.

We're praying for you, bro.

Thank you to all brave military and service people

2008-05-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Without your sacrifices, both past and present, we would not have the freedoms we so much cherish.

Everywhere Magazine

2008-05-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I finally got the magazine where my photo was published. I was in the process of doing this photo shoot of the magazine when I had to leave for the fire.

At any rate, I was kinda surprised to see which photo had made it in to the magazine and I was even more surprised to see that I was given a full page spread. This is not my favorite photo out of the ones I submitted but I thought it fit the theme...Points of interest, Grand Openings. I guess the editors thought so too.

I'm exicted and I might try this again.

More on the Sunset Ride

2008-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Horses do not like me.

I have been bucked off or nearly bucked off horses numerous times. One time, a horse even tried to bite me off. When I pointed this out to the owner of the horse he merely said, "I've never seen him do that before. What did you do to him?"

"I got on him."

I am, however, a great admirer of horses. I always wanted to learn to ride, that's why I kept getting back on them, even though they were ingenious in the ways that they wanted me off.

So, I loved this photo shoot on Saturday night. Sunsets, horses, riders...what could be better. The riders were friendly. I wanted to gain their trust to make it easier to take some photos so I tried to start up some conversation with them. I mentioned to one rider that I was not really a "horse person". She narrowed her eyes and looked at me very suspiciously.

"Oh, it's not that I don't like horses, because I do," I quickly covered. "They just don't like me very much."

The woman continued to size me up.

"Yes...you see, I've been bucked off them several times, and...uh...well...I just don't think they like me..." my voice trailed away as the woman gave me a wan smile and continued to groom her very lovely horse. I think the horse narrowed his eyes as well...probably thinking that there were many good reasons to buck me off.

As I wandered around taking pictures here and there, I didn't use that line about horses not liking me with anyone else. One lady told me that it was too bad that her horse was so big, because she would have him in the house, if she could. The horse snorted at me.

But, when all the horses were groomed and the riders were mounted. They all had huge smiles on their faces...even the horses, I think.

Sometimes I wish I did ride horses. This is one of those times.

What to do on a Hot Saturday Night

2008-05-18T16:36:00.001-07:00

So...

Our camera club was invited to photograph a sunset to moonlight horseback ride sponsored by The American River Conservancy in Cool, CA. I was very excited about it because sunset is such a beautiful time for photography and I had never really photographed horses and riders before. This would be a good chance for me to learn from some of the other photographers in the club.

We got to the appointed place early because I was excited and it was really too hot to do anything else. The trucks with their horse trailers began to pull into the yard. Riders and horses appeared. Grooming started. Time ticked by and still I was the only photographer present. I fidgeted, changed lenses, looked down the road pleadingly, changed lenses again, took some test shots and finally figured that I was letting too much activity go by without even taking one shot.

What to do? Should I just walk up to an innocent horse person and start snapping away? No, that won't work. It might scare the horses and cause some sort of stampede. Maybe I could saunter up, chewing a piece of straw and say something clever like, "Howdy pardner." Nah.

Then, I spied a lady with a clipboard going from trailer to trailer asking people to sign their name. A good rule to follow when you don't know what to do is go talk to the "person with the clipboard."

I introduced myself and, thankfully, she was aware that photographers would be present. Or, in this case...photographer. A lone, inexperienced photographer lady.

However, once I got over my shyness and insecurity, the fun began. I walked around from trailer to trailer, horse to horse, rider to rider, talking and taking photos as the sun began to slide behind the hill. The horses were magnificent, the riders were friendly and cooperative and the light was amazing.

After the horses rode off into the sunset, my husband and I dusted ourselves off and found a place to have some pizza and beer.

How lucky am I?

Angora Fire: One Year Later

2008-05-17T12:43:00.001-07:00

Renewal brings new growth and new beauty.

Lake Tahoe, CA
May, 2008

Phire replaces Photo Phriday

2008-05-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

Living in the forest, I know that fire is always a possibility and over the years I've considered emergency strategies, etc. but I have never REALLY thought about what I would do if a fire were eminent and I had to evacuate.

Yesterday I got that chance.

It was very windy all night long and in the morning it became hot and windy. The power went out for about 1 hour and when it came back on I began hearing fire sirens. Since we live WAAAAY out in the country, fire sirens are not real common. When I started hearing several fire sirens and then saw several fire trucks screaming up our street, and smoke billowing from down the street, I figured that I better start thinking about evacuation...QUICKLY.

I called my husband, who was in Fresno (about 4 hours from our house) and he gave me some sage advice. "You should probably get out."

"But honey, what should I take with me?" I pleaded.

"Take the dog and the important papers and stuff," he said.

"What important papers...and...what about the cats?" I said, glancing around to make sure that the cats were inside the house and not wandering around outside.

"Insurance policy, and other things that can't easily be replaced," he advised.

"Okay," I responded, "but what about the cats?"... I think I heard him mumbling something about hating those "pee-head cats" (we cannot break them from peeing on a certain spot on our carpet), but he said, "Do what you have to do."

By this time, my neighbors were outside and beginning to congregate as they watched emergency vehicles, animal control, sheriffs vehicles and fire engines race by on our quiet country street. Helicopters with water carriers buzzed overhead dropping their loads. They were so close that I could see the faces of the copter pilots. Then I got a call from the county telling me to be prepared to evacuate at "a moment's notice." I grabbed the things that I thought were important...IMPORTANT papers, jewelry, underwear, toothbrushes and, of course, my camera. Then I let the dog jump in the back seat and shoved the howling cats inside the car. They do not like the car and one of them immediately crawled up on the dashboard and the other one terrified my dog by sitting too close to her. A large firetruck and two sheriff vehicles blocked off the road in front of my house, so I walked out to find out what the deal was.

A very nice and calm El Dorado County Sheriff officer informed me that, although it was not yet mandatory for me to evacuate, he was asking that we do so voluntarily so they wouldn't have to come back if the fire got too close...and identify our burnt bodies, I thought.

So, I fired up the jalopy, pried a cat off the dashboard and another one off the dog and moved out.

There's a whole 'nother story about trying to get my kids out of school, but I'll save it for another day.

Bottom line: evacuation cancelled by about 4:30 or so (thank you El Dorado county emergency and California Dept of Fire). House undamaged. However, we were already up here at Tahoe. That's okay, because I always look for excuses to go to Tahoe.

So...how was your day?

Cutest Baby

2008-05-14T12:10:00.001-07:00

mac bubbles-1
Originally uploaded by therealjef79m

I did not take this photo.

I wish I had...

I found this wonderful, creative shot of a darling baby in my normal trolling of the photo learning sites.

Why, oh why, can't I think of doing these sorts of things?

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and children took me out to brunch this morning. We went to a charming little restaurant in town which we have been to many times before. It is one of my favorite restaurants. They have remodeled the back patio and garden area, so it was quite lovely to eat in the garden on Mother's Day with all my children. Gardens and flowers and Mother's Day seem to go together. So it was a wonderful day.

Photo Phriday

2008-05-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

The other morning I was over at a lovely, local restaurant taking some test shots for a potential photo shoot. It's one of my favorite restaurants in the area and I hope my photos do it justice.

The front of the restaurant has this little vignette set up in the garden.

This little rooster sits on the roof of the restaurant.

A wonderful detail on the stair railing leading to the outdoor patio.

Learning about...

2008-05-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Food photography...

I've been reading up on food photography because I may have a job that's going to involve some food photography.

What I've mostly learned is that:

1. It's not as easy as it looks

2. What you see is not what you would eat.

3. Don't let anyone "help" you who has no idea what they are doing.

Food photographers usually work with food stylists who prepare the food as if they were preparing models for a glamour shot. When you compare the actual model with what you see on a magazine, they don't even look like the same person (hey! I've watched America's Next Top Model enough times to know that they don't really look like that.)

The same with the food you see in magazines and cookbooks...especially the really yummy looking food. That food is probably smeared with some sort of rose water and oil, or glued together or is actually glue (food stylists use elmer's glue instead of milk in cereal because it doesn't make the cereal soggy and it looks good...makes me want to gag thinking about it, though. Plus, when the glue/milk drips off the spoon it holds it's drip for a long time. Really! Take a good, long look at the cereal box next time you have some cereal and you will know I'm right.)

I am not in to food styling...yet. But, as I said, I will be 'graphing some food, probably this weekend and I need to make it look good. So, I've been practicing. The berries came out the best because I was in total control of the light and the set up and nobody was around me trying to "help".

The dessert below is an actual dessert prepared by a local chef. he brought it to a church function and wanted me to take a picture of it. That's when I lost control of the shoot. Immediately several people swooped in to help me. Some dear church friend grabbed a lime green table cloth, spread it out on a rolling cart and plopped the dessert on top. While I was pleading for something white to place the dessert on, some other dear church friend began to set up the backdrop of fake plants. I was actually fine with the fake plants, but I wished I could have moved them to a better and lighter location. But other dear church friends began to arrange the cart by adding things and taking away things and telling me where to stand for the best shot. Sigh.

So, after I snapped a few photos with all the schmutz and the dear church friends had gone on their way, I arranged things the way I wanted and snapped the picture. It's not the best and I don't think I will take any more food pictures with a flash and without a tripod.

Next time, I will thank my dear church friends for their dear help and ask them to step away from the dessert. Then I might growl just a little to let them know I'm not as nice as I look. But just a little, to make them respect me and back off.

..then I will ask them for forgiveness.

Sigh.

I almost forgot...

2008-05-06T09:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my super son and darling niece. It's a little late to be blogging about this because their birthday was on May 1. Although they were born on the same day, they were born 6 years apart. I love them both fiercely.

My niece's mom has a wonderful tribute to my darling niece on her blog at Define Normal. Here's a picture I took of her and my daughter (behind) last year at Tahoe.

My son and his best friend came over for dinner on his birthday and I put on the dog. (I always wondered about that saying...where on earth did it come from?) I put out the birthday banner and decorated the table appropriately...with Speed Racer birthday plates, cups and napkins. I found these darling decorations at Walmart (of course). My son requested Funfetti cake for dessert, so I made cupcakes. I have always liked cupcakes better than cake because they are portable, they are the perfect serving size, they are fun to make and they don't dry out as quickly as cake. They are also more fun to decorate.

The guys liked the "party favors" that I lovingly laid at each place setting. I didn't even have to coax them to put them on for a photo op. (Below: the one in the middle is the birthday son, his brother is on camera right and his best friend on the left...darling boys all.)

Hubby made the dinner: filet mignon wrapped with bacon, roasted potatoes and pan roasted green beans. I did the decorations, the photography, washed the dishes...and, most importantly, sang the happy birthday song.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CT AND DARLING NIECE. MAY YOU BOTH HAVE MANY, MANY MORE.

Prom Photos

2008-05-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Darling daughter went to prom on Saturday night with a good friend (no romantic entanglements). He seems like a nice kid and daughter said she had a wonderful time. They went with a bunch of friends and so there was very little if any "drama" going on.

I wanted to take some pictures and so after she got ready and picked up her date, they came back here for photos. I think her friends are beginning to dread coming over here because I always have my camera handy. However, they always want to see the pictures afterwards and many of them have my pictures up on their "My Space"s. I'm flattered by that.

I didn't take too many prom photos because my daughter and her date were antsy to get on their way and her date is a little camera shy. It took maybe 15-20 minutes because I already had the lights set up in the house and I knew what I wanted to do outside. I think that's the key. If you are going to ask someone to do a photo shoot, plan it out ahead of time, set it up before you round up the victims...er, uh subjects...and then get 'em in and get 'er done.

So, I did something a little different with this prom photo. I told them to look in opposite directions like they were trying to ignore each other. Darling Daughter liked the idea because it was different. I kinda like it myself.

Photo Phriday

2008-05-02T21:13:00.001-07:00

Night shots

2008-04-30T08:50:00.001-07:00

I stopped in Placerville last night after I finished teaching a piano lesson. I'm fascinated with night shots and so I grabbed a bite to eat at a local fast food place and waited for the sun to go down. I had in mind a couple of spots to shoot and so when it was almost dark I headed out to the first place. I'm trying to get night shots of either Placerville icons, or interesting looking places.

When I was set up in front of Z-pie, some guy came over and asked me what I was doing, how could I take pictures without flash, what kind of film was I using, etc. I was a little leery when I first saw this guy walking towards me because I was in a relatively secluded place and there was no one else about. But, he asked his questions and then told me to have a good night.

I know I said I would take my husband along next time, but he's out of town and the kids were at the church youth group, so I had no particular reason to hurry home. It seemed like a good time to get some more night shots. But weird things run through my mind when I'm out by myself at night. I'm afraid that someone might mistake me for some sort of terrorist (never mind that there are probably very few middle aged women terrorists who also use tripods when they are taking their surveillance pictures.) However I'm sure that someone will call the local SWAT team who will drop down on ropes from silent black helicopters in the sky and surround me while some unseen FBI guy yells at me to "Step Away from the tripod" through his megaphone.

There's always the standard "masher" scenario that runs through my mind, too, but that is not nearly as interesting as being hauled off in the paddy wagon and then when I'm locked up behind bars, I'll need to rattle my tin cup against the jail bars to get the attention of the black-hooded jailer in order to make my "one free call".

But, this is Placerville that I'm talking about. Probably the worst thing that could happen is that I would be accosted by the local drunk who will demand money for another drink.

But still, you never know...

Sutter Creek, CA

2008-04-29T08:16:00.001-07:00

The camera club met in Sutter Creek, CA on Friday last. There were about 10-12 of us wandering around the street(s) of Sutter Creek with our long lenses and tripods. We started out in a friendly pack of photographers but gradually peeled off into different directions following our own interests.

Sunset magazine named Sutter Creek "The Best Town in Gold Country" in their April, 2008 edition. If you are in a hurry, it will take you less than 1 hour to walk through town...up one side of the well-maintained gold town and then down the other. But, if you take your time, look in the windows, wander in and out of the shops, traverse up and down the lovely side streets with older homes sporting lovely gardens, and speak to the residents, it can take up a well-spent day.

I spoke to several residents...a bed and breakfast owner, a wine maker, an antique store owner and a long time retired resident. All of them took time to speak with me and several allowed me to take photos.

Sutter Creek is located close to many Amador County wineries, which may encourage spending the night in one of the several bed and breakfasts in town. This is definitely on my list of things to do with the hubster.

Congratulations Hilary Wells!

2008-04-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, my husband, daughter and I were invited to attend the Capital Music Awards in Sacramento, CA. The Capital Music Awards (CMA) billed itself as "American Idol Meets High School Musical".

Here's what the website says:

"The Capital Music Awards (CMA), is a local singing competition for high school students aged 14-18.Sponsored by AT&T, Wells Fargo, and KQCA-MY58 TV, the competition was created with the objective of providing local students the opportunity to highlight their talent and experience a professional competition.

80 talented teenagers were chosen to compete in the CMA semi-finals with the goal of winning a $5,000 college scholarship. One week of semi-final performances will take place on the Mainstage at the Sacramento Theatre Company each night for five nights beginning on Tuesday, February 19th and ending on Saturday, February 23rd, starting at 7:30pm. Three contestants will be chosen each night by a combination of judges’ scores and audience vote, for a total of 15 finalists.

The 15 Finalists will be announced at a Dinner at AT&T, Monday, March 24, before the Finals Performance. The Finals will be held at the Wells Fargo Pavilion on Saturday April 26th."

One of the finalists was my daughter's best friend, Hilary Wells. She's a lovely young lady, talented in both singing and debating and she happens to be our pastor's daughter. Although we had frequently heard her sing as she is on the praise team at church, we had never HEARD HER SING. And, boy can she.

Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought she could sing. She brought the house down with her performance of "The Girl in 14G". She won by a landslide.

Congrats, Hil...we love you.

PS for photo stuff: I took my camera along (so what else is new?) to see how it would perform under very low and funky lights. After we got seated and I carefully set up my camera for the performance...taking a couple of test shots...some lady came by and rudely insisted she had to get by me...NOW! I stood up to let her get to her seat and I must have bumped my camera settings, which I didn't realize until after the lights went down and I began to take pictures. YIPES! Exposure was awful, but I couldn't see my settings to see what had happened. Luckily our friend wasn't singing until after the intermission, so I was able to reset my camera before she came on to perform. I used 1600 ISO and a monopod with my 24-70mm f/1.4 lens (which is my fastest lens). I had to crop in by about 1/2, but I think the camera performed really nicely.

Note to self: next time I shoot in low light or no light, bring a little flashlight to see the dang settings.

My First Real Sale

2008-04-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

This week I got an email notifying me that one of my photos will be published in a real paper magazine. Yes...one that I can touch and flip pages and tear my photo out to be framed and admired.

Not only that, but they are actually paying me. Yes...with real paper money that I can touch and use as a fan and then put in the bank to begin digging out of the black hole known as photography equipment debt.

Nevertheless, I was thrilled. The magazine is called Everywhere, which is a travel magazine.

The only problem is that I don't know which photo will be published because I submitted several. I think it's the one above, but I'm not sure. I guess I will be surprised.

Hold on while I pat myself on the back...can't quite reach...

Placerville at Night

2008-04-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things don't go the way I would like in my photography. I frequently imagine what I want a photo to look like, but then it doesn't quite work out that way. The other night I was coming home after my Camera Club Meeting...

As an aside: A wonderful photographer by the name of Betty Sederquist gave a slide presentation of Alaska. It was AWESOME! I've seen some fantastic photos before but this presentation was out of this world. It was a 45 minute presentation, and when it was over, I wanted to see it again.

Back to my adventure in Placerville...

I saw the full moon out and I thought it would be fun to get some night shots of Placerville. By the time I decided where I would start it was about 9:00 p.m. I discovered that Placerville is just a little creepy at night when I'm by myself. There is a whole different crowd that hangs out there than in the daylight hours.

I ran into a couple of people who were curious about what I was doing and why. Some of them were just a little too tipsy for me to quite make out what they were saying. A young couple approached me and demanded that I take a picture of them kissing, which I obliged. So, I didn't really take as much time as I would have liked with my photos and when I downloaded them, I was quite disappointed.

I took another look at them today and decided to play around with them a little. These are what I came up with.

I might go out again, but next time I'll take the hubster.

"Finally, brethren...

2008-04-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8

Preston Castle

2008-04-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

Uber-husband and I visited Preston Castle with my camera club a couple of weekends ago. It's an old abandoned building that was a home for wayward boys (read: juvenile delinquents) from 1894 until 1960 when the state abandoned it. Now that it is an historical landmark, a foundation has been formed to bring it back to it's former glory. We were given a special tour so that we could bring our tripods in and take long exposure photos without fear of non-photographers walking around in front of our cameras.

There was all kinds of old stuff and cobwebs and cracked paint and wonderful light coming in from the windows. It was a photographer's dream. Here's a couple of my favorite photos.

For more information about this interesting building, go here: Preston Castle.

Big events and small events

2008-04-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Every year I make a family yearbook that chronicles the past year in photos and a little commentary. The family loves to look through it as they are reminded of the big and little things that they did over the past year. So, any occasion is a reason to take photos. My family encourages me to put the photos in "the book".

I'm not really a scrapbooker...rather I'm more of a memory book maker. I digitally design my pages in Photoshop and then use a bookmaking company like Blurb.com, Mypublisher.com, snapfish.com and, my favorite, picaboo.com. I make three identical books at the end of the year for Christmas presents for my mother-in-law, my dad and my immediate family. My mother-in-law likes to receive the book because she lives far away and can't participate in our activities except once a year when she visits. The book helps her to be a part of her grandchildren's lives. My dad is suffering with memory loss issues, so the book helps him to remember family and events. He keeps the book by his chair and looks at it frequently.

So, it's important for me to document the big...and the small events in our life...like the above photo that I took on Sunday of my oldest son and a friend of his when they came to dinner. Now that my oldest son doesn't live at home anymore, it's always an event when he visits. And I love it when he brings his friends.

JUST A TIP: Don't hide your photos on your computer or on some disk that nobody will dig out to look at. I know you thought you would show them as a slideshow on the big screen tv, but people don't really like slide shows. They get bored and walk away...or fall asleep.

Print out your photos or have Walmart/Sam's Club or smugmug print them. Then put them in a book or scrapbook them or display them somehow. There's something about being able to touch the photos that makes them more precious. My kids won't look at my photos on the computer, but they look at the yearbooks over and over. Their friends want to find out if they are in the yearbook, so they look at it too.

In the words of Martha Stewart: Printing photos is a "good thing".

So you want to be a wedding photographer...

2008-04-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Some gal at my church asked me to take photos of her wedding in June. Now before anyone laughs themselves silly...as I felt like doing when she asked...the details are what made me consider doing it. (I have never taken photos of a wedding before, but I do have some event experience.)

First and foremost she said that she would be getting married at Tahoe in front of her immediate family and a few friends (probably 20 people max, including me). I could probably do a small ceremony with no reception...maybe a dinner.

Second and the clincher...she said, "If you don't do it I'll have to hand a disposable camera to someone to take a few shots. You have to be better than that."

Yeah...I think I could do a little better than that. At least her expectations are low, so I should be able to exceed low expectations.

Third, I've been wanting to direct my photography towards small church weddings for people who can't really afford an expensive photographer. So, this would be a start.

At any rate, I signed up for another online class on wedding photography to see if I was cut out for it. Our first assignment was to take a quick, but professional portrait of a person using our favorite portrait lens. So, I coerced my husband to again pose for me. We dragged the leather chair out to the deck, poured a glass of cognac and I encouraged him to light up a cigar. All this made him very happy to oblige having the camera again in his face.

We were only supposed to take 20 minutes to take the shot because usually that's all the time you have at a wedding to shoot the formals of the wedding party. Yipes! This took me 20 minutes to one good shot. I actually shot about 20, but one or two of them made the final cut.

Anyway, my teacher said he liked the photo but gave me some great pointers as to how to make it better. That's what I'm looking for.

Event Photography Part II: What about the people?

2008-04-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

Of course the point of taking pictures of events is: the people, in my humble opinion. Whether it be an Easter service at a local church, a 50th wedding anniversary, a birthday party or a Billy Graham speaking event...it's all about the people.

...people participating, people preparing, people being celebrated, people celebrating, people rejoicing and people grieving...

Don't limit yourself to only candids or only people looking at the camera and smiling, or large groups of people vs. shots of one or two people. Try to catch a wide variety. Here (above) a father and daughter interact together. I asked them to pose for the camera, but I also asked them to put their heads together to show some intimacy between them. In the background are some of the items used for the event.

The above shot shows some of the children and the Children's Ministry Leader at a church Easter Event demonstrating hand movements that accompany a worship song. To give it some context I made sure the words of the song were showing in the background, otherwise someone might mistake it for some sort of weird exercise workout program.

So, context is important to help tell the story.. Here, a couple of my church friends ready desserts for our Easter barbecue. I tried to get the desserts and the church background into the scene, but the most important thing in the photo is the two people. I told my gentleman friend to smile for the camera, locked the focus on his eyes and then recomposed the picture with the focus locked (notice that he is in focus, but he is not in the center of the photo.)

Note: Most digital cameras have a focus lock that can be utilized by pressing half way down on the shutter release and then you can recompose with the focus locked.

In all of this, though, keep the subject of the event in mind. You may have dozens of wonderful photos of the details and preparation and close-ups of the participants, etc. But, the majority of the pictures should be the subject of the event...the bride at a wedding, the birthday boy at his birthday or the key-note speaker at the speaking engagement. Always keep the subject in mind and you can't go wrong.

Event Photography Part One: Telling the story

2008-04-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite types of photography is Event Photography. I like event photography because they are usually happy times. An event can be anything from a birthday party at home to a large wedding to a community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. I like to photograph events because I get to tell a story with my photos and I can take more than one photo to tell it.

I like walking around a particular event and taking pictures of mostly anything I like or that I think will tell the story. It's my chance to be creative. Obviously there are certain photos that are "musts"...like a picture of the "birthday boy", or a newborn baby being held by great-Grandma Sue or the bride and groom kissing to seal the deal. But really, unless you are asked by the event planner to get a certain picture, you can be as creative as you want. If it's your own event at home, a little planning can help make sure you get the photos that you want.

If this is your family event, make sure you have your camera at the ready with fresh batteries and an empty flash card. Don't forget to take pictures of the planning and preparation of the event. When I shoot events, aside from my family events, I usually arrive early in the day or sometimes even the day before to check out the lay of the land and photograph the preparations. In the case of Vacation Bible school or a Christmas play, I like to show up at the planning and practicing sessions because there is always so much that goes on that nobody ever knows about in the planning of the event. In these cases, I might show up several times during the planning stages, which can be weeks ahead of the event. I can usually get some fun candids because people are more relaxed than they are at the actual event...except the person who is planning the event...they are usually always stressed. If you are the planner...relax and have fun. If things go wrong in the planning stages...take a picture. Believe it or not, those are the things you will want to remember and laugh about later on.

I also like to get the big picture and the small picture. In other words, I like to take photos of the overall area where the event will take place, such as the church, or the home, or the building with the decorations and then I like to take pictures of the little details. Anything that will help tell the story. I know that wedding photographers sometimes carry a list of standard photos to be sure to take...such as a picture of the outside of the church, the inside of the church, the decorated get-away car, the rings, the invitation and the bride's clothing (gown, shoes, headpiece, etc.) They also usually get photos of the decorations, the flowers and the set tables before the guests arrive. This type of general list can be useful for any event photography...get shots of the big picture and the small details.

These types of photos are the ones that will add the spice and flavor to your pictoral story. And, those that were not able to attend the event will feel more like they were present when they are able to see the details along with the big picture. For those people who were too busy running the event to enjoy it, they will be able to see how their hard work paid off. These photos will also honor those people that helped out by showcasing the cake they made, or the balloon bouquets they hung or the dishes they washed. Events take a lot of planning and usually are a lot of hard work. It is encouraging for most people to see a photo memorial of their contribution to the event.

Next: What About the People?

When the peacock turns around

2008-03-30T19:07:00.001-07:00

When the peacock turns around
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I've never seen the hind end of a fanned-out peacock before. I think they are quite lovely coming or going.

i saw him at Dafodil Hill the other day when my camera club met there for a photo shoot.

he lifted his head to watch the sunset

2008-03-27T18:23:00.001-07:00

he lifted his head to watch the sunset
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

He is Risen...

2008-03-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

Looking for another egg
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

He is Risen, Indeed.

Booted

2008-03-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

For sale: Brown Eggs
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I've always wanted to stop and photograph this guy's property because he has an old boot on top of every fence post and this is just a small sample. But, I really couldn't get a very good shot unless I ran out onto the road, which is too heavily travelled to take time to compose. So, this is the best one of the bunch that I took.

Why boots?

Revealed

2008-03-18T11:32:00.001-07:00

Revealed
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Gargoyles for a Monday Morning

2008-03-17T06:43:00.001-07:00

Gargoyles for the Garden
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

My camera club (at least 4 of us plus my husband) got permission to photograph all things pottery at the huge Pottery World in Rocklin, CA, yesterday. I had never gone into a business and taken photos before, so this was a treat and a challenge.

Pottery World didn't open until 10:00 which made the sun pretty glarey to do any photos out in the sun so we hunted around for interesting things in the shade or under the many cabanas and inside (which was a whole different challenge.)

I took a lot of photos and learned a lot. (Note to self: move the price tags out of the way so I don't have to spend hours in photo shop trying to clone them out.)

They have a little cafe right inside the Pottery World business that serves lovely sandwiches and salads. Then, you can eat inside or outside on the patio amongst the patio furniture and pottery and fountains.

My husband said he enjoyed himself even when we began talking geeky camera talk. He's getting pretty good at hiding his glazed-over eyes. It's more fun for me to have him come along. Lucky me that he enjoys most of my photo adventures.

Pilot Peak Winery, Penn Valley, CA

2008-03-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

The hubster and I discovered a wonderful winery in our travels to Grass Valley, CA, last Saturday. It's called Pilot Peak and it's located in Penn Valley, CA...just outside Grass Valley.

We were fortunate that our visit occurred on a lovely early spring day and the weather was warm because this winery had a wonderful courtyard where there were groups of people sipping flights of wine and nibbling on appetizers.

We entered the tasting room and were warmly greeted by the owners/winemakers and given a taste of their white wine, Vigonier.

Then we were encouraged to grab a plate and fill it with appetizers prepared by the winemaker and we were escorted out to the courtyard where a place had been set for us with 3 glasses each of different red wines. We were told that the winemaker loves to cook and tries to make sure his wines are food friendly. We were left alone to enjoy the day, the lovely courtyard with good music filling the air and, of course, the wine and food.

The owner came by a couple of time to chat and ask us if we needed any more food or wine. She was delightful and had quite the gift of hospitality.

The wines were very food friendly, especially the Syrah and the blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, which they call LiVedo. In fact, we brought home 6 bottles of each for our own cellar.

The country setting of this winery could not be more perfect. We would like to go back when the spring and summer flowers come into bloom as there is an extensive garden area. The courtyard overlooks Pilot Peak and a pasture area with horses. No other buildings can be seen.

The motto of this winery is:

"Experience Pilot Peak Winery...It's the wine, the people, the place."

I'd say that about sums it up.

After the last Tai Chi Class

2008-03-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

After the last Tai Chi Class
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

When the hubster and I were wandering around Grass Valley we came across this lovely old building that used to house the Daily Union Newspaper. As we were gazing up at it from the street, a woman came out and invited us to take a look at the renovations they had made.

The building now houses a Tai Chi studio so all the interior walls and dividers and ceilings had been taken down to expose the bare bones of the building...lovely towering brick walls, recently installed bamboo flooring and two huge skylights in the roof. The light from the sky shone down on the brick wall giving a wonderful feeling to the studio. I asked if I could take a couple of pictures and since all the classes were over, she gave me permission. We were required to stay off the main floors, so my picture taking advantage was a little limited.

I saw this Tai Chi jacket hanging on the wall just out of the sunbeam's reach and I couldn't help but snap a few pictures.

Empire Mine "Cottage"

2008-03-09T16:07:00.001-07:00

Cottage Doors
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Hubster and I visited the Empire Mine in Grass Valley yesterday. The mine is the largest, oldest and richest gold mine in California. The property is now owned by the State of California and is very well cared for. The mine property also included the owner's "cottage"--4500 sf of living space surrounded by reflecting ponds, gardens grass, walkways, etc. It is a beautiful piece of property.

We asked the ranger why such a large house would be called a cottage. She said that the mine owner's other home is 36,000 (yes, thirty six THOUSAND) square feet and is located in the San Mateo area. We gotta go there.

Anyway, I got in a couple of good photos of the mine, we visited Grass Valley for lunch and a walk and then we tried out a couple of wineries. It was another fun adventure for the Hick and Uber-hub.

Here's Lookin' at You

2008-03-06T07:03:00.001-08:00

Here's Lookin' at You
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I went to the little Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary on Sunday. My husband was at a Men's Retreat at Tahoe and so I had a little time to myself. It was a lovely day and I had never been to this little zoo/sanctuary before.

I was the first one there and so I had a lot of time to wander around and stop at all the animal cages. The zoo/sanctuary is so small that I could have walked through the whole thing, stopping briefly at each cage and out the door in a half an hour. But, I lingered at each cage reading about how the animals came to be in the sanctuary.

This place is not a typical zoo. These animals are rescue animals that now live in the zoo because they cannot live in the wild for various reasons: injury, age, abandoned pets, abandoned by their mother. Although zoos are upsetting to some people, this little zoo takes very good care of their animals.

The animals had not yet been fed when I arrived and so many of them were restless and came to the front of the cage to see if I had food (or, in the case of the Tiger, wolves and cougars...if I was the food.) This little monkey (an abandoned pet) was just plain curious about my camera. He wasn't the least bit scared...just curious.

What's for dinner?

2008-02-19T20:23:00.001-08:00

What's for dinner?
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

There I was, minding my own business, cooking dinner just like a regular mom when I heard a slithering, sliding noise.

"What is that noise?"

Slither...

Slide...

Slither...

I continued to cook when all of a sudden I looked down and saw my youngest son.

"AAACK! You scared me to death!" I said, while grabbing my camera which was nearby (of course) and snapped this picture.

"What are you doing down there?", I said to keep his attention so that I could get a photo.

"I'm spying on you to see what we're having for dinner."

"Oh," I said. "You could have just asked, you know."

"This is more fun", he said. "Did you hear me?"

"No...well, maybe just a little. I guess you should practice a little more."

I love it when my teenage kids still like to do kid stuff.

I love this picture!

I love this kid!

High (Mis) Adventure

2008-02-18T16:07:00.001-08:00

Road Trip to Mammoth, CA
Dateline: Sunday, February 17, 2008

Time: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

It was a long, long, long drive down there and a long, long, long, long drive back. Hubster had an inspection in Mammoth, and he could not put it off any longer, so we took another road trip.

Highway 395 is a long stretch of empty land on the Eastern side of the Sierras. It was a long drive.

Took some "I was there" photos at Mono Lake Visitor Center, which was closed due to snow. The sun was glarey and the snow was glarey-er.

We stopped in Bridgeport, CA, for lunch. Bridgeport is in the High Sierras (over 7,000 feet above sea level.)

We ate at a place called "Rhino's" which was names after the prior owner's dog. (Who names a dog 'Rhino'?)

Then we got in the car and continued driving.

And driving.

Got home at 5:30.

It was a long, long drive.

It was also a bad photo day.

Good thing my husband is cute and fun to be with, otherwise it would have been a bust.

Flawed

2008-02-16T13:33:00.001-08:00

Flawed
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

the light and dark of pink

2008-02-15T17:00:00.001-08:00

Just practicing with my makeshift studio...the kitchen table with a piece of blue velvet, and a reflector (white board). I'm thinking of making a light box that I saw on line. It requires a cardboard box, tissue paper and lights from Home depot. Sounds like my kind of photography equipment.

the light and dark of pink
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Kisses and Hugs

2008-02-15T07:10:00.001-08:00

Kisses and Hugs
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

My Valentine's gift to my husband. I ordered these from M&M's. Half of them say "kisses & hugs" and the other half says, "Hick xxx hubster" (real names changed to protect the innocent).

So sweet.

Hearts and Flowers

2008-02-14T13:31:00.001-08:00

Hearts and Flowers
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

This is from my husband to me. Thank you honey.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Road Trip: Isleton and Beyond

2008-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

It was time for uber-hub and I to take another road trip. My camera club (El Dorado Camera Club...and yes, I belong to a camera club. Don't laugh) was meeting at the Cosumnes River Preserve at two times for some photo opportunities. The 6:00 am meeting time was a bit too early for us as we had to drive about an hour and a half. So, we met with the evening shooters at 3:00 pm. It was a beautiful late winter day with temperatures in the 60's.

And, since it was such a lovely day, we decided to head out early and visit the delta again. Our first stop was Isleton, which is a small town right on the delta. We parked at the end of town and walked down one side of the street and back up the other. It took about 45 minutes because we stopped and peered in many of the windows of the seemingly empty store fronts.

On the way back, we met the town super hero, cleverly disguised as a mild-mannered barber. (That's him leaning against the building on the left.) His super-hero name is Clean Man, or something along those lines. When he's not barbering someone, he is busy keeping the streets clean, or teaching the local school children how to take pride in their small town by keeping it clean. I must say, it is a clean town.

Next stop was Isleton's famous restaurant, Isleton Joe's. Famous for crawdads. Actually, the whole town is famous for the crawdad festival that they have every June, but since this was February, we settled for eating lunch at Isleton's finest. The place was busy but we didn't have to wait for a table, luckily. A little later, and we would have. The service was good, for the most part but the food was Great! They only had crawdad platters for dinner, so we ordered a crawdad sandwich.

As it turned out, it was a great choice. Tender, sweet fried crawdads in a soft french roll with a small swipe of mayo, crisp lettuce and a ripe tomato. Along side was a very crisp dill pickle and an order of onion rings. The onion rings were probably the best I have ever had. They were beer battered, without a hint of greasiness, crisp on the outside and sweet on the inside.

Next time you are in the Sacramento delta and you are in the market for a crawdad sandwich, or a basket of fried shrimp, or a yummy hamburger this is the place. they even had cute little cut out hearts hung about the dining area to celebrate Valentine's Day. Now who wouldn't like that?

Portrait of a Pastor: The Sermonator

2008-02-08T13:23:00.001-08:00

Portrait of a Pastor: The Sermonator
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I'm trying to finish the photos for my Portraits Unplugged class. One of my assignments is to take two photos of one person depicting two sides of his personality. I called my pastor and he was game. So, yesterday, I arrived at church before he did so I could scout out a good place. I knew he would be riding his motorcycle to work because the weather was good. I took this photo of him in front of our church. I kinda wish we had a cross of some sort out in front of the building, but we only have one inside. I thought it would be poor form to request that he ride the vehicle inside the church, just so I could get a cross in the background...plus, there really wasn't enough natural light in there, anyway.

I like this one of him and I will probably use it.

This is the other side of my pastor...the one where he looks more like Dr. Pastor (doctorate of theology.) He's a smart man and very good at teaching biblical truths. He looks pretty serious here.

But he's also a lot of fun.

foto friday

2008-02-01T12:39:00.001-08:00

Picnic Memories
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Posting this week's daily photos:

Saturday, Jan 26, 2008:

Hubster and I visit The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, CA, to taste the wines in that area.

Sunday, January 27, 2008:

I snagged a young man at my church to help me out with my portraits class. Look at those blue eyes.

Monday, January 28, 2008

I already posted my turkey tracks photo. That was the highlight of my day.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

It began snowing early in the day and so I set up my camera to look out the door at the progress. I took a picture every 45 min or so for about 5 hours. You can see that the dog doesn't move very much.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

It was a glorious morning after the snowfall, so I took a walk with my camera.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Yesterday I stayed indoors most of the day because the weather was miserable. What to do? What to do? I know, clean out my sock drawer and watch a Doris Day Movie (Do Not Disturb with Rod Taylor...who looks a lot like the young man above.)

Bonus: I found my beloved red sunglasses. You will be "seeing" a lot more of those in the days to come.

Turkey Deceit

2008-01-29T20:31:00.001-08:00

Turkey Deceit
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I saw these tracks in my driveway yesterday morning and this is about half of it. It was a bunch of turkey tracks that look like little arrows pointing in the direction one should follow if you wanted a wild turkey dinner.

Unfortunately for the ill-informed, the clever turkeys were actually walking the other way.

Unless they were walking backwards.

Such clever birds.

Teen 1 - Driving Population 0

2008-01-26T06:13:00.001-08:00

Teen 1 - Driving Population 0
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I was going to post this picture yesterday, but our internet was down from some of the storms in the Bay area, so ATT told us.

Yes, she passed her driver's test and is already looking to buy a car.

All I can say is:

WE'RE FREE...WE'RE FREE!

Today the hub and I are off to Clarksburg for some wine tasting and some exploring...AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING BACK IN TIME TO PICK DARLING DAUGHTER UP FROM WORK.

Ha!

Now, all I have to worry about is her driving off the road, getting into an accident, getting lost, having a flat tire, running out of gas...

Sigh.

Please, please, please let me pass my driver's test

2008-01-24T15:23:00.001-08:00

Please, please, please let me pass my driver's test
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Dateline: January 23, 2008

Darling Daughter took her in-car driving test yesterday. I had my camera in my lap as we were sitting in the DMV waiting for her turn behind the wheel with the driving inspectress. I surreptiously (and somewhat guiltily) snapped this picture of her. She was too nervous to notice.

She said her stomach was churning and she was tapping her feet and where was the DMV lady, anyway?

Finally, it was her turn. As she stood up to go out to the car, she glanced back at me one more time. I gave her the thumbs up signal and out the door she trudged.

Time slowly ticked by as I waited, seated in an orange-ish, hard plastic chairs.

As an aside: I really appreciated the slice of life I observed while waiting at the DMV. Every sort of person seemed to be standing around or sitting on other orange-ish and yellow-ish hard plastic chairs in the room with me. There were young people, old people, handicapped people, crying babies, people of different ethnicities, crying babies, people that did not speak English, more crying babies, etc.

I could see my daughter's feet underneath the room divider, before I could see her. As I jumped out of my seat to see if she had passed, her face said it all.

And so did the face of the DMV lady...

I'm Torturing My Family...Yet Again

2008-01-21T08:53:00.001-08:00

Impressed
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I'm still working away on my classes at New York Institute of Photography (correspondence course), but I also signed up for another class through Perfect Picture School of Photography, because they were offering a very good discount and I learned so much in my first PPSOP class with Bryan Peterson.

This class is called "Portraits Unplugged" (natural light portrait photography) and is taught by Commercial Portrait photographer and author, Bobbi Lane. I just finished my first lesson submission and I forced my husband to be my model.

This photo is done with natural light (no flash or interior lighting), that is the light that was coming through our kitchen windows. I probably should have taken a picture as to what my kitchen looked like to get this light and the dark backdrop. I had pieces of material draped over all my other windows and glass doors (we live out in the country, so we don't need curtains on the windows). I made my husband turn off his computer and the tv (horrors...he was watching the football game...thank goodness for the "pause" button) and I made him drag in a piece of plywood, which I draped with an old piece of velvet that I had in my sewing basket for a backdrop. Then I made him change out of his "Sunday casuals" that he wears after church to watch tv, back into his church clothes.

Poor guy. I had four different poses I had to submit, each with a different light effect. So, I would place my husband in different places around the kitchen while I was trying to get these different lighting effects. I must have taken over 100 photos of him between Saturday and Sunday. I got a little desperate on Sunday because my photos had to be turned in by 3:00 and at 2:30, I was still taking photos.

Anyway, he was a good sport and I think this photo shows a thoughtful side of him. This particular lighting effect is called the Rembrandt effect because it's the lighting that Rembrandt generally used to make his subjects look noble, or thoughtful...

My husband's favorite shot was this one. I like it too, because it shows a more playful side of him.

I'm having a great time with this class and since it is snowing today and school is out, I'll probably corral my daughter to pose for my next lesson.

I've also asked for volunteers from my church friends. No wonder they sneak away when they see me coming.

Sigh

My Piano

2008-01-18T07:56:00.001-08:00

My Piano
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

This piano was my grandmother's piano and is over 100 years old. My grandfather bought it for her as a refurbished piano.

My grandmother began giving me piano lessons when I was 4, in hopes of having a concert pianist in the family. This was my grandmother's dream, not mine. The time I needed to spend honing my skills in order to be a concert pianist was not something I wanted to do with my life. I was required to take lessons until I was 16 years old. My grandmother and mother hoped that I would change my mind about a music career by then.

I quit piano lessons on my 16th birthday.

Anyway, I was only allowed to play this big guy (over 7 feet long) in preparation for a recital. For that reason, I never liked it. Now that both my grandmother and mother have passed away, I own it.

Okay, I'll admit it...I love it. I play for pure enjoyment and for the love of music. Because of my training I am also able to play on the church praise team. I am thankful for my grandmother's (mostly) patient teaching.

It does take up a big chunk of my living room, though, and when it is fully opened, it wails.

Is This My Best Side?

2008-01-16T16:58:00.001-08:00

Split Light Portrait
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Day 14/366

I actually took this photo on the 14th but I've been a little busy and didn't have time to post it.

I'm taking a naatural light portraits class and so I decided to practice "seeing" the light on my dog. I made her sit next to a window and then tried to get her attention so that she would turn her head into the light. Everytime I put my camera to my face, she would look away. Then, I would try to get her attention and she acted like I was mad at her, so she would give me this sorrowful look.

I'm coming to the conclusion that dogs just don't make good models. They do not respond to things such as, "Could you turn your head a little more towards the window and tilt your chin up?" (Do dogs have chins?) Or, "A little smile would soften your face a little and you wouldn't look so sad." No...this is the best we could do.

I suppose my teacher wouldn't appreciate me turning in a picture of my dog's "portrait", in any event.

Now...to terrorize the rest of the family. Where is my camera?

Day 15/366

I'm also posting this photo that I took yesterday of my star piano student. Actually he's my only student, but he's a great guy...and, he practices, which is more than I can say for some of my past students.

I'm not very happy with the lighting on this photo, so I guess it's a good thing I'm taking two photography lighting classes. But, my student good naturedly allowed me to photograph him and it does show a part of my life that I don't talk about too much. Plus, it gives me a photo for the day.

Ha! 15 days and 15 photos. Never thought I could do it.

Apres Ski

2008-01-14T13:02:00.001-08:00

Apres Ski
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

We let our daughter go snowboarding yesterday at a local ski resort with a friend. This event was a banner day for our family as we had not allowed her to do any major exercising since she was diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2006. Her weight is at the 90% mark ad she's been working very hard to gain weight and get rid of the issues in her life that started her down the road of unhealthy living.

We made sure she ate a hearty breakfast, had lots of snacks and would stop and rest if she became tired.

She returned in late afternoon, tired but happy. She was in the middle of regaling us about her adventures that day when she became quieter and quieter. I glanced over by the stove where she was sitting and she was out like a light.

She woke up a little later long enough to eat and do a load of laundry. Then she was out again. I don't think we will regret our decision as she knows she has to keep her weight up in order to get her driver's license and do other things like snowboarding. It's a good feeling for me to know that our family can deal with a disease such as anorexia and not totally fall apart. Not that it was easy and that we didn't have our moments of despair, but our faith in God and our love for each other helped us through the tough spots.

Dream a little dream

2008-01-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Dream a Little Dream...
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Sunday...a time to sleep, dream, pray, relax...

Day 12/366

Dog Manicure

2008-01-11T09:14:00.001-08:00

Dog Manicure
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Day 10/366

Yesterday I wanted to go back up to Jenkinson Lake to take some pictures of the snow around the lake. Optimistically, I took my non-4-wheel drive vehicle. That was my first mistake. When I got to the lake the mist/fog was wafting around the lake making for an incredible scene. Unfortunately, I could not take advantage of it because, although the roads were clear, the parking areas were not. The light was fading fast, so I couldn't even consider parking a long distance away and walking up to the lake. Sigh. We are going to have to get the truck fixed.

So, I dejectedly came back to the house and there was my faithful dog, waiting for me by the front door. I got this shot of her by stroking her paw and calling her name. She normally does not like to look at me when I have the camera to my face. (I get that a lot around here.) So, I snapped a couple of pictures of her. This one was the best. Voila! My tenth daily picture of the year.

PS: My, what long claws she has. Time to get out the clippers.

Cool Chick

2008-01-10T07:07:00.001-08:00

Cool Chick
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

This was yesterday's photo.

I've always wanted to take pictures in the grocery store, but I feel so guilty about it and my camera is so dang big that it's hard to hide. But, I went against my guilty conscience and crammed it into a rather large purse that I received for Christmas. The purse would not close and the camera strap was hanging out when I plopped my purse in the grocery cart.

What I really wanted to do was get some pictures of the produce department, but when my daughter opened the freezer door to get her weekly supply of microwaveable dinners (we used to just call them tv dinners, but that's old talk) and the door got all fogged up as she was trying to decide, I thought it might make a good daily photo.

I glanced furtively around for any grocery store police (cleverly disguised as "courtesy clerks"), propped my camera on the cart's purse holder (also known as the kiddie seat) and took this picture.

Ha! What a rush! I felt free.

I took some more photos. Yes!

I fancied myself a gritty "street photographer" snapping pictures of innocent people purusing the canned goods aisles, pictures of people buying pickles and catsup.

Then I realized I was there to shop for food. So, I put my mom personna back on and became just another shopper. I smiled to myself knowing that I was really a brave photojournalist cleverly disguised as an ordinary mother, buying groceries for her family. I vowed to come back and get that photo of produce...

You can bet on it.

Three of my favorite men

2008-01-08T06:39:00.001-08:00

Three of my favorite men
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I post this picture for Moody.

I was in heaven with these three guys and two cute gals. Thanks for sharing them.

Necessaries when the power goes out

2008-01-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

Necessaries when the power goes out
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Saturday, January 6, 2008: Day two of power outage.

My husband got me an Ipod for Christmas...coincidentally I got him a Zune. So, the tunes came in handy during the power outage until the battery went dead. I could have recharged it in the car, but it was cold and snowy and dark outside and I had to go outside to get to the car.

As an aside: One of the few things that I don't like about living in the country is that it is dark outside at night...very dark...and creepy. You can hear things moving around and you have no idea what they are. Mostly when I walk (actually I jog or full out run) from my car to the house at night, I jingle my keys as if they are some sort of talisman that keeps away scary monsters. I always feel safe when my feet touch the front porch with it's cheery porchlight and warm light from inside the house pouring onto the porch from the glass door. My family always acts surprised when I burst through the door smiling...and panting, my keys a-jingling.

So, you can see that going out in the dark to my car just to recharge my Ipod was not an option.

The other items on the tiny plate represent my survival for the power outage ordeal. Although we had no cellphone service, I was comforted that I at least had a phone and it had the time. The Max was supposed to substitute for coffee. I was popping these puppies open at 8:00 in the morning. Didn't help. Things got a little ugly around here on the second coffee-less, power-less day.

And then there were the tealights. Charming at first, then living by candles was just plain annoying. I know now why the pioneers always hit the sheets so early at night. It wasn't because they had to get up early and milk the cows at 4:00 a.m. (I really can't believe that cows willingly get up that early just to be milked.) No, it's because there is nothing to do after dark when there's no electricity. You can only play flashlight tag, Name that Tune, read by flashlight and take lowlight photos for so long before you begin opening up your cellphone every 5 minutes to see what time it is. Warm cheese with stale crackers for dinner is only good for one night. After that, your husband has to hold you back from opening the refrigerator door (lets the cold out) and shining the flashlight in there to see if there's anything else in there that doesn't need to be cooked. I kept trying to tell my husband that flashlights won't really heat up the air in the refrigerator, but he just sighed at me and shook his head.

He knew better than to argue with a woman who had not had a good caffeine fix in 36 hours.

To Be Continued...

It seemed fun at first...

2008-01-07T20:40:00.001-08:00

It Looked fun at first...
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

On Friday we lost power in the hurricane force winds and heavy rain that soon turned into snow. The power went out about 10:30 in the morning. Power goes out frequently here in the hinterlands of the Sierras, so we weren't particularly worried. However,l we also lost our cellphone service for some unknown reason. So we gathered our candles and flashlights just in case the power outage lasted for several hours.

HA! Boy, were we babes in the woods...in the very dark woods.

To Be Continued...

Notes about the photo: This is Day 4 of 366. I took this photo just after the sun set. I set the camera to ISO 1600 so I wouldn't have to get my tripod. Too much grain. I think I'll stay away from ISO1600 for a while.

Jenkinson Lake before the Storm

2008-01-04T09:23:00.001-08:00

Jenkinson Lake before the Storm
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

3/366

This is pretty pathetic. No, I'm not talking about the low water levels at Jenkinson Lake, although it was pretty sad to see the water so low. Hopefully this situation will be rectified in short order with the storm that is currently raging outside my door. The prediction is 10 feet of snow in the higher elevations by the time this system of storms is over on Monday. When water levels return to normal, this large bush (probably about 15 feet tall) will be mostly underwater.

No, the pathetic part is this photo. I had such high hopes of getting a good landscape photo of the low water levels at Jenkinson with angry clouds on the horizon. This photo is just not happening. However, it is what it is. Now I will have to live with it as my 3rd photo documenting my new year.

(grumble, grumble)

Another day, a new chance. Or, upward and onward.

Brave New World of One Photo Per Day

2008-01-03T09:22:00.001-08:00

Brave New World of One Photo Per Day
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Day 2/366

Why, oh, why did I pick a year that has 366 days for my "one photo per day" project? I'm not really whining because so far, I've managed to get two fairly decent photos two days in a row. I'm just anticipating what it will be like in March when winter is still with us and it's too cold to go outside to shoot photos. My daughter tells me that I can use her in my photo project whenever I want. (There may be lots of photos of her.)

Yesterday was the first day since 12/21 that we haven't had company in the house. The kids didn't get up until late in the morning and my husband returned to work. It was very quiet...except for the Christmas decorations that were taunting me. I love Christmas and the decorations, but on January 2nd, they begin to look sad. If they are still up on January 10th, visitors tsk-tsk at you for not removing the very decorations they "oohed" and "awed" over just a scant month before. If you are still enjoying the decorations until the 31st of January, you won't have to worry about what visitors might say because they will refuse to visit. If the decorations linger into February, then you may as well leave them up for the next Christmas and resign yourself to living the life of a hermit, albeit a jolly one.

Let the diet and exercise program begin

2008-01-02T13:01:00.001-08:00

Let the diet and exercise program begin
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Day One

I joined the "2008 365 (plus one day)" photo group on Flickr, which means I need to post one photo per day for the next 366 (leap year) days. I figured I'd better start with some exercise because it's likely to be a long haul.

...Mary treasured up all these things...

2007-12-24T15:51:00.001-08:00

...Mary treasured up all these things...
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”- Luke 2:16-20

Merry Christmas. May the Lord richly bless you and yours.

Make it a Quick Catnap

2007-12-21T09:57:00.001-08:00

Snug by the Fire
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

And so it begins...

The kids get out of school today.

My husband's mother comes for a two-week visit today.

I gave the dog a bath today.

I have to go upstairs in the "Children's Zone" aka "No mom's zone" to clean today. (That's also where our guest room is.)

I need to grocery shop today for Christmas and mother-in-law visit.

My husband begins his 1 week vacation today.

Today the fun begins!

I'm not even close to being ready.

What to do? I guess I'll don my Santa hat and make the best of it.

Tomorrow I'll take a nap.

Happy Christmas

2007-12-19T16:03:00.001-08:00

happy Christmas
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

So...my oldest finally dropped by with his girlfriend for dinner the other night. It was so good to see him. Usually I have to go to Starbucks (where he works) to see him. The things a mom has to do just to see her children.

He's a great kid, though. He's fun and a bit daring and has a great sense of humor. In fact, as he got older I told him there is one cardinal rule he must promise never to break:

DON'T WORRY THE MOM!

I told him that he had free reign to do anything he wanted as long as he didn't break this rule. He tried to tell me that I worry about everything, so keeping the rule would probably mean that he would have to sit in a hard chair for the rest of his life...See, I told you he was a funny kid.

All in all we had a great time. I even made a full turkey dinner because he had to work on Thanksgiving, so I couldn't spend it with him. I made roasted turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade cranberry sauce. (I'm trying to pat myself on the back, but I can't quite reach around.) I'm hoping to entice him to visit me more by plying him with good food. I've tried the guilt thing, and it doesn't work as well as making him a good meal. Before he left, I told him that I was making prime rib for Christmas dinner. I'm betting that he will make a point of being here.

Until then, I have a great picture to put on my desktop.

Wagon Ho Ho Ho

2007-12-09T12:17:00.001-08:00

Wagon Ho Ho Ho
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

Yesterday Uber-husband and I went down to Placerville to enjoy the Christmas decorations. The little town didn't disappoing. There were stagecoach rides thru town, a live Christmas music, lots of lights and happy people shopping. We went in and out of all the stores to check out the decorations and we even bought some stuff (that we didn't need, but the hubster bought it for me anyway...he does spoil me.)

The best place in town to visit (any time of year) is Placerville Hardware...the oldest hardware store in the west. It is really a most unusual place and has way more than hardware. And it was packed with all sorts of Christmas shoppers and tourists.

Placerville is also the "Christmas Tree Capital" of the west...or so they claim. It seemed that every other car had a freshly cut Christmas tree on top of it, or stuffed in the back. Then there was this wise guy who drove all over town with a dead tree on top of the car. What's up with that?

We went over to Winterhill Olive Oil Company to refill our jug with some sweet, fresh olive oil. Wonderful aromas, nice people and great oil.

Then we took our little brown jug of oil over to Tomei's Restaurant to finiwh our adventure with a glass of wine. When we walked into the restaurant, all eyes turned to look first at our little brown jug and then at us. I'm sure it looked as though we were bringing in our own bottle of moonshine and the restaurant employees looked a little apprehensive.

"Oh, this?", I stammered. "I'm sure it looks like we brought in our own moonshine, but actually it's olive oil that we got down at Winterhill...heh....yes...well...Can I have a glass of Pinot...please?"

They all looked relieved and chuckled a little.

All in all...it was a good day.

Christmas Card

2007-12-04T16:24:00.001-08:00

Christmas Card
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

I was looking through one of my digital scrapbooking mags and came across the neatest Christmas card. It was a picture of an ornament and the bottom half popped out of the card.

So...instead of finishing my Christmas decorating, doing the laundry, sweeping the floor, cleaning the bathroom and other homely chores, I decided to try my hand at a Christmas Card using one of my favorite ornaments.

I came up with this little 5x7 card...which I'm not totally excited about, but it will do. I took about 50 pictures of the dumb little Santa before I got one that I liked. Everytime I moved my tripod just a little, he would start swinging. Then, I would have to wait until he was perfectly still again, and tiptoe up to the camera so he wouldn't start swinging again.

At any rate...I'm done with this little project. I sent off for the cards and I'm hoping to have them before the 24th.

Tomorrow I'll get to the laundry and all that other stuff.

Unless I can find another project...(she says hopefully.)

The First Day of Christmas

2007-12-01T09:07:00.001-08:00

Believe
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

The official start of Christmas at the Hick House involves getting the Christmas decorations down from the attic on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

The tree always goes up first...and yes, it is an artificial tree. For the first 20 years or our marriage we always got a freshly cut tree from a local tree farm. When we moved to the house we live in now, we even tried cutting our own fir trees and dragging them in from the back 40. We discovered that the trunks were always too thin and they wobbled around in the holder...always leaning a little this way or that. We even tried wrapping the skinny little trunks with duct tape, but that never worked. Plus, they were usually dirty and not very attractive.

Then there was the problem with falling pine needles, forgetting to fill the water container and bugs in the tree. I was tired of the whole "REAL" Christmas tree mess. I began my negotiations with my family in earnest when a good friend of mine told me that they had spent all day decorating their tree from a local tree farm. The next morning they awoke to a room full of baby black widows spiders whose eggs had popped open in the warm atmosphere of their home.

"What about the Christmas tree smell", my family queried.

"Open the door and take a good whif", I parlied back. "We live in a pine, fir and cedar forest. It always smells like Christmas around here."

"It just seems so fake", they weakly responded.

"Get in the car. We're off to the swimming pool/Christmas tree store to get ouselves a bug-free-never-drops-needles-smell-less Christmas tree," I demanded...but in a jolly way.

So, for the past three years, or so, we have been very happy with our pre-lit, 4-part, fake tree.

No bugs.

No needles.

No stress.

Merry Christmas.

Hiking to Emerald Bay at Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T12:18:00.001-08:00

Taking a rest on a fall hike
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

My nephew took this photo of his sister and my daughter during a hike the three of them took while we were vacationing at Tahoe over the Thanksgiving weekend. The hike down the two mile trail to Emerald Bay is a lovely sloping trail. The bay is spectacular and there is a huge old home in the Norse style down there that was donated to the park service. You can take tours of it in the summer. When the home was originally built, it could only be reached by boat. There is a little island in the middle of Emerald Bay, called Fannette Island, where there used to be a little tea house built on it. The owner of the home on the main shore (Vikingsholm) would motor out to the island every day in the summer for tea. (Quite the life.) All in all, I would recommend visiting both the home and the Emerald Bay beach area. Except for...

The hike back up to the parking lot,

It is no longer a lovely sloping trail. It is H*E*DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS*ish. It is a steep, jagged, no-place-to-rest, claw-your-way-to-the-top-puffing-and-panting-probably-going-to-die marathon (at 6100 feet above sea level.) This is why I did not go with the young whipper-snappers on this particular hike.

It was also cold.

But, mostly it was the hike back up to the parking lot.

Yes, I am a wimp.

Maybe hubby and I will hike down there next summer. Then, if I can't make it back to the top in one day, it won't be quite so cold to spend a couple of nights.

Sigh.

Note: As I look at some of the pictures my nephew took, I'm a bit jealous of his natural ability to compose and to see what makes a good photo. He's in art school, but he assures me that he has not taken any photography courses. I see I have a long ways to go to keep a step ahead of him.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:33:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving
Originally uploaded by Sierra Springs Photography

May God bless you and yours...I certainly thank Him for my friends and family.

Another Weekend, Another Wine Event

2007-11-17T10:26:00.001-08:00

Today the hubster and I are going to a wine event at Sierra Vista Winery. We love wine events. Wine events, sponsored by one or more local wineries, are always fun and usually involve good food designed to showcase the wine.

Once in a while the food is less than stellar. In fact, after a recent wine event, we promised each other that we would never attend another wine event at that particular winery again, because the food was so bad. It made their great tasting wine taste very bad. These people have a knack for making good wine, but they can't pair it with food to save their lives...I won't mention the name of the winery because I like the wine and the people that own it...and besides, they know where I live.

Today's event is called "Chili and chocolate". We went last year and enjoyed it very much. They had good chili paired with Zins and Petite Syrahs, wonderful cheeses paired with their lighter reds and white wines and luscious chocolate paired with Cabs and port. The views at this particular winery are wonderful, the gardens are well tended and the owners and wine servers are very nice people. Plus...the whole thing is free for us because we belong to their "club" and so most of the wine events for club members are either free or at a reduced price.

Free is always a good reason to attend an event.

The above photo is from another winery in the El Dorado County wine area called Toogood winery. This is the entrance to the tasting room and wine storage area. The whole thing is built into the side of a hill and is quite unique. Their wines are also pretty good and it's a fun place to visit. It's not part of today's wine event. I wanted to use this photo, just because I liked the way it turned out after using my newly acquired photography and Photoshop skills. I should have probably cloned out that little spot on the sidewalk...but I thought it looked more authentic with a little wine spilled there. If you look closely you can see my best friend, her husband and my husband way down at the end of the tunnel trying some barrel tasting. Some other day I will explain about that.

Cheers for now.

First Christmas Ornament of the Season

2007-11-11T17:09:00.001-08:00

First Christmas Ornament of the Season
Originally uploaded by Hickographer

After yesterday's rain...

Moses

2007-11-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

Coze Down
Originally uploaded by Hickographer

Friday already?

This is my cranky old cat, Moses. He is sitting in front of our propane stove while basking in the morning light. The reflection is from the glass front of our stove.

Moses has always been cranky...even when he was young. Some friends gave him to us while he was young and we later found out that he was feral when our friends "rescued" him. He has brought us countless number of tail-less lizards, two bats, several field mice, 2 baby robins, a baby bird of unknown species and a partially eaten squirrel. All of these animals (except the squirrel) were brought into the house while I wasn't looking, only to be found later at a most inconvenient time. (These times were usually accompanied by lots of screaming, mostly by me.)

He has never been sprayed by a skunk (unlike my dog...3 times), nor carried away by a coyote even though he has spent many nights outside. He has survived a very close encounter with a cougar and he has lived through long nights outside in the snow when I couldn't get him to come in. In the summer, when he is outside at night and wants to come inside, he sticks his claws in the screen door by my bedroom until the clanging wakes me up. In the winter, he climbs the tree next to our house, goes up on the roof and pound on the window of my daughter or son.

He pees on any clothing that is left on the floor...honestly, I did not train him to do this just so my kids would pick up their clothes. When he feels the need to throw up, he runs as fast as he can to the carpet or some upholstered piece of furniture and promptly urps on it before I can grab him as he is gagging. Somtimes I find bird beaks and lizard feet in it. Gag.

He bites and scratches anyone who rubs his tummy. He won't lay on my lap but insists on laying next to me. He walks across tables knocking glasses off as he goes.

He terrorizes the dog. And I have witnessed him chasing the neighbor's black lab off our property.

He's a nasty old guy and I really don't like him very much, but I wouldn't think to get rid of him.

He's a testimony to enjoying life to it's fullest while surviving to live another day.