2009 Year In Review

Here are a few of the headlines you may have seen in the past year.

January 2009
Obama becomes President
As Barack Obama is sworn in as President today, Change.gov will come to the White House.
As he takes the oath of office, the White House website – occupied by President George. W. Bush for the past 8 years – will also pass over to the young, tech-savvy Obama team.

January 15, 2009
Miracle on the Hudson
Passengers wait to be rescued on the wings of a US Airways Airbus A320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York City. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was the hero pilot who safely guided the powerless jet into the river after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines. All 155 aboard survived.

June 25, 2009
King of Pop dies
Pop singing icon Michael Jackson died a month before embarking on a sold-out tour of 50 shows and after a legendary four-decade career in show business. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that the 50-year-old Jackson, shown in Bangkok during his Dangerous tour in 1993, died from a combination of the anesthetic propofol and other drugs.

July 13, 2009
Fears of a pandemic
Hailey Morris, 2, of Middletown, Pa., is given the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine as she is held by her mother Brandi Nissley at the Dauphin County State Health Center. By year's end, early predictions of a national pandemic eased. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 1 American in 6 — about 15% — has been infected, relatively mild as far as what had been feared.

August 27, 2009
The end of Camelot
The family of Sen. Edward Kennedy watch as his casket is carried by an honor guard to a hearse at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. Kennedy, 77, died at his home on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. After a funeral in Boston, and a last visit to the U.S. Capitol, Kennedy was buried in Arlington National Cemetery near his brothers, John and Robert.

October 15, 2009
A lot of hot air
A stunned nation watched as television beamed images of a saucer-shaped, homemade helium balloon, believed to be carrying a 6-year-old boy named Falcon, soaring across the skies of Colorado. Turned out it was a hoax perpetrated by the boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, who later pleaded guilty to several charges of reporting a false incident.

November 5, 2009
Fort Hood rampage
Soldiers honor the victims of a mass shooting at Fort Hood at a memorial service in Texas. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was charged in the deaths of 12 soldiers and a civilian on the eve of being deployed to Afghanistan. In the eulogy, President Obama said the massacre stands as an incomprehensible military tragedy — one that happened "in the comfort of home."

November 20, 2009
'25 years feels right'
Holding back tears, Oprah Winfrey tells her studio audience that she will end her show in 2011 after a quarter-century on the air. She says "prayer and careful thought" led to her decision. "Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number — the exact right time," the host explains.

November 27, 2009
Tiger's world collapses
Starting with a car wreck in the early hours after Thanksgiving, Tiger Woods' storied career began to unravel at a startling pace. One after another, women claiming to be current or former mistresses emerged after an expose in the National Enquirer. Within a few weeks, his $100 million a year endorsement empire started to crumble and the world's best golfer took an indefinite hiatus from the sport. Shown here six days earlier at a college football game with his daughter Sam and wife Elin.

What A Decade

It's interesting to look back at your life & see where you were 10 years ago. Your age, relationships, finances, occupation, health, state of mind & just your outlook on life.
Cari & I have been so blessed in the last 10 years. Our son Chase was just 3 months old when we entered the new millennium & just like most folks, the media had us first time parents terrified of what would happen. In fear that the worlds power supply would crash, we stocked up on extra canned food & water. Seems crazy now but that's all the news was talking about. Y2K came & went without a hitch & we rolled on with our lives. That year our young family of 3 took a big step & we purchased our modest starter home in Weatherford. Our Photography business was becoming busier with every year that past while I continued working my fulltime job. Great opportunities for our business would appear & doors would open while others closed.
Fast forward 10 years later & you will see a very blessed husband & father of 2 beautiful children pushing through this always busy life. I'm so thankful to my wife Cari for being the one who works hard to make everything go so smoothly in our everyday lives. The best mommy ever! Not to mention all the work I throw at her everyday, because without her you would never get your orders packaged up or wedding albums put together. (plus much more behind the scenes work)
I have never been so happy with everything in my life. Here's to another great 10 years.
Oh by the way.... we are still in our starter home & it will more than likely be our finisher too!

Here is a fun chart I found on-line that is a great reminder of everything that went on during the past 10 years.
(click to enlarge)


Illustration created by Phillip Niemeyer.

Web Site Update

Today I have been working hard on updating the web site for 2010. So far I have designed new gallery tabs & changed the main color scheme to white. At first glance it looks like a completely new site, but all the images are the same. In the next few days I will be replacing most of the old photos to new ones.

One new feature you will see is the new 'On Location' gallery. The urban style sessions are very popular & we have been using 3 specific locations for them. We now have given each of these locations it's own gallery to help give customers a better idea of what each spot offers. Here are a few images from my latest session.

These were from Urban Location #1

Our Kids

Personal:

These were a few of the shots we used for our Christmas card. I wanted something Fall themed this year, so I just raked up the leaves from our one tree in the backyard. I used a high angle so I would just see the leaves only. I was lucky to have an overcast day so the lighting was even with minimal squinting.

Rush Rush

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come & gone & the year is winding down. All the rushing around from one family gathering to another plus the dangerous driving conditions has my nerves shot. It's nice to sit quietly w/ my morning cup of coffee & make a to-do list for the next week. The last quarter is always our crazy time w/ Christmas orders always in demand. It's hard for me to do blog updates during this time, but Jan. & Feb. seem to be lighter so I will try to post more often. I am also in the process of completely updating my site w/ all new images, or at least 85% new photos. Our new site launched about a year ago & I want to change it up w/a new look & images. I hope to complete it by weeks end. You can always see the blog for latest updates & a dose of random useless info too. Hope everyone had a great Holiday season & please visit the blog often. You can also be our friend on face book at: http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/profile.php?ref=name&id=1666039390

Felts Photography Pricing

All prices listed here reflect our regular portraits session fees/weddings in Weatherford. Additional travel fee may apply.    Please call 817-613-1439 for questions about our services. 

Does That Make Me Crazy?

Every week the nationally syndicated radio show 'Kidd Craddik In The Morning' does a segment called Does That Make Me Crazy. Listeners call in to reveal the strange & unusual things they do everyday just to see if That Makes Them Crazy. Here are a few examples I found of quirky traits some people admitted to....does that make me crazy?

Megan says: I color coordinate my coffee cup with what I'm wearing at the office....does that make me crazy???

Tammy says: I must have everything in my refrigerator organized and all the labels must be facing the same direction. Also, all the tupperware containers must match......does that make me crazy?

Nichole says: I am extremely OCD, when I am doing dishes I have to wash them in the sink with bleach and dawn soap then put them in the dishwasher to wash them. I have to bleach/clean my counters at least 4 times a day, even if they haven't been used. I am just paranoid of the germs that they collect. Does that make me crazy??

Rebecca says: I have to smell the inside any cup before I can drink out of it. Does that make me crazy?

Brittany says: When i go grocery shopping, i find myself straightening all the items on the shelves.... does that make crazy?

Chris says: I scream "BUTT SCRATCHER!!!" ,as though I'm selling peanuts at a baseball game, at people as I drive down the street. Its quite fun....does that make me crazy?

Deimos says: I go back to make sure the door is locked four times. When I close the garage door I have to look back four times to make sure it’s closed. Also, I can’t sleep unless I think about numbers....does that make me crazy?

MD says: I have to pump an even dollar amt or number ending in five when i pump gas lol...does that make me crazy?


John says: oh and i believe toilet paper should be retrieved from the top of the roll, not from underneath the roll. and if i go pee in someone’s bathroom and their roll isn’t situated the proper way, i change it. I'm a toilet paper superhero. Be not afraid, citizens...does that make me crazy?

Lea says: I am also a paranoid key checker-in my pocket? check. two feet later-still in my pocket? check. right before I close my door: got my keys? check....does that make me crazy?

also, Is it crazy that some days I don’t feel at all validated if no one replies to my emails fast enough? I’m like, “oh. they hate me now. damn.” does that make me crazy?

Ramy says: immediately upon walking into a room, i size up all inanimate objects (chairs, books, plants, bottles, tables, etc.) to determine how i could use them in a bar fight. I never do this at bars...does that make me crazy?

Are these people crazy?
What makes you crazy?

2009 Customer Cards

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Auto Tune 'Charlie Bit Me'

More than likely you have seen the video when Charlie bites his brother's finger. It's hilarious how he goes on about it. I found a remix of the popular video with auto tune enhancements. It's funny!

Here is another fun video with more Auto Tune. It begins with Kanye's infamous VMA stunt.

2009 Customer Cards

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Back Side

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Back Side

Tis The Season

It's that time of the year again when Cari & I work round the clock to keep up with Christmas orders/cards & everything in between. It's been so crazy I haven't been able do regular posts on the blog as usual. Throughout this month I plan on posting some of the greeting card templates our customers have ordered so far. This is the second year we have offered the custom card stock greeting cards. They are definitely very time consuming to create, but everyone seems to really like them.

Twins

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. It's a day to stop everything, relax, enjoy family, count your blessing & best of all dig into homemade food! I received these photos in an email & thought they were funny to share. I think they were scanned greeting card covers.
Have a great day!

Lynsey & David

Lynsey & David were married on October 24th at the Brownstone Wedding Chapel in Weatherford. Almost a year before the wedding Lynsey called to inquire about our availability that day. October 24th also happens to be our wedding anniversary which falls on a Saturday this year. After consulting with the "manager" (wife) she & I agreed we couldn't pass up a wedding gig. The couple was awesome to work with & they seemed pleased with the photos.

We did their engagement session down around Cleburne last January. Many of the shots are in the couples section on the main site.

Miss Elliot

This is a little Elliot's 2 year old session. Mom bought the red hat just for this session. It added a great touch for this vintage themed session. Afterward mom gave me the hat for future little girls who may want to use it. Thanks Kristy!

Cavin & Lindsey

A few images we did for Cavin & Lindsey. We did engagement photos for this couple a few years back & I guess they liked them enough to call back for their Christmas card photo. Great subjects!