Giving Thanks

My internal alarm clock woke me up a little before 6:00 a.m. on this Thanksgiving day, & boy do I have a lot to be thankful for. I have noticed on FaceBook some of my friends have been giving reasons they are thankful, so it's my turn. The first thing I wanted to do is write up a blog of why I'm thankful today.

First, for my awesome job that I enjoy. Not everyone can say they like their job, but it's cool being able to work with many different types of people everyday. While it was slow going in the beginning, since '97 we continue to have a steady stream of returning clients that call us back. Thanks to our loyal customers for putting the groceries on the table! My family...both of our parents are still here & holding together an awesome family unit. I admire & appreciate them greatly. For my beautiful wife who puts up with me even when times get stressful with work or the everyday rush of life. Cari, you're the glue. Our kids are our life.... At times a challenge (just like most things), but couldn't imagine being here without them. Thankful God has given us the opportunity to raise them & we do our best to teach them right from wrong as they grow.

I hope everyone has a great day filled with family laughter & most importantly...FOOD! Happy Thanksgiving!

Laughing At Lamebook

The other day I heard the gang on Kidd Kraddik talking about a hilarious site that pokes fun at Facebook & the crazy things that people post on there. These are supposedly real photos & status updates from the popular networking site. Not sure how the site gets this info, they may be submitted my people. Be cautious about the photos you up-load, or the crazy comments you make because they just might show up on www.LameBook.com

Note: many of the posts are at least PG-13. and are "that's what she said" related. lol Definitely some minds in the gutter moments but funny though.

(Click images to enlarge)

Stovall Sneak Peek

More clients from the past... I photographed Katie & Scott's wedding many years ago & they've asked me to shoot the family pics. Miss Lily did great...good thing no one was around to see some of the acrobatics I had to do to get some of her smiles toward the end...right Katie? Here's a sneak peek of a few we did.

2011 Senior

This typically isn't the busiest time for senior sessions, but a good change of subject is good. We used the urban #3 location for Erica's session & she did awesome. It makes my job much easier when my subjects are photogenic & can fall right into place with the poses.

The Edits #44

From time to time I will give a "behind the edits" look what photographers do to make their photos shine.

Here is a pose of Erica that I had to do a little work on.

The original image was overall good but the back light made the stray hairs jump out even more. I removed them in the next image.

I added a texture to this next one.

Finally I kept the texture but took out the saturation & feathered the edges to dark.

Children Say the Darndest Things..

As a father of two, I can never tell what kind of "word vomit" is going to come from my kids mouth. If you have kids you may have experienced an embarrassing moment or two when your child decides it would be a good idea to tell a complete stranger they looked pregnant, or why their skin was so black. They are brutally honest but you gotta love 'em.

Just the other day my 5 year old was sitting on my lap & said "dad we are learning patterns in school." A big light bulb went off as she quickly pointed at my beard stubble "look.... white, black, white, black...it's a pattern!" See that's a cute example but it's not so funny when their honesty gets you in trouble or make you look like a horrible parent.

McConathy

Here are some of the latest pics from some of my most loyal clients. I met mom & dad the day I shot their wedding & they still make regular appointments for me to capture their family as it grows. Thanks guys for your business!

Fall in Weatherford

After the family session I had today, I noticed how great the clouds looked behind the courthouse along w/ the orange leaves. It seems to be a regular thing for me to capture the different scenes around our historic down town landmark. Last Christmas I didn't miss the opportunity to get this same subject with the snow covered ground. Here are a few of the images I shot.

As I was almost home, I couldn't believe how the sun was creating these streaks of light as it was setting. The thing about cloud formations is that it will never look exactly the same again.

Happy Birthday Chase!

I can't believe our little boys is already 11 years old. Today at 6:20 a.m. he wasted no time asking for his gift before even wiping the sleep from his eye. I have normally already taken his birthday photos but because we've been so busy with work/practice/games, we haven't been able to fit it in this time. Normally we will use his pics. to make is invitation to send to family & friends. Well duh, all the baseball action shots I've taken would be perfect for his b-day invite card. So last minute I put it together. Here's a collage & a few baseball shots of the birthday boy.

The Edits #43