Charmayne's Senior Pictures

Charmayne is a bit adventurous. I think she could walk a mile over the toughest terrain in a pair of high hills. She wanted her pictures done in a dilapidated part of town because she likes it's rustic character. So, we were rather excited when we saw this! An old elevator shaft that has been discarded, but has not yet been hauled off!

The tall grass in the field beside the elevator shaft!

A doorway down town!

With her puppy, Mocah! Mocah is cute and sweet and very VERY playful! It broke my heart when she told me that the wounds on his back were caused by someone throwing a pan of hot grease on him. Cruelty to animals (or, children for that matter) should not be tolerated. But, it looks like Mocah is safe now. And - very much loved!

To see the rest of Charmayne's Senior Pictures and a few more of Mocah, you can go HERE
and choose CHARMAYNE!

The Lawton Dog Park

"Abby"

Lawton has a new dog park and the dogs seem quite pleased.

From the time she gets out of the car, my almost seven year old golden retriever begins acting like a puppy all over again!

However, it took several visits before she actually understood that she's a dog! The first time we went she wanted nothing to do with other dogs. She did her best to keep a safe distance from them and was constantly hiding behind me.



After several visits, she's gained some confidence and now she's beginning to initiate play!

Here she is playing with "Ramsey".... her new friend!

The dog park is located by the McMahon Soccer Fields at 38th & Lee Blvd.

And here are some tips for dog owners going for the first time:

#1: Take something to play with. A ball or Frisbee works well. There are balls at the park, but most dogs seem to respect other dog's property - so they only want to fetch their own toy!

#2: Allow your dog plenty of space. If there are no other dogs at the park when you go, play with your dog, anyway. Let him sniff around and get used to the smells of other dogs. This will make an "only dog's" transition to meeting other dogs easier. If there are other dogs and your dog shies away from them, play with your dog in an open area so he can get used to the idea of being around dogs. Eventually, he will initiate play.

#3: Please clean up after your dog and pick up anything you see that might be dangerous to your dog or to others. (broken glass for instance) Doggie bags are available at the park and trash cans are available.

Lindsay & Bryan's Wedding Slideshow

Here is Lindsay & Bryan's Wedding Slideshow!

It was a beautiful wedding and Lindsay was a beautiful bride!

To see the slideshow at full resolution you can go HERE , right click and choose full screen.

Bryan and Lindsay's Wedding

Bryan and Lindsay were married on the 18th of September, but I've been waiting to post pictures until they returned from their honeymoon.

They had a beautiful wedding!

Lindsay looked especially beautiful and radiant!

And Bryan looked HAPPY!
There is something about this shot in black and white that I really REALLY like! I like it in color, also..... but, I prefer black and white. I also like the camera angle. I took a few shots with the doorway appearing to be straight, but I really like the tilt better. It gives the portrait an artistic feel and modern look. Blending that modern look with the classic style of black and white adds interest.... at least to me!

The church had pretty stained glass windows!

If you look closely at this one, you can see the love in their eyes! This is a marriage that I expect to last forever!

Lindsay's veil hanging in the window!

Lindsay!

Lindsay, again! Only this time she has a happy care free smile!

And Bryan!

I really like this shot of Bryan! The guys were actually on time and dressed fairly early, so my husband was able to get several good shots of Bryan, his best man and groomsmen.

An actual shot of the ceremony!

And - I have a rough draft of the wedding slide show waiting for Lindsay's approval. I should be posting that very soon!

Halloween Pumpkins!

This morning, my daughter-in-law, Brandy came over to help me get ready for Halloween. We made Halloween Pumpkins. They are really simple to make and they are made out of common household items...and... they are super cute!

I saw them on another blog, but I can't remember whose blog it was. I looked, but I couldn't find it again to link to it. So - If it was your blog, just let me know and I'll be happy to give you credit!

Three of my pumpkins!

Pumpkin Making Supplies

If you want to make your own pumpkins, you will need Halloween fabric, fall leaves, toilet paper, paper towels, brown twine and the cardboard tubing found on pants hangers from the dry cleaners.

Simply set a roll of toilet paper on the fabric. I got the inexpensive store brand toilet paper and it worked just fine.

Wrap a few paper towels around the toilet paper roll and bunch it up.

Pull the fabric up and stuff it in the hole in the middle of the toilet paper roll.

When it's all stuffed it should look like this!

Make a stem. For the stem you cut off a piece of the cardboard tubing. I covered one end with a piece of a brown paper bag, so the hole in the middle wouldn't show. Then wrap the stem with the twine. I used hot glue to hold the twine in place. If you're making this with children it might be a good idea to make them stems in advance - or just use sticks. This would prevent them from being burned by the glue.

Stick a few leaves in the top and insert the stem!

Isn't that cute!

And who would have thought you could do that with a roll of toilet paper? It's so simple, too.

Photography Class

My photography class met again today and we continued to study Macro Photography!

Since we will be doing pictures for a local jewelry store, soon, I set out a few pieces or jewelry as well as other small items I had on hand for us to practice with.

This is coral that Grace, Heather & I picked up on Torri Beach while I was in Japan.

Here is a rose and a pearl necklace!
A red rose and a bridal set. This would be much prettier if this were a real bridal set. The stones would have a lot more clarity. But, this set has served it's purpose. I purchased it once in a little accessory shop on sale..... just for Macro practice!
And - remember these? There is something you don't see a lot of anymore. Once upon a time they were a common household item.
And - I pulled these out because I wanted a little COLOR!

I also had goldfish, skittles, fruit loops, river rock and copper colored screws. I just didn't happen to take any pictures of them.

And - our class decided to have a contest. The topic for the contest is Macro and the students will be e-mailing their pictures to me sometime between now and next Thursday. Hopefully, they all got good shots - and they will work with their cameras to get even more. I would love to see some creative entries.

Family Portraits

Last night I had the opportunity to do family portraits for another beautiful family!

I love doing family portraits! I find it encouraging to see real families interacting and loving one another. In the imperfect world that we live in, the family is still going strong. And - it's the perfect place for a child. I wish every child had the benefit of growing up in a family environment.

This family was wonderful to work with!
Their little girl is amazing. She's cute, she's strong and she's VERY confident. She's got the kind of confidence that kids get when they have a real sense of belonging.... and they know they are loved!

She's got a strong Daddy who she loves.... and it's obvious that he loves her!

She's got a loving Mommy to nurture her and make sure all of her needs are met!

And her Mommy and Daddy love one another!

That's what makes a beautiful family! LOVE! Can't you just see the love?

To see more of this beautiful family click HERE and choose Rochelle's Family!

Jake

This is Jake!

Or, Jake Baima as Andrew would say.

Of all the friends my boys have brought home over the years, Jake has always been a favorite. He's a ton of fun and he's always seemed very comfortable with himself. While other kids would often pretend to be something they're not, Jake would simply be Jake.

And no matter what the world throws at him.... Jake always greets it with a smile!
I thought of naming this post "Lawton's Most Available Bachelor", because really.... he is a bachelor. And - If "The Bachelor" ever got him to appear on their show, ratings would be through the roof. Jake is just interesting enough that he would keep the audience coming back for more. He can even make a cruise through Wal-Mart seem almost cool!

And then, I thought about naming this post "Most Wanted", but I thought people might take that the wrong way. (and I'm not so sure Crime Stoppers knows it's him they're looking for, anyway)

So, I kept it simple and just titled my post "Jake".

Jake Baima!

One really REALLY good friend!

It was good seeing you, today, Jake! I wish you the best of luck and a bright future.

To see the more photos from Jake's session click HERE

It's A Great Time for Family Portraits!

It's a great time to take family portraits! Not only do the kids have new clothes for back-to-school.... but Christmas is right around the corner. Having new portraits done will give you a jump start on the holiday season. There is still plenty of time to make custom cards... and the weather is not too hot and not too cold so on-locations shoots are actually pretty comfortable!

This morning, I had the pleasure of shooting this beautiful family!

Some little girls are just born beautiful!

And this little fellow is super cute!
And tough!

She seems so grown up for six. And even more so for two! (Her little brother told me she was two and HE was six)

But... at least she's too smart to have an interest in boys! Hopefully, that will wait a long.... long time!

Together!

Smiling because they think a duck is about to attack me! (eventually it did)

The whole family by the water fall!

Just Mom and Dad! You can see where their little girl gets her good looks! Mom is beautiful, too!

The whole family, again!

This was a really fun family to work with. I had a great time and I think I got some nice shots. Kids always make a shoot more interesting as they each have their own special personality and interest. This little boy liked watching the ducks more than he did looking at the camera, so I was able to use that to my advantage by shooting with the ducks directly behind me. That worked out really well.... until the ducks attacked! Next time... beware of the ducks!

To see the rest of The Pogi Family's pictures go HERE.