by Shelly | Feb 2, 2015 | personal, special project |
This post has nothing to do with my business. It’s just My Life 2015.
This year I am trying to get back into the groove that really lit my fire for photography and also brought me countless friends from around the world. I was using a Canon Rebel …. D-300 if I remember correctly, shooting mostly in automatic mode or one of the program modes . . . and having the time of my life.
I started a little gallery on my page called Shelly’s Photo Blog 2007 and joined a Daily Photographs community on Smugmug. That community opened the door to so many opportunities to learn and grow, it gave me inspiration and encouragement, and it gave me a chance to inspire and encourage others too. I truly can’t begin to think of where I would be without the experiences and friends that photography h as brought me.
Then there was Shelly’s Photo Blog 2008 and another — Shelly’s Photo Blog 2009-2010
The galleries ended about the same place where I started this blog… and over time, I quit posting every day but eventually Shelly’s Sporadic Dailies developed and dwindled – but I’m using it again.
I missed the creativity as well as the mild panic of not having a picture for today. So in 2015 I started this back up again and for now I’m using that same gallery. I’m participating on the premise that these pictures should not have much if anything to do with my business photos, but that they are just to help me keep my creative juices flowing and also to help document My Life 2015. I haven’t hit every single day, but I don’t care. This is for fun…
Here’s a recap of January 2015!
Well . . . wecan back up to Christmas Day. Happy Mom — My kids are here for Christmas Dinner.
January 1, 2015 Happy New Year from the Studio Backlot. We love our new t-shirts from our son’s business venture. Watch for wonderful things from Grateful Dane Distillery in the coming year.
January 2, 2015 – Backwards Hangers —
That thing where you turn all your hangers backwards at new years and by the end of the year anything you haven’t worn is still backwards — OUT it goes. I really think I wear all my clothes though. We shall see.
January 3, 2015
Today started out cold and gray — and I was a little bit sad (in that Mom sort of way) because my son left to drive across the state on icy roads to go back to school. Then, I got out my Rainy Pot. It was a Christmas gift from my California Kids. This thing is pure magic! You put water in the cloud, and it rains on the plant that you grow in the pot. I don’t have any potting soil or anything to plant right now, but couldn’t wait any longer to make a practice rain storm. This thing is PURE MAGIC. As soon as the rain started falling, my heart was happy and I smiled. Then I looked out the window and the sun was shining. How very cool is THAT?
January 4, 2015 – The New Phone Books Are Here
Just another sign of the nerd (or jerk, if you’re a Steve Martin fan) that I am. I really got excited this morning when our church passed out a new pictorial directory. We have a lovely church family, and I know some people pretty well, but then there are others that I see week after week, but still haven’t really connected with, and can;t even remember their names.
That makes me sad. I need an extra visual clue to help me remember names and faces, so this is like a goldmine to my heart. Oh my goodness, the kids in here have already grown so much since the photos were created.
Time flies, but this little book is a tangible portrait of my church family — or about 30 % of them.
That’s right. I told you I was a nerd. I analyzed the book today. We have about 625 households, but only 193 photographs in the book. For somebody who disdains math, the numbers fascinate me. I don’t know what to do with those numbers. I don’t know what they mean. I think it means that the missing faces are the ones I need to reach out to in earnest. I think it means that some of the missing faces may not feel like they completely belong. I think the missing faces are the ones that should REALLY be in the book because I want to know them too.
Now, I wish we could throw all the addresses into a big mapping system and find out who our closest neighbors are. If I did it, it would be an old fashioned wall map with pins and tags. That’s not nerdy. That’s cool! Okay — maybe it’s nerdy but nerds rock. I want to find ways to connect better with the people who are in this book and with those who missed the photo opportunity in 2015.
THANK YOU to Chris and Pam for all your hard work putting this little treasure together for us.
January 5, 2015 – Dog O Clock Thirty
A little wine, a little good music — waiting for time to say “It’s soup yet”. AND a Very Good Dog. What more could we wish for?
January 6, 3015 – Epiphany
Westward Leading Still Proceeding,
Guide us to the Perfect Light.
January 7 – Old Flute
RE: The sports announcer who got press this week for bullying the marching band at the Rose Bowl: Some people never grow up.
#MarchOnRome
This is my old concert flute. Poor thing doesn’t make a sound anymore because the pads are all old and leaky, but she was a beauty in her day. She’s still a treasure that I take out of the case on occasion. I can still pretty-well finger our Fight Song as well as a couple of the other arrangements and marches that we memorized – back between 1975 and 1978.
Athletic? I was a scrawny kid, but still lost a pound a day sweating during summer band.
Competitive? You Betcha. Losing was not an option.
Teamwork? You try to keep a straight line and diagonals with 199 other people of varying shapes and sizes while spinning a design on a 100 yard canvas.
Even though I only had very average musical skills, I gained sooooo much from my years in band – and years later as a Band Mom.
Many of my band friends and directors are still friends to this day. They are incredibly intelligent, well-educated, witty, down-to-earth, successful, and in my mind they are all VERY COOL. And you can’t take that away from us.
#Band – it’s a GOOD THING .
January 8, 2015
Homemade Veggie Soup — Yummmmm… Just pure good stuff.
January 10 – Broken China
Did you ever wonder what would happen if you dropped a $1.99 soup/cereal bowl from Target on top of a stack of Lenox Oxford China in the kitchen sink?
Wonder no more.
This is what happens.
And… it’s okay.
We don’t entertain often, so I wanted to keep things casual , and that usually means paper plates. But then on Friday my friend Dottie talked me into getting out my china. After all — I have it and it doesn’t do anyone any good locked away in the hutch. If I’m not going to use it, I should get rid of it…. Right?
So… I pulled out the good china with a discontinued pattern that I love so much. Then, I mixed it with cheap colorful soup bowls from Target, iced-tea glasses from Ikea, and a mish-mash of wine glasses that have survived 14 years of annual Bunco nights. Wide-Mouth Mason Jars held the silverware, and we seated half our group at a borrowed plastic table.
We had one loss during the dishwashing game, but it’s still only STUFF. It gave me JOY to treat our guests like the special friends that they have become.
Besides — there’s this company here in town that makes LOVELY jewelry out of broken china. My favorite boyfriend designed a necklace and earrings for me last year. Now maybe I’ll get a bracelet to match.
Insert smiley emoticon here.
January 11, 2015
My Heroes Have Always Been Packers
#Myfavoriteboyfriend grew up in Lubbock, the heart of the Llano Estacado… so he was a bit out of place as a young Green Bay Packers fan in the land of Blue. But he never wavered.
See, an All American running back at Texas Tech University by the name of Donny Anderson caught 8-year-old MikeChetty’s attention and then went on to play for the Packers just two years before they beat the Dallas Cowboys in a legendary sub-freezing -temperature playoff game that became known as the Ice Bowl.
Not long afterwards, another Packer superstar, Jerry Kramer, penned a book called “Instant Replay.” It was basically his memoirs of the 1967 season under Vince Lombardi. Mike devoured the book and gave it credit for helping shape his own character.
And he has been a Packer Fan in Cowboy Country all his life.
Less than a half hour before kickoff this morning, when the Packers and Cowboys would again square off in a playoff game at Lambeau Field, we decided that we needed to create a Packers Fan profileicture for his facebook page so we did.
There was a little bit of sweating going on this afternoon at our house, but no explanation is necessary.
He’s Happy. I’m Happy. THIS is the Good Stuff.
He’s happy. I’m happy.
THIS is THE GOOD STUFF!
January 12, 2015
Do you have room in your heart and home for a new furry buddy?
I spent the better part of this afternoon photographing close to 30 cats that live right here in Katy and all need good homes. My veterinarian and his staff at Green Trails Animal Hospital are fostering so many sweet young cats that they are on absolute overload.
Each of these sweeties has already been spayed or neutered. They’re all micro-chipped and they’re in great health.
This is the second time I’ve photographed the homeless felines at the clinic, and several of the ones from my August Session are still waiting for a furr-ever home. I’ll be posting more on my blog and facebook page in the next few days, but in the meantime if you need a sweet kitten or cat to keep you company, I know where to look.
And here is a link to all the new sweeties that are currently available.
Call the good folks at Green Trails Animal Hospital. 19825 Greenwind Chase Drive, Houston, TX 77094 Phone 281.492.6100.
January 13, 2015
The Last Christmas Candy
One last piece of Christmas candy remains in the shiny green box that’s sat on my desk since mid December.
Mint Chocolate!
I’ve savored the aroma of these little delicacies almost as much as I’ve enjoyed letting them melt in my mouth chased by a nice strong cup of Louisiana coffee. Tomorrow’s treat will taste bittersweet.
January 14, 2015 –Wedding Album—YAY!
It’s their third anniversary and the wedding album is finally a reality!
At the very top of my “To Do” list, there’s been one single task that I have carried forward for nearly three years. It’s even had a star beside it, that’s my personal shorthand for PRIORITY – Do this ASAP. Still, it has taken me nearly three years to design a wedding album for my son and daughter-in-love.
When Ian and Lisa got married, three years ago today we had my friend and fellow photographer, Alison Carlino photograph the wedding. We made special professional trade arrangements for her to provide the images on a disc, and then the plan was that I would handle the design and production of the album and prints. We made a few prints and a canvas, but that blasted album hung over my head every day.
I just couldn’t get it done. I feel embarrassed that it has taken me so very long to actually get this album designed and produced. I have designed and delivered a huge number of albums to my clients over the past three years but . . .
The shoemaker’s children go barefoot. Faucets in the plumber’s house leak. And the photographer’s family patiently waits for their album. They wait and they wait and they wait.
FINALLY I took a deep breath and dived in. The book was delivered just the other day.
So THIS, my friends, is one reason that I discourage people from trying to simply order their images as electronic files. If I have the tools, skills, and album company connection to get this job done and it still took me three years to complete the task, it is a nearly certain bet that without investing in a professional, the electronic images will sit unprinted and unseen – perhaps forever.
But – we got ‘er done…. THAT is the Good Stuff!
Happy Anniversary, Lisa and Ian. Your album — your tangible memory of January 14, 2012 is finally a reality.
January 15, 2015 – Monkey Houseshoes
The sun DID come otu this afternoon, but it’s still COLD . Not cold by Philadelphia or Chicago standards, but to thin-blooded Houstonians, it is still COLD.
That, my friends, is why monkey house-shoes and leopard pj’s co-exist peacefully in this city.
January 16, 2015
Moody Blues on Vinyl Black — Friday Night at Home!
January 17, 2015
Can you say SUCKER? – Story to be continued here tomorrow.
January 18, 2015
Remember Yesterday’s photo?
Here’s the rest of the story. We’d like to introduce you to the Green Bay Packers’ newest fan. He’s a 5 month old blue eyed bundle of LOVE .
I photographed a group of adoptable cats last week, and this guy stayed on my mind all week. We picked him up yesterday and he says it was the best day of his life — and then, TODAY HAPPENED! Even Better!
Green Trails Animal Clinic here in Katy has a great selection of little sports fans waiting for couches and televisions of their own. Please help spread the word.
We’re currently narrowing down name choices and will keep you posted.
Yep… I’m a SUCKER … but so is my favorite boyfriend.
January 19, 2015
Shorts in January.
That’s one reason I love living in Houston.
It wasn’t pretty — glaring white legs and paint-stained ensemble, but this is how I cleaned the pool, went to the hardware store, and started painting some new backgrounds for the studio.
January 21, 2015
He makes cornbread for ME! The best gluten-free and actually yummy cornbread EVAH! That’s just one reason why he’s my favorite boyfriend
January 22, 2015
Rain – Just a dark cold rainy day.
January 23, 2015
We’re currently engaged in a rousing and competitive round of Kitten on the Keys – This could get interesting. Must Win – Must Win – Must Win
January 25, 2015
Doot –Doot-Doot-DOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
After a week of contemplation, we announce the Royal Coronation of Crown Prince Friedrich Leopold Von Katzenburg.
In his first official address to the public he is quoted as saying, “You can just call me Fred.”
Fred, it is.
January 25
Potato Sprout
Hey, I have an idea. Let’s grow potatoes in the pantry and pretend that we are post apocalyptic farmers!
January 30, 2015 – Fred had a rough day
Fred had a rough day. I thought he had a concussion after he collided HARD with my boot running through the house. Seriously, y’all. I heard it CLUNK, and then his pupils were completely different sized. He ended up in kitty ER where he stayed all day for observation and treatment. Then he got better. An ER trip always ends in a mildshake run…. Right?
January 31, 2015
First Camellia of the season.
This is the only white stuff you’re likely to see in Houston in January. Condolences to our friends in colder climates.
There you have it …. my January — but not the business side of me. You can always follow these posts daily on the Sporadic Dailies page of Smugmug but I hope I’ll have a collection to re-post at the end of every month this year. Subscribe to my blog — up in the upper right hand corner of this page, and you won’t miss any of these posts as they come up.
by Shelly | Jan 26, 2015 | pets, special project |
Calling all Cat People — We need your help Soooooo bad.
Heck, I’m even going to call on NON-Cat people because I know that you still have good hearts and you’ll help us as best you can. It’s just that you just prefer dogs — or you have allergies.
By the way, there are a couple of dogs in here too, so don’t check out just yet……
Here’s the executive summary:
- Lovable, hand-raised cats and kittens (and two dogs)
- Huge Selection
- Already Spayed and Neutered
- Micro-Chipped
- Vaccinated
- FREE (or as Mattress Mack would say — FREE FREE FREE) They just need safe loving homes.
- If the cat doesn’t work out in your home, there’s a no-questions-asked return policy.
- Meet them during business hours at Green Trails Animal Clinic 19825 Greenwind Chase, Houston, TX 77094 — Phone 281.492.6100
Now, for the details: You might remember back in August when I wrote about a group of cats that needed homes. If you missed it, you can check it out HERE . Unfortunately most of those sweeties are still waiting for furever homes. Now, to top it off there’s a whole new crop of young cats waiting for homes of their own, in addition to the first ones, and it won’t be long before springtime litters start rolling in. I took one home a week ago after I photographed them, so I can personally vouch for the fact that they are amazing! More on that later.
Here’s the back story. Our veterinarian, Dr. McGowan and the staff at Green Trails Animal Clinic have been helping to stem the population of cats and kittens for a nearby ranch owner, and they are absolutely bursting at the seams. Because these kittens are hand-raised by a loving veterinary staff, they are totally lovable. Earlier this month I went back to the clinic and photographed 26 more cats and two dogs that need homes desperately. If you can’t take one in yourself, that’s understandable, but you can still help us spread the word.
Meet these sweeties right here.
This is Cat #122. She’s a Seven Month Old spayed female brown tabby. This gal is very playful, but just a little skittish. She’ll get over that as soon as she feels safe and loved.
Number 123 is an orangy cream neutered male tabby. He’s a lover boy, very playful and always purring, and he just wants to be a lap cat.
This green-eyed smoky grey beauty is #124. She’s a sweet 7 month old loaded with personality. She’s very playful, but also quite calm for a 7 month old kitten.
If you’re looking for a super-inquisitive curious cat, # 125 might be your buddy. He’s extremely outgoing and playful, and he’s going to be an engineer when he grows up.
#126 will talk to you when you need company. She’s also curious about what’s going on, and she’s pretty darn playful, herself.
127 is a male cream tabby, He’s a 7 month old laid back lap cat who loves to snuggle.
#129, a talkative female black tortie, is 7 months old. She’s active, playful and just a little bit glamorous.
130 — This female grey tortie is six months old. She’s affectionate and very loving.
#131 is a loving and affectionate female grey tortie-tabby who just wants to become your lap cat.
# 134, a sweet brown tabby female is six months old. She’s a sweetie who loves to play, and purrs almost all the time. OH MY GOODNESS — Check out those Green Green EYES!
# 135 is a six month old female light grey tabby who’s a tiny bit skittish, but very playful She loves to climb and play.
#136. This female powder-grey tabby loves to jump. She would have preferred to get down off the table to explore the clinic rather than pose for her pictures. Lots of fun with this princess gal.
# 137, a brown tabby male just wants to sit in your lap and purr when he’s not riding around on your shoulder. He’s a lover.
# 138 — well, he sorta stole my heart and came home with me, so he no longer goes by a number. He is now Crown Prince Friedrich Leopold von Katzenburg, but he lets us call him Fred. Pure love … He kind of thinks he’s a dog. He already comes when we call him, and he is very very appreciative of his new surroundings. He just wants his buddies to know that there is hope beyond the clinic crate.
#139 is a brown medium hair tabby who is just five months old. She’s a sweetie who should become a great lap cat. All she needs is the lap.
#140 , a male brown tabby is also only five months old. What a playful sweetie.
#141, a female grey-tortie just loves to play — and play — and play.
#143 — this male brown/grey tabby is five months old. He’s very sweet and loves company.
#145 — a male cream with grey tabby, medium hair is very sweet and playful.
#146 is a gorgeous male silver/black tabby who would absolutely love to ride around on your shoulder
#147 is a gorgeous male brown tabby with lovely markings. He’s a little bit shy, but still a playful talker.
#148, affectionately known as Popeye, got off to a rough start but seems to be doing alright now. Back before he knew better, he got caught up in a bar fight where he lost his right eye and got a little notch taken out of his ear. He knows better now, and he’s just an extremely playful and affectionate white lynx. I think perhaps he’s a brother to the Crown Prince…… same age and markings,anyway.
#150 and #151 would be the happiest ever if they could stay together. You see, they helped each other through some pretty tough life and death situations. The sassy female seal-point siamese is just a little stand-offish, but once she feels comfortable and safe she becomes pretty playful. She purrs and talks when stroked. The black male is super playful and LOVES to play with toys. He’s a busy guy, always purring. They could be separated if necessary, but they really help keep each other centered.
And finally, there’s Chica and Nino.
No, they’re not cats and they don’t think they’re cats … but as long as we’re finding homes for needy pets, we just couldn’t leave them out. Chica is a one year old sweet and senssssitive gal. She’s definitely not a lap dog, and you’ll have to earn her trust — but once she figures out your loyalty, she won’t leave your side.
Nino is a black male. He’s a sweet lover, but will need a calming firm hand to break him of his habit of jumping …. He’s just enthusiastic, and needs to learn the rules.
Okay — as a disclaimer, I hope I got all the numbers and pictures straight. If not, just straighten it out when you visit the clinic. You’ll get to let them choose you in person anyway — and the numbers don’t really matter. The Purrsonalities do.
Please do whatever you can to make sure these animals get to pick out some people to love FURRR-EVER very soon.
Once again, they are all at Green Trails Animal Clinic.
by Shelly | Sep 30, 2014 | baby, personal, SPCcreative, special project |
Last week I met up with a lady in the parking lot of a bank. She opened the trunk of her SUV to reveal baskets of beautiful tiny silk and satin treasures — baby outfits. Whoah, they were GORGEOUS , with lace and pearls, and elaborate embellishments, even tiny bow-ties . . . and the BONNETS! Oh Swoon!
Angel Gowns by Diane donated a supply of handmade gowns to photographers who volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. From left: Emily Crump, Affiliated Photographer; Renae Carr, Area Coordinator; Pamela Schwarz, Community Volunteer; Pamela Contreras, Area Coordinator; and Shelly Chetty, Area Coordinator
I hope and pray that nobody reading this post EVER becomes the recipient of one of these gowns, because they were sewn for babies who don’t get to go home with their families and grow up. But if you should ever go through an infant loss, and see one of these gowns or use the services of a Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep photographer, please know that your baby will be wrapped in LOVE!
You see, these aren’t just beautiful baby dresses. They have been lovingly crafted from wedding dresses by a newly-formed group of volunteers in the Katy area, Angel Gowns by Diane . Their concept is to use memento from a happy and joyful day to help ease the sting of sadness and grief when a baby dies. This specific supply of gowns in preemie to newborn sizes is going to the local professional photographers who serve with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a worldwide nonprofit organization that provides bereavement photography at no charge to families The Angel Gowns group also contributes their gowns directly to hospitals in the area.
Want to get involved? Want to help?
First — NILMDTS is in DESPERATE need of more qualified professional photographers, both in the Houston area and throughout the United States. In Houston we ask our photographers to be on call and available to go to the Texas Medical Center just one day a month, and to help with suburban cases near their homes or studios on an as-needed basis. If you know a photographer or if you are one, I (or one of the other two local NILMDTS Area Coordinators) will help get you through the application process. You will receive training, and one of us will actually accompany you on your first shoot and walk you through the process so that it’s not as intimidating the next time around.
It’s just SO STINKIN’ SAD when a hospital calls us, and we do not have a photographer available to create beautiful images for the grieving family. There are SO MANY TALENTED photographers in this city, and I believe that just about anyone who wants to can find a way to schedule one non-appointment day a month to be available provide this gift of healing. Please check out the NILMDTS Web Site to learn more about our organization.
If you’re not a photographer,
you CAN still talk to photographers you know and encourage them to get involved.
Also, I know that NILMDTS operates on a shoestring. Tax Deductible financial contributions will help keep the organization’s website and resources up to date and to provide training and support for volunteers.
And if you’d like to to get involved with Angel Gowns by Diane. They need
- wedding dress donations
- people to dismantle the dresses, cut patterns and/or sew the gowns
- people to help coordinate with area NICU’s and with NILMDTS.
- People to pick up and deliver donated dresses
Just check out their facebook page (I understand that a full website is in the works) for more details.
by Shelly | Aug 9, 2014 | pets, special project |
I did something just a little bit different this week, and as a result, I fell a little bit in love.
I went to meet and photograph some cats that really would like to go home with a human and STAY.
Oh my catnip, was it fun!
For starters, let’s meet BOOTS —
Boots is a big gorgeous two-year-old hunk who would do well in a home without human kids – — or at least someone who is a real neatnick.
You see, he has a tendency to play with things and eat them. Things like toys and yarn.
As much as he loves hanging out with the staff at Green Trails Animal Clinic in Katy where he’s staying, he says he’d much rather not have to do that surgery thing . . . AGAIN.
OOPS! BURP
So, how did I chance upon Boots and his buddies?
There’s been a sign about adoptable cats on the door at our veterinarian’s office for so long that I almost quit noticing it. Then the last time I stopped in to pick up some meds for our geriatric Aussie, I learned that the clinic currently has 10 cats and 16 kittens that will need to find fur-ever homes.
The kittens aren’t quite ready to go yet, but all the rest of these guys can go home with you TODAY. They are all HEALTHY.
They’ve been spayed or neutered and micro-chipped . . . and they get handled and loved on every minute that the staff can spare.
Oh, and did I say . . . they’re HEALTHY!
So let’s meet some more of this gang.
Seventy is a lovely two-year old Saraparilla Sweetheart. She loves her catnip mouse, and she tells me that she’s really ready to trade in her clinic crate for a cushy pillow in front of someone’s television. She especially likes to watch old sappy chick-flics but says she could learn to like football and WWF.
-MEOW-
Now, if you’d like a cat that’s going to keep you laughing, then you should meet 116
He’s just 19 weeks old. He’s a big lover, and probably the most playful in the bunch. Oh so active. This guy will keep you hopping.
He’s also the brother of 115 below:
115 has a purr motor that you can hear across the room. He’s extremely curious about things, but very cautious at the same time.
Smart Kitty!
I personally think that 115 and 116 would love it if they could stay together.
—PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
So, have you noticed that not all of these cats have real names? Their numbers started remindnig me of Jean ValJean, the hero of Les Miserables —
Valjean, known only as 24601 before he re-entered the free world once told Marius “You have love. That’s the only future God gives us.”
—
This is 107. She’s a playful 10 month old female tabby who needs love. She needs a future. Do you see some Cosette in her eyes?
I do.
meow meow meow
And now there’s ALICE.
Alice might be a Maine Coon Cat. She’s a big ol’gal at 13 months.
She’s got that deep growly kind of meow — the kind that says she knows what she wants and you ARE going to get it for her.
She’s very vocal, a big lover, and playful too.
If I could take one of these kitties home, I think Alice would be my choice but our geriatric Aussie would probably think we were breaking in a replacement for her, and it’s just not worth the trauma.
-PURR-
Our next guy is #76.
He’s a two-year old tabby with piercing green eyes. In addition to lots of love, he needs a special diet because he’s prone to urinary problems, but the clinic staff says that as long as he stays on that diet he is as good as gold. I only told you that in the interest of full disclosure, but SERIOUSLY, it shouldn’t be a huge issue in finding his new home.
-MEOW-
Awww ——— Next we have 113. He’s just 18 weeks old, and he’s a sweet mellow bundle of love. I think the 13 moniker makes him a lucky charm for somebody.
PURR-PURR-PURR
Our next guy, who looks like a Russian Blue, probably needs a Russian name.
But he’s shy and he doesn’t speak Russian — OR English for that matter.
He probably wouldn’t care if you named him Sobaka, which means DOG in Russian. He will just be happy for you to notice how ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL he is.
In the meantime, we’ll just call him 120.
-PURR-MEOW-PURR-
And finally, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Snow White. She’s a two-yearol Blue Point Lynx who finds great comfort in her very own cardboard box.
Yep — a cardboard box. She’s NOT a high maintenance gal.
She’s a bit cross-eyed, but she’s a sweetie who deserves a Happily Ever After.
Dontcha think?
-MEOW-
ALL of these cats are safely tucked away waiting for you to come visit during business hours at Green Trails Animal Clinic.
They’re at 19825 Greenwind Chase, Houston, 77094.
You can talk to their caretakers by calling 281.492-6100.
Again — they’re all healthy, spayed and neutered, microchipped in case they happen to go wandering — and they just want a home to call their own.
Go take a look. If you don’t take home a new family member, you’ll at least leave a little bit of your heart behind — and there’s nothing wrong with that.
MEOW!
by Shelly | Jul 8, 2014 | kids, special project |
When Little Miss S (and no, S doesn’t stand for SASS) lost her first tooth, her mom rushed her right over to my studio for an impromptu photo shoot to commemorate the occasion.
Teeth or none, this gal is such a HAM! Check out all of these goof-ball expression.
Back when I was a kid, the Tooth Fairy would deliver exactly 41 cents for a tooth. Yep.. ONE EACH… a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
I never managed to convince my mother that we were getting short changed at our house on Shell Street in Midland Texas. Even back in THE DAY…. Even in the OLDEN DAYS… other kids in the old hometown earned at least a dollar for each pearly white. Some even bragged of $5 bills.
Since this was Miss S’ s first lost tooth, she hadn’t t had time to establish a market value yet, but I’ll bet it was more than 41 cents….
Goodness … with a smile like this, she will probably be able to fund her college education by the time she gets down to her wisdom teeth.
Anything that happens TODAY makes TODAY a SPECIAL DAY — and it’s the little stuff that you’ll remember years from now, especially if you’ve got great photographs to jog your memory.
Don’t forget to commemorate those special occasions!
Do it yourself, or let me help.
You’ll be glad you did.
by Shelly | Jul 1, 2014 | personal, special project, tutorial |
Hi friends,
Every once in a while I like to throw something different out here, so I’m really excited about today’s project.
The Katy area is chock-full of photographers who can photograph you and your family — and some of those people are downright FABULOUS. I’m delighted to be friends with some of the best locals around. While I love to work with your teens who really would prefer to be hanging with their friends than taking ‘FAMILY’ photos to make mom happy, than sugar-crazed toddlers, I have the resources to take care of TODAY. See, these collleagues of mine happen to be particularly WONDERFUL Childrens’ photographers. That’s right. If you call me for a photography job that I think is more suited to someone else, I will do my darndest to get you together. After all….. You have a choice, and a four-year-old is WAY DIFFERENT from a High School Senior.
SOOOOOO….. If your kids are beyond the new walker stage and younger than 10, SPCcreative MAY NOT be the best studio for you. HOWEVER….. I have connections…. YES!!!!! RIGHT HERE IN KATY!!!!!!
Just for grins, my close-circle of local professional photographers has started a blog circle. You can read through a selection of our blog posts and then follow a link to yet another one of our colleagues. Be to follow the circle all the way around until you get back to where you started.
UMMMMMM…… That would be ME!!!! HELLLOOOOOO!
Our blog circle this month centers around the theme of SUMMER.
So, even though you already know that I specialize in portraits — and there’s NOTHING I love more than high school seniors and teenagers, this is where I”m letting my LEFT BRAIN …. or maybe it’s the RIGHT take over. Whatever it is, OTHER LOGICAL SIDE — SHUT UP and let me play!
Come join me as we PLAY in the backyard garden.
All of these images were created in broad daylight, but I used my flash to darken the background and eliminate distractions.
What’s that? you say… Use a flash to make it dark?
YEP! . You’d never know that just a few feet behind this lovely Picasso’s Fantasy Petunia hanging basket there’s a white garage, would you.
Wanna know how it’s done?
First, you do need a camera that allows you to use the manual settings, and you’ll to know some basics about how your camera works.
You also need a flash unit that allows you to control the strength of the flash, and it’s WAY COOL if you can trigger that flash from off the camera.
Okay — if you need help, go get your manual. It’s okay. I’ll wait.
This will be a little bit technical but I am SOoooooooo not a techie person that I HOPE I can explain the steps in a way that makes sense to you and me both.
If you don’t know how to adjust a few settings on your camera, take a moment to read up on them. They include turning OFF all automatic settings and putting your camera in MANUAL mode, then adjusting your
ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture.
There’s NOTHING automatic about this little exercise, so the very first thing you want to do is shift your camera over to the MANUAL mode.
Thats the M on the dial that probably also has a little green square. Maybe there are some pictures like a flower, a runnnnnning guy, and a mountain. You might also have other letters like B, A, T, & P — but we want the M as in Monkey or Moon or . . . Magic.
Got it? Now you’re TOTALLY in charge of your camra. Feel empowered? Let’s go on.
Next, lets set your camera so that it reads very little of that bright summer outdoor light. So find your ISO setting.
ISO stands for International Standards Organization, but that doesn’t matter. It simply affects how fast your sensor collects the light once it’s let in. The controller is probably on the right side of your camera near the shutter button, but use your manual if you need help finding it.
Choose the lowest number available.
I don’t speak Nikon, but most Canon cameras typically go down to 100.
Next you want to set your shutter speed so that it is as fast as possible without outpacing your flash. Some systems can go as fast as 1/250 of a second before you have to make a battery-draining high speed sync adjustment to your flash. On other models you may only go up to 1/200 before high-speed sync becomes necessary. We don’t want to fool with the high sync thing, but if you shoot faster than your flash will allow, you’ll only get about half a picture. Nobody wants THAT!
Still with me? Great! Go ahead and set your shutter speed at 200.
Next you want to adjust your aperture (that means the size of the hole that opens up in your lens to let light in) as small as possible so that it doesn’t let in much light at all.
Here’s where things get wonky. The higher the aperture numbers go, the SMALLER your aperture really is. So….. if your aperture is set on 2.8 or 5.4, the hole is really big, and lots of light gets in. That’s great for if you want to freeze action, but that light just comes into the camera and goes EVERYWHERE – and for THIS project we want to block out most of our surrounding light so that we only see the light that our flash puts on the subject.
NOW… with your shutter speed set fast, start adjusting your aperture to the bigger and bigger numbers — smaller and smaller hole — until you can take a picture and the result is totally (or nearly all) black. 20 or 22 is usually pretty good. Once you get a black image, stop. Keep those settings where they are.
NOW — we’re going to bring in the flash.
Be sure it is set on its manual setting too, not automatic or ETTL, or it will try to do the thinking for you and you’ll just get whatever exposure the camera thinks is normal.
Start with the flash at about 1/8 power and hold it about 3 or 4 feet away from the subject …. we’ll just say it’s a flower since it’s summer and things are blooming like crazy.
Be sure the flash is pointing DIRECTLY at the flower.
Take a picture.
What did you get? Is it all still black or too dark? If so, there are two things you can do. Either move the flash closer to your flower, or turn the power up a stop to 1/4 power — but not both!
Is your subject over-exposed? Then what do you think we’re going to do?
BINGO! Turn the flash power DOWN or move it away from your subject. How cool is that?
This is where it’s super fun to have a flash that you can fire from off your camera. Once you find the exposure and flash distance that works for you, you can move that light around and experiment. Try placing the flash above your flower pointing straight down …. now try one with the flash off to the side or even behind or underneath the flower….. Pretty cool to see the light falling on just one part of your flower, isn’t it?
The light came from behind this little baby dragonfly. That’s why his legs have that pretty rim-lighted effect.
Can you guess where my light was for the mushrooms? That’s right, it was at about 10 o clock to the subject and was laying on the ground.
Now, the plumeria picture is a cheat. The sun was actually shining right through the petals so I made some quick adjustments and took that picture without any flash at all, but I still used the same principles, making the swimming pool background a deep dark teal instead of black.
Think you want to give this a try? I believe you can do it too. I’d love to see the images that you can come up with.
Go play and let me hear and see how it goes!
NOW — so the SUMMER-THEME circle remains unbroken, click THIS LINK to get to know my fellow photography buddy, Desi and what she and her ADORABLE kiddos have been up to this summer.
And when I say KIDS, you really will see GOATS! How cool is that on a hot summer day?
When you get to the bottom of her blog, keep on linking until you get back to where you started. !
