Reflections of Life Photography

Favorite moments of the Opening Ceremonies…and a few interesting facts

Hearing the story behind the US flagbearer, Lopez Lomond…

Finding out Zimbabwe’s dictator (one of the 10 worst in the world) was told in Hong Kong it was “best” if he turned around and went home!

Kirbati…23 hour time difference in one country because of its location in comparison to its location on the International Date Line! (well, until they adjusted it!)

How young Botswana’s flagbearer looked…a swimmer I’d guess is 14!

Finding out that my absolute favorite basketball player, Dirk Nowitzki, is Germany’s flagbearer and that Mavs fans helped him receive the honor! Now, my dear German pals, if you don’t know who my Dirk is, I’ll have to come over and wring your necks!

The little boy walking in with Yao Ming–nine years old but looked like a toddler upside Yao! He’s an earthquake survivor who freed himself and a couple classmates–talk about a hero!

And, at the very end, the dedication to Jim McKay, who’ll be much much missed from this Games when it comes to the commentary.

Note: The above image was ‘created’ at the start of the Torino Games two years ago with a pack and a half of Hershey Kissables in case you’re curious! Yeah, I sometimes have too much free time on my hands!

If you’ve ever been around me when I’m out photographing–whether a session or just for fun–you’ll soon notice I start taking photos of ‘random’ things. Well, to you they may seem random, but to me, something about the subject jumps out at me as not only a great photo, but an idea for something else.

The other night I decided to take a walk through my father’s farm equipment and walked away with over 150 images–mostly detail shots of logos, signs, and other details. He saw me editing them later and wanted to know why I didn’t take full shots of his pride and joy’s (his two Massey Fergusons). Granted, I did take a ‘full view’ shot of the two of them parked side by side from behind, but I was seeking inspiration more than anything. And I was trying out some techniques and ideas with two of my newest playtoys –the 40D and my 85mm lens.

I’ll share those images later on–as I’m also considering selling some of them also–but here’s one shot I took when I realized just where I get my obsession with all things British…

I also find inspiration in things I can’t seem to capture–those blink or miss moments. Yesterday, on my way home, I was coming up to this sharp curve that also involves a railroad crossing. Well about fifty yards before it, suddenly this large blob and three little blobs came across the roadway. It was either hit the brakes or grab my camera out of my purse. Wanna guess what the blobs were? Potbellied pigs–a momma and three babies. By the time I could react to grab the camera, they’d went under a fence and were gone. Oh, that would have been a great photograph. Think the Beatles at Abbey Road, but with potbellied pigs…

Another place I’m finding inspiration again is in magazines. I have this stack that’s a good eighteen inches tall I need to sit down and read–those are the ones I subscribe to! While I look to my photography magazines as both education and inspiration and my travel ones to fill the wonderlust, I rarely look at fashion magazines unless I get the occasional free subscription. So yesterday, as I stopped in Walgreens to pick up a card, I passed a magazine rack with Vanity Fair on it–a magazine I have only purchased twice ever (once for a story/photospread about all the royals in Europe, the other when the cover featured Reese Witherspoon, one of my favorite actresses). The cover jumped out at me, so I got it. With an idea in mind, I then walked over to the magazine ‘aisle’ and skimmmed the rest of the selection. Of all the options there, Cosmo Girl was the only other one that ‘jumped’ out at me. So I picked up a copy of it too and headed to the register. Last night as I flipped through them, I restrained myself from tearing the pages out of both that inspired me or gave me an idea. I plan to sit back down and take photos of those pages–as I’ll probably pass the magazines on to someone who’ll actually read them once I’m done.

As for the goals, over on my personal site, I recently posted 101 Things in 1001 Days I hope to accomplish. Some of them are pretty lofty, but it gives me something to work towards. There’s a mix of personal, travel, business, and photography-related things/items to accomplish. Some are pretty simple–take a self portrait each month–while others–encourage clients to try something different or spontaneous for part of their photo sessions–will be a tad more difficult. Some examples of what I mean here, here, anything here or here, here. Or even giving in to a non-traditional location–everyone uses two particular parks in Tyler, but what about the downtown areas or either TJC or UT-Tyler’s campuses? There’s a lot of spectacular backdrops around all three if you look…and the images won’t be ‘just like everyone else’s’!

One of my goals not listed on the list is to discover a style that is me rather than following trends or emulating the style of the photographers I admire or am inspired by. I’d love to find clients who are willing to try something other than a traditional/formal pose during a portrait session and let me document them as they are, how they interact with each other, their real personality that comes out when they’re able to be themselves. Last fall, there was one couple I photographed that I truly enjoyed, probably because it was the one session that made me want to laugh so much simply because they ‘let go’ and were themselves in front of the camera.

So…if you’re up for something out of the ordinary and want a session that reflects the ‘real you’…I’m more than willing to photograph it (as long as its not underwater)! Or if you see something on there tied to photography you’d like to help or motivate me to accomplish, again, leave me a comment or send me an email. I’m looking to grow as a photographer and in order to do that, sometimes I need a little assistance on the part of my clients!