Deep Thoughts

I was singing along with the radio today driving home from Arkansas. 

 Everyone else was asleep, so I was really listening to the words...

they're also a popular saying...

one I'm sure you've heard...

"life's not the breaths you take,
 but the moments that take your breath away"

The more the chorus was repeated,

 the more I realized I completely DISAGREE [respectfully, George].

While I agree that big, breathtaking,
 memory making moments that we experience

 [think home run, touchdown, dance recital]

add a different flavor to our life,
 I don't think THOSE are what life is about.

 

I think life is about the small,

the mundane,

the everyday,

the ordinary,

the rut,

the same old, same old, day after day...

 

it's about getting up and going to work
it's about doing homework

it's about changing diapers or wiping noses

it's about cooking dinner
or packing lunches

it's about the booster club meeting
or watching football practice
or getting the car repaired
or playing monopoly with the kids
 

it's about walking the dog 

 

Life is right where you're living.

 

Life is about today.

Right where you are.

In the ordinary.

  

 

Ride of a Lifetime

So, as I mentioned here, I really,

REALLY wanted to ride

in the hot air balloon.

[remember, the balloon is anchored by a cable]

 

And this trip to Florida, we were actually able to make it happen.

 

This is not us [obviously :) ]...

 

 

but I love watcing it come in for a landing.

 

It's relatively inexpensive [$18 per person, I think] which,

considering you're at Disney, sounded like a bargain to me.

 

Once we got up in the air, I was able to turn loose of the

hand rail and take some photos.  I probably should note that

I have a [minor] fear of heights...eeeeeek!

 

 

It was a little scary wobbly as the cable extended,

but smoothed right out when we got to the "top".

 

Speaking of cables, doesn't it look tiny???

It was waaaaaaaaaaay smaller than I imagined.

 

 

Oh. This is the conversation I overheard between

my husband and the pilot...

Randy "so, if the cable broke, what would happen?"

Pilot "well, we have no way of controlling the balloon"

[I'm feeling a bit of panic here]

Randy "wow. we'd just go to the moon..."

 

AAAaaaaaaack. Thanks for that, babe.

 

And one last photo from our trip.

This looks so peaceful, which I needed after that balloon ride.

 

 

 

Just for fun [part 1]

Ever since I decided that photography

was going to remain

a hobby,

[and not a potential new job]

I've enjoyed it a lot more.

I thought if I loved photography,

I would love having a photography business.

Not so much.

 

Between my full-time j.o.b. and my family,

I just couldn't squeeze in enough paid

shoots to make it worth

the time away from home.

 

Still.

There is nothing better than

a Sunday afternoon

of shooting.

 

Especially if the location is FAB

and the models are FABBER

[ok. beautiful, sweet, friendly, natural]

 

Some of my favorite photography friends

[a.k.a. photogpeeps]

met Sunday afternoon at the Cotton Mill

in McKinney.

Wow!

The most amazing light

came through the wall of windows.

 

 

I'll be sharing more of these over the next few days.

 

Not exactly a Mickey Mouse obsession

For the past 4 years, my husband has had a business trip in Florida.

  Orlando...Disney World to be exact. 

 I always get to tag along and hang out with the other wives

 while they guys are meeting and such. 

 We shop a little [a lot!] too. 

Well, this year, he has 2 business trips to Florida...

yep,both to Disney.

 

This time I decided to spend some time

 hanging out with my camera.

We had a great time, she [he?] and I.

[completly random side note...does your camera have a name?]

[another random side note...mine does not]

 

Our hotel happened to be accross the street from  Downtown Disney.

There is lots of Mickey Mouse stuff to be had.  Minnie too. 

And Toy Story. And Monsters Inc.

And. And. And....

Well, you get the idea.

 

I took 2 lenses with me [24mm and 85mm] and

began to shoot whatever drew my attention.

I'm always careful not to photograph other

people's children without asking.  It just seems too

weird in this day and age...

I found myself shooting lots of "leading lines"...

 

 

Yes, I noticed there were some kiddos in that first photo.

They're pretty out of focus though, so I'm good with that.

 

There's also a hot air balloon ride. 

It's completely tethered, so in my mind, completely safe.

It simply goes up and comes down, all the while tethered

safely [!] to the ground by huge/great big/gargantuan/did you see all those cables.

Every year we want to ride the hot air balloon.

Hasn't happened yet.

[although as of this writing, we are still in Florida, so you never know]

In the meantime, I continue to have an obsession with it.

Out of the 144 shots of random stuff, probably 60 were of

this ...

This last one is really all about the umbrellas, mkay?

 

I kept wandering and found this.

Lots of snaps of this too, however I will spare you.

They all look pretty much like this.

Not sure what I was seeing each time I clicked my shutter

that necessitated so many shots.

 

And then.

 

I found this.

Don't you love it?

What?

It's a lightbulb.

and

I

was

OBSESSED.

Wait.

There's more.

It's okay.

My husband didn't get it either.

[please don't tell anybody I spent about 40 minutes

snapping away at these lightbulbs...I'm sure

they won't understand]

 

I did take a few other cool shoots.

 

Like this one...

I don't know why it reminds me of an old Hollywood movie.

 

Oh, and I'll leave you with this one at the bar.

[No. I didn't have a drink.  It's against the law to drink and shoot.  For real]

 

 



Photo Inspiration

My "comfort zone" as far as photography is concerned, is outside in natural light. 

 I can find "open shade" and avoid harsh shadows.

 I can set my camera's white balance just fine. 

 But ask me to take photos indoors, and immediately I start worrying

 about the lighting, the camera settings,

grainy photos, using flash...

whew! full blown panic attack.

 

Recently some dear friends asked me to shoot some Christmas photos for them. 

Their number one goal was to get a few shots for their Christmas cards. 

 No problem.  I can do this. 

 We sent a few emails, texts, and facebook messages back and forth...

trading inspiration photos. 

 

Their main inspiration  was a Tiffany's ad from a few years ago...

 

Tiffany & Co

 

oh my...

 

Thankfully, the first thing they said after showing me the ad was

"no pressure, we don't want it to  look the same"

Thank Goodness!

We live in Texas and it's been a balmy 75 degrees here lately.

No snow in sight.

 

We hung some lights on the wall Dad hung some lights

on the wall, we (really, we) spread some "snow" around,

and Mom dressed her littles in some really cute clothes.

 

Since some of the photos we took might make

their way into Christmas gifts, I'm only sharing

the photos I already posted on my facebook page.

 

 

Sooooo....

Do you think anybody would mind

if I sent out Christmas cards with someone else's

kiddo on them?

 

Thanks to this sweet family for letting me

take over their home for a few hours.

Literally...

we moved furniture and took things off the walls...

 oh. and Dad made me a latte!

 

 ~blessings, Kellie

 

What I've been up to lately

Whew!

 Lately life has been full of football. 

Friday nights shooting high school games. 

 Saturdays attending college games.

 I am THANKFUL for a nice slow Thanksgiving week.

(Well, not too slow, I'll be doing a Senior session this afternoon

 and one or two family Christmas sessions next weekend)

Here's one of my favorite shots from the Hawks game at Cowboy Stadium.

What concept?

I had a concept in mind for  a photo.

Unfortunately there was a disconnect between

what I saw in my head

and what i saw in my camera...

sometimes happens.

No matter.

Anyway.

This is what I ended up with.

And I'm okay with that.

Hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July.