Shots n' Thoughts

A Day in the Mountains

2010-12-23T16:13:00.005-07:00

This past weekend, my husband and I went up to our local mountains to see some beautiful scenery and snow. We just wanted to get away, alone, for a while and enjoy each other's company in God's beautiful creation. God blessed us with falling snow for much of our day. I didn't take nearly the pictures that I usually do, and most of the ones we took were with our little family point & shoot camera. What a special time we had together! I'm so thankful.

My husband and I, enjoying each other, and the falling snow; not to mention the beautiful scenery.

This is a little place in town, where we stopped for lunch. I highly recommend them. We were going to rent one of their cabins for our upcoming, extended get-away but decided to go to Oregon to an old historic hotel instead. I can't wait!

This is the little town on Idaho City, in black & white.

Here I am moving my gear so I can get another shot of Grimes Creek.

For more & larger images from this trip, CLICK HERE!

Follow my adventures on my Facebook Fanpage!

Today's Chilling Image

2010-12-17T10:21:00.003-07:00

Comments welcomed...

Idaho Rainbow

2010-11-30T08:23:00.004-07:00

There have been some awesome rainbows in Idaho this fall. I took this one near the end of the season, just before the weather turned colder and the snow started flying. The colors are so brilliant! I added scripture to this one.

You can order this image as a quality print (matted & framed or just the print), canvas or gallery wrap at my main website, or as a greeting card! Just go to the Inspirational Gallery on either site. There is a discount for greeting card orders in quantities of 8 or 16!

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography, Travel Photo Tips -- National Geographic

2010-09-04T16:54:00.000-06:00

While preparing to travel to Wyoming for some out-of-state, in-the-field shooting, I found this great article on researching a place to which you'll be travelling, before leaving home. This will aid me in being in the right place, at the right time, and capturing best images possible on my trip. This article has helped me and I trust it will be of benefit to some of you, as well.

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography, Travel Photo Tips -- National Geographic

Lightning Storm

2010-08-10T23:13:00.004-06:00

We had a fantastic lighting storm last night. We drove out to get a good view to take some pictures and we ended up having the storm pass right over us. I've never heard lightning so close and so loud! My heart was pounding and I was thinking, "I'm still alive and nothing hurts. That was awesome!" After that loud bold of lightning, the wind and rain hit. The car was shaking from the wind and the rain was a real downpour! By the time it quit raining enough to open the window and take a picture, the lightning was pretty far off in the distance. I never even got a chance to get my tripod out so all the photos I took were hand-held. Below is one that was acceptable to share with you all, but not what I was hoping to capture. Maybe next time, though! You just never know...

On My Own-An Independent Film

2010-06-21T22:07:00.006-06:00

I took the stills for this independent film, last summer. The movie is by AKB Productions and premieres on August 21, 2010, in Boise, Idaho. This is the movie poster for promotion of the film. (The graphics were done by Media Ghost Productions.) Click here for more about On My Own, and to see the movie trailers.

For more about the film company or to see other films they've done, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested on working on their next full-length film, A Sweeter Song, click here for more info.

HDR-style editing technique

2010-05-30T16:34:00.006-06:00

If you are into photography at all, you've surely heard of HDR images. For those of you who haven't heard of it, HDR stands for high dynamic range. Usually, you would take 5 or more images at different exposures and combine them in a software program. The idea is to bring out more detail in an image, especially in the shadow areas, while not clipping the highlights. There's a lot more to it, but I won't go into all that here.

I have been hesitant to delve into this area of photography because as far as art goes, I am a bit of a purist. I once took a watercolor painting class and did poorly because I like pure color and the opacity of the medium eluded me in practice, no matter how much I tried to keep a light hand. In photography, for the most part, I like images that look as real and natural as possible.

HDR can look very natural or very un-natural. HDR has the ability to enhance an image in a way that will enable it to look more like the scene looked to the human eye sees, but when overdone/over processed it just looks hokey to me. If you're going for hokey, or even artsy then I'm okay with that; but when it's supposed to be a photograph, it should be done with extreme caution so as not to overdo it and take the realism out of the image. I do believe there is a place for both.

So, this is one of my first images that I have edited this way. It was actually done in Lightroom 2, from a single RAW file. I learned the technique from a post at Digital Photography School's site. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. You can view it larger in my "Artistic" gallery, if you want to see it larger. Let me know what you think...does it look realistic enough? Is it too cartoony? Not cartoony enough for you?

Update: Here's another...

...and, one more...

Broken Fence-Free Wallpaper Download!

2010-05-16T20:25:00.005-06:00

I just love old barns, old structures and old fences so I decided to offer this image as my latest free wallpaper download. This image was taken in Gem County, Idaho.

By downloading this file, you are agreeing to certain license usage terms. If you do not agree to the terms, please do NOT download the file.

If you would like to use this image as your computer background,

Please CLICK HERE and follow download instructions. Please also leave a comment.

*If you know someone who would like this download, use the share button; please DO NOT send them the file yourself.

ENJOY!

Snake River Birds of Prey Festival

2010-05-03T21:41:00.002-06:00

Last year I attended a wonderful event! It's the Snake River Birds of Prey Festival, and it's coming up again! It will be held May 14-16 in Kuna, Idaho. It offers tours, lectures, and children's activities.

The lectures are very interesting and informative. There are falconers on site with live raptors as part of some of the lectures and in the vending hall. You can view them up close and ask questions about them.

I went on one of the tours last year. It was the Burrowing Owl Tour and it was an awesome experience! Below is one of the pictures of the owlets, just over a week old, I took on that tour. Click here to see more of the photos and read about my experience.

This year I plan to attend again, and I hope you will, too! Next year I will probably be a vendor there, but in the meantime, you may purchase my photography as fine art prints, framed or unframed, as well as greeting cards.

Owyhee Reservoir

2010-03-02T11:00:00.003-07:00

Last Saturday, February 27th. 2010, my husband and I went on a birding field trip with the SIBA, over to Malheur County, Oregon. After lunch, we split from the group since we had a previous committment back in Idaho, and I was getting exhausted from my back pain. Before we headed home, I took some scenic shots at the Owyhee Reservoir. This landscape show's a view from above the Owyhee Dam, with the Mullein plants as forground elements. Some storm clouds were closing in again, making this shot somewhat moody.

I have posted some close up images of a downy woodpecker on the Mullein plants, on my bird blog, that I took in the same area.

Free Wallpaper Download!

2010-01-12T23:47:00.007-07:00

Brighten your cold, winter days and liven up your computer screen, with this beautiful monarch butterfly!
Get your FREE wallpaper download of this beautiful monarch butterfly, HERE! Limited time only!

New Wide Images

2010-01-10T22:50:00.004-07:00

New wide images are now available for purchase through my website:

Shekinah Photography

I only have a few so far, but will be adding more, so keep checking back.

This image was taken last spring near Stanley, Idaho.

Divine Desolation

2010-01-05T23:36:00.005-07:00

My most recent time in the field yielded this image of the Spring Shores Marina, at Lucky Peak Reservior in Boise, Idaho. This is one of several landscape shots I took, in addition to some soaring bald eagles.

This image paints a much different picture from the one seen in the summer months, when the area is alive with a flurry of activity. A time when the docks are floating, the weather is pleasant and people are out on their boats and on the shores, enjoying the tepid summer sun.

This place holds a strange attraction for me in the winter months; one of forsaken charm. The weather is harsh and the beaches are vacant, barring the occasional fisherman. The unrelenting wind blows over the frozen terrain and the clouds roll in. It is the birth of another winter night and I'm thankful I can be there to capture the quiet beauty of the moments before the sun begins to vanish on the horizon and darkness invades the fleeting light.

Renewal & Healing

2009-12-08T10:52:00.007-07:00

As the first blanket of snow now covers the fallen leaves and autumn turns to winter, I'm once again reminded of the change of seasons. I'm so grateful for the change of seasons and what each one brings, both literally and metaphorically speaking. Right now I'm going through a change of sorts. As I give in to those changes, which include waiting for the next season, I'm sometimes impatient. "Hurry spring, I'm ready."

I'm looking forward to that new season, but just as the fallen leaves still lie frozen beneath the new snow, some of that old season continues to remain in me. Though the winter may be long and arduous and limbs may freeze and crack, it will go; and when it does, it will bring with it...spring. Tender sprouts will bravely burst out in the glory of their Maker with new life and purpose." However long the winter, renewal and new life will come. I'm anticipating that time for myself.

The most important renewal one can have is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord Savior and receive the New and Eternal Life that only Salvation brings. I've already done that, so I'm speaking now about physical and even emotional renewal. A physical and emotional winter can bring harsh blows. Blows that can only be somewhat healed and forgotten with the coming of spring's fresh rain and warm sunshine. Just as with God's other creations, my own change of seasons can only come with the help of God's power.

This song by Nichole Nordeman really should be my theme song. The words are behind all that motivates my own life and photography. God's creations, His wonderful change of seasons, and all that has been made by His loving hands and in fact the very voice of God himself. He is in, and in fact is, every season. I hope you will find renewal as you listen to this song and watch this gorgeous video.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

1 Corinthians 5:17

Check out my new bird blog!

2009-10-29T20:23:00.004-06:00

I was posting so many bird images on my blog, I decided to start another blog to devote just to birds and birding and learning all about birds as well as a place to share my images.

Check it out and don't forget to FOLLOW ME on my new blog! CLICK HERE to go there now.

Autumn Bridge

2009-10-28T22:05:00.008-06:00

Fall is here! Pumpkins, leaves and scarecrows have been placed indoors to celebrate the season. As the Scentsy bricks heat and melt, the aroma of pumpkin spice fills the air causing me to dream of freshly baked pie. The fireplace gives off it's warm, romantic glow. Outside, however, it's a much different story. There's a crisp breeze in the air, and the leaves are turning to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. With each gust of wind, more leaves detach from their suspended home and float down to the ground below. Short-term guests arrive in our yard as the birds stop by for water and nutrients they will need for their southward flight before the cold of winter arrives; but they will return.

I so enjoy the fall; and photographing it is always such a peaceful, enjoyable, even worshipful time for me. I am glad God created the season of fall, with all of it's beauty and wonder. I have so many images from the weekend that I want to process and share, but this one will have to do for now. I took this image in Payette, Idaho, this past weekend. I almost got run over by some locals taking this one.

Enjoy the fall colors. If you want to see more of my fall images, CLICK HERE.

What's that sound?

2009-10-12T15:07:00.006-06:00

I was recently eating cereal when I heard an unfamiliar shrieking (bird) noise coming from our backyard. When I heard it again, I had to see what it was. I thought the Northern Flicker that was here the day before had returned, but the noise was not that of a woodpecker.

Upon looking out, I didn't see anything and all was quiet. Our yard is usually filled with backyard birds, so I was unsettled as I continued to finish my cereal. I was still bothered by what I heard, so I decided to go look through my bird blind (my upstairs window in our laundry room, now covered with dark material) When I looked out, there was a juvenile sharp-shinned hawk (aka sharpie) finishing its own meal. Upon seeing this, I realized that what I heard was the kill. The small bird it was finishing up, was one of my very own backyard birds. Thought it saddened me, I know its just "nature's way" to quote Steve Irwin.

I took some images from upstairs and then when it flew down to the fence from up on my trellis, I took more of it on the fence as it proceeded to clean his beak by rubbing it on the fence; a behavior I realized I hadn't seen before.

There are probably more images in this sequence than most people care to look at, but I know there are those that will appreciate the sequence. I hope you enjoy looking at the images, whether you view 1 or all of them.

I have more birding and raptor images on my website. If you want to go there, just hover over the slideshow and click on Visit Gallery. From there you can go to my home page. There are birds in my Portfolio and View Only Galleries.

Filming of On My Own

2009-10-07T11:27:00.004-06:00

Day 1- Filming began early in the morning at Willow Lane Park, a very nice place to film (except for the creepy crawlies). Osprey and their young could be seen and heard as they nest in the lighting fixtures at the baseball field nearby.

Being a low budget film, these tents served as our changing rooms.

Here's some of the crew; costumes, AD (assistant director), hair

Cast members hanging out.

Bryce, a little bewildered after waking up in the woods.

Filming in progess.

Main characters, Bryce and Adelaide, with Adelaide's servant.

I really like this shot through the trees. :D

My daughter, the director of the film.

John and Bryce.

We finished up filming at Northview Family Worship Center, in the big domed building.

The a/c felt good.

In this scene, the youth group hangs out before going indoors.

The director talks with the actors about the scene.

Day 2 was a hot, fun and unique day for us.

We began our filming at Meridian High School, where we (mostly) homeschoolers pretended to be public schoolers.

I got to play the irritated teacher and that was a blast.

Some of these kids really looked so different from how they normally look and dress.

Matt is so proud of his grade.

The AD, Director and Matt.

Hallway scene. These kids really enjoyed pretending to go to high school.

Here's the Class of 2009ish!

We had kids from Jr. high up to some that were already graduated.

We took a much smaller crew back to Willow Lane Park, in the afternoon, to get a couple scenes on the balcony. It was so hot and humid!

Bryce and Adelaide, on the balcony.

First "On My Own" Images

2009-09-08T15:25:00.005-06:00

What a busy summer I've had. Two straight weeks of shooting just for this film. Far more shooting than post processing going on. I can't believe how much I have to do and we start another year of homeschooling tomorrow.

I've begun going through photos from the shoot for the independent, family film, "On My Own" due to premiere next summer. These shots were taken for the premiere program and DVD cover. I'm not sure which shots the director will use, exactly, or if she'll want them to be in color or black & white though.

Meet John, aka Arronn, one of the movie characters. John is serious and mysterious . I love the shirt and belt combo, and the hat nicely completes the his character's look.

Meet Captain Gaunt, aka Robert, another one of our male characters. I just loved the costumes for this film, designed by the director and made by two volunteer seemstresses. Robert pulls off this bad guy character beautifully.

Hopefully, I'll have more images from the movie to post soon. Stay tuned...

Yearning to be Free-The Inevitable Empty Nest

2009-08-11T13:20:00.008-06:00

A friend of mine told me about some hummingbirds that had nested on her porch. When they first hatched, (the usual 2 eggs that were laid) I was in the middle of shooting stills for an independent film (a 2 week committment-photos from that to come) and couldn't get there until they were just about ready to leave the nest.

Whenever I'm photographing nature, I ask God to show me His glory and I have seldom been disappointed. Today, God once again showed me His glory through His creation; from the amazingly small quarter-sized (or silver dollar sized at most) nest that was an architectural masterpiece, to the way the mother watched over and fed her chicks, to the amazing way the chicks stretched and tested their wings for the very first time.

The mother bird was on about a 20-30 minute feeding schedule and in-between feedings the chicks would nap or squirm around in the nest. They would preen their wings and tug at the nest in an effort to fit more comfortably in it. The larger chick (which hatched first) stretched and fluttered its wings for the first time while I was there. Soon, the chicks won't need their mother's care anymore. They will be out on their own and her nest will once again be empty.

As the mother of one child that has graduated from high school and another with only three years to go, I can't help but think about how similar my situation is to this mother bird. My mostly grown children are also tugging at the nest and testing their wings and getting ready to fly. My role to watch over without hovering and take care without smothering is growing increasingly harder, as my own children try to free themselves from our "nest" called home and as they crave their independence. My need to "feed" them and their desire to "feed themselves" is certainly a strain and a struggle. I hope I am watchful and caring, but giving my "chicks" room to stretch and grow as God indends. As a mother, I take great comfort in the fact that this is all a normal, natural process. God says in His Word that He feeds and cares for the birds of the air and I know He will also take care of my children when they leave home and I have no need to worry. I'm so glad that my children will still come home at times and will still call or text me for advice when they leave my "nest", unlike the hummingbird chicks. God, in His wisdom, knows how vital that parent/child connection is and I am grateful.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life." Matthew 6:26-27

If you want to read what I wrote about each photo, just hover your curser over the slideshow and click on link to go to the gallery.

If you want to know more about the independent film I shot stills for, CLICK HERE!

Downtown Falcons

2009-07-20T20:36:00.006-06:00

While we were downtown this morning, I met some folks, Bob and Robin, on top of a parking garage. They were there to watch "our" (Boise's) peregrine family and its newest member taking flight. I only got one picture of the falcons as they perched, since I was there to take stills for a music video my daughter was filming. They were kind of far away for the lens I was using, but it was cool to see them. Wish I could've stayed and just watched them and taken some more pictures of them. You can read more about our downtown falcon family on Bob and Robin's blog. Here's the link.

Here's a slideshow of some of my raptor images...

Happy Independence Day America!

2009-07-04T00:01:00.002-06:00

Just Flowers

2009-06-28T22:20:00.003-06:00

Summer is not my favorite season, I must admit. I don't enjoy hot weather, nor do I enjoy bugs and wasps. There are some things I do very much enjoy about summer, though. I love the mild evenings and shady breezes. I love snow cones, ice cream and ice cold sun tea. I love bar-b-q's, no school, birds and butterflies. I love beach parties, lazy days, and the sound of the ice cream truck. One of my very favorite things about summer (and spring and fall for that matter) is flowers! I love their colors, their textures, their delicate nature. I've posted a slideshow of a collection of my favorite flower images. I hope you enjoy them as much as I!

Video Contest!

2009-06-05T10:22:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone!

One of my daughter's video's made the top 10 finalists in an online contest! Please go and vote for it, it's entry #7! Click on the bubble next to #7, then scroll down and click on VOTE just below video 10. CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

Thanks for your support!

A Long Time Coming!

2009-05-27T10:45:00.008-06:00

I just had to share this photo! This is my eldest daughter. The excitement on her face is over the camcorder she is holding, a Canon GL2. You see, my daughter is into film-making and has wanted this camera for about four years now. Well, yesterday she finally got it and this is her just after picking it up. I just love the look on her face in this photo! Total joy, elation, etc... I thought you might all enjoy it as well.

She will begin filming her latest movie this July. It's all volunteer, the music, costume makers, actors and actresses, set designers, still photographer (yours truly), all cast & crew, filming locations, etc...with an original script that she wrote herself, containing a Christian message.

See her website and latest video HERE!

You can also find out how you can help if you want to be involved or donate to this wonderful project! The funds for this project are mostly coming from her own pocket so I'm sure she'd welcome any financial contributions.

How-To Tutorial #1

2009-05-21T11:10:00.006-06:00

Disclaimer: First off, let me say that I am not a photography expert nor do I claim to be. I do not know everything there is to know about photography. In fact, the more I learn about photography, the more I realize how little I know. I am always reading, learning and practicing the art of photography. I do know what works for me and that I like my own photos. (for whatever that's worth) I learned the art of photography by reading, practicing and evaluating my own and other's photography. I have not been formally taught and may not always use the proper technical terms, but I love the art of photography and believe I do a fairly good job at it.

A large part of my photographic ability is due to a natural, God-given instinct, and I thank God for it every day and give Him the glory. The more rules I break, sometimes with awesome results, the more I learn it's not ONLY about the rules. The rules are wonderful guidelines to start with and I highly recommend beginners follow them closely. With that said, I hope that some of my ramblings about "How-To" can help you become happier with your own images.

#1 "How to Minimize Fencing"

The photo below was taken by a friend who was disappointed that the fence took away the focus of her photo, the beautiful bird! I was once as frustrated as she, with the problem of fencing and enclosures at zoo-type locations. I mean, fences are lovely and all when you want the fence to be the subject. In fact, I LOVE FENCES; but when it's the bird you want...

Christa was kind enough to let me use her image here as an example, so I could help others who suffer the same frustration.

The photo below also contains the same type of chain link fencing as Christa's photo above; however, the bird is the subject instead of the fence.

(f/8.0)

So, how'd I do it? Well, I set my camera to a fairly large aperture of f/8.0 and I got as close to the fence as possible, while focusing on the bird's eyes. By doing this, the fence gets thrown out of focus, allowing the bird to become the subject. (I believe there was a railing between myself and the fence so I couldn't totally eliminate the fence in this photo, but you can see how it is greatly improved.)

What if you have a point and shoot camera and cannot manually change the settings? You will want to choose the auto setting that will cause the camera to change them for you.
Experiment with both the Portrait and the Close-up modes and see which one renders a better result for you. It may differ depending on your camera type and model. If your point and shoot has AV mode on it, try that, too. This mode allows you to set the aperture and the camera will set the appropriate shutter speed for you. Experiment with different apertures from f/8.0 and larger and see what happens.

The type of fencing will also affect the results. The eagle below was in more of a small mesh type of enclosure and it has almost been eliminated altogether, using this technique.

(f/5.6)

This technique is not just for bird photos, either. Try it with sports photos, too! Get out of the bleechers and down close to the fence if you can, after all, it's about your family member, right? Actually, I may have been in the bleechers when I took this photo of my niece, but again I used a large aperture and focused on my subject.

My physical distance from the fence is again why it's showing up as much as it is, but the shallow depth of field still allowed the fence to be out of focus enough to save the shot. This again illustrates why you want to get as close to the fence as possible. You still won't get a tack-sharp image, but you've at least minimized the obnoxious fencing and have a memory worth preserving.

(f/5.0)

Practicing is a large part of becoming a better photographer, no matter what type of camera you use, (it's also the fun part!) so get out there and practice, practice, practice!

Snake River Birds of Prey Festival

2009-05-16T22:25:00.004-06:00

Today I went to the Snake River Birds of Prey Festival here in Southwestern Idaho. I took a Burrowing Owl lecture and tour. I actually got to hold this owl fledgling! It was awesome!

See more images and read about my experience HERE!

More about the festival HERE!

Black and White or Color Images?

2009-05-13T23:34:00.003-06:00

Here's another shot of the Irises that I shot yesterday. I've converted this one to black and white. I am really liking black and white lately, it's so timeless. I also really like color, though. I suppose everyone has their own opinion as to which is their favorite and why. I just keep doing some of each and that seems to be working for me. I think it would be sad to just choose one or the other because they each have their unique and different qualities. Each has its relevant and important place in the fine art of photography.

See more of my flower images HERE.

Macro of Iris Flower

2009-05-12T21:18:00.006-06:00

I took some macro photos today of beautiful Iris flowers. We had given my mother a bouquet of them from Mother's Day and told her I wanted to photograph them, so she gave me three of them, one of each color, to have at my house so I could shoot them.

I usually like to do things outdoors as naturally as possible, but since these were already cut, I went ahead and added some dew to them and shot them in my kitchen with natural light. (my favorite)

The sun was going in and out of the clouds so I had to wait at times for it to come back. That's part of the drawback shooting in natural light. You can't control it the way you can with studio light. I still like it, though. Maybe the challenge is part of what draws me to it, who knows? I suppose the reason doesn't really matter, it's what I do with it that counts. Hopefully I've done this flower justice with the light God lent me today.

"Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
"Song of Solomon 2:12

Return of the Burrowing Owl

2009-05-12T10:51:00.008-06:00

As a perfect ending to an already wonderful Mother's Day, my husband took me out to look for raptors in our area. I realized that the burrowing owl we saw last fall would probably be back from migration, so we headed over to take a look.

We went only about 5-10 minutes from our home when we saw this burrowing owl on a fence post. We stopped a little ways before reaching him and I took a few shots through the windshield just in case he flew off as we got closer. My husband slowly crept the car forward and I opened my window so I could get some good shots. He didn't move, but did look at us as he sat perched on one foot.

We slowly crept even closer. I had my husband turn off the car so it wasn't shaking. We started the car again and I was afraid he would fly off at that point, but he didn't. The owl held his position and we crept up until he was directly in front of me.

The natural light was a lovely, soft, afternoon glow. At first the owl was strongly backlit by the sun, but as we moved forward the light got better and better and I was able to get some really great shots with good bokeh. He was perfectly relaxed, even closing his eyes as if in perfect peace and just enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

At one point, he began to let down his other leg as another car passed and we thought he was going to fly away, but he didn't, at least not that time. Later he did take flight, and I was able to actually get out of the car and take some environmental shots as he had landed over near what was, I assume, his burrow. It was on private property, so I couldn't get close enough to tell.

Anyway, those are the details of my latest burrowing owl encounter. It really is amazing I got any sharp images as I don't have IS (images stabilization) on my lens and had to shoot hand held from the car for most of the images. I get so excited about my subjects at times, that my hands just shake. I can't wait to get a faster lens with IS so I can get even better shots.

See more of my raptor images HERE!

Day 2-20th. Anniversary Trip

2009-05-07T00:01:00.007-06:00

Day 2-Grangeville, Idaho to Cottonwood, Idaho

Our main adventure for today was driving out to Pittsburg Landing in the Hells Canyon Backcountry, then back onto the Camas Prairie with a stop at Tolo Lake and then on to Cottonwood. These are snapshots taken from the car (which I like to refer to as drive-by-shooting) as we were driving and also shots taken as we stopped along the way. My commentary is a bonus, free of charge. LOL

CLICK HERE TO SEE DAY 2 PHOTOS!

Thanks for looking!

DAY 1-20th. Anniversary Trip

2009-05-02T22:42:00.012-06:00

This just posted! Day 1 of our latest travels, complete with commentary...see it HERE!

To celebrate our 20th. wedding anniversary, we decided to explore some of the wonderful state Idaho. Our focus was mainly North Central Idaho, but our trip extended into Montana before it was finished.

Current Project

2009-05-02T21:35:00.005-06:00

I am currently working on images I captured on a recent nine-day trip I took with my husband to celebrate our 20th. wedding anniversary. I took nearly 3,000 photos. I will probably post by day. Stay tuned...

Tax Day T.E.A. Party-Boise, Idaho

2009-04-16T12:30:00.008-06:00

On tax day, I attended one of the T.E.A. (taxed enough already) parties that went on in over 1,000 cities all over the United States on April 15th. Over 2,500 people came out to protest in Boise, Idaho.

Below are many of the people as they came over from Ann Morrison Park. It was a great sight to see the line of people coming. It seemed they would never stop coming...

After some speakers, including Bill Sali, we began our march toward the capitol building. We were escorted by 20 police. People were very peaceful, law abiding and smiling as we walked along, even thanking the police and even apologizing to people waiting in their cars for their wait as we temporarily blocked the streets of downtown.

Many carried signs and flags. Some had tea bags hanging from their signs, hats, jackets, etc...

It was quite a rush as we walked and I saw the capitol approaching. It's so great to be an American and have the right to protest and have freedom of speech. I hope it lasts many more years here in our great country.

The excitement of the crowd grew with each step and my own pride swelled with love and patriotism for the best country in the world.

In spite of all the things we were upset about, there was joy in the air and smiles on faces, no matter what you may have heard from the mainstream media. Even the police were in great spirits.

People were polite, even helping me up on a bench for some better images. It wasn't easy walking and photographing, especially since my main purpose was to participate and not just cover this event.

Above is one of our finest (who has no doubt fought for the very freedoms we were there to protect, yesterday) as we closed in prayer to the awesome God on which our country was founded.

I would encourage anyone to participate in an upcoming TEA Party, (I believe the next one is on July 4th.) who believes we are being taxed too much, the government is too involved in the private sector both in business and our own private lives, our liberties are being unconstitutionally taken away and our voices are not being heard. I could go on, but I won't.

For more images from this event CLICK HERE.

Spring Cover 2009

2009-04-07T14:15:00.003-06:00

God has blessed me with a third magazine cover! The name of the photo is "Ritter Creek", Thousand Springs, Idaho.

For more information on CHOIS (Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State) CLICK HERE.

To see more of my published works, CLICK HERE.

To God be the glory!

Lunar Eclipse

2009-04-02T10:07:00.007-06:00

On February 2o, 2008, I stood on my front porch in freezing cold weather and photographed the lunar eclipse. It was so cool to watch the colors change as each phase emerged. I decided to make a sequence of images into a "poster" type collage. This is my final product. I like how it came out. I've had comments from friends and family that have said it looks like something from a science textbook. I'll take it! My daughter has a space room, maybe it'd look good in there as a 16x20 poster or something. There's an idea...

Don't miss a post!

2009-04-01T11:10:00.003-06:00

Good morning!

If you're like me, you have many blogs bookmarked or in mind that you'd like to return to on a regular basis, but you forget. And, of course, by the time you remember you've most likely missed some posts by your preferred blogger. Or, you may just be new to this whole blogging thing. Well, I have a couple of ways you can remember to come back to my blog. If you're a Google Blogger, you can click on "follow" in the right side column to become a follower of my blog.

Probably the best way for everyone to make sure you don't miss a post of mine is to "subscribe by email." You just click on "subscribe to Shots n' Thoughts by email" in the right side column and add your email address. You will then receive a confirmation email. Then, just click the link in your email to activate your subscriptions and you will begin receiving updates each time I post.

If you're reading this post on my multiply.com blog, and you're not a contact of mine, you'll need to sign up for multiply.com and become a contact, or CLICK HERE to go to my Shots n' Thoughts blog, then follow the instructions in the previous paragraph.

I hope this makes sense to you all. I know some people aren't as used to computers and blogs and such, so I wanted to post about his option for those who don't already know about it.

You can also comment on posts, if you wish. I will have to approve it first, though, so don't expect it to show up immediately. There is no need to post your comment twice.

Thanks for reading!

"High Voltage"

2009-03-31T20:37:00.006-06:00

We recently went out for a shoot out on the Snake River Plateau. There, we saw some of the Idaho Power lines. I used a closer one to frame the ones going off into the distance. I loved the colors and how the mountains had different depths due to the haze in the sky.

In the above shot, I took a different approach. I used the power lines in the distance, only as scale to show the vastness of the area. I like how the sunlight spills over the Owyhee Mountain Range.

On the way back home, I saw this empty nest in a lone tree and decided to stop for a shot of it. Spring is coming and this empty nest will hopefully soon be filled with a nesting pair of birds. I used a different processing technique with this shot. I like it, but I'm not so sure it was as successful as I'd hoped it would be.

"Spring Fever"

2009-03-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

I took this photo last May of a pincushion flower just budding. It's now mid March so we don't have any flowers blooming here quite yet, but there is the promise of flowers and spring coming soon and I am ready.

Even though I love winter, I always get anxious for spring as it approaches. I've photographed snow and gloomy days all winter and I have to say that I'm ready for COLOR and FLOWERS and all that comes with spring. I'm even ready for warmer weather, since my recent frostbite has pretty much brought a halt to my time in the field in this freezing cold weather.

So, I welcome spring with a poem I wrote...

"Welcome Happy Spring"

The cold and chill of winter's frost,

as snowflakes melt will soon be lost.

Winter days are almost done,

the subtle signs of spring have come.

As the sun begins to warm the ground,

and heats the earth newness abounds.

A bud, a blade, a robin's song,

all tell us now it won't be long.

Warm days ahead the cold behind,

blue skies filled with sunshine.

All tell us winter's 'bout come and gone,

Welcome Happy Spring!

~© KFB 2009~

"Special Olympics World Winter Games"

2009-02-11T17:34:00.002-07:00

Idaho is hosting the Special Olympics World Winter Games this week. Last night our girls performed with their Irish Dance Academy as part of the entertainment. It was freezing cold and they performed outdoors, but it was worth it. They did have a warm room to wait in and the dancers all received one of the Olympic scarves made by people all over the world for the athletes of these games. So many were donated that all the entertainers got to have one. The audience was great and the atmosphere was fun and festive.

Below is a photo of our girls with some of their friends sitting on a block of carved ice with the Special Olympics symbol on it. Brrrr! I couldn't imagine sitting on that ice in that cold cold weather, but they had just gotten done dancing and said it wasn't bad. Our girls are the ones standing on either side of the sculpture.

This is the torch that's burning during the duration of the games. It's pretty exciting to have the games here in Idaho. All of the events are free to attend. GO USA!!!

"Sharp shinned Hawk"

2009-01-30T00:59:00.003-07:00

I thought I'd post this shot of the sharp shinned hawk up in our tree, after he finished eating his prey.

"Winter Oasis for Northern Flickers"

2009-01-30T00:38:00.004-07:00

Northern Flickers are almost a daily visitor to our yard now. They have found our pond to be a reliable source of water. Last winter we let it freeze over and we also weren't feeding the birds like we are this year. They haven't eaten from the suit feeder of woodpecker food I bought for them, though. So far, they just hang on our vines and eat the berries.

I didn't realize until I took these images just how fuzzy there little heads are. They look like a soft teddy bear, which I'm assuming is winter plumage because their heads look slick in all the photos I've seen of them in books and online.

So, here you see a series of images of him dipping his beak down between the ice to get a drink of water from our pond, which is pretty much directly under my family room window. I can't open the window to take these shots like I can from up in my blind, but they still came out okay.

Our pond does collect some ice, but we have a heater in it so it never completely freezes over. This also keeps our fish alive. I was amuzed by the fact that he stuck his beak through the smaller crack in the ice instead of the bigger area of water directly below him.

Here he is tilting his head up to swallow the water. It's so cute how they do this.

Now there's a happy little woodpecker! Until next visit...

"Fresh Kill"

2009-01-30T00:18:00.004-07:00

The Sharp-shinned Hawk came back today with a fresh kill. My daughter alerted me to his presence and I grabbed my camera and went running up to my blind. As usual, I took a few shots for good measure and then slowly and carefully opened the window. He didn't fly away, but as nature would dictate, he was very nervous as he ate his catch.

We didn't see him catch it so I don't know if he caught one of our birds or brought it to our yard to eat. I'd like to think it was not one of the birds I feed and get so much enjoyment out of on a daily basis. Nature is nature, but...

Near the end of his feed he dropped the last piece of food he had, looked down and tilted his head right and left and looked down as if confused or trying to decide if it was worth picking up. In the end, he decided to leave it and he flew up into our tree and then off and away.

Since I don't have my new zoom lens, yet, I count it a blessing to have connections with the creator of the universe at times like these. I thank God for bringing the birds closer to me until I can get closer to them. LOL

To see the rest of the series, CLICK HERE.

"More from our Lowman Loop Drive"

2009-01-25T18:28:00.010-07:00

The image above shows what's left of the haze to burn off with the scenic mountains above and below the haze. The blue sky and sunshine was a welcome sight for us since it's been hazy for a while down in the valley.

We saw several deer that day. They are always on alert, but I got off a couple of shots to bring home. They weren't too threatened since I was shooting from inside the vehicle.

We saw several eagles. I took the above image when we pulled over to let another car pass. Another bald eagle landed in a tree just to the left of this one and then they both flew off. I sure wish I had a longer and faster lens for shots like this. Someday I'll be able to take awesome shots of eagles in the wild.

Here's another one of the trees that I converted to black and white.

More deer up on the hillside. I believe we mainly saw white-tailed deer. We saw some wild turkeys crossing the road, but I didn't get any shots of those. Maybe next time.

More hoar frost by the side of the road. There's more story and images from this trip under the blog entry entitled, "Frozen-in black and white."

Finch and Snow Cones?

2009-01-25T11:40:00.006-07:00

It snowed last night, but since I'm once again under the weather I won't be going out shooting today. So, I've decided to post some shots I took several weeks ago. This little finch was eating the snow and it was so cute! He'd plant his face in the snow and come up with his beak covered with it. Then, he'd wipe or shake it off and dive back in for more. I really enjoyed watching this little finch. The last couple of images made me think of the song"Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose"...or Beak. I hope you enjoy this series of images as much as I do.

"Grey Skies & Bald Eagle at Lake Lowell"

2009-01-24T22:39:00.006-07:00

Some winter days, when the weather conditions are quite cold and gloomy but not snowy, it's tempting to stay inside; especially when you have a cold and have been quite fatigued lately. I'm glad we had to take our kids somewhere or today would have been one of those days. I hadn't even planned to go shooting today, but I make it a habit to have my camera gear with me when we go out. You just never know...

On our way to drop off the kids, we saw several golden eagles, & red tailed hawks hunting in some agricultural fields. I didn't get any great images of those, though. They were pretty far away from us and the hazy, dark skies didn't help, either.

We headed to Lake Lowell to see what we could find. I managed to find the icy image below, by the docks on the north side of the lake. I tried a new frame on it. I think I like it. For a short time it looked like the sun might actually break through the haze, but it never did; at least not while we were there.

We walked down the nature trail by the Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and entered the bird blind. It's really cool! I want one at my house. My upstairs blind in our laundry room is nowhere near as cool as this one, but then again mine's heated. A plus for mine. Mine's also higher.

Anyway, high above the blind, a bald eagle was perched. I couldn't really get a clear shot from any of the windows in the blind. Why do the birds always seem to know just where to perch to ruin my shots? The color version wasn't that great with the grey sky and all, so I converted this one to black and white. I also did a white vignette effect that I'm not sure I like.

I had a nice time shooting today, overall. Wish I'd had the proper clothing for the cold weather. I didn't even have my shooting gloves or anything so I'm glad we didn't shoot too long. I hope I rest well tonight, it's supposed to snow tomorrow!

"Frozen-in Black and White"

2009-01-21T01:45:00.005-07:00

This past Saturday, we (my hubby and I) went out for a full day of shooting in the field. We made a big loop, from Horseshoe Bend, to Lowman, to Idaho City and home again. We get something called an inversion in the wintertime, here in the Treasure Valley. Very cold air and smog gets trapped in the valley until a strong enough storm comes along and forces the high pressure system out of our area.

In the meantime, you have to drive up to the mountains to get out of it and see the blue sky. I am posting some images from the frozen part of our drive, both coming and going. I took most of these with the idea of converting them to black and white because I could tell they would look great in black and white. I then added the white vignetting to the image.

Before we left, I told my hubby that I just wanted to drive and see what I could see and stop when I saw something I wanted to photograph, so he knew we would stop often. Our first stop came about as we drove over the hill and headed down in to Horseshoe Bend. It was quite foggy and on the right side of the road, I noticed a little patch of trees and had my husband stop the car.

Due to the conditions, everything was pretty much covered in hoar frost and very gloomy looking, rather depressing if it were to drag on for weeks at a time. Anyway, I shot the scene you see above at that location. I knew that the texture of the tree trunk, branches and hoar frost would really be a nice contrast against the soft rolling hills in the background; especially in black and white.

I took the image above at the same stop. Grasses of some sort, all covered with hoar frost. Even though these are so very frozen, they just look joyful to me. They made me smile. After several more shots, including some of ice that I haven't processed or posted yet, I was about frozen myself, so we moved on.

As we drove higher and higher in elevation, the sun began to burn through the thick haze and hit the tips of the trees. For some reason I was seeing in black and white that day and knew that we must stop for some shots of this.

I just loved the way the haze looked more like smoke and the rays of sun lit up the treetops, as if on fire. I took many more shots at this location and I hope to post some more of them but this is it for now.

As we descended, we began to see the hoar frost returning and it was bitter cold as the sun dropped down behind the mountains. We stopped near a helipad on a road that was really just a sheet of ice and that's where I shot this fence. I'm fairly new to this black and white conversion, so I hope I'm doing a good job of it.

Well, that's all for now, but I hope to post another blog showing some of the color images I shot that day. Maybe some that look a little warmer with the blue sky and sunshine. Until next time...

"Magazine Cover Shot #2"

2009-01-08T14:17:00.006-07:00

I have once again had the pleasure of having my image on the cover of CHOIS Connection Magazine, Idaho's first magazine for home educators. "CHOIS is a non-profit, volunteer organization that seeks, under the Lord Jesus Christ, to encourage and equip parents to fulfill their God-given right to educate their children at home." (quote from their website)

The winter 2008 issue...

The cover image is of the Payette River near Cascade at dusk. It was very very cold when I took this photo. As soon as the sun went behind the mountains, the temperature dropped quickly. The water is really a layer of ice on the river. I just loved the color of the light as the sun went down even further, and the way it turned the snow to a light pinkish orange.

For more about CHOIS, CLICK HERE.

Re: Today's Blessing

2008-12-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

I was blessed with another winged visitor to my yard today. A Northern Flicker. He wasn't there long...just long enough to drink from out pond fountain and then he was gone.

I just happened to be sitting by the window that is next to our pond and I saw him arrive. I am wondering if he's the same one I saw eating berries, hanging from our vines yesterday. It was too dark and too late when I saw him then, he was gone in a flash...just like today.

I haven't been feeling too well lately, so I suppose God's been bringing me the birds to photograph. I just haven't been feeling up to going into the field and also we've been busy with Christmas events. Thank you, Lord, for another close encounter. What a blessing it has been to have these little winged creatures visit me.

"Hunter in my Yard"

2008-12-26T17:10:00.009-07:00

I was sent quite a treat from God this Christmas Eve. I was in my room wrapping Christmas gifts when my daughter's excited voice called to me to come downstairs quick. She said there were two birds, but not our usual birds on our backyard fence. I looked out the window and knew immediately what they were. A pair of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) also known as the "Sparrow Hawk." The Kestrel is actually a small, jay-sized falcon. The smallest, most common and most colorful of raptors, and one that I haven't yet had the pleasure to see in the field while photographing scenery and wildlife...until now!

I knew I couldn't get good shots from the ground level, nor could I get outside to shoot without spooking them. I ran upstairs to my make-shift bird blind, actually my laundry room window which has the screen removed and some thick dark sage green material covering it. One of the pair had already flown off by the time I reached the blind.

Still, my heart was pounding with excitement of having this falcon in my own yard. I took a few shots through the window, just in case my opening it scared her off. Then, I slowly opened the window.

She did look my way when she heard the window creaking, but made no attempt to flee. She also looked when she heard the noise of the camera shutter, but didn't seem to be bothered by it or my presence.

She was such a pretty bird, even prettier in real life than online or in my bird books. She looked so nonthreatening just sitting there.

She was sitting high on our trellis and looking at the bush below her which contains many sparrows . This is when I realized she wasn't just stopping by to hang out for a while. She was here to hunt...

She patiently waited and watched, while I gathered my stool and my mono pod sensing that I would be there a while.

I tried to catch her in flight, but she was so fast that by the time I realized she was about to move, she was already out of my frame and in the bush. She was also faster than my auto focus could handle in most of the shots I took of her in flight. I did finally manage to follow her flight path and capture her attack.

I was amazed at her speed and agility.

How she twisted and turned her wings and body to get into the bush.

She didn't catch her prey this time, or any of the times I saw her hunting in my yard that day. Perhaps she is young and new at this skill...

...or, perhaps the driving wind threw off her aim. I guess I'll never know. I do hope she visits me again, though.

Thank you, Lord, for sending this special gift to me. It was truly a pleasure to be so close to such a beautiful bird that you created.

"Visit from a hawk"

2008-12-14T14:36:00.002-07:00

This juvenile hawk visited me last week and I wasn't able to get a good picture of him before he flew off. Well, today he once again landed in the tree in our back yard. He was no doubt in search of prey and our yard is certainly full of that...usually.

Of course, he had scared away the many finches, sparrows, mourning doves and juncos that frequent our yard by the droves. It was exciting to capture this bird of prey in the wild, yet so close to me, right in my yard. He's very young and quite small, but I believe I have properly identified him. I hope he returns again, but I sure enjoy watching all of my little birds, too.

"That's Not Natural"

2008-12-13T13:51:00.004-07:00

I took this photo to enter in an online photo challenge. I actually got to choose the current topic this time because I was the first place winner of the last challenge.

The topic I chose was "That's Not Natural." Here were my instructions:

"In this challenge, we're looking for out of the ordinary subjects in nature. Things you don't normally see in nature, shouldn't be found in nature or things that seem out of place. (see my first entry for an example). For those who physically cannot go outside to shoot, due to illness or being housebound for some reason, you may enter something not natural that you can photograph indoors such as: kittens nursing on a mother dog or peanut butter and tuna sandwiches...I hope by those examples you get the idea. Have fun finding the unnatural in nature! I am looking forward to seeing what you all come up with."

So, I took this shot this morning. I actually got the idea to take this shot and enter it in this challenge when I was taking my girls to dance recently, as it's on the way. I knew it would need to be backlit, though, so I waited for the right light. I got my chance today since we had to go that way just after sunrise.

I know it may fool you at first, but it's not a real animal, but a statue and...that's not natural! I do hope I fooled some of you!

The light this morning was absolutely perfect and I actually took it while driving past it as there's not a place to pull over and there were cars behind us.

CLICK HERE to see my other entries as well as everyone else's entries.

"At the Beach"

2008-12-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

In July, when my family went to back to where I spent my childhood, I saw this young boy and his sister playing and I couldn't resist taking pictures them. As these children played, they were so carefree. Devoid of all the stress and responsibilities of adulthood, their biggest upset was not wanting to leave when their parents were ready to go home.

As a grown-up, with my youthful years behind me, it's hard to remember those lighthearted days. Too many things seem to cause me stress these days and I must entust them to God so they don't overwhelm me.

The foolish thing is that most of those pressures, I place upon myself and then I feel bad for succumbing to them, when others have much greater cause for unrest than myself.

I grew up not far from where I took these images. Maybe I need to go back there to the beach again and play in the sand and forget my cares for a time. That sounds really nice. Just to go stick my hands and feet in the sand and build castles for a while...

"Souvenier Postcard Project"

2008-11-25T09:44:00.010-07:00

Okay, so I am researching a new project. I'm looking into making postcards for the area where I live. This is a test postcard that I did just to see how one might look. I actually live in a small town outside of Boise, Idaho. The owner of a local gift shop told me that people are always asking for postcards of our little town. Well, to my knowledge, they don't exist. So, I am going to try to make that happen.

Big publishers don't usually do postcards of small towns since they aren't a large print job; at least that's what my research has shown so far. So, I am researching other options for having them printed. I will have to pay more for them since they will be printed on such a small scale, and that then begs the question, "How much would I need to charge for them and would people pay that price?" I would tend to think if they are the only ones on the market that people would pay whatever price I put on them, within reason.

Some of the online photo places have postcards you can make out of your photos, but they are like $1.99 each! That's outrageous and I would then have to mark them up from there. In this economy, especially, I can't see people paying what I would have to charge for a single postcard even if they were the only ones.

Some of the printing places I've researched can do them much more cost effectively as far as printing in bulk like 100/250/500 and up, but they also charge like $5 per photo uploaded to make the postcard. That would also have to be added to the cost. Hmmmmmm...what to do.

If anyone reading this post knows anything that could help me in this process, I would be grateful to hear any tips, suggestions or ideas. Please feel free to e-mail me.

*Feel free to comment on my postcard. (just click on the word comment, below) I would like to hear what you think.*

"Lake Lowell @ Dusk"

2008-11-17T19:42:00.006-07:00

This is Lake Lowell. It's part of the Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho. These next four shots were all taken near the upper dam.

We arrived at this spot just after sundown, after scouting the south side of the refuge for flocks of birds. The light was magical or rather supernatural and constantly changing.

Although we didn't find exactly where the about 15,ooo geese are supposed to be on the refuge, we did find a few lone birds here and there. It was getting too dark to keep driving the thirty some miles around the place, and some of the access gates were closed, so we stopped to get some images of this lovely evening before we headed home.

The soft look of the water in the image below, was created using a very slow shutter speed.
I like the soft pastels of this shot very much.

I don't use color filters nor did I add any in post processing. These are the actual colors that we saw. The light just kept changing as the sun went down and I composed the different shots.

Many people think that once the sun goes down the time for taking pictures is over. The 20-30 minutes just after the sun actually sets can often bring on the most beautiful light, as evidenced here.

We spoke to some local folks that were also enjoying the gorgeous evening and they said that it was even more beautiful the night before, although I could hardly imagine that.

Click here for more about Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge

**You comments and critique are welcome**

"Fall Color Update"

2008-11-15T19:54:00.006-07:00

I am happy to report that I was hasty to assume that the latest storms would wipe out any and all leaves still on the trees where I live.

Although they were certainly at their peak when I last posted and many leaves have since fallen, there is still some fall color left to be found for those sad to see the last of it, and willing to seek it out.

I will post some images of the fallen leaves, but for now I will post just a couple more in their full glory...

To see more of my autumn images CLICK HERE!

"Farewell to Fall"

2008-10-31T08:55:00.012-06:00

The winds of change are blowing our way today. According to the weather report, rain is expected this evening and through the middle of next week, as well as cooler temperatures.

This will mean the end of the fall foliage in our area. The wind and rain will surely fell the rest of them. This is such a sad time of year for me. This means my favorite season is on its way out and I must again wait another year for the visual splendor that is autumn.

This fall may be even more melancholy for me than usual, since this time next year one of my children will have graduated and I will only have one child left in school. The seasons of life seem to continue to change and bring the close of some things and the beginning of others. Things that were will be no more, and things that were not before...will now begin.

It's time to light the fireplace and make the mix for our favorite hot cocoa. Time to get out the winter clothes, dust off the snow boots, stack the wood pile and to look forward to cold, and snow and icicles and Christmas lights! Okay, so I like winter too, but I will surely miss fall.

And now, a parting shot as I bid farewell to autumn...

To see more of my fall images, CLICK HERE.

"A rose by any other name..."

2008-10-23T20:34:00.006-06:00

I just love roses. My mom's yard always has the most beautiful roses and I am more than happy to capture their beauty. This rose was originally a lovely pink, but I converted it to black and white in order to showcase the light in this photo. I used a very shallow DOF (depth of field) to focus only on a portion of the petals on this flower and have the rest fall into a soft blur. I also added a pumice filter to give it a bit of an aged tone. I like this photo very much.

Here's a similar shot of the same rose that is still the original pink color. I'll let you decide which one you prefer. Feel free to comment with your thoughts.

"Fall Foliage Hunt"

2008-10-21T10:48:00.009-06:00

Sunday evening, we went down to the Boise River to find some fall foliage. We didn't arrive too much before sundown, so I had to find my subjects and shoot hurriedly, as the light was quickly fading.

As we walked down the path, the scene below caught my eye. It was the glistening sun shining through the large, stately tree that I wanted to capture, so I quickly set up my tripod and composed the scene. A star filter would have helped with the sunburst, but then I would have likely had to combat flair. Here is the resulting image...
As we continued walking, only a few steps from where I took the first shot, I looked up and saw brightly colored leaves with a blue sky background and the trees falling into shadow. I again composed and shot this photo...

As we continued on, our ears were blessed with the songs of all the many birds that reside in the area. I will have to go back just to photograph the birds. Anyway, when we reached the river, it was a lovely scene. The sun was still hitting the foliage of the trees on the opposite side of the river, allowing the same leaves to reflect in dark, rich color on the water below. I liked the stones at the water's edge and included them in my shot, although I had to get rather low to do so and still include the tops of the trees. I laid down on my stomach for a few shots. One of these days I will get an angle finder for my landscape photography, which will make my job a lot easier and save my neck a lot of pain.

There was a couple fishing down where I was shooting and I asked them to step closer to the edge so I could include them in some of my final shots. They obliged, and I thanked them.

I love the way this set of photos shows how important light is in photography and how it can change the mood of a scene in just seconds. It can truly make or break the image.

"Full Hunter's Moon"

2008-10-15T11:17:00.006-06:00

I shot this moon portrait last night. This is the Hunter's Moon. Each full moon actually has a name. Who knew? I had always heard of the Harvest Moon and I photographed it last September, but hadn't heard of all the rest. I love the fact that as I practice my art I am also always still learning as I research the subjects of my images.

"Full Hunter's Moon - October With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals
which have come out to glean." (Farmer's Almanac)

"Our Burrowing Owl Encounter"

2008-10-13T23:56:00.006-06:00

We were driving out by a butte when my husband spotted this burrowing owl on a post. We turned around and went back. I took a couple of shots as we approached, knowing he'd probably fly away quickly. To my surprise, he didn't! At least not until I got a few shots off.

Once he did fly away, he didn't go far. Just down by his burrow. It was so cool to see him fly by silently, as we were still sitting in the car with the windows down. What a treat God was blessing us with!

Before too long, he flew back up on another post. We edged the car forward to get closer to where he had landed. What a treat this was for us to see this little owl in the wild and for him to sit there posing for me instead of flying off.

The light was changing the whole time we were there. My husband kept letting the car silently ease closer to the post the owl was on.

I had my long lens on my camera, the light was getting low and I was shooting hand-held, so many of the images came out very blurry. Especially the ones where the owl was moving.

My husband asked me how long I was going to take pictures of it and I told him, "As long as he'll let me!" Well, he finally did fly away...much to my dismay.

Some of my shutter speeds were pretty slow by then, only 1/30s. I kept boosting my ISO to compensate. I did manage to get some halfway decent, albeit grainy shots that I'm quite happy to have captured. It's so fun to catch animals out in the wild. I love it!

"Hitching Post" circa 1869

2008-10-10T10:41:00.005-06:00

Last weekend my husband took me shooting. It was a rainy day, so colors were beautifully saturated. We went along the old part of town on a street called "Warm Spring Avenue" and found this old hitching post in front of one of the houses. The house is circa 1869. I took photos of the house and porch, too, but I loved this image of the isolated hitching post. I added a filter that makes it look kind of dreamy. I also did one to make it look aged...here's that one.

Feel free to comment and tell me which one you like best!

To order a print, CLICK HERE.

"Cover Shot!"

2008-09-29T21:21:00.008-06:00

Above is my image entitled, "Indian Creek Reflections", as it currently appears on the cover of the 2008 fall issue of CHOIS CONNECTION magazine. This magazine is the first statewide magazine for home educators and is published quarterly by Christian Home Educators of Idaho State.

It is truly an honor to have my image grace the cover of a publication that is so close to my heart. I'm so glad that my first cover was for a magazine that supports my ideals of raising a family and teaching & training my children up in the Lord.

I praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity and pray that I will have more occasions to use my images in ways that bring Him honor and glory, whether it's in this magazine or in any number of other ways. After all, my ultimate goal is to honor and glorify Him through my photography. Oh, and maybe bring in a little money while I'm at it. LOL

To God Be the Glory!

For more about CHOIS, CLICK HERE

"Welcome, Fall!"

2008-09-22T08:24:00.002-06:00

Welcome, fall!

I took this image near the end of the fall 2006 season in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. It was my first visit of which I hope are many to this beautiful state!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year...the long, hot days of summer are over and the air is now crisp and clean. Breezes blow and leaves turn. Ah welcome, fall, my friend.

"Long Time No Post"

2008-09-16T12:27:00.006-06:00

Summer is a busy time for me personally, making blogging a challenge.

In June we are very busy as a family with church events in our community. I took over 1,000 photos of our VBS and our big community event and then had to post process those. I only finished those this past week and still have CD's to burn.

In July, I scored my first magazine cover! I had to ready the file for the cover and make sure it was to the magazine's publisher/printer's specs. I also made an ad for my business, to be included in the same magazine. The magazine should be arriving in my mailbox any day now and I'm very excited. We were also gone for three weeks of July as we drove to and from San Diego to visit family. I took so many photos! (I didn't count, but several thousand, no doubt) I haven't even gotten to post processing of those, yet.

August and September are extremely busy months for me as a homeschooling mother. This year I have a freshman and a senior. August is my school planning month. I create our girls' elective courses from scratch and tailor them to their own interests. This takes quite a bit of time and planning on my part, but it is well worth it. Of course, there are also the transcripts to do and graduation to prepare for. Oh, and don't forget the all important school pictures. As usual, we had to start school before I was actually finished preparing, so now I have the daily teaching things to do, as well as finishing up the planning.

August also means the county fair and photo contest entries to choose, (only 3) print, mount and enter. I will post one of my photos. It took 3rd. place out of approximately 68 entries in the category. I don't remember the exact number at the moment.

I have also continued to do some shooting in the field and have those photos to work on. I'm way behind on my photography, but that's the way it goes. I was able to do a quick process of the photos from the Wildlife Refuge I visited. See those HERE. I have been able to do at least a few from the different events and shoots. Mostly for family, though.

As you can see, the activities of summer have pretty much brought my blogging to a screeching hault! I can imagine I may be just as busy or more so when I go into full time photography, but until my kids are grown and gone, blogging, post-processing and photography will often be put on the back burner. Such is the life of a homeschooling mom...I love it and wouldn't have it any other way!

"On the Road to SoCal"

2008-07-12T21:30:00.004-06:00

I took this photo on our drive to Southern California last Thursday. This is a portion of the Eastern Sierras. So much of it was hazy from the smoke of the fires right now, but this was a fairly clear area. Because we're on a time schedule to get to San Diego County, we couldn't stop the car for many photos, so most of my shooting was "drive by." At least this one doesn't have the crack in the windshield in it or the bug guts. LOL

"Independence Day 2008"

2008-07-04T09:55:00.008-06:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Thanks to all who've served and are serving this great nation! I appreciate your great sacrifice for our freedom!

"Inspirational"

2008-06-16T22:16:00.008-06:00

I added scripture to this sunset image that I took at Table Rock, near our home. You can see the whole valley from up on this hill.It's just gorgeous!

Click on the image to see more inspirational images with scripture.

"MK Nature Center"- Part 1

2008-06-03T12:21:00.007-06:00

Allow me to introduce you to The Morrison Knudsen Nature Center. It is a 4.6 acre site by the greenbelt near downtown Boise.

The pond is a lovely place to view many species of birds and wildlife. There are viewing blinds throughout the park to give visitors a spot to quietly observe without disturbing the wildlife that abounds.

It offers a unique fish and wildlife experience to visitors. Below are the beaver dams, found along the stream walk within the center.

In the viewing exhibit below the water level of this waterfall, you are treated to window views of many fish and even a nursery.

Many birds and small animals reside in the snags located around the center.

The Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden provides a variety of plants and flowers to learn about as you stroll along the pathway.

The center is truly a special place to experience many of Idaho's wildlife and landscapes. From Alpine lakes to High Desert and don't forget the vistor's center at the entrance of the Nature Center. For more information Click Here.

Be sure to come back for Pt. 2 of this amazing place as my camera's focus will be on the wildlife and animals themselves that reside in this beautiful habitat. In the meantime, you can see more photos HERE.

"Kathryn Albertson Park-Part 1"

2008-05-26T22:49:00.008-06:00

Saturday morning I got up early and headed for Boise to take some spring photos of some of the beautiful parks in downtown Boise, Idaho. Kathryn Albertson Park is one such park.

The park is full of natural habitats for a number of migrating birds and other small animals. There were many Canadian Geese with their young, and even some deer when we first entered the park.

Below is one of several peaceful ponds in the park, adorned with the spring trees reflecting in the glassy waters.

Stay tuned for more from this beautiful park.............

"Intro. to the Snake River Canyon"

2008-05-22T10:44:00.008-06:00

One of the places near my home that I frequent is the Snake River Canyon and the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. It's my pleasure to introduce this area to you. The Snake River actually travels the length of the state of Idaho from East to West, and I've shot from several locations along it's route. This post will focus on the SW section.

Here, my husband and daughter enjoy some time together as they sit on the wall at the edge of the canyon at Dedication Point, a lookout just off the road. It's a nice little walk out to the cliffs. Be sure to read the signs and watch for birds of prey that nest in these cliffs and townsend ground squirrels that are plentiful in the area, and serve as prey for the raptors.

On one occasion, while waiting for the sunset to be ready for me to shoot it and in the absence of birds at the time, I laid on my stomach and got this unusual shot of a stink bug on a desert plant. It kept putting it's right hind leg out and in as if it were exercising. I love the way patterns are repeated in nature with this bugs legs almost seeming as an extension of the plant.

The shadows and lighting on the canyon walls are spectacular as the sun gets low in the sky. I shot this image from edge of the canyon about 20 minutes north of Swan Falls Dam after following a dirt road to the edge of the cliffs.

In the summer, it gets as hot in this desert as it did cold in the winter months. Evidence of survival of the fittest and the food chain is scattered around up on the plateau, and turkey vultures soar overhead to serve as a grim reminder of the existence of animals and their demise in the area.

There are some vast views from this lookout that's south of Dedication Point, just before the turn off to drop down to Swan Falls Dam. The mountains in the distance are the Owyhee range. If you go before sunrise in February, be sure to take proper clothing as the freezing weather along with the wind is quite biting.

I hope you can see from these images, the vastness and beauty of this desert land. To see more images, click on any one of the images in this post or CLICK HERE.

"A Fresh New Beginning"

2008-05-20T15:36:00.013-06:00

I just took this image the other day, as I was admiring the changes that spring is bringing to our yard. Trees budding and getting new foliage, birds singing and flowers beginning to bloom again. Such a welcome sight!

In uploading this picture it has lost much of it's color and effectiveness of the warm afternoon light that was hitting it. I am showing it anyway because I like it and what it represents as the flower petals are just beginning to burst out of the little pods. A fresh new beginning...

Below is the same flower, only in full bloom. This is called a Pink Mist Pincushion Flower (scabiosa columbaria)

"New Feature on Website"

2008-05-07T13:05:00.003-06:00

Check out the new photo timeline feature on the Shekinah Photography homepage! This new feature allows you more options when choosing which photos to view.

You can choose:
*All
*By Year
*Your own range of time

If you're a frequent visitor to my website, you no longer have to go into each gallery to see what's new. You can find the most recent by choosing a certain day or date range.

Please check it out and then let me know how it worked for you by returning to this post and commenting.

"Bird Feeder"

2008-04-23T10:16:00.009-06:00

It's been a long, cold winter here in Idaho. In fact, it snowed just last Sunday. The weekend before that, we finally had a couple of warm days (near 80) and we started getting our yard ready for spring.

We bought a new bird feeder and filled it with seed that is suited to birds in our local area. We hung it up and after a couple of days the birds found it. We've only had it about two weeks or so and the food is half gone. I think we will be filling it year-round.

The birds add color to our yard. This is a male "House Finch." (according to my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds-Western Region) The males are much more colorful than the females.

I just love to watch them, sometimes all four perches are filled with birds. They put a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

"Serenity"

2008-04-15T11:29:00.004-06:00

This is the 2nd Youtube video of my images. Thanks again to my daughter for making my photographs come to life with music and her smooth transitions!

See more of her work at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AKBProductions

"Close Encounters #2"

2008-04-08T20:25:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple more shots of that ostrich that was flirting (according to the caravan guides) with the truck we were on...

How cute are these?

Love those long lashes!

"Close Encounters #1"

2008-04-07T21:22:00.007-06:00

I shot this ostrich close up when we went on the Photo Caravan Safari last month when I went to California. It's something I had always dreamed of doing when I lived in San Diego County, but had never gotten to do. It was so awesome being right down amongst the animals. This ostrich was a challenge because he just kept moving, poking his head up and down next to out truck. We were told that they wouldn't bother our jackets on the seats, but one time I turned around to find my jacket in its mouth and half way off the truck. I'll try to add a shot of his face peeking over the side of the truck. It was so cute!

"My First YouTube Video"

2008-04-03T10:26:00.009-06:00

My daughter was kind enough to create a video with some of my images with music added to post on YouTube, so today I'm happy to announce that it's live. She is an aspiring film maker and has her own site with short films she's directed, edited and produced. (Her link is below the video) This is our first attempt at photo videos, so the quality is not as good as I'd like, but we're discussing that for the next one or a remake. Stay tuned...

Thank you, my dear daughter! I'm honored to have my video done by AKB Productions.

http://www.youtube.com/AKBProductions

"Blog Improvements & Special Thanks"

2008-04-02T11:15:00.013-06:00

I've made some changes to my photography blog. First of all, I created a brand new one, then linked to it from my website and back again. I have moved my blog entries from the old blog on my website, to this one. I will be able to do far more with this blog than I could with the other and hopefully, it will be a benefit to you, as well. I have added a separate guestbook just for this blog, so you may sign it just to say, "hello" or comment on what you think of it. (the guestbook at Shekinah Photography is for signing and commenting on my website itself)

If you 've previously commented on any of the old blog entries, they did not transfer. You will need to enter your comments again on this new blog. Thank you for your trouble, but I haven't figured out how to move those.

To leave a new comment on a particular blog entry, go to the end of that entry and click on "comment." To e-mail an entry to a friend, you can click on the envelope right next to the "comment" or click on "recommend this site" found in the right hand column of this blog.

I'm working on linking my photos directly to my website galleries, where visitors can view the images along with others in the gallery and also have the option of ordering prints for their home or business. (you can do that now by going to http://www.shekinahphotography.com/.) I will have a link to bring you back to this blog, if so desired. In the meantime, if you're at Shekinah Photography, just click on "Blog" at the top of the page and it will bring you back here!

Learning html and css is no easy task but I am enjoying it very much. I don't know how many more changes I'll make to the original template, but I am happy with it at this point.

I need to give some credit and special thanks to a new friend of mine who's been helping me via e-mail. She didn't have to take precious time out of her day to help me, and I really appreciate her generosity and web know-how. Thank you so much, Denise! See Denise's work at http://www.denisegoldberg.com/.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon, and see what changes you can spot since the last time you were here!

"La Quebrada Cliff Divers"

2008-03-31T19:58:00.020-06:00

03/08/08

The first stop on our cruise after two days at sea, was Acapulco. We took a bus tour and saw the cliff divers. What a sight they were to see! We only got to watch four or so of them dive, so I had to shoot fast. I used my 75-300mm zoom and shot from a prime spot up above the cliffs. These are a couple of my favorites.

"Everyday, La Quebrada becomes the stage for daring locals who risk their lives, jumping from a height of more than 110 feet. The show, which has been going on since the 1930s, starts with the divers climbing the natural clefts in the cliff walls to reach the highest point. From there they jump, never forgetting to cross themselves, and say a little prayer in the sanctuary first."
Each dive must be carefully timed. The ebb and flow of the tide makes these dives extremely dangerous.

The younger boys start diving around age 8 from lower levels on the cliffs. I'm glad none of these are my children. Wow! Nowadays, most of these divers are professionals who also take part in competitions and demonstrations worldwide. This show ends with a majestic dive at night, lit by torches.

The bigger these photos are, the better I like them. You can see them larger on my website, Just click HERE . I welcome your comments!

"Flight to Santa Catalina Island" (for lunch)

2008-03-28T11:34:00.010-06:00

03/02/08

Before the cruise, we stayed with some friends of my mom's for several days. This is their private plane. We flew to Catalina Island for lunch, the second day of our stay. It was strange to see them pull the plane out of the hanger that just looked like an oversized garage. We all piled in and the check off sheet was read to the pilot as we taxied out to the runway. I sat where that first window is just behind the opened door.

As we approached the island, we began looking for the bison that still reside there since they were placed there for a movie years ago.
We also looked for the runway. The "landing strip" was pointed out to us and I'm like, "We're landing where? On that...bandaid? Lord, I might be seeing ya soon!" (this was not verbal, only my private thoughts, mind you.) I will admit I was nervous about the landing. As you can see, there isn't much room on either end for a mistake. Yikes!
Fortunately, our pilot was a flight instructor for many years and is quite an awesome pilot. That would have been nice information to have BEFORE we went on the flight! LOL And, thankfully, it was not the pilot's time to go. (don't know if you all know that joke)

This is the shoreline on the west side of the island. It was a very hazy day, and the wing was blocking my view, so it was difficult to get good shots free of window reflections, part of the wing or something else in the shot, but I did manage to get this shot where you can just see how blue and clear the water is. My circular polarizing filter helped to capture that and cut down on the haze a bit.

I know it's just off the coast of Southern California, but I can now say that I've "flown overseas" (get it, over seas? haha) in my photographic travels.

"Easter Blessings!"

2008-03-23T22:55:00.012-06:00

Today is a wonderful day because today we celebrate the risen Savior and an empty tomb!

God Bless you and Happy Easter, everyone!

"Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

2008-03-17T22:38:00.002-06:00

This is quite a busy time of year for Irish Dancers. Our girls just finished their St. Pat's Day performances. Two hectic, fun-filled days! Here's a picture of them at one of the first performances. I'm glad I got this photo when they were still fresh. Boy, were they exhausted by the end of the two days. I was too, and I didn't even dance. Of course, I was still suffering from jet-lag, but I survived. We all did! We had a great time with our friends, making people happy with our Irish tunes and step dance.

Whether you're truly Irish in heritage as we are, or just a little Irish at heart, we hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Blessings:

"Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live each day as if it were your last."
"May your home always be too small to hold all your friends."

An Irish Prayer:

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer."

"Picture Preview"

2008-03-14T22:08:00.002-06:00

I am only just beginning to sort through all of the images I took on my recent cruise. This is an image from the beach at Zihuatanejo. That big ship is ours, the Carnival Spirit. Stay tuned, there's more to come...

"Lunar Eclipse"

2008-02-20T11:21:00.003-07:00

Wednesday night I stood, and sat, on my front porch in the cold for an hour or so and made an attempt to photograph the lunar eclipse. My oldest daughter was out there with me for a while taking some video footage, but she said it was kinda boring and went back inside. My hubby and youngest daughter came out on occasion have a peek.
I took shots every minute or two or so. It started out quite colorful with the orange glow. At the height of the eclipse, the color was almost all gone. Then, as it lifted, the familiar bright white of the moon came back. The constant, but subtle changes in brightness made changing the settings on my camera challenging and kept me busy. The changes were not quite so subtle when I saw them on my digital lightbox and could see how it progressed so nicely. I decided to put several into one document. I like how it turned out. I just wish I had a faster lens and a little longer zoom. At the darkest point, I had to set the ISO to 3200 to get a halfway sharp shot and then, of course, there's also some noise as a result.
I enjoyed doing this project very much. My kids said, "It looks cool, like something you'd see in a Science book. They are my beloved encouragers! However they turned out, it was certainly fun to "shoot the moon!"

"I Will Lift Up My Eyes"

2008-02-19T23:29:00.005-07:00

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

My husband took me shooting this evening. There's an inversion going on right now, so it's pretty hazy. I wasn't sure what this shoot would produce. It was quite windy and chilly, in fact, my husband ended up back in the car quite a bit before I was done shooting.

The warm light of the setting sun, was contradictory to what I was feeling as the wind broke through my ill chosen clothing. I hadn't planned on the wind and should've known better. Slowly, the layers of the distant hills got dimmer and dimmer. The light got lower and lesser, and the hills continued to fade into the distance. As the canyon walls dropped into shadow, the orange light from the sky reflected on the Snake River; far below the canyon walls, causing it to glow. Night was insisting on its turn, and it was a beautiful sight.

"Back to the Future"

2008-02-06T11:02:00.007-07:00

On January 19th. we went to see "August Rush." Great movie btw, once you get past the whole premise.
Anyway...we arrived early and while we waited, we wandered into an antique shop next to the theatre. We had a great time looking around and the "kids" (our two girls and a friend) ended up trying on all the old hats. I was so upset that I didn't have my camera with me, as I almost always do.

I then remembered that my phone has a camera. Okay, it's not a very good camera, but it did capture this wonderful moment. They all so naturally turned toward me and I love the looks on all their faces. If I had my good camera with me and tried to set up this shot, it probably wouldn't have worked so well. Sometimes the best shots are the ones you don't plan and this was one of those shots.

Our girls are growing up so fast and I love the fact that this picture reminds me of the past, yet shows me how close they are to their futures. It is truly bitter-sweet. I remember them playing dress up when they were little and they continue to do so with AKB Productions as they film and act. You can see some of their work at http://www.youtube.com/AKBProductions.
I thank the Lord for photography and that through the years, I've been able to capture the special moments that capture me.

"Idaho Graffiti"

2008-01-28T12:22:00.002-07:00

We recently went up to our little mountain town of Idaho City, to go sledding and I thought this was humorous. We saw several writings in the snow. Being a San Diego, California transplant, I'm not too fond of graffiti. I've seen the bad side of it. I can appreciate this kind of graffiti, though. No lasting damage, nothing inappropriate, just the team spirit of a small town. So, now you've seen Idaho Graffiti. Just another reason I love our wonderful state.

"Icicle Arches"

2008-01-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, my husband took me shooting. I really wanted to find some icicles. Well, we were successful, as you can see. I took several shots from different angles and with different backgrounds. I got many different looks. I like this one because of the arches.

"Faded Glory"

2008-01-08T08:30:00.002-07:00

I created this photo, of my father's Navy memorabilia (that I secretly "borrowed"), to make a special gift for my mother. The faded flag that I used for the backdrop once belonged to her late father.

I am intentionally posting this on January 8th. because today would have been his birthday, had he not died in 2001. I take solice in the fact that I will see him again in Heaven someday.

I enjoyed doing this still life. I had a good time setting it all up, shooting, re-arranging the items, and shooting again until I was pleased with it.

I am thankful to my father for serving our family and our country and I hope this little tribute does him justice.

I love and miss you, Dad!
Your "littlest daughter,
Kathleen

"Irish Dancing-in black & white"

2007-12-19T12:52:00.003-07:00

Photographing my girls dancing all the time creates quite a challenge for new and unique views. I got down low for this shot and almost got myself run, or should I say danced over. That's my oldest daughter dancing off stage left in the background.
I like this shot even better in this black and white version than in the color. I was shooting without my flash so I had to boost the ISO and as a result this shot is grainly, but I like the effect.