Reflections

I know this picture is technically upside down, but I love reflections like this. This day was super windy, as you can tell by the ripples in the water. This is a fountain outside of the Clinton Library that is extremely shallow, but water constantly runs over the edges. That's why you can see the tiled bottom so clearly.

Photo Suprises

Sometimes it's fun to see what sort of things are captured in a picture that the photographer doesn't even notice. Case in point - I took this photo inside the River Market. I thought the shapes on the ceiling would make for a cool photo, plus I just love the overall vibe inside the River Market.

Once I downloaded my pictures, I was (pleasantly) surprised to see this guy in the hipster Domo shirt. I happen to love all things Domo.
Aren't familiar with Domo?  Check out this wikipedia entry.

Street Performer

This guy is almost always in the River Market area. The first time I ever saw him was at night & he freaked me out. He still freaks me out, even in the day time, but he is sort of neat to watch.

One more good snow...

No, we haven't had another good snow, I'm just wanting one more. We're supposed to get to 60 degrees this weekend, which will be nice, but I still need one more good snow before we forget about winter all together. 

I really like the way the green stands out in this picture too.

Birthday Fun

Monday was both my husband's & my daughter's birthdays, so we had a couple of friends of my daughter's over Sunday night. It's so funny how dress up changes when they're 14. This is one of her friends in her own interpretation of clown make up. 

Wishful thinking

No matter how old we get, we all still like to make wishes.

An old favorite

This is one of my all time favorite pictures and I can't believe that I've never posted it before. This was taken in Cozumel, Mexico. The Mariachi band played while the little girl danced. As cute as it was, it was all about money. The minute they saw you attempting to take a picture, they would stop and ask to be paid for the photo op.

Always the rebel, I used my zoom lens from the 2nd floor of the shopping area where we were. I'm sorry if I cheated them, but the girl was precious and the little boy was pretty hilarious. He obviously didn't care for the family business as much as his sister did.

Sleepovers

One of the fun things about having a daughter is when she has sleep overs. I love all the giggles - well, until I go to bed. They're not so cute at 3 a.m. ;-)  Luckily I'm a deep sleeper.
My daughter & her friend have always been creative so I actually got to play photographer for them. Within a 2 hour span, they went from Ballerina Barbies to Geishas to Goths and then back to themselves. I think I may have had as much fun as they did!

Mini Me

You know those days where you don't do anything really out of the ordinary, but it's just a good day overall and you feel warm & fuzzy inside? I've had one of those. I spent the day with my daughter today - just us girls. :-)

Upon closer inspection...

One Saturday afternoon I went out to the area by the Big Dam bridge to take pictures. There were several fisherman in one area and I had a great time snapping different pictures. It wasn't until I got home and downloaded them to my lap top that I really noticed this guy... he's fishing with a BOW??!! Is that even legal?

My feelings went from 'fun little fishing trip' to 'jerk!'. I'll admit, I know nothing about fishing, but this seemed akin to shooting fish in a barrel.

Between Innings

One afternoon recently, when the weather was gorgeous, I spent a day just driving to all sorts of places taking pictures. On my way home, I passed the ball park and couldn't resist getting some baseball pictures. I have a few other shots of the action, but there's something about this one that I just liked.

Gone Fishing

Just another lazy Saturday.

Feeding the Ducks

This little guy was having a blast last weekend, throwing whole pieces of bread to feed the geese (yes, I know they're not truly ducks, but that's what he called them). He was reluctant to get too close and I just sat behind him, snapping away. I loved how I captured the bread in midair here. Such a care free day!

Afternoon commute

This is Mockingbird Station, obviously before the 5 o'clock rush. Mass transit always fascinates me since it's never been a staple in my town.

The Entourage

What a site - seeing the entire bridal party pile out of a limo and walk up to the church. I loved that I was in the right place, at the right time, to get a picture like this.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the following message...

I had planned to continue posting some of the pictures I took over the weekend. AND - I planned to never repost a picture. Well... I'm straying from my original plan.

As you may know, I've been taking a photography class for the last 6 weeks and each week we have to submit a picture as "homework". This week was the last class and the "final big" homework assignment. I had trouble deciding which picture to submit (as always), but ended up going with a picture I took earlier on (and posted here).

Well, guess what? My photo was voted unanimously by the class and the staff as the best picture of the week! And with it being the "final big assignment", I won $100 gift card! I was so proud and excited - so yes, I think I should get to post it again AND use unnecessary quotes. I've earned that right for at least 24 hours, right?

On a side note, I now have a new macro lens that I can't wait to play with! That extra $100 sure came in handy!

Young fans

These girls were super serious in preparing their "war paint" for the big game.

Another homework assignment picture

This week's assignment is to work with shutter speed, but before I go experimenting, I wanted to post this picture from last week. I just kind of like it.

And the winner is...

I went with this shot for my class assignment that was due today. I think it's a good close up and (hopefully) incorporates some of the things we learned in our 1st class. I guess I'll get feedback tomorrow night. This was more nerve wracking than I expected it to be.

**update: My instructor had nothing but good things to say about this picture! From the subject, the angle, the way her hair framed her face & the closeness of it, he said it was a great shot. Very excited! **

Reflecting

Today is my daughter's 13th birthday. It's also my husband's 41st birthday, so Happy Birthday to them both! We went out and took some pictures today. I thought this one turned out really cool.