Just Call Me Rosebud

I brought home a little souvenir from the wedding I shot this past weekend!
Shot with my new Nikon D800

May Photo-a-day Challenge: Day 2 Path

Day 2 Path: This is a shot of my front walk – weeds and all. I love the fuzzy little moss that is very slowly taking up residence in the cracks.

March Phoneography Challenge: TOYS

Here are some more iPhone shots, edited with Camera+

There isn’t a lot to shoot around my drought stricken yard yet; I’ve been keeping my eyes on the budding trees, just waiting to capture some color. So in the meantime, I turned my iPhone to the toys that my grands left scattered like last autumn’s fallen leaves around my place. 🙂

I am adding this image to this blog, because it doesn’t fit anywhere else. I shot it a couple weeks after the other toy images, but I really liked it and wanted to add it to my challenge! I love the way the light plays over the new batch of chalk that I put out for my grands on Easter morning! Shadow and light make even the most mundane subject spectacular.

These play garden toys lay were they were left by my grands after playing in the dirt. The red is what is common for dirt here in Oklahoma – hence, The Red Dirt State.

This Radio Flyer wagon has been around since my girls were little. Edited in Camera+

A rusty wheel. Edited in Camera+

The same wheel, but I wanted it in sepia tone so had to take it into photoshop to edited and save this way without losing the original. That is the only drawback of Camera+, you can only chose one feature to save.

Wagon edited in Camera+

Same wagon with further features added in photoshop. LAMO

Slide with HD added in Camera+

Bike wheel edited in Camera+

Bike wheel edited in Camera+

Swing set with HD added in Camera+

Keep playing with your phones!

Phoneography Challenge: My Neighborhood

I don’t actually live in a neighborhood. I live in a rural area where I and many of my “neighbors” have a least five acres. So when WP set the phonographic challenge of photographing my neighborhood with my iPhone, I was at somewhat of a disadvantage. Plus, since we are in the midst of winter in Oklahoma, it is rather a bleak looking landscape.

I accepted the challenge and walked around my place photographing small portions of my landscape. I hope it meets the criteria. 🙂

Ivy on a metal pedal

Sunshine on ivy (the ivy is the only green things in winter)

Tiny little violas no bigger than the tip of my pinky grow heavily amongst the weeds. My grandchildren love these little flowers and hate when I mow them under.

I guess there is a bit of green in these weeds.

 

The only thing that I have found that the iPhone can’t do is focus on something small in the foreground when there is a lot going on in the background. This was the closest I got; if anyone knows how to accomplish this, please let me know.

 

These dried weeds grow on my creek; they are about 7-8 feet tall. With the upward angle and the bright blue sky, they were a perfect subject for my iPone’s capability.

I tried for a silhouette on this one taken on my creek bed.

I sepia toned these on my camera; I love the old world look give to these dried weeds.

Have a great day!

Heartfelt Art

As many of you know, my eldest granddaughter, Isabelle, has Leukemia – AMPL to be exact.

The event had face painting; Isabelle opted for less is more.

She has undergone treatment and is in her second year of maintenance meds. So far, she hasn’t been sick even one time in the past year (we give God all the glory for that miracle). The only problem she has is when she is on her ATRA rotation of meds. ATRA, short for something I can neither pronounce nor spell, is basically high toxic levels of Vitamin A. When she is on this drug, she gets horrible migraine headaches. The kind that take a lot of pain pills, nausea medication, darkness and quiet to help her exist. Its not fun, but thankfully it is only 15 days out of every 90, and Rebekah thinks she only has two rotations left.

But still, 15 days is a long time to a child, especially when something important is coming up like the annual Art With A Heart gala. Isabelle works hard, plans and anticipates this event all year. This year was to be her second year to have paintings entered into the auction. She had worked very hard on two paintings, a piece of craft art and several small pieces that were part of the large combination pieces that were to be cut up and sold off.

Bekah and Belle – two beauties

You guessed it; her 15 days fell exactly on the much awaited event. Thankfully, her doctor, understanding the importance of these events to children, allowed her to go off her meds for two days so she was able to attend without any pain or throwing up!

Hey Diddle Diddle

Her two main paintings were Hey Diddle Diddle, a piece that she envisioned from the popular nursery rhyme that instead depicted her sitting on a dock of a lake with a cow jumping over the reflection of the moon. The little dog, the cat and the fiddle and the dish and spoon were also there along with fireflies, trees and a tranquil night.

Isabelle with her creations!

Her second piece was a self portrait, that looked remarkably like her complete with cute little freckles smattered across her little nose and bright blue eyes. This one was in an adorable frame decked out with colorful buttons that perfectly match her bright personality.

The evening began with a twilight limousine tour of downtown Oklahoma City and a red carpet entrance on the arm of a dashing OU football player. The OU and OSU Tri Deltas plan and host the event and basically spoil all the children to pieces.

Isabelle entering with her OU football player.

Isabelle looked beautiful in her black and white frilly party dress; she had picked it out months ago and refused to wear any kind of outer covering for fear it would impede the view of the roses on the top of her dress – she is such a girl! Her mommy warned her that it might be quite cold (who can know for sure in Oklahoma?), but she was determined. So, with instructions “to not look cold” Belle entered the front foyer of Children’s Hospital without even the appearance of goose pimples! Such a trooper!

Making Ready

She was such a professional

The Delta Girls loved her

With daddy, mommy, brothers Mac and Ethan.

The night was a success; Isabelle was a hit with all the patrons – go figure. Two gentlemen in particular were very keen on being the ones to win the bids on her works of art. In the final moments, a last effort was made to top the bids for assured success.

Her art instructor has worked with her for two years. Her own son is a cancer survivor.

Last minute bids

Her self portrait was purchased by one older man whose own granddaughter was in her fifth year of Art With A Heart. He purchased her self portrait with the express purpose of returning it to Isabelle!

This gentleman kept returning to make sure he had the bid.

The winning couple with Belle’s self portrait.

Isabelle didn’t understand that he wanted to give her back her painting. I think she thought he wasn’t going to buy it.

Rebekah was brought to tears when the kind man gave Belle her painting back.

The nursery rhyme painting and the beautifully crafted bowl of  pears were purchased from a young man and woman who has a daughter just one year younger that Belle. The wife survived cancer while she was pregnant with their daughter.

The couple who bought Hey Diddle Diddle. They have a daughter Isabelle’s age and she is a cancer survivor herself! She was diagnosed with Lymphoma while she was pregnant.

The Pears have it!

As Isabelle was making ready to return home where she could dream of future art projects, limousine rides and pretty dresses, the second art patron returned to the hospital and presented Isabelle with her Hey Diddle Diddle painting. He said that he and his wife decided as they were driving away that they wanted this young beautiful artist to have her work back!

Isabelle was so touched by this couple’s kindness when they decided to give her back her favorite painting!

It is times like these that I am glad that I am part of the human race!

If you would like to look at Isabelle’s art, go to http://www.artwithaheartock.com; click on Fletcher’s Corner and then the 2013 artist. You can even help support childhood cancer care and research by putchasing a reporoduction of Isabelle’s or another’s arts. There really are some fine pieces in the collection. Isabelle’s are numbers 16 & 17. If they don’t come up, wait a day or so and they should be uploaded. I was told that they were there today, but only the party pics were up.

This is my new tea mug. It is hard to see the whole scene, but I keep rotating it. Items like this and many more can be purchased at Fletcher’s Corner to help in the fight against Childhood Cancers!

I have only picked up one piece so far, but am going to order more soon! I love my little Belly Dancer!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hugs and KISSES and Everything In Between

This week’s photo Challenge was KISSES; I imagine this is in honor of Valentine’s Day.

But when I think of kisses, I don’t gravitate toward just the romantic kisses; I also take in all the sweet tender moments between family members.I am just as smitten with warm hugs and embraces of every kind.

A hug can as powerful as a kiss, it is the type of photos that I tend to get more often than not (except when I’m shooting a wedding, then there are enough kisses to fill a candy bowl). Here are a few of my favorite kisses, hugs and everything in between!

A Wedding Kiss

A Daddy Hug

I love My Auntie

Kissing A Little Bald Head

A Kiss For His Little Man

I Love You Mom

Kissy Toes

Sisters

Baby Kisses

Eskimo Kisses

Make Me Laugh Kisses

I Love You Hugs

Swing Me Kiss

As usual, I have had trouble limiting myself, sorry!

Travel Theme Photo: Shadows

I’ve never accepted the challenge of posting on Travel Theme Photos.

Mainly because I don’t get to travel much; I want to, I just don’t have the means right now. That said, when I saw this one on shadows, my mind immediately went to some images I shot on a short trip to see The Alamo in San Antonio, TX. I love architecture and The Alamo was chalked full of old missions that caught my attention. One photo completely stood out as a perfect candidate. The repetitive arches and the perfect lighting created the most spectacular array of shadows. This one remains to this day one of my favorite images. I love it in both color and B&W.

In color; these colors are muted, almost monotone, so the do not distract from the overall beauty of the stonework.

In Black and White; I love black and white, and what better subject than an old mission.

In the following two, the shadows help set a stage. I hope you enjoy.

Hidden from the sun, dark shadows make this underground chamber mysterious.

This was a walkway lining a low setting of military barracks at The Alamo

A Word a Week Photography Challenge – Wood

Wood, more specifically, bark, has always fascinated me. I love the texture that it imbues. How you can almost feel its roughness when you look at an image of a trunk, branch or even rough cut lumber.

Just A”peal”ing

So I’ve culled through a few specimens of woody shots to share with you. Hope you enjoy.

Study in Bark I

Study in Bark IV

Study in Bark III

Study in Bark II

Knot your average tree

I love when moss grows on logs – fallen or otherwise.

Woodscrews stand at attention in an old piece of decking.

Dripping rain off an old fencepost.

Merry Christmas

P.S. Does anyone know how to make a collage on WP? I’ve scoured the site and cannot find any link or instructions?