Bald Is Beautiful Photography

Just another sleepy Nashville, TN. sunrise

2011-07-26T01:14:00.001-07:00

Make sure you do the bloggity blog hop, and check out the other entries in this weeks Sweet Shot Tuesday over at Life with 3 Boybarians!

Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

2011-07-18T18:51:00.001-07:00

Sing it Cyndi!

You know, there are a lot of things this picture is not!

* It’s not the best shot in the world.
* It’s not gonna win any major photo journalistic awards.
* It’s not gonna be printed for the whole world to see.

But I can tell you what it is gonna be…my “Sweet Shot Tuesday” entry for the week!

I had the pleasure of taking family photos for my nephew, his fiancé and her girls a couple of weeks ago, and this pic is by far my favorite. It’s not a staged shot, it’s just something that happened. I mean look at the way her hair is reflected in the sun. Look at that cute little pixie grin, it’s almost as if she is yelling at me and saying…”Come on Uncle CooCoo, you can’t catch me”!

This is what photography should be…

FUN!

Make sure you check out the rest of the Sweet Shot Tuesday entries over at Darcy’s site!

4th of July Fireworks…

2011-07-13T00:54:00.001-07:00

Smyrna, TN 4th of July Celebration

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Pooles Knob Sunrise

2011-07-13T00:48:00.001-07:00

Fisk Memorial Chapel

2011-06-29T00:44:00.001-07:00

Just another shot from my afternoon at Fisk University. While walking around campus, I spotted this old building and was immediately drawn towards it. I think I’m definitely going back for some more shots this weekend!

The Fisk Memorial Chapel, with a seating capacity of approximately eight hundred, was designed by William B. Bigelow of New York City and completed in 1892. General Clinton B. Fisk, a founder of the University, left funds for construction to the University in the form of railroad stock. The interior has a high domed ceiling exposing the appealing support structures. A balcony extends on three sides. The Chapel houses an extraordinary 40 rank Holtkamp pipe organ, which is one of the finest examples in the United States of the work of organ-builder, Walter Holtkamp Sr. The organ has an estimated value of over $2.5 million. It was built especially for the University to be housed in the Chapel. Over the entrance doors is the stirring legend: “Arise shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

The Chapel is the primary assembly area on campus and is rich in intellectual and cultural traditions. Outstanding international concert artists, musical organizations, drama and dance performances, lecturers, ministers and political figures have also appeared in the Chapel. Included among those who have visited the Chapel, given addresses, performed for students and community members are The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Duke Ellington, Thurgood Marshall, Booker T. Washington, Louis Armstrong, W. C. Handy, Jesse Jackson, Nat King Cole, Eubie Black, Merle Haggard, Robert Altman, John Hope Franklin and Bell Hooks. The Chapel is the home performance site for the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Information obtained from the following web site;

The Fisk Memorial Chapel

Until next time…

What is composition?

2011-06-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

Evidently something I lack, that’s for sure!

Have you ever seen something that you think would make a good image? Yea, you probably have. It’s those moments or objects that you just need to capture for eternity. Well, Cravoth Hall on the campus of Fisk University is an example of what I’m talking about. I drive by this building at least 3 times a week, and I truly love the character and statement it makes.

The above image is 3 shots bracketed using a 10 stop filter, and I love it! The movement of the clouds, the vibrancy that a nice sunny day can provide. I know it’s not for everybody, but for me it does the trick!

Now I moved around quite a bit, trying to capture the building from several different angles. I took several different shots and chimped on each one, making sure it was what I was trying to capture. The one above is the view I see from my car on those days I drive by. So I knew this was one of my favorites. I even took several captures from this vantage point. Not once did I see the distraction in the photo. Do you see it? If not, click here to see what I was talking about!

It seems I was so caught up in the beauty of the building and what I was trying to say, that I totally missed the stupid tree at the fork of the sidewalk! As much as I tried to take the tree out, I could not do it. So, I’m stuck with it until the next time I get over to Fisk University. Maybe I should think about taking Kent Weakley’s Composition E-Class . . . AGAIN!

Until next time…

Cravoth Hall Fisk University

2011-06-27T01:06:00.001-07:00

When I pick up my son from school, we always drive by this building. I’ve always loved the look, shape and boxiness of it, and on numerous times I’ve threatened to pull over and take some photos of it.

This past week, I had the opportunity to do just that!

This neo-Gothic structure first served as the Erastus M. Cravath Memorial Library. Named for Cravath, the university's first president (1875-1900), it was designed by Nashville architect Henry Hibbs and built in 1929-30. The interior walls depict several murals by Aaron Douglas, the leading Harlem or Negro Renaissance painter and founder of the Fisk Art Department.

I guess the thing that really got me about this campus in the heart of downtown Nashville is, I never knew the history of Fisk University. Sure, I’ve grown up right here in Nashville and have lived here my entire life, but I never knew the history that surrounds this great school. As I was walking around campus this past week something really jumped out at me…the number of historical markers. It seems as if there was one for every building on campus.

I guess I need to get out a little more :~)

Lets Hear It For The Boys

2011-06-20T00:46:00.001-07:00

OK, so I’m gonna get in so much trouble for this one, but here goes!

This is my Dad, a man that truly I love more than anyone will ever know. He’s the best person to go to when you need a laugh. His willingness to help you out comes straight from the heart. His dedication and love for his family is without measure. He’s the most supportive person you will ever meet. He never meets a stranger. He greets new people as if he’s known them his entire life. He’s my Dad and that’s about all I can say !

At 52 years of age, I’ve finally realized I’m not afraid to say I Love the old man, and when I grow up, that’s who I want to be!

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

BTW Dad, when you read this, and I’m sure you will, please understand I’m sharing this out of love over at the I ♥ Faces Photo challenge this week!

So head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries this week :~)

Pretty In Pink

2011-06-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Pink? I guess I could be called that...LOL! Well, this one is from the recent Breast Cancer Awareness Walk that I participated in. Just me, my camera and my pink beard. And yes, it did wash out…eventually :~) Make sure you head over to Love That Shot and check out the other entries this week.

Well, that’s it for this today, until next time…

sweet shot tuesday

2011-06-07T00:40:00.001-07:00

Didn't get out much this weekend, so I had to play around the house with my camera. These lilies are from bulbs my wife planted when we moved in the house 15 years ago. The really unique thing, at least to me…they are transplanted from Texas and were originally planted my wife’s grandmother 25 years ago! How in the world does this work?

Anyway I tend to ramble at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. Have a wonderful week, and take a moment to stop and smell the flowers in your life! Or at least head on over to Sweet Shot Tuesday and check out the other gorgeousness that abounds in our lives!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge From A Distance

2011-06-06T00:51:00.001-07:00

Been a while since I’ve participated in one of the challenges over here at I ♥ Faces, but the theme this week really hit home.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife decided to follow along on one of my weekly trips to catch a sunrise. While I was traipsing around looking for that certain vantage point, I noticed she had disappeared. When I found her, she was relishing in the warmth that only the sun can give. I wondered what she was thinking, or if she was thinking at all. I wondered if she was enjoying herself, or if she thought I was abandoning her for my hobby. I wondered if she was having fun or was just plain bored. From a distance I wondered …

After I finished the sunrise shoot, we stopped for a cup of coffee and my wife hugged me. She looked deep in my eyes and told me that this was one of the most relaxing mornings she has had in quite a while. Then she did something unexpected…she kissed me right there in Starbux, told me she loved me and that she understood the passion I had for photography. She said she understood a little more the process I go through and why I come home from those early morning shoots more relaxed.

I believe Bette Midler says it best…

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance

DCA Class of 2018

2011-06-05T11:15:00.001-07:00

To purchase any of the photos (Or all of them!) from the DCA Class of 2018 School’s End of Year Party:

1) Click on the link for the DCA Class of 2018 Gallery and use the password provided in the email that was sent to you. (It is case sensitive)

2) Individual purchase availability will end on Saturday, July 9, 2011, and may be purchased and printed through the DCA Class of 2018 Gallery . Purchase and print options for this choice are provided by Zenfolio. (After July 9, please contact Bald Is Beautiful Photography)

3) To purchase a compact disc of all edited photos for $25.00 (as seen in the online gallery); please use the “Buy Now” button located below. CD's will be shipped to the address provided within 3-4 weeks of receipt of payment. The CD includes a permission to print letter (required for printing at your local photo printing sites; Wal-Mart, Walgreens etc.) and 2 folders of photos. Folder 1 contains full resolution photos suitable for printing. Folder 2 will be filled with web ready photos to share on your favorite social media sites (Face book, Twitter, My Space)

I have truly enjoyed working on these photos, and hope they bring you as much pleasure as they have me. If I can ever be of any assistance to you or your family, please contact me at the number or email address below.
Once again, Thank You!

Scott O’Neal
Bald Is Beautiful Photography
BIBPhotography@comcast.net
615-484-5506

A Moment I Will Not Forget

2011-05-31T00:51:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about you, but this past Saturday morn was really special for me!

You see, every time I mention photography, or the thought of going out to shoot something, my house fills with eye rolls. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that movement of the eye that almost causes the whole head to rotate on it’s axis. I can almost hear my wife and son saying , “Oh no, not again!”

Well Saturday morn was really different. My wife is house sitting at her Mom and Dad’s place, a mere 5 minutes away! I had just logged on to my early morning Facebook and Blog reading when I got a private message from my wife. First of all I wondered what she was doing up and that Gawd awful hour of 2 a.m? Then my mind shifted focus and wondered if every thing was all right? Everything was fine, she just wanted to know if she could tag along for my early morning ritual of chasing the sun. WOW, I could not believe what I was hearing, but jumped at the opportunity to say YES!!!

So off we went, in search of that shining orb in the sky! Our first stop was Love Circle, a small hilltop right on the outskirts of Nashville. Love Circle is not only a great place to watch the sun rising over Nash-Vegas, but also the location of Celebrity Apprentice winner, Jon Rich! I been there on numerous occasions, but have never seen the owner of Mt. Richmore :~)

After an hour or so of watching Blue Hour progress, the sun decided to make an appearance. My wife was amazed!!! She said she actually could understand the peacefulness and solitude that this practice of capturing the moment brings me. When we had finished this portion of my routine, we headed to Starbucks for the obligatory cup of java. The problem with getting up so early is you need that caffeine laden fluids coursing through your system…or at least I do!

At this point, we headed over to where my wife works to capture a few shots of Scarritt Bennett Campus. SBC is such a sweet spot in the heart of Nashville. The campus is laid out with peace and tranquility in mind. Beautiful landscaping and ornamental building make it such a great place to shoot!

Will my wife ever go with me again? Will my son ever stop rolling his eyes when I mention a photo shoot? Who knows, but I do know this, last Saturday morn happened and now it is engrained into my brain and heart as a special day I will not forget anytime soon!

Sweet Shot Tuesday is here once again and I really look forward to that day! Not only do I get to share some of my favorite shots, but I get to visit with photo-tog friends and live a little of their life through their captures. Take a moment and jump over to Life with 3 Boybarians and peruse the life of my friends through their photos!

Until next time…

A Day In The Park, Just Another Sweet Shot

2011-05-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Good morning all!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing a family that I shot last year. Truly a very special family to me, since it was the first session I had ever did!!! To be honored with this privilege of capturing love, enjoyment, and family is just one of the many blessings that I receive when I pick up my camera. And to be honored twice…WOW! The only thing that could be better is we’ve already booked a session for the fall :~)

Enough rhetoric, enjoy some Sweet Shots from this session ♥

Go ahead and take a magic carpet ride on over to Life with 3 Boybarians and check out the other Sweet Shots from my friends! I think you’ll find many of hours ~~wasted,~~ I mean relaxing while perusing the other entries!

Too funny ! Camera Nerds Unite

2011-05-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday Y’all !

2011-05-09T01:02:00.001-07:00

This was just too funny, and I thought it was the perfect way to start a long and busy week…laughing!

Blue Hour With KW-Daddio

2011-05-03T01:12:00.001-07:00

Most of you guys know I’m all about learning. If I take a class and I’m able to walk away with even a smidgen of info, then it was a successful class. I mean come on, we can learn something new everyday of our lives. Heck, when I’m on my death bed, I want to be able to say, “Wow, I didn't know that, thanks for sharing”! Well, a couple of months ago I was able to take an online e-class with Kent Weakely that was phenomenal! If you get the chance to take it, you better! If not, I’m gonna hunt you down and…we won’t go there. LOL!

Any who, this E-class dealt with Night Photography. Taking photographs with the absence of light, come on, what was I thinking? Well, this class actually caused me to look at sunrise and sundown in a whole new light. LOL! As much as I love my sunrises, I’m falling more in love with sunsets and the beauty that explodes as the night sky encroaches.

Sunrises for me are all about color. Just look at the oranges, reds and purples that abound in a sunrise shot. Come on., these colors are drop dead gorgeous. But then you start looking at the colors of an evening sky. WOW, I must say, cobalt blue is beginning to be one my favorite color of all.

5 shot panorama – F13 - ISO 100 – 11mm

This past week, I got the chance of a lifetime. A once in a moon opportunity to shoot with a great teacher, a mentor and more importantly someone I call a friend. Kent Weakley came through Nashville on his way to St. Louis to help out with one of his son’s robotic team. A week or so before, he had sent me an email asking if I wanted to do a night shoot of Nashville. WOW, he asked me to shoot with him! My wife said I was walking around like someone with a school girl crush. I guess I was :~)

Nashville in the round-A whole new perspective

The above pic is one that was inspired by a photo Kent posted on his blog a couple of weeks ago. Over dinner on the night he was in town, Kent and I were talking about Photoshop and different editing techniques. He mentioned a tree in his neighborhood that he has shot numerous times and how he tries to look at it from different angles and perspectives. Kent talked about how he used Photoshop to give the tree that different look. He walked me through the steps, but I’ve got to tell ya, the Rueben sandwich I was eating was really good, and that’s about all I remembered when I got home. Sorry Kent, it wasn’t that your explanation was boring, it was the fact that the dang Rueben was so good!

So I got to thinking of all my photos of the Nashville Skyline from the Shelby Street Walking Bridge. You know me, I can’t leave well enough alone and I had to try it! Nashville in a whole new perspective. I’m going to post a how to later this week on the technique used in the Nashville in the round photo.

Blue Nashville - F11 - ISO 100 – 11mm – 30 second exposure

During our shoot that evening I learned a lot about Kent, and how he got started in the business. Being the learning sponge I am, I took everything he said to heart. Even the thought of changing my white balance to fluorescent to help pump up the blues during blue hour was a cool little tip. Just remember to set it back to your normal setting, or that next model shoot has everyone looking like Smurfs! LOL!

When it comes down to it, I was anticipating some magic that evening. Some direction on what to do with my life as far as photography goes. A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about standing on the edge of a cliff, wanting to take that next step with my photography. Well I came away from that dinner and night shoot with Kent filled with excitement, anticipation and a willingness to continue on. Am I ready to due this full time? The answer is a resounding NO!!!! But am I ready and willing to take on whatever this old world has to offer. Why? Because of people like Kent who teach and motivate me on a daily basis!

I guess this post serves double duty, because I am including it as my Sweet Shot Tuesday post as well. See, this is how I met Kent, through Darcy over at Life with 3 Boybarians. So if you get a chance, look her up and check out the other inspiring and motivating Sweet Shots from around out little planet we call home!

Kent, THANK YOU for all you do, for all you teach, and for being a friend!!!!!

And if you are interested in taking your photography to the next level, let me recommend you look into Kent’s E-classes. Right now there are 2 classes on Night Photography, and one on Composition ( I took that one as well). Over dinner Kent shared that there are several more in the works, and I can’t wait! Jump on over and take a look, I think you will be pleased :~)

Also mark May 24th on your calendar as well for the next Twitter Live PhotoChat with both of my favorite photography related bloggers Darcy and Kent !

OK, that’s it…I quit :~)

Scripture and a Snapshot

2011-05-01T03:12:00.001-07:00

Sweet Shot Tuesday, The Unknown

2011-04-05T01:05:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt like you were standing on the edge of a precipice, knowing that you needed to take that first step, but were afraid? Well, that’s where I’m at right now!

As of last Wednesday, I was told that the job I love would no longer be. This was a job that changed my life, my families life, and plainly, the way I treat people. I started this job 10 years ago when my family was having some problems with my then 2 year old (he’s 13 now) and his behavior. We went through the program, and then I was hired as a parent staff case manager. All of our case managers are parents who have graduated the program.

So for the last 10 years, I have been helping families learn to be better families using positive behavior management. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, but this program gave me more than an outlet for that. It gave me a sense of being, a sense of how to relate to people. To see the smile on the face of a 3 year old that has never been told something positive, instead of a scream, is truly rewarding!

So that leads me to where I am now, standing on the edge of a cliff…waiting, wanting, and praying. I’m really not worried about a job. I work part-time at Home Depot, and the chances of going full-time there is really good, so I know my family will survive!

The scary part of all this is the path I’m being led down. For a long time, I have felt the urge to take my photography to the next level. To be able to do something more with this passion that I have found. Well not only have I wanted that, but a lot of people have been encouraging me in that endeavor as well.

So fast forward to Thursday morning ( the day after my job loss announcement) where I awoke from a really pitiful night of sleep. In my mind this was the image I saw…I’m standing on the edge of that cliff, scared to death, trembling, frightened, and I hear a voice in my heart, mind and soul saying…”Take that step, snap that photo, and I’ll take care of the rest”!

Where is this all going, I don’t know. But I do know this, I have a God that loves me, cares for me, and protects me, all I have to do is believe, and believe I will! So keep this ole country boy in your thoughts and prayers while I believe. And since this is Sweet Shot Tuesday, I thought I would leave you with some shots I took last Saturday with some photography friends!

In this beauty of Spring and resurrection from a cold and harsh Winter, I can’t help but see God’s loving face! Make sure you head on over to Darcy’s blog and check out the rest of the Sweet Shots this week!

Is this Gotham City ?

2011-03-23T00:47:00.001-07:00

At least that’s what my wife said!

Sweet Shot Tuesday - Home, Sweet, Home

2011-03-08T00:23:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to catch some early evening shots of my fair city. My wife was away on a business trip, my son was spending the week at Grandma's house, which by the way is not over the hills and through the woods, and I was FREE!!!

So I thought I would pop down town and get a free shots of an upcoming storm over Nashville.

This is what I ended up with, so I hope you enjoy.

Hop on over to Darcy’s place and check out the other Sweet Shot entries!

Good luck to all those that enter, cause the winner from this week’s challenge will receive admission to Kent Weakley's new E-class on composition. I had the pleasure to win a class from Sweet Shot Tuesday that Kent taught on Night Time Photography. The results of that class are some of the photos you see here!

I’ve already signed up, so we will be classmates. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee after class one night…C Ya!

A Long Exposure Sweet Shot Tuesday

2011-01-18T15:19:00.001-08:00

Time again for another Sweet Shot Tuesday over at Life With My 3 Boybarians.

Santa Claus was really good to me this year. My wife contacted the jolly old elf and told him exactly what I wanted for Christmas. Between him, his helpers over at Arlington Camera and most importantly my loving wife, I am now the owner of a Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 wide angle lens and a B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter! I must have been really good this year…LOL!

So this past week I posted on my camera clubs message board that a case of cabin fever was running rampant through my house, and I needed some serious intervention. Lo and behold (what does that mean anyway), I was not alone in my suffering! It seems that several of my fellow ‘togs were suffering from this same dreaded illness. The only cure…shoot something. And shoot we did!

Nashville had been hit hard with a snow storm of epic proportions this past week. So hard in fact, that 3 inches of snow, forced out schools to be closed the whole week…YUCK! But we did not let this phase us at all. So we had a little mud, and a little dampness, and a little cold air at least the sun was shinning!!! Without any further delay, here’s my entry into this weeks Sweet Shot Tuesday!

1/100 second exposure
ISO 200
Tokina 11-16mm (14mm)
F16
Edited in LR3/ CS5

Nik Color Efex Pro (tonal contrast filter)

360 second exposure (B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter)
ISO 100
Tokina 11-16mm (11mm)
F22
Edited in LR3/ CS5

Nik Color Efex Pro (brilliance/warmth filter)

1.3 second exposure (B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter)

ISO 200
Tokina 11-16mm (16mm)
F22
Edited in LR3/ CS5

87 second exposure (B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter)

ISO 100
Tokina 11-16mm (11mm)
F22
Edited in LR3/ CS5

Nik Color Efex Pro (brilliance/warmth filter)

185 second exposure (B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter)
ISO 100
Tokina 11-16mm (11mm)
F22
Edited in LR3/ CS5

Nik Color Efex Pro (old photo filter)

The rest of the shots were nice, but this one here is my FAVE-O-RITE!!!

I love the way the clouds are streaking across the sky.

The silky smoothness of the water, and most important I love the way the sun was shining!!!

185 second exposure (B+W 110 ~ 10 stop filter)
ISO 100
Tokina 11-16mm (11mm)
F22
Edited in LR3/ CS5

Nik Color Efex Pro (brilliance/warmth filter)

So that’s it for this week, until next time…

Light of the world…

2011-01-10T01:08:00.001-08:00

"Here I Am To Worship"

Light of the world, You step down into darkness.
Opened my eyes let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you hope of a life spent with you.

[Chorus]
And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love's sake became poor.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

And I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
No I'll never know how much it cost to se my sin upon that cross.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,

You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

So Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God…

Just Another Late Christmas Dessert

2011-01-03T14:19:00.001-08:00

It seems like every year my father-in-law request that I make the dessert for Christmas dinner. In the past I have made Cranberry Orange Cheesecake , Marvelous Mocha Cheesecake, Died and gone to heaven Chocolate Cake, DAGTH Cup Cake, and other assorted sundries (all at my FIL’s request mind you). This year, he left the decision up to me.

Whenever I see a dessert, I try to make it a little more friendly as far as nutrition goes. In other words, I take someone else’s recipe and try to make it work for me. So here ya go, just another Christmas Dessert, with a little Christmas bokeh mixed in!

White Chocolate Raspberry Trifle Cake

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/white-chocolate-raspberry-trifle-cake-118964.aspx

INGREDIENTS:

1 bar Lindt Sugar Free White Chocolate candy bar

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Fat Free PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup cold skim milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) sugar free JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups thawed light COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

1 sugar free Pound Cake (link and recipe below)

1/4 sugar free cup raspberry jam, warmed

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

MELT chocolate I microwave very slowly.

BEAT chocolate and cream cheese with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat until well blended. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP.

ARRANGE slice pound cake in half

COVER with half the pudding mixture. Repeat all layers. Top with remaining cake.

REFRIGERATE 3 hours. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and berries.

Sugar Free Splenda Pound Cake

http://lifewithcake.com/2009/05/sugar-free-splenda-pound-cake/

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups Whey Low Granular sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick butter, softened

6 egg whites

1 egg yolk

1 (8 ounce) fat free container sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees F.

GREASE and flour 2-9 inch round cake pans; set aside.

COMBINE flour, Whey Low Sugar, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or a pastry blender until crumbly. (This procedure may be done with a mixer at the lowest speed. Cover mixing bowl with a clean tea towel to prevent spattering).

COMBINE eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; add 1/4 of the egg mixture to flour mixture. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Repeat procedure 3 times.

DIVIDE batter into half, add small amount of red food coloring to one batch, green to other.

SPOON batter into prepared pans, 1 red, the other green.

BAKE for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

SLICE cake into half, creating 2 layers from each cake.

If you get a chance, head on over to My Life with 3 Boybarians and show some love to the other entries in this weeks Sweet Shot Tuesday!

Follow The Light

2010-12-24T00:56:00.001-08:00

That’s just what I do. I’m following the light.

Whether it’s early in the morning while chasing a sunrise, or late at night when I’m watching that golden orb dip into the horizon…

I’m following the light!

To all my friends and family here’s my Christmas wish for you:

May the light of Christ be a beacon.

Not only during this Christmas season,

But for the whole year long!

Merry Christmas !

I Can’t See The Forest Because Of That Tree!

2010-12-12T17:15:00.001-08:00

You know the old saying…

“You can’t see the forest for the trees”.

Well, the other day, I had trouble seeing anything beyond this one tree. Every time I tried to focus on something else, I ended back at this one tree. There was just something about the solitude of this tree just standing out there all by it’s lonesome.

But the beauty of it all, I didn’t need to see anything else. For me, this was gorgeous!

Make sure you head on over to Sweet Shot Tuesday and check out the rest of the entries.

While ogling over the other beautiful entries, make sure you show some blog love and leave a comment or two.

Until next time. . .

Just Another Tequila Sunrise

2010-12-12T15:10:00.001-08:00

OK, maybe not a tequila sunrise, but most definitely a coffee sunrise!

It’s been quite a while since I took off in search of the perfect sunrise. This week kind of demanded that I take some time for myself. It seems that forces beyond my control were at work, and I was helpless. So, to remedy the ugliness of the week, I decided I needed a sunrise.

For me, a sunrise is a time of reflection, a time for warmth, and a time to start over. That’s what I did yesterday. I reflected on the ugliness and how it affected me, and how I was ugly to those around me. I was warmed by the sunlight and reminded of the warmth and love that my God provides. Last but not least, I declared the day a new start. A start over, with the intentions to do the right thing!

For your viewing pleasure, just a few shots from my epiphany of the day!

ISO 100
18mm
f/11
355 second exposure

ISO 100
18mm
f/11
207 second exposure

I think the 2 photos above are the longest exposures I‘ve ever done.

Look at that glassy smoothed water!!!

The filter I’m using is a B+W 110 ( 10 stop filter). The thing is so dark, you need to meter for light and focus before you put the thing on! At that point you need to figure out how long of an exposure you need. At first I created a spread sheet that gave me the appropriate time needed according to what light was metered. Kind of time consuming, but it worked.

Then I found this great app on ITunes for my IPod Touch. It’s an ND Timer that tells me exposure time based on available light, and also sounds an alarm when the time is complete. Cool!

Well, that’s it for today.

Until next time…

I Heart Faces Self Portrait

2010-12-07T01:02:00.001-08:00

Nothing fancy, just me! I guess that’s what a self-portrait is all about. Well, this one is from the recent Breast Cancer Awareness Walk that I participated in. Just me, may camera and my pink beard. And yes, it did wash out…eventually :~)

Make sure you head over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries this week. It will be interesting to finally see some of the photographers that I follow each week.

Well, that’s it for this today, until next time…

Blue Hour

2010-12-04T10:14:00.001-08:00

A while back I won a contest over at Sweet Shot Tuesday. My prize, a two week online course teaching the technical aspects of night time photography. Now all of my regular readers know I ♥ a good sunrise. I mean, come on, there is nothing like the warmth of the sun and the beginning of a new day to refresh your spirits. OK, a good cup of coffee usually does the same thing. So, when I’m shooting a sunrise, I have my coffee too. It’s the best of both worlds!

My instructor for this class is Kent Weakley, and you could not ask for a better teacher. He not only explains things in technical terms, but he has a way that has even helped me understand them. Shoot guys, the Dummies book series was written with me in mind! I would highly recommend that you look this guy up. Especially if you want to learn something! You can follow him at the following links:

Facebook ~ Photography by Kent Weakley

Twitter ~ KW_Daddio

Blog ~ Photography by Kent Weakley Learning Understanding Sharing

Website ~ Photography by Kent Weakley

There’s definitely some things I would do different next time. For example, once I find the settings that work, sticking with them. Also, make sure it is legal for me to be on the bridge! It seems they were re-sealing the walking part of the bridge, and I was trespassing. Once the police showed up, they asked me if I knew what the orange barrels, yellow caution tape, and the chain link fence meant?

They were very cool with it, and even commented that it was an awesome spot to take photos!

Live and learn, that’s what I say!

Until next time :~)

HEY YOU GUYS, WAIT UP !

2010-12-01T14:28:00.001-08:00

Radnor Lake ~ Nashville, TN

Sometimes that’s just the way I feel.

I want to shout from the bottom of my lungs,

“Hey you guys…wait up!”

Not always mind you, but sometimes it seems like there is no one around, and they’ve all flown the coop, and you are all alone. Today I’m home all alone nursing a runny nose, a sore throat, a fever and an incessant cough. Normally my wife is here ~~pushing~~ nursing me back to health. But this week she is in Oklahoma and I miss her dearly. Luckily for me, she comes home tomorrow…YIPPEE!!!!

So what do I do when I don’t feel good? I play on the computer editing photos and bloggin, or at least for a little while anyway. Then I just need to get away from it all and watch TV. Let’s see, I’ve watched the last 3 episodes of The Good Wife, and the last 4 episodes of The Walking Dead.

Anyway, that’s about it for today. If you get a chance, head on over to Love That Shot and check out the rest of the entries this week! Michelle and Misti have a wonderful blog/site that’s full of all kinds of information and resources for the photographer!

Adios!

Fix It Friday 12-3-2010

2010-12-01T13:04:00.001-08:00

Been a while since I’ve participated in Fix It Friday over at I ♥ Faces. It was really nice to see the photo loaded up early this week. Today is Wednesday, and I’m home nursing a runny nose, sore throat, and an incessant cough, and what better way to heal thyself with a good old photo edit! OK, now you know I’m really weird!

SOOC

So todays photo comes from Dana Suggs over at Dana Suggs Photography. Make sure you check out her site and her photography work. I really enjoy perusing sites like this, it feels my mind with ideas for upcoming photo shoots! Anyway, the photo above is SOOC (straight out of camera). No editing has been done to it.

Completed in Lightroom 3:

* Set white balance to auto

*Highlight recovery +16

*Black clipping +17

*Clarity +43

*Vibrance +41

*Sharpening +41

Completed in Lightroom 3:

*Cropped

*Brush adjustments-brighten eyes

*Switched to photo shop at this point

Completed in Photoshop CS5 Extended:

*Nichole Vans Color Pop Action

*Florabella Luxe – Glam Action @ 29% opacity

Completed in Photoshop CS5 Extended: with Alien Skin Bokeh 2 Plugin:

*Created a selection of child using quick selection tool in Photoshop

*Ran Alien Skin Bokeh 2 Plugin using a Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens effect with a half planer.

Final version

Edit #5 completed in Photoshop:

*Florabella Vintage Frames

*Florabella Damask Papers

*Elizabeth Halford tutorial explaining how to work with Florabella frames and paper.

Well that’s it for this week, and guess what? I do feel better!

So maybe I need to do a little more blogging and photo editing! Until next time :~)

BEHOLD HE COMES

2010-11-28T04:11:00.001-08:00

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the Word of the Lord.
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored.

And though these are days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword.
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call,
Lift your voice it's the year of Jubilee,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

And these are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh.
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding a temple of praise.

And these are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in your e world.
And we are Your laborers in Your vineyard,
Declaring the Word of the Lord.

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call,
Lift your voice it's the year of Jubilee,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

Sweet Shot Tuesday A Remembrance

2010-11-23T01:11:00.001-08:00

This last weekend I attended an event that has been going on for 146 years. Now I’m 51 and had never even heard of this happening until just a few days ago. The event I’m speaking of is the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin. From what I’ve been told, this was the bloodiest and worst loss for the Confederate States of America. Well, every year to honor the fallen soldiers of this battle, the city of Franklin lights 10,000 luminaries on the Eastern flank of the battlefield. It was a pretty impressive display to view, and to think that each candle represented a life that was lost.

During this skirmish, over 7000 Confederate soldiers and 2500 Union soldiers lost their life. The Carnton plantation (upper right corner of the photo below) became a field hospital. When you take the tour of the planation, you can still see the blood stained floors in the house. After the battle was over, and the Union troops moved on to Nashville, Confederate General John B. Hood gave orders for the dead to be buried by regiment. The markers below are laid out by state. Over 1450 soldiers were buried in the field beside the plantation, while more of them are buried at the Stones River Battlefield site. To see the re-enactors move through the cemetery during twilight this last weekend was truly an awe inspiring and touching tribute!

Well, that’s about it for this weeks Sweet Shot Tuesday. Jump on over to Darcy’s site and show some love. She does an awesome job of educating, motivating and inspiring me on a daily basis!

With this week being Thanksgiving, I am reminded that we should be thankful for all we have and do! Me, I’m thankful everyday for the little things. I heard this statement once from a youth pastor at a retreat, about a million years ago, “If God can’t trust you with the little things in life, how can He bless you with the big things”. My life is a little thing in the scheme of things. It’s the little things that I’m thankful for. What about you?

Marvelous Mocha Cheesecake

2010-11-14T08:30:00.001-08:00

Marvelous Mocha Cheesecake

Crust

1 box of 100 calorie Oreo Wafers crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

Filling

3 (8 ounce) packages reduced-fat cream cheese

3/4 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 teaspoons instant espresso crystals

2 (.55 ounce) packages Sugar-Free Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa Mix

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Mix crust ingredients together, and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

3) Reset oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

4) Beat cream cheese and SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener together until well mixed and smooth. Add eggs, egg whites, cornstarch and salt. Mix until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix until well blended.

5) Measure 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into a small bowl. Add instant espresso crystals and cocoa mix. Stir until well combined.

6) Pour half of plain batter over crust. Top with half of the coffee batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter. Gently swirl the coffee batter into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula. Repeat with remaining batters.

7) Bake 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking).

8)Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4- 6 hours or overnight before serving. 16 servings.

Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories 200

Calories from Fat 120

Protein 7g

Fat 13g (sat 8g)

Carbohydrate 14g

Fiber 0g

Cholesterol 65mg

Sodium 270mg

Sugar 4g

I Heart Faces – Silhouette

2010-11-14T03:25:00.001-08:00

Never Alone

As the new dawn breaks,

A new day has begun.

Alone I stand,

Before your glorious Son.

For today is just beginning,

Time for a new start.

Alone I stand,

With Your word on my heart.

Your Son breaks forth,

Providing warmth for my face.

Alone I stand,

Preparing for the race.

As the day moves on,

I glance toward the sky.

Alone I stand,

As You reside on high.

As the sun sets low,

And the light disappears.

Never alone I stand,

Because You are here ♥!

Make sure you stop by I ♥ Faces for the rest of this weeks “Silhouette Challenge”, and show some love to the other entries!

That’s it for today, until next time!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 10/30/10

2010-11-13T06:38:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Nashville, TN. All I can say is “WOW!!! What a wonderful and fulfilling event.

We walked in honor of one of my co-workers who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Over the past year we have supported Gloria through her chemo treatments and surgery, and now as a survivor! I also walked in honor of my mom, Mama Jo and my neighbor Valerie, who are also breast cancer survivors. But I walked for the memory of those who have succumbed to the deadly disease!

Like I said, what a wonderful event this was. When I arrived, the fog starting drifting in and I was worried. It was cold, damp, foggy and not turning into a fun day. Guess what? I was wrong. By the time the walk started, the beauty of the day shined through. The fog burned off, the dampness dried up, and the temperature moved into a comfortable temp that was just perfect for a 5 mile walk through the city!

I will say this, I cheated! I did not walk the pre-destined route for the walk…I walked more! As the walkers, all 18,000 of them, went one way, I tried to stay a little ahead of them. If was so much fun to get to a corner and have people ask how I got there before them ? I gave them answers like: “That was my twin back there”, or “It was the Starbucks I drank before the walk” or, “I’m just trying to find the nearest bathroom”.

People were screaming and yelling every time they saw the “pink bearded guy”. I loved it, I had my own fan club. I think I had my picture taken about 100 times!

One of the most fun things about the walk were the way people were dressed! I think I saw more shades of pink that day than I have seen in my entire life. And the names of the teams, funny! Here were a few of my favorites:

“BFF ~ Breast Friends Forever” (This was the team I was on)

“Team Mochas ~ A feel a day, keeps the ta-ta’s in play”

“Boot Scootin’ Boobies”

“These Boobs were made for walking”

“I’m walking with “A’s”,”B’s” and “Double D’s”

Well, that’s about it for this post, until next time ☺

A Sweet Woman For A Sweet Shot

2010-11-09T01:22:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in the local “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Nashville. What an experience!!! There were over 15,000 walkers, all dressed in glorious shades of pink. The group I walked with was from the Regional Intervention Program of Nashville. We were known as “BFF ~ Breast Friends Forever”, pretty catchy if you ask me.

Anyway, as I was walking, and journaling the event with my camera (over 600 photos), I could not help but think of the women in my life who are breast cancer survivors. My mom is a survivor, my next door neighbor is a survivor, and this wonderful woman below is a survivor.

This woman below is a co-worker of mine, not only is she a survivor, but she is also an inspiration. We have followed, supported and prayed with Gloria over this past year as she has gone through surgery, chemo and now radiation therapy.

When I looked at this photo for the first time, I wondered what she was thinking. I mean, here she was, amidst 15,000 people, but she was all alone with only her thoughts. There is no way I can imagine what is going through her mind, but I will say this…

Gloria is my Sweet Shot Tuesday for this week. A sweet shot, of one sweet and amazing woman!

Make sure you head over to Life with 3 Boybarians and check out the other sweet shots this week, and check out all the other entries!

Oh yeah, make sure you check out who won last weeks contest! Whoo Hoo!!!

Yours truly after the walk!

See, real men can wear pink also!

Sweet Shot Tuesday, She’s Back

2010-11-03T00:52:00.001-07:00

Yeah, Sweet Shot Tuesday is back, and I’m glad! ☺

Darcy took a month off to work on her 31 Days To A Better Photo project. If you missed it, then you missed a wonderful opportunity to learn, share, and just have some fun with your camera. Just click here, and you can find all 31 days in a nice little package!

For me, any day on the river, waiting for sunrise is a Sweet Shot! This one was taken a few Saturdays ago on the Cumberland River in Nashville, and it is one of my favorites. It still blows my mind that a mere 6 months ago, you could not even see the tops of the trees in the background because of the flood!

Anyway, Darcy, I’m glad you are back, and hope you have recovered from 31 Days!

Scary Sweet Sugar Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-11-02T15:34:00.001-07:00

Ingredients
Crust

1 cup ginger snaps1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1/3 cup light butter, melted

Filling

3 (8 ounce) packages fat free cream cheese

2 (8 ounce) packages reduced fat cream cheese

1 1/2 cups SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup fat free half-and-half

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with baking spray. Set aside.
Mix crust ingredients together and firmly press onto bottom of prepared spring form pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm. Cool.

Blend together cream cheese, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, flour and spices on medium speed in an electric mixer until cream cheese is smooth and lump free. Scrape sides of bowl. Add pumpkin. Mix on medium speed until well blended. Scrape sides of bowl and mix until mixture is smooth and lump-free.

Turn mixer on low and slowly add half-and-half, eggs and vanilla. Blend until well mixed.

Pour over prepared crust. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 50-60 minutes or until center is slightly firm. Remove from oven and cool.

Nashville Photography Meet-up Group – Picnic In The Park

2010-10-25T01:11:00.001-07:00

Saunders Ferry Park 10/16/10

2010-10-25T01:01:00.001-07:00

Another weekend chasing the sun

2010-10-25T00:55:00.001-07:00

No words this week, just photos!

The skyline and moon shots are from the riverfront at 4:30 a.m.

I had been watching our moon all week, just hoping things would line up, and they did! I think I like moon flare even better than sun flare. :~)

These other shots were made at a local park, just as the sun rose.

So yes, I did get a few sunrise shots as well!

Sunrise On The River!

2010-09-06T01:06:00.001-07:00

Isaiah 45:5-8

I am the LORD, and there is no other;
       apart from me there is no God.
       I will strengthen you,
       though you have not acknowledged me,

so that from the rising of the sun
       to the place of its setting
       men may know there is none besides me.
       I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
       let the clouds shower it down.
       Let the earth open wide,
       let salvation spring up,
       let righteousness grow with it;
       I, the LORD, have created it.

Angels Watching Over Me!

2010-09-04T13:53:00.001-07:00

Got His angels watching over me, every move I make,
Angles watching over me!
Angels watching over me, every step I take,
Angels watching over me!

You know, I’ve always like that song!

The angels were definitely watching over me during sunrise at Mt. Olivet Cemetery! I learned a very valuable lesson about sharing too much information on Face Book, and how awesomely Blessed I am or was!

On Saturday, I posted on Face Book that I was interested in catching a sunrise, and if anyone was interested, let me know. Well, one of my FB friends spoke up and asked where I was going. The naive person that I am, immediately answered her and said either Pooles Knob, or Mt. Olivet Cemetery. I did not think anything about it. Well, the day went on, and no one else spoke up, so I decided I would go by myself. The person I had spoken to earlier, said she would be there.

Fast forward to the next morning. 4:30 a.m. and the coffee is brewing, the batteries are charged, the memory cards are formatted, and I am ready for the sun. As I’m walking around the dark and gothic cemetery a van pulls up the hill and parks about a 100 yards away, with their lights shining right on me. I go directly into big, bad, bald, kick butt mode! The camera goes up, the glasses come off, and the tripod is folded into weapon mode. I’m ready…for what I have no idea, but I’m ready.

All of the sudden the van pulls up and parks right behind my car. OK, game on, I’m a lean, mean tripod welding, fighting machine. Not really, I’m scared!!! Then she, that’s right, she gets out of her van, walks around back and raises the hatch. All while talking on her cell phone in a loud voice. The person on the other end was either still asleep, or hard of hearing. This is where it’s gets real interesting, she’s loudly telling the sleeping/hard of hearing person the following words:

“SCOTT O’NEAL, YOU KNOW, SCOTT O’NEAL”. “COME ON, YOU KNOW HIM, IT’S SCOTT O’NEAL, BALD IS BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY!”

I’m thinking, “Oh no,I have a stalker who read on Face Book where I was going to be!” Let’s just say, this old, folliclly challenged guy was skeered!

As I gingerly walked around her van, her daughter jumped out and said, “I told mama it was another photographer”. That’s when I said, very politely mind you, “WHO is your mama?” As it turned out, I did know her and the person that was on the phone. So. all in all, my Guardian Angels kept me safe once more. And as you can see, we had a gorgeous sunrise and really awesome fellowship that morning.

For some more fantastic photos from this cemetery, may I recommend the FLICKR Group for Mt. Olivet Cemetery!

Morale of the story, when asking if anyone wants to meet up for a pre-dawn sunrise shoot, tell ‘em to email you and you’ll share your destination! :~}

August Time Killers from the Web!

2010-09-02T02:10:00.001-07:00

I’ve come to an interesting conclusion. Angels and the internet have one thing in common, they are always there, we just have to look for them! Maybe I should spend more time searching for Angels instead of killing time on the net . :~} But until that happens, here’s this month’s installment of “Time Killers From The Web” .

Tennessee Photographers

Brooke Rainey Photography : The other day at work I received a card from a friend. She said I might be interested in looking up this photographer. now she has never used Brooke, but once I saw her site, I liked what I saw. Very clean site, with tons of great and enchanting photos. Just another local fave! You can also find here here on Facebook.

Cassie K. Photography : I found Cassie through a friends suggestion on Facebook. Cassie describes herself as a local Nashville photographer who specializes in lifestyle portraits and live events in a photojournalistic style. I think her blog says it all…humanitarian, lifestyle, portraits!

Tamara Reynolds Photography : Now here’s a girl who seems to have done it all. I first found Tamara’s blog because of photos from the Nashville Flood. Then I saw some photos of Memphis. Then as I dove deeper into her portfolio I saw celebrities, weddings, portraits, lifestyle. Let’s just say this girl is diversified, but in a good way! She is very talented, and truly deserves all the praise I could give her!

Ulmer Studios : I have been a fan of Josh & Amber on Facebook for quite a while. When I was looking over their FB site, I noticed their blog! Where have I been? According to the archives on their site, they have been blogging since 2007. I truly love what they say on their contact page, “We wanna photograph people who are crazy in love”. Upon choosing US you are stating that you have looked through our images and see the style of photographers we are. We for the most part are not “posers”..we let things happen naturally and unfold. We like to tell a story – more photo-journalistic in style. How cool is that? You can also find Josh & Amber on Facebook.

Photo Inspiration

FlixelPix : I can’t really remember how I found FlixelPix, but something must have stuck out for me to bookmark them. the blog is described as “documentary photography”, and I love it! Such clean images that tell a story. From life to music, landscapes and macro, they have it all! Truly an inspirational site for photographers.

Sarah-Ji Photography : Now I’ve mentioned Sarah-Ji before for her Lightroom Presets, they are phenominal by the way. But this time I’m mentioning her for her photography and blog. Such a simple sight, but full of inspiration. I always love looking at photos others have taken. They give me ideas for my own photography. You can also find Sarah on Facebook .

pifphoto : pifphoto stands for “Pay It Forward Photo”. A friend of mine had “liked” this site on Facebook, so I thought I would take a look. WOW! This is what pifphoto says about itself -Pay It Forward verb- 1. to repay the good deeds one has received by doing good things for other unrelated people. Most photographers spend loads of money on gear, camera equipment, and other photography related needs. Its the relationships and sense of community that makes being a photographer unlike any other profession. Lets Pay It Forward and make our industry a better place.

Photo Education

LightStalking : I really can’t tell you how I found this site, but believe me when I say this…”I wish I had found it earlier”. What a wonderfully enlightening site for photographers. From tips on composition, how to use smoke ti enhance your photos, or simply a list of great photo magazines, this site has it all! Great educational resource for photographers.

The Family Photojournalists : This blog is written by 2 different men, one of which I use to work with (Daniel). I just happen to stumble across it the other day on Facebook. Here is a quote from Daniel about the blog; “Thanks, guys-this blog is a teaching blog i share with another photographer-it teaches family photojournalism to other photographers, hence the photog jargon”. Give it a shot, and you won’t be disappointed!

Weekly Photography Tips : This site actually came from Scott Kelby’s blog himself. In fact, the tip was Scott giving some tips on shooting long exposure hdr. So that grabbed my attention. Not only was the blog insightful, but kinda funny in an obscure kind of way. Take a look, and tell me what you think!

I ♥ Faces

Image Serenity : We all know how much I love I ♥ Faces. This is another blog I have found from reading their site and searching through their contributors! Simple, yet elegant is how I describe this site. Image Serenity is a great read and full of ideas and thoughts!

Other Such Happenings : Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! Another one of my I ♥ Faces friends that I met in Nashville earlier this year. Here’s what Marsha say about herself; “i like my husband. i like my kids. i like to write. i like taking pictures. and i like lots of cream and sugar with my coffee. let's be friends!”

Sarah Kate Photography : Another friend from Louisville. My trip to Louisville earlier this year for the I ♥ Faces Photo walk, has turned out to be such a blessing. I’ve made so many new photog friends, and Sarah Kate is one of them. Such a talented photographer, a great writer, and just plain fun! Make sure you check out her other blogs. Just click here, and here!

Simplicity Photography : I do a lot of contest and giveaways on the net, and Angie’s blog is another that I found that way! Great photos and inspiration! Hi! I am Angie...A portrait photographer from Salt Lake City, Utah. Just a gal trying to make a living at her passion and conquer a few dreams here and there. Thanks for coming by and leave a comment cause it makes my day and all that good stuff!

Frugal Living

Now these next sites don’t have a lot to do with photography, but a couple of them are always having some type of photo developing deals. For my professionally printed shots, I use MPix, but just for fun shots, I can always find a deal or 2 on these sites. Places like Walgreens, Shutterfly or even Wolf Camera. Just last week, I was able to get 5 8x10’s for less than $2.50…not bad!

We also use these sites for a coupon clipping. Heck, we are saving about $100 every 2 weeks with deals and coupons from these sites! The last 3 are basically for coupons and such, while the first one is nothing but photography!

The Best Photographers Freebies

In Good Cents

Mummy Deals

The Frugal Girls

That’s about it for this month. I’m gonna keep my eyes open for any new blogs for next month’s time killers, but if you have any that you would like to see added, make sure you send them to me at BIBPhotography@comcast.net.

So, until next month, keep on keeping on!

Sweet Shot Tuesday…On Monday ?

2010-08-30T01:10:00.001-07:00

You know it’s not been a good day when you wife looks at you and says, “I guess I’m gonna have to contact your scheduler, and get on the calendar to have my photos taken”! Oops! Let’s just say I’ve dropped the ball on this one on more that one occasion. So, this last weekend, she went out with 5 of her friends for tea. Yes, they went to a “tea”, complete with crumpets, lacy dollies, and fine china. Me, give me my tea in a mason jar and I’m cool :)

Anyway, I decided to surprise her and take some shots before she went. Yes, I am a good husband after all !!!! So here’s my “Sweet Shot Tuesday” entry for this week. My wife, my love, and my partner in crime! By the way, she’s the one that schedules all of my photo appointments.

Well, that’s it for this week’s Sweet Shot Tuesday. I know it’s just Monday, but I’m getting a head start.

So pop on over to Darcy’s place and check out the other sweet shots…on Tuesday!

Sweet Shot Tuesday 8/24/2010

2010-08-23T23:25:00.001-07:00

And God said:

“This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Genesis 9:12-13 (New King James Version)

This is my Sweet Shot Tuesday for the week. There is nothing sweeter than God’s promise.

Have a great day and hop over to Darcy's place and check out the other sweet shots!

I Heart Faces “Beach Fun”

2010-08-23T00:37:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while, but I thought I would enter a photo once again in the I ♥ Faces weekly photo challenge.

This week’s topic, “Beach Fun”.

This photo says it all.

Last year I got to participate in an event my wife worked on in West Palm Beach, Florida. One morning, we had some free time and decided to walk the beach. Now all I want out of life is to keep my family safe, take care of their needs, and see my wife happy. Well, this was one of those magical days. Now she will not like this pic, simply because it was before her plastic surgery in December.

But that’s ok, because I ♥ her, and I think she ♥’s me !

Head on over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries this week! It definitely makes me want to head to the beach!

Just Another Tequila, I Mean Saturday Sunrise!

2010-08-17T01:01:00.001-07:00

It’s pretty obvious…

I’m obsessed with sunrises!

There is just something about that time of day that really fills my soul with life and energy. Think about it, without the sun, where would we be? The ancients worshiped the sun--for good reason. Without the sun, this planet would be a pitch dark ball of ice doomed to wander the void of space without life or purpose. I don’t know about you, but I ~~want~~ need purpose!

So, can you guess what I did this weekend? That’s right, I met up with another photographer (Joe Bellino Photography) and his daughter to “lasso another sunrise” as George Bailey would say!

Sweet Shot Tuesday is what this is all about! If you get a chance, head over to Life with 3 Boybarians and check out the other Sweet Shots!

So, what’s yours, sweet shot that is?

Sweet Shot Tuesday 8/10/10

2010-08-10T01:19:00.001-07:00

What shot do I want to use this week? It gets harder and harder to choose my favorites. I’m talking about which shot would be my sweet shot. Well this week, it’s not a photo that I took. I hope that’s legal anyway.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of shooting with some really good photographers. Not only good photographers, but good friends I have found through photography. These guys give of themselves every time we are together with their friendship, knowledge and just general support to this newbie camera hound. I met them through the Nashville Photography Meet-up group, and they are awesome.

So, this weeks shot is not one of mine, but one Wendy C. took. Wendy is a wedding photographer here in Nashville, and I’d recommend her anytime you need someone to document your special day. She not only specializes in weddings, but senior shots, maternity and engagement.

That’s right folks, that’s me! Wendy walked up behind me in the woods and said, “Don’t move”. Geez, I thought there was a huge spider on my back, or a snake at my feet. Then I realized it was Wendy, and she wouldn’t be telling me those things, she would be going the other way! LOL! Then all of the sudden, I heard the shutter click, and I knew what she was doing!

I hate having my photo taken, I’d rather be the one taking the picture, not in it. But this was different.

So, here’s my Sweet Shot for this Tuesday. A Sweet Shot from a Sweet Friend…

Thanks Wendy!

And Today's Forecast, Sunny!

2010-08-08T04:46:00.001-07:00

The other day I was working on Facebook. OK, I was playing, do you feel better now? Anyway, while I was playing, I noticed one of my friends was talking how she had committed to getting up early the following morn. I immediately said it sounded as if she had a ”sunrise photo session” in the works. Sure enough, she did! Now, before we go any further, I suggest you head over to Megan's blog and read about last weekend’s excursion, and then you will understand a little more! After a few post back and forth, she invited me to meet her and a few other local photographers to catch the sunrise.

After getting my directions and time to meet, I pulled up “The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE)”. Now if you’ve never used this little gem, I suggest you do. Especially if you shoot sunrises, sunsets, or just need to know when and where the sun will rise and set! The good thing, it’s a freebie, and I’m all about freebies.

So, I’m ready for my weekly excursion to catch the sunrise. Every time I make that statement, my mind races back to “It’s A Wonderful Life” when Jimmy Stewart ask Donna Read the following question: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. That’s what I feel like I’m doing, lassoing the sun and saving it for a rainy day. Saving it for those moments when our mind races to those deep, dark places we all have. I’ll just pop open a sunrise and life is good once again! If it was only that simple!

I digress, or maybe I just have adult onset ADHD and I can’t focus. Either way, this is me, and this is all you get! Back to the sunrise. Did you know that the sun comes up early? Well it does. I’m usually up for it anyway, so meeting at 5:00 a.m. is nothing for me, but for others…well I’ll just leave it at that!

Basically, I had a blast. You see, I’m shooting sunrises most every weekend. My thought process is this. My family is still asleep,so I can go out, take photos, and not take any precious time away from the. You see, working 2 jobs has it’s disadvantages. You miss a lot of family time. This way, I can still pursue something that gives me what I call “me time”, and still be there when the family needs me! Geez, it’s like having your cake and eating it too! Did somebody say cake? Dang, there’s that ADHD thing again. OK, enough rambling and on to some more pics!

An important note on how Meagan found this place, or at least I found it important, yet funny in a way. You see, I would have never stumbled onto this area. When asked how she found it, I was told her husband Googled “East facing boat ramps on Percy Priest Lake”. You mean it’s that simple? WOW!

Thanks Meagan, Wendy and Mark for sharing a very special morning with me! I can’t wait to do it again.

Well, that’s it for today. I’m sure I’ll be chasing more sunrises next week. But between now and then, I’ll be Googlin Eastern facing boat ramps! If you’re intersted, check out a devotional I wrote for my Church called “Chasing The Son”.

Fix It Friday Purple!

2010-08-01T04:23:00.001-07:00

This weeks photo comes from Michelle Johnson over at My Two Seasons. This is Michelle's lovely daughter, dressed in purple to go along with I ♥ Faces weekly challenge. Can you guess what it is? That’s right…purple!

Original photo downloaded from I ♥ Faces.

Lightroom 3 Edits

1) Corrected white balance using white balance eye dropper.

2) Used the adjustment brush to brighten and highlight the eyes, whiten the teeth, and give the lips a little saturations.

3) Pumped up the black slider to give a little oomph.

4) Punched up the clarity and vibrancy very little.

5) Used a trick from Matt Klowskowski. Using the adjustment brush, set the brush size very large, turn off the auto mask, and take the exposure down at least one stop. Paint over the entire photo. Then switch to the eraser, make the adjustment brush smaller, about the size of the face, and then paint over the face. This gives a very nice spot light effect on the face.

At this point in time, I switched over to Photoshop to run a few of my favorite actions.

Photoshop CS5 Edits

1) Ran Pioneer Woman’s Sharpen This Action

2) Merge all visible layers and run Florabella Luxe Sapphire Action and reduced opacity of the group to 68%

3) Added Nichole Vans Chic Texture, blend mode to overlay at 32%

Photoshop CS5 Edits

1) Ran Pioneer Woman’s Sharpen This Action

2) Ran Nichole Vans Essential Color Pop

Well, that’s about it! As I was saving my work, I noticed that I had 38 Fix It Friday edits on my hard drive. I know I have not uploaded all of them, but I still worked on them and learned! I can’t write all the things I’ve learned from these Friday happenings! T

Technorati Tags: Fix It Friday

o watch and observe how other people edit these photos, has taught me all that I know! Angie and Amy, you guys are “Rock stars” in my opinion and I ♥ you ladies!

Well time to move on to the next project! See ya’ll next week! Same I ♥ Faces time, same I ♥ Faces channel!

Ciao!

The Deer Poop Photo Walk

2010-07-29T01:11:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took off for one of my weekend photo walks. One of my friends told her husband about my photo walks around town and he said, “You mean he just gets out, walks around, and takes photos?”, she said “Yeah, and you should go with him some day”. We’ll have to wait and see if he takes me up on it!

This time I hit Radnor Lake on the out skirts Nashville. What a great little park. The flower and fauna are gorgeous, but the most amazing thing is the deer and other animals that abound in the park! I have never seen deer that literally just look at you like, “Here I am, let me pose for ya while you snap that shot”. Unreal is the word!

Here’s a little history of the lake as provided by their website:

In 1913 the L&N Railroad Company purchased a thousand acres in the Overton hills south of Nashville for the purpose of constructing an earthen reservoir large enough to supply water for its steam engines and livestock at nearby Radnor Yards.

It was also intended to provide a private hunting and fishing preserve for L&N officials and their guests. But soon after construction, birds discovered the haven too and began feeding and resting there during their annual migration.

Efforts to preserve the Radnor Lake area began in 1923 when an L&N executive stopped all hunting and fishing and declared the site a "Wildlife Sanctuary" at the request of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. The beginning of Radnor Lake as we know it today was born.

Now I’m sure you are wondering about the title of this post. As I was taking some photos of the deer, several of them walked right out on Otter Creek Road that surrounds the lake. Here I am, city boy and all, watching the deer and not watching where I was going. That’s right, I’m sure you know what happened, I stepped right in a big ole pile of deer poop! You think I would have least smelt it before I stepped in it.

As far as the husband of my friend going with me, I think this statement has all but sealed the fact that he won’t go now!

On a side note, this walk was inspired by a friend of mine who is doing a year long project called “This week at the lake”. If you get a chance, hop over to Malcolm's site and check out his amazing photos!

Well that’s it for today, wonder what I’ll step in next time?

Sweet Shot Tuesday – RJ

2010-07-28T00:57:00.001-07:00

Catching a photo of my son, is as hard as chasing the abominable snowman! I mean, he’s suppose to exist, but you hardly ever see him. I’m talking about the snowman, not RJ! When the camera comes out, all I usually see is a blur running down the hallway being followed by the words, “really papa, really”?

Well this past week he comes to me and say, “Grab the camera, I think the professor is dead!” The professor is a neighborhood cat that bears a strong resemblance to Professor MaGonicals cat from Harry Potter. Any who, professor was not dead, but lounging in the sun.

As I grabbed my camera, RJ grabbed my old one, and away we went. While he was shooting the supposedly dead cat…with the camera, I was shooting him. This is my boy, he’s all boy, all the time and I love him dearly!

There are times when I had a cute daughter so I could do some of these dreamy shots like Florabella Luxe, or Angie , or Patti Brown, but I don’t. So, I take what I can get, and this is him!

Pop on over to Sweet Shot Tuesday and check out the other entries from this weeks photographers. I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed. While you're at it, go ahead and submit a Sweet Shot of your own!

I Heart Faces – Purple !

2010-07-27T01:04:00.001-07:00

Catching a shot of my son is like pulling teeth! I mean, he’s a good kid, but when the camera comes out, he’s as elusive as the abominable snowman.

As he runs and hides, you hear this verbal rumbling emanating from his path…

”Really papa, really?”

But he’s a good kid, and I’m not going to complain at all.

So when it comes to I ♥ Faces, he’s the face I ♥.

Just don’t tell him, because then all I’d hear is…

“…Really papa, really?”

Make sure you hop over to I ♥ Faces and check out the other entries in this weeks “purple challenge”.

Organizing and importing Lightroom Presets

2010-07-22T06:18:00.001-07:00

Recently I upgraded to Lightroom 3, and have enjoyed every minute of it. A problem I had dealt with presets. When the upgrade took place, my presets were a mess. Now to be honest, it was not because of the up grade, but more due to the lack of organization in my preset folder. Every time I imported a new preset, it would place it in “User Presets”. Not too much of a problem to start with, but when you have over 300 presets in that folder, it gets kind of crazy when searching for the one preset!

So I started searching the web, and to be honest, there’s not much there when dealing with preset organization. Well, I started playing around a little and I think I have found a way to deal with that preset organization problem.

For purposes of today's tutorial, I have downloaded a set of presets from Sarah Ji. I really like her stuff, very simple, but elegant! So, a way we go!

Installing Adobe Lightroom Presets

1. Go into Lightroom and click on Edit at the top (next to File).

2. Go down to Preferences and click on it.

3. There will be a new screen that pulls up. There will be six tabs at the top, click on Presets (second tab).

4. Click on the box titled, Show Lightroom Presets Folder.

5. Double click on Lightroom and then double click on Develop Presets

6. Create a new folder titled Sarah Ji Presets (or the name of the presets you download).

7. Copy the contents of the Sarah Ji Folder, found in your download, into the “Develop Presets” folder.

8. You are done! If Lightroom was open when you copied your new presets, you will have to close it and restart it.

9. If you have any questions please feel free to email me and I will be happy to help. My email address is BIBPhotography@comcast.net.

Time Killers From The Web - July

2010-07-18T04:50:00.001-07:00

So, I know what I’m looking at. What are you looking at?

Blog wise that is…

Tennessee Photographers

Alisa Whitley Photography: My future sister-in-law suggested I look up Alisa’s work. From her blog - I have been interested in photography since I was eight years old. My first camera was a toy, but it used real film! I took pictures of the mailbox, the trees, and just about everything else. When I was 10, I saved up my own money and bought my very first “real” camera, a Kodak Instamatic X15. I eventually traded my Kodak Instamatic for 35mm film, then later a digital SLR. I began shooting part-time in 2000. A part time hobby has become a full time love!

Snappers Photography: I got to shoot with Greyson a couple of weeks ago at Old Stone Fort. While the majority of the group focused on the waterfalls, Greyson journeyed out on her own, searching for nature…and she found it! She’s got a great eye, so check out her photo's!

Lindsey Renee Photography: I found Lindsey on Facebook one day, and fell in ♥ with her photography! She has an eye for catching life as it happens!

Malcom MacGregor Photography: Another local photographer I have shot with recently. I met Malcolm on the Shelby Street Bridge a couple of weeks ago while shooting downtown Nashville. After searching up his blog, I was amazed. What an inspiration her is. In fact, he’s the one that inspired me to take an early morning walk around Radnor Lake this weekend. If you get a chance, check out his weekly series “This Week At The Lake”.

Photo Inspiration

It’s not about me: I have been a follower of Bill Fortney for over 2 years. This man not only inspires me, but forces me to look at the bigger picture. Not only is this man a wonderful photographer, but also a fellow Christian who gives God all the credit and takes none for himself. When I met Bill in person, I told him I wanted to be him when I grew up!

The Creative Mama: Talk about an inspiring site. They just got through with a 2 week series on “The Creative Photographer”. What an undertaking. 2 weeks of interviews with some of the most talented people I have ever read about!

Mika Beth Edwards Photography: Mika’s interview on The Creative Mama was a great read. The way she uses the camera to capture life is truly outstanding.

Photo Education

Essential Knowledge for Photographers: Jim Zuckerman offers a lot to upcoming photographers. His blog is full of thought provoking and useful tips. So, what are you waiting for? Check it out.

Kent Weakly Photography: Now, here is a guy who really knows what learning is all about. In fact, this last week I used no less that 4 of his tips. My favorite, “How to use a plastic bag from the grocery store to protect your camera”. How’s that for education?

Ron Martinson: Ron has been around for a while, but he just recently updated his blog, and thus got a new address. So if you have been following Ron Martinson, you might want to check out his new feed.

I ♥ Faces Blogs

Smile Like You Mean It: It’s really nice when you see someone young make a decision where they want to be in life. Alex describes herself as a 15 year old with a point and shoot from Wal Mart. Does that matter? No, her photos a phenomenal. Way to go Alex!

Pamela Topping Photography: Another one of my I ♥ Faces finds! Pamela has just started her blog, and she is off to a good start. Jump on over and give her a little blog love today!

Marinda Fowler Photography: Now, if you want to find a photographer in the Indiana area, I’ve got one for ya. Marinda does it all! She’s a mom, a photographer, and a personal friend. That’s right, I’ve actually met and shot with someone outside of Tennessee. In fact, I’ve even volunteered to be Marinda’s 2nd shooter any time she does one of her gorgeous boudoir sessions. The trouble is, I don’t think my wife would agree. Head on ever and check out Marinda’s blog, you won’t be let down!

Photoshop

Morgan Kervin Photography: Morgan is a find I found at the Coffee Shop. Morgan has a great spirit, and is pretty good at teaching dummies like me a trick or two in Photoshop. Lord knows I need all the help I can get!

Lightroom

Lightroom-news: A nice little resource for all that is Lightroom!

The Lightroom Queen: If you ever need to know anything about Lightroom, this is the woman to go to! I had some problems a while back, and posted what was happening on several Lightroom Help forums. The only person to help me out was Victoria. So, the nest time your Lightroom is dark, ha ha, check out Victoria Brampton, The Lightroom Queen!

Last but not least

I ♥ Faces : Now, if you’ve been around a while, you know I LOVE I ♥ Faces! Well, they’ve moved their feeds and such to a word press blog. At the moment, they are still feeding information to their old feeds, but we don’t know for how long. And I could not stand the idea of not having my ladies from I ♥ Faces around, so update, will ya?

Well, that’s about for this month “Time Killers From The Web”, C Ya !

Fix It Friday #62

2010-07-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: Fix It Friday,Lightroom,Photoshop,Florabella,Patti Brown,childish david,photo editing

My favorite day of the week, Fix It Friday from I ♥ Faces!

It’s been a while since I’ve edited of the photo’s, it’s seems like life gets a little crazy sometimes. But we need to stop and do something enjoyable, and editing photographs does just that for me!

The before picture is one Amy took of her little girl last week while they were visiting grandma.

Editing steps:

* Import into Lightroom 3

* Adjust exposure, correct white balance, bump up the blacks, clarity, and vibrancy.

* Crop just a little.

* Lightroom adjustment brush ~ smooth skin and brighten eyes.

* Open in Photoshop CS5 and run the following actions and added texture:

Florabella Luxe ~ Try them all, settling on a combination of Ambrosia @ 62% and Gypsy @ 21%.

Florabella Luxe ~ Sharpen and Defog.

Patti Brown’s Supernatural Texture ~ Fantasy II - Overlay blending mode @ 62%

* Sent back to Lightroom 3 and used Nichole V’s Sun Flare Preset ~ Land Sun Flare Gentle Left.

Framing done with The Album Cafe’s ~ Ribbon Blog It

Then I took the edited photo and ran it back to Photoshop CS5 and ran the following actions:

* childish david’s ~ B & W Magic Dark @ 62%.

* Florabella Luxe ~ Sharpen and Defog once again!

Make sure you drop by I ♥ Faces and check out all the other edits for this week’s Fix It Friday!

Loving my city!

2010-07-16T01:17:00.001-07:00

Just really loving my town right now.

The colors, the skyline, the people.

Can’t ask for much.

3 bracketed shots, merged together in CS5 HDR!

Have a great day!

Sweet Shot Tuesday – H2Oooh!

2010-07-14T01:21:00.001-07:00

“Water, water everywhere, nor any a drop to drink!” I’ve always loved that quote. It’s from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coolidge. Well this weekend, I felt that way. Not really, but I thought it was a good segue.

Once again I had the privilege of shooting with some of the most talented and friendly photographers around. The Nashville Photography Meet-up Group had an outing at Old Stone Fort Archeological State Park. The main focus was shooting waterfalls, but nature was all around us and other decided on shooting that.

I have admired those photos of water where the water seems to be creamy and movement is truly implied. But when the opportunities provided themselves to me, I was either busy or just too tired to go. Not this weekend, I went and had a blast!

Make sure you drop by Darcy’s Blog for other Sweet Shot Tuesday photograph’s and blogs!

So, what’s your “Sweet Shot” today?

July 12th – My Story In Photos: I Heart My Country

2010-07-12T01:17:00.001-07:00

Before I can tell you about the country that I love, I must first tell you my story. You see, before I really got into photography, I was into food. I’m talking in a “big” way. You see, at one time, I weighed in at 385 pounds. That’s right, I was one big boy.

Well, at the point the photos were taken, it was all I could do to get out of bed. I mean I worked, heck, I worked all the time, but it was hard.

In February of 2007, my work went on a retreat to Big South Fork, a great area for hiking and such. Well, let’s just say at one point I thought my 9 year was going to have to drag my fat bottom out of the woods. During a short little walk in the woods, I almost passed out. I got dizzy, couldn’t breath, and honestly thought this was it, it’s the big one and I’m out of here! It was the turning point in my life. I researched and starting working on the thought of having gastric bypass surgery. I have to add this in though, my wife had the same surgery in June of that year, and I had mine in December.

Since that time, we have lost a total of 415 pounds! That’s right, you heard me 415 pounds!

And one of the biggest things to help…photography!

Since surgery, just having that camera in my hand has forced me to get out and walk. I carry my camera with me everywhere, and jump at the opportunity to shoot something.

I’m not a world traveler, but have had the chance to capture a few different cities. Last year I was the event photographer for the Lead Women's Pastor Project with the United Methodist Church, which gave me to chance to head to West Palm Beach, FLA.

Then another op presented itself and I got to travel to Dallas, TX. for a vacation. What a state Texas is, really loved that trip.

But I think Feb. of this year things really changed. I stepped out of my comfort zone and did something by myself. You see, being out of weight and over shaped for so many years, I was the shy, fat guy who hid in the shadows. I didn't date much, heck, I did not get married until I was 35! When I did do things, I surrounded myself with people I knew. During last years Scott Kelby Photo walk, I talked 6 of my weight loss buddies into going with me so I would not be alone. How pitiful is that?

Anyway, back to Feb. of this year. I ♥ Faces came to Nashville for Blissdom. Soon as I saw they were having a photo walk, on my birthday, I knew I had to be involved! What fun to meet so many new and exciting people. Especially one's who share a love of photography! From that one photo walk I have changed my whole outlook on life, or my country if you will! Shoot, I even drove to Louisville to be part of the I ♥ Faces Photo Walk across America!

But here’s what I truly love about my country, it’s the beauty that is all around us!

The beauty that is the eyes of a child.

The beauty that nature provides us.

Or the beauty that’s at the end of a perfect day.

Or how about the beauty that your own city holds.

Life has changed drastically for me, and it’s still changing everyday. But you know what? I’m ♥ing each and every minute of it!

That’s it, that’s me, and that’s why I ♥ my country!

(Taken by Jana at the I ♥ Faces Photo Walk in Nashville)

Sweet Shot Tuesday – Shooting with friends!

2010-07-06T01:19:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like Sweet Shot Tuesday, in my humble opinion that is! Good friends, great photos, outstanding food, ok wait a minute, there is no food. Or at least I haven’t found the picnic basket yet. But Sweet Shot Tuesday is a fun and uplifting place to be.

I’ve met a few of the people on here in person. Darcy, Ruthanne, BoyBarian Dad, and I’m sure a few more that I would know if I saw them. But I had the privilege of shooting with these fine people back in February at the I ♥ Faces Photo Walk in Nashville, and it was fun! Fun to be with people who have like interests and are full of information to share.

This past weekend, I got to have that same opportunity to shoot with friends in Nashville. I belong to a great group of photographers who share the same thing that I mentioned earlier…good friends, great photos, outstanding food. OK, I still haven’t found the food yet, but you get the idea. The group is the Nashville Meet-up Photography Group. A great group of friends who come together at least once a month for a photo outing. It might be a hike, it might be a trip to the local botanical gardens, heck it might just be a cookout at someone’s house…there’s the food, I knew it was there somewhere! Check out Meet-up.com, there just might be a photography group in your area.

Well this past Friday,several of us met on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge overlooking downtown Nashville. I’ve wanted to shoot sunsets and night shots from there before, but just wouldn’t do it on my own. You know, safety in numbers and all that jazz. We started off the evening with about 5 of us, but before it was over, there were 12 of us with cameras, tripods and a great view of downtown Nashville at night.

Needless to say, I had fun, and will do it again when I get a chance.

Well that’s it for Sweet Shot Tuesday this week. See ya again next week. Same time, same channel! Hey, make sure you head over to Sweet Shot Tuesday and check out the other entries. Who knows, maybe next week you’ll enter a Sweet Shot also!