Short on Words

True Beauty.

2012-01-29T00:14:00.000-08:00

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,
such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God's sight.
1Peter 3:3-4

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Hi. My name is Jacob Rockwell.

2012-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

Super low tide also makes for a great, big, art canvas ... :-)

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Super Low Tide

2012-01-25T09:16:00.001-08:00

made for a wider than usual playing field …

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Orange County Family Lifestyle Photographer

Middle Dude likes his eggs ...

2012-01-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

... spicy.

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Variations on an Angry Birds Theme …

2012-01-22T22:14:00.001-08:00

Apparently, it’s not just an app on a phone.

More Quiet Snippets ...

2012-01-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

When he was nearly nine, I feared his spelling was always going to be atrocious and I despaired that he was never going to be a recreational reader...

I. was. wrong.

Today he inhales books for fun and plays with letters just because he can. He regularly wipes me out at Bananagrams, and when I get hung up on Every Word (Kindle game), I hand it to him and he finds the missing words for me. I'm happy to say that I can still [usually] solve the Wheel of Fortune puzzles before he can (tho, sadly, that's only because I have some small familiarity with the people and song lyrics that he's never heard of).

ps. Isn't that the most awesome, ittiest-bittiest puzzle ever?!?

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Quiet Snippets of Life around Home ...

2012-01-16T07:13:00.001-08:00

The Teen, with his nose deep in C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity ... he has what he considers to be a full plate of academic courses this year. In fact, he often sighs and grumbles and whines and mumbles about how much he has to do and how very little time he has to do the things he wants to do, to remind us how overworked he is, just in case we should somehow forget.

But when this "Inklings" class became available, he couldn't resist adding it to his course load. Here is the teacher's course description:

"The fundamental goal of classical education is helping students learn to love all that is good, true, and beautiful. This vision for education, lost amidst the decadence and moral turpitude of our modern society, is being revived by Christians around the country. As may be well known, the inspiration and root for this revival is linked to the courage and love for the truth displayed by a few noble men at Oxford University in the mid-twentieth century. These few good men, affectionately referred to as the "Inklings" for their desire to share their writings, stood for the reasonability and beauty of the Christian faith at a university continually succumbing to the "myth of progress" and the separation of faith and reason. Their writings are Christian in the sense that they not only sermonize about faith, but also incarnate their ideas through powerful stories that illuminate goodness, truth, and beauty."

He'll be reading miscellaneous writings of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, T.S. Eliot, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, George MacDonald, Charles Williams, W.H. Auden, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. I may not resist being able to read along ... ; afterall,as C.S. Lewis once said,
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."

p.s. If you're in Orange County, and you have a high school student who may be interested in this evening class, there is still availability for a few more students. Feel free to email me (susan at susankellerphotography dot com) for further information.

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I love spunk.

2012-01-10T15:32:00.000-08:00

And Harper Lee has it in spades. Her sole novel remains my uncontested favorite book of all time.

Way back in the day, when a Richmond, VA school board in 1966 tried to ban To Kill a Mockingbird as "immoral literature", Lee showed her feistiness in a letter to the editor of the local paper:

“Recently I have received echoes down this way of the Hanover County School Board's activities, and what I've heard makes me wonder if any of its members can read. Surely it is plain to the simplest intelligence that To Kill a Mockingbird spells out in words of seldom more than two syllables a code of honor and conduct, Christian in its ethic, that is the heritage of all Southerners. To hear that the novel is "immoral" has made me count the years between now and 1984, for I have yet to come across a better example of doublethink.

I feel, however, that the problem is one of illiteracy, not Marxism. Therefore I enclose a small contribution to the Beadle Bumble Fund that I hope will be used to enroll the Hanover County School Board in any first grade of its choice."

Her feisty-ness also manifested itself publicly about a decade back when she got irritated by various ebay/booksellers making a profit from her [freely given] signatures in copies of TKAM. So she had a posting placed on Ebay [right alongside all these profiteering "rare" book sellers' postings] that made known that she was willing to sign, free of cost, any To Kill a Mockingbird purchased from her local bookstore. It was an invitation I didn't need to hear twice. :-)

Btw, how lovely is that candid photo of Harper Lee? A little bit of trivia: Truman Capote is the photographer of that image. He and Nelle (Harper Lee) were childhood friends, and Capote was actually the inspiration for the character of Dill. This image only ran on the first couple print runs of the trade & book club editions of TKAM. My copy is from a book club edition that I found nearly 20 years ago on my mother-in-law's basement shelves, which I promptly begged to take home as my own. Thanks, Pat! - I still love it oodles!!

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latest books ...

2012-01-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Miss Billy by Eleanor H. Porter - (the same author as Pollyanna & Just David). just a light, fun read. (btw, I used a free upload for Kindle)

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - Liked the story, despite needing to do some heavy-handed suspension of disbelief (which I'm always willing to do for good fiction - grin) and some minor skimming thru medical details. I would have liked to have seen some of the characters better "fleshed-out" & developed. (free Kindle upload/lending via my library)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - ok, I'll admit this was a fun, quick read. But it was also shallow, completely implausible, and lacking mature writing. I was glad not to have spent money on it - got it free (for my Kindle) from Amazon's lending library.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - my book club's selection for December. intricate plot structure & multi-layered intriguing first person narrative. filled with unlikable character after unlikable character. this book left me scratching my head and wondering, "WHY is this considered a classic?" For that matter, I'm still scratching and wondering ... not my favorite. (another freebie upload for Kindle)

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - ('nuther Kindle freebie & this month's book club selection). probably Jane Austen's most light-hearted story, a gentle spoof of gothic novels of the day. doesn't displace P&P in my affections, nor will I probably ever reread this story; but, per Jane Austen norms, there were moments when I was laughing out loud ...

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick - clever, original narrative construction. two separate, but overlapping, stories. one advanced thru traditional medium of words, one advanced solely thru use of pencil drawings. I liked it. And immediately passed it off to my 12yo son. :-) Will likely soon read The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - despite the glorious title, this is a devastating, heart-wrenching story filled with quiet desperation. set against a backdrop of 40ish years of recent Afghani history. I will definitely be reading The Kite Runner, also.

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Family Albums: The Nitty Gritty

2012-01-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today I have a big, long post over at I Heart Faces about my album-making process. I discuss what I do include in my albums, and - probably more importantly - what I don't include in my albums. I talk about organizational tips (setting up files, etc.) and timelines (ummm, start NOW!) and the products I use and love.

What I want to do here is list the specific products I use along with their links. I'm not paid to promote these companies; I just love their products and service and am happy to spread good word-of-mouth :-).

First up: (I know, this is "duh" for most of you; my love affair with Lightroom is NOT a secret) Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom is my photographic everything. I can't fathom an easier way of organizing, finding, labeling, sorting, editing my photos.

2nd up: Lumapix's Fotofusion software

I use Fotofusion to design my entire album. I've saved out pages from past albums as "templates", so a lot of my design is "drag & drop" easy. I love & use Fotofusion's auto-collage feature a LOT. Oh, and they have a totally free demo of their software available - you can try it before you buy it (which is always helpful!).

And lastly, but not leastly: MyPublisher photo books

I've made 6 family albums with MyPublisher. Simply a truly great product at an amazingly affordable price. I can't recommend them highly enough.

So that's the inside scoop on my favorite album-making tools. Hope it's helpful!

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Bye-bye 2011. Hello, 2012 ...

2012-01-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution: complete & upload to publisher/printer last year's family album.
Completed Jan 2, thus fulfilling this year's obligatory resolution (grin).

10000 family photos.
Culled down to my favorite 800.
Compiled into a 100-page album.

Today I open up a new Lightroom Catalog for 2012 and begin the process all over again.

Happy New Year, Y'all!

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Warm & Sparkly ...

2011-12-26T22:31:00.001-08:00

Christmas here in SoCal is never white. Rarely frosty. No sledding, snowball fights, or snowmen here. There’s no necessity for fires in the fireplace. In fact, our windows have been open wide during the day. Hot chocolate and cider are enjoyed for their flavor and not primarily for their warming, restorative powers.

Despite not looking like “real” Christmas-time, our Christmas day was nonetheless cozy, warm, sparkly, and glowing …

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We're Stuck!

2011-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

My brilliant bloggie friends, please help us find the last word. Here are the facts as we know them: the word we're looking for has 6 letters and starts with a "p" (and I'm sure it's probably something startlingly simple that will make us groan and say "D'oh!", or, alternatively, it's something bizarrely obscure).

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God Came Near.

2011-12-24T12:36:00.000-08:00

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

Majesty in the midst of the mundane.
Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat.
Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable,
through the womb of a teenager
and in the presence of a carpenter.
(God Came Near, Max Lucado)

Maker of the sun,
He is made under the sun.
In the Father he remains,
From his mother he goes forth.
Creator of heaven and earth,
He was born on earth under heaven.
Unspeakably wise,
He is wisely speechless.
Filling the world,
He lies in a manger.
Ruler of the stars,
He nurses at his mother's bosom.
He is both great in the nature of God,
and small in the form of a servant.
(Christmas, Saint Augustine of Hippo)

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Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

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The Word becoming flesh ...

2011-12-18T00:43:00.000-08:00

For the sake of accuracy, a distinction should be drawn between the condescension and the humiliation of Christ, though most writers confound them. This distinction is made by the Holy Spirit (Phil. 2:7-8). First, He 'made himself of no reputation'; second, He 'humbled Himself'. The condescension of God the Son consisted in His assuming our nature, the Word becoming flesh. His humiliation lay in the consequent abasement and sufferings He endured in our nature. The assumption of human nature was not, of itself a part of Christ's humiliation, for He still retained it in His glorious exaltation. But for God the Son to take into union with Himself a created nature, animated dust, was an act of infinite condescension." (Arthur Pink, Gleanings in the Godhead)

Who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped:
but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a bond-servant,
and was made in the likeness of men;
and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:6-11

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Christmas Colors & Traditions in Keller-ville …

2011-12-12T11:32:00.001-08:00

The Glorious Impossible ...

2011-12-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

"So the Archangel Gabriel, who visited Mary, greeted her with great courtesy, and then said, 'Fear not!" And then he told her that she was going to have a baby, a remarkable baby who would be called the Son of the Highest...

What an amazing, what an impossible message the angel brought to a young girl! But Mary looked at the angel and said, 'Be it unto me according to your word.'

And so the life of Jesus began as it would end, with the impossible. When he was a grown man he would say to his disciples, "For human beings it is impossible. For God nothing is impossible.'"
(Madeleine L'Engle, The Glorious Impossible)

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Friday: I'm thinkin' ...

2011-12-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

... that this picture might give weight to the assertion that I harbor some vain impulses, especially if you couple it with my main thought as I was taking it: that the shallow depth of focus hid my bad hair day and the camera hid everything else (not limited to wrinkles, bags under eyes, lack of make-up, and sun damage).

What others are thinkin' ...

Tracey
Michelle
Andrea
Stacey
Georgia
Rose
Heather
Naomi
Liza
Barbara
Jessica
Shawntae
Ashley
Tami
and a few more "thinkers" joined the link-up. Full list at Tracey's.
It's been a fun week of linking up, visiting new friends and old, and "thinkin'".

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Thursday: I'm thinkin' ...

2011-12-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

... that this boy of mine is sweet, sarcastic, thoughtful, smart, witty, and I'd really like to trade his eyelashes for mine.

What others are thinkin' ...

Tracey
Michelle
Andrea
Stacey
Georgia
Rose
Heather
Naomi
Liza
Barbara
Ashley
Tami
and a few more "thinkers" joined the link-up. Full list at Tracey's ...

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A Little Glimpse of Life Before Baby … Orange County Family Photographer

2011-12-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

I'm always so honored and humbled when people invite me into their homes to photographically document their lives. This dear couple not only invited me in, flinging wide their darling dutch door, but also put a mug of hot coffee in my hands upon arrival. (I loved them at "hello!") Our simple goal with this session was to capture what their "now" looks like, because, as everyone knows, a baby kinda, sorta changes things a little bit. Or a lotta bit. Today's Saturday mornings look relaxed, maybe even lazy. They include hot coffee, newspaper, take-out burrito, sports on the tv, a just-moved-into home in their dream neighborhood with new furnishings like a "man-chair", cozy Christmas decorations including new stockings announcing Baby Boy's name :-), a reading routine with books of more than one language, and lovely walks in the 'hood, greeting the neighbors...

Tomorrow's Saturdays will still include many of the elements that make today's Saturdays so wonderful, but they may be a little more unpredictable, a little less lazy. They will definitely include less sleep, more milk, more diapers, ... and more joy than this delightful couple can possibly imagine today.

Wednesday: I'm thinkin' ...

2011-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

... that this probably explains exactly why I'm always so sore the day after a photography session! :-}

What others are thinkin' ...

Tracey
Michelle
Andrea
Stacey
Georgia
Rose
Heather
Naomi
Liza
Barbara
Jessica
Shawntae

Oh, and because Liza queried in the comments, the resulting pictures can be found here.

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Tuesday: I'm thinkin' ...

2011-12-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

... that if there's any truth to the old wives' tale that a young man will treat his wife as well as he treats his mother, then some young lady is going to be exceedingly blessed to get this boy of mine.

What others are thinkin' ...

Tracey
Michelle
Andrea
Stacey
Georgia
Rose
Heather
Naomi
Liza
Barbara
Shawntae
Jessica

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Orange County Family Photographer :: Sneak Peek ...

2011-12-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

... of a very cute belly and super fun session. :-)

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Monday: I'm thinkin' ....

2011-12-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

I can't help but grin right back at him; a tiny, brief moment when his delight and my camera were in the same place at the same time.

"I'm thinkin' ..." is Tracey's brainchild. Easy blogging for a week: one photo, one thought. Here are some lovely places in the great, big blogosphere who are also "thinkin' " this week:

Tracey
Michelle
Andrea
Stacey
Georgia
Rose
Heather
Naomi

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Simple, yet profound, Christianity

2011-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, come into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left.
C.S. Lewis, essays from God on the Dock
hat tip: A Circle of Quiet

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The Irony of SoCal “Seasons” …

2011-12-02T11:43:00.001-08:00

Summers here are mostly gray. Autumns come and go with minimal fall foliage splendor. Winters are rarely cold. And oftentimes, Spring Green comes early. Like this year. Middle Dude and I headed into the canyon to soak it all up. With cameras in hand, of course.

Middle Dude also tried out his coyote whispering skills, not to much avail. (He's determined to bring one home for a pet. oy. I don't think Dog Dude would approve.)

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sunset + sisters + surprises :: Laguna Beach Photography

2011-11-27T21:01:00.001-08:00

Delightful, beautiful sisters, a glorious sunset, low tide + lovely tidepools, Laguna Beach + warm weather all combined to create a pretty wonderful little Christmas surprise for these daughters' parents. It was my pleasure to be a small part of the magic :-).

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Orange County Family Photographer

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:27:00.000-08:00

WHEREAS, It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;

WHEREAS, Both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted' for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

--George Washington - October 3, 1789

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Our Beach Walk in the Rain ...

2011-11-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Annie Leibovitz Calls the iPhone the “Snapshot Camera of Today” ... here's my Android version of her opinion. Certainly, the best camera for the job at hand is the one you have with you. And, might I just add, it's way easier to throw the 'droid back in my pocket to keep it dry; can't say the same for my big girl camera. ;-)

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We Like Ed Emberley.

2011-11-21T05:53:00.000-08:00

I asked Little Dude what he'd like to do this week while on vacation. He replied, "Ummm, I think I'd like to draw and color lots and lots..." Permission granted, with pleasure :-).

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Simple Sunset Photo Tip ...

2011-11-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

Last time we Kellers traveled to Mono Lake, we arranged to arrive there at sunrise (oh yeah, you can bet the dudes loved that. not.) This time we traveled to Mono Lake for sunset. Because I'm, like, soooo original like that (and because I knew there was a greater likelihood of water freezing in hell than of me being able to talk my crew into another sunrise adventure!). I discovered that this tourist destination is far more popular at sunset than sunrise (go figure: way less frigid, a time of day when everyone is actually awake, and every bit as beautiful as sunrise).

Behold the golden splendor of twilight time at Mono Lake ...

A Rorschach test? Or tufas with a tourist??

And behold the fellow photographers, arrayed all in a line to capture all the sunset goodness...

…and the sun set and all the photographers with their nice cameras & tripods left. Which is terribly sad, because this is what they missed:

All of which leads me to my super simple sunset tip:
after the sun sets, stick around a while. The most spectacular, vivid colors sometimes arrive 20-30 minutes after the sun has gone down.

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Though the Mountains be Shaken …

2011-11-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:10

What we do.

2011-11-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Not to be confused with "What I Don't Do". This is a "we" -- as in we Kellers -- list. And it's what we do do...

Drive 200 miles roundtrip for pie. (see evidence here)

Bring Dog Dude with us on most of our adventures.

Like each other (ok. The Teen might argue this. But it's the truth, I swear!)

Laugh together at Big Dude's witty one-liners.

Read voraciously. (I like a variety. The Teen likes dystopian Sci-Fi. Middle Dude likes fantasy. Littlest Dude likes anything sweet & silly. Big Dude generally likes the one or two books per year that we tell him he HAS to read.)

Splurge on fun snacks. (tho, this time we found the price tag a little shocking!)

Get lost, if I'm the one in charge of directions. (thus, we missed the "golden hour" I wanted in the field, because I chose the wrong direction. oy.)

Totally appreciate Leslie and her sweet family for coming along with us on our mini-roadtrip and taking such lovely pictures of us!!

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Searching for Fall

2011-11-01T14:31:00.001-07:00

In our search, we did lots of this:

We went on a little drive ...

2011-10-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

to find Fall.

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He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm.

2011-10-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
and put their trust in Him.

Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders You have done,
the things You planned for us.
None can compare with You;
were I to speak and tell of Your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire—
but my ears You have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do Your will, my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

I proclaim Your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as You know.
I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help.
I do not conceal Your love and Your faithfulness
from the great assembly.

Do not withhold Your mercy from me, LORD;
may Your love and faithfulness always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.

May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who long for Your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”

But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
You are my God, do not delay.

Psalm 40

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What I Don't Do ...

2011-10-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Though no one really questions whether I "do it all" (especially not Big Dude or my boys - snort!), I thought it would be fun to compile a list of a few of the things I choose not to do, after reading a few fun posts with such lists (notably Tracey's and Michelle's).

I Don't ...

Wear make-up.

Drink alcohol. I've never developed an appreciation for the taste.

Read many non-fiction books. I just prefer fiction.

Eat vegetables. Don't like 'em.

Or meat. Don't like it, either. (except for hamburger & chicken. I know. weird.)

Take the wheel on our Keller Family Roadtrips. Big Dude can't relax while I drive and I have no problem relaxing/reading/sleeping while he drives. So it's all good. ;-)

Dust diligently.

Like change.

Walk the dog regularly.

Watch the "news" or read newspapers or magazines.

Keep my desk tidy. Tho, I wish I did.

Make my bed daily.

Go to the grocery store if I can find what I need at Trader Joe's or Costco.

Go to the movies, either.

Talk a lot.

Move quickly first thing in the morning.

Watch serial tv dramas. (it would drive Big Dude bonkers)

Add those gross flavored "creamers" to my coffee. Just sugar (lots of it) & milk, thankyouverymuch.

Camp. Don't like the bugs or dirt or discomfort.

Wear heels (or get dressed up in general); flip-flops and slippers are more my "flavor".

My lovely friend Leslie took pictures of me and my family last month. I promise to share more once I make my way thru all the awesomeness and pull together a post!

I think "I Don't" lists can probably tell you as much about a person as their "I Do" lists :-). Feel free to tell me some of your "I Don'ts" in the comments :-).

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Purely Lifestyle. Orange County Family Photographer.

2011-10-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

100% pure, unadulterated, unposed, candid lifestyle. From beginning to end. Not a single contrived shot. Nope, not one. Leslie is an accomplished, gifted photographer; she already has gorgeous, fabulous pictures of her family and really doesn't need me to take those for her. What she and I both specifically wanted to capture with this session was an authentic "slice of life": what now looks like, feels like, tastes like in her family. You see, Leslie is having to look square in the face of some huge medical uncertainties and the possibility of hard, life-changing complications. A visual reminder of what her now looks like seems so very important.

And so we set out to capture the snuggles and cuddles.
The imaginary play.
The rough-housing and wrestling and swinging sweet bodies into the air.
The silliness.
The great appreciation for good food.
The reading aloud of books. Many, many books.
The wild, high-energy with accompanying noise.
The laughter.
The mess & clutter that results from a home well-lived in.
The sweet ways they care for and serve each other.
The special touches that make their house & yard into a home & garden.
Lives that reflect their love for Jesus.
And each other.

Here is a day in the life of this very precious family ...

And because there are way too many pictures of this beautiful family "story" to fit in one blog post, a slideshow :-):

Much love to you, my dear friend. Documenting your family story fills my heart with joy.

Lovely Lifestyle. Aliso Viejo Family Photographer.

2011-10-24T11:15:00.001-07:00

A sneak peek of a very delightful “Slice of Life” session from this weekend…

I will enthusiastically blog the rest of this beautiful session after I solve all these “b/w-or-color?” editing dilemmas.

So, it's not exactly like curling up with a good book ...

2011-10-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

... but it's not too bad. I held off buying a Kindle forever, until the price dropped below $80. And then when Amazon told me I could load mine up with goodies before it even arrived in my mailbox, I quickly added 30 completely FREE classics to it. Woohoo! I also checked out two novels from my library for instant upload (no trip to the library necessary!). I will say, the library has few books that I'm actually interested in reading, and of those, most have a waitlist. The e-books list for our local library is not exactly expansive yet. Hopefully that will change over time.

So long as I'm talking "books", I may as well catch up my blog list with the books I've read over the last several months (well, the ones I remember, anyway).

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger - loved this. beautifully written.

Young Brave Handsome, also by Leif Enger - didn't enjoy this so much as Peace ...

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton - good, old-fashioned mystery - I much enjoyed the story. told cleverly thru various flash-backs, thru the eyes of different characters. only critique: the different characters didn't really have different voices (ie. without being given the dates & context, I wouldn't be able to delineate the characters simply by their internal dialogues).

Also read The House at Riverton & The Distant Hours also by Kate Morton. Don't much remember them. Don't recall enjoying them as much her first novel.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - fabulous book. similar to The Forgotten Garden, a fabulous story told thru different character's perspectives. unlike The Forgotten Garden, these voices are all clearly distinct.

How to Train your Dragon - meh. I liked the movie better (now, there's something you rarely, if ever, hear me saying!!). Read aloud with Littlest Dude. I enjoyed Littlest Dude, but not the book.

Through the Lens: The Dust Bowl - a photographic rendering of the plight of the dust bowl victims during the Great Depression. Fascinating. Heart-renching. From a photographic stand-point, inspiring.

Jotham's Jour-ney - at the risk of sounding heretical (because I've heard nothing but high praise of this book) ... I hated it. Wanted to poke my eyeballs out as I was reading. For advent reading, I loved The Jesse Tree, and that's what I will return to this Christmas ...

Island of the World by Michael O'Brien - I have not the words to adequately describe this book, perhaps one of the best I've ever read. It's long. It's intense. It's NOT happy-go-lucky. It covers the full gamut of emotion from ultimate joy to deepest despair and hopelessness. A tremendously good book.

A Severe Mercy (includes 18 letters from C.S. Lewis) by Sheldon Vanauken - meh. not my cuppa. a little too overwrought.

The Man who was Thursday by Chesterton - I really wanted to like this, but I didn't like it in the same way I didn't like Alice in Wonderland, just felt like it was written a little over my head. Sci-fi/fantasy just isn't my language, methinks.

Rebecca - by Daphne du Maurier. well-told modern classic mystery/suspense.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Sarah's Key, & somesuch chicklit title from Sophie Kinsella - all not favorites.

The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell - my first Kindle library upload. It was pimped by Amazon on one of their "Amazon Picks" lists. I enjoyed it and its clever, overlapping stories.

1984 by George Orwell. Can't say I enjoyed this book (it is, afterall, tremendously dark and depressing and hopeless and all), but I did find it very thought-provoking. The Teen liked it and wanted me to read it, so I cast my sci-fi reluctance to the side and gutted thru it (on vacation, nonetheless ... what was I thinking?!?)

Currently reading an old Maeve Binchy, Echoes, (my second library upload)that I haven't read since high school. It's light, fun, non-deep reading.

That's about all I can remember. I know I grabbed several mysteries and the latest Jan Karon (Mitford, Father Tim series) from the library, but none of these must have left much of an impression.

Oh, and how could I forget? I read Les Miserables. Yah, the whole 1400+ pages. Go ahead and throw rotten tomatoes: I didn't like it. I did not like Cosette. I did not like Maurice. My favorite character was the priest in the very beginning of the book and he was long-gone after the first 100 pages (tho his influence remained). I so much prefered the musical (which I haven't seen in 25 years ... maybe it's time to rewatch??).

Please, if you've read something you've loved, let me know in the comments. I'm always on the prowl for a good book!

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Meet Allie :: Orange County Baby Photography.

2011-10-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

Allie’s due date is this Wednesday.

In these pictures, she is 12 weeks old.

Allie is amazing.

When she was born, she weighed just over 2 pounds and could wear her daddy’s wedding ring as a bracelet. These days, Allie proudly wears a glorious double chin and weighs over 8 pounds!NICU nurses are angels on earth.

I met Allie and her family through my affiliation with Pictures of Hope, an organization that shares the gift of photography with families who have babies in neonatal care units. But, I must tell you: photographing this dear family was not me “giving back”. Au contraire. I was the receiver. Allie is an amazing, wonderful miracle. It was both my pleasure and honor to meet her and get this very special peek into her precious life. Please keep her in your prayers this Wednesday as she undergoes her second surgery. I have no doubts that she is in very good hands.

Want to Guess Who’s NOT Winning?

2011-10-14T11:05:00.001-07:00

Of course, the longer he pouts; the oftener I click the shutter. I guess it’s hard to maintain a pout too long.

Just One More Turn ...

2011-10-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

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Mightier than the breakers of the sea ...

2011-10-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

The LORD reigns, He is robed in majesty;
the LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Thy throne is established from of old;
Thou art from everlasting.
The seas have lifted up, O LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.

Thy statutes, O LORD, stand firm;
holiness adorns Your house
forevermore.

Psalm 93

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And the winner is ...

2011-10-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

... Michelle from Michelle Sidles Photography!

Congrats, Michelle! Contact me (susan at susankellerphotography dot com) with your email info and I'll get those presets sent to you!

Thanks, everyone, for playing along with this giveaway of Kellie Hatcher's Raw Color Presets. And thanks, Kellie, for your sharing your unique, creative skills with us!

Oh, and for anyone who may be wondering ... star was your runaway choice for favorite preset!

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Roadtrip Part 12, I Wanna Go Back!

2011-10-07T08:48:00.001-07:00

The sweetest little cove, plus the most sublime stormy sunset were just two of the ingredients that catapulted this special place in the universe to a permanent place in my heart. I sooooo wanna go back.

Next time we go, we're bringing our own boat and staying much longer than a day!

Whew. This post thus concludes our latest roadtrip travelogue. And I managed to finish it (and my accompanying annual family album pages!!) before the dudes graduated ;-).

Coming later this morning ... I'll announce the winner of this week's giveaway.

The Fishing was Good …

2011-10-04T16:19:00.001-07:00

… it was the catching that was bad. ~A.K. Best

“This planet is covered with sordid men who demand that he who spends time fishing shall show returns in fish.” ~Leonidas Hubbard

“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” ~Henry David Thoreau

“There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind.” ~Washington Irving

Orange County Lifestyle Family Photographer

Giveaway - Kellie Hatcher's Color Presets!

2011-10-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

Kellie Hatcher has a brand new set of color presets for Lightroom. This set, to me, seems very aged-film-70s inspired. The presets are dramatic, moody, and retro-feeling. Kellie is generously offering a set of her color presets to one of my lucky visitors.

Here are some other wonderful places/posts in the blogosphere beautifully utilizing Kellie's presets:

Image Bearers Photography
Kidnapped by Suburbia
Kellie Hatcher, of course
NJoy the Moment
Molly Flanagan
CF Photography
Jude Wood

The super simple giveaway details are as follows:

1. Leave a comment here - let me know which preset is your favorite :-).

2. For a second chance of winning, go “like” Kellie Hatcher Photography on Facebook and then come back here and leave another comment letting me know that you did so.

I will pull a winner's name out of the proverbial hat on Friday morning, October 7, and announce it here. Good luck, everyone!

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Roadtrip Part 11, and Playing with Presets…

2011-09-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

I’ve been experimenting with Kellie Hatcher’s presets for the last week. They’re a pretty dramatic departure from my usual editing style. These presets remind me of pictures from my childhood – the film pictures mom and dad took and then stored the completed canisters of film in a drawer for a couple years til there was money to develop the pictures; the pictures that when finally developed were heavily toned and kinda earthy. I thought it would be fun to try the presets on some of my Lake Powell pics (I labeled each picture with the preset used), especially since when we were out on the water and away from other boats & buildings, there’s nothing out there to tell us what modern decade we’re in – it might really be the 1970’s …

70’s vibe, yes?

Fun announcement: I will be hosting a giveaway of Kellie’s color presets very soon …

ps. these edits were all using the soon-to-be-released JPG version of Kellie's presets

Neatness is NOT his middle name.

2011-09-28T09:10:00.001-07:00

Walking into this room makes me uncomfortable. Squirmy. Claustrophobic. Feel the need to clean, clean-out, clean-out some more. But here's the thing ...

He's so happy ... content ... busy in there. His imagination runs wild. He's in charge of whole universes.

And I know in 10 years, I'll look back on these images, and not be so frustrated with the mess, the unfolded laundry, the clutter. Instead, I'm pretty sure I'll see Little Dude's happiness and the worlds he created with army men, Lego guys, and stuffed animals. All while being surrounded by crooked, crowded, piled-high books.

I Answered You out of a Thundercloud …

2011-09-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
the sweet sounding lyre with the harp.
Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
He established it for a testimony in Joseph,
when he went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a language that I did not know:

“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Hear Me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
Let there be no strange god among you;
nor shall you worship any god other than Me.
I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

“But my people did not listen to my voice;
And Israel did not obey me.
So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
to walk in their own devices.
“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
How quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
Those who hate the LORD would cringe before Him,
and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalm 81

Roadtrip, Part 10, wherein we explore by boat...

2011-09-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

So, we survived our “short cut,” and arrived at our glorious destination: Lake Powell. We rented a “power” boat (“power” written in quotes, because there was very little power in this particular powerboat. My little dream of waterskiing on Lake Powell quickly became a pipedream for this particular trip; cue the sad violin, please).

Luckily the boat worked well enough for the Dudes to thoroughly enjoy themselves … and to become brave enough to perform multiple “tricks” [grin].

Those gorgeous thunder clouds you see in the picture above were kind enough to hold back their deluge til we returned the boat and checked into our motel. And that little deluge made for a spectacular sunset scene. More Lake Powell to come. At the rate I'm posting these vacation pics, the boys will all have graduated by the time I finish. Note to self: take fewer pics next vacation.

Btw, for anyone interested: all the pictures in this post were edited in Lightroom using One Willow's newest presets. Specifically, I used Imagination, Harmony & Film Newspaper from The Beautiful Things Collection.

Roadtrip, Part 9, wherein we take a "short-cut"...

2011-09-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

The shortest distance between Bryce and Lake Powell is via an unpaved "service road". Big Dude said it was a sizeable "shortcut". I figured it would take us all day, or at least oodles longer than just driving the longer-distanced highway option ;-). What neither of us expected was that we would be driving smack dab through the middle of the Great Stairway-Escalante, which could have been a destination in and of itself!

"In the 1870s, geologist Clarence Dutton described the Grand Staircase as a 'huge stairway ascending out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon northward with the cliff edge of each layer forming giant steps.' The steps rise 5500' from the floor of the Grand Canyon to the edge of the jagged Paunsaugunt Plateau at Bryce Canyon. The distinct steps are the Vermilion Cliffs, the White Cliffs, the Gray Cliffs and the Pink Cliffs." (verbiage blatantly copied from this site)

The first clue that perhaps we’re off the beaten path?

Be sure and watch the varying colors of soil – the road changes hues several times.

The Frommer’s site reported a photographer (not me!) who complained bitterly about the unsightly, intrusive power lines paralleling this picturesque road. For the record, I kinda like ‘em. Of course, the grand irony is that this road wouldn’t exist except for the power lines needing to be serviced.

And our end destination. Turns out our “shortcut” was neither shorter nor longer (time-wise) than taking the highway. But it was definitely a road worth taking!

A one-minute slideshow from throughout the 46-mile road ...

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Roadtrip, Part 8, Sunset at Inspiration Point

2011-09-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

After a smoky dinner at the Lodge, we headed to Inspiration Point to watch the sunset. The fire and smoke added much color and drama to an already gorgeous sunset. In many of these pictures you can see the trail we hiked earlier in the day. Our original plan was to hike another trail after dinner, but I’m pretty sure that at least two of us didn’t have the energy to take that task on [shamefully raising my hand]. So, sunset at the top it was [grin].

Next up, our “shortcut” drive from Bryce to Lake Powell … (some of which is pictured in the far distance of the images directly above).

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The Day Before :: Orange County Family Photographer

2011-09-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

The day before the wedding, that is. On the spectacular Queen Mary. On a glorious, sunny, warm day. And Grandma (of the groom) had a brilliant idea: so long as everyone was in town, why not take family photos? And so we did. There were lots of people, lots of laughs, lots of love ... and just a tiny bit of time. We started pictures at 4:00pm. Cranked out 22 different group set-ups + candids. Finished at 4:53pm, a full 7 minutes before their rehearsal dinner began (whew!) - this has got to be some kind of record!! This family was awesome, efficient, and tons of fun!

From His Roots ...

2011-09-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
and He will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes,
or decide by what He hears with his ears;
but with righteousness He will judge the needy,
with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth;
with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be His belt
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples;
the nations will rally to Him, and His resting place will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:1-10

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Roadtrip, Part 7, Dinner at Bryce Lodge

2011-09-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

Hey, Papa Gene, were you looking for another hot rod project? We might have found just the perfect frame for you ;-).

The smoke (from the prescribed control burn) was superduper thick this particular evening. We had dinner at the lodge which has this dubious claim-to-fame: that of the three nearby National Parks (Zion, Grand Cyn & Bryce), it is the only original lodge left standing. The other two lodges were lost to fires. With the amount of flames and smoke, one might have feared this lodge would suffer the same fate. But, no fears; those fire fighters know what they're doing. cough, choke, cough.

Roadtrip, Part 6, really high up.

2011-09-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Hard Part. The Big Hill. The Trail the rangers overwhelmingly said "not to miss." The last half of Peekaboo Trail. The Trail we renamed parts as being The PeekaPOO Trail, due to the abundance of horse poop. The Trail where Littlest Dude pooped out (and got a piggyback ride). And then I pooped out (but didn't get a piggy back ride). The Trail where we drank every last drop of water we brought (and we brought a lot).

See these adventurers of “advanced age” below? I never saw them again. They left me in their dust. (so humbling!)

More gorgeousness in slideshow form:

Hike Details:
4.8 miles
Starting at 8000 ft elevation
Dropping to 7300 ft elevation
Climbing back up to 8300 ft elevation (ouch!)
Temperature: HOT.

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It's a GIRL! :: Orange County Baby Photographer

2011-09-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm always so humbled and honored when families invite me into their homes and lives to photograph their newest little one's arrivals. This precious little one has been much anticipated, is clearly much adored, and is sure to have an abundance of adventure in her future with two older brothers!

Shall we play peekaboo with baby sister’s headband? Yes!

And a slideshow :-)...

Thank you, D Family, for allowing me this delightful peek into your lives!

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Aliso Viejo Newborn & Baby Photographer

A grand way to start the day ...

2011-09-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sand, seaweed, a "schnack", surfers, shells, seagulls & sandpipers, sticks, clouds and rain. Glorious, all of it.

Photo deets: Android, FX Camera, Polandroid, Vintage Film & Mono settings, square. Collage pulled together using Fotofusion.

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At Long Last.

2011-09-02T08:17:00.001-07:00

Our last offspring has finally embraced the biking experience (and, no, I'm NOT talking about Littlest Dude!). Let the family biking mini-expeditions begin! First up: Newport Back Bay. These are the few pics I fired off before the point&shoot battery ran out of juice.

Roadtrip, Part 6, Navajo to Peekaboo

2011-08-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for splitting our mere 4-hour hike into several days' posts. I took nearly 1000 (!!) pictures in Bryce Canyon, and I LOVE 89.5% of them; thus I'm finding it difficult to strike a balance between sharing the overwhelming beauty of this National Park, while not overwhelming myself with the editing & posting ;-). Yesterday's post was the easy, flat Rim Trail portion of the hike. Today's post is the super-easy downhill portion of Navajo Loop and then transitioning into the uphill trek via Peekaboo Trail.

Right about here is when our uphill trek began ... uphill at 7500+ feet elevation. Oy.

Yet another 90-second slideshow (and yes, that is a large rattler!) ...

Next up, the rest of the portion of Peekaboo Loop that we climbed.

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Roadtrip, Part 5, wherein we hike again. Further in & Higher up.

2011-08-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

This day's hike made the former night's hike look & feel like a mere stroll in the park. :-} Expecting a longer, tougher hike, we started the day with a hearty, free hotel "breakfast of the champions"; which, for the Dudes, translates to being a plate piled high with bacon. Well, ok, I'm simplifying. Middle Dude also added Fruit Loops & pancakes to his plate to complement the bacon. ;-)

Off to the Rim. We parked at Bryce Point (where we expected to finish); took the shuttle to Inspiration Point; and walked the Rim trail to Sunset Point, where we again went down the Navajo Loop. There was a prescribed control-burn fire happening the park while we were there. We saw its effects off and on throughout the day.

And back to the Navajo Loop – the same trail we hiked the previous evening. This day, it was merely the beginning of our hike …

More to come …

Ugh. Looks like Livewriter butchered the resolution, color & contrast of these pics. But I'm feeling too lazy to rectify it by starting over with Flickr. :-(

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Meet Karen :: Orange County Family Photography

2011-08-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

She has the distinction of being the only woman I've ever approached in a grocery store and said, "Will you be my friend?" Which is note-worthy, because as an introvert, I rarely, if ever, strike up conversations with strangers, much less ask them if they have time in their life for another playdate. But I was new in town. And I was just a wee bit desperate to find friends for my kiddos. And Karen, you see, had three delightful, gregarious, polite boys who were all about the same ages as my boys. And desperate times call for desperate measures. So I took a chance. And she took a chance. And a lovely friendship was born. :-)

And here we are, seven years later. Meet Karen and her family ...

Grazing in Good Pastures ...

2011-08-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

“‘For thus says the LORD GOD:
I Myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.
As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them,
so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries,
and I will bring them into their own land.
I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel,
by the streams
and in all the settlements in the land.
I will feed them in a good pasture,
and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land.
There they will lie down in good grazing land,
and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
I Myself will feed my flock and I will lead them to rest,
declares the LORD God.
I will seek the lost
bring back the scattered,
bind up the broken,
and strengthen the sick ...
Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them
and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,
declares the LORD GOD.’”

Ezekiel 34:12-16, 30

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Roadtrip, Part 4, wherein we hike.

2011-08-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last year we vowed to return here. Without Dog Dude. And hike.

And that's exactly what we did this year. We returned. And headed straight-away to this trail, which is, quite simply, amazing. Stupendous. Awe-inspiring. Colorful. Larger than life.

At the bottom. Gosh, that wasn’t hard at all.

Heading back up. [huff, puff, rest. repeat.]

Trail facts: we started at 8000 ft elevation; dropped to 7476 ft elevation (duck soup); and climbed back up (not duck soup). Temperature hovered just under 90*. We were mostly in the shade. Big Dude tracked us on the phone. His stats: 2.3 miles. 50 minutes moving time. 1hr47minutes total. And in the following slideshow, I condense our whole hike into 90 seconds so you may vicariously -& quickly- come along with us - down down down & up up up. :-)

Some photo stats: I was traveling relatively "light" - by that, I mean my 5d + 24-105mm lens + 15mm lens. I left the heavy tripod back at the car. I shouldn't have :-(. It would have been nice to have in the hoodoo-slot-canyon. Out in the open sky sections of the trail, I was shooting at smaller apertures (7.1, 8, 11) and 400iso. In the slot canyon (little-to-no sky above), I was shooting at 1600iso and had to open up my aperture (f/4) to let more light in. If I'd had my tripod, I would have shot at 200iso, a smaller aperture (probably f/8), and with a longer exposure. Kicking myself a bit now. Lesson learned. The other lesson I learned: inside these exuberantly orange walls, I should have shot in RAW mode. I'm a die-hard JPG-shooter in most circumstances. But for people pics inside these canyon walls, it really would have behooved me to shoot RAW in order to remove that crazy color cast from skin. RAW would have been additionally beneficial in terms of capturing greater "dynamic range" of light. I lightly tweaked most of my exposures in Lightroom (usually just adding a little fill light to lift shadows), created the slideshow in Lightroom, and created the side-by-side vertical diptychs in LR, using Kellie Hatcher's beta-version LR print templates.

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Roadtrip, Part 3

2011-08-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

While still in the middle of Nowhere, Utah, we heard the only signs of enthusiastic life from The Teen as he exclaimed:

"I see a BEAR! It's a black bear! Down by the river!"

So Big Dude pulled off the highway to have a look-see for himself. Big Dude appreciates any opportunity to see a bear. I guess bear sightings in the wild are kinda a rare thing.

The Teen directed us (he was the only one seeing snippets of the bear down by the river), finally pointing, "THERE!"

Of course, I snapped a picture of the momentous occasion:

Littlest Dude recorded the momentous occasion in his journal of important vacation snippets:

[Very big grin] From then on, we saw lots of B'Cows on our trip ...

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Keller Annual Summer Roadtrip, Part 2

2011-08-24T07:24:00.001-07:00

Second stop: middle of nowhere, Utah.
Activity: letting men & boys be ... boys. Shooting slingshots. At rocks and a stray beer bottle.
Accuracy stats: All of us hit exactly none targets. ;-)

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Keller Annual Summer Roadtrip, Part 1

2011-08-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

And thus commences the Keller Roadtrip ... first stop: middle of nowhere, CA desert.
Activity: letting men & boys be ... boys. Shooting guns. At cans/bottles.
Oh yah, and the "token chick"? Her accuracy stats: 100%. 2 for 2.
(and then I quit, to keep my stats exemplary!)

And, were you still wondering what for what purpose we used the tripod? (ps. turn your volume down - the wind was LOUD!)

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Biking and the “Wilderness” … Orange County Family Photography

2011-08-22T05:12:00.000-07:00

Meet my favorite dentist and his fabulous family! Usually, 99.999% of the time, I have my clients pick a photography place that is special to them. However, for this session, my friends' #1 desire was to pick a beautiful location to make a beautiful picture for their annual Christmas card. And the joke on the trails quickly became: "Look at us! We're in the "wilderness"; everyone is going to wonder how we got here!" :-)

Valdez Family, 'twas my pleasure to tackle and conquer the "wilderness" with you all. Now, let's make a pretty Christmas card :-). And for any of my local readers who may be searching for a fantastic dentist, be sure and look up Dr. Valdez at Cornerstone Family Dentistry in Tustin.

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Laguna Beach Family Photographer

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God ...

2011-08-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands...

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

Psalm 9: 1,7-9

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This Place ...

2011-08-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

made me swoon. I wanna go back. And back. And back again.

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Tripods.

2011-08-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Apparently, they're not just for photographic purposes ...

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Summertime in the Canyon

2011-08-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Grabbed a couple of my dudes to pre-check a session site. Don't they make cute models?? ;-) Big Dude actually ran up over a steep STEEP hill, 4+ miles all the way back home. Middle Dude stayed on as my "assistant". The two of us took the "wussy" way home; we drove.

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Sometimes it’s the simple things …

2011-08-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

I love that they still love Playdoh.

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Orange County Lifestyle Family Photographer

New birth, New life

2011-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

For we also once were foolish ourselves,
disobedient,
deceived,
enslaved to various lusts and pleasures,
spending our life in malice and envy,
hateful,
hating one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior
and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us,
not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,
but according to His mercy,
by the washing away of our sins and
by giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy statement.
Titus 3:3-8

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Oh, Happy Day!

2011-08-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, this bride's laughter is completely infectious! A beautiful day second shooting for Sarah at Image Bearers Photography...

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Laguna Beach Family Photographer

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

2011-08-08T17:49:00.001-07:00

Big, beautiful, warm, wonderful, extended family get-together in sunny SoCal to celebrate Sophie turning One.
Simply delightful in every single way.

And a slideshow ... because a mere blog post is far too small to capture the essence of this fun family and this special day :-)

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Orange County Baby & Family Photographer

Photo Challenge: Friendships

2011-08-07T21:34:00.001-07:00

It's awfully nice when friendships from the internets become friendships in real life. I think you all might recognize one or two of these cute chicks ... ;-)

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I Heart Faces Orange County Workshop!

2011-08-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

The location was spectacular. The models were beautiful -- inside as well as outside! -- and DrewB (the talented and helpful photographer behind Momtog) even braved a huge hill just 6 days before her due date! All the attendees were the nicest, friendliest, most considerate, enthusiastic women one could hope to hang out with. Amy & Angie - you guys really know how to put on a fantastic workshop! Thanks ever so much for including me in the party!

Summertime with Dudes.

2011-08-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last night Big Dude spent the night with the younger dudes in the tent. I'm gonna guess that tonight they're on their own; 40yo backs can only take so much hard ground. ;-)

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Good Times!

2011-08-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday I get to join forces with the dynamic duo, Amy & Angie, from I Heart Faces as they host a workshop on perhaps the most beautiful stretch of coastline in the world (yeah, I might be a bit biased; I'll let you judge for yourself ...)

I simply cannot wait for all the festivities to begin! :-)

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Follow Me.

2011-07-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

Justice, and only justice, shall you follow,
that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 16:20

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:9

And a certain scribe said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me. Let the dead bury their own dead."
And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him."
Matthew 8:19-23

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me,
Let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."
Matthew 16:24

Jesus told him, “If you want to be complete,
go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor,
and you shall have treasure in heaven.
And come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:21

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them,
and they follow him because they know his voice...
"My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish."
John 10:4, 27-28

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me;
and where I am, there shall My servant also be;
if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."
John 12:26

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
...“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
“by His wounds you have been healed.”
For “you were like sheep going astray,”
but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1Peter 2:21-25

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Birthdays & Big Dude ...

2011-07-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Big Dude and I have a longish, rather sordid history of celebrating his birthdays.

I grew up in a family that celebrated birthdays with plenty of festivity, gift-giving, and privileges (don't have to make bed, get to skip kitchen duty, get to pick dinner food, yadayada ... it was all a VERY BIG DEAL). My dad, to this day, still works his birthday for all it's worth, starting the month before: "This is the month before my birthday month ... this is the week before my birthday week ... this is the day before ..." well, you get the point). Birthdays in my family were and are a BIG DEAL.

Then I married Big Dude. Big Dude is not so much into bdays. I spent the first several years of our marriage trying to make a BIG DEAL of his bday, just to have my efforts squashed (mostly in the form of having to return any item that I bought him). I quickly (or not so quickly) learned that clothes are not gifts. Once I figured out that part of the equation (yup, I'm dull enough that Big Dude needed to tell me directly. Several times. Which I then translated to mean that I must not have found him the clothes he really liked, but if I did ... Now I know. Clothes do NOT equal gifts. Period. No exceptions.) And after several more years of fruitlessly trying to find the perfect not-clothes bday gift that filled his love tank, I pretty much stopped trying. Big Dude is just not a gift-receiving kinda guy.

Over the years we have managed to morph into a birthday compromise pattern. This year Big Dude launched into "the month before, week before, day before" celebration by shopping (and by "shopping", I mean Craigslisting & Ebaying - because, of course, half the fun is in the "winning") for his own bday gifts. Wanna know what he bought? Legos. And guess to whom he handed over all the winnings? Oh yah, younger dudes. Because that's the kind of guy Big Dude is.

And here's the kind of gift the dudes and I are "safe" to gift to him: snacks. :-) In a decorator bag. Double-smile.

To celebrate, Big Dude also got to pick his dinner menu and dessert and his day's outing. Know what activity he picked? The exact outing that I've mentioned once or twice in the past that I'd love to have our family do. That's my man. I think I'll keep him.

Managed to catch us all in this next one :-) ...

And that was our bday celebration for Big Dude. 'Twas a good day. And now I will go back to being short on words...

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Sneak Peek of a Happy Day

2011-07-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

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... beautiful life

2011-07-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

Beautiful day, beautiful friends & family, beautiful ceremony in a beautiful church, beautiful bride & groom ... beautiful love. I am beyond confident that they're going to have a very beautiful life together.

Clint & Tori, it was delightful to witness your beautiful day. May God richly bless your marriage. And many oodles of thanks to Sarah at Image Bearers Photography for shooting with me!

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