Inspired By_Challenged By

a photo blog that we read had a post by this title a couple of weeks ago about inspiration, motivation, and challenges. what is it that inspires your creativity? today, it was watching a phone salesman follow his dream:

Prom Night

no horror movie, thank goodness. henry and his girlfriend went to prom last night. we overcame the bright evening sunshine and actually took some nice photos in the backyard, but they didn't pull the fun masks out until getting into the car...so here's a snapshot instead of a formal picture.

Mini-Neighbor

remember neighbor wilson in the tv show, home improvement, who was always poking his half-hidden head over the fence to converse with tim "toolman" taylor? we have our own miniaturized version who is much more visible. he frequently climbs a ladder to chat with us or try to get the pets' attention over the bamboo fencing, despite his great-grandmother's pleas to get down. today we caught him in action. who could resist such a charming intruder?

More Music

today was josie's turn for music...her orchestra performed several pieces for a uil contest held at a local high school. they also had a sight reading contest, but we weren't allowed in for this one. too bad, because i was enjoying that process. but it was nice that she was first chair for the performance...that sure makes it easier to get a clear picture ;)

New Life

nothing like a newborn baby on the block to generate some enthusiasm and an appreciation of the little things. what is it about all those tiny fingers and toes that is so irresistible? especially in spring, with all the other new life appearing. hope everyone had a good earth day yesterday and spent at least a little bit of time outdoors.

Foot Up

not a cloud in the sky last night for the cap-and-gown photo shoot, so the sunlight was kind of harsh. the graduate-to-be came in sandals though, which added a nice informal touch. before it was all over, we had him climbing the high school sign to get a different angle. hire us at your own risk!

Forgotten Photos

i was cleaning off memory cards for a photo shoot this evening and discovered some pictures that i didn't even remember taking. kind of like the film equivalent of developing a forgotten roll. these were only from a month ago, but still...it was fun to find them. here's one of mesa and zephyr goofing off with hats in the driveway. so tonight we have a graduation pic photo shoot...the serious kind in cap and gown. last night, the cloud cover was perfect, but you don't always get to pick the weather...so we'll see if the lighting cooperates now that the appointed time is here.

Sight Reading

it's spring...time to be out working in the yard, not inside blogging. a daily post may be a little too ambitious now that the weather is so nice. yesterday, zephyr's band competed in a sight-reading contest. for someone with minimal musical knowledge or skills, i found it fascinating. the band members turn over a piece of music they have never seen, the director has eight minutes to review it with them (giving foreign-sounding advice such as "finger the danger note"), and then after one warmup note, they play the whole thing. it was really cool to watch--and particularly satisfying to later learn that they were awarded "sweepstakes"...the highest rating.

Rain

we had a much-needed--and too short-lived--rain here last week...followed by winds strong enough to knock the basketball goal over, but if that's part of the deal, so be it. during a terrific rain storm last fall, we waterproofed ourselves and cruised around taking pictures. this one is at the flooded park in the center of the neighborhood. why is it that solitary figures are typically more striking than groups in landscape photos? sort of a "man vs mountain" effect?

Tour de Tech Terrace

after a rewarding day doing yard work and hanging out with friends at chimy's, we returned home to find ourselves in the middle of the annual spring "tour de tech terrace"...a bike ride around the neighborhood with multiple stops, consisting of mostly college students drinking and socializing. who can argue with a couple hundred kids enjoying a beautiful spring day? we have a bumper sticker on the car in support, despite never fully participating. today when they passed, we didn't grab a bike, but our camera. you would have thought we were the paparazzi from the response...everyone wanted their picture taken. we even got ours taken in return ;) we witnessed a few spills, some great costumes, interesting t-shirts, and colorful bikes. the weather was perfect, spirit were high, and hopefully no police escorts were necessary before it was all over.

Simple Shift

there is wisdom in the admonition that if something isn't working for you, change your perspective...do something differently. in workshop-speak, a miracle is actually defined as "a change in perception." even a simple shift can bring about radically different results. this truth is reflected in photography as well. when we did our architecture shoot in dallas last month, we took pictures of the same building late in the evening and then again early in the morning. look what different effect can be achieved by slightly altering your position and time of day.

Bath Junkies

four hours on a saturday + the mall does not = fun...unless you are a group of pre-teen girls who won a free party at bath junkie. so that's how mesa, josie, and four friends spent their saturday afternoon-- shopping, socializing, and creating customized bath products. hopefully supervising the action fulfills the parental quota of mall activity for a while ;)

Jayhawk Joy

zephyr holds his good-luck kitten in hopes of some march madness mojo and it paid off. literally. he beat out more than 100 other bracket entries in a tournament pool and won $260 when kansas beat memphis last night in overtime. he picked three of the final four correctly and edged out others who predicted the final outcome on the strength of his early-round picks. not a bad return on a $5 bracket.

Awards

last night was a rewarding one. the west texas photographic society of lubbock held the reception for their annual show. this year's juror from dallas selected three of our photos--first place, color (which we received last year too and were thrilled to repeat); third place, color; and honorable mention, black & white. so now we'll have to add a few more ribbons to the gallery on our website :) we love photography for its own sake, but it is nice to get validation like this every now and then too! if you are in lubbock, go by the garden & arts center before april 25 to check out the show. the picture on the left is from the wtps website of last year's display.

Soltura

"a heroic journey to personal freedom"
some of you reading this know exactly what that phrase means because you have experienced your own personal freedom in a powerful way thanks to soltura. if so, reconnect with what you learned there and choose today to live your truth. the road gets tough and sometimes we forget. for those of you who have no idea what this is all about, check out the soltura website and seriously consider embarking on that journey. the phrase "it will change your life" sounds so trite, but ask any of us who have gone to a soltura workshop (or read the testimonials)...it is true.

Logobama

what did we ever do without all the fun stuff on the internet? create your own custom obama logo and show your support!

barack obama logo creator


You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

My Kid Could Paint That

we watched that movie this weekend and were so interested that we went on and watched all the trailers, outtakes, and commentaries as well. it is a documentary about a 4-year-old who paints pieces that hang in galleries and sell for many thousands of dollars. there is some controversy over whether she completes these paintings herself--is she a child prodigy or is it a scam? you don't really end up with a clear answer, but apart from the whole story itself (and what that says about the nature of media), the reflections on art and truth in general are fascinating. probably every thought or question raised by the movie goes through your head at one point or another, including the title. although, if you've ever tried to paint... which we attempt every summer as a means of getting outside the photography box... you know that it is certainly not as effortless as you might think to create any kind of art, abstract included.