365 Project -- #232-238

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

Last week's highlights include summer storms, a spelling mistake, and an emotional homecoming/send-off parade.  Here we go...

The week started off with another typical Chicago August downpour.

[232] August 20 -- Morning downpour

I perfected a pesto recipe.

[233] August 21 -- Homemade pesto with pepper

Another spectacular morning storm--incoming.

[234] August 22 -- Another summer storm

Can you spot the spelling mistake?  Seriously--it's a college campus.

 [235] August 23 -- Misspelled

I finish up this week's post with just three images (there are over 100) of a Marine's homecoming and sendoff parade/party.  Doug was home for barely a week when he was the recipient of a very special parade sponsored by Operation Welcome You Home.   It was also considered a send-off event, since he is leaving in just a few days to go back to Afghanistan.

His sister stood with him as he was surprised by the parade.

 [236] August 24 -- Big brother Marine

One of the many gifts of support he received.

[237] August 25 -- Because of the Brave

His mom was so excited to have him home!

[238] August 26 -- Marine and mom

What a great note to end the week on.  :)




Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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When You're Not Sure

Little guys and gals are so fascinating.  Sometimes it takes a lot of work to gain their trust.  I personally love that challenge.  I love to work with both little one and mom, figuring out what it will take to ensure my little guy or gal is comfortable with me when he or she is just not sure about that lady with the camera.

This particular "pre-session session" had little Kevin running around the driveway, grinning mischievously at me or hiding behind his mom.  I'll keep working on it so we can have our photo session soon.

I warn you--he is a charmer.  Can't you tell by the very first picture?  Enjoy little Kevin.

I can't wait to have a real session with this guy, and his four brothers (yes, four more!).  They are definitely going to be a challenge--and a blast--to capture.


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #225-231

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

Last week was a week for both indoor and outdoor photography.  I have been shooting in manual mode almost all of the time, with my fallback setting of Aperture Value mode if I'm getting task-saturated.  It has been a challenge, but a good challenge, and I have enjoyed every minute.  My week...

...started with an indoor celebration:

[225] August 13 -- Yellow rose

 [226] August 14 -- 50th anniversary cake

The groom's cake--yes, this is a cake:

[227] August 15 -- Stetson groom's cake

...then my week went outdoors a bit:

I took my family on a photo shoot; here's what happened at the end:

[228] August 16 -- Fun and fellowship

...then back indoors...

I spent a hot day indoors, but the results were great:

[229] August 17 -- Tomato and basil

...and ended up both indoors (cooking) and outdoors (eating)...

Inspired by farmer's market vendors, I decided to make dinner--home make, as much as possible.  Bacon from my farmer, organic lettuce (OK, from the store), tomatoes from my garden, homemade mayo, homemade whole-wheat tortillas, homemade pesto.  We ate at our patio table in the back yard.  Simple.  Summer.  Heaven.

[230] August 18 -- BLT and tomatoes with pesto

[231] August 19 -- Simple. Summer. Meal.

May the Lord bless you and your camera adventures this week!

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #218-224

This is the time in my week when I have the opportunity to look back

at the images I've captured the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

I've always wondered about this plant that sprouts up against my garden fence each summer.  I've seen the red berries each year, but this time I noticed the pretty purple flowers.  Lori happened to be over, gardening with me, at the time I took this shot, and she told me it was nightshade--very poisonous!  I was surprised, and plans are in the works to rid my fence of this beautifully deadly plant.

[218] August 6 -- Nightshade

This guy was in my garden as well, resting on some old newspaper that had blown around.

[219] August 7 -- A well-read grasshopper

No explanation needed...

[220] August 8 -- Mid-air jump

The hydrangea in my front porch garden didn't do very well this year.  I hope it rallies and blooms better next spring.  Here is a dying blossom.

[221] August 9 -- Fleeting hydrangea

This little flag was stuck in my front porch garden at some point this spring/summer, and there it stayed.

[222] August 10 -- Garden flag

The below took up most of my Thursday.  But it makes me happy.

[223] August 11 -- Canning day

From a photo shoot last week.  This couple (and their two sons) are an amazing, beautiful family.  And not just on the outside.  It was a privilege to photograph them.  :)

[224] August 12 -- Beautiful couple, inside and out

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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A Little Rain...

A little rain never hurt anyone.

It can be beautiful, like today.

This afternoon, a typical sticky summer day gave way to a typical Midwest afternoon thunderstorm.  It was a comfortable thunderstorm, without threat of hail or tornadoes, or ominous clouds--those "weird" dark or green blobs, or solid lines of black descending upon us.  I sat in my rocking chair on my front porch and listened to the rain for a while, marveling at the little patches of blue even while the rain poured down.

Once the rain let up, I ventured out onto the lawn to see what treasures were left behind.

And my personal favorite, below.  One little coreopsis bloom, with clinging diamond droplets of rain amid its threadlike leaves.

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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Enchantment, Sweet and Serious

Little clients are simply enchanting. It took all of three minutes for me to be enchanted with this little beauty. She was a bit shy of me at first, so I casually commented that I was taking pictures, and proceeded to do so. She plopped down next to me a few minutes after that, and I asked her if she wanted to take a picture. Next thing y'know, my camera strap was around her neck and she was "snapping" away. I helped her take pictures of the sky, the trees, and the ground. I made a friend. :)

And oh! the conversation was scintillating! I learned all about her best friends, and how she went swimming in her pool that day, more about her best friends, then I became one of her best friends, and of course, since it was evening, we talked about the little moths flying around, and the "light bugs" we spotted at the edge of the woods.

And that's how a mini photo session was born. Meet sweet, serious Megan:  conversationalist extraordinaire, deep three-year-old thoughts, and serious looks when I pointed my camera toward her. I hope I captured some of the sweet, serious delight that is Megan.

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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365 Project -- #211-217

This is the time in my week when I have the opportunity to look back

at the images I've captured the week before, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

Enjoy!!

A hot summer means JUMPING...

[211] July 30 -- Jumping Danny

...into the pool with a SPLASH!

[212] July 31 -- Splash!

It means ARACHNIDS hiding...

[213] August 1 -- Garden spider

...as I pick my summer HARVEST.

[214] August 2 -- Summer harvest

Summer is NEIGHBORS getting together...

[215] August 3 -- Kevin

...and evening STORMS that turn into...

[216] August 4 -- Storm in the east

...pretty SUNSETS as night settles in.

[217] August 5 -- Suburban summer sunset

Short and sweet--that's my week.  It was a very good week, with a few very bad spots.  But the Lord is good, and everywhere I look I can capture His promise, His joy, His beauty.  I hope you look for it in your week this week, even amidst the trials that will come.  God bless you!


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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A Graduate and a Guitar

When I initially scheduled this high school senior portrait session, I knew it would probably be a hot, humid day.  That's a typical late July in Chicagoland.  What I didn't know was that our thermometer would hit 100 degrees twice that particular week, and that our evening photo shoot would take place as the thermometer settled down to 95 degrees.

I brought along a towel for "mopping up sweat" purposes, but it turned out that I needed it much more than Logan did!  I hadn't seen Logan since he was very young, so I was a bit nervous meeting him for the first time as an adult.  But Logan turned this photo shoot into a chat session with lots of pictures, smiles, quirky looks, and laughter.  My assistant Danny came along to help lug equipment, Logan's extra clothing and/or guitar, etc.

And, wow the location!  Lake Renwick Forest Preserve was beautiful, even at 95 degrees.  Walking paths, ponds and lakes, trees, fences, steps--it was a great location for a photo shoot.  I believe I'll visit there again for photo shoots with other southwesterly-located clients.

Logan has an easy smile and is an easy conversationalist.  Though many of his more interesting expressions didn't make it into his official photo gallery, he had some great ones.  Enjoy this expressive young man!

My first client to wear flip-flops to his photo session!

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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