Weekly Header Challenge -- Any Sport Not Played with a Ball

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Any Sport Not Played with a Ball

Chosen by Mac.

I believe this is the only sport I've photographed which isn't played with a ball.  Unless chess or Scrabble is a sport...

I cropped my header image (above, if you're reading this the week it was published) so you can't tell just what that object is they're trying to catch.  Here's the full image:

Frisbee, and some serious air time!

For years, our guys have been involved in an informal Frisbee league which meets weekly throughout the summer.  Today, I'm featuring images I took at one of the games last year.

This sport is technically called Frisbee football, and involves passing, catching, throwing, blocking, etc., in order for your team to get the Frisbee into the goal--someone has to catch it in the end zone.  There isn't supposed to be physical contact, nor can you run once you've caught the Frisbee.  I tried playing it once--there are several dads who play--but gave up halfway through and decided that photographing it was much more to my liking than running around on a hot, humid summer evening.

Photographing sports means a fast shutter speed to freeze the action.  This also means a higher ISO, especially for this game played in the evening.  By the end of the night (dusk) I had my camera set to ISO 8000 to obtain at least a 1/500 second shutter speed (fast enough to freeze most sports).

I also take a lot of multiple images (in burst mode) to capture the action.  I try to keep just the best shot that captures the action; otherwise, I end up with hundreds of images!

Brothers chasing down the Frisbee.

Don't collide!

This was a nice trip down Memory Lane for me, and since it's supposed to be in the 80s today, it feels like a Frisbee day!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge - Thank You

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew 

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Feel free to click on the other participants' blogs

to see what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Thank You

I wish I had one single image to portray this theme of thanksgiving!  I think this is the highest number of images I've posted for these weekly challenges, but I narrowed it down as much as I could.  I started thinking about what to be thankful for, in a year filled with Fernando's job layoff and back surgery, my own back problems, no money to spend on Christmas, and many other "bad" things that have happened.

I decided that this sunrise is a good way to show that hope does not disappoint, and that as surely as the sun rises, we are in His care.  A quote about thanksgiving in all circumstances:

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NASB

Thank You for hope!

Thank You for my country.

Thank You for family who loves me enough to play my favorite game with me!

Thank You for autism, because You are glorified in our weaknesses.

Thank You for little and fun reminders that You care.

Thank You for a hubby who helps me build kitchen drawer organizers!

Thank You for signs of spring.

Thank You for leading and guiding my sons in their lives.

Thank You for long life for my parents for us to enjoy them!

Thank You for awesome teenagers.

Thank You for all the wonderful beginnings we celebrated this year!

Thank you for guys who help me in my garden.

Thank You for daisies in my yard.

Thank You for strong, godly sons.

Thank You for sunsets right in my own suburban back yard!

Thank You for garden strawberries that help make this possible.  ;)

Thank You for flower gardens.

Thank You for peaceful spots near home.

Thank You for technology!

Thank You for garden harvest.

Thank You for hard workers at home.

Thank You for Jacob's tree in autumn.

Thank You for my bench in my little corner of back yard.

There is so much more to be thankful for, but this sampling helps me realize I have ever so much to be thankful for!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge - No Fear

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew 

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Feel free to click on the other participants' blogs

to see what they've come up with!

Theme ~ No Fear

I'm posting rather late in the day, so fewer words with my pictures this time!  (So sorry I'm late!)

I got to choose the theme for this week.  Since Halloween tends to be about death and all things dark, and scaring the pants off people, I decided to go against the grain and challenge my colleagues to find images that show No Fear.

One day, Thomas was leaping over things.  So, we went outside (it was March) and I set up my tripod, cranked up the ISO to get a super-fast shutter speed (it was dismal and gray out), and he ran and jumped.  He almost didn't clear the glass-topped patio table.  Yikes!  But he showed no fear, and actually jumped 3-4 times.  Here's the sequence from which I pulled my header image:

Later, in a photography class I took, we had to take pictures showing motion--whether stop motion or motion blur.  So we went to a grassy area near our house and set up some sawhorses.  Danny and Thomas both jumped and had tons of fun doing it.

I love the below of Thomas, because you don't know where he jumped from, nor where he is headed.  Looks like he's flying!

Danny decided to be all acrobatic and everything, twisting in the air.  These next two shots show him traveling from right to left, spinning backwards then landing forwards.  Crazy kid.

I also loved capturing their expressions.  It truly was an art form for them.  Here's a funny:  While we were jumping and photographing, one car stopped, the driver leaned over toward the passenger window, and he took a picture of us!  Maybe he thought we were filming for a movie or something.  It was pretty hilarious.  After all the jumping, we walked across the street to Andy's, our absolute favorite ice cream (frozen custard) shop, because of course we had worked up an appetite.  ;)

My conclusion:  Teenage boys have no fear.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Portrait of a Young Man

There are actually two young men's portraits to share with you.  First, the 17-year-old young man, on the cusp of beginning his future with a year left in high school and so many possibilities for the future.

And second, the portrait of a fine young man, striding out into his future, starting his career in law enforcement with a summer internship.

Both young men are on their way, strong in integrity and sure in their faith.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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The Graduates, Part Two | Chicagoland Senior Portraits

Time for the sequel to our first group graduate portrait session!  Our first group session was held at a local playground and forest preserve, and was accented by rain, steadily getting worse as our session continued.  This second session started out overcast, and started to rain just at the end.  At least the overcast skies provided similar lighting in each session!  I would've hated to have had one rainy session with one blue-skies-and-sunny session.  ;)

Luke showed up early to get in some portraits he missed due to last session's rain, so I took him to my two pre-chosen spots in this particular park.  The first spot was at the footbridge--I loved the vertical and diagonal lines, and we could easily eliminate the houses that could otherwise have shown up in our prints.

 Luke, high school senior.

For the second location, we ended up under a willow tree at the edge of a large pond.  Although it was shadier, I loved how the willow branches framed the background.

Luke left and the rest of the graduates arrived, so we took care of the group portrait first.  I didn't want to run out of time, so we did a minimum of group shots and moved on to the individual poses.

HEART students, group shot.

Now that I had some group session experience under my belt, I was able to get shots off quickly, and cycle through all the graduates in a timely fashion--plus get some bonus images for each one!  That's always nice.  We started the poses at the bridge, with their caps and gowns.

Gideon, eighth-grader.

 Sophia, high school senior.

We then moved the graduates near the willow tree, where I had placed a stool for posing.  We had to contend with flat light, and a light breeze that wanted to push the girls' hair into their faces.  We dealt with it, and got some very nice shots.

 Kayla, high school senior.

 Danielle, high school senior.

 Teah, high school senior.

 Noah, high school senior.

Candid shot of Sophia.

The students were allowed to bring "props" with them to include in a special pose, if they desired.  In my mind, I was thinking of maybe a book, or a musical instrument, or flowers.  Although the students from the first session didn't bring props with them, this group delivered in spades.  I loved these images I got with them.

Lucy, high school senior and chef extraordinaire!

Gideon in camo gear, complete with Airsoft weapon.

Danielle with book and flowers.

Teah the Awesome (she was so sparkly in personality!) with iPod and earbuds.

Kayla with a pink rose.

Kayla's mom had done all the coordinating with the entire group of students and their families, scheduling portrait sessions and locations, and getting all the students together.  I was happy to get one extra post for Kayla by the bridge with her flute.

Again, with group sessions like these, the number of portraits for each student will be pretty low--maybe four or five--but a group session will fit pretty much anyone's budget.  Plus, it allows the students to have beautiful images done by their own personal, professional photographer at a location of their choice!  I think it's a win-win situation all around, and I love serving the homeschool community in this way.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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