Amanda

Sometimes the best shoots are the ones not planned. Ananda (MUA mm#667936) always seems to know the best models. Amanda was no expection, she channeled Twiggy for the entire shoot and we had a blast.

Amanda and Lynsey

Sometimes shoots flow with an easy ebb and other times they are just painful to get done. Usually I can tell how the post production is going to go by the how the shoot actually went. The best I hope for is I am getting better so the shoots go well which will allow the post production to go quickly.

I am still amazed when I open a photo and the photo speaks to me. That I actually captured something with camera. I had so much fun with Lynsey, Amanda, and Ananda last weekend and it shows in the photos.






If you would like to see more photos of Amanda and Lynsey, please check out my flickr account.

Lynsey B

I shot Lynsey B (mm#1305949)on Saturday in Elmwood Cemetery. Elmwood is a great location, great stones and the city in the background. The day was grey and very overcast with the threat of rain. Ananda (mm#667936) came to do Lynsey's makeup and I enjoy having him around. Ananda always brings friends who also model for me and the shoot wound up being so much fun. So far I have only gotten to Lynsey's photos, but will be posting Amanda's (Ananda's friend) soon.











If you would like to see more photos of Lynsey, please check out my flickr page.

Crown Memorial

I am always driving around looking for places to take photos and sometimes I find the oddest things. I also seem to have a radar for cemeteries, I can find a cemetery like some women find a shoe store. This pass weekend both kicked in. I was driving through an industrial park when I found a very odd cemetery, The Crown Memorial.

The following passage was taken from their website. "In the middle of the park is the Crown of Life, Crown Memorial Park's centerpiece feature, welcomes souls into enternity. This stunning 3-story statue marks our premiere section."





I found the statue to be a bit creepy in the very early morning light out in the middle of no where.

If you would like to see more photos of Crown Memorial or Pineville, please check out my flickr page,

Finding my Center

My life can be overwhelming and chaotic. When my mind is going full blast it is difficult to feel peaceful. I have tried many outside sources to help calm my mind and being but none seem to help near as much as photography. Photography forces me to slow down and to really look at things, to see the light and shadows playing across buildings and people we see everyday. To see how things look different in the early morning light compared to the harsh reality of the noon day sun. To see how the earth prepares for the nighttime, by giving us such a range of colors as the sun goes down.

So many times in our busy lives we have gotten away from the wonder that is a beautiful day, be it either sunrise or sunset. We have two chances most every day to be amazed and we let it slip away.

Passion

I didn't have any model shoots this weekend, so I have been sitting here catching up on odds and ends photos that needed post processing. The following photos were taken in Charlotte near the Time Warner statium while I was waiting for Justice to show up last weekend.

As much as I like shooting models, my passion seems to be buildings and objects. Doesn't seem to matter if it is the city or decaying buildings, I like solitude of wandering around looking at objects differently.







If you would like to see the rest of the photos, please check out my flickr account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/debra_pictures/

Everyone needs a hobby

Sam, the girls and I went to Latta Planation over the weekend. Taylor is such a history buff right now and Charlotte is full of history. If nothing else, I am learning there are two sides to every story. The "Southern" version that Taylor is learning is sometimes very different from the "Northern" version I learned in school.

They were staging a Revolutionary War Reenactment at the plantation and we thought Taylor would enjoy it. We didn't stay for the actual reenactment but wandering around chatting with the people was very interesting and we had a good time.

The sun was a bit harsh for my liking but I was still able to get some nice shots.

I chatted with the blacksmith for a bit, somehow we got on the topic of snow. His wife was from somewhere up northeast. He kept working as we talked. I am not sure what he was making but he must have left it in the fire a bit too long, because when he took it out and hit it with a hammer, the tip went flying off like a rocket. He had to chase it down, stomp on it and then empty his mug of water on it. "Damn that wasn't suppose to happen". When I asked to take his photo he wanted to make sure I got his "best side".



"Benjamin Franklin" made an appearence since he was on his Southern Tour. He was supposed to debated "John Adams", only "John" didn't show. Poor Ben, he was left to take questions from the "guests". Which was a bit painful, since Ben was a bit deaf and couldn't hear the questions. And really wasn't prepared for the ones he did.



And then there was this gentleman. He was quite entertaining and when I asked to take his photo, he proceeded to tell me his photo was in the every post office for 4 states. I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't think they had post offices during the Revolutionary War. And besides I am sure he was the Jedi Knight at the Microsoft Sharepoint gig I went to.



If you would like to see more photos from Latta Plantation, please check out my flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/debra_pictures