Monthly Archives: April 2011
tish+kids
When my good friend, Tish, called me up and asked me to shoot some pics of her and her two boys, I jumped at the chance. I don’t get to shoot people very often, so any time I can practice on real people is great! Besides, Boomer needed a break.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with us. The day came and it was foggy, cold and extremely overcast all day. We made the best of it, though, and the boys were troopers. I think we even came out with a few decent shots.
To see more of Tish, John, and Evan, check out my portfolio.
Uncle Stevie’s Birthday
The fam came downtown to celebrate Stevie’s birthday last night. I made dinner and a german chocolate cake from scratch. Yes, scratch! It took about 4 1/2 hours and one of those hours standing in front of the stove stirring the icing while it cooked, but I think it turned out pretty good. At least everyone said it was good…I didn’t have any because I hate coconut. I guess they could have been lying to not hurt my feelings. Regardless, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again anytime soon. How on earth did people make cakes from scratch all the time?! The cake part wasn’t too bad, but the icing was a beast!
Good times were had and the puppies (Boomer & Luna) got lots of attention. Steve even put in a new chandelier in my bedroom for me!
I hadn’t had my camera out in a few days, so it gave me a chance to try to get some good Luna pictures. She’s usually tough to photograph because she doesn’t sit still! Her parents, Kevin & Emily, obviously never taught her how to sit and pose when the camera comes out like my dogs do.
Anyway, it was a fun night. I like when we can all get together…even if Ardys could only join us through video chat. It’s getting harder to do these days since the kiddies are all grown up, Ardys moved to Alabama, and I moved downtown. So it’s nice when we can all manage to get together.
As always, you can see more photos in my Flickr Photostream.
Veruka Tuesday
85mm ISO640 f/1.8 1/320
Many people are surprised to learn I have a cat. After all, I’m pretty obviously a dog person. I take lots of photos of my dogs, and I always have at least one dog with me wherever I go. I’m an unashamed 100% dog person.
But about 10 years ago, after the sudden and tragic death of the Best. Dog. I. Ever. Had., I illogically decided to get a cat. I’d never owned a cat, but with some encouragement from friends telling me things like, “It’ll be like having a dog, but with less maintenance!” and “Cats take care of themselves and just want to sit on your lap when you watch TV!”, I adopted Miss Veruka and quickly discovered that my friends lied like the lying liars they are.
Veruka (aptly named after the spoiled, snotty girl from Willy Wonka), hates all living things. And she’s not too crazy about me, either. She spends most of her time alone, in the back of the closet, only venturing out for a quick 30 second rub-down at the time of her choosing. I get it…she’s a cat. But I managed to end up with the cattiest of all cats. The definition of Cat. The cat that when people talk derisively about cats…she’s that cat. I didn’t get the friendly fat cat who loves to rub and purr all over the place when company comes over. I didn’t get the cat that likes to play with puppies. I didn’t even get the cat that likes to lay on your lap when you watch TV.
I got the cat who wants to chew my face off.
She has her moments, and in those moments I try to capture what I can on camera because they’re very few and far between. They come on what we call “Veruka Tuesday” around here. Tuesdays are the days the dogs go to the groomer. So while they’re gone, she comes out of her closet and does cat-type things like sit in front of my monitor and knock things off my desk. Or chew on my hair. Or go on the hunt for ponytail holders.
But then the dogs come back at the end of the day, and she’s back in the closet until next Tuesday. *sigh* I managed to get some good shots of her today, though. She may be a complete bitch, but I still love her.
Spring
85mm ISO 100 f/1.8 1/6400
It seems like it’s taken longer than usual, or maybe it’s because this winter has been especially brutal, but the trees here in Kansas City are finally starting to get leaves and blooms. I love this time of year! Nice to see you again, Spring! Stick around for a while, won’t you?
Dog Park Day!
So, it seems as if Spring might be here to stay. *knockonwood* Boomer and I took advantage of this first dry day and went to Penn Valley Dog Park. We love it here, but with a big chunk of it missing grass we can’t make it very often due to Boomer’s long, flowing, feminine locks.
I brought my camera with the 85mm fixed lens today and shot some fun pics at the park and nearby Liberty Memorial.
Check out more photos from today at my Flickr Photostream.
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