New York City

My husband and I just got back from an overnight trip to NYC to see Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway. (Excellent show, by the way. Kevin Kline was born to be on stage! I can't imagine anyone else playing the part of Cyrano as well as he did. Jennifer Garner did a wonderful job as Roxane.) We had a little bit of time to do some touring. My favorite spot was Rockefeller Center. The tree was amazing. NYC is beautiful at Christmas time. We went to Times Square but I didn't have my camera at the time. It's hard to imagine the tons of people that will crowd into that small space in just a few days on New Year's Eve. We passed Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and of course a trip down Broadway to see all of the marquees. I also snapped this photo of the Empire State Building on our way out of the city today.

Ice!

Yesterday we had some freezing rain which made our trees look really pretty. Thankfully the roads weren't too bad and the ice wasn't heavy enough to cause power outages. Everything looked so beautiful this morning when the sun started shining through the ice dripping off the trees and plants. These are a few pictures from our yard.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

This little snowman sits in my Mom and Dad's front yard. I was outside one night playing with my camera on my tripod and snapped this picture. We're getting some freezing rain right now. I'd rather have snow!

Christmas Photo Cards

It's become a tradition in our house for me to take a picture of my kids each year and use that to make our Christmas Cards. I used my roll of white seamless paper on my background stand in our garage. Natural lighting, no lights or flash. Camera on tripod.

Evan's Faces

My nephew did some posing for me at our family Christmas party on Saturday. He shared some of his "faces" for the camera. From left to right: "Evan, show me your silly, mad, scary, happy face."

Christmas Traditions

We spent our weekend decorating for Christmas. This is our new pre-lit tree. I love real trees, but you can't put them up this early and expect them to survive until the day after New Year's Day when I usually take it down. Less mess this way, too. Still, you can't beat the smell of a real, fresh tree. This little angel ornament hung on my grandparents' trees for many years. It was our yearly tradition to decorate their tree on Christmas Eve. We each had our own ceramic ornament that my Mother painted for us. Now that my grandparents are gone, this little angel makes her home on my own tree, along with the ornaments my children hang up beside her. I love Christmas. I love traditions. I love special memories.

Sleepy Cat

I wanted to play with my flash last night, so I used my sleepy cat. He was curled up by the fireplace with his little blue mouse, so I was able to snap a few photos of him.

Photographing Toddlers

It's a challenge to photograph a toddler! They are always on the go, so my camera has to stay ready. I was able to capture a few shots of this busy little guy. It was so much fun!

Too Big For Santa?

Austin talked to Santa at the elementary school's annual Holiday House yesterday. He did not want to sit on his lap, so he stood beside him and tried to remember what was on his Christmas list for this year. He looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed to be talking to him. I think my baby is getting too old for Santa.

A Day In D.C.

Andrew's class took a field trip to Washington D.C. yesterday. It started out very rainy and yucky, but thankfully the rain was about finished by the time we arrived. We spent the morning in the Natural Science Museum and finished up the afternoon at the Air and Space Museum. Four hours on a school bus was not very pleasant, but we had a good time.

Fall Family Photos

Yesterday I had a cooooooooooold photo shoot! It was cloudy and 43 degrees. These kids were adorable and so well behaved. We took "coat breaks" in between pictures. They were real troopers! Maybe they'll let me take more photos when it's warmer and brighter :) Thanks, "M" Family, for letting me practice on you!

Cub Scout Regatta

Austin had his first Regatta at Cub Scouts tonight. He had to decorate his boat and then the boys raced each other by blowing on their sails to make the boats float down the rain gutters. He was heartbroken when he didn't win. He was hoping for a special ribbon. Maybe next year!

Trick Or Treat!

The rest of our scary crew...Andrew the reaper and Adam the metallic skeleton. Bill carved pumpkins for us this year. We have a Black Widow spider and a spooky tree. They were a hit with our trick-or-treaters!

Scary

What happened to the days when I could get my boys to dress up in cute little lions, puppies, bumblebees or Blue's Clues costumes? Now they all want to be SCARY. Austin had his Cub Scout Halloween party this evening, so I took a couple of pictures before he left. I'll post my "Grim Reapers" over the weekend when we go trick-or-treating.

Good Friends

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking family pictures for one of my dearest friends. This is a little sneak peek until I get their proofs to them. Thank you, "E" family, for a very fun afternoon!

Burn Barrel

Just playing with my RAW settings. Nothing very exciting today!

Canon 20D

Canon 50mm 1.4

Shutter Speed 1/200

Aperture f/3.5

ISO 100

Shot in RAW mode

Lewes, DE

Every fall I go to Lewes Beach in Delaware with a few of my favorite ladies in the entire world. We rent a three bedroom condo and spend three days scrapbooking, stamping cards, shopping, watching movies and eating yummy food. The top photo is the view from our condo. The bottom photo is one of the delicious crepes from The Bayside Skillet in Ocean City, MD. These crepes are SO worth the 45 minute drive from the condo to get them. I always look forward to our yearly girl's weekend.

Tania

My cousin Tania was a willing model for my first senior photo shoot. Isn't she pretty? I learned a lot from this shoot...what I did right, and what needs work for the next time. Thanks so much, Tania!!! (As always, click on photos to see them larger)

Handsome

I know, I know. All parents think their kids are cute, but he really is a cutie, isn't he? I had this printed out as a 5x7 by a professional lab to see what their quality was like. It turned out really nice. I think I have myself a new photo lab!

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/125

Aperture f/3.2

ISO 100

Berries

This is from one of our trees in our front yard. (Click on this one. It looks much better up close and personal!) The kids like to pull these berries off the tree and throw them at each other. Boys...

Canon Powershot G3

Shutter Speed 1/200

Aperture f/3.0

ISO 100

Swinging

My little guy loves to swing. This is a quick picture I took this evening while we were playing outside.

Canon Powershot G3

Shutter Speed 1/200

Aperture f/5.0

ISO 100

Bee and Web

This one isn't quite as sharp as I would have liked it. It was breezy the day I took it, so I couldn't get the flower to behave and hold still for me. I love close-up nature photos. One of these days I'll have to invest in a good macro lens.

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/500

Aperture f/2.8

ISO 100

Me And My Shadow

We took the kids to Lake Tobias Wildlife Park on Sunday. They have a nice petting zoo and safari ride. The boys loved how the animals would walk right up to them without fear. They were allowed to feed them crackers, popcorn and kernels of corn.

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/1250

Aperture f/3.2

ISO 100

Nature

I took some pictures in my Mother-In-Law's garden this weekend. I love nature photography. Critters, animals, flowers...God's beautiful creations.

Bee Photo:

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/1000

Aperture f/4.0

ISO 100

Butterfly Photo:

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/400

Aperture f/2.8

ISO 100

Is It An Alien?

No, just a Praying Mantis. These little critters are so fascinating close up! He did not like me being so close to him. He kept turning his head and staring at me. He kept an eye on me at all times. Make sure you click on these to get a larger, closer view!

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/500

Aperture f/7.0

ISO 400

Adam

My middle child. Three boys. No, we aren't trying one more time for a girl. Yes, we get asked that ALL the time. We like our family just the way it is.

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm
Shutter Speed 1/100
Aperture 3.0
ISO 100

Austin

My baby. Not quite a baby anymore, I guess. He's a big first grader this year. Every time I try to take a picture of him he either gives me this sideways head tilt, or he lifts his chin up in the air. I guess he's searching for his "best side" for the camera.

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75 2.8mm

Shutter Speed 1/200

Aperture f/4.5

ISO 100

Ethan and Evan

My 2-year-old identical twin nephews. It's hard to get them to stand still long enough to take a picture, and it's even harder to get them to smile when the camera is pointed at them. But aren't they cute?!

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Shutter Speed 1/800

Aperture f/2.8

ISO 200

Andrew

This is my oldest son. It's hard to believe he'll be a teenager next year. Where does the time go? How can I be old enough to have a teenager?!

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Shutter Speed 1/400

Aperture f/2.8

ISO 100

Toby

This is Toby, one of our cats. He is my willing model when I want to play with my camera and no one else is home. He does, however, look at me like I'm crazy when I lie down on the floor beside him and point my camera at him.

Canon 20D

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Shutter Speed 1/20

Aperture 2.8

ISO 200

Baby Bird

Austin found this baby bird on our front porch one morning last week. He looked dazed, so we think he may have flown into our glass door and made himself a little loopy. I was able to run into the house and grab my camera and get very close to him to take a picture. After I snapped a few, he flew away.

Canon Powershot G3

Shutter Speed 1/80

Aperture 4.0

ISO 100