If You Follow A Cat Long Enough

We have three cats. Tofu, the oldest, a male Siamese. Sia, a female Siamese and her half sister Nara.

My daughters Laura and Vanessa like to grab the camera and follow the cats or dog around. They take a whole bunch of pictures and occasionally when they follow long enough, they'll get an interesting picture. That's Sia who is yawning and Nara who is on the grass.

Since I now have about 500 pictures of the cats everywhere, I'll work with the Laura or Vanessa to reduce those to the best and most interesting. Then I'll delete the rest to save space and the headache in the future of organizing them.

They Just Grow Up Too Fast

Our youngest daughter Laura was in her first concert recital last week. This year, her first in middle school, she decided that she wanted to play in the band and wouldn't you know it, she picked the oboe!

Bands today sound a lot better than I remember when I played the trumpet, baritone and trombone in middle school. We were all very pleased and proud of Laura's performance.

I guess she can pay attention when she wants to.

Photo Tip: Use focus to center attention. You can create a center of attention by using you lens wide open (lower numbers like 2.8, 2.0 etc) The lower the number, the more control you will have over what is in focus and what is not.

Spring City, Utah

This weekend I travelled to Spring City, Utah for the funeral of Kathleen, a great aunt, one of my grandfathers younger sisters.

Spring City was originally settled in 1852 by James Allred and his sons. The Wakara War caused the settlers to leave for Manti and they later returned in 1859 to resettle the area and call it Spring City.

Spring City is about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City and is now considered an artistic haven with lots of local art galleries and small private museums.

The stone church above was built in 1902 and the influence of the early Danish settlers can be seen in the architecture. The church faces almost due east and so the early morning sun provides beautiful natural light. The annex to the right is a later addition to the buildings original structure.

I used a wide angle lens and framed the church with tree branches. You can see early buds emerging on the trees. Based on your personal belief, the emerging "buds" could represent a "re-birth".

Mother in Law

This past week, my Mother in Law passed away after a year long battle with cancer. Bette was raised by her grandmother, married and raised seven wonderful children.

During the last week of her life, as she lay in bed, the family gathered around her where we all shared memories of her great life. We had collected pictures from all of the family members and were able to create a video presentation and photo books.

The day that she passed on, we brought the photographs into the room and using a video projector, showed the images on the wall. As each image appeared, members of the family shared their stories telling us the story "behind" the picture. There was laughter and tears as old family memories were recalled.

Sharing these moments while Bette was still alive brought a spirit into the room that each person felt. It was undeniable that Bette not only heard the stories, but approved of the gathering. Each child had their own confirmation of this special moment. In the past, I had always considered these images and stories something that helped us recall and remember a special life after the person had passed on.

If you ever have the chance, be sure to share these special moments with the person you love while they are still here. The comfort you receive will be unforgettable and help bring comfort during a time normally reserved for grieving.

I chose the pictures above from hundreds available because I felt that they each told a special story. Bette as a young child sitting on her grandmothers porch. Then thirteen years old, in her prime. On the Bonneville Salt Flats during her "hip" period and finally, with her grandchildren, being the life of the party.

Also From Las Vegas

While walking from my hotel to the convention center, I noticed a little sideshow in the parking lot. Three or four motorcycle riders were jumping over the Boost vehicle from a ramp set up on the right. I stopped where the palm trees framed the rider in mid air (a little hard to see because of the lack of resolution on the iPhone). Also, I had to click the camera shutter when the rider was lined up with the palm tree on the right in order to get him in the middle. Cheaper cameras often have a delay between when you push the button and when the image is captured. You have to practice a little and then try a couple of times to get it right. I got lucky and got this on the first try.

Pics from the Road (literally)

This week I was on my way to Las Vegas for the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show. Somewhere around the city of Nephi, in Utah, the sun rose lighting the sky. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and rolling down the window while going 75 miles per hour, snapped the image above. The air was clear and you can see the remants of three old hanging glaciers on the mountain.

Armenia

In Armenia they still make their bread daily. These women are making a thin flat bread called "lavash". My daughter took this picture with a point and shoot camera. The image captures a key part of the Armenian culture.