Point and Pray Photography

Let Go(d)

I shot this photograph of the Atlantic Ocean on a trip to Florida several years ago. While revisiting older photos last week, it jumped out at me and wanted to play.

Jack-Jack's Call of the Wild

 

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/15s at f/2.8 @ 42mm and ISO 1600. No flash used, just light from overhead lamp reflecting off white blanket and spot metering used.

My 18 month old Morkie, Jack-Jack, is getting in touch with his feral side. And he's expressing his displeasure with the thermostat setting. Since Dallas temps dropped to below freezing, he's taken to hiding out in our master bedroom and making a den for himself inside our feather comforter.

Exposed 1/15s at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 at 38mm.

It brings back memories of required reading in high school, when I trudged through Jack London's Call of the Wild and learned how wolves will bury themselves in the snow, using their body heat - reflected in that small cavity - to warm themselves at night.

Apparently, that's what my little Jack-Jack has begun doing with my fluffy white down comforter. I'll find him curled up in a teeny-tiny ball, just a pair of shiny eyes amidst a puff of black fur, peering out at me from within the folds of my poofy white blanket.

Exposed 1/15s at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 at 38mm.

I love to pull the comforter back - he gets so irritated!

The Many Moods of Veronica

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 75mm; 1/320s at f/5.0 and ISO 400. Shot at abandoned railroad tracks in Allen, TX on a bright, sunny day in late October. Photograph was taken in shade (sunlight filtered through trees) with no flash and no light modifiers.

I should probably title this "Veronica Does Serious" or "Veronica, Pensive" because it's rare that we see her without a face-splitting grin. She giggles, bubbles, laughs, bounces ... but rarely is she quiet and serious.

Unless she's acting. :)

Triple Trouble

Shot with Nikon D300s & Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm; 1/60s at f/5.0 and ISO 800; diffuse natural light with no modifiers and no flash.

My brother & sister-in-law make beautiful babies. Their three girls are gorgeous ... but they're definitely triple trouble! Gabrielle Ilene, Lyla Mae, and Ivy Michele Lee. So sweet!

(And yes, it took me about 20 frames to get this one where all three of them were looking at me and smiling. Lyla likes to stick out her tongue and make faces, Ivy is squirmy, and poor Gabby was doing her best to keep the other two in line.)

But this shot made it all worthwhile!

A Belly Full of Promise

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/250s at f/2.8 and ISO 400 @ 60mm using indirect natural light (no modifiers).

I had the privilege of shooting this image for a friend from church who is expecting her second child any second now. Her sweet daughter, wearing a pair of fairy wings, posed for a variety of shots. This is one of our mutual favorites.

I see such promise in this image! Such hope for this new life, and for the relationship that will grow between these two sisters - yes, they're expecting another little girl. It truly is a belly full of promise.

Miss Thang

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6mm; 1/250s at f/4.2 and ISO200 @ 36mm. Shot at an abandoned railroad track & trestle in Allen, TX on a bright & sunny afternoon in late October in full sunlight. Diffuser used to create shade on subject's face, and fill flash used to balance out exposure.

How is it possible that this sassy young lady is my stepdaughter, Veronica? She's growing up, right before my lens...

This is the first of what will be many posts of shots from her 14th birthday photo shoot. Work it, Miss Thang...!

Beautiful Beth

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/125s at f/5 and ISO 800 at 62mm; shot at dusk with speedlight used for fill flash.

This is Beth. Isn't she gorgeous? She's my niece thanks to my marriage to Jim ... she's his older sister's only daughter. When we gathered in Louisiana for the Key family Christmas celebration in mid-December, I had the chance to do a shoot for Beth's family. I'm delighted to have this photograph to prove to her that she is just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside ... and that she should stop covering her face with her hair.

Love ya, Beth!

Michael, and His Guitar

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6; 90mm @ 1/250s at f/5.3 and ISO200; post-processing work done in Lightroom 3.

I shot this moody portrait of Jim's son, Michael, during our family portrait session in early December. We opted to use an abandoned railroad track in Allen for some fun, funky shots with Audrey - the same tracks where I shot Veronica's 14th birthday portraits - and we encouraged Michael to bring along his guitar for some additional flavor. Of all the shots I took that day, this is the one I like the best!

A Study in Texture

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/28; 1/50s at f/4.0 and ISO 800 using natural light and no modifiers.

I shot this fun portrait of my husband, Jim, at the Cotton Mill in McKinney on a bitingly cold December morning. I remember thinking this would make an interesting study in textures, what with the worn green velvet sofa, crisp blue denim of his jeans, the dusty wooden floorboards, the shiny metal guitar strings, the smoothness of his head, the whiskers on his chin, and the flaking, aging bricks in the wall behind him.

I can't wait to blow this one up real big and hang it on the wall at home!

I Will Praise Him

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/30s at f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light with no modifiers. Developed in Lightroom 3 incl. tone curve & vibrance adjustments.

I cannot seem to find the words to describe how happy this photograph makes me. This is my husband, Jim. He's been involved in leading praise & worship for much of his life ... whether that's vocally or by playing the bass guitar with the band.

With the pillars stretching on symbolizing eternity, and the room filled with sunlight, Jim is raising his arms to heaven praising an audience of One.

This was shot at the McKinney Cotton Mill on a very cold December morning. This is in the upstairs (and unheated!) portion of the Mill; it has floor-to-ceiling windows along three sides, made of old glass that's either colored or warped. So although I said this was shot with natural light and no modifiers, that's not exactly true - the windows of the Mill serve as their own wonderful diffusers. I don't think it's possible to shoot a bad picture in there.