Happy Halloween...

Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Fright Night, etc., has always been one of the "high holy days" for me, my friends, nephews and family. I shot this in my driveway this evening and thought about Halloweens gone by. We were never able to afford store-bought costumes growing up, so, hours of effort went into making originals each October attempting to top last years, while we dreamed about our candy haul and self-righteously mocked anyone who wore those fake-looking Ben Cooper costumes. Nowadays, we get ready by decorating the house, watching "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" and after Miss B goes to bed, "Halloween", the original and still the best of it's genre, with Jamie Lee Curtis. Miss B has three costumes this year: a crayon, Tinker Bell, and a pink poodle for all the pressing, social engagements of her busy, 5 year-old life. How things change. Have a great evening, everybody!

Jewelry in the Studio...

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be reshooting this Karen Moyer necklace in a more interesting fashion. Since I shoot for quite a few artists, I always ask a lot of questions as to how they are planning on using the photos. An image like this would never even be considered for a juried show, competition, or gallery submission because of the "props", but in advertising, hey, anything goes!

Precious Stones...

Shooting precious stones in the studio today and getting some interesting effects. A deceptively simple lighting set-up with one little Speedlite and some black felt yields some other worldly features. As one of my mentors, John Shaw, used to say, "the closer you look, the more there is to see!"

Wonders of Walking...

Shot yesterday for my friend Judy Heller and the Wonders of Walking Pumpkin Caper 5K, held in Beaverton. Wonders of Walking promotes a healthier lifestyle with the benefits of walking fast. I've known Judy for several years now, but only got a real sense of what she does, working the event yesterday. Great crowd, fun time and cool photos on a crisp fall morning!

Proud Dad...

Tonight was the "50's Sock Hop" at my daughter's elementary school. One thing I've noticed about your kid starting kindergarten is that YOU make a lot of new friends. This is my new friend, John, taking a picture of his daughter competing in the hula hoop contest. His daughter and my daughter are new best friends from school. To see them play together is like watching one brain in two bodies.
Lucky shot to catch the flash, sure, but what struck me was I can almost feel the pride he does, capturing this moment, as she is the last one "hoopin" in her contest. Never got to see his shot (hope I look cool, Daddy-O!) and oh yeah, I did blur the background. I had to. There are too many lawsuits out there :-)

Yakima Weekend...

Went to Yakima, Washington this past weekend for our annual October visit to Grandma's, picked up lots of produce and tried out some new toys (thank you, UPS man!) Stopped at Jones Farm for some incredible pumpkins, butternut squash, gourds, Cinderella and albino pumpkins and to play in the maze, of course! Beautiful day in the hops capital of the world (and we all know what hops are for, don't we? ;-)

Out Back, Back to School Night...

Stuck my head out the gym door at Back to School Night this week and found some young men shootin' hoops. Was such a nice little evening in our quiet little neighborhood!