Another round of photography scavenger hunt photos

Today is the day I show you my latest finds for Rinda's 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt. Come on in...

1 - a bouquet of flowers

I have always made a habit of having fresh flowers on our kitchen table. I usually don't buy roses, but our local grocery store had these on sale a few weeks ago and I just couldn't resist. Wow - they were beautiful! Started out as tight little rose buds, opened wide, and lasted a full week! ♥ I read recently that having fresh flowers in your house can help fight depression. So there. :o)

2 - an ornate door knocker

This is one of those items that I wondered if I'd be able to find. When we arrived at my father-in-law's house last week for dinner there it was, for my photographing pleasure. {Three cheers for our US Marine Corps! Hip-hip-OOorah! Hip-hip-OOorah! Hip-hip-OOorah!}

5 - architectural columns

Downtown Chandler, Arizona - the old part of town that's all renovated and trendy and fun now - and a bit barren at this time of day. Summer heat, you know.

7 - a turtle

Casper the turtle to be exact. We've had such a great habitat for our two box turtles in this house! We'll really miss being able to see them on a regular basis because our new house doesn't have an atrium. Our new digs will require some clever thinking to figure out where we will keep them once we move. You know I'll keep you posted...

15 - a flag pole with at least three flags on it

(flags are US, Arizona, City of Chandler)

Text from Carrie a few weeks ago: "Wanna know some really good news?"
Me: "Of course!"
Carrie: "I found a flagpole with three flags on it."
Me: "OMG that's fantastic!!! Where?!?!"

I love that Rinda's photo hunt gets the whole family involved. This flag pole was in downtown Chandler in front of the Center for Performing Arts.

16 - a panoramic view, taken from someplace high in the air

We attended a Diamondback's baseball game on July 4th and arrived at the ballpark super early. I loved being able to get a table at Friday's, high above left field before crowds filled the place! We were able to watch batting practice before the game, have a leisurely dinner, and take a photo for Rinda's photo hunt. :o) Diamondbacks on the field, Carrie and Andrew on the right.

18 - an overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle

I snapped this photo on our way home from California at the beginning of June. Overloaded vehicle times two.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thirteen down, eight to go!

You can check out the rest of my summer 2015 photos here.

And Rinda's complete scavenger hunt list here.

♥

Our Saturday morning in downtown Phoenix

Monday morning sure rolled around quickly this week, but I'm not complaining. I had one of those weekends that was packed with non-stop cool stuff to be thankful for. I got up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and at 5:15 I received a sweet text from my 23-year old niece in California - just to say good morning and that she loves me. {Hi Brit!} How could I be grumpy on a morning like this?

♥

Doug and I met some friends for breakfast in downtown Phoenix on Saturday morning. We ate at Matt's Big Breakfast (highly recommend!!!) and then after our meal Doug and I strolled around the area to check out the latest wall art. I've blogged about this part of Phoenix before here and here - I love it. These photos were taken around the Roosevelt/3rd Street area within a 10 block radius.

 

This string "art" was random and somewhat lost on Doug (haha), and while not all of the art is really to my taste, I'm always amazed at the creativity of the pieces. Like this next piece - the subject matter is dark, but the vision and the execution - all on the sides of a building?!?! Wow...

♥ ♥

So cool, right? And that was just Saturday morning! Yesterday I spent the day taking a little road trip to Sedona with Carrie. Loved that so much and will have photos of that adventure later in the week.

And with that I'm off to see what this week holds in store.

Have a great one, my friends!

♥

Summer of 2014 ~ Final Photography Scavenger Hunt Photos

Yes, another summer has come and gone and Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt has come to an end. Her third year running, this summer's scavenger hunt list was every bit as fun as previous years.

I found everything on the list except for a parade. True story: I had a dream the other night that a random parade marched right through our neighborhood and I went scurrying inside for my camera, so excited to be able to grab that last item. But alas, by the time I got my camera and came back outside the parade had marched by. ~sigh~

Anyway! I managed to find 20 of the 21 items, and I'm using one of the substitute items to fill in the blank for the parade I missed.

1 - a sign welcoming people to your home town

2 - a garden gnome

3 - birds on a wire

4 - a group of tourists

5 - a rack of postcards

6 - an urban street scene {San Diego, California}

7 - a rural landscape {around El Centro, California}

8 - a tattoo on a person {Carrie getting ink}

9 - a bakery

10 - a photo bomb

11 - a horn

12 - a mascot

13 - a [tequila] sunrise

14 - a birdhouse {an allowed substitute for a parade}

15 - a juggler

16 - a sign in a language other than English

17 - a lamp post

18 - a waterfall

19 - a public garden

20 - a bus with a picture painted on its sides

21 - a photograph of me with something representing the season {summer}

So much fun, right?

One of the really fun things about this scavenger hunt is the variety of photos taken all around the world. Click here to visit Rinda's blog and check out links to other bloggers that participated in this photography scavenger hunt.

And a great big thanks to Rinda for hosting this fun event again this year!

♥

The aunt with the camera

When our niece's friend, Kali asked if I would shoot her college graduation photos I was hesitant. Oh sure, I had taken photos for her friend/my niece, Kaycee when she graduated from ASU. And I took them of Kaycee's sister Kelli for her high school graduation too - but I considered those to be a little favor for the graduates. Plus, those girls are my nieces and they knew going in that I am not a professional photographer. I'm just the aunt with the camera. Always with the camera.

Well, Kali had seen Kaycee's photos and loved them, so when she asked me a couple of months ago I said yes and then proceeded to worry about it just a little since then. Not really worry, but... well... just anxious about how the whole thing would go and hoping I could pull it off because there was payment involved this time. Yikes! That always makes me nervous.

When Kali and I met up over the weekend she had her friend/my niece Kaycee with her. I thought that was great because Kali was nervous about being photographed, and I knew that Kaycee would be a fun addition to our session - Kali needed her support.

At the beginning of our photo shoot, Kali was quick to tell me how un-photogenic she is. "I take terrible pictures!" she proclaimed, and I told her not to worry. She told me that if, after our session, we only had THREE good shots she would be happy and so would her mom. That didn't phase me because by the time Kali was telling me how bad things were going to be, I had already started shooting and had captured at least three good shots while she was telling my how impossible that was going to be.

As you can see by the photos in this post, Kali relaxed and we really had a fun time at the park Saturday afternoon. I loved uploading my photos later and seeing the progression of her shoot. The first set of photos were good, but there were a few forced smiles or slightly awkward laughter shots. About mid-way we hit our groove, and by the end Kali was having fun with it and hanging from trees! LOL.

I loved the entire process of shooting Kali's photos! I loved the planning that went on in my head before the shoot; loved the challenge of proving her wrong when she believed she was not photogenic; loved talking to her and joking around until she relaxed and trusted me; and I loved knowing that I captured some beautiful images of her at this exciting time in her life. It felt like a huge responsibility and I feel like I delivered. I'm honored that she chose me to photograph her.

Congratulations, Kali!

And all the best for your very bright future, sweet girl!

♥

This is Olivia

at 17 days new.
♥ 

I wanted this post to contain words to tell you how I feel about this little girl. I wanted to articulate the way she humbles me and reminds me that life is full of new beginnings, how tiny and floppy and frail she felt as she was passed from one aunt to another last weekend. And the way the simplest little twitch of her mouth sends everyone around her scurrying because we all want to make her happy. She's just a perfect little miracle and a breath of fresh air for our family.

 

There's something so magical about having a new baby in the family - something I'm still soaking in and processing in my mind and heart. So instead of a whole bunch of jumbled and mushy words today, I'm giving you a whole bunch of photos of Olivia's little world right now.

 

Olivia's mommy stenciled this design on the wall over her crib. Photos don't do it justice - it is gorgeous!

 

Of course, I took some photos of my brother, Ron, with his wife, Ryann and their new baby girl. I loved having the opportunity to photograph them! I think this one is my favorite:

 Great big love in a teeny tiny package.

My heart does flip-flops over her.

♥

She must be a really good mom.

As the wedding attendants prepared for the ceremony to begin, the little ring bearer and his parents arrived and joined in the process of getting ready for the wedding. I noticed Carter and his mom in the living room, and I slipped in to shoot a few photos. When Carter heard my shutter click he looked up, and I struck up a conversation with him.

 “How old are you?” I asked, and his little hand fumbled to hold up three fingers.

“You’re three? Wow – that’s big!” I continued. “Is that your mom helping you with your bowtie?”

Carter timidly answered my question by nodding yes.

And when I said, “She must be a really good mom to help you like that,” the corners of his mouth turned up in the sweetest smile and he nodded yes again as he spontaneously lunged forward and hugged his mom tightly. Oh my gosh – just so sweet.

I continued snapping photos of Carter and his mom, and I loved hearing the way Carter’s mom spoke to him. Her tone was soft and loving, kind and patient. Her sweet and compliant little boy allowed her to fix his tie and adjust his clothing without any objections.

The look on Carter’s face when his mom hung the “Here comes the bride” sign around his neck was priceless! Time stood still for a second and I heard his mom reason with him. “It’s just like your program at school,” she reminded him, and went on to explain what the sign said and that the bride and groom wanted him to wear that for the wedding.

There was a brief moment when I wondered if Carter would protest. He didn’t seem so sure, and even went so far as to test the lettering on the sign – rubbing a letter to see if it was a real chalkboard that could be erased. And in as much time as I thought there might be protest, he was totally fine with the whole thing and very compliant.

The photos taken of Carter just as he was preparing to head up the aisle for the wedding ceremony show his sweet and trusting relationship with his father. His dad had walked with him just so far, and then stepped away prematurely. Carter paused, not sure he really wanted to continue up the aisle when his dad stepped back and gently nudged him forward.

As the afternoon and evening wore on, I noticed Carter here and there among the wedding guests. There was something so sweet and endearing about him, and it was clear that the people in his extended family feel the same way about him.

One of the things I love most about photographing events like this is the opportunity to witness relationships and sweet connections like the one Carter has with his mom and dad. It was so refreshing to witness their interactions, and I can only imagine how much he is adored at home.

I sent an email to Carter’s mom and asked if I could share these photos on my blog and she kindly gave permission. Judging by the lovely little boy she’s raising, I’d say she must be a really good mom.

♥

Celebrating our niece

Today I'm wearing my proud aunt hat and sharing

photos of our sweet and beautiful niece Kaycee.

♥

 

Kaycee is graduating from Arizona State University in December with a degree in nutrition. I was so happy when she asked if I'd take some pictures of her to document this time in her life, and the icing on the cake was getting to spend some time with her on a lovely Saturday afternoon.

 

Before we left my house to head over to Desert Breeze Park for our photo shoot, I felt a little nervous. I get that way before I shoot because, well, I'm not a professional photographer and I always hope that if I take enough shots there will be a few usable ones in the mix. As usual, it was silly for me to fret, because this girl and my camera are best friends. It was kind of like when I took pictures of her sister. Their natural beauty and the fact that I've been taking pictures of these girls for over 10 years now (camping trips, family gatherings...) helps them to relax while I click away.

 

I did ask Kaycee if she'd mind if I posted a few photos of her on my blog and she sweetly replied that she loves being on my blog. :o) Awesome.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, Kaycee.

You've worked so hard to get to where you are, and you

make our family proud in so many ways!

Go get it, girl!

♥