I enjoy the work I do for Valley Homes and Style. It gives me an opportunity to be creative without having to worry about hair, eyes and makeup. If that sounds funny, please note that I’m talking about my subject, and not myself. My makeup is rarely a problem.
The upcoming cover is a holiday shot that encompasses to fall season. I enjoyed it specifically because the room was dark and the windows face south and north. The joy comes because I get to mix light and that always provides fresh opportunities to apply priniciples from my teaching days.
Below is the cover shot… don’t tell Margo it’s in my blog. 😐
And remember the cat from the last cover I did? He’s back. He’s actually IN the photo, but behind the chair on the left side. You can see him if you look hard enough. If you can’t see him well enough, here’s another shot of him. He slept through the entire thing.
The magazine is available in most malls and realtor offices. We also usually have about 20 copies of each issue dropped off at the studio, too.
You know… I’ve long been a believer that some youth sports do not promote the kind of friendly, wholesome atmosphere I want my kid exposed to. Not that it matters, because both of them are grown, but I do have a grandson who will be old enough to play competitive sports soon. I hope he has the opportunity to get coaches who encourage and not tear down, fellow teammates who praise and not criticize, and fellow parents who make positive comments, not demeaning ones.
With that said, I move to Upward Soccer. We did team and individual pictures for this league last year in Winchester. The concept is basic enough, in that the kids get to play soccer for an hour, and then are gathered together with their parents for about 15 minutes worth of devotionals and prayer. It’s a great give and take. EVERY child gets an award at the end of the season.
While I hesitate to publish pictures of any one individual (there were over 300 kids), I will show you the fine group of folks who manage the league.
If you are a sports parent, encourage your kids and their teammates. If you can’t say anything nice… then go sit in the car. 🙂
As I’ve previously stated, I don’t do a lot of reviewing or recommending of products or services. But Diana and I went to see Little Miss Sunshine today and I had to share that I haven’t laughed this hard in a movie in years… literally years.
Mind you, this is not a family movie. It’s a movie about a family, and it has some sad points along the way. But it is intelligent humor and you do need to pay attention to what’s going on. But the casting was perfect, the circumstances completely believable, and the performances just amazing.
If you see no other movie this year, see this one. When it comes out on DVD, rent or buy it. You’ll want to watch it again.
We went out for sushi and Habachi afterward… yum!!
Aww… Monica and Joe. What a sweetheart couple!
Married in Inwood, with a reception in Martinsburg, they were really just the perfect pair. I really like these guys. They are so down to earth and fun.
We started at the church, where Monica was getting ready in a room at the back of the sanctuary. Joe was getting ready with the guys downstairs in what amounts to a large room with chairs and a table. The bride always gets the good dressing room. 🙂
The ceremony was preceded in party by a slideshow of images from Joe and Monica’s childhoods, plus some recent photos of them. It was fun to see how they’d grown up. The ceremony went off with nary a hitch and it was on to the reception.
Their first dance was pretty emotional, and I think they were just very happy to finally be together. The dance reflected how well they go together.
But then it was on to the festivity of merriment and celebration. Greg, the usually fun-loving DJ, was in rare form tonight and kept the place hopping with plenty of things to do, including a YMCA presentation by the groomsmen, lots of noisemakers and dances that encompassed the whole ballroom, and lots of other fun events that kept people off their seats and on the dance floor.
Monica and Joe just seem so happy together. We’re looking forward to continued happy times for them.
So I was at this wedding rehearsal where Diana was the minister and in complete command of the event at hand. The bride is lovely, although looking a little tense and ready to strangle someone… thankfully I wasn’t involved in the least. I was there to support my wife, Reverend Di.
I watch and listen politely, while playing a game on my Palm (Crosswords, in case you’re interested). I notice one of the owners of the Purple Iris, which is where we were (otherwise this would seem very odd indeed), come from what is essentially the carriage house carrying a huge platter of what looks like rolls or sandwiches. I continue to watch as she walks the path, turns into the kitchen area and disappears. I watch again as one of the employees does the same thing. And then again as the owner, Tiffany, brings yet another huge platter of these things.
The last trip, she drops of her platter inside and comes out to the herb garden and plucks a few somethings, then goes back in. A world of speculation comes to mind, of course. It’s rather late, and the only other thing going on at the place is a small meeting of some kind that has already broken up. So the only thing I can think they are doing is preparing for the wedding which is the next day.
A few more folks come and go, and Diana is at the stage in her rehearsal where everyone is doing a full run through. I’m a bit more interested now, because I’m a softy from way back and enjoy weddings a great deal.
Just then I noticed that someone was coming out of the kitchen, with a platter of whatever those things were, and taking them BACK toward the carriage house. And then another platter, and finally a third.
Now Diana will tell you I’m very nosey. I just think I’m curious. If I was nosey, I would have followed someone and asked what was on the platter.
I prefer to think that they were dinner rolls or even bread loaves that needed an additional sprinkling of herbs to make them complete before being baked early the next day or late that night. Of course, I could be way off and they were actually just messing with my head.
Once the rehearsal was complete, we left.
I still want to know what was on the platters.
Amber called us the day before she needed a portrait sitting to get a few photos she needed for her entries into the Miss Teen West Virginia Pageant. We were happy to help. Amber brought quite a few outfits and mostly just needed a few different looks and views.
Below is one of her photos.
We’re not sure when competition starts, but the camera seems to like Amber and we think she’ll do well.
We first met Tamra when she was a cheerleader in Jefferson Youth Football. Her mother was the coach of her team and was as enthusiastic and energetic as the players and cheerleaders themselves. It comes through in her daughter, who is not only pleasant and cheerful, but also somewhat soft spoken, but determined in what she wants.
Her sitting was a reflection of her personality. She was a great subject, and knew exactly what she wanted. We did a few shots in the studio, and then moved to the nearby Morgans Grove Park.
Below is our Roses shot, which she very much wanted… Diana and her mother helped set it up, patiently lying on the floor while we arranged flowers around her.
After roses came the mirror. A staple with so many seniors, this one was especially nice because the colors and hair complement the image.
Lastly, a photo at the park. We did plenty of others, and her mother called a few days later after saying there were some poses they didn’t do, to tell us that it wasn’t necessary since the photos we did do were wonderful and quite sufficient.
Tamra will graduate from Jefferson High School in 2007. We wish her the best of luck.
Each year, Becky Ramsey and her husband celebrate their anniversary with a portrait sitting and have contacted us for the last two years to do so. Below is their annual portrait from a short sitting.
So for a year or so we have been trying to sell our piano. It belonged to Diana’s grandmother, and when Diana’s mom asked if she wanted it, she agreed to take it because Jess and Tara both had some musical interest and it might be beneficial to have around.
Until now. It mostly gathered dust, was a haven for a dog to lie under, and was a table for things that needed a home when we walked in the door.
So Diana listed it on Craig’s List. This was the first time she’d listed anything there. Two days later she got a call from a person who was viewing Craig’s List for the first time. They came to look at it a few days later, and agreed to take the piano. But they didn’t have the manpower or transportation to take it right away.
But today, they did. 🙂
With a piano lifting gizmo, four extra sets of hands, a lift-gate trailer, a big pickup to pull it with, and a little patience and coordination, the piano was gone about 30 minutes after they arrived.
We moved the chaise lounge into its place, and love having the extra room.
Of course, now I don’t have a place to sit my laptop bag. 🙁
There’s no question that you have to be talented to play a musical instrument. But there is certainly a degree of lunacy which accompanies being in a marching band. 🙂
Upon arrival, and while walking across the football field to where the band was getting in place there was mild cheering coming from the band. Jeff, my senior photographer motioned for an increase in volume, and apparently that also meant a standing ovation for my arrival. I felt kind of conspicuous, but also a bit honored. Many of the parents present were also cheering.
After making a few changes to the setup on the bleachers, and climbing up on the field commander’s platform, I managed to take a few shots of the band. Just before I climbed back down, though, they also wanted a “silly” picture. Happy to oblige, I took one.
Both images are below.
We will be providing photos to Martinsburg High School’s Band Spectacular on September 16. Look for more posts then.
