Put On Your Game Face!

Tonight,  I was perusing the wedding photographic society forum.  A comment was made to another forum participant that he needed to add an avatar to his profile so people could associate a face with a forum post at our bi-monthly meetings.  This is something that I have not done yet either.

So I grabbed one of my favorite models and photography assistants named Sophie Jackle.  She was so thrilled that  I was going to actually allow her to touch my camera.  This is something that she is typically not allowed to do.  One would think that this because of my concern that she may accidentally damage my gear.  Actually, I may also be afraid that she would show me up with better and more creative photography.

Anyway, I sent up my 580EX flash unit with a 28 inch umbrella soft box as a key light.  I sent my 430 EX II with a grid spot for a rim light.  The intention here was to make a simple casual head shot for the forum.   I put my 50mm F1.8 lens on my camera and installed it on my tripod.  Nothing fancy.  Just trying to take a simple head shot for the forum.  The tripod would help make it easier for Sophie and me less nervous. 

H

ere is the headshot we ended up with for the forum.  I merely demonstrating what a game face was to my daughter Sophie using a souvenir I bought at one of my trips to Lambeau Field.   Here is the shot she took.  See I told you I should have some concern about her showing me up.  Great job Sophie!!!

Remember in previous posts,  I mentioned that we had to keep things even in our house between our two daughters. This works between fathers and daughters also.  Here are a few examples of  Sophie’s game face.

So next thing we knew, we heard footsteps. Apparently, our game face growls sparked this sweet and innocent little girl’s curiosity.

 

She is so cute and innocent.  I had to share another one also.

 

Remember that keep it even stuff.  Well, here are some shots of  Savannah’s game faces.

 

For good measure, one  rather loud one without the  helmet.  Apparently, she wanted to make sure you knew who was giving you the  game face !!


Now we had to pull out another one of my helmets for this “brown helmet” game face variation. 

 

Finally and last but not least,  a game face duet with a little Gene Simmons mixed in for good measure.

Did I tell you that both of my girls are requesting to dress up as Gene Simmons for Halloween this year?  Well, of course I had nothing to do with that request.  Do not believe my wife Jackie if she tells you otherwise.  Do you see my Mr. Simmons figurine perched on the shelf proudly watching Sophia doing her Gene Simmons imitation?

Till next time.  See ya soon!!

Note: Facebook readers can see bigger and higher quality versions of these photos by clicking  the “View Original Post” link on the Facebook page  below.  This will show this same post on my blog website. 

Caroline and Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, I experienced my first opportunity to be a second shooter for a wedding held at the Benson Memorial United Methodist church with the reception at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel.  Congratulations to Caroline and Jeff !  You and your families and friends are a great bunch of people!  Your wedding was a blast!

I would like to thank Brian Mullins from Brian Mullins Photography for my providing me this great opportunity.  As I progress in my photography, one of my goals is to do some wedding work.  Recently, I joined the wedding photographic society to network and share experiences with other wedding photographers in the Raleigh area.  I was hopeful to work with and learn from experienced and well respected wedding photographers.  One of the first steps of my plan is to work as a second shooter with these types of photographers.  Well,  besides being one of the founders of the wedding photographic society and his work is amazing, Brian definitely fits the bill.   I really appreciated the direction, useful suggestions, and valuable information he provided all night long. 
Check out Brian’s  work and let him or me know what you think.  

Here are some of my shots from my first wedding plunge.

  

The newly married couple takes a moment from the wedding formals.

The bride and grooms  first dance with paparazzi in the background.

 

Sharing a laugh with with the bridal party during the first dance with Brian in the background.

 

The father of groom provided a wonderful and humorous best man toast to the couple.

 

A moment with Jeff and Caroline on the dance floor later in the evening.

 

Doing the “electric slide” with the bride….

 

The  bride making her escape with the groom at the end of the night.

As continue to go through the images,  you will probably see more of Jeff and Caroline and their guest in the future on this blog. 

Take care and see ya soon!!

Grayson Highlights

The last few posts to this blog have centered around my recent family trip to the Grayson Highlands State Park. My sister-in-law Lori Lipkin and brother-in-law Craig Setzer arranged the whole thing and I was glad that we were able to participate in the festivities.  We had a blast especially with the bike ride on the VA Creeper trail.   I like the discussions we are having about making this trip an annual event.  It is only about a 4 hour drive from Raleigh to the state park.  I must say this state park has the cleanest bath houses I have ever seen in any camp ground. 

I finally had a chance to put all the images from the trip on the trianglephotoprints.com web site.   

This slideshow below showcases my favorite images from the trip.  Please place your mouse over the slideshow to see it’s added features like the thumbnail option, gallery link to the images, and full screen display.  

This slideshow requires the Adobe flash player.

If you are having issues viewing the above  Steve Picks slide show,  please try this link directly from the trianglephotoprints.com web site.   Do not just take my word for it,  please feel free to browse all the galleries from this trip.   Let me know what you think.  Did I pick the highlights or did you find some images that need to be included in this slideshow?

Thanks for stopping by!!  See ya soon!

Carole’s beauty shop and breakfast grill

On the way back from the camping trip, we spent the night at my mother-in-law Carole’s home.   The plan was to drop off Sophia for a few days with her grandma while she was still out of school.  As tradition as Carole’s house, we woke to a very nice breakfast meal.  It was no different this time.   Carole prepared  a dish called “SOS” which according to Carole has some sort of military origin.   Since this is a family-rated blog, I will suffice to say we had hamburger milk gravy over biscuits.

Anyway, after breakfast and three days of camping, it was bath time for the girls.  It was quite obvious from looking at the bath tub that  Carole used it for other purposes than taking baths.  So to work off my full belly,  I decided to scour out the bath tub so my little darlings can get cleaned up.  Each turn in the tub was followed up by beauty session at Carole’s beauty shop. 

Here are few shots from the styling session.

     

Both kids were happy as a lark … Then the bill came…..

Creeper trail, Raspberry, and independence.

As mentioned in my previous post,  we went camping in Virginia this past weekend.  One of the things we did was a 17+ mile mountain bike trail called the Creeper trail.   To be honest I was a little scared about this adventure.  It has been several years since I rode a bike.  What if I could not finish ? What about the kids?  etc… 

Well, there were 14 of us in our group that either had a bike or rented one.  The plan was to rent a trailer to haul the two kids behind a bike for the ride.  I was able to talk my brother-in-law Mike who is a more experienced biker to pull the trailer on the ride.   Our group ranged in ages from 3 -60+ so if my  9 year-old nephew and my 60+ mother-in-law can do this trail,  I better suck it up and finish the ride.   The good news that the trail is for the most part a down hill ride.  Everyone was able to finish this very scenic and worthwhile ride. I highly recommend this adventure to anyone.  You rent(or bring) a bike from the shop at the top of the hill and purchase a shuttle ticket that brings you back to the shop when you are finished with the trail.  So there is no uphill biking or walking.

 

There is just something about Savannah’s confidence and playfulness  in this shot that I love.  Savannah was playing with these two old bike tires that were replaced on one of the bikes before we went on the trip.   She was strutting around them full of energy just like you would expect from a 3 year after they were pulled in a bike trailer for almost 18 miles.  

What ever happened to the “raspberry” ?  I remember when we were kids it was used all the time as a response to someone proliferating some sort of falsehood.  Well, next I hear someone performing such an act, I will definitely think of this picture and maybe even pull the “raspberry”  out again for good measure. 

3 year independent child with energy + state park with hiking trails = this shot.  This shot was taken in Massie Gap at end of  a hike.   

More from Grayson Highlands to come!   Till next time !

Wild Ponies couldn’t drag me away!

Over this past weekend, we went camping at the western Virginia  Grayson Highlands State Park.   It had been several years since Jackie and I had gone camping.  This was the first time we took the girls camping.   My sister-in-law Lori booked all of us the group camp site in the campground that resides in this beautiful piece of mountain heaven.  We are already discussing making camping at this park an annual event.

About a mile from campground in the park is Massie Gap.  Wild ponies are known hang out there.   Here are just a few shots of the ponies while I go through the rest of the images this week.   I am sure these will not be the only images from the Grayson Highlands trip that you will see on this blog.   So stay tuned!

This flexible pony took care of an itch.

This pony was  helping out his friend by cleaning his/her mane.  

I love this shot of my baby holding a baby and fearlessly petting one of the wild ponies.

Sophia is having her turn.

Mommy pony and three babies: one pony, one human, and one plastic. Good thing the baby did not think the plastic one was food.  It sure does look like he is eyeing it though.

Again, things need to be kept even.  Sophia is taking her turn.

Through the Triangle

I was messing around with one of my favorite “live in” models today.  I was playing around with making a triangle with my hands as I shot Sophia using a tripod.   I was trying to get a “frame within a frame” type of composition.  Well, I am going to do some more work on this concept.  I have a bunch of ideas for this.

I  find these two images very interesting.  I call them through the triangle.

Remember when you are a father, one of the most important things when working with your children is to try to keep it even.  Dad, as you can see, I get what you preached to all of us kids when we were growing up.  Here is a shot with BOTH of my favorite “live in” models that are under the age of 30 something.  Or was it 29… I can’t remember.  :)

Hope your enjoy these !!!  Talk to you soon!

Independence Day – Freedom and a Lemonade Stand

The July 4th weekend means celebration for many Americans.   In North Carolina,  many folks in our area head to the beach for the weekend.  This weekend is the busiest weekend for the North Carolina beaches.   Some celebrate by grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the backyard and shooting off their own firework displays.  Others head to their local municipal firework location and hang with their fellow citizens. The point is that people have various ways of celebrating the July 4th weekend.

“Why do we celebrate July 4th?” asked our very inquisitive older daughter Sophia.  Our first response was that “we celebrate our freedom.”   “Freedom from what?” chimed Sophia.   My wife Jackie explained that back on July 4, 1776 our forefathers of our country declared our country’s  independence from the England.  Anticipating the next question,  I explained that “a forefather is not like your father or grandfather where they are related to us but rather they are the fathers of our country.”   Not sure if she fully understand this exchange, but it appeared to end any of her further inquiries.  So hopefully, we answered her questions.

This exchange got me thinking about the significance of  July 4th and what are we really celebrating on this weekend.  I think our first response was pretty accurate.  We celebrate our freedom.  Personally,  I believe it is much more that a celebration of the anniversary the signing of the Declaration of Independence document in 1776 even though this event was a very significant catalyst in the evolution of our freedom that we enjoy in our country.  One freedom I am currently enjoying is the ability to write this blog post without any interference or censorship from anyone.  People in other countries may not have this privilege.  I realize that this is a pretty shallow example of freedom but when you think about all the various freedoms we enjoy like this one,  it all adds up. 

I find myself reflecting  on our freedom evolution by recalling various events in our history like the following:  War of Independence, writing/signing of the constitution,  Emancipation Proclamation,  Women’s suffrage/rights movement,  civil rights movement, and the civil and world wars.   This list is not at all inclusive.   Our freedom did not come without a cost.  I am very grateful to all the people(civilians, politicians,  and military) that have fought and/or gave their lives for all the freedom that we all enjoy.  This is a celebration of our freedoms and their triumphs.  Thank you.  They are reminders that we too need to protect and fight for our freedoms.

Sporting the Red, White and Blue

Here are couple of shots of my dear Savannah sporting the red,white and blue.

 

The Lemonade Stand

Sophie is all into making the dollar.  In celebration of our American entrepreneurial freedom, we decided to setup a good old all-American neighborhood lemonade stand.   You may be thinking who will be in the neighborhood on July 4th that would enjoy some lemonade.  To be honest, we were a little concerned about this also especially since Sophia would have to reimburse us of the startup costs of the stand.  Well, this concern did not curb our enthusiasm.  We crossed our fingers and purged ahead.

Here is the creation of the all important  sign.  

The discussion of the lemonade selling strategy.

Lunch break at the lemonade stand.

The girls were startled by their first customer.   How can you resist buying some lemonade from these faces?  I guess I am a little bit biased. :)

Here is our first customer.  I had been watching our neighbor mowing his lawn. What better to enjoy than a cold glass of lemonade after mowing your lawn in summer heat ?  I find it even more fitting that he is proudly and appropriately wearing his “Army” t-shirt on Independence day.

Now for the finishing touches on the first sale. 

In the end, due to a last minute rush, Sophie was able to show a profit.  Thanks everyone!

Its A Jungle Out There – Blast from the past

Back in April,  Hilburn Elementary School presented a school play called “It’s a Jungle Out There.”  I finally had a chance to post some of the pictures from this event now.  

Here is a slideshow of all the pictures.

Facebook Readers:  Click here to see the slideshow.  

Hope you enjoy the pictures !  Happy 4th of July!!!!!!

The Show

Last week, my wife had a well deserved Girls night out(GNO) with her friends.  This provided me with the opportunity to spend a little time with my girls.  Well, my girls told me that I needed to stay downstairs and wait for “The Show” at 7 PM. 

In the meantime, I heard a little music coming from the closed door of their bedroom coupled with some whispers and shuffling of some feet.  I knew I needed to stay patient or I was going to ruin their surprise.  Nothing seems to make my kids happier than surprising people.

Finally, 7 pm arrived and I was ushered into the bedroom and told sit on their bed as “The Show” was about to begin.  Within minutes, both of the girls strutted out of the “dressing room”(adjacent playroom)  in their dance/gymnastics outfits. Sophie made a beeline for the clock radio/CD player and started a CD.  Savannah and Sophie got in position pausing for the music to begin.  The show was under way.  It was definitely the best choreographed  dance set I ever seen that developed by a  7 year big sister and very independent three year old.  I could not help but smile in pride. 

This past Sunday, grandpa Dennis(my dad) and grandma Ginger arrived on their way from Florida as they headed to southern Indiana to visit Great Grandma Jackle.   The plan was to have lunch together.  As soon as they arrived, the girls wanted to give them “The Show” that I was privileged enough to enjoy a few days earlier.

Here are some shots from “The Show” 

 

 

Now for a few shots of the audience:

Jackie and Ginger sharing an entertaining laugh together from the best seats in the house.

Grandpa Dennis is completely mesmerized by his grandchildren’s dance routines.

In the spirit of other great entertainers like Don Ho, Savannah provided a lei to her grandfather in appreciation for his attendance of the show. 

Apparently, Dad could not contain his excitement and affection for this present.  I am not sure exactly what this look means but I am sure it is probably good. :)

Here is a slideshow of the entire mini-gallery.  Tip: Slide your mouse over slideshow to see toolbars to control the show.