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.

“Faces of Savannah” plus one.

Several years ago, when I got my first Canon digital SLR camera, I purchased it with a standard 18-55mm kit lens.  At the time one my friends suggested that I also purchase an EF 50mm F/1.8 prime lens. He thought at the time that this prime lens was one of best bang from your buck and is faster(higher aperture) than the kit lens.  I was able to find this lens for right around $100.00 and it became part of camera bag. 

Besides the auto focus being a little slow and noisy,  this lens is definitely worth the money.

Fast forwarding from those days,  I mainly use two lens now that are in the Canon professional “L” series:  the 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.   Each of these lenses cost more than my current Canon digital camera.  These lenses saved me some “feet zooming”  with their wide range of zoom capability. Their build quality is excellent.

I decided to dust off my old 50mm this past weekend and play around with some wide open apertures that even my precious “L” lenses could not produce.   I think the children were caught a little off guard by this lens as it is substantial smaller than the other two canons of lens(no pun intended).   I could actually get my Savannah to sit fairly still for some shots.    I think the fact I was almost in her lap taking these pictures instead of standing across the room made a difference. 

Here are some shots that I call the “Faces of Savannah”

I love this one for a variety of reasons especially her eyes .  Notice in the lower left hand corner,  Sophia (my oldest daughter and marketing manager) has left a Triangle Photo Studio business card on their dresser ready for action. 

Here is the “Plus 1” .  I find this shot of Sophia very intriguing so I had to add it.  Can you guess what she is thinking?

I hope you enjoy these!  See you soon!!

Explore – Dance recital 2009 – sneak peek

 

The first part of this month has been a crazy one for me.  I am not complaining as being busy is a good thing. Anyway, I am finally getting a chance to go through some of the images of the recent Explore Dance recital held in Wake Forest, NC at the end of May.   I wanted to share this sneak peek of some of the images taken during the recital.

Here is a shot of one of the dancers taking a brief break from her dance duties.

 

These are a couple of shots of Haley who appears to be born to dance.  Great job Haley!!!!!

 

Here are some shots of main organizer and dance instructor extraordinaire  Stacey showing her younger counterparts how it is done.

 

 

      

I will be adding more of these photos as I continue to work through them.  Hope you like them!!