2010 : My Lens . My World . My Perspective

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You are currently browsing the archives for 2010

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:11 PM

On the day after Thanksgiving, we gathered at one of my Aunt’s house for a Sister Portrait Session. When my Aunts and my Mom get together, it is always an interesting and exciting time. I often times get invited to tag along, but on this occasion, I was contracted to do a portrait session! Now, we had been together for the past 3 days as one day we celebrated a birthday, then we celebrated Thanksgiving, now we were doing the portrait session, and that evening we were having a game night, but in spite of all of this QT (quality time), everyone still had love for each other. And when these ladies get together, you cannot control or stop the laughter! But that’s what makes them so beautiful on the outside as well as the inside! They don’t take themselves too seriously, they won’t hold onto unforgiveness for too long, they will celebrate with you, and at times they will laugh at themselves!

I never had a real sister, but this holiday season, I felt like I was a Sister-In-Training. Below are images from our recent Sister Portrait Session in the DC area. By the way, if you see something you like, please feel free to leave a comment!

And because I was working with family, I got to get in one of the shots. Thankfully the timer worked well!

2 Comments on It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Filed under:
- Family,
- Portraits

Holiday Visits

Posted on December 15, 2010 at 2:12 PM

The holidays for me have always represented an opportunity to visit with family and friends. My memories are marked by video cameras, Canon cameras (my Dad and my Uncle had Canon SLRs during my childhood, but for whatever reason, I went with the Nikon suite), food and desserts for everyone, parties, the purple Motown Christmas album (up until 1998, we played the actual vinyl album every Christmas), games, presents hidden in the Christmas tree, and children playing. Now that I am getting a little older, we do gifts less, but for the past 3 years, I have not missed my annual trip back home to TX to spend the holidays with family and friends.Out there, among other family, I have a great aunt that lives in a nursing home, and last year, we paid her a visit.

Now, I didn’t know too much about her, but she knew exactly who I was… as a matter of fact, she had pictures of me on her wall since my Grandma sent them to her. Now, in the whole scheme of a year, visiting with her for an hour or two does not seem like much. But when you think about how many visits she gets in a year, it places a premium on that one visit. As the viewers of my blog, I want to encourage you all to visit your loved ones, if you can… especially those that lived in assisted living facilities. Your time will mean the world to them, even if you think they don’t even know you’re there. You bring a little something special by just being there!

Below is one of my favorite pictures this season from a recent portrait session in Pennsylvania. What I love about it is her genuine expression and implied wisdom. Remember to spread the love this holiday season!

Care to leave a comment?

Filed under:
- Portraits

“You and I”

Posted on December 8, 2010 at 10:30 PM

Here we are on earth together,
It’s you and I,
God has made us fall in love, it’s true,
I’ve really found someone like you

Will it say the love you feel for me, will it say,
That you will be by my side
To see me through,
Until my life is through

Well, in my mind, we can conquer the world,
In love you and I, you and I, you and I.

- Lyrics from “You and I” by Stevie Wonder

When I was a teenager, I once helped a woman get some favors together for her wedding. I remember that day when we sat in her living room with supplies surrounding us on the floor and she was telling us about the song that she wanted to to have played as she came down the aisle: “You and I” by Stevie Wonder. Her dilemma was the fact that she only had the track on a record and she did not think the church would be able to play it over the PA system (this was in the 90′s before all of the oldies but goodies were digitized – thank God for modern technology!). Anyway, she played this track for my best friend and I, and immediately I fell in love with the song (like so many other Stevie Wonder songs)! Before this day, I never thought anything could ever eclipse “Ribbon in the Sky” but lyrically, this song just might!

Anyway, as I looked for a song to display my latest wedding photographs, I thought of this tried and true classic, “You and I.” I have included images from a recent New Jersey wedding below.

By the way, if you see something you like, feel free to leave a comment!

2 Comments on “You and I”

Filed under:
- L-O-V-E,
- Weddings

Ms. Payne, An Author…

Posted on December 8, 2010 at 8:30 AM

When I first heard of the final project that we had to do in our Literature for Children and Adolescents class, I knew just how to take our project over the top! We were asked to create a Math Trail Children’s Book that showed math in nature or other real world settings. The examples that were shown to us were binders with pages that left much to be desired. We were given some class time and told that we could use our cell phones to take pictures. On the first day, we set a local mall as our backdrop, and at this time, I asked to be the group photographer (we would not be using camera photos for the book, believe me the camera makes a huge difference in the quality of your images). After our pictures and story themes were in place, I suggested that we use one of my vendors to have this book professionally bound, so that we could have a real hardcover children’s book. When we presented the book last week, our teacher was absolutely amazed. She kept looking for proof that we did not make this book or take the photographs, even though I assured her that I am professional photographer, and I regularly design books like these for my clients! Now we went totally above and beyond what was expected (the place I love to operate at), and for me this meant making time among everything else to “optimize” the photos and do all of the page layouts for this 28-page book – but to see the look on our professor’s face and to know that we raised the standard of expectation was PRICELESS!

This experience was different than the previous books I’d designed for the mere fact that it was text-heavy, which adds another element to the design. But all in all, it was a great experience. Who knows, I may be moving in this direction in the near future! We’ll see how things work out!

Below I have included images from this book.

Care to leave a comment?

Filed under:
- Children,
- Education

A Special Bond

Posted on December 6, 2010 at 9:10 AM

No matter what kind of portrait session I find myself at, I am always amazed by the dynamics between family members, couples, or friends. Honestly, unless I’ve seen the individuals interact previously, I don’t know what I will get, but I am more than ready to work with it! In a recent family portrait session, I was excited to see the firm bonds between the children and their parents. As a matter of fact, these elementary-aged children enjoyed being photographed with their parents (and readily did the activities that I proposed). As I processed through the photographs last night, I reflected on why this was so significant. Now, I do not have any children of my own, but the more and more I “live” I see the sacrifices that parents make for their children. I see the price that working adults pay as they get up in the morning to go to jobs that may not be as exciting just to be able to provide a better life for their legacy. Then occasionally, I run across one of those ungrateful children that feels entitled to the fruits of their parents’ labor. Or worst yet, I remember my own days in middle school and high school when I had the nerve to think I dressed better than my parents, the same people that purchased the very clothes I wore. I had the nerve to be embarrassed to be seen in the school hallways or the mall with my parents, even though I expected them to cover the bill of our shopping exploits. I say all of this to share the beauty of the exchanges between mother and son and father and daughter. They were truly precious moments, moments that I hope last, moments that I hope can be reflected upon with a smile! I don’t imagine that too many children read this blog (because I can get a little lengthy), but to the parents, I say, remember that no matter what your children do, they really do still love you! When they get to those teenage years, remember that it is just a phase, and soon enough, they will be on their own working and will start to value the sacrifices you made for them!

Below are images from a recent family portrait session in Glen Burnie, MD. By the way, if you see something you like, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!