Merry Christmas

I live with my little dog, Gizmo. She is very patient and puts up with my little bit of dressing up. So, in honor of Christmas, as in Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays, she and I have donned the reindeer antlers. So Merry Christmas from Gizmo and I. May you have peace and the unconditional love. May your New Year bring prosperity and happiness.

It is time to get that holiday gift shopping started. Why not do it from the comfort of your home. Do you like hand made beaded jewely, photography gifts, fine art photography? If so, than click on the word etsy or zazzle and find the perfect gift.

Now featuring Etsy

In addition to the photographic gifts that I sell, I've also started making beaded jewelry to sell and give for Christmas presents. Here is a sneak preview of my Etsy shop and the first few things I have listed for sale.

Learning the software

Of course, until I can get back to RCC, I have to do self-tutorials to learn how to use most of the photo-editing software. Between youtube and the NPB digital photography club, I've found some great tutorials. I hope to keep up with my peers and prepare myself to be ahead of the learning curb when I get back to school so that I can concentrate on the artistic side of photography. I use photoshop when I want to do something complicated, photoshop elements when I want a quick edit and portrait professional 10 for portraiture.

New Portraits: Head and Shoulder Shots

I did a self-portrait and a portrait of my son. My son was enjoying Linkin Park with his headsets at a local park. I was using my point & shoot to take the self portrait. It makes focusing a bit easier. Here they are.

sneak peeks

I'll be postings some sneak peeks of my fireworks photos and photo's from the church picnic. The full catalog can be found at my website: www.daylilydreamsphoto.com. You'll see a few here.

Make a free picture slideshow

Beautiful People

It doesn't matter if the beauty is on the inside or the outside, we love the people who are part of our lives. Each gives us a gift just by being who they are. I hope that this video will give you a glimpse of some of the folks I have had the pleasure of photographing over the last three years. Enjoy and email if you have any questions.

Dragonflies Anyone?

Here is an Animoto Video from my day at High Point City Lake Park photographing dragonflies. Enjoy.

Portrait Study and Practice

 I hate that I missed getting to study under Mr. Ashley Fetner this year at Randolph Community College because he is retiring and I had to wait an extra year to come back. However, his encouragement allowed me to step out of my own comfort zone and take more than just nature and landscape pictures. I've started an exploration of portraiture. I'm starting with natural lighting and outdoor but will eventually start using studio lights. I am also enjoying using digital backgrounds to enhance and create fun memories for my clients. Here are a couple of examples of the natural or neutral background followed by the digital. It is a lot of fun.

Another free slideshow by Smilebox

It's a Party!

Let's get excited about summertime! The kids are going to be out of school. Moms and Dads are looking for something to do! How about hosting a Childrens Portrait Party. Mom or Dad can invite 5 other parents, each with one child and I'll bring the studio in a box, my camera and ME!  We take pictures of each child, no sitting fee for the first child, $9.95 sitting fee for each additional child. Each person attending will get proofs of their child's best pose and the host or hostess will get one 8 x 10 and two 5 x 7s of their child. Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase portrait packages for a reasonable price. I've set up a special email address just for the portrait parties, so email me at daylilydreamsphoto@gmail.com for questions and to book your portrait party today!

Make Mine Music

I had the pleasure of shooting a birthday party for a friend of a friend. I had several pictures that turned out pretty good but these are some of my favorites. The first is the birthday boy picking up a bow and trying it out on a Cello for the first time. It was a beautiful sight. The second is a picture of his grandmother walking out for a turn at the badminton game. Everyone had a lot of fun, including me.

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Canvas On Demand

I don't normally use my blog to advertise business but there are two business here in North Carolina that I really have to share. The first is Canvas on Demand and the second is Bullock Pro. I really like Canvas on Demand. They put out great work and are fast and courteous.  Now they are donating $5 bucks to the Ronald McDonald House Charities for each order and giving everyone a 20% discount. The are also a North Carolina company and I like supporting local businesses.

Dancing Flames



The flames of the campfire seem to dance
to the symphony of night sounds.



Gizmo watches the flames from a safe
distance, while snuggled in a blanket.



I just spent four lovely days (with the exception of a nasty thunderstorm one night) at a very picturesque and peaceful place called Morrow Mountain State Park. It is quiet, clean and a great place to relax and of course take some pictures. I had my little dog, Gizmo with me and she is a lot like a clingy two-year old even though she is an eleven year old Rat Terrier. She managed to break her leash but didn't get far. I sat on the picnic bench and she got the comfy chair with a warm blanket to snuggle up in. We both seemed to be mesmerized by the campfire. The flames danced and crackled and it sounded like a symphony with the crickets and the peeper frogs in the background. It was a nice evening. Next time I'll bring marshmallows.

The Eyes Have It Part 2



I know I'm unique. Thank you. My
fans adore me.



Here are the other cat pictures in my quest to learn to "brighten" eyes in my photographs without making them look too obvious. The first cat belongs to one friend and already has an almost neon green colored eyes. The second cat belongs to another friend and has pretty regular colored, but striking eyes against her grey coat.



If you stinkin' paparrazi don't get out of my face,
I'm gonna use you as a scratch pad!



The Eyes Have It Part 1






This cat is certainly Queen of the Rooste



This cute little guy has soulful eyes that just
look up as if to say pet me.

Sooo, I'm going back to photo school during the summer session. I can't wait but meanwhile, the internet is a treasure trove of tutorials and "how to" videos. Some are quite educational and some are not so much. Lately, I have been trying our some photoshop/photoshop elements tutorials and came across one for "brightening" eyes. I practice on a bunch of animal photo's and even "graduated" to humans...but left the experimentation on myself. I decided to turn my eyes that wonderful shade of violet that the late Elizabeth Taylor had. She had beautiful eyes. The object of my study is to brighten eyes in such a way that it is not that noticeable. If you can tell that something was done, then it was probably overdone. I am the only subject with a new eyecolor. Enjoy. The other two cats will come with the next post. So check back soon for more.





The Photographer with "Liz" eyes!



 

Friends and Family

Here is the online photo album. Enjoy

One Sunny Day



Brotherly Love



The weather around here has been crazy. Warm, cold, sunny, rainy so if you blink, it just may change. We had a nice warm sunny day yesterday and I got a chance to do some outdoor photography for a friend's cousin and her kids. They had the sweetest little baby goat with them, so these portraits included the two legged and the four legged family members. I had a lot of fun and elisted everyone's help to hold a white reflector to bring some light up into their faces. It brightened them up. Here are a couple of my favorites. I know the boys wanted a couple for their facebook, so guys, here you go. Remember, comments are always appreciated. You can follow this blog and get notifications when new posts are placed. Thanks for looking. Feel free to email me at Daylilydreamsphotography@gmail to schedule your spring outdoor sessions.



You lookin at me?





Who is that other goat on the sidewalk?



People, Pets & Places

I'm Freddy, King of the Hen House and don't you forget it.!

I am branching out in life. Although I have mainly been a wildlife & nature photographer and have sold a fair bit of my work, I really want to challenge myself to rise to a new level. Of course, that is something we should all challenger ourselves to do. I am happy to say that I will get to go back to RCC this summer and continue my studies. Hooray. So, my mantra has always been "Bringing the Outdoors into your home and office" I am going to begin refining those outdoors shots to "People, Pets & Places" Gotta have something a little bit catchy. I love looking at the photography of my fellow classmates. Kat, of ChinaKat Photography posted this amazing picture of her sister on a reflective surface with a huge Japanese style fan. I want to get there some day. Even though I am pretty comfortable with nature, pets, especially barnyard, cats and dogs have been a lot of fun. The chickens and roosters are a real challenge, especially two extremely mean roosters, Sammy and Freddy (aka Freddy Kreuger). If you look at them wrong, they attack you. My shins and hands have been bloodied and bruised by these two little monsters. But alas, there is one other one, Ethan, who is a little sweetheart (yes, a sweet rooster, now there is a contradiction in terms!). He came to my rescue when Sammy got a little too evil and chased him to the other side of the pen.  So, you may be thinking, why go in there, when you are getting abused by these fowl tempered fowl. Well, there are 7 chickens in there who are also sweet and need to be fed and watered. They also lay eggs which are farm fresh and yummy and they have to be gathered. Every once in a while, I take my camera with me and stand quietly in the corner and if I am lucky, I get a few good shots before Sammy and Freddie go on the offensive!  LOL! Here are a couple from March 25, 2011. Ethan is the little red rooster, Sammy is the black and white, and Freddie, who is the rooster version of a gorilla, is the one who is thumping his chest, aka spreading out is wings to look more opposing. Hope you enjoy the shots.

My Hero, Ethan, chasing away the evil Sammy!

Love the Asheboro Sunsets

I will have to say that this part of the state and county have the nicest sunsets. They occur on a pretty regular basis. The sun sets behind a small hill and when there are just thin cloud cover, the light reflects so nicely. My instructors were right. Dawn and Sunset do have beautiful light. The sunrise comes up over another hill and although it, per se, doesn't look spectacular, you can watch the opposite hills light up as the light moves. That in itself can be pretty magical. I have a friend from Colorado who says their sunsets are even better. I sure do want to go there some day and check them out. They have mountains in that part of their state and I am pretty sure it would be glorious. It is on my bucket list.

I found out that Greyhound has an unlimited ticket program that you buy as one week, two weeks or a month and can ride anywhere as many times as you want. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, or Arches National Park. I would love to take a tent, sleeping bag and my camera backpack and tripod and just go for a month and see these places as well as my dear friends in Colorado and California. I would also go back to Mono Lake and Yosemite. It was around 1984 the last time I went.

Fun with Friends and Family

I found a cool site at Animoto.com and was able to make a free 30 second video.  I think I like it, so check it out. Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Morrow Mountain State Park

I was up in Albemarle, NC yesterday and was about 6 miles from Morrow Mountain State Park. I am usually rushing to get home and don't take the time to stop and take pictures or go to parks. I usually regret it afterward. Something in me said to take the time to go to the park and I am certainly glad I did! I spoke with a very knowledgeable and friendly park employee named Tony (not sure how she spelled it) on the phone and then stopped in to see her at the information center. She is delightful. She told me about the park and where to go to get nice views and nice pictures. Armed with many pamphlets and a map, I set out. I am not sure why I didn't ask her about the wildlife. We did talk about the geology and I stopped into the small onsite museum for the self-guided tour. I learned quite a bit. The weather was overcast and quite chilly, so I drove down to the waterfront of Lake Tillery and took a couple of shots. On my way down, I encountered a deer that seemed to just walk up to my car to say hello. While driving up to the summit to get some more pictures, I encountered more deer. At one point I parked in the middle of the road because there were 10 deer crossing and stopping to check me out. I thought one was going to hop in for a lift. It was a wonderful opportunity to photograph wildlife up close and personal. One of the park ranger drove by and chuckled as he waved. Apparently, the deer are quite tame and what I experienced was not unusual. However, I was sitting there in awe and apparently my jaw was wide open, which probably looked pretty funny. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to get back when the weather is a little better.

It is a testament to God and the perfect creation that He has made. I was fortunate to be able to experience it. Enjoy the pictures!

It's a New Year and It's Snowing....Again

Ok, I have to admit, I like the snow, just as long as it is snow and not ICE! We had a wonderful white Christmas and here it is the 11th of January 2011, or for my followers who like cool dates, 01/11/2011. It started snowing yesterday and we got about 3 inches of fluffy, light, powdery snow. Unfortunately last night it changed over to sleet and freezing rain which made a nasty crust over that lovely powder. Before the ickiness started, I was fortunate to be able to take some pictures of some birds who were out playing in the snow and eating at the feeder. The snow on the pine boughs were pretty too. So, without further delay, I'll post a couple of pictures. The rest can be found on my website at http://www.daylilydreamsphoto.com/. Enjoy!