Big Family

I had the opportunity to photograph a lovely large family today! I myself am from a big family (I'm the youngest of seven) so I love large family gatherings and since I have been in Japan for the past two years I have really missed out on such things. Laurie Hood is the founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge and she hired me to come to their holiday family gathering to photograph them all together and all the individual families as well. It was glorious. Made me miss the large family gatherings back home. Laurie and her husband Taylor are wonderful people. Very kind and genuine. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph their extended family. Since there were so many pictures taken I am just going to post my favorite images, so here goes nothin' :)

The boy above was hilarious. This was the conversation... So what do you want for Christmas? Ummm, he says with a huge smile, This is gonna sound a little weird, but I really want a massage chair. I burst out laughing and said I thought that was the best idea ever and I wanted one too :) I love that he prefaced it with "This is gonna sound weird..." He made me smile. Below is the craziness you get when you attempt to photograph a pile of cousins (also reminded me of my family. Love it!).



This little girl had the best smile.



Gotta love it when kids just do their own thing and it is super cute.



This darling little thing was teaching me all about seashells.



This was my favorite family (I know I probably shouldn't say that, but seriously, look at how giggly they all are!).



2nd place here. I think it's the younger children. They just make pictures extra cute.



And last but not least the grandparents with the chitlens :) My favorite images are always the ones when everyone is looking a different direction. It's just more realistic to how things really happen right?



Just so you all know, I am leaving town for two weeks off to visit family for the holidays. It'll be our own version of Four Christmas' only a lot less drama (hopefully) and it'll be three Christmas' instead :) So, on that note, if you email me just don't expect a reply right away cause I will not be checking regularly. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Chancho!

We got a new puppy! This is Chancho. We love the name Chancho mainly because of Nacho Libre, but it is also very fitting for this lil' pup because he is a serious pig. I love Nacho Libre. I just have t get that out there. And I love Chancho. I just got back from taking him to the vet and he is all healthy! Aside from a couple worms... but that is an easy fix! Yay for healthy puppy :)



I love his ears. Nice and floppy just like Shugo's.



Who could turn that away? Really. Shugo wasn't super sure about him at first, but they are now great buddies! We love to just watch them play. It's nice to have a pal for Shugo and I think he is happier with Chancho around.







Now below we have some baby pictures of Shugo. I think they look similar (minus the obvious color difference). Floppy ears. Boxy face. Sweetness. We are very curious to know how big Chancho will get. Are his paws as big as Shugo's were as a pup? Will we have two ginormous dogs? Only time will tell :)

Alaqua Open House

Saturday I was out at the Alaqua Open House. It was a very nice event and I hope they raked in a lot of good donations. Alaqua has so many animals and it cost them so much to operate each day ($1,000/day) any support is always greatly appreciated. There was lots going on and I had my own booth set up (a photo booth) where we did mini 10 minute sessions and also held a raffle for a photo shoot. It was great to be out there and meeting people while also helping Alaqua. We had some awesome people get pictures done and had a blast doing it :)

Below was my first up. She volunteers her time with the cats regularly. She comes out with her dad and they clean the cat house and give all the kitties some love :) I loved talking with her dad and he loves his daughter so much it was very sweet to hear him talk about her.



The little boy below was next. He was SO cute! Love his blue eyes. He was full of silliness and lots of fun to work with. Definitely a little daredevil. I asked him what his favorite thing to do was and he said, "Race dirt bikes and do back flips!" He will be a wild boy for sure!



Next up was a pup :) He was actually reunited with his brother right in front of my booth. So sweet!



More boys next. Typical brothers who refuse to get too close ;) They were lots of fun though and I somehow was able to make them laugh and get some good smiles!



Last round was a sweet young family. They caught me right as I was packing out. There was just enough light left to capture their sweetness :) Gotta love the chubby cheeks! That was my day at Alaqua! Definitely excited about the people I met and getting new clients! I will be settled here with my business in no time :) Thank you everyone who came to the Open House and visited my booth!

Trees

Cool mossy trees like this are all over Northwest Florida

Trick or Treat

The sun was so warm as I sat and read my book. Shugo slept happily behind me. I knew Brian would be home early cause he told me it would be a short day. Reading a book in the sunshine isn't so easy on the eyes. I realized that when I heard a knock on the window and couldn't see in. There was a glare and it was in the shade, yet I knew Brian was on the other side likely making some silly face trying to get my attention. I can't see. No reaction from me and Brian stops clearly disappointed.

As expected he comes out the side door to see me. I finish the sentence I am reading and look up and instantly my stomach lurches. What's wrong with his face?! Oh wait, maybe it's paint. They must have done some weird face painting. No. No that's not right...

Brian says a very slow and drained, something might not be right, Heeeyyy. This is Brian though. He always sounds like that! I nervously respond, "Hey, uh, what, What's wrong with your face?!" He gets closer, but it's still hard to see cause his face is in the shade. "There was a frag I don't know. I screwed up. They say I'm probably getting dropped." "Dropped?! What happened?! Are you ok? What the heck. Come inside." I start for the house, Brian trailing behind me (I am sure trying desperately to hold back his laughter).



As we start up the stairs and I am asking questions he says, "...is it that bad?..." Yes, psycho. Have you not looked in a mirror? Clearly you must have brain damage. "Uh, yeah. Are you OK? Is the rest of your body damaged? Where are you hurt?" We are in the house at this point and now I really can't see cause my eyes are still slowly adjusting from the sun. I stop in the hall cause this whole thing is weird and I can't see anyway. "Tell me what happened." Brian continues, "I dunno Holbrook and Fro had to walk home cause they crashed his truck...." Incoherent. This is not making sense. You said there was a frag. What is a frag? What is going on?! This is a trick! "Are you joking right now?!" Laughter. Now there is laughter! I swing at his face to cause some real damage but of course he blocks it.

All of this happened in a matter of probably 30 seconds. It seriously looked real from a distance and in the direct sun it was kinda bright and hard to tell and then once we got inside my eyes adjusted in time for me to swing at his fake wounds. I don't know what they are doing out there everyday. All I know is that he did say they were out in the field and already blowing things up. Personally, I am not sure that is the greatest plan so early in the training, but hey, what do I know? I would like to just point out that I did not freak out. I was very calm and rational (as always :) AND one time he came home looking like the below pic, so really, it could happen.

Welcome to EOD school. Brian better be watching his back cause he's got it coming for that one!

Squirrels

Little tree nuts in Bagdad, Florida. I had these same things on my tree in Japan. Their not really special, but I like getting macro shots of things. Anything. Speaking of nuts, I feel like a squirrel. Trying to get a nut. Which is similar to my dog, Shugo, trying to catch the lazer. The lazer to Shugo is the nut to the squirrel which is also life to me at the moment. I want to do everything! Too many things. Too many distractions. Shugo actually loves squirrels more than the lazer. It's scary.

Photography. Masters Degree. Internship (for the degree). Brian (he's really at the top of my list I promise). Meeting people. Holidays. Walking homeless puppies. Wanting to adopt all homeless puppies. Alaqua Open House. Crossfit Destin (yes, I have finally joined the cult).

I feel hyperactive at the moment! I am not overwhelmed (which is nice) I just feel like a crazy squirrel. Let's do everything all at once! Ready... GO!

Civil War Re-enactment - Bagdad Florida

Heritage Tour and Civil War Re-enactment. Bagdad, Florida. This was my first gathering with the Emerald Coast Photography group that I found on meetup.com. It was a pretty cool event. I love antiques and some of these houses are SO old! It was really cool to walk through them. This whole town was so cute. Just one more place I would LOVE to photograph a couple at. Lots of character. Makes me think exciting things are coming soon. I just know it ;)

The Oasis - A Place to Photograph

This is the Oasis. A beautiful crazy gem I stumbled upon one day as I was driving to Alaqua to walk puppies. I really want to photograph someone here cause it is fun and quirky and different! Old buildings, weird buildings, old and weird paint jobs... all are things that I love to photograph people with :) It has character and that is what I like. Life needs character! And Characters for that matter! What would life be like without those people we call characters? I mean really, we must all admit it would be boring. We need those awkward times to create good stories and excitement to the routines we all have.

So here's to the Oasis! A place of character that will battle the mundane in your life ;)

Cold

It is getting colder. Frosty colder you ask? Well, no. This picture was taken in New Zealand. But it is getting colder here in Florida! This state is weird though because it will be chilly for a day and then it rains and it gets muggy, and then the sun comes out, and then it is perfect, and then it gets overcast and muggy again. So much back and forth! It's nice and annoying all at once :)

I have a plan. A plan I have discussed here before, but am now possibly ready to partake in! Blogging everyday is impossible. For me anyway. I have been feeling a little frazzled lately with moving here and getting settled and I want to do this little project to have something. Something that is consistent in my not-so-consistent life. My plan is to post a picture every other day. I will not always have a wonderful story, because really people, I am a photographer, not a writer. So pictures it is! From the recent to the not-so-recent. Things. Animals. People. Life. This is what I will post about. Every OTHER day :) I think I can handle that, and I think it is an attainable goal :) Yay for goals! I love them.