{Scenic} Adventures

One of the things we're going to be doing a lot more of this year, is getting out & enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds us. We live in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  There is so much to do here if you love the outdoors. 
Here are a few shots from our little adventure on Monday. 
 This first one is one of my most favorite ever & will be the first printed scenic shot that I print large to hang on the walls of our home.  I have pictures everywhere, lots of pictures, every wall has at least one, but this will be the first non-portrait photograph that joins the ranks.

{Sneak Peek} Dustin & Raine

I talked with these two during the summer about doing some 'western' inspired images and then Dustin's horse decided he was better suited on the ground than on his back, so we post-poned...for a while.  I'm so glad we finally go to put this shoot together. We ventured around their property, down by the creek, up with some old equipment.  It was lots of fun. Thank you guys so much.

 This one, although not exactly ready for the wall (needs a little fine tuning to get the weed out of Dustin's eye) cracks me up. The horse couldn't have picked a better moment to try & grab a bite. ;)

 Another one of those fun moments...

 I really,really love this one.

 Oh.my.gosh.  If only the car was complete...and not a blast back to the Flintstones era, complete with 'foot' pedals.

{Sneak Peek} Morris Family

I've known this family for a while, well at least Mom. We sort of went to school together, she's a few years younger than me and we do live in a small town, so it's pretty common to know everyone. A few years ago I had the honor of photographing their wedding and you might recognize the little miss from a session this spring.  They are very busy and the little Miss is on.the.go.  Really, she was constantly moving usually at a quicker pace than the rest of us..or not liking my camera. But despite the challenge I came out with some pretty awesome images for them.

This is pretty much the view we got of miss B the entire session:

 I really LOVE this photo of mom & dad. ♥

{Sneak Peek} It's a "Mom" Monday

I met these two lovely ladies at Preschool.  Monday's is now my regular work day, never passing up an opportunity to sharpen my skills, we met up one Monday a couple weeks ago for a morning of "Mom's time out" (aka: kids are at school, hang out with girlfriends, chat & just be free for a few hours). What a fabulous morning we had. I'm very blessed to call these gals my friends, and they're gorgeous, making them perfect to be models for the morning.

See you ladies tomorrow morning.  Looking forward to our next adventure...

{Western Lifestyle} A time to sort & send off

I've spent this year working on growing. I did a post about this near the first part of the year. My plan & focus for the year is "Growth"; be it for business, skill, creativity or relationships, etc, it pretty much pulls in every aspect of this life. One of the things I'm doing more of this year is shooting for me. No 'rules', no time limits, no pressure, just shooting what I love.

One of my all time favorite things is the 'western lifestyle'.  I'm working on adding more of that to my portfolio, thankfully, I can pretty much go anywhere in this county and be exposed to that.  Even more than that, is I can go to my teenage "home" and live it, up close & first hand. 

A couple weeks ago, I got up nice & early to head out to the house for a morning of cattle sorting. It was a beautiful morning, the rising sun, much like the setting sun creates gorgeous light. ♥   Here are a few images from that little adventure, starting with the beautiful rising sun. 

 Mr Rowdy, sharing his "Jet-A Fueled" breakfast with Sally, the 'cow dog' (or so she thinks, she's slightly senile in her old age)

 Even the star-thistle & fox-tail looks gorgeous at slightly before 7 a.m.

The calm before the storm.

 And here they come...

One of my favorite shots.

Everyone getting settled.

 In the alley, waiting for the 'in' or 'by' call.

Thankfully, these little 'friends' stayed put while we were out & about.

Doctoring.

 Important tool.

Such a fabulous morning. Excited & ready for the next adventure as well.