Many Blessings!

Another day has passed, and we are coming upon the Christmas season.  Again, I am reminded just how incredibly blessed I am to have the life that I do.  I am reminded again to thank God for the many blessings that I have in my life.  I am eternally grateful for everything that I have, and still I find myself forgetting to be thankful for each and every day.  Today. and going forward, I will make a solid attempt to thank him for each and every thing that has become such a tremendous part of my life. Amen.  

Shooting Christmas Lights...

I have never really much luck shooting Christmas lights, but I was pretty happy with this one.  It wasn't as much luck as it was just not getting the look that I wanted.  So this year I went to Pinterest and really researched what I wanted to shoot. 

With a 50mm lens @ 200 ISO, F-Stop at 1.8, and 1/13 - (Don't forget a tri-pod) this is what I got.  Much better than previous attempts, but I spent some time playing around with the settings. 

Not quite married yet, and won't be until 2016.

Food Photography has peaked my interest...

For about 5 bucks I picked up several pieces of tile from Lowe's and used that as a backdrop.  My egg wasn't cooked nearly as good and didn't taste as good either, but it was my first attempt.  (Don't judge)  I din't use any flash, but only natural light, my tripod, and a small reflector. Aside from the fact that this was about the only food that I had in house, I really would like to keep working at this. 

10 Things I want for Christmas....

I usually go through the process of giving gift ideas every year, and as I get older it becomes more uneventful.  Being older I tend to want to give more than to revive.  So I threw a quick list of 10 things to get some one who may have a photographic interest. 

• Memory Cards - I never really have enough. 
• Jump drives - Mine are all usually full. 
• Small point and shoot camera - I almost always carry one with me everywhere. (My choice is Canon)
• As overrated as they are Selfie sticks are always handy.  ( I have one and I was hesitant about buying one until I used it). 
• Small tripod - I have four
•  Give cards - I prefer B & H Photo, Snapfish, or Shutterfly. 
• Photo Albums - For those that still print. (I do)
• Collapsible reflectors. 
• A personalized camera strap shouldn't go overlooked - Phatstraps has some cool ones. 
• And lastly if you have the wealthy relative a DSLR, or a nice new lens. (Trust me, they will want to pick it out). 

These are just a few on the lower price end, but very useful nonetheless.   

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Wedding 2016!

As we venture into the wedding process. we realized how expensive that it can be.  It's the little things that can make a wedding special, such as this.  There are options out, you just have to look for them.  We bought this sign off Etsy for about $20, and it really included the smaller things in our life.   

Bikes, Blues, and BBQ 2015

Another great year at Bikes, Blues, and BBQ...always a good time!

This thing was insane...and I want one!

Photographing Pets...

I read several articles on how to photograph your family pet, and there was a wide range of tricks to use and how to do it. I finally came to the conclusion that if you are going to do something like this, the best was is to just let your pet be a pet.  This might mean following them around for a great deal of time with your camera, but so be it! Here is what I came up with:  

Say Hi Lucy!

If you ever go to Nashville, TN

We did a little bit of research before we planned our trip to Nashville, TN...but if there is any question, I would put Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant at the top of your list. You will most likely have to make a reservation, but the music and the food are excellent, and the people are very friendly. It's sort of the small town country feel. 

We stayed in Franklin, TN, and just make the short commute, plus Franklin had lots to see as well. 

Franklin, TN

Franklin, TN

Franklin, TN

If you are a classic country music fan you will want to go see Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery - grave-site of George Jones and several others. 

Grave-site of George Jones

Grave-site of George Jones

Centennial Park 

Centennial Park

 

The Johnny Cash Museum

George Jones Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame

Downtown Nashville - Broadway

The Shelby Street Bridge

Ryman Auditorium

Home of Roy Acuff - next to the Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry

Of course there was much more to see, but these are some of the highlights that we hit.