What I Love About Rain

"I love the rain
Love the way it falls on everything
Its way of turning brown to green
And gray to blue
That's what I love about rain . . ."

-Art Garfunkel

I truly love the rain more than almost anything on earth - the smell, its cleansing effect, how it brings out more color in everything it touches. I used to even like it more than the sunshine, but now I like both. It's especially cool when both come together. I remember this happening often when I lived on the island of Mauritius back in 1997. No wonder I was so happy there.

These photos capture parts of the rainy hour we enjoyed the other day . . .

Autumn 2009

Last year I was able to photograph many of the canyons at their autumn peak - Mill Creek, Big and Little Cottonwood, American Fork, and Parley's. This year has been rather hectic, so I did not make it past Red Butte. However, I was satisfied with appreciating what was right in front of my eyes this year (okay, a five minute drive), and visited Red Butte several times in a two-week period of time. I enjoyed witnessing the unfolding of autumn in one particular area instead of spreading myself thin over many areas in order to capture as much as possible. This is a perspective I am not accustomed to taking, and it got me thinking rather deeply about my approach to life in general. Am I trying to embrace a little bit of everything most of the time, instead of stopping in one place long enough to really experience it and let it become a part of me?

Just a thought from a pensive photographer . . .

Another Wonderful Family

This family had an amazing yard, and these boys have exceptional eyes. I hope to get the opportunity to photograph them again. I really wish I had more time to take pictures. Life demands that I cut down on it, but my passion demands the opposite!

Update

I thought I better post this on my blog, since I continue to get inquiries about taking photos for people. I've had so many opportunities to shoot recently, that my camera is in need of some minor repairs. The other problem is that I have so few available times to take pictures - every other weekend essentially - since I work, go to school full time, and have kids! I long for the day when I have more time for photography, but I just take what I can get for now. I am hoping to schedule a few family sessions over the winter holidays, so I will keep you all posted about the times I will have available. I may even post a schedule of photo session slots once my camera is happy again and my finals are over . . .

Thank you for your patience, and for visiting my blog. Stop by again soon - I will be posting some new photos in the next couple of weeks.

Family A . . .

A . . . meaning: the first family brave enough to take advantage of my Summer/Fall special. I really enjoyed capturing this family together, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you when you view these photos.

Discovery of the Ginny Gowns

Yesterday an important discovery was made in our garage. Olivia noticed the bin with the "Ginny Gowns" in them. To be more accurate, my mother found them in her garage a few weeks ago, and passed them on to me. They were specially made and purchased back in the late 1980's from the Virginia Tanner dance studio for my sisters and me (see above photo - yes, I was in Junior High and mine still fits!)

Olivia could not get enough of Aunt Susan's beautiful blue gown, however hot it was on a summer day. She finally convinced Grace to put on Aunt Jill's pink one and join her. Once they began dancing, it went on for hours. The photos I couldn't resist taking were totally spontaneous, even though I have plans to do an outdoor photo shoot with the Ginny gowns at some point. I think I like these though - at home, some with Isaac looking on in kind of a confused wonder. They are so real and so unrehearsed. They are what dance means to me in so many ways.
Not pictured or recorded anywhere except the memories of Olivia and me are the few minutes that we danced together in the gowns. How grateful I am that she convinced me to stop what I was doing and just dance.

Tasty Subjects

From Best Tomatoes

My brother-in-law has been working hard for months on his tomatoes, and the result is as delicious as it is aesthetically pleasing. When my sister asked me to come down and shoot these beauties, I was honored.