I was a guest....

and that was a good thing...

I attended a very special wedding this weekend.

I was not the photographer for this event,

but a friend of mine was....

and she was working quite hard.

It seems that the family had a friend that showed up 

to shoot the wedding too.

I am not sure which side of the family,

but let's just say that this is a huge 

"faux pas". 

(Big mistake)

When hiring a photographer for an event such as 

a wedding, it is wise to read your contract carefully,

and ask if the shooter minds someone else shooting too.

Believe me, it will already be covered in the contract.

A wedding is a very emotionally charged event.

(Duh!)

and people act strangely at times

(double Duh!)

and well.....the very last thing you want to do

is pay someone to capture the moment, and

then allow "Uncle Festus" to 

get in their way

(triple-dog Duh!)

So...

there it is...a little bit of advice for all you 

Baby Boomers, like me who have children,

who might just be getting married soon....

don't invest your money, and then sabotage

the whole process.

smiles...

NEVER.....

In my whole life...

Have I ever known someone....

who has so much talent....

and energy....

and

Beauty....

This is Amanda.

Check her out....

and bloom with her.

smiles.


intro to bloom. from amanda churchill on Vimeo.

A day that worked....

Really well....

Barkley couldn't wait to 

go outside....

He knew what that meant....

a tennis ball and bliss...

He is a focused subject...

so photographing him was not going to be

difficult.

He was more than willing to have his mom

brush his coat....

and what a coat it is....

just beautiful!

and he loves to RUN!

how could one resist focus like this?

he is intent on capturing the ball asap!

he even poses so that tennis ball would be thrown again...

I love that, too bad it doesn't work with people...

He is not a show off,

but knows how to put his best side toward the camera.

He is even willing to share the spotlight....

who says he is man's best friend?

I would argue that he is definitely a woman's best bud!

And

once tired....

he was willing to allow a bit of a 

semi-natural pose for that silly lady with the 

camera.

And finally....

the perfect shot!

I cannot tell you how excited I get

when I see images appear 

as I download my camera's images.

And

when I saw this one....

well,

I just knew I had a little help with 

this one.....isn't it perfect?

smiles

A Red Letter Day!

First,

let me just say that I cannot 

believe that I have had 

300 posts to this blog....

OMG!

where did I find the time....

maybe all that laundry...
maybe the dust bunnies...
maybe the letters not written..
anyway,
I just glanced at my dashboard and
noticed that the 3-0-0 had
shown up.
wow...

Second,

I am please to say that 

my lovely TWO-color

Brother typewriter,

(that's black ink  AND  RED ink!)

has been included in a 

FUN

Etsy treasury today

called 

"Red White and"

assembled by

TrendyFabric.

TrendyFabric 

carries 

some unique, colorful fabric

that you should check out....

right after you see the treasury...

smiles.

I see details...

It's a strange thing....

once you have viewed the world through

a camera's viewfinder, 

and have become

 "addicted to the click",

you see things differently.

much differently.....

It seems that 

once you realize the infinite 

possibilities of 

capture....

well...

it 

changes 

you.

I spent the morning 

shooting 

stuff

for my Etsy

shop.

I had been concentrating on 

light,

shadows,

set-ups,

etc...

and then,

hot,

exhausted,

head hurting,

and

a little pissy...

I plopped myself

down on the nearest 

sofa, leaned back 

and

 then

 looked at the 

things piled on the coffee

table.

"wonder how that would look?"

"wonder what the light is doing this far from the window?"

Set's see...

I can do this...

and this...

and 

well,

maybe

 this too..

Minutes pass,

many 

minutes.......

You would think I had nothing else to do,

nope..

I have laundry,

dishes,

cleaning,

you know the routine,

but still 

the camera,

she calls....

smiles.

A visual expression of love.....

Please indulge me.....

this is a powerful video.

A friend sent it to me....

and I cried....no sobbed.

It is powerful.

Now,

I don't want to get into a 

discussion on faith, ethics, or politics.....

What I see here is 

LOVE.....pure and simple.

If you do not have a 

tissue, don't even think about 

watching this....

As the Beatles said...

All you need is love.

smiles.

Life expectancy...

So.....

I was listening to NPR,

and they were talking about 

life expectancy.

They suggested that everyone should google

for a life expectancy calculator,

and then 

take the online survey to 

receive an estimate 

of how long they should live,

based

on 

their lifestyle,

family history,

general health,

you get the picture.

Well

this is what popped up;

"Your calculated life expectancy is 102 years"

now,

what am I going to do 

when all my friends 

and family 

are gone?

Who will I hang with?

Who will find my teeth for me?

What if none of our children choose to have children of their own?

Do I really believe that Social Security will last that long?

but wait...

that means that I truly am

middle-aged.

I am 53 years old this week,

so 53 really is the new 43.....

Does this mean that I can now

have my mid-life crisis?

I already drive a fast little red car...

a Honda Fit.

and I don't act like my mother did 

when she was 53....

of course, I hardly remember since I was 

29, and only thought 

I mattered.......

So.....

here is the question...

Have you taken one of these 

questionnaires?

What did you come up with?

Do you believe the results?

Let me know what your results are...

here is the 

calculator I used

HERE

Please let me know,

even if you answer anonymously....

I want to know,

an "enquiring mind" don't cha' know....

smiles.