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It’s not often that I get the chance to shoot for myself. And when I do it’s usually something creative or artistic. But tonight I did something different. I took my camera to my daughters t-softball game and got some “action” shots. Well, that was in between laughing and cheering. They just have so much fun. Here are a few from tonight:
Only in softball do you have a bat that says “Girl Power”. 
My daughter. Apparently following in her dad’s footsteps.
Again, only in softball…
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet
We’re still playing catch up with some blog posts from the winter so bear with us! One of the ways that my family likes to pass the time in the winter is playing Pinochle. I’ve never learned to play and really don’t have any desire to but the rest of my family LOVES it. So I decided to get the camera out one night and play around.
Each year, I try to focus on a couple of personal projects to serve as a creative outlet for me (during the winter months especially). This year I have decided on several, the first of which is doing character studies of the people who are most important in my life. The goal is to capture them doing what I think about when I think of them. In other words, how I will always remember them. It’s not a morbid project. It’s more of a “slice of life” project. I’m sure if I could have documented them in this way 15 years ago, I would have. But, to be honest, the thought never occurred to me until I recently saw the work of a photographer from the Washington Post named Carol Guzy. She received second place for her portfolio submission in the Eyes of History 2009 contest held by the White House News Photographers Association. CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE CONTEST. (If you choose to look through these images, be aware that there are some graphic ones.) The images in her portfolio that impacted me so much were in a series entitled “Sisters”. The images done in black and white are so moving to me. I took that inspiration and came up with the idea to document my friends and family in way that captures their true spirit. So the first and second installations in my series are going to be my grandmother and grandfather. I’m so in love with these images that my heart is ready to burst. So I present to you with much admiration, my Gram Sis and Grandpa Dave.
One of my personal goals for 2009 is to shoot more for myself. On a recent VERY COLD Saturday, I challenged myself to spend 5 minutes outside shooting whatever came across my path. My hands were freezing but I’m happy with what I got.
We have been wanting to do a HUGE garden for years but for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened. We’ve potted tomatoes and herbs in containers for the last couple of years and the girls have gotten so much enjoyment out of taking care of them that we decided that 2009 was the year for THE GARDEN. So last weekend, we checked our diagram, made our list, and headed to the HD (as my husband calls it) for all the needed supplies to build our raised bed garden. Below are the pictures from the start of this process. I’ll be blogging this as we go so you can follow the adventures of the Klose Garden.
Daddy’s helpers. Notice the belts.
What happens when a DeWalt saw meets 56 pressure treated boards…
Some detail shots.
One box done! 13 to go!
So we’ll be keeping you updated on our progress as we continue the prep work as well as when growing season starts. Feel free to leave a comment if you have your own garden and would like to share some advice for the “newbies”.
Andy and I recently celebrated our anniversary in Williamsburg. It was also an opportunity for us to play with our new point and shoot camera, a Canon G10. Absolutely incredible!
Here are just a handful of images that we captured during our weekend.
I received this email a few days ago from one of our 2007 brides, Shanelle. It touched me so much that I asked her if she was OK with me publishing it on my blog. With the spirit of the season in your heart, please read on:
Hannah is my 5 year old cousin who, just a few weeks ago, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a rare and incurable brain tumor. She has been given 12 weeks to live and is currently in her 7th week. Hannah’s story is sad, but especially sad because her mother passed away just two years ago from breast cancer. Her father, brother Jordan, and sister Brittany are dealing with the unthinkable.
Right now Hannah has lost most of her motor skills. She is confined to a bed and cannot really do anything or play with the gifts she has been receiving. Hannah LOVES getting cards, though. She has gotten so many and has so much fun opening them and reading them with her grandma. She is so proud of all of her cards – her room is filled.
When asked what she wanted for Christmas, Hannah said she would like to see how many Christmas cards she could get. Many people have passed along this wish to their churches, friends, prayers groups and families and I’m asking you to continue to pass on Hannah’s story.
So if you have time during the holidays, and would like to help Hannah with her wish, please send her a card. Her address is:
Hannah Garman
704 Orchard Rd
Lititz, PA 17543
You can feel free to forward this to as many people as you wish. If anyone has questions, they can email me at shanelle.lee@hotmail.com. If you want to keep up to date on Hannah and her progress, check out her Caring Bridge website at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahgarman
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers especially through the holiday season.
Many blessings,
Shanelle
Here’s a funny fact about my family. We have NEVER had our pictures taken together by another photographer. NEVER. In fact, most of our pictures are either separate shots or include my two daughters and husband but never me as I’m always the one taking the picture. So when I heard about the Pay It Forward program started by John and Dalisa Cooper of AltF Photography, I knew I wanted to be part of it. The program is simple. John started the program by traveling across the country, stopping along the way to have roadside sessions with photographers and their families. His only stipulation was that those photographers pay it forward by photographing another family within 30 days. We were completely honored to have the fabulous Carisa Kozicki of CK Photography do our session last week at Messiah. I’ve borrowed one of the images from her blog to post here but if you’d like to see more of them CLICK HERE.
So now it’s my turn. I’m looking for a photographer’s family to photograph in the next 30 days. Interested?? Send me an email if you are or know of someone who might be. The only payment that I require is that you be prepared to Pay It Forward to another photographer.
