merry christmas charlie brown

I haven't had the most enjoyable holiday season. I even refused to put up a tree at home. I did put up one at work. The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. I sit right next to one of my best friends, Tillie. Her and I had planned a hot pink tree with lime green ornaments. When we went to get this tree, I found the Charlie Brown tree and I was in love. You see, I've always been more of the sarcastic and cranky type. Tillie is very happy and energetic. So for the past month her hot pink tree has sat next to my Charlie Brown tree. Our personalities proudly displayed through holiday decoration.

Work has been a bear and almost everyone up there is cranky. I've taken to saying, "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!" anytime someone is cranky. It started because of my tree, but seemed to fit because Charlie Brown was always so gloomy. It's morphed into a cuss word substitution that's caught on and others say it now, too. It's sort of funny.

No matter how cranky I get, Tillie doesn't tend to give up on me. Anyway, I went to lunch with her today and she gave me a Christmas gift. There was lots of cool stuff including the ornament seen above. The "sprinkle, sprinkle!" is an inside joke, but it was the first thing that made me wish I had a tree up at home to put it on.

I guess the whole time I was turning "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" into a cuss word, I forgot the end of the story. Sure Charlie Brown was sad. Sure Charlie Brown had a crappy tree, but his friends saved the day. Remember? They all took stuff from their tree and made his better. Then they all stood around and sang together. I guess maybe it isn't always that clear cut, but sometimes we all do end up with a Merry Christmas after all, Charlie Brown.

Merry Christmas, Tillie!

may 2009 (best of)

The shot above was taken at Toad Suck Daze in Conway, Arkansas. I had just sprained my ankle, but that wasn't about to stop me from shooting fair rides. A lot of random annoying teenagers were hanging around my tripod. This was the first time I'd taken pictures in a crowd so I was very nervous about it. My friend Tillie was my tripod bodyguard and helped keep people from bumping into it or me!



I love a good drive. I love that I'm now willing to get lost on the roads and in a day. I have so much fun just exploring lately. This was taken somewhere West of Little Rock on Highway 10.



I love the Little Rock skyline from these vantage point. This was taken on the Junction Bridge.



I was driving home after shooting the Little Rock skyline and this sign just stood out. I had to stop and photograph it! To this day it's still one of my favorite pictures.



I like how sunset light looks on the Main Street Bridge. I know golden light tends to make everything stand out, but this bridge really pops because of the light color.

april 2009 (best of)

I decided to do five shots max for each month. It made the decision pretty tough. I have a huge attachment to so many shots (even with technical flaws) just because I had so much fun doing it.



As I've said, Big Dam Bridge was the home of a lot of my photography practice. It's a nice place. The lights on the bridge, the river, and views of Pinnacle Mountain means there's tons of stuff to shoot. The only real downside is there's a ton of crazy people on BDB. If you go out there at night (guys or gals) I recommend taking someone with you.



I actually got up before dawn to get pictures of the Little Rock skyline. It worked out nicely, because I had a good sky. I also had enough time in the day to head to Petit Jean to get some waterfall shots!


This shot was taken the same day as the skyline above. I had been on a camping trip to Petit Jean the week before. Due to the light I didn't get any good waterfall shots. I decided I had to try the next week just to prove to myself I could capture a waterfall! I refuse to admit defeat!


The Natural Dam was the first time I'd driven more than an hour from home just for pictures. The drive was really cool and created an interest in making more trips like this!



A co-worker told me about this abandoned part of Highway 300. I figured I'd go out there to check out the old one-lane bridge that was bypassed in 1981. The overgrown nature of the road really grabbed my attention. It has the world without people feel to it. (BTW, this is one of the first shots taken with my 40D!)

march 2009 (best of)

On to March. March marks the month I took on photography "for real."



This was taken at the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival. I had just gotten my Canon G10 and was excited to take it on an adventure. Lucky for me this was the first of many adventures I've taken around my lovely state.



I love Hot Springs. It's the sort of town you don't mind getting lost in or where a detour is never a bad thing. There's just cool stuff everywhere. I don't know what I like about the shot above. I just did I suppose.



The Big Dam Bridge is where I learned the most about extended exposures. Not only can you practice shooting lights at night but from certain spots you can try to capture the motion of the water from the dam. It's pretty cool they change the colors from time to time and keep it interesting.



I love me some bridges. This one was pretty cool because it's a suspension bridge so it provided a lot of interesting details. This was taken while I was on vacation. It's in Winamac, Indiana.



I'm not a fan of water. I get anxious being around open water. The great thing about photography is that I ignore a lot of fears. I'm a lot better about heights and water when I have a camera in hand! This shot was taken near Michigan City, Indiana and is of Lake Michigan.

january/february 2009 (best of)

I've decided to do a best of 2009 series. This should be interesting as it will be a trip through my first year of photography.



I actually used to go on shooting trips well before I had any interest in learning camera settings. I enjoyed being a tourist in my own state, as I called it. Above is an example of something I learned how to do by accident and loved (shallow depth of field). Of course, I didn't know what it was called or really why it happened that way. This is from the "Art of the Chopper" exhibit that was at the Clinton Library through most of January.



I always carried my little point and shoot with me when I'd go somewhere interesting or when I was going for a workout. I had a lot of little photo adventures this way. I wasn't really confident enough to admit I wanted to learn. The shot above is a view of Pinnacle Mountain seen from the Big Dam Bridge. Funny a few weeks later this camera was stolen and replacing it started my obsession with photography!

games people play

Title reference.

Sometimes you just capture a shot that sums up an event, mood, or person so well. That's what I love about photography, when you can capture something like that. This was 100% candid.

Here's another shot from that night when we were at the Arkansas State Capitol waiting for the fireworks show.

'tis the season

Every year at the Arkansas State Capitol there is a Christmas parade, lighting, and fireworks. It's pretty awesome. This was the first year for me to go. I don't like cold weather at all. I've never been one to intentionally be in the cold - until photography! I do a lot of things for photography. Anyway, I'd never shot fireworks before this. This was actually the first shot I took for the night! I have some other good ones, but I loved the first one. Beginners luck?