What's your flag look like?

I haven't had time to go shoot since my vacation/recession began, but here's one I took a few years ago in a small southern Oklahoma town. With the Fourth of July nearing, I figured it was a good time to show it off. I'm thinking I may have to drag my family down there for a photo by this. Hope it's still there.

I have been busy working on my cattle drive book and am wrapping it up. It has been an enjoyable project. More details will be coming over the next few weeks.

Oh and is it hot out or what?!!! Happy Tuesday!

He's a champion!

Omar Martinez of Joshua, Texas is the 2009 World Champion of Miniature Bucking Bulls. He's got spirit, that's for sure. I posted a photo a few 'blogs' ago showing him sharing his ride experience. (Be sure to see the youtube video below that I found online. It tells a bit about why these kids do this).

The photos I shot are available to buy. Click the photo at the right and it will link you over to the shopping gallery. I have priced the photos extremely low since my intention was not to go and shoot this to sell, but I have been getting requests for them. Please understand, I can't afford to go and print images and mail them to everyone who is emailing me. The cost of the photos will help me offset the cost of my shopping site and the time I took to upload them. The images are mailed directly from the lab to you.

Hey Margie!

This vintage flag with only 48 stars I think is around $75, what a buy!
Italian plastic molded chairs. It said the black one is sold.
A vintage movie poster featuring the now deceased Farrah Fawcett.
I'm a sucker for green vases, this one is beautiful.
More vases. Very fresh color!
This is NOT ikea! I just found this online and thought of you and your recent trip to Ikea. Lots of fun things and not priced bad either. But, always remember to check your own local junk, antique, thrift, goodwill stores to see if they have something comparable. Besides you boost your local economy that way.
But go look at this is not ikea (dot) com..I think you can click on my post title and it'll link over. Here's some neat things, including a Farrah Fawcett movie poster.
Oh and Margie ...neener,neener, I got a "new chair" too...I'll post pic later! I've given fair warning to my family to stay out of my chair!

The old church ... again

Here's another one from that day drive in May over in Cotton County.
I had forgot that I was going to post it. Just a reminder to keep the faith, even on a Saturday!

They come in 3s

The other day when Ed McMahon died, I said at work, that happens in threes. Then today I hear of Farrah Fawcett, but the shocker was to hear of Michael Jackson. The first thing I did was to call my sister. When her son was in elementary school, heck, he's in his 30s now, we used to embarrass him to no end driving into school parking lot and picking him up, singing at the top of our lungs Thriller. When the Michael Jackson dolls came out, we bought them up! Over the years, moving and other things, including the whole sordidness of his past, well we eventually sold the dolls, etc. For less than what we paid for them.
But I reminded my sister of the LaserDisc she bought of Thriller back in the 1980s, so she's searching furiously for it. She just moved so many of her things are still packed.
But, she's willing to part with the LaserDisc for the right price. If you are interested, email or post me a comment. Once she uncovers it, we'll get a photo online. Now mind you, if you are looking at this as a way to play it, you have to have the discplayer. Aside from that, the artwork on those old disc jackets are awesome. Those unfamiliar with what I am talking about should know that the jackets are hard. When you put the disc in the machine, it would eject the "album" into the player and the jacket would come out and you put it aside while watching the movie. The jackets are awesome artwork from movies back then. She's got several Clint Eastwood Westerns and others, oh yes, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid and The Sting.
Aside from all that, not sure what to feel about Michael Jackson's death. He was an incredible artist and his legacy will live on through his music.
Farrah's death and Ed's death, maybe those will be lessons of life for us. Farrah, as much as I can remember, was never portrayed with ugliness, and I don't mean the physical kind ..but to be a celebrity for so long and while there were problems, we always saw her as a beacon of hope. Ed, his lesson, always be careful with your money. He sure had a rough past couple of years, didn't he?

Flickr addiction...what it really is good for...

How many flickr groups do you belong to? I'm horrified to admit, that earlier tonight it was at 273, now it's down to 269. And I'm sure I'll find five more this week to join. I discovered that if I haven't looked at a group, or it hasn't had any new items added, I'm deleting it.
I love the groups mostly because it feeds my creativity. When I'm feeling in a funk, I can enjoy at a glance many great images and also get the inspiration to go out and try to shoot something new or in a different way.
Also, I've found that flickr is a great way to bribe my granddaughter to sit still for a few moments! She's approaching that constant flow of energy 2 year olds seem to have. But if I pull up a group with a lot of images, like CATS, or DOGS, or HORSES/cows, she'll sit there and watch the slideshow run and just talk and carry on! It's fun and at the same time, she's learning, colors, objects, etc...
As for me, I can't say there is any one flickr group that is my absolute most favorite, though I love Shutter Sisters and any of the nature groups. I also enjoy the storm groups and anything that shows off our country's vast landscapes and fading past.

Ma'am, excuse me, but I'm a pretty big Christian ...

Says the young cowboy who definitely impressed me with his attitude at the Miniature Bucking Bull Breeders of America (http:/www.mbbba.com), World Finals event held this weekend in Duncan at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center.

I didn't know about it until Saturday afternoon, so I stopped what I was doing just to go to the event. I've not ever been to a mini bull youth event before. The boys were ages 7-14, from throughout the Midwest - Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, probably a few other places too. Iowa, I think.
This young man, Clayton, definitely has the cowboy spirit. I normally don't do prayer shots, but this moment called for it. Kent Kerschner, "Foto Cowboy" says he's known Clay since he was a toddler and the young boy is quite a good kid. I also had a chance to visit with Kent and really enjoyed talking with him "when he wasn't working!" He pretty much lives on the road, he says. (Added after original post: I just discovered that Kent is the president of the Association of Professional Rodeo Photographers, visit http://rodeoshooters.com)

There were a few times during this event, that were filled with heartpounding moments when the riders got hung up and the bullfighters did their job. I just couldn't bring myself to shoot the hangups as I was holding my breath.

Omar Martinez cashed out fairly well also. Here he is sharing his experience right after a ride with his fellow competitors.
If this event had been advertised more locally, I'm sure the place would have been packed. It was definitely worth an evening out. Congratulations to all the young cowboys.

Fashion to finances

No photo in this quick post. For all you fashion followers, there is some fantastic photography in the Elle issue with Gwen Stefani on the front, the June issue of Vogue and others out now. I glanced at them while at the book store today. Couldn't afford them, partly because I cheated and bought Western Art Collector and Food & Wine. I should not have done that, but it was so hard to pass them up.
Well, right now I'm watching a 20/20 show called the new order. wow. it should be mandatory for everyone right now.

Refreshing

Icy cold water, fresh mint leaves, fresh cherries..ahhhhhhhh!

How to buy my photos!

This is just a quick overview for those who want to buy my photos, either from events I have shot, or fine art work. Look to the right. There's an image there of a girl on a horse with a grand entry flag. Click and be whisked to that particular set of photos at my smugmug shopping cart.
Or scroll down just a bit farther and see the flower with dew drops? That takes you to the front of that site. Now this is only my shopping cart site. Prices vary and so do availability of sizes, you will have to click on a photo to see its listed price. A professional quality lab will ship directly to you after you order and pay all right there online.
I am continuously updating what is over there. If you see me at an event with my camera and I am not working for the newspaper at that time, it's a good bet the photos will be online for sale.
And if you want notecards of any one image, I can get you a boxed set of professionally printed 5x7 cards.

Etsy gets noticed by NG

I get the National Geographic newsletter and was skimming quickly over the June 11 one last night and saw a sidebar on support the arts. There Etsy was mentioned! If you haven't heard of etsy by now, you are definitely too sheltered. It's been in top magazines, Martha Stewart and more. Etsy is definitely the place to go when shopping for something that has been created with a lot of love, time and passion.

I even had one of my carnival prints purchased in a 20x30 by someone who is on Pennsylvannia Ave. No, not the president, though one can always hope and dream, right?!

Also, as a member of the POE, Photographers of Etsy street team, I enjoy reading the blog and seeing the latest news of fellow artisan photographers. In fact, a movie that is coming out has "props" in it that were purchased on etsy...from a photographer! The photographer is Maleah Matthews of urbandesign and her photos are going to be "The Rooommate."
These are a couple of my prints you can purchase off of my etsy shop. Look to the right and down a ways for the etsy photo link to my shop!

Quick vid

Just a short. I let my full pass membership to animoto expire. I'm sure eventually I'll renew it. Enjoy the clip.

Tough Enough to Wear Pink

Friday night at the Oklahoma High School Rodeo finals in Duncan. The theme (title) was for breast cancer awareness. Great bunch of kids. Had planned to shoot Saturday, but didn't make it out there except for about 10 minutes.
This first one is Cassidy Boggs, National Reserve Champ in breakaway. Friday she scored a 2.52 time and I got the shot. I'm posting them over at my smugmug shopping cart.

Ah-hoy Mateys! A contest!

Only friendly pirates abound on these here waters. So, you're thinking, what the heck is she drinking tonight?! Nothing.

I did this last night after reading a few more chapters in The Judas Strain, which does have pirates in it. I shot this photo in 2006 and just let it sit in my files. Last night as I was going through the photos from my trip to Florida, I saw this and thought, well why haven't I ever textured and artsy-phartsied this up?!
I shot this on a 'drive by' as my sister and I were rambling about. I think it was a putt putt golf course.
It's going in my etsy shop and will be available for sale there in a few days.
Now for the contest portion. If you want an 8x8 of this image, you have to follow two steps. One is visit etsy and then come back here and share a comment about your favorite photographer you found over there. It can't be me, that's rule 1.
The second part is to get one of your blog followers to come and post a comment if they enjoy my blog. They have to be a new blog follower. That's it!
I will put the names in a treasure chest and let little Miss MM draw out the winner this weekend. (I better get my video camera working, so I can record it for the blog!)
And for the western fans, I decided I would post a few images each weekend.

Plodding Along

Kind of appropriate title considering it feels like I'm trodding instead of galloping as I continue to upload images in my shopping cart gallery (http://tphotos.smugmug.com) Just click the purple dewy flower at right and you will end up at the online site. I originally titled it Trodding Along, which isn't far off, but Plodding was the better choice of words for describing my progress.



I am putting a few specialty items in my etsy shop, but the main online shop is at the smug site. The difference is that if you order from my smug site, the prints or merchandise is shipped directly to you from the lab. Less waiting time and more options in sizes and finishes. So if you want a huge gallery sized piece, go there. I have more than just western and cowboy images for sale, too.

Horses in waiting

Just added to my etsy shop, two images. I am finally moving into the next stage of a very long project. I shot these in September 2007 during the last day of the first week of the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive reenactment for the Oklahoma Centennial.
This was at the end of the day once they made camp.



When I say 'next stage' I am finally editing my images down so that I can make a book and list many of the prints for sale. The horse print is available also as a refrigerator magnet. The cowboy boot shot is a limited edition print in metallic/8x12, see my etsy shop for details.
I hope you all don't get sick of the western images as I plan to show off a lot of them as the summer goes on. I know I have not tired of working with them and am very excited about my book project. It will be independently published (unless the right offer comes along!)
This last image was shot at the Western Spirit Celebration a year later, honoring all those great cowboys. There was a fantastic chuckwagon cookoff. When I find out this year's dates I will post a notice here and on my flickr as I know many of you like to attend such events.

Limes & Rum

If I felt better, I'd probably be drinking this today. As it is, it's sprite, not starbucks for me and I'm in and out of bed today. my entire body aches, my throat is sore and the list goes on. I can't stand to just stay in bed all day and would really rather be at work suffering, but I fear I may be contagious as three other family members are also sick.
anyway, here's a few of limes and rum drink with mint leaves that I made a week ago. I added texture as I'm known to do and really like the first one which is going in my etsy shop.

Monday Mania

Just a bunch of crazy eclectic and some very cool items found on the quick last night at etsy!