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.

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.

Urban Toddler

This turned out just the way I hoped. I found this darling little dress and knew exactly where I wanted to photograph her in it. I thought I had posted these once, but looked back in April and saw that I didn't.

This middle one is my favorite!

I love these kinds of sessions! The weather is perfect (when there is no rain or wind, umm I know, I'm in Oklahoma...)

If you want a Urban Toddler session, contact me and let's set it up. I assure you that you can afford me! Brings me to another thought I need to post. I am not doing baby sessions anymore. I am ready to book seniors, toddlers, dogs, horses, cats and some weddings. I also will do teen fashion.
The reason I said above that you could afford me, is I have been checking around in casual conversation and have learned that a lot of area people are going to the studio in Walmart and spending well upwards of $200 and more. Ummm...SENIORS! I'm telling you, don't get your senior portrait done there! Really, call me! You will have much more fun doing a location session and you will have photos that will show off your personality. Can you get that at 'that place?!' I don't think so.

And the Oklahoma Governor's race begins....

Oklahoma Lt. Governor Jari Askins, second from right, with her family, mother Jarita, seated, brother Marty and his wife, Dana and their daughter, Allison, to Jari's left. Today she announced in Duncan officially that she is running for governor for Oklahoma, 2010. You can read the story at http://www.duncanbanner.com "Askins aiming high"

Robin McGraw, Oprah and Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins

Those who offer hope and inspiration:

The three women I mentioned in the title are the inspiration for this post. It started this morning when I got a return call from Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins. I have been excited about this all day! I've known Jari for years and she has announced her bid to run for Governor for the state of Oklahoma! Whoohoo! When she was running for the Lt. Gov. position, I actually did some photographs of her at her church for her campaign. It was wonderful and I've learned so much since then as a photojournalist, photographer, writer and more. Jari is one of those people that always remembers your name and always seems so level headed and professional. Yet she's one of the kindest, warmest women. So after talking with her on the phone this morning for comments for our headline story, I just knew today would be a good day. She just seems to have that effect on people.
I didn't have much to do at work, got most of it knocked out by noon and I came home from work early today and actually accomplished a few things. The biggest being my desk and cleaning it! How can I be productive when my work station at home is a cluttered pile?! With that out of the way, then I felt like I could do more.

After, I sat down and watched a show that I normally wouldn't watch, The Doctors. A talk show, but it was their guest that prompted me to sit and watch. Robin McGraw.
When I heard her name, I knew it would be worth watching. I've not had the opportunity to meet her (well, I may have, memory fails me on that one). It might have been when I did a story on Cindi Broaddus and some trees were donated to the local park in Cindi's name. I'll have to find that article and scan it in.
(See another story here: http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/181 {not mine}. Cindi and Robin are sisters and Robin has been to Duncan many times. Her new book hits the stands tomorrow and I am going to put my name on the library list to read it. I'd go buy it, except it's part of my pledge to not buy books this year since I have so many backed up that need reading (see Sunday's post!).
But the theme of the show was just making sure you take time for yourself. This is so true. If you don't take time for yourself, then you can't take care of your family. Robin said it's not being selfish. It's just important.

Then I turned it to Oprah after watching the entire hour and there was Oprah talking very candidly about this past year, her weight gain and tiredness and thyroid issues. And her lack of joy. Wow. Oprah, get your joy back! If I can do it, so can you! I know what she's talking about. Years ago, I was getting sicker and sicker and it got to where I couldn't even lift a coffee cup to wash it. Just horrible. I was even afraid to go to sleep for fear I'd never wake up. Can you say INSOMNIA?
I didn't know what was wrong. Some events opened up doors and I went to a doctor and sure enough, it was my thyroid. I even felt negative, empty, poor me pity, all of that.
I made some serious changes, eating habits, sleeping, work, etc... I believe those saved my life. I'm slowly incorporating exercise back into my life.
Which brings me to this next step. Mind you, getting "YOU" back doesn't happen overnight.
But listening to people like Robin McGraw and other inspirational people, Joyce Meyer, joycemeyer.org; and Nicole Johnson (freshbrewedlife.com) are the newest thing for me to add joy and the "me factor" back into my life. It's the encouragement and calmness that these women exhibit and I think to myself, that's awesome! Plus, moving into empty nest syndrome, I think, wow, there is so much that I want to do. For myself, my husband, my children and grandchildren. Yet in a different way than I've done for the past 20 years. I think, wow, why didn't I do this a long time ago?!

So if you are reading this and you feel some joy is evading you, listen online to some of these women, or even men (feel free to tell us who they are with a comment) and oh wait, Rick Green with Wallbuilders. He also comes to Duncan and visits. There's a guy to listen to. When I was younger, my mom and I would watch Robert Schuller on TV. I can't remember why we stopped. Anyway, if you have someone that you listen to, read or look to for inspiration, I'd love to see your comment and what it is about that person that inspires you.

Here's yet another link on a short article on Cindi. Worth your five minutes.
www.womenforhire.com/be_gutsy/magazine/women_who_inspire_us/cindi_broaddus

Waiting list...

If you are wanting fall portraits, please e-mail me right away to get your name on a waiting list. I will soon be returning calls and booking up September and October appointments. I already have several people who are requesting sessions, so it's first come, first serve.

I'm also getting ready to do some awesome Dog portraits and am looking for a few good 'furry faces'...I want a Shih Tzu, Labradors (black, chocolate and cream), A hound dog. Those are my main picks. But if you have a dog with lots of personality, please contact me! You get a free session and a special gift for your time. I'll also give you 30 percent off any print orders you may place from this session. Please understand, these sessions will be extremly limited and will only be for an idea that I am working on, so no 'costumes' on the poochies. These also don't include the humans. If you want a photo of you with your poochie or of your child, there will be an additional session charge.

And, I'm happy to announce that I have been chosen once again to be the photographer for Bark in the Park, a fundraiser for the Stephens County Humane Society! I love doing this every year and am already working on my idea for a totally fun set this year. It's fun to get photos of people with their dogs at this event! And it's for a great cause.

Favorites!

In the mood to blog tonight, so here's a few of my favorites from recent senior sessions.

Storms!

I have an obsession with storms! When I was little, I was scared to death of them. See, in California, we learned about earthquakes, but a tornado was unheard of. So, moving to Oklahoma, hearing a tornado siren sound and not knowing what a tornado was (I was only 10 at the time!) I guess I thought it was the end of the world. It was many, many years before I got past that fear! LOL
It wasn't until after I really got into photography and was living in Colorado before I realized, hey, this whole storm thing could be FUN! Yes, I know, demented, huh? But I have some super wall cloud images on display in my home and while to Oklahomans they look scary, shooting the images was extremely safe. Sitting out on the plains of Colorado, you can see for miles and miles. The storms were a good distance but the photos look like the storm was right on top of me. I think by the time we took cover, it might have been half a mile away.
In Oklahoma though, the storm can be right on top of you before you know it. Like today! There I was sitting in Duncan in front of the Stage store at Elk Plaza, deep in conversation on my cell, when all of a sudden it got really dark and there it was. I'm sure I shouted obscenities when I looked up at the sky. I was semi-prepared. I had taken my camera and gear with me this morning, but when I could have jumped out and got a great shot, it started raining hard and so I didn't risk getting my camera soaked.
I headed back to the newspaper and while there talking with a co-worker, we hear over the scanner that a funnel had possibly touched down at Halliburton Stadium (Duncan High's football field). I don't think much happened though other than just a toss of some field equipment.
But, I was kind of bummed to not have gotten any shots so far this year. And for it supposedly to be one of the high risk days, it wasn't much and was short lived. My adrenalin barely moved!
So, if you've read this much, and are still clamoring for a storm shot. The link is in the title of this entry and will take you to my old proofing gallery and some 2005 images I have up. I'll try to be more diligent in the future!
Also, here's a link to a photo I really like that I shot in Oklahoma http://tphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/508938#34889330-L-LB
If you have any great storm shots from this week, send them my way. I'd be happy to post them!