A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Have you ever taken a picture either intentionally or coincidentally and been so thankful you timed it so perfectly?  THIS is one of the things we love MOST about photography!  The ability to capture a moment in time with an image that will be ours forever inspires us, motivates us, and keeps us coming back to the lens over and over again!  

I was full of pride and bursting with love as my son held my first grandchild in the NICU.  She was born early and weighed only 4 pounds and she was so tiny that holding her the first time was scary for me. This photo reminds me of those early days and all the feelings that came with her arrival.   I’m so glad I was there to snap the shutter on a very special moment, especially because she is now four years old and it is almost impossible to remember how small and helpless she was. 

We had a sleepover last night and I was reminded once again how quickly the time passes and those babies grow up before your very eyes!  I treasure each of those moments so much more than I did when I had my own children and all the BUSY-ness of life got in the way of enjoying the little things...

'Til Next Time,



Karen

You don't take a photograph.  You ask, quietly, to borrow it.  ~Author Unknown

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Have you ever taken a picture either intentionally or coincidentally and been so thankful you timed it so perfectly?  THIS is one of the things we love MOST about photography!  The ability to capture a moment in time with an image that will be ours forever inspires us, motivates us, and keeps us coming back to the lens over and over again!   

  

Tonight is a full moon. 100% full moon.  Most of the time the realization that it must be a full moon strikes me about half-way into my work day.  I sense it without a doubt and without even looking at a calendar.  It’s hard to explain, but there is a very predictable and consistent sort of way that full moon days turn out in my office. I forge through the often crazy events of the day in eager anticipation of a possible opportunity to catch a photo of the moon as it sets over my bedroom balcony.  This was one such morning where the glow of the moon awakened me and called me to my bedroom window. I was awestruck at the size and color of a moon the likes of which I had never seen before!  It was well worth interrupting my sleep for a few images I may never again have the opportunity to capture. 

Tonight the moon rises at 6:47 p.m. and sets tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.  I’ll have my tripod ready!  

                                         ahhhh-woooooh!

                                                       Tina

 Tuesday, March 10, 2009
SOOC f6.5, 2sec.exposure, 72mm focal length



A Tale of Two Sisters

Are they twins...sister and brother? No, just cousins...

My sister and I have always been close.  We count each other among our greatest blessings and cherish the memories of our journey together through life.  We are thankful for our time together and the impact we have had on each other’s lives.  Did you know?...

My youngest son, Pete, was born on Tina’s birthday.  We were pregnant together and she had Maureen just two months later.  It was quite fun sharing pregnancy, newborns and our children growing up together.   When Tina found out through tests that she was having a girl, that made me all the more sure I was having one too.  After all, we shared EVERYTHING so surely we would have girls together, right?  Oh what a surprise I had when Pete arrived!  The kicker came when he was about 5 years old and he asked if he could have some new wallpaper because he didn’t like the “pink stuff”!!!  Ha!  I had convinced myself it was neutral wallpaper with just a little bit of mauve in it!! 

As Pete and Maureen grew into toddlers, everyone thought they were sister and brother – or twins!  You can probably see why.  We often dressed them alike…sometimes planned and sometimes not.  Since we took turns babysitting and since they went to the same preschool class, one of us was often out with both kids!

And would it surprise you to know that we have about as many pictures of them together as we would if they really were sister and brother???!!!  This is a photo from their baptism day…we even did that together!

It looks like Pete just goosed Maureen and she's in shock!
Now she just dishes it right back!

…and another from our parents’ cabin in Mormon Lake, where we spent lots of time together and took an endless number of photos!  I have no idea if we planned for them to be dressed in the same colors or not but I do remember these little pink and blue coordinated sweatsuits they had…

Just one final thought...

Today is Maureen's birthday.  Happy birthday to my beautiful and talented niece, who has always been more like a daughter to me!  I love you lots and hope you have a wonderful day that is as special as you are!

‘Til next time,

Karen

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.”  ~Eudora Welty


A Day Trip in the White Mountains...

Our Labor Day trekking didn’t end with the trip to the lavender farm.  The following day we decided to take one of our favorite trips through the beautiful land that is known as the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona.    We’ve had a wonderfully wet monsoon season this year and everything is so green it’s amazing.  This is great for our drought-ridden state.   All along the way, we were blessed by carpets of blooming yellow wildflowers. 

We went first to Greer, one of our favorite places to go.    We have eaten at other good places in Greer but our favorite is Greer Lodge.  They have delicious food on a fabulous outdoor deck with views that are to die for!! 

The weather was perfect and we watched from the deck as the fly fishermen cast, caught, threw back and cast again…and probably caught the same fish over and over.  We watched children and adults get lessons in kayaking and steer the kayaks around the little pond.  And we watched a gaggle of geese strut their stuff around one pond, cross the lawn, play in the stream and then head off to another pond, all the while enjoying the sound of the stream gurgling just below the deck we were on. 

Before leaving we decided we should try (AGAIN) to get some photos of the “sisters” that were a little newer than the late 1950s!!!  This will most likely be the one and only blog post where you'll see us on the other side of the lens...and it's only because we had the guys there to snap the shutter.  Tell us which one you like as we need help figuring out which one to put on our website with the vintage ones of us as little girls!

We left Greer and didn’t even make it a mile before we were asking to stop and take photos.   There is a lovely little set of 3 ponds with a windmill that had the most awesome field of yellow flowers in front of them.  The sky was so blue and the clouds so puffy that they completed the whole scene.  This is my favorite photo from that day.  I love it so much that I intend to enlarge it and hang it in my cabin.  I love to hang beautiful nature photos there.

Once back on the road, we headed back toward Pinetop on a winding and approximately 20-mile long dirt road.  You can well imagine all the beautiful spots we saw along the way.  The guys were extremely patient and stopped every time we asked them to!  We shot lots of photos trying to capture the beautiful light we were seeing in the aspen trees or the old abandoned wooden barn or whatever else it was that we saw.  Sometimes we realize the real thing is so much more beautiful than the photos but every now and then we end up with a real prize as a reward for our persistence.

When we were almost home, we made one final stop to take more pictures of the sisters and at least one of the four of us!  It was a wonderful day where we were able to enjoy good weather, good company, lots of beautiful sights and best of all, the awesome-ness of God’s creation!

'Til next time,

Karen



"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created.  It is a major force in explaining man to man."
~Edward Steichen   

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Days Gone By....

A month or so when I was out and about alone with my darling granddaughter “Miss P” she said to me, ”Nana, I wish I could be a little baby for the rest of my life and love you forever!”  It took me a minute to realize what she was trying to say and then I realized she echoed my sentiments exactly, but they were just worded the best way a 5 year old knows how to say it.  We used to spend a lot of time alone together the first few years of her life, but with time all things change, children grow older, situations change, and siblings come into the equation.  Our journey that afternoon must have reminded her of days gone by where it was just the two of us.  We talked and I assured her that even though she was getting bigger she could still “love me forever” as I would “love her forever and ever” too! 


"Miss P"~age 11 months

Usually I’m the one behind the lens; consequently I have very few pictures of myself in this journey through life.  This became somewhat of a concern of mine when grandchildren began to enter my life as I want them to have something to remind them of my time shared with them when I am no longer here.  I think my better half heard that sentiment from me at some point because every now and then he picks up my camera and snaps a shot of me “living” life.  This was one of those “moments” with “Miss P” when she was about 11 months old and used to love to help me play my piano.  To me the images I have of time spent with my grandchildren are not “Worth a Thousand Words” …they’re priceless!

                                            Always,

                                                    Tina



Introducing Beautiful Baby B!

In eager anticipation of this precious baby’s newborn photo session I began to ponder the special bond I feel with her mother. She is a co-worker, and a friend, but it feels like more than that. I realized for the first time in the 8+ years since I first met her that perhaps that special connection is because she reminds me of my best friend in high school. Earthy, but down to earth, sensible but funny, smart, determined, passionate about her beliefs, and not afraid to own her individuality. Then again, perhaps it’s because she could be my daughter, or because I share her mother’s enthusiasm for the joys that being a grandmother bring. Or maybe it’s because their journey from baby #1 to baby # 2 has been a long and winding road, and I’m just tickled pink that baby B is finally here! It seems like she “completes” them!

And then …. I realize it must be all of the above. That being said, we were absolutely thrilled and honored to meet the most beautiful, pink, healthy, and LOVED baby B on her one week birthday. And so, without further adieu... welcome to the world Baby B!

Congratulations friends!

Tina

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

While the pictures and video broadcast worldwide in the hours and days following the 9-11 terrorist attacks will forever be etched in my mind, so will the memorial I had the opportunity to visit last night at Tempe Beach Park. Rows and rows of American flags, more than 2900 in all, lined the park stretching from one end to the other set against the lights of the Mill Ave. Bridge. On each flag was a card bearing the name, age, location, and story of someone who lost their life at the hands of the terrorists that fateful day 9 years ago.

Some had yellow ribbons tied around the flag pole signifying police, fire and medical personnel who lost their lives trying to save others.

Others had combat boots placed at the base of the flagpole in honor of the service men and women who lost their lives that day.

I stopped and read card after card, and 9 years later still find myself choked up over the senseless loss of life and the thousands of families who lost someone dear to them that day. The stories were of men and women, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, near retirees, and young men and women just embarking in their careers. Today and everyday let us not forget them and stop to give thanks for the brave men and women who fight still to defend our country and our freedom.

A picture's worth a thousand words, but these are pictures for which there could never be words enough.

In Remembrance of 9-11,

                              Tina

A Tale of Two Sisters

My sister and I have always been close. We count each other among our greatest blessings and cherish the memories of our journey together through life. We are thankful for our time together and the impact we have had on each other’s lives. Did you know?...

There are a total of five sisters, so this post could be called A Tale of Five Sisters. To say we are occasionally a bit wacky is an understatement! We like to have “sister weekends” and when we finally get one planned, we always have a blast! In 1995, we decided to go to Cindy’s house in California. We started the weekend with the other four of us flying into Burbank Airport and someone (or two), who shall remain nameless, decided we would put blonde wigs and sunglasses on in the airport bathroom and go wait on the curb for Cindy to pick us up! I hated the idea but they FORCED me to do it anyway. Needless to say, we got more than a few stares and some thumbs up from our fellow passengers! When Cindy saw us on the curb, she gave us the thumbs down and kept driving…possibly to make us chase her. Later that weekend after a bit of a party around Cindy’s kitchen table, we decided to take a Christmas photo of all of us for our parents. Tina actually gave them this in a frame so they could have a daily reminder of their beautiful and classy daughters!


On a side note, I am wearing the same wig I used for my Dolly Parton costume and Tina is wearing the wig we fondly dubbed “The Bag Lady Wig”!  I think it came from a thrift store somewhere…YIKES! Oh and the red lipstick – THAT was intentional. It’s just too bad some of us couldn’t put ours on very well! :)

‘Til next time,

Karen

Labor Day Quest for Beautiful Photos!

Has anyone ever heard of Concho, AZ? We sure hadn’t…not until Red Rock Lavender Farms put a tiny little ad in the Phoenix paper last week for their HUGE LABOR DAY SALE!!! Having just seen another photographer’s beautiful picture of rows and rows of lavender in bloom, that little ad just popped off the page and screamed out at me. I immediately mapped it and discovered to my great happiness that it was only 43 miles from Pinetop.


So when Tina and Mark came to visit us in Pinetop this weekend, it was a natural for us to go on an outing to the lavender farm in search of some great photo ops! The guys provided the perfect timing for us when they went golfing. We were so hoping the lavender would look just like it does on their website and we would soon be the owners of some new and different photos for our growing collection. Unfortunately, the first part was not to be but…we definitely had a great adventure and have some new photos to treasure and share. We also have another trip planned for next June or July…to the Lavender Festival where we will fill our cameras with photos of rows and rows of lavender in bloom. In the meantime, here are a few photos from our day trip to the middle of nowhere in far eastern Arizona – almost to New Mexico in fact.

Here is one of the first signs that we are in the middle of nowhere…

I guess they still need fire protection and lights in the middle of nowhere though…

And just over that hill - Red Rock Lavender Farms. Luckily, it wasn’t a total bust. There were a few bushes in bloom and they had a wonderful little store that smelled amazing. After a few purchases, we got the cameras out and looked for anything with the color lavender in it. We found some other gems while we were at it.

And more sights from Concho and Concho Valley...

The church...

The cemetery next door...

The general store???!!!

 

And what else?  The entrance to the Concho Valley Country Club!

It was a beautiful day, we got some beautiful photos and we had a fabulous time together!  We can’t wait for June, 2011.  Hopefully, we’ll be posting photos with rows and rows of beautiful lavender in bloom.

‘Til next time…
Karen

"Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch" Mini-Sessions

With the birth of our first grandchild a tradition was born…Halloween pictures in the pumpkin patch! We are pleased to announce the 6th Annual “Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch” photo shoot. This year we are inviting our clients to join us! We only have 10 openings so sign up soon. The deadline to book your session is Sept. 10, 2010.

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch Mini Sessions:

When:We are now scheduling sessions for Oct.3, 2010 beginning at 3:00p.m.
Where: Mother Nature’s Farm
1663 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85233.

We encourage you to have your child dressed in their Halloween Costume or bring it with you to change them into. There is nothing better than a picture to recall how adorable they looked in their costumes each year and the pumpkin patch is the perfect setting to show them off! We all know they grow up much too quickly!

Each $75 session in the pumpkin patch includes the following:

• A 20 minute mini session for up to 3 children ages 6 months (or able to sit on their own) and up. Additional children can be included for an additional fee.
• 10 proofs- available for your selection on our website within 2 weeks of your session.
• 4 prints, sized 8 x 10 or smaller. Prints can be any combination of 8 x 10, 5 x 7 or sheet of 8 wallets
• 10 web enhanced watermarked digital images for sharing on your blog and/or social networking pages.

Appointments will fill up fast so contact us soon to schedule your session at
http://www.throughmysisterseyes.com/
www.facebook.com/ThroughMySistersEyesPhotography
photosisters@cox.net

*Refer your friends for our mini-sessions, and don’t forget to have them tell us that you referred them. Remember for every 3 referrals you give us who book and complete a session, you will receive 20% off prints or products from your next session!

Facebook Photo Contest and Giveaway

On or before Oct. 17, 2010 we will post our favorite picture from each mini-session completed with us on our Facebook page and leave the voting up to our friends. www.facebook.com/ThroughMySistersEyesPhotography

The photo that gets the most comments from friends of Through My Sisters Eyes Photography will win an 8 x 10 metallic print with protective lustre coating and mounted on 2mm styrene board (from this or future sessions with us) A $35 value!

Contest Rules:

1) Our contest becomes effective when we have 10 mini sessions booked in the pumpkin patch

2) Voting begins when the contest album is posted on or before October 17, 2010 and ends at midnight on Oct 31, 2010.

3) Votes will only be counted by comments posted on each photo. Liking a photo does not count as a vote. This is the only way we can keep an accurate count.

4) Comments must come from friends who have “liked” our Through My Sister’s Eyes Facebook Page so be sure to have your friends and family visit our page, “like” us, and comment to vote for your Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch!

A Tale of Two Sisters- Happy Birthday Mother ♥

Did you know….today is our Mother’s birthday. She would have been 81 years old today had she not been called home to be with Our Father in Heaven shortly after her 31st birthday. She left behind 3 little girls 6, 5, and 2. Her life on Earth was far too short, her time with us too short as well, but we know someday we will meet again. We were raised by the most wonderful woman we called our mother and she wrote this poem for us a few years ago about our mother.


Heavenly Mother

When God decided to take your Mom,
To live in Heaven with Him,
She had to leave her precious girls,
Karen, Kristine, and Kim.

Your Mom went right to Heaven,
The day she passed away.
But she’s been looking down on you,
Every single day.

She has watched you learn, and seen you grow,
And everything you do,
That’s why she smiles and feels so warm,
And is so proud of you.

There is nothing like a mother’s love,
It’s boundless in it’s scope.
It’s always everlasting,
And always filled with hope.

A mother’s love is a constant love,
A reflection of her trust,
And what you feel from up above,
Is “Her” sprinkling Angel Dust.

We know your mother’s love is always there,
And will last your whole life through.
And looking down I don’t think she’d mind,
If she knew I love you too.

Happy Birthday Mother!