Friday is here June is kicking down the door. May 30, 2008

The weather is cloudy and there has been some rain. I love how fresh everything is, the air smells and feels so clean. The colours also look so rich after it rains or during a storm. It is also nice and cool as well making me want to just stay in bed. I am really looking forward to the weekend and time with Jenn. I can’t believe June has arrived.
Before I know it I will be waking up with entire days to enjoy working on the house, exploring the world with my 70-200mm lens . I hope Jenn and I can make it this weekend to see the new Indiana Jones flick. Those movies really are classics…gotta love Ford flicks, even if he is a senior citizen….he can rock it as Dr.Jones.

Last night when I got home from Edmonton I saw it had rained in Vegreville. So I busted out my 70-200 and snapped a few shots of our tree by our driveway. There were some drops of rain coming off the buds on the branches. I zoomed in close and loved how the bokeh looked with the shallow dof. I snapped a few shots and just loved how the lens captures details and blurs the background. I got them on photoshop and did some small adjustments but they were mostly taken and posted as they were taken. I did see a blackbird on my trip back but didn’t get the best distance from the bird. I really love seeing them on my drive to work. The Redwinged Blackbirds give me hope and inspire me. Seeing how they faithfully guard their nests and fight off predators makes me feel like I can do anything.

I really love how nature teaches and inspires. When I was driving to work this week I saw a small blackbird fighting off a raven that was most likely trying to get it’s eggs. Just the size difference between the birds made it look as if the small bird would not stand a chance. However the small bird was so aggressive in it’s defense of the nest and it shows that size didn’t matter in this case. The heart of the small bird, doing his best to defend his mate and those precious eggs, is what won and the raven flew off. It just spoke to me that life has all kinds of attacks, all kinds of things that try and break us down. I look at that bird and if I can live my life with that much heart and boldness of character then I will be VERY happy.

Year is Speeding to the Finish May 29, 2008

Days go by with such speed now. It’s so close to summer, the kids sense it, I sense it. I do miss being young. Time did not go so quickly as a child. Summer seemed to last forever. A 2 week holiday felt like months of exploring, learning and just excitement about the world. Little things like picnics were awesome experiences. The smells of campfires, going for hikes all kinds of memories of being a kid come back to me. The adult world is so different. Deadlines, bills, home improvements, maintance and all kinds of endless responsibilities. From the moment adults wake up it seems like we are such a go go go go society. I admit I’ve been caught up in it. I used to think cellphones were silly. However with the way people live their lives now they have become extensions of themselves. It seems people go everywhere and are connected or wired. This summer holiday I really want to “unplug” maybe even become a hippie…..hee hee.

The pics in the post are of Steph and her man Andre. They are both very cool people and I was honored to take pics of them before they move away to Ontario. Congrats to them both as they are soon to be married.

-Randy

Grad Pics of KRIS May 28, 2008

Graduation time…Kris came out to do some Grad photos with me. She’s a beautiful girl and easy to photograph. My 70-200 got some good shots as usual, (LOVE that lens)….I am wicked tired so not much to say, just here are 2 edits…I am off 2 bed….it’s a crazy busy week….I need sleep.

-Randy

Monday May 26, 2008

A beautiful and sunny morning…here is a good proverb for the day…..

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
Proverbs 28:26/NIVVerseoftheday.com

This text really speaks to me, because I trust myself far too much, which has really resulted in foolish choices and pretty much just as bad outcomes. I really want to be walking in wisdom as the whole trusting in myself seems to not work out so good…heheheh. So todays proverb is well taken with moi.

The weekend went by so quickly. Sunday was a lazy day, Jenn and I kind of were exhausted and just spent it with the cats. Nahla and Scully both had a lot of cuddle time. Tomorrow is a P.D. day for me, so I have to make sub plans today. I have a REALLY good sub coming in so I am not worried. I also have Grad photos of Kristyn tomorrow as well. It will be nice to try doing some grad shots too. Not sure if they’ll be studio shots or if we’ll do mostly outside. She said she wanted them to be a bit different. I’d love to shoot outside as natural light rules. However I am starting to enjoy using my flash combined with natural light too. When it comes to my 70-200 I am in love!!! Hoping for a good day all around!

Shantelle and Josh May 25, 2008

Here are some recent shots of Shantelle and Josh. They are getting married this summer and allowed me the honor of taking their engagement shots. We found some nice trees with some beautiful colour. Shantelle and Josh are very much an adorable couple and just a lot of fun to photograph. Shantelle is an experienced model and I have shot with her a lot on previous occasions. I have a lot of good shots still to edit but here are a select few. I will be busy today but hope to get more edits done. I want to watch the Lakers try and beat the Spurs…..I’d love to see a sweep!! GO KOBE!!! I am a BIG Lakers fan…would love to see them win a title.

Friday!! :) May 23, 2008

Friday is here, a short week but it felt long. Probably because of the rainy weather and full moon. Kids were really worked up and teachers were too, heheheh. I managed some pictures yesterday on my drive home (see above). I love my new lens I must say! It is a dream to shoot with. Sometimes I find it hard to believe it’s my lens. I am so tired this morning, thinking I am fighting some kind of bug. Went to bed early and still feel out of sorts. Hope the weekend will be better. Doing pics with Shantelle this weekend, should be good. Have a wonderful day and weekend to everyone that reads this.

-Randy

Don’t worry, be happy! May 22, 2008

good advice

Rain and Wind May 22, 2008

What a day to want to stay cuddled up in bed. Sleepy kind of day. Not much to talk about….here is a recent edit of my baby cat Nahla Pearl.

I was Tagged May 21, 2008

Nahla and I on our long weekend together get caught napping Happy Victoria Day Peeps

Here are the rules:1. Link back to the person who tagged you.2. Post these rules on your blog.3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry

Okay Tammy Tagged me but I don’t know even close to six random people to tag so it’ll end on my end.

Here are my 6 unimportant things about myself….:)

1. I have the hardest icon to get by playing random races in World of Warcraft The Frozen Throne, which basically means I have no life…..yay me…..
2. I make up silly voices when I am driving alone
3. I am a video game addict….I blame my parents for getting me that commodore 64…..
4. I drink too much pop
5. I have a licorice addicition
6. My number in hockey was 73 and basketball was 67

ok, there are my 6 things……off to bed I go….
-Randy

Nature May 20, 2008

You don’t need no friends
get back your faith again
you have the power to believe
another dissidenttake back your evidence
it has no power to deceive
I’ll believe it when I see it, for myself
I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.
I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive
I sit with them all night
everything they say is right
but in the morning they were wrong
I’ll be right by your sidecome hell or water highdown any road you choose to roam
I’ll believe it when I see it for myself
I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.
I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive, yeah
darling, I believe, Oh Lordsometimes it’s hard to breathe, Lord
at the bottom of the sea, yeah yeah
I’ll believe it when I see it for myself
I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.
I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive
I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.
I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset I can see the sunset
I can see the sunset
I don’t need no one
Ohhhh
I don’t need no oneI don’t need no one
I don’t need no one
To tell me about heavenI believe
I believe it, yeah
The lyrics are formatted kind of strange but the song really speaks to me. I don’t need someone walking up to me in a mall telling me about God…or someone knocking at my door. I honestly think that if people were to go out in to nature, remove the ipods, television and constant stimulation from media and technology, they’d see God in nature. It’s sad but as a photographer I live out in a small town…nature is all around me every day. However the sadness comes from not really getting a chance to be out in it. Photography wise there is not really anywhere to go that makes it easy. When I lived in Nelson House, MB and was teaching a 2 minute drive or a bit of a walk and a person could be out in the wilds of nature. Here in Vegreville I’ll be kicked off a farmers land for doing photography there. I can stay on the roads and capture pictures of fields and sunsets and that is beautiful and all, but I find nature harder and harder to access anymore. A person needs to really make a point of going to it and it seems less and less visible anymore. Wetlands and beautiful areas are being swallowed up and encircled by residential property and commercial buildings.
I really the world is very much heading in an unhealthy direction. We’re removing the beauty of nature and the little nature left is protected parks and not very many people can afford anymore to visit national parks or get out to enjoy them. With the rednecked Alberta attitude most people precieve nature as beer, ATVs, 4X4s, guns and fishing and did I mention the beer? I find it hard to see anymore having a spiritual moment in nature while running through it astride a loud ATV….or dirtbike. I think nature is by far my fave thing to photograph but where I live almost the most frustrating to find. I need to win millions and find a private island somewhere to make my own private sanctuary of solitude…where I may roam with my canon and enjoy what God hath created…hehehehe. I love ranting in my blogs….I don’t even care if they are read or commented on…just getting these thoughts out of my head is fun and kind of helpful…