seasons change

yes, seasons change -- and the one we're in is probably my favorite. it seems like this year, God's paintbrush has been exceptionally vivid, and the colors have been nothing short of breath-taking. i hope you've taken the time to stop and enjoy -- or at least observe, as you've driven to your turkey dinners and christmas shopping.





happy holidays -- don't let the cold trap you inside, or your camera in its bag... get out and shoot, or at least get out. breathe deep, and let the crisp cold get to the very bottom of your lungs.. and whatever you do, don't let january sneak up on you without spending time with those that matter most to you -- be with the ones you love, and let them know what they mean to you

inspiration

if you've got it, you probably know what it is...












if you don't have it -- it just may be time to do a little soul-searching...

when i find myself in need of some wind in my sails, thankfully i don't need to look far. not even outside the four walls i call home. (want to know more about that? check out our family blog -- http://http//402ec.blogspot.com/) my family is the reason i get up and go to work every day.. my wife kerry and my two boys, ry-guy (already home..and dearly missed) and z-nut (just warming up!) they push my photography skills -- giving me both great material and a desire to improve. they're patient with my "multi-shot" photo sessions. :)
so - if you continue to check back, i'm sure you'll be given more opportunity to get to know the fam!

as for you and yours... your inspiration, that is... get out there and shoot. if it's something you can catch through the lense, get to it... if not, then click with it in mind.

perspective

so much of life comes down to a matter of this -- perspective. is the glass half empty or half full? where is the greenest grass? the sun is shining somewhere. if you're healthy, you've got reason to be thankful .. even on our worst days, we're still doing better than we deserve. going through a hard time? -- maybe God's trying to teach you something, and this is the best way for you to learn...
so, if it truly is a matter of perspective, then let's do what we can to stay "chin-up" -- if you click pix, change your angle -- lay down on the footpath for the different shot, and it's ok if others look at you like you're wacky...
if you have a nasty habit of being self-centered, find something good in someone else, and tell them about it (it's called encouragement, but more on that later)
if you think you've got it bad, and wonder why so many others have been given so much more than you --- consider the children who've lost their parents to sickness, starvation, poverty (unfortunately the list goes on and on) and be thankful for what you have --- and maybe take it a step further and share what you do have with those who aren't as blessed as you.
after all, it all boils down, the good and the bad are only a slightly different perspective away from each other.

sometimes you just gotta look a little harder

the other day, i spent some time with my brother and his family.. they were "cashing in" on a christmas present - a photo shoot with their little guy micah. the morning came, it was very foggy, and i wondered what kind of pictures we'd get...

i showed up at the site early - to scope it out, and to poke around for other photo ops. at first glance, there didn't seem to be much catching my eye - neighboring houses were just close enough to not be "fogged out", and the field was mostly turned over. there was a stretch of wildflowers growing on the edge of the field, but they were all but dead and colorless -- that is, until i walked around the back side and found these two, with an exquisite showing of drops-on-webbing.. and, there you have it, the fog played right into my hand, and the backdrop blurred into nothing.

interesting enough, when we were done with the shoot, tricia's grandfather took the tractor and turned over the rest of the field, including those poor late bloomers that stuck around just long enough for me to catch'em through the lense...

here's the take-it-home: there's always a photo out there waiting to be taken - sometimes you just gotta look a little harder

mpix rocks!!!

to those of you in the bunch who are photographers, you're only shorting yourself out if you don't check out the digital photo lab mpix.com. i've used them a few times, and have been completely above-and-beyond satisfied... with every aspect...
from the interface and getting "set up"
to the services offered (variety, etc)
to the quality of the services
customer service/returns/satisfaction

good, good stuff... check'em out

silly, silly kiddos

we had a high family gathering the other day, and i couldn't resist getting my camera out --

what can i say? i guess i'm a sucker for trying to catch kids on "film". (my boy zachary will have no shortage of pix as he's growing up, i'm sure!)

cousins micah and kelly were enjoying themselves in the back yard, and all was good... but then, oh but then - my sister broke out this little circle sprinkler, and the fun really began. we turned the water on, and they'd go stand in the sprinkler. then steve would kink the hose, and the water would stop -- of course, drawing the two of them down to the sprinkler in a way that was almost wickedly cruel, but quite funny nonetheless. don't worry - they laughed and ran when the water came back -- maybe because they didn't know any better (they certainly didn't know steve was resposible for the water shortage - but what's wrong with a little grown-up fun at a child's expense, eh? it probably just makes them stronger or something) kids and water -- what more needs to be said?

if you're stopping by after seeing my stuff in doylestown last weekend, welcome! and a little heads-up -- i'll be at the gallery of the arts in sellersville this sunday afternoon -- should be a great time. the weather is gonna be great! stop by and say hi

looking for your feedback

chances are, if you're reading this little bit'o blog, you've either found it coincidentally (thanks for reading!), or you've been invited - either case, i value your input. one good way for us to improve our skills is to seek out, listen to, and implement critiques and criticism from others, and lately i've been striving for that improvement -- so i'll say in advance, thanks for your help!

my goal is to have a new picture posted every week -- and that in itself should be pushing me to be taking shots -- i'm going to do my best to not be using old shots. so, whether i'm trying to find something for a contest, catching little snapshots of zachary's misadventures, or sharing a glimpse of the world the way i see it, i want to share it with you, so please check back weekly - and i look forward to hearing from you!

kevin

be sure to tune in next week, 'cause it's hard to beat a good cup'a coffee!