Camera Club Update And Info

Last night was the first meeting of the year for my camera club. 

I couldn't show up hungry so Gayla and I had Mexican food and a Margarita.

We also had a margarita after the meeting.

Smiles...

Okay, I know you're all anxious to hear about how exciting it was so I will get on with the update.

We had a special guest speaker last night.

Someone who drew a huge crowd.

There were over 225 people who showed up at this meeting.

This person has photographed in over 100 countries.

He has personally instructed several celebrities.

He has published 34 books.

One of his books won the coveted Golden Light Award.

Another of his books won the Ben Franklin Award.

He writes for PC Photo and has been nominated for the Photoshop Hall of Fame.

Before I tell you who he is, I first want to say that this was an excellent program.

This person is a phenomenal speaker who captivated the entire audience,

and held our attention by making us laugh and connecting with us and inspiring us with a slideshow

of his amazing photos that he has snapped from around the world.

He encouraged us.

We learned about HDR photography and the presentation he gave was so informative.

I can tell you that I am drooling over the amazing pictures that are now imbedded in my mind.

It's good to know that most of his shots are set up.

Good shots like this don't just happen.

Most of the amazing photos we see in magazines don't just happen.

They are staged and produced like a movie.

The one thing he said, that I will always remember is this:

Don't Take Pictures, Make Pictures.

The information that we came away with is too good not to share.

What I'm about to share with you is as good as finding gold.

The guest speaker was Rick Sammon.

He gave us some wonderful links to follow so that we can be inspired and so that we can learn.

First, I highly recommend going to Rick's Website. 

It is packed with lots of information and inspiration.

Rick also has more than a dozen lessons/tips on his YouTube channel. 

If you go to his website you should see links for this.

You can also get photography and photoshop lessons on http://www.kelbytraining.com/

You can get several free photoshop lessons on http://www.layersmagazine.com/

So, not only were we enlightened with great images, we were also given an opportunity to continue learning.

I hope you all will check out all the great info.  It really is amazing stuff.

Thank you!

FSO: Fences

Thanks to Sandra Leigh for choosing this week's theme.  I really got carried away with this one.  It was a lot of fun.  I encourage you to visit Sandra Leigh's blog.

Fences have been around for a very long time.  They are used to keep people or animals in and out.  The song, "Don't Fence Me In" keeps popping into my head, but I like fences.  I think they serve a good purpose.  However, I don't much like fences that are plain and ugly and too modern.  I think fences should stand proud and display architectural character.  I thought living in Las Vegas was going to be quite a challenge finding fences with character because as you drive around town, mostly what you see are plain old ugly block walls stretching from neighborhood to neighborhood.  Surprisingly,  my exploration netted me a myriad of fine looking fences, or rather fine looking objects that the fences contained.  I also pulled a few from my archives from Oregon and California.  I hope you enjoy seeing an ordinary object through different eyes.  Let's begin the tour.  Don't forget, you can click on the pictures to enlarge the image.  It's much nicer that way because you get to see more detail.

A fence to keep our dearly departed protected. 

I wonder about the spirits who roam around inside.

A rusty barbed wire fence.

I wonder how long this has been here?

A watch dog stands guard and barks at me and Sasha as we take the photo.

I think he's quite adorable.

A strong iron fence protects this wealthy horse ranch.

The trees stand like soldiers, looking tall and proud.

A thin wire fence with brittle wooden posts holds the winter firewood.

A festive wrought iron fence is decorated for the holidays.

A decorative black wrought iron fence cast its shadow.

All of the above pictures were taken in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Surprising, I know.

The rest of my photos are from Oregon and California, respectively.

A wooden fence creates a balcony in a treehouse.

Cave Junction, Oregon

Sometimes an old wooden fence post is used for parking your saddle.

This is my brother-in law's yard in Yoncala, Oregon. 

It's probably his saddle too, as he is highly active in rodeo roping.

A fence painted white separates water from land. 

What a view.

Long Beach, Ca.

Sometimes, when you look beyond the ugly chain link fence,

you can spy critters that make you smile.  This little fellow is munching on a nut.

Long Beach, Ca.

Add a few colored glass block and this block wall looks a little more interesting.

An artist must have lived here once.

Long Beach, Ca.

Well, that's the end of this tour. I can tell you though, that I had a lot of fences in my archives.

I had no idea that I had taken so many pictures of fences. 

Something about them must have caught my eye.

To learn more about the Friday Shoot Outs visit the main page here and to participate go here to add your blog link to the list or to browse other participants.

Thanks for stopping by.  Mucho gracias!

Close Your Eyes......

If you dream big enough you just might be able to color your sky purple.

The possibilities are infinite.

Close your eyes, what do you see?

Keep dreaming, and never give up on what you believe in.

Use your imagination often and don't feel guilty if you change your mind.

Swallow your fear and persevere.

Let your love flow, it creates good vibrations.

Welcome new opportunities.

Open that door and walk through.

It just might be your dream coming true.

Fresh

I'm on a mission to discover a healthier me this year.

Today, I feel fresh like the strawberries above.

I joined Curves this morning and I am looking forward to my first work out tomorrow morning.

It's a brand new day, the beginning of a new decade and an opportunity for a fresh start.

Happy New Year!

Love and happiness to one and all who land here.

Bakersfield Brews and Boogie (A night out with my parents)

This is a dive bar in Bakersfield.  Went out with my parents, my sister-in-law and my friend. 

We had a blast.  Drank and danced until they shut it down.

My parents.  They are a lot of fun to go out with.  They love to dance.

My Sister-in-law, Me, my friend.  Having a blast.

My parents on the dance floor.  It's a very tiny dance floor.  The rock N roll band is playing in another room off to the left.  My dad loves to be goofy and he is such a ham.  I really love him.

There were all ages at this bar from twenties on up to sixties.  Great mix.

Las Vegas Federal Courthouse Shooting

I'm sure by now many of you have heard about the Las Vegas Federal Courthouse shooting.  Yesterday, a lone gunmen walked into the Federal Courthouse and opened fire before reaching the metal detectors.  One security guard was shot in the chest and later died and a deputy marshall was also hit.  After an intense shoot-out the gunman was shot and killed on the spot.  Not only is this a horrific tragedy in general, it also hits really close to home.  My heart is truly saddened by the loss of the securtiy guard, Stan Cooper.

Until earlier this year, I ran a private investigations company.  Part of my job was to go the various courthouses on a daily basis to conduct criminal and civil records checks and to obtain court records.  I often went into the Federal Court building.  In fact the courthouses have been a regular presence in my daily routine since 1998.  I knew many of the Federal Court Security Guards, and Stan Cooper was among them.  He was one of the nicest men I have ever met.  I don't think I ever saw him without a smile on his face.  He also made it a point to make small talk and to joke with many of the people who came in on a regular basis.  Athough I have not entered that building in six months, Stan will be missed by me.  My heart goes out to his family.  It really breaks my heart that such a sweet man was taken out with such violence. 

I just needed to write that down.  I am so thankful that no one else I knew was caught in the crossfire.  I have lots of friends and acquaintances who work in the downtown area and go from court to court.  I thank God that more people weren't injured and even though this is a tragedy, I also see it as an opportunity for learning.  Security at the Federal Courthouse was already tight, but now, I'm sure this will make everyone ask questions about how to make it better.

To hear more about the gunman click on the link to view our local news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js6RxLNrNBs

FSO- Under Construction

I hope everyone had a happy New Year.  This week's theme for Friday My Town Shoot Out was chosen by Gordon. To participate in this week's shoot out and to view other shoot outs for this theme please go to mr. linky and add your link to the list.  I think this week's theme is perfect timing.  Under Construction is our theme and what better choice for the beginning of a new year, because really, isn't the new year about improving upon ourselves and rebuilding our foundations?  I always think of myself as being under construction.  I am definitely a work in progress.  The following photo shows the first of many improvements I plan to make in my physical appearance this year.

New Year, new look.  No more long hair, no more gray.  I feel great!

There are so many interpretations for this theme.  My husband has an old toyota truck that has been under construction since he acquired it in 2004.  It's ugly, however, not as ugly as it used to be.  My husband has put a lot of work into this project such as removing the bed of the truck, making it into a flatbed and adding tool boxes.  This alone greatly improved the look of this old beater.

Believe me, the photo does this truck justice.  Hahaha.  It doesn't look so bad here, does it?

As you can see, the flatbead is still under construction.  After he built the fame for the flatbead,

he discovered that the metal plate he would need to complete the flatbead would cost around $4.000.00 and the truck itself isn't worth that much, so he's still trying to figure out what he wants to do to make it complete.

The rest of the truck needs lots of work.

 

Obviously, a paint job is probably in this old truck's future.

And so is a new front end.

and the inside needs a complete overhaul.

Maybe someday, he'll get this baby looking spiffy.  Time will tell.

As you all know, I live in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It is the fasted growing state in the nation.  When I first moved to Las Vegas in 1998, people were moving here at the rate of 4,000 residents per month.  I'm not sure what the statistics are now, but that's a lot of people moving into town.  It is for that reason that our town is always under construction.  There is a never ending development of shopping centers, apartments, condos, casinos, houses, office complexes, and restaraunts.  I'm not kidding, the construction never ends.  With new developments, there also comes lots of road work.  It can be very frustrating driving around this town because the roads are always being worked on. There are detours, traffic jams, rough roads that cause damage to vehicles.  It's progress, but we do pay a price getting there.

Here's one from the archives........ 

Mucho Gracias!

Much thanks for stopping by.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BLOGGING FRIENDS.

XOXOXOX0