I hope everyone had a wonderful and merry Christmas yesterday. I know most of us are glad it's over, at least the parts that make it a burden and not the part where you visit and have a good time with family members! Sometimes it's the only time to get some snapshots of family that never seem to have the time or motivation to take some real photos.

Here's a few shots from the past few days that I liked the most as well as one from a small photo shoot this evening.

These are two of my niece's both of whom are little cuties. She's just doing the "I don't want my picture taken close her eyes thing" and isn't asleep. She did a good job looking the part though!

This is Carolyn and this was one of the poses she struck once she got going. It was comical and I had a hard time taking the photos and keeping a straight face. She actually started twisting and turning like a pro fashion model on a shoot without any goading from anyone, stood up and took her jacket off like she was changing her look and kept performing all sort of poses.

My step son hamming it up for the camera as usual. He's due to start toward a tour in Iraq, leaving January 1st. That is one of his twin sons, less than 3 months old.

My niece Carolyn along with her brothers by a different mother. Ethan and Garrett are regulars at the photo thing so biggest deal for them is getting them to be patient!

And finally this is Abby, a local active pageant attendee/winner. She was needing some up to date head shots. I hope I did her some justice and we get to work together again some time. She was my first portrait off my new lighting set-up and I've got to say I think I'll get along with them just fine.

On another note my website was receiving hits from Yada Yada Yada photography?! I'm not sure what was posted but thanks to those that have been visiting and I hope to be able to participate/contribute some photos in future.

This is not the greatest photo in the world I know and surely not the best model but only one available to me at midnight. I've been exploring some DIY websites for lighting modifiers and effects in between getting things done for Christmas. The photo is some experimenting I was doing with a home made snoot fitted to my 580EX2 flash. I wanted to control the lighting to effectively light the model (me) while still capturing the ambient light of the Christmas tree. The snoot and diffuser was made with items from our local Walmart and included a sheet of black foam (9x12), some velcro and some fabric. In about 10 minutes I had a nifty snoot that fits snug and glue free to my flash unit. I then added a small piece of fabric to the front of the snoot to act as a diffuser to cut down on the direct flash effect. I've got lots more ideas and experimenting to do so stay tuned for some further fun shots. Right now it's back to Walmart to get a couple more things!

I've not been able to post or do much as of late due to trying to process orders and get them completed before Christmas. I figured if I could knock these all out in a short time then the few days before xmas and during the holiday week I might actually get to take care of some of my own projects so I apologize for being short or unavailable to those around me!

The photos are one of my latest senior shoots who was good to work with as he had some good ideas of what he wanted. He took me to a place I've never had the opportunity to see on the back side of Lake Katherine and the view is incredible and a place I've got to get back to during the fall. The cliff seems to be at least 100 feet above the water level, overlooking the lake and an island. He informed me that he had actually fallen to the next level on one occasion which seem to be quite a drop! He's also an avid snowboarder and I was able to catch him with some action shots in the studio. Check it out and tell me what you think.

I've still got lots of Moto X photos to process but have put them on back burner in order to complete these orders prior to xmas deadline so stay tuned for more. I've also been tasked with shooting some kid's sports teams for the city in the coming weeks to which I need to prepare for. In anticipation of this I finally made the leap and purchased an Alien Bee flash unit with softbox to help take a load off my strobes. I've heard nothing but good things on these lighting units and can't wait to see the capability. Stay tuned for updates!

Few from the motocross racing held at Henderson's over this weekend. More to follow but in meantime feel free to browse rest in the gallery.

Check out this video and be sure to turn up the speakers. Few moments are as special as the first dance of a wedding and as a photographer we should always be on the look out for such special moments. Click the link and smile.

Few more from the weekend to include members of the Hall family looking for something to give as gifts. Speaking of which the holiday season is here and time is running out so get those family sittings booked to give a gift that will last and be cherished a lifetime! I was also able to do some shots with a senior named Nick whom wanted some photos with his horse. It was good to hear that he had participated in the rodeo out at Henderson's Arena as well and I have a few shots of him in action to include with his senior photos. As always, comments and feedback welcome.