Anchor Run 5K

Registration

On May 19th I was fortunate enough to be the photographer for the first Anchor Scholarship 5K.  If you don't know anything about the Anchor Scholarship, I highly recommend that you visit their website.

And yes, if you click on the 2013 Anchor Run 5k all the pictures in the presentation are mine!  Hooray me!

A family that runs together...  Is crazy!

This is a fantastic foundation that awards scholarships to dependents of the Surface Navy.  Dependent means children and spouse, in case you didn't know.  If you fit in that category or think you might, just read up their rules.  It is open to enlisted and officers.  There's no favoritism here!

And I know some of the cutest families!  I knew a number of people in the race so I was sure to get their pictures so that they might preserve the insanity (cough, cough) I mean bonding experience.

Prepare to be trampled.

I'm sorry but this shot of the guy laying there to get the shot is just hilarious and awesome.  Sadly he had to get up for we feared that he would be trampled.

The Winner

Still an awesome idea though!  I always love to see the other angles people will try to get a shot.  Who knows?  I might use it some day.  However, in this instance I think I will pass.  I have an aversion to being trampled.

I finished taking photos of all the racers and then walked a block or two up the road to get shots of people running for the finish.  I was there maybe 5 minutes or so when this guy ran past.  Of course he was the over all winner.  He did the 5k in something like 18 minutes.  Wow!

He's going the distance!

I cheered as much as possible and got a number of people to smile.  It was a lot of fun.  Well especially for me because I didn't run.  LOL

Listening to his tunes

I cheered for my friends and their kids and spouses.  We had a really good turn out.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support Anchor Scholarship.  I hope we see you all and many more next year.

Father & daughter run together

Mother & daughter clowning around

No pictures please!

What do you want from me?

Adorable couple

A Vella Gulf Homecoming

On August 11th I was fortunate enough to take photos of the homecoming of the USS Vella Gulf for a friend.  This was her husband's last command at sea and I thought they might enjoy having some photos.  

It felt so odd.  Was it only a year ago that I was standing on the pier waiting for the same ship and my own hubby's return?  It was so strange!

The funny thing was I did see a few people that I knew when my sweetie was on board and even saw the old chaplain.  He was there with the current chaplain's wife.  How awesome was that?

The Navy Band was in rare form.

Two adorable sisters waiting for Dad.

The crowd goes wild at this sight.

Why does it seem to take so long?

Waiting on the pier with Super Freak & Hippie Chick.

Jack Jack went on the tiger cruise.

I think I was spotted.

Almost on terra firma!  

First embrace.

Talking with the media.  Can't avoid it.

A familiar face.  The former chaps!

Surprise proposal.  So sweet!

Adorable couple.

A running joke and photo that's a tradition of sorts.

The last time that this may happen again.

Happy family.

A Short Photo Session

So yet again another blog post that I should have done a while back, but never got around to it.


I know!  I'm a terrible person.

I really need to get back in the habit of blogging fairly regularly.  I'll try.  I promise!


So in March (I think) I took my buddy out to the beach to take pictures of her doing some of her moves in her Tae kwon do uniform.

She'd been wanting to do this for quite a while, but time constraints and weather were always working against us.


Luckily we got a nice warm break in the weather and were able to do a few quick shots before she had to go pick up her son from school.


Normally, I would take a lot longer to do this.  I like to get the really good shots.  But sometimes you have to work with what you have.  Real life likes to intrude.  


How rude!

These are just a few random shots from what we did.


And the lesson learned?  Sometimes you have to block me out or I'll make you laugh too hard when you are trying really hard to be serious.  Because, in case you didn't know, I can be quite the ham!


Also find a less crowded beach so that you don't have to deal with gawkers.


And definitely plan more time for this!

Christmas Cards

So today I went out with my friends to get some pictures for their Christmas cards. I really enjoy taking people's pictures and rarely get to do it.

So we went to the zoo in our area, because Monster loves the zoo.

I think the statue of the elephant in front of the zoo is awesome! It's made up of butterflies. Hopefully you can tell by looking at the picture. It's hard to tell from further away.

What's really neat, in my humble opinion, is that the butterfly on the trunk is made up of an elephant. So I titled the photos butterfly elephant for the first photo and elephant butterfly for the first.

I think it makes sense.

Don't you?


Our first stop was the turtle statue. This is something Monster's been playing on since he was knee high to a grasshopper, so I thought it quite fitting. Imagine my sheer delight when Daddy climbed on behind his son. It was like the inner child had just emerged. And I was so NOT missing that opportunity.

Of course it didn't take much convincing for Mommy to join them. I think this is just an adorable photo.

I can almost see the statue coming to life and plodding along with the trio on his back.

Our next stop? Why to view the most dangerous animal.

What is it you ask?

HUMANS!

Yet another cute photo of some of my favorite people.

And I couldn't end this without another photo of Monster. I told him that all monsters should be in cages, because they're scary. He thinks I'm nuts. He's probably right!

All in all it was a nice time. We didn't stay terribly long as it was chilly. But that was a good thing. It meant there weren't lots of people there to get in the way of our pictures.

Photo Shoot

So today I went to my friends, Becky and Ryan, home to take some family photos.

With a little one in the house it's always good to get photos every couple of months. They tend to grow like weeds. And I swear Clare looks like she's grown a foot to me.

Plus it's always nice to have pictures with both parents in them. I know normally one parent is taking the photo and is, therefore, not in the picture. Which is normally the mom. So that's what I really enjoy about doing this.

The second photo really gives me a chuckle. It was near the end of my time with my friends. And little Clare almost seems to be saying 'Gee Mommy can you make this crazy woman stop? I'm tired of looking so adorable.' It's a tough job, but I think Clare is up for it.

And how can you not have a photo of the family without one of Mom and Dad smooching?

Clare may not looking too happy in this photo, but years from now she will look on this and see how much her parents love not only her, but each other. And I think that is VERY important.

All in all I thought it was a great morning. But I think it's easy when you have good subject matter. Clare you can be my model any day of the week.

I took 117 photos today. Hopefully Ryan and Becky have found at least one that they can use.

An Afternoon With A Bundle Of Energy

So after leaving Becky's house I called my good buddy, Greta, and basically invited myself over. She was interested in seeing the pictures that I took at Becky's. I'll admit that I was all for the kudos that I got from my friend.

Upon seeing the camera, Colten, wanted his picture taken. So when I sat him on Mom's lap and told him to smile he stuck out his tongue. Hmm. I think I'll need to give a bit more direction on this one. I went from three month old to three year old.

Three year olds are a bit easier to get them to do what you want. Especially when they want to have their picture taken. So instead of just telling him to smile I had to tell him to say funny words.

Purple people eater worked. And even got me to chuckle. Pickles is always a good one. So is Yankee Doodle Dandy. And there is always the stand by of Cheese. And it's always a hoot to hear a three year old say these things.


I told him to give Mommy a hug. What can I say three year olds are easily directed when it means they get their picture taken.

In all reality I probably should have put my camera on action when I told Colten to hug his mom. That's why the photo is a bit blurry.

Lesson learned. Three year olds are a bundle of energy and can only be caught on film while in motion if you use a faster shutter speed. That's why they put the action or sports selection on digital cameras. Duh!

Hopefully Greta will find something in the batch that I sent her to email her hubby.

A good photo of your loved ones can always bring a smile to your face.

Morning With Mommy & Baby

So I know many of my readers out there are asking themselves. Self, what does Michelle do with herself these days? Well my three readers that are out there, never fear! I'm going to tell you. Nothing! I'm kidding. Kind of.

I'm sure you noticed that adorable picture to your left and that will clue you in. I spent the morning with my friend Becky and her three month old daughter, Clare. Yes, Aunt Shell has the magic touch. I can make a baby giggle without even touching her. You should hear the belly laughs when I blow raspberries on the belly. But I digress.

So I spent the good chunk of this morning with Becky and her lovely little one. It was a very nice girls only morning. I took a ton of pictures and was rewarded with a very yummy breakfast.

Becky thinks she looks tired, but I think she looks fine. You can see that mommy and daughter have that special bond.

There were, of course, a few wardrobe changes. How could we not? She has so many adorable outfits! And as you can see from this photo Clare got into the role of model. It nearly screams diva.

I had Becky laughing when I told Clare that a model's life would not be as fun as it looks. Early morning calls, constant dieting, it's just not for this precious little girl.

Too much pressure. Go the easy route. Be a scientist and cure cancer. I think that's a much better goal. Don't you?

One of the key things that I have found to do when photographing a young child is to keep on the move. That and take tons of pictures. You'll eventually get that one that is just awesome!

I kept moving so that Clare would not ignore me. A baby who does not look at you does not make a good picture. That and I kind of like taking pictures of my subjects from a different angle. Straight on has been done to death. That and I don't always center my subject.

Catches you eye a bit better. In my opinion anyway. I have about a hundred more pictures, but I thought I'd just put up a sampling of a few of my favorites.

And this is a note to all of my friends. You are forewarned, if I photograph you, you will more than likely show up on my blog.

I love this. I've already titled it 'Little Kicks'. I've stolen the phrase from 'Seinfeld' but it's all I could think of when I saw this last picture.

Children have the best ideas. Dance to the song in your head and act like nobody's watching. Be carefree. Kids are a great subject. They don't care. And if you're lucky you can catch something magical.

Thank you Becky and Clare for letting me share a wonderful morning with you.