June 29th is Inescapable for Me

June 29th - seems like such an ordinary date, and for almost everyone, it is. For some, we will never forget it is the day I lost my first husband Ed in 2002. Seven years later, it has also become the day that I had to send my baby Spork off to heaven to catch up with him.

Spork fought valiantly to come back after what we think was a stroke, but after 10 days of struggle, Jeff and I decided to end his battle, ease his suffering from a body that wouldn't listen to him, and send him on to a place where he is hopefully running free, chasing after his buddy Bahka and finally happy. Hopefully, he'll be giving drive by Sporkings to everyone he meets there.

His sweet, loving, playful nature is the reason everyone I know ended up with a Jack - including me getting 2 more! Remember, he was not a spoon, and not a fork - he was the one & only Spork.

Thank you all for your love and support during this difficult time - especially to my wonderful husband Jeff - without my rock, I never would be able to cope with this. Hugs to all, Mandy

A Day at the Zoo Part Two!

I apologize for the delay – it’s been a busy few weeks! I wanted to make sure that I went back and posted some more of the pics that I shot at Brookfield Zoo. Aside from the butterflies, my favorites have always been the giraffes. It amazes me how equine-like the giraffe is in it’s behavior. The same type of herd instinct, hierarchy, breeding, and mating rituals go for both species. They are such gentle giants! I particularly enjoyed getting shots of the large female getting a good scratch behind the ears using the fencepost. I’ve seen Serlait do that so many times!
The big cats were not out and about much (check out the very tired tiger!), nor were the elephants. Even the brown bear wasn’t very obliging for photography – but the young polar bear was active. We strolled by right at lunchtime and got to watch him get his “snack” of fruit and veggies, and the zookeeper tossed a big chunk of meat into his swimming hole that he had to dive in to go get. It was fun to watch!
I think Jeff enjoyed the monkeys the most – we spend a lot of time checking them out.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the photos from the day at the zoo!

My First Wedding Ever!

Well, I guess that title is a bit misleading - I have attended many weddings over the years; however this was the first one I've attended from behind the lens of my camera! I was fortunate enough to get to tag along as Violet's 2nd shooter (http://www.fireandearthphoto.com) for a wedding at the beautiful Kirsch's at the French Country Inn (http://www.kirschs.com) in Lake Geneva.
Unfortunately Mother Nature was not going to cooperate with the original plan of an outdoor wedding, and shortly after Violet and I arrived, the bride made the call to move to Plan B and bring the wedding indoors. The staff was very accommodating and in short order they were set for an indoor ceremony for the 50 or so people that would be attending. As usual, Violet was extremely easygoing, and pretty much gave me free reign to shoot as I pleased. I shadowed her most of the time and learned to stay 1 step left or right of her to capture a little bit different angle for shots.
Courtney was a very calm and collected bride, and she and her new husband Brian were very accommodating subjects to photograph. They maintained a casual and relaxed atmosphere and were a pleasure to work with.
It was long and tiring - but I truly enjoyed getting to be a part of this special day and help them capture many wonderful memories that they will treasure for years. At the end of the day, my batteries were as drained as I was, but I am forever grateful to Violet for the opportunity to continue to grow and learn under her tutelage behind the lens, and I can't wait for the next wedding to ty it all again!
All told, I took 800+ photos and of that, maybe 15 were pretty good - and maybe 7 or 8 were what I feel are really good. It's going to take a lot more time and practice to get even better. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day!