Photo a Day Challenge - Epic Fail!

Some of you may remember at the beginning of October, I embarked on a journey to create one image per day for the entire month, and each day's image had to relate to that day's word.  I started the month full of excitement for the upcoming challenge, and was excited see where this journey would take me, creatively.  I was determined to broaden my horizons and think outside the box.  The first day's challenge word was "SKY" and I captured the below image.

I know, great, right?  Exciting.  Fun.  I was loving it.  Days two through ten proved to be more challenging, the words of the day forcing much contemplation and effort to produce an image I was proud of, and that accurately represented that day's word.  Unfortunately, I had an epic fail after day 10, and due to constraints with life and work, was unable to continue.

I am proud of myself for making it 10 days into the challenge - some of the other photographers involved didn't even make it that far.  This challenge is put out annually, so I plan on making next year's goal to make it least 15 images in!

Click below to see all 10 images from the challenge as a slideshow.  Don't forget to sign my guestbook while you're at my website, and tell me what you think!

Photo A Day Challenge Image Slideshow

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Nothing like Young Love

I had the pleasure of photographing a young couple in love - Erin & Stuart.  They have been dating a little less than a year, and make the most adorable couple.  It was a little tough for me in the beginning of this shoot - I felt SOOO old.  You see, I remember "little Erin" in pigtails, riding her pony....seems like forever ago.  Now, here she is, all grown up, a young woman, and in love....with adorable Stuart :)

There is nothing like spending time with a young couple in love to make you feel young again yourself!  I was so excited when Erin asked me to take photos of the two of them.  If you don't know Erin, she is a budding photographer herself - check out here work CLICK HERE.  I am going to have to watch her closely - she's talented, and will one day be my competition, hehehehe.  It was fun to get her out from behind her camera and in front of mine!

We went out to a beautiful forest preserve in St. Charles at sunset, and I couldn't have asked for better subjects.  Everything I asked them to do, they did - no questions asked!  I even got Stuart to climb a tree!  There is nothing more exciting for a photographer than an adventurous couple that is willing to try anything.  Stuart was really a good sport!

When we were leaving, they begged for a "sneak peek".....so here are just a taste of some of my favorites.  There are many more to come, stay tuned!

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Schaumburg Toyota Car Show

My friend Cindy got talked into this one - showing her 1986 Toyota MR-2 in the "Old School" division at a car show at Schaumburg Toyota.  Apparently the day before, when she brought it in for an oil change, the service techs begged her to bring it, and much to my surprise, she decided to do it.  When she asked me to tag along, take some pictures and keep her company, I jumped at the opportunity to do something so unique!

Cindy's little blue baby is in such pristine condition for a 1986, it's disgusting.  It only has 37,000+ miles on it, too!  Everything is in stock, original condition.  It was a rare and unique color blue as well - not the easiest color to find in that year's model.  I learned that the MR-2 was the car of the year in 1986.

Cindy had lots of people stop by to check out her car - she drew crowds!

Cindy actually bought this car at Schaumburg Toyota in 1986.  It was her first ever "new" car that she bought for herself, which explains the sentimental attachment.  She even still has the original invoice!

The radio station B96 was there, playing loud, lively music, and revving up the crowds for the raffle & car contest.  They had everything from loudest stereo to best light display, etc.

This was my first attempt at taking pics at a car show - it was a bit challenging, low lighting with only the overhead parking lot lights.  Cars are very reflective, and overall, it's a tough situation to shoot in.  Some of the light displays on the cars/trucks were amazing!  Their car payments must equal my mortgage!

Here is just a quick sampling of some:

This was too funny to not take a picture of - you should have seen the guy that owned the car - I'm surprised HE didn't make it scrape - he really has no room to talk!

Lastly, a couple pics of my favorite car of the night - a beautiful1960 something Chevelle SS.  I like 'em old school, big metal cars with big AMERICAN engines :)

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Branding at the Keuring

What is a Keuring, you ask?  Good question, because before last weekend, I didn't know either.  A Keuring is an evaluation of breeding horses and resulting offspring.  The jury addresses conformation, movement, & pedigree as related to the breeding goal & evaluation for soundness & ability for performance at the highest level of sport competition.  They judge mares, foals, yearlings, and stallions.  Some are judged "in hand" meaning they are walked around the arena, and some are judged free-jumping (no rider) over jumps.  They are also measured and depending on acceptance, branded.

The Keuring I attended and photographed last weekend was at the beautiful Claybrook Farms in Ithica, Michigan.  It is a picturesque farm in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road.  I am so glad I had my GPS to get me there!  Waino Pihl, Susan Taylor, and their entire family gave me the warmest welcome and really made me feel like a part of the family.

The Keuring itself was a learning experience for me photographically - you can always check out the proofs on my website CLICK HERE  The toughest part was the weather not cooperating!  When I got there Sunday, the weather was beautiful, clear, and sunny.  Of course on Monday, the day of the Keuring, it was overcast and raining all morning!  I was able to compensate with my photography for the outdoor photography, but admittedly, I struggled with the indoor.  It was so dark, and so overcast, it was virtually impossible to capture high action free jumping.

For me, the most interesting part of the process was the branding!  In my 25+ years around horses, I have never actually witnessed a horse being branded before.  At this facility, they used a hot brand.  Some places now use cold branding using liquid nitrogen, but that was not the case here.

The brand being heated in the oven in preparation for application

The KWPN Dutch Warmblood Brand

The super-heated brand is literally pressed onto the horse's left rear hindquarter, above the gaskin.  It makes a scar where the hair won't grow back, or if it does it will be white (or black, if it's a light colored horse).

The location of the brand

I was absolutely amazed at the lack of response from the horses involved.  No twitch, no tranquilizer. The handlers were extremely experienced, and simply covered the horse's left eye with their hand so they couldn't see what was coming, and the entire process was over in a split second.  The horses didn't fuss, whinny, kick, or really show any pain at all!  I am sure it wasn't pain-free, but I've seen a horse react more to tightening a girth than to this branding process.  The worst part was the smell of burnt hair!  Yuck.

Here is a fun series of images as a horse was being branded - it was so quick!  I really thought this was the most amazing process to watch, and I hope you've enjoyed reading about it.

The final brand, close up!

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Paint Can Change Everything!!!

I love my home - but I HATED the way it was painted when we moved in.  We bought our home from an retirement-age couple that were moving out of state to be closer to their grandkids.  We fell in love with our awesome deck & backyard, and the lake behind us - and put aside the qualms about the interior and bought it anyway.  It's taken 4 years, but we are finally at the point where I'm not embarrassed anymore - no more buttercream yellow!

Let me explain.  The previous woman of the house liked a "country" type of decor.  Every wall in every room in the ENTIRE house, sans kitchen, was the SAME BUTTERCREAM YELLOW.  Uggh!  It was yellow overload.  She also thought it was nice to paint these awful stencils on the walls - vines, flowers, and butterflies.  Uggh again!

We recently hired the most awesome painter, Chris Eisenmann - and he did a great job.  Here are a couple of "before" pics of our master bedroom to show you exactly what poor Chris had to deal with.

Aw, look at the cute Kramer :)  and the AWFUL stencils!!!

More stencils above the window, arrrgh!

 And here are the after pics - I have yet to get curtains up, but you get the idea, at least!

No trace of the horrible stencils left!

Tranquil, soothing blue - and awesome MTS Photography artwork on the wall, too!

More pics of some of the other rooms that Chris tackled soon - have to get curtains up to get the full effect first!  Chris did a professional job.  He was extremely reasonable for all the work he did, and he made a point of cleaning up every night when he was done and never leaving a mess - how can you ask for more from a contractor?  If you want to call Chris and have him paint your home - his # is (630) 254-2686.

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South Elgin Sadness

I love older homes with history and character, and I believe preservation of these living testimonails to our past and the past lives of others need to be cherished, maintained, and enjoyed for years to come.  It is devestating to me to watch some of these beautiful homes fall to the wayside due to the economy and tough financial times.

Case in point: 265 Gilbert Street in South Elgin, Illinois

No Trespassing?  Um, right.........

According to the rusted plaque attached to the front porch, this home was built circa 1852.  It is the Cox-Lloyd home - or sadly, what's left of it.  This home was not kept in the best repair for many years and has always looked so sad to me.  It was condemned by the City of South Elgin, IL on 2/10/2010 and has completely fell to ruin since.  I'm not sure if it's partly to vandalism, or just years and years of neglect, but it absolutely breaks my heart to watch it crumble away as the days pass by.

At one time, this was a beautiful home.  It has a gorgeous covered front porch, now completely overgrown by foliage.  In my mind, I can see a farmer and his wife sitting on rocking chairs, drinking lemonade at sunset after a long day's work farming the fields. The front porch has intricate latticework and woodworking, as does the covered front door entrance.

The overgrown front porch - look at the intricate woodwork!

At some point this house was blue with red trim

It has had work done over the years, and still has a somewhat current looking deck built on the back, and someone at some point in it's history added a two car garage in the back.  The whole home now is crumbiling away, and I wish I had disposable income enough to save this home from what appears to be eminent destruction by it's current owners and/or the city of South Elgin.  I would love to see this home, and so many others, be cherished for the local historical landmark that it is and see it rebuilt to it's original glory for many generations to come to enjoy.

Here are a few more images I took - it was a cloudy, drizzly, overcast day when I took these - kinda perfectly reflecting my emotions when I think about what will probably happen to this home.

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