Sharing Our Space at Landa Park {Project 365}

I've spent some time at Landa Park over the past week with several family sessions and then returning a few times to feed the stray kittens, which I'm happy to report have all found homes. So I decided to photograph a few of the other creatures who spend a lot of time in the park as well. I couldn't decide between these two so I'll just show you both of them.

Twenty-nine down, 336 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 29 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

Went for a little walk on my lunch break today, scouting out Blanco Shoals Natural Area in San Marcos for possible future photo shoots. As undeveloped park land, it's a little confusing getting around and knowing where the boundaries are. There are some old, overgrown roads that offer a rough guide for the hiker, but beyond that you're on your own. There are only a couple access points to the Blanco River--and most of the time it's not even visible, which is surprising considering that it borders the length of the park. Today's Photo of the Day is from the south end of the park, looking north east. I thought it would make a good false-color infrared scene, and it looks as if I was right.

Camera: Canon XTi/400D 720nm infrared converted
Lens: Canon EF-S 10-22mm

Lisa On Location Photography

Christmas Traditions {Project 365}

Today we put up the tree in the house. Putting the tree up in our home is a walk through time of sorts. When the kids were little we used to get ornaments that represented whatever they were into that year. Thus we have an assortment of Hannay Montana, Winnie the Pooh, Clifford, Barbie, Hello Kitty and various other cartoon characters and toys.

Even though the girls laugh at the red Teletubby, Po, as we hang her on the tree. I refuse to not put her up there. She means something about the family. That stupid red Teletubby convinced us to drop a buttload of money on toys and merchandise back in 1999. It's going on the tree!.

The photo I share today is even older than that Teletubby ornament. This little soldier ornament made out of a clothespin and a ball of cotton was made in the fall of around 1973 or 74. I remember my mom sitting at our dining room table with the floral print chairs, painstakingly painting these clothespins to look like little soldiers. She made dozens of them. Gluing the pieces together with craft glue in the days before hot glue. They were all over our tree for many years. Their numbers diminished year after year as they fell apart or were lost. But a few still remain. I grabbed one of them off my mom's tree a few years ago and brought it home with me to grace our tree. It's a small fragment of my childhood. It's a reminder of the passage of time and the carrying on of Christmas traditions. I wonder which of the ornaments I cover our tree with year after year will survive and make it onto the trees of my children and grandchildren. I wonder if they'll tell the story of the red Teletubby ornament to others many years from now.

I hope so. Twenty-eight down, 337 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 28 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

How about a little local flavor for today's 365 photo? Here is the legendary live music venue Gruene Hall, smack dab in the middle of downtown Gruene, Texas. They've decked it out for the holidays with a wreath right there amidst the famed logo.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF-S 10-22mm

Lisa On Location Photography

Sunset in Martindale {Project 365}

I had the pleasure of shooting a session in Martindale tonight and on the way out, I drove past the cemetery at sunset. I've been in this neighborhood a few times and I've always done a double take when I see the way the light plays off the backside of these tombstones and shines through the trees. This time, I instantly though of my Project 365 and actually pulled over to shoot it rather than think to myself "I need to photography that some day" as I have in the past.

So today I give you the Martindale Cemetery at sunset. Twenty-seven down, 338 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 27 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

I (Jayme) spent today home sick, trying to sleep off sinus congestion and a nasty sore throat. I'm better now, thanks. But hovering in the house all day put a crimp in my 365 photo acquisition. I suspect "pictures of the lenses I use" will become my go-to feature when I don't have anything else better to run, but hey, a least you folks get to see the cool toys Lisa and I play with. This here is a personal favorite of mine: The Canon EF 50mm 1.8 mark I. The (good) optics are the same as the current EF 50mm 1.8 mark II lens available for around $120, but the build quality of the lens is much better. I believe the autofocus in the older model lens is slightly faster and more accurate, but more importantly, it has a easy-to-use manual focus ring, which is something the newer version can't claim. I bought this lens used back when I first started getting serious about infrared photography. Ever since my Rebel XTi was converted to full-time infrared, it's become my absolute favorite go-to lens for portraits. From my vantage point, it's an even better performer in infrared than in visible light. It's a workhorse, and one of the oldest EF lenses Canon ever produced: Judging from the serial number on it, it rolled out of the factory a month or so before the first EOS cameras became available for sale in the U.S. That makes it at least 25 years old, and still earning it's keep.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 26 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

Through a series of unfortunate events which I'll not bore you with, I spent today in Cuero, banging my head into a proverbial wall. On the way home, my Picture Of The Day was the furthest thing from my mind. So much so that when I drove past the woman parked on the side of the road taking pictures of buffalo grazing in the nearby pasture, the only thing that crossed my mind was, "She's got a nice lens. That looks like the Canon EF 70-200 f/4 L." About a mile later, the lightbulb went off in my head, and I turned around to get today's shot.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon FD 500mm f/8 reflex

Lisa On Location Photography

Welcome to the Family Little Kitten {Project 365}

Remember my photo a couple of days ago of my daughter with the kitten she found at the park?

Can you guess how that story is ending? If you guessed that we found a lovely older lady who was looking for a new kitten for companionship and it was love at first sight, well then you would be wrong. If you guessed that we dropped a small fortune at the vet's office to get her checked up for diseases and examined, then you would be right. And also, if you guessed that she jumped right onto my desk and into my heart, then you would be right as well.

So two days ago when I told the kids "we will not be keeping this kitten." Well, I guess I was mistaken. The two older cats still need some convincing. They aren't as swayed by her easy going and tender personality as the rest of us.

Jayme needs some convincing as well. He can't be done in by a pair of amber eyes and kitten purrs. The girls have sworn to do laundry without asking for the rest of their lives. I don't think he believes them. We'll see.

Twenty-six days down, 339 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

Nothing Finer than a Man in Uniform {Project 365}

Yesterday's photo is simple and sweet. My Boy went to his first pack meeting. He memorized the cub scout motto, learned the super secret handshake and got his little pinewood derby car and he's ready to go. It's the beginning of great things to come.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 25 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

I love the very idea of Texas black walnuts. Yes, they're good to eat, but they've never been a popular home orchard or commercial crop simply because they're too darn hard to get at! They've got one of the thickest shells of any nut in the natural world, and even squirrels have to put in quite a bit of effort to gnaw through all that hard wood armor. But they're lovely trees, and I will always find them fascinating.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 24 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

So with the Thanksgiving holiday and all, a craving for stuffed acorn squash came over me (Lisa's not such a big fan of the winter squashes, but hey, she wasn't cooking dinner, I was). I made this a few times years ago, until I accidentally burned them one meal, and haven't fixed the dish since. In fact, I lost the recipe. But thanks to the miracle of the interwebz, I poked around and found a couple of appealing vegetarian recipes (since Monkey Girl doesn't do the meat thing), combined the most likely elements of them and produced a new and original stuffed acorn squash recipe, with portabella mushrooms, wild rice, quinoa, spinach, feta cheese and some other stuff. The verdict? Not bad. There are some things I'd do differently next time, and a few things to add to bring out the flavors more, but all in all it's a dish I'll certainly revisit in the future.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

Uh-oh, Kitty-oh! {Project 365}

I had an early morning session in Landa Park today and came home with an unexpected souvenir. It appears that someone opted to desert three sweet little kittens in the park rather than bother to find homes for them. Or perhaps even get their pet spayed or neutered in the first place so they wouldn't be burdened with unwanted kittens.

The kittens appear to be a recent addition to the park. They're only about 3 months old from the looks of them. Two of the three were quite skittish, yet curious about us at the same time. One of them, the smallest and skinniest of the three, came right up to my daughter who has a huge soft spot in her heart for kittens. She cuddled the little runt, and played with her, and begged me to let her bring it home.

I said no. I continued to say no even as we made a trip to the grocery store to pick up some cat food to bring back to the kittens. I continued to say no even as they hungrily ate up the cat food as if they hadn't eaten in days. I said no.

Nevertheless, we took the little one home only on the condition that we do everything we can to find someone to adopt her. I would have taken them all home to at least provide them with a warm place to stay over night, but the other two were quite clear that I was welcome to bring them food, but I was not welcome to attempt to grab them.

So here we have my lovely little girl with her newest rescued kitten. If anyone would like a little holiday cheer in the form of kitten purrs and cuddles, let me know. And the other two at Landa Park would probably love a warm place to sleep and some food as well, provided you can catch them.

Twenty-four down, 341 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

Begging For Food {Project 365}

Yesterday's photo was really just a snapshot. Even though it was shot on the job, I'm not presenting this one to the client so it counts as a Project 365 photo. This is Jayme taking a quick dinner break during the reception along with a little friend who'd like a bite to eat as well. How many wedding receptions have you been to lately that had beggars like this hanging around? I thought it worthy of my photo of the day.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 23 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

Whew! Shooting a wedding makes it quite a challenge to get in a 365 photo project shot. You just get all photographed out. "But wait," you might say. "If you were shooing a wedding, can't you just use one of those photos?" Ah, but the whole point of the 365 challenge was to start taking photos that weren't work-related. In the rules Lisa laid down on Day One, neither of us can use images from a paid photo session. Which mean no weddings (although, technically, I could probably use the shots I took since Lisa's pretty chintzy when it comes to paying me--don't tell her I said that, okay?).

In any event, I was feeling pretty uninspired. Some hay bale-by-moonlighet shots I tried didn't come out at all, and a few other options I rushed and wasn't satisfied with. We'll try those again at a later date. Tonight, boring though it may be, my 365 image is the view down my Newtonian telescope's optical tube. I'll try to do better tomorrow. Promise.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 22 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

Today we went to Columbus to celebrate a belated Thanksgiving with my Mom and brother Chris. Such are the compromises you make when you've got two sets of relatives to juggle and keep happy. Today was also Monkey Girl's 14th birthday, which Lisa so eloquently covered in her preceding post.

Visiting Columbus is always bittersweet for me, because it drives home the fact that my happy childhood memories have been supplanted by family conflict. The old homestead has been neglected as an outgrowth of this, and while Chris does his best to fix and maintain what he can, it's more than one person (or really, several people) can handle. The fact that he lives in Waco and I live in New Braunfels doesn't help matters any. Today, he and I took a walk in the sprawling back yard, figuring out out to protect the fig trees (which I'd planted for Mom last year) from deer, and what to do with some of the old outbuildings that have fallen into serious disrepair. As we walked under the pecan trees our Dad had planted 40-something years before, I stopped occasionally to pick up a pecan. Most were bad, infected with pecan scab disease. I could tell by whether they'd separated from the husk, and also by weight. Rotten pecans are very light. Almost all the hybrid pecans Dad had planted were bad, vulnerable to the disease without regular spraying. The one native in the back yard, though, had produced many, many good nuts. The downside was these nuts were quite small compared to the others. I did find a few good hybrids, but many more natives. I thought back to our days as kids, picking up so many pecans we couldn't carry them all, so many big nuts that even the dogs would happily crunch the shells to eat the sweet meat inside. It made me think about how life is a series of trade-offs, be it fat delicate nuts or small, hardy ones; or happy childhood memories contrasted to melancholy adult reality. The sum of these trade-offs, for good or ill, equals the human condition.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

Happy Birthday to My Baby {Project 365}

Today is a special day for me and my baby girl. It's special for my girl because she turned 14. It's special for me because it's a celebration of the day I became a mother for the first time.

Fourteen years ago a whole new life opened up to me. It was the day that a piece of my heart left my body and became a part of the world. It was one of the happiest days of my life as well as one of the most frightening. It was earth-shattering to realize that there was a little girl in the world that I would give my own life for. That I could love more than anything or anyone. She was so little and so precious and held so much of my heart in her tiny little hand.

I have to remind myself of that tiny little baby from time to time when she screams at me and slams the door because she doesn't get her way. I have to picture those baby brown eyes looking up at me from under her pink Pooh Bear hat every now and then. Especially when she rolls those eyes at me and answers my questions with sarcasm that I so richly deserve (she thinks).

I allowed my baby to put some red dye in her hair in honor of her fourteenth birthday. I watched the red cover up her beautiful dark blond locks. The same hair I washed so many times with Strawberry Shortcake bath soap while she played with Sparky the Whale (a squirty bath toy), and Sam the Working Duck (her bath thermometer rubber ducky).

The world sees my baby girl as a teenager. She has a smart mouth and sassy comebacks, she's the fastest texter in the the house and she could hide a full grown mountain lion in her room under all that crap and I'd never know.

But she's still my baby. More than a decade ago she wowed me with her first steps and impressed me with her knowledge of the ABCs. Now she amazes me with her talented writing, her intelligent conversation, and the mature and passionate way she sees the world.

She's on the right track. She's going to be a leader and make the world a better place. And I love her more every day. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 21 {Texas 365 photo challenge}

For Thanksgiving, as we do every year, we visited relatives in the piney woods outside of Bastrop. Fortunately, this part of the county was spared from the wildfires that caused so much damage last year, so we're certainly thankful for that on this holiday. Following a magnificent dinner put together by my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and assorted pot-luck contributions from friends-and-relations, my little boy and I took a nature hike through the woods. He found a centipede. And a velvet ant. And some grasshoppers. And I also let him take pictures of many of these things with my camera. I, on the other hand, took this one as a memento of our little adventure together.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF-S 10-22mm

Lisa On Location Photography

Happy Turkey Day {Project 365}

Today for my photo of the day I present you with a slice of life in our home. And we're thankful for all the moments like this. Although The Boy may punish me for this when he's older. Happy Thanksgiving.

Twenty-one down, 344 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year {Project 365}

When I ask most clients what time of year they prefer to have their portraits done, most tell me spring. But I always answer fall when I'm asked that question.

The colors and the light put off at this time of the year are amazing. Especially the cypress trees that take on so many beautiful shades of gold that I can't decide which angle to photograph.

The image I'm sharing was backlit by the sun setting in Cypress Bend Park. Lovely! Twenty down, 345 to go!

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 20 {365 photo challenge}

Vulture feather. Algae bloom. Picture of the day.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

Cheers to Day 19 {Project 365}

Today was a long day. A really long day. I got a lot done. But it's one of those days where it seems like this morning was a week ago.

I was actually just about to turn off my computer when I realized I forgot to do my project. Jayme almost won tonight and that would have been simply dreadful! I thought about cheating and uploading a photo I shot yesterday with my iphone of The Boy posing next to the big beaver statue outside of Buckees holding his slushee of many flavors. But I stopped when I realized that would be dishonest. Okay that was a lie just now. The truth is that I stopped because he was wearing his Taekwondo uniform in the photo with the beaver and he didn't go to Taekwondo today, he went yesterday. Jayme would have caught that in a second. Darn it.

So I did the only thing I know to do when it's late and I'm all out of ideas. I poured a glass of wine. And there is my photo of the day. The glass was a gift from my friend for my birthday last year. It says "Creative genius comes from inspiration." And tonight, the glass itself served as my inspiration.

Nineteen down, 346 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 19 {365 photo challenge}

If the leaves turn red, it must be autumn.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon FD 500mm f/8 reflex

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 18 {365 photo challenge}

Jayme here. Maybe it's just because I gravitate toward the offbeat and unusual, but the Canon FD 500mm f/8 reflex lens has become one of my favorite lenses to shoot with. Maybe it's because I'm into astronomy and this mirror lens uses the same basic conceptual design as Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes. I dunno. I dropped a lot of hints to Lisa before she surprised me with this as a Christmas gift last year. The conversion from Canon FD to EF mount took several months (and several pints of blood, as I impaled myself several times in the process) but once I finished, I had a workable 500mm mirror lens with focus confirmation capabilities. It's a fully manual lens, so that last part was a biggie as my eyes aren't quite so sharp and eagle-eyed as Lisa's. Some photographers may scoff at this old-school lens. It's slow. It's dim. It's manual focus only. But son-of-a-gun, it's got a huge reach at 500mm and is light as a feather compared to out other telephoto lenses. It's got a steep learning curve and can be unforgiving, but I've gotten shots with it that I'd never have a prayer at getting otherwise. I can't believe how well it performed at Aerosmith the other night. Or the Texas State/Texas Tech football game, or the Texas Renaissance Festival... I think it's safe to say some of the most fun I've had shooting this past year has come while using this lens. That makes it a keeper in my book!

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

Thankful for a Day Off {Project 365}

Today I thought I'd share a peek at my calendar. It's a mess, I know. This is the first thing I grab when I get a call from a potential client. It's my work in progress hand written, chicken scratching, coffee spilled on it piece of work.

I usually scribble my appointments and potential appointments onto this thing and then transfer them neatly onto my online calendar that I can call up on my computer and iphone in a snap. But this is the master calendar.

It dictates my life.

Do you know what my favorite thing about this calendar is -- aside from the fact that it has a lot of appointments on it and there's no way I could stay in business without those. My other favorite part is that empty space on the 22nd. That empty space means Lisa has the day off.

Yep, I've kept that one clean.

That empty space represents me sitting on my rear, stuffing my face with the yummiest food from my mommy's kitchen. Then falling asleep on the couch while the kids torment their cousins and Jayme clears the table. Hint hint, Jayme.

Yes, that empty space is a thing of beauty.

Enjoy your empty space!

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 17 {365 photo challenge}

Lisa's not the only on who can take cute pictures of our kids. Bug decided he wanted to get in on the action, and I was happy to oblige. Say "Cheese!"

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

Day 17, My Beautiful Assistant {Project 365}

This morning while photographing a lovely family in the park, I turned my camera on my beautiful assistant, my daughter. She has been helping me out lately at some of my sessions by holding lights and reflectors and working with the kids to get smiles.

But I think she's gorgeous enough to be in front of the camera as well. So today's photo is just that. I finished with my clients and turned the camera to her. Say cheese, sweet girl!

Seventeen days down, 348 to go (had to get the calculator out for that one).

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 15 {365 photo challenge}

Okay folks, here is Jayme's much-anticipated photo no. 15. You'll recall from my previous post that the CF card I was shooting the Aerosmith concert with went belly-up right at the end of their show. More than 90 minutes of Aerosmith, not to mention Cheap Trick's opening act, were lost. All I had was the encore left. Lisa, always the pro, handed me a spare CF card to try and get something in the closing minutes. Despite being more than a little flustered, I did manage to get a few keepers (I'm particularly aggrieved about losing my shots of Steven Tyler singing a Beatles medley with the guys from Cheap Trick). Since Lisa already stole some of my thunder by going with a Steven Tyler shot for her 365 entry, I'll balance the scales with this shot of Joe Perry ripping his guitar atop a baby grand piano during "Dream On."

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon FD 500mm 8.0 reflex

But look! I have some bonus shots as well! Here's Austin-area resident Joey Kramer on drums! (This man gives the best damn drum solos I've ever seen. This concert, after a rousing traditional drum solo, he chucked his sticks and continues the solo with his hands and head. When I saw Aerosmith in '88, Kramer abandoned his drums and took electronic drum sticks off the stage and performed a solo on the audience. That is genius, I tells ya!

Next up is Tom Hamilton, Aerosmith bassist. What is there to say about Hamilton other than the fact that his sublime bass line from "Sweet Emotion" is the single most influential impetus in making me want to learn the bass guitar. I never learned, mind you, but if I had, it'd be because of Hamilton.

Finally, we have Steven Tyler, the quintessential front man. He gets all the attention, and it's easy to see why when you're photographing Aerosmith--he's always doing something interesting, and his flamboyant dress, acrobatics and personality make for dramatic shots. Of all the band members, I got far more engaging shots of Tyler--even during the limited time I had to shoot during the encore. It's hard to choose just one, but this will do.

Aerosmith fans might note that I've omitted guitarist Brad Whitford. That's not intentional--I had a bunch of him from early in the show. But during the encore, he lingered in a dark corner of the stage and I was unable to get any decent images of him at that time. If Mr. Whitford feels slighted, I'll be more than happy to set up a personal photo session with him the next time he's in the Austin/San Antonio area. My treat.

Lisa On Location Photography

Holy Cancellation Batman! {Project 365}

Today's photo was taken of a set of useless Batman Live tickets. They weren't useless a few days ago. They were actually a Christmas present for The Boy. I was going to wrap them in a box with pretty paper and put a bow on it and maybe package it with a Batman toy. The Boy loves Batman.

The show was supposed to be a couple of days after Christmas at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio but a few days ago the company cancelled the show, along with several shows in other cities. No explanation, just cancelled.

Their press release does invite ticket holders in San Antonio to drive to Dallas to catch the show up there. Uh, no thanks.

I'm not saying he'll have a bad Christmas. The holiday will go on and we'll find other frivolous pursuits on which to spend our time and money. But holy macaroni, he really does love Batman.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 16 {365 photo challenge}

Hi! Jayme here. You may be wondering why I have no 365/15 entry, but instead am posting my 365/16 image instead. The answer would be the subject of today's photo: This Transcend Compact Flash memory card failed on me last night with two--count-'em--two songs remaining in Aerosmith's concert in Austin. It is dead to the world, unrecognized and unresponsive to cameras, computers and other assorted electronic stick with which I've poked it. To say I am out of sorts about this is something of an understatement. I'll have my day 15 entry in a few hours, but the fact that the vast majority of some pretty nifty Aerosmith concert shots are now lost (as well as all of my Cheap Trick photos) a wee bit disappointing.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

Aerosmith! {Project 365}

You may be thinking that since, day 15 was yesterday and you're not seeing a post until day 16, that I skipped a day and lost the bet.

Nope, no such luck. This image was shot yesterday so that makes it my 365 Project for day 15. Day 16 will come later today. It was after midnight when we got in from the Aerosmith concert so we both decided to hit the hay and post in the morning.

So this morning I'm sharing with you a snippet of last night's concert, what I could see of it anyway. Those two black figures on either side of Steven Tyler are Jerk #1 and Jerk #2. Jerk #2 was on crutches so he got a cush seat in the handicapped section in front of us and decided to stand up on those crutches throughout most of the show. If I stood up the people behind me had a thing or two to say so my choices were to tell the guy on crutches to sit his hiney down, or try my best to see the awesomeness of Aerosmith through Jerk #1 and #2. Being the non-confrontational, nice girl that I am, I chose the latter.

They didn't stand up all the time. Only on the really cool songs.

Fifteen days down 350 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

My Girl {Project 365}

Let's just call this one "A Girl and Her Eye-Phone."

Fourteen days down, 351 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 14 {365 Photo Challenge}

Fall continues to offer an abundance of nature scenes to shoot for this 365 photo challenge. Today, we have bur oak acorns. I love acorns, the very concept of them. I like the massive, oversized bur acorns the most, particularly those with hairy acorn cups that look like birds' nests. They just sing "autumn" to me.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 13 {Project 365}

To pretty much everyone reading this, my photo today is going to be exceedingly boring. For me (Jayme), however, it is a thing of beauty. What you are looking at is a 6" f/5 parabolic primary mirror for a Newtonian telescope. My telescope. I've been without since March, when I sent my original primary mirror off to be resurfaced. It came back badly chipped and unusable. I've finally gotten a replacement, and this makes me happy. As soon as I post this, I'm installing it in my telescope. Naturally, it's cloudy tonight so I won't be able to test it out. Such is life.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm 1.8 mark I

Lisa On Location Photography

The Beautiful Sound of a Shared Flute {Project 365}

When I was in middle school I played the flute. Second chair. My sole reason for selecting the flute was that it was small and easy to carry home with me on the bus. All the cool kids at that time played the saxophone. They wore their neck straps to class all day with them as they walked the halls with a strut. They were badasses. But the flutes -- we were the cuties.

So it was no surprise when my daughter entered the 6th grade this fall and joined the band that she wanted to play the flute as well. Because, well, she's quite the cutie!

I was thrilled to pass my old flute on to her and she was thrilled to have it.

Today's photo is a macro of my old flute in my hands. It's a sight I saw many times as I looked down at my fingers and how they lay on the keys, a sight that my sweet girl is now getting accustomed to as well.

Thirteen days down, 352 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 12 {Project 365}

It's cold, cloudy and dreary out now, but this morning we had a bit of sun. Just enough to illuminate a hint of autumn.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

Day 11, It's a Lens, Baby {Project 365}

Yes, it's my kitty again. And I am literally not cheating by using my kitty for another photo on another day. In fact, if I wanted to, I could post 365 photos of my cat up here as long as they were all taken on different days! So, yes, here is Summerlove again. But this time, I decided to pull out my Lensbaby and play with it.

That's no easy task. This lens it totally manual. There is no autofocus. The only way to change the aperture is to put a little disc in the lens. If I want to go from f2.8 to, say f8, I have to get the handy magnet tool, pull out the f2.8 and replace it -- using the handy magnet tool -- with the f8 disc.

Aiming and focusing is an entirely different matter altogether. It takes practice. I still don't feel confident in my skills to use this lens on an actual session. I'll need to practice a lot more on Summerlove, my children, the can of coke on the table, and, perhaps, my big toe to get near competent enough to use this out in the real world.

But for now, here's my kitty again. Twelve days down 353 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

A Swimmer's Honor {Project 365}

Today's image is in honor of a teenager (a friend of my daughter and occasional babysitter of The Boy}. Congratulations to Katelyn for earning the athlete of the year award. She swims on the Dolphins swim team with my daughter and did an outstanding job this season. Congrats!

Eleven days down, 354 to go. Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 11 {Project 365}

I set out to take an entirely different photo today, but just happened to come across this little ladybug resting on an acorn. I hadn't expected to see any insects about because of the chilly weather, but it didn't seem to bother this little fellow much.

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 10 {Porject 365}

Doing a little homebrew tonight. Currently dissolving 11 pounds of honey into a pot full of water with which to make honey wine, otherwise know as mead, the beverage of choice for discerning vikings everywhere. My photo today is dedicated to yeast, those miracle plants without which the magic of fermentation could not take place!

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro

Lisa On Location Photography

The Attack of the 50-foot scary santa {New Braunfels Photography} {Project 365}

Today's Project 365 photo is actually 4 separate photos taken over several weeks. But I'm counting it as today's photo because 1) the last photo was taken today, 2) it was finished today and 3) I didn't get paid for it, it was just for fun.

My friend asked me to help her come up with something fun and different for her Christmas card. This is the vision I had.

It was inspired by this family's love of superheroes. I wanted to show them as a family unit ready to take on the bad guy. But what could the bad guy be? Then it hit me while driving down 306 and passing that hideous billboard for the Schlitterbahn Christmas store. You people in New Braunfels know exactly what I'm talking about. It's the billboard with the face of the scariest Santa I've ever seen in my life. My poor boy has to turn the other way when we pass because "that Santa gives me nightmares," he says.

That's it! That's the evil monster that my super family is fighting!

So I photographed the evil Santa today, and seriously, they had plenty of evil Santa's to choose from. I don't know what the trend is in Christmas decor, but I'm seeing a lot of bad dreams for little kids all over the world if this line of Santas takes off.

So let me kick off the season with the first family Christmas card of the year for Lisa on Location (well, second if you count my own, which I'll share shortly).

Sweet dreams everyone! Ten down, 355 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

365 / 9 {Project 365}

I confess, this is not the photo I planned for today. But when the opportunity presents itself, who am I to say no? Truly, a thing of beauty!

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Lisa On Location Photography

The Happiest Place in the World: Hutto Middle School {Project 365}

The Boy competed in his very first Taekwondo tournament today. We made the longish drive to Hutto Middle School -- home of the hippos -- with high hopes. The Boy had heard rumors of trophies and he was determined to bring one home.

At first we were worried. He'd never done anything like this before and mostly watched other people and tried to copy. During the competition, he was the only one on the mat squirming and giggling.

But he did his forms, eventually. He waited his turn. He did his Kyong Ye.

And just like that, it was over. He accepted not just one but two trophies. And he officially declared today the best day ever and Hutton Middle School the happiest place in the world.

He clung to his trophies on the way home and tried to bring them into Chili's for lunch. We convinced him the trophies would be happier in the car.

The trophies now have a prime spot on his shelf in his room and he declares that "whenever I'm sad, I'll look at them and they'll make me happy."

All in a day's work. Nine days down, 356 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Arrival of the Toy Catalog {Project 365}

Remember when we were kids and the Sear Wish Book arrived in the mail? It was like the second most exciting day of the year. Second only to Christmas itself. It weighed a ton and it was full of toys, toys and more toys. Mom would give us a pen and say, "circle the things you want." Just like that. Almost like being handed a blank check. Almost. It was like a little piece of bait dangling in front of our eyes. What she really should have said was, "Circle everything you want and if you're really good, and don't fight with your sister and do all your chores and make good grades, you might get some of the things, provided they aren't too expensive and nobody loses their job before Christmas."

Like I said, it was as good as a blank check.

That Sears Wish Book has gotten smaller and smaller every year. A few years ago it was as thick as a Walmart circular in the Sunday paper. And now that I sit here to think about it. I don't think I saw one last year. Thank you Mr. Al Gore and your internet. You've changed the face of the Sears Wish Book.

But today we did get a little treat in the mail with the arrival of a toy catalog of some sorts belonging to the Toys To Grow On company, which I've never heard of before but it's shiny and colorful and the Boy was happy to grab a pen and put it to use.

So here's my photo of the day. Like I said, it's almost like the second most exciting day of the year, right behind Christmas itself. Seriously, it kept him entertained for a precious 3 minutes.

Eight days down, 357 to go.

Lisa On Location Photography