Skyping

Here's a new image for my series on separation.  I call it "Skyping," I think you get it.  I'll be doing a LOT of this over the coming year...

Push and Pull

Here's a fantastic image taken by the hub of some sweet Vegas architecture.  I love the way the colors pop and give that push/pull effect.  Love it!

18b in Neon

Here's a shot of the beautiful 18b sign on Art Street at twilight.  I chose to remove the high rise condos that I thought detracted from this fun sign.  I hope you dig it.

The Cone of Shame

This is my sweet friend, Indy.  She wears the cone of shame because of a nasty ear infection.  She is probably one of the most gentle, loving dogs I've ever met.  Sorry, Indy.  Feel better soon!  

El Cortez

Here's a little piece of Vegas history...El Cortez on Fremont Street.  This vintage hotel and casino was built on Fremont Street in 1941 and has been operating continuously ever since.  It's a classic!  Can you imagine if the walls could talk?  

Embrace Childhood

Childhood rocks!  You can wear what you want, climb on stuff, eat candy and not gain weight, wow...I wish I remembered more details from mine.  My favorite quote du jour was when we were sitting at lunch, my daughter was sitting in a way that completely hiked up her skirt (knees to the chin sort of in the chair) and although she was wearing shorts under her skirt I said, "Honey, that's not an appropriate way for a young lady to sit." and her response was perfect, "Mom, I'm NOT an adult, I'm a kid, I don't have to sit appropriately, I'm supposed to be a kid and have fun."  How could I argue with that comeback?  I just smiled and told her she was right and she could sit like a kid.  

Thanksgiving Mustache Fun

I'm thankful for silly girlfriends!

Zuca

Laura, this one is for you...

I went to my daughter's classroom today (after our Thanksgiving Feast) to see a virtual Zuca Store!  No wonder the poor kid wants one.  Reminds me of when I was in 7th grade and begged my mom for Nike gym shoes, Jordache jeans and Converse tennis shoes to wear for basketball.  It was a banner year for me, I got all three!  I do remember the giddy feeling I had when school started and I carefully placed my shiny new Nike shoes (the original white ones with blue accents and a red swoosh) in my gym locker.  I was over the moon.  She's still quite a few marbles away from the Zuca but I'm excited about it for her already.  

Please Do Not Disturb

Here's a strange scene I found today as I drove around the Arts District.  Unfortunately, this is indicative of the surroundings...full of down and outs and homeless people.  It's really kind of funny that someone hung that out of scale sign under the formal "NO TRESPASSING" note.  I like the irony.  I can't imagine who took the time to create this rather impressive artwork of a sleeping man on a bench.  I quietly took my shot and left...I don't think I disturbed anyone.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

Here's one of my favorite walls in the Arts District.  I'm sure every photographer in town knows about it while not too many others have seen it.  It's a fantastic mural that has been painted on the side of a random building for years.  Whenever some jackhole tags it or tries to paint on the black it is soon repaired by a local artist.  I love this sign so much more than the tourist trap on Tropicana...it has the grit that remains part of this town.  Welcome!

Tea Party

Tea parties aren't just for little girls, they are super fun for big girls too.  

Overwhelmed Part Deux

Here's the second image in my series "Overwhelmed."  I'm trying to show how sometimes, as much as we try, we just feel like life is too heavy and we must relent.  I often feel this way and I'm sure so many of you do too.  It's not enough to play the piano and escape, sometimes you just collapse.

Marbles

To an adult, this might just look like a dish full of marbles but to my daughter this is a growing pile that will make her wish come true...she will get the thing she most wants once she fills the jar...a ZUCA!  What is that?  It's the newest thing in kid school bags and it's stupidly expensive, completely unnecessary and nearly classified as luggage, but she wants it more than anything.  So, the marbles pile up with each good grade and her ZUCA is getting closer and closer to reality.  But for me, it's a photo op.  :D

Message in a Bottle

Busy day!  Getting ready for a move really can be insane at times.  We are finding more things to do, creating lists and piles everywhere and this means Momma doesn't have as much time to shoot!  Dang.  So, for today, I am sharing two images I took about a month ago when we went on a family hike in Mt. Charleston.  It was the craziest thing, I told my daughter to keep her out for treasures and not 5 minutes later she literally found this message in a bottle!  I opened it first, just in case, and was delighted to find this picture that said (on the back) "finish me."  It was probably left by some drunk hippies (this was quite far off the trail or camping area) but I liked it so much that we rolled it back up and left it for someone else to find.  Things like this make the world seem so small and our relationships or connectedness to each other seem so close.  Who knows who left that message but I sure enjoyed finding it.  What message are you leaving for someone to find today?

Shoes and Feet

Sometimes it's just the little things that amuse me.  Tonight it was shoes and feet.

The Smith Center

I snapped this one with my iPhone as I was entering the amazing new Smith Center tonight.  A sweet friend bought us tickets to see Jim Brickman in concert and he was fantastic (thanks Sheryl).  It was a fun show in a beautiful venue.  We had a wonderful time.  This building is remarkable, it's completely art deco, you feel transported to old New York when you see it in person.  Every detail throughout the Center is designed to maintain that theme.  It's such a wonderful addition to Sin City...something a little classier than neon. 

18b Continued

Here's another shot from the Las Vegas Arts District, aka 18b.  I have walked past this building so many times trying to figure out how to capture it and still keep that tactile feel of the brick, the dilapidated sign and the bright, red bars on the windows.  I had to crop it tight to get the feel I wanted, I hope it speaks to you and makes you curious.  I want you to wonder what's in there...is the door locked?  Can you see inside through the windows?  Who is Beckett?  Enjoy!

Overwhelmed

Here's the first of a new series I'm doing called "Overwhelmed."  It's all about coping and trying to cope when you feel absolutely spent.  It's (obviously) more solemn than my "I'd Rather Be..." series but it's an exercise in capturing emotion and soul...we'll see how well I do.

Now I'm off for a girls night out of ridiculousness...the other way I cope with stress!!!  :)  LOVE MY GIRLS!

Color By Number Kid

If you enlarge this image it could be a color-by-number!  I love it!  Fun with Photoshop tonight.  I love posterizing images to see what I can get and this one is slightly posterized.  

The image itself makes me smile because this is my little monkey having fun with her Girl Scout troop on her first camp out.  As you can see, she had a blast just hangin' around.  :)

Slow Day on The Strip

I ran downtown today to buy tickets to a show for Saturday night (had to get them in person to get the local discount--what a PITA) and was shocked to see how dead it was on a Thursday.  The tables were nearly empty, the slots were equally sparse and it just felt eerily quiet.  Not good for the local economy, people!  Come on out and gamble!  We need you!

Arts District

Here's another fun shot from my favorite Arts District.  I love the pops of color and the plasticity here.  My series on 18b has been coming along and I have a good direction now, thanks to my wonderful instructor and class.  I'm going to keep the images tightly cropped and colorful.  I dig it anyway.  

I've been really slacking off on my blog lately because I'm heavily distracted in my busy life.  I felt crummy too, which didn't help motivate me to break out my camera.  This should be my stress relief but it's been another thing on the pile this week.  I'll do better next week.  I hope.

Sticker Fun

Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious that grown-ups walk around wearing their "I Voted" sticker like a badge of honor?  Don't get me wrong, voting is a privilege that I don't take for granted (especially as a woman); however, I do not understand the need to wear a sticker announcing the fact that one voted.  It should be an expectation, not an accomplishment, right?  Am I crazy?  Now, I have a sincere appreciation for childish enthusiasm in nearly any respect but there's something smug about this one, or am I just over thinking it?  In any case, I guess I just showed mine off in an even bigger way, eh?  Now, let's see who won!

Lightroom Preset Fun

This week I have been trolling the internet for Lightroom Presets and found a few cool ones.  Here's the sight I used: 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/presets/discuss/72157612664073371/

You can see what a simple preset can do to elevate an image.  I really love the ease of using Lightroom and you can't beat the cost (compared to PS).  It's worth the money...trust me!  This is a great program for anyone--not just artists.  I love what I can do to my family photos now.  Have some fun, download a new preset today (it's easy to add...even I can do it).  Smile.

Desert Dining

We just enjoyed a lovely dinner at our friend's house around her cozy fire pit.  These really are a "must have" when you live in the desert, they make everything so nice!  Loved it...thanks, Sheryl.

Me & Z

Often times I just want to throw everything to the side and just hang out with my dog...she always makes me smile and forget about stupid human things.  Animals are great at that...

Olive Fingers

Some things are just in the blood...black olives on the fingers are sooooo part of my husband's family heritage (if I can call it that).  Whenever there is a family gathering, someone ends up with olive fingers!  It's something that my daughter loves and continues to do every time she can.  Tonight, she had her mouth full of them as I snapped this shot!  Hee hee...sometimes, it just takes olive fingers to make your night fun.