2009 Volusia County Fair

After many weeks of procrastinating, I finally have my shots from the 2009 Volusia County Fair ready for posting! As usual, the Fair was great fun, and I finally got to practice some night shooting with my new prime lens. I must say, shooting at night is still a challenge for me. There is so much more to take into consideration, that I don't really think about when shooting during the day. I tried to capture the "Spirit of the Fair," with all the beautiful lights, action and fun that it had. I hope I did it justice! View all the shots from the gallery by clicking here.

18 Days and Counting...

Well only 18 days to go until the big day! I am so excited about Help-Portrait and the work we are going to be doing on the 12th of December with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. I am excited to be a part of giving back to those less fortunate this holiday season. I am excited for the connections I will make and the people I pray I am able to touch on that day. I am excited to be able to meet some of the top photographers in the area and work side by side with them in making this event happen. Did I mention...I AM EXCITED!

If anyone is interested in being a part of this, we can still use all the volunteers we can get.  Hop on over to the Help-Portrait Orlando web site and sign up to be a part of this great event. We can use people of all skills and levels in the areas of photography, post processing, makeup artists, hairstylists. Even if you don't have a skill in that area, we can use you as assistants to help others in the areas above, coordinators on event day, and greeters to help make everyone comfortable and at ease! Whatever you have to offer, you will be useful.

If you haven't heard about Help-Portrait, be sure to check out this video...it says it all:

Nature Photography at Bicentennial Youth Park in Deland

I enjoyed an informative Nature Photography Workshop yesterday at Bicentennial Youth Park, in Deland, just east of the Volusia County Fairgrounds. I have driven past this park many times and never even realized it was there! It's like a hidden "jewel of nature" in the middle of Volusia County. The park, which is owned by the Volusia County School District, is not open to the public, but is instead used as an educational center for schools and groups. It was nice to be able to visit there and shoot pictures during today's workshop. I want to give a big thank you to photographer Scott Helfrich and Bonnie Cary, who is with Land Acquisition and Management, with the County of Volusia, for hosting the event Be sure to stop by Scott's website and have a look at his wonderful nature photography. Be sure to check all of the pictures in my gallery for the event by clicking here or watch the slideshow.

View Slideshow Video of Nature Shoot

I seemed to be drawn to the multitude of park benches scattered along the trails.

This is about as close as we get to Autumn in Florida.

I love shots of these. It's not my first!

This pretty little thing was the hit of the day. Seems like all the workshop photographers got a shot of it!

2009 Deltona Days...Fun Time for All!

The 2009 Deltona Days Festival was great fun. Lots of entertainment, things for the kiddies to do, and vendors to keep you talking and busy. The weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed talking to and meeting new people. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to practice my people shooting skills, which the event lent itself to wonderfully. But, my favorite model of the day was "Simon," even though he isn't a "person." Simon is a Golden Retriever, owned by one of the vendors at the event, and he was a beauty. He was also just about the friendliest dog I have ever met! Be sure to check out his pics. To view some of the event shots you can do so by clicking here.

There was plenty of fun things for the kids to do!

The Starlight Promenaders from Debary, FL kept the crowd entertained.

The kids and teenagers did their own dancing during downtime...and they were really good!

And this is Simon! He was my FAVORITE "model" of the entire day. Look at that pose he struck. Isn't he precious?And he was super friendly too. I wanted to take him home. Be sure to check out a few more pics of him in my gallery for the event.

Had a chance to meet and speak with a very nice young man, named Clint. Here's a plug for your company, my friend...visit him over at Aluminum Service Professionals in Debary, if you need screen rooms, pool enclosures, etc. done.

2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville Offered Lots of "Shooting" Opportunities

So, I really had a blast at the 2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville last weekend. Needless to say, when you go to a "Butterfly Festival" you can't help but get some great shots. As those who know me well know, I love shooting pictures of butterflies, so I was psyched!

Well, over 650 plus photographs later, I was a bit overwhelmed when I sat down to make my picks from the bunch and process the photos. I really hadn't expected to take anywhere near that many in two days! Over half of them were just butterfly pictures alone! Whew!

After careful consideration, I decided to break them down into two different galleries and got to work on just the pictures from the "festival" part of the event. I will go ahead and work on the butterfly pics (although there are some in the event gallery), as time permits and break them down in a seperate gallery portfolio, just for all my pretty butterflies. To view some of the event shots from last weekend you can do so by clicking here.

The little kids really loved getting their very own "wings" and faces painted at the 2009 ButterflyFest in Gainesville, Florida.

I must admit, I have never seen a butterfly that looked quite like this one. Lime green spots! It was a beauty!

Okay, I am sure there aren't many people that like bats...and I'm one of them...but, I have to admit this little creature stole my heart. When I think of bats, I certainly don't think of something that looks like this! He had a face like a dog! These are actually fruit bats, also called "flying foxes," because of their features, and are not at all like the standard bats we have in Florida. I was absolutely mesmerized with this little fellow (thought I have to admit he didn't smell very nice, they say it was his mating season and they put off that awful smell during that time). But, he was cute...for a bat!

It wasn't all about butterflies...this baby alligator was a big hit with the children, who were allowed to hold it. The little girls thought it was great!

And, this black indigo snake was a hit with children of all ages. His handler stood there ALL day long, both days, never alone...everyone wanted to play with the snake, who is very old for a snake like this. I even touched it and I am not a snake person either! The Florida Museum of Natural History is a hidden, kid-friendly education center on the University of Florida (UF) campus. With more than 9 million specimens, the museum's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity contains one of the world's largest collections of butterflies and moths. Scientists in the museum's labs work to save imperiled butterflies from extinction, define unknown species and understand butterfly and moth genetic history and relationships. In the Butterfly Rainforest Rearing Lab, visitors can view panels with text, pictures and objects explaining butterfly science.