Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours...hoping that your holidays are merry and bright!

How Did I Not Blog These Beautiful Gals?

Remember how I said that I would be digging out photos to share. Well, I found some!

I can't believe I never got around to posting all of these. Here's more Texas bridal sessions from wa-a-a-a-y back in May (see the June archives for the first previews)!

Megan On Christmas

So, my friend Harrison had this questionnaire on her blog, so I thought I needed to join in on the Christmas fun. Here ya go...everything you ever wanted to know about me and my Christmas traditions (or not):

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I used to be a bag kind of gal, but now I'm all wrapping paper. It's just more fun to get to rip paper off of a gift, don't ya think?

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial because 1-it's less expensive 2-there are few places to find a real tree in our part of the country 3-my allergies would be killing me with real greenery indoors! Just as a side note, did you know that upper respiratory infections hit a high at this time of the year? The reason: everyone dragging in their artificial trees that are filled with dust and who-knows-what from being in storage for a year. My pediatrician recommended that we vacuum, hose down or use a leaf blower to blow off all the yuck & muck before hauling the tree indoors every year.

3. When do you put up the tree? Throughout my childhood, it always went up ASAP after Thanksgiving. Now that I'm an adult, I'd be glad to put it off as long as possible. Between the kids pestering me & the holiday party I usually host during the first week in December, I always get it up the week after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? That's the worst part. I try to get it down after New Year's Day because I don't want it sitting in my living room taunting me.

5. Do you like eggnog? Absolutely...but I try not to buy it 'cause I could down a half-gallon on my own!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A telescope (I had ambitions of becoming an astronaut when I was in grade school). The cedar chest that I still have to this day.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Of course! The nativity is what Christmas is all about!

8. Hardest person to buy for? I think EVERYONE is hard to buy for...especially adults.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My oldest daughter, Hannah. She has a lot of different interests.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? No comment.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!!!! I love catching up with old friends at Christmas.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? "It's a Wonderful Life," of course. I also like the old claymation cartoons of Rudolph, etc. because it takes me back to my childhood when we actually marked the calendars when those shows were going to be on television. Now, with cable, they repeat them constantly throughout the holidays and it's just not the same.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I used to start in October, but life has gotten so busy that I'm quickly becoming a last-minute shopper (but at least I have a list).

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Um...yea. Admit it...you have, too!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I'm an equal opportunity eater--I welcome all foods no matter what time of the year. LOL! (But I do always request my mom's cheese grits even though my husband just can't learn to love the southern treat).

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? Anything that Bing Crosby sings. Or "Silent Night" accapella.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Usually we are traveling every day up to Christmas Eve & back on the road immediately thereafter. This year, we are actually going to be at home!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yep. Don't forget, I have children who like for me to read Mary Engelbright's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" over and over again...

20. Angel on the tree top? Nope--A bow (although I would consider a star).

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Usually Christmas Eve. After all, Santa brings gifts on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Obligation. Being obligated to give gifts or go to a thousand different events takes the joy out of giving/enjoying the season, KWIM?

23. What I love most about Christmas? Laughing with family. Trying to keep my husband from figuring out his gifts (he has an unnatural ability to guess every wrapped gift even if it has been disguised or weighted). Passing on traditions. Watching kids get giddy when they unwrap a gift. Most of all, celebrating Christ's birth!

Cameras: Never Leave Home Without 'Em!

Yesterday, I had to drive to my college classes in what was left of the ice storm. Oh, how I wished I had my camera in the passenger seat!! There were so many wonderful things that I saw...cool ice patterns on the field irrigation systems, trees sagging from the weight of their frozen limbs, the irony of green fields when everything surrounding them was white (yes, we have green fields of winter wheat).... Best of all, the sky was beautiful! The grey clouds were hanging very low and it was as if the sky was trapped between the earth & clouds. The colors were amazing--very azul (I have to use the Spanish word because just plain ol' "blue" doesn't quite do it justice), almost purple. Plus, the dark greens, browns, rusts and reds on earth were very saturated colors from the wetness. It was gorgeous!

What can we learn?

#1--Always have a camera nearby--you never know when you might stumble upon something picture-worthy.

#2--Though it's not really fun to get out after a thunderstorm or ice storm, it is an excellent time for taking photos. Anytime the sky is completely cloud-covered makes for excellent, evenly lit photos and whenever the ground is wet, the colors of the earth are amazing.

Winter Wonderland

Well....kinda. There's no snow, only ice!

The view from my glass door...

I tried this for fun: the view through the screen on the glass. Looks kinda cool!



No snow....no problem! These two little critters are lovin' it anyway. They decided to take up ice skating...with no blades!



Sorry, bud--there's no snowflakes to catch on your tongue right now!

This one reminds me of Dumb Donald off of Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids--he always had that pink hat that covered most of his face. :)

We're supposed to get more moisture today which means re-freezing on top of the ice we already have. We're just hoping the electricity stays on!!!

I hope you & yours are staying warm!! :)

A quote for the artists & perfectionists out there

I ran across this quote today & I love it:

CREATIVITY IS ALLOWING YOURSELF TO MAKE MISTAKES. ART IS KNOWING WHICH ONES TO KEEP.

That's so true! When I shoot, I always strive for perfection in every image, but I also know that I am very, very human and prone to err (a lot!). Funny thing is...many times, I will run across one of my images that are not techinically perfect or break some kind of photographic "rule," but it ends up being a favorite. That, my friends, is the joy of art! :)

The Last Session of 2007

Did you ever think I was going to get back to blogging? Man, life has been super busy between school, work, kids, holidays...you name it and I bet we've done it in November!

Just wanted to share some pics from my last scheduled session of the year. Yep, I don't do any sessions in December (or at least I'm not this year) because of all the many activities and events we are involved in. Besides, it's hard to squeeze in any December sessions because of the tight holiday production schedules at the lab & shipping issues.

Anyway....all that to say that even though this was my last session, I will still have plenty of photos to share on the blog! I plan on using some of my semester break time to go through my hard drive and see what pictures have been overlooked. I know there's a lot!

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of the Ward kids...talented, funny and super-cute! And check out the sky in these--it was beautiful that night!

Megan Franks of Four Seasons Photography specializes in on-location portraiture in western Oklahoma.