Today's Subject

Today's subject was one that couldn't object to my lengthy shoot.
I am working up several images to represent varying methods of lighting for the class I am teaching at College on the Square, which ends this coming Wednesday.
I have enjoyed my class and students so much, I hate for the class to end. These are available light with heavy shadows behind the apple.

This is backlighting without losing the detail in front of the apple.

YUCK! This is flash. I have a growing disdain for flash. I AM way too close to the subject with my flash, I know, but yuck, no detail to shadows, no texture. Yuck....

This is just a different view of the same thing.

I like this one. Sweet little apple, just sitting there lookin' pretty...

I guess I played with my apple for too long. I just started looking too good to me. I really wasn't hungry, I just couldn't help my self...

...then one thing lead to another...

...next thing I knew,

It was over. I have never eaten my subject before. It was oddly unsatisfying.

Agatha, aka Aggie

I worked on my new techniques again today, new victim. This is Aggie, short for Agatha, has nothing to do with Texas A&M.

Aggie just didn't like having her picture made at first. She went straight under the bed and tried to hide but just couldn't stand knowing I was in the room and that I could have been petting her.

Back up on the bed, listening to the sound that the camera makes.

Aggie is Linda's daughter but they just don't get along. The only time they get along is when they are playful in the mornings and it resembles more sparring rather than kitten playfulness. Aggie loves her Mama and Linda just won't love her back, it is so sad.

How could you NOT love a face like this?

I have bored yet another cat....

Who's next?

I've been quiet too long

I loved having so little to do in January. After the Christmas rush it was a welcome quiet. But now I am ready to be back behind my camera. I was practising some new techniques today and since my kids and husband are sick of being my subject, the next most logical victim was the cat.

Meet Linda.

Linda came to us an expectant (and extremely YOUNG) mother. We named her Linda because the lady who gave her to us was named Linda but had never named the cat. We decided she had probably heard the name Linda a few times and she might respond to the name.

OK, think of the logic in that. Does a cat EVER respond to it's name? NO!

Linda is no exception.

Obviously I bore the cat....

The Edwards Family

Meet the Edwards Family of Ira.

Coach Edwards is the basketball and baseball coach at the school.

His beautiful wife is Kaci and his kids are Trey and Kalley.

We had been trying to get this photo session done since before Christmas but couldn't get the weather to cooperate at all. We caught a break last weekend with an absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Too often we shy away from our fall and winter scenery but as you can see in this picture of Coach and Kaci that the trees made a beautiful backdrop for us.

Isn't this just the sweetest picture you have ever seen of siblings. Her little hand on his left shoulder spoke to me. Kalley has the lightest touch for Trey.

This boy has a kind look in his eyes to me. There is a gentleness here with him. A steadiness.

And Kalley has a little girl sweetness that was remarkable. She was funny and bouncey and my guess is that in the years to come this little girls suitors will drive her brother crazy! As pretty as she already is and as pretty as mom and dad are (yes, Coach pretty) she will have to carry a stick to beat the boys off. Maybe brother can do that for her.

Thank you Coach and Kaci for all you do for the kids in Ira and for the school. You work hard and we appreciate you both.

Thank you for letting me 'shoot you'.

Leaves, leaves, leaves

I had a shoot this weekend during which I found a beautiful leaf that truly doesn't look like it could belong in West Texas. It was so big and so well preserved and so pretty that I just had to take pictures of it.

I love the red that bled through from the sun shining through it.

Raven held it up for more sun to shine through it. You can see somewhat the size of this leaf. It was the size of a dinner plate easily.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I am preparing for my photography class that will begin Tuesday January 13. It will be at College on the Square in Snyder from 6 until 8 for four weeks.

For those of you who plan to sign up you will need to bring:

Your camera
Your cameras manual (if you can't find it see if it is online, downloadable)
Spiral for notes
a 4x6 of the best picture you have ever taken (film or digital, no digital files, on paper)

Call Stormy Sheilds at 574-6580 for more information.

I am really looking forward to this class I think it will be fun and practical.

I don't think there is an age limit on the class, Old, Young whatever, all you need is curiosity.

For those of you who are interested, email me at mccowenfarms@wtconnect.com

See you there.

Love, Carol

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Goodnight

Thank you all for your friendship, encouragement and business.

You are very important to me and I love you all.

I pray that you all have a safe and wonderful Christmas.

Love,

Shawn, Carol, Blair, Raven & Emily

Sun Rise Moon Shine

Did you see this mornings sunrise moon? It was beautiful!

Christmas Deadline

My clients who want to place orders for Christmas need to know that today is that deadline. Most of you have placed your orders but if you haven't do so today!
Thank you all for your business.

Santa at the Gazebo

Santa made a recent stop in Snyder this past weekend.

This is his local family, the Arrendondos. They are super people and made sure that Santa had plenty of food and a warm bed for his stop over. Thank you Arrendondos for your contribution to Christmas 2008.

Santa had some helpers at the Gazebo, this is Elf Blair

Elf Emily

Elf Raven

And Elf Rowdy

Tarpin' Crew

Weekends at our house are anything but relaxing. During stripping season we are busy right behind the module builder tarping the modules so that the wind doesn't blow the cotton off.

Occasionally we catch up to what the builder has accomplished and the kids get bored. They decorated the pickup so that there were no misunderstandings about what we were doing:
This says "Tarpin' Crew" .... "Don't call us" ...
On Shawn's pickup they wrote: "will strip for $" !

We started this weekend on the gin yard:



Raven decided that she didn't have a complex enough job and it made her mad.
I assured her that her job was as complex as any 9 year could handle and just because that meant occassionally being a paper weight, she still got the same pay as the kids who were doing other jobs.



Once she was on the ladder and pulling she was in a much better humor

Blair's boyfriend, Rowdy was nice enough to come with us.

The perspective in this image is odd. Blair and Rowdy look huge and Emily down on the ground looks tiny. Sorry about that, that is a disadvantage of the lens I was using.

Shawn took Rowdy for a ride in the stripper.

And then the wind got up. Tarping is never tarping unless you have a howling wind. Sunday was no exception. Really, this makes this task incredibly dangerous, but the kids are learning that when you feel the wind pulling too hard on the tarp and you are heading to the edge, LET GO! We can gather that thing up later, but a 10 foot drop is more than you want to attempt with your tiny body.

Crew Chief Carol

Did anyone else notice the beautiful sky Sunday afternoon. My camera captured it beautifully.

The 10 foot drop doesn't bother Rowdy. He voluntarily made the fall.

Thank you Rowdy for your help and thank you Rene (Rowdy's mom) for not invoking Child Labor Laws here on the farm!