In which I practice photography

I went to Eastern Oregon this weekend. My first cousin, Casey and his new bride-to-be, Cara, asked me to take photos of them for their engagement. I was flattered that they thought of me as someone who was good enough for that, then excited about the opportunity to really show off some talent, then freaked out when I thought .."what if they don't like them?".. silly things I suppose.

I took over a hundred fifty pics. We had soo much fun! I think we got some great shots, mostly because they were relaxed, and just being themselves, and I just snapped pictures as fast as my cameras would let me. Here are a few of my favorites. The 35mm's haven't been picked up yet..

Great Sunset! Look at that sky!

So romantic. Great kids!

We were getting eaten alive by monster mosquitoes about this time..

The necklaces needed a better background as well. The old Buckboard wagon is always a great backdrop for a rustic feeling. I wish I had more of them made for this session.

I keep thinking this would look just as good hanging from a rear-view mirror.

The shell pendant really gets set off by those beads.

I made two of these. This one has more uniform shaped pearls. The other one is for sale on Etsy.

This is a really good shot.

I really like the offset of the small beads with the large pendant.

I just love the colors of those beads. Such great colors!

This is my good friend, Sherrie. I found out her birthday was coming up. She admired the blue necklace. Happy Birthday!

Even a western blouse will look good with this setup!

After visiting Sherrie and her family, I set out across the High Desert, headed west back to my little home here in Marcola. I was too focused on staying awake to stop and take picures. As many times as I have made that drive, I never get tired of the Big Sky, seemingly endless sagebrush, lava rock formations, and long lonely highways. Of course, after I get to Bend, the world jumps back in, and it's back to 'normal'.. at the top of Santiam pass, it really was like driving into a steam bath. The humidity hit, and the deep green undergrowth in the forest erupted.

 Driving by Sweet Home, The Foster lake was peppered with water skiers, late afternoon sun reflecting off the water, and lots of kids to be seen in shorts and flip-flops at the Dairy Queen.

As I pulled into the driveway, the smell of fresh-cut hay, happy dogs barking and wagging, Mom puttering around the yard reminded me that remembering these kinds of things are what make life very, very good.