Gwinnett Daily Post

Yesterday I came across the official write-up in the Gwinnett Daily Post about the 13 photos that won in the "2012 Snap Suwanee" contest. As many of you know I am one of the winners.

Have a look at the article: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/feb/25/13-photos-honored-in-snap-suwanee-contest/

Fall shoot with the S & H Family!

Here are some pictures from the shoot I had with my neighbors during autumn last year - I think we all enjoyed the time together at Sims Lake Park and we even had some adorable 4-legged models, who were highly co-operative - looking in my direction for almost every shot. 

After some initial camera shyness, everybody relaxed and I was able to get some really wonderful shots.

A few pictures were taken as Senior pictures for Mr. M, I think they turned out really well, considering he had an "audience". Smile!  

Thanks again for a super fun shoot!

Reggie

Meet my friend from next door, Reggie!

I don't think I have to really say much more because I'm sure everybody reading this has melted into a long 'Aaaawwww!" - but Reggie is a Boston Terrier, who lives next door and every time he is out there when I come around the corner he looks at me exactly as I've captured him in these pictures. Every time I've seen him, I've thought to myself I must take a shot of him sometime. Well the other day was sometime!

I was coming back from taking pictures of our friendly daffodils when I saw Reggie - as usual nosily peering through the fence. He was out there with his big brother Rocco and I managed to get the first picture of him. Then both dogs looked at me really funny and backed away - I think they were not sure what that 'black clicking box' I was pointing at them was......

Then Rocco seemed to get a little jealous of his baby brother being in the limelight and he started chasing Reggie all around the backyard. Eventually they both came back to the fence and I got the second shot of Reggie - Rocco was not having any of it, and so he had another go at chasing Reggie around the place. Reggie is about 1/10 the size of Rocco - but he's a feisty chap!

At that point I packed it in, I didn't want them killing each other over a silly photo! But those two really made my day and I think the 2 pictures I was able to capture tell such a great story.

Time to cheer up - the daffodils are here!

Narcissus is a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, bulbs in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to Europe, North Africa and Asia.

My question is why are they blooming at the end of January? Last year we were covered in ice and snow and this year we are having spring-like weather conditions. It is amazing but I hope that we don't get surprised by another harsh freeze, because the Daffodils in our backyard would not know what to do with themselves.

I took some pictures of them yesterday morning, and I saw that there are many more still to appear, so I might do a retake if I get the chance at a later stage - these flowers always cheer me up. They are so bright and they say: 'Spring is (almost) here!'

Daffodils
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth