Megan + Zach + Zane + Samarah

Megan and her boys are no strangers to me and my camera.  They came along when I photographed Becky + Jaden and provided lots of laughs and personality to keep us smiling throughout the day!  Since then I've been hoping that Megan would finally realize that she needs to have family pics taken by me! ;)  Well, all that hoping (and hinting ;) ) paid off! lol!  A couple of weeks ago Megan called and said that she'd like to take some family pics and that she was bringing along her cute as a button Boyfriend's Daughter Samarah!  Needless to say, I was overjoyed!  :)

We walked around downtown and ventured out to this place I've been dying to shoot at, only to find the gate surrounding it padlocked.  :(  It all worked out and the I ended up loving the next location just as much!  And at the end of the day, Zach looked over at Megan and said, "You know Mom, this is kinda fun." 
And that kind of compliment from a teenage boy, I'll take it!  ;)

Zach is going to be quite the heart breaker!  ;)

Samarah, cute as a button, right?  :) 

 

Zane can make anybody laugh!  :D

 

Till next time

-Triny

What can happen in a year + Turning 30

My birthday weekend has officially begun, and for the first time in a long time, I'm anything but excited.  You see this year I'm turning 30.  That's right; take a second to process that...THIRTY.   Although I originally thought I'd have no problem with this inevitable part of life, it's safe to say that I. Was. WRONG!  The joy and excitement that usually comes with my birthday seems to be gone, replaced only with a sense of sadness, maybe even a little confusion.  I've seen several friends and loved ones reach this milestone, some with more grace than others. ;)  And I've always felt like I'd be able to take it in stride, no problem.  But the strangest things have started happening, and it's evident, I'm beginning to break course; the most recent incident occurred last night while I opened my first (early) birthday gift from Buddy & Johnny.  I ripped open the wrapping to find a copy of Teen Witch, one of my all time favorite movies from when I was just a little girl!  I must've told Johnny about this movie at least 100 times in the nearly ten years we've been together and he remembered. 

He sees the joy on my face and sweetly says,
"I hope it makes you feel like a kid again."
And just like that, I started to cry. 
A real good cry, you know the kind that hurts a little?
I hug him tightly crying all the while and whisper,
"Thank you."  "I love it, I love You."
Johnny surprisingly looks back at me and says,
"I had no idea, you'd like it that much!"
half laughing, half unsure if I'm about to start crying again. 
I shrug my shoulders, drop my head and simply say,
"It's just...I hadn't really realized just how old I was gonna be, until now." 
And then I cried in his arms, and he let me. 

Awhile later I dried my tears, went into the office, sat behind my desk and started working.  While editing in Lightroom I became distracted by the row of dates/ unedited photos in my library to my left, when one in particular caught my eye.  02/04/2010.  Last year, on this date, I had the extreme pleasure of attending a Big 'Ol Brainwash (a mentoring session) with the one and only, Mrs. Lauren Clark.  For weeks I was sooo excited just thinking about it.  I had been following Lauren's work and blog for about 5 years, loving ALL of it; I felt like I knew her personally, even though we'd never met.  I envisioned us immediately 'clicking' and becoming the best of friends, her teaching me everything that I loved about her photography and me soaking it all in like the wonderful lil protégé I'd be.  Alas, the day came and it was everything I thought it'd be, except for one very crucial part, ME!  I arrived late, (I know, go figure!) but that's where the normalcy ended.  I found myself nervous, reserved, reluctant to speak, even a lil shy; nothing, nothing like myself, but more like the frizzy haired little girl who was uncomfortable with the fact that she was over-weight so she used humor and laughter as a cover-up, was unsure about everything and had yet to find herself.   I was immediately intimated; worried that I would know so much less than everyone else and it would show, scared that I'd ask a stupid question that was so obvious to the others, uncomfortable that someone would notice my 5 yr old camera and lack of shiny new lenses.  I went through the day like this, occasionally allowing the real me to come out in the form of a joke or an erruption of laughter.  I learned a lot that day, about my camera, posing, lighting, flash, and editing, but most of all I learned something very important about myself.  I may not have the newest camera or the fastest lenses or all sorts of editing programs and actions saved on a laptop (I didn't even have a laptop) and I may not be Lauren Clark's best friend or up and coming protégé; but I am ME.  And that's all I'll ever be able to be!  :) 

A lot can happen in a year.  I've finally gotten off my tukis and started working at and sharing my photography.  Johnny and I were officially married (and we were honered that it was captured beautifully by my other photog crush, The Kick Ass Kristin Bednarz!), The Bud turned 8, Johnny graduated from TTU, and I've learned that everyone had to start somewhere.  I've abandoned my fears of failure and am now on my journey to where I want to be! 

These pics are from the Brainwash I attended last year.  I'm sharing them with you now partly because I think they're beautiful and it's about time they see the light of day, but also to remind myself to never again take for granted the precious time God has given me!  For a lot can happen in a year, here's to seeing what my 30th has in store for me!  :)  



Till next time

- Triny

Rings + Things

This past week I was fortunate enough to 'borrow' a Macro lens from Lens Rentals.com.  The Canon 100mm f/2.8 to be exact and let me tell you, it. was. AWESOME!  I had planned on a shoot that I had hoped would've really pushed this baby to the limit, but unfortunately things didn't really work out as planned.  Oh well, C'est la vie!  Never the less, I couldn't let this bad boy go to waste so I went to work with what I did have.  A couple of stargazer lilys (the only survivors from a floral arrangement Buddy and Johnny sent me the week before) and our wedding rings.  :)

I even tried to snap a few of Mr. Jack, the newest addition to the Gonzales family. 

But he's a quick one!  Maybe we should've named him Speedy? ( ha ha ha, you know I'm funny! ;)

Thanks for stopping by! 

Till next time

- Triny