Adventures In Illinois

After I participated in the bike ride, there was much more fun to be had on my visit in Illinois.  I went to a local farmers market, watched the band "the pimps" perform, went to a concert on the grass at a winery and I photographed a senior portrait photo shoot with my friend Adriane's son, Jake.

I do appreciate it when my friends don't mind me showing up at the last minute to crash their plans and tag along for the adventure.  I tend to plan mostly day by day so I don't really know where I will end up and where I will be at any given time.  Lucky for me (not sure about Adriane), it was a weekend full of activities.

I had a great time doing a photo shoot with Jake. He chose the place to go which is a good thing since I had no idea where I was.  He plays the classical cello and wanted to include that in his shoot since it shows a part of who he is.  When I photograph people, I give very little direction on what I want them to do so they can look as natural as possible.  Being in front of a camera is a very vulnerable place to be for some people.  Jake didn't mind it at all and he wasn't concerned about how it looked or where he stood.  He was easy and went with the flow.  We didn't stay out for long as the clouds were looming in the distance.  Once we were finished, we walked along the highway back to the car.  He held his cello and I was following him with my camera in tow.  We must have looked like we needed help or at least looked like we were lost since a bus came by and stopped in the middle of the street to open the door and asked us if we needed a ride. We graciously declined.

The following day, we drove out to a local winery to enjoy a picnic and concert on the grass.  It turned out to be a beautiful evening and there were surprisingly about a thousand people who decided to do the same thing on the grass.  I wandered around with my camera to snap photographs of some of the activities that evening.

After a whirlwind of weekend fun, it was time to leave and head on our way.  Thank you for the slice of Bloomington, Illinois Adriane!  Max and I look forward to our next visit!

To see more of my portraits from the road, click HERE.

Camp Chung - A Visit With Dear Friends

I don't really know where I will be at any given time so I am thankful for friends who allow me to come at a moments notice and stay at their house for a few days.  I've been friends with Katy and Richard for years and for now, they live in a community outside of Seattle.  I got up pretty early from the campsite and called Katy to say I was near and she said, "sure, come on by!"  I arrived a few hours later and decided to stay for a while.

It is so relaxing here.  Her guest room is like sleeping on a cloud.  After days of camping and sleeping in the dirt, sleeping in a home and being among friends was a welcome treat!  It's been too long since I've been here and I am so glad I was able to stay for a while to catch up.

Richard and Katy are so kind to me, I am lucky to have them as friends.  I love their little girls and Max does too.  Max had a lot of play time with them in the backyard and around the house.  When they weren't watching, Max would steal a toy from their room to play with.  I actually saw him smile for the first time in days.

I enjoy traveling and being alone but there is something about the comfort of being around good friends.  It will be hard to leave, but I am so glad I had this time with them.   Next stop...being a tourist in Seattle and then, who knows?

North Lake Tahoe

To beat the heat, I took a drive to the big lake nearby.  I wasn't the only one thinking the same thing.  As I approached Kings Beach, the parking lot was full but I managed to grab a spot.  This was my first time on the North end of the lake and it was beautiful.  There were so many people out enjoying the day, swimming in the water, playing with their kids.  It's a perfect family vacation destination.

There is something about Lake Tahoe.  The redwoods grow near the water and even though you hear motor boats all around, you know you are still in the forest.

I walked along the shore, observing everyone on vacation having a good time and snapping pictures along the way.  I have to admit that this was the first time I felt lonely.  Don't get me wrong, I love being on the road, seeing the sights and meeting interesting people but sometimes when you are in such a beautiful place, it would be nice to spend the moment with someone you know.

That feeling got me thinking.  For the past three years, I've spent about a year being on the
road, traveling to various places.  Once I quit my job, I was off and running.  Since then, I have never really grounded myself where I live and consequently, some friends are constantly surprised to see me in town.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised at their reaction since I am traveling a lot, but it does sadden me a bit.  All of this uprooting makes it difficult to nurture relationships or grow seeds with new ones since I can't spend the time it takes with people to be in their lives while I am out, wandering about.  I do have a few friends where it doesn't matter how much time goes by when I do see them, but I am not in contact with them on a daily basis.  So, seeing people together having fun on a beach makes me a tad nostalgic of the times where I stayed home long enough for friends to invite me to such gatherings.

Yet once again, I choose to make the road my home for now.  I love to travel with Max, but sometimes it takes some planning, depending on the weather.  It was too hot to take him on this day trip, so he stayed at the cabin while I toured around the lake.  There weren't many dogs out and I am not sure if they are allowed on the beach, but they should be.  I am glad I took the trip to see the lake.  Lake Tahoe is truly a beautiful place. Now it's time to look at a map and figure out where to go next.  Thank you to those of you who take the time to read about my journeys.

Taking Photographs Of Kids

As you know, I love taking photographs of dogs.  Besides the fact that I love all animals and especially dogs, it might be because they usually don't know what you are doing.  The same holds true with Children, depending on the age and if their parents take a lot of photographs of them.  Kids are fun to photograph because you never know what kind of reaction you will get when you point a camera in their direction.  Ok, I am not saying children are like dogs, I am just explaining that the innocence is pure, refreshing, and that you should always expect the unexpected.

I love the unscripted look.  The moment in time when someone forgets there is a camera or relaxes enough that their personality shines through.  Kids are usually unscripted and they do whatever they want, when they want and they won't fake a smile if they don't feel like smiling.  There is something refreshing about that.  With adults, sometimes I have to hide the camera for the perfect moment when they are not looking or tell them to pretend that I'm not there.  For the most part they look away and pretend they don't see me with a big smile on their face.

The past few months, I've been lucky enough to get some candid photographs of children.  I don't know why, but this black and white photograph of a little girl at the Johnny Cash festival (top left)  is one of my personal favorites.  I love the way she is looking at me.  To me, she is fierce and fearless and from the looks of it, she does what she wants...when she wants.

My heart goes out to her mother.

The past few months, I was able to witness kids at play at a Northern Arizona Ranch, Alumapalooza, Venice and at the Johnny Cash festival.  All different personalities, but all doing what kids do best...being themselves.