So glad it's spring!

Even though it's been a bit of a chilly week, I am so thankful it's spring.  And thankful that the sun is out today!

I love gerber daisies - they just look so friendly and warm.

Beautiful purples! Classic flower to head into summer.

A surprisingly delicate flower from an otherwise-sturdy plant.  

Just look at how blue that sky is!  I could spend all day outside on days like this.

And, my favorite: the calla lily.  It looks so graceful, and yet so strong.

If you're craving the look of spring as much as I have been, head over to SchoneyPhoto.com/floral to see these, and more like them.  

Happy Spring! 

Last night I tried going out to take photos of the moon.   I didn't get exactly what I was hoping for, but even with the imperfect photography, I found the moon to be fascinating.  If you look closely (you can click on the photo to make it larger), you can even see bits of blue in it.

I think that for a more serious shot, I would go out to the country somewhere, so that you don't have the bad lighting created by the "glow" of a city.  Even from my back porch, though, the moon is pretty incredible.

Oklahoma City Memorial at night

On our way home from Texas, we stopped by the Oklahoma City Memorial, which was built to remember and honor the victims of the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Federal Building.

It was night time when we got there, and it was....beautiful.  And haunting.

There are still pieces of the original building at the corners, which remind a visitor of just how real the tragedy was.

Two giant walls are at each end, called the Gates Of Time.  One says 9:01:

One says 9:03.

And in between those walls is the reflecting pool, and the Field of Empty Chairs, with rows and rows of chairs, each with a name of one who died when the bomb went off at 9:02.

I think that remembering those who died is part of honoring them. In addition to that, I think that remembering our past is vital to our future.  In the words of  George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

To view or purchase these photos from the website, visit www.schoneyphoto.com/places.

Texas Cotton

We recently took a trip to Texas, and I kept sporadically seeing fields with some white in it.  To my mid-western eyes, it sort of looked like a little leftover snow, but that didn't really make sense given that the temperatures were in the 70's.

We stopped and pulled over, and discovered it was cotton!  I recognize corn, and even soybeans (most of the time anyway.  I might live in Iowa, but I'm definitely a city girl!), but cotton was a new one.  It was strange to think of it actually coming from a plant, as the only time I've really seen pieces of cotton was in the store, in the form of a cotton pad for nail polish remover!

I couldn't resist taking some photos.  Even though it's not quite spring, and these fields haven't been touched since last fall's harvest,  I was drawn to the red dirt, contrasted with the bright blue sky.

SchoneyPhoto.com/naturalbeauty

Here is some cotton that was missed in last year's harvest.  I love the colors - the warm tones of the earth in the South!

SchoneyPhoto.com/naturalbeauty

An un-opened boll:

SchoneyPhoto.com/naturalbeauty

And an empty cotton boll against the deep blue Texas sky:

SchoneyPhoto.com/naturalbeauty

If you live in the South, this may be an every-day sight for you.  But one of the things I love the most about traveling is the chance to get to see things that aren't a part of my every-day life, and seeing the absolute beauty found in nature.

Getting back to blogging....

I started this photography blog awhile ago, but let it slide when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Out of that came our family blog, Taste & See, and I've really enjoyed blogging over there about our journey through my cancer, our pursuit of adoption, eating healthy, and all the little mundane things that make life what it is.

However.

I have a love of photography that just won't quit, and have wanted to have a place to really focus on that.  I have really enjoyed running my photography website, but wanted to make it more personal.

So, welcome to the blog!  I'm so very excited to be able to share my love of photography in a new way.  I plan on sharing stories behind some of my photos, photo tips and resources, ways to use photography in the home, and more.

Make sure to pass it on to your friends, and bookmark it in your favorites, so you don't miss a thing.

Glad you're here!

Danae, John, & Vivian

I took some photos of this lovely family for their Christmas card.   Love these guys!

What a beautiful family!

Yarbo

Everyone loves their pet.  We probably love ours a little too much.  But, I had a great time taking a few photos of him this fall, and these are a few of my favorites!

I took most of these pictures while Dave was working on the lawn.  Here, Yarbo is staring down the tube of the leaf blower!