Weddings
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Posted on March 7, 2010
Finally a beautiful sunny weekend in Pittsburgh! We took full advantage.
Saturday seemed the perfect day for the zoo. Apparently lots of others had the same idea – it was crowded!
Leo, looking at the lions. I love how the green of his jacket brings out the green in his eyes.
We spent most of our time at the Water’s Edge exhibit, looking at the polar bears and sand tiger sharks. Jonas was pretty scared of the polar bears, but oddly enough the sharks’ rows and rows of razor sharp teeth didn’t bother him.
I love the light in that last one! I’m very excited for May 15 when I’ll be shooting Emily and Tim’s wedding there.
An unusual occurrence: me in front of the camera!
My hair isn’t really rainbow-colored. Just brown. Neat effect though with the sunlight streaming through the shark tank above.
By the end of our time at the zoo, both boys were tired and arguing over who would get to ride in the stroller. So they doubled up.
Since Sunday was just as beautiful, we headed over to Frick Park. The playground still had plenty of snow on it, but that didn’t stop us.
Even Marley the Dog came along! Poor girl is really showing her age. We only walked on the park trails a little bit, since the boys were eager to get to the playground, but she was worn out.
Posted on February 28, 2010
I’m going to go out on a limb and risk the wrath of a majority of my fellow Pittsburgh residents. Yes, I dare say it: I think this has been the best winter ever.
Over the past few weeks I’ve heard more grumbling than I can count about all the snow that’s fallen. It is true that we have only had a few days without any snow. There have been plenty of days when we’ve gotten a few inches of snow during the day and then another inch or two overnight.
But I admit it: I like it! The coziness of it, the beauty, the way it completely transforms the look of our surroundings, and seeing 2-year-old Jonas point and marvel at the snow, all warm my heart.
And thankfully my whole family shares the feeling. For your viewing pleasure, a 2-minute montage of some of our fun this winter. All video (and photo below) captured by my Canon G9.
(Click photo for video)
Posted on February 11, 2010
Over the past week I’ve been listening to The Four-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. Disclaimer: I didn’t get all the way through the book, only about halfway. At first, Ferriss describes a number of useful time-saving tactics, such as only checking your email twice a day (and never first thing in the morning) and empowering those who work for you to make decisions without having to consult you. He claims that if you follow his very specific and detailed agenda, you can own a business that runs itself and only requires your attention for a few hours a week. You can then spend all of your time traveling the world and pursuing various leisure activities.
I’m sure that many people would enjoy that sort of lifestyle. But I only gave it a moment’s thought before realizing it’s not for me. I do love to travel and explore, and could easily fill days reading, watching movies, gardening, cooking, and listening to my favorite NPR shows “This American Life” and “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.” But photography is what drives me and keeps me driven. I love every part of running a photography business, from meeting with prospective clients, discussing details of their weddings, designing albums, setting up lighting, charging batteries, formatting cards – and of course, attending weddings of wonderful people. Why would I want to cut back the hours of something I enjoy so much?
For photographic proof, see image below by Randi Voss.
Posted on February 8, 2010
Three days after our huge snowfall, many roads still aren’t clear. Driving in to Oakland from the east suburbs Monday morning was no easy task. Traffic was very heavy, people were getting stuck all over, and there were heavy delays everywhere.
Traffic was completely backed up on Forbes Avenue going through Frick Park. After sitting still in traffic for about 20 minutes, several SUVs started to cross the center line, which was covered in snow, and then drive around all the traffic on the wrong side of the road.
My Forester probably could have done this, but I didn’t feel in such a hurry to drive into oncoming traffic. I watched as a number of SUVs and then a Mazda 3 drove through the mounds of snow. Then, looking in my sideview mirror, I saw this:
I took the above photo with my phone, so quality is not good. Here’s a crop of the same photo for a closer view. 
Yep, that’s a Mini Cooper, trying – and so far, failing – to get through the drift of snow in the middle of the road. You have to give that little car some credit for giving it a try. Or, you could think that it was a little silly to think it could get through snow almost as high as its windshield.