Life :: Flash Fun

Well... Long overdue, I know...

When I finally got my hands on an external flash, you can bet your bottom I used it (and continue to) at every possible chance. There is no WAY they are getting that flash back without a fight now...
Although I wanted to use 'Biscuit' as my test subject... It just turned out that I was too lazy to go grab him... so I used the next closest thing - Best of Show - my Painted Pony. :)

In addition to the Painted Pony... I did a quasi 'project' with one of my favorite men... or examples of his work I guess. Those of you who know me, will know exactly what I'm talking about... those of you who do not, will probably laugh at the bordering-on-obsession love I have... I used showing off the collection to someone, to play with the flash some more, and catagorize the collection... in a way. Haha.

Johnny! :)

Equine :: Beauty

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything... and really, a while since I've done much with my camera. Nothing recently has captivated my attention and  really  made me want to photograph it...
But, in the meantime... just to keep you on your toes, and, what the hell, for shits and giggles... this is why I never delete any photos when I'm done going through them.

You never know what you will see as your creative eye grows and expands. There may be a diamond in the rough somewhere... While searching through photos taken this past summer of Rosetta Stone (aka Rosie) for a competition... I stumbled across this gem. :)

This photo was taken in June while I was out running through the field after photos of Rosie... of course, like any proud mommy, I can't just take photos of everyone else... I have to sneak in a few of my own baby. Alas, you have Beauty (who, I might point out, when out in the field is not very photogenic)...
There's something about this photo that excites me and makes me smile. When I saw it the first time, nothing intrigued me. It was just a photograph... but now... it's art work.

Life :: Paws for a Cause

So, this weekend, the BC SPCA ran one of their largest fundraisers. The Paws for a Cause - walk for the animals is an annual, province wide walk for pet owners, large and small to support the BC SPCA and the work they do. As a non-profit society, they depend on all donations and fundraising efforts to help support their cause through sheltering, humane education, and cruelty investigations.

In Kamloops, Paws for a Cause is held in Pioneer Park, where everyone meets up, and moves on to a short walk with their pets... When they got back, most migrated to the river to cool down, as it was one of the warmest days in the week, and back up to the park for the games and prizes.

And although most enjoyed the river, or at least wading in it... the river just wasn't the same as playing in the leftover ice from the concession!

Rodeo :: Interior Provincial Exhibition Part 1

It's the Labour Day long weekend, and every year, Armstrong, and the Interior Provincial Exhibition, host one of the largest Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) Rodeos... So naturally, this year... I opted to make the IPE Rodeo my 'big' rodeo of the year... I got tickets for Friday night, and Saturday night of the rodeo (both semi-final nights)... and lucked out.
Friday night, I was left with one ticket, no one to go with, and 3 hours before rodeo... so I took Tammy and her son.
Shane LOVES rodeos. He talked most of the way there, all excited about the rodeo, in his cowboy hat and boots...

We got there just in time to pick up my reserved tickets - for Thursday night and Saturday night... Argued with the lady, who had no idea what she was talking about... and ended up with 2 new tickets... I sat down at the grass, cause the first row tickets sucked for taking photos, and Tammy sat in one of our seats.

Until she got kicked out of the seat... just to find out, the replacement tickets we got for Thursday's tickets I wasn't supposed to get... were for Saturday. Thanks. So Tammy went and complained to the right people, and we ended up in great seats following! :)

 

Knowing low light, fast movements, and a great subject/photographer distance were all playing a game against me, I used this opportunity to shoot, for my first time EVER, in complete manual mode. I knew I had to jack the ISO up, in order to create a still shot with decent lighting...  Night rodeos are going to be the bane of my existance... next time, I'm sitting as close to the middle of the arena as possible!!

In addition to the cowboys... there were a few great displays of talent, including the Crazy Cowgirls trick riders. I think they needed more guts than the cowboys do...

I love rodeo, I really do. I'm such a country girl at heart. Could I live the lifestyle of a rodeo widow - you bet your bottom I could! The only thing I hate about rodeo, is how it's such a male dominated sport... Not that you'd see me up on there on the bronc, but what about ropers? But... alas, that is a whole new blog post in itself. With the number of rodeos Alyssa and I are considering next year... you will probably be succumbed to it eventually.

Rodeo :: Interior Provincial Exhibition Part 2

So the Labour Day long weekend continued, and so did the Interior Provincial Exhibition. Saturday I took Sarah and Alyssa down to Armstrong (after a blitz trip to Vernon) to take in the festivities. We spent the day touring the facilities, the animals, the rides...

The whole reason I wanted to get there early in the afternoon was for the Chuckwagon Races... I mean, what's cuter, than some super excited miniatures horses, who look like they LOVE their job, race around a ring?

Sarah was a good sport as Alyssa and I wandered around everything... including when she got me to go up to a stabled miniature to take a photo of it for her. :)

After spending way too much money, and enjoying our time wandering around the sights, we stopped for a quick dinner, and moved off to the rodeo!! Boy I love rodeos!

This time, we got there in time to see West Coast Thunder - one of the top Drill Teams located out of the Lower Mainland. Let's just say, Alyssa and I were quite excited to watch them do their stuff!

 We, ahem, - I mean I - even got to see the Crazy Cowgirls trick riders again!

The rodeo definately kept us entertained for yet another night. The semi-finals this night were just as awesome as the night before... We definately saw loads of talent, and, for the record, I still can totally live the lifestyle.
And not only was it the cowboys keeping us entertained - but the rodeo clown to. I have to admit, I hate clowns... maybe it was because he was so far away, but there's been no sense of dread with him... Or maybe I just love looking through the lens so much.

 We ended our night by heading through the fair for some shots... I regret to say I did not have a tripod, but I made do with whatever I could find, and I have to say, I'm quite happy with the result...

 The ride home was quite quiet... I have yet to go on a road trip with Alyssa where she hasn't slept on the way home... and even Sarah joined the cloud. Thank goodness I slept in that morning, or I would have had to pull over and join them...