race day…

this morning i’m heading down to
lake nokomis in minneapolis to
shoot the “miraclekids triathlon”.
it is the largest kids triathlon in the world!
this is year 4 for the event but the first
year that they have set up a 2nd location.
as i mentioned a day or so ago, the chanhassen
one is in august.

it’s been rumored that over 1500
kids total (between the 2 event dates)
are racing. these kids just run,
swim and bike for the fun of it.
the slogan for the event is…
“kids racing for kids who can’t”.
this triathlon is one where the kids
that participate raise money for
the “miracles of mitch foundation”.
it’s a really wonderful organization.
here’s a few shots from last year…

9776 race day...

9956 race day...

9918 race day...

i’m anxious to get down there so
i’ll keep this short.

later today i will join my entire
family over at anne & pete’s for
“the boys of summer” party.
each summer we get together to
celebrate the men in the family that
have a birthday in jun & july.
this just means that we don’t have
to get together every other weekend
for burgers and cake…we just do
it once! the weather is so perfect
today that anne has invited everyone
to come early and swim and party all day.
so i’ll get into the action later.

happy birthday ben, mike, scott and tim!
see you soon.

friday???

so sorry,
i have not been able to sit at
my computer for a couple of days
for any length of time….

everything is good, everyone’s fine,
just lots going on.

today i am working in the salon
for awhile. i needed to reschedule
everything from yesterday to today.
my sister gave us all a scare
yesterday. she was feeling lousy
and when she described what she was
feeling to her dr., they said
“head for the emergency room.”
so i ran her out to waconia (amanda
and emily too) and waited out some
testing. after the CT scan we went
into her room to visit and emily
immediately grabbed some gloves and
sat on the little stool and rolled
over and said “i’ll be examining you
today…” and that kind of broke the
mood…it was cute.
the CT scan showed nothing…nothing
abnormal so they said, take it easy,
stay home from the gym for a week or so,
and see your physician in a couple of days.
and that was it. so i guess medically
she’s “A~okay”…that’s great news.

last night of vacation bible school last
night…fun and exhausting!

miraclekids triathlon is tomorrow at
lake nakomis (the chanhassen one is
next month). this is the first year that
they are doing 2 locations…should be
a blast! i’ll post some of those images
next week.

i’ll be concentrating on megnan and randy’s
wedding images this weekend and getting
them up on pictage for them to proof.

oh, nearly forgot….
i received my CDs with the images that i
shot at the starkey hearing foundation events.
here’s a couple of my favorites!

steve chepokas and i…he was instrumental
in getting me this wonderful opportunity.

6412 friday???

C.Everett Koop & i…

6393 friday???

Jane Seymor and i at the Griffin Gallery
(with my new, signed, jane seymor handbag)

2755 friday???

Leslie Nielson at the Austin home.
(this is what happens when you trust
someone else to take a nice photo!)

6023 friday???

hey, i’d love to post more, but
have a ton of catching up to do so i’m
signing off for today.

glad you’re okay anne! i love you.

happy birthday ben!!!!

okay, i’m never too swamped to throw
a little distraction my way.
i saw this on fox 9 this morning….
simpsonize me not quite as fun as
monkey mail
but i like to try new things! icon smile happy birthday ben!!!!

keep in mind that i am a serious
photographer with lots to do but
every now and again a little break
in the day is a good thing! icon smile happy birthday ben!!!!

today is my nephew, ben’s, birthday.
he turns 15. i saw him last night
when i stopped to see anne & pete’s
new furniture and i totally forgot
to say anything to him!!
they are going to valley fair today
with a bunch of folks! it’s going
to be a super hot one today with
tons of humidity. all the water ride
lines will be a mile long!

here’s ben goofing off for me..

7739 happy birthday ben!!!!

and here’s ben with “g” on 7-7-7..

 happy birthday ben!!!!

here’s ben & me…

5 happy birthday ben!!!!

woops….that’s not ben, that’s my dive
master alberto….rrraarrr…

here’s scuba~ben with me in mexico suiting
up to go diving…

1 happy birthday ben!!!!

stay inside today!
if you have to go out…remember….
DON’T TURN YOUR TIRES ON YOUR DRIVEWAY!!
(this message brought to you by gary austin
with minnesota roadways)

megnan & randy

please be patient with me as i prepare
a slideshow of megnan & randy’s wedding.
slide.com is giving me a little grief
at the moment as i try to transfer it
over here to my blog…..technology….
both a blessing and a curse!!

in the meantime, some great news~
got a note from dawn davis today. bob’s wife.
she was surfing around and found my blog!
i would love to shadow them for a month!!
go to lastoriafoto
and see what i mean!! icon smile megnan & randy

i talked to lauren, a friend of “g’s”, and
she is in love with the images that i shot
at the bridge and hired me to photograph
her senior portraits…we’ll shoot in early august.
thanks for the referral “g”!!
here’s a couple more….

4810 megnan & randy

4812sat megnan & randy

4804 megnan & randy

4831b megnan & randy

g is down at gustavus and mankato looking at
colleges! WHAT!???? she can’t be that old!
she’s only 5!!!!!!! icon sad megnan & randy
i love you g!

don’t put anything off today!!

megnan & randy's wedding day…

hi,
this’ll be short.
megnan is having her hair done
this morning at 9 and i want to be
there for the excitement.
as a hairdresser of 25 years, i’ve
been on the “bridal party hair~do”
side of things as well and it
really is a fun time in the salon!

i hit the rehearsal last night and
things went smoothly. a terrific
group of friends and family.

 megnan & randy's wedding day...

i sat with devon, a 4 year old boy
of one of the groomsmen & bridesmaids.
he’s pretty funny! he made me draw
a pirate on the back of one of the
offering envelopes (as i thought that
maybe a little pencil and some paper
might keep him occupied!)…”now
draw a sword, sue”….yea, it kept
him busy alright. more like he kept
ME busy!!

one of my nieces is going to accompany
me today for the wedding. j is really
excited! she had nothing to do…
her exact words were…”um, yea, i
don’t have a life.” so i am going to
rescue her from her boredom and give
her some money and a haircut in return! icon smile megnan & randy's wedding day...

jacquie…QUIT DWELLING ON THIS!! icon smile megnan & randy's wedding day...
and have a fun lunch with your friend!

friday the 13th!

although today is what it is,
i’m not superstitious, never was.
i don’t own a “lucky” anything.
even when i find a penny and pick
it up i don’t expect anything in
return…i mean, seriously?
now professional athletes are the most
superstitious of all, in my opinion.
hey, maybe if i kept stats on my life
and career, i would be too.
any thoughts on that??

yep, my flash arrived! it is
magnificent! it’s so great i want
to order another one.
i’m told that it was created for
my new camera~the mark III…which
i still don’t have and may not be
released until december! ugh!!
i hate waiting for new releases.
these cameras are currently going into
the hands of photographers like the
getty folks and pro sports photographers
and the like. us commoners are left to wait.
i’m not bitter. really. icon wink friday the 13th!

i’m getting excited for megnan & randy’s
wedding tomorrow! the church is close
so i’m going to pop in on the rehearsal
tonight!

jacquie is coming over today for a foil
and a cut…we’ll discuss our game~plan
for tomorrow. she is going to be camera 2
and i will assist her next saturday for
her wedding in eagan. fun!

hey g…any prospects for senior portraits??
better get going on that, time’s a wastin’!!

4795 friday the 13th!

4769b friday the 13th!

4782 friday the 13th!

4811sat up suphero friday the 13th!

and when shall we do yours!
hey, ask j when she wants to cut her hair!
thanks…..

i’ll be introducing you to megnan & randy
in tomorrow’s blog.

don’t let anyone work harder than you today!!

canon 580ex II…

i checked with ups this morning and my
new flash is out for delivery! i’ll have
it later today, then i can send my 580ex
in for repairs. yay!

i should also have baby elizabeth’s
portraits back from white house custom
colour today too. they “rush” for us
(nilmdts) at no charge. they are so wonderful!
if you are not currently working with
the folks at white house custom colour
and you are a professional shopping for
a lab, look NO further!! call them today!

i’ll be putting a dvd slideshow together
this morning when i get off the blog.

it’s a gorgeous day, as was yesterday.
cool (low 70′s) sunny~breezy!
enjoy it while it lasts…it’s supposed
to get steamy again real soon!

quiet day today. nice, actually.

tomorrow i’ll be at the Hilton to
photograph a 2 year old leukemia patient
as the family checks in for a relaxing,
worry free weekend there put on by the
Minnesota Miracle and the Airport Hilton.

after which, i will be heading to
megnan & randy’s rehearsal for their
saturday wedding..weather is looking
fabulous for saturday…not so hot and dry!
hoping to get some really terrific
fire house shots on the way to the
reception!! i hope they have a pole
for megnan to slide down!! icon smile canon 580ex II...

today is a gift, that’s why they
call it the present! icon smile canon 580ex II...

1551 canon 580ex II...

bob davis interview…

i got this from gary fong this morning….
click here for the scoop!

i got called to shoot for nilmdts
yesterday at about 4pm. so i packed
up and headed downtown to abbott to
photograph 33 week old elizabeth…
she had passed around 3pm.

8021b bob davis interview...

i just felt this calm come over me when
i entered their room. everyone was there
but dad. he came up moments after i
arrived. oddly, i saw him earlier near the
parking garage with a woman’s purse
in his hands and when he came into
the room i saw the purse and i said,
“i should have followed YOU up here!”
(i had gotten turned around and lost)
it sort of broke the mood for a moment.
i got right to work. i photographed for
about 45 minutes, and quietly slipped out.

i feel so blessed to be able to perform
this service. most people say they couldn’t
do it. i’m not certain why God chose me
to come along side this organization
but i do know that He gives me great
strength, poise and even dialogue that
is unmatched for any other occupation.

God, hold this family close while they grieve
the horrific loss of their daughter, elizabeth.

cherish each moment as if it were your last.
embrace change, challenge, defeat, joy…
it is all in His hands. you are alive today! icon smile bob davis interview...

bella pictures…

so i find out recently that bob davis
was in attendance in paris to shoot
eva longoria & tony parker’s wedding.
this guy is amazing. i’ve been watching
his tutorials on line at bella pictures
(which he founded) and he simplifies
everything! i love his philosophy!
he is completely professional and
unpretentious! AND willing to share
his knowledge with others!
i hope someday someone writes the same
thing about me! seriously!

bob is pictured below crouching on the
right hand side of eva (with a CANON!!)

bob+davis bella pictures...

tonight i have a pug meeting (Pictage
Users Group). last month i arrived late
due to the twins game & starkey labs event.
so i’m excited to get there and catch up
with everyone!

tomorrow night i’m meeting with all the
folks that are heading up vacation bible
school at westwood. it runs next week and
i’m always there to capture the action!
it’s really a wonderful way to connect
with these kids! pray for optimum weather.
they arrange for many of the activities to
be outside…i’m really looking forward to it!

this saturday is megnan & randy’s wedding.
megnan works in labor & delivery at
st. francis and randy volunteers on the
carver fire & rescue team. randy was one of
the first people on the scene when my brother,
tim, fell from 18ft and nearly lost his right hand.

i’m going to pop in on the rehearsal on friday
night because it is so close to me.
then saturday morning i’m also going to pop in
on her as she has her hair done too.
this wedding, altho’ only 6 hours in coverage~
i intend on creating a 8-10 hour album sample
for my studio from yet another vendor “graphistudio”
they have a terrific program and i can’t wait
to produce my first album with them!!
these albums are stunning!!

gotta run!

thanks for the yummy dinner last night bonnie!
take care!

scuba gary & jaimie

hey!
didn’t want to go without posting
a couple of photos from saturday.
it was a really hot day!
we added a couple more people to the
scuba list!

gary…

7742 scuba gary & jaimie

jaimie…

7718 scuba gary & jaimie

and g….

 scuba gary & jaimie

while jaimie was getting instructions from
pete and her proud dad was there with the
underwater camera to capture the fun….
“roxy” was checking out gary (sitting on
the steps) and noticing that he looked
pretty good in his suit! icon smile scuba gary & jaimie grrrrr….

7712 scuba gary & jaimie

notable is the fact that owen
is no longer afraid of the pool…

7689 scuba gary & jaimie

so now we all have to keep our eyes on him!!

7702 scuba gary & jaimie

here’s a couple more of olivia & emalee….

7869 scuba gary & jaimie

7879 scuba gary & jaimie

storms kept us from heading down to northfield
last night so we are going to go down tonight.
thus i will not be going to stillwater today for
my tcppa event. that’s okay, i’m more interested
in attending the next one anyway ~ jessica strickland!
she’s amazing. i first was introduced to her
work a little over a year ago through gary fong.
pretty inspiring, i must say!
i’ve e-mailed her about the chance that she
might sell some of her actions and she wasn’t
prepared to do so at that time….wonder
if she’ll have any news at the august tcppa class!!

gotta run…have a great day!