Valley of Fire ~ Day 2

We had so much fun in the Valley of Fire we decided to go back again. So we got up before the crack of dawn again . . . . to shoot another beautiful sunrise.

 This time I noticed the plant life. I found the desert plants very interesting.

 I kept trying to get a shot of the green plants against the red rocks . . . I liked this one the best.

Valley of Fire

Early the first morning, after all the members of my photography club had arrived in Las Vegas we headed out to the Valley of Fire. And when I say early I mean EARLY. I believe we left the hotel around 4:30am. Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm NOT a morning person. But getting up in the wee hours of the morning was totally worth it!! The sunrise was spectacular. And the Valley of Fire turned out to be my favorite part of the Las Vegas trip!

 There is really no way to convey the sheer vastness of the landscape! And it was so quiet there. I'm used to animal and bug noises when I'm out in nature. But here there was absolute silence . . . . well until we all started shouting at each other. (we were shouting to communicate because we were all so far away from everyone else)

 Shooting the rocks facing the sunrise. The red color of the rocks was simply amazing!

                        Desert plants really do have their own beauty

 I couldn't decide if I liked this photo better in color or B&W . . . . they both have a very different feel

 I got down in the dirt for this shot. As soon as I lay down, I heard the cameras of some of my Phello photographers going off!

 The holes in the rocks were really interesting. They were all different shapes and sizes.

                        Looking up from the floor of a slot canyon.

 I think this rock formation looks a bit like an Egyptian sphinx :)

These Petroglyphs are over 4000 years old according to the information board. Unfortunately they don't know what they mean, but they sure are interesting.

Hoggan Family

I met Marci at church, but really got to know her at summer camp. I was very excited when she contacted me to take their family photos. Even though it was a chilly November morning we had a great time. The kids especially love watching the ducks on the lake.

                                               Such adorable kids!!!

 After the photo shoot the kids started playing Hide - and - Seek

Twogood Family

A few weeks ago I had the honor of photographing some old friends. I met the Twogood family when my boys were toddlers, in fact Sara was Devin's preschool teacher. I hadn't seen them in at least 5 years, so it was really great to meet up with them again. Visiting with old friends is always a treat, but being able to take their family photos is a fun experience.

Re-Connecting with Family

While I was in Washington DC visiting my sister, we had dinner with our cousin Kevin, his wife and his new baby boy. I haven’t seen my cousin in years, so it was really great to re-connect. I was incredibly honored when Kevin and Lynn asked me to take pictures of their little boy Sam. Though he was a bit fussy during the photo shoot (he was asleep the second we finished) we managed to get some good family photos.