Photo of the Day: Fish

I have a love-hate relationship with fish:

Fish on my plate (not resembling alive fish) - LOVE

Fish on my plate (scales, tails or heads still attached) - HATE

Fish in a large tank somewhere - LOVE

Fish in danger of bumping up against me while I swim - HATE

Fish staring up at me from a body of water with dead eyes - HATE

Fish trying to kill me (will post ninja assassin fish story on FB this week) - HATE

Fish posing for photos for me - LOVE (but still get heebie jeebies!)

There is NO logic in my phobia, none.  I know this.  Yet it's there.  This fish I couldn't tear my lens away from but I was thoroughly creeped out the entire time I was shooting him... hnuuuuughn!

Photo of the Day: Mexican Sunset

Those of you who know me may know of my love for Mexico.  I took this photo on one of my business trips there just after getting back to my hotel room after having taken a walking tour through part of downtown Mexico City.  The sun was setting so incredibly brilliantly, I was so excited that it translated well through the lens!

Photo of the Day: Old School Skis

Back in college I went to the Dexter Fall Festival with my roommate.  She was always really good at finding fun things for us to go do and this was no exception.  We ended up at a very cool barn that had been turned into an antique shop, and this collection of old skis was among the goods for sale.  Even though the photo was taken during the fall, I thought it would make a nice January post for all you skiers out there!

Photo of the Day: Breakfast Scavengers

This photo was taken in Scottsdale, AZ when I was attending Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success seminar a few summers ago.  It was a great seminar and I made many new friends... these birds not being among them!  In this photo they are at least chowing down on someone's breakfast leftovers, but that wasn't always the case.  If you were sitting reading quietly while enjoying your meal, they would take that as an open invitation to eat whatever you weren't immediately touching.  It was actually pretty funny to watch because some patrons were not paying very close attention and would miss the swipe altogether, then look very confused when they reached for the last of their muffin and found it missing!  :o)  They were far more stealth than my Mugger Squirrel!

Photo of the Day: Fluttering Butterlies

Several years ago I desperately needed a break and a pick me up.  On a whim, I grabbed my camera and headed to the Detroit Zoo to hang out in the butterfly house.  I actually posted another photo from this excursion last summer.  These two butterflies caught my attention for awhile because the one in the lower corner was clearly taking the spot the upper butterfly wanted to occupy.  The top guy wasn't about to give up and just kept hovering and swooping, trying to kick the other one off so he could settle.  I swear they were siblings, it was really fun to watch, and resulted in some great movement shots!

Photo of the Day: Crystal Balls

I love attending the Renaissance Festival when I am able, and one year this guy was chillin' cross-legged on the ground juggling these crystal balls.  He was mesmerizing!  I loved the way this shot turned out because of the position of the ball, as well as the look on his face.  I deepened the shadows to make it more dramatic.

Photo of the Day: Guardian Angels

Today's photo was taken in 2007 at my aunt & uncle's house in Walkerton, ON.  They have a beautiful garden filled with trinkets and decorations, many of which hold candles to create an incredible atmosphere at night.  This one made me think of two guardian angels just hovering near by to watch over whoever was sitting in the garden.  It really gave me a feeling of calm and warmth.  I also thought it would be a nice post for today since it would have been my grandmother's 94th birthday if she were still with us.  I like to think she is somewhere where she can provide us with that same feeling of calm and warmth.

2 Things Challenge: Fire/Water (Part 2)

So my photo was featured in their recap of the challenge!  Cool huh?  Check out the other entries and see mine by clicking here!

Photo of the Day: Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to my future mother-in-law today!  I took this photo on a trip I took with her (and my fiance too) to Daytona Beach to beat a case of the Mid-Winter Blahs.  We were only gone for a few days but we had such a great time together! Happy birthday Donna!

Photo of the Day: the Rachel Door

This door is in downtown Amsterdam and it defines me in SO many ways :o)  If I were a door, this would be me.  I shot this in 2006 when I was in Europe with my family and we spent a couple of hours in Amsterdam before catching the train to Schipol for our flight home.  I have 2 closets in my bedroom with double sliding doors on each and I have them all plastered over with photos and clippings and goals and keepsakes from special people and special events in my life.  I use them as a sort of vision board and scrapbook all in one.  My life has been so special and so colourful that this photo really speaks to my soul.  I'm also very cluttered so even that rings true :o)  Do you, dear readers, have a photo that you feel captures your spirit?  I'd love to see them!

Photo of the Day: Snow Dog

So this photo was taken last winter but I love it.  We got dumped on and I was feeling ambitious and playful, so I took Micah out into the snow to have some fun.  I brought my camera along for a few shots before putting it safely away and then just romping around in the snow, but I got this one of Micah running toward me and really loved it.  Hope you enjoy!

I've been tagged!

Normally I could care less about this kind of thing, except the person who tagged me is a follower of my blog who I've never met and have no contact with outside of blog world, so I was really excited that I'm gaining noteriety at least in her world!  Awesome!  She is also a photographer and you can check her out at http://vivianspictures.blogspot.com/   I'm not gonna tag anyone, but I always like filling out random questions so for your entertainment:

8 TV shows I watch on occasion
1. NCIS
2. Rachael Ray
3. Law & Order: SVU
4. Biggest Loser
5. Dollhouse
6. America's Next Top Model
7. Project Runway
8. The Bachelor (I blame my mother)

8 Favorite places to eat and drink:
1. Home (I love to cook)
2. Little Tree Sushi (Royal Oak, MI)
3. Tokyo Sushi (Metro Detroit, MI)
4. Famous Dave's
5. Crawdaddy's (Gatlinburg, TN)
6. That place we ate in Boseman, MT that had mussels in the pasta dish.
7. Anywhere with quality Italian cuisine
8. Tante Mary's house :o)

8 Things I look forward to:
1. spending time with Austin
2. finding a new job
3. my wedding!
4. Vegas next month with my family
5. yoga
6. hanging out with Lisa
7. Reunion 2010
8. nice hot baths

8 Things I love about winter
1. Snow photos
2. Christmas
3. Caramel Apple Cider
4. Sledding
5. Soup/Stew
6. lots and lots of fires in the fireplace
7. delivering lunches to the homeless downtown
8. piles of blankets on the bed

8 Things on my wish list:
1. a great job that pays me well
2. finding a great, affordable house before the wedding
3. earn enough money to be able to pay my own bills and help others more
4. travel to south africa and go back to Europe with Austin someday
5. create more balance and health in my life
6. happiness & harmony
7. spiritual fulfillment
8. everyone had equal access to education, healthcare and employment

8 Things I am passionate about:
1. Austin
2. photography
3. education
4. family
5. travel
6. openmindedness & debate
7. balance
8. food

8 Things I have learned from the past:
1. Openness
2. Honesty
3. deal with conflict quickly and respectfully
4. balance is very important
5. communication is key to healthy relationships
6. love is only worth it if you go full throttle
7. not to assume people's intents when interpreting their actions
8. it's important to have FUN

8 Things I want/need:
1. sun (need)
2. love (need)
3. hugs & kisses (need)
4. a job (need)
5. a house (need 8 months from now)
6. that netflix box that lets you play movies directly on your tv without waiting for the dvd (want)
7. an updated canon (want)
8. water (want, I'm really thirsty right now!)

Photo of the Day: Summer Lovin'

This photo was taken at a luncheon I was shooting this summer for a client.  i loved the lightness and brightness of the colours and how summery it all felt :o)  Thought this might help chase some of the mid-winter blahs away for those of you readers who are up to your knees in snow right about now!  ;o)

Photo of the Day: Light from all Directions

This photo was taken at a client event I shot this summer in Dearborn.  The hotel was beautiful and I just loved the window and the candles and how they created two very different ambiances (at least for me they did)

2 Things Challenge: Fire/Water

One of my followers participates in the 2 Things Challenge blog, and I finally got the link to it, I think it's super cool!  Can't promise it will be a weekly feature on my blog, but when I feel inspired to participate you can look forward to an extra entry that week!  This week's challenge is Fire/Water.  I selected this photo because of the fiery tones of the leaf and you can see the water through it that it was floating in when I shot it.  Hope you enjoy, if it's featured in their blog at the end of the challenge I'll let y'all know!

Photo of the Day: Keeping the Doctor Away

This past fall I was doing a family portrait sitting for some friends at a cider mill in the area.  They had a great outdoor market setup for some of their produce and I got this fantastic shot with the gorgeous afternoon sun on these delicious looking apples!  I've often said fall is one of my favourite times of year and the smell of apples just makes me feel all fall like and happy!

Photo of the Day: Colours of Duesseldorf

This photo was taken at the Benrath castle in Duesseldorf, Germany.  Austin and I visited there on a whim during our Eurotrip in 2008 and had a great time!  Benrath is also home of the killer geese I mentioned the other day, I'll be posting that story in its entirety later this week, but if you're interested in reading more about our excursion, check out our travel blog from that day!  The Benrath grounds were beautiful and made for many photo opps, really enjoyable (other than the killer geese) :o)

Photo of the Day: Swimming Along

This swan was photographed down in Hebron, KY on Aunt Margie & Uncle Galen's farm.  Austin and I usually stop there at least to say hello and usually to spend the night when we have a trip down to Nashville.  I love shooting swans (with my camera, not a gun) but they are mean suckers if you get in their way on land... watch out!  Not as mean as the killer geese of Benrath (another story, send me a note if you want the scoop!) but still, watch yourself!  :o)

Photo of the Day: Sunflower Saturdays

My mum and I were headed to an event I was shooting early last fall when we passed by this random field of sunflowers right of the main road.  We decided to get on site early the next day so I'd have time to run over there and take some shots while the sun was out :o)

Photo of the Day: Solo Seating

Last month I spent a few days in Boseman, MT doing a workshop for the folks at Great Harvest Bread.  The seminar took place at a venue called the Story Mansion and was a beautiful historic building all decked out on the inside with fabulous furnishings and wall treatments.  Heating aside it was a really nice experience... the morning sun provided me with a handful of fun shots of some of the building details like this chair sitting solo in the corner.

Photo of the Day: Wedding Plans

I love this photos for a bunch of reasons... one is because I actually shot it on my T-Mobile G1 (the Google Phone) and was thrilled with the results!  Another reason is because those leaves photographed beautifully and they are for the wedding, which means they'll look awesome in the wedding photos!  :o)  Smudge was trying to "help" put them away with me... meaning I had to work double time to get them taken care of before she destroyed them all.

Photo of the Day: Marathon Seagull

This seagull was nice enough to pose for me last year while I was waiting for the Detroit Marathon to pass us by (discovered much later that we were waiting in entirely the wrong area)  We were hanging out on the Riverfront waiting for my friend to run past so I could take pictures of her, but ended up with this one instead :o)  The backdrop is Windsor.

Photo of the Day: Stalker Squirrel

I took this photo last fall at Firefighters' Park in Troy, MI.  We were there with some friends and I was watching this little guy stalk a poodle.  It was pretty hilarious, because his tail was all tweaked at the end like it had been run over by something.  The result was that his gait was a little off  kilter and he almost looked drunk... he kept running a few paces, then stopping anytime the poodle looked in his direction.  It also reminded me of my squirrel mugging back at school (if you're interested let me know and I'll tell ya the story).  Anyway, I liked the way this shot turned out, and so I'm sharing my fuzzy little stalker with you today :o)

Photo of the Day: Winter Rose

I have no idea where I took this photo... lol!  I think it was at a wedding we attended, and was in the bride's bouquet, but I'm not 100% sure.  In any case I thought it would make a nice entry for today since I'm kind of a serene wintery mood, and while this isn't a winter flower really, it's white and soft like snow.

Photo of the Day: Sunday Reflections

This photo was taken of a church window in Ooirschot, the Netherlands during my Eurotrip with Austin a year ago. I think I need to start shooting more stained glass images, I really love them (more from the inside than the outside, but we couldn't go inside in this one). A friend of mine took a stained glass class while I was in college and made all of us our own Christmas ornaments that year. It was really cool, and listening to her tell us about the process made me respect the art even more than I already did. It's very labour intensive and not friendly to the hands... but the results are just breathtaking!

Photo of the Day: Glunk Glunk went the Little Green Frog

I took this photo a couple of years ago at a wedding Austin and I were attending out in the middle of nowhere on the bride and groom's property. I didn't know very many people and there was a significant wait time before the ceremony, so I wandered around the property a bit with my camera. Turned out to be a great idea because I found all kinds of neat stuff, including this little froggy dude who was just sitting so serenely at the waters' edge that I almost didn't notice him! The dead driftwood had attracted my eye and I happened to spot my green buddy as I was looking for an interesting angle to shoot the wood from. Ended up being a pretty cool shot, I thought.

Photo of the Day: Winter Walk

I love a nice snowy day where the wind is down and the sun is out and I have time to run around with my camera :o) I took a short walk the other day with my mum and the dog and took some shots around our neighbourhood. I love these fences to begin with, add a fresh layer of snow and good lighting and I'm a happy little Shutterbug!

Photo of the Day: Christmas Kitty

Some of you know I adopted a new kitten last spring, 3 months after 2 of our cats went missing (still never found them, still hope they come home some day, still miss them bunches!) This was Smudge's first Christmas, and she finally edged her way into the spot of only cat we've ever had who actually climbed the Christmas tree! She never tried to go higher than the 2nd level of branches, but man did she rock the tree! :o) It also gave her access to a whole new group of ornaments to attack... it was quite entertaining to watch (we have learned from years of experience to keep the unbreakable ornaments on the bottom branches due to cats and wagging dog tails, so the ornaments she could reach were in no danger)

Anyhow, here is one of the better shots I managed to get of her peering out from the tree center... hope you enjoy!

New Year's Resolutions

So I've had a few people call me out on my complete failure to keep up with this blog the last few months. For those of you who actually check in, thanks for being patient with me... it's been a crazy few months, between my many careers I feel like I've been going non-stop!

My New Year's Resolution is to do MUCH better at keeping up with this blog so you can enjoy my work and hopefully spread it around! This year is a big year for me, as many of you know I am getting married in September, so I've been working extra hard to bring in the business to help grow the "keep the newlyweds out of their parents' basement" fund :o) That in mind, please remember that all of my work is available in just about any size print or canvas if you're interested in purchasing one for your home, for a gift, or whatever! You can also purchase note cards featuring any of the photos featured here. All you have to do is send me a note at ShutterbugRvR@gmail.com and I will send you a quote. I ship anywhere, so don't let geography hinder you!

I'd like to also remind you that I am on Facebook, so you can become a fan (see link on sidebar) and keep in touch with me that way as well!

So for now, dear readers, I leave you with the first Photo of the Day of 2010. Wishing you all much Happiness & Harmony, let's rock this year!I took this photo in our backyard. This stone marks the grave of our cat, Domino, who spent his entire life trekking around the globe with us (he was born under my dad's desk and lived in 3 countries with us) I bought the stone several years after he died at a craft show. I often go out and sit near it when I need to think or am feeling lonely, and this particular day the snow was just so beautiful I wanted to capture it as another memory.