My girls & I were forced to wait at McDonald’s yesterday while our tire was getting repaired.  For like one whole hour!  Do you know how excruciatingly painful it is to sit in a McDonald’s when that is the very place you are trying to avoid for health reasons?  It’s like major temptation!  I had packed the girls a lunch & got myself a salad.  And stupidly…by habit…got a sweet tea as well.  I’ve been counting my calories with the Live Strong app & realized that a stinkin’ McD’s sweet tea is 230 calories!  That was more than the chicken Caesar salad had!  Ugh!  Good thing I went to Zumba last night with my sister-in-law!

Anyway….on to the above photo.  I thought this older couple was just so precious when they walked in to McDonald’s.  It was a bit chilly yesterday.  They came in, ordered coffee, and she sat down.  He took a little longer because he stopped at the drink bar to get ice & coffee fixin’s.  I just enjoyed watching them interact and I wanted their picture.  I STOLE their picture!  Now, when do you think it is okay to photograph people?  I know there are laws on this kind of thing.  My memory tells me that it’s alright to photograph people in public places, where they don’t have an assumed amount of privacy.  For example, say they are walking down the street, like in downtown Annapolis.  It is NOT okay to be in a public place and turn  your lens into a private place, like someone’s backyard, and start snapping away.  I was not in a public place.  I was in a private business – McDonald’s (aka fast food chain from the Devil) – and these people had an assumed amount of privacy.  So, in retrospect, I should have asked before or after I snapped this photo.  Hand slap on me!  I will do better.  What are your thoughts on photographing people who aren’t your clients?  What would or did you do?  You can write anonymously, too, if you’re scared.  I’m pretty sure I don’t have any law enforcement personnel reading my blog that will come & get ya.

Photos I’ve been looking at:  Jessica Claire.  Now most photographers know who the famed Jessica Claire is!  She’s one of the many OC/California photographers who are uber fabulous.  I really enjoyed this post that she re-posted from 2004.  I enjoyed looking at where she began…how she’s evolved…and that it IS possible to get better & better if you just work really hard.  Her 2004 photos were great.  Her 2010 photos are off the charts!

Oh, and sorry this post is a day late.  I’ll be doing a double today.  I’ve been having this mysterious pain in my right hand, my dominant hand, that starts in my wrist, goes up to my elbow, and even all the way back to my shoulder blade. I think I’m straining it too much on the computer with typing, editing, & reading (& commenting) on other people’s blogs.  It’s time for a little break.  Now I’m off to mail a check to Doctor’s Giving Back for my trip to Ethiopia that is exactly ONE MONTH AWAY!  Thank you to all of you who’ve donated & prayed.  I’m half way there & would really appreciate your continued prayers & support.  Thank you thank you thank you!

This has to be a quick post because….drum roll…Josh & I get a date tonight!  AHHHH!  So exciting!  And I have to get the girls ready and out the door in 30 minutes.

Anyways…this photo is from our lunch trip to McDonald’s in Arnold today.  They apparently give out kiddie cones for free which I think is pretty nice of them.  I’m glad they had them too because it was what I used as leverage to get Brooke to stop talking & eat!  As you can see, my girls LOVE ice cream!  (I think they get that from me)  Thanks McDonald’s!

(PS – we are going to see AVATAR in a 3D XD theater at Arundel Mills – Josh says its the BEST one to see it in, besides IMAX.  I’ll let you know what we think)

Images I looked at:  Honestly, I’ve only looked at my own!  I’m editing about 200+ little kids head shots for a special surprise project that I can’t talk about & I’m awful at keeping secrets & I really just need to blab to someone, but I can’t!  So, hopefully once the project is unveiled, I can share with y’all!  (shhh…but maybe if you ask me personally I can tell you, or not)  Anyway, looking at my own images (sounds conceited,right?) makes me realize that I love shooting children & I think I have almost cemented in my mind that a “Portrait” photographer is what I want to be right now.  Weddings are great, & lovely, & wonderful…but maybe just not for me currently.  Doesn’t mean I won’t shoot them, but I am not going to label myself as that.  I can’t be an everything photographer.  I want to be a one thing photographer, and be really good at it.  There, I said it, so now it’s final!

See y’all later!

Well, today is my birthday.  Here’s how I awoke to my special day:  Emma coming in & me turning on cartoons & drifting back to sleep.  Two phone calls that I didn’t answer…sleep was more important to me.  The dog howling at the phone (because it’s the kind that talks).  Emma – my 4-year-old – going in to my 2-year-old Brooke’s room & letting her “out.”  Me finally wiping the sleep dust out of my tired eyes & checking the weather on my phone.  My surprise & smile at noticing over 50 emails from my Facebook friends wishing me a happy birthday.  A text from my mommy wishing me a great birthday.  A phone message from my sister-in-law wishing me a happy day.  Lunch at McDonald’s with my two lovelies.  And now…probably a nap!  (Oh, and the husband said to expect some packages that I can’t open ’til he gets home!)  What a wonderful day.  Thanks for all the love everyone.  I feel very special.  And, to end this post that is selfishly all about me, I give you a photo of Emma & Brooke!  Happy Tuesday!