Beach Trip!

Cindy and I spent a couple of wonderful days at Garden City Beach in South Carolina. Cindy's aunt and uncle, Dottie and Glenn Badger, were our hosts for the weekend. I don't think that two nicer people exist, and they are great fun. We filled the weekend with great conversations, laughs, and food!

First we headed to the beach Friday evening after an early supper. This was Bella's first trip to the ocean, and we were all looking forward to seeing her reaction to the waves. She wasn't so thrilled with the surf, but she loved the sand, water, and wide open spaces.

Cindy grabbed a few stunner shots of Bella's companions!

Saturday morning, I headed to the beach long before the sun came up. I love the ocean before dawn. The sunrise was stunning!

After some of Dottie's killer blueberry pancakes, we headed to Georgetown for some shopping, photos, and more food!

The sun was gloriously warm, so we decided to head for Brookgreen Gardens. Cindy and Dottie headed for the statues and flowers while Glenn and I took off for the zoo.

Dottie and Glenn were kind enough to sit for an impromptu portrait session. I think that it shows that as a couple, they still got it!

Sunday sunrise was a family affair, with all members pitching in.

Thanks Glenn and Dottie for being so patient with your slightly photography crazy relatives. We had a great time!

---Sam

Throwing Mud!

The Catawba county area of North Carolina is well known for it's rich clay deposits. Where you have good clay, you have potters! Cindy and I went to the pottery festival last Saturday. While Cindy shopped, I went to the demonstrations, camera in hand. It was neat to see a pot or a jug appear before our very eyes!

----Sam

A Walk Downtown

I have been neglecting the blog lately! A quick trip to Asheville last weekend to see Cindy's sisters and unwind in that great town. Asheville just rocks! A great place to visit, with a vibrant downtown. Loads of arts, and the "artsy" people that go along with the arts. Chicken Alley is the most photogenic alley in the whole USA!

Sweet Light!

Rainy weekends mean catching up on "busy" work like post-processing old files, going through the archives and sorting/deleting old photos, and generally cleaning up stuff. But it can mean that in the proper place, the light is about as good as it gets! Cindy and I were going stir crazy from being indoors all weekend, so we headed down to the mill for some interior shots. I was stoked about the fabulous light that was coming from the huge windows! My luck got even better when Mark and his wonderful kids arrived for a tour of the mill. A quick impromptu portrait session soon had me happily shooting as fast as I could pull the trigger! The light just rocked and the kids were so sweet! Thanks Mark, Lily, and Lark for making my weekend!!!









Cindy was kind enough to sit a while for me!


---Sam

Photo of the Day!

I was honored recently with a Photo of the Day at Betterphoto.com. This is an online photo contest that draws over 35,000 entries a month. To be chosen for POTD is quite and honor. The link is http://www.betterphoto.com/POTDarchive2.asp?ID=1637, or the photo is:

It was shot during our visit to Greensboro and included in this blog entry:

http://tallmanphotography.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html .

---Sam

Go W I D E!!

I've never had a true "wide angle" lens until now. I've found that there is a bit of a learning curve! To really take an effective "wide angle" photograph, you have to get closer. Go figure. But not too close. Several of my first attempts acually included my tripod legs or my own feet. So far I've just shot landscapes, I look forward to doing some creative portraits and other stuff.

---Sam

Snow Day!

It's not very often that we get snow around here, so when we do, we go out and play! Cindy, Bella, and I had a great time in the white stuff! It's almost all gone already, and it's going to be close to 70 degrees on Friday. Such is life in North Carolina....

----Sam