Chelsey's Senior Pictures

I want to start blogging a favorite or two as soon as I can after each shoot to that our customers can see something right away and not have to wait for days on end without seeing anything at all. So, I'm starting today with Chelsey!

The rain stopped and the clouds broke just in time for our senior session with Chelsey yesterday. She wanted a few shots with her sweet yellow convertible mustang, so we hit Bricktown and cruised a few alleys to find some good spots for it. Here's one that I really liked with her car in the background.


The session went great and I'm sure I'm going to have a hard time narrowing down the best photos for retouching. Chelsey, we'll let you know as soon as we have them ready for you to see!

Thanks for stopping by!

Definitely a First

Okay, I never thought I'd see this day... My Mom just blogged about how much she loves the American Idol song "This Is My Now." That's just wrong in so many ways. My parents don't even watch TV, I didn't know they even know what American Idol was and we just got her set up on a blog not too long ago. Pretty amazing, I guess she's really taken hold if it quickly! Pretty cool, Mom... A technology-proficient Grandmum!

Have you heard the song? I've heard it online a few times and I actually like it. Holly doesn't like it as much as I do and said she wouldn't consider it one of her favorites. That's her nice way of saying it's not all that good. =)

I'm interested to know what you, our esteemed blog audience, think of the song. Am I just one of the corny, untrained masses or do you like it, too? We will trust your tastes since you like our photography. =)

Global Cooling

I'm no expert, but for the sake of being quirky and interesting I'm going to talk today about global cooling. =)

This last winter was the coldest winter in years here in Oklahoma and this Spring has followed suit. I'm still wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sipping hot coffee outside at noon today. I don't think we've hit 90 yet this year or if we have, it was just barely. That is very cool, unusual and yet another indication that our climate is changing before our very eyes.

Consider also these three separate articles on the unusually cold weather in Europe, South America, and even Nepal. Really! This is not a coincidence. All three articles coming out today about the unusually cold weather.

I don't buy the global warming propoganda for one minute. One volcanic eruption does more damage to the ozone than the entire human race can do in scores of years and their finding out now that rice fields emit more methane (greenhouse-eroding gas) than anything else on the planet. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I really do think that if things heat up even a degree or two, the evaporative cooling of the entire planet also increases and it balances itself out.

Maybe I'll look back on this later and feel stupid for posting about it when it seems the entire world is buying the global warming effect... I just thought I'd take the opportunity to post about global cooling since there just happened to be three separate articles today about it. That's what the global warming people do... wait for the 100-degree days to talk about the warming crisis. Watch for it... They won't be talking about it today, I guarantee you. =)

Caleb & Andrea's Engagement

Is it Wednesday already? I've been dreading my dentist appointment today because I'll be getting a cavity filled. Almost as dreadful is my dentist's tendency to discuss controversial topics and never agree with my perspective. I'm not much of an arguer anyway (my siblings may disagree with that statement), but I don't stand a chance when it's with the guy holding a drill to my teeth.

I'm up late posting the most recent engagement session we did: Andrea and Caleb's engagement. What a great couple! Besides being so photogenic, they were a lot of fun to hang with for an hour downtown, getting great shots of them just having a great time together.

There were so many great pictures from this session, that I had a hard time narrowing them down to my handful of favorites. Hope you enjoy them!











Thanks for dropping by! Time to catch some Z's before hitting the dentist's office. By the way, what's proper ettiquete for the dentist? I mean, is it rude to swing by Starbucks and polish off a nice big cuppa just before he says "open wide!" ? I've always been really considerate if not self-conscious about brushing and using mouthwash yet again just minutes before stepping into the dentist's office. That strategy may not be paying off for me. Maybe I'm too considerate a customer, so they enjoy having me back sooner vs. later. =) Deep thoughts...

And now -- to bed!

Image of the Day

I only have time for a quick post, so I thought just share with you my favorite photo I worked on today!


Thanks for stopping by... hope to see you again soon!

Google Issues: Related to Email Address Capitalization

Interesting thing... I just figured out why I wasn't being notified of blog comments nor receiving Google Alert reports via email. Apparently, since Google now owns Blogger, they've redone some of their coding and emails may no longer have upper-case letters in them. If they do, automatic notification emails (or reporting emails) will not go through.

Just thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else was having issues all of a sudden. I guess this started a few weeks ago but we just figured it out. =)


6/4/07 UPDATE/CORRECTION:

Well, apparently that didn't to the trick after all. Sorry, folks! I finally had to change email addresses and that seems to have done the trick. Apparently, the domain was just filtering out the email somehow and it wasn't a Google/Blogger problem after all! My bad... =)

New Wedding Gallery

Our new initial wedding gallery is now online and we're so excited to announce it! To see it, go to our main website, click on the menu button "weddings & more," then turn up the speakers, sit back and enjoy!

We had wedding pictures on our old site, but since we updated a month or two ago it's been a challenge to get all of the galleries up to full speed.

If you haven't seen it yet, you really should check out my Mom's art site just for the beauty and experience of it. I helped her pick out the music and we chose the cello music that you may remember from the movie "Master and Commander." It's so beautiful and I love the cello. Mom thinks it may be a little heavy for her site, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions on it, drop her a line and let her know! If you do like the music, be sure to let her know so I can rub in what a great music consultant I am! =)

Speaking of music consulting... Titus Heard from Shining City Productions has to be the best music consultant I've ever seen. I have personally seen Titus transform regular documentaries and video productions into emotion-invoking masterpieces just by putting the right music to complement it. He even did the music for my own wedding video and there were few dry eyes in the place by the time the ceremony got rolling.

Okay, now I'm really rambling, but if you're not using Google Alerts, you're really missing out. And it's not just for businesses. Google Alerts allow you keep up with any subject of importance to you -- like your own name, family members' names or businesses, etc. It's been pretty awesome for us, since we track "Prints Charming Photography" and our own names, etc. We can see when people blog about us, link to us, etc. It's really been an easy and great way to keep on top of what's being said on the Internet without having to spend hours researching every day or week. The Alerts are just emailed to us as they come up. Oh, and did I mention it's free?

Oh man, I just heard Holly say something about waffles, so I'm out of here! Plus, it's almost time to get ready for another wedding. Thanks for stopping by... I hope you'll leave a comment!

New Zip Code

Hey, we're not moving, but the Post Office, bless their hearts, have created a new zip code for us since our area is growing so much. It's going to be 73012 effective July 1, 2007. Just wanted to let everyone know!

Being a Blessing

Have you ever blessed someone so much they cried out of gratitude and just being overwhelmed by the blessing and your love? It's happened to me a few times and usually it was my parents giving me something or doing something for me.

Today I was thrilled to repay them with such a blessing that literally caused them to weep with joy. It wasn't that big of a thing, either... Just helping them get my Mom's painting/art website looking good and operational (AllisonSangree.com), but to them it was an overwhelming task and one they never thought they could complete.

It must be one of the greatest feelings in the world -- to make a difference in someone else's life and to be thanked through tears. This is going to be a very good day. =)

Aaron & Jennifer's Wedding

I just got back from Aaron & Jennifer's wedding rehearsal and dinner and I'm inspired! The entire wedding party and close family and friends are the most supportive, loving people you can possibly imagine. At the rehearsal dinner, people laughed and cried and some did both at the same time. I can tell already that tomorrow's wedding is going to be just awesome and I'm so excited to play a small part in it by helping to document the day with photography.

Here are a few favorites from this evening.



They had a box of the most delicious chocolates for each guest at the rehearsal dinner. I'm not usually a fan of chocolates, but I finished mine off before leaving. =) They were all special, really nice chocolate delicacies that you don't find just anywhere.


The video of their growing up years was a real hit! Kleenex was being passed around and people were laughing through the tears, too. These monumental life milestones are so awesome to be a part of.


The gorgeous bride and groom enjoying their video!



There are a lot of great reasons to attend a rehearsal dinner. Probably one of the best, is knowing who the close family and friends are so we can focus on them in our photography of the day. It's a really great way to get to know the bride and groom (and their families) better as well, and I believe that the better we know them, the better our photography reflects their personalities and who they really are. Days like today really reinforce that idea and inspire me to include rehearsal and dinner coverage in all of our wedding packages.

Well, it's late and I need to rest up in preparation for their big day tomorrow! It's truly an honor to be a part of it.

Edmond Chamber Golf Tournament Photos

Yesterday was a beautiful day out on the Fairfax golf course in Edmond. Businessmen and women from all over town came to participate in the four-man scramble.



Action shot on the driving range. You can see the ball (and divet) in the air just a split second after the swing.


You couldn't ask for a prettier day!


The shotgun start sent all of the players out to their starting holes at the same time.


You can see the golf ball (and some turf) in the air in this shot as well.


Fairfax is a beautiful course!


Check out these storm clouds! This tree was brilliantly lit by the sun, while the dark clouds built behind it. It was pretty spectacular.


The weather started out just beautiful, but the day ended a little early due to thunderstorms and lightning. Still, a great time was had by all and I managed to get picture of every team as well as some good action shots before the rain hit.


We hid out in the big maintenance shed until it cleared up enough to get back out again.


Someone made a great putt!


You can actually see the golf ball in the upper right corner of the frame!



A very close putt, but not quite in. You can really fell the emotion!


If you attended the event and are looking for the pictures, you can view them here and even buy prints if you like.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Don't forget to check out the full gallery of them with the link above if you're interested in seeing more. Thanks for stopping by!

Angelica's Senior Portraits

It's way too late and we have a graduation ceremony to get to tomorrow morning, but I just had to post these favorites from another session we did recently. Introducing Angelica!











Okay, I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard, so I'm off to bed! Thanks for stopping by and visiting our blog of the latest! Hope to see you again soon! Oh, and have a really great weekend!!

The Smoking Tree

I captured this photo literally just moments after the rain stopped this afternoon and the sun pierced the clouds. Five seconds later, the tree stopped steaming like this...


It was amazing to have been there at precisely that moment with camera ready in hand. We were there shooting a high-school senior but were in between locations when I spotted it.

Click on the picture to see a larger version of it where you can see the steam better. Hope you enjoyed the photo!

Thanks for stopping by!

Busy, busy, busy...

Just FYI, tomorrow I'll be out all day shooting commercial photography for St. Anthony Hospital. As always, if you call and I'm not able to answer, leave a message and I'll return calls as soon as possible.

Friday, too, I'll be unavailable most of the day, shooting for the Edmond Chamber of Commerce at their annual golf tournament.

Sprinkle portrait sessions in between and we have what may be one of our busiest weeks ever. =) It's been great, though, and an answer to prayer that we'd be able to move to photography as our main, full-time business. Pretty exciting!

Another Amazing Oklahoma Sunset

Did you see the sunset tonight and the massive clouds moving in? It was awesome. If you didn't see it, here's a glimpse of what you missed.


Click on it to see the high-res version of it. Pretty awesome colors! Feel free to save it as a desktop if you like.

Horsing Around in Bricktown

Of all of the big cities I've lived in, OKC may be the only city I know where it's okay to bring a horse downtown for senior pictures.

How cool is this?!






And then, of course, we had to get some senior pictures with just Erica, too.








That was definitely a first for us, but SO much fun! I won't soon forget this session. You should have seen the way people were looking at us! We didn't actually get to ride the horse downtown, so I'm not able to cross that one off my "list" yet, though. =)

If you haven't seen the new website, don't forget to check it out! We have the galleries well stocked with up-to-date photos and we're loving how easy it is to keep it up to date. In fact, I already have some of these pictures of Erica included in our galleries.

Thanks for stopping by!