Busy Day

Today was a busy day. Drew's birthday was being celebrated by our respective families and my parents came down to take us to lunch... It was a lot of fun, and needless to say there were lots of opportunities for photographs. The first one in this collection is of my mom, Bonita, as she was speaking with Drew about his sleepover birthday party. I loved the whole series of her, but particularly liked this one.

D90 85mm f/5.6 1/160 ISO 400

This picture is of the members of my family - my incredible children, my parents and my niece Kaylee. But I learned so much from taking this picture (and its eight cousins). It's so important to communicate to your subjects, to get them to have a good look on their faces and to be patient in taking each photo. I struggled with getting my mom to smile, and Mary Kathryn's eyes to stay open and Drew to sit still. However daddy and Kaylee did good - they stayed in the exact pose the entire time. Of course, it was cold, and they were sitting on concrete. But my favorite moment was when someone asked me if I wanted to be in the picture too. Two thoughts ran through my mind: I don't like to be in pictures any more (that's why I hide behind the camera) and no, I'm not going to put $2,500 worth of camera equipment in your hands. What the hell has happened to me?

D90 85mm f/8 1/200 ISO 400

At lunch, Drew wanted to play games and he sat there for a long time... As maddening as I am sure it was for my parents (who wanted to spend the time with him), he was as happy as a boy should be on the day celebrating his birthday. His intensity and attention always strikes me... plus he was my biggest fan while I was playing Galaga.

D90 85mm f/1.8 1/40 ISO 400

I started my day at Duke, where I went over to do some judging for the Blue Devil Classic, a statewide debate competition. I did it back in November and found that it was a nice way to spend a Saturday, watching bright young minds and mouths develop their skills.

As I was trying to find my way (because I really have never tried to learn the campus of the others), I had the camera and had to take some pictures. While I hate Duke (and I truly do), the architecture of the chapel has always struck me as an impressive edifice built in 20's. It stands out in a magnificent way, but truly glorifying it is the Carolina Blue sky behind it. Plus I wanted to take it for my friend (and former associate) Stephanie, who is probably one of the few Duke graduates I actually like.

D90 85mm f/5.6 1/2500 ISO 400