Category Archives: Naima

Merry Christmas! Even to You, Traitorous Dog!

I don’t publish the pictures of families I do for Christmas cards before Christmas because I don’t want to ruin the surprise of anybody that may be getting a Christmas card.

But today is Christmas, so I am going to release one picture, with a little bit of back story.

I normally do all of my studio photographic work in the small studio that I have cobbled together in the basement, but that studio is currently in disarray due to a basement shuffling project I have been working on for at least 8 months.

Because of that, I transformed by dining room into a makeshift studio to take a picture of the Gorshes.

One of the benefits of having the studio in the basement is that Naima is afraid of the basement. She stays out of the way.

But, I wasn’t overly concerned about her getting in the way because she isn’t overly fond of having her picture taken.

But, when the Gorshes were all set up for their pictures, Naima ran into the picture and posed herself.


I will just repeat, Naima posed herself in this picture. Nobody urged her to be in the picture. Nobody told her to sit in a certain spot. Nobody told her to smile and look at the camera. She did all of this herself. It should also be noted that she fought like crazy to not be removed from the photo.

The good news is that I can now rent out an adorable golden retriever to any family that needs an adorable golden retriever for their family photo.

365 Day Photo Challenge: 155-161

Closing in on the halfway point in this project:


Day 155: Where I Stood
Day 155: Where I Stood

Day 156: Silver
Day 156: Silver

Day 157: Tiny
Day 157: Tiny

Day 158: Cupboard
Day 158: In the Cupboard

Day 159: Shadow
Day 159: Shadow

Day 160: 6 O'Clock
Day 160: 6 O’Clock

Day 161: I Shop Here
Day 161: Where I Shop

I’ll be happy when the days start getting longer again and I have more light to play with.

The next 7 themes:

Day 162: This is the Weather Today
Day 163: R is For…
Day 164: Green
Day 165: Joy Is…
Day 166: Composition
Day 167: Drink
Day 168: Lights

All themes come from the Fat Mum Slim website.

365 Day Photo Challenge: 141-147

21 Weeks Down! Boom!

This would be the part where I would normally point out that all pictures are taken and edited with my phone, but this week, the “Mirror” picture is actually a screen capture.

Just being intellectually honest.


Day 141: Mirror
Day 141: Mirror

Day 142: Where You Ate Breakfast
Day 142: Where You Ate Breakfast

Day 143: Communication
Day 143: Communication

Day 144: I Wish I Had That
Day 144: I Wish I Had That

Day 145: Behind
Day 145: Behind

Day 146: Simplicity
Day 146: Simplicity

Day 147: A Word
Day 147: A Word

The next 7 themes:

Day 148: Quirky
Day 149: Message
Day 150: No!
Day 151 I Am Grateful For…
Day 152: Black
Day 153: All Done
Day 154: Red

The themes for December:

1: Red
2: Where I Stood
3: Silver
4: Tiny
5: In the Cupboard
6: Shadow
7: 6 O’Clock
8: I Shop Here
9: This is the Weather Today
10: R is For…
11: Green
12: Joy Is…
13: Composition
14: Drink
15: Lights
16: Make You Feel Merry
17: Tree
18: Big
19: ‘Tis the Season To…
20: I’m Listening To…
21: On the Door
22: Sparkly
23: Tradition
24: Wrapped
25: Best Bit of Your Day
26: Where You Slept
27: What You’re Doing Now
28: Something Awesome
29: Reflect: Best Bit of 2013
30: You
31: Celebrate

365 Day Photo Challenge: 134-140

Yet another week down in the 365 Day Challenge.

A reminder that all pictures are taken by and edited with my phone.


Day 134: A Memory
Day 134: A Memory

Day 135: Clouds
Day 135: Clouds

Day 136: Part of Me
Day 136: Part of Me

Day 137: Eating
Day 137: Eating

Day 138: In My Pocket
Day 138: In My Pocket

Day 139: Play
Day 139: Play

Day 140: 5 O'Cock
Day 140: 5 O’Clock

The Next 7 Themes:

Day 141: Mirror
Day 142: Where You Ate Breakfast
Day 143: Communication
Day 144: I Wish I Had This
Day 145: Behind
Day 146: Simplicity
Day 147: A Word

All themes come from the Fat Mum Slim website.

365 Day Photo Challenge: 127-133

19 weeks in the book, if you are scoring at home.

A reminder that all pictures are taken and edited by my phone.


Day 127: Table
Day 127: Table

Day 128: I Collect
Day 128: I Collect

Day 129: Music
Day 129: Music

Day 130: Yes!
Day 130: Yes!

Day 131: Someone I Miss
Day 131: Someone I Miss

Day 132: Mine
Day 132: Mine

Day 133: Book
Day 133: Book

The next 7 themes:

Day 134: A Memory
Day 135: Clouds
Day 136: Part of Me
Day 137: Eating
Day 138: In My Pocket
Day 139: Play
Day 140: 5 O’Clock

365 Day Photo Challenge: 106 – 112

Another week down. I did get kind of mixed up in my week again, but the pictures got done. That is what matters in my world.

A reminder that all images are taken with and edited by my phone.


Day 106: Favorite Space
Day 106: A Favorite Space

Day 107: Secret
Day 107: Secret

Day 108: Leafy
Day 108: Leafy

Day 109: First World Problem
Day 109: First World Problem

Day 110: Still
Day 110: Still

Day 111: A Good Day
Day 111: A Good Day

Day 112: Open
Day 112: Open

The next 7 themes:

Day 113: Then & Now
Day 114: Change
Day 115: Your Mood Today
Day 116: Dark
Day 117: Welcome
Day 118: Depth of Field
Day 119 Peaceful

365 Day Photo Challenge: 78-84

Week 12 is done, but I openly confess that this is probably the weakest collection to date. I’ll do better this week.


Day 78: Frame
Day 78: Frame

Day 79: In Front of Me
Day 79: In Front of Me

Day 80: Vintage
Day 80: Vintage

Day 81: What is This?
Day 81: What is This?

Day 82: In the Morning
Day 82: In the Morning

Day 83: Rule of Thirds
Day 83: Rule of Thirds

Day 84: Made Me Smile
Day 84: Made Me Smile

The next 7 themes:

Day 85: From My Childhood
Day 86: Space
Day 87: H is For…
Day 88: Curve
Day 89: WTF?
Day 90: 10 O’Clock
Day 91: Gold

365 Day Photo Challenge: 70-77

11 weeks down!

Just a reminder that all pictures are taken with and are edited by my phone.


Day 71: On the Wall
Day 71: On the Wall

Day 72: Sweet
Day 72: Sweet

Day 73: What You Did Today
Day 73: What You Did Today

Day 74: Shadow
Day 74: Shadow

Day 75: Unexpected
Day 75: Unexpected*

Day 76: Liquid
Day 76: Liquid

Day 77: Season
Day 77: Season

The next 7 themes:

Day 78: Frame
Day 79: In Front of Me
Day 80: Vintage
Day 81: What is This?
Day 82: In the Morning
Day 83: Rule of Thirds
Day 84: Made Me Smile

*Yes, Day 75’s image was clearly taken on Day 76. Deal with it!

Instagram: July & August

Time once again to look at some of my favorite Instagram work from the last couple of months.

Of course, if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you have seen all of these before. Just act like you are surprised.


I’m pretty excited by how far I got to expand my photo map in the last two months.

AND…

I can’t wait to see where life takes me in in September and October.

AND…

You can follow me on Instagram: @photography139

365 Day Photo Challenge: 64-70

10 weeks in the books!


Day 64: My Name Begins With...
Day 64: My Name Begins With…

Day 65: Lines
Day 65: Lines*

Day 66: Alone
Day 66: Alone

Day 67: Here Forever
Day 67: Here Forever

Day 68: Getting Ready
Day 68: Getting Ready

Day 69: White
Day 69: White

Day 70: Made By Me
Day 70: Made By Me**

Last week’s collection was very diverse in location. 6 different cities. 4 different states were represented. This week everything was not very diverse in location. Everything was shot in Boone.

The next 7 themes:

Day 71: On the Wall
Day 72: Sweet
Day 73: What You Did Today
Day 74: Shadow
Day 75: Unexpected
Day 76: Liquid
Day 77: Season

*This pictures was admittedly taken on Day 70, but I liked it so much better than my original lines picture.
**I actually had very little to do with making these ribs. I sprinkled the seasoning on them, but that was about the end of my contributions to the Team Degeneffe Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Competition Team.