Flashes of Life Photography

A Beautiful Morning

2011-03-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

As I wearily pulled my sagging body out of bed (which isn't out of the ordinary--most mornings are a difficult feat for me), I happened to look out the window. What I saw was absolutely beautiful. We had an ice storm yesterday, and the sun came out today. Sometimes I think it's worth living in Michigan for moments like I had this morning.

I grabbed the dog, grabbed my camera, threw a hat over my yucky unwashed hair and jumped in the car. We headed over to Independence Oaks, and I have to say...I felt like it was something spiritual this morning. Maybe a little glimpse of how beautiful heaven will be. It was breathtaking--every corner had some new kind of light, some new intake of breath.

Bird Crap

2010-09-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Photographic Diary, ie person of the invisible, also known as the general public:

I have always had trouble writing to mass amounts of people (mass emails, blogs, ect) so, I decided I would write to my Photographic Diary. I hope you don’t think that’s too weird. : )
Lately, I’ve had a lot of wedding bookings. It’s a great thing—and we are very happy about it, but I have also been reflecting a lot on past weddings and experiences. Like the first professional booking I ever made. It went a lot like this…
“Uh, Randy (husband)…my tire is flat.”
“No problem, I’ll change it…uh, it’s rusted out.”
“I have to be at the consultation in thirty minutes, how long will this take?”
“Better call and explain. You will be late.”
The call went like this (in my trembling trying-to-be-ultra-professional voice), “Hey Mick, it’s Rachel…I am going to be late, my tire is flat and…” I reached for my head, on that bright sunny day because I had suddenly felt something guishy and wet slam into my freshly brushed hair. Randy started laughing hysterically. A bird had flown by…and randomly pooped on my head. I am NOT kidding. Or lying, or exaggerating. I wish I was.
“Uh, Mick…make that an hour….a bird just crapped on my head…”
”Oh, sounds like you’re having a good time over there…” (Probably because he heard Randy laughing)
“No, Mick, I’m not really having a good time…a bird just crapped on me. I look forward to meeting you…in an hour. I have to wash my hair.”

I did book the wedding, but I’m not sure if it was divinely perfect--and I definitely hoped it wasn’t an omen for things to come. Luckily, things have gotten better since than—or I just started making my phone calls indoors. At the very least, it was a real sign that being overly-professional just didn’t work for me. Too bad it took me another year to realize it!
First person to text Bird Crap to 248.535.6156 receives 50% off an October sitting fee!

Jaime and Kyle Wedding!

2010-09-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know this is barely enough, Jaime. :) BUT! I thought that if you find internet access in Rome, you would appreciate a sneak peek!

They both look sooo happy here...

Little bit of elegance here...

And Jaime looking gorgeous here...

And just a cute one of the wedding party!

2010-09-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

First of all, I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed these little girls! Within one minute of walking in the studio, Makayla (the taller one!) said, "Oh, it looks just like your website..." Within two minutes, Alexya handed me a piece of artwork she had created, JUST FOR ME! :) They also showed me a canvas piece they painted recently, that was inspired by my flower art work on my website...awww...how can I not love these beautiful, darling little girls. What's even better? They love each other very, very much. In the busyness of life, most parents kind of skip this age for photographs...but this...is beautiful.

The whole shoot was play time. Their mom brought paint, drawing paper, ribbons...and then the girls found rocks quite fun, as they threw them into the lake. "Skipping," I believe they called it. :)

I love this one.

They wanted to show me how they sleep at night. Their mum said that she's given up on trying to make them sleep in their own beds. They have always found their way back to each other...

Photography Studio in Clarkston!

2010-08-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Soo...some of you may be wondering what we have been up to the past three or four weeks...well, then again...some of you may not be wondering. But I figured that I would inform you either way. :) The pictures below signify a stage in life where Randy worked 315 hours in three weeks--uh, for me. :) Did I tell you that I married the most wonderful man IN THE WHOLE WORLD? I have to say this, because sometimes words do not come out right...like lastnight when I was talking with a friend and told him Randy worked 315 hours in the past three weeks...
"You are killing the man!"
"uh huh"
Unfortunately, that came out wrong--IF it can ever come out right... However, I'm pretty much in-love with the guy, excited about our studio, and excited about life and what God is doing with us! (and not just with the studio :) And for those who immediately jump to conclusions (ahem, mom) I am NOT pregnant. :)

PS
I put numbers in the photos so I could explain what was going on during the process of renovating. Randy renovated the whole thing--with the occasional help of wonderful friends. Thanks guys!
PPS
Please excuse the grammatical errors in this post. I need to get back to writing...I'm a little rusty...

1). Carpet has already been torn out. It was...like a brown/green color, if you can even imagine. Randy was repairing drywall. When people ask what it looked like, I send them to the bathroom...lol, because that has NOT been renovated, yet. :)
2). Notice ugly, but typical office ceiling with atrocious florescent lighting...
3). The man himself working among his utter banishment.
4). Close up of the drywall work and ugly ceiling. :)
5). Ugly
6). More of the same. Commonly asked question, "Where the rocks and wood there?" Yes. We loved that. That was not ugly.

7). Randy took the tiles down and re-wired the lighting for track. He sprayed the ceiling...and came home around four in the morning...and I should have taken a photo. He was COVERED in black paint. Poor guy. His teeth were black.
8). In process...
9). My future blue wall :)
10). Some of our helpers working on the floor. Jonathan was nice enough to be home from the military for a few weeks...and donate his time...and of course, our loyal servant-person Stevo. Who was awesome and pulled us thru many time jams!

11). Jonathon and Stevo working...
12). The blue wall, some of the flooring in, and Beth working on the molding!
13). Beth helped me shop for furniture. The only thing we actually bought that day was lamby...our wonderful lamb rug...and a vase.
14). My first look at the official sign!

The lovely look into the consultation room.

A photo of the studio room...

SO! It's done. I have officially posted and documented our wonderful little journey. :) I LOVE the place. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. I'm there from 12-4 Tuesday-Friday thru August. Now that life has gotten a little more normal...Randy and I are going on a date tonight, after a shoot. :) I'm not sure if much will be open then, so we might just have to lay under some stars somewhere...hey, maybe we will see some shooting stars! PS Again: If you want to see more photos of the finished studio, there is an album in flashes of life photography facebook that has quite a few! Including our dear ribbon cutting.

Maternity and Baby Photographer/ Clarkston, Mi

2010-07-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

This is Cheryl. She is the absolutely amazing soon-to-be-mom of Noah. Cheryl and Tony's husband are extending their family (they have two dogs!) with little Noah. And you can tell they're totally excited. Come on, Noah! The world is ready to meet YOU!

I love this one. She looks so cute and excited!

This one, she requested. Cheryl saw a similar photo from one of my previous maternity shoots...and she's totally rocking it. :)

Seniors! (Clarkston, Royal Oak, Waterford, MI)

2010-07-14T06:29:00.001-07:00

This slideshow is a tribute to all the wonderful seniors I've photographed already this summer. You guys are fabulous, beautiful, eccentric, over-the-top, funny, fun (enough to crack up at the silly things I say--and sweet enough to think it's funny if I occasionally pick on you!) I have had a sophisticated balllerina whose grace inspired me and at the same time shamed me. :) A guy who got stuck in his waders and had to construct extreme measures to get them off! (Glad I had previous experience with tight ski boots!), crazy hunters who think to drill deer heads onto trees for a "sweet picture I saw on TV..." And all the rest of you guys have taught me new things about life--and allowed me to catch amazing glimpses of who you are. I hope you had as much fun with your senior pictures as I did!

Mmm...a blogpost about myself. :)

2010-06-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

This blogpost is an introduction to “the new blog.” I decided that my blog was doing pretty much the same thing my flashes of life photography facebook page was doing, so a revamp is in order. From now on, I would like to bring a little more personality into my blog, along with random “my day” observations and photos. Maybe a little bit of education too, for frequently asked questions about photography.

So…a little about me, in case you don’t personally know me! I am told I’m still “newly married,” at two years. I think people say that because
A) I am
B) I act like it
C) My husband Randy acts like it more
Yes, we’re very in-love. :) We live in Clarkston and have a dog.

Said dog, before her new haircut:

Randy and I have hobbies—pretty cool hobbies, if you ask me! We rock climb, mountain bike, snowboard and ski (we met snowboarding, and in case you’re wondering…I AM a better snowboarder…although he’s better at pretty much everything else). We also took up a thing called slack lining recently…it’s pretty much tight-rope-walking across a 1 or 2-inch line. It’s a lot harder than it looks! We are also committed Christians, although that’s not a hobby. It’s more a lifestyle.

I grew up with 6 siblings. The family is still growing. We are now the impressive number of 16! We are very loud, very creative and pretty adventurous too. My mom homeschooled all of us, so you know that little bit of adventure probably came from the parents. You would have to be adventurous to try homeschooling us. We were crazy—and like I said, loud. I remember my brothers jumping their bicycles to see if they could hit a high branch of a tree (with a neighbor kid breaking a bone, I believe), jumping off the pool shed into the pool, and of course telling me “to get power boosted off the trampoline” with the result of my first broken bone!

Said Family: (I am over on the left with my husband Randy)

So, this is the first new post. My other posts will probably have less history and more day-to-day. But hey! If you don't know me, you should probably get an introduction to who I am! To throw into the array of "me," I also LOVE photography. Loving photography stems from loving people. I've been taking photographs of people since I was about 9 years old, when my parents bought their first SLR camera (which I later broke). It was a life-hobby at first, until I just couldn't stop and it turned into a business...and I've never regretted it.

Shannon is a senior! A ballerina in Clarkston, mi

2010-06-02T14:03:00.001-07:00

This is Shannon! She is a ballerina. :) We shot over at Independence Oaks, in Clarkston. She's pretty awesome--and she can jump high! I wish I could jump like that. :) You're beautiful Shannon!

Ava's Baby Pictures!

2010-05-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is Ava. She is soooo adorable. She was actually born three months ago, but her due date was just last week. That made her very, very small! Before the shoot, I was just a little afraid to touch her! However, once I met her and talked with her mom, I found that Ava is a very good baby. :) And then I just wanted to hold her all day! If you want to see more, I put a whole album of Ava on my Flashes of Life facebook page!

The day before the shoot, I was prowling antique stores with my grandma...and found the crate! It was kind of hardcore for a baby, but I decided that Ava WAS hardcore. I mean, life wasn't too easy for her the first three months! :)

Most definitely one of my favorites...she's so tiny!

And here...you can see how much her mom is in-love with her! :) I love connection this photo shows!

(Clarkston, Mi. Baby photography, maternity photography, Grand Blanc. Southeast mi)

Random photography shoots all around...Clarkston, Holly, and an award!

2010-05-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't updated in forever...so I thought I would do a random update of lovely things. First of all, I was recently accepted into a local juried art show at The District, off Baldwin Rd--so that was awesome. :) The picture below is one my mom took--my mom was the most proud person there...I'm convinced. She was sooo adorable. The show was a great experience and it was really fun to see my artwork printed large and for everyone to see! :)

I also had some rockin' photoshoots with some beautiful people. Sarah, for her senior shoot wanted to go the Detroit Institute of Arts. It was awesome. She was totally comfortable in front of the camera and the DIA gave some really unique photos! Megan wanted a more "city feel," so we ended up in the little town of Holly, Mi. Not sure if you're familiar with little towns North of Clarkston, but it's a great city! It's old and adorable...used to be an old train stop-town.

This is me at the art show...my mom was one of the cutest people there (and she took this picture). She is so proud of me. :)

Okay...I snuck one in. :) This is Deloria. She was one of the flower girls in my wedding! She recently needed a few headshots for a modeling/runway/pageant thing. This was one of the photos I took...and I don't know what it is about this picture, but I LOVE it. She's so beautiful!

Sarah at the DIA...

Megan in Holly!

Kristin--my fashion model! :)

2010-04-06T14:15:00.001-07:00

This is my cousin Kristin. She's an AMAZING person, beautiful inside and out. I called her a few days ago to try some ideas out--and happily, she was good to go! The shoot was fun. Incredibly, Kristin wasn't that comfortable in front of the camera, so we had my little sister come out and help. My sister Beth has been modeling for me since she was born! Soo...our shoot went like this, I would tell Kris to do something, then Beth would do it (interpreting for Kristin), and then Kris would do it. So it was kinda like a triangle. And it was awesome. We laughed a lot and had a blast! Good times. :)

The picture below evolved from Beth saying, "that picture looks like a ferrari commercial. She just needs a car." So...I made it an advertisement! haha! :)

And...I love this one. :) She looks so alive

Senior, Royal Oak

2010-03-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is Jamie. Today, Jamie and I had a wonderful time in Royal Oak. She brought her keyboard, which was a wonderful prop and said a lot about Jamie--she is a very talented, as she sings and plays the keyboard! I was excited to hear her sing and play for me, but sadly her keyboard doesn't work without batteries. HOWEVER, she did still sing for me...and it was lovely. If any of you people out there get a chance to meet Jamie--or hear her singing in the future, you'll be blessed. :)
Jamie--you're beautiful!

Everhett! Children's photography, Waterford

2010-03-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

My cutest nephew Everhett! You can see how much he loves life, as he never sat still for the whole two hours I was photographing! He's so adorable, though. I'm glad I have the BEST nephews in the whole world. :)

I won!!!

2010-03-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

An update on yourblissblog contest! I WON! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement, dear friends. I really appreciate all of you! :) I guess...I am now an AWARD winning wedding photographer. It's actually the first real contest I've ever won! Yay!

Beautiful Lisa!!!!!

2010-03-16T17:44:00.001-07:00

Lisa looks like a Narnia queen! What a fun shoot...and both of us got sick afterwards--but hey, art costs sometimes!

Wedding Photography Contest at Bliss Blog!!! I'm a top ten finalist!!!

2010-02-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited. I entered a contest a couple weeks ago from Bliss blog...and woke up today to find that Sarah Flowers wedding photo (taken at the Detroit Institute of Arts last winter) was in the top ten! Out of 400!!!! I guess I'm almost an award winning photographer now!!! :)

So if you want to help me win out of the top ten, go vote for #8 on bliss blog!!! And don't forget to click "vote" at the bottom to complete the process!!!! (The first part of the contest was thru actual judges--now it's up to friends and family to award the top three!)

http://www.yourblissblog.com/

Sloan, Clarkston Mi Baby photographer

2010-02-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Woops! Time passes quickly when you're having a good time in life! I thought I updated my blog recently, but...I didn't! Here are some adorable pictures of little Sloan, who I photographed three months ago too (with her mom and dad). She's grown sooo much! And she's so much cuter, if that's possible. She has a very real personality now! :)

Royal Oak Baby...in Clarkston, Mi! My nephew BROCK!

2009-11-09T15:08:00.001-08:00

Isn't Brock just adorable? He was a really good baby, too. I absolutely fell in-love with his tiny little-self. What a blast it is, being an Aunt. :)

Randy and I...

2009-10-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

I got my monitor back from being fixed...actually, it was never fixed...and we got a new one. However, I didn't have the luxury of a big screen for TWO MONTHS! I was so excited to get it back, that Randy and I HAD to go play around with the camera and self timer. We had soo much fun...below is one the pictures we took over at Independence Oaks park, located in Clarkston!

color...

or black and white...!!! I couldn't decide :)

Holly, Michigan--family shoot....

2009-10-15T14:35:00.001-07:00

When we recently had a booth at the Clarkston Taste fest, we had a drawing for a free sitting. The winner of the drawing was Lakin--who recently had a baby. They were soo much fun to photograph and you can definitely tell Matt and Lakin LOVE Sloan! As you can see from the picture below...Sloan got a little bit cold, I think!

Aubree !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Aubree was sooo much fun! For one thing, it's a delightful thing to photograph a girl! I've had mostly macho-studly boys (and my cousin Austin...hehe) this past summer. Anyway, it was great to have a girl again. She was totally into it, totally beautiful, and amazingly...fun. :) We photographed in Royal Oak (Michigan!) and if you've never been there...you should...

Everhett!

2009-08-31T07:17:00.001-07:00

It was fun to take pictures of Everhett again! In March, I took his first pictures. I can't believe he is six months old! Craziness. He was more fun to photograph this time. He's a very happy kid, and I like to think he knows that I like him...he grunts, giggles, and makes other cute little noises. I told him that I liked him, and he giggled. I mean, can't you see that he loves me? Randy had to help me catch his attention for these Happy half birthday pictures...so he was cheerleading his name, "Give me an E...! Give me a V..." I never thought my husband and I would ever resort to such methods, but it worked...and I think it was worth it. :)

Dane's Senior Pictures

2009-07-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

I haven't updated my blog in quite a while, but thought these pictures deserved some posting. :) Dane and I went to Pontiac and had a wonderful time. As we were taking pictures in one area, a train went by...and then stopped! I was like, "Dane, God gave us a train! SWEET!" And it sat there for about 15-20 minutes. Loveliness. Btw, Dane is an amazing musical person. I'm looking forward to hearing his CD sometime!

Ashley Mungons!!!!!

2009-05-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ashley is an amazing girl who touched Randy and I

Chris Herberg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Jasmine is a senior!

2009-04-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jasmine, De-lo, Traido, Randy and I had a fun time shooting last Saturday. Jasmine had a great time finding places to shoot (ie, the tree!), Deloria avoided the dog with all her heart, and I had a great time "bossing" people around--or maybe a better way of putting it..."I had a great time taking photos of everyone--especially Jasmine!" And uh, directing them to what they should do. :) Sooo much fun.

Everhett!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kate and Dave's Wedding

2009-03-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I shot Dave and Kate's wedding. What a delight! I had so much fun, and it was even better because my husband was able to shoot with me. :-) Kate and Dave really love each other, and it was very evident with every look they took at each other. Shh...I'll tell a secret. I think they were so totally in-love with each other during the ceremony, they might have missed a lot...they were stealing looks at each other throughout the whole thing! It was adorable. :-) Also...I did get "my" dress picture. I am passionate about dress pictures...and I think it's because of this: I think every wedding dress says something about the bride. Some are glamorous, while others are more Victorian, while others have very simple lines to get with a very simple-type of life. I think Kate's dress fit her perfectly--simple, yet elegant and soft. It was so wonderful to be part of their day and to get to know such wonderful people!

I went a little "retro" with the next few. It seemed to fit her dress!

A remnant of "Time" magazine...uh, from the '30's...

My favorite part about the picture below...is that Kate and Dave are still holding hands...even though they're jumping! Aww...

Everhett

2009-03-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

<
As soon as I came home, I took my nephew Everhett's newborn picture. He is sooo cute! I had to post one on the blog, even if it was just after the Australia post! Sheesh, I was so excited to meet the little guy!

Australia

2009-03-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just spent almost 3 weeks in Australia for a friends wedding...ohhh so much fun! I really enjoyed spending that very special day with her--and all the fun beforehand, actually! I also got to visit some friends for a weekend in New Zealand (that's where the picture is from). If you ever get the chance to visit Australia or New Zealand...do it! It's definitely worth the long flight. :-)

Aiden Pictures!

2009-01-28T08:56:00.001-08:00

Aiden is absolutely adorable!

The Mallards!

2009-01-08T13:36:00.001-08:00

Ahh, this adorable couple was much fun. They had their pictures taken for their 25th Anniversary! We laughed and made fun and smiled a lot. :-) From talking about the world, to talking about dentists (ie, "Hey Tiger")--the conversation was great!

I couldn't decide if I liked this picture better in color or black and white...so I put both on the blog! Ahh, a undecided artist mind is a difficult thing. :-)

2008-12-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

I know I am the most lucky Aunt alive. I know this for two reasons:

1. Stacie is one of the most beautiful pregnant women there ever was...it must run in the family, good looks...

2. I know the baby must be beautiful as well. Probably the most beautiful baby ever...except for Aiden (my other brother's offspring). But they'll probably be equal.

2008-12-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I shot Sarah and Austin's wedding...and...it WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! We went to the Detroit Institute of Arts to shoot the non-traditional stuff. Sarah and Austin were amazing, as were their maid and man of honor. We were laughing and joking the whole time, especially when Austin mentioned how the Gothic cathedral (in the religious section of the DIA) seemed to have a latrine in it! :-) As I told my mom, "It felt more like I was out with good friends having a good time, rather than shooting a wedding!
PS
I couldn't decide which bride/window shot I liked best, so I put two up...I don't know if I've ever had this much of a problem deciding which goes on the blog! There were so many great photos...and I know, I have a lot of her dress--but I liked it!!!

Stephen's senior shoot

2008-10-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I went to Detroit for his senior shoot. So much fun! Stephen is totally into architecture, and would frequently say during our drive, "Go down that street--looks like a cool house! ...let's use that door, isn't that a great texture?" Fun stuff.

More of Beth

2008-10-23T11:00:00.001-07:00

Ahhh...Beth! She's such a wonderful person!

Beth's Fashion Shoot!

2008-10-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

My sister Beth and I played around in the studio recently. Wednesday, we are going to play again outside! We were trying a more "fashion angle." Beth's an amazing model...I think it's because she's been in front of my camera since a little girl!

Adam and Jenny

2008-10-14T15:24:00.001-07:00

I really enjoyed taking Adam and Jenny's engagement pictures. As Adam and I are fond of saying, "Good looks run in the Boyd family!" It helps that everyone seems to be marrying good looks too... :-)

Aiden

2008-10-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, I couldn't help but add my ADORABLE little nephew. Yesterday, I took some pictures of him at a park near the studio (pretty much my favorite outdoor studio!) His mom wants to send in the picture below for a casting call to Baby Gap. I gotta' say, I think Aiden is the next top model...at least, in baby land.

Amy

2008-10-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

I received Amy's print order today. I was so excited! They look sooo good (at least, I thought). Amy is one of the most adorable, sweet, amazing girl ever! She was so much fun to work with. As I said to her during the shoot, "Amy, you're a natural!" She turned to her mom and said, "Did you hear that mom? I'm a natural!"

Jan

2008-08-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is Jan, a foreign exchange student from Germany. A great kid! Jan's pictures are on the blog so his mom (all the way in Germany) has a say in what she likes for yearbook pictures!

Senior Season!

2008-08-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE shooting seniors. In the past, I preferred working with children, but lately I've gotten the opportunity to work with quite a few seniors. I love it. It's been great fun to talk to these wonderful kids, get into their lives, and shoot them in a way that makes them feel absolutely beautiful. For me, it's all about loving the person in front of me...and getting an hour and a half with a kid is pretty sweet. :-)

Kristen was an amazing model. She's a runner--and a bit of a tomboy. She usually wears neutral colors, prefers her brothers basketball shorts, and has some attitude. I think it was the attitude (in a good way) that made these pictures fun. Did I tell you that I love this stuff?

Married!

2008-08-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

June 28, 2008
I was married to the most wonderful man I've ever met! His name is Randy, and we've been happily married for two months now (we give free marriage advice too--jk!) The wedding ceremony was absolutely fun and beautiful with many amazing friends watching. We spent a few days at a cute bed and breakfast, until July 2nd, when we broke for out west. In Wyoming and Colorado, we spent almost a month backpacking and carrying large photo equipment up mountains. :-) I'm looking forward to developing and creating the artistic mountain prints we made, and playing in my darkroom after the senior rush is over. Yayy! I love mountains. Highlights of the trip? I made it over my first mountain pass (lots of work with lots of snow) and ate breakfast with a moose in the Tetons...yes, I'll have to tell the story to you sometime. It's pretty amazing.
~The newly married Rachel

Welcome to my "new" blog!

2008-06-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Some of my newest pictures: