Photography from my Focal Point

I Heart Faces {RED}

2011-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

This little darling was just way too cute.....she wasn't feeling too good but her little snotty nose just adds to the adorableness...

Check out the other {RED} pictures at I Heart Faces

Little L

2011-02-14T19:22:00.001-08:00

I don't believe they get any cuter than this! Sweet little L wasn't feeling the best the day we took those pictures and she was only happy in certain positions but we got some adorable pictures of her. She has the most gorgeous blue eyes and cute brown curls. So cute!

Ben & Becky

2011-02-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

God blessed us with a gorgeous winter day...we prayed for a while that it wouldn't be too cold so we could take some outdoor pictures and God answered that prayer and blessed us with some 50 degree weather. Ben & Becky are an amazing couple....

I loved her flowers.

Congratulations! I've been blessed by your lives.

Of "no" men and boys

2011-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well this blog has been rather silent for a few months. I didn't really have time to post while I was at IGo. I've been in the States now for about a month and I've been thoroughly enjoying the snow and my nephews. Today we had great fun roaring around in the snow. We built three snow men or "no" men as Raygan calls them.

I think the one below is the best one...:) He is super cute, isn't he? I made this one for Kyran.

These little boys keep my life exciting....

After Raygan got tired of playing in the snow, Ky and I kept on playing in the backyard. We were rolling in the snow, eating "supper," making snow angels, and just giggling away. It was so much fun hanging out with this awesome little three year old!

Eventually I'll get wedding pictures posted! Enjoy!

beautiful children

2010-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

when i was in the states i did a photoshoot for a family from our church. this family has the most adorable little girls and so totally photogenic. i loved it. the girls did an amazing job of smiling and being totally cooperative. i had lots of fun....

little ellie is only two years and i wasn't sure how it was gonna go but she was a good trooper. she did get a little tired of it and wanted me to carry her everywhere but we still had fun.

Little Miss Heidi who likes to read....especially her Nancy Drew books.

Sweet Maria who loved having pictures taken of just her.

Miss Tiffany...dear girl is starting first grade this year. She is so excited.

Tiffany found this feather and loved it. She took it with her everywhere.

And Little Ellie....her eyes could melt your soul. She makes me wish for a neice. She cried when she realized she couldn't go with me in my car. awww....and then everytime she'd see me in church she'd give me the sweetest smiles. :)

And then cute little Aidan....what fun. we worked for smiles but we rarely got them. His mom, Lori, brought along some great props. I loved the big bowl. I am gonna have to find one of those for myself.

Lori with her beautiful girls. Lori, you've got a beautiful family. I loved working with your girls...you've got beautiful little ladies! :)

I Heart Babies

2010-06-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

As soon as I heard about what this weeks photo challenge was over at I heart faces I had to think of this picture from a recent shoot that I did. I had this genious plan to use these cute baskets for the baby but he happened to be a little big for them. We got a few good ones though.

Check out the other darling pictures of babies.

Bomani ~ Baby Photoshoot

2010-06-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

Children are so precious especially infants. Bomani is Craig & Rachel Miller's son. I really enjoyed taking pictures for them especially of Bomani. He was awake the whole time and very cooperative. He is 6 weeks old here. Enjoy.

Ben & Becky ~ Engaged

2010-06-04T00:30:00.001-07:00

Wow! I love when you go to take pictures for a couple but end up just having a lot of fun with them. Ben & Becky are an amazing couple. They are planning a January wedding. Best wishes! The location was a great one...something Thailand seems to lack! But I love this house! Enjoy the pics.

2010-05-04T04:42:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting more pictures from my shoot the other week.

Heidi and Sara's pictures were a little scary for me. I took them with morning light and I have very rarely shot portraits with morning light. Some of them turned out very blotchy looking but thankfully there were also some good ones.

Heidi and Sara are two amazing ladies! I love hanging out with them. Sara has been a life saver at school this year. I could of never asked for a better co-teacher! And oh the memories we have made together! I am gonna miss her tons.

Nomes' can't hide her passion for life and I love watching her pour herself into her work here. She has mastered the Thai language in ways I can only dream of! I have loved getting to know you more this past winter and cannot wait to get to know you better, Nomes! :)

Enjoy the pics, ya'll!

I heart Faces - Smiles

2010-04-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

A smile is the same in every language.

Check out the other pics!

Its been a while!

2010-04-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a long time since I've done a photo shoot!

I've known Kelly for a very long time and friendship is an odd one! :) But you are a dear friend! I loved taking pictures for you! :)

Kelly just recently started dating...and Curtis came to Chiang Mai to see her! It was fun watching you two interact with each other. You all are alot of fun and I definitely laughed alot while taking your pictures.

I have more pictures to come but thought I would do it in a couple of post since I have a bunch! Enjoy!

I Heart Faces ~ Dramatic B&W

2010-03-29T01:55:00.000-07:00

The theme at I Heart Faces is Dramatic B&W....I thought it would be great if the picture itself was a little dramatic! So its not too dramatic but this girl sure adds some drama to my life! Love ya sis!

Check out the other entries...

My Bestest Students

2010-03-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

It is very hard to believe that we are on the last stretch of the school year. It doesn't seem that long ago that we started school and its March already. Where does the time go? As a way to celebrate the beginning of a new quarter, we took everyone to the park for the afternoon. Even though it was very hot we enjoyed running around and playing tag and then had fun taking pictures. That park definitely holds good memories.

I Heart Faces - Hands-on-fun

2010-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

Lots of hands on fun this week over at I Heart Faces.

I love this pic. I was asked to take it for one of my friends who wanted it. The idea of the picture was that God sends things into our lives for a purpose and as Christians we should recieve it with open hands and in the process we bless others.

Check out all of the other cool pics.

I Heart Faces - Texture

2010-01-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

the theme this week is textures. i don't use textures that must. i've played around with them but i can never get them to look right. i dont know...but i like the texture that this hoodie adds to the picture and i added some texture.

*Wow, my pic was chosen as one of Amy and Angie's favorites!! Yippee! Thanks you all!

India - Darjeeling!!!

2010-01-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Darjeeling was definitely a highlight of our trip to India. When we were flying through Calcutta someone had said if we are going to Siliguri we need to go Darjeeling. Sure, but whats in Darjeeling? Then when the conference was shorter than planned the committee suggested that we go up to Darjeeling. From what we were told, Darjeeling has gorgeous mountains and the sunrise was gorgeous. Sure, I thought, bring it on. We left Thursday morning and headed for the mountains. We took the scenic route with many stops along the way to observe the scenery. Most the time the road was on the side of the mountain and on one side was a steep drop off...

All throughout the mountains as were drove we saw fields and fields of tea patches. They were planted on the hillside. It made the mountains look luscious and green. It was gorgeous.

We can to a tea patch where people were working. I was kind of bitter that it was over noon time and the high sun made for dark shadows. But I made the best of it.....these people are working the steep hill side with the mountains of Nepal in the background.

Finally after travelling a few hours on roads that were less than desirable we came to the town of Mirik. And from there we had our first chance to see those majestic mountains. Our driver took us to a look out and we stood there amazed at the creation of God. Perfectly gorgeous.

These mountains are part of the Kangchenjunga mountain range which has contains the third highest mountain in the world. Wow! These mountains are in northern India really close to the Nepal border.

As we kept going through the mountains it got colder and colder. It felt so good. Another stop we made was actually in Nepal. The road that we had been travelling had been bordering Nepal and India for sometime and when we stopped we were actually in Nepal. Pretty cool! Except my passport doesn't show it! :) As soon as we got out of the vehicle some people came up to us and wanted a picture taken with them. They said this was the first time that they saw Americans.

I love this picture of this little girl with the mountains in the background.

According to the people of Darjeeling and the surrounding areas going to see the sunrise on Tiger Hill is a must-do. I groaned at the thought of getting up at 4am. Apparently this was a big deal. There were tons of people up on Tiger Hill for the sunrise. It was crazy. The sunrise was gorgeous but the real beauty was the morning light spilling colors on those majestic mountains. Wow, gorgeous.

The Kangchenjunga mountain with the town of Darjeeling below.

It was cold up there! For real! I had so many layers of clothing on and I was still cold. It was down around freezing because there was frost on the ground some places. I haven't been that cold in years.

Mom, Dad and I with the mountains in the background.

This pathetic picture below is my claim that I saw Mt. Everest. :) The mountains on the far left of the picture are in Nepal. The peak in the center, yes, the one that looks farther away, is Mt. Everest. It is pretty far away, hence, the reason it looks smaller. :)

A memorial we stopped at.

We did a little shopping in the markets of Darjeeling. These kids came running up to me full of smiles and I think this is one my favorite pictures from this trip. I don't know, I just love it.

From Darjeeling we headed back to Siliguri. It didn't take nearly as long to get back as it did going. We were really tired and really to rest by the time we got back. Those Darjeeling roads are BAD and TERRIBLE!

The next day we left Siliguri and flew to Calcutta. We overnighted there in a rinky, dumpy hotel. I was so ready to be on that plane the next morning heading to Bangkok. Wow. I was never so ready to get home to my house and my bed. It was good to finally be back in Chiang Mai again! I am thankful for the experiences and the things I saw. Wow, India.

i heart faces family

2010-01-19T05:06:00.001-08:00

Family is the theme over at I heart Faces. This photo shoot was a favorite of mine...it was so much fun! Stop over at the iheartfaces to check out the other entries.

Siliguri and the Conference - India, Part 2

2010-01-13T01:53:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Siliguri after a one hour flight from Calcutta. Siliguri is in the far north of India about 45 min. from the Bangladesh border. Siliguri is at the base of the Himalayan mountains. This town reminded me a lot of Calcutta but with a lot less people. As we drove the roads people were doing so many things and everything by hand - crushing rocks, moving dirt, pulling carts, etc.

We were picked up at the airport by the conference coordinator and right away taken to our hotel. Because of our flight issues we arrived a day later than planned. We got something to eat and then hurried off to the conference for the opening ceremonies. We were introduced and they welcomed us by putting a scarf sort of thing around our necks. Its a traditional custom in that area.

People from the mountains of Nepal, India and Bhutan gathered together for a 2 day conference. There were about 230 people. This was the largest conference Dad had ever held. They had been hoping for even more people at the conference but this area of India is demanding that they be recognized as their own state. They want to be Gorkhaland rather than being part of West Bengal. There were a lot of strikes going on which stopped a lot of people from coming.

I really enjoyed observing what Dad all does at these conferences and how people are really blessed with the teachings that he does. We were treated very much like royalty while we were there.

Top pictures: Worship. Center picture: Dad preaching and his interpreter. His interpreter had as much energy as Dad and those two would really get going. Bottom left: At the end of the conference they had a time of prayer. Mom is praying for the woman in yellow who was having stomach issues. Bottom right Top picture: The worship team from Darjeeling. They did an amazing job. Bottom right picture L-R: Mom, Dad, Dawa, man from Kashmir & Lamar.

The second day of the conference I was getting rather bored just sitting there reading so Mom and I decided to go for a walk. From the church the conference was at we could see a place that was making pottery so we decided to go take a look. We found the place and I was very fascinated by the process. And I think we were a fascination to the people around there. That clay took shape however that man wanted it to. What a reminder of the way that God shapes and molds us.

The kids along the road were fascinated by mom and I. I just had to stick that cow picture in. India has holy cows. :) And he was my only victim during the magic hour. I liked the pic! :)

I saw some kids playing up the road and decided to take some Starbursts up to them. They saw me coming and stopped playing and just watched me come. As I got closer I held out the candy to them and their eyes lit up. They were all smiles and giggles then. I started taking pics of them and they were more than willing to smile for me. I started walking away and one of the kids said, “wait.” I was a little surprised that he knew English. I looked back and smiled and the little guy stuck his hand out and wanted me to shake his hand. I laughed. It was so cute. As I walked away I could hear them calling out to me, “Goodbye, Goodbye.” I’d look back and wave and they would giggle and continue saying goodbye. That was definitely a highlight of being in Siliguri.

next- pictures of Darjeeling...a delightful place in the Himalayas.

India - Part 1

2010-01-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

For weeks I anticipated going with Dad on one of his MTM trips. I’ve wanted to go with him for a long time but with teaching school, it never worked out. So when I found out that I was going to have a long break over Christmas and it just so happened that Dad was going on a trip I decided to seize the opportunity and go with him. What a trip it was!

We left Chiang Mai on Saturday, Jan. 2. Dad waited too long to book our tickets and the only seats available to Bangkok were in business class. So we got fly to Bangkok in class. It was pretty sweet. We had to overnight in Bangkok and Dad had reserved a hotel close to the airport. It was early in the evening so we took a taxi to the sky tram and took the tram to a mall. It was a high class mall but it still had a Burger King.

Dad tickled about all of the leg room.

The next morning we were at the airport by 8am to catch our flight but when we got to the desk to check in we realized that the flight was delayed till 3pm which meant we would miss our next flight up to Bogdogara. But Jet Airways took very good care of us and put us up in the airport hotel which was way fancier than anything I’ve ever stayed in. Mom said it was fancier than a bank! :) The airlines paid for our meals and gave us a room for 6 hours.

At 3pm we left Bangkok for Calcutta, India. Wow, pretty much all luxury was over once you stepped foot off of that airplane. Since we missed our last flight we had to get things rearranged with Jet Airways and Jet Airways had promised to take care of us for the night too. As soon as you stepped out of that airport, you were hit by new smells and sounds. The ever constant blowing of the horn is about enough to make one go crazy.

Jet Airways put us up in the HHI which I would believe is one of the better hotels in Calcutta. The ride there was something else. Calcutta, India is one city that is worth seeing but wow, the poverty, and the people. I think what struck me the most was the contrast that was displayed everywhere. There were billboards everywhere displaying a way of life and then right under those billboards were homeless people and poverty stricken people.

It feels so cheap to say how grateful I am for where I was born and how I was raised. But when you think about the fact that that child digging through trash in the gutter could have been me, I can only be grateful for how God has blessed me. My mother could of have been that lady begging on the street or digging in the trash. My father could of have been a rickshaw puller. Why did God put me in this home and why was I born in America?

I Heart Faces ~ Best Face Photo

2010-01-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

This week at I Heart Faces is celebrating their first birthday! Happy Birthday! :) Part of the celebration is posting your best face photo from the last couple of weeks. I had a hard time picking which picture to post and in the end I settled with a picture from my recent trip to India. We traveled north to Darjeeling, a town set on the mountains in the Himalayas. From this town you can see Mt. Everest and the second and third highest mountains in the world. It was totally awesome.

We took a walk through a market. Thankfully there weren't as many beggars on the streets as there were in Calcutta. In this part of the world if you know just a little bit of English they loved to try it out on you. As we were walking through the market these children were quite tickled to say "hello" to us. I couldn't pass up taking a picture of their smiling faces and it turned out to be one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Beauty - Doi Inthanon

2009-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

We took a short trip to the highest mountain in Thailand...The beauty was amazing. Here are a few pics. I will post more later. It was very cold up there. We stayed in a small cabin overnight and we froze. It had to be somewhere around 40 degrees. You might not think that is bad but we were in an unheated cabin...the walls were thin board. Ahhhh but it felt good! Let me know what you think....

Close to the National Park headquarters was a market which was full of vegetables and many things. The village was not far from the market and I believe they were of the Hmong tribe. There kids everywhere...one thing I love about Asian kids is they just stare at the camera.

the Rhodes family

2009-12-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

This post has been long in coming. I took these pictures a little bit ago and finally got done with them. This is one amazing family with darling cute kids. There was definitely not a shortage on energy that day! :) I had fun with all of the kids that day...some were cheesing big and then another was crying alligator tears! You would of been crying to if you were woke from your nap for pictures! :)

enjoy! leave a comment!

I Heart Faces - I ♥ Tooshies

2009-11-30T01:17:00.000-08:00

A rather random theme at I Heart Faces this week but a cool one. The picture I am entering has been one of my all time favorites for a long time. It communicates so much....this little girl was disappointed that she couldn't have a horse ride also. Multiple tooshies here! :)

Check out all the other cool pics!

I Heart Faces ~ Sun Flare

2009-11-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

I've never tried that hard to catch sun flare but love it when I do. This little guy was a struggle to get pictures of. Every time he'd see the camera he would scowl! One cute little fellow though.

Check out the other pictures.

Beautiful Ladies

2009-11-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago I discovered that Sojo's, a local American restaurant, has some fantastic rooms upstairs. I've wanted to go out there for a photoshoot for a while and finally I had my chance. Wow, I loved it. My light source were some large windows....perfect!

The rooms upstairs were fantastic but these ladies are pretty much amazing.

LaRonda and Melanie

LaRonda and Delight

Delight ~ there is nothing like walking into IGo and popping into her office for a while and bugging her! She's great!

Sara ~ one fantastic co-teacher and friend. You've made this school year way better! :)

LaRonda ~ well now, she's pretty considerate. If you're holding a baby she might even bring you your food! :) So excited that you are coming back....more feuds to come!

Melanie - a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart!

Yoders Photoshoot

2009-11-12T04:20:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the Yoder family!

Field Trip

2009-11-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

I love field trips. They are such a good break from the classroom and I don't even have to plan them! I love it.

I absolutely love this photo of RV.

These are my three boys. Don't they look mischievous?

This (left picture) is one of my students younger sister. She cracks me up everytime I look at this picture!

Peace ~ Ms. Burkholder :)

I Heart Faces ~ Balloons

2009-11-02T02:23:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of this old man and his granddaughter. We had a carnival at church as a way to promote our English activites. This old man carried his granddaughter around. I took a ton of pictures of these two. They were so cute. The balloons were a hit that day!

check out all of the other entries!

Boy 1 & Boy 2

2009-10-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

I did a photo shoot for some friends....some absolutely darling boys! Enjoy!

Arlin & Kayla

2009-10-22T05:44:00.001-07:00

Arlin and Kayla celebrated their first wedding anniversary the other day! The are such a great couple.

These two below are my favorites by far~

Thanks to Coleen for this last shot! It was fun having you along!

Enjoy! Leave a comment! :)

Rich & Sandy

2009-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Rich was here teaching at IGo. This is one amazing family. Their children are adorable. The two youngest are especially full of energy and ready to give many hugs. They were alot of fun to take pictures for.

These two below are definately my favorite ones!

Pink

2009-10-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Over at http://www.iheartfaces.com all of the pictures are in honor of Breast Cancer awareness. The theme was pink. My picture really has no connection to breast cancer but it has pink! :) The blanket that the baby is in was a neon pink and green and extremely distracting! :) I took this picture while visiting a village of tribal people up on a mountain.

I Heart Faces

2009-10-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

"Excited"

When I heard what the theme was at I heart faces, I had to think of this picture that i took the other week at school. These kids are always so full of energy and never get tired of posing for me. This breaktime, they were all into jumping. Then they would come crowding around me to see the picture.

Check out the other picshttp://iheartfaces.blogspot.com

More on Jubilant Lattin

2009-10-09T08:50:00.001-07:00

I took my first baby pictures this week and I so enjoyed it. Jubilant was awake the whole time which I totally didn't expect. I loved working with Dru and Lisl.

9 day old cutie

Babies feet are so so cute. So precious.

The cute family. Let me know what you think!

Jubilant Dean Lattin

2009-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

More soon....

Impromto Photo Shoot turned marvelous

2009-10-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we had a ladies retreat at a local restaurant owned by foreigners. They had some amazing rooms upstairs and the lighting was just perfect. I was happy.

Sharilee and I

Beautiful Sharilee

Sharilee and Jana

Dear Jana

Gorgeous Becky - this one is pretty much straight out of the camera.

Constructive Feedback

2009-10-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces "Constructive Feedback"

I love this picture of my nephew but the lighting and everything seems to be all wrong. It was taken at ISO 200, f/5, 1/400 sec.

This is the way i edited it but I would of love for it to have more real colors. I uses Photoshop CS3. Thanks for the advice.

Princess

2009-09-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces

2009-09-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

I heart Faces Photo Challenge
"Blue"

I am entering this picture in the I heart faces (http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/). This picturewas taken on a trip to pottery factory. My other site is http://farfromhome86.xanga.com

2009-05-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

This young, hilltribe girl was at a big Buddhist temple that we visited. She was dancing for money. It is not unusal to see young children playing music, dancing or selling flowers for money. Its a way to help out the family.