Chihuly II

I am a huge fan of Dale Chihuly.  I have worked with glass before and I am attracted to the beauty of the glass itself, and it's ability to shape light into amazing colors and patterns.  I love saturated colors and I tend to gravitate to shades of blue and green.

Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids is having an exhibition of Dale Chihuly's work, which is running through September.  I visited the exhibition yesterday, and had the opportunity to see some of his work.  I would have to say that the work, and the way it was displayed was amazing.  The sculptures lend themselves well to being integrated in natural settings.

Although I had my camera,  my walk around lens, and my zoom lens, I definitely want to go back with some extra equipment to photograph some of the outside displays again.

This sculpture looks as though it belongs here!

It takes good glass to photograph good glass!

Carryle's Debut

In Filipino culture, a girl's eighteenth birthday is a celebrated event.  It is her "coming of age" and celebrates her transition from being a child to becoming a woman, it is her "Debut".  There are nine men and nine women in her court.  There is typically presentation of eighteen candles and eighteen roses.  There were speeches given by her parents and her friends.  I was truly impressed with the beauty, sincerity, talent, and caring shown at this event and I thank Carryle, her family, and her friends for allowing me to share in this event.

The highlight of the evening was the performance of the "Cotillion", a highly choreographed dance by the Debutante and her court.  I was really impressed with the beauty of the Cotillion, it was beautifully executed by the members of her court and was a wonderful expression of love and caring for the debutante.

Susie and Andrew

Yesterday I assisted a couple with their engagement photos, and it was a wonderful experience.  The weather was great (other than being too hot),  we had the photo session mapped out,  and the couple were in tune with one another.  The right combination for some really great shots!  I'm attaching some photos that I really like.  When I was reviewing the photos.   I was really struck with how this couple interacted with one another, very little direction was required (a photographers dream!).  Susie and Andrew both have engaging personalities and were wonderful to work with, and they both have amazing eyes!!

A large part of the day was spent on the MSU campus, can you tell that Andrew and Susie bleed green? 

(Is this politically correct Andrew?)

(much better!)

After MSU we took a few photos in downtown Lansing and had dinner.  During dinner I found out that we had a few things in common.  Susie and Andrew worked at Moores Park pool as lifeguards (that's where they met).  I spent a lot of my summers at Moores Park pool in my childhood.  Susie worked with one of my best friends.  Both Susie and I enjoy a nice cold Strong Bow on a hot day!!