Ella's 90th

This is coming a few weeks late (sorry!) but I had to say a belated happy birthday to my grandmother, Ella Empey, who turned 90 years old. She's just as beautiful today as she was when this picture was taken. The story with this picture is great. When my grandmother was in her 20's, I believe, her neighbor was a budding photographer and wanted to take a few photos of my Grandmother to hang in his potrait shop. I think it hung there for years.

Anyway, to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday, we had a luncheon gathering of family and friends where we shared stories and other personal experiences. It was nice to see so many come out and celebrate the great day. The great thing about my grandmother is that she is so independant and has a social life 100x busier than mine. She's got social groups, multiple bridge clubs, church friends...you name it. We have to book time with her months in advance if we want to drive up and see her. I love it. Anyway, happy birthday to a wonderful lady who almost everyone who knows her says she exudes class and elegence. We love you Grandma!

Here are some pictures from the birthday celebration.

A Butterfly, Up Close and Personal

So, another macro shot while we're on the subject. Shelley and I spent a long weekend in Utah. We were visiting with her grandparents and we spent the morning up at Payson Lakes in the mountains in southern Utah County. Tons of wild flowers, bees, butterflies and other insects. This little guy didn't seem to mind having a macro lens focusing in his face. He was more interested in the flower itself. I'm amazed at the level of detail. You think you have a good view of what a butterfly looks like until you see its nose and weird eyes and the long tongue.

Download the full photograph by clicking on the image below.

Translucent Red Leaf

I recently purchased a new macro lens, which allows me to get really close to my subject and take pictures. This is used for things like bugs, flowers, that sort of thing. Last weekend, I was able to use it for the first time while visiting Santa Rosa, California. My entire family was there to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th birthday. After the celebration, we took the kids to a park and I found a tree with dark leaves that glowed red in the sunlight. This is where I snapped this shot.

Download the full photograph by clicking on the image below.