What’s Been Goin’ On…

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Travel Spirit

It’s been a busy 10 days, but I wanted to catch you up on what’s been going on with me lately. In addition to the previous senior photo shoots of Sami Jo and Vivian, I attended a Bengals football party at a friends’ house, but didn’t watch a minute of the game. I’m not much of a sports watching fan. I enjoy the conversation with friends at parties and love to be active, hiking, jogging, biking, etc. I contacted an acquaintance, who is a model, to see if he’d like to meetup at an area park for a quick outdoor photo shoot and to get to know each other a bit better. He usually does magazine or runway modeling, so I thought a fun casual shoot might be a change of pace for him. Isn’t he cute…

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Vivian

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Travel Spirit

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now.” ~Alan Cohen

“When virtue and modesty enlighten her charms, the lustre of a beautiful woman is brighter than the stars of heaven, and the influence of her power it is in vain to resist.” ~Akhenaton Continue reading →

Hula Hoop Girl

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I introduced you to Sami Jo in yesterday’s post and wanted to share some of her hula hooping photos from our Senior Photo shoot…

It’s refreshing to watch someone engage in an activity they’re passionate about…

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Sami Jo

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Travel Spirit

“Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.” ~Henry Ward Beecher

“The soul is healed by being with children.”~Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“Children see magic because they look for it.” ~Christopher Moore

“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” ~Lady Bird Johnson Continue reading →

Rock House at Hocking Hills State Park

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Hiking to the Rock House at Hocking Hills State Park, these pumpkin colored mushrooms were a delightful surprise!

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Ash Cave and Cedar Falls

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The weather forecast for Day two of our Hocking Hills hiking adventure predicted rain late in the day, so unlike the previous day, we left our rain coats, umbrellas, and waterproof camera bags back at the cabin, because we started out early. Mistake! While taking in the amazing scenery at Ash Cave it began to pour rain. Fortunately for me, I was lagging behind taking photographs, under the shelter of Ash Cave, while my girlfriends were caught in the deluge. Not a bad place to get stuck for 10 minutes!

We ran into a photographer who was kind enough to take our photograph before the rain. Even Evan (the dog) posed for the camera…

The 1/2 mile trail at Cedar Falls leads to the waterfall….

The sloped forest hillside afforded beautiful photography opportunities…

Our cabin’s location (only a few miles from Cedar Falls) made it convenient to head back there for lunch before our afternoon hiking at the stunning Rock House, which I’ll save for tomorrow!

Hocking Hills Autumn Splendor

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Travel Spirit

A quick two-day mid-week trip to Hocking Hills State Park for hiking followed by soaking in a hot tub with girlfriends was just what the doctor ordered! Located in Southeastern Ohio, 2 1/2 hours from Cincinnati, the rugged cliffs, breathtaking gorges, cascading waterfalls, and flourishing forests of Hocking Hills State Park, afford visitors a pristine outdoor wonderland. Our first hike was to Old Man’s Cave. The well-marked one mile round trip trail, includes both man-made and natural steps. The view from inside the mouth of the wide cave looks down onto a small stream and stone bridge…

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year to visit this park…

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Gretchen

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Photographing young people is one of my favorite things to do. Most have such an open spirit and a fresh optimism that’s contagious. Gretchen is beautiful both inside and out and was a joy to photograph!

A brother and sister accompanied her for the shoot and helped me with the props and eagerly threw leaves on her when requested…

She will be twelves years old soon and these photographs were to celebrate that milestone. This was the last photo I took. I saw a children’s slide and had her bolster herself on it while I stood above to capture the shot.

We went down by the creek for some photographs. She forgot shoes to match her other outfit and went barefoot although it was quite chilly out.

I hope to retain the qualities that children possess!

The Search for Autumn

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Travel Spirit

My latest assignment for Cincinnati Refined was to find the most colorful “leaf popping” streets within selected Cincinnati neighborhoods, so off I went, on a 40 mile journey and was amazed that I only found a few colorful trees! It seems that Autumn is arriving late. This was the most vibrant tree…