The Easter Sessions are going pretty well so far. Three days down and one to go. Tomorrow is all day no breaks. Hope I can stay on time.
I tried to post a video of part of a session. But that’s over itty, bitty technically challenged brain. So, here are a few of this years Easter Portraits instead.
Oh, by the way, happy Leap Year!… or is it Leap Day… or Leap Year Day?
I was up WAY before daylight today to go get the Lambs for today’s Easter sessions. This is where I sat for over an hour on Burnt Mtn. Finally the DOT salt truck pulled me out. I came back empty handed. So, this morning’s sessions are with bunnies only. I have a friend on the way to get the Lambs now that the roads are clear.
UPDATE 7:15 PM
The Lambs made it to the studio early this afternoon so all is well. Out of about twenty sessions today only two were disappointed that the Lambs weren’t here. One little girl just wanted to see the Lambs after her session with the Bunnies. I could tell she was really sad that I didn’t have any Lambs here. I felt terrible! The other folks actually wanted a baby Lamb in the pictures. So I photographed their boy with the Bunnies today and He’s coming back on Friday to be photographed with a baby Lamb.
A week or so ago I took a road trip to Nashville and back with the Bentley Gang http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=313178696 to see them do a show at a little place called The Foo Bar. It didn’t look like much from the outside but was pretty nice on the inside (as bars go). I got home at 4:00AM… on a work night. That kinda thing hurts more than it used to. Last time I did that, to see Robbie Fulks, I think I got in at 6:00AM. I remember the sky was getting light when I pulled in my drive way. At least that was on a weekend.
Anyway, the boys made the trip to play for one guy that’s interested in working with them, whatever that means. I guess it worked out. After that show they were called back to play for someone at RCA??? and they’re going back for something similar next week. You can see the Van Lears here in Calhoun at Wall St Traders March 1st, & at Harris Arts Centre March 8th. I’ll probably be at the March 8th show. See you there.
Don’t forget, our Easter Special starts next Wednesday.
Keith
First, a commercial. Our Annual Lambs and Bunnies Special is coming up in a couple of of weeks. It’s Feb 27th - March 1st. I HOPE to get a news letter out before that to update all events but who knows. Here are a few pictures from last year.
ROAD TRIP!
Now to the fun stuff. I recently spend a few days making a whirlwind ture through Arazona with my friend Keith Hardin (see the post about Memphis for a picture of him and his wife). Keith was already in Arizona for a school the week before we were both gonna be in Las Vegas for a school I go to almost every January in Vegas.
This was in Jerome, AZ on the first day before driving to the Grand Canyon.
We covered 1270 miles in four days. We got into a show storm at the Grand Canyon!
This is from Grand Canyon too.
Luckily, it was clear the next day, Then we drove 200 miles to Four Corners where Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico come together. The place closes at 5:00, We got there at 5:37. Dang it! So we stayed in Cortez, CO about 30 miles away with plans to be back there at 8:00AM when the park opened. After all we drive 200 miles to stand in four states at once. When we got there at 8:10 there was Nari a person in site and the gates were locked. Double dang it! We waited around till 8:20, took a picture in front of the gate and hit the rd. It’s not a State or National Park. Since it’s in the Navajo Nation it’s a Navajo Park. We figured the open and closing times are approximate. Oh well.
Next was Monument Valley. Wow! Here’s one of my favorite images from there. It’s called North Window.
Then on a whim we decided to drive an extra 200 miles toward Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. I can’t tell you how happy I am we made that little side trip. Keith Hardin really REALLY wanted to see Antelope Canyon. We got there late in the day on Saturday and wouldn’t you know it the gate was locked. Are you starting to see a pattern? So, we rode into town and saw a convience store that had signs for Antelope Canyon tours. Keith wanted to stop in and get some info because he said he’d probably bring his daughter back during the summer. We met Bonnie, a Navajo lady that was telling us all about the canyon and the tours they do. As it turns out the gates are a ALWAYS locked and you can’t go in without a guide because when it rains 50 miles away the canyon is full of water within an hour or so.
So, Bonnie was telling us all about the place and asked if we wanted to se it. It was pretty late in the day and the light was already starting to fade so we thought she was talking about the next day. We told her we had to be in Phoenix the next day so we weren’t gonna stay the night. She said she meant she’d take us “right now”. She closed her store and hauled us the the Canyon. I couldn’t believe our luck, we had the whole canyon all to our selves. I can’t tell you how beautiful it is. I’m starting to well up a little just thinking about it. At most it’s about 15′ wide. Some places it’s only wide enough to squeeze through. Most places you can’t see the sky above you but the way the light filters through brings out incredible texture and color in the Canyon walls. We were definitely not there during the “best” time. It was really difficult to photograph and I’m pleased with what I got. I can’t imagine it being any prettier during other times. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for both of us. I can see myself going back there again and when I do I’m gonna make sure Bonnie is my guide.
