Pretty in Pink

On April 28, 2011April 29, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angelia's Photography, Beautiful Life17 Comments

I went to the zoo. I got lots and lots of pretty pictures. It was my first visit to the zoo with a DSLR camera. It was my first visit to the zoo after three digital photography classes.

I think it was my first trip to the zoo that I really found the beauty of the animals. It wasn’t about the display or how real it looked. It was about so much more than their pen and their antics.

I saw colors and shapes, reflections and texture. I saw lighting, profiles, and eyelashes. Details I hadn’t seen before and I realized….~~there are a LOT of birds at the zoo~~ every animal is a great capture.

This week You Capture from my idol Beth Fletcher has gone pink and pink is sooo sooo lovely.

I have girls. Three of them. We LOVE pink!

I am sharing my photographs from the zoo. These are the ladies (and gents) that – I think – wear pink the best.

I have many more photographs from the zoo, but for now I’ll leave you feeling pink.

Lucky for me, I have ANOTHER field trip to the zoo for photography class this weekend. With the start of another class – Wildlife Photography – I am excited to get to clicking. It is amazing how different a trip to the zoo is when you are looking through a viewfinder.

Also this weekend, we are celebrating a brand new seven-year old’s birthday at the movies and having an all-girl sleepover with her cousins. Molly turned the lucky seven this week! I think we’ll have lots of pink and lots of fun. I can’t think of a better way to do it than with family that lives close, and girl cousins close in age. Funny thing is? Jason will be outnumbered by a ratio of 10:1 (if you include dogs). He will need a poker night after this. Ha.

Have you been to the zoo lately?

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Texas Bluebonnets

On April 15, 2011April 15, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Beautiful Life23 Comments

The third weekend in April is not just Palm Sunday, but the peak of the Texas Bluebonnets. A Texas staple in our land.

I think my mom’s words to me went something like….. Dig some of those up and bring them to me to plant. I love the bluebonnets………. And most people who have seen them feel the same way, but in Texas, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal (plus, she lives in Oklahoma, heh!).

I wouldn’t want to pick them anyway. With their sea of blue, they are just too pretty to touch.

Before my injury we took the girls to Cedar Hill State Park. They have a place called Penn Farm. It was a working farm until the 1980’s. It is now a place to explore and read about Texas farming and equipment. There are several barns, houses, a windmill, and yes, even a bluebonnet field. It’s a photographer’s dream place.

Don’t leave home without your Dad’s old iPhone. You might need it in the bluebonnet field. I don’t think she wanted to miss her iPod music. LOL!

A stunning place with beautiful subjects. If you live in Texas, I urge to get a look at these gorgeous fields. NOT THE ROADSIDE BLUEBONNETS, but the REAL fields of them. They can be found in most of the state parks. There is also a Bluebonnet Festival in Ennis this weekend. In addition, many flowers and activities are on display at Clark Gardens. It is a must-see for the Texas Bluebonnets and worth the drive from the metroplex.

Wherever you are, I hope the weather is nice and you can get out and enjoy it. I can’t believe this is our peak spring season in Texas. That means the brutal summer heat is pushing at our backs, ready to knock us down, and fry our grass blades to a crispy brown. I may have a sprained ankle, but I am armed with a walking boot and I know how to use it. I will hobble along to one of these gorgeous sites before the flowers of Texas fade for another year.

The State Flower of Texas – the bluebonnet.

Have a happy weekend!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring

On March 23, 2011March 24, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angel Lia's Photography, Beautiful Life, Posessed by Nikon23 Comments

Spring.

It’s in the air.

Vibrant colors desperate for notice.

Creatures great and small.

Taking in the beauty of a new season.

Ok not really…….I made her lay down and pose…believe me she would have rather been eating the tall grass behind the next flower.

But where was I?

Ahhh! Beauty.

Spring has sprung.

Joyful and bright.

Sharing her glory for all to see.

And smell.

For all my fellow allergy sufferers, can I get an A-CHOOO? Yeah, not so fun.

But soooo pretty!

The true sign of spring arrival here in Texas. The Texas BlueBonnets.

They are a staple of our spring landscape. They bring excitement, allure, and pride. Plus, many picture-taking opportunities on highway embankments and fields.

I heard this year they may not be all that.

Well……..I’ll let you be the judge.

Happy Spring everyone!

How are you celebrating?

**All photos copyright of Angel Lia’s Photography. Pink flowers at the top and texas bluebonnet taken at Mayfield Park in Austin. The white flowers and clover were taken in my backyard and the wisteria (purple) photgraphed at Fort Worth Botanical Rose garden.**

Do Not Disturb – The Future

On March 17, 2011March 17, 2011 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, In the lives of children14 Comments

A future logophile in her natural state.

Her special secret place of comfort and word enchantment.

Meet my oldest step-daughter tucked away inside – not just a Dora tent – but a land of imagination flowing with nouns, conjunctions, and adjectives.

Maybe she doesn’t know all those technical terms…..well……she’s only six……..she’s only in first grade (No doubt she knows most of them). A master in the making. A budding connoisseur of language.

She did not select a picture book from her Dad’s library. She picked a chapter book. Why? Well, isn’t it obvious? This is mini logophile – better known as a lover of words.

Why else would she maneuver a Dora tent into the hallway taking in great gulps of nouns while lounging with her head on a fuzzy pink pillow? Wielding a flashlight to not miss a single letter. No other reason I tell you. That little brain is bigger than her head. Which explains the four stitches she currently displays in the back. Actually, that was from falling off a playground slide, but truly consider the handicap of a future logophile. An extraordinary head – unbalanced and full of words