Whitlock Photography

Whitlock Photography PROM 2011

2011-05-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Just a "SNEAK-PEEK" of all the couples who came to our studio on Sat. nite for Prom. I thought everyone looked so beautiful, & the dresses were soOOOoo absolutely gorgeous this time!!! We should have the pictures ready for pick-up here at the studio on Thurs. after 12:00. We just want to Thank everyone that came here, we appreciate all of you & we truly love getting to see everyone on Prom nite! :)

" PROM IS IN THE AIR ON MAY 14TH "

2011-05-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

We are looking so forward to PROM, and I can't believe it is just next Saturday nite!!! We absolutely love this time of year, and so help me I believe the girls & guys that come here always look FABULOUS!!! All of our packages are exactly the same as they have been the last several years, no price increase or anything. Isn't that GREAT NEWS?!?!! Give us a call if you would like to schedule an appointment. While the best time to come in is between 4:00 & 5:30, of course we'll be open till 7:00 though. While appointments aren't always needed & we don't turn anyone away, its just our way to merely help keep you on time for dinner plans & such. We know it will be an exciting nite & you'll have lots of places to go & things to do. That is why we try our absolute very best to photograph you in a prompt manner. I know at times the line can be little long, but once again we try to make sure everything looks just "PERFECT" for you...hair, dress, tux, flowers, smiles, etc. Most people already know by now just how picky I am with all the little details, but "HEY" thats okay I've never had anyone to complain. LOL!!! Our new prom background just came in and it is really, really pretty...kind of reminds me of an English Garden, if you will!! LOL!!! How fitting is that, considering the recent "ROYAL WEDDING", huh??? Can't wait to see everyone soon!! Just give us a call at 928-5854 if you have any questions or want to schedule a time slot for prom.

BC 2011 Senior "LAUREN"

2010-12-06T20:44:00.001-08:00

Well I don't know if I'm loosing it or what, but I thought I had already posted Miss Lauren and I hadn't!!! OMGoodness, if I only had a brain like the scarecrow was wishing for in the wizard of Oz, LOL!!! On the day of Lauren's session I remember getting a phone call saying that they were running a bit late due to the fact of when her Mom was ironing one of her outfits their iron quit working. So I immediately tried to rest assure them that everything would be fine...to go ahead and come to the studio & I'd have my iron all plugged in and ready to go when they got here. I know that all kinds of things can go wrong, but there is no need to get all stressed over little things that happen. Lots of people end up forgetting or leaving things at home and we have supplied numerous things to make it all work out (from hairspray, to books, to socks, to jewelry, & other clothing items)!!! We do all sorts of things to try and help out & we've always conducted our business that way, even back in the days when we used to photograph weddings. We did all kinds of stuff not related to photography, just whatever we could to make the Brides day go a little bit smoother. I thought that Lauren had some really nice strong images as you can see. Also we ended up doing her session in 2 parts due to the fact of it getting dark on us so early now. But luckily when she came back to do the outside poses it was a a gorgeous beautiful sunny day....uuuhhh unlike what we are having now! Oh I just hate the freezing cold temperatures outside and the wind chill just literally takes my breath!!! But back to Lauren, I just love the one of her wearing the boots! With her having the dark hair and brown eyes she really looks good in the warm colors & brown tones. Also the pose in her jeans & barefoot was one that really caught my eye too, I just love her smile in the black & white image in the background on that one!!! We really enjoyed getting to meet her Mom and brothers that came along during her session. Her Mom is really very sweet to talk to & her brother was also very helpful to us in the camera room. Plus I think her oldest brother had been here before for Prom or Homecoming Dances. Well I better quit rambling too much or else I won't get this posted tonite, it will already be tomorrow!!! But most of you know that I am a nite owl and thats when most of my creative juices come to life & I do my best work. LOL!!!! I hope that everyone enjoys this little "SNEAK-PEEK" of Lauren and I do sincerely apologize for not posting this sooner.

Melissa '11 "BCHS Senior"

2010-11-22T21:56:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's amazing how much Melissa looks like her Mom especially in the real pretty close-up one! I just loved,loved, loved the close-up one of her!!! They have the exact same eyes and everything, just different hairstyles & color. Her Mom said she brought in lots of purple and black in her outfits, so evidently that must be her favorite color. And how fun is the little zebra number with the boots???? I missed out on helping Bill with part of her session when another customer came in the studio. Melissa brought in several really neat things for her senior session though! In fact I had a hard time reeling Bill away from the Harley that her Step-Dad was riding!! And she also brought her Mustang to be in some of the poses, and it was a really sharp looking car too (plus her outfit matched her car perfectly)!!! As you all may well know, Bill absolutely loves cars & motorcyles and talking all about that kind of stuff. So I had to sort'a remind him that we were in the middle of a senior session & we were photographing Melissa! LOL!!! For all of the outside poses with cars & such anymore we are really limited on daylight hours after school since the time change. Well I seriously should make an effort to shorten my blogs, since it seems that I have gotten back into my old ways of rambling on & on lately!! I hope that everyone is ready for Thanksgiving and enjoys the time off from school & work, and more importantly the time shared with their families. Enjoy the "SNEAK-PEEKS" of Melissa with many more great images from her session to be shared later! :)

Bridgett Part 2 "ON-LOCATION SESSION"

2010-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, now does everybody see what I was talkin about in my previous post?!?! I'll try not to go on & on and ramble so long this time, but how bout that one with the HUMMER??? Is that one not bad to the bone?!?! LOL!!! Well we just ended up doing that one at the last minute, sort'a wasn't even something they had even thought of. I can't remember if it was Bill or myself that mentioned it right before we were leaving. At times, that is where some of the best images comes from!!! Well I think Bridgett was much braver than most people, wading out in the really cold creekwater and it was pretty chilly that day. She really didn't seem to mind it at all, we go to real extremes to get great senior images & what a trooper she was indeed! In the beginning I think I might have said something about making this "short and sweet", but here I go again rambling....but for all of you that know me - what else do you expect coming from ME?!?! Okay I really will wrap it up now but just one more thing before I do. I heard Bill mention just today to someone that he has another idea for a really fun & unique winter session, so when it snows give us a call & we'll see who is brave & up for it!!! Enjoy! :)

Bridgett 2011 "BCHS Senior"

2010-11-20T20:28:00.001-08:00

OMGosh, this session with Bridgett was just GREAT!!! And first off I wanna apologize for not putting this up sooner. At the time when I was posting her sneak-peeks I was having some technical issues with my blogger page and couldn't get the images to load. SSSSSSooOOOOoo, in the mean time my poor little pea brain just forgot to try it again later. I really didn't mean to skip over you Bridgett, so please forgive me!! LOL!!! She is the most photogenic gal and an absolutely charming person to be around! Not to mention how much she loves being in front of the camera ha,ha,tee-hee,hee!!! We absolutely love it when somebody like her comes along, she was super easy to work with and had soOOOooo many dramatic looks and poses. She was the very first person photographed on our new "TWILIGHT-ish" looking background. Even though I love this black & white one on that background, some of the color ones were good too. But we got a "KILLER" close-up pose of her from that series done in sepia tone....just wait I think she ordered wallets from that one, you'll see what I'm talkin' bout!!! We had a ball and I think she did too! We even had one where she was twirling around in the long black skirt and that was reeeEEEally lots of fun, and in her own words "was soOOoooo Bridgett"!!! And how about the one in the hood??? Isn't that one awesome?!?! I think that was an outfit that her Momma suggested she wear, and a great choice I might add! Almost every single pose in that outfit turned out fabulous, especially with her wearing the red lipstick it added just a touch of drama. If you think these are good wait till you see Part 2 of her "ON LOCATION" session at Carter Caves. And the bad part of it all is I have to limit myself to only 3 poses for the sneak-peeks, that was really hard to do with this session of Bridgett. But luckily they went with another "ON-LOCATION" session as well, so I get to post 3 more from that. Well I hope that everyone enjoys these, and soon she will have her actual wallets to pass out! :)

Jessica 2011 "BC SENIOR"

2010-11-08T20:17:00.001-08:00

Jessica was such a cutie pie and so much fun to work with!!! We really enjoyed the session, or maybe I should say sessions...since we had to do it in 2 parts. Midway thru her session Bill began to feel bad and we had to ask her to come back and finish up another time. He actually ended up going to the hospital immediately after they left and spent the next 4 or 5 days there. I just knew something wasn't quite right with Bill, I guess when you are married to someone for almost 33yrs. you can tell. We really appreciated Jessica & her parents being so very understanding that day. Seems like I wasn't even supposed to say anything about this....but I never have been very good about keeping my mouth closed though. If my memory serves me right, I remember having to write a lot of sentences in school that went something like this "I WILL NOT TALK IN CLASS" like hundreds and hundreds of times!!! Imagine that....huh?!?! LOL!!! I wonder if the teachers still do that in school?? Maybe I'm telling my age now, but most people already know that I'm "older than dirt" as Clay Jones used to say!!! LOL!!! I just loved the close-up pose of Jessica in the burgandy top, she has an amazing smile!! Also I thought the one with the truck turned out really good too, the fall colors were still really pretty at the time. Her Mom & Dad both came for the sessions and we even did a few with her parents. Also she brought in her Homecoming dress and those turned out so beautiful. We photographed Jessica's older sister Cory a few years ago so it was good to visit with her family again. Well I hope that everyone enjoys Jessica's "sneak-peeks", I know that she is anxious to see them!!! The DVD is now ready so Jess the waiting is almost over! LOL!!! :-)

Kacey 2011 "BCHS SENIOR"

2010-10-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

Kacey is one of those girls with that "CLEAN COVERGIRL" flawless model kind of complexion. I know most girls would give anything to have beautiful skin like hers!! Also I thought she has some of the cutest expressions as well, she had a way of always looking very innocent or kind of like the all american girl maybe?!?! Well anyways when she first got here she was a little on the nervous side but by the time we took 3 or 4 poses she began to loosen up quite a bit. I'm not really sure if she had ever been here before, so that might have been a contributing factor. But we hope that our personality and the way we go about things during her session put her at ease right away. Also we really appreciate her & her Mom being so understanding while we had to reschedule her first appointment at the last minute, due to Bill being in the hospital. Everyone has been so nice and patient with us, and we thank you guys for being so kind & understanding. Things are taking a little longer than normal right now...but please bear with us as we try to get back on somewhat of a normal schedule. But I'm not really sure if I know what "NORMAL" means anymore, LOL!!!! The typical order of how things take place is 2 wks after the session we post 3 images (a "SNEAK-PEEK" if you will) on the blog & FB to let you know we have your DVD ready. Then all you have to do is call the studio to schedule a DVD veiwing appointment. Due to the fact that there is sooOOOo many poses to choose from, most people find it easier to take the DVD home to look it over and make their selections. Of course we show it to you here at the studio first just to make sure you love them!! LOL!!! After a $395 down payment is made, you may take the DVD home for approx. 1 wk. Once your order is paid in full & processed we then post lots of different images of you on our actual website. If you haven't done that lately you should check out the seniors section on our website @WWW.WHITLOCKPHOTOGRAPHY.COM We try and update it regularly and post new images often. Well I better quit running at the mouth so much and get Kacey's "SNEAK-PEEKS" posted so that she will know that her DVD is ready. I hope that everyone enjoys these! :)

Kiersten's "ON-LOCATION" Session

2010-10-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe I can be brief with this if I really try hard and don't ramble to much!! LOL!!! Well this was so much fun for us, we absolutely love going out to different locations and creating new & exciting poses for seniors!!! We love working at our studio, but getting out and trying new things really keeps us on our toes & makes our job loads of fun! It was so funny how Bill ended up riding from the different locations with Brandi, and Kiersten rode in the van with me & she was litterally changing clothes as we were going down the road! FUN,FUN,fun!!!! She had the backseat of her Moms car loaded down with tons of clothes, shoes & jewelry to match any given outfit perfectly. But "HEY", a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes - RIGHT?!?!? I thought the one in the boots & jean dress was amazing, and the one in the jeans & tank top was sooOooo H-O-T!!!! Okay I better wrap this up and get these posted before it gets any later, huh. I tell you what, there are soooOOOoo many more great ones that she & her Momma will have to choose from her DVD....I'm just glad I don't have to pick cause it's gonna be hard. ENJOY the "SNEAK-PEEKS" & oh yea, btw "THANKS "Kiersten for wearing the dress for me, cause I know it really wasn't your favorite!!!

Kiersten 2011 "Studio Session"

2010-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

I can't remember when I've ever had so much trouble trying to choose a few favorites to post as I have with Kiersten's session!!! SHhhhewee, this one is gonna be tuff!!! She had soooOOOOo many really fabulous images that made it extremely hard for me to narrow it down to just 3 images...that has been my new rule (only "3" for the sneak-peeks). Kiersten also purchased an add-on session to do some "ON LOCATION" shots as well. SOOooo at least I can post 3 more of my favs from that session too, so that makes me feel a little bit better. She brought so many cute outfits with her and she always had awesome shoes & accessories to go with each outfit!!! She is just so daggone stinkin' cute that no matter what she puts on she looks GORGEOUS!!! Well if I don't quit rambling I'm never gonna get these up & I know that Kiersten is waiting to see them. SO I hope that everyone enjoys these as well as the location ones too!!! :)

BCHS Homecoming Dance

2010-10-19T01:12:00.000-07:00

We want to thank all the couples that came to WHITLOCK's for BC Homecoming!! I thought everyone looked sooOOo great, but that always holds true with this group. I don't know exactly what it is but we sure have some of the best lookin' young people here in BOYD COUNTY! It is one of our favorite times of year when everyone comes in all dressed up, we just love it!! Well I hope that you guys enjoy this little sneak-peek video, and the packages should be ready for pick-up here at our studio by Friday! ENJOY....:)

Rachel 2011 "BCHS SENIOR"

2010-10-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Rachel was such a cutie pie...I just love her smile and personality!!! We had such a good time photographing her during her senior session a couple of weeks ago. Well, maybe it was a little longer than that...we have gotten behind again due to Bill being in the hospital recently. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support, he is doing much better now & is gearing up for BC Homecoming on Sat. He loves photographing seniors and talking to people, when he is looking thru the lens of his camera thats when he is happiest!! Speaking of talking to people we really enjoyed talking & visiting with Bobbie again, Rachel's Mom. We did Rachel's older sisters senior portraits a couple of years of years ago. It really means a lot to us when people are pleased with what we do and continue to patronize "WHITLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY", we really do value each and everyone of our customers. Rachel & Sarah both brought their little dog Max along to be in some of the poses, he is a dacshound (SP?) or some people refer to them as weiner dogs. This was his last senior session though, so I guess he will offically graduate this year. LOL!!!
I absolutely loved the serious pose of Rachel in her dress! I can't quite put my finger on what it is....if it's the shape of her face, jaw line, bone structure, her flawless complexion or her eyes - anyways it was just so BEAUTIFUL!!!! She also brought an electric guitar and even though she ended up sliding by and not having to play it for us, we still had lots of fun during that part of her session & got some great images!!! Most of you may know Bill's studio policy...he says "if you bring in some kind of a musical instrument you gotta play something for us"! LOL!!! But the ones with the electric guitars don't always bring an amp with them so they have a good excuse to get out of it! But maybe not, I did hear him say the other day something about maybe picking up one to have here in the studio. LOL!!! I hope that everyone enjoys Rachel's sneek-peeks...and remember when you see your images posted on our blog & Facebook that means we have your DVD ready. So just give the studio a call to set up an appointment to come by and pick up your DVD. :-)

2011 BOYD CO. HOMECOMING DANCE

2010-10-14T02:09:00.000-07:00

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE ENLARGED)

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday for HOMECOMING!!! The packages & prices are the exact same as the last few years. We will be open from 4:00 to 7:00 here at the studio, WALK-IN's are welcome. For all seniors who have ordered their senior portraits from WHITLOCK's you will get an extra bonus added to your package...ask us for details! *****QUICK DELIVERY*****

2011 BCHS Sr. "Marshall"

2010-09-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Marshall's session was so smooth, he was extremely nice to talk to and work with!! So many times, especially if they don't really know us, Seniors don't always open up and really talk a whole lot during their session. Which that is perfectly normal and considering that sometimes they are a little nervous, but hopefully that goes away within the first few minutes they are here. Because we hope that everyone feels very comfortable here and realizes that we aren't gonna be grouchy or demanding. But when they do talk to us and share things about their likes & interests we just love it!! After all, this is YOUR senior portraits & we want this to be all about "YOU", or as our little tag line says "WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON YOU"!!!! Marshall has the nicest smile, and after finding out his girlfriends name that brought out the biggest smile everytime!! We are kind'a nosey like that ya know, not really! LOL!!! Also doesn't he look so handsome in the suit pose?!?! Well I think Bill is going to have to break down and buy us some kind of an amp or something. Because as some of you may know Bill's studio policy, he says when someone brings in any kind of an instrument they have to play something for us. Well with acoustic guitars that is no problem but for the electric ones we don't get the full effect. It is amazing just how musically talented so many of the seniors that come to us are!! And Marshall was no exception, I could tell that he could really play very well even though the volume wasn't there. Well, we are trying something new with our posting of senior images and Marshall is the first one doing it this way. When we have your DVD all ready for you I will post 2 or 3 images here on our blog & on Facebook. In the past we did several more images and posted it about a week after the session, and a week before we actually had the DVD ready....so we'll see how people like it this way. Please let us know your feedback. We really enjoyed visiting with Marshall's Mom during the session too. I apologize for this taking a little longer than normal but as many of you already know that Bill has been in the hospital. But he is feeling better each day and is so ready to get back in the camera room doing what he loves...photographing seniors!!! I hope that everyone enjoys Marshall's "SNEAK-PEEKS"!!!! :)

Joe "SENIOR 2011"

2010-09-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if any of you read our blog lately and saw some sneak-peeks for Shelbey you may remember me talking about her having a twin brother. Well this is Joe and he was so easy going and was relatively quite...but at the same time very polite and pleasant to be around. I know with the guys it's not usually their idea of having to come into the studio to have professional portraits taken, but they do it anyways to make "MOMMA" happy!! LOL!!! I didn't realize it but during the course of Shelbey's session her Mom mentioned to me that we had photographed the twins together when they were 11 months old. WOW, time sure does fly doesn't it? But I thought it was so very nice that they agreed to do one together, it's just one of those things that us Momma's appreciate & it means a lot. Something just dawned on me while working on some of Joe's images for his Sneak-Peeks, does anybody out there remember Ricky Nelson from back in the day??? Well....look how much Joe resembles him!! While we were photographing him I didn't really make that connection, but just now it came to me who he looks like! They say everyone out there has a twin, and for any of you that aren't aware of the fact that Bill really does indeed have a twin. So if you are ever out and about somewhere and think you see Bill with someone else other than me and he doesn't act like he knows you - then it must be his brother!! LOL!! OMGoodness, wasn't Joe's dog Eva simply BEAUTIFUL?!?! The color of her eyes was so stunning and they matched Joe's shirt perfectly!! Also I really enjoyed the album collection that Joe brought in with his guitar poses, some really good music from back in my day during the 70's!! LOL!! And we got lots of good images during that part of his session too! Well I better wrap it up now, I have a tendacy to ramble way too long most of the time. I hope that everybody enjoys Joe's Sneak-Peeks and I'm sorry that I'm a little late in getting these posted. It's just that time of year now...."SENIOR SEASON" & we love it!!! :-)

Shelbey 2011 SENIOR

2010-08-22T22:53:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed photographing Shelbey so much, in fact probably a little tooooo much!!! LOL!!! She knows what I mean by that, we did get carried away and went over with her session and almost ran her late to get to another photo shoot for Lara's Fashion Board. So I do apologize for taking so long, but when somebody like her comes along we do have a tendacy to take longer sometimes. I don't know if it's where the camera loves her so much (really photogenic) or if we are just reeEEEEally slow & I'm so very picky and try to watch all the little details or probably a combination of all of the above! Shelbey brought in such a nice variety of things with her that ranged from dressy to casual & outfits from all of the different seasons. I know that most seniors think of only bringing clothes that are in season right at the time of their session....but we highly suggest that you do like Shelbey and mix it up a little bit!!! It really makes for more variety in your poses and overall you want your senior portraits to represent your whole entire senior year, not just summertime. OKAY, I'll quit harping on that I know I mention that to everybody all of the time & you all probably get tired of hearing me say it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED Shelbey's little number she wore with the hat & UGG boots!!! Well really I loved her black & white outfit too with all of the pretty jewelry & heels, and also the leather jacket with the leopard or cheetah trim on it with cute shoes. AND, how bout the "HELLO KITTY" one, is that not adorable?!?!?! This made me think back on when my Natalie was a little girl and she had lots of HELLO KITTY things....it's funny how stuff makes a comeback again! We will be photographing Shelbey's twin brother this week, and I can't believe I never realized she & Joe were even related to each other, let alone twins!!! I hope that everyone enjoys Shelbey's "SNEAK-PEEKS" with more great images to follow later. :-)

Marina 2011

2010-08-12T23:38:00.001-07:00

Marina's session was so much fun, especially the science one in her lab coat!! Since she brought in the goggles & little beaker or test tube thingy, we even broke out the smoke machine and everything! Also I absolutely loved the one of her laying down in the turquoise sweater, she has the most gorgeous silky hair!!! And her smile was so pretty in the one in the summer dress where she is holding the flowers, I just love the tilt of her head and the way her eyes looked in this one too. We have photographed Marina over the years with the Dance team, but the senior session is when we really get to spend more time and pay attention to all of the little details. That has always been our motto....WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON YOU!!!! Well I think we are done now with photographing all of the Distinguished Leaders. Now comes all the fun part where I get to design them all! Gonna make this a little shorter than my norm so that I can get these posted and get to bed a little earlier tonite!! I've gotta get on a little better schedule than staying up working all nite long! I hope that you all enjoy Marina's "SNEAK-PEEKS". ;)

Mikki '11 "BCHS Distinguished Leader"

2010-08-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

We had a blast photographing Mikki!!! She not only is super smart and has the most infectious smile but her personality is soooOOoo fun to top it all off!!! When she first got here she mentioned that she had seen a building outside that she wanted to be photographed by. Bill thought she meant an old abandoned little building out back of the studio that is overtaken by weeds. When we went outside to do some poses later on in her session, we found out she meant our little storage building right outside the studio. Never in a million years would we have even thought of using that as a background but leave it to Mikki to see potential there, huh?!?!?! I thought the black & white one taken there by the doors of our building turned out "PHENOMINAL"!!! And who would have ever thunk it??? Ha,ha,ha,!!! The outfit where she was wearing the little rust colored number with the leggins & boots was so cute...and her silver jewelry added just the right touch. Also how fun is the one with her wearing the beret and peeking over her glasses??? I think I can see a little bit of mischief sneaking from those eyes, how bout you? LOL!! Naaawwwh....not Mikki!! LOL! She brought in a nice variety of looks and things plus we luv it when people like to wear hats. Sorry Mikki that I didn't show any of your soccer poses but I just couldn't bear to leave off the black & white one taken outside by the building. Which ends up sort'a lookin like barndoors, don'tcha think?? It was so good to visit with Shelly again....super sweet lady & we hadn't seen her for quite awhile. Several years ago we met them when they came here for Kira's senior session. Shelly even has me wanting to do Zumba now, but I don't know if I could even begin to attempt that one or not.....but who knows down the road a bit I might give it a try! Well I hope that everyone enjoys Mikki's "SNEAK-PEEKS"!!! ;)

Eli 2011 "BCHS Distinguished Leader"

2010-08-02T22:13:00.001-07:00

OMGoodness, I could've listened to Eli play the piano all day lonnnggg!!! Thanks for playing for us, we enjoyed it so much! Isn't his piano so beautiful? We were honored to have the opportunity to photograph him doing something thats such a big part of his life and truly something he enjoys. His musical talent and abilities are simply amazing and is something that will stay with him for the rest of his life. Either "you got it or you don't" and Eli definitely has the music in him! LOL!!!! Also those who have the pleasure of listening to him are in for a real treat....that's the power of music! It feeds the soul no matter what age you are, I believe. And I think somebody said that maybe his musical talent came from his Dad. Sorry, I didn't mean to get so caught up and lost in the my own little thoughts there for a minute! LOL!!! Bill got several really nice poses with his piano and I hope that we got something they will treasure for a lifetime. I'm so excited to get into the rest of his session later on, I can't wait! Eli was a great subject to work with, he has the most laid back kind of a personality and did whatever we asked him to do. His entire family are just "SUPER NICE" and the sweetest people in the world to be around. Thanks Kevin & Debbie for your kind hospitality when we came out to your home to photograph Eli. We did Hannah's senior portraits a few years ago and it was just so nice to vist we you all again. I absolutely LOVED the ones of him in the gray sweater too!!! And we can't forget about little Chance & Sadie either, they were the most well behaved dogs. Also how bout the one with the football?!?!? All I can say is his eyes are gorgeous..."LOVE IT"!!!! Well I better quit rambling so much or else I'm never gonna get these posted, after telling Eli when we photographed the football team tonite that I was gonna try and get them up. Well I hope that you all enjoy Eli's little "SNEAK-PEEKS", with more to come later. ENJOY!!! :)

Emily '11 "BOYD COUNTY SENIOR"

2010-07-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Okay now I have gotten worse instead of better with my LLLLLLonnngggg blog posts, let me see if I can do this. I really need to make a more serious effort because people probably get tired of reading my ramblings that don't usually make much sense at all. Well Emily was simply a wonderful subject to photograph!!! She had the prettiest smile and a GORGEOUS tan!!! Her long beautiful blonde hair was so pretty wheather she wore it straight or curled. We really had fun working with her and getting to meet her Grandma again who came with her during the session. We learned from her that we had also done Emily's Mom and her other brothers & sister senior portraits years ago. So that tells you how long we've been doing this, but so help me it never gets old "WE JUST LOVE SENIOR SESSIONS"!!!! Well I think you can tell by Emily's sneak-peeks that she has some amazing poses. I hope that everyone enjoys!! :)

2011 BCDL "Brittani"

2010-07-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

Brittani's session went so smooth and she was a blast to work with. Just look at how beautiful she looked in every single outfit she put on!!!! Since Brittani is a lifeguard she had the most beautiful tan, it wasn't too much or too overdone at all, just a very pretty golden bronze tone. Sometimes people wanna spend too much time out in the sun or tanning bed right before their session and that's not always the best thing to do. And how bout that one in the dress with the flower in her hair....isn't that simply GORGEOUS?!?!? We were almost done with the session and at the last minute I asked if their was anything else she would like to do and Brenda came up with this idea. I absolutely LOVED it!!! We appreciated Brenda helping so much thru out the session, she was making sure that everything was just perfect for Brittani as well as helping us move things in and out....Thanks Brenda you were so sweet!!! Plus I loved the perfume she was wearing, I definitely have to get me some of that!Also I loved the close-up one of her with the silver jewelry on, her smile is just stunning! Bill thinks Brittani looks like an actress from back in the sixties named Natalie Wood for any of you people out there who might remember her. And look at "Little Man" just posing for the camera tilting his little head and everything, how adorable! I used to have a Pomeranium (sp)when I was growning up and I her name was Cricket. Well I hope that everyone likes Brittani's "SNEAK-PEEKS" with more to come later, ENJOY!!! :)

"Torri" BCHS Sr. 2011

2010-07-19T22:14:00.003-07:00

This girl has the best facial expressions I've ever seen!!! Torri was able to go from giving us a beautiful smile to one of those serious looks in a split second with no problem at all. Most people really have a hard time doing the ones without smiles but I guess she is used to doing that all the time in cheerleading routines. We really had a good time working with Torri during her session and she is so "GORGEOUS" that it made our job really easy!!! She looked GREAT in the very first outfit which was the little coral dress, and the image that I put in the background with her hair blowing was sooOOOOo good!!! I loved the serious pose in her cheerleading uniform as well as the one in the white off the shoulder top...plus her earrings were so neat in that outfit too (they were feathers with a touch of leopard on them)! It's always fun to get to go shopping for new things to wear for your senior session too. I think Tina, Torri's Mom was getting a little teary eyed during toward the end of her session. I can remember those same feelings when my daughter was a senior just like it was yesterday. I was so emotional her whole senior year and somehow the senior portrait session is something that sort'a makes it start to really sink in and pull at the heartstrings a little. Well I'm gonna try not to ramble so long tonite so that I can get these posted before it gets any later!! I have a real problem with staying up all nite working and then sleeping most of the day....I gotta do better at that!!! But right now I am so behind I really need to in order to get caught up. OH Well, I hope that you guys enjoy Torri's "SNEAK-PEEKS"! :)

Kelly '11 "BOYD CO SR."

2010-07-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

OMGoodness, Kelly is such a "SUPERMODEL" I think we could've photographed her all day long!!! She is absolutley GORGEOUS and I think her Mom was super sweet too and really helped out so much during the session. Kelly brought in really beautiful clothes to wear for her session and did a wonderful job putting it all together to get lots of different looks! I think she has great taste in clothes and her style is fabulous!! I think most everything she wore was from the "ROSE TREE". She came in for a consultation before her session and I think that gave her some ideas of what she wanted to wear. It's always good to bring outfits from all the different seasons, since your senior portraits will represent your entire senior year not just what the weather is like at the time of your session. I loved the close-up pose of her in the hat, but the only bad part about it is you can't see the outfit that she was wearing in this pose. OMGoodness......she had on a "KILLER" pair of black studded stilletto strappy shoes & jean shorts that definitely proved the old ZZtop song "SHE'S GOT LEGS"!!!! LOL!! Also the white skirt outfit was just the perfect outfit for an idea I had been tossing around in my mind. I was going for sort of like a shabby chic cottage look with a touch of victorian elegance (plus I got to use my new little chandelier). Ha-ha!! I know that Bill wasn't too happy with me wanting to bring the old doors in from outside, but after saying one of his famous lines he carried them in anyways....yeessSSS DEAR!!! He is simply the B E S T, even though he had to bring out the wasp & hornet spray due to one of the doors had a wasp nest on it!!! YIKES!!! Sometimes I do feel really bad for all the things that I have him do during a session, climbing ladders and then getting down in the floor and all kinds of stuff like that!! I come up with most of the ideas for poses and backgrounds & such then he figures out a way to make it all happen! So together I guess we make a pretty good team, or at least he hasn't put me out of the camera room yet! LOL!!! I think Kelly has sooOOOOOo many good poses that it will definitely be hard to narrow down their choices. Please accept our apologies for being a little behind schedule, but as some of you may already know Bill was in the hospital this past week. He is doing better now that he is home and will have to take it kind of easy for a few days. Thank you to everyone for being patient with us and for being so understanding thru all of this. Well I hope that everyone enjoys this "SNEAK-PEEK" of Kelly's senior session! I think that she is still with her family at the beach maybe, I hope that they are all having lots of fun! Enjoy :)

"Holly 2011" Boyd Co. Sr.

2010-07-13T20:40:00.001-07:00

Holly is a very talented artist as you can tell by the pose with some of her award winning art pieces!!! Thanks Mom for going back home to get those, I think they really turned out nice. She is also extremely creative and is really into video games and even wants to get a degree in designing or creating new video games (I can't remember exactly what its called). Her session was a lot of fun and it was so nice of her best friend Jaime to come along and be her support or "STYLIST" for the day!!! LOL!!! I ended up having a customer come in during her session and had to leave Jaime in charge of setting up the ones with the video games and I thought she did a fabulous job, Thanks Jaime! I especially loved the close-up pose in the purple dress & pearls and also the one with the hair blowing with the American flag!!! We photographed Holly's older brother Brad when he was a senior at Boyd County, I think he was a Distinguished Leader too!!! I'm sure their parents are extremely proud of both of them. It was good to see your Mom again and I think she knew every single word to the songs we were playing during your session. I think we must have the same taste when it comes to music & buying CD's. Well I hope that everyone enjoys Holly's "Sneak-Peeks" and more to come later. ; )

2011 BCDL "Jaime"

2010-07-12T15:13:00.001-07:00

Jaime has the most bubbly personality and so much fun to photograph, not to mention she is very photogenic as well. Lots of times Jaime was ready for the next pose almost faster than we were, but hey we are about as slow as turtles these days! LOL!!! I absolutely L O V E, L O V E, LOVED the pose in the orange skirt with the hair blowing!!!! She was willing not only to work in front of the camera, but was helping with all of the behind the scenes work too!! We appreciated all of her help moving props and backgrounds in and out....you really didn't have to do that Jaime but you were sooOOOoo sweet & so much help to us and we "THANK YOU"!! :)) Also Aunt Janet was very helpful setting up the sports equip. for her volleyball pose, that was so nice of her too. Then Ms.Jacy was Jaime's "STYLIST" if you will (ha,ha,he-he),she also created a couple of poses for Jaime to do without even meaning to!!! I think we all had a good time during her session. Then the very next day Jaime came back in with her friend Holly and was her "Ms. Jacy" for the day, so she got to experience the whole senior session thing from all sides! We photographed Jaime's older brother Jacob when he was a senior and it was nice to visit with the family and have the opportunity to photograph Jaime for her senior portraits! I hope that everyone enjoys this little "Sneak-Peek" of her images with lots more good ones to come!

Bicycle safety

2010-07-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

It is with great saddness that I am writing this blog. Last Tuesday evening Theresa's cousin grandson was killed in a bicycle accident. Apparently the chain came off the bike and he couldn't stop. There wasn't any great speed and he wasn't showing off. He started down the driveway and couldn't stop, went across the road and hit a tree. He was not wearing a helmut, if he had been this story would probably have ended with, Brian got bruised up when he hit that tree across the road. This was a kid that played football, baseball and basketball so he was use to safety equipment. He had a new dirt bike but his grandmother hadn't let him ride it because she was afraid that he would get hurt. So few people seem to realize the danger of riding a bicycle. I know that the helmut looks funny, but it can save lives, so please make sure that this important safety device is used.

TREY 2011 "BC SENIOR"

2010-07-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Trey came in for his senior session last week as part of the Boyd County Distinguished Leader Program. He chose to be more serious for most of his poses and we don't have a problem with that. We got a few smiles thru out his session, but all and all most of my favorites of him were the more serious looks he was giving. He just had that the "LOOK" and has so many really good poses!!!! I think that really reflected his personality much better too, he is really into History, Religion, Archeology and that sort of thing. I especially loved the one of him with the old world map!!! Trey was a bit nervous as we started out, but as the session went on he began to relax. Considering this was the first time he had been here, so that is perfectly normal. We did his Mom's senior portraits (so that tells you we have been doing this for awhile) as well as senior portraits for lots of other members of his family!! It was good to see Amber again, I had no idea when Trey scheduled his session who he was, I just never made the connection. OMGoodness, Amber looks exactly like her Mom and we just love their whole family....such good people!!!! Well I hope that Amber, Trey, Connie and everyone else enjoys this little sneak-peek of his session!!! :)

BCDL 2011 .... AUSTIN

2010-07-05T22:21:00.001-07:00

This session with Austin ended up being so much fun! He has such a good personality and was so easy to work with, and has a great sense of humor too!!! I thought his baseball pose was one with lots of attitude...I think he had his game face on! LOL!!! It's always tuff doing those serious poses when inside your wanting to bust out laughing, and that's usually what happens right after the shot too. But Austin did great no matter weather he was smilin', chillin', being serious or just being himself!!! Baseball is such a big part of his life and I think that is when we had the most fun during his session too. Especially the bat poses....Oh & by the way Austin those turned out GREAT too! We have photographed him many times for different sports. Until recently when he came to the studio for Proms & Homecoming Dances it had been years since we had seen him. Now he's all grown up!!! It was back in his younger days of Little League Baseball, Boyd Co.JFL & Summit Elementary Basketball that I remember him the most. We always enjoyed working with his Dad as "COACH" on all those projects, but needless to say that has been awhile back. OMGoodness, time sure does fly!!! I hope that Tim, Kim, Austin and everyone else enjoys his little "Sneak-Peeks"!

Mark "BCHS SENIOR 2011"

2010-07-04T01:22:00.001-07:00

OH HAPPY DAY, and Happy 4th of July!!!! We have been having technical difficulties like you wouldn't believe this week!! I wanna start out by apologizing to Mark for taking so long on getting his images posted! We have fought with our computer all week long. You would think since its only been 1 yr. ago that we bought the most "Super-Duper" model out there that this wouldn't be happening.... Bill has worked endless hours this week, installing and un-installing several times about every single component & software that we have on this thing!!!! But anyways I am just thankful that we have it sort'a, halfway almost there, or at least enough that I can get Mark's sneak-peeks posted. Well let me just start off by saying Mark was the most delightful, likeable, fun, pleasant, polite person to be around!!! He is also a very talented musician as well, we were treated to him playing & singing a song or 2 for us during the session. And we loved the Alan Jackson song "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and then "Amazing Grace" was absolutely beautiful and really touched our hearts more than you can imagine! Sessions such as this one is why we love doing what we do, when you get the chance to meet such a fine person like Mark. Plus he seemed to enjoy the session just about as much as we did photographing him! Bill & I just know that he will do great things with his life, for he is certainly on the right track!! Well I better wrap it up or else I'm gonna be right back into my long drawn out ramblings. It was such a pleasure to meet Mark and his Momma & I hope that everyone enjoys these! :)

Lauryn '11 "BC Distinguished Leader"

2010-06-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

OMGoodness, I can tell this is gonna be tough on Mom trying to choose, Lauryn had soOOOoooo many GREAT poses!!!! She is definitely very photogenic and I think we could've gone on for hours working with her, & I think she could have done it too! Other than one little problem, something was mentioned about "FAT PATTYs" in Huntington and then I think maybe her priorities shifted a little bit...just kidding, LOL!!! Everybody started talking about what great burgers they have, I think she may have talked her Mom into that being the next stop after leaving here! We had such a good time during her session and I just knew we would, I can't wait to really get into the rest of her images! I hope everyone enjoys this "sneak-peek", with lots more awesome ones to come! :D

Jill "BC SENIOR 2011"

2010-06-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

Okay this is it, I am gonna make a serious attempt to shorten my blogs, they have been entirely toooo long! Jill's senior session went very well, and I think she has some fabulous poses!!! We photographed her older brother Corey several years ago. Even though they favor each other their tastes & personalites are very different from each other. Weather Jill was all dressed up in her high heels or more casual in her jeans & boots I thought she looked so cute!!! The one with the shovel & her 4-H stuff was so much fun! After doing the indoor ones here at the studio, we later met up with her out in Grayson to do part 2. We got some "BEAUTIFUL" images with Jill and her horse, I can't wait to work on the rest of them! And HOW bout the one by the tractor?!?!?! N-O-W.....that is all I'm gonna say about Jill's session! LOL!!! I think I did it, YaaaAAAY!!!! My first blog that wasn't 5 miles long. ENJOY everyone! ;D

"Tylyn" BCHS Sr. 2011

2010-06-18T11:35:00.001-07:00

Tylyn has such a pretty name and a fun personality & style to go along with it! I just knew that her session would be great, despite the fact that she doesn't like to have her picture taken. I can't really figure out why though....I mean look at how naturally beautiful she is!!!! She has the prettiest perfect bronze skin tone, and that really looks great when its not too overdone. And girls & guys make sure you don't overdo it with being out in the sun tooooo long right before your session. Sunburns and tan lines aren't pretty and don't photograph the best! Okay maybe I'm just getting old, but here I go again thinking back on my first memory of Tylyn. I remember Gatlin her older brother was playing JFL football and she was a little cheerleader for his team. Seems like they were out of town or something on team picture day so Tammy brought them here to the studio later and Bill photographed them together outside by the pond. And seems like she might have ordered a statuette of them??? Those statuettes become more precious as time goes by and are so neat to look back on when they get all grown up!! I loved the one of her in the dress outside with Chip, her little Yorkie dog. He looked so cute and I would never guess him to be 11 years old. Also the close-up pose in the purple dress was gorgeous too!! And even though she really had a hard time with the serious poses, I thought the one in the boots really was KILLER!!!! It is hard to not smile on command, it seems like when someone tells you not to, that is when you start cracking up laughing. Well I better wrap this thing up and so it doesn't end up being a novel like the ones Tylyn brought in with her. HEY, I don't claim to be a writer, I just simply throw my thoughts out there and my fingers do the talking! And sometimes I can't stop them, they just seem to go out of control at times!!! LOL!!!! We so much enjoyed talking with Tylyn and her Mom at the end of the session. Right after we finished the poses outside it came this most awful wicked storm & downpour, so we invited them to hang around & wait till it passed. ( And we all know how much I love storms....NOT!!!) I know that they had much more important things to do, such as Tylyn & Tori were leaving for their trip out west immediately afterwards. But I just wanted to say we enjoyed our little pow-wow session. Well I hope that everyone enjoys Tylyn's little sneak-peek of her session! ;D

Tori "Part 2"

2010-06-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

So finally I go to post the one of her that I mentioned earlier......was I right on the Demi Moore resemblance?!?!? Let me know what you think on that one. LOL!!! :)

2011 Senior "TORI"

2010-06-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

As everyone can see Tori is absolutely a knockout which made our job easy and lots of fun!!! And sometimes its easy to get carried away a take a few extra poses when someone like Tori comes along, that works so easy in front of the camera. I think it helps some that she has been coming here most of her life for different school sports and dance pictures. It means a lot to us that so many of the Boyd County students patronize our business, and we really miss them when they don't come in anymore after they graduate and go off to college. Actually we have photographed both of her older brothers when they were seniors in high school. And seems like Tori was just in Elementary school back then...BOY time flies!!! I know that Tori and family are at her brothers wedding right now in Arizona, and I'm sure they're having a ball! Congratulations to Jared and his soon to be bride! When Tori came out wearing the leather jacket as one of her outfits, thats when I knew that it was all over!!! Something about when a girl puts on a leather jacket it just brings out a little different attitude & personlity and we love to show that! I know that seniors wanna bring mostly all summer clothes in for their session, but really when you think about this being a representation of your whole senior year, then clothes for all of the seasons should be worn. Not to mention how pretty some of the darker richer tones in sweaters and coats with fur hoods are. So try and include at least a couple of long sleeved outfits in your session. It could even be a black long sleeved top or turtle neck sweater, or something as simple as a long sleeved while blouse or shirt still worn with jeans if you don't really wanna dress up. I actually was gonna break my new rules for the class of 2011, with it being so early in the season already. But for some reason I couldn't get the one last image I wanted to post to work. I had told myself that this year I was gonna try and make the blogs shorter and not ramble on so much and limit the sneak-peeks to only 5 images. Well somehow this blogger page must have known that and it won't coperate with me and let me add just one more. The very last image Bill took of Tori was outside in her little orange plaid shirt and jean shorts sitting in the grass. She had taken her hair down out of the pigtails and had her sunglasses on top of her head, the wind slightly blowing her hair and OMGoodness, she was giving this serious look and so help me she made me think of Demi Moore....but prettier!!! I wish so bad I could've gotten this posted just to see if anyone else agrees with me, OH WELL! I guess I'll have to wait and see when she gets her DVD next week to get some feedback. I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak-peek of Tori's senior session. Now I'm really having trouble, it doubled up on one pose and still won't let me put post another image, so now there is only four images!! I don't know what to do,I'm thinking there might just be "Part 2" of Tori, a mini-sneak-peek if you will.LOL!!! :)

2011 Senior Sessions Started!!!

2010-06-15T22:33:00.001-07:00

What a way to kick off the new Class of 2011 Senior Season, with such a super nice guy like Tim!!!!! This was the first session of the Distinguished Leaders Program that we do for Boyd Co. So many of the seniors have lots of things going on in the summer, such as Tim does.....a week at Boys State and then he goes to "Governors Scholar Program" for 5 weeks. Getting an early start on having your senior portraits made makes like so much easier all the way around. Even though the summers may seem busy with different camps and vacations going on, it doesn't compare with how hectic life gets once school starts in the fall. There is after school practices and activites, games, jobs and that sort'a thing to have to try and schedule a time around having your senior session done. We sooOOOoo much enjoyed Tim's session and getting to meet his Mom, they both were so sweet & pleasant to be around! I loved the one of him outside by the pond in his KY shirt,& doesn't he just look so distinguished in the sweater & leather chair? Also the Black & White one with his BC letter-man jacket was super cool!!! Well I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak-peak of Tim...and so much for my attempt of making my blogs brief! I seriously don't think I have the word "brief" in my vocabulary!! Everyone who knows me, knows how I have a tendacy to ramble on and on and not really make any sense! LOL!!!!

Megan & Scott Engagement Session

2010-05-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

Words can't describe how happy I am for this couple & their upcoming wedding!!! As many of you who come to our studio for Dances & Proms, Megan is a very familiar face to you. She is such a dear friend to us and we love her to pieces, in fact I don't know what we would do without her! She helps us so much and makes things go so smoothly and is so efficient at everything she does. Even though this was our first time to actually meet Scott in person we just felt like we had known him forever, just like Megan. So I feel like they are a perfect match for each other and he is so very lucky to have someone like Megan. She is not only beautiful on the outside, as everyone can see, but she is equally as beautiful on the inside!!! We've even had people to think that she is our daughter. I had to tease her a little when she told us that she & Scott were engaged....I said to her, "you mean he didn't call and ask Bill's permission". LOL!!!! And after she told me that he did indeed ask her Dad's permission, we both thought "OKAY this must be a pretty good guy". But anyways its so funny that Megan first started out with us as a Co-op student while she was only a senior in high school at Blazer. And Megan I won't say how many years ago that was, so I don't make you feel old!!! Ha-ha-ha!! But over the years she has become such a vital part of our business and we truly appreciate her so much. We were just thrilled to photograph her & Scott together for their engagement session. Their wedding is just around the corner & I know that she will be the most stunning gorgeous bride. Well I better quit rambling so much or else I'll never get these images posted. And what about little "PEANUT", her little black pug?!?!? Isn't he the cutest little thing? And certain times when you talk to him he just tilts his little head as if he's posing for the camera. And Scott I thought you did "GREAT" for your official portrait session...see it's not that hard when all you gotta do is hug up close to Megan. I think he could handle that okay with no problems. LOL!!! Just think of this as a little warm up session for all those wedding pictures you'll be taking. Ha,ha,ha!!! Well I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peak of Megan & Scotts engagement session. Enjoy! ;D

BC Prom Video

2010-05-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

I hope you guys enjoy this video as much as we did seeing all the couples on prom nite!!! I'm not sure if they teach this in BOYD COUNTY or its just in their genes, but our students in this county definitely know how to dress-up and look stunning! It seems like everything from head to toe always goes so well together and the couples end up looking fabulous. I'm not sure who deserves all of the credit, it may be a joint effort between the girls, the guys and the parents. Plus the Rose Tree is always great at matching just the perfect jewelry & shoes with the dresses, then the girls make-up & hairstyles always seems to compliment the style of their dress. I just loved how so many girls were wearing flowers in their hair this year, sort'a made me think of Ashley Judd. Then the guys Tux/vest/tie combination seems to bring everything together and always matches the color of her dress spot on! The floral designers we have locally always do an amazing job with all of the girls bouquets & the guys boutineers (sp?)!! Bill and I just are so thrilled to have a part in Prom and love doing our very best to highlight every single couple that walks thru the door.... ENJOY!!! :)

Prom 2010

2010-05-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Boyd Co Prom has come and gone. Theresa and I really enjoyed seeing all the couples come in this year. As always we never know how many couples to expect so we prepare for a big evening, this year was our best evening in a long time. We had a beautiful background and all the couples really photographed great on it. We really enjoy seeing the couples come in. Theresa works very hard to pose each couple to look their best. Careful attention is given to the clothing and she selects the best pose to make everyone look their best. After the last couple is photographed and we take a much needed rest, she starts the editing process. Each image is very carefully looked at and the best one is selected for printing. This image often receives a lot of tender loving care. We take alot of pride in making each couple look their best. From hoping that the line isn't too long, to the posing of each couple, to selecting the best image and the work done to this image, we want everyone to enjoy being photographed by Whitlock Photography. These young adults are the pride of this community and the hope of our future and we are so grateful that we can be a small part of their lives.

Amanda 2010 "SENIOR"

2010-04-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

We love photographing "SENIORS" and this session with Amanda just makes us realize why we love what we do. She came in last Saturday for a basic senior session which comes with 2 outfits, and she still got lots of variety & different looks. Even though she had never been here before she seemed totally relaxed and super easy to work with. When a person comes to the studio for the first time it usually takes them a little longer to warm up to us... but not the case with Amanda. I'm not sure if it was because of my friendly personality that put her at ease, or the fact that she & Bill are both from "CARTER COUNTY" LOL!!!! She was so sweet right from the start and her beautiful smile was definitely easy on the camera! Don'tcha just love the ones in the black & white outfit?!?!? OMGoodness, I think that is always such a fabulous color choice and her images are a perfect example. Also I hope she likes the one where her eyes are blue, but everything else is in "BLACK & WHITE", since this was her only special request. The ones in the yellow turned out so good too, the white top & skirt really showed of her tan nicely!!! Well I better quit running at the mouth or I'll never get her images posted, I know that she is anxious to see them. I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peak of Amanda's senior session! :)

"Prom Is In The Air"

2010-04-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

This time of year is one of our most favorite times at Whitlock Photography. We just love to see all of the girls gorgeous dresses, shoes, hairstyles and beautiful flowers!!! And yes, the guys always look really handsome in their tux and they too sometimes have acessories like hats, canes or even cool shades! The studio will be open on May 8th and May 15th for area Proms. Please give us a call at 928-5854 if you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment. If you want to come earlier than 5:00 or have several couples coming together its a good idea to make an appointment, but as always walk-ins are welcome! The packages are exactly the same prices we have had for the last several years, so that is good news!! To see the packages and prices larger just click on the flyer. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon. :)

What a "DOLLBABY"!!!!

2010-04-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Meet an adorable little man whom we had the pleasure of photographing last week. I'm just sayin' he was about the best little guy we have ever worked with at this age!!! Most of the time you are lucky to get 20 to 30 minutes max when working with little ones, but not in this case. Roman was on a roll, but from what his family had to say about him this is just how he is.....such a good baby! Always smiling and happy and didn't seem to be bothered in the least by changing outfits several times. James you may have a little model on your hands, he definitely has the look! LOL!! He will surely be the heart throb for all the girls when he gets a little older though, so you better be ready!!! It was amazing how well he did during his photo session, and I think the images really tells it all. How about the one in the little sweater vest? I think he looks sooOOOo precious in that one, as well as the one sitting in the leather chair. It kind'a makes you wanna just reach out and squeeze him. And OMGoodness, both of the ones in the orange are just insane....his big brown eyes and skin tones look incredible! The close up one just melts my heart and also the one where he is standing up playing "patty-cake" has the cutest little smile. Also during this session I realized just how much our own little grandson is growing up. I remember us photographing Isaak at the very same age as Roman and how he had the chunky little legs & arms too. Well I know that I got a little carried away and posted more images than usual, but I just couldn't help myself. Plus his Momma is out of town in the hospital right now getting ready to have him a little baby sister. So I wanted her to be able to see some of these too, and will be thinking of you guys in the next few days. Hoping that all goes well and that these add a little smile in your day. Enjoy! :)

Cameras & vacation

2010-04-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Vacation season is almost upon us. Now is the time to get your camera out of the closet and prepare it for summer. Hopefully you removed the battery before storing. A fresh battery is a must before expecting your camera to properly work. Take a soft brush and remove any dust, if you see dust on the lens it is probably a good idea to have it cleaned. Most canned air has enough propellent in it to mess up your lens. Now is also a good time to brush up on your photographic skills. Reading the manuel may mean getting that special shot. You'll feel bad miissing that once in a lifetime shot because you were fumbling with your camera. Putting a A1 or uv filter on the lens will protect it from dust, sand, rain etc and may improve the picture. If you get the camera wet, dry it off with a soft, lint free cloth then set it out in the open to dry. DO NOT USE AIR. Try not to drop your camera in sand because the repair bill may be more than the is worth. A good camera bag can protect your equipment from most damage. A sturdy tripod is nice to have unless you are hiking. There are sturdy and light tripods but they are expensive. Digital cameras are fun to use but to get the maximum out of them can be harder than film cameras. Have fun.

I love spring

2010-04-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

After having lunch with Theresa's aunt and uncle today at Apple Bees we took a drive in the country. After the cold and drab of winter I enjoy seeing the farms and communities come alive. The fresh cut lawns, the dogwoods in bloom along with all the other spring growth is truly a beautiful time of the year. It is easy to forget the daily grind of life when everything is so fresh and beautiful. Very soon everything at the studio will be green and ready for our outdoor spring sessions to start. I may even throw down a few bags of fertilizer, of course this depends on talking the wife into cutting the grass, or I can leave things alone and cut the grass myself.

Eric 2010 "BCHS" SENIOR

2010-03-03T21:55:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few of Eric's senior images taken from his session a week or so ago. He was so easy to work with and had lots of moral support from his brother & sister!!! LOL!! No, really his Mom had requested us to take a black & white pose with all 3 of them together. That was such a great idea and just the perfect time to do it. We had photographed Eric several times over the years in sports and things but having your senior session is sooOOOo completely different than sports pictures. We are able to devote more "one on one" attention in being creative and making sure every little thing is just right. We want you to look your very BEST!!! And I thought Eric did just that, he just has such a pleasant expression, even when he isn't smiling great big. Ya know, none of us goes around smiling from ear to ear all day long so thats why we don't encourage smiles in every single pose. We want to capture the real you plus it's really hard to smile on command. In our professional opinion...a smile isn't really what makes a photograph great, but more so the look in the eyes. I hope that you guys enjoy this little sneak peak of Eric's senior session! :)

BC Basketball Homecoming Video

2010-03-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Don'tcha just love all the short, flirty, colorful, little dresses the girls were wearing to the dance?!?! I thought they all looked fabulous, & at the same time screamed "hey we're ready to have some fun and D.A.N.C.E, D A N C E, dance"!!! I'm sure that everybody had a great time and was glad to "finally" even have the dance...the snow has cancelled it sooOOoo many times! I hope you guys enjoy watching this preview video and the pictures will be ready for pick-up at our studio on Wednesday after 1:00. Thanks so much! :)

"JOSH" 2010 Spring Valley Sr.

2010-02-28T19:11:00.001-08:00

Josh's senior session went GREAT last week, I think we all had a good time! He wasn't the least bit nervous like some guys are when they come for their senior session. Maybe where he came with both his older brother and sister during their sessions, he was just an old pro at it by the time it was his turn! LOL!!! We really enjoyed visiting with his Mom, Susan & sister Christina and also meeting his girlfriend Shayla. We even managed to talk her into having a couple taken with him! This makes us feel good to know that people like what we do so much that they keep coming back. Josh is the 3rd senior we have done in this family, and if I'm not mistaken I think he has 1 more younger sister. We look forward to seeing her in a few more years. Josh was very photogenic, I especially loved some of his more serious looks...with both the cowboy hat and the ballcap on backwards! Well I better quit rambling too long or else I won't get these posted today like I promised him I would. I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peak at Josh's senior session. :)

"CONGRATS" BCHS CHEERLEADERS!!!

2010-02-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

We are soOOOOOOo proud of these girls and want to say "WAY TO GO BOYD CO"!!! They have been so very busy these last few weeks or months, with practicing hard and getting their routine perfected. Well I tell you what, I just watched their performace routine that they did in Bowling Green at the state competition and I literally thought it was a collegiate squad or something!!! These girls looked GREAT and hit every single one of their stunts and their tumbling was phenomenal!!! They really deserved the winning trophy but as it turned out they were presented with the first runner-up, but that is definitely something to be proud of girls! Also they just recently returned from Nationals in Florida and they didn't do too shabby down there either. They really represented this area quite well and were named 2nd place in the NATION!!!! So the girls have been out there busy collecting all kinds of trophies to add to their collection, LOL!!!! Also just want to say Thanks & Congrats to Misty, Kelli and all of the others who worked with the girls that I don't even know who they are. But also one last word before I close, a great big "THANK YOU" to all of the girls parents who work so hard all year long & are always doing anything and everthing (car washes, bake sales,etc.)they can to support the squad. Not to mention running them to practices and tumbling and always being their #1 fans at all of the games & competitions!!! Without all of these people and the true team spirit and effort that it takes to win, none of this would even be possible. Yay, BOYD COUNTY CHEERLEADERS you all are the greatest and make us so proud!!! :))

Childhood Winter Memories

2010-02-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

For me the cold winds and snow of winter makes me recall my youth when we lived with my Grandmaw in Carter Co. Although Grandmaw's house was a very nice home, it didn't have all the modern comforts that we are so spoiled to. The outhouse was about 150 feet across the backyard. It was actually built over the creek, but before anyone tells me that it polluted the creek I'll mention that the creek had red water running in it. The water running out of the old coal mine corrected the problem with the outhouse. There was no central heat in the house, there was a warm morning stove in the living room and a fireplace in Grandmaw's bedroom. While the stove put out more heat, we sat around the fireplace. By the time we went to bed on a cold winter night we had baked our shins. The real fun was the next morning when we had to get out of bed. It may not have been cold enough to freeze water in the bedroom but it sure seemed like it could have. Also in the winter Mom did most of the cooking on the big flattop cook stove. While we got hot around the fireplace and froze getting out of bed, it is from this time that my best memories were formed. We had to carry in firewood and coal, we did have running water but if often froze up in the winter and then we carried water from the well. In the winter the big hill behind the blacksmith shop provided hours of riding a sled. Our sleds were made by my father and while they were just a plain old sleds, they were great! We lived 3/4 of a mile from US 60 on a gravel road and by late winter there were more mud ruts that gravel. Dad had to milk the cow and mom would gather the eggs. We lived about 2 miles from Wilson Creek grade school. Mom had to learn to drive and get her driver licenses to take us to school and back. The one room school was heated by a potbelly coal stove. The outhouses were on the back side of the playground which meant that no one used them in the winter unless you had to really go.

While I have many more memories of winter, I think the memories from ages 7 to 9 are the best. While we lived a rough life compared to today somehow this was a very happy time for me. The only winter weather that I don't like is ice. If I can I stay indoors when there is ice on the ground and sit and look out the window and for a few seconds remember the warm family that provided all the love that a little boy ever needed. This has to mean that I have forgotten just how cold that seat in the outhouse really was!

BCHS Basketball Homecoming Dance

2010-01-26T23:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday nite is BCHS Basketball Homecoming Dance and we will be open from 3:30 till 7:30. We just got our new background in on Monday for the dance and it looks GREAT!! I think it will look so good with all of the different colors of dresses!!! And if anybody is still trying to decide where to go eat, Callihan's is open now at the mall. Bill and I ate there on Monday and it was really good. I can highly recommend the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer!!! Hopefully the snow storm that they are talking about just passes us by and doesn't cause any problems for Saturday plans!! Bill and I always look so forward to all of the dances because we just love seeing everyone all dressed up and having so much fun. I have posted the packages that we will have for you to choose from and the prices & packages are exactly the same as they have been for several years. Just give us a call if you wanna make an appointment, but as always walk-ins are welcome too. We never turn anyone away!!! Feel free to call the studio at 928-5854 if you have any further questions, we look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday nite!!! :)

2010-01-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Theresa and I would like to Thank everyone that made 2009 a great year at Whitlock Photography. We love photography. It is exciting to meet new faces throughout the year, plus it's great to see the old friends that return for additional photography.

I am debating making a few changes in the business side of WP. We made a trial run at the end of the year and the changes were well received. I will make my mind up in a few days and will post them here. The objective is to provide better service and increase the value of our portraits. Unfortunately there will probably be a small price increase. We haven't changed our prices in at least three years. We are looking at a new line of framing and think that it will be a great addition to the mouldings that we currently offer.

A change that we want to make is, we want to do more on location sessions outside of the studio. Since I find photography as exciting after 30+ plus years as the first year in business. I am going to be easy to talk into doing location work. If you can catch my interest in where and how you want to be photographed the session fee may be waivered completely!

Thanks Everyone,
Bill and Theresa

Mickie 2010 "BOYD CO."

2009-12-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

Oops......I totally missed posting Mickie's images from his senior session a couple of weeks ago!! I am so scatter brained these days with Christmas stuff and having to cope with the idea of my Daughter & her family getting ready to move to Australia. Knowing that we won't get to see them for almost a year is really hard, but hopefully the time will go by quickly. Thank goodness for webcams & "SKYPE"!!! Okay, well I said in an earlier blog that I was gonna try my best to make shorter blogs & make a sincere effort to limit my ramblings. So I'm not off to a very good start,am I?!? LOL!!!! Now back to Mickie's images, he was just a SUPER nice guy and had such a pleasant personality & so easy to be around. Also he was extremely helpful during his session, everytime we changed backgrounds or were moving props in & out.....we just might have to keep him around!!! LOL!!! The ones of him with his hunting stuff turned out GREAT, it's just kinda' weird thinking how that really was a couple of deer head skeletons. Also I thought the ones of him in the black shirt turned out really good, especially loved the one with the smile! He better get ready because I have a feeling that all of the girls will be in line to get one of his wallets with "NO SHIRT" on! Well if I don't stop before long this blog will end up being like my typical posts that go on forever. So once again, I sincerely apologize for not posting this sooner but my poor little pea brain kinda' got lost in baby "Isaak" mode for the last couple of weeks!! LOL!! I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peek of Mickie. :)

My Best Christmas Present " E V E R " ! ! ! !

2009-12-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

This was something that my kids did for me & Bill today on Christmas that made us happier than anything else possible!!! I just now heard from my daughter & they have made it over half way back to Wilmington N.C. tonite & the baby slept all the way. It is the preferrable way to travel for them these days, when Isaak is sleeping and understandably so. He is so full of energy and doesn't like to be confined to a carseat for long periods of time. I am missing that little guy already and can't hardly wait for him to come back in a few days. We want to share every moment possible with them before they move to Australia again in a couple of weeks. I want to say Thank You to all of my family for making this happen for me & Bill today. It was sort of a group effort to accomplish this.....first off I want to say thank you to my "HUBBY" for being such a great photographer & having all the knowledge to set the camera & lights. Then thank you to both Jason & Natalie, our beautiful children for their loving smiles & helpful caring ways. They were so good at co-ordinating clothes on the spur of the moment. Also I want to say thank you to my son-in-law who was suffering with a migraine headache for being so gracious to allow us to do this while he wasn't feeling so well. Also thank you to Isaak for being just so "STINKIN' CUTE" and doing so good when he was really tired from his nap being cut short today!! Then thank you to my Mom for actually being the one to push the button on the camera & being the photographer for the day. And doesn't she look great?!?! I look like I could be her Mother. LOL!!! And then last of all thank you to my Mother-in-law who was such a good sport for going along with all of this when she had "NO IDEA" that we were even gonna do this. Actually we didn't either. LOL!!!! But that's how our family tends to do things.........we just go with the flow and we're very last minute, spontaneous kind of people. We have tried for nearly the last 5 to 7 years to do our family portrait so I am just thrilled that we could finally make it become reality. That is why this is the best christmas present "EVER"!!! I just want to take this time to wish everyone a MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS from our family and hope that your family is equally blessed as ours was this beautiful holiday season.

T.K. "BOYD CO." 2010

2009-12-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

We had such a good time photographing T.K. for his senior portraits last week!!! He brought in some neat things with him, but most of all he brought that FABULOUS smile! With it being Christmas and all, we had some Christmas CD's playing in the camera room. I enjoyed so much hearing T.K. singing along & harmonizing with the Harry Connick Jr. stuff. He is sooOOoo very talented in the music dept. and I think he probably gets that from his MOMMA!!! Cindy actually taught our daughter in choir at BCHS quite a few years ago, and it was good to see her again. Plus it was actually too funny because we were wearing the exact same shirt, we sorta looked like twins!! LOL!!! T.K. had lots of really nice poses, I especially loved the close-up serious one. I hope that everyone is having a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS today and is spending it with family & friends while enjoying this little sneak peak of T.K...... Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

"BCHS SR" Emily'10

2009-12-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here goes with my attempt at a shorter blog...since everyone is so busy right now with all of the last minute Christmas stuff. Meet Emily, I thought her session turned out GREAT!!!! She has one fantastic smile and it just lights up any room she walks in. I especially loved the close-up pose in the orange top, that is such a good color on her! And don'tcha just love the one in the santa hat?!?! I hope Santa brings her everything on her wishlist, but idk seems like she told me she might have been a little naughty this year, so we'll have to see. LOL!!!! Emily was worried about not bringing real dressy type outfits for her session. I assured her that wasn't a problem & told her that basic simple things like you wear everyday always photographs the best. In other words simplicity never goes out of style. Well I better quit rambling or before you know it this will be my typical, long, on & on sort'a blog! Enjoy this little sneak peak of Emily's senior session. :^)

Suzanne "BCHS Sr.2010"

2009-12-18T20:51:00.001-08:00

Suzanne came in for her senior session last week. She had never been here before but she brought along her BF Hannah, who has been here numerous times. It helps to have someone with you who makes you feel comfortable, not to mention, if you bring lots of stuff with you they can help you carry things in. LOL!!! But Suzanne just went for a smaller session so Hannah didn't have to do that, but she was great at helping with her hair & offering ideas for poses & backgrounds. Suzanne said something about not being very photogenic, and I don't really know what she was talking about. I mean look at how cute & adorable, she has such a beautiful smile! Often times people base their opinions on not being photogenic from years of typical school pictures. But senior portraits are "COMPLETELY" different than the ones taken at school. They are usually under such a rigid time frame & aren't really able to make all of the necessary adjustments. Whereas we try to devote 100% of our attention to you & create poses & background choices that make you look your very best!!! Plus I am a very detailed person & I try really hard to notice all kinds of stuff & most girls really appreciate that. Well I'm gonna make this one a little shorter than normal, I know here lately I have been rambling waAAAAy to long. My blogs keep getting longer all of the time and probably make no sense whatsoever, but hopefully some of you can figure out what I'm trying to say. Shorter blogs & posts, that may just be my NEW YEARS Resolution!!! Ha-ha! I hope that everyone enjoys this sneak peak of Suzanne's senior session. HEY, if anyone is wanting snow pictures I think we should be able to work that out with what I just saw outside!!! :^)

Laura "BCHS 2010 Sr."

2009-12-13T19:07:00.001-08:00

Winter Wonderland was what Laura woke up to on the day of her Senior Portrait Session, well almost, or at least as close as we've had so far! Even though we had very little snow last Saturday morning it really photographed so pretty with all of the different evergreen trees we have here at the studio! The ones of her in her black & white coat, gloves & hat were amazing!!!! In some of them you can look closely and see snowflakes in the air, since it was actually snowing while we were outside. The only thing was, Laura was wearing some super cute high heel boots with peep-toes, and we didn't want her toes to get tooooo cold! I had never seen any of those before. I think she is a girl like myself.......she loves her shoes & all of them were so fashionable!!! I just wish I could still wear the heels & cute styles but unfortunately comfort has won over. Laura decided to do her session in 2 parts so that she could wear her hair straight & then curled. This gave her a variety of different looks and she looks goregous now matter how her hair is fixed!!! Her younger sister came along as a special request from their grandmother to have an individual head & shoulders portrait as well. After doing that we decided to take one of the 2 of them together and I just had to post it, they were both extremely photogenic & had fantastic smiles!!! I thought it was neat how they were wearing "big sis" & "little sis" necklaces. Laura also brought along some magazine photo ads & some images on her phone of several poses that she liked & asked us to try. This is very helpful when someone takes the time to do that, and the end results are designed or custom created just for you. It isn't absolutely mandatory but we like it when seniors have some idea's of their own. We may not be able duplicate it exactly but we will put our spin on it plus it makes our job more fun & keeps things fresh for us. Plus I think it will make your session just a little bit different than the next senior that comes along. Well we didn't ask Laura to do the famous "WHITLOCK SQUATTY/KNEELY" pose, however we did have her to do the next best thing the "PRETZEL" pose! LOL!!!! I thought that whole series turned out so GREAT, and especially with her being barefoot! Well I better quit rambling so much and post a few more images. Sorry I am a little bit behind right now but we've been extemely buzy over the last several weeks. Also we have be enjoying our little 22 month old grandson who is here visiting before he moves off to Australia in a few weeks. Well I hope that everyone likes this little sneak peak of Laura's session, ENJOY!!! :^)

Kamryn is " O - N - E " ! ! !

2009-12-02T16:49:00.001-08:00

What a precious little angel "MISS KAMRYN" was for her first birthday session last week! I know she has been sick since her session, so I hope she is feeling all better now! She had so much fun with getting to wear her Christmas outfits and pushing around the bear in the sleigh. I thought she was wearing a matching Santa purse but as it turned out that was a muff. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's something that you put your hands into to keep them warm (another option like gloves or mittens except it hangs around your neck). Also when she wore her Christmas dress she was such a big girl and climbed up into the big chair all by herself, with only a footstool to help. Mary brought along a little bit of "BLING" for her session, a Rhinestone Christmas ornament shaped like the letter " K" for Kamryn. And then it was time to get the party started......birthday cake, party hats, noise makers, ballons & even a present!! By the end of the party things got a little messy, especially when Kamryn wanted Kasey to join in on eating cake with her. Or I don't know, maybe it was really Devon who started the smearing of the icing first. LOL!!!! All I know is that Mary probably used a whole box of her wet wipes to remove as much as possible. Or at least enough to be able to get her dressed to go home, I would say bathtime shortly followed! Her going home outfit was just a cute as everything else she wore during her session, it was leopard! And then her coat was a dark red fur with all of this leopard trim...TOO CUTE!!! I hope that everyone enjoys this adorable little sneak peek of Kamryn's one year old session. And as you can tell the images are posted in reverse order of how they were taken, for some reason I have never been able to figure out how to correct that with this blogger site. Since I had such a hard time choosing only a few to post I decided to put up several of my favorites. But HEY, it's not everyday that a girl turns " O - N - E " now is it?!?!?! We look forward to photographing this little princess again over the next several years & anticipate watching her grow and go thru all of the cute ages & different phases. And oh yea, by the way Kasey was so nice & such a gentleman by helping out with all of the clean up, Thanks so much! :-)

Thankfull Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving and the Whitlock family has been blessed this year. Several days ago Theresa started getting ready for Thanksgiving. This included new exterior doors, having the reception room and hallways in the studio painted, new light fixtures for the kitchen and livingroom, painting the livingroom and hauling off several loads to the dump, plus she gave several loads of useable items to Mr Hall. Mr Hall works with several local churches that provide things to those that need it. While the above list seems short we have worked really hard to get everything done.

Jason and his girlfriend came in from Lexington, Natalie and her family came in from Wilmington, NC. We enjoyed meeting Jason's girlfriend Ashley, she seems like a truly great person. Jason cooked a great Thanksgiving dinner for us yesterday. We will be having dinner with the Whitlock family this afternoon and are looking forward to an enjoyable time.

Our Thanksgiving will be complete when they return home safely.

Natalie and the family will be moving to Townsville, Australie in Jan of 2010. She has gotten a really good job at James Cook University. While teaching there she will also work on her Phd. I can see how excited she is. This is a major move for them. Townsville is in the hot northeast corner of Aussie. It will mean that Theresa and me won't get to see them but once a year, but we understand what this move means to them.

We hope that everyone has a Thanksgiving with as much love and joy that we are having.
Bill

"FHS" Matt 2010

2009-11-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

Here is such a super nice senior guy from Fairview who came in for his session a week or so ago. Matt definitely works well in front of a camera, I think he could seriously be a model for Abercrombie!!! I especially loved the ones when he put the hat or toboggan on (not sure if that's what they call it or not). There are several others in this series that turned out GREAT! His Dad brought in a framed 16x20 of his older sister and wanted us to do something to match up with hers. I think the close-up pose will be perfect and look awesome in a black & white. I am sorry that I have been kind'a slow in getting these posted but we have been in the middle of a really big painting & redecorating project at the studio and also at home as well. So I really appreciate everyone being patient with us right now and hopefully in just a few days things will be back to normal. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to do this right in the middle of our busy season, you might say my timing was off a little bit!!! LOL!! Our Son & girlfriend, Daughter & family will all be coming home in just a few days for Thanksgiving & I can't wait to see them all. Well I have so much to do and it's getting kind'a late so I'm gonna make this one short & sweet.....ENJOY the little sneak peak at Matt's session everyone!!! :)

Winter Camera Equipment Care

2009-11-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Summer has come and gone and now the cold of winter is coming. Taking care of your photography gear is slightly different than in summer. Your gear will be exposed to wider temperature ranges. Unless your camera gear is kept in a moist area there should be no problems taking cameras outdoors. Most modern camera equipment works just fine at local temperatures. Keeping the batteries warm is important because as they run down the cold will affect them. If you get things wet, do not store them in your camera bag. Anytime a camera is exposed to moisture it is best to place it out in the room and leave it there, until you're sure that it is dry. Moisture inside a lens will cause problems. Sending the lens to be repaired may be required. Where I use my gear on a daily basis I very seldom have anything stored in a sealed space. Also since I use it frequently I don't go on vacation with gear that hasn't been used for several months. Please try to avoid touching any contacts with your bare skin. Your body oil may cause problems with the contacts. While it's probably not the best advice, a pencil eraser lightly rubbed across a contact has been know to clean contacts. Winter is just as good for taking photographs as in summer. So bundle up, wait for a snow, find a water fall, go out and take some pictures & enjoy the greatest hobby in the world!

Austin "BCHS 2010 Sr."

2009-11-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

Last week Austin came in for his senior portrait session, and we had such a good time during his session!! He was just super easy to work with and was just so nice & helpful the whole time he was here. I think we have photographed him many times over the years,ever since he was in JFL football or little league baseball. But the senior portrait session is quite a bit different from all of those sports type pictures and for dances like Homecomings & Proms. We actually get to spend so much more time one & one and get the chance to have a little bit more fun! Austin brought in his motorcross/dirtbike with him & I don't know who enjoyed that more.....I think Bill probably did! LOL!!! I know as they were unloading the bike Bill was really taking such an active part in helping Austin & he even suggested they bring the bike inside the studio. That was definitely a FIRST!! I think Austin said the battery was run down and they weren't able to get it started but that didn't stop Bill from tryin anway.....I think it brought back so many good memories for Bill of all of his days of dirtbike ridin' in the strip mines and all over Boyd & Carter Co. Well I think Austin has sooOOOo many really good images, I especially loved the one in the white & navy striped shirt. I think that was the very first pose Bill took of him too, and normally it takes several minutes before people begin to losen up & feel comfortable. But I guess Austin has been around us to know us a little bit and he was ready right from the start. I also loved his famous "WHITLOCK SQUATTY-KNEELY" poses, the one in the t-shirt plus the one with his dirtbike. This is just a pose that I have given that name to and most everybody that comes here is asked to do it. So everybody better practice that pose, and if for some reason I forget and don't ask you to do it, just remind me! LOL!!! It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl wearing stilletto heels..... I know that Austin and Zack were leaving going to EKU right after his session and I hope we didn't make them too late getting there. Also his Mom Debbie was just so sweet and helpful too & we really enjoyed talking with her. I hope everyone enjoys this little sneak peak of Austin's senior session. :)

Allison "BCHS 2010 SR."

2009-11-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

We just photographed Allison last week for her senior portrait session, and had so much fun working with her! I can tell you one thing, we sure do have some of the best lookin' girls around right here in Boyd County. Isn't she absolutely beautiful,and that smile of her's just lights up the room. Until recently when she was here for Homecoming pictures I hadn't seen her for a while and it's hard to believe that she is a S-E-N-I-O-R now! I can remember when we photographed her older brother Travis for his senior portraits. Becky had us to photograph Adam & Allison along with Travis in a couple of poses. And seems like Allison might have been in elementary school or maybe at the middle school, but anyway she has definitely grown up since then & changed so much!!! I absolutely loved all of her shoes that she brought in to wear with all of her different outfits. Were those red heels KILLER or what?!?! Also the little black & white plaid heels were so fun too, as you might have guessed I am a shoe-A-holic!!! I think that is something that my Mamaw instilled in me, she always loved shoes too. She would find a pair that she liked and buy it in every color that they made in that particular style. I may never have anything to wear, but I always have a closet full of shoes. The only thing is now comfort seems to play such an important roll these days, but that still doesn't keep me from lovin' all the cute styles that the senior girls bring in. I would still wear some of these if I could only look half as cute as Allison does in everything she puts on!!!( But I probably couldn't even stand up in them, let alone walk.... LOL!!!!) Well I thought her outside poses with the dog tured out grrrreaAAAat!!! And I was taken back to a funny thing that happened when we did her older brothers senior session. At the time Travis had a big Golden Retriever or that type of a dog, and we have a great big pond here at the studio. So I'll let you guess what happened.......yes you guessed it. Luckily, they live right up at the top of Marsh Hill Drive so Adam walked the soaking wet dog home since Becky wouldn't let him ride back home in their car. I think Allison was one of the last sessions who were able to take advantage of the beautiful fall colors. Also the sweater she wore looked fabulous against the brilliantly colored leaves. Well I hope that everyone enjoys the little sneak peak of Allison's session..... :)

"Courtney & Tom "

2009-11-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Engagement sessions are always a lot of fun to do but this one was especially enjoyable for us. Courtney & Tom came in the studio a few days ago for their offical engagement portrait session. We have actually photographed Courtney many times before but it had been several years ago, back when she was in high school. We did her senior portraits and she always came here for all of her Prom & Homecoming Dance pictures. It is so nice when someone like Courtney comes back to us years later after she's been off to college & gotten her education. And are at the point where their starting their lives together with a very special someone they've chosen to share their hopes & dreams with. I always have to ask during the course of a session, how the couple met (I guess I must be nosey like that or something?!?!?) LOL!!!! Bill & I met at the "BLUEGRASS" about this time of year back in 1977, & yes he was cruzin' but I wasn't (Ha-ha!!) Since this iconic hot spot is no longer in Ashland I don't understand how people meet each other anymore! But it was funny how Tom & Courtney both actually attended BC high school at the same time, but never really knew each other till later. They were so sweet together and I wish them the happiest life as they begin their journey. The formal ones of them were fantastic & the ones in the sweaters were so good & I particularly loved the one of her looking into Tom's eyes. And doesn't that one show off her ring quite nicely??!?! I think Tom has excellent taste & did very well with his selections, the engagement ring was absolutely stunning and then choosing Courtney as his future wife. I know that their session lasted a little longer than normal but we just enjoyed talking with them and getting caught up on what's been going on....and we're so sorry Mamaw that we made them late for supper! I know they couldn't hardly wait to get there to eat and did somebody say somethin' about MEATLOAF?!?! (Y-U-M-M-O) But somebody wouldn't stop talking their leg off, & I won't mention any names. Hee-hee-ha-ha! I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peak of their engagement session. :)

Blazer Sr. "Kasey 2010"

2009-10-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Kasey came in last week for his senior session and he photographed so GREAT!!! In other words, what you might say he's "photogenic". As I have said on numerous occasions you don't have to be smiling from ear to ear in every single pose for it to be a great image, as you can see on some of Kasey's more serious ones. He brought in such a nice selection of clothes to wear for his session and he was so nice to work with. I appreciate him being so patient with us, cause we don't really move at lightning speed around here. We got some super cute poses of him & Kamryn together, she was absolutely adorable!! I loved the little hat she was wearing it was just too cute! Also the ones of Kasey outside with his cars turned out so nice, I thought the fall colors added just the right amount of warmth to the overall look. And for anyone wanting to have the pretty fall folliage in their portraits, we only have about a week left to take advantage of that - so make sure you give us a call! After we were all finished with the outside poses with his little BMW Kasey asked if we could just run back inside and photograph a poster he had brought with him. So we began working with it and I think the Motley Crue one turned out pretty cool, I hope he likes it! Well I better run for now, gotta go to a Mini Class Reunion (& I'm not sayin' how many yrs) Enjoy this little sneak peak of Kasey everyone! :)

"Meghan" - Part 2

2009-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

This second part of Meghan's session had to be the most fun we've had in a long time!!! Let me tell you what, that dress didn't slow Meghan down one bit. She could climb rocks & hills,run & jump, swing & play on the playground and do stuff that I could only dream of doing. I just loved the Chuck Taylor tennis shoes and the purple stripped tube socks, that just made the outfit don'tcha think?? The one in the yellow sweater was sooOOOOOoo absolutely beautiful it's almost breath taking. The lighting was so magnificent as it was shinning down thru that rock/tunnel/cave or whatever & then put someone like Meghan in that setting and this is what you get!!! The ones that Meghan had on the jacket with the fur hood were K-I-L-L-E-R!!!! She was such a trouper and braved the cold water and even waded out in it almost knee deep. And how 'bout them BOOTS?!?!? LOL!!! Meghan's Mom, Becky assisted us with the lighting, and she really did a great job & I think she even had fun doing it too! You never know what we might ask you to do or even put you to work, huh? Meghan's Part 2 session is what we like to call "TRASH THE DRESS". I think this definitely has the W-O-W factor all over it & will be the "NEXT BIG THING" type of session for the senior girls! Take one of your old dresses you've worn to a dance in the past that you don't plan on selling or ever wearing again & then a location where you normally would "NOT" be all dressed up in a formal dress & there you have it! After the session is over basically the dress is ready for the trash...just give us a call and we can fill you in on the details. Or better yet, be thinking up a location or idea of your own. We're always open to new ideas & up for almost anything, thats what makes our job so exciting!! We had so many good ones from this session I couldn't hardly stop myself from posting more than I usually do, but believe me there's more.......ENJOY this little sneak peak! :)

BCHS 2010 Sr. "Meghan"

2009-10-17T01:01:00.001-07:00

Meghan came in last week for part one of her senior session. I had thought I would wait and post her images after part 2 of her session but I couldn't wait to share these with everybody!!!! Her smile is just absolutely GORGEOUS and she was a dream to have in front of the camera. I thought the ones in her scrubs with her nursing stuff was so cute & fun. Also her little weiner dog "FRANK" was a hoot and we got some really great images with him!!! He loves to play with a baseball and Bill really had him hyped up chasing after the ball. I kept trying to call him "Fred" and then after I realized what his name actually was it made perfect since to me!! Sort of a clever name for a weiner dog, wouldn't you say?!?! She mentioned to me that most of her outfits were mainly black & white. That was perfectly fine, because she looks great in that color combination with her tan, dark hair & brown eyes. Especially when you throw in the splashes of red with it. We got rained out on the outdoor part of her session and we are looking forward to part 2 with her next week. We have some really "F U N" stuff planned to do and I can't wait to share that with everybody later. But for right now it will be a surprise.....LOL!!!! Meghan called me a long time ago and told me she would be getting her braces off this fall and she wanted to come in for her session right as soon as she got them off. She was anxious & excited to come in for her session and we were too! I should quit rambling so much and wrap this up for now. Well,hopefully you guys will enjoy these and be watching out for part 2 of Meghan......they should be reeEEEEally good! :)

2010 SENIOR "Brad"

2009-10-09T23:03:00.001-07:00

Brad was such an easy goin', laid back kind of a guy, and we had such a good time doing his sr. session last week! He would go along with anything that I asked him to do and was just so nice to work with. Ya know, sometimes when guys are scheduled for their senior cuts it isn't really high on their list of things they wanna do,but they go ahead just because Mom says so. But honestly I think once most guys get here and see that it's not as "HORRIBLE" as they initally thought and that Bill & I just take things slow & try to have a good time then most of the time it all works out!! And I think that was the case with Brad, he wasn't overly excited at first, but all the while still being very cooperative. But by the end of his session I think maybe he had changed his mind a little bit. We had some fun with the soccer poses at the end of his session. I was tossing the soccer ball and Brad was "HEADING" it and even his little brother Noah wanted to do it too!! We actually took a few cute shots of Noah just because he was such a trooper and was "SO" good during Brad's session. We had photographed Brad once before but it had been 8 or 9 yrs. ago during their family portrait session. So this was completely different than being with the whole family, all of the attention was entirely on him this time. Plus he had really grown up & changed so much since we had seen him last. It was so nice to see Sue again, his Momma, and we really enjoyed chatting with her. I absolutely loved so many of Brad's images and I think they are gonna have a hard time choosing, at least I did because he was exceptionally photogenic!!! The ones in the black shirt were all soOOOOoo good, that was definitly a good look for him! I really hope that Brad and the rest of his family enjoy this little sneak peak of his session. :))

JARED 2010 "BCHS Senior"

2009-10-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

Jared came in last week for his senior portrait session and we had such a good time with him. I think where he's been coming here for Dances and sports pictures for most of his life he felt real comfortable being here! Thats how we want everybody that comes here to feel, just like your visiting with some of your friends. It was so good to talk & visit with Bobbi again, we do love to talk, as most of you are already aware of that. Ha-ha!! We absolutely love it when we are given the opportunity to work with such a good lookin' subject and then to top it all off a super nice personality to go along with it! Sessions like Jared's is why "WE LOVE OUR JOB & PHOTOGRAPHING SENIORS!!!! I remember when we did his older sister's senior session about 5 or 6 years ago, his Momma had us to take some of him & Kasey together.(Sorry if I misspelled her name) And back then I don't think he was quite as tall as she was but OMG'sh.......he has really passed her up now! I'm sure now she reeEEEEally has to look up at Jared since he's turned out to be quite tall!! Well I better get to bed now before the sun comes up......LOL!!! I know that Jared is in Gatlinburg right now during fall break so I hope that he & everyone else enjoys this little sneak peak at his images! :)

" B C H S " Homecoming Dance Video

2009-10-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

Bill & I would like to "THANK" everybody that came to our studio on Saturday nite for BCHS Homecoming! Your dance pictures will be ready for you to pick up at our studio from 11:30 to 5:30on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. I hope that everyone enjoys the little sneak peak video......... :)

"BCHS Homecoming Dance"

2009-10-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Just a last minute invite to everyone to come by and visit us a Whitlock's on Saturday nite! Gonna try something out new this time and see how much of a response we get. Here goes........if you say the words "SHOW ME THE WALLETS", we'll add 8 extra wallets onto your package. Also for any 2010 Seniors that have done their Senior Portraits here or already have them scheduled at WHITLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY say the words "SENIORS RULE", and we'll add on a Black & White pose with 1-5x7 & 4Wallets!!! Remember now you gotta say the W O R D S to get the extra goods, and sorry we have to limit just one special per couple only. Hope to see everybody on Saturday nite! :)

"OUR RECENT TRIP TO WILMINGTON"

2009-10-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

As several of you may already know, we just recently returned from a visit with our daughter & her family in Wilmington,NC. Well we had such a wonderful time down there and Bill accused me of trying to spoil Isaak rotten. "HEY, Isn't that what Grandparents are supposed to do"?!? I was only trying to do my job! No seriously we absolutely adore this little guy or maybe I should say we're C R A Z Y over him!!! He's also very animated, as you can see in some of these. I can't imagine where that comes from now......can you??!!?! The close-up one where Nat is holding him & the sun is just beaming down on his hair is truly a "PRECIOUS MOMENT"......I just love the one where Damon is tossing him up in the air, he loves for his Daddy to do this. Then the one that melts our hearts the most is the one where they are walking away. We were so happy to be able to share time with them and look forward to more times like these. We also went to a local park nearby their home, I will post some images that we took of Isaak playing there in a day or so. Isaak is ate up with cuteness and has the sweetest little smile & personality so I just wanted to share these with everyone. Love, Granna & Grandpaw Whitlock

Vacation at the beach

2009-09-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Posted on our opening page and in the children section are several images of the family. It shouldn't be hard to id the grandson. There is something about his hair that gives it away. I had hoped to be at the beach a little later in the day, but we ended up there a litte early. Other than the light being 3 stops too bright we had the problem of late afternoon light coming from one direction and a 15 mph breeze blowing in from the ocean. I had everything planned out before arrival and had the equipment with me to take the photographs that I wanted. For most of the time we had heavy cloud cover as some of the images shows. Actually the heavy clouds added a unexpected quality to some of the images. Natalie and Damon will be moving before long, at this time no plans are final. The image of the 3 of them walking away from the camera toward the dark cloud set the tone of this image. All of their plans are exciting and will no doult be good for their future and also add memories to be shared for the rest of their lives, but some of their plans could mean that we wouldn't be able to see them very often. To me that is the dark cloud in this image. To go through life and never be willing to reach for the horizon means that life fulfilling goals that should be realized are never achieved. Where they are in the image is bright and safe, but they are headed toward the horizon. I think that they have carefully considered all their goals and are bravely acting on them, but sometimes it's hard on Dad to bravely be the one that provides encouragement. Someday we'll have great stories to share.
Dad

BRAD 2010 "FHS Senior"

2009-09-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Brad was in the studio last week for his senior session, and we had so much fun photographing him. We really love it when senior guys like Brad come in for their senior portraits! You can tell the ones that are excited to have them done from the ones who's Moms are forcing them to have senior portraits made. The end results always tells it all............and Brad's images speak loud & clear that he didn't mind being here and that he was actually having a good time!! I think he ended up with a strong session with lots of really GREAT images and look at what a fantastic smile he has! Even though his smile was great we took a few serious ones as well, isn't the baseball one "FIERCE"?!?!?!! I hope I'm not embarrasing him by braggin' on him a little bit. Even though this was the first time we had actually met Brad, I kind'a feel like we go back a little bit. I went to FHS back in the day & graduated with his Momma (Carla), and then we did his older sister (Jessica's) senior portraits years ago. And seems like we photographed him some during baseball little league days back several years ago...............but at my age I can hardly remember anything anymore! LOL!!! Well I hope that everybody enjoys this little sneak peak of Brad's session! :)

Summer's over

2009-09-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

I think that our travel for vacations is over for the year. We went to the Smokies and as usual have a great time. We went to Cades Cove and saw 3 bears. They were kinda small and back in the trees, but we saw them. We went to the Smith Brothers show and had good meals at the Alamo and Old Mill. My brother and his wife was there for part of the time. The ladies went shopping and we went up in the mountains. I was able to actually do some of the things that I have been talking about in older bloggs. I got some good images and some that probably won't be posted. The only problem I had was not being able to spend the time to be at the right location at the right time. I always love being outdoors and breathing clean mountain air.

This past weekend we were in Wilmington, Nc. As usual when Theresa is with Isaak there is a big battle. She tries here hardest to spoil him and the tries to remain the sweet and unspoiled child that he is! He is into everthing and just dares anyone to get in his way. Sunday evening we when to the beach for a photo session. The wind was blowing the wrong direction for the light, but again I tried some of the things I have talked about in my blog. Some of the images turned out good, some for the delete key.

Like I mentioned earlier we love photography and are always looking for a new idea or location for that perfect image

"Rockin' Video of Trey"

2009-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

"The Smokie Mountains"

2009-09-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we were on vacation in the Smokie Mountains and I just wanted to share this story with everyone. Bill always loves to photograph all of the old settlements, and cabins as well as the beautiful mountain streams so that is what we were doing. Along our drive that day I had noticed a particular van parked here & there with writing in the windows like you would normally see at a wedding reception, but this one caught my eye. It read something like "JUST MARRIED AGAIN, 50 YEARS"!!! At the next place we stopped Bill got out of the van to set up his tripod to begin photographing this log cabin & mountain stream. Lo and behold there was a couple stopped at the same location just walking around. I said, Oh Bill I would just love it if you could get some photographs with that couple in some of them. So he approached them and asked if we could photograph them, and explained to them that he was a professional photographer. Also he reassured them that he wasn't trying to sell them anything by no means. We were just on vacation our selves and wanted to do this merely for our pleasure. Well, they were the sweetest couple and we found out that they were the ones driving the van we had seen with the writing in the windows. They were so kind to pose for us and let us "PLAY" and photograph them for at least 30 minutes or longer. Bill didn't have all of his standard equipment with us that we normally use when photographing people outside, we thought he'd mainly be doing landscape photography. While talking with them we learned that they were from around Chattanooga TN & that they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I hope that both of them & all of their family enjoy the images that we were able to capture. In some small way I hope we've added some memories of this truly special time in their lives. We want to wish Mr. & Mrs. Bice a HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY!!! Most people go on vacation to get away from their work, but not when you are in a profession like ours.............this is what makes our work so enjoyable and rewarding. We absolutely love what we do!

HOMECOMING DANCE PACKAGES

2009-09-06T18:30:00.001-07:00

We will be open on Sat. the 12th for the "HOMECOMING DANCES". I absolutely love this time of year, when you can feel the crispness in the air and leaves begin to change!! Also we just love to see all the couples when they come into the studio all dressed up. Please check out the packages above that will be available for you to order. All portraits are to be paid for at the time you are photographed, and we do accept most major credit cards. We do not accept American Express. Please allow 10-14 days for your Homecoming Portraits to arrive. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions or need directions to our studio. We will be open from 3:30 to 7:00, you may call to schedule an appointment or just walk-in. Ask to see if "WHITLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY" will be open for your schools Homecoming Dance.......... :)

"Kelcie 2010" Video

2009-08-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this "SENIOR 2010 VIDEO" of Kelcie!

Call Whitlock Photography today.......who knows, we

could make a cool video like this of you too!!!!

Flash Photography

2009-08-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

The FLASH can be a blessing and also the worst item in your camera bag. I read all the time about available light photography, and when done properly available light is great. But most of the time the addition of flash improves the image. For landscapes a flash is normally of no benefit. The use of a flash on a cheap camera at a night time concert doesn't help, you might get your picture but the flash probably didn't help, the same goes for indoor concerts in large arenas. I have photographed groups at both locations and it is unreal how strong the flashes have to be when you are several feet from the stage. By cranking up the ISO on the camera you can get pictures without using flash and also probably not get thrown out by security.

One of the reasons I like Dslr's is that they have a hot shoe that allows one to slide a flash onto the camera. This kind of flash has lots of advantages over the built in flash. As I mentioned in an earlier blog redeye is caused when the flash is too close to the lens on the camera, the slide-in flash puts the flash head a little farther from the lens. Hopefully when buying a flash your budget allows you to look at a quality unit. These are larger, more powerful, and offer features that are very important. Metz makes a flash unit that has a small flash that points at the subject and a larger, more powerful flash that can be bounced of the ceiling or wall that works great. For those that photograph wedding it is important of have someone hold a second flash off to the side when working in dark receptions halls. This is a time when having the camera in hard manuel and spending time practicing to get the required results. I have seen several wedding photographs recently and this is missing in all of them. I learned about this when assisting a international known photographer in a beautiful wedding in Cincinnati at a place known as The Hall of Mirrors. On the job training is a hard way to learn but it proved to be a quick way and it really changed my wedding photography for as long as we photographed weddings. Hanson Fong makes a unit that fits a lot of flashes that improves the output of the single flash.

Most newer cameras allow working in darker locations without a flash, but knowing how and when to use a flash will make your images better that your friend that doesn't use a flash. The best use of a flash is when the photograph looks better and still doesn't look like a flash has been used. The last word of advise is to study and practice, when you wear out the spouse and kids start on the dog, they are loyal and when they crawl under the bed it may be time to take a break.

We are planning a few days in the Smokies and if the weather is good I hope to put my camera where my mouth is and to be able to show what I am talking about. The flash isn't going on this trip. Composition is the area that concerns me the most. I haven't done any landscape photography in a long time. We won't doing any hiking so we'll miss some of the most photographic locations. This will be our vacation and what are we planning to do? PHOTOGRAPY, why, because we love it.

2009 BCHS Dance Team

2009-08-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls you will be watching perform at all of the Boyd County games this year. Aren't they such a beautiful bunch of girls?!?!?!!! I tell you what, I don't think I'm being partial or anything like that but we sure do have some of the best lookin' girls around. I don't know if it's in the food, or the water, or just something they teach these girls at school........ LOL!!!! We have photographed the dance team for years for Penny Armstrong, who is their sponsor. This is the pose that will be used in the BC Football Program and I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peek at them before watching them dance at the football games! I know these girls work extremely hard too, and just like the cheerleaders their sport is year around. I know that they compete at all levels, District, Regions and Nationals as well. And they have done quite well in the past and I know that this year won't be any different!! Marina, Jamie, Megan & Shelby have recently achieved an honor or have been chosen to compete at a higher level. I'm sorry forgive me, but I can't remember the name of the award or the exact organization that Penny mentioned. Their photo will be in the football program and so make sure you check it out there. Sometimes things get a little hectic when we are photographing all of the different groups, but we are proud of them and please show them a little support thru out the year! :)

Photography when it's fun

2009-08-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had a request to recommend what type of camera to purchase from a beautiful lady that has a interest in photography. I tried to answer her questions and I hope that my info was helpful.
While it is important to make a wise selection when buying photography gear I feel that it is more important to learn the rules of photography. When you have learned even the most basic rules it makes photography much more fun and rewarding. I was always concerned that my photography wasn't as good as I thought it should be. Photography information is very easy to obtain. It seems that there are as many people wanting to teach photography as there are those that are wanting to be a professional photographer.
There are two elements that makes great images. The first is composition and the second is light. Then having quality equipment to capture the image comes into play. The more you understand the rules of photography the easier to make your selection of equipment. I like Dslr's because you can change lenses. The best Dslrs are weather resistant, have better ISO ranges, faster shutter speeds, larger sensors (both in actual size and pixel count), better focus systems and are built to last a long time. Both Canon and Nikon (the big boys in the business) have excellent cameras in the $600-900 range. These aren't going to compete with the pro series cameras but are still a very good value. Visit a good pro shop and listen to their advise. The info obtained at the big box store may not be the best for your needs. All larger cities have pro shops which are going to be about the same price as the big box stores.

The important rules are: learn what shutter speed does, what aperture is, what white balance is, why setting your camera in hard manuel can be better that auto, learn that "P" doesn't mean professional. Learn when using a tripod is important, learn when different filters should be used, learn what EV 10 means to beautiful photography, learn that the biggest f-stop isn't aways the best, then try to justify to the spouse why you spent the big dollar for a new camera body or lens. The GREAT thing about photography is that you don't have to learn everything at once. Go to a work shop, read a photography book, watch a photography video and then go practice what you have learn and practice until you understand the lesson and then learn something new. This makes learning fun and in a short time you will be amazed at the improvements in you photography.
There are several other things I haven't touched on this time. I'll try to write about using a flash, and also go into some depth on the above subjects. I don't consider myself as the best source of infomation about most areas of photography, but I have enjoyed photography for over 40 years, I have studied from the best in the business in portraiture and weddings. I go to workshops as often as possible and try to hangout with photographers that are better than I am. We no longer photograph weddings but I still go to some wedding workshops because there is always good info at these workshops. I view weddings to be very demanding to do properly. I read photography articles everyday on the internet, we subscribe to video workshops. I am approaching 61 years old and have health issues that limit my activities some, but we plan to keep Whitlock Photography open for a long time, WHY, because we love photography, we love it when a new parent cries when viewing the images of their new born, the parents of a high school senior cries when they see the images of their child and realize their child has grown up and the eyes of a son or daughter when they see the images of their parents that we have been honored to photograph. The image of my father that I captured about five years before he died is hanging on my wall. He still had that little smile that he often had and he looked healthy, he was about 79 at the time.
So my best advice for those that have an interest in photography is to learn, pratice, learn and then practice. More important is learn how to buy your equipment without making the spouse kick you out of the house

Madison "BCHS" Sr.'10

2009-08-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago Madison came to our studio for her senior portrait session. She was so much fun to photograph, I mean look at her........ isn't she AMAZING?!?!!! I think she brought some really nice clothes with her, every single outfit she put on looked great! The styles that the senior girls are bringing in this year for their sessions is so classy and retro. Almost has a little bit of a "Jackie'O" flair to it, and it's so refreshing to see this style becoming popular again. Fashions like these are something that I want to call timeless, and not something that the girls will look back on 10yrs. from now and ask theirself "WHAT WAS I THINKING"?? Lots of other trends really get dated quick but I don't see this one ever going out of style for a long time. Sorry I got off on a run there for a moment, but I just had to mention what a great job Madison did in choosing what to wear for her session!!! I think she would even get the Stacey & Clinton approval! Some of you may watch that show on TLC and know what I'm talkin' about. I think that she also made the infamous "WHITLOCK SQUATTY KNEELY POSE" look better than some others do, and yes she even did it wearing heels!! LOL!!!! Now come on guys, surely if Madison can do this wearing heels it shouldn't be too hard for you guys sportin' your tennis shoes. Well I guess I have rambled on & said a whole lot of nothing, I"ll try to wrap it up so everyone can enjoy this little sneak preview of Madison's session, ENJOY!!! :)

Zack "BC Senior 2010"

2009-08-12T18:54:00.001-07:00

We had such a GREAT session with Zack. All I gotta say is he's gonna have lots of girls lining up for wallets, so ya better make sure you have LOTS Zack!!! LOL!! No seriously, I really think that he photographed so well and we were so pleased with how everything went with his session from beginning to end. And as you can see he is definitely very photogenic.......... I really, really loved the one with his bike and motorcross stuff. Zack actually just emailed me a photo of his bike taken in his garage and I kinda' did my thing with it. I really hope that he likes this one and that I got what he was wanting. As usual it was raining during most of Zack's session and we had already decided to reschedule his outside poses. Then lo and behold right as they were getting ready to leave the weather cleared up so we were able to take the ones of him & his truck and some other ones outside. So you never can tell about MOTHER NATURE!!! So if on the day of your senior session the weather looks yukky outside just go ahead and come anyway, chances are it still might work out! Well I better wrap this up so that everyone can enjoy this little sneak preview of Zack's session. :)

2009 BCHS Varsity Cheerleaders

2009-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

We just photographed the BC Varsity Cheerleaders one day last week. The first day we were scheduled to do this was right at the very same time a monsoon decided to dump buckets of rain on Boyd Co. So after being forced to reschedule on another day we were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous sunny day for pictures!! So it all worked out perfect.............just a little change in plans thats all. Don't you agree that BCHS has some of the cutest girls around?!?! It is just hard to believe that Hannah M, Kristen, Kayla, Taylor and Hannah D. are all seniors on the squad this year. I can still remember photographing some of you girls on the 5th grade squads back in elementary school, and now you're all grown up! I hope that everyone comes out to all of the Boyd County games this year to watch these girls cheer the teams on. They work extremely hard and are dedicated athletes as their sport is year around with no time off. And if you ever see them out doing a carwash or anything else like that please try and support their efforts. I don't mean to sound like a commercial or anything like that but I do remember when our daughter cheered for BCHS and how much we appreciated all of the support from the community. Best of Luck girls, I hope you all enjoy this little sneak preview of your pix!!! =)

Whitley

2009-08-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

Whitley came to our studio a week or 2 ago for some formal kind of poses. They have a baby grand piano and her Momma was wanting a formal portrait of Whitley to hang over the piano. When her Mom scheduled the appointment she told me she really liked Sepia toned images and also Black & Whites. There is several really nice images that should be suitable (especially the close-ups are fabulous), and hopefully one will go just perfectly above the piano!! We also photographed Whitley with her older sister, as a special request from her Mom as well. After we covered the bases with the dressy type outfits she brought along a few casual things too. We ended up doing Whitley's session in 2 parts, some girls really like doing it that way. That allows for different hairstyles, wear your hair curled one day and then straight for the second part of the session. Ask us for all the details if you are interested in having your session done that way. Whitley & her family just moved to Kenova this year from Florida, but just a couple of days after her session she was heading back down there to live. I know that when you move away from all of your friends it can be difficult, so hopefully life is better now........but I'm sure that her Momma is missing her very much!!!! I hope that everyone enjoys the little sneak preview and her DVD should be ready real soon!

Tosha

2009-08-02T00:28:00.001-07:00

Tosha came in for her senior session last week and her session went so smooth. She is just simply gorgeous, there isn't anything else to say other than WOW!!!! I kept telling her during her session that I thought she looked like Kelli Rippa, and Bill didn't seem to agree with me on that. He thought Tosha was way better lookin' than Kelli! Well I better quit gushing over Tosha too much, I don't want to embarrass her or anything like that. It would be nice to have that clean cover girl complexion like hers now wouldn't it though?!?!!! I was so happy with the way her images turned out, I think the colors just look so vibrant and rich with the clothes she was wearing. I can't hardly wait to get the rest of her images ready for her to see the actual DVD. And her little doggie was the most co-operative animal we have had in the studio in a long time. Tosha's little brother would this noise to get the dogs attention and she would just tilt her little head like she was posing for the camera.....it was just way tooooo funny!!! Well I hope that everyone enjoys the little preview of Tosha's session, and I hope that she is doing well after her surgery. Take Care & get well soon! =)

Halle's First Birthday

2009-08-01T03:11:00.000-07:00

Meet a sweet little baby girl named Halle who just recently turned 1 year old. Her Momma brought her to the studio on her actual birthday for her 1 year old session. This is such a HUGE milestone for the little ones as they are growing and changing so rapidly!! We had a lot of fun photographing Halle, especially when Jenny got the cake out for her. They had her birthday party over the weekend previous to her session, so Halle was probably thinking "Wow, I get to do this again"?!?! LOL!! And she seemed to really like eating the cake but then after things started getting real messy she just wanted her Momma to get it off her hands..............I'm not sure which one had the most icing on them. I have a feeling that bathtime was next on the agenda after they left here, LOL!!! She is at the cute, cute, stage where she is able to stand alone but still afraid to take that first step all by herself. I'm sure it won't be long Jenny, if she hasn't already taken off! We photographed Halle's older brother Harrison when he was just a baby and now he is a "BIG BROTHER" to Halle. I bet they have a big time playing together and he will probably be very protective over her as they get older. Thank You Jenny for being patient where I have gotten a little behind lately, I hope you all enjoy this little preview and I should have your DVD ready early next week. :)

Seniors 2010

2009-07-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

With school about ready to start it means that Whitlock Photography is in the middle of a busy High School Senior season. We always enjoy getting to photograph each senior that comes to us. The High School Senior session is always interesting and often unique is a special way. This year we have done the Jeep in the mud, the Paramount Art building session, the old train station and several of the alleys in Ashland, the snake in the grass session and the farm/horse session. More of the farm/horse session will be posted later. The weather has caused us to worry about working outdoors, but we have only had one outdoor session rained out. We went to photograph Heidi at the farm and as usual the weather was threating all afternoon. Once we arrived at the farm we photographed Heidi at several locations with her beautiful horse and even with a calf. It is great to work with Seniors, there are alot of ideas that these young minds have and to get to talk to them about their plans and to learn that we still have students that are really excited and are preparing for careers in every job field makes us continue to love our work.

Meet Baby " B R A D Y "

2009-07-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

How precious is this baby Brady?!?! I actually missed out on helping Bill with this session but from looking at the images I can tell he is adorable. Oh my goodness, I bet he has grown so much just since Griffin & Danielle brought him in for his session. Well, I would guess that he couldn't help from being anything else but cute.............look at his Daddy & Momma!!! LOL!! Bill said that he was kinda' hungry during the photo session and they had to take a few breaks to let him eat, then take a few more and eat and take a few more. LOL!!!! Yea, these little guys need lots of lovin' & attention and I'm sure thats never a problem. I know that Marilyn just has to be gah-gah over him and enjoys spoiling.....oops, I mean spending time with Brady. But hey, isn't that what grandparents are supposed to do?!?! I thought his little cowboy outfit with the fringe was just toooo cute! And the little bare butt one was precious too. The blanket that they brought in with them said "Thank Heaven For Little Boys", and isn't that the truth. I guess I might think that way since we do have an 18 month old grandson. I hope that everyone enoys this little preview of Brady's photo session. :)

Back to school

2009-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

In just a few days school will be starting again. It was only yesterday that it was the last day of school. Since most of our photography is photographing high school students I'll let my thoughts be on them. Now is crunch time for some of the seniors that just graduated. Hopefully all of them have decided to continue their education. Back to my thoughts about the new school year. For the incoming freshmen now is the time for the nerves to be barking a bit. Being a freshmen is a big change for them. For some the change will be very difficult but for most of them it will be about watching the varsity, with their classmates playing, every Friday night on the football field, going to dances and experiencing the life of a high school student.

For the Seniors in the class of 2010 it will be the start of a fast and demanding senior year.
Decisions that will affect their entire life will be made in the next few months, but during the course of the year lifetime bonds are being made and have been made. Several of my classmates took the riverboat luncheon cruise Saturday and on Sunday Theresa and several of her classmate meet at Armco Park for some food and a lot of memory sharing and laugher. This wasn't for any other reason than enjoying the company of friends made long ago.

Theresa and I love photography because we make friends with these students often in their freshmen year and continue to photograph them for events and activities throughout their high school years. Prom is one of the high light days of the entire for us. We love seeing the couples come in with the girls in their beautiful dresses and the guys in tuxs.

Yes school is about to start and Theresa and I are looking forward to seeing our friends again.

"Distinguished Leader" Rachel

2009-07-24T23:15:00.001-07:00

Rachel was one of the first seniors from the BC Class of 2010 to come in this summer. Well as you can see, she is "SO" gorgeous and had an absolutely fabulous session! I thought the black & white close-up pose was amazing & could be on the cover of a magazine or something!!! I think it is so fun to have the wind blown hair goin' on. She is very photogenic & we were so excited after her session cause we could just tell that her images were gonna be GREAT!!! Since we knew that she was getting ready to leave for Governors Scholar & we were a bit anxious for her to see her images I immediately posted a couple of them on FB & MS the very next day. WELL...........I got a little ahead of myself and did things out of my normal routine. Generally it takes at least a week or longer after a session before I do that & at the same time I usally write a little something along with some images on our blog. So needless to say, I completely forgot to post anything about Rachel after doing that. I'm so sorry Rachel, if I only had a brain honey!! LOL!! I seriously didn't mean to leave you out, but with all of the other things plus the added computer problems that has been going on around here lately anything could happen. Thank you all for being so nice and understanding about everything and we do appreciate your kindness. I know that she has probably had a wonderful time at GSP and should be about ready to come home by now. I can't believe school will be starting in just a couple of weeks or so! Where has the summer gone?!?! Well I hope that you all enjoy this little preview of some of Rachel's images from her session. =)

The love for computers

2009-07-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

As I stated a few days ago we have been having computer problems. We got one computer back up to speed without too much grief. We don't have all the software in it but at this time it's business as normal.

However the other computer has a completely different story. First it wasn't kind enough to just die, it has to go with a lot of misery. Maybe it didn't want to go to the scrap heap, maybe it was just tired of having to work too many hours per day and sometimes seven days a week, whatever the cause it went down fighting. Maybe it was just fighting us or just enjoying all the grief that it caused us for several days. I thought the purchase of a new computer would cause the grief to stop. First there is Vista 64, this is one sorry OS. Almost all the software refused to work with 64. This meant getting new software or a least updating almost all the software.
The SECOND source of grief was the purchase of Photoshop CS4. Since this is a 833 MB file a special downloader software was needed for the download. I will admit that most if not all of the download problems were caused by me. I'm going to say that I knew exactly what I was doing and did not cause the download problems. I started trying to download CS4 midday on Monday. No progress Monday, no progress Tuesday and Wednesday started out the same. I would like to now tell about the Customer/Tech Support that Adobe has. Actually I don't even want to think about it. While Adobe has support people in the USA they don't want you talking to him. The first 8-10 calls landed me in India. Now I don't care where you live and what language you speak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!until I need help with a problem. I want my help person to speak the America version of English. Over the years my hearing has adjusted to understanding the America version of English (I do have problems with the Boston version). The first 3 or 4 calls contected me with someone that I couldn't understand at all, then the next call the woman could speak good English but the connection was bad. Then I started demanding a refund and was told that it would take 2 billing cycles. 2 billing cycles means at least 1 month for my refund. That is Adobe's refund policy, to this I polity informed them that my refund policy was: NOW. They took my money real fast for the purchase, they could do the same for the refund. Of course the person in India didn't agree with me. Finally on Wednesday afternoon something in CS went wrong and I got connected to a man in the good old US of A. In a few minutes he had directed me how to fix the problem and I finally got CS4 loaded. I did tell them that I had plenty of time to burn since I had nothing to do with the computer not working and I would try my best to cost Adobe all that I could by spending alot of time talking (yes Talking) to them. So if you are planning to buy CS4 I suggest that you call a reseller and have the program shipped to you. This way you will avoid needing drugs to calm down and it will be quicker than trying to download. Then Adobe was nice enough to allow me to fill out a survey about my level of customer satisfaction. Don't they ever learn. I actually think I'll be back to normal about Tuesday or Wednesday of week.

I can remember the days of film and how we thought that Digital was going to solve all our problems. Kodak must have had really bad customer for us to think that life was going to be better after film.

"Heidi" BCDL 2010

2009-07-21T01:27:00.001-07:00

Heidi was the last of our BCHS Distinguished Leader seniors that we photographed this summer. She and her Mom stopped by the studio a few weeks prior to her session to just ask a few questions and to schedule her appointment. At first I think she probably thought that she didn't have anything to bring with her but after talking with her briefly and looking at samples here in the studio she realized she had lots of interesting stuff! She is very active in her youth group at church, and is in both the marching band & choir at BCHS. Heidi is one very busy girl!!! She spent several weeks or months in Japan a couple of years ago and had lots of things from her travels there. The kimono, japanese shoes, fan, pottery pieces, chop stix and Pokemon characters & books were just some of the things she brought along. And she is very involved with 4H and she had stuff to go along with that too. She mentioned during her consultation appointment that she had horses, so we went to their farm & photographed her with "Oreo" (I think that was her horses name?!?). I know they had lots of animals and she told me all of their names and it made me kind'a hungry....... LOL!!! No really some of the names were like Sugar, Butter, Oreo & stuff that makes you start craving some kind of dessert or something LOL!!! I hope that you all enjoy this little sneak preview of her session, ENJOY!!

Shelby "FHS" Sr.Salute

2009-07-20T00:28:00.001-07:00

During the last few weeks we have been having some computer issues and hopefully we have them all resloved now. During all of that, somehow Shelby's images were lost in the shuffle of things so now that we are back up & running we just wanted to make sure that we got her up here. I'm not sure if these are all of the same images that I had posted before. She is such a "cutie" and I'm sure that everybody who knows her already has found that out by now!!! She has the most bubbly type personality and was so easy to work with. We just had the pleasure of meeting the rest of her family the other day. She has an adorable 3yr.old brother Isaac & a little sister Faith. They think their BIG SIS is the greatest, and it was funny how excited they were watching her DVD. I think Faith will grow up to look exactly like Shelby one day........... she definitely has a great role model!! Shelby's Dad had been wanting to share these with people at work so I hope that you guys enjoy these! :)

COMPUTERS AND HAVING FUN

2009-07-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Within the past 6 weeks we have experienced problems with both of our primary computers. The first computer failure was with the old computer that is primarily used for customer invoices. It wasn't to hard to fix, a trip to the big box store and the purchase of one of their baseline machines and all is well. Well, except for the fact that this computer had Vista 64 on it and then all isn't well. Vista 64 won't accept most of the software that was on the old machine, but it did take the one program that we really needed. After two or three days all is better. Not too much expense and not too much stress.

The primary computer that keeps Whitlock Photography running decided to just give us fits. It has shut down enough to compete with Circuit City on shutting down. The big blue screen of death became our best friend. Theresa has taken a beating. She works extremely hard getting our images ready to be viewed and to lose them because of a computer that seemed to shut down everytime you turned around. She had a lot of time doing multiple images and all the other hard work she does on the images, to have this happen was awful. But because of how the computer was set up for the work that she does it was difficult to do anything. But the problems got to the point where changes had to be made. So a trip to the huge box store and we hope that the hardware problems have been fixed. Again we had to work with Vista 64. Very little of the software that was on the old machine will work on the new one. Some of the software will not work with 64 the rest of the software will work after installing new drivers and saying a prayer.

Again we apologize for falling behind with our work. We hope to have everything up to full speed very soon. At this point Theresa is working feverishly to catch up. So I think that the best thing I can do is to get out of the studio, guess I'll just cut the grass.

Bill

The Loss of a Friend

2009-07-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Monday evening my wife and I went to the visitation of Faye Clevenger. We met Faye about 6 or 7 years ago while we were photographing Ashley at several school events. They came to our studio many times over the years with the BC Dance Team, Proms & Homecoming Dances, as well as Ashleys Senior Portraits. I believe it was right after Ashley's high school graduation when Faye learned that she had cancer. We had seen her several times after that, sometimes everything seemed to be going real good and other times we knew that she was having problems. The last time we saw her was about 3 weeks ago with her family enjoying a dinner together at Cracker Barrel. She would never complain about anything and always was looking on the bright side of life. I went to high school with her husband Mike, also we had photographed their grandaughter Sam last summer. Faye will be missed dearly by her family, friends and her former students. Our prayers and thoughts are for the comfort of her family in the days ahead.

BC Distinguished Leader 2010 "ERIC"

2009-07-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

Eric came in the studio last week for his senior session and was selected as Distinguished Leader at BCHS. We are so proud of him and all of his accomplishments in the last few years, not to mention he is a fine basketball player as well. I think he really has a pretty mean 3 point shot, that others in the area better watch out for it!!! The reason I can say all of this is he just happens to be related to us, well actually his Mom & Bill are first cousins. So I'm not sure if it's the "Whitlock" that comes out in him on the ball court or not, but he is a lot of fun to watch during BC Varsity basketball season. Plus while he was at Kentucky Boys State this year he was also elected as GOVERNOR, which is the highest honor that I think they award. So, way to go Eric you make the family proud!!!! I know that he is at the beach right now and probably just having a blast, must be nice! LOL!!! With basketball there isn't a lot of time off and he works hard all year long, so I guess he deserves a little R&R. I hope that Jill & Ritchie enjoys this little sneak preview of Eric's session, and all of the rest of the WHITLOCK's who are down on the beach soaking up all the rays & enjoying the sand & surf..............yea, you all know who I'm talking about!!!! LOL!! Enjoy and have a great time everybody and a safe trip home!

Holly 2010 "BOYD CO."

2009-07-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

Oh what a great session we had with Miss Holly!! We have had the pleasure of watching her grow up, photographing her in sports and all of the BCHS dances over the last few years. It seems like just yesterday she was about 8 or 10 years old & now she is a S E N I O R! I remember when her brother Dustin came in for his senior portraits, Karen & Stan had us to photograph Holly with him as part of his session. I can still remember what they were wearing, Khaki's & white button down shirts......I know that was at least 6 or 7 years ago but somehow that stuck with me. It's funny how many people that we photograph over the years and we feel so blessed to have made many friends along the way. Okay, I didn't mean to get all sentimental and sound like I'm old and talking about old times or anything like that!!! LOL!! But I guess it is true, somebody used to tell me that I was older than DIRT........ But I forget all about how old I am when somebody like Holly comes in for a session. She was so fun to work with and brought in such a good mix of clothes & things for her session. I could just tell how excited she was and how much she had been looking forward to having this done. You can really tell when people have taken a lot of time in planning and preparing for their session, it definitely shows up in the images. Also it makes it a little easier when people come in that have been coming to us for years. I really can't wait to get working on her DVD, she had some other close-ups that were FIERCE!!!! She brought in a coat with a fur hood and we got some really nice images of that too! Karen's sister from Huntington came along for the session and we really appreciated all of her help. Bill & I really enjoyed spending the afternoon photographing Holly and seeing all of her family again. Enjoy this little sneak preview of her session..............

BCDL 2010 " C O R E Y "

2009-07-02T01:13:00.003-07:00

Corey came in last week for his senior session that is part of the BOYD COUNTY DISTINGUISHED LEADER PROGRAM. Oh and by the way, doesn't Corey have a pretty sweet ride?!? Who wouldn't wanna sport around town driving this MUSTANG!! I don't think that Corey was real thrilled to be having photographs taken at first. But after just a few minutes into his session he said "WOW, this is really getting a lot easier than what I thought it was gonna be"!! He had only been here once before and that was just for a few minutes when he stopped by and spoke to his Mom while she was here on a previous session we had done of his 2 sisters. So it is understandable why he might have been a little nervous in the beginning, not really knowing us or anything. He probably had the idea we were gonna be asking him for cheesy smiles in every single pose and then he realized that wasn't the case. We take lots & lots of images and try to take a variety of different expressions, and some of my favorite poses are the more serious ones. Plus, I think that the trend with most seniors is they typically love those serious poses for wallets to hand out to friends. You know, most people don't go around smiling from ear to ear all of the time, so if we tried to get all "SMILES" in every pose that just wouldn't be natural. Plus they say that a real smile is only good for just a few seconds. Corey and his family are big Ohio State fans, and yes Bill had to give them a hard time over that one. LOL!!!! We enjoyed getting to visit with Cindy his Mom again, it had been almost a year ago that we photographed Shelby & Lexi ( I think, but maybe longer.....WHEW time flies). Also it was nice to meet Corey's girlfriend, I think her name was Taylor (I hope I didn't get that wrong)! I hope you guys enjoy these...........

July Fourth

2009-06-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

With the Fourth of July approaching and after watch the Military Channel too much I just had to express a few views of mine. Independence Day is the name give to the Fourth of July. Just what does this mean to me. First it means that I have the right to worship my God when ever and where ever I choose with out fear of danger. This also means that all others have the same right. Second it means that I have the duty of serving my country. For me it meant being in the Navy during the Viet Nam war. I was never close to a combat zone but I was around many who served in Viet Nam. I know this war wasn't popular with a lot of people but I have a lot of respect for those that served their county during this war. Third it means that I follow the law of the land and have respect for those that provide my family and I with the safety they provide. Police officers and firemen are true heroes. The risk they take for my safety should be enough for them to have a National holiday named for them.

Last summer my brother and I went on the Battleship USS North Carolina on a afternoon when the temperature was about 95 degrees. I had been on board twice before when the temperature was much cooler. This time after being on board only a few minutes I begin to have much more respect for the crews that served on board all the WWII ships. I was soaking wet head to toe. There was good ventilation, only a few people present not the 2000 that made up the crew, no steam boilers fired up, no kitchen stoves, no laundry going, nothing but it being a little warm outside. I don't know how the crew didn't go stark raving mad, but they didn't. They were just doing their job and I am sure that history will never see another generation that gave as much for their country. A few days ago I stopped at the War Memorial at Armco Park. While standing there looking at all the names listed I felt very small and overpowered by what the freedoms that these men have provided for me.

Yes, I know that regardless of whether we serve our country or not that everyone has the right and freedom to speak our opinions and worship as we please and to act however we want. I feel that if you haven't done anything to serve my country, then when a military veteran, police officer, fireman or anyone else that has served and is serving my country is present please take a step or two to the rear and stand there and pay your respect to those that have.