Caith Solas

10.29.10

2010-10-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

In mourning

2010-10-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 months since I suffered the loss of my Springer Spaniel, Audrey. She died on September 11, in the company of my parents. She would have been 11 years old on October 22.

TOO MUCH CUTENESS!

2010-10-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Craig/The Daily Times
Ladybugs Kaliyah, left, and her twin sister Kylah Whitehead buckle down in Ms. Martinez's Kindergarten Class at Apache Elementary School, Friday.

Senior Portraits

2010-09-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

Fire

2010-06-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Mighty (Weiner) Dog

2010-06-22T16:58:00.001-07:00

Ah! The famed Weiner Dog Races.

Miniature Horse

2010-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

They are just the right size for hobbits.

$375?!

2010-06-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

That's a pricey stack of paper.

Better

2010-04-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

The past few months have been a struggle, and I'm not going to say it's over but it certainly feels a little better. I'm still shooting, still training for roller derby, still planning my wedding, and still worrying about my dad's health.

Today I'm feeling a bit happier, and I hope to post more. Thanks for understanding!

That's the last x-ray my doc took. That's my frankinankle.

Cut

2010-04-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Shadow People

2010-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

I miss being a kid.

2010-04-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Don't you?

Last Minute Holiday Shopping

2009-12-23T19:38:00.001-08:00

This time I have a good excuse...

2009-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Being a human tripod is exhausting! I broke my ankle on November 15th and had surgery on the 24th.

Vaccination

2009-10-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

Kids have it easy these days... I got my arm stuck a few weeks ago.

The Sportrait

2009-10-12T18:29:00.001-07:00

I love making sportraits...

That is all.

I'm Sorry

2009-10-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for a few months. My bad. I'm apologizing to you with a photo of a cute kid.

The Chad

2009-10-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's Alltel's Chad. He came to Farmington. Don't get excited though... it was pretty much just a PR stunt which I hate. By now you should all know that Alltel has been bought out by Verizon. I wonder what is to become of this ding-dong.

Special Olympics

2009-08-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Craig/The Daily Times
An emotional Sarah Surette, 27, of Las Cruces hugs Carol McMillan after winning a silver medal for the 200 meter freestyle during the Special Olympics Aquatics Competition at the Farmington Aquatics Center on Saturday.

Dancer

2009-07-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

More Rodeo

2009-07-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

I had the worst couple days off! I'm glad to be back working.

Into the Arms of Safety

2009-07-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Bending

2009-07-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Craig/The Daily Times
Paige Nicholson of Mississippi competes in pole bending in the third performance at the National High School Finals Rodeo at McGee Park on Monday. Nicholson dedicated her ride to her grandfather who died earlier in the day.

NHSFR Opening Day

2009-07-20T22:44:00.001-07:00

The rodeo owns my LIFE this week.

Hanging out with Rodeo Queens

2009-07-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Craig/The Daily Times
Heather Lea Ballantyne, a contestant from Ontario looks at her outfit in the mirror before going on stage for the Impromptu Speech portion of the NHSRA Queen Contest at Farmington Civic Center on Friday.

Cooling Off

2009-07-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

After living in Michigan, my body no longer tolerates the desert heat. I envy this little girl every time I get into my truck, which does not have the luxury of conditioner.

Be a Paint Brush

2009-07-12T13:01:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers

2009-07-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I have neglected you... I am sorry! Here is a sad puppy for you.

You should probably know that I've moved back to New Mexico by way of Michigan. I got a real job! I'm now a staff photographer at the Farmington Daily Times. My days of bouncing around the country as an intern are over! I'm finishing up my third week here and I haven't had a bad day yet. Thanks all for your support for the last 2 years!

School Bus Heros

2009-04-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

From the left Marques Rangel, Grant Walker, Britney Matthews, Alex Dewitt, and Katlyn Scovill, students at Bay City Central High School took over their bus on Monday when the bus driver passed out. They took control of the bus, parked it and called 911.

Tennis Portrait

2009-04-28T16:55:00.001-07:00

Lauren Russell is in her third season as No. 1 tennis player at Essexville Garber.
As a lefty, she has a unique advantage on most of her opponents, who are accustomed to facing right-handed players.

Religious Times

2009-04-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

Released

2009-04-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Donna Yost is a name heard quite a bit in this part of Michigan. Today she moved into an apartment in Bay City. She hoists a dreamcatcher above her head where she plans on putting her bed.

Yost had been accused of killing her 7-year-old daughter in 1999. She was released last month after she agreed to plead no contest to child abuse. The no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt. "I never did hurt my daughter, but I feel because of my being highly depressed, I had to accept this to put this behind me and be with my family," Yost said. Yost was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of her 7-year-old daughter Monique Yost, who died from a fatal dose of prescription medication. The conviction was overturned last year, and a new trial was to start next week in Midland.

This photo shows emotion that you rarely see in Donna.

Thoughts?

Trying to make it all come together.

2009-03-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to say, there's a hell of a lot going on in this photo.

I ended up with 10 players for a portrait. 10 PLAYERS!!! I how the hell are you supposed to make a portrait with 10 people work without it looking like a team shot. I was stressing out about this assignment for a few hours today. When I got there, I saw how the outlets were conveniently installed near old bleachers... and behind the bleachers are was a wooded area. These are the All Saints Cougars... cougars live in the woods right? They also come out on cloudy days to play baseball and softball I guess.

Anyway, I think this photo would have been a disaster without the bleachers. I used them to contain the situation. If this photo had any chance of working I would have to make a few kids more prominent than the others, which may piss some parents off but I can't please everyone.

I placed the kids unevenly on the bleachers, and then balanced the sides with the two kids with the bats. I noticed how serious and focused the kid front and center was so I had him hold his hat and lean forward. Had he been wearing his hat I think his eyes would have been hidden and would conceal his attitude. He also holds a good solid center in a photo that has a lot going on.

Shelter

2009-03-31T19:01:00.000-07:00

It's been cold and breezy... She was keeping out of the wind.

Here Fishy...

2009-03-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

There were in fact fish down there...

...I did put forward the idea that it might not be a good idea to eat anything he catches from that ditch.

When Less is More

2009-03-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Cadia is a tri-athlete who competes for charity. I was assigned to get a portrait of her. She lives in an apartment complex which isn't the most athletey place so I suggested we take a walk. I had all of my lighting gear with me but decided to ditch it all save one SB-600 (outdated I know) and we headed straight for a nature trail. All I did was frame her up with her head blocking out the sun and added a simple fill and wvalah... a portrait! I think less was more in this situation because I didn't have to deal with the no outlet problem or carrying around Dynalites, I needed to be as more mobile. If I had I probably would have only used one.

I think most people have a photo like this...

2009-03-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Keeping your head cool for the kids.

2009-03-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

I almost walked out on an assignment today after dealing with two uncooperative coaches, the baseball coach who threatened to call my boss to complain about how many of his players were to be in the photo (we don't do team shots... period!) That photo will not appear in my blog or in print. 10 minutes later the softball coach takes me aside and says, "Tell you what, you put an extra girl in there and maybe you'll get out of this town without a speeding ticket." Their softball coach is a cop apparently. The Alpha Female in me almost packed up and walked out (I've done it before)...but then that would have spoiled it for these kids. The photo with the extra girl will not appear in print or my blog either.

To be honest, I'm glad I stayed because I wouldn't have got this shot.

Thea

2009-03-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

I was experimenting today and I like like the result

Pulsatory

2009-03-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting assignment! I spent much of the day hanging out in scrubs in the doctor's lounge. They even fed me! I even sat through a doctors in-service, and I'm not exactly sure what it was about because it was all medical terms and such. I did however understand what they meant by "pulsatory"... and I also was involved in a demonstration when I had to duck to avoid being hit by a pulsatory spurt of blood during this procedure.

Archer

2009-03-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Not what I was trying to do but I like it anyway.

Beauty and Grace?

2009-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

... I'm not fooled! Swans are evil.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring... Rejoice!

Beveled

2009-03-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

Wondering what your looking at?

This is Charlotte... both faces belong to Chalotte, she's an RN at a pain clinic here in Bay City, and both faces appeared in a beveled mirror, the small sliver was in the beveled edge. I thought it looked cool.

More Ice

2009-03-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

Ice

2009-03-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

I woke to the sound of my work cell ringing this morning before the sun was up. An entire neighborhood in a town near by was evacuated because strong winds were pushed giant ice floes up the beach threatening homes on the shoreline. The ice piled over the roofs of some houses and broke windows cascading ice into homes. This is just one shot from my first take. I went back later in the day for a follow up story... and I'll post those later as I just switched of the night shift and I'm running on 2 hours of sleep in 48 hours.

Cake...

2009-03-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

...is good!

Falsehood in Silk.

2009-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Water

2009-02-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

...yep! That would be water.

Tara Caverly

2009-02-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

Courtroom Antics

2009-02-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

... It's quite a circus at times.

Click HERE to read the news story.

Also, if someone could tell me how to make this body wider so it's not cutting off the video that would be great!

Texture and Architecture

2009-02-13T13:51:00.001-08:00

Portrait

2009-02-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

School Bus v. Car

2009-02-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

Wrestling

2009-02-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

Another Silhouette

2009-02-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Snowflake

2009-01-28T12:19:00.001-08:00

I found this little guy on my windshield last night. He's backlit with a fluorescent streetlight.... and then he melted.

Bay City's Best

2009-01-26T18:59:00.001-08:00

Cheerleading is a Sport...

2009-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

.... and everything about it hurts.

Stained Glass

2009-01-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Lost & Found

2009-01-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

A lost & found in St. Boniface Church.

Astrologer

2009-01-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Bad Roads

2009-01-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

... there's quite a few of them around here.

Zub-zero Spot News

2009-01-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well it wasn't quite sub-zero... but it will be tonight.

By the way did I tell you that I'm living in Bay City, Michigan now? And if you are thinking, "Bay City... the same town where Madonna is from?"... then yes, the same.

Here is a nifty little google map:

View Larger Map
...cute huh!

P.S. I like it here :)

Happiness

2009-01-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated for a while because I've been on vacation... and I got engaged this holiday season.

Santa Monica

2009-01-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Bah-humbug!

2008-12-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Why is this photo blog-worthy? Because this wonderful soul made me laugh. I usually use the white board when I'm taking 100 headshots/day, and often hear people say that they feel like their in a criminal line up. This man actually decided to act the part... bless him!

Future Med Student

2008-11-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Emily even brought her own stethoscope.

The Thought Process...

2008-11-21T15:27:00.001-08:00

I've been taking a lot of portraits lately, and I love it! I put so much thought into each shot. Yes, that above is me sharing the thought process with you. I'm sorry I'm so pale.

Arlane here, is the undergraduate representative for The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, so it made sense to me to photograph her in a board room. I scouted out the room one day in advance.

Today, I got there half an hour early to set up lights.

I set up my main light, and while I was getting my exposure I noticed how nice and reflective the table's surface was and decided that it would make a nice element in my photograph. I shot at about f10 at 1/6 and rested on the table instead of using a tripod:

Next Arlane arrives and I decide that there needed to be a few more things lit in the background to create some nice separation, and then another strobe to the right in the front to make sure her eyes were lit up... but she turned out to be a squinty smiler anyway.

Bang bang bang... I have a photo that I liked:

Grandpa Hart

2008-11-16T20:24:00.001-08:00

My grandfather is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. I haven't been here in 12 years.

Zoë in DC

2008-11-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

Zoë is my roommate from England... this is her in Washington DC. She got sick of me photographing her, but I think one day she will thank me.

DC

2008-11-16T20:02:00.001-08:00

Here are some of my favorite shots that I took on my trip to DC that I took while not photographing my English roommate.

Karen Brewer

2008-11-14T07:51:00.001-08:00

Things that just look cool

2008-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Tommy Edwards

2008-11-10T17:21:00.001-08:00

...formerly "Touchdown Tommy" of Virginia Tech plays with his band while promoting THE HEART OF VIRGINIA campaign which help raise awareness of the need for expanded mental health services in the New River Valley, and across the state due to the events of April 16th.

For more on Tommy Edwards, his music, and his campaign visit:
http://www.myspace.com/tommyedwards

Paul

2008-11-07T10:23:00.001-08:00

Dr. Paul Winistorfer is Professor and Head, Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, with responsibility for driving teaching, research, engagement and development activities of the department, an academic unit in the College of Natural Resources.

Boris Vinatzer

2008-11-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Boris Vinatzer, assistant professor of plant pathology, physiology,
and weed science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is
using new genome sequencing technology to test a hypothesis about how
agriculture's early beginnings may have impacted the evolution of
plant pathogens. He is investigating whether plant pathogenic
bacteria evolved from relatively weak pathogens that caused disease
in many plants to highly virulent pathogens of single crops.

Smart Break Lights

2008-11-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

Mehdi Ahmadian, PhD, and Director of the Center for Vehicle Systems & Safety, along with Virginia Tech grad students have engineered smart break lights that indicate how quickly the person in front of you is breaking. Nifty!

1964

2008-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from the 1964 show as promised.

1964 The Tribute is rated the "Number One Beatles Tribute Show on Earth!"- Rolling Stone

Love Me Do

2008-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Beatles tribute band 1964 had a show last night, and I was the most excited about this photo.

Stay tuned for photos of the band...

More Corps

2008-10-25T09:33:00.001-07:00

VT's Legendary Beatbox guy

2008-10-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

There are several facebook groups dedicated to him... Which also happens to be how I tracked him down.

Leaves

2008-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Pylons

2008-10-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Pylons at Virginia Tech are a great place to:

Relax and talk to your b.f.f. on the phone...

and...

...tell him "It's me not you."

I know the feeling...

2008-10-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just have to find a park bench.

Almost like home

2008-10-15T16:35:00.001-07:00

...almost!

Fall

2008-10-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is the first time that I've actually experienced the fall properly. Coming from the desert climate, you see leaves change, but not like you do here in VA.

VT Twilight

2008-10-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Bicycle

2008-10-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Flags

2008-10-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of years ago flags were used to conquer new territory. Today, I use them to make cool photos.

Hallway Mirror

2008-10-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Corps and Apache Helicopters

2008-10-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Trumpet in a Dark Room

2008-09-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

Piano in a Dark Room

2008-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

I know you can't really read that he's playing a piano. I was focusing on the attitude his face gave off when he played.

Sully

2008-09-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Study

2008-09-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Jogger in the window.

2008-09-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

Still Water

2008-09-15T08:51:00.001-07:00

Ballers

2008-09-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

Downtown Blacksburg

2008-09-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hy

2008-09-15T08:30:00.003-07:00