The PanSTARRS comet on March 15, 2013. Taken from the Pinnacle parking lot in southwest Austin (http://goo.gl/maps/eScnw). Taken with a Nikon D90, 70-200/2.5 @ 200mm, piggybacked on a co-worker's 4" refractor telescope to aid in aiming (the co-worked does not have a T-mount for his scope yet...); 5 sec, F8, ISO 800. My (david's) lens envy extends to telescopes now, too... *sigh*

Saturday: January 12, 2013 This is Arthur James (Arie), our fourth grandchild and Tricia's first child. He is one week old today. Our granddaughter, Katie was born on Christmas Eve. But we haven't met her yet since she lives in Arizona. May 2013 be filled with perfect new beginnings for you.

Saturday, 29 December 2012: [david posting] We spent the night in San Antonio on Thursday night with my brother and his family. While waiting before going out to dinner, I took out the camera and flash and started trying to balance the quickly darkening outside sky against the flash. I ended up getting out a wired remote and the tripod because the shutter speed was so slow. I don't fully recall what I was trying to do at the time, but I certainly could have upped the ISO from 100 to 400 or faster. Anyway, this was a test shot I ended up leaving on the camera after I was done playing. I kept having to ask Celine to stop talking to her Uncle Paul and Andrew so there'd not be any motion blur. I don't think she was too enthused about posing... Jacci pulled this photo off the card along with a few others from the day to process. She said Celine's skin was very orange (that's be because there's a strong mix of tungsten along with the flash) and in correcting that, it shifted the outside sky blue.

Thursday, December 27, 2012: [This is david posting for a change...] We have been largely away from the daily community because life has been happening. We are still trying to find a balance where everything fits and is do-able... If anyone knows the secret, please let us know. Anyway, we have been well, just too busy to post much of anything. Christmas Eve brought a third grandbaby daughter to parents John and Ashley in Arizona. A fourth is due at any moment from Tricia and Alex. My brother Paul, his wife, and son have been visiting since last Saturday. Today we visited the LBJ Presidential Library/Museum and then the Texas Capitol building in downtown Austin. We did not end up lugging the big bag full of Nikons but I grabbed the Canon SC200 IS on the way out just in case. I usually use that camera to shoot time lapses or just quick snaps. In the Capitol, in the rotunda, we noticed a neat view of the back side of the dome. I took a shot of it, but without a tripod. At 1/5th of a second, even with the image stabilization, it did not come out that great, so it's not getting posted. We will be going back to use a tripod and might even be able to incorporate some light painting into the mix as well. On the way out of the Capitol, I noticed these statues in silhouette against the building. This was the most crisp exposure of the four I took, all at 1/5th of second, hand held. I did some LR4 adjusting, but not much more than that.

Friday September 28, 2012 Sometimes, you just gotta have a little fun. This is from July when we went to visit my Aunt Mary and my cousin, Michelle. Michelle and I think of each other as so much more than cousins. We are sisters sharing the same childhood memories. But we live so far from each other now and seldom get to see each other. I'm not thrilled with the glare off Celine's glasses. But I can live with it. Have you ever really thought about the moments in your life you remember the most clearly? I don't remember the milestone moments very well. They are kind of foggy. But I remember the moments of laughter and tears with absolute clarity. I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life. So even with the glare on the glasses, I'm glad David got this shot. It's priceless.

Thursday September 27, 2012 3:30PM + Polarizing filter #1 + Polarizing filter #2 + Incandescent white balance = middle of the night Except, I'm not really liking what the double polarizing does to the paint on the houses. It kind of looks like we all are about to get really expensive love letters from the HOA telling us to repaint. Maybe we should just get a set of ND filters. That would be so much cheaper and more efficient than repainting.

Wednesday September 26, 2012 "How come nobody ever wants to play dress up with me?"

Monday September 24, 2012 Ecumenism The fall 40 Days for Life prayer campaign begins this week. Yesterday, kick off events took place world wide signifying the call to 40 days of fasting and praying for pregnant women, their babies and people who work in abortion clinics. These three men of faith took the platform at the Austin kick off event to pray together. What's stirring is that they are pastors of churches from three different Christian denominations, Baptist, Anglican and Roman Catholic. I guess if there is any issue powerful enough to have the holy men of different faiths put aside their differences and pray together, love for human dignity would be that issue. All of Christianity teaches that human beings have a special dignity above that of any other form of life in that the human person is made in the image and likeness of God. Although the understanding of that teaching can vary from one Christian to another, it fundamentally applies to every human being equally. Can you imagine how powerful the Christian voice would be if all Christians agreed on exactly when human identity begins?

Sunday September 23, 2012 Youth Night Activity Can you tell Celine is enjoying the mystery aspect of the activity? (She's the one wearing a blindfold and a grin.) But that's not what compelled me to share this image. This is my good friend, Wendy, helping Anastasia makes sense of the next step in the activity. Wendy is one of the adults in our faith community who works tirelessly to help pass our faith on to the next generation. That value is something that seems to have been lost in today's world. It makes me angry when I hear adults say things like "What's wrong with kids these days?" If you have to ask that question, the answer is probably that you didn't teach them. If you want today's youth to grow into loving and responsible adults, you have to teach them how. Kudos to Wendy and everyone like her who gets it. Nothing matters more than placing the future of the world safely in the hands of the next generation.

Friday September 21, 2012 All Aboard the Magic Bus! Can you believe a trip to Woodstock is considered to be an educational experience? There's a museum there now. This is one of the displays, an actual bus body with a movie in the windshield. Our world has changed so much since 1968... not that I recall much of 1968. Hey, now! I know what you're thinking. I was a toddler!

Thursday September 20, 2012 Hello everybody. Once again, I must apologize for my prolonged absence for our community. I've been a bit moody and have been toggling a headache since the injections in my back Monday. I have a dilema. I need to get Tricia's baby shower invites done but am having trouble pinning her down for a photo. She is leaning toward a jungle animal theme for baby room decor. So I'm starting to do some test shot improvisions using some items that will be part of the baby shower decor. This shot is far from a final shot. I need the actual ultrasound for the frame and I need to do something about the scratch marks on the glass table surface. My other thought is to use the blocks to spell out Tricia on one side and Alex (the daddy) on the other side. It seems like it would be more personalized than "boy". I would probably loose either the shoes or the boxes if I used their names. Otherwise, the image would be a little too busy. Another possibility is to abandon this theme completely and go with a Christmas gift / Advent theme since our little gift is actually due on Christmas day. (Blue really works for this idea since blue is the color of anticipation and/or patience.) Thoughts? Suggestions?

Sunday September 16, 2012 Complexity of the Human Face I've read some studies on the human face over the years. This man's face reminds me of some of those studies. The two sides of his face are so different from each other. One side reveals a man of deep sadness and a very hard life. The other side reveals a man of joy and playfulness. I tend to believe the playful side. When he saw me at the side of the stage with my camera, he turned in my direction and leaned toward me for the shot. I could see that he was on the verge of a smile. It never quite broke through. But I still think the happy side of his face is more prominent. I have surgery (injections in my back) tomorrow (Monday) afternoon. Not sure if I will get a shot posted. We'll see what happens :)

Saturday September 15, 2012 A Servant's Heart This is Rebecca. I was her religious education teacher when she was in 4th grade and again when she was in 6th grade. Since then, her parents have become our friends. She's in the 9th grade now and still she possesses the same gentle soul I saw in her 5 years ago. When all her friends (including our kids) left the festival to go watch a movie, she stayed and helped run the youth group booth. Gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and I see it in Rebecca. I can't begin to tell you how I feel when I see the Holy Spirit at work in my students. I could have chosen a picture of people dancing or eating or laughing at the festival. But I chose this picture because of how Rebecca's character shines in it. Thank you everybody for all of the kind birthday wishes! You all made me feel so loved!

Friday September 14, 2012 Hello everybody. I'm sorry I have been away from SmugMug for a couple of days. I'm posting today rather late. It was my birthday today... and a wonderful day it was. I love where my birthday falls on the calendar. It falls on the feast day of the Exultation of the Cross. Since our parish name is Santa Cruz (Holy Cross), we make a pretty big celebration of the feast day (a festival that starts with Mass in Latin). This handsome little fellow was in the pew this evening just a few feet away from me. He was so taken with the choir. I've been working on image balance with lines and this moment caught my eye because of the vertical line from him to the sisters in the other pew. But I have to admit, the line probably would not have stood out for me if he were an adult rather than a sweet, innocent little child. Tomorrow the celebration moves outside. So I will have my handy dandy camera ready. Hopefully, I will have a treasure or two to share with my friends here in the Dailies Community. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

Wednesday September 12, 2012 Thank you to all of you who were moved by my tribute to the fallen of September 11, 2001. I saved that image and those words for over a month because I believe that all of us are still deeply moved by the heros of that day. As the years go by, the immediate sense of grief may or may not fade. But our heros never loose their place in the American heart. I hope we never loose our heart. The day we do will be the day we stop writing freedom for our children. Having said all that... today's image is just a cute little critter.

Tuesday September 11, 2012 We can never forget the ink that wrote the pages of our history. Our freedom is written on those pages in the blood of our families and neighbors, some of them soldiers, some of them civilians, all of them Americans. From the ghosts of yesterday emerges the promise of today that tomorrow, our children will still be free. Love is never forced. By definition, it is always freely chosen. To those who ran to the aide of others and never came out. To those who could have escaped but remained to comfort those who could not. To those who chose to be remembered in an empty field rather than a crowded city. You have not been forgotten. You freely chose to love, and today we freely choose to remember your love. For step by step process on the ghosted image, see our August 10th post. There is one added step for this image. I erased the left half of the detailing layer so the ghost only shows on the right side of the image.

Monday September 10, 2012 This is our friend Chris. He just graduated from college in the spring and then entered seminary last month to study for Priesthood. He will be in our prayers in the years ahead through his studies and discernment.

Saturday September 8, 2012 Isn't it funny how we don't appreciate the beauty of our surroundings until they no longer surround us? This is birchbark. We burned it in our fireplace on Christmas Eve every year and as we unwrapped our gifts, we added the wrapping paper to the fire. Imagine the toxins we inhaled! There isn't any birch where I live now and I miss the beautiful white trees and the memory of the Christmas fire is so distant. How I miss birch! I took this shot at the Detroit zoo when we visited my Dad in July. Yes, while the people around me were taking pictures of the animals, I was taking tree "portraits". I think I was supposed to be paying a little more attention to the animal exhibits. But I'm kind of a rule breaker. This is my zoo species of choice.

Thursday September 6, 2012 DJ diCarlo Image Gourmet: The Magazine We will be launching our senior portraits website soon and it will include an online magazine for seniors. This is the model of our 1st cover. Once the magazine contents are complete, the titles on the cover will become hyperlinks to the corresponding articles in the magazine. It will also have a page turning feature for browsing. Here's the thing... This is only a working model. So honest critiques are VERY appreciated. If you have any lay out suggestions or article suggestions, please share them. I'm wanting this magazine to be a big part of our marketing strategy. So it has to impress teens. Our kids already had one suggestion we are considering. They think we should include a fun article like "What to Do if the Zombie Apocalypse Starts During Your Portrait Session". Cute, huh?

Wednesday September 5, 2012 ... And so, as they gathered at the entrance to the zoo, he went over the rules and strategies for Full Contact Hungry Hungry Hippo one last time.

Tuesday September 4, 2012 Jahari, being his charming little self. I think this was right before Uncle David gave him a piece of chocolate cake or something.

Monday September 3, 2012 Taking a break from pouting... Yes, Celine was pouting when I took this picture. She was upset because the boys went to the lake without her. But one of the special things about Celine is that she can smile even when she is angry. I asked her to smile for me and she did. Isn't she the sweetest teenage girl in the world? Of course, immediately after I took the shot, the scowl returned to her face. How I love this girl! Note on yesterday's post: Thank you every body for all of the wonderful comments on our family portrait. BillieJean asked if those are my parents in the center. No. They are Amy's Dad and his wife (Opa and Oma). Amy is David's 1st wife and she died from breast cancer in 2003. The kids had never been to a Leal family reunion and we wanted to make sure they experienced one together before Dominic goes off to college. It was quite an experience for me as well. I was surrounded by Amy's family and every one of them embraced me as one of them. What a privilege I have in being part of this loving family! BTW: Today's picture of Celine is from the day we arrived at Lake Wanaksink for the reunion. Happy Labor Day, everybody! Be safe at the BBQs, okay?

Sunday September 2, 2012 Family This is from the family reunion in New York this summer. I think it would have been fun to try to pose everybody in a creative way. But it was task enough to get everybody in one spot large enough for the whole group. We would have done it outside, but it was raining. [edit by david] Because of some remote control issues with Nikon's CLS in large spaces or long distances, I'd purchased two sets of Yongnuo RF-603 remotes. These have short cables that can plug into a camera and remotely fire the shutter. For this shot, the camera was on a tripod with one of the remotes on top. There were two umbrellas, one on each side side of the camera, remoted by the Yonguo's. And in the back, behind the camera, was another flash (optically slaved) on top of a bookshelf aimed at the cathedral ceiling. The fourth remote was in my hand so I could take the picture (Doh! I just noticed that you can see it - the light is red because the shutter was open.) I've not used the remotes too much yet, but so far, they've worked well. In fact, the other night, I pulled a pair out so Jacci could take the moon shots without disturbing the camera on the triopd. (Using the self time for those shots, even at two sections is a pain...) I think eventually I want to get at least another pair.

Saturday September 1, 2012 The moon once seemed so far away. Goodnight and goodbye to a man who spent the days of his life changing worlds. Our night light has never been so blue as on the night of his burial. (Note: I am not sure if "Mr." is the proper title for Neil Armstrong. I suspect not. But I have been unsuccessful in finding reference to an official title for him. Everything seems to refer to him with no title other than his name.)

Friday August 31, 2012 When I met my son, Andrew, he was 8 years old and weighed 105 pounds. Now, he's 16 and a pretty solid rock of muscle. It's not really anything I've done. He worked hard all the way up to earning his 2nd degree black belt. What an amazing adventure it has been watching him grow into the outstanding young man he has become. He lost his 1st Mom to breast cancer when he was 7. He wasn't thrilled about the new woman in his life. Can you blame him? I've driven him nuts with all my "mothering". Yet every night for the past 7 1/2 years, he has blessed me by tracing a Cross on my forehead before he went to bed. How rich I am to have this young man for a son! Update: Answering Julienne's question: I married Andrew's Dad in October, 2004. We were both widows with children. [Update 2 and edit by david] We're not quite a Brady Bunch because we have the wrong gender mix. We both had three children each, having six between us. Each set has two older boys and a younger girl, and the sets are separated by 6 months such that the youngest girl of Jacci's set is 6 months older than the oldest boy of my set.