My poor blog, I have been neglecting it for a while. So much has been happening here at Photography By May and something had to give to where I was not sacrificing my time with my precious family and unfortunately it was my blog. So with that, I wanted to continue on the road trip we took this past summer...yes, I did say summer and yes, I know it is fall now, lol!....If you missed my blog post on Road Trip Across America Part one, do check it out.

This blog post is going to pick up on our trip in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's my very first time there and I must say it has an interesting landscape. A lot of brown everywhere until we got to the other side of the Sandia peak and then there was more green all over. We decided to take whatever available time we had to check out the Sandia peak and parts of the city around the University of New Mexico campus. The trek up Sandia was pretty long. In fact, it was 2.7 miles long. It was Daniela's second time on a tramway but fun nevertheless.

See all the brown....
 Getting a little greener...

 That shadow aaaaaallllll........ the way down there is our tram car
 Isn't it beautiful? This is at the peak at 10,378 foot above sea level.

In pursuit of excelling at my craft and passion of photography, I decided to attend a photography conference in Las Vegas, NV. Yes, I put myself and work out there for the experts to review....nail biting!!! (more on this in a future post). Here is the first installation of our journey/vacation, business/pleasure trip.

What was to be a 3 day 2 night time away from home turned into a 10 day getaway. How?! The hubs and the kiddo COULDNNNNN'T stand to be away from me even for a day.....................was, what I wanted to say when in fact, the hubs and I just love to travel. We always have. When the opportunity presented itself, we toyed with the idea of turning this into a road trip. It really didn't take us long to make up our minds. We have flown to Vegas many times and while still fun, we've pretty much seen most of it. This time, we wanted a difference experience. Oh! and yes, we took our toddler along with us. Crazy?! But of course!!!! It's me, y'all(oh! the texas drawl is rubbing on me, ha!). Nothing more fun than driving across 4 states and 3 time zones with a toddler, LOL! Seriously, we would not have done it without her. It was an aaaaammmmmazzzzzzing trip and we had blast. To be able to share this experience with her and make memorable memories together is a blessing and we would not trade it for anything.

There were so many places we wanted to visit on this trip. It was hard to choose, but we finally plotted our route and the must sees. First stop, Amarillo, TX. What stood out for us in Amarillo was the Cadillac Ranch. For those not familiar, Cadillac Ranch is located out in cow pasture where a number of Cadillac automobiles are half buried nose first into the ground. It is an iconic roadside attraction not to be missed if you are in that part of the country.

Whoo! Hoo! Off we go....



Since the Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation, guess who was all over it with creativity?






OH! and YES! we did leave a telltale sign that we were there. If you are ever in the area and you can find it, take a picture of yourself next to it and I'll give you a prize* ;) Good luck!


* Prize has no cash value. It is at the discretion of the author on what the prize is. The first person to submit their findings will win the prize. Winner is responsible for any taxes or cost associated with the winnings. I just give you the prize.

Today, I wanted to share with you a super talented individual who I believe has the potential to take her art many places. Her attention to detail is just superb. Her name is Allison and she happens to be my niece. Am I biased? Of course!!! I am, but I also think I can recognize talent when I see one. We had a chat about her art and her inspirations. Don't miss the artwork she did of Daniela at the end of our chat. Click on each of the images to view a larger version of it.

May: When did you first know that art was a passion?

Allison: I always have to stop and think a bit before answering questions like this, because art has really always been my outlet, the activity I love to do most. I guess you could say the moment I knew I was serious about it was only after a good while of exposing myself to what was out there, who was out there, and researching the possible fields to find out what works for me so I could put that passion in a direction. I'd say that's when my drive began, but I'm still always learning.


May: How old were you when you first started drawing?

Allison: Like most toddlers, I probably picked up a crayon at the age of 2 or 3 and scribbled on some paper. Then I kept at it!

May: What/where/whom do you draw your inspirations from?

Allison: Sometimes the cozy atmosphere of anything with an old English feel or maybe my fascination with Asian folklore inspires me. Maybe the way the light plays on passing objects while on the road could direct my next piece. Pretty much anything and everything, whether it be books, movies (I have to say, these are huge), animations, experiences, etc., etc., etc. As far as artists go, I could list names indefinitely, but I'll name a few of my favorites.

One inspiration that's been with me a long time is Kazuo Oga, who can make fantastical worlds seem realistic. Noah Bradley I've discovered recently, but he's been a huge inspiration -not only from the scale and drama in his art, but as a mentor from the loads and loads and loads of artist resources he provides. Other big inspirations include Theo Prins, Paul Kidby, and Alan Lee.

May: What are some of your artistic achievements and/or accolades?

Allison: My digital painting take on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 got "Best in Show" for the Media Fair competition which encompasses all uses of digital software. On deviantART, I placed in a competition and got to have my artwork featured in a private artbook. I've also had a number of my paintings in local museums very recently -the Arlington Museum of Art and an exhibition at the Arlington PDC. More recently than that, however, I collaborated with my great friend Anh and we placed in a statewide business competition for our logos and advertising design.

May: Where can people find more of your work?

Allison: You can find my portfolio here: http://allisonchin.daportfolio.com

I also have a Facebook page where I post updates of my work, sketches/smaller works, or my art process: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Chin-Art/152211571491685



May: Are your artworks for sale? 

Allison: Most of everything I post on my website is available for print. I'm available for any freelance work or services as well! You can contact me through my email: allisonchinart@gmail.com, or you can just drop me a note on Facebook.

There's more, but that gives you the gist of it!


A couple of years ago, I had her illustrate a picture of Daniela. I gave her the picture and said do as you please and below is what she came up with. Isn't that awesome?! An anime version of my daughter. Now, that's original and which kid wouldn't like that.

Original snap shot

Allison's artwork

Now that it's officially summer, more and more people are out and about to have some fun before the scorching Texas heat gets unbearable. Oopss! wait it IS already unbearable. We had taken advantage of some cooler evenings to hang out in the backyard before it got too hot. Texas has some really awesome places for kids to go and have fun but, sometimes the best place is right in your backyard. When you have a toddler, believe me you will look for activities to let them burn out their never ending energy. What is your backyard fun like?!

What should we do today?! It seems like this question keeps coming up a lot lately. Why, you ask?. Well, with school out, I am constantly in search of activities for my little one that would keep her engaged and active. I am so glad where we live there are many options and choices of things to do but, sometimes that in itself can be an issue when we ALL want to do different things. Will we find something that would meet everyone's needs?

Think! think! think!.............................Got it! Let's just go to the nature preserve. Daniela's need for play, check. Daddy's need for outdoor activity, check. And mine for photography, check. Yay! happy family = happy mommy. It was an amazingly beautiful day to be out and about.

 Click on images to view in lightbox.

D claims she is a big girl now that she can sit on the big kids swing.

Chillin with daddy

Got some loving from a labradoodle

Amazing wildflowers we encountered...

 

My little climber...

made some friends along the way.....aren't they cute!

I cannot say enough good things about this family. They are just all around nice and sweet people. You have seen this beautiful family before when I took their maternity/family photos. I felt so honored when they asked me to take Cooper's newborn photos.We have been waiting patiently for Cooper's arrival and I am so excited to finally share with you the photos from Cooper's newborn session.

Let me start of by saying he was one alert newborn. This little fella just did not want to sleep except for a 10 minute cat nap. He was not cranky or crying at all, he just wanted to be awake to see what all was going on. Isn't he insanely cute? I can already see he is going to have those to die for lips just like his big sister (sooooo jealous..................you know it, you want them too!).

Cooper cannot have a better big sister. She just adores her baby brother. She is constantly showering him with loving kisses. You'll see.....

Laura and Steve, thank you for having me capture Cooper's story.

Click on images to view in lightbox...

 To see more of this beautiful family, check out the slideshow below. Don't forget to turn on your speakers:

Giving back to my community is very dear to my heart. People give in so many ways. Some people give money, some give things, and like me now, some give their services. I couldn't be happier to have the chance to give back to my community through my photography.

A couple of times out of the year, I will donate my services to non-profit organizations as well as to deserving families. So stay tuned if you or someone you know runs a non-profit or knows a deserving family within the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I will be holding contests in the near future for you to submit your deserving nominee of choice. Details of the submissions will be given at that time both on my facebook and right here on my blog. To not miss out on this contest, make sure to follow me on facebook  or you can subscribe here to my blog.

My first GIVE BACK of the year was to First United Methodist Church of Frisco, TX which also happens to be my church family. When Pastor Jason approached me about taking some pictures for the church, I was elated. Now, FUMC Frisco was a deserving candidate not just because its my church family(although that plays a huge role, wink!wink!) but this very church does so much for the community. They are known throughout this area as a place to go in time of need. They even have a team of early responders called H.O.P.E that was immediately deployed to assist folks in the recent tornado disaster in Lancaster. Seriously, they do so much good for the community that it would take writing an encyclopedia to list it all out. I was given the privilege and honor to capture some pictures of my church family members from our Palm Sunday service as well as our Eggstravaganza event. FUMC Frisco has some of the most caring, loving, friendly, selfless and dedicated people I have ever met. They were so gracious for allowing me to capture them in some of their most intimate and vulnerable moment in prayer with our Heavenly Father. For that, I thank you and I hope you like the pictures.

Here is just a taste of some of the great shots captured that day. To view larger, just click on the image itself.

Wow! March was a super busy month for me but, it is also a very special month for me because it is the month of my daughter's birthday. Victor and I knew we wanted to do something special for her but it took me forever to come up with a plan. There was so much to consider the weather, the theme, the setting...etc. We all know what kind of crazy weather we can get here in Texas in March.

So off to the drawing board to come up with a few options for the hubs to pick from. We finally decided on a flower theme since March is officially spring time and when I think of Spring, I think of flowers. And my, oh my! does Texas have some really beautiful wild flowers lining up the roadsides and fields. We also had her party at home because we wanted a more intimate feel where we get to interact with our guests and not have to worry that we had 7 minutes left to the venue. We also had Gregg the Balloon Guy provide the entertainment. He was super nice. The kids loved him. He was great at twisting balloons and his magic show was super entertaining for both kids and adults alike. The birthday girl even got in on the action and helped him out on a magic trick!!!

So with that all said, below are some pictures of my angel Daniela's 3rd birthday. She had a blast and that's all that matters to me. Though... she is asking for it every weekend now ;) I guess that means we did good. A very special thanks to the hubs for helping make this happen and to all our friends big and small for helping us celebrate Daniela's birthday. For friends and family who could not celebrate with us in person, we missed you dearly.