The 2009 Texas Snow Storms

Snow 2 2009 010, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Holland Lake Park is where I like to take clients for photo shoots in the Weatherford area. It is a great park with a lot of different props such as the lake, benches, tables, playground, bridge, old cabins and much more.  I was recently out and about with my wife and son during a small snow storm and stopped by the park so I could get a quick shot of the lake.  Living in Texas, I don't get many chances for snow shots.  Two to Three times a year if I am lucky.  This week was very unusual because it snowed twice within a few days, so I tried to get as much as I could.

The picture of the entrance to the park was my favorite and I have to say my wife's idea.  She thought it would be neat to get a picture of the snow on the cactus and I have to agree, this turned out great.  The great thing about living in Texas is that we can get snow like this and two days later we can be playing golf in the same town on a dry course.  



The image below was taken during the first snow storm a few days earlier.  The first storm produced more snow and ice than the second and I managed to get out long enough to get sick while taking a few pictures.  It was worth it to get shots of the snow in Texas.



A picture of the Lawyer house in Weatherford, Texas!

Waterfall - Fort Worth Zoo

Zoo 143, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Time delayed pictures of Waterfalls are at the top of my list of favorites. This was taken at the Fort Wort Zoo on December 23, 2009.  It is best to use a tripod, but I did not have one on this day.   Luckily I didn't have too much shake.

You can view all of the EXIF data here

My Little Prop!

My Little Prop!, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

My son has become one of my best props in helping improve my photography.  I just wish I could catch all of his initial actions.  Before I took the picture above, he was sitting on the bed watching and helping me wrap and prepare Christmas presents.  At one point he grabbed the frame insert above, put his head in the center of the frame and slightly tilted his head.  The moment was priceless and I wish I would have had my camera handy when he did this, but I did not. 

So, at this point I grabbed my camera and I followed him to the living room.  It took a few times, but I said "Ben, go stand by the tree and smile" and this is the shot I got.  He was a little tired, so the smile wasn't as big as it was when he first put his head through the frame.

Masking with Gimp

I have had  a number of people ask how I do the black and white with a touch of color, so I figured I would share my techniques.   Before I begin, I think it is important to point out that it does take a lot of patients to do this, but it really is not too difficult. 


I use GIMP, an open source alternative to Photoshop.  Gimp is free an so far does the job for my needs, so I don't feel like it is worth spending the money on Photoshop at this point.

1. Open the original image in Gimp.
2. Open the Layer Window.
3. Copy the Layer and Rename to Mask (or whatever you want to name it).
4. Make sure the Mask layer is selected, then click on Colors and then Desaturate.
5. Choose the Luminosity Option and click OK.
6. Right Click on the Mask Layer and select "Add Layer Mask".
7. Select White (full opacity) and Click Add.
8. Select the "Paintbrush Tool" (You will need to play with the different options here)
9. Zoom In on the area you want to make color and start coloring by using the paintbrush tool.   

That is pretty much all there is to masking.  When I have time, I will add a short video on how to do this, but if you follow the directions above you should do fine.  

Elizabeth Special, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Another Image I recently masked using Gimp!  

Another Sad Ending

Photo Credit: http://theblackquarterback.files.wordpress.com

I was listening to ESPN this morning when I heard the story about the Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver, Chris Henry. I just don’t understand why people continue to make decisions that put their lives in danger. Mr. Henry had a troubled past and recently appeared to be going down the right track for once. He was a young man with three children and now his is gone. Why? Because he made a mistake of jumping in the back of a truck that his fiancé was driving.

He was not shot or beaten. He died because of his own mistake. I hate it for him and his family and I hope the woman driving is charged and sent to prison for a long time. Henry should have never jumped in the back of the truck and his fiancé should have stopped when he did.

Bad relationships are not worth dying over. Seriously, if your relationship is to the point where there is a possibility of death, then it is time to move on. If he would have let her go and not jumped in the truck, he would be here today. There might still be problems, but at least he would be alive to deal with them.

Remember this story the next time you get angry at your spouse, friend or anyone else and think about the consequences before you do anything you are going to regret. It might just save your life!

Rest In Peace!

Ben's Different Faces

It is amazing watching our little boy grow up. It seems like everyday is a new adventure for him. What I have noticed lately are the different faces he makes. It is impossible to catch all of them, but I do my best to have the camera ready.

DSC_8498, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

He was just acting silly in the these two pictures!



I love the next picture even though Ben is crying. He was getting in trouble for continuing to mess with the display case after being told NO a number of times!



The next picture was taken one morning before going to day care. Ben was walking around and I said, "Take out your pappy (that is what he calls it) and smile" and this is the shot I got.

The Scared BCS

TCU Football, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

I am a huge fan of college football and one who thinks the BCS is a joke. On the way to work this morning I had the displeasure of listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN. I know, I can change the channel if I want, but something he said just rubbed me the wrong way and I had to listen. He was on a rant about how TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati should stop complaining about the BCS bowl selection because none of these teams should even be playing in a BCS bowl. Really? This guy has a sports talk show on ESPN! Unbelievable!!!!

He actually said "Who is TCU" and talked about how TCU can't sell out their home games. This is coming from a guy who went to school at Easter Washington University! Seriously! Okay, TCU has a hard time selling out their home games, but this is a great football team. Coach Patterson has done an outstanding job developing this program and they are where they need to be. Let's not forget that TCU has beaten Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the recent past. No, they aren't playing Pac 10 or SEC teams, but they did have a chance to be matched up against one of these teams, but the BCS selection chose not too. Why? Because the BCS doesn't want to see a Mid Major team beat a team like Florida, Alabama or Ohio State. If the BCS had any credibility, they would not have so many limitations for the teams that are automatic bids. Does Ohio State and Oregon really have to play each other. Why not mix it up a little. I would even consider dropping the playoff talk if the BCS would improve the selection of teams.

I think the following match-ups would have given the BCS more credibility.

National Championship Game

Alabama Vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl

Florida Vs. TCU

Fiesta Bowl

Boise State Vs. Ohio State

Rose Bowl

Cincinnati Vs. Oregon

Orange Bowl

George Tech Vs. Iowa (They actually got this one right)

And even if the Mid Major teams didn't win all the games, at least they would have a shot at knocking off one of the BCS teams. Maybe the BCS will learn from this season and consider changing their selection process. If not, then a playoff system is desperately needed in the future.