Photo of the Month - August 2010

I was so busy with the Pinups for Pitbulls 2011 calendar submissions during the month of August, that I totally forgot to post my Photo of the Month, which happens to be a Pinups for Pitbulls image.  So here is my Photo of the Month for August.  Hey it's August 31st, but it's still August.  Lol.  I submitted four different sets of photos for their 2010 calendar last year.  I was so excited to find out that two of my images were finalists.  And then super excited to find out that one of them made it into their calendar!  Yeaaa!!!  This is the image that they used for their August 2010 image.  The model is my friend LaQuaisha and the dog is Rusty, owned by my friends Jessica and Justin.  They were both great to work with.  LaQuaisha had never "modeled" before, and look how cute she looks.  So anyone can be a model for Pinups for Pitbulls.  And Rusty was just happy that he got to eat so much ice cream that day.  Lol.  We went through a few cones by the time the session was over.  If you would like to check out the rest of the calendar or purchase one, or to learn more about the Pinups for Pitbulls charity, please visit www.pinupsforpitbulls.com.  They are a great charity that tries to educate people that pitbulls are not these evil dogs that some people think, plus help out injured pits and shelters.  This year I submitted seven different sets of images for their 2011 calendar.  I can't wait to see the images they choose.

Photo of the Month - February 2010

For this month's photo I wanted to use one of my still lifes.  I photographed a lot of still life when I was first getting into photography.  Just as portraits can, still life can also tell a story, such as who was here or what just happened, or to tell something personal about a person.  For example when I photograph a bride's jewelry, shoes or bouquet on her wedding day, all of those items and very personal to her.  When looking at those items later on, they will remind her of her special day. 

This particular still life just caught my eye because of the great lines and shadows, and the bold colors.  I moved some of the items around to give it just the look I wanted.  I actually entered this photo into a contest and it won for the Still Life section and was published in a book called "International Photographers".  Yea!  I hope you like it too.

Pinups for Pitbulls 2010 Calendar

I had the privilege to help out Pinups for Pitbulls by photographing some of their entries for their 2010 calendar. The images are reenactments of famous vintage paintings, but with a pitbull buddy also included. It was tons of fun to photograph these sessions. Not only did I get to meet a lot of new model friends, but also 4 legged model friends as well! I love animals and helping out when I can. Below are a few examples of some of the images submitted for the calendars and that will be featured on their website. I am soooo thrilled to say that two of my images are actually going to be in their 2010 calendar! I'm super excited. It's an honored to be published. Plus I know I helped out a great cause. Congrats also goes to Jenna Beth & Val (parents Crystal & Tim) for being a finalist. And to LaQuaisha and Rusty (parents Jessica & Justin), who is our month of August 2010 winner! Please check out their website at www.pinupsforpitbulls.com to read up about how they're helping. Plus don't forget to purchase your 2010 calendar. Everyone needs a new 2010 calendar, so why not purchase one where you're money will do some good. They're only $20 each. Thanks goes out to everyone that helped with the sessions.

Our month of August Winner: LaQuaisha & Rusty

One of the Finalists: Jenna Beth & Val

Michele & Diamond

Miss Maye & Coco

Winner for September

I am currently a member of the South Florida Camera Club (SFCC). The club includes monthly guest speakers, classes, field trips and photo competitions. I am proud to say that for the month of September, I came in 3rd place for our photo competition. :) The theme was Wild Animals. Here is a small part about it on the club's website. Click on the links to see a larger version of my winning photo, plus the other 2 winners. -------->

"September’s Photographic Competition Winners
September’s photographic competition is the closest we’ve had so far in South Florida Camera Club, with first, second and third place being separated by only one point between each other. And the lucky first place winner for September is Linda St. Hilaire with her stunning photograph entitled “Cooling off” which she took at the Palm Beach Zoo At Dreher Park. Coming in a very close second is Leonardo Glusman with his photograph entitled “Jurassic Presence”. Leonardo took this photo on the southwest corner of Arthur Godfrey Road and Chase Avenue on Miami Beach. In third place we have Shannon DiBenedetto with her photograph entitled “Owl Baby” which she took at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida."
And here is my "Owl Baby". I call him Owl Baby, since the instructor at Busch Wildlife said he was fairly young, and still acted like a baby, making a certain cry that only the baby owls make. He was such a sweetie.