A Visitor

Backyard_MG_2871, originally uploaded by mjphotos2007.

This evening we had a visitor. My first thought when I saw something big and fluffy in the tree was that it was a cat. Once I got a better look however it was obviously not a cat. I'm not sure he knew what to make of all the people watching him at first, but eventually I think he realized nobody was threatening him and he relaxed a little. I'm not quite sure what Eric and Evan knew what to think about a racoon in our tree either.

Fourth of July Parade

Eric and Evan got to participate in the annual Baring Parkway 4th of July Parade. They got to join the parade following two firetrucks and they got to cool off afterwards with the firetruck hose.

For the rest of the pictures please visit Flickr.com

T-Ball

I have to apologize, but the T-Ball season is almost over (only two games left)and I'm just now posting the first pictures. I have been busy helping as an assistant coach (see below)and haven't had an opportunity to take any pictures. Over the weekend Eric played against one of his best friends team, so I made an extra effort to take the camera and get some pics.

Eric is having enjoying himself for the most part. He is also doing very well. He knows which base to throw the ball to, even though there's nobody on that base expecting the ball. Anyway, he knows what he's doing and is having fun.

Lightning Bugs...Finally!!!

Finally...I've been trying to get this picture for at least three years. I wasn't even sure that the lightning bug would show up if I could even time the shot right. Everything finally came together and I got this.

Baby Joseph's Six Months

I photographed my nephew today for his six month pictures. He is a Christmas birthday so that means we are halfway to Christmas already.

Last Day of Kindergarten

It seems like just yesterday Eric was off on his first day of school, but Wednesday was his last day of Kindergarten and we are only a summer vacation away from first grade.

Spinner Winner

Congratulations Samantha. Sam's spinner card won honorable mention in the weekly Hero Arts stamping contest. Check it out Here along with the other winners.

Melissa and Jesus Romero

Friday night I had the honor of shooting the wedding of Melissa and Jesus Romero. (The couple in the engagement photos earlier on the Blog.) I thought everything went very well and everybody had a good time. Here are a few early pics from the wedding.

Card Contests

For the last two weeks Samantha has been entering her homemade cards into the weekly contests on the Hero Arts Scrapbooking blog.

I have been photographing her cards a entering them for her. All of the cards are available for viewing on the Flickr site. She has been getting some really good feedback on her work and I think she is doing quite an outstanding job.

Bicycles

With the soaring gas prices, we decided to bike as much as possible. Over the holiday weekend I took the boys to Cabelas and Target in search of proper bicycle helmets. Evan has the easy ride as he only pedals when he wants to, which is almost never. Eric has all the work to do, but he did a fine job and only really started to complain when his front tire got really low on air.

Jesus and Melissa: Engagement Session

I shot an engagement session for Jesus and Melissa yesterday afternoon. We went to the Hammond Marina and despite some harsh sunlight got some really nice pictures.

This is just one of the many, we found a nice overhang in the rocks to shoot under and got some really nice light. They are getting married at the end of the month so stay tuned for more great pictures of Jesus and Melissa.

The rest of the pictures can be viewed at http://www.johnsonsbasement.photoreflect.com

Location Scouting

Yesterday I went to Stony Run County Park located just south of Crown Point, IN to scout for portrait locations.

I ended up taking some detail pictures and have posted them on Flickr. I found it was kind of relaxing to just walk around and take my time photographing what moved me.

Joseph Daniel

My nephew little Joseph just turned three months old and I was lucky enough to spend some time with him. He was quite happy and quite talkative the whole time, I couldn't have asked for a better subject.

I Can Dress Myself

As you can see Evan not only dressed himself, but he also chose his own attire. Unfortunately, this picture does not quite do justice to the situation. You can see that his shoes are on the wrong feet and if you look close you can even see that his pants are on backwards. What you cannot see however is that he is still wearing his pajamas underneath all of this.

Happy Easter

Here are pictures of Eric and Evan in their Easter outfits having fun in an Easter Egg hunt.

For the past few months, Eric has been taking a Tae Kwon Do class and is doing very well. Recently he was earned his second black stripe on his belt, and is very anxious to get his third. He is pictured here with his instructor Master Young.

Lighting Test

On Sunday afternoon Eric and Evan were kind enough to model for me so I could practice my lighting. Here is my favorite of Eric from the set. There will be one of Evan posted shortly.

Oreos

Eric and Evan share a dip while eating Oreo cookies the other day. I took this while experimenting with lighting.

Last week we took Eric and Evan to the Shedd Aquarium. Where we got to see all sorts of fish and other wild life. I think they enjoyed themselves as well as using up some of their extra winter energy.

The boys really enjoyed the Dolphin show and the sharks. We also got to see the baby Beluga whale and his mother. As usual there are more pictures in the Costco group. (See the link on the right.)

Family Picture

Here is a picture of my family (the Johnson's) taken just before Christmas. I took an opportunity of a rare moment when everybody was together. I know its already dated because of the arrival of Joseph (See post from Christmas Day), but I thought I'd post it anyway.