My Baby Isn't A Baby Anymore...

My baby... I mean my almost 2 year old, Blaze is growing into an adult right before my eyes.

Where did my baby that fed every 2 hours, could cook up the most horrendous diapers, and that would snuggle up to me while sleeping and never wiggle go?

My baby... I mean, Blaze now won't touch any food that resembles the texture of baby food, is trying his hardest to convince me he can drink from a glass, talking up a storm, has had 4 haircuts and is developing his sweet but sometimes touchy personality.

For me, since I have gotten into photography, I am so sad to say that I have neglected snapping pictures of my own child. I am missing out on so many wonderful opportunities... if he stays still long enough for me to take a picture that is.

This Sunday when Clint came home from a horseshow in Tulsa, he decided that it was time for Blaze's summer haircut. You know, so the dudes can be low maintenance and cooler while they work during the hot summer.

Clint has given Blaze all of his haircuts and I do not dare take him to a barber. Clint thinks that it's a Daddy's job to fix his boy's do.

With every swipe of the clippers, I realized more and more that I don't have a baby anymore... I now have a boy. A crazy, dare-devil, accident prone, dirt lovin' little boy.

Here are a few pictures that I snapped. Don't you just want to eat him up???

Blaze showing off his new do.
Please ignore the scrape on his head...
and his bare feet...
and the ketchup on his face...
and the fact that he doesn't have a shirt on.

He's trying to tell me to hop in the passenger
seat. He doesn't realize "hop" is not in my
 vocabulary anymore.

Blaze loves riding horses. This is his attempt
 of saying "cheese". It sounds just like "shoes". I just love
Clint's expression. If that's not love and adoration, I don't
know what is.

This is our life in a nutshell. Dirt. Boots. Jeans.
Horses. Dogs. Baseball caps. Snacks.

This is my little "Sarge" overseeing
the dirty work.

Lone Wolf Photography

This past weekend when me and Clint were helping out with the All Around Ranch Rodeo in Glen Rose, I brought along my camera because I knew there would be plenty of opportunities to get some good pictures. A couple of things happened photography wise this weekend.

1. I successfully learned how to shoot in full manual mode!!!!! WAHOO!!! It is so not as hard as it may seem. I wish I could carry around my camera 24/7 to test my manual mode skills. I would look a little funny sitting at a desk in a doctor's office with a camera around my neck snapping pictures though.

2. I did NOT successfully learn how to use my new flash in a low light, action setting... darn it.

3. I got some AMAZING pictures of the broncs when they were let out in to the arena to exercise before the rodeo.

4. And the most important and exciting thing that happened was that I met Gabe and Stephanie from Lone Wolf Photography. They are usually at the ropings and rodeos that we go to taking the event pictures but I haven't been able to meet them yet.

I have followed their work for a couple of years now. Gabe takes some of the most beautiful pictures. He takes the sport that I love so much and captures it from an artistic and very beautiful angle. I aspire to resemble just a smidge of his work. I dig art, beauty, and photography. Hmmm... there's a t-shirt idea for myself.

On Thursday when the stock contractor let the broncs loose in the arena to exercise like I was talking about before, I stopped what I was doing and grabbed my camera. I raced down to the arena and found a corner that I could hide behind a panel so I could take pictures of these beautiful animals without them noticing me.

As I was clicking away, Gabe came over to where I was sitting with his much larger and better camera and his much larger and better lenses and started taking pictures too.

We were both sitting there in awe of the pecking order these horses displayed as our camera were constantly snapping pictures with a mind of their own.

I said to Gabe, "I'm just a beginner, do you have any advise for me?" I braced myself for the rejection because some photographers can be a little protective of their craft.

Then Gabe said, "You know, you just need to take your camera with you everywhere you go, take pictures of everything you see, find your own style and just go with it. Soak up any information you can."

I was in shock that I wasn't completely shut down.

We continued to discuss photography, lenses, photo editing, cameras, angles and everything under the sun about the subject. I found out that we both see photography as an artistic expression and a somewhat spiritual experience. It was great talking to Gabe.

I think highly of him for sharing his advice with me and I will be forever grateful.

If you get a chance, you should check out Lone Wolf Photography , you will not be dissapointed.

Peace, Love & Picture Taking!
-Kaci

Wildlife Drive

Clint, Kutter, Blaze and myself went for a little drive on our neighbor's ranch the other day.

I took my camera along just in case I saw something worth snapping. I saw a few things...

Caught a hawk in mid flight.

This coyote didn't know what was coming next. Clint
brought his gun.

Doe, a deer, a female deer.

Weekend at the High Oaks Ranch: Around the Camp

After the work for the day, we all gather around the campsite, tell stories, the kids play in the creek, and we get to know everyone.

This is one of my favorite times and I hold it very dear to my heart. I have gotten to know some amazing people and forged friendships with them that I wouldn't trade anything for.

Since the pictures speak for themselves, I'm going to let them do the story telling.

This is my little buddy Carson. Her brother and her,
Case know that when a camera goes up, they smile
and pose. I just love both of them. Sweet as can be!

This is Case, Carson's big brother. See what I
mean about smile and pose?

If the kids were playing in the creek, Vegas was right with them.
This is concentration at it's finest. He's waiting for them to throw
a rock.

This is Scotty, aka "Big Daddy" and Kate. I love this picture.

I just love this dog so much!

This is Gage. What a cutie! I want to pinch
his cheeks! He was coming to show me the
frog he caught. I don't like frogs AT ALL
but it was a sweet gesture. :)

This is Jim, aka Jimnastics, telling his stories.

Way to get into the story, Jimnastics.

Scotty, Clint, and Jay Rice having a good chuckle.

I couldn't resist the colors in this wonderous pot of beans.
I personally don't like beans, but they were pretty.

Sean getting in on the laughing action.

Finstead laughing at a story about Indians, frying pans,
and rodeos.... you had to be there.

My sweet boy riding in the back of the truck.

These are probably two of the sweetest people on the planet,
John and Vickie Mitchell.

I adore this picture. That is all.

Cool boots!

Enjoy! I still have lots of stories and pictures to share from our weekend at The High Oaks Ranch! Stay tuned!

-Kaci

Chick Pics

I introduced the chicks to yall a couple of weeks ago, but here are some of my favorite pictures from taking Cooper and Blaze's pictures with the new chickies!

My sweet Blaze with the chickens. Then he got bored and went to
play on the tractor. I knew that boy was like his mama! I think his
middle name should have been ADD.

Charli making sure the chickies were alright.

I'm not sure if it's because Cooper wasn't being held or the chickies,
but he wasn't happy. At all.

What's sweeter that baby feet and baby chickies???

Maybe Grandpas and babies!

Lord, please help me!

T-Bone, Gravy, Edgar Allen Pooh, and Roping Steers

This past weekend, Clint and I were childless. My mom took Blaze to visit his cousins in east Texas so for all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we really didn't know how to act. It was a nice break but I sure did miss my boy.

I took this very rare, scarce, hardly existent, unknown to Clint and Kaci Johnson weekend and made the most of it.

Friday after I got off of work, I went and took pictures of Replay (which you saw some of those already), the roping steers, tried to take pictures of the neighbors donkey (But she is shy and not ready to make her debut on camera quite just yet. Did I tell you that she was just wandering down the road? Homeless. Hungry. Sad. Obviously needing someone like me to love her. But the neighbors road was the first she went down or I would be introducing y'all to a new member of our fam right now.), our horse Gravy, Lizzie, Vegas and Charli.

If you are wondering what the heck I am talking about, here is a little background info. Clint, my husband, trains team roping horses and he works for Clay. Colleen is Clay's wife. They are pretty much a part of our family. Blaze calls them Uncle Clay Lo and Aunt Colleen. Lizzie is Clay and Colleen's very long, very characteristic basset hound child. And of course you know Vegas is our border collie pup and Charli is my Yorkie girl dog. I say "my" because I haven't quite convinced Clint to sign her adoption papers. I do however see them snuggled up on occassion. Clint will deny it though.

Clay's business is Logan Performance Horses. They train horses for the everyday hobby team roper, they show horses in AQHA horse shows all year to qualify horses for the World Show in October for people, and they even train horses for PRCA cowboys that make it to Las Vegas every year for the National Finals.

We call the ranch "the barn". Now you know what I'm talking about when I say, "we were at the barn" or "'so in so' came to the barn today" or "my husband lives at the barn."  

Ok, enough background for today.

I am really enjoying my new hobby of photography for a couple of reasons:

1. I have always had a passion for photography.

2. Photography doesn't clutter up my house like some of my other hobbies do. Like sewing, jewelry, etc, etc, etc. I say etc so many times because if you would ask my husband, I have a million hobbies. I have cut my hobbies down to photography and just some jewelry making. I feel lighter already!

3. It gives my brain such a wonderful creative outlet, without the clutter, but I guess we already covered that.

4. My walls need some decorating.

5. I like making lists.

So here I am sitting down in the front pasture where our horses and Clay and Colleen's horses live, hoping the horses would just act as they normally do so I could get some real life pictures. I sit there for a good 20 minutes. I make a few good snaps of the camera. I'm minding my own business, being very still and very quiet. When here they come!

Now most of the horses that are in team roping training here at the barn are not wild. They are broke, tame, and trained. They aren't like wild mustangs or young colts that act on instinct and stay as far away from humans as possible. Oh no! They think when they see us that they are about to get a treat, or about to get exercised, or especially when they see me coming, about to get a good rub down.

Before I know it, T-Bone (one of Clay and Colleen's horses) is trying to knock me over with his nose to get some lovin'. I try moving a little farther away and they all just follow me. So I had to share a couple of photos I got from this day of T-Bone, Gravy, Edgar Allen Pooh and the roping steers.

This is Edgar Allen Pooh closest to the camera
and Clint, mine and my Dad's horse, Gravy
in the background.

Look up "cow chewing cud" in the dictionary.
You'll find this picture.

This heifer was quite curious of the camera.
She really is a heifer. I'm not trying to insult
anybody here. This is a bully-free blog.

And then here is T-Bone trying to rub on me.

Rustic. I swear I didn't stage this photo! Ok! Fine! I did
find the horseshoe in the pasture and put it on the fence.
But hey, it made a nice picture. I sacrificed my integrity for
this photo. Hope you like it!

If looks could kill.

I warned you earlier that if you hated pictures of livestock then you were going to hate my blog while I'm sharing pictures. So if you hated this blog, you can't say I didn't warn you!

Now y'all come back now, you hear!
-Kaci

Replay

Replay is one amazing horse. He belongs to Clint's bosses, Clay and Colleen Logan of Logan Performance Horses.

Replay is a roan gelding with quite the personality. He is bred to the max and has several accolades under his belt including winning the heeling at the World Show a few years back. He is such a great horse that anybody can ride and rope on him. He gets ridden by Clay and Colleen of course but he's been known to pack around my nephew Kutter and even a few rodeo pros.

 He has recently become a celebrity while posing with the girls from CMT's Texas Women for a Gypsy Soule photo shoot. Of course they had to glam him up a bit for this and he got some pretty cool horsey hair extensions.

I took this as a opportunity to snap a few shots of him with my new camera. Here is what I came up with.




I just love this picture. There is something I just love about the
tenderness you see in a horse's face.

 

Replay would rather eat than take pictures. He managed to get a
full mouth fulls in before I made him stop so his mouth wasn't
full in every single picture, though. 

I just love how his mane is blowing in the wind.
[Insert oooohhs and aaahhhs here]

Now that's a fine specimen right there!

Replay is so serious. Probably because he is mad I took
his grub away.

One of my loves is a ranch brand.

Of course he has to show his personality.

I'm going to apologize in advance if you don't like pictures of livestock because you are about to get a good ol' dose of it here on the blog. I will try to keep things new and exciting so you don't leave me, though!

Over and out!
-Kaci

Charli and Vegas

Charli and Vegas are a little worried about me because since getting my camera I have been chasing them around with it held up to my eye. It makes them just a tad nervous. I just wanted to share a few pictures of my fur children that I love so much.

My boy Vegas after a hard day's work. I can't wait to take pictures of him working cattle.



My Charli girl doing what she does best, snuggling up on the couch. I love her expression. I love the way this camera and lens combo has a nice bokeh.






Blog Share Sunday: Photo Tips and Sips

As a follow up to last week's Blog Share of Ramblings and Photography great blog of photography techniques, tips, and whatnot, I bring you Photo Tips and Sips. This particular post is probably the best guide that I have found on beginning photography, what lenses you should invest in, and what all the technical mumbo jumbo means. If you are interested in investing your own camera and taking on the adventure of photography, this blog post is a must.

Out of all the books that I have checked out in the library and tips from other photographers that I have gathered up, I consider this to be the biggest wealth of knowledge on beginning photography in the history of mankind!!! Well in the history of me, I guess would be a more believable statement.

Thank you Photo Tips and Sips for compiling and bringing this great blog post together for us interested in photography but don't know how to navigate in all the scientific terms! You rock!

Go check her blog out.... now! Run! Hurry! Have you looked at it yet? What are you waiting for?

http://www.phototipsandsips.blogspot.com/

Enjoy my lovlies!
-Kaci