Service with a :-) # 2 of 100

It's really a shame I can't remember her name, but she was such a pleasant and sunny person, I knew she had to be my next stranger. At the Cold Stone Creamery, she greeted EVERYONE with a smile and fun banter. I tried to capture just a little of that spirit. 

This is second stranger posted for my 100 Strangers Project. You can find out more about this project at www.100strangers.com/

Wings of Fancy

Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, holds a butterfly exhibit (I think annually) called Wings of Fancy. I'd been there before -- at least four cameras ago. :-) The exhibit is held in a building that feels like a green house with swarms of butterflies. You can tell they are not from the "wild" because they have absolutely no fear of humans. They land on your head, arms, face even. It's just a beautiful scene. I managed to capture a few here and there.  :-)  See the photos.

Mr. Perry Grant, #1 of 100

I saw that my friend Mary was working on a 100 Strangers project that looked kind of cool. The concept is for photographers to find 100 strangers to befriend and shoot street portraits. It's a good chance to meet interesting people and improve your photography.

My first outing was at the National Mall on Earth Day. I found 12 strangers, from which I needed to pick one for my first post. I settled on Perry Grant, who was sitting on a bench that bordered the Mall. We had a pretty short conversation about nothing special, but it seemed he appreciated my stopping by. It was one of my more satisfying meetings of the day, so I chose him as my first stranger.

National Arboretum

Our Shutterbug Excursions group spent an early Springtime morning in the National Arboretum. Apparently peak season was delayed by about 10 days, but the flowers still blossomed for us.

Ellicott City

A number of my Shutterbug Excursions members keep mentioning that historic Ellicott City, MD, is a great place to take pictures. We haven't gotten around to scheduling a trip, but I did want to see what all the hype was about.

I enjoy quaint little towns like EC. There was a literal Main Street, complete with shops, cafe's, and an old style train station. And of course, the obscure photograph or two.

Mooooo

Ok, so my parents and my sister live in Houston.... out in the middle of nowhere. Here's proof. I was going back and forth between their homes, and I kept passing the same cow pastures. It's a yucky day, and the cows are mildly interesting. After several trips, I couldn't help myself. I had to stop and shoot a few frames. See the photos.

Tiara & Sean

I love photographing people, so I was really looking forward to my shoot with Tiara and Sean. We went out to Glen Echo Park, MD...a great location for portraits. Tiara and Sean were playful and just naturals in front of the camera. These are a couple of my favs.