Almost fall

Howdy!
My kids are a beautiful reminder of how grand summer time really is!
Alas..........school has started,Labor Day is near................and the Fall leaves will be here before we know it! Depending on our first frost, I'm looking at early November for my Fall leaves portrait event. I'm aiming for November the 10th on a Saturday. Only 10 appointments are available for that day. We will go to an exclusive location and have a blast! We will do a nice mix of traditional portraiture along with some fun lifestyle photographs. Sessions are available from 10am to 4pm. Send me an email for more information.....I'd LOVE to pencil you in my calendar!

Travis

Hey all!
This is Travis. I was so excited because Travis is my VERY FIRST senior from Eisenhower High School in Lawton! Travis was so COOL to photograph...........he was such an easy going and well rounded young man! Travis is a very talented musician and a very successful athlete.....he Pole Vaults!!!! He is also in a rock band and plays guitar and bass guitar. Travis and his family were sooooooo super duper sweet and so much fun to be around. You will soon be able to see more images of Travis on my site. Thanks for allowing me to photograph your senior portraits!!! I can't wait for you to see the finished images!
Kudos!
V-

Whew! What a Weekend!
So my husband is on a long needed vacation with my nephew. They are on a cruise right now. He is the hardest working man that I have ever met in my life, so this trip is a God send for him. Unfortunately, that means that I get to tend to our home by myself for a while. It wouldn't be so bad, except that most of my kiddos are teenagers now and they sure are testing their waters with me right now; especially with the little ones.
Seems that the teasing and the typical school-age behavior has come into full swing. One of my sons had a hard lesson today about teasing and name calling. It had to be explained to him that calling other kids names and teasing is extremely inappropriate at any age and that name calling and belittling others is just a method of trying to make oneself feel better. He was then asked how he would feel if someone did that to his mama and my son started to cry.........he said that he wouldn't like that at all.

I explained to him that it would be okay. That sometimes people make bad choices. I explained to him that the choices that we make in life can either make us bitter or better.............and I pray for better everyday.
Kudos!
V-

ALL Welcome!

Hi gang!
Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. This was probably the busiest week of the month for me. Had clients everyday after school........and ...........well........it was crazy.
A few of you have been wanting to get together with me to do some consulting with you. The problem is that right now I am so busy with my own clients. So I have an idea!
I am forming a " Ask V-" class. Basically what we are going to do is get together one afternoon and I am going to share what I know about what YOU want to know. Bring your laptops and notebooks to take lots and lots of notes! I will answer photoshop questions, photography questions, marketing, sales,....whatever you want tips on! Right now I am on Photoshop CS2 but am familiar with what CS3 can do,so don't worry about whatever version you are on. We will figure out your questions.
This is a very informal event, so dress comfortably and best of all........IT IS FREE!!!!!! This one is a courtesy to you all. We will meet on September the 1st in the afternoon. So far, there are three of us meeting but anyone who is interested is more than welcome to attend..............pro or not.
Send me an email and I will give you the details.
Have a GREAT WEEKEND!
V-

Canon Fans

Hey Canon fans!

Just wanted to let yo know that the new Canon 40D is here! It seems to be introduced at a very affordable price.

Some Features Include:
• 10 Megapixels • 6.5 fps, max. burst 75 (JPG)
• DIGIC III processor • EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• New AF system with 9 cross-type sensors • 3" LCD with Live View mode
• 14-bit RAW capture capability


The Canon 5d is a full frame sensor but with only an 8 bit color capture. The 40D is a 2/3 frame sensor but with a 14 bit color capture. I don't know which is better, but it will be interesting to see what happens to the prices of the 30D, 20D, and the 5D. Hmmmmmmmm.

Kudos!
V-

Ride..........

When you live in a small town like Grandfield, Oklahoma............EVERYBODY knows EVERYBODY and it just seems that even acquaintances are Friends!
This is Paula! Paula has been a lifelong resident of Grandfield, Oklahoma and is one of the most amazing ladies that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Paula has always loved to ride her motorcycle and on this particular day, she was very sad because she made a choice to sell her her bike. It so happened that just as her bike was being loaded for transport, I was given the opportunity to photograph her as I will always remember her. Free.........on her bike.

By the way...Paula is one of the MOST talented picture frame makers in all of Oklahoma. She designs and builds custom frames of all sizes and types. She will even design your very own signature frames! I am so tickled because Paula will soon begin designing my own line of frames. If this is something that you would be interested in, send me an e-mail.............I'll hook you up with her contact information.
Kudos!
V-

LOVE my CLIENTS!

Howdy!
What a GREAT weekend! I was able to book my calendar for all of August this weekend and most of September. What I loved about that was that 3 of those sessions were repeat clients.

It means soooo much to me when I answer my phone and the charming person on the other end says, "Hi Veronica!!!!! It's that time of the year agian! We need pictures!" Lifetime clients are sooooooo important to me. I love to see the children grow and the hairstyles change!

I want to thank all of you who booked with me this weekend and let you know how honored I am that you chose to use my services again. I can't WAIT to photograph you and show you all of the cool techniques I've learned in just one year's time! You're going to LOVE your photographs!

What I also love about my clients is that I seem to attract really HAPPY people! My clients have the best personalities and are so easy-going. We seem to be like energies! Seems that life is too short to be miserable. One of my lifelong friends once told me to exert my energy amongst those who love me and don't waste my time on those who don't. Once I started to heed that advice, the law of attraction quickly intervened. Life is grand!
Kudos!
V-

TGIF

Whew!!!
I have had so many fantastic friends and professional photographers give me some great feedback on this website. Thank you all for everything that you do for me!!!!You guys are the BEST! I cant beleive that there have been over 800 hits on this site in just 3 days!
This company that has designed this web interface is soooo incredible. They have the nicest associates and they are amazing to work with.....especially with the huge client base that they have to deal with.
I am so grateful that those of you who love me, love me for everything but my technical skills. It has taken me many weeks to try and figure out how to use this interface. I have been working on this site progressively for what seems to be "forever"! Up until today............I still didn't even know how to change out the last four images that the interface came with.......but the associates of this web hosting company were so great to walk me through that process. Thanks guys!!!!! You are so appreciated down here in southwest OK! I still have a lot to add, but I will keep working on this diligently. If anyone would like info about the company that I used, feel free to email me.

You know how they say TGIF? (Thank God It's Friday) Well it has been a rather tough afternoon for me. One of my students saw the frustration in my face today and she said the most incredible thing to me. She said, "Mrs. Leal............I want to tell you something that always helps me:
Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid"
-John 14:27
..what I love about being a lifelong teacher is that just when I think that I am teaching someone something.................that someone turns right around and teaches me back.
Have a GREAT weekend!
V-

First Day of Instruction

Whew!!!!

I forget how tired I get after teaching classes. I was very impressed with my students.........they're bright, polite, and full of energy!!! It was so good to see familiar faces and meet new ones.

It has been a crazy week.............I am trying to get all of my calls returned to my clients, and orders completed. Thank you for being patient with me. I sure do appreciate you all.

We had our monthly guild meeting in OK City this week also. I am so grateful to be around some of the most talented photographers in the nation. Seems that all of the people in my guild are extremely hospitable, talented, and always willing to share knowledge with each other. I can always count on my fellow colleagues for advice and sincerity. If anyone who is considering turning pro photographically is ever interested in attending our guild meeting, we have some amazing speakers and I'd LOVE to take you as my special guest. Just email me....I'd love to chat with you.

Thanks friends!!!!!!

Howdy!
Okay.............so my photo buddies (especially YOU Carla) tell me that all I need now is a blog. So here it is!!!
The problem is that typically I'm very bad about keeping up with daily things..........and now that school started............YIKES!!!!!!!

Nonetheless, this has been a very exciting week for me. The new website was launched, now the blog, I reported back to school and got my kiddos back in school, and still recuperating from jet lag.

I just came back from a photography school in North Carolina. I got to spend a week up at East Coast Schools and I learned some WONDERFUL lighting techniques, met some AMAZING professional photographers, and got to hang out with some of my mentors.

The people in North Carolina were sooooooo charming. I was so awed by their accents and the hospitality. I also LOVED all of the trees and the architectural design of the homes and buildings. Thank you all for making me feel welcome! It was a good trip. Watch out....you should soon see a difference in my lighting style in my photography:)

By the way.............thanks guys for all of the great advice and technical assistance in the launch of my web site. I sooo totally appreciate you and am grateful for your presence in my life!
V-