Holiday Cards

Did you go to a fabulous vacation spot this year (we went to Northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon - WOW) ... celebrate a life milestone (a birth, a marriage, a blending of families) ... are you mad about purple and can't find that card to match your obsession ... want to include your favorite pet in your holiday card but he just won't cooperate in the family portrait session or

... do you just want to step beyond the ordinary chain store photo greeting card - you know, "put picture in this box."

Consider ordering custom cards from me

... using pictures (yes, more than one picture if you want) that you and/or yours have taken or

... using pictures that I take (still spots left weekends in November and early December).



The folded and post cards are new this year. Folded and post cards come on 100 # text stock. Folded cards also come on linen or pearl paper stock.

Double click on any image to see it bigger.

Cards can be traditional, contemporary, religious, non-denominational or have a touch of fun and whimsy. I will work with you to design a card that is all YOU. Here are some examples of photo cards that I have done for our family and a few others - plus a few new designs that I am playing around with:

We couldn't have a card without Ivan.

The view from our front window during a winter snow storm - beautiful.

Our family is growing to include another pup - no the dinosaur is not part of the family.

Yes, there are a few dogs here ... but I will do cats and birds and other pets if you so desire.

West Virginia Barn

Sedona Sky

It truly is GRAND!

And more ...










For information on ordering cards ...

Nadia McIlhany
phone: 571.334.8224
email: merewords@verizon.net

Wild and Wonderful West Virginia

This past weekend, I took a photography workshop given by Bill and Linda Lane in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. I took Friday off since I had to be there at 6pm and it was a 4 hour drive. I had hoped to stop for some pictures along the way but got out later than I had hoped so there was NO STOPPING. Too bad since the scenery was lovely.

After meeting my fellow photophiles, we all got to bed early in our rooms at the Marlinton Motor Inn because we had to meet for breakfast at 5:45 (in the AM).

Being on location in time to catch the sunrise was worth the hardship of waking up at 5 AM.



After the sunrise we were off to another location in the Monongahela National Forest. This site had a very picturesque fence that Bill says he loves to shoot in every season. It seemed like the perfect shot for the wide angle lens that I got this summer.



Besides the fence post there were winding trails that led to vistas of colorful fall foilage. Here is an image that I played with in Photoshop - creating a watercolor effect.



Next we hit the Williams River for some water action. I wanted to work on my moving water shots so I really enjoyed this spot. I wish some of the colors around the river had been a little more vibrant but they still cast some lovely golden reflections in the moving water.



In the afternoon, we got to shoot barns. Watch for that in my next post.

Portraits of Aaron

Joe's housemate, Aaron, asked me to take some pictures of him. Here they are ...





And then I decided to have a little artistic fun ...

Grand Views - Part III

Gotta love the "poofy" clouds and blue skies of the West. Here in the D.C. area we are experiencing the August haze.

Day Three of our vacation - this was a touring and learning day with local photographer Derek von Briesen. Derek picked me up in his 4-wheel drive vehicle and we drove off ths paved roads up Schnebly Hill Road for some beautiful vistas of the town of Sedona. I also saw a Coyote.





This formation is called the "Cowpies" - can you guess why?!

In addition to some beautiful views, Derek taught me a lot about using my camera and landscape photography composition. It was a great learning experience and reinforced many things that I already knew. I am much more comfortable with using my tripod now.

After Schnebly Hill Road, we headed up Oak Creek Canyon for some shots of Oak Creek and the West Fork of Oak Creek.





Weather cut the day short. Later in the evening Charles and I drove around Sedona looking for a sunset that never really came. We did see some cool water cascading off of red rocks but the lighting was not good to get a good shot. Here is a shot of a formation called "Coffee Pot."

Grand Views - Part II

Day Two - up to Flagstaff (7,000 ft.) and the Arizona Snow Bowl (base 9,500 ft. - peak 11,500 ft). The ride up the chair lift was "cool" - literally. The gift shop does a good business in sweatshirts, long sleeve Ts, and blankets. But it is well worth going to the top where you can look down on the clouds.





There is a world class disc golf course around the base of the chair lift. But at more than 9,000 feet, it was difficult for Charles to play more than 2 holes. I just took pictures of the pretty flowers and sky.



After the Snowbowl (and a suprisingly good lunch at an off season ski resort eatery, we headed north west to Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments. The landscape at Sunset Crater NM including its lava flow makes it seem like you are on the moon. I did not get any pictures that did it justice. You just have to go and see it for yourself.





Wupatki NM is the site of ruins of the ancient pueblo peoples. When the first rangers came to live at the Wupatki site, they actually lived in the ruins.







We ended day two driving back to Sedona through the southern route instead of going through Oak Creek Canyon. We stopped at the Bell Rock Vista to catch a view of Bell Rock. Unfortunately they were doing contruction next to the vista and they had placed contruction equipment in the path of our view. I shot around it.

Grand Views - Part I

There is the reason why they call the Grand Canyon "GRAND" -- because it is. While we were on vacation in Arizona last week, Charles probably got sick of me saying that the scenery was "awesome", "incredible", "amazing." But I just couldn't help it. It had been over 20 years since I had been to the Grand Canyon but seeing it again was truly an experience. I would go again in a heartbeat (though maybe in a less crowded season - summer is peak tourist season at the canyon).



Our trip started on Friday, July 20 with a flight to Las Vegas and then a 4+ hour drive to Sedona. After getting out of Vegas, we went over Hoover Dam and through the desert. The high on the car thermometer that day was 112 degrees. Yikes. Everyone says "but it's a dry heat." Yeah, but hot is hot!!! At least we didn't have humidity too.

The last leg of the drive was from Flagstaff to Sedona. We drove down through Oak Creek Canyon at night so had no idea about the scenery we were missing. The next day we found out when we awoke to views of red rock vistas all around us.



The view from our balcony.

Some shots from Day One - out and about around Sedona, Arizona.














Oak Creek Canyon (heading north out of Sedona towards Flagstaff).

Long Time Between PHOGs

I thought that I had posted since January - but apparently not. I have been in a bit of a photo slump. Life sometimes throws you a curve or two and I have been away from artistic pursuits (of any kind) for far too long. I've taken a few pictures here and there. Here are a few.

The Washington Post had a first day of summer photo contest. Here is the shot that I submitted. It seemed like such a typical Washington, D.C. scene - afternoon thunderstorm during rush hour. There were 450 entries and I didn't win. Oh, well. I like my shot anyway.



This past Saturday the Northern Virginia Photographic Society had its annual field trip to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. I probably should have stayed in bed instead of getting up early and heading over to the gardens at 6:30 am. I got a few shots before my camera decided it wanted to jump into the pond. It is now on its way to Penn Camera's repair facility for an estimate on how much it will cost to repair it (if it can be repaired at all). In the meantime, I will have to use my D70 for my upcoming vacation to Arizona and all things photographic. Expensive lesson learned - watch out where you plant your tripod legs.



In May, we were able to get to Kansas City for a long weekend trip to visit Charles' family. Of course I took my camera equipment with me and was able to get a few shots that I liked.

This is the Bloch Wing of the Nelson Atkins Museum at night. I've seen this image in several magazines and decided to try and imitate it. Here is my shot.



On Mother's Day morning, I shot some pictures of the peonies in Jef and Shannon's yard. They were very pink. I've been playing with a technique called the Orten Effect. It creates a dream-like image. Both this picture and the lotus above were manipulated in Photoshop using this technique.



More pictures soon. I promise.