Nature's way

Lake Ray Roberts - Valley View, Texas



©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

My hometown

Historic Downtown McKinney

Historic Downtown McKinney recently went through a facelift. This is where I work and play. My parents both worked downtown in the 70s and 80s so I have a strong tie to downtown. Plus the shopping, arts and dining are great!

I love what they have done with the place.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

What Dreams May Come

This one's for you Isaac...no photo only stupid shit.

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt that I was at a fancy party with old friends. The guest list included friends from school, friends of old friends, family members of friends of old friends. People I hadn't thought of in years. We proceeded into a debate about photography and wedding photography. It was very strange.

I never cared to do weddings, as I mentioned earlier. But I did do one a couple of years ago because my friends' photographer had a death in the family 2 days before their wedding. They called me and I explained how I didn't do weddings, but as long as they were prepared to get what I could give them and not expect traditional wedding portraits, I would do it. They had faith in me that I didn't have in myself. At the end of the experience, I was very proud of the photos I took.

I guess the previous post (and the inordinate amount of time I have been spending on Facebook lately) was working on my subconscious.

So, back to my dream...someone asked why I would actually want to do more weddings. Then the debate began about whether you take photos of what you want or what the wedding couple wants. This is the one strange question I remember...."What if a guy was in a dress, what you would do??"

I debated the scenario with such flair, I would have made Clarence Darrow proud. I went to the mat with my beliefs. How I wouldn't exclude anyone from a photo. And the cross dresser would probably be the most interesting photo in the bunch. It would be the one to make the story complete. This must be my photojounalistic style coming out. I argued all sides. I deflected all arguments coming from the party-goers like Wonder Woman deflected bullets with her bracelets.

I woke up with a huge smile on face, feeling all proud of my new-found skill as a debater and the flair with which I presented my "intellectual arguments". Until I realized, I had just been arguing with myself for the past hour.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

LITTLE LADY

Little Lady of the Bluebonnets-Denison, Texas

Last week my sisters, my niece and I went were hanging out and found ourselves at the Denison Dam on Lake Texoma to see the bluebonnets. A few years ago, the rains had been plentiful and the wildflowers were everywhere up there. The dam is the most concentration of wildflowers I have seen this year.

I have never been one to plop down in the middle of wildflowers and have someone take my photo. But we three old ladies did it. As we were getting up (or shall I say TRYING to get up) there next to where I was seated, was a little lady bug. She had been there the whole time, crawling around, minding her own business.

I just took a quick snap shot of her. Afterall, she had been patient having three old ladies come to visit her flower garden. She deserved to have her photo taken too.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

A RIDE TO REMEMBER

Somewhere in Wyoming

Obviously, I didn't take this photo. Our good friend Teresa did. She and her husband Dan are our road captains. I don't get to be in a lot of photos, hazards of the job I guess.

By the way, Dan and Teresa are responsible for Lipsmack Studio. So I have them to thank for the name and the encouragement. I took their wedding photos. I have never been big on taking photos of people, and especially weddings. Too big of a responsibility. But due to an emergency, I ended up taking their photos. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. Yes, I stressed. Yes, I was a perfectionist. Yes, I took 600 photos. But they gave me a push I was needing to start this blog and start sharing my photos with the public.

This photo was taken this past summer on our big ride to Yellowstone. I don't ride much without a helmet, so don't freak. I learned my lesson. A friend fell over on her bike sitting still in a parking lot and knocked herself unconscious. So after that, I don't ride without it.

I like this photo. It portrays many of the things I love--my husband, riding, photography and friends. Good friends and good rides make for fantastic memories.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

A Bridge to adventure

War Eagle - Near Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Last fall we went to Northern Arkansas. We stayed a day or two in Eureka Springs and rode the Pig Trail back home. After a day of exploring downtown, we just rode out to have a nice leisurely ride before turning in for the evening. We rode out near Beaver Lake and by chance took a road that led to this. What a beautiful place. War Eagle is just a little place in the middle of no where, just a couple of old buildings. There were no people there but us and another car.

The old wooden bridge was fun to ride across, but kind of precarious since you didn't have much room to put your feet down should you need to stop. You had to keep the bike on the middle of the three boards, kind of like a tightrope act. Fate has is that the SUV in front of us was piled up with kids and they were driving very slowly across the bridge, to everyone a chance to look out over rickety old bridge. As they approached the end, they came to almost a dead stop.

We kept yelling, "Go! Go!" We were balancing on those three boards and trying to keep the 800 lb. bike (with two passengers) upright and still going in the forward position. I don't think the car in front ever thought about how stopping on the bridge was going to effect the motorcycles behind him. Luckily, Chris is an expert rider!

Some of the best rides are the places you discover by chance. The places no one told you about. The ones where you just decided for no reason at all to turn left instead of right. Seems there is always something waiting to be discovered when you are on a bike. Maybe it is the same in life.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

The long and winding road

Beartooth Highway - Wyoming

This pass through the Beartooth Mountains was a fun ride. Up the long, twisty highway. A few years ago, my husband I took the road in our motorhome pulling a motorcycle trailer. Riders were passing us left and right, then you'd see them stopping in the scenic turnouts. Later, they would pass us again. It was a little humilating. The drive seemed to take all day to get from Yellowstone to Coty.

But this past summer, we and four other couples got to switch the roles. We got to wind our way up one of America's most scenic highways. From the top, we stopped and I took this photo of where he had just been. It was awe-inspiring to see that road weave around the mountains.

For some reason, the ride was much shorter on the bike. We were in Coty by lunch time. Which is good, this summer we weren't the old farts in the motorhome!

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

It's what i do

Escape to Adriatica - McKinney, Texas

I am not sure which comes first, the chicken or the egg. As a graphic designer, I love photography. As a photographer, I love graphic design.

Here are just a few examples of the photos I take for my work, to use in publications that I design.

Adriatica is a Croatian inspired village being constructed on the west side of McKinney, just about a mile from where I live. It is like escaping to the Mediterranean without ever leaving my hometown.



Tucker Hill - McKinney, Texas

If the Mediterranean isn't your cup of tea, then maybe Tucker Hill is the place for you. It has a hometown style with an European fountain right in the middle of it.

I took all these photos this fall for the Annual Report.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Wind beneath my wings

G4 - Collin County Regional Airport, McKinney, TX

This is one of my photos that surprises me at how much attention it gets. At my exhibit, people kept asking my husband if I were in another plane taking the photo or just how did I take it. I just told him to tell them I was parachuting and as I passed the wing, I just kept shooting on the way past. Thank goodness for rapid fire!

I clearly see it for what it is worth, but the reflection really throws people off.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Another model

McKinney City Hospital - McKinney, Texas

I was just looking through some old photos that I have taken for work and found this one. Again, I have applied that model effect on this one. The building is so colorful in the middle of the green park. I took this in July 2004 when I took my husband on a discovery flight from Collin County Regional Airport. It was a surprise for his birthday and he got to fly the plane during the flight. A very exciting birthday present. I just sat in the back and took advantage of the flight to take some aerials of McKinney.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Let's go back to Luckenbach, Texas

Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach, Texas

Now if you're expecting a thriving metropolis when you visit Luckenbach, you need to think again. Boasting a population of 3, this is one of 2 buildings there. A combination of Post Office, Saloon and General Store, this building is 150 years old and is walk back in time.

As a photographer, I was taught to crop with the camera, so I have a hard time cropping my photos to odd shapes. But I had a long frame and thought it might be interesting to try to crop this photo. The old oak tree in the back was a part of the original composition, but I forced myself to crop the photo to nearly half its original height. I think it brought more attention to layers of signatures from visitors to the iconic Texas town.

I like what turned out by pushing myself to do something against my training.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Remember the Alamo

Alamo Village - Bracketville, Texas

Earlier this past summer, we took a trip to the Texas Hill Country and ended up in Bracketville and about 50 miles from Mexico. We found ourselves on the movie set of many famous westerns such as The Alamo with John Wayne, and Two Rode Together with Jimmy Stewart and Richard Widmark. Many famous people had walked the same western streets I was now walking. We were the only people there that day, other than the reenactors that sat waiting for someone to perform for.

The set was built in the 50s for the movie The Alamo and the replica of the Alamo is still there. It is quite impressive. If you've been shocked to find the real Alamo in the middle of a urban city, it is kind of cool to see this one, sitting in the middle of a field, with fortress walls around it. The way it should be.

I strolled the set and found some really cool things to photograph. This was the window to the prop building. I just took a couple of shots, and just moved on. But several months later, I decided to try some sharpening and adjustments to play with the rustic look of the adobe and the wooden spokes. I am quite pleased at what came out here.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Oh, Venus...

Venus Rising - McKinney, Texas

Lucky shot. I was working late on Monday and almost missed that beautiful sunset. I just caught the tail end, and luckily had my camera with me. All I had time for was this one shot of the First United Methodist Church in Downtown McKinney, looking west. Venus was shining brightly overhead

If only I had been 30 minutes earlier leaving work, I could have seen the red skies in all their glory. I bet it was beautiful.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

The eye can be deceiving

Model Civilization - Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, Colorado

If you've never been to Mesa Verde, it is worth the trip. The Cliff Palace, shown here is very large in scale and is the largest cliff dwelling in America. That is why I like this vantage point. At first you swear it is a model, then you rethink what you are looking it. Without something to gauge your perspective, it hard to tell just how large it is and that is the fun of this photo.

I watched people at the exhibit stare at it for quite sometime. Glancing at the Storm over Mesa Verde photo that was displayed right next to it. They'd compare the trees, the windows, the landmarks to try to figure out what they were looking at. It was surprising the attention it got.

If you look in the lower left corner of the photo, the red dot is a person. The latters are probably 8-10 feet tall. The doorways are over 5 ft. tall. The average person 1400 years ago was only about 5'1"-5'4" tall. More than 100 people lived in this one dwelling. There are over 600 smaller dwellings in the park.

My friends are planning our next motorcycle trip back to Durango this summer. This just makes me get in the mood for vacation and more photos!

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Cotter Bridge Remix

Cotter Bridge - Cotter, Arkansas

Just playing with new software on my iPhone I came up with this "infrared" version. I really like the look of infrared photography and hope to get into it soon.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

The Mother Road

Rock Cafe Historic Route 66 - Stroud, OK

Historic Route 66 - Stroud, OK

I recently received a google alert that some Route 66 fans were following my blog. While I had already posted some New Mexico photos from the Mother Road, I thought I'd say a big welcome with some other photos taken from Oklahoma on a summer's day ride to Tulsa.

Talk about a ride through Hades! It was 108 degrees that ride that took us to see some of the kitschiest attractions that remain on the road. This was before my big digital SLR camera came to play, so these are just some shots I made of the ride with the Harley Owners Group from Allen, Texas using my point and shoot. Just playing around with the old toy camera effect to capture the nostalgia of the road trip.

Here are a few of our highlights.

Round Barn - Arcadia, OK

Blue Whale - Catoosa, OK

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Putting myself on display

Wednesday Night Special - McKinney, Texas 1986

I am getting pretty excited about my first photo exhibition. I have been gathering photos in preparation of the show and it is funny to see the progression of 25 years of photos. I guess my love of night shots and neon signs started earlier than I recall.

I remember taking this photo back in college when I worked as a photojournalist here in McKinney. I was driving down the service road of Central Expressway and spied this guy changing the daily special on the Holiday Inn sign. So I circled back and took a few shots.

I found the old negative in that same folder I told you about previously. I think I may have printed the photo once. Originally it was taken with black and white film. I remember hand tinting the print and then gave it to a friend who liked it. Never to see it again until now. But with the magic of computers, I was able to make it come back to life as I originally pictured in my head when I took it.

The old Holiday Inn sign no longer exists. The hotel has been sold to another chain. Holiday Inn has updated their brand and built a beautiful new hotel in McKinney. Ironically, some friends and Chris and I stayed there for New Years Eve. Little did I know a few days later I'd be reminiscing over the old Holiday Inn neon sign. Funny how that works.

I would like to extend an invitation to my followers and friends to come see my first show, Laura Smetak At Work and On the Road 7 p.m. January 31, 2009 at the McKinney Performing Arts Center in downtown McKinney. Many of my blog photos will be on display as well as my work photos of McKinney.

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Happy 2009!

Just wanted to wish all my followers a happy and prosperous 2009!

Not just another pretty face

Scooter - In Arkansas

I can't believe it has been a year since our "pup-pup" trip. It seems Deucey is still with us. I come across an occasional photo of her and just love to look at her sweet, soft face. My heart still breaks for her, but I know she is in a better place. She is happy, my dreams say so.

Our trip this Thanksgiving was a good bonding experience with Scooter. She's such a pretty dog. Since Deucey's been gone, she has changed. She is no longer the wildest child in the house. She is probably the best cuddler we have had. She has turned into a pretty sweet dog. I think she may have picked up more from Deucey than we realized.

Even Sydney says, "All she wants is some love." True.


©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved. All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.

Soaring with the Eagles on Turkey Day

Bald Eagle, White River - Bull Shoals, Arkansas

OK, the photo of the eagle came out pretty decent, despite it flying to the highest part of the cliff to get away from our guide who was calling to it. It had just swooped down to the river and caught a trout. I think he thought we were going to take it away. I had to use my zoom, plus really crop it in close. The trees were all grey, but I think all things considering, my first wildlife photo of a bald eagle came out alright. Pretty majestic birds. Then we saw five wild turkeys fly across the road on the way home. Isn't there a quote about that somewhere?

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved. All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.