[jdviole2]

Thank you for the compliments on my photography. I'm not a professional. Just a practicing amateur. I do shoot with decent camera gear. (I'm not fond of cell phone photos). The model really makes the difference. The real trick with portraits, at least for me, is to shoot a lot of pictures. That way you get to select the best and put the others away out of sight. Makes you seem better than you are. I have four pictures for you today. The figurine is some of Helena's work. She painted ceramic figures for her primary hobby. (She also quilted and, as I think I mentioned, was a very good photographer herself). The ceramic figure is about 9 inches tall with about a 3/4 inch tall face. Pretty precise work. The outside shot of her climbing the steps was taken in 1976. We were going somewhere and she had gotten dressed up. She much preferred to wear jeans and a simple t shirt. The shot of her on the spiral staircase was taken at Disneyland in California in 1978. The last is another of the wedding dress shots. We took a lot of different ones and used one of them in the newspaper for the wedding announcement. I've been remembering a lot in the last month and thought of two stories about Helena you might enjoy. Both involve some sort of public nudity. One of her choice and one definitely not of her choice. No photos to go with them though, so bring your imaginations along. She has told these stories to our friends before so I know she wouldn't mind my sharing them with you. Those will come tomorrow and/or the day after.