the hocus focus photo blog

Fire Ops 101

Today was the day that Misty and I went to Lawrence to shoot the fire department training session.  The event was called Fire Ops 101.  The firefighter's union brought out folks from the city commission, a 6 News Lawrence anchor, a Lawrence radio DJ and other various city officials.  They geared them up and guided them through four different scenarios as firefighters.  They got to use the Jaws of Life to tear up a car and extricate a fake victim and they even went into a burning building (totally controlled, but hey - fire is fire).

Take note of the truck on the left in this shot.  It has a roof.

It HAD a roof.  They tore it UP!!!

Here's a crew going in to the burn building.

And the safety team at the other end of the building making sure all is well. 

It was so cool to see these folks strap on all that gear and get to it.  They were all so tough!
And how unbelievably cool is the thank you gift Misty and I received from the union?!?  It's something I bet nobody else has.  CHECK IT OUT!  A KICK ASS FIRE HELMET!  Instead of Firefighter or Lieutenant or Captain ours say Photographer.  They even had our names put on them.  WAY COOL!


More photos from the event to come, but right now I've got a maternity session to edit.  Many thanks to Eddie, Brandon and the rest of the firefighters for having us today.  We had such a great time. 

But before I get to editing that maternity session I'm off to rub it in that MY HELMET IS COOLER THAN MY HUSBAND'S!  WOO! HOO!  ROCK ON, BABY!

Crouching Kitty. Hidden Mouse.

I rented a big ol' 300mm lens for two upcoming shoots and I was playing around in the front yard.  SHEESH!  This mama is HEAVY.  Need to get myself a monopod....or just take my lazy butt to the gym and get my workout on.  Ah, I think I'll just get a monopod. 

Happy Friday, everyone!
H

Got Skills?

The busy season is officially here.  We're booked to the hilt and looking for someone with photography/photoshop skills and sales experience to take on our client ordering sessions.  A fun personality and a flexible schedule are must haves for this position. 

Interested?  Email me with a resume and/or details of your qualifications.

In Action

It's not often I get to see my husband in action at his job.  A couple of years ago I did a 12 hour ride along to see if I could get some cool shots of the guys at work.  I thought surely I would end up with some great stuff since he was working at one of the busiest stations in town, but wouldn't you know they didn't run a single call during the entire 12 hours I was there.  Just to humor me Captain Joe made the guys go fuel up the truck so I could at least have a ride in it.  (And I'll bet you it didn't take more than a gallon of gas to fill it up.  Thanks, Captain Joe!)

In this video clip shot last night by 6 News Lawrence you'll see Chris doing what he LOVES to do....FIGHTING FIRES and TEARING STUFF UP!  Chris is the guy to the left on the roof and then he's the one swinging the ax in the closeup shot up there. 

6 News Lawrence Clip

(I wish I knew how to embed this file so you could watch it right here on the blog, but now you know why I'm a photographer and not a computer techie.  If anyone can tell me how that's done I'll be your BFF and buy you a $10 iTunes gift card.)

I'm so excited because Saturday I'm joining my dear friend Misty Bull in Lawrence to photograph a training session for the fire department.  Misty's husband is also a Lawrence firefighter.  Our guys have worked together for 10 years now which is how I met Misty.

I'm a little sad though, because Chris won't be there for the training session.  You see, this weekend I'm what I like to call a NASCAR WIDOW.  Well, on Saturday anyway.  Chris will be at the race without me on Saturday, but I'll join him Sunday for some good old fashioned people watching.  You thought I was gonna say racing, didn't you?  While Chris is in it for the racing, I'm all about the people watching.  And at a NASCAR race the people watching is...well, it's TO DIE FOR and the photo opps...they're ENDLESS!

I'll be sure to share pics from both events.  Until then, enjoy this little clip of the man in action!  Our girls sure thought it was cool to see Daddy being a "fightah-fightah" as Lucee would say.

Have a great Thursday!
H

More of Miss Personality

Now that Mom has seen them all I can share more from my session with Miss Personality.  She was an absolute delight!  So full of energy and attitude....just the way a kid ought to be.  And I love that Mom gets that. 


I can't remember what I told her, but you can clearly see what she thought of it.  :-)

And how incredibly sweet is she? 


Such a fun mom!!! 

So if you're reading this Miss Personality, I think you're FABULOUS!  Hugs to you and your awesome Mommy! 

A Sunday Sneak Peek

For Miss Stacey.  She's such a fun mom to a beautiful little girl whom I greatly enjoyed hanging out with.  This little girl is packed FULL of personality....and then some!  And does she not have THE BEST HAIR you've ever seen on a six year old?  I'm so jealous!

Risks and Rewards

I've shown a few of Christen already, but I've got more to share with you now that she's actually seen them all.  One of the things I love about Christen is the amount of faith she has in me as her photographer.  She knows I've got wacky ideas and that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but she's always on board.  You have to take risks to reap the rewards and Christen knows that.  I'm always trying to push the envelope and step outside my comfort zone to keep my work from getting stale.

Here are a few more from our recent maternity session.

 




Thank you, Christen, for your continued trust in me.  Working with your family over the past two years has been such a joy.  Hang in there for these last eleven days!  She'll be here before you know it and I can't wait to meet her. 

Much love,
H

TAG - I'm it!

I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Angela Calderon and Melissa Mullinax.  What does that mean?  It means I have to tell you eight random things you might not know about me and then tag eight other people.  Hmmmm.  Here goes!

1.  I used to be an auditor.  Believe it or not I was the Internal Audit Director for a national property management firm.  Yep, I was bean counter.  Indeed, I was.  (No offense to any of my readers who are auditors.)  That job was great while it lasted, but my job now is WAY MORE FUN!  I mean, who actually gets excited when their auditor shows up?

2.  There are two TV shows I might not survive without.  Rescue Me and 24.  COMPLETELY. ADDICTED. 

3.  I blew up a wave runner in 1995.  It was a freak accident and I'm beyond lucky to be alive.

4.  I'm spoiled.   By my husband.  You see, I have a serious aversion to doing dishes.  And I do mean SERIOUS.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've done the dishes since we've been married.  (Love that man of mine!  He's so good to me.)

5.  And speaking of hands, I can tell you the names of each of my fingers and my thumb in Flemish.  So can my kids.  (Yeah, I can say 'em, but don't ask me to spell 'em.)  Completely useless, I know, but my Papa taught me.  He was from Belgium.  He also taught me a few other fabulous Flemish words that I better not say on this PG-13 blog.  *wink*wink*  (I love you and miss you, Papa!)

6.  I have a half-sister that I've never met.  I hope with all my heart to be able to track her down one day.

7.  My breakfast of champions - a COKE.  Not exactly healthy, I know, but this is how I start every day and according to my husband, "it's just best that way".  :o)

8.  I shared a Dallas to Kansas City flight with two celebrities in 2002.  Mr. T mugged with me while Carl Weathers snapped this picture at the airport in Kansas City.  I can't believe I'm showing everyone this picture, but hey, you might not believe me if I didn't.  It's hard to tell, but he was only wearing a couple of gold chains (although one was about as big around as my wrist) and quite a few diamond hoop earrings, but nothing like the A-Team Days.  Ahhhh, I pity the fool.....

So, that's it.  Eight things you might not have known about me.  Now let's see who else we can get to spill their guts. 

Misty Bull, Brianna Graham, Laura Siebert, Stacy Wasmuth, Amanda Keeys, Ann Latinovich, Tara Whitney and Michelle Croson.   Some of these fabulous ladies have already been tagged, but their blogs are certainly worth checking out!

The husband is back in town and the kids have stopped puking so I'm officially back to work and ready for a great Monday!

Keep smiling,

H      

Sick Kid + Out of Town Husband

Hi, all!  Just wanted to let everyone know I've been swamped this week.  I've got a sick kid and an out of town husband so if I'm a bit slower to reply to emails and phone calls, please forgive me. 

Have a wonderful (and hopefully for all of you, puke free) weekend!
H

And since the sick one is resting I might as well add a picture while I'm at it.  Here's a shot that was taken before the puke fest began.  Can't wait till these smiles return!

Can't Get Them Off My Mind

I'm normally pretty light=hearted here on the blog, but as new developments unfold in this case, tonight my thoughts are with Sam and Lindsey Porter.  Missing since June 2004 from Independence, Missouri, Sam and Lindsey are now 11 and 12 years old.  I've followed their story since it broke and can't get them off my mind tonight. 

Please say a prayer for Sam, Lindsey and their mother Tina.  As a mother myself, I just cannot wrap my head around the horror Tina has lived over the past three plus years.  I pray that her children are found alive and returned safely to her. 

For more information on Sam and Lindsey, please visit the Sam and Lindsey Support Center.

UPDATE:  The developments that unfolded today were obviously not what everyone was hoping for.  My prayers continue to be with Tina Porter and her family.