McRaney Fine Art Photography

Mary Susan, Michael & William

2009-05-08T00:26:00.006-05:00

Here is a preview for Mary Susan, Michael and William! We had a very active morning together. Inside and out, playing the piano, swinging on swings, playing with flowers, singing songs, playing hide & go seek! I don't know about them, but I thought it was time for a nap when we were done!

It was so much fun! Looking forward to the next time already. e

Hannah - 6mo

2009-05-07T00:39:00.004-05:00

Hannah had the most adorable Easter coat. When her mom was walking down the stairs with her, the coat has little rabbit ears and it is fuzzy and soft and it looked like her mom was carrying a stuffed animal down the stairs instead of a little girl! Hannah's 1st Easter! The family portrait~

Hannah had a GIANT Easter bunny that was bigger than she was and had long floppy ears.

Kicking is a favorite past time. At 6mo, Hannah likes to STRETCH out and kick her little skinny legs and laugh! Sitting isn't as much fun because she likes to be standing! I think she is going to go from rolling over to standing up, skipping sitting on her own altogether!

Books are fun...especially the ones that are full of textures and have a great tag on the back to chew on! I think she gets that from her mother. Her mom always liked tags. :)

Here, Hannah is reading with one of the Grandmas!

Hannah may be growing, but it's a slow process! She's still teeny-tiny. If I did not KNOW when she was born, I would think she was younger than she is. She's little, but long!

I love you Hannah banana! aunt em

Sutton ~ First Year!

2009-05-05T19:46:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe it has been a year since Sutton was born! He is such a happy little boy and he always has the biggest smile on his face. :) The Family!

Sutton likes to flirt with me. The hardest part of photographing him was staying far enough away to focus! Every time he looked at me he wanted to come straight toward me! He brought me a flower. :)

Playing with Blocks! Stacking...

and the BEST part...knocking over!

So much fun!

Driving the truck.

Happy birthday, Sutton! Looking forward to our next play date! e

Nadia's Five!

2009-05-03T14:03:00.004-05:00

My friend, Nadia, just had a princess birthday party to celebrate her 5th birthday. I loved her beautiful princess dress!

Happy Birthday, Nadia! I'm so lucky to have gotten to know you! em

Playing with Ezra

2009-05-03T13:42:00.003-05:00

This is the adorable Ezra. I think he might have the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a 9 month old! Even though we ended up doing Ezra's session after St. Patrick's Day, his pj's were too perfect to use with the St. Patrick's Day hat! Just for fun~

Ezra loves to play with his blocks and his sister! Look how long Nadia's legs are...she is going to be SO tall! Maybe a model!

Enjoyed our day together, Ezra! em

Website is Updated!

2009-03-09T18:58:00.003-05:00

Go check it out! www.mcraneyphotography.com

Heather & Joey

2009-01-06T12:32:00.011-05:00

Heather & Joey were married on the first cold day of the year and even the cold weather could not keep the two of them from having the best day ever. They were married in Ocean Springs at First Presbyterian Church. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and the oak trees that framed the church were magnificent.

I loved the way the light came in through the window to make her rings sparkle!

The men looked very stylish with fall season accessories. I LOVE the calla lily!

The girls helped Heather get dressed.

I had not met this ring bearer before this wedding, but he was so cute!

Kanin (below) has been in several weddings that I have photographed, so I've been photographing him as he grows up. And by growing up, I mean he's getting tall! He's so photogenic, I could follow him around and shoot him any time.

The beautiful bride.

The adorable flower girl!

And now it is time for the ceremony to begin!

Time for the ring exchange!

Lighting of the unity candle.

This is what it's all about. Right after the ceremony and I don't think they could look any happier.

A quiet moment before leaving for the reception.

Just one more kiss!

Heather & Joey held their reception at The Dock Bar & Grill on Gulfport Lake. It was an amazing location with space for dancing outside (complete with heaters so no one would get too cold!) and the cakes and food inside (complete with football on the tv's so none of they guys felt like they were missing the game!).

The first dance. The DJ was Jim Horn of Jim Horn Entertainment. Jim and I have worked together on several weddings on the coast, so it was great to have him working the event with me again!

The cake, set in the corner with windows on each side so it was beautiful from inside and seemed to glow like a jewel from the outside.

The groom's cake. I had to get a good shot of this cake. Look at the detail!

Joey's arms are much longer than Heather's...doesn't seem quite fair with that wicked gleam in his eyes!

Dancing with Dad.

This was just too funny. These are the "back-up" bridesmaids. Just in case Heather needed any fill-ins last minute! They were ready!

Mr. Smooth. I just loved this image. He looked so laid back, cool and, as I said, pretty much the definition of smooth...

Heather & Joey, dancing the night away.

Congratulations again, you two! Many blessings on you for the New Year! em

Miss Maisie, Miss Maisie

2009-01-06T03:19:00.002-05:00

Maisie was 4 months old for our first session and she had some beautiful smiles!
Here she is dancing. I can't remember if Mom or big sister got her smiling and moving there, but she was having a good time!

Time for a nap.

Bright eyed and interested!

The guard dog. He can be sweet and friendly, but DON'T mess with anyone in his family or he gets fiesty. And by mess with, I mean, move too suddenly toward Maisie or Mom. He keeps an eye on what's going on in his kingdom! He may look little, but it's only a ruse.

Can't wait for our next session! em

Part of the Family

2009-01-06T03:09:00.003-05:00

Meet James. I think James should probably count as part of my family. I've known his mother since she was born and have been in and out of her home, and her parents' homes, all of my life. James was 5 months old here and look at those gorgeous eyes!

He's such a sweetie! Congratulations on such a wonderful addition to the family Martha & Junior! e

8 Months & On the Move

2009-01-06T02:56:00.004-05:00

Gabe took a few minutes to warm up to the new situation...lights, cameras, new people...but in no time at all, Gabe was smiling and ready to crawl!

New Christmas pj's!

We corraled him in a big bowl and blew bubbles at him! He wasn't sure what to think of the bubbles at first. He definitely liked them, but wasn't sure what to do with them. So he decided he'd try to eat them! He couldn't ever figure out how to eat them before they popped! It was a great game.

On the move again!

I hope you had as much fun as we did capturing these images! em

Dylan & Jaelyn

2009-01-06T02:19:00.008-05:00

I've been a bad blogger lately. The holiday season has kept me so busy with processing, Christmas cards and last minute orders that I haven't had time to think about anything! But I'm going to catch up on some blogging today! First up, Ron and I had the pleasure of meeting Dylan and his 5 day old sister, Jaelyn!

Dylan has the most amazing, BIG BLUE eyes and he is crazy about his new little sister!

Mom and Dad with the new baby.

Dad spent some time bonding with Jaelyn. Look at those tiny fingers!

Smiling at mom. :)
Jaelyn was born with a head full of dark hair and was very bright eyed and interested in everything that was going on while I was taking her photograph. She didn't want to miss anything!

Something was good in the newspaper, according to Dylan's expression.
Isn't he the cutest?
We had a great day of photography, with a wonderful meal thrown in as a special bonus! Looking forward to seeing more of these two little ones as they grow up! em

Flag Still Flies

2008-11-21T17:05:00.004-05:00

Just an extra image thrown in here for fun. This is one of my favorite post-Katrina images. I just noticed it wasn't on my blog and I thought I'd add it!

LOTS of blog action coming soon! Just got back from a marathon weekend of shooting on the coast with 8 photo sessions, and over 8 THOUSAND images taken! We have babies, toddlers, seniors, parents, grandparents and people getting married! Check back soon!

Fun at 7 Months!

2008-11-10T00:56:00.007-05:00

Today I had a session with Sutton and he was FULL of smiles and cuteness!

We played with ducks.

We dressed up like a monkey.

We became scary sharks!

Then Sutton was Santa for a day!

I think the cookies and milk finally wore him out ;).

Where's the Baby?

2008-10-15T03:24:00.009-05:00

Baby Hannah is little bitty! But there was a Baby Wrangler just outside the frame of this first image, and this is not actually where the baby sleeps.
In a bed of roses...or, at least, various pretty pink flowers!

Eyes open! Baby Hannah had a VERY late night (according to the parents) and so she needed lots of sleep today, but it was almost time for some yummy milk so she opened those pretty blue eyes!

Last week it was Santa, this week it's the tiniest little Miss Claus!

Daddy's hands.

BIG stretch!

Thank you, Baby Hannah (& family) for letting me spend the afternoon with you all! e

Santa's Coming!

2008-10-11T18:32:00.002-05:00

This was the little cutie I got to play with (i.e. photograph) this morning! He's definitely the cutest little Santa I've seen this year, maybe ever!

More images from this session to come in a day or two, but I just had to put this one up RIGHT NOW! e

Sugar & Spice

2008-09-29T05:06:00.002-05:00

I got to spend Saturday morning with the adorable Kelsee! She was in a happy mood and didn't even mind wardrobe changes for her photo session!
Waiting for directions or just checking me out? I'd love to know what was going on behind those big serious eyes!
Big smiles!
Dancing!

I had so much fun! I can't wait to watch as she grows over this next year!

Morning at the Junk Yard

2008-09-24T10:35:00.003-05:00

This summer we went to the junk yard one morning. Sad to say, but I had not had a chance to look at the images from that morning until this month, but it was fun to look back and see what I had found that day! It's a great way to work on your creativity!

Wormsloe Oaks

2008-09-24T00:59:00.002-05:00

On our way to Ossabaw Island last weekend, Ron and I stopped at Wormsloe to photograph their famous oak lined entrance way. We only had about an hour to shoot, so we made the most of it. I think both of us only shot infrared since it was right in the middle of the day, but I love the dramatic way the trees are shown in the high contrast black and white!

Waiting for Hannah

2008-09-23T20:17:00.004-05:00

We are all waiting for Hannah to decide she's ready to arrive!

Rebecca informed us all she was ready earlier this month.

Lambie is ready.

Sophie is ready to be let into the nursery.
All of the mice in the mouse house are ready, even the wonky hot pink mouse that Sophie accidentally got hold of once (whoops!).

Sweet Baby Boy Ezra

2008-09-23T19:22:00.003-05:00

I have been a bad blogger this past month! I have been out of town a good bit of the month and I haven't had the access that I usually have to my blog to update! So now I have LOTS of images to update with and I will try to do better for October...Which is Atlanta Celebrates Photography!
This photo session was Ezra's newborn session and I think he slept through the entire session. I saw his eyes twice and that was just a brief glimpse! Looking forward to seeing those beautiful eyes better at our 3 month session coming up soon!

Baby Shower for Becca!

2008-08-29T19:11:00.004-05:00

Hannah is on her way! Just another month and it will be baby time!

More Photo Walk

2008-08-27T00:38:00.005-05:00

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk was planned to celebrate the release of Lightroom 2 and Scott's new book, "The Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers."
This was a social photography event where a groups of 50 photographers met in areas worldwide to shoot at a set time and place on August 23, 2008, rain, shine or hurricane (thanks to Fay!). Here in Atlanta, it was VERY WINDY and it rained a little bit, but there was not a downpour while we were trying to shoot!
The group that I joined met in the Buckhead region of Atlanta. We shot for 2 hours and then met back up for dinner to talk about what we shot and what we had seen.
Feel free to leave me some comments! e

Scott Kelby's Photo Walk

2008-08-24T01:23:00.004-05:00

I just got back from my group's photo walk and this is one of the first images that I came across in my files that I'm excited about showing! Will add more to the blog and tell you more about the Photo Walk event next post! e

Beach Volleyball!

2008-08-10T23:54:00.006-05:00

Good luck Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh! The AVP has turned beach volleyball into my favorite Olympic sport and I am so excited that we have such great players that I have enjoyed watching for years now! Monday is Misty and Kerri's next match so everyone watch and cheer them on! UPDATE: Next match for Misty & Kerri is Wednesday evening, 9p.m. EST!

A little gratuitous eye candy because I enjoy watching Rosie and Gibb and I really liked this shot!

Four Month Cutie!

2008-08-07T01:30:00.006-05:00

I could not believe how much this little cutie had grown since our newborn session! Sutton was full of smiles for our session and we had a great time.

Ready for the beach!

La Maison Gautier

2008-08-06T02:15:00.011-05:00

This weekend was Kaycee & Robbie's wedding in Gautier, Mississippi! Kaycee was a beautiful bride and we had so much fun hanging out all day!
The ceremony and reception were both held at La Maison Gautier, "The Old Place," which is set on the Singing River. It is gorgeous! With amazing centuries old oak trees surrounding the plantation style house that was built in 1867.

The ties on the curtains were the exact same shade of color as Kaycee's dress! What are the chances?

The home has unbelieveably beautiful galleries/porches along two full sides of the house overlooking the river. The light on the galleries was so soft and nice!

I had to make sure there were no ants before I let Kaycee sit in any of the grassy areas! I get so caught up in what I am doing while I am shooting that I do not realize that I am sitting or standing IN an ant bed until the ants start biting me! NOT a good thing. I'm much more careful with my brides than I am with my own wellbeing!

So these are just a sampling of what is to come from this event! There are so many great shots from the reception that I have not even begun to sort through!

All of the rest of the images will be available for online viewing soon!

Hope you enjoy these and I would love to hear any comments!

Congratulations Kaycee & Robbie! Hope you are having a wonderful time on your honeymoon! e

Having Fun in the Park!

2008-07-24T19:54:00.003-05:00

More Proposal Pix!

2008-07-24T19:39:00.006-05:00

A few more proposal images by Ron Holt! I'm so lucky to have him as a shooting partner!

Congratulations again to Katie & Chris!

Proposal at Silverback Stadium!

2008-07-10T01:49:00.006-05:00

Tonight was a special night at Silverback Stadium. At the end of the soccer game, Chris asked his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him!

As you can see from the happiness evident in the images in this post...
the answer was YES, YES, YES, YES!

Congratulations Chris & Katie!

All Because Two People Fell in Love

2008-05-25T11:34:00.020-05:00

Let me say first that I have gone overboard with images! Not only in this post, but in the number of images we took at this wedding! I was surprised at the final count!

Because I want COMMENTS! If anyone guesses (within 100 images) of the final number of images taken, I'll send the first person to do it a prize! Doesn't count if you e-mail me your guess. You have to leave me a comment! Guesses end at the end of May, 2008.

The flower girl! Isn't she beautiful! We could have spent the day photographing her!

Andrew & Nathan. Andrew has the most AMAZING eyes! They are a STARTLING BLUE! First time I saw them I literally did a double-take.

I loved the boutonnieres!

After the ceremony, Carolann told me she wanted ART and that she wasn't interested in the traditional formals. We sent everyone else off to the reception and created some moments that Carolann & Doug can remember forever. When we were walking toward the cars to leave for the reception, Carolann said, "This is the most fun I've had all weekend!" I'm so glad that we had that time to play and create and for the two of you to spend together as newly weds!

The reception was held at the Cabana Club on Pensacola Beach. Kay Lee, the wedding coordinator for the Cabana Club, did a wonderful job. Everything looked amazing, from the cake decorated with starfish and shells, to the table decor with goldfish swimming beneath irises, it was beautiful.

Dancing with Dad.

The Cabana Club is on the third floor overlooking a marina, so the sunset lit the sky with gorgeous colors.

I love this image! Doesn't Carolann look like a model?

The rest of the images in this post were taken the day after.

First we went to the beach.

Then we played tennis! Carolann & Doug met on the tennis courts and that is where their initial friendship began, so it was only fitting to incorporate that into our day after imagery!

Congratuations Carolann & Doug!

Where in the World?

2008-05-23T23:36:00.009-05:00

For those who have been keeping up with my travel schedule lately, this past weekend I was back in Florida. Tune in tomorrow for images from the weekend! Here are a few images to show the part of Florida where I spent the last few days...

I LOVE these chairs! I love the colors and I love how comfortable they are and that the arms give you the perfect place to put a drink as you relax!

Moon over Portofino. These are beautiful condos that we had the opportunity to use as backdrops!

Check back tomorrow to see why we were in Pensacola! e

The Orphan Work Acts will Orphan Your Images

2008-05-07T13:07:00.005-05:00

I have had several people ask me about the Orphan Work Act of 2008. There is information at http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185 and I have included below an article by Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner that explains how no work is safe, even if it has been registered. This is scary! I have added a link to where to go to let your Senator and Congress Representatives know that you oppose this Act in the right column of my blog. It only takes two minutes to add your name to the list of people opposed to this act. There are form letters for artists as well as non-artists so it is easy and it is so important to the livelihood of all artists.

How Registries Will Orphan Your Workby Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner

April 2, 2008 How Registries Will Orphan Your WorkWhen the Copyright Office spawned the Orphan Works bill (2006), they said it would not cause problems for artists. They were wrong. Now they concede the problems, but say registries are the solution. Wrong again.
PicScout is one of the technologies being developed for locating visual art. On March 13, they touted their capabilities to the House IP subcommittee:“Our technology can match images, or partial information of an image – such as a single face of one person in a crowd, with 99% success... Over the years, we have established relationships with our partners and now track the use of millions of digital files stored in our huge centralized database.”http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/Gura080313.pdf
PicScout is just one of several firms that hope to benefit from the Orphan Works bill. They envision a future registry in which registered pictures will not be available for review or browsing. Instead a searcher would feed in a desired image and if there’s a match, get back only the artist’s name and contact information – or be told there is “no match.”
So far, so good – for all the pictures in the registry. But “no match” – there’s the rub.You Can’t Find What’s Not in the Registry: Let’s say you haven’t registered a particular image in the system. In that case, the best technology in the world won’t find it there. So unless every picture you’ve ever done is registered, the searcher’s failure to find a match would actually orphan a non-orphaned image.
But let’s say you comply with this coercive bill. You register tens of thousands of your works with one or more commercial registries. Are these works now safe from infringement? No! They can still be orphaned.
Here’s how:PicScout’s claim of “99% success” concedes a margin of error of at least 1%. Sounds small, doesn’t it? But consider:
– Google has already said they intend to use millions of orphaned works. Other businesses will use millions more.
– One percent of every million searches means 10,000 registered images “accidentally” orphaned.
– Multiply 10,000 accidental orphans by millions of millions of searches and you have an astronomical number.
– These are images that will be orphaned even though the artists spent the time and money to register them.
– Will these artists be able to sue for infringement?– Yes, but at their own risk, because– The users’ use of registries will prove they did a “reasonably diligent search.”
And there’s another problem:– It’s statistically impossible for each million searches to orphan the same 10,000 images. Therefore:
– Every image you register will be permanently vulnerable to an infinite number of orphan opportunities; also:
– An image may turn up as a “match” on one registry
– while being orphaned on another.There are many reasons why international law forbids coerced registration as a condition of protecting your copyrights.We’ve just given you some.We believe the technology being developed by PicScout and others is fantastic. But it should be used to help artists protect their rights; not to facilitate cultural theft on an unprecedented scale.
Please help us spread the word about this bad bill. Post or forward this email in its entirety to any interested party.— Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner, for the Board of the Illustrators’ Partnership
This article is copyright © 2003 Illustrators’ Partnership of America.845 Moraine Street, Marshfield, MA 02050781-837-9152All rights reserved.

Barefoot on the Beach

2008-05-06T00:10:00.008-05:00

Congratulations Christine & Don! I just got back to town from photographing Christine & Don's wedding, barefoot on the beach, in Fort Lauderdale. Beautiful weather, not too hot or too cold, just a wonderful weekend for a beach wedding.

It was hard to hear the vows because this past weekend Fort Lauderdale also hosted the cigarette boat races just off of the beach. The boats were flying by in the background and helicopters were circling overhead throughout the ceremony! Made all of us think of the papparazzi! There is probably video from the the media coverage for the boat races of the wedding as well! If anyone sees video of the wedding, let me know!

The wedding party.

After the ceremony, friends of the bride and groom spent the afternoon around the pool at the Courtyard Marriott, and continued the party at the Elbo Room across from the beach.

Flannery

2008-04-25T01:48:00.008-05:00

Check out this little cutie! She is definitely the cutest dog I've seen this week. Flannery is 4 months old and FULL of energy and loves to snuggle!

She is a King Charles Spaniel and she has the prettiest little face. I could have played with her for hours!

Cool Cats

2008-04-17T00:25:00.002-05:00

It's been too good of a day not to post something! The turquoise cool cat was at a friend's house recently and it was just too cute not to take a picture. It's my favorite color, too!
The absolutely gorgeous, incredibly handsome (I might be a bit biased, but I still think it's true... ) Sensi kitty who is checking out the goldfish is my baby. He's on the blog this week to celebrate his good news! He had his last chemo treatment on Monday and the vets say that they are thrilled with how he is doing and that he looks great! No more scary visits to the specialist vet until the three month check up!
Thank you to Ron Holt for taking such a fun image of my cool cat! em

I'd Rather be in the Studio!

2008-04-13T14:59:00.005-05:00

I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion is for artists of all kinds. Painters, sculptors, ceramist, jewelers, photographers, and others will benefit from the easy-to-follow self-promotion practices in this book.
Author and art-marketing consultant Alyson B. Stanfield, of ArtBizCoach.com, focuses on sharing the artwork directly with potential buyers through electronic and traditional communication outlets—in a manner that is comfortable, not artificial. Artists match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of their art careers.
The book includes online worksheets and downloads.

You can find more information by going to idratherbeinthestudio.com .

I learned about this book through a Blog Tour Stop that has been making the rounds through several blogs, but this week was being hosted by Take Action Now with Coach Lee http://365daysofcoaching.com/takeactionnow/index.html .

Only 8 Days Old!

2008-04-08T23:34:00.009-05:00

Daddy's Hands.

This little cutie did not want to take a nap! I was planning on Sutton spending most of our first session asleep and not even noticing that I was around, but he was very busy keeping an eye on what was going on in his house! Lots of new things and it all just made him hungry!

BIG Yawn!

Moment with Mom.

FINALLY Sleeping...momentarily.

I had a wonderful time spending some time with Sutton and his family. He's absolutely adorable!

Maria & Stewart Wedding!

2008-04-01T06:09:00.018-05:00

So many images! I just couldn't decide. This weekend I had the privledge of photographing Maria & Stewart's wedding. I don't think they could possibly have been happier or more in love. They were both glowing!

Getting Ready.

Excitement!

The first time the saw each other dressed up for the wedding...

First Kiss.

Exchanging Rings

Newly Wed!

The Reception Details...
The Cake
The Toasts

Dancing

Escape! Under a shower of birdseed, some of it still wrapped up in it's tulle packaging to make it more of a missile than a shower!

And the cattle grazing on the hood of their car the next morning (actually all through the night.) My favorite part of the car decorations (not seen in this photo) was one of the cows had been "tipped."

Congratulations Maria & Stewart!

Maria & Stewart Rehearsal

2008-03-28T22:28:00.012-05:00

Today was the rehearsal for Maria & Stewart's upcoming wedding! It was so great to see them again and to meet more of the family and friends.

The beautiful Maria...

Stewart...very happy to be getting married tomorrow!

Practicing the processional.

The Guys.

This church has a stunning pipe organ. I just had to take a few images of it while I had the opportunity!

A new family portrait! Look at those eyes!

Silliness! Cannot wait until the actual wedding!

Ellen

Honey For Sale

2008-03-27T14:44:00.002-05:00

Back, by popular demand, "Honey For Sale." This is actually an image I took a few years ago now. It was in rural Mississippi and I had my tripod set up and was trying so hard to "look serious" for the image I had in mind. People in trucks kept driving by and slowing down watching what I was doing so at least 50% of the roll of film (yes, this was BEFORE digital!) were photos of me laughing before the timing on the camera and my expression finally reflected what I wanted!

Happy Easter 2008!

2008-03-23T17:16:00.002-05:00

May your year be blessed with wonderful new beginnings and fun surprises!

Model Session with Ellie

2008-03-12T14:34:00.007-05:00

Ellie had modeled for me before, but it had been many years ago, when I was just starting to shoot. It was so much fun to get together again and create! The time flew by so fast that we are going to have to plan another session soon. We did not have a chance to shoot half of the ideas we had in just one session! Here are a few of our creations...

New Baby on the Way!

2008-03-10T02:40:00.006-05:00

I had a Maternity Session this weekend with a beautiful soon-to-be-mom!

Bobos' on the Beach!

2008-03-02T19:04:00.004-05:00

Krista & Matt are married! They had an absolutely beautiful destination wedding in New Smyrna Beach, FL last weekend. The day after the ceremony, Krista & Matt met me and Ron on the beach outside their condo to do some "day after" photos. Here are the first few images for everyone to see! More to come!

Ellen

Sensi - my baby

2007-12-09T16:47:00.001-05:00

This is my baby, Sensi McRaney.

Sensi is 11 years old and I cannot imagine my life without him. We found out recently that he has cancer, so we had a tumor removed last Monday. Now, 30 or so stitches later and 1 pound lighter, we are recovering. He's doing great and *hopefully* the incredible oncologists and surgeons were able to remove all of those scary cancer cells and we'll have a full recovery.

Isn't he beautiful?

Poor Man's Mailbox

2007-12-07T01:52:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how mail seems to multiply? Especially if you have been out of town for a few days!

First you have one day's mail, minding it's own business.
Then the mail has a party.

And the mail invites more guests...

And the mail multiplies...

And multiplies...

And multiplies...

2008 McRaney Calendar Now Available

2007-11-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

Last year was my first calendar, and while it was one of the top selling calendars on lulu.com, I wanted this year's calendar to be bigger, brighter, more artistic, better quality and more beautiful. I think that I have achieved that goal. I'm really excited about my 2008 calendar! It is called My Mississippi fine art photography by Ellen McRaney.

Almost all of the images were taken in Mississippi, and the very few that were not were included for specific reasons that fit with my idea of what Mississippi means to me.

So everyone go check out my calendar and give me a 5-star rating so I can top the charts again! Just click on this link: www.lulu.com/content/1502747 .

Calendars can be ordered either directly through lulu.com or directly from me.

Boone Hall Oaks

2007-11-16T00:13:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month, I was at the Peter Anderson Arts Festival in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I have had an image on display that I call "Oak Alley at Boone Hall." This image is an infrared image and is the first image in this post. A lady at Peter Anderson asked me if I had the image in color. I told her I would have to look, that I took this original image as an infrared, but that I had also shot color images at the same location with a different camera the same day, I've just never had a chance to look at them. So here are the color versions that I am FINALLY getting around to processing! My mom will be so happy. So does anyone have a favorite? Comments are welcome! em

Biloxi Bay Bridge Opening!

2007-11-14T18:26:00.001-05:00

This first image with the fireworks is called "Celebrations" and when I sign, I date it with the date of when the image was taken, 11-1-07.

The second image is called "Biloxi Bridge 2007 at Dusk," not very original, but I wanted people to be able to see it! If anyone has a better idea for a name, let me know! I may change it!

The third image is "Biloxi Bridge Fireworks Red 11-1-07" while the fourth image is "Biloxi Bridge Fireworks Blue 11-1-07."

The fifth image is the only one that was not taken on 11-1-07. It is a montage of images that includes an image of the old bridge as it was, taken in 2001, (with cars on it and everything!) an image of the bridge after Katrina from the same angle with the draw bridge up as it was for so long, and several images that are close-up that show what Katrina did to our bridge. This fifth image is the "Bridge Montage."

The sixth image is "Mike Sekul," the name of the schooner.

The seventh image is "Schooners Crossing," which actually has both of the Biloxi schooners, the Mike Sekul and the Glenn L. Swetman, one on each side, going under the bridge on the day it was opened for traffic.

Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I cannot tell you how exciting it is that the brand new Biloxi Bay Bridge has two lanes open!!! After Katrina, the old bridge was completely destroyed. Now, two years later, there is finally access across the bay to Point Cadet/Biloxi. To celebrate this, November 1, 2007, the day two lanes of the bridge opened to traffic, there were all kinds of celebrations. There were speeches by Govener Haley Barbour and by the mayors of both Ocean Springs and Biloxi, there was a festival on the Ocean Springs side of the bridge that went into the night with live music and fireworks. There was a parade of motorcycles and vintage cars that went over the bridge first once the ceremonial ribbon tying was finished. There were commemorative medals, books, coloring books and "snap-on" bracelettes. In short, it was a really, really big deal. I was so excited to be at home for the opening and be able to capture the festivities in my images. Here are some of the many images that I took that day. I hope you enjoy them!

The eighth image is called "Schooners Kissing."

The ninth image I've not named yet, (feel free to give me some suggestions!), but has both schooners with the Ocean Springs front beach in the background.

The tenth image, shows the bridge at it's current state, just before it was opened for the motorcycle and vintage car crossing.

The eleventh image shows a section of the bridge with the motorcycles crossing for the first time.

ACP October 2007 and McRaney Photography

2007-10-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

October is Atlanta Celebrates Photography and this month I have work on display in several different galleries.
At The Seen Gallery, in Decatur, Georgia, I have several framed pieces on display, including my 2007 Marble Festival Fine Arts Exhibit 1st Place winner (see pictured in post before this one). Also at The Seen, I have matted work available and additional framed pieces are available to be seen upon request. Just ask Amy or Bill!
(321 West Hill Street Decatur, GA http://www.theseengallery.com/)
I am exhibiting with the Atlanta Photographic Society at the Unitarian Univeralist Congregation Church from October 1 - October 28, 2007. In this exhibition I won second place for color prints with "Phillipsburg Knob." My friend and shooting partner, Ron Holt, won best of show, first, second, third and honorable mention for black & white prints! I knew there was a reason I liked to shoot with him! The exhibit is open whenever the church is open.
(1911 Cliff Valley Way Atlanta, GA 404.634.5134)

I am involved with two exhibitions with Women in Focus. One was juried by Susan Todd-Raque and is being shown at the Ferst Center for the Arts on Georgia Tech campus. Both of my images being shown at the Ferst Center are infrared images that were taken in the Charleston area. This show will be on display from October 2 - October 30, 2007.
(349 Ferst Drive Atlanta, GA www.ferstcenter.org open Tuesday - Thursday 11 - 1 p.m., Monday - Friday 1 - 5 p.m., and by appointment)
The second show that I am exhibiting in with Women in Focus is at Digital Arts Studio. This show will be up from October 6 - November 5, 2007.
(1082 Huff Road Atlanta, GA www.digitalartsstudio.net open Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. & Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Lots of different areas with work on display, so if anyone has a chance to check out one of the shows, let me know what you think!

Marble Festival Fine Art Exhibition Win!

2007-10-06T12:37:00.001-05:00

Although the photographs have been on display for the Marble Festival Fine Art Exhibition for the past two weeks, the "official opening" of the show was last night to kick off the weekend of the Marble Festival festivities that will be going on all weekend in Jasper, Georgia.

I was excited to see that I had placed first in the photography division with "Merry"!

The show will be ending on Sunday, at the conclusion of the Marble Festival weekend at 4 p.m.

Marble Festival & Fine Art Exhibition

2007-09-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

The 2007 Marble Festival Fine Art Exhibition is currently on display at the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce in Jasper, Georgia. It is a juried show and this year I have 6 pieces on display. The show will continue through the end of the Marble Festival which is next weekend (Oct. 6/7).
These are a few of my pieces that are on display. St. Mary's Falls are located in Glacier National Park on the east side of the continental divide.
The Fairhope Tulips are blooming every year in mid-March. Fairhope is in south Alabama and I usually participate in an arts festival that is held there at just the right time to enjoy the gorgeous tulips. These were in front of the library.
Merry was taken late one night on the boardwalk in Kemah, Texas.

Morning in the Garden Part 2

2007-09-28T22:05:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more from last Sunday morning. Please leave comments!
I always love to shoot in the gardens, but today I was shooting for a photo club competition. I have to choose 10 images that I took from today only at the Botanical Gardens. The images in this post and in the post before this one are my 14 favorite images, but I have finally narrowed it down and I know which 10 I am going to enter. Can you guess which ones?

Morning in the Gardens

2007-09-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

My early new year's resolution is to be a better blogger.

With that said, last Sunday I went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Here are some of my favorites from that morning. Let me know what you think! Comments are always welcome.

Two Blue

2007-08-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

Last night was the Southeastern Photographic Society's monthly meeting and competition. This months theme was "BIG" and there was no time frame limitation. It was a good night for me! I won first place for black & white print and first place for color print.

My black & white print entry was a recent image of a father's hand with Ava's hands...his 3 month old daughter.

My color entry was a body builder named George. We went to the Sope Creek area and of all of the shots, this was my favorite from the shoot. I loved this pose!

After the Fireworks

2007-07-05T02:50:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of images from tonight after the Silverbacks game!
It was a great game. We won 3-2.

Happy Fourth of July!

2007-07-04T03:29:00.002-05:00

Although this is actually an image that I took a couple of years ago in Bellingrath Gardens, I never had a chance to process any of the images! So this is new to me and the first time I've seen it and the first time it has been on display. Happy Fourth of July!

If anyone needs something to do in Atlanta tonight, go to the Silverbacks game! Fireworks after the game and we're playing Charleston. Go Silverbacks!

2007 Decatur Fine Arts Exhibition!

2007-05-31T13:08:00.000-05:00

The Decatur Fine Arts Exhibition is almost over, but there is still time to go check out all of the good work. The closing reception is Sunday, June 3, from 4 - 6p.m.

This exhibition was juried by Erin Dixon (artist who currently teaches at Georgia State), Mark Karelson (artist and founder of Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta), and Stephanie Smith (artist who teaches at West Georgia). The exhibit is in the Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College.

I have two pieces in the exhibition, "Daflak" (above) and "Shotgun Moon" (below).

Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, hurricane Katrina was devastating in so many ways. Even though I no longer live there now, my parents do, many of my friends do and it is still where I think of as "home." People who have not been to the coast since Katrina, have a harder time understanding the true devastation. It is hard to even do it justice with photographs. A photograph can only show one frame at a time. This was a disaster that stretched from New Orleans to Mobile. It is hard to conceive of the magnitude of that or how long it will take for the people in the area to recover from something like that. People ask me if things are "back to normal on the coast now." No. People are still recovering. Still rebuilding. Still living in trailers. They are living in what is now the "new" normal, but it is still a recovering process. And the hurricane was two years ago in August.

"Daflak" is my artistic response to Katrina. The base image was taken in St. Louis Cemetary #2 in New Orleans about 6 months after Katrina. The tomb was open and that is a coffin that you can see. (The coffin was also open, but you cannot see into the coffin in this photograph.) To me, this image tells such a story of the Gulf Coast versus Katrina. The skies are threatening. The waters have risen. The tombs have begun to disintegrate, but there is hope. It is no longer raining. The waters have stopped rising. There is a calm, cheerful duck swimming around. Things are going to get better. There is hope! (and we all need insurance!)

"Shotgun Moon" was taken in Cleveland, Mississippi. This is the last shotgun shack, (or tenant house, as my grandmother calls them) on my grandmother's property, and it actually is right next door to her house. Every time I go to visit her, another board is missing, or another tree is gone. One day soon it will be gone altogether, but I am so glad that I have the pictures of it that I do.

I have a daytime image I took of this shotgun shack two years before this one. At that time it had a front porch and an extra tree. I go back and forth about which image I like best! This image is the same image that I won best of show with at the 2006 Marble Festival in Jasper, Georgia!

May 2007 at Atlanta SPS!

2007-05-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

I love ribbons! It is probably something obsessive compulsive in my personality, but I REALLY love winning ribbons with my photography. It is one of the highlights of my month...entering photo club competitions locally and trying to win ribbons. I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of these ribbons one day, I just know that I really, really want them!

So, May was a good month (so far!) for ribbons! The theme for the Southeastern Photographic Society's monthly competition was "People, but not studio posed shots." We are allowed to enter two images each in three categories: color print, black/white print, and digital projection. Here are my entries and my three winners. Including one FIRST PLACE winner!

First Place went to an image I took while I was out of town in Cleveland of Mary Susan (I told y'all I'd post my favorite picture from that session soon!). Mary Susan was absolutely adorable playing the piano!

My second place winner was at a wedding reception. Needless to say, the cake was the highlight of the day for the boys. Instead of a wedding cake and a groom's cake, this wedding had a wedding cake and a children's cake and the boy's could not wait to get into all of that chocolatey goodness! Sam couldn't even wait to use a fork!

My honorable mention winner is actually of my sister, just before she walked down the aisle. Matter of fact, about a minute after I took this photograph, she looked up at me and said, "Would you put that camera down!" I think she was ready for me to be maid of honor and stop being lead photographer. It's tough trying to do both!

My last three entries did not place, but you cannot appeal to every judge every time with every image. Willis & Elizabeth James were not very interested in posing for me, but I was able to get some beautiful images of them in a field of flowers next to their house (okay, I suppose it was probably an empty lot of weeds, but they were colorful weeds and they looked good!).

Quintero is the awesome goalie for the Atlanta Silverbacks men's soccer team. He is great and we are lucky to have him! This photograph of his son is one of my favorites. It was taken after a game last season. That's mom in the background. I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's grown this season!
Rosario is the beautiful belly dancer. This was at the end of a group candle dance at a performance last summer.

Mary Susan Photo Session

2007-05-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

This was such a fun photo session! Mary Susan posed for me in her Easter dress, we had a piano recital and a bunch of adorable pictures. My FAVORITE picture will be in the next post and you'll see why when you read that post, so check back soon!

Apocalypstix vs. Toxic Shocks! Atlanta Roller Girls Roll Again!

2007-04-16T00:03:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the roller derby in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I remember watching roller derby with my mom growing up, but I had no idea that it was still an activity you could see and participate in today! Apparently this has been going on for three years now and I just never knew about it! On the plus side, now I do know about it and I get to go photograph roller derby whenever their bouts fit into my schedule. I'm looking forward to it.

Not only did I have a great time tonight, but once I got their, I discovered that a friend of mine was actually the captain of one of the teams! What are the chances? Hope everyone enjoys looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

April Art Festivals & Portrait Sessions!

2007-04-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

It is April, but I am certainly hoping to avoid any of those showers the last two weekends of April. I'm working hard to get all of my processing done, all of my printing done, and all of my matting done so that I can leave Atlanta for two weeks. I'll be going to the Mississippi Delta, mostly Cleveland, Mississippi, with little day trips to the surrounding area, including a full day in Oxford on April 28.

My schedule is filling up quickly for my time in Mississippi, but I do still have some spaces available, so get in touch quickly if you still want to book a photo session while I am in the area!

April 20: Artist & Patron Party in the evening
April 21: Crosstie Art & Jazz Festival; Cleveland, MS; Saturday, 10a.m. - 4p.m.
April 22: afternoon photo session
April 23: afternoon photo session
April 24: morning appt.
April 28: DoubleDecker Arts Festival; Oxford, MS; Saturday, 10a.m. - 5p.m.

Several other appointments and photo sessions are tentative, but have not been scheduled in yet, so now is the time! I'll have some of my new products on display at the festivals, so come by if you are in the area and say hi!

The photograph in this post was printed in a two-page spread (yeah!) in the March/April 2007 issue of Delta Magazine (Delta as in the Mississippi Delta, not as in the airline company) that is still available in the areas that carry that magazine! My photograph is on pages 20/21 and then I have a second photograph (yeah x 2!!!) on page 24.

Lots of exciting stuff going on at McRaney Photography! And the new website WILL be going up SOON!!!

Albums, Brag Books & Canvases...Oh My!

2007-04-12T23:23:00.001-05:00

Sequoia Albums from Pictage!

One of my new albums I am offering through pictage is the Sequoia Album. These albums are so nice and I am really excited about being able to show my album designs for these albums online to my clients!

These are flush mount albums, which means that the photographs are edge-to-edge across the entire album, making for amazing panoramics.
I have my first wedding sample album being printed even as we speak, so I will be able to show everyone an example very soon! It is going to be GORGEOUS!!!

The albums are either leather (in your choice of a variety of colors) or in brushed aluminum. The albums also allow for an optional window opening in the cover which is a great look. When my album comes in I will post a picture of it here so everyone can see.

Companion Books are another new product that are so much fun. Companion Books are only available with the purchase of an album, but if you are going to get an album they are so worth buying as an add-on!
Companion Books are mini-replicas of the album and at 4"x4" are the perfect size to fit into a purse. They only come in sets, but that's okay because they are so cute everyone wants more than one! They come in sets of 10, 25 or 50. They are soft cover and the cover is a silver metalic with one line of type, while the pages inside are glossy. These little books are such a hit with everyone. They are great for mothers-of-the-bride/groom, grandparents, special gifts for the wedding party...the possibilities are endless!

Brag Books are a great alternative to a full album, or even as an addition to an album, to show off a special set of favorite images.
Brag Books are hard cover coffee table style books that come in two sizes: 5x5 Bonsai and 7x7 Boxwood. (I'm looking at other products to offer in this category as well, so stay tuned!) These books are great to showcase the "Best Of" images from a photo session, from a wedding, from an engagement session, for a "First Two Years" book, the ideas are limitless.

These books are also great to give as gifts to mothers and grandparents! Ask to see one of my samples.

Gallery Wrapped Fine Art Canvas Prints! This spring, Gallery Wrapped Canvas Prints have been one of my newest products and biggest hits.
Last fall, I introduced one print as a Gallery Wrapped Fine Art Canvas Print to see what the response would be. People loved it. This spring, I've shown more and more canvases, and the response has been huge. The canvases are as large or larger than the framed pieces and it is ALL image. No space taken up with mat or frame. They are not heavy like the framed work and they are ready to hang when you get them home.
I have had many people assume that the canvas images are the original paintings and that the photographs I sell are reproduction of the paintings! I am always having to explain to them that all of my work are photographs printed by me, and that the ones printed on canvas have been stretched across frames, but they are still original photographs printed with individual care by me for exceptional quality!

On another note, that first Gallery Wrapped Canvas that I sold was bought by J'Anna Bergmann of the J'Anna Bergmann Salon in Gulfport, Mississippi. When she came to my booth and bought the canvas I remember telling her and the ladies she was with that they all had the best hair. She told me that she owned a Salon off of Courthouse Road. It seemed like the best recommendation to me, so I went and tried them out. It is such a great salon. It's fun, young, stylish, classy and very good. I live in Atlanta, but when I get my hair done again, I'll be going to Gulfport. I highly recommend them! And, of course, J'Anna has EXCELLENT taste in art! :-)

Cool Cars at Stone Mountain

2007-04-11T16:59:00.001-05:00

Recently I went to the "Cool Car Fest" at Stone Mountain Park. They had all kinds of cars...from the truely old-time cool cars to some cars that I had to be careful not to drool on (blue viper.../dark grey cobra...)
It was a lot of fun. I had to shoot and run since I had a meeting with a client set up for later that afternoon, but it was worth the time I did spend to see this years "Cool Car" Collection!

Martha & Junior

2007-04-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

I'm finally writing to my blog!

This beautiful wedding was in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, in the church where I grew up, St Paul's United Methodist Church. I've known the bride since she was born so this was a special wedding to me.

The wedding party was HUGE! Something like 12 bridesmaids and 11 groomsmen...okay, not *quite* that many, but still, it was a big wedding party. Lots of friends and lots of family.