kids. dogs. kids. dogs.

Saturday was my real assignment day. Shoot a kids triathlon (what is with Midland and running?) and then shoot a dog...



Madison Marciniak, 12, left, and Torri Tatro, 13, both of Bay City, check the roster while waiting for their age group to start during the Tri-Kids-Try triathlon Saturday morning at H.H. Dow High School while their friends Lauren Bedell and Betsy Moultrhop wait. Bedell not participate in the event. "She's our cheerleader," the other three said.



Sam Yoder, 8, of Midland, cools off and relaxes with an ice cream treat Saturday morning after finishing the Tri-Kids-Try triathlon at H.H. Dow High School. "It was really good," he said about the event, "I came in 12th, and I had a wipe out on my bike, but I kept my spot."



Local author Clara J. del Valle points out shoppers to her bearded collie Gisselle Saturday afternoon at the Midland Mall Barnes & Noble during the signing of her book, "Gisselle's Adventures in Color." Gisselle is a certified therapy dog who has been participating in childrens reading programs as well as a retired show dog. Gisselle and del Valle will be signing books again at the Dow Gardens Friday, Aug. 20 at 10 a.m.

Back to the grind

Finally, after almost two months since my last assignment, I started working again. My first real assignment (for Midland) was on Saturday, but I was nervous...Like. First day of work for Midland nervous...So I went out to RIVERDAYS with Libby, who has there to shoot The Verve Pipe, ran into Nathan and Thomas, and snapped a few frames. The best way to get over shooting anxiety is to just shoot...Doesn't matter if they're portfolio images or anything, but it helps.





Nothing super incredible. The light was nice, though. But it worked, and I wasn't as nervous any more. Cool.