# Herron Studios

> Graphic Design & Photography


## Posts

- [Countdown to Daylight Savings Time](https://herronstudios.com/countdown-to-daylight-savings-time/): I’m feeling a bit like Target putting out Valentine’s Day merchandise with that title since the holiday season hasn’t even passed. However, we are seven days from the winter solstice and that means the shortest day of the year. It also means we start to add daylight to the day. It’s all downhill from there to spring! I love the holidays and I’m not one to wish time away. However, spring and summer are my favorite seasons of the year. Sunshine is one of my favorite things. At the moment, I’m looking forward to when there is more of it. […]
- [Tips for Taking Photos with a Phone](https://herronstudios.com/tips-for-taking-photos-with-a-phone/): How does the phrase go? “We’ve come a long way, baby!” Gone are the days when grainy postage stamp photos were provided by phones. We now live in an era where anyone can take a clear, creative photo showing depth of field and accurate colors. They still don’t replace a camera and a good lens, but I will always say, “The best camera is the one you carry.” If that’s your phone, you might consider the following tips. Focus on different details of the same scene. Sometimes, we focus on the people in front of us and forget to capture […]
- [DC on Thanksgiving](https://herronstudios.com/dc-on-thanksgiving/): When your niece, from Georgia, will be driving through the area from New York on her way home and plans to stop at the Lincoln Memorial to sing with the group you find a way (you hope) to go see her. Given that I have been sick for most of the month with a cold and (pick a thing), we weren’t sure until the day before that we would be able to get there. Of course, it also decided to rain. However, the quality of light and colors change in rain. A few other walkers or runners also taking advantage […]
- [A Giving Time of Year](https://herronstudios.com/a-giving-time-of-year/): It’s not unusual to think about gifts this time of year. We consider the gifts we plan to give family and friends or possibly receive. We may also consider other ways to give: donate to our favorite charity, pull a heart off a gift tree, or buy a present for someone who might not be able to buy one. There’s even “Giving Tuesday,” when many donations are matched or doubled, depending on the organization.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of my favorite ways to give involves Lego. Each year, Lego holds its #buildtogive campaign. Build a heart. […]
- [Dog Rescues ... or people rescues?](https://herronstudios.com/dog-rescues-or-people-rescues/): We love animals in our family. Since the beginning, we have had one cat, two African dwarf frogs, several fish (I can’t remember how many), and five dogs. We once had three labs at the same time and lived to tell the tale. However, at the moment, we have one dog, and his name is Cisco. We adopted Cisco a little over a year and a half ago from Fredericksburg SPCA. It had been almost two years since our last lab had passed away. The husband returned home to find that I had been looking at dog photos on their […]
- [Family Walkabout: National Museum of Natural History](https://herronstudios.com/family-walkabout-national-museum-of-natural-history/): One of our favorite museums in Washington, DC, is the National Museum of Natural History. Our children, especially our daughter, have always been dinosaur fans. The last time we visited was before the pandemic. We loved seeing all of the changes they had made. A big favorite was the Fossil Lab. They opened it and created a space where visitors could walk by windows and watch the paleontologists working. This exposed the behind-the-scenes in an exciting way. We also enjoyed the rock and mineral exhibit. The earth comes in so many colors and textures. Sometimes, it’s difficult to imagine how […]
- [Full frame or APS-C Camera?](https://herronstudios.com/full-frame-or-aps-c-camera/): Do you remember your camera journey? I remember using Kodak cameras as a teenager. The kind that you needed to remember to wind the film. They were great for getting double exposures. Jump forward several years and past several cameras, and in February of 2011, I purchased the Canon T3i when it was first released. I quickly upgraded to a 50 mm lens. Then, shortly after, I added a Tamron 24-70. This became my favorite lens. This camera still works great for me. I’ve been really intrigued by mirrorless cameras lately, though I tend to keep that to myself around […]
- [Lego Photography and Emotional Health](https://herronstudios.com/lego-photography-and-emotional-health/): I mentioned in a previous post [here] some reasons why I build with Lego and take photos with them. One of those reasons is mental health. I have been dealing with sciatica for several years and trying to understand what I needed to do to fix it. If you’ve ever dealt with it, I’m so sorry. In my case, the pain has been, at times, intense. I’ve worked on many things to correct it. I’ve walked, and I’m going to the gym. However, some days, I have to convince myself to go inside. I ride the stationary bike once I […]
- [Northern Lights](https://herronstudios.com/northern-lights/): Sometimes, you find moments of incredible beauty during errands, doctor appointments, homework, and other day-to-day tasks.   This week was one of those moments for me.  Not every moment was amazing.  Some moments were challenging and painful.  Then, in the middle of some of the worst of it, an extreme solar storm bombarded Earth.   On the night of October 10th, visibility of the Northern Lights extended to New Mexico.  We stepped out on the deck behind our home in Virginia and saw them by using the cameras on our phones to magnify the different light spectrums.   Then, I went on social media and saw the experiences […]
- [Ways to Help After Hurricane Helene](https://herronstudios.com/ways-to-help-after-hurricane-helene/): This past week, my thoughts have been with those affected by Hurricane Helene. I have personal ties to many of the areas affected. The photo above was taken near the Virginia Creeper Trail in Southwest Virginia just over a year ago. There are many ways to help. In addition to your church organization, I have researched other ways to help and wanted to share those here. The following is a sampling of what I’ve collected through the week. Damascus, Virginia The above graphic was shared on the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s Facebook page. Up-to-date information about current needs is […]
- [Come Along as I Start a New Business](https://herronstudios.com/come-along-as-i-start-a-new-business/): Over the past several months, I’ve had a business project in mind. To this end, I took a class to organize things. The class takes things from the marketing side to build an online business, and by mid-December, I’ll have it up and running.  This week, we jumped into understanding different business models, a topic I’ve previously discussed in other classes and researched so I could know my options for my own business. We will be creating an online business in one semester.  So, we need to understand the costs involved in the methods.  If you plan to sell a product, […]
- [Vintage Signs and Marquees in Bristol, VA/TN](https://herronstudios.com/vintage-signs-and-marquees-in-bristol-va-tn/): A few interesting facts about Bristol. The Virginia / Tennessee border runs through town. You can walk State St. and criss-cross between the two. It is an old town with character and there are several vintage signs that just beg to be photographed. Bristol is the birthplace to country music. The Bristol Sessions were recorded by Ralph peer in 1927 on the Victor record label. If you go, definitely eat local. I ate at The Burger Bar. Some of the best parmesan fries and I’ve ever had. And the burger was awesome as well. And they didn’t mind letting this […]
- [Why Lego Photography?](https://herronstudios.com/why-lego-photography/): When I mention that one of the types of photography I enjoy producing is Lego photography, the reactions range from bemused to awesome. It’s a part of my hobby that has helped me in unexpected ways, so I thought I would expand on some of the reasons why. How it started In 2015 I wanted to improve my photography and participated in a monthly challenge. It was March, but our Christmas tree was still up (don’t ask). I was up late on night looking for a solution for the photo prompt and suddenly had an idea. After digging through some […]
- [Reflected City Illustration](https://herronstudios.com/reflected-city-illustration/): For a recent project we were given the task to create a relected city using a provided grid. My first task was to decide on my color pallet. I like to use coolers color generator for this. Once I had my colors, I began to create my buildings. We were given a list of buildings to create. 4 small “supporting” buildings, 3 medium “generic” buildings, 2 large “interesting” buildings, and 1 skyscraper. I had decided I wanted my skyscraper to have a modern feel, and then created buildings that were a bit more modern to go with it as well. […]
- [Classic Book Cover Redesign](https://herronstudios.com/classic-book-cover-redesign/): Les Misérables Book Cover Redesign Brief Another school project completed in April 2023 was a redesign the cover from a classic novel. We were to create three unique covers focusing on aspects of the book using different design techniques. Additionally, we were to work to find deeper meanings within the book, rather than the traditionally popular themes. One of my favorite books that was on our list was Les Misérables. After some additional research into the themes of the book, I found several that could be explored for covers. I especially liked Hugo’s use of birds to describe some characters […]
- [Fredericksburg, Virginia](https://herronstudios.com/fredericksburg-virginia/): Photos taken around Fredericksburg “Caught in the Act” – which recently won 3rd place in the 2023 Annual Fredericksburg Photography Show Street Photography division sponsored by the Fredericksburg Photography Club. “Coming Home” received an Honorable mention in the Monochrome division of the same show. A Photo taken inside historic Goolrick’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain showing a neon sign, “No Public Restroom”. The photo of this iconic building was taken prior to the start of the current renovations. “Waiting” “Time Passing”
- [Akko Rounded Typeface Poster](https://herronstudios.com/akko-rounded-typeface-poster/): In one of my classes, we were given the task to create a promotional print poster for a typeface for fonts.com. I was assigned Akko Rounded. Akira Kobayashi wanted to design a font that exhibited a “fun, friendly” nature. I wanted to highlight that feeling and the curves of the style of the font in my poster. Beginning Ideas As I first started working on ideas, I played with several different ways information could be placed on the poster. I needed to have the name of the font, the designer, cost to purchase it, where to purchase it, the font, […]
- [Basic Phone Photography Tips](https://herronstudios.com/basic-phone-photography-tips/): My big camera is Canon and I love my Tamron 24-70 lens, but sometimes, the best camera is one you can easily carry with you everywhere all the time. The camera on phones have improved in quality so much over the last several years they’re great for making sure you document your everyday story. There are some basic things you can do to help those photos be even better. Move Your Body My number one time is don’t be afraid to move your body. Move in close, get down on the ground, look up, look down, turn around (try not […]
- [Seven Creative Strategies](https://herronstudios.com/seven-creative-strategies/): For this project I was to select one everyday easily recognizable object and combine it in ways that illustrated the Seven Creative Strategies: . The first stop in my process was to determine what object I was going to use. One of the requirements was the each final piece would have to have a title. As I worked through choosing an object for each of the strategies, if I couldn’t think of a title, I discarded the idea and moved on to another. This allowed me to work through and determine which one felt like the ultimate best match for […]
- [Responsive Design - Small Business Group Mock Project](https://herronstudios.com/responsive-design-small-business-group-mock-project/): For one recent assignment it was necessary to create a site for a fictitious local city small business group. I chose to use my own photography and graphics for this project. Additional features include: I really love where I live which helped make this a fun project to do. Here are a couple of screenshots from the site: You can check out the full finished site at the link below. Mock Responsive Design Local Small Business Group
- [Mustang Ad - Reverse Engineered](https://herronstudios.com/mustang-go-further-in-reverse/): Ford created some ad campaigns several years ago at the same time they were set to release a redesign of one of it’s most popular cars several years ago. This was one of those campaigns. It featured a bold splash of color as the background and the car, in this case the Ford Mustang, prominently featured on the page or billboard. Very little else was actually stated in the ad other than the words, “Go Further”, somewhere on the page. The idea being to accent the car itself in a bold way. While I was able to find this ad, […]
- [What's in a Design? - Double Page Magazine Spread](https://herronstudios.com/whats-in-a-design-double-page-magazine-spread/): Just as with ads, how an article is designed conveys a message and draws the eye of the reader. The use of typography, the type of photos as well as their placement create a mood and communicate ideas. Typography The above double page spread utilizes typography in three different ways. The first is the the most noticeable. The title, done in a bold sans serif all caps font. In fact, except for some extremely slight deviation in the letter “R”, every letter in the title is without decoration and it is presented in black. It creates a strong statement taking […]
- ["Design with Communication in Mind"](https://herronstudios.com/design-with-communication-in-mind/): Coke has been around for a long time and so have their ads. The shape of the bottle, the swish in the type, the color of their logo are all the things they used from the beginning to set their unique brand so that you instantly knew what drink you would want even if you couldn’t read anything in the ad. In this ad from 1947 their iconic emblem is traveling from the futuristic factory right into your hand. The ad is all about communicating to you that you can trust Coke to be a quality drink all the time […]
- [Elizabeth River Skylines](https://herronstudios.com/elizabeth-river-skylines/): Our wedding reception last month was held in Norfolk. The view of Portmouth from our hotel each morning.   The view of Norfolk as we’re cruising on the Elizabeth River.   Even a shipyard looks pretty in the right light.      
- [Assateage Island Sunrise](https://herronstudios.com/assateage-island-sunrise/):   The quiet before the storm that came later that day.  
- [Summer Walkabouts : Arlington Cemetary](https://herronstudios.com/summer-walkabouts-arlington-cemetary/): Summer has been busy here.  We’ve had family visiting from other places, gone to visit family ourselves, and had a wedding reception.  Most of that was within one month!  It’s been a great summer! We took an opportunity when family was visiting to go with them to some of the sights nearby.  One place we visited was Arlington Cemetary.   The view of Washington, DC from Kennedy’s tomb is spectacular. We also went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.   And saw the changing of the guard.  It was 95 degrees that day.  Not including the heat index.   […]
- [Street Art : Via Colori](https://herronstudios.com/street-art-via-colori/): Via Colori is of my favorite events each year in Downtown Fredericksburg.  They block off Sophia and Charlotte Streets and artists from around the area are given a section for a fee to draw with pastels on the pavement. The fees go to benefit The Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation. They have some excellent programs for families of pediatric cancer patients in the Fredericksburg area. I LOVE this event!  I think the process is fascinating and the colors simply leap off the pavement. There are artists of every age.     On of the featured artists, Iryna Hamill.  The attention to […]
- [Photochallenge : Early](https://herronstudios.com/photochallenge-early/):   I don’t know about you, but one of our family’s all time favorite foods is the strawberry.     I have waxed poetic about them before. Every year we start a countdown as we watch and wait for our local farms to open their pick your own fields. Last year we added a few little plants of our own and overwintered them. I wasn’t sure how they would do, but early indications are we will have quite a few this year.     If we can keep the dogs from eating them, that is.   And the countdown is […]
- [Photochallenge : Books](https://herronstudios.com/photochallenge-books/): We’re in week 11 of the 52 week Photochallenge from Tabitha. The prompt this week was “Books”.  I had a few ideas and knew where I wanted to go for the challenge right away.  However, as is typcally the case, it was the unexpected opportunity, that turned out to be my favorite photo. There are a lot of great book shops in downtown Fredericksburg.  Funky places and each has a distinct vibe of their own.   The Griffin is one of them.  A neat place with a side patio.  I did learn that the owner is retiring.  So The Griffin […]
- [Monday Walkabout: Fredericksburg Street Art](https://herronstudios.com/monday-walkabout-fredericksburg-street-art/): Drive over the Chatham Bridge towards Fredericksburg and you will see another fantastic feature of Old Town.  It’s Murals.   This was painted by Mirinda Reynolds, Carol Coffman and a small group of high school students.   This is one part of 5 panels.  It’s titled “The Warmth of Fredericksburg” and was painted by Jay D. Anderson.   There are so many things I love about both of these.  The details, the tone, the sentiments.  They’re amazing.
- [Monday Walkabout : Black and White Edition](https://herronstudios.com/monday-walkabout-black-and-white-edition/): Downtown Fredericksburg is an eclectic town filled with historic architecture, tatoo parlors, beautiful murals, antique shops and seriously fantastic food.   And yet, you can still find a place a to park.  Even better! I started out this day with a view of the steeple from St. George’s Episcopal Church.    The current structure dates back to 1849 and George Washington attended the congregation in the orginal wooden structure that was on the site on 1738.     There are plenty of details that add to the charm of oldtown as well. Sconces outside shops       And patios […]
- [Weekly Photo Challenge: Catching Up](https://herronstudios.com/weekly-photo-challenge-catching-up/): A couple of months ago a friend of mine, Tabitha, ( who also happens to be a fantastic photographer) started a weekly photography challenge.  I was already on the hunt for one as a way to give me a way to focus on my own photography more, so I jumped on board. Some weeks I rack my brain over the prompt. Like when the prompt was “Pop of Color”       Or “Bokeh”     This one really did occur to me as I was falling asleep.  Since the prompt was “Sleepy” and I tend to have a lot […]
- [Monday Walkabout - Old Town Fredericksburg](https://herronstudios.com/monday-walkabout-old-town-fredericksburg/): Fredericksburg, Virginia sits right on the Rappahannock River. George Washington, Mary Washington, James Monroe lived in the area just to name a few.  Then there are the civil war sites.  More than you can shake a stick at, that’s for sure.  Several pivotal battles occured in the area.  At some point, I’ll have to tell you the story of The Sunken Road and the man who crossed enemy lines.  It’s an amazing story.     My walk began at the Confederate Cemetary.  The Civil War is one I hope to never see repeated in the United States again.  I’m always […]
- [Does Anyone Have a Magic Wand?!?](https://herronstudios.com/does-anyone-have-a-magic-wand/): What I wouldn’t give for a magic wand at the moment.  Ok, ok.  Maybe I wouldn’t give up my children or even pay a whole lot of money, but it sure would make some things easier.  And I’m pretty sure I want them easier. Have I mentioned that we’re moving ?  No?  Yep.  We’re headed to the DC area.  It was a surprise to us, too.  It’s a good thing and we’re excited about it.  But there is A LOT to do!!  Hence the reason I’d like a magic wand at the moment. If I had a magic wand I […]
- [What a Crazy Roller Coaster](https://herronstudios.com/what-a-crazy-roller-coaster/): …. or sometimes I’d like to know what the Lord is up to…. (but I’ll get to that in a moment) When I last left you the week began on a sad note.  That week only got worse.  I really do try not to be too attached to things.  I promise.  But when I was rear-ended by an E250 van I was SOhappy I was driving a truck.  You’ll never, NEVER get me to drive a small car.  EVER.  Sorry.  And I do love my truck (her name is Maid Marian -crazy I know) and she is now back to […]
- [And sometimes, Old Dogs get tired....](https://herronstudios.com/and-sometimes-old-dogs-get-tired/): Sometimes, when an old dog gets tired there are many things they still want to do and just can’t. You can see it in their eyes. Sometimes they try. They get a little beside themselves with excitement and forget for a moment that they’re old. It hurts. Because you remember when they could. Sometimes, even though the mind is willing, the body says, “I’m done.” Our Old Dog was still happy, her tail wagging when we came down to her to pet her, but her body (at 15 years old) was simply tired and it was time to say good-bye. […]
- [The Sparkle of Simple Things](https://herronstudios.com/the-sparkle-of-simple-things/): Sometimes, it just the simple things that matter.  Hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled corn-on-the-cob with watermelon to top it off.  The whole family home for dinner.  And Fireworks to top off the day.   How did your Independence Day Sparkle?
- [Things you just don't hear anymore...](https://herronstudios.com/things-you-just-dont-hear-anymore/): Ethel (Mertz) to Lucy (Ricardo) when insisting she needed to change: “Lucy, I’ve never worn my blue jeans on the subway before and I’m not going to start NOW!”
- [First Strike](https://herronstudios.com/first-strike/): The sun had set and our weather radio went off.  I suppose if your smart and have a severe thunderstorm warning you head inside.  Naaaaahhh!  Kevin and I like to watch the light show.   It was quite a show.   I even managed to get lucky.     My very first lightening strike.  YES!!
- [What Does Spring Taste Like?](https://herronstudios.com/what-does-spring-taste-like/): Strawberries are one the most wonderful gifts we have ever been given.  Fresh out of the box with nothing else added they taste like sunshine, spring and happiness bursting in each sweet bite. But that’s just the beginning!  There’s strawberry shortcake (which I prefer with pound cake as the base), strawberry smoothies, strawberry jam, chocolate covered strawberries (YUM!), strawberry cheesecake, strawberry pie…the possibilities are astounding. K. and I went and picked 30+ lbs. of these delightful berries yesterday.  I’ve already made 6 pints of jam and frozen some of the berries for other things in the year.  We had shortcake […]
- [Some Sun, Some Fun and a Little Speed for Good Measure](https://herronstudios.com/some-sun-some-fun-and-a-little-speed-for-good-measure/): All in the last 3 days!         Spring Break has been GREAT!
- [Homecomings and Beginnings](https://herronstudios.com/homecomings-and-beginnings/): This was taken 21 years ago this month.  He’d been in the Navy about 5 months at that point and was still in school. We were able to spend the weekend together before he had to get back to school.   He flew in on Friday night and I will never forget the moment our eyes met as he got off the plane.   When all the longing and love we  felt during the months of seperation seemed to coalesce and pass between us in an instant and I knew he was home.  Because we were together. There were many nights spent waiting for him to come home.  […]
- [Sometimes you have to get sneaky with old dogs.](https://herronstudios.com/sometimes-you-have-to-get-sneaky-with-old-dogs/): Getting a picture of this dog is not an easy thing. She’s smart and she doesn’t like the flash. At 14 she’s learned a few things. As soon as you raise the camera to your eye she gets up and is on her way out of the room. She just won’t put up with having her picture taken. Our early attempts resulted in a LOT of blurry pictures of a dog’s back end. But I’m just a little bit smarter (I think). I didn’t put the camera anywhere near my face or even pick it up (thanks to the flip […]
- [Be Still and know that I am God.](https://herronstudios.com/be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god/): Conference still has one more session, but I have to say that I feel as if I have already been so nourished that I might burst.  I needed this, more than words can express. With Easter coming I may have other thoughts, but for now I will simply quote a scripture that was quoted in two different talks from Doctrine & Covenants section 61, verse 36. Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you; With all that is going on in the world and that goes on in our lives […]
- [Lines, curves & a little drama](https://herronstudios.com/lines-curves-a-little-drama/): This Saucer Magnolia is the same tree I posted pictures of here a few weeks ago. And for something a little bit different than my usual subjects, a gear and pully at a boat dock.
- ["Earth's crammed with Heaven..."](https://herronstudios.com/earths-crammed-with-heaven/): Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes.                                                              – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- [The First Signs of Spring](https://herronstudios.com/the-first-signs-of-spring/): They’re not even waiting for the clocks.  Those first signs of the earth waking up. These two have spent a lot of cycles together. *sigh* I love Spring.
- ["View to a Quilt"](https://herronstudios.com/view-to-a-quilt/): This was my view for the past 3 days.  Oh. My. Gracious.  am I ever tired and sore.  Wrestling a quilt can be hard work.  But…. It was worth it.  K.’s “All About Me” quilt is finished.   The pattern is easy and goes together quickly. It took me longer to find the fabrics that I wanted to use than it did to piece it together.  This quilt is truly all about K.   I think I’ll take a teeny tiny break before I start completing the next quilt.  I’m pooped.
- [Love is....](https://herronstudios.com/love-is/): What does love mean to you?  If you had to take a picture of it, what would it be?  This is the subject of the Weekly Challenge at Hope and Believe. Kevin and the kids came to mind first. And, truthfully, if I can get Kevin to give me a good portrait while I’m taking the picture,… well lets just say it will definitely be a challenge! So I decided to think outside the box – it was easier. I’ve already waxed poetic about chocolate and how much I love it.  So it should be no surprise that I would […]
- [I'm up! I'm Up! Nooooooo.....](https://herronstudios.com/im-up-im-up-nooooooo/): I really should be in bed.  I would be.  If I wasn’t just getting mad at myself for not being able to fall asleep.  Again.  It happens on a fairly regular basis.  I’m told that as you get older it’s something that just sort of evolves.  Great.  Ducky.  I miss sleep… why do I suddenly have Bare Naked Ladies running through my head?  Who needs sleep?  Me!!!  I need sleep.  I get cranky when I don’t get enough sleep.  Ok.. I try not to be cranky.  I don’t have time to be cranky.  I won’t be.  Thank heavens I don’t […]
- [Connect](https://herronstudios.com/connect/): Whether you set resolutions or not, it’s tough not to reflect at the beginning of the new year.  We look back on the previous year and take stock.  Where were we this time last year?  Are we better now than we were then?  They often lead to what we can do to improve things that might not be as good as we’d like.  I began to think about this a month ago as changes started to happen with my calling.   About the time I was released I saw this post over at I Believe in Miracles where she asks if […]
- [I Found Heaven....](https://herronstudios.com/i-found-heaven/): at Coldstone Creamery.  I love ice cream. I adore chocolate and raspberry together. One recent wednesday, out on date, Kevin and I stopped in for some ice cream (for dinner no less – YES!)  Oh my goodness, they had “Chocolate Raspberry Truffle” ice cream.  This may not be earth shattering to you, but it is to me.  One little taste was all it took and I was in HEAVEN.  Ok, I added my favorite mixins, pecans and strawberries and it was absolutely perfect.  To. Die. For.  I think I need a year supply of this ice cream. Maybe I’ll go […]
- [Switchin' it up OR ....why we need a guard turkey.](https://herronstudios.com/switchin-it-up-or-why-we-need-a-guard-turkey/): Let’s say you have older children and Christmas is coming.  Let’s say some of those children start hinting really early at things they’d love to see under the tree (Heh.. and some of those things are pretty dang expensive).  Let’s say you also start to notice that those same children are arguing more and more.  What would you do? We decided to change things up a bit.  We switched up how Santa Claus works and divided the money out between those childrenwith instructions that they had to buy a present for each person in the family (except themselves, of course).  […]
- [It's like death and taxes......](https://herronstudios.com/its-like-death-and-taxes/): Over 2 years ago I was given the assignment to be the president of our church’s Primary organization.  This organization is for children 18 months to 11 years old and there were around 40 children there each week.  I wasn’t prepared for the rush of love that I felt for every single one of those children.  And I knew when I was called that there would come a day when it would be someone else’s turn.   That day was today.  Next week it will be her turn to listen as they sing, “Once There was a Snowman!” lightening fast or “I am A […]
- [Follow the Yellow Brick Road](https://herronstudios.com/follow-the-yellow-brick-road/): It’s done and yes, it was insane.  It took all week, but I finished C.’s quilt. It was insane enough trying to finish his quilt.  While he was at school.  One day I spent the day quilting out of the house just to be able to get in more quilting time. It also happened that I needed to finish it during a week when I had a Nativity program for the children at church for the ward Christmas party.  A meeting to work on things for next year in Primary.  And a baptism in Primary.  All very good things. The […]
- [Classic Children's Books](https://herronstudios.com/classic-childrens-books/): My younger sister and I This picture only serves to illustrate why I believe I’m destined to have long hair my entire life (believe me – I have other pictures of me with short hair MUCH, MUCH  worse). But that isn’t what I was going to write about.  What books did you read when you were really little?  I wouldn’t have tried to remember if it hadn’t been for a post over on Compulsive Writer.  I didn’t really start to read a lot until much later (not that my parents didn’t try).  So it was difficult trying to think what […]
- [Life](https://herronstudios.com/life/): I can’t help but be grateful for some very simple things this time of year.  There have been years when there was too much going on in our family to consider cooking for Thanksgiving.  So when I can cook a meal I know they’ll all love it only adds to my enjoyment of the holiday.  Thanksgiving is in fact, probably my favorite holiday for that reason. When things were a little different in our lives I found this poem by Charlotte Brontë.  It goes right along with why I take so many pictures of nature.  There are other reasons, but […]
- [What's in Your .... Pictures?](https://herronstudios.com/whats-in-your-pictures/): So I saw another tag on Jeanne’s Blog. It’s all about pictures, but doesn’t require too much thought (and that’s a good thing for me).  I do have pictures of my children.  I promise.  You’ve seen some.  I just don’t store them on the computer that I use regularly.  So I wondered when I read the directions what would be the result. For me it’s one of the first pictures I took with my current camera, out at our favorite gardens again back in 2006.  What can I say?  I really like nature shots. If you’d like to play along […]
- [Are you Bold?](https://herronstudios.com/are-you-bold/): Or maybe not so much… I saw this tag on Della’s Blog and it’s kind of interesting to go through and both see what you HAVE done and what you’ve chosen NOT to do.  Or maybe you just haven’t had the opportunity…. It made me think a little… Ok… everything makes me think.  The things I’ve done are in bold.  Feel free to swipe the tag for your own and take inventory yourself.   1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more […]
- [Over the Moon](https://herronstudios.com/over-the-moon/): There was a fantastic post (again) over on Pioneer Woman Photography by Ivoryhut all about taking pictures of the moon. This is something I’ve never been able to really do. Get a good picture of the moon. Thanks to her post I have the best shot I’ve ever taken. No tripod, middle of the night, holding my breath and praying it would work. I’ll take it.
- [A little bit country](https://herronstudios.com/a-little-bit-country/): Down and around the bend from my home there are some back roads and beautiful woods.  There have been a riot of colors this year.   If you follow that road down and around then hang a left at the fork in the road you will find yourself walking to a different beat. And after all of that, you might find the need to sit a spell and rest a while. I love this town!
- [Art and Individual Worth](https://herronstudios.com/art-and-individual-worth/): K. and I worked on her value project today for Individual Worth.  For those who might not know, our Young Women participate in a goal oriented program divided into different areas.  Once they complete a set number of goals in each area they need to also choose and complete a goal that illustrates each area and will take a minimum of 10 hours to finish.  K. wanted to do a scrapbook of the art she made in her art class this past year in school.  Instead of trying to cram each art piece in the scrapbook (some are quite large) she […]
- [It's FINALLY here!](https://herronstudios.com/its-finally-here/):   I spent the morning finalizing my research.  Like I hadn’t heard enough right?  I didn’t look at the presidential candidates.  My choice there was decided long ago.  State and local elections could be just as interesting where I am.  So I started with my local newspaper to view the whole cast of characters.  Some of them are indeed characters.  I read through lots of issues on a lot of websites and I’ve made my decisions. This will be the first year that G. will get to vote as well.  It’s been cool watching him put his opinion together on what’s important to […]
- [Recovery, Halloween, elections, OH MY](https://herronstudios.com/recovery-halloween-elections-oh-my/): Wow! That was Awesome!   (The children and teachers did an amazing job on the Primary Presentation!)    Whoa! I slept how long?!   Answer : Explosive Poodles;  Question: What you get when you have our family work together on Mad Libs for Family Home Evening   How in the SAM HILL do I make sleeves?  A Dress isn’t a quilt!  (said while trying to cut the fabric for K.’s Pocahontas costume)   Beads!  No more Beeeeads!!   (at that moment wishing that I’d cut the fringe and left it at that.)    My Costume?  I’m an accident victim.  (and yeeeeessss.  I […]
- [Speechless](https://herronstudios.com/speechless/): It was the end of the day and the children had been singing for nearly an hour.  Everyone had been working hard and the children had been doing a fabulous job.  For the last song they were told the Bishop was in his office and we wanted to see if they could sing so that he could hear them through the closed door of the Primary room and his office door.   And we learned what power they truly had in their voices. Sitting at the front of the room as they collectively put everything they had into singing “I Am […]
- [My version of Breaking Dawn](https://herronstudios.com/my-version-of-breaking-dawn/): And no, I haven’t read the books
- [Change of Perspective](https://herronstudios.com/change-of-perspective/): One of my favorite Photography blogs, Hope and Believe, has a thing they call the weekly challenge.  They challenge each other to improve their photography skills and invite others to join the fun.  I happened to have a couple pictures in my files that fit this weeks challenge, How low can you go? and decided to play.     These are from my favorite garden.  Sometimes the sky is just so pretty I want to make sure it’s in the photo too.
- [Things My Grandma Tried to Teach Me](https://herronstudios.com/things-my-grandma-tried-to-teach-me/): My Grandma was a woman who liked to do things. She was a strong woman who loved her family deeply. She lived most of my life in Southwest Virginia. When we would visit there where just some things you learned by being there. Work isn’t a four letter word and it’s the most fun when you can do it while watching your Mom, Aunts & Uncles together. While you’re at Grandma’s stock up on Apple Butter & Green Beans.  The Apple Butter was the best and for some reason I’m also remembering canned green beans.  Maybe because I really like Green […]
- [I'm Doomed!](https://herronstudios.com/im-doomed/): Kevin and I have a theory.  It’s one that began after we’d been married 15 years or so and now that we’ve hit 20 years it’s just kind of a running joke between the two of us.  We’re doomed.  You see, if, as we do believe, we are married for eternity and there’s nothing we’re going to do about that, then we might as well make the best of it in spite of each of our flaws and how they can tend to drive the other crazy.  Add in that there are times you’re driven cross-eyed and yet you still love […]
- [Speaking of K.](https://herronstudios.com/speaking-of-k/): We went to the local botanical gardens this week (another one of my favorite places to take photos) and she let me take a couple pictures.
- [Here's to Amazing Women](https://herronstudios.com/heres-to-amazing-women/): Relief Society is the women’s organization in the LDS church. There is a post on Segullah about Putting the relief in Relief Society that just helps illustrate why I love being a member of this organization.  The women are simply amazing.
- [Thanks, Lucy!](https://herronstudios.com/thanks-lucy/): The following began when my children were much smaller.  (Think 3 and 4) “MOOOOooooooooo-ooooom!” “That’s not my name.” “It’s not?” “No, it’s Mrs. McGillicuddy.” Most of the time by the time I reminded them about Mrs. McGillicuddy they’d forgotten what they were going to whine about and it made us smile.  Even better was when I refused to even answer to that long drawn-out extended call of Mo-om.  I would just say “Who?” and they would change it to “Mrs. McGillicuddy”.  And they simply didn’t want to take time to try and do the same thing with Mrs. McGillicuddy.  So, thank […]
- [The Beach, Part Deux](https://herronstudios.com/the-beach-part-deux/): Here are a couple more pictures from my morning at the beach.  I like the one above for the colors that you can see as the sun shines through the water.  It’s what I was thinking about when I was planning the quilt for G. The beach is the only place I like to see Seagulls.  They’re pests just about everywhere else.  But they’re pretty at the beach.
- [Life at the Beach](https://herronstudios.com/life-at-the-beach/): I’m not sure what I like more when I go to the beach.  Watching the play of light on the sand and the water.  The sound of the waves crashing into each other and the shore.  Or simply watching others enjoy the beach.  Especially the animals.  Like this Puppy.  Who knows how old he is, he is a puppy for sure.  And this is what he’s chasing.   Ghost Crabs were all over the beach at this point digging in and out of the sand.  They stayed clear of people and any time anything moved near them they were back inside the sand as […]
- [Why I like Girl's Camp](https://herronstudios.com/why-i-like-girls-camp/): For one week a year the girls in our church have a chance to get together and just be themselves. I have a teenage daughter who has learned much from being able to participate in this camp every year.  In spite of having a learning disability she has been accepted.  This year was her fourth year and they went on a 25 mile hike together over 3 days. Being able to be just a bit silly myself sometime during this week.  Not one of the girls, but a little more relaxed than when your not camping. Scenes like the one […]
- [A year in the Planning...](https://herronstudios.com/a-year-in-the-planning/): And yet it only took about a week to make this quilt. REALLY actual time making the quilt was probably about a week. Ok, I didn’t work on it 7 straight days. They were spread out when I had time to work on it and in between other quilts. But the method is that simple, honest and no foolin’. I knew the first time I saw one of these types of quilts that I wanted to make one, I even knew that I’d make it for G. Graduation seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it to him. So I […]

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- [About](https://herronstudios.com/about/): I love a camera’s ability to capture a moment in time, and I’ve studied photography for over twenty years. With each image, I work to tell an authentic story. I don’t use AI to edit my photos unless specified in the description. As a graphic designer, I am proficient in the Adobe Suite. I married my high school sweetheart and we’ve been married for over 30 years. He’s my biggest fan.  I think he’s pretty awesome, too. We have 3 children, two daughters-in-love, one grandson, and a granddaughter the latter of which are getting incredibly spoiled because that’s our job […]


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