Saturday, July 11, 2009

Saturday afternoon golfing

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Father and Son

The excitement between these two was amazing.

From Ann Kelley Photography

Heres the little brother

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

Shooting in Hawaii

From Ann Kelley Photography


Saturday, June 20, 2009

Happy Father's Day

Thank you to all the father's who are an active part of their children's lives. It's so hard to be a good dad with all the demands of a modern life. You are pulled in so many directions to do a good job. Happy Father's Day.

From Ann Kelley Photography

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Shamless Plug

From Apartment Postcard

From Apartment Postcard

If anyone is interested in renting a newly renovated apartment downtown Los Angeles that is "BRAND NEW" this is the place. Address: 1839 w 12th st, Los Angeles, 90006. Call 310 721 6317 if interested.

After Renovation of Two Units.










After a lot of thought and hard work from the management company, Golden Estate Management, I work with and the construction people here are the results.

Before Pictures







This is typical living conditions for the Latino area of Los Angeles. I hope to make some difference.

I've been gone for awhile but I'm back.


I had this crazy idea that I would jump into the real estate investment market and buy an apartment building. Well, I can tell you it has made my life interesting to say the least. I had this grand illusion that it was be "fun" and fairly "simple." I have lost a lot of nights sleep am learning first handed about the Hispanic culture.

I have been advised by my mentors not to fix my building up because I would never see the value come back to me. They are probably right. From a financial view it's probably a waste of $$$. To me it is not the value and how much money I am going to put in my pocket at the end of the day. It's about giving people a chance to live at a standard that they deserve.

My building is at 12th and Alvarado in downtown Los Angeles.

Here are pictures of my building when started. It is going to be a slow process for me but eventually I plan to give 24 families a decent place to live that is affordable.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Happy Easter Everyone!!

From Ann Kelley Photography

My husband slipped in during the egg coloring


Notice the WSU pot holder...subliminal message.

Easter 09















Friday, January 23, 2009

Way to go Christian

Christian,
Congratulations for this very important milestone in your life.

On January 23, 2009, Christian graduated from the Navy Recruitment Center (better known as boot camp) in Great Lakes, IL. On Jan 27th he will be moving to Conn to start sub-school. He is going to be training as a sonor tech for a nuclear submarine among other things. His education will take around 1.5 years. During this time he will also be earning a two year associates degree. After training he will be stationed with the Western Fleet, meaning that he will end up in Hawaii, Washington or San Diego.

Christian is third generation to join the Navy. How things have changed since my father was assigned to an aircraft carrier, The USS Lexington. My father did experience WWII first handed. He was just outside of Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th 1941...now named Pearl Harbor Day. He was on the Lexington when it sank.

My brother was on the USS
Constellation, also an aircraft carrier, from 67-72 fighting the war in Vietnam.

And yes, Christian can stand up straight, do his own laundry, fold his clothes, iron, make a bed, be on time, eat with exceptional manners, scrub a bathroom (that was his assigned duty)....most of all he has grown up and taken responsibility for his life as well as for all of yours by choosing to protect this great country.

The part that pleases me the most in his own words was, "Joining the Navy was the best choice I ever made."

He looked really happy and very proud that he was able to successfully complete such a tough job. Believe me they do not go easy on those kids...


From Ann Kelley Photography

The start of the ceremony

This is Freedom Hall where the graduation took place. As you can see from the snow the weather was very cold. It was around 10 degrees. Christian said that they made them march from one end of the base to the other when it was -30 degrees/-40 degrees with the wind chill factor.






Scot, Christian's Dad.


Flags from all the states are represented here.



The Navy band entertained us before the recruits/soon to be graduates came in.









The Ceremony

The recruits marching in. About 900 people in all. Around 20% didnt make it. 10% sent home and another 10% held back to graduate at another time. The recruits are given 12 months to prove themselves.

This is Christian's group, although he is not pictured because I could not find him. They all looked alike.














I thought these guys were special...they were, they were the ones who didnt earn graduation.

The Chaplin lead a prayer. Christian got really religious during the past eight weeks because it allowed him to be in a place of quiet. So on Fridays he became Jewish, then on Saturdays Muslin, on Sunday Catholic, Mormon, Christian and Baptist. I asked him if that was allowed and he said the Navy couldnt question his religious beliefs so yes he got to make the rounds each weekend.









Almost there....

From Ann Kelley Photography

Finally after 8 Weeks of Hard Work!!








Saturday, September 13, 2008

2nd Game of the Season

These boys are doing a great job of playing soccer. It was so hot out there today.
From Ann Kelley Photography

Favorite Picture of this Game

From Ann Kelley Photography

Lets Play Soccer







The Faces of Soccer

From Ann Kelley Photography

Using the LensBaby





This is a lens that gives a blur for a special effect.

More Game Time









The gentlemanly thing to do





Thursday, September 11, 2008

Soccer 2008

Have a great season boys.
Remember this is about having fun, learning teamwork, and most of all making friends.
Parents, I too have as much fun as these boys getting to know all of you. Thanks! Ann

From Ann Kelley Photography

Favorite Picture of this Game

I love action. I love competition. I also love a bit of mystery and anonymity.
From Ann Kelley Photography









Break Time

These kids are amazing. It was so hot out there. They are playing on artificial grass which heats up the field even more. All of the players stuck to the game and didn't complain.







The Parents

The parents are who makes this possible at this age. Look closely at the Dad who is cheering his son on while holding his baby. I love this kind of enthusiasm. Not only are there a great group of kids on this team there are a great group of parents behind them.
From Ann Kelley Photography



More Soccer





Game over



You guys played a great game of soccer.

From Ann Kelley Photography

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The McCoy Wedding

This wedding was an honor to shoot. Thank you Sara and Jeremy for allowing me to be front and center at your wedding.

These two people are made for each other and they made the job of looking good very easy. I sincerely wish the two of you a life time of happiness and togetherness. Marriage is the most important relationship of your lives. The kids will come, kind of borrowed, then go once they become the responsible people you teach them to be. Then...it is the two of you again...forever. There will be many interesting phases of growth to be shared. If you didn't have the audience of your spouse who admires and loves you no matter what, what would it matter? Success is NOTHING if you don't have that special, caring, loving and committed person to share it with. The two of you have now sealed the deal...embrace that are living what most everyone dreams of someday having.

Warmly, your aunt...me

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

The Wedding

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

From Ann Kelley Photography

Some of the Details












Father Daughter


The Mom's get their turn too!


Finally the party

First a few toasts...beautifully done!














This has to be one of the most amazing and loving receptions I have ever had the pleasure of attending. Both families pulled together to make this an unforgettable experience. Ninety percent of the work was done themselves. The food looked and tasted as if it was prepared by a 5 star caterer. The decor was detailed to the finest finishes. You guys worked so hard! The guests loved it.

Grandma Catches the Bouquet

Well almost. Look carefully the flowers are headed right toward Grandma who is a young 84!

From Ann Kelley Photography

This is how the "McCoy's" Dance!!




What a Beautiful Ending

From Ann Kelley Photography

Thursday, August 14, 2008

What it's all about.

Josh you are such a beautiful and accomplished child. I loved being a part of your Bar Mitzvah...thank you.

Parents, what a wonderful job you have done. I know as a parent myself the job of parenting is not always an easy one. These are the moments that make the hard work, effort, worry, stress, lack of sleep, verbal challenges, not to mention taxi driving worth it. Josh, you are truly an extraordinary person. You, most of all, will benefit from the love and structure you have gotten.... even though at times it may seem unreasonable. Keep up the hard work, follow the lessons learned from the Bar Mitzvah, listen to your conscience and have some fun along the way. This recipe will lead to a life time of happiness.

The Bar Mitzvah






















Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Family








The Party Begins!!!























































Just for Fun

The Kids






The Slide Show







The Birthday






Shortly after the slide show we celebrated Josh's Birthday.

Things were starting to get a little crazy

Sunday, August 3, 2008

A collection of pictures taken from the Pike Place Market

Downtown at Pikes Place Market


This is where it started for Starbucks. This was their very first coffee establishment.





This is a famous wall known for it's graffiti made with gum. This is just a little sampling, it is quite a large area full of the gum sculpting.




The owner of the fish booth wanted me to take some pictures. As I was holding up the camera with my 70mm-200mm lens he thought it would be funny to throw a fish at me to scare me. Mission accomplished. It did scare me...luckily it was just a pillow that looked like a fish. But, because I wasn't expecting it and it happened so fast, I did think it was real for the moment.



This is not Alaskan Halibut it is an Octopus! Who are they trying to fool? Those fisherman had a sense of humor.


I had to get in some imagery here. This area means a lot to me. I started my professional career working for Nordstrom in downtown Seattle at the corperate offices up about 4 blocks from the location of these shots. So this was a hangout place for me as a single person.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Meet Sarah and Jeremy

Congratulations to the two of you on your upcoming marriage. This is a couple who is very dear to me because Jeremy happens to be my Nephew. I am thrilled to be a part of your wedding and to get a new family member of my own. The bonus is seeing the two of you in love and secure in a future together that will include many wonderful moments. I wish the both of you a world of happiness.

Love always, Kevan

The end of being single

At the train station

The Amazing Tree



With their fur baby



The Door

Can you believe it's been 30 Years?

You are all looking very "snappy casual", thank you Jackie for the word of the evening!

Kent Meridian's 30 year class reunion at the Olson Manision in Maple Valley

What a beautiful venue. Thanks to Joe, Elaine, Mike, Jackie, Jill and Gail our reunion committee for making this such a wonderful occasion.


Thanks everyone else for making my night!

78' Royals



Who would of ever thought? Thirty years have gone by. I will have to say I thought the group was a darn nice looking group. That Seattle rain must be the answer. Thanks everyone...I had a great time. If anyone wants individual pictures email me at Ann1960@aol.com.

Monday, July 28, 2008

More Pictures of the 30 year Kent Meridian Reunion


















Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Meet Jasmine

Jasmine is a happy soon to be 4th grader from Spokane Washington. She is a good student achieving exceptional grades, belongs to Girl Scouts and plays the piano. Plus she is a complete joy to be around. Thank you Jasmine for letting me create this memories for your Mommy and Daddy.

Playing at the beach.










I was lucky enough yesterday to spend some time at the beach in Santa Monica. It was so lovely. The weather was around 75 degrees. We ended up chasing sand crabs and building a sand castle. As a bonus she flew her kite.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Meet Josh




It was refreshing to meet such a polite and mature young man. Cute too!!! Mom and Dad you have done an amazing job. In two weeks we will be celebrating his Bar Mitzvah. Congratulations Josh.

Being silly

Funny thing is he will accomplish anything he puts his mind to. He is bright, energetic and most of all he was a really good sport.


Josh and his Mom




At first Mom didnt want her picture taken but Josh talked her into it and I am so glad because I think these are priceless. Pictures really do say a 1000 words...in this case more.

Basketball






Thursday, July 17, 2008

Welcome Dukane!!!



This little guy came into the world to loving and waiting parents. He is adorable. He is about to celebrate his 2 month birthday tomorrow. Congradulations Mom and Dad!

Basket

The Black and White

The really UN-happy outside shot

Happy outside shoots





Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wonder what the Kelley family does at night?





My 5 year old son took these pictures. Got talent? Well, his Mom thinks so.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Happy 5th Birthday Rachel!

rachels 5th-10

Happy birthday to you. We love you very much. Thank you for being in our life!

Mom and Dad....you guys are the greatest.

family-1






rachels 5th-11

Say "Close Up"




















Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Day 5 of our Hawaiian Vacation

To all of you photographers out there you will not believe what I did today. I wanted to get some close up shots of Iain in the pool. I attached my 85mm 1.2 lens to my 5D body. Stepped into the pool and took a few shots. Then to my great surprise the lens dropped off the camera body into the pool. Yes, it was fully submerged. I am now in the business office of the hotel to FedEx it to the Cannon factory service center in Irvine. I think the lens is a goner. Anyone with a similar experience?

Probably no pictures for the rest of the trip. They charged a lot here for internet service.

See ya when I get home!

Day 4 of our Hawaiian Vacation

We packed up our 6 bags and flew to Honolulu. It was a short flight, about 30 minutes. We are in such a different environment now then we were in Kona. It is much more metropolitan and fast paced. No pictures today since my camera was buried deep into my carry on luggage.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Day 3 of our Hawiian Vacation

We took a car trip to see the Kilauea Caldera, an active volcano crater, steam vents, a lava tube that you can hike in and the rain forest.

Rain forest back drop...gorgeous.
volcano-27-2

Iain took this shoot. Not bad for a 5 year old.
volcano-27

I took this because telephone booths were everywhere. In California you NEVER see telephone booths anymore.
volcano-10

Visiting Hawai'i Volcano

Ok, I expected to see red rock spitting out from the center and something that looked like gray taffy flowing to the ocean. What we saw was steam and smoke. There are times when the visitors do see what I just described but today wasn't it. But it was a natures phenomenon to be standing this close to an active volcano.

Can you see the faint rainbow. It was raining and windy.




What is a Lava Tube?

volcano-13

Hiking in a lava tube





Nature Shoots on our hike near the Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku)


We had the great honor of hiking in rain forest. And yes it was raining. I used a plastic shopping bag to cover my camera so shooting was a bit more challenging. The area was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. The greens were only something use see on a color wheel not in real life. Even the dead plants were beautiful.





Hawaii's answer to graffiti

I made gently asked David pull the car over so I could snap some shoots of this. Anyone who is married and on their way to some place important knows that the husband doesn't really want to pull the car over for anything!!! I cant tell you this was the last time we pulled the car over to take any landscape shoots the whole day. Too bad because the landscape and climate changed more here in a short distance than anywhere in the world. It was a very interesting drive and very scenic.

The people who live here seem to really care about the damage people do to their land and in an effort to keep the land untouched they use this alternative to graffii. These messages are everywhere. They are written in white rocks.



Sunday, June 22, 2008

Day 2 of our Hawaiian Vacation

No pictures unfortunately, I didn't want to take the chance potentially damaging my camera with the salt water.

We took a boating/snokeling trip on Captain Zodiacs tour. The boat was a large life raft with two jet engines attached to the back. Just kidding, but it seemed like it. Two Yamaha 150 horse powered engines pushing the craft about 45 miles an hour in rough seas. We were all sitting along the pontoons of the boat (that was our seats) with one foot slipped under a rope on the floor in case we lost our balance. Too bad I didn't have my camera because we saw a lot of interesting sites. The most impressive was the pilot whales that swam within 2 feet of the boat. We got our history lesson about Captain Cook and how he died. In that very cove is where we slid off the edge of the boat and did some snorkeling. Yes, even Iain was bouncing around in the sea. Surprisingly, the water was a bit on the cold side. This adventure was well worth it. and I would highly recommend this trip. Iain loved the speed of the motion and the bumpy ride.

Feeding the fish at the Hotel.

We brought some bread back from the restaurant and the staff at the hotel let Iain feed the fish. As you can see these fish are a little on the fat side showing they are well taken care of. But yet they were great dispair to get to the bread. It was really funny watching how wide the fishes mouths would open. Iain was even petting these fish.

feeding fish
feeding fish-3
feeding fish-2

Togetherness at the beach.

These turtles are wild and crawl up on the rocks to sun themselves. They were really calm and didn't seem to be bothered by us looking at them.

retry-9retry-10

Welcome to my world...in Hawaii. The husband, Iain and me are on a little vacation this week. I will be back in the studio June 27th.


Until then I will be blogging about our trip for my family and friends. I can't seem to pull myself away from the camera and laptop even during a break. We landed in Kona last night. We will be on the "big island" of Hawi'i for the next 3 days.



This is what we woke up to.

retry-2

Paul-Help, I need some serious photo-shopping...Ann

Mom, this one is for you!

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This was the view from our buffet breakfast.

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Day 1 of our Hawaiian Vacation

We are staying at the Mauna Lani resort for a little vacation with Iain and my husband David.

Click on the image to enlarge the image.











Our June PUG meeting

For those of you who dont know I host a monthly get together for Pictage who is the company that hosts my pictures as well as 7,000 other members. We have a studio spotlight which is a presentation by a local member who shows their work and tells what makes their studio successful. And a speaker who gives the group valuable information to make our studios run more smoothly and have better results.

This month our star spotlight was Jennifer Disney. Great job Jennifer.




Our valued speaker was from GIGbooks.com. It is a service for professional photographers to manage their emails, scheduling of events, income, expenses, etc. In the future this will be a plug in to Pictage. Great job Justin and thanks to your sister for helping. For a busy studio it is really worth looking into.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Some of the socializing that goes on

Our PUG meetings are a lot more than just another boring meeting to increase business. For me it is a social network where I can find mentors as well as drink a home scooped root beer float with.





For those of you who weren't here and you know who you are...This is what you missed!!

The Root Beer Floats


The Rice Krispies



Here is the reciepe for this wonderful childhood treat..

3 Tablespoons Butter
4 Cups of Marshmallows
6 Cups of Rice Krispies cereal

Directions:

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add cereal, stir until well coated.

3. Throw into a 9x11 buttered pan or (use PAM), butter your hands and smash evenly and put into refrigerator to cool completely. Cut into nice little squares.

NOTE: use only fresh marshmallows

Presenting Iain's graduating K Class of 2008

Iain's first recital-3Iain's first recital-2

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Iain on stage accepting his K diploma


Iain getting his reward for being the best scientist of the year!


Sunday, June 15, 2008

Iain and Dad

Happy Father's Day to my Husband David and to all the other devoted father's out there

The following pictures were shot as a project for my husband. It is our son emulating my husbands profession as a doctor. Every Father's Day I will shoot him in the exact same pair of scrubs so we can compare year to year his growth until he really does fit into his father's shoes. Although we are hoping he grows up to be a lawyer instead. LOL







Here's how we celebrated Father's Day this morning.

Iain picked out this recipe from a cook book called All About Breakfast and Brunch. The recipe is called Dutch Baby. As you can see from the pictures it didn't quite turn out like the picture in the book. But, was it ever good. We added some cooked apples to spread on top after the Dutch Baby was baked.

The secret to this receipt is the cast iron pan. If you don't own one go buy one. They are only $29.00 at Williams & Sonoma. At the bottom of this blog you will find the receipt.






DUTCH BABY

one 10-inch cake: 2-4 Servings (I made 1.5 and cooked it in a 12 inch pan and it served 6 people with other entrees)

Serve this straight from the oven with a dusting of powdered sugar, aspoonful of the best fruit preserves you can lay your hands on, or buttered Apple Slices.

Preheat the oven to 425 Degrees F.

Whisk together until smooth:

1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup sugar
2 large eggs

melt in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick unsalted butter

Tilt the pan so that the butter coats the sides. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook, without stirring, for 1 minute. place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately, for the pancakes loses its puff, and therefore its drama, almost immediately.

Sprinkle with powered sugar.

In the mean time, have thinly sliced cooking apples frying in butter. Top with brown sugar and cook until they are a little soft and browned.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Meet my oldest son and the newest Grad in our family. Today, 6-11-08, Christian graduated from Summit View High School. In his near future he plans to be shipping out with the US Navy in September. He will be the third generation in my family to be assigned and carry out duty on an aircraft carrier during a war. His goal is to become a nurse. Christian...congradulations! With all my love, Mom

Family with the Graduate

yep, it's me with my son Christian. Christian is has been a long 13 years. We are so proud of you for making it this far. Keep it up. This is a day you will never forget....I made sure of it with the 200+ pictures I took. Good luck to you...we love you!!!!



Grandma with Christian. See was hiding but as you can see...not for long. Grandma we love you so much. Thank you for taking such good care of the grandkids. I couldn't do it without you.


Christian's Dad and younger Brother, Travis

toNIGHT was a very exciting night for 29 graduating seniors


Graduation at Summit View

To see a close up view please click on image.


















































Monday, June 9, 2008

Sneak Preview before the event








The Bat Mitzvah

What an exciting day for Rochelle and her family. I was honored to be asked to document this moment in her life. Her speech was prepared with precision. She is an outstanding young Jewish woman as well as a 4.0 student, popular, philanthropic and not to mention beautiful. Also, according to Dad she is the faster reader he knows. Good luck to you in the future Rochelle. From the hard work you put into becoming a Bat Mitzvah you will go very far in life.









The Venue


Kick off the Celebration








The Details








The Crazy Candids















The Cake

cake 4 1

The Close Ups




















The Girls

Here is a group picture of Rochells's GF's with the Santa Monica Farris Wheel in the distance.
IMG_6179

The Party Never Ends at our House

Dear Steven and Amy:

Thank you so much for letting my Mommy bring these necklaces and tie home to me. I missed my Mom while she was taking pictures at your party but the presents made up for it. Here are some silly pictures of me playing with them!!!





Friday, June 6, 2008

Iain's first piano recital.


Iain performed his first piano recital last Sunday.  He played beautifully.  The songs he chose to play were Aloette and Bingo.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

The Bat Mitzvah I shot yesterday

This was truly an awesome event.  Being called to the Torah is such an accomplishment.  The speech that Arielle wrote and spoke seemed to be the words of someone with the wisdom and intelligence of a person far older than 13.  Parents, it really showed the love, caring, boundaries and example you give to your daughter and other children.  Your family is truly blessed.  Arielle you are outstanding!  I cant wait to see where you are in another 10 years.

Let's not forget to mention the party.   This party was to end all parties.  There was so much imagination and creativity.  The colors were alive.  The band had a personality all of it's own.  They were funny and entertaining.  The Balloonist was over the top.  Everyone needs to hire this guy.  The magician was very fun and magical.  The tattooist was giving out sparkalee tatoos...you will probably see the glitter in your living room right now if you look.  And congratulations to Mom who pulled it all together with a lot of hard work. 

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your event.

ann 

Candids before the big event







Arielle's Bat Mitzvah






Congratulations ARIELLE!!!!  Way to go.  

The Hoola Hoop



The People










The Details





The Balloons





The Magic


The Dancing










The Candle Lighting Ceremony


Friday, November 30, 2007

NEW NEW NEW



Here are some samples of my jewelry. I will customize it with your own photo or one that I have shot for you.