Dustin's Proposal at Norazo Karaoke

This one is a little more personal, because the people in this room steered me to who I am today. I met them at The Shorthorn. Meet Dustin and Marissa, who have dated since they found each other there in the newsroom.

Last weekend, I was invited to Dustin's birthday celebration, and later, their newfound union. Congrats, guys! 

Rasy Ran Photography

A Birthday Spring Brunch at Home

Not too long ago, Rochelle hosted a Sunday brunch celebrating birthdays for a three friends. She's crafty and resourceful; the table shown in the third picture was five pallets stacked together. She turned the house into a quaint and vivid display for guests and cooked up some tasty food as well.

Take a look at some examples.

Rasy Ran Photography

How My Dog Inspired Me Into Pet Photography

After Rochelle and I took Sheva home a little over a year ago, she has been family ever since. My experience with pet ownership started with feral cats who quite literally walked into my life and home.

Though, I have to say, having a dog is...different. Dog owners can relate, they can be extremely loyal, bring you up when you are down, want to go everywhere you are, and instill a type of unconditional one-way love you experience when you walk through the front door.

If we didn't see her sitting patiently, yet eager when we grabbed a leash to try her out at the Richardson Animal Shelter, she may have been somebody else's dog.

The fact being, she was somebody else's dog for two years, and then dropped off at the pound because she wasn't a excellent purebred.

If it wasn't for that happening, I wouldn't have cataloged pictures of her, with people, with the cat, with other dogs, and share that same camaraderie that pet owners possess. While I love my cat and past cats equally as much, it provides a different view on a pet's life who was once feral and showed up one day, and another who was abandoned simply due to their genetic makeup.

It is that bond that I want to understand and share with the world, the warming emotion that is evoked only by your pet(s) when you see a picture of them.

Should you be serious about preserving your pet(s) in photographic form, I can be there. I'd like to provide the candid coverage in the simple comfort of their home and/or at their favorite retreats. I'm starting at an introductory rate that will only last a limited time.

I look forward to not only working with you, but your smaller company.

Rasy Ran Photography

Taos, New Mexico in 2011

This year's annual trip to see Rochelle's grandmother in Taos was probably the most relaxing. I've been there each year for the past three years, and this year we actually didn't do too many outdoor activities. We did, though, bring two patient dogs with us. One, being our 3-year-old black Labrador, Sheva, and a dog for her grandmother, a cream colored six-month old Shepard mix.

With the record wildfire in Los Alamos beginning to spread on the day we arrived, it eventually led to cancellations of many outdoor sights and sounds later in the week. The lack of activities didn't really bother me personally, since I took so many overdue naps, I lost count. That was something I almost never do back home, and it gave me a chance to unwind.

I was always fascinated by these power line crossings on Interstate 287. In the 12 hour trip there, this is the only time they cross the road:

Our good friends Jay and Kayla were road tripping up to Utah, and stayed in New Mexico for a couple of days during their journey. They wanted to stop in Taos to say hello and have us document their vow renewals alongside the West Rim of the Rio Grande Gorge - a beautiful location for two beautiful people, congratulations!:

Here is a collection of seashells, left on an edge, we found on the way back from the trail. A sign of a distant offering:

We visited the Mabel Dodge Luhan House and took our furry friends with us:

Here's a shot of our friend who watched as Sheva played in a nearby water stream:

Later during the week, the fire worsened, and affected my respiratory system a bit when I read outside. Here's a shot of the sun that was peeking between all of it:

You can see the gradations of smoke to non-smoke as you go further back:

And that was pretty much our trip. Even though we didn't travel up, down, and side to side around Taos, it was, as I said previously, the most relaxing:

Thanks again, New Mexico. Until next year.

Rasy Ran Photography

Cedar Waxwings and Happy Hour

Being in the office regularly, I'm used to hearing the house windows being thumped by my black Labrador, Sheva, wanting to play outside - then I heard it while she was resting in the middle of the room.

Odd.

I look straight outside, up, then down and see three stunned Cedar Waxwings on the floor of the back porch. I'm not a bird hobbyist, but I when I researched these types of birds (from which I learned of their name to impress you on first reference), I ended up reading how they flock together for berries from one source to the next. After calling off local animal services when they flew away and joking with them, a worker explained how the berries apparently create a drunk-like state which makes the birds more accident-prone.

They say "it's happy hour somewhere," and it's not limited to humans!:

Rasy Ran Photography