Well, we're poised for round 2 of the epic snowfall.  We already have over 2 feet on the ground, huge piles of snow moved by plows and (sore) muscles, and we're about to get another foot or more.  It's just getting silly ...

To keep my sanity, I've been snapping away at the birds that visit our feeder (we've been refilling it several times a day).  Here are some of the shots I've taken over the last few days:

This is probably my favorite - I was so busy snapping away at the cardinal that I didn't even notice the "intruder" until I downloaded the photos to my computer.  Looks like Mama Cardinal was a bit startled!

I love this one, too ... I think she was posing for me.

A mourning dove ... yeah, I'm with ya, buddy.  This weather isn't cheering me up, either.

This was included in a previous post, but I wanted to show all of the birds we've been seeing:

Gorgeous papa cardinal stopping in for a bite.

And, finally, we saw about 30 crows hanging around. They don't come to the feeder - I think they just wanted to find out what all the other birds were doing here :-)

From the frozen tundra of Northern Virginia, stay safe and warm everyone!

Glenda Cherry
www.GlendaCherry.com
www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
Glenda@GlendaCherry.com
703-587-3615

I just got off the phone with a gentleman who is considering relocating from South Carolina to Herndon, Virginia.  He knows he can't buy the kind of house he has in SC for a similar price here in Northern Virginia, but he also wants to avoid the "bad" areas.  I tried to explain to him that, because of Fair Housing Laws, I'm not allowed to characterize areas as "good" or "bad".  After all, it's subjective - what I consider "good" may not be the same to him (and it could be considered steering).  He was surprised to hear me say this.  He went on to tell me that, when he bought his home in SC, his agent specifically told him which area he shouldn't live in.  I told him that, although some agents do this, it's a violation of Fair Housing Laws and that I wouldn't take a chance of being fined or losing my license.  As a workaround, I advised him to talk with friends who live in the area ... ask them which areas they consider "good".  Then he could give me a specific list of areas in which he wanted to look.

He thanked me for my time and said he would get back to me.  I'm pretty sure I won't hear from him again.  This isn't the first time I've lost a potential lead because I refused to tell them which are the "good" areas.  But, apparently, there are a lot of agents out there who are willing to do this - don't they care that they're risking their license?  Or do they just not know better? 

They were forecasting it for days:  "An Epic Snowstorm!", "Massive February Snowstorm!", "Snowmageddon!"  Well, they finally got one right.  Snowfall totals of 2 to 3 feet, trees down, 10's of thousands without power, roofs collapsing (including a hangar at Dulles Airport housing private jets).  I could only get pictures around my home because we're pretty much trapped for at least a couple of days.  But we're well-stocked with the essentials - bird seed, cat food, and a few bottles of wine :-)

We were shoveling the driveway for the third time ... can you imagine how deep it would have been if we'd waited for the end?  That's my mailbox peeking out of the snow on the right.

Yeah, my car's not going anywhere for a while ...

His turn to shovel ...

There's a deck under there somewhere ... I think the birdbath is out of commission for now :-)

The bird feeder was listing under the weight of the snow ... after I took this photo, we dug a path to the feeder so we could refill it.  The birds are happy!

Our backyard friends are grateful for food ...

Patiently waiting for the squirrel to leave the feeder ...

"Could you please do something about that squirrel?"

As I write this, it appears that the end is nearly in sight ... and not a moment too soon.  For any of you who are missing snow, I have plenty that I'll give away free to a good home.  You haul ...

Glenda Cherry
http://www.GlendaCherry.com
http://www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
Glenda@GlendaCherry.com
703-587-3615

I recently did a photo shoot at a nursing home and met Harley the Cocker Spaniel.  He's a therapy dog who often visits with the residents.  As I was trying to get a shot of him with his owner, he came walking straight up to the camera - I snapped quickly and here's the result:

Could he be any cuter??!!

Glenda Cherry
www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
www.GlendaCherry.com

Photoshop Elements, actually.  I love to take photos of the birds that come to our bird feeder, but the sliding glass door has broken seals which make it hard to shoot through.  And, for some reason, it's especially hard to get pictures of the Blue Jays - they're very skittish and fly away as soon as I get near the door!  Here's what I managed to get this morning:

And here it is after a little Photoshop Elements:

In case you're wondering what I did:

• Processed the original JPG in Adobe Camera Raw to adjust brightness and contrast
• Extracted the birds to a separate layer, then slightly blurred and desaturated the background
• Used levels adjustment on the birds to brighten them up
• Used Topaz Denoise on the birds to smooth them a bit
• Used a high-pass filter on the entire image to sharpen.

Try doing that with Picasa!  LOL!

Glenda Cherry
www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
www.GlendaCherry.com

The popular Reston Town Center is often referred to as the "downtown of Northern Virginia" - it includes retail shops, 30 restaurants, a multiplex theater and the 519-room Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel voted one of the "Best Hotels" in Condé  Nast Traveler's 2009 Reader's Choice Awards.  

This award-winning development was designed as a community gathering place and features a 20-foot fountain, low seating and broad steps making it very inviting to pedestrians.  At the Center's hub, the open-air glass Pavilion hosts special events, concerts and festivals throughout the year.  From late October through the second week in March, the Pavilion floor is transformed into an ice-skating rink drawing skaters from all over Northern Virginia.

Just hours before the start of our record snowfall here in Northern Virginia, I stopped at the Center to get some photos of the holiday lights and the Pavilion to add to my stock photos of Reston.  There weren't very many people there, probably because of all the dire weather forecasts - it's usually much more crowded this time of year.  But it made it much easier to get the photos ...

www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
www.GlendaCherry.com

It finally stopped snowing late last night ... now the fun begins!  I'm pretty sure it's going to be at least another day before we see a snow plow on our street.  My guy managed to get out, but he had to take my GMC Acadia - his Saturn Aura wasn't going to cut it!  Oh well, at least it was a nice sunny day ...

My neighbors went down this center strip trying to flatten it out so they could get their car out!

Notice there aren't any footprints?  It was too deep to walk in!

The house next door - it's currently vacant so no shoveled driveway there. Wonder how long it will take before the property management company comes out to clear the driveway? I'm betting on never ... LOL!

www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
www.GlendaCherry.com

Our second snowstorm of the winter and this one is a doozy!  Airports closed, Metro bus and rail closed, accidents all over (one fatal, unfortunately). Some counties have declared a state of emergency to try and keep crazy people off the roads so the plows can get through.  Yes, it's beautiful now, but I'm dreading the aftermath ... and all the shoveling I'm going to have to do.   And now the snow is so deep I can no longer open my front door <sigh>

And it's still snowing!!

I love doing real estate photography - especially when the agent and/or sellers have taken the time to make sure the home is looking its best.  But, of course, there are times when it's a challenge ...

I did a photo shoot recently of a home that had been staged ... I'm sure the stager did the best she could under the circumstances, but there were some problems: electronic equipment (DVD player, cable box, etc.) on the floor next to the TV; an office desk with the particle-board backing facing the door.  The worst thing was the light bulbs ... yes, the light bulbs!  Many of the fixtures had burned out or missing bulbs and a few had a mixture of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs!  Oh, and all of the batteries had been removed from the smoke detectors (I have no idea why) - there must have been at least 10 of them beeping incessantly all over the house!

This job was a rush referral from another photographer, so I had no chance to speak with the agent regarding preparation.  But it reminded me that I have a flyer I used to send to homeowners about preparing their home for photos.  For some reason, I got out of the habit, but I've resurrected it (and added a bullet point about light bulbs!).  Here it is ... feel free to share it with your clients when you use a professional photographer.  I welcome your suggestions for any additions to the checklist!

Congratulations!  You're working with a REALTOR® who knows the importance of having professional quality photos to market your home.  Studies have shown that buyers choose the homes they want to see based on the quality and quantity of pictures they see online.  In order for me to get the best possible images of your home, I'll need your help.  Here are some things you can do to prepare your home for a photo shoot:

OUTSIDE

• Remove vehicles, trash cans, recycle bins, etc. from driveway and front of house.
• Sweep driveway, walkways, porches, patios and decks.
• Remove hoses, sprinklers, garden tools, children's/pet's toys.
• Mow the lawn; trim back shrubs/bushes from walkways and doors; remove weeds from flower beds and around shrubs/bushes. 

INSIDE

• Hire a professional stager!  A stager can make sure your home shows at its absolute best.
• Open window coverings (curtains, drapes, sheers, blinds) to let in as much natural light as possible.  Of course, if the view out a window isn't pleasing, leave those coverings closed.
• Turn off ceiling fans - moving fan blades just look like a blur in the photos.
• If time and budget permits, have windows professionally cleaned.  Clean windows let in more light than dirty windows.  Consider removing window screens as well.
• Make sure all light fixtures have the proper type of bulbs - do not mix fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.  Replace any burnt out bulbs
• Eliminate as much clutter as possible, including children's toys, clothing, piles of newspapers/magazines.  Remove anything from the floor that doesn't belong on the floor.
• Remove toiletries and other personal items from bathroom counters; close toilet lids; remove/replace old or dirty towels, washcloths, etc. 
• Make all beds neatly (avoid wrinkles, lumps, etc.); clear dressers of personal items.
• If your child's bedroom has his/her name spelled out on the wall or otherwise visible, you may wish to remove it.  If removal isn't feasible, be sure to alert me and I will attempt to edit it out from the final photos.
• At your computer workstations, stow or unplug dangling cables/wires; clear papers.  Straighten up and/or remove items from bookcases.
• In the kitchen, remove most, but not all, items from the counters.  Items that can be left out might include:  decorative canisters, a colorful bowl or platter, no more than one countertop appliance.  You want it to be uncluttered, but not sterile.  Items to remove or hide from view include:  dish towels, pet dishes, trash cans.  Remove everything (magnets, pictures, calendars, etc.) from the outside of the refrigerator.  

www.GlendaCherryPhotography.com
www.GlendaCherry.com

Okay, I don't know if it's really the same one who visited our back yard last year, but I like to think it is :-)  This guy was perched on the fence admiring our bird feeder (for those who don't know, Cooper's Hawks feed on small birds and mammals).  I shot this through the sliding glass door (broken seals, cloudy glass) with my Panasonic FZ18 at full zoom - then cropped and cleaned up the images in Photoshop Elements.  Almost hard to believe these pics are of the same bird, huh?