Kassie joined the MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group at a local church a few months ago, looking for adult companionship and stuff to do during the often isolating winter. She enjoys being a part of something, and Leo enjoys playing with kids his own age.

Each year the group holds a fundraiser that pays for supplies and, among other things, member dues for mothers who are unable to pay to join the group. This year the group held their 4th annual Death by Chocolate event, a ladies-only night in which attendees can sample from a wide variety of chocolate-based dishes, from cookies to cupcakes to peanut-butter-covered chocolate balls on a stick.

Wanting to contribute to the fundraiser, Kassie signed up to help with activities. She designed an awesome t-shirt, booked student masseuses and masseur, and easily persuaded me to take photos (and eat chocolate!).

Lauren introduced the event and spoke of the recent passing of a devoted and enthusiastic group member.

Kassie booked a large-scale photo booth, with props, a remote shutter, and the resulting rambunctious photos displayed on the church’s large flat-screen monitors.

A crafts table was set up where attendees were invited to decorate photo frame cards.

Congratulations on a successful fundraiser!

Kassie and I took Leo to the small park near the office yesterday. I had a fantastic time! Leo is walking so much, he rarely bothers to crawl any more.

My sister had her fall homecoming over the weekend, and she asked if I would take pictures of her and her boyfriend at Toledo Botanical Gardens before the dance. It was a chilly and slightly rainy evening but we got some great shots!

My son will be a year old in a couple weeks and — Holy crap does time fly! Anyway, Kassie, my mom, and I took Leo to the Toledo Botanical Garden for photos. Check out some of the shots.

Megapixels. Optical zoom. Digic. SDHC. D-SLR. Image Stabilizing. This is just some of the jargon you see when browsing the weekly ads for cameras. The ads won’t tell you, however, the things you really want to know.

Is this camera any good? Is it worth spending my money on? Does it take decent pictures? Does it come in Promiscuous Pink?

The answers (and tons more!) can be found at my favorite website for camera reviews, Steve’s Digicams. Each review typically includes:

• complete specs,
• size-comparison pictures (how big is the camera compared to a CD?),
• detailed description of the camera’s software interface,
• sample photos taken with the camera,
• range of prices the camera is currently selling for,
• and any nasty gotchas that will continuously raise your blood pressure and stress levels until they peak in the middle of a family vacation to the grand canyon in the summer, causing you to snap at your loving and supportive spouse who is bewildered as to why you don’t just buy a new camera already!

That last point is the most valuable to me. I once owned a camera that had intermittent amnesia. Every time I replaced the batteries, I had to reset the clock and all my settings. Ugh!

The next time you see a good deal on a camera, protect yourself from buyer’s remorse, and take a minute to visit Steve.

Yesterday was Scott Kelby’s second-annual world-wide Photo Walk. What is a photo walk? According to the official FAQ page:

It’s a social photography event where photographers get together, usually in a downtown area or trendy section of town, to walk around, shoot photos, and generally have fun with other photographers.

Sounds like a blast! Kassie, Leo, Laura, and I decided–well, Leo just tags along–to attend the Toledo walk, but I realized just this past Friday that registration was required and, surprise, the event was full. D’oh! Not wanting to miss out completely, we forwent the social interaction and contests, and hiked southern downtown for a couple hours ourselves.

Here are some of my shots.

We saw this awesome painting leaning against what looked like an art studio.

We stopped at the farmers’ market along the way.

This very cute violinist entertained the market.

Amtrak station from an old train bridge.

On the way to the train station, we found a fire-damaged warehouse.

We ended our DIY Photo Walk with lunch at Tony Packo’s, sitting only a dozen feet from the organized group doing the same.

(Thanks, Rick, for giving me the heads up!)