Charletonchurchill.com/myblog » Charleton Family

My daughter knows how to rock a photo session – Jackson, Ca.

Charleton — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:57:52 +0000

My daughter is stinking too smart, and she’s always looking at how I’m editing and shooting my sessions, looking at my fashion magazines and what not. Child photography can be quite fun. We did a short session, like 20 minutes across the street in Jackson, and she just owned the camera. She’s going to pass her dad up someday. When we got back, she already knew how to edit the image as we were looking through them. She saying things like, “oh dad, fix the sunburn under my eyes, and the color temperature is not right (she actually said color, but that’s what she meant). Who knows, maybe she’ll become a photographer as well. Here are a few images I’m throwing up. Mom likes the smiley ones more, but I decided to put some attitude up today.

South Dakota – Landscape Photography

Charleton — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:22:31 +0000

My family and I just returned from South Dakota. The land there seems so spacious and pure. The skies are big and blue, and seem to continue forever. My family and I were there for a family reunion with nearly 100 relatives and friends. Every few years, we all gather at the “heritage farm” where we meet and tell stories of how the elderly in our family gathered dried up cow dung for fire fuel, how the kids shared a bath once a week, and the importance of family and prayer. I actually love it there. People are REALLY nice there, very proper, humble, love God, and are hard working. It’s so magnetic there. I can’t help be drawn in to it’s simple life culture, where distractions are minimal, and nature seems to have better music than my ipod. Coupled with the fact that I have three daughters on an airplane (something I should have put more thought into, specially with an infant), the call for such a place seems much stronger than ever. Even though Hollywood is not flocking there, South Dakota is the happening place for me. My favorite farmer there (I know I said favorite) is a guy named Alvin. He wears overalls and plaid shirts quite a bit. He has a good family and church. He sings in a South Dakota way, in front of the families, not fully on pitch, but makes you tear up a little because it’s from the heart and real. He has many beautiful horses to nurture, collects barbed wire from different ages, loves model tractors, volunteers his time for others, keeps up farm land for others, very involved at his church, and loves his family. This man is a good honest man. Alvin and South Dakota are real, but to me, are also metaphors of what I long for in this short life. Anyway, enough blabbing, here are some photos of this beautiful area.

This is a picture of what South Dakota looks like everywhere you drive.

Enjoying a Lake Norden Sunset,...I know it looks like Maui.

The old FORD sitting on the farm Lake Norden, South Dakota.

My oldest daughter, enjoying the sun on the Farmall tractor.

My oldest daughter posing next to the Farmall Tractor on the Farm, South Dakota.

Farm in front of small white home.

A cow about 4 ft. away from me. A bull was looking at me, so I kept my distance.

Cary driving the Farmall Tractor on a family reunion tractor ride.

The field near our lodging on a sunset in Lake Norden, South Dakota

My middle daughter posing for a shot near the cows.

All the ladies of the house posing for a shot on the truck!

My Daughter’s first Season in Softball

Charleton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:33:00 +0000

It’s great now that my daughter Janae is playing her first softball season. Though she has much to learn, it is darn great being a Father and watching the games and practice, specially since our team is 2-0 (but who’s counting right, just a game with no winners/losers, purely for fun and learning, right?) . At first, before season even started, Janae refused the very idea of playing in the dirt and running the bases in front of a small crowd of parents, because she is shy. Now, Janae looks forward to each week. I love to practice with her, make sure she is hitting hard, throwing with control, running faster than a jack rabbit being chased by a bald man, and of course, running after the ball. Here is a shot of her and her cousin in practice. I’ll get some more later.

This one is Janae in game mode, ready to get the ball. This is merely practice.

Below is McKenzie, Janae’s cousin, whom also plays softball for her second season. It’s good to have both of them growing up together, gaining new experience together.

A day outside with my daughters

Charleton — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:52:00 +0000

It was a beautiful day today, and the sun was quickly going down. I grabbed my daughters and went outside behind our home where there is plenty of meadow, and snapped a few shots.

Mountaineering Man – Me

Charleton — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:08:00 +0000

This was taken in the Sierra Buttes, California, on our week long backpacking trip. It was a blast. This is one of the shots that came from it.

My Daughter, McKinley Churchill

Charleton — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Self Portrait – South Lake Tahoe wedding Photographer dude

Charleton — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:37:00 +0000