Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival

This past weekend, I participated in the 8th Annual Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival hosted by Perpetual Motion Dance Company.  Choreographers range from Perpetual Motion company members, dance studio owners, choreographers from New York City, Race dance company members, and professional dance educators.

Perpetual Motion, with the Oklahoma Arts Council, and generous donors, produce OCDF every summer to provide an opportunity for both teens and adults to perform in Oklahoma.  Taken from their website:

 The Festival will include performances by 24 local dancers selected by audition who will perform choreography by Oklahoma-based choreographers  Ashley Untrauer, Cody Dean, Brandi Kelley, Maria Krey, Amy Nevius, Kayla Jenkins, New York choreographer Shannon Nash-Spicer, and Texas choreographer Jennifer Giles.  These works will be performed in the concerts on July 25th and 26th at 7:30 pm. 
In addition, Perpetual Motion Dance will perform two works from the 2014 concert "KINETIC."

Perpetual Motion gives monthly aerial dance workshop seminars that quickly sell out.  Weekly aerial dance classes resume September 24th.

For more information about classes, performances, and events, go to:

http://www.perpetualmotiondance.org/index.html

#supportlocaldance

Joe & Leah - Family Session

 A family with little ones can get a little crazy, and that's just the way I like it!  Joe & Leah had two silly ones helping us with a fun Sunday morning adventure.

I love that pout!  Mom is going to show this one off to his future girlfriend.

2015 Changes

Beginning January 1, 2015 From Britt's Eye View Photography will no longer offer a full cd/dropbox download of all edited images.  Your great-grandchildren are not going to go through your photo files on your 2014 laptop, and I firmly believe that these photos are meant to be shown-off!

Session packages will also change in a subtle way.  I will be announcing that later on in the year!

Headshot Mini Session

It's time to move on from your college profile photo.  Whether you're an actor, dancer, or young professional, your virtual image is a vital part of online branding.  

  

Your mini session (valued at $85.00) includes a

• 15 minute session
• hand-edited images
• digital Facebook cover photo
• 6 digital images with print release
• 1 8x10 professional print with a gloss finish
• online gallery for viewing and ordering additional prints

Sessions are limited and filling quickly.  To reserve yours, email brit.c.smith@gmail.com

Free Download Friday

So in thanks for all the photographers and bloggers who helped me get started, I wanted to share my Free Download Friday - Week 3!  Today, you can download a free blog photo template with 4 images.  All you have to do is:

1.  Download the file from the link below, and open in PS or PSE.

2.  Open 4 photos in PS or PSE.

3.  Drag the the photo to the desired side, above the clipped layer.  Resize and arrange as needed!

If you have an issue with the clipped layer, paste your photo about the clipped layer, and "cntrl+g" will do the trick!

If you have any questions, email me at brit.c.smith@gmail.com

Free blog photo template:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8JIUsb8UqrNTE5XWGU3MkFJWG8/edit?usp=sharing

Britt and Henry's Summer Bucket List

Although we're in the heat of summer, it's only a short month before school starts, the fairs come into town, then the pumpkin patches open, and soon it'll be Henry's 1st birthday.  I want to make sure we get to take advantage of Henry's first summer before it passes by.

1. Host a cookout ✓
2. Visit Pop's 
3. Go to the Oklahoma City Zoo ✓
4. Complete a 5K
5. Go to Oklahoma Aquarium ✓
6. Make homemade peach ice cream
7. Watch an Oklahoma Energy game
8. Attend Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
9. Go to Mayfest ✓
10. Visit Edmond Farmer's Market
11. Take Mommy & Me Swim classes ✓
12. Go on a vacation
13. Listen to an outdoor concert or music festival
14. Take photos of Henry at the park
15. Go to Boomer Lake for 4th of July Fireworks ✓
16. Have a nice trip to the lake
17. Visit McAlester
18. Go to a farm
19. Take a photo at the Center of the Universe in Tulsa
20. See the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
21. Go to Dixie Dog Drive-In in Ponca City ✓
22. Eat at Mutts Amazing Hot Dogs
23. Go camping
24. Attend Rush Springs Watermelon Festival

Moirai - Part 3

Moirai - Part 3

Model - Liz

Location - Oklahoma

Styling - Britt Smith

Gallery - Aspen in Stillwater, Oklahoma beginning August 1st, and ending September 30th.

Moirai - Part 2

Moirai - Part 2

Model - Payton

Location - Oklahoma

Styling - Britt Smith

Gallery - Aspen in Stillwater, Oklahoma beginning August 1st, and ending September 30th.

Moirai - Part 1

I think telling you the meaning of a project is too easy.  Plus, there are too many levels of this project for me to describe in a paragraph that you may or may not read.  I owe a debt of gratitude to the people who blindly trust me when I say I have an idea.  

But, I'm excited to announce that this project will be shown at Aspen in Stillwater, Oklahoma beginning August 1st, and ending September 30th.

Moirai - Part 1

Model - Caitlin

Location - Oklahoma

Styling - Britt Smith

Free Download Friday

So in thanks for all the photographers and bloggers who helped me get started, I wanted to share my Free Download Friday - Week 2!  Today, you can download a free blog photo template with 4 images.  All you have to do is:

1.  Download the file from the link below, and open in PS or PSE.

2.  Open 4 photos in PS or PSE.

3.  Drag the the photo to the desired side, above the clipped layer.  Resize and arrange as needed!

If you have an issue with the clipped layer, paste your photo about the clipped layer, and "cntrl+g" will do the trick!

If you have any questions, email me at brit.c.smith@gmail.com

Free blog photo template

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8JIUsb8UqrNUlIyYVQxanA1Q2c/edit?usp=sharing

10 Things to do With Your Baby in Oklahoma - Summer Edition

I don't sit well.  When finding days when it's just the two of us, I know that a plan to explore does us both good.  And as a first-time mom with an infant son, I'm always asking fellow mommas and friends about activities they do to keep their little one stimulated and them out of the house.  So, some times it's nice to mix up the mommy play dates and quiet time at home.  Here's a compiled list of activites to keep you, and your little one, busy in Oklahoma this summer.

1. The Classics
• Oklahoma City Zoo 
• Oklahoma Aquarium
• Science Museum Oklahoma
2. It's Better When It's Free
• Live on the Plaza
• Fred Jones, J. Museum of Art
• Sam Noblem Museum of Natural History - Free Admission First Monday of the Month
• Oklahoma Railway Museum
3. Keep Them Active
• Youth Fitness Zone Open Gym
• Oklahoma Gold Gymnastics Tumble Town
• Metro Gymnastics
4. Learn & Play
• Evening Family Story Time at Stillwater Library
• Metro Library Summer Reading
5. Explore Native American Culture
• Travel OK Pow Wow Event Calendar
• Native Times Oklahoma Pow Wow Calendar 2014
6. Picnic & Hike At a Local Lake
• Lake McMurtry
• Boomer Lake
• Arcadia Lake
• Lake Hefner
• Lake Overholser
• Yost Lake
• Lake Ponca
• Kaw Lake
• Keystone Lake
• Eufala Lake
• Lake Texoma
• Lake Murray
• Grand Lake
• Lake Tenkiller
• Broken Bow Lake
7. Events at Myriad Botanical Gardens
• Night Time Stories
• Summer Movie Series
• Acoustic Thursdays
• Twilight Concert Series on Sunday Nights
• Thirsty Thursdays with Children's Story Time
• Photo Fridays
8. Explore Your City
• City of Stillwater Calendar
• City of Edmond Calendar
• City of Oklahoma City Activities Calendar
• Visit OKC Events
• City of Tulsa Recreation Overview
9. Mommy-and-Me Swim Classes At Your Local City Pool
• Stillwater Swim Lessons
• Edmond Swim Lessons
• Tulsa Swim Lessons
• Oklahoma City Swim Lessons
10. Family-Friendly Festivals
• Find Festival - Oklahoma List
• Visit OKC Events
• Narrow Your Search At Travel OK

For other ideas on mommy and me play dates:

15 Ideas for Mommy Baby Dates

Activities for New Moms

The Stay At Home Mom Survival Guide

Oklahoma Metro Family Magazine - Summer Activities & Camps Directory

50 Free Things to Do In Oklahoma

Listen to This - Summer Edition

My glory days of burned cds with corny titles written in sharpie are not far from me.  I've been able to vault any and all of those burned cds I made over the years, and I tend to think of music in the same philosophy.  Yo Yo Ma's Bach Cello Suites has been disc 6 since I got my driver's license, oooh, let's just say a while back.  I still listen to my rainy Sunday cd, and will probably be that mom who drowns in nostalgia during school commutes.  Poor Henry.  But memories and fun aside, I wanted to share what is part of my Summer 2014 playlist.  (Don't you fret, Love Never Felt So Good, some old school country, and pretty much every song from Sons of Anarchy Vol. 3 is also in full jam mode.)

1. An Awful Thing to Waste by Brendan Trinkle
2. Baby Boomerang by The Shins
3. Landfill by Daughter
4. Forever Young by Audra Mae
5. Cross My Mind by Twin Forks  (Dashboard Confessional gone Mumford & Sons)
6. Not In That Way by Sam Smith
7. Iron by Woodkid
8. Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li
9. We Don't Eat by James Vincent McMorrow
10. Heirloom by Sleeping At Last
11. Passion Play by William Fitzsimmons
12. Muder In the City by The Avett Brothers
13. I Will Remain by Matthew and the Atlas
14. Day Is Gone by Noah Gundersen & The Forest Rangers

Pinned It Tried It - 4th of July Dinner

Even though the boys were in charge of the hamburger and hotdogs, I finished the 4th of July meal with some of the best blogger recipes for grilling.

One pan was cooked regularly with no seasoning, and used to top hamburgers as well as the corn-on-the-cob.  The second pan was topped with brown sugar and fresh cracked black pepper.  It disappeared so quickly I had to make a second pan before dinner started!

Source:  Martha Stewart

The corn and husks were soaked in water for about an hour, rather than 10 minutes.  With all the other items on the grill, they stayed on for over an hour.  It turned out to be very sweet corn.  Delicious.  I ended up using the cheddar and bacon topping.

Source:  Good Housekeeeping

I didn't need any modifications for this recipe.  Some loved that it retained that smokey flavor from the grill, some didn't.

Source:  Lil Luna

There was more asparagus than appetites, so for the remaining asparagus, I made my own recipe.  (I'm not big on measurements.)

After the asparagus was washed and stems cut, I placed the bunch on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Drizzle the asparagus with sesame seed oil and sesame seeds, to your liking.  Toss the asparagus so the sesame seed oil is distributed throughout.

Finish with red pepper flakes.

Wrap the foil, and fold the ends together.  Grill to your liking.

This asparagus is much more tender than asparagus put straight on the grill, and doesn't have the smokey flavor.  The brood that didn't like the bacon wrapped asparagus, loved this recipe.

I modified the grilled pineapple recipe by dredging the pineapple slices in the brown sugar and butter before grilling, and drizzling the remaining sauce afterwards.  It was a hit.

Source:  Oh Sweet Basil

I modified the banana boat recipe by crushing the graham cracks and surrounding the banana, as well as topping it off, with the dust.  This was already requested to be made again at the next family cookout.

Source:  Tablespoon

From Britt's Eye View 2014 Guide

When booking a session, whether it be a wedding, family, or portrait session, clients receive an email with access to the 2014 Guide, with tips on locations, what to wear, what to expect, and ideas for props.

I wanted to share this guide with you, so that if you're going out for a shoot with a friend, a photographer, or just getting ideas, you can be prepared!


From Britt's Eye View 2014 Magazine Guide

Free Download Friday

So in thanks for all the photographers and bloggers who helped me get started, I wanted to start Free Download Friday.  Today, you can download a free blog photo template with 2 rectangles.  All you have to do is:

1.  Download the file from the link below, and open in PS or PSE.

2.  Open 2 photos in PS or PSE.

3.  Drag the the photo to the desired side, above the clipped layer.  Resize and arrange as needed!

If you have any questions, email me at brit.c.smith@gmail.com

Free blog photo template - 2 rectangles

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8JIUsb8UqrNLUkwWFFmQklIenM/edit?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

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Happy 4th of July!

This time last year I was 7 months prego, at the Ranger's 4th of July game in Arlington, and watching the fireworks after the game.  I even have a video of it to show to Henry O' when he's older.  But now, I have a bouncy, busy, cuddly, and curious little boy who is going to be enjoying the day with me.  

This kid has sass for days (and I have no idea where that came from).  Lol.  His most audible use of "Ma-Ma" is when I'm not feeding him fast enough during a meal.  He hates shoes, wants constant attention, is a total flirt, and loves being outside.  He is a true blue, 100% American Boy.

I am so looking forward to another adventure with Henry - cooking out, going to Stillwater's Fireworks Show and spending the weekend at Lake Eufala.  He is the best kind of adventure companion!