Captured by Dani

PurpleStride Iowa 2013

2013-10-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

Once again, Captured by Dani was honored to photograph the PurpleStride Iowa 2013. Thank you to the Des Moines Affilitate and its volunteers for always making it an awesome event. You guys are remarkable!

Did you know?

An estimated 45,220 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S., and over 38,460 will die from the disease.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially over nearly 40 years.
Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnosis – only 6% will survive more than five years. 74% of patients die within the first year of diagnosis.
The average life expectancy after diagnosis with metastatic disease is just three to six months.

These are just 5 of the reasons why I donate my services every year to this cause. I truly hope this is as close to pancreatic cancer as I'll ever get.

Lastly, I can't thank enough Sandy Morris & Lauren Wilson. Without Sandy photographing the teams and Lauren assisting me with every thing else, I couldn't do it without them. Together, we were able to Capture these Moments to Last Beyond a Lifetime.

Carlisle's own Homecoming Queen

2012-12-21T10:27:00.000-06:00

This spring, I had the honor of photographing Royalty! Yep, you heard me, ROYALTY!

Drum Roll Please

Let me introduce you to

Carlisle High School

Class of 2013's Homecoming Queen

Lauren Lee

Her family couldn't be more prouder or can they??? She has been invited to be a part of this years Liberty Bowl in Memphis Tennessee on December 31st! When I talked to her parents, David and Lisa Lee last night, you could sure hear the pride in her fathers voice as he spoke about it. The funniest part was him saying, "Now we've got to buy another dress!"

Here is what he sent out to his co-workers:

In 2012 Lauren Lee’s classmates selected Lauren to be on the “Homecoming Queens Court” for Carlisle. The rest of her High School classes ( 9 thru 11 ) then voted to make Lauren the “2012 Homecoming Queen”. As a Homecoming Queen Lauren’s name was forwarded by Carlisle High School to “Americas Homecoming Queen” Inc.. They pool Queen’s names from all fifty States. The AHQ then went through a selection criteria along with the “Liberty Bowl” to invite Queens to come down to the Memphis Tennessee “Liberty Bowl College Football Game”. It is not a pageant, it is just a celebration for the accomplishments that each Queen has already performed in High School. Seventy-seven Queens were selected in 2011 to participate. Lauren was invited this year 2012 to be an “AutoZone Liberty Bowl Queen”. As a Queen she will wear her crown from Carlisle High School, receive a sash with “IOWA” printed on it, visit St. Jude Children’s Hospital, ride on a float in the “Liberty Bowl Parade”, participate in pre-game activities, be escorted onto the field by the National Guard, and participate in the Bowl Game half-time entertainment along with St. Jude children. Iowa State is playing against Tulsa, and the “Liberty Bowl Parade/Game” will be broadcasted on ESPN.

Watch us on ESPN on December 31st, and Go Cyclones……..

Congratulations Lauren. What an honor.

Thank you for letting me be a small part of your senior year!

9 Months Ago

2012-12-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

Was my last post. WOW time flies when you have so many irons in the fire. This year has been a great year for Captured by Dani. My photography business is really starting to take off. I so am thankful for all the opportunities that have been presented and for those who believe in me, especially my husband. Thank you, Raymond for being by my side and for supporting my crazy adventures.

Hopefully 2013 I can keep up with all this Facebooking, Blogging, Tweeting or any other social media platform. Until then, Here's a glimpse into my family "In Focus" this past year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

You

Titanic Dinner - A Carlisle Area Historical Society Event

2012-04-15T16:51:00.003-05:00

Last night was the Titanic Dinner at the Historical Randleman House. 22 First Class Guests were in attendance in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic.

Check here for all their upcoming events.

Mothers Day is just around the corner!!!

2012-04-04T21:46:00.005-05:00

Captured by Dani has teamed up with Kotori Jewelry to bring you...

It's just this easy!

1. Click here to book your session online - I'll call you to confirm

2. Browse the catalogs below - Just imagine the tears in her eyes as she opens the most unique and thoughtful gift ever!

3. Choose the image from your session - Still thinking tears here!

4. Sit back, kick your feet up and relax! Mom is taken care of and YOU ROCK!!! Heck, I'll even gift wrap it for you! That's something that can't be beat!

Don't wait! Time slots fill up quickly and your order must be in be April 22nd to be delivered in time.

2012-03-24T00:15:00.000-05:00

Living with Type 1 Diabetes has been awfully challenging to say the least. WOW, what a life changer! Here is what I have to every three days. Without 1/2 of this, I would be back to 4 shots a day.

I still have to prick my finger 4 times a day, but someday, I'm hopeful all these pieces will talk with each other. Maybe someday, I won't have to prick my finger at all or tell the pump how many carbohydrates I'm eating!

This is a bottle of insulin and a reservoir on top. The blue thing in the middle is how I transfer the insulin between the two.

On the top, obviously is a sucker that Chase brought home. Ironic isn't it? Well, it was the closest thing I could find to show you the size of things. The bottom thing is the glucose monitoring sensor.

From Top to Bottom:
My Purple Pal (insulin pump)
Insulin and Reservoir
Infusion Set
Glucose Monitoring Sensor

Infusion Set. It is what is used to put the insulin in my body from my Purple Pal.

A closer photo of the reservoir filled with insulin

This is the infusion set. The needle has a small cannula inside it which is left inside, under the skin. There is tubing that comes out that connects to the reservoir.

A closer look at the infusion set.

The infusion set attached to me. I mostly have it somewhere on my stomach. It's hard to detach it for showers, the hot tub and other water activities if I put it anywhere else.

The infusion set needle. This piece gets thrown away.

This is the inserting device that's used to stick the sensor under my skin.

Close up of the sensor needle.

Thinking to myself - Don't look! Pinch myself hard with the other hand while I push the button.

Sensor's attached - I can breathe again.

This is the needle that is removed after the sensor is attached.

This is the brains and charger for the sensor.

This is the entire sensor put together. This is then synced to my Purple Pal (pump.) It sends numbers to my pump every 5 minutes.

All taped down and ready to go! Trust me, It hurts when its not taped down and gets caught.

All done for another 72 hrs!

Get BookedIN

2012-02-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I have a new and easy-to-use way to book your appointment!

Go ahead - Give it a try :)

Just click

If you haven't done so, check out my Project 52 photos. Project 52 is a Google+ group of photographers, both professional and amateur, who are posting 1 photo a week for 53 weeks.

Here is a listing of the themes http://capturedbydani.blogspot.com/2012/01/with-new-year.html.

Lastly,

Enjoy a great video from Kacie & Tim's shoot. Its got a nice catchy little tune!

With a New Year...

2012-01-01T23:50:00.001-06:00

...There comes new challenges! This year I've set a few goals, one worth mentioning is I've joined a group of photographers on Google Plus who will be posting a photograph once a week. Its called Project 52. Each week has a theme and I can't wait to see all the great photographs as well as the challenge to produce great art each week!

Here is the lineup - Its going to be so much FUN!!!

(WK#1) Jan 02 -- New Years Eve/Day
(WK#2) Jan 09 -- Summer / Winter
(WK#3) Jan 16 -- Rule of Thirds
(WK#4) Jan 23 -- Up
(WK#5) Jan 30 -- Eyes
(WK#6) Feb 06 -- Signs
(WK#7) Feb 13 -- Shadows
(WK#8) Feb 20 -- Other Photographers
(WK#9) Feb 27 -- In the Workplace
(WK#10) Mar 05 -- Depth of Field
(WK#11) Mar 12 -- Spring/Autumn
(WK#12) Mar 19 -- Planes, Trains & Automobiles
(WK#13) Mar 26 -- Playing with Light
(WK#14) Apr 02 -- Night
(WK#15) Apr 09 -- Easter / Fire
(WK#16) Apr 16 -- Technology
(WK#17) Apr 23 -- The Kitchen
(WK#18) Apr 30 -- Symmetry
(WK#19) May 07 -- Sky & Clouds
(WK#20) May 14 -- Contrasting Colors
(WK#21) May 21 -- Flowers
(WK#22) May 28 -- Self Portrait
(WK#23) Jun 04 -- Straight out of Camera
(WK#24) Jun 11 -- Architecture
(WK#25) Jun 18 -- Love
(WK#26) Jun 25 -- Water
(WK#27) Jul 02 -- Red, White, Blue
(WK#28) Jul 09 -- My Hometown
(WK#29) Jul 16 -- Summer/Winter
(WK#30) Jul 23 -- The S-Curve
(WK#31) Jul 30 -- Silhouette
(WK#32) Aug 06 -- Animals
(WK#33) Aug 13 -- Textures
(WK#34) Aug 20 -- Portrait
(WK#35) Aug 27 -- Sunset
(WK#36) Sep 03 -- Metal
(WK#37) Sep 10 -- In The Garden
(WK#38) Sep 17 -- Autumn/Spring
(WK#39) Sep 24 -- Negative Space
(WK#40) Oct 01 -- Colors
(Wk#41) Oct 08 -- Body Parts
(WK#42) Oct 15 -- Black & White
(WK#43) Oct 22 -- Openings
(WK#44) Oct 29 -- Reflections
(WK#45) Nov05 -- Halloween
(WK#46) Nov12 -- Vanishing Point
(WK#47) Nov19 -- Time
(WK#48) Nov26 -- Mostly White
(WK#49) Dec03 -- Smiles
(WK#50) Dec10 -- Street Photography
(WK#51) Dec17 -- Winter/Summer
(WK#52) Dec24 -- Mirrors
(WK#53) Dec30 -- Christmas / Decay

My submission for week #1

I hope it snows this week so I can get a good winter shot for week 2, if not, I've got a good idea for summer!

The Christmas Card List

2011-12-14T11:21:00.000-06:00

Today, I woke up not feeling good and late for work. For some reason, I stopped at the mailbox to grab the mail I didn't retrieve last night when I got home. Usually, I would just let it sit there until I got home or until Ray got it, but not today. So, I'm sitting at my desk feeling like crap and feeling a little sorry for myself, I decided to open up the Christmas cards we received. The first one was from our tractor friends Carl and Norma. Inside was a piece of paper the size of a small bookmark with the most beautiful poem on it.

Needless to say, this has certainly made my day. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

It reads:

There is a list of folks I know,

All written in a book.

And every year at Christmas Time

I go and take a look.

And this is when I realize

Those names are all a part

Not of the book they're written in,

But deep within my heart.

Each name stands for someone

Who has touched my life sometime,

And in that meeting they've become

A special Friend of mine.

I really feel I am composed

Of each remembered name

And that my life is so much better

Than it was before they came.

Once you know that "someone",

All the years cannot erase.

The memory of the pleasant word,

Or of a friendly face.

So never think my Christmas cards

Are just a mere routine

Of names upon a list,

Forgotten in between.

For when I send a Christmas card

That is addressed to you,

It is because you're on a list

Of folks I'm indebted to.

And whether I have known you

For many years or just a few,

The greatest gift that God can give

IS HAVING FRIENDS LIKE YOU!

Time to catch up!!!

2011-11-22T09:00:00.001-06:00

I realized I haven't posted a thing in quite some time so now I'll play a little catch up. I've been really busy with my photographic adventures and my personal life. I've been given some really great opportunites and some truly challenging obsticals along the way.

Let me start off on the 1st of October, I photographed THE beautiful fall wedding of Lisa and Todd. I loved the warm fall colors and the size was PERFECT!!!

Next up was the Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure. What an experience that was. I loved every minute of it and hope I can do it again next year!

Next up was Hillary and Rusty's Engagement Session and The Nesselroad's family pics.

My personal life...it's got its ups and downs, Literally!
Late September, I learned I was a diabetic. First diagnosis was that I was a Type 2. Long story short and after finding a fabulous Endochronoloigst Dr. Shekar, I am actually a type 1. This basically means that I will be on insulin because my pancreas doesn't produce it. I am learning how to eat better foods and to take a shot like a champion! I'm currently taking 4 shots a day with strong hopes that in January I can be educated enough and able to control my blood glucose enough to wear an insulin pump!!! I am really hoping I can get this done so I only have to stick myself every three days versus 4 times a day. I still have to prick my finger all the time but there certainly are worse things.

I'm currently taking a photography business class and will have it finished up on December 5th. At the end of this class, I will have my entire business plan offically in place!!! YEAH! I'm not sure exactly what direction I'll take after this, however it will sure feel great to have a business plan in place. For my fellow photographers, the same class is being offered at MAIPP in June 2012. Here is the course information http://maipp.com/instructors/aletha-speakar/

Lastly, Christmas is just around the corner so If you're wanting some personalized Christmas cards or great gift ideas, I do have some unique and beautiful options, so give me a call to set up your session today. Here are just a few options I have available.

Christmas and All Occasion Greeting Cards

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving,
Dani

Lesson Learned

2011-09-26T19:03:00.000-05:00

The McGrail's are moving to Colorado to begin a beautiful retirement life together. Dan built it with his own 2 hands and Renita help define it. They both love the privacy and peacefulness this home brought to their lives.

To you and me, these may be just photographs; to them, its a past full of special memories that will never fade.

Lesson learned for me? You bet. Always look forward to what life has in store because there's definite change. So, open your eyes to the wonder in front of you otherwise you may miss the best parts of your past.

Snookies Malt Shop

2011-09-16T14:18:00.001-05:00

Its been a few years for me since I'd been to this fine place. Ray, Dave, Ben and I stopped in after lunch for shakes. I didn't realize how nice and open-armed the owners truly are until today.

Thanks to the owners Mr. Graves and Mrs. Caves for the tour of their beloved shop and for sharing some of their historic treasurers. I enjoyed your trip down memory lane immensely.

They are closing for the season September 18th! So if you wanna great shake worth the money, you got until tomorrow!!!

You get one of these yummy extras when you get a shake!

The boys getting the SWEET and COOL Tour!

He would like to learn what this actually came from...Anyone know?

An old ice cream maker from 1850

Meet Lincoln High School Senior - Michelle!

2011-09-06T23:32:00.000-05:00

Michelle,

It was my pleasure meeting you and your mom. You are certainly a bright, funny and down to earth girl. I had an amazing time this afternoon. I know you are super stoked and wanting to see your photos ASAP, so here is a quick sample for you.

More to come soon!!! :)

Old Threshers Reunion

2011-09-05T21:26:00.005-05:00

We had a blast this year at the Mid West Old Threshers Reunion. The weather was perfect on Sunday and Today. As always, its a fun time and the kids really enjoy seeing all the old stuff. I always get a kick out of our kids when they say to Ray, "You had to do it that that when you where a kid?" This time, I said to them, "Hey! We ain't that old,now!!!!" Ask your grandparents about it! The item that spawned the question this year was the Maytag washer/wringer powered by a hit and miss engine.

Enjoy!

Pleasant Hill Summer Fest Parade

2011-07-31T12:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning Ray and I left for Pleasant Hill at 8 am for our annual Summer fest parade and potluck with our Central IA Two Cylinder Club Friends. Every year Wendell and Charlene host our potluck in their back yard. It's always a great time with lots of great food.

Since I managed to leave my camera in the truck, all photos were taken with my phone. Enjoy!

I'm in need of your vote!

2011-07-13T20:32:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I just entered Sandy Puc's 2011 Creative Edge Kids Contest and I need your help to win! (What else are friends for than to help win popularity contests?)

A ton of really awesome prizes are on the line, including a FREE SmugMug Pro account and a 16x20 print from Bay Photo. To help me win, visit . http://contest.sandypuc.com/Contest/Des-Moines/17552313_bF87Nx#1381358359_xnpvxJh .

To vote, simply make a comment under my image. The image with the most comments wins. Only one comment per person will count, so please, spend your time spreading the word instead of making multiple comments!

Thanks for all your help. You're the best!

Dani

Winner!!

2011-07-11T07:48:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, I asked for people to go to my Facebook business page www.facebook.com/danisphotos and hit the "LIKE." By doing so, you would put your name into the hat for a drawing to receive a free session, an 8x10 and 8 wallets. Deb Riese from Anita was the lucky winner. On June 26th, I got to meet her adorable grandkids Kaden, Lily and Stella!

www.facebook.com/danisphotos
Don’t miss out on the next great deal!

There's always a shot

2011-07-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

If you didn't know, I always have a camera on me. Most of the time, you'll see me shooting something. Even if it doesn't move, I shoot it.

Everytime I look at something, I try to vision what it is I can capture that the average person wouldn't normally see when looking at the same thing. Sometimes it’s really obvious and others it's not so much. I think that's why I'm really enjoying my macro lens. Even in a few photographs I've shot lately, I've surprised myself as to what I've captured!

I truly had no idea that the Daddy Long Legs had a mouth…but I guess it should!

Vacation 2011 - Part 3

2011-06-20T22:51:00.000-05:00

June 13^th – Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island State Park and to top it off... Parasailing!!!

Since this trip is in celebration of not only our 1 year anniversary but it’s also our honeymoon, we decided to drive up the coast to Honeymoon Island. We climbed aboard the ferry to Caladesi Island. This, by far, is the best shelling beach yet. We got lots of cool shells for the kids and had a great time walking up and down the 4 miles of beach and there wasn’t many people there so that made the experience much better. The excitement came while shelling, of course. I was walking along in the water doing the “Sting Ray Shuffle” when I about sliced my foot on something. I reached down and pulled on what felt like a stick. I kept pulling and it kept coming. Soon, this giant Conch shell came out of the sand. It FREAKED me out! I finally grabbed a hold of it and brought it to shore to show Ray. It was the biggest shell and living BLOB I’ve ever and probably ever will see. We decided that we'd name thing one and thing two after Spongebobs pets. Big Gary and Little Gary. I sure do miss Gary!!!

Little Gary

Big Gary

Oh Gary!!!

I almost forgot to mention the lizard, Froyo. Watch the video to see the little friend he caught.

Later in the afternoon we decided to take off from the shore and hit the skies. We took a ride on a boat out to the gulf. We were strapped in and with the roar of the engine we were lifted off the deck of the boat. Higher and higher we went, 800 feet in the air we sailed. I was so scared but excited at the same time. The view was incredible. It was so peaceful. If you’ve ever been in a hot air balloon before, it was similar to that but much BETTER!

For dinner, we went back to Crabby Bills. Did I mention I really like Crabby Bills? This time I got Dungeness Crab and OMG it was fabulous. The last time I had it was when I was in Washington State to visit my brother. We had a crab eating contest with my Step Dad. Needless to say, I lost, but they were mighty tasty then and they were mighty tasty this time too.

Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-06-20T22:13:00.000-05:00

June 11^th – Clearwater Beach and a couple others.

In the morning and afternoon, we lounged on Clearwater Beach and swam in the Gulf. We spent a good portion of our day here again. The waters were about 86 degrees and calm. It is also stingray season so you have to shuffle your feet while you walk in the water. If you were to step on one, they would sting you. I finally got my encounter with the marine life. A manatee swam pass us. It was huge. I tried to get a picture of him, but it come out very well. It's the dark mass in the photographs.

My Ring - Not a bad picture for a phone!

In the evening we drove to Sand Key Beach to check it out. The sand here is much coarser than that at Clearwater. This is where a lot of weddings are held. There were 2 going on while we were there. We then drove down Gulf Boulevard and watched the sunset at Indian Rock Beach. This is a beautiful beach, which was less populated. Maybe it was the sound of the ocean, the time of day and the gorgeous surroundings either way, this was my favorite sunset so far.

June 12^th – Clearwater Marine Aquarium

We drove to Westfield Mall and on the way back we stopped by the home of Winter, Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Winter is a rescued dolphin that has inspired many. She was found tangled in crab nets and as a result, her tail has been amputated. The aquarium is a place where rescued marine life are brought to recover and released back into the wild if the circumstances allow them to be.

We had dinner at Frenchy’s on the Beach which was just down from our motel and then drove around the Clearwater area. Not a very eventful day but it was so relaxing and that is what counts most.

Vacation 2011 - Part 1

2011-06-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

1 year ago, on June 25^th, Ray and I were married on North Clearwater Beach, Florida. Now, we are back but this time WITHOUT the kids!!! Let the vacation begin!

~~~

June 9th – Our Arrival

I checked out of the Marriott hotel in Orlando and went to the Airport to pick up the Golden Turd. Never rent a Dodge Caliber, what a piece of crap!

I then drove to St Pete Airport and picked up Ray who was waiting my arrival. Together, we fed the hamsters under the hood of the crappy car and we were off to Clearwater Beach for the next 7 nights.

After we checked in, we decided to get some supper at Crabby Bills. This is my favorite place to eat on the Beach Walk.

I had Alaskan Jumbo Crab

Ray had Blackened Grouper

We spent the rest of the evening getting reacquainted with the beautiful area.

We walked all over the beach walk and the marina.

Ray in front of the Catamaran

We also visited Grandma Mac’s favorite person, The Alien! We met Mr. Alien last year when we were here. Grandma had to have a picture with him because she wanted to show Grandpa the kind of
Riff Raff she was hanging out with!!!

~~~

June 10^th - A Day at the Beach

First off, I thought I would try to get some sun and do a little people watchin. Ray thought that swimming in the ocean would be much better, so off he went. I should have went with him because it wasn’t too long after he got out as far as he could, he said all of a sudden a huge school of fish came swimming pass his legs and then there were 2 dolphins not more than 10 feet from him. I tried to get out there to grab some photos but of course, they were long gone.

For dinner that evening, we hopped aboard the Calypso Queen. It was a 2 ½ hour dinner cruise with all the food, beer, wine and rum punch you could consume. There was a wedding rehearsal group on the vessel so there was lots of drunks and celebration going on. Despite the obnoxious drunks, it was great.

The Wheelhouse of the Calypso Queen

I really loved watching the sunset from the deck of the boat. The colors of the sky was gorgeous.

Carlisle Little League Softball

2011-06-03T11:00:00.002-05:00

Last night, I got the opportunity to photograph Lily in “Action!” She played an excellent game even though she may not think so. She was very brave behind the plate. She got to be catcher for the first time and was so scared. I'm pretty sure she won't be looking forward to ever playing that position again!

Thanks Amy!

Photos from the Salisbury House

2011-05-30T22:23:00.003-05:00

capturedbydani's photostream on Flickr.

Meet my brother and family

2011-05-15T22:12:00.001-05:00

I've had a little time to play with Photoshop some more this weekend and it's been fun "Shopping" with family.

Myla Ann

The Clampets!!!

2011-05-14T22:01:00.001-05:00

The Clampets!!!, a set on Flickr.

Today, The Clampets gathered at the farm. We had great food and great laughs. The best surprise was Richard drove all night from Oklahoma to arrive at 9 AM.

As always, there are some things we just don't talk about...you know, everybody has a disfunctional family but mine is the BEST disfunctioinal, funny and loving family. There's never a dull moment.

Via Flickr:
I love my family. The world doesn't have it as good as this.

Thank you for being mine.