Tom Woll Photography

Lately I have been grilling with charcoal rather than gas. The reason is my gas grill has gotten to the end of its life. Now I should mention that I am one of those people who gill 6-7 days a week during the summer. To me it is a nice way to get outside and enjoy the back yard while not heating up the stove. Now I could go and buy a gas grill; and I will one of these days. But I do enjoy using charcoal. The main reason is it makes me slow down and take my time to get the coals ready and then cook over them. I do not have the option to simply crank up the gas and get it hot so I can drop the food on the grill. Ok, that makes sense but what the heck does this have to do with photography or life for that matter? Pretty simple really, slow down. That's it, slow down and take time to truly see what your are doing. Slow down and enjoy the moment. So many times I find myself almost sprinting from one thing to another; go here, take one of the kids here, stop there; that a day...

People often ask me how to take better pictures. With a today's point-and-shoot camera, it’s possible to get great results. Here are a few ideas to help get great pictures of your children. Get Down to Their Level Many parents don’t even realize that many times they are taking pictures of their child at a downward slant. Don’t feel too self-conscious to get down to your child’s eye level in order to capture a fabulous moment. Taking photos at a child’s level shows his expression best, brings focus to the picture, and downplays shadows on the face. Minimize Distractions A cluttered background takes the focus away from the child in the foreground. If you see a good photo opportunity, take a second to move brightly-colored or reflective objects and toys from the background first. It may be hard to take photos with a neat backdrop when you’ve got small children in the house, but do your best. Zooming in on your child will automatically eliminate many background distractions in a ph...

My daughter has been involved in cheer this past year.  On Sunday they had a showcase so to speak.  It was pretty cool to see all the teams preform.  Here are a few shots.  Click for a larger view.

Spring is on the way, really.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  I am not exactly sure how this will evolve but I see this to be a place for you to see what is happening with me and for you to get to know me a little better.  I hope that I will hold your interest and not bore you to sleep. I was reading an article a while ago and something struck me as good advice.  I didn't realize that I had been moving towards this until I read the article.  Basically it was about someone starting a new career.  This person wasn't just changing jobs but from one profession & doing a complete 180 degree turn.  The quote was something like this: I would rather see you fail at something you love rather than see you succeed and be miserable.  I wish I had the exact quote but you get the idea.  This got me thinking and you know we hear this everywhere and I am sure I heard it as a kid in school, from parents etc.  Heck it is even in popular movies.  In the latest, and in my opinion...