The long awaited Workshop is in the works!

OKAY OKAY i HAVE HEARD YOU!

I get a lot of emails from photographers who want me to do a seminar. I am currently planning one to be held in Italy, but it will be for amatuers next Fall.

But for you pros, Ive heard your cries and I will hold one on US Soil soon! (after Christmas)

As you may or may not know, I did a traveling program about 3 years ago, went to 8 cities in a few weeks. It was so popular (Dallas was standing room only!)


The Art of Seeing"Ive got the location, but working on the dates.

I'm also excited to let you know, i will have 2 other photographers teaching along with me! It will be a 3 day workshop in a great location. Im also thinking of limiting it to Women only. (So we can talk about girl stuff and not gross out or scare the guys! LOL!)

Just send me an email at pdixie@sw.rr.com and Ill put you on the list! This workshop will cover topics such as "Weddings, DIXIE STYLE", technical techniques such as white balance, shooting raw and large jpg, Photoshop techniques, marketing , business and my favorite topic, Studio Design.

We will have a lot of fun and it will be in a great location too! I'll announce the other 2 photographers soon, so stay tuned in and get on the list!

Lets see... Beautiful location
3 awesome Instructors (all 3 Master Photographers)
Models
Photoshop training
Girls only!
Dixies Maragarita machine!
3 days without husbands and kids...
equals.... Great experience and value!

Best Burgers in the US Coming soon to Wichita!

Hey Guys! Im super excited to tell you about our newest family venture. My cousin and his wife and partners are opening a Grill here in town! They honestly make the best hamburgers, onion rings and homemade Cream pies this side of the Pecos river!

They have 4 locations already in West Texas ( I ate there on Saturday... DELISH!)
I told them there wernt any good places like that here (excpet for GENES) and they have spent the last 8 months doing Market Research, checking out locations and meeting with a construction company.
I cant reveal too much, but it will be located North of Town near Cracker Barell and should open in about 9-10 months! They also have the best HOT WINGS even better than Hooters wings.
(Which will be close to their location too.)

Everything they make is homemade and all their burgers are made by hand, and is ANGUS beef!
CANT WAIT! Just to let you know, stay tuned for more info. Meanwhile, I am thinking of having Doug and his wife Fed Ex me one of their Giant CHEESEBURGERS!
Here is a review from a food critic that writes for Texas monthly.

"Between the Oooze flowing all over the place and the sheer size of the burger, I had a hard time handling this thing. Its a monster that requires the help of a friend to shove it into your face. Juicy and Delicious, with good lettuce (not iceberg, but the dark green stuff!) Purple onions and a special flavor to the black Angus meat. DEFINETLY A 10 rating!"

11 pound burger

Hey Yall.

My cousin told me about this burger he ate in Pennsylvania at a place called Dennys Beer Barrel Pub.

He owns burger places and knows everything about them!

Its an 11 pound burger! Can you believe it?

He owns 4 location of great hamburger places and travels one week out of each month to review and check out hamburgers.

Check it out! He said they are great! But he couldnt eat the whole thing.

You'll find this Hyper-Whopper at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.

The 11 pounder is known as Ye Olde 96er and sells for a cool $23.95. It contains a full six pounds of meat plus five pounds of trimmings: two whole tomatoes, a half-head of lettuce, twelve slices of American cheese, a full cup of peppers, two whole onions, and a river of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. Not one person has EVER eaten the whole thing... although you get 3 hours to do so.

If you have a smaller appetite - Denny's offers two- and three-pound burgers. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub is located at 1423 Dorey St., Clearfield, Pennsylvania. For more information, call (814) 765-7190 or visit their web site at http://www.dennysbeerbarrelpub.com/. Here are some pictures of this monstrocity of a burger!

The reason Im blogging about this is becaue I have a secret I cant keep anymore! My cousin is opening a Grill in Wichita very soon. I'll post more about it later!

Simpsons New Movie

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE IS OUT!

Its really funny! If you are a high school senior or adult, you will like it, if you are a child, then its rated PG13.

I took my 8 year old grandson and was surprised at some of the language in it.

There are two parts in it, that make it PG-13, The mother of the family, Marge actually says a curse word!

And Bart Simpson is nude both the back side of him and the FRONT too!

Like I said if you are a teenager, youll love it. If you are a parent of little ones, dont take them.

My heart belongs to these boys...

Well I finally got to see my new grandson. The first time since he was born 2 months ago!

He has grown so much. Since my daughter lives 6 hours away and I work 6 days a week (and sometimes 7 days a week.) I havent been able to see him.
I cannot believe how much he grew in only 8 weeks!
Here are 3 pictures of him I took today.
The last one is him with his big brother, my other grandson Tristan Liam.

Seniors who make me smile!

Hey Yall!

Im finally getting around to posting some of the images from this week and last week. Its been really hectic and busy.

First one is Amy, Shes a senior at Burkburnett. We had a lot of fun! Her mom is a hoot too! Amy is in band, and plays the Clarinet. Shes really fun. The cool thing was sometimes she looked a lot like Terry Hatcher from Desperate Housewives and Superman. Ill post more of her later.

Next is Cameron, what a nice sweet guy. And he was nice enough to laugh at all my silly jokes. (and thats not easy, my timing is really bad and Im very corny Ive been told. LOL!)

Also here is beautiful Kayla! SHes got a great sense of fashion and beautiful blue eyes. Too much fun. (thats her boyfriend Dalton admiring her in the background.)

Meet Jonathan, He was a really funny guy and kept me laughing a lot. He collects Nascar items, espically Dale Earnhardt memorabila. We had a great time and I got a lot of great images of him. Thank you Jonathan for choosing Pics by Dix!

This is Ginny! She goes to Rider and was such a sweetheart. She has a lot going for her. She also is learning to play the Banjo, which I think is awesome!I loved her pink tennis shoes. so adorable. I had a great time with Ginny!

Thanks for choosing me Ginny! You and your mom were a lot of fun!

From Dixie...

Hey Gang, Im really sorry Im behind on posting images on my blog, I dont usually put everyones, but Ive had several emails with people asking me to put theirs up, so Ill take care of that tonight.

Thanks for bearing with me, this is our busiest time of the year.

Me and my family so appreciate all our terrific clients!

Thank you for your patience.

-Dixie :D

Beautiful Bride

No She really wasnt on the cover, I was just playing around here.

But She should be a cover girl!

Hey Monica, your portraits will arrive Tomorrow and Ive got 2 surprises for you! YOU"RE GONNA LOVE EM!

-D.D. :D

GET ON THE LIST!

Well! We are just about Full with all our Senior Photo Shoots! So we are keeping a List!
Yes, you Do have to go to the Boring School photographer for your yearbook picture, but you can go anyplace else for all the others!
This is our 11th year in business here in the FALLS, and we are the #1 Choice for Senior Portraits!

Dont miss out, there are just a very few spots open!
Call 761-5111 and get on the list!

Breakfast at Tiffanys!

MEET TIFFANY! OR TIFF as I call her! Ive known this bundle of energy since she was knee high to a grasshopper. Shes a firecracker for sure. Full of life and energy and funny as heck.

I was so honored that she wanted Me to take her Senior Portraits! Ive got lots of images of her, but for now here are a couple!

Thank you Tiffany for choosing Pics by Dix, you were a lot of fun, and I cant wait to do "PHASE 2" of your photo session!

Its been great watching her go from a little girl, to a young lady. She still has that giggly spontaneous personality though.! Dont ever loose that Tiff!

Love those Bulldogs!

Love those kiddos!

Ive loved photographing children since about 1981, and some things never change. Kids will always love to swing, play and enjoy their pets. So thats what we did with these 2 adorable siblings.

Thanks Mom, for letting me do "my thing". I know you'll love the others too.

MY DREAM IS A HARPO HOOKUP!

Im interested in what your dreams are! When i say Dreams, I mean, What would just ROCK YOUR WORLD IF IT CAME TRUE???

Email me and let me know! pdixie@sw.rr.com

Ive been a faithful viewer of OPRAH since the beginning, (if you know me, then you know that for sure!) and I love the shows she has where she has the HARPO HOOKUP!

My dream is to do a photo session of OPRAH! When she was on the cover of VOGUE, I thought that was the coolest thing.

As a little girl growing up in Texas, I was taught to dream big. My mom used to say Big dreams are just as easy to dream as small dreams!

So my Dream is to do a Photo shoot of OPRAH! Maybe for her O Magazine, or something.

I'm her biggest fan! I loved BELOVED and The Color Purple.

She's my Hero, Because she pulled herself up by her own bootstraps and never gave up.

I love it when she met Mary Tyler Moore, the way she reacted, Thats how i would react if I met her!

Anyway, Thats my dream. Whats your dream? Send it to me and who knows, maybe I can help it come true??! Miracles happen every day if you JUST BELIEVE.

PS...Here is a photo of a woman that I photographed and doesnt she look a lot like Oprah?

This was a cute couple, serving in the US Air Force that I photographed a couple of years ago.

BRAGGING RIGHTS.

Okay, Time for me to brag on my one and only Son. Friday we had a very difficult day. We had to attend a funeral and say our goodbyes and lay to rest my hsubands grandmother. My son was wonderful. He was strong and brave, however, I did see a couple of tears when a poem was read about her.

All our family was there, and they were all so excited to see how Scott had grown. He looked so nice in his suit. (He actually likes to wear Suits sometimes.) Even though hes a tough football player and Power lifter, he likes nice clothes too! Hes also in the Junior National Honor Society (makes all As and is in Pre Ap classes!)

Here is a photo of him and his grandmother, I took on Friday. Last year at this time, he was almost the same height as her. Hes almost 6 foot now and 205 lbs.

Mostly Im proud that he is a Christan and he makes me and his father so proud. Hes wise beyond his years and very rarely ever dissapoints us.

I just dont know how I got so lucky to have such a terrific son. Hes got a very sweet girlfriend, Audrey, that hes been with the past year. He treats her like a queen.

(And would you guess hes only 14?) Hes learning to drive and is a natural! Ive only given him a few lessons and hes great!

I thank God every single day for the blessing of giving me this boy. Hes so tender hearted and kind to everyone he meets.

(Oh I forgot to tell this part. He is a power lifter and he recently squatted 550 pounds! Hes amazing in all sorts of ways. THANK YOU GOD!

White girls CAN JUMP!{taylor}

Hey Yall, This is Taylor. The twin of Torey! She has quite a vertical jump on her! 17 inches is what I think she said!

Check this out. I just loved Taylor and Torey. Both athletic, smart and sweet. (A triple threat) ha!

Eva Longoria and Tonys little reception location

Well, I am still reeling over the fact that an adroable couple like the Davis's were selected to photograph Eva Longorias wedding.

The pictures are great! They are in OK magazine.

I tell you what, I just shot my 500th wedding May 20th and they are a lot of work! I cant believe i've shot 500 weddings in 23 years. Thats a lot! I should have arthirits by now. haha
And when I think of all the cake I've eaten, Brides always want me to sample their cake and I politely oblige. :D)

When I think of those first weddings I shot (23 years ago) (I was only 21 then and had a Mintola K 1000 with 2 lenses and no back up camera!) and when I think about how inexperienced I was....
It makes a tingle run up my spine! So many things could of gone wrong.

I guess the only good part, is that I had been trained by another photographer and assisted him many times before i went out on my own.
Im proud to say Ive shot weddings In Japan (the language barrier was hard to handle. I just bowed a lot to the brides dad and that made him happy.!) LOL!

Ive been flown to Florida, Arizona and done many many in Dallas.
I even shot one in Holland (In "THE Hague" its a city.) The funny thing is the Bride and Groom left in an old American car! From the 60s!
The cute thing about Weddings in Holland is that the groom sometimes rides a bicycle with a big basket on the front and the bride in it, for miles and miles and miles.
They have very unusual weddings there. Another wedding I was set to do, but Sept. 11th messed it up, was also in Holland (near Amsterdam). I was so looking forward to it. The bride was going to wear her mothers wooden shoes.
It would of been great. But Sept. 11th happened and the Grooms parents decided to change and hire a Dutch photographer at the last minute.
Destination weddings are all the rage now. Cabo San Lucas is a popular spot.

Anyway... I believe in Love and Marriage!!! and have been married 15 years. Sure We've had our ups and downs, but we are still going strong.
Friday I sat next to my husband and held his hand, while he watched his grandmother be buried at her funeral. Things like that make your bond even stronger.
Ive been there now for the passing of two of his grandmothers and one grandpa. Thats what love is all about. Being there for the other. He was there for my grandmothers funeral too.
As the vows say "In good times and in Bad."

Here is a photo of the Castle, where Eva and Tonys wedding Reception was held.
This was taken a few days before the wedding by Bob. (They spent 10 days in Paris.)
Vive Paris!
Heres to love..

Chelse

Hey Yall, This is Chelse, She is such a free spirit! So carefree, a photographers dream to work with. (And her mama was too!)

As Ive said before, I dont post everyone here, there just isnt enough time. But Chelses mom asked me to , so here are 3 that I like a lot! (Out of about 150 images.)

Thank you Chelse, you were a hoot! I had fun too!

Double the Pleasure...

Meet Taylor and Torey! Obviously they are twins. They were so much fun too. Double the giggles, double the fun.

They are not only cute, but very athletic as well.

Their mother is my HEROINE!

Shes battled some pretty serious health problems and shown amazing resilience.

I had a great time getting to know them. They have a 17 inch vertical jump and were amazing on the court!

The magazine is out with the photos!

The magazine is out! The photographer and his wife that I know emailed me this today!

Dawn said she and her husband are so relieved the wedding is all over.

They were very stressed since December in this wedding of Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. They were in Paris for 10 days.

Check out Evas dress, it cost $75,000.00 It was a beautiful gown.

Get your copy of OK magazine today to see Bobs images!

Its so cool to be a wedding photographer. I just shot my 500th wedding May 20th!

Blaire

Blaire

Hey Guys! Meet Blaire,

Im sorry that I can not post everyone I photograph, but I did promise her.

She was a lot of fun.

In 2003 I photographed her sister, and now its her turn.
Thank you Blaire for choosing Pics by Dix!

Texan Eva Longoria and Tony Parkers Wedding

Wow, I am so jealous, a photographer and his wife, sent a email out to tell us why she was in Paris.
I knew they were there for a wedding but didnt know whose it was?!

It was Eva Longoria and Tony Parkers wedding!
She said the Paparazzi was incredible! That they were everywhere!

A National Magazine will be running the photos her husband took. (ITs alright to tell you which magazine, it will be OK MAGAZINE)

She said it was a fairy tale wedding.
Illl post some of the images as soon as she sends them. She took thousands of pictures she said!

She said the photos will come out this Thursday in the magazines in US Europe and Australia!
They didnt sleep for 24 hours.

Also she said the reception was at a 16th Century Chateau! Too cool

VERY IMPORTANT!

I thought this was important enough to share here. An awesome photographer in California let me know about this!

Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit MapQuest, you will get amap to the person's house. Everyone should be aware of this! It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.
Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried my number and it came up along with the mapquest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.
Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: www.google.com
Type your phone number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.

Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, but you may know someone who needs to know this.

Lovely Lindsay!

Recently I had the privledge of photographing a wonderful Family. One of the family members is KAUZs Lindsay Hunt.

Not only is Lindsay lovely, shes also very kind. And she is even prettier in person than she is on television

Her family are also great people. Very down to earth and they treated me very well.

Thanks Lindsay and Landon, I enjoyed getting to know you guys!

Link to KAUZ http://www.kauz.com/
-Dixie

A Master photographer that I truly admire gave me this about 21 years ago. Ive had it hanging on my wall ever since. Im sitting looking at it now, and I thought I would share it with you all.
Its really beautiful. -Dixie


A Photographer’s Prayer


I have been given the gift of SIGHT, the gift to truly see a feeling, a personality.

I have been given the art of CARING. To know each one is special…exactly as they are.

I have been given a very special TALENT. To take the magic of an individual smile and capture it forever.

I have been given the ABILITY to hold memories for others, in turn to hold dear.

I have been given the PRIVILEGE to share in the more precious times of another’s life, in laughter, joy and tears.

Please give me the RESPECT for others at all times ,to let them know how truly special they are.

Please give me the KNOWLEDGE to not only grow in technical expertise, but also in character.

Please give me the STRENGTH not to let life’s problems overwhelm me and become larger than they are.

And above all, let me keep a LOVE of life, more than my heart can hold; so that by sharing what has been given me, I will be the BEST I CAN BE!

AMEN

MYSPACE

Were on MY SPACE!
http://www.myspace.com/photographybydixie
Were working on lot of new things for 2007 so keep posted to our blog!

and the two shall become one.

I wanted to post these two images for one of my brides Bobbie and Kyle. Ive been working hard on their album and im giving yall a sneak peek of a couple of the pages.

It was a beautiful wedding. Thanks guys.. I know you will love your album!

Thier love story is so sweet. They've known each other since they were in elementary school. Isnt that great?

Dixie's Laws of Living

Dixie's Laws of Living

Do something that thrills you at least once a day.

Make a list of what you need to do. Then promptly throw it away.

Always say "Please" and "Thank You" -Always.

Sometimes, bite off more than you can chew.

Love is always worth the risk.

Don't be afraid to leap before you look.

Go... See...and then Go... and see more! (Just dont sit at home, Theres a whole big world out there!)

tell the people you love, that you love them. Tomorrow they might not be here anymore.

Live like you were dying.

If someone betrays you, then they were never supposed to be in your life in the first place.

Hold on loosely, but dont let go.

We make a living by what we get, BUT we make a life from what we GIVE.

(to be continued...)

Flickrvision

Ive traveled all over the world (14 countries so far... 400 more to go!) So I love seeing photos from all over the world!

Heres a cool way to do it!

Flickrvision (From the people who gave us Flickr) swoops around the Google globe Superman-style, pausing every few seconds to show a photo that somebody, somewhere in the world, uploaded to Flickr just minutes ago.
People all over the world take photos, and Flickrvision tracks the worldwide photographic zeitgeist.

My recent world tour showed an adorable couple at the Great Wall, mermaids on parade at Coney Island, an Italian castle, and a hummingbird in Ohio.

Flickrvision
p.s. Turn Flickrvision to 11: try the new 3D version and hit the full-screen button.
p.p.s. From the makers of Flickrvision, comes Twittervision!
p.p.p.s Make Flickrvision your screensaver!

Beautiful Brittany

I love Ballerinas! They are always so graceful and lovely.She has the tiniest waist Ive ever seen on a young lady before!

Brittany is just lovely...

Happy 4th of July!

Its the Fourth of July already! Hope you guys had fun! Its 11:00 and we are home watching the fireworks in our neighborhood. A lot of our neighbors have some fantastic fireworks they are setting off. Heres a couple of pictures I took. My son and neighborhood friends shot this firework off! It was loud!

We had a great day-we stayed home this year and swam in the pool, and listen to music and grilled Bar B qued chicken and steak and made home made ice cream.

Its been a beautiful day.

Hope you all had a good one.

Also hope you like the new song on my senior site http://www.photosbydixie.com/

Its Faith Hill and it reminds me of summers when I was a kid.

The song "Fireflies" was written by a housewife and mother of 5! Shes a beautiful woman named Lori Mckenna http://www.lorimckenna.com/

Faith Hill discovered her and the rest is history. Faith recorded 3 of her songs on her last album. This song is my favorite.

I used to catch Fireflies at my grandmothers house in Van Texas. I love it!

Happy Fourth of July. (And Happy Birthday to Tom Cruise. Today is his birthday!)

CONTEST

My friend and I today decided to have a contest. We gave each other 15 minutes to create 3 cool pictures around town. Sara lives in Oklahoma and we drove around a small town for only 15 minutes in seperate cars.

These are the 3 images I came up with. I love small towns, they have so much character.

The biker guy literally flew past me and I didnt even have time to focus. I spotted him coming down the road and got ready.

Nicole

Nicole WOW. Shes a Senior at BurkBurnett High School and a Boomtown Babe too!

She's adorable!

Special Delivery

I love Twins!

These adorable baby boy bundles of joy were so much fun. Cuddily and Cute and Big Blue eyes.

Dont squat with your spurs on.

Heres Little Adrian! Hes a cowboy for sure!
Ive photographed Adrian since before he was born!
(mommys' tummy)
(and I photographed Mommys Senior portraits a few years ago.)

Hes a beautiful little boy.
Thanks Yall for choosing me again. Its always a privledge.

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Heres a bunch

We're up to our necks in Seniors!

I just wanted you guys to know that we dont post every person we photograph. There just arnt enough hours in the day.

If you really really want your images, or your childrens images or your wedding on the blog, send me an email or call one of my staff members and let us know.

Its crazy here now and I just cant do everyone unless you specifically request it!

Back to work now for me!

-D.D.

My better half

I just wanted to post an image of my sweetie husband of 15 years Bruce. This was taken in Arizona recently when he flew a jet there to be left in the "Bone Yard". Hes wearing his G-suit and flew back in a different plane. Hes been in the Air Force for 21 years and is a T-38 Pilot. Hes naturally shy and never Brags, So I brag on him myself! LOL!

We'll be married 16 years this September. Im really lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive husband. I couldnt ask for better really. And hes a great cook too!

Miksang

One of the things I have studied in photography is called Miksang.

Miksang is a Tibetan word that means 'Good Eye', and is based on the Dharma Art teachings of the late meditation master, artist and scholar, Chögyam Trungpa, specifically his teachings on the nature of perception.

Here is a defenition of Miksang
"The "good" part is that our world, just as it is, is inherently rich and vivid. The "eye" part is that working with the practice of contemplative photography, we can tune into these qualities of our world. This journey is actually quite simple-to see with our eyes wide-open and our awareness right there. Once we have a moment of fresh perception, vivid and clear, there is a natural desire to communicate that experience. Through visual exercises and photographic assignments, each Miksang workshop is designed to allow eye and mind to be naturally synchronized, so that the experience of seeing could be undistracted and present-actually being there. Seeing in this way, each perception is complete, unfiltered, and fully appreciated. The visual world could be perceived directly, without the burden of our habitual likes and dislikes, associations, memories, all of which obscure clear perception. Without visual prejudice, we could then form the equivalent of what we have seen and express each perception precisely."

Thats a mouthful! But I love it.
I shot this recently in my backyard. Its definetly a Miksang image.