with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Author Archives: Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen is one of the top bloggers in the world, and host of the Lorelle on WordPress, providing WordPress and blogging tips for bloggers of all levels. A popular keynote speaker and trainer, she is also editor, producer, contributor, and official disruptive thinker for Bitwire Media which includes WordCast, Making My Life Network, Stories of Our Journeys, Life on the Road, WordCast Conversations, and the very popular WordCast Podcast. She is also author of one of the first books on blogging, "Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging" and the recently released ebook, Social Media for Crafters: Covering the Basics of the Social Web. Taking Your Camera on the Road, founded by Lorelle, is one of the oldest personal websites in continuous existence in the world.

Mardi Gras 2006 – Polka Dots Parade

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 19, 2006

With my father feeling a little more lively, we went with a friend to the all women’s parade called the Polka Dots Parade in Mobile, Alabama. Once again, I went into the Civic Center early to photograph the preparations for the Polka Dots Parade. The women were mostly in the ballroom having group photographs taken […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mardi Gras 2006 – Conde Cavaliers Ball

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 18, 2006

After the Conde Cavaliers Parade, the men returned to the Civic Center and climbed down from the floats, sweating and tired from all the bead and toy tossing to the crowds over the several mile course through downtown Mobile, Alabama. Many had taken their beer with them and were definitely in a fine mood upon […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mardi Gras 2006 – Conde Cavaliers Parade

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 18, 2006

My fun day with the Mobile, Alabama, Conde Cavaliers continued throughout the afternoon until late in the evening. At 6:30PM, the men paraded out of the Civic Center greeting the anxiously waiting and chilled crowd of well-wishers, fans, and family. Even before they got onto the floats, they were passing out beads, toys, and candies […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mardi Gras 2006 – Conde Cavaliers Prepare for Festivities

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 18, 2006

I was very lucky to be invited behind the scenes to the Mobile, Alabama, Conde Cavaliers Parade festivities. A men only parade, men ranging from 30 to 95 visit with old friends, drink too much beer, have too much fun, and don costumes, feathered and sequenced hats, and prepare for group photographs, the several mile […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mardi Gras 2006 in Mobile, Alabama, Gets Started

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 15, 2006

I’ve several hundred photographs to pour through, but here are the first to warm you up. My father and I were invited to spend the afternoon and evening with the Conde Cavaliers Mardi Gras Parade Crew with a friend. Everyone was gracious and welcoming to us newbies in the Mardi Gras world, and we had […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Camera Made Out of Paper

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 13, 2006

Does anyone still remember pin-hole cameras? As a child, my mother was the head of the local Camp Fire Girls program and she introduced us all to pin-hole cameras and sun-sensitive photographic paper and the magic of photography opened up for me. So imagine my delight in learning that there are instructions available online to […]

Posted in Photography, Photography Equipment | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Count a Bird, Plant a Tree: Rebuilding Nature After Hurricane Katrina

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 7, 2006

This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count from the Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology will be bigger, better, and more exciting than ever. People all over the United States will go out into their backyards, parks, and nearby nature areas to count the birds on February 17-20, 2006. Parents will help children, bird […]

Posted in Nature News, Photography, Telling Stories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The End of an Era: The Telegram

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 7, 2006

It seems that with little fanfare and fuss, telegrams from Western Union are now a thing of the past. “Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Writing I’m Most Proud of in 2005

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 6, 2006

As a professional writer, writing on a wide variety of topics, I posted this article and list of the my favorite articles that I wrote in 2005 on my other website, Lorelle on WordPress, and I thought I’d share it here. But before I do, I wanted to say that of the writing I’ve done […]

Posted in About, Photography, Technology, Telling Stories, WordPress, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Delkin Devices New Pop-up Shades for Digital Cameras

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 3, 2006

Have you been out in the field or traveling with your digital camera and battled with glare on your digital camera’s LCD screen? I HATE that. When we’re teaching classes, people will bring me their digital cameras, asking for an immediate critique of their work before moving on to the next assignment. I twist the […]

Posted in Photography, Photography Equipment | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Jerusalem: Church of the Holy Sepulchre

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 2, 2006

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Tomb of Christ, is one of the most holy of holy sites in the world. It is recognized by most religions, though argued over, as the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. It is “owned” by four religions which maintain the structure as best […]

Posted in Israel, Natural Wanders, Telling Stories, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Best Fresh Fruit Recipe Ever

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published February 2, 2006

I’ve been feeding my father, who has been here in Alabama with us now for 3 months, some fabulous favorite recipes and I thought I’d share some with you that he thinks are the best. All of these recipes come from two sources, my favorite cookbooks. They are produced by the Australian Women’s Weekly Books […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Training for the Azalea Run

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published January 25, 2006

Last year, I did my first marathon. I walked in the 10K Azalea Run here in Mobile, Alabama. I went with Charlie and Diane Siebert, our landlords, and their family. Unfortunately, I had been six with the flu for over six weeks as a results of another nasty encounter with my father’s cigarette smoke – […]

Posted in Telling Stories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

CD Storage for Images Now Not a Good Idea

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published January 23, 2006

If you have been storing your digital photographic images on CDs, think again. There is new news from Computer World that says CDs aren’t good for archival storage. The problem is material degradation. Optical discs commonly used for burning, such as CD-R and CD-RW, have a recording surface consisting of a layer of dye that […]

Posted in Business of Nature Photography, Managing Your Images, Photography, Photography Equipment | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Freezing a Failed Hard Drive, I guess it works

By Lorelle VanFossen | Published January 22, 2006

Having suffered through seven (or is it now 9, can’t remember) hard drive crashes in the past year, I was intrigued by this article by Geeks Are Sexy about freezing your hard drive to recover data. I, too, had heard about this technique over the years, and while it kind of makes sense, I passed […]

Posted in Computer Tips and Tricks | Tagged , , | Leave a comment