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Sunday, July 11, 2010

"Rattler on the Back Porch"

Researching something of personal interest several weeks ago, I found myself being amused by viewing the photography work of Pattie Walsh of www.azphotos.net from still life’s of magnificent views of mountainous terrain to people and animals. Even the many photos of Brides to be seemed to capture all the glamor and intimacy of what love and weddings are about.


The former New Yorker started taking pictures  professionally in 1995 for weddings, and Martial Arts tournaments. Pattie owned a Karate School in NY for 12 years. In Arizona, "Landscape photography was a natural choice," states Pattie. She also does many weddings each year in AZ. She continued "I'm lucky enough to do quite a few fun Cowboy and military weddings. I also love the action photos at a Rodeo or at the Parada Del Sol each year. The rattlesnake on the hat photo was taken at Rocco Wachman's Ranch in Scottsdale."  Rocco is the author of "Cowboy The Ultimate Guide". at Barnes & Noble and is also the Head Instructor at the Arizona Cowboy College.

Today, Gilbert, Arizona is Pattie's home. While their local coverage areas includes Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Sedona and Flagstaff, Arizona - AZ Photos is available for destination weddings throughout the country. They also own High Kick Media which is a full service marketing company. www.HighKickMedia.com provides Business cards, brochures, web sites, online stores, e-newsletters, promotional items and trade show displays; they offer it all and more. Pattie Walsh being creative can assist you in many unique items and designs to promote any business and market.

While I reviewed the work of AZ Photos, I found myself amazed at the many pictures which each told a story. Each photo seems to create an emotion. Then I stumbled across one particular pictured that had been stop and reminisce. My mind moved forward with the photograph and reversed with thoughts of memorial past. That is what a photo is about. Pictures are something which tells a story and captures the moment. “A Picture is Worth Ten Thousand Words” was labeled a Chinese proverb though it is actually the advertising work by Fred R. Barnard who in March of 1927 issue on a trade journal when he used the phase wrote across a street car labeling it so people would take it seriously. Soon the ad would become popularly attributed to Confucius. AZ Photos does just that.

The photo of the rattle snake reminded me of a childhood memory. One which I will never forget. Growing up in the Lone Star State, rattle snakes are a common sight in the country. As I recall, I was watching a TV program as I lay resting on the family room sofa. My Mom fix’in dinner as my Dad soon would be home from work. Dress in my simple summertime attire being barefooted, shorts and t-shirt relaxing from the peak of the summer heat when by younger brother Jimmy would interrupt the show. He swung open the backdoor off the family room which lead straight to the porch as he flew into the house screaming “Rattle snakes are in the backyard.” His fear and screams had me leaping from the sofa when I took full run to the porch through the left open door of Jimmy’s panic. I found myself nearly stepping on the five foot long Rattler coiled and into a three foot striking stance. I was moving at such speed, I couldn’t even stop having to leap over the snake like an Olympic athlete clearing the erected snake head with its massive fangs in view ready to take a bite at me.

I grabbed a broom at the end of the porch and return to the snake with a full blow to the rattler. My mother now in the doorway could see me battle the huge snake as my swing took the snake clear off the porch along with a clothes hanger that I didn’t even seem to notice at first. My little brother began to role across the floor in the biggest laughter of his life. He surely found something in this to be very funny which had me confused when I realized the snake was already dead and staged.

Jimmy had been playing in the woods where he had killed two Diamondback Rattlers and brought them home. He further took a wire clothes hanger and stuck it into the snake to create the stance that appeared real when he came rushing into the house with his dramatic scream. His plan to play a prank on me went without fail as he had me believing into his manipulated scheme.

Oh his laughter seemed to continue long past dinner and decades later, I can still see that rattler and crack a grin remember the time of innocent young boys who loved to play in the woods. Long hot summer days and times which seemed so less complex. Jimmy was just ten years old and I was 12.

When I had come across this picture of Pattie’s, it spoke to me as Fred R. Barnard’s ad “A Picture is worth Ten Thousand Words.” I’m sure even you reading here will find something that the photo makes you think of as it speaks to you. That’s what a great photos does. They should tell a story, capture a memory and make presentations. As for my younger brother who I dearly love, I emailed him the picture and asked if he remembered his childhood prank. As he denied ever such evil manipulation, you know he was grinning ear to ear.

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