Welcome to Images by Donna U's Photography Gallery and Blog.
I am Donna Underwood, owner, photographer and artist of Images by Donna U. I love nature, people and a simple lifestyle which naturally flows into my photography and art pieces. This blog hosts photographs of my sessions as well as some of the photographs I take for myself because they touched my heart and now prints of many of my original art pieces I painted and sketched. . Hopefully this will open a window into who I am so we can get to know each other.
Viewing life through the lens of a camera I want to help you capture breathtaking moments as they happen in everyday settings.
My soul desire as a photographer is to preserve memories that are gone in a heartbeat so you can cherish them for a lifetime.
In Search of Beauty
One of my all time favorite things to do is grab my camera and take off through a wooded trail. I love wild flowers and this is the time of year they are abundant all around us. While walking a trail at Camp Sumatanga in Gallant, Alabama, I came upon several of my favorite wild flowers. Black-eyed Susan's and Wild Hydrangeas covered the mountain trail and to my surprise the Hydrangeas were a pink shade this year.
ADAY Project
May 15th, 2012 was the day set for a world wide photography event. Photographers from around the world took photos that mean something to them in their daily lives on that day and uploaded them to a website that would save them for future research and inspiration. Some will even be chosen to be included in a book, but all will be saved forever. It was exciting to be a part of that event. I have a heart for things that are passing away never to be seen again so I concentrated on old structures in my community for my contribution.
Here is a link to my contribution: http://www.aday.org/profile/26138
Mothers Day Special - Bentley and Camden
What can I say about these two precious bundles of sweetness. Bentley and Camden are an adorable set of twins I had the honor of photographing on Mothers Day this year. What better way to enjoy a day dedicated to mothers than enjoying the company of this family with their new pride and joys. The challenge was attempting to get the two of them awake or asleep at the same time. But one thing you learn real fast when photographing newborns is that they run the show and I think they did a superb job of it.
Dolores Hydock - Storyteller and Actress
Wednesday I had the honor of photographing Dolores Hydock during one of her speaking engagements. She is a delightful entertainer that is well worth the visit to any event where she speaks. My task was to create action candid photos for her website and head shots for publication flyers of her speaking events. You can visit her website here: http://www.storypower.org/
View of a City
It has been years since I truly visited the city of my birth. I decided to take a day for myself, camera in hand and slowly digest what has become of places in Birmingham, Alabama long ago familiar to me as I captured the essence of the city in photographs. So much has changed, yet stayed the same. The old buildings still exist though they house new businesses. The parks are there still giving refuge to homeless and business men alike yet there are recent memorials in some now marking events from years past. There is a new park named Railroad Park in the heart of the city that thrives with visitors from all lifestyles while sporting a large lake teaming with wildlife and edged in beautiful flowers. You can almost feel the heartbeat of the city as it struggles to regain the beauty and energy it once had in years gone by. For me the day was a trip down memory lane and a reaching out to the city I once called home.
