a loving aunt | oct. 2012

The colorful leaves of fall came and went in a flurry this year. Was it because it was too dry this summer? Was it because the wind and rain knocked them all down? It's always a guessing game and a gamble trying to pick what day will best show off the colors of autumn for fall. Oct. 16 was a pretty good guess; not perfect, but still one of the best this year in St. Louis.

the haarbrinks, in living color

What great color choices by the Haarbrink crew for their early fall photos. The blues, purples, reds and whites worked perfectly with the scene at Faust Park in Chesterfield.

tech specs: marlie, star of klondike

85mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec.

tech specs: tierra at the park

23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec.

tech specs: on the lake

100mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec.

have your cake.

Maybe next year you'll eat it, too. Baby P gave it a shot. Maybe this whole birthday celebration thing just isn't for her. Maybe she's got more of Uncle Ben's blood in her than previously thought. :)

Wait! Here are a few more pictures from Peyton's first birthday party:


The sunset shot was not edited in Photoshop, Lightroom or anything else.

Handsome 'lil L.C.H.

This sweet guy is celebrating his six-month birthday today. We just couldn't let this happy milestone pass without posting a couple pics from this past weekend! You might remember this beautiful boy from here or here. Happy Birthday Mister H!

The love of a family is life's greatest blessing.

From the moment we met little 2-year-old Rhythm last week at Quail Ridge Park he was smiling, his big grin setting the perfect tone for our first "For the Love" photo session of the year. (What exactly does that mean? In summary, later this year we'll carry out the rest of our special "For the Love" photo project -- essentially a fund raiser for our church's girls camp and Scout camp that consisted of families purchasing photo gift certificates to give away to a deserving friend or family member. The big day is set for Sept. 10... More on that later.)

Back to the shoot... Each of Doug's kids had his own awesomely unique personality, which was fun to see play out through the lens. Two minutes into our shoot, we knew one thing for sure: they all were super-comfortable in front of a camera. (Dad, you've taught 'em well!)

No question, we were blessed that day. For starters, it was practically a miracle that we got the shoot in that evening... The day's sun had been nothing short of scorching. Near-record temps put things into question early on. And then the rains came in the late afternoon -- thunder, lightning, the whole nine yards. Turned out, the storms were just what we needed leading up to our 6:45 start time, cooling temps off in the ballpark of 15 degrees.

With the help of a few good friends on set, we breezed through the shoot. It's amazing what a few extra hands can do (Thank you to everyone who pitched in!).

We are so excited to finish editing this round of images, along with the Schmutz Family images, which we made that same night (see the previous post). Now that our hard drive is back up and running (another miracle, indeed), we're ready to get things moving again.

so soon, the snow

Share
It's fall. And for the most part, it's felt like it. Occasional warm days, occasional cool ones. Breezy, sometimes gusty. Sunny, with sunsets that glow. But from the looks and sounds of it outside right now, that's all about to change. The cold is coming. Winter's still 30 days away, but somehow I don't think that matters.

So, here's to hot chocolate and happy holidays!* Glad we squeezed in a few more sessions over the past few weeks. Here's a sneak peek at some of the shots ... (Too many to discuss lenses and lighting and cameras, but if you have a question about one of them, don't hesitate to ask!)




* Here's to Becca and Marlie, as well, for standing strong for a string of shoots when I was, well, let's just say, less than healthy. Photo #9 is one of M's shots.

Los Fish

Unsure whether there is a cuter "School of Fish" in the Northern Hemisphere. (We'll investigate and get back to you.) A quick shout out to our friend and lighting specialist, Marlie Hoyt, for helping make this shoot a success!

why we love what we do

1: Although it can get a bit intense shooting & working side-by-side, there's real joy in spending time together. And that's whether it's once a week, once a month, or 4-5 hours in a day.

2. There's great satisfaction in hearing comments like, "This was way more enjoyable than I thought it'd be. Y'know. I mean, this shoot was a lot of fun."

Thanks, Cailan, for the feedback. Thanks, Becca, for, well, everything.

* Photos 1 & 3: 5D, 100 ISO, f/1.8-2.x. Shots 2 & 4: 30D, 320 ISO, f/4.

what's in store?

Yeah, it's been 10+ years since I left Hazelwood Central behind and headed off to college, but I still remember my senior year fairly well -- four words sum it up, I think: theater, hockey, yearbook, golf... I had everything planned out for, at least, the next 3 years, and -- as luck would have it -- most of it went according to plan. Looking back, I consider myself pretty fortunate.

And now, it's Mark's turn. Have a great senior year: Get involved. Stay focused. Keep busy. As I recall, this is the last year for a lot of things, but, then again, the first for a lot of others. So, take advantage, and have fun. As for Scott and Faith's kids, well, I pretty much don't remember anything dating back earlier than age 15. So what's in store? Not sure. But make sure to drive your parents crazy as you're figuring it out...

These are just some of the shots over the weekend. More to come.

sharp dressed man

Man, what a handsome high-schooler. Good luck in your senior year!