missouri trek 2012

After a week in Ohio at the 51st annual UPAA symposium, Saturday morning it came time to put into practice some new ideas (can you spot the free-lensing?). And there was no better place to do just that than middle Missouri on the fourth and final day of the St. Louis North Stake pioneer trek in Mark Twain National Forest. You can see more on Facebook if you're interested.

black and white and us

Few words. Just a picture, some technical details and my opinion.

This photo was taken in the town of Washington under cloudy skies and a threat of rain, but even diffused lighting = a portrait photographer's dream, right? My favorite aspect about this photo and the reason I chose to post it are the way the light and shadows play out, especially in the back slats of the metal swing. It was a somewhat serendipitous result of trying to adequately light Brittany's face on the left.
400 ISO. f/7.1. 1/125. 85mm.

someone with whom you can think out loud...

... That's the definition of a good friend.
Friends Kyle and Meggie of Eureka High were tentatively scheduled to have a few photos taken together last week. Unfortunately, work and weather got in the way -- so it only makes sense that we post their photos together to make up for it!


We couldn't be more grateful to the family friend of Kyle and Meggie who invited us to use their gorgeous property as a backdrop. The tire swing photo was made just outside their beautiful home... Looks like something out of a fairy tale, we think.

All five photos were shot with one off-camera Alien Bees B800 studio light.

happy birthday, maddie!

It's been a while since we have gone to a surprise party. That streak ended this weekend with Maddie's 17th birthday celebration, where we got the opp to set up shop for Maddie 'n' friends and go to work behind the camera. Here are just a few of our favorites from Friday night (more on Becca's Facebook):

working for the weekend | family and senior portraits around the STL

Five shoots. One weekend. 15 sneak peeks. (Phew.)




More to come soon Williams, Wilsons, Wilsons, Meiers, and Ashmans!

the sky's the limit

  

This past week was spent at S-F Scout Ranch near Farmington, Mo., basically in the middle of the woods of eastern Missourah. And the reason Ben and Becca braved the heat and humidity (can you say, Heat Index: 104?)? To rough it with 30 or so of the best teens you'll ever meet. 

And though the days were hot, the evenings were bearable, like on Wednesday around 9:30 p.m., when the Scouts hiked to the top of Castle Rock to search for shooting stars and satellites (and, of course, a few spur-of-the-moment environmental portraits lit by nothing more than a long exposure and an iPhone 3G).

Even the daytime had areas for respite among the tall, leafy trees (although the middle picture may not show it, we were buried in shade as Becca's Young Women braved the High Ropes Course around 3 p.m. Wednesday). A fast shutter (1/2000 sec.) and small aperture (f/9) were used to capture the silhouette as you see it here. We could have gone slower, but it was important to us to capture the blue sky as it appeared naturally to the naked eye.

Check back soon -- more images to come (including one photo that shows what happens when you give three teen-age boys colorful glow sticks and they crack them open with their teeth...)