winter at the St. Louis LDS temple

I was on the drive home from Kirkwood the other day and came across a really cool sky to the northeast of the St. Louis Temple in Town and Country. Half of the adventure was scrambling across traffic to reach the outer road in time before the sun set, which I knew would happen at any moment, not to mention the possibility of the clouds shifting completely out of the scene...

Time of photo: 4:30 p.m. Lens: Canon 17-40mm f/4 L, zoomed to 29 mm, f/11. Approx. 1/60 second exposure. Camera: Canon 5D.

this week in pictures

december: it's bell season

Silver bells. Wedding bells ... We're all about December chimes in this family, as we ourselves are nearing our sixth wedding anniversary on Tuesday (cue celebration, please, and break out the sparkling pomegranate juice).

Laura and Jay, on the other hand, are on day two, with wedding bells for this newlywed BYU couple ringing out Saturday, Dec. 19, at approximately 2:45 p.m. (Congratulations to both!!) Hope you enjoy this sampling of photos from their big day. (For best viewing, select the "HQ" version in the viewing window; the improved clarity is worth the delay.)

And, finally, thanks be to Amie for the referral :)

sweet caroline

There are many different ways to portray an infant in photos, typically sweet, serene and oh-so-tiny wins out. But when your little one receives a gift like the top right from a family member - it just has to be showcased in a few photos.

We always strive to find unique angles, but when you find unique objects as well to dress up the shoot (i.e. the middle shot) it's a win-win.

What a fun family, and a precious baby girl. Thanks for the referral, Kathryn, and thanks Hess' for the great night!

it seems like yesterday...

... that we were in Nursery with their oldest. And now? Two years later: Welcome, Baby Christian! Congrats to the Tilton family, our friends and members of our ward.

I'll be on the 7 o'clock to Chicago ...

Above words sung by the amazingly talented Kate Voegele come to mind when I think of Selena, the beautiful daughter of one of my coworkers. Random, I know. But I could not stop humming the song during the shoot.

Ben and I got to hang out with Selena and Amy this weekend at Forest Park while she was on winter break from Loyola. So these pics are a different kind of senior pictures. Yes, it's true - only one semester left until college graduation. So tell me, if a resume came with the picture three over from the right, would you hire her?

I guess Richard Peck was right, we are a Long Way From Chicago. Images shot with Canon 5D and Canon 30D; 50mm f/1.8 lens and 70-200 f/4 L.