Recent Trip to Chicago

Sunday morning I traveled to Chicago to update my SAP skills. Sunday afternoon I had a small window of time to photograph family "C" and present them with Christmas Card templates. Here are a few photos from the shoot and in another day or so I show you some Christmas samples I'm offering this year.

Dad and the kids were having a great time here. As dad bent forward then back up the kids felt like they were on a roller coaster ride. The laughter was contagious.




After the laughter slowed I was able to capture quieter pictures of the boys.

Mack

Tonight I had an opportunity to take Mack out for a quick photo shoot. We arrived 30 minutes later then I wanted to but had a awesome session. I learned a lot about Mack, he has a passion for golf and politics and he works hard as he pursues both.
You can see we had a great time and the last bit of lighting was the icing on the cake.

The sun was dropping fast, we had just minutes to get this shot set up.


Mack performing his best Camilo Villegas imitation.

Heidi Part II

I couldn't help myself, we had so many great photo's from Heidi I just had to post a few more.

Sweet Heidi

Heidi stopped by today for a impromptu photo shoot. She can't drive just yet so grandma brought her. Together they made a sweet pair. Heidi's a natural in front of the camera and knows how to bring out her best features.

See how she turns on the charm. Don't you just love the 85 f/1.2 lens?




Heidi was getting a little tired with all the lights and directions so grandma stepped in to help. Looks like we got two beautiful girls!

Grandpa Glen

I was inspired recently by another photographer. In his blog, Zack tells of the loss a family member and shares some thoughts about capturing pictures while you can. Time passes so fast it makes a person wonder where it went. For me I travel every week, which leaves little time for the family let alone taking pictures of them.

Glen, my father-in-law, used to live 2 blocks away, which guaranteed I'd see him every weekend. When his bride of 50 years passed away he moved to another town about 30 minutes away. My wife (his daughter) gets to see him every Wednesday when she takes him home from Bible study, but I rarely get to see him anymore. Today, however, was different. I am off this week and got to spend a day with him.

You can't help but love Glen. He seems to know everyone and is a joy to be with, but he's getting up there in years. Zack's blog got me thinking about how I photograph people outside of my family more than my own. Could it be I unconsciously place my family second because I don't get paid to photograph them? Or maybe it's the fact they clown around and make silly faces when I'm trying to do serious work.

Silly faces during family portraits used to frustrate me to no end, then Nancy's mother died. When I began putting family pictures together for the memorial I began to realize how special these silly faces were. At the time I took the photos I was livid, but putting them together for the funeral brought great joy and laughter.

With all this in mind I decided to take more pictures of the family. Today, when we picked up Glen from Bible study, I asked him if I could take a few pictures and he agreed. Here’s a few shots from our impromptu session.

Here's Glen at his Church


Glen, his daughter Nancy and her daughter Dani


Grandpa with Dani and there's Cooper, what a faithful companion.



Visit my wife blog (The Olive Leaf Ministries) to see more photo's and see whats happening on her blog.

If you are a photographer and want to learn a little bit about using off camera flash check out Zacks blog. Zach recently created a OneLight DVD

Emersyn Jayne – Sep 11, 2008

Thursday, just after I landed in Kansas City, I received an emergency call to photograph our friend's newborn baby. For those of us who know family “K” we were filled with joy over the upcoming birth of little Emersyn. Sadly she died before birth and these pictures would be the only memories they would have of their little girl.

Please pray for this family as they grieve the lose of their child. Many of us can’t help but wonder why God would allow a mother to carry a baby full term, and then call the child home before birth. The truth is we many never understand the will of God in these situations until we meet Him face to face. Our vision of time is different then God's. We see time as past and present, but He see's the future. His Word tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) In other words God set’s us apart for His special purpose long before we were born. He created us to worship Him and no matter how difficult our situation might be, it’s vital to lean on Him and trust that He will carry us through.

I wish I had magical words in times like this, but I don’t. Nancy and I have a 20 year old daughter who is Autistic and on numerous occasions we've felt we couldn't take any more. But, it was during these times we found comfort in knowing He would carry us through.

Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Simply put, a yoke is a long plank with 2 curves cut in the bottom. It fits over our shoulders and Christ’s allowing Him to ease our burdens. What a vision of comfort.

So, how can we help others in times of grief? Sometimes the fewer words the better. Let your friends grieve in their own way, don’t criticize or tell them how to feel. Give them time and space and remember it’s ok if they cry out or yell at God. He is big and He can handle it. Let your actions do the talking by bringing them meals, cleaning their house, or mowing the lawn. Men, take the husband/father out for a few hours and women take the wife/mother out for a time of rest and relaxation. Offer to take their children for a day to give the husband and wife time alone. Reach out to someone, share some love asking nothing in return and most of all lift them in prayer. This is how we reflect the love of God to others.

Happy Birthday Jimmy and Clesie

Today Jimmy celebrated his 50th Birthday. Also celebrating a Birthday is Clesie, born on the same day 49 years later.

Happy Birthday Dad

Sunglasses

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary Nancy

Today Nancy and I share our 25th wedding anniversary. Reflecting back I don't think we really know what love is when we get married. We think we do, but with 50% of marriages ending in divorce, both in and out of the church, I believe the statistics prove me to be on target.

Marriage is hard, even the good ones. You have to be willing to serve your spouse and place their needs above your own. It's about placing them and their needs ahead of your own. When we do this, life is much easier. When we got married we made a verbal contract to each other (and more importantly to God) that the only thing that would separate us would be death. We also agreed to never use the "D" word, divorce. In doing this, divorce was never an option to be considered. 25 years later, Nancy and I are not only married, but best friends as well. Has it been easy? No, not always and having a disable child didn't make it any easier.

Here's what I've learned:
To be fair I can't say we did it alone. We had help in a big way. You see, we have Christ walking with us every day and He guides us by His Holy Spirit. I'm not talking about some religious duty, I'm talking about a personal relationship with the Creator of all things. Placing God first in our lives has set our priorities for us and it's been a wonderful blessing. If we are not at peace with God, we will not be at peace with others. Said another way, it's hard to talk to God if sin is in our life. It's also hard to talk to your spouse in a peaceful manner if you've angered them or are upset yourself. If you talk to your partner in a demeaning or disrespectful manner, I encourage you to stop. Instead, say you are sorry, then let the healing begin.

So, looking back, has it been worth it? You bet!!!
I couldn't ask ask for a better best friend and wife.

Happy Anniversary my Love.

Test Shots with Flash in Bright Sunlight

Here are test shots I did in the middle of a very sunny day using a canon flash and a Mark III 1DS. First, I set my camera on manual, then metered for the sky. I set my shutter at the maximum flash sync speed, 250, and then set the proper aperture exposer. Once I got the proper exposer, I underexposed by a stop using the aperture settings. Then I played with the flash until I achieved the proper fill flash. The result is a nice dramatic sky with a properly exposed subject.

Drew

This is my son, Drew. He's much like me in that he prefers to be behind the camera. I was happy to get a few shots of him this week on the deck.

Katie

We took Katie down to the Plaza for her session and what a fun time for all. Katie has a wonderful outgoing personality and sweet spirit. She made the shoot so easy and fun. The weather was great with lots of sunshine.

Chase and Savannah

These photos are of my neighbor's children. These kids were very comfortable in front of the camera, which gave them the ability to relax and enjoy the moment. After the shoot Chase and I stepped outside to talk. I saw a fence near by and couldn't pass up the opportunity for one more shot. Turned out to be the best.

Here's a photo of his sister, Savannah. Don’t you just love her eye’s.

Mack and Betsy

I had an opportunity to photograph Mack and Betsy last year for their Christmas pictures. The temperature was just above freezing last year, but we made it through and the pictures came out great. We had so much fun last year that I was thrilled to photograph them again this year.

These kids were great! We shared a lot of laughter and silliness together. In between shots Mack brought out the football. Here’s a few shots from our outing.

Betsy's eyes are absolutely striking!