Occasionally I’ll have people ask me what type(subject matter) of photography I prefer and I’ve found it’s almost impossible to answer. I enjoy the emotion of a wedding day, the anticipation of a pregnancy shoot, capturing a landscape at the time of day when the lighting is just right, or just creating my own look when I play around with artificial lighting.

I also love capturing the innocence of kids. Add to that the comfort of shooting in their everyday environment and you have the recipe for potentially great photographs. An added bonus is when the kids become comfortable with having the same photographer follow them around year after year. A relationship is formed.

Most kids enjoy having their picture taken. Unaware of the permanence the photograph will have over the years, kids don’t worry about if a photograph shows their bad side, or if they’re having a bad hair day. They haven’t formed their “ideal self image” yet which leads to becoming self conscious in front of the camera. What you get, with kids, is pure, uninhibited emotion. No walls. No fences. So while it may be a bit more physically exhausting chasing kids from their backyard playground to that special tree they climb within a matter of seconds (you know kids!) all the while promising Goldfish at the end of the shoot, I’m always excited with the final results when we’re finished.

A quick update on what’s been happening lately. The fall offers several art competition opportunities in the local area. I’ve always viewed entering these competitions as a way to nurture my creative side as well as gain feedback on my work from a juror distinguished in the field of art.

A successful venture to say the least, I was lucky enough to earn the distinction of “top five” in the Whitewater Valley Annual Art Competition. The juror this year was James Yood, from the Art Institute in Chicago and the director of New Arts Journalism program. What thrilled me the most though was the fact that he writes regularly for the well known photography publication, “Aperture”, which makes his kudos all the more meaningful and exciting for me. The photograph I entered is titled, “Going Green” and is available as a giclee print.

Going Green

I also entered two images in the Richmond Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibition Competition this year. Although I didn’t receive any sort of distinction, I consider it an honor to be chosen to participate in the exhibition. (You may recognize one of the images from an earlier post!)

Both shows are still hanging until mid December. If you’re out an about, I urge you to stop by IU East and Richmond Art Museum to see some great art. Both shows are beautifully hung and offer a mix of mediums to view and appreciate.

When the phone rang Sunday morning, I didn’t expected to hear tragic news. One of my brides (PK) was calling to tell me her brother-in-law tragically died in an auto accident. He was only 23, and after 2 1/2 months of marriage, her new groom (D) had lost not only his brother, but also his best man. PK was rapidly trying to gather images of her brother-in-law for the funeral.

I can’t seem to shake this couple from my thoughts. I’m struck by not only how fragile life really is, but also how a photograph can suddenly take on new importance. In fact, in some instances, it may be all we have left to remind us of a certain time in our life or a certain person. It reminds me of why I do what I do.

I’m so happy I was able to capture this moment. There are times when I have to shoot within the constraints of a location or set up, which is limiting. But on this particular wedding day, the gift of being in the right place at the right time, with the right access to lighting and position allowed a very precious memory to be preserved forever.

PK and D, I’m so very sorry for your loss.

Happier times

A few weeks ago I was approached with an exciting project. Reid Hospital wanted images made of two special newborns: the last infant and it’s family to say goodbye to the old Reid, and first infant and it’s family to welcome the New Reid. How cool is that? Last week Reid moved to their new location and in the midst of the organized chaos of moving, two special little guys entered the world.

Xavier: the last baby born at the old Reid

Lanton Reid: first baby born at the new Reid

And speaking of Reid, you’ve probably seen the photo below several times in the Palladium Item or other various publications, advertising the “New Reid”. ST Photography had the privilege of working with Reid again, photographing members of their hospital team to promote the grand opening.

Happy Wednesday everyone. I was reading _Layers_ magazine, freshening up on my Photoshop skills and ran across a small article I thought was interesting enough to share, given everyone I know is addicted to watching the Olympics. In photography, some people (I’ll included myself here) have a propensity for becoming gear addled — looking for the coolest camera and lens to take out there. This however, pales in comparison to the amount of gear that’s sitting out in the Olympics (Congratulations Michael Phelps!). Counting everyone’s backup cameras, lenses, and the like, you are easily talking figures in the hundreds of thousands of dollars out there.

Click here to check out a cool picture and the article on gear explosion (Via Gizmodo)

In a a couple of weeks, Paula Kay and Darren are going to be tying the knot. They’re getting married at the Cope Center, under the stars (and a tent), surrounded by nature. It’s going to be a “green” wedding. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I’m looking forward to finding out.

Anyway, they are the cutest couple. She’s the city girl and he’s the farm boy. We met at the Cope Center for their engagement shoot and they brought their dog, Kodi. I thought I would share a few of the photographs with you. Stay tuned for the wedding…

I espeically like how playful they are in this shot.

And of course this shot….tres romantic!

The last two are my favorites. Maybe because I’m a dog lover too!

I know I’ve been bad about getting some new images up lately. The truth is I’ve been working with so many great couples lately that there hasn’t been time to make new posts! The summer has been full of engagement shoots and weddings and to be honest I feel lucky to meet so many interesting people that are willing to try pretty much anything for a great shot.

One event I want to make sure you get a glimpse of is Shelly and Chad’s wedding. You might recognize them from viewing their images in the engagement section of my Web site. The day started out bleak and torrentially rainy. As I drove to Indy, I wasn’t holding out much hope for the weather to clear but shortly before entering the city the sun appeared.

Shelly and Chad got married at the Yellow Rose Inn (http://www.yellowroseinn.com). This Georgian Revival Colonial was a _b e a u t i f u l_ place to tie the knot. Ryan Shui, and Indy based wedding coordinator, was fabulous at making the day run very smoothly. For any of you out there looking for help in planning your wedding, I recommend Ryan (www.sweetbeginningsweddings.com). She’s great.

Having access to the main house, carriage house and garden area, I was able to capture some wonderful moments between the couple and their family and friends. So, enjoy and if you want to see more, visit my Web site wedding gallery.

Ahh, what joy to shoot in Indiana. One day sun, the next rain. I had an engagement shoot scheduled with Kristina and Adam for Friday evening and we had to postpone until Sunday when the sun decided to come out. It was worth the wait though. I just love blue skies in photographs.

Engagement shoots are always interesting. It’s good to have a photo shoot with a couple _before_ the wedding takes place. It’s a great way for everyone to get to know each other before the big day occurs and the pace is slower and more relaxed. I’m not a big fan of the traditional sort of engagement shots. Of course, I’ll be happy to take something useful for the newspaper announcement but other than that, I would much rather show a couple out having fun together.

The first decision to make was location. Since Kristina was a student at Miami and they’ll be getting married in the formal gardens in Oxford, it seemed fitting to do the engagement shoot in a student centered part of Oxford…High Street. First stop of the morning was to get coffee. I think we all needed a little energy boost! And Kona Bistro (which has an awesome menu, btw) was kind enough to give the lucky couple a free cup of java. From there we walked around and explored the area together, making for a fun morning.

I’m about to enter into the post processing phase of Ericka and Gus’ wedding day photographs but couldn’t resist sharing this image with you ahead of time. You can pretty much gather these two are all about each other and fun. (Check out Gus’ shoes and Ericka’s willingness to sit anywhere in her wedding dress!) After a beautiful ceremony, we headed for the canal in downtown Indy for some great shots at one of their favorite places as a couple.

People unexplainably seem to come into our lives just about the time we need something. Perhaps they have a message we need to hear or they offer the gift of friendship when we need it the most.

For me, that person is Jenny. I think she is truly amazing. I first noticed her at the pool. As I started to shove off the wall for my usual lap swim, I watched an elderly lady donning her swim cap and goggles. Was she really going to lap swim? After all, most of the women her age did water aerobics together. But sure enough, she pushed off the wall and I watched her begin the start of her freestyle workout. Over a period of time we began saying hello and then moved on to simple conversation. It wasn’t hard. Jenny loves to talk. And the more she talked, the more I found her fascinating.

Jenny was born in 1922, the third born out of four children. She used to swim in a creek as a child but never learned true swimming until 1968. Yep, that made her 46 at the time. She had bought a Y membership for her sister and four nieces feeling that it was important for the girls to learn how to swim. But it never was put to use and Jenny decided to learn for herself if her sister’s family wasn’t going to use it. You see, Jenny hates waste. The lessons evolved into being a lifeguard and then on to teaching people with disabilities how to swim. And about that time, Jenny decided to enroll in college. Always being one to set goals, she decided she wanted to become a teacher. She worked her way through Earlham and after graduation worked passionately as a teacher for 22 years.

Noticing her love for children I asked her if she had any of her own. “Oh no honey,” she said. And with a devilish little smile she went on, “I call myself an unclaimed jewel”! Choosing never to marry, Jenny’s classroom children became her own each year. Her freedom allowed her to travel worldwide (Europe, the Middle East, and throughout the states) lending to dozens of stories that roll off her tongue when you ask. “Did I tell you about when I drove a Model T with my father to the World’s Fair in Chicago”, she states, inviting me further into conversation.

Jenny swims 1/4 mile everyday. That’s 32 laps. And each lap takes her 1 minute and ten seconds. I was nosey and timed her. Not bad for someone four years away from being 90. She attributes her good health to daily exercise. “Energy begets energy”, she says with a gleam in her eyes.

As we’re talking I see her look over my head. She immediately calls out hello to a fellow lap swimmer, throwing up her hand high in the air to wave at him. She is strong. She is, well….feisty. In a good sort of way. In a way that must be part of the reason why she can still live on her own; do all her gardening; swim every day; and make two cheesecakes and mop the kitchen floor before our photo shoot.

So, what’s the message Jenny brought to me? The message is that life is what you make of it. If you missed an opportunity once, go back and try it again, because it’s never to late to learn something new. In a culture where youth is glamorized us forty-something people start to feel like if we haven’t accomplished our dreams by now, it’s not going to happen. But I’ve witnessed first hand this isn’t true. And I realize that I have all the time in the world to still continue striving to reach my goals.

Guess what? Jenny learned how to do a flip turn the other day. She always wanted to learn, so Earlham staff and fellow swimmers coached her along in her new endeavor. And by the end of her morning she had it down.

Now _this_ is the stuff of life.