New Sign for the New Studio

It's not been the easiest for people to find our new studio location, especially since our town has two streets marked as Aspen, only a few hundred feet apart, and they are in polar opposite directions... I end up, as some of you are well aware, standing on the corner of the building, waving clients in on the cell phone. All fine and dandy until it's 6 feet of snow and a blizzard, then I don't think I'd like too much to tell people to turn when they see the frozen...snowman with a phone?
Well, we poured the hole and got the pipe welded for a new sign that was delivered, but then the guys took a break for the Memorial Day weekend. It was going to be sometime after Tuesday before they'd be back....
So I talked a good friend of mine, Mr. Torrey Babb, into taking a few minutes out of our Sunday and we hoisted it up, just the two of us, despite some warnings and remarks from my wife, having something to do with my impatience and my butterfinger hands, dollar signs, etc. etc. :)

But hey, it's a sign, it's up. And now you'll know how to find us. :)

From I-90, take Splitrock south all the way through Brandon until you see the sign. Turn right on Aspen, just before the sign, and then take the first left into the culdesac. Ta da! There we are.

From 10th Street, take Highway 11 North just past Living Springs Church, where again, you'll see the sign. Take the first left after the sign, then the first left into the culdesac. That's us.

Hope this makes it easier. :) Have a great rest of your day!

Pretty in Pink

Danielle stopped in for her final consult today before her wedding.
She's usually a very faithful blog reader, but isn't caught up lately because the love of her life, Neemah, is finally back in town, and they are finishing up with the last minute details.
I had my son and daughter at the studio today when she stopped in, and I couldn't resist a picture of Danielle with my Abby.
See, Danielle is very much how I picture Abby when she's all grown up.
Sweet, strikingly beautiful, soft-hearted, and at the same time, she can change the oil in the car, fix a flat or, according to Neemah, throw a punch faster and better than either of us. And yet, as you can see by the picture, they both share a serious obsession with all girl-things pink (note Danielle's tiny purse, Abby's shoes, Danielle's shirt, Abby's hat, Danielle's cell phone, Abby's pants... :) I love it.
Danielle is very passionate about the arts, and Abby has that same passion running through her veins. In fact, she had to perform a new, original dance for Neemah and Danielle while they were here. She's still getting her balance and right now she falls when she tries her triple-spin, but you just wait...Someday, just like Danielle with her violin, people will come to see her on the stage.

Becky & Ryan

This is Becky & Ryan, set to be husband and wife in August this year.
Becky works at the daycare in her hometown, and it's easy to see she's good at her job. Her personality seems to be the kind that kids flock to.
She's quiet at first, but her eyes sparkle with her smile. She knows what she wants, and she is kind. What kid wouldn't eat that up? :)
The wind was kicking up hard and the clouds were spitting rain on the day of the shoot, but we found a great little hideaway tucked into the trees and had just enough time to play. The great thing about days like this is that you don't forget them. Sunny days might come and go, and beautiful as they are, they get lost in the ebb and tide of life. Stormy days that are a little nerve-racking, when the wind is howling and the thunder is crashing...they don't let you forget that time is passing, and this moment is just right now. Relish it.

Kim & Eric

I had the opportunity to photograph Kim & Eric's engagements recently at the Falls.
There were about 5-7 wedding parties there that day, brides and tuxedos swarming in all directions, 50 or more high school girls in prom dresses, and about twice that number of parents with point n shoot cameras... but we still had fun. How can you not have fun when the couple you are taking pictures of is this much in love... To Kim & Eric you'd think they had the park all to themselves. They only had eyes for eachother. :)

Determination

When the grass was tall a week ago my boy just casually told his mom that he'd mow, as if it were something he's done all his years, like eating cereal. Well, she thought he was joking until he made it abundantly clear that he was a big boy, and something as simple as mowing the lawn was nothing a boy his size couldn't handle. She took him up on it, and now he's mowed the lawn two times.

Yesterday was the first time he's mowed the front AND the back, and I have to say, I was impressed. With his every muscle and umph heaving and guiding that mower like some kind of heat-seeking missile, I saw real determination and effort, and in the end, a job well done.

Born to be Wild

I had to wait to post these until after Mother's Day for Diane, since these were part of her gift, but here are some shots we took of her kids on Mom and Dad's motorcycles. We wheeled them right into the shooting room and had a blast.

Canon GL-2 Camcorder for Sale

May as well let you all in on a sale. :)
We're stepping out of the video end of things for atleast this year, and if or when we get back in, we'll want to upgrade our equipment for the HD technology.
That said, we're letting go of one of our Canon GL-2 Camcorders. No sense having them sit here on the shelf, right? The other one I use for the kids, so it's staying with me. :) In fact, I just videotaped my boy's first ever oral report on Christopher Columbus yesterday, and we watched it on the big screen about 2 minutes later. The GL-2 is absolutely stellar in it's clarity! The handle on the top makes it nice and easy to get down on their level too.
Anyway, We keep them in extremely clean, very nice condition. If you know me, you know how much of a clean freak I am when it comes to my gear. I don't like to see a speck of dust on my equipment. Poorly kept equipment can be percieved as laziness or poor workmanship, and neither quality is something I care to convey in my business.
So, if anyone's interested, just give us a ring, drop an email, or bid on eBay :)

Workmanship

I was playing around with a few shots I took of Willy's tools, and I wanted to post this. Thought some of you might take something from it. :)

Rylee & Cole

We got to photograph the Jensen family again just a few days ago, and this time Troy (dad) finally gave in and came along for the shoot. I know how the guys can be. I AM one of those guys, believe it or not. I can't stand being on the other side of the camera. And I used to never think it mattered until recently. That's because I am in the unique position of studying kid after kid in these shoots with their moms and their dads. What I see has been really eye-opening to me. It doesn't so much matter to us, the dad's, the guys. To us, at this stage in our lives, we're career driven and bent for leather, and stopping for family pictures is about like asking us to stop and smell the Daisies.
"Do what to the what? Daisies?!... Those things smell?"
But hey guys, from where I stand, behind the camera, it makes a world of difference to the rest of the family. Somehow, it's just more balanced.
These kids had a ball with dad. And I think he had a good time too. It's worth it, just by the smile in mom's eyes.