Some photos just happen in an unexpected moment, and this photo has become one of my favorite personal examples. Wendy’s favorite color is red. This past June while visiting Scotland’s Museum of Contemporary Art in Edinburgh, Wendy took a seat on a bench in one of the galleries to rest. I turned to look at her and realized that the artwork behind her made this gorgeous red halo. How apt. She had no idea why I lifted my camera and snapped her picture, but I loved the result.
Today is what we in the midwest refer to as “the dog days of summer.” August can be a killer when it comes to heat. One of my favorite quotes is from Garrison Keillor who said that living in the midwest is like, “spending your winters in the arctic and your summers in Death Valley.” ‘Tis true.
I thought for Photo Friday I would post a photograph I snapped with my iPhone on a whim this past February after a heavy, wet snow fall created a blanket of white across the landscape. It was a sunny, cloudless day after the storm and I loved the way the monochrome black and white of the snow on the limbs contrasted with the gorgeous blue of the sky.
If you’re feeling hot today, thought this might give you a reminder of what’s coming in just a few months 😉
We were at our nephew’s wedding last weekend. I had my camera out and was snapping away. When the the processional music swelled I rose with the crowd and turned to see Sam’s bride, Lydia, walking the aisle with her father.
“Sam!” Wendy urgently whispered in my ear. “Take a picture of Sam!”
I turned and snapped a series of pictures of Sam as he watched his bride walking down the aisle toward him.
So glad Wendy prompted me.
Priceless.
Last Sunday morning I woke early as the sun was rising. I could not help but notice how gorgeous the wildflowers looked at the back of our lot. So I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pics. I especially liked the way this one turned out and used it to update the header on my blog. Sometimes the most beautiful scenes are right in front of us. The play of the sunlight through a window, or the sun rising through the wildflowers. We simply have to open our eyes to see it, and be willing to take a moment to appreciate it.
Archaeologists recently uncovered this gem (I found it in a tub of my parents’ family photos) from c. 1983. An early work by photographer Reed Davis (www.reeddavisphotopraphy.com). Anyone from the Des Moines area will recognize the iconic Traveler’s insurance sign that is a signature piece of the Des Moines skyline. The Traveler’s umbrella has been in a few different photos over the years.
About ten years or so after the first photo was taken, it was photographer Eric Smoldt (http://ericsmoldt.com) who snapped this black and white photo of me under the umbrella on a downtown Des Moines photo safari.
Add another ten years or so, and it was Jeff Bokhoven (http://www.designerimagesphotography.com) who took this awesome photo of me and my best men on New Year’s Eve 2005, just before Wendy and I said, “I do.”
What’s really cool is that in the late 1970s and early 1980s my dad was partner in Eagle Sign Company who, at the time, owned and leased the Traveler’s Umbrella sign. So not only is the umbrella an iconic landmark, but I kinda get to claim it as a family heirloom.
What can I say? I love Des Moines.
The Pella VLs asked me to shoot some family photos of them in the fall colors this weekend. Wendy and Suzanna went along to help corral and entertain the three VL children. It is always a monumental task to get three young children to all look at the camera and smile at the same time. As usual, I shot hundreds of frames and came up with a handful of decent shots.
As I was going through the photos with Wendy and Suzanna last night, we found ourselves howling with laughter at the number of silly faces young Aaron [the middle child – shocking] created in an endless effort of non-conformity. I just had to share a few.
Over time you begin to see trends in what catches your eye as a photographer. One of the things I’ve come to realize is that I love capturing children in the full motion of play. On Friday night I took photos at Union Street Players‘ Drama Camp presentation and captured this picture of my little buddy Nathan hopping like a bunny with his bunny ears. There was just something about the picture that I instantly fell in love with: his posture, the hint of joy you can catch on his fact even though it’s turned away, and the blur of motion that gives you a sense of the kinetic energy of a child at play.
It suddenly reminded me of another favorite photo that I took it of my daughter Taylor when she was young and I was shooting on 35mm film. I took it as she ran and leapt in the woods. For some reason the image always reminded me of Christopher Robin on those classic Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations. It’s the same hint of joy you catch despite not being able to see her face, the posture of unbridled play and the blur of kinetic energy.
