Big Boy Andrew

While in South Carolina, we met up with our good friend Kelly who just happens to have a handsome son the same age as V. We took some nice studio shots, but the patience of a two year old doesn't allow for too much of that, and we ended up just hanging out and shooting with the flow.

Look at that smile!

Andrew has this awesome custom mural in his room and I immediately knew I wanted to make a portrait of him in front of it. I've never seen a two year old take directions so well. He would sit down, stand up, move closer, whatever I asked him to do.

I took a few minutes to set up an impromptu high-key studio setup and we got to work.

Of course, V got jealous that daddy was taking pictures of another kid so she had to get in on the action for a few shots.

Andrew feeds Kelly some goldfish (hey, whatever keeps him entertained).

Andrew busts a move for momma.

Soon enough it was time to burn some energy outside. Andrew revs up his hog with the neighbor kids.

Panning with Andrew helps give the image a sense of motion.

Andrew passes the basketball to Kelly.

Finally, mother and son stop for a moment on the steps of the front porch.

It was great seeing you Kelly and Andrew, and I had a blast taking these photos. It was too fun watching the little ones flirting with each other!

Baby Isaiah

During our recent trip to South Carolina, we were able to visit the newest addition to the family. Little Isaiah was only five weeks old and I took the opportunity to make some newborn images.

Hello there Isaiah. Thanks for waking up for a few minutes. Smile for the camera!

Alida, obviously the mother, snuggles with Isaiah.

Paul and Alida with their newest addition. I have to take a moment to explain the lighting here. I hadn't really planned on any formal studio shots, figuring I could improvise with any old background in their house. But then I started to want that pure black background more and more. Unfortunately, I left my large black background at home as I was trying to travel light. While there are some tricks to getting black background inside, I wasn't able to get the light close enough for that to work. Luckily, everyone was willing to shoot the photos on the back porch. There are trees behind them but they are far enough away that everything goes black. The rim light was balanced on a patio chair, and the main light (umbrella) was sitting on the hot tub. Luckily, the rain held off long enough for us to get these in!

Baby feet are a standard detail. Adding Paul's hands creates a little more depth to the image and puts things into perspective.

Big sis Alexandra joined in for a full family portrait.

Alida holding Isaiah.

I used a long lens to pick off some unobtrusive photos that let the family behave naturally.

Later in the week we wanted to try some more photos. We used a dark blanket draped on the couch for these with the intention to go back outside later. We were able to get all the shots right there in the living room.

Congratulations Paul, Alida and Alexandra. Isaiah is quite handsome and I'm glad I had the chance to make some photos this early in his life. Good Luck!

Harbison State Forest

I recently had the opportunity to go for a short hike in Harbison State Forest in South Carolina. I didn't take too many photos but did manage come home with a few.

Tis the season for blazing star. I found a nice patch of these in full bloom adjacent to a large meadow.

I was happy to find this large meadow after leaving the trail.

An interesting bug visits some Queen Anne's Lace flowers.

A vine of some sort climbs up a pine tree.

Everywhere I went the goldenrod was blooming nicely. This little scene seemed to represent fall with all the rusty orange and yellow colors.

This isn't a great photo, but I just love seeing a nice open forest that you can wander through freely. The soft bed of pine needles everywhere was a bonus.

These photos were from a recent trip to SC. I took lots of photos so I will be posting them gradually in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Remember

As a slight tangent today, I'd like to take a moment to recognize the 9/11 anniversary. It is a day that will always stand out in my memory and in our nation's history. There's a lot of media coverage for the day so I'll keep it simple and just post a few photos.

After beginning to post lots of general patriotic photos, I realized I had enough images to target a specific theme. 9/11 gave us many heroes ranging from ordinary citizens to members of our military. I think we can all agree that the first responders at ground zero, especially the firefighters, embody this hero spirit more than any other. I'm posting a few firefighter-themed photos to honor these individuals.

This photo, to me, represents the fact that firefighters (and other responders) typically exist unnoticed in the background, stored away somewhere out of sight and out of my mind. But when tragedy strikes they are the first on the scene ready to protect property and lives while risking their own. Thank you.

Boots and coveralls stand ready for a quick exit.

Fittingly enough, here are some photos from the 9/11 memorial in Seattle, WA.

While visiting the memorial and making photos, I heard sirens in the distance. As the ambulance flew by I was able to position myself in time to capture this image. The statue firefighters look on as real-life heroes respond to a call.

In St. Petersburg, a couple watches as a neighbor's house is destroyed by fire.

Firefighters risk their safety on the roof to vent the building. I previously posted these photos to my blog and after going back to see when I took them I realized I posted them on 9/11/2007 as a coincidence.

I haven't seen a lot of the 9/11 coverage today, but I did catch part of the History Channel special "The Day the Towers Fell." This amazing documentary focuses on photographers (amateur and professional) at the scene and includes some truly extraordinary images. There is something about a still image that captures the full emotion of an event more than any other medium (in my opinion). Look out for reruns.

Kristen and Barry, Florida Aquarium Wedding

Kristen and Barry decided to have their wedding at the Florida Aquarium. It can be a tough place to make photographs, but if you know what you're doing it also presents lots of great opportunities for creating some extraordinary images.

Here is the couple outside in the "wetlands" area. It usually has nice soft natural light which is always good for getting some safe portraits.

In front of the main tank, balancing flash with the ambient light can be tough, but the result is an image you couldn't get anywhere else.

The groom poses for a few solo shots out in the wetlands.

Right after the ceremony, we just walked all over the aquarium looking for cool backgrounds. I knew I wanted to use this tunnel, but it took a few minutes of playing around to get something I was happy with. When the clouds moved, I noticed the great burst of light coming down through the water.

The aquarium has a few of these sheets of fog that visitors walk through. Kristen and Barry were troopers and paused for a minute while I made a photo. Barry got a few water drops on his neck, but I think it was worth it. I always love it when a couple is willing to play along with my ideas!

You may remember me using this light the last time I shot at the aquarium, but I changed things up a little this time. Instead of adding a flash and using the blue as a background, I just let Kristen bask in the blue light resulting in a more artistic photo that has a mermaid/underwater fell to it.

The couple chats and relaxes in front of a cypress swamp after the ceremony.

Most shooters will always keep the sun to their back, but backlighting subjects when the light is right can result in a more dramatic and moody image.

You know I couldn't help but shoot a few of the critters while I was there. I took a while, but I finally managed to get one of the leafy sea dragons in front of a clean black background.

The reception was held in front of the huge main tank.

Instead of allowing guests to just chime their glasses to make the couple kiss, Barry decided that only songs with the word "love" in them would result in a kiss. A group of young ladies serenades the couple to solicit a smooch.

Congratulations Kristen and Barry! Best of luck to you both as you "drive" off into your future together (they're big car fans). Thanks for having me and Tampa Photo be a part of your big day!