Kaleidoscope Tea
June 30, 2008 | Filed Under Photo of the Day | Leave a Comment
It’s amazing how dependent we are on electricity… for everything. Of the hundreds of things that need to get done - suddenly there’s nothing that can be done. So instead, Heather and I have caught up on some much needed sleep this weekend and rediscovered some simple joys like vanilla iced tea (from the Tea Smith, mmm!) and the beauty of sunlight pouring through the glass.
90 MPH Wind Storm
June 29, 2008 | Filed Under Daily Life | Leave a Comment
Hurricane-like winds tore off the top of our tree and landed it on our fence this Friday in Omaha’s “non-tornado” storm. We were fortunate to not have any house damage. The oldest and largest tree in the neighborhood fell over in between two houses scrapping up the sides of both. A couple other neighbors had limbs poke through their living rooms. But one of them said, “We had this same thing happen in ‘77 and ‘88. We made it through then and we’ll make it through today.”
I remember the power going off, the sirens, and the storm pouncing on us within minutes! As soon as it was over, neighbors crawled out of the woodwork to inspect the damage. And almost as fast at the storm itself, people got to work clearing away debris and making sure everyone was ok. Thanks to the good will of our neighbors (and random strangers!), our fallen tree was cut into manageable pieces within a half hour.
Despite the head and heartache the damage brought, it also revealed a hidden strength we have with the support of our community. Thank God for His goodness in our midst.
Photo(s) of the Day
June 18, 2008 | Filed Under Daily Life, Photo of the Day | Leave a Comment
I try to take one day off a week to refresh my creativity; it doesn’t always happen, but I try because it’s important to the health of my soul. This time around, my brother Jordan expressed an interest in coming along to learn more about photography. So we took a trip downtown to start with the basics in the Old Market and explore “depth of field.” The first image has a shallow depth of field or range of what’s in focus (f2.8 at 1/4000 of a second), and the second image has a greater DOF (f11 at 1/500) while still maintaining proper exposure. On the doorknob, the focus leads the eye right to the keyhole and falls off shortly afterwards. For the other image, both the light pole and the building maintain sharp focus even though they are much farther apart than the doorknob is to the door.
Jenny & Matt
June 14, 2008 | Filed Under Omaha Wedding Photography | 6 Comments
The decor was beautiful; the ceremony was real and moving; the bride was breath-taking; the groom was looking sharp; the mood was free and expressive; the moments were magical - Jenny and Matt know how to communicate and express love to one another. After the ceremony kiss, Jenny threw her hands up like she just scored a touchdown, and at the reception, Matt clearly told her how much she means to him along with a brilliant transition, “I guess what I’m trying to say is, ‘Will you have this dance with me?’”
All around, it was a very real and inspiring wedding which makes for all the right ingredients for amazing images and a great marriage! Congratulations to you both!! We’ll see you soon at the viewing premiere.
Millard North Senior, Jordan
June 7, 2008 | Filed Under Senior Portraits | 2 Comments
We had the absolute BEST (no exaggeration) time with Jordan for his signature senior session this week. Jordan is extremely clever and funny, but he is also very thoughtful and considerate of others. He is always making me laugh - but never at the expense of someone else. During the planning session, we came up with some great ideas to showcase his different sides. We started out with the basics downtown, reenacted a scene from NBC’s The Office (Jordan can do an uncanny Jim impression), grabbed a shot with Jordan’s favorite burrito at Chipotle, and finished up at home. We got so many amazing and fun images, we can’t show them all here, so we’ll be featuring his session on our portrait site soon to share the results with everyone. Keep an eye out!
My Grandmother
June 2, 2008 | Filed Under Family Portraiture, On Location Photo Shoot | 1 Comment
I went to photograph my grandmother a couple weeks ago and she warned me she didn’t like to have her picture taken. I told her not to worry because I was a professional. She kept saying no one wants a picture of her, but she relaxed after a couple shots and soon I was able to capture the spirit of my grandmother. On the surface, she’s a sweet old woman in a tiny frail frame. But she is full of life and positive energy, and she’s not afraid to put a grown man in his place (or to make him cry if it will do him some good). She’s always cracking subtle jokes that are unexpected and quite funny. That’s the grandmother my family all knows and loves. She’s a joy to be around and I’m so glad to have captured some images that speak louder than my words ever could…
Oh, one more thing - at the end of the session I showed her a couple frames and she almost gasped with surprise, “Well, those aren’t bad at all!” Did I mention I was a professional, Grandma? I love how good photography can be redeeming; how it can help dislodge the distorted perceptions we sometimes have of ourselves. That brings me joy. Thank you, Grandma Helen!