Liz's Senior Portraits

We had a really great session last night for Liz's senior portraits. We got a really good variety of shots in just 2 locations. We started at her church and got some really nice shots in front of the stone work and cross at the front of the sanctuary. Then we swung over to the high school where she posed on the long Logansport High School sign. We drove around to the little cabin and then eventually walked into the Berry Patch. We did stay a little too long at the High School because by the time we go to the railroad bridge, the sun was completely behind the trees. I think in most cases the extra darkness would have been an issue, but the moodiness really worked for these shots. Liz's choice of top, the vintage guitar, and her expressions really worked well with the darkness, it gave these shots a really edgy feel. I even like the single strand of hair across her eye in this shot.

2009 LAA Photography Show

The LAA's annual Photography Show is fast approaching. Photographs will be received on Friday October 2nd from 11:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday October 3rd from 9am until noon. We are very lucky to have two excellent judges this year, John Parker of Weddings by Parker and Angie Turnpaugh from the Pharos Tribune. I hope everyone is planning on entering,it's always a good time at the reception talking to the other photographers in the area.

Busy Week

This has been a really busy week. Had a photo shoot every night except Friday and I spent all day Friday placing enlargement orders. I think this is the last portrait that needed to be uploaded to the gallery. Super cute Scott's 3 month portrait. We were chugging along very nicely, mom brought 3 outfits and we were ready to put on the second one when he fell fast asleep. We ended up scratching outfit 2, and moving straight on to outfit 3 which as luck would have it was pajamas. So that worked out pretty well.

New purchase option

I'm very excited to now be offering single pose packages. If you are needing several units of the same pose you can order one of 3 packages and save 10, 20, or 30%. You still get to choose the sizes you want, you can mix and match whatever works best for you, so if you need 5 8x10's you can save 20%, if you need 5 sheets of wallets, and 5 sheets of 5x7's you can save 30%. It's a really great feature and you can mix and match these packages into your order anyway you want, and if you just don't want to buy several prints of the same pose just order the units ala carte, my normal volume discounts still apply so either way you can save on the order that fits your needs exactly.

The packages themselves are Small, which includes 3 units of your choice for $30, Medium which includes 5 for $45, and Large which is the best value with 10 units of your choice for only $80.

If you have any questions about these great new packages don't hesitate to email me, I'd love to go over it in more detail with anyone who is interested.

Jordyn's Senior Portraits Part 2

We had much better luck with the weather for our outdoor session last night. We spent around an hour out at the golf course and aside from a couple of errant golf balls it went really well. We got some really nice shots including this one up in a really funky pine tree. There were of course issues with sap, I think Jordyn got it on her shirt and pants, and after I touched a branch I couldn't put my camera down, but it was well worth it to get such great shots.

Kelley's Senior Portraits

We had a great time doing Kelley's Senior Portraits last night. We started out at a family friend's house where we posed in and around her gardens. It was a long drive, but well worth it because this was a photographer's dream. Tons of color, lots of depth, plants at all heights, low, middle and high. The only problem was the mosquitoes. They were thick, at one point there were so many on my lens that I couldn't hold my camera up. Unfortunately, Kelly got bit a couple of times so it's going to mean a bit more Photoshop, but that's also worth it for the gorgeous gardens we got to photograph in.

Reduced Proofing Prices

I'm very very please to announce that due to a recent reduction in the prices I pay per image for my online proofing I'm making 2 exciting changes to my prices. First off, I'm lowering my High School Senior sitting fee to $100. The cost of my online proofing was one of the main reasons I raised my price to $125 and I'm really happy to be able to lower now.

Secondly, I'm going to double the amount of proofing included in all of my wedding packages. Instead of 90 days, I'm going to make it a full 6 months. This will give all of my happy new couples a couple of months to look and enjoy the pictures, and then a couple more months to get serious and place their orders. 90 days just never seemed to be enough and almost every bride ended up paying more for a couple of extra months. Those days should be behind us now.

Jordyn's Senior Portraits

We got rained out last week for Jordyn's portrait session. We had planned to go out to the Logansport Country Club but it was just a really soggy dreary day. This is only the second time I've had to postpone a session this year so I'm not going to complain too much about it. We used the time wisely though and got some really excellent studio portraits. Here is one of my favorites, super simple, just standing in front of a backdrop, but it's a really really strong portrait. I think we're going to get some really good stuff for the next session, so stay tuned and I'll be sure to post one from her outdoor set as well.

Senior Portrait Tips

Here are some tips for ensuring your high school graduation portraits turn out amazing!

1. Bring examples of things you'd like to try in your portraits. Magazine clippings, year books, catalogues or anything else with examples of poses, styles, or effects. We can combine these ideas with our own and create a truly unique portrait that captures your personal style.

2. Give your hair time to grown in after a cut. Don't get a fresh cut the day before your portrait session, a minimum of 5 days is needed for the cut to look natural.

3. Makeup should be applied normally. Use a mirror as a guide, if it looks good in the mirror it will look fine on film.

4. Ask your optometrist to remove the lenses from your glasses if possible. Reflections are very common on glasses and can be very time consuming to remove. Avoiding this problem is the best way to ensure a great portrait.

5. Simple, solid outfits work best, especially in the studio. More formal attire is also very common in the studio. Outdoor poses work well with jeans or khakis and simple solid shirts, especially muted colors. Blue, green, tan, and many more work better than glaringly bright colors such as white, yellow or red.

Follow these tips and make sure to get a good night's rest and your graduation portraits will be something you'll be proud of for years to come.

I really have had more than just this 1 session this week but it's been so busy I just haven't had any time for uploading new shots to my gallery or blogging. I'll try to get caught up on my newest photo shoots this week but for now this is John. We had a really great session on Friday. I was really worried about the heat it was just awful at 6pm when we started at the studio, but by 7pm when we were ready to roll to the outdoor location there was this great breeze that took the edge off the heat. As long as we kept to the shade, which of course I always do just for exposure purposes, it was almost perfectly pleasant. It was certainly not too hot to be out in photographing so we were able to spend another hour or so getting more shots along the river. I really had a good time and as time went on I could tell John was starting to really get into the posing. It always makes me really happy to not only create great portraits for people, but when they have a good time with the process it's the ultimate experience and it's what I strive to do for every client. I was really really glad to see John having a blast.

Ashley and Michael's Wedding

Don't you just love this shot? Ashley mentioned this idea she had almost as soon as we started doing the photography on Saturday. I didn't understand exactly what she meant until we got outside and saw the long row of evergreens. This turned out really cool. I'm always happy when my clients bring their own ideas to photo shoots, you get a much fuller selection of images when there are multiple people being creative. And creativity is obviously one of Ashley and Michael's strong points, the ceremony was very traditional, but the reception was, I guess the word is "off the hook." They entered the reception to an ESPN style roll call ending in bursting through a paper ring with their initials on it. They had a very elaborate 3 part first dance starting out traditional, turning into a line dance, and finally ending up as a hip hop number. And of course, they kicked the night off right by singing the first karoake song. It was a good time that's for sure.

Amy and Travis' Wedding

I don't say this very often, but I wish I would have been a guest at this wedding and not the photographer. Everything was just gorgeous, the tent, the landscaping, the decorations, it was all really beautiful. The service was very lovely, and then it was obvious the affection that all of the guests showed for this couple throughout the entire night. I followed them around for 2 hours after the ceremony capturing their interactions with their guests. Finally Travis turned to me and said, "Did you get something to eat yet?" And I replied, "No, I'll eat when you eat." He said they were on their way to the buffet right then so I followed them around for another hour and they were still talking to friends and family and having a great time. I finally saw Amy get a plate of food around 9pm, but I don't think she ever had the chance to eat it. They were having so much fun, they forgot to eat. Now that's what I call a wedding.

Be careful everyone

I just wanted to post up some emails I've been getting from a guy named Kelvin Jones. He contacted me about a wedding job for this summer here in Logansport, but he claimed to be living in the UK. I found that very suspicous, but I replied back trying to be as open minded as I could.

Hello,

Hope you're having a nice time! I am getting in touch with you
concerning our wedding taking place this year in Indiana . My name is
kelvin Jones from Ireland (currently working and living in London,
United Kingdom). I am coming over with my fiance Daffy Morris who's
Trinidad & Tobago by nature but has actually naturalized in London.

We'll be starting a new beginning together 'cause my Wife to be just
got a job in Indiana .We will be getting married on the 21th of July,
2009 and we have decided to get married in The States since we're
moving down and pretty know our new home would be wonderful and a
good location to raise kids.
more so,am making arrangement for transportation for getting you
down from any where you are in the state..so you shouldn't bother
about the location....all will be put in place by me....
We will be needing a good Photographer to take care of the picture
aspect of our wedding occasion both ceremony and reception for our
guests' convenience because we require the best for memories photo's
for our children and as a matter of fact we have made a good budget
for an outstanding event. Please let us know if you can help plan a
wonderful occasion.

Regards
kelvin Jones

I told him I would be happy to help him out and I asked him some basic questions about what he was looking for in his wedding photography. He replied back with this:

Hello Ryan Buck.....
It's such a great thing to hear from you so soon, hope you are
having a wonderful day 21 st the day we choose ,i hope you dont have
any problem with that and really can't wait for the D day..

We will be arriving Austin. on the 6th of July,2009.The ceremony and
reception will be taking place at a venue and the venue will be
secured the same week we arrived. we want it to be the last thing to
do here ,The wedding ceremony will be at 4pm while the reception will
followed immediately,we would like to rush things up here because we
still have our various job/business (s) intact and would like to spend
more time with our family and loved ones before coming because we
might not have enough time to do so in the nearest future which is why
we can only be available for a face to face consultation on our
arrival if it will be okay by you.

We want the best picture for the memory of our children and families.
I went through your site before decided to contact you and we like to
secure the photography aspect before the next vendor,we will need you
for about 6 hours for that day .

I will like to inform you that the payment for your services charge
will be done via certified cashier check.so you get back to me with
your details.....
full name;
address;
mobile no;
I will be looking forward to your prompt response asap . I will be
waiting for your swift response to my email asap. Do have a great day.

Regards.
kelvin Jones

At this point I was 99% sure this was a scam. I replied back one more time asking for some more information and before I knew it he said he had mailed the payment to me at my studio. We hadn't even discussed the package he was interested in. So I ended up receiving 7 $500 American Express Traveller's Checks. This was far far too much money so I knew that he was going to be asking me to send a portion of this money through Western Union to another person and that's when I got this final email:

hello,
how are you doing.....i just want to inform you that the check was sent to you from my company via Ups with tracking number...A371 242 7996 and it will be delivered today.
The company sent you the whole amount of funds that i am expecting from them ( $3500 ) they wanted to issue out for the wedding to you, so you pls kindly deduct your service deposit payment as soon as you get it cashed in your bank and you send down the remaining balance via western union to the wedding planner,this money is meant for the part payment of my wife wedding gown and my suit,videographer,venue and also for other miscellaneous expenses for my wedding.i know you know how important this mean to me,so you will have to help me get the money sent to him as soon as you get yours.
i will be waiting to hear back from you as soon as you get the check so that i can send you the details of my wedding planner and you can help me to send the money to him asap.....
THANK YOU
Kelvin Jones

So after this I emailed all of these messages to Yahoo and they banned his email account. I just wanted to warn people that these sorts of scams are still happening, please be careful and remember if it sounds too good to be true, it most definitely 100% is not true. I actually get one of these about once a year, photographers make great targets because we deal mostly in services, we don't always meet our clients ahead of time, and our costs can be quite high. You would never send $3500 to a plumber in another state, but this is not out of the question for a photographer. So to everyone, especially other photographers, be vigilant, don't become a victim yourself.

Little Baby Sam

Why is it when you plan on doing a nice, easy, sleeping baby portrait session, the baby never sleeps, but when the parents want to have shots of their baby awake, alert, looking at the camera, and maybe even smiling, the baby can't be awoken for anything short of nuclear war? We got pretty lucky, Sam was not asleep in this shot, he just closed his eyes very briefly and I snapped. It worked out perfectly, but this is the shot that almost never was. Not to mention he's a bit too big for our crocheted baby sack. I really like how this turned out though, so all of the extra work was well worth it.

Tessa's Senior Portraits

I told you I was booked up with seniors and here is the proof another senior to blog about. This is Tessa she's been a long time customer of mine. I think she was the second person to ever be photographed in my studio. All of those practice sessions really payed off. She did great posing and we got some really great shots. I love this one looking off this old railroad bridge. The sun backlighting the trees is especially wonderful.

Congrats to Cody and Eric

I just wanted to say congratulations to Cody and Eric. I had a lot of fun in Delphi with these guys this weekend. It was a super easy day, the entire group from Bridesmaids to Grandparents were old pros at posing. They locked the poses in, smiled, and saved the blinking for off camera. I swear there wasn't a single blink for the entire day. We got all of the formal portraits done in record time and every one got some extra time to relax which is always nice. The reception was nice as well, you could tell everyone was really behind this couple, it was a privilege to be a part of their special day. Congrats again you guys!

Jessica's Senior Portraits

This is a great example of using the same location for different subjects and getting completely different looks. I think I used this spot 4 times last year and I didn't get any of these shots until I photographed Jessica. We got some really unique poses plus I never noticed how nice the train tracks here curved with trees behind it. So after using the tracks for a couple of shots we got some really nice portraits down by the river including this one which turned out just beautiful.

I guess I should take this opportunity to say that Senior Season has started in earnest for me. I've got seniors schedule every other evening for the next 3 weeks, and every time I turn around I'm talking to a new parent about scheduling. I would guess that after this week is over I'll have booked another 2 or 3, so I would say if you're interested in getting your portraits done before school starts up, call soon and schedule your appointment.

Fair Wrap Up

Great weather, great food, great customers. What an awesome time I had at the fair this week. I talked to a ton of great people and I think I generated a lot of good buzz with my sample portraits. I will say this, I talked to about 30 2010 grads and parents and if I book as many as I did last year this is going to be a super busy senior season for me. If you're wanting Buck Portrait Studio for your portraits I would play it safe and book now, otherwise you might lose out. I've never had to turn away customers before, but with limited time before graduation I'm worried this might be the year it happens. Don't take the risk book your session as soon as you can.

Cass County 4H Fair

Well it's fair season. I've got my booth in the exact same location as last year and I've got a huge batch of brand new samples. I've got a couple of brand new coffee table books from last year's weddings. I've also got some really wonderful 16x20 prints showing off some of my all time favorite portraits. So if you are planning on coming to the fair this week please stop by my booth and see what I've been up to the last year or so.

Austin's Senior Portraits

Well, talk about the heat. It was just about as hot as it gets here in Indiana last week for Austin's senior portraits. I don't mind being hot and miserable, it's part of the job, but when the subject of the portraits is moist for every shot it makes for bad portraits. I think we went through an entire roll of paper towel keeping his forehead dry. We did have a lot of fun out at the Logansport Country Club. We spent a little time just getting some outdoorsy shots, then he changed into his favorite golfing clothes and we got some cool shots on one of the greens. I also took some shots of him driving a ball. It was awesome, one minute the ball was there, the next minute it was just gone.

Abby and Blake's Wedding

I had a really great time with Abby and Blake on their special day. They had a great group of friends and family gathered and we all just had a blast the whole day. The church was recently remodeled and while the bride and groom are obviously the focal point of the whole day, it doesn't hurt the portraits to have a brand new brick wall and stained glass for a backdrop. Congratulations Abby and Blake, I'm wishing you guys all the best.

Neil and Lisa

The weather last weekend was supposed to be fairly nasty, but it turned out to be a spectacular weekend for an outdoor wedding. A nice breeze blew the whole day and for the most part the sun was under cloud cover so it was really perfect for the guests and for me. The lighting turned out really great. It was a very nice day for everyone and it was a lovely ceremony. I wish Neil and Lisa all the best in their new life together.

Burrous Children Portraits

It's been quite a busy season doing last minute senior portraits, mostly outdoors even though the weather has been less than cooperative, but now that things have slowed down a bit we had some time to do some portraits with Dylan and Kelsey. They both did very well despite their agendas conflicting with ours. I think Dylan might be worried about snipers or something, he didn't stand still for a second the entire time, I guess he just didn't want to give them any decent shots. Despite this we got plenty of cute shots of him, and his sister did really well as well without too much effort, and as a nice cherry on top we got a very nice family portrait of the entire family. Check it out in my family gallery as well as more shots of the kids.

April Photo Shoots

So, I think I figured out why you don't do outdoor photo shoots in April. It's because April is insane. It's a totally crazy month. We knew going into Lee's shoot that weather could be an issue, and after an entire day of rain, we were pretty much resigned to just doing studio shots. Then at 3 in the afternoon the sun came out. We scrambled to get everyone together at the studio as quickly as possible. We made it, and just as we stepped outside to head to the first location, it started sprinkling. Then about 2 seconds later, it was a monsoon. We turned around and went back inside, disappointed, but not discouraged. We got some really good studio portraits, and as we were leaving, we noticed the rain was gone, there was very little wind, and there was a lovely cloud cover which I love for outdoor portraits. We ended up getting a really nicely balanced selection of studio and outdoor shots for him, so it turned out really really well.

Seth's Senior Portraits

Well, aside from gale force winds trying to destroy my lighting equipment this was a really good portrait session. We had some fun, of course we couldn't see because our eyes were completely dried out, but we had enough opportunities in between gusts to get some really good shots. We tried out a new spot I scouted out down-town mainly because I knew it was fully surrounded by buildings on 3 sides. I figured if there was any spot in Logansport shielded from the wind this would be it. I was wrong. It was a bit better, but still a lot windier than I normally like. All I can say is, it's a good thing Seth didn't have long hair because the wind would have been a deal breaker with anything longer than his hair. All's well that ends well though, we got tons of great shots including this one which I really like because I've used this location before, but I really love this angle, I've never shot like this before and I think it turned out excellent.

And it has begun...

Welcome to the wedding season everyone. I got started with a real bang this year. Heather and Jeff and their entire wedding party were great. We had a really good time all day long, and what a day it was. Probably the most beautiful day imaginable for a wedding. I wish you guys all the best.

Open House Invitations

I've been getting a lot of requests from my graduates for printed invitations for their open houses. Last year I designed a lot of 1 sided invitations and printed them myself on my color laserjet printer, but this year I'm pleased to offer 4 color press printed invitations. They are 4x6 bi-folds printed on really nice heavy card stock. I can design these for any senior that needs them, just give me a call and we'll start designing yours today.

Natasha's Senior Portraits

I had a blast with Natasha running around down town this week. We went to a lot of the same old places but I was really thinking outside the box for her posing and with her personality we got some really cool unique shots. This is not only my favorite shot of Natasha, it's probably my all time favorite portrait that I've ever made. I've used this location at least 4 times in the last couple of years, but I've never gone under the stairs, and just by doing that simple thing something really amazing came out of it. The shot is awesome plain, but I did some processing to it to give it some real edge and I think it turned out great. There are a few more shots of her in my senior gallery as well as 1 new montage, check them out. Of course, the senior season is over, but there is still a little time left to squeeze your shots in if you still haven't been able to do yours. Give us a call now to talk about your ideas and schedule a session.

LAA Youth Art Show

For anyone who was at the Youth Art Show Reception on March 12th, we've uploaded all of the pictures taken, including several of winners with their works, to my online proofing site. You can log on and buy prints of these images and all proceeds will go directly to the LAA. We're going to try to do this for all of our receptions this year and we're going to try to get pictures especially of any youth that show up for the parents to buy, so if this is a service that interests you make sure you show up for the receptions and if you want a picture or two just grab the photographer and tell them what you would like.

It feels like August here with all of the seniors I've been doing. It's been hard work finding new locations to use in the tail end of winter, everything is starting to wake up, but there is no color anywhere, so we've been forced to do a lot more of the industrial types of shots. Which so far has not failed to delight. Industrial shots are always real crowd pleasers. Cody and I had a lot of fun out on the railroad bridge, and even though this is fast becoming my most requested portrait location, we got some really unique shots, and this selective color with the saxophone really turned out cool. We got some neat shots back at the studio as well and we got his sax back out and even turned on the smoke machine. Unfortunately his younger brother was in charge of the smoke and he went crazy with it, forcing us to evacuate the building soon after starting. We got a couple of good shots though before the fire alarms went off, so as far as I'm concerned it was a huge success. Luckily none of my neighbors called the fire department when they saw the smoke billowing out of my front door.

Joel's Senior Portraits

When we first started laying out Joel's senior portraits he described lots of grungy types of locations, and I had just found this really excellent spot in down town Logan with a really great building with 3 sides that each have something cool to offer. So we met at my studio this weekend and drove down to the building together only to find out, it was demolished! There was nothing left but a large patch of fresh gravel. Of course, we were not discouraged, it's not like there is a shortage of decrepit buildings in Logansport. We did an about face and did some pictures across the alley, the lighting was perfect and we got some really amazing shots. Then we went to the good ole rail road bridge on river road only to find a train idling on the tracks. We were a little nervous it would kick into gear at any point, so we stayed close to the edge, got a couple of shots, then got the heck out of dodge. Luckily there were no surprises at the studio, the building was still there, and there were no trains ready to disrupt our shoot. Joel had so many good ones, it's going to be really hard for him to choose, but I think this studio shot of him is my favorite, it's a really natural capture, I think it turned out really great.

Conner, Emily, and Ethan

We had a really good photo shoot last night for these little guys. We got tons of great shots for each of them. I uploaded my favorite of each into my gallery. Things have been slow this year up till now, but I've got a very very busy March laid out already. I've got a handful of last minute seniors as well. If you're needing any kind of portraits I'd call soon, it looks like this year is going to be a busy one.

Baby John's first portrait session

We spent a nice long Saturday in the studio this weekend photographing John for his 3 month portraits. For such a little guy he was able to sit up on his own and do lots of things 3 month olds usually can't do. We got lots of great shots, but this one is one of my favorites. I love using mom and dad as props with kids, but usually they feel self conscious and don't want to be in any photos. I think this is a great shot of baby and father and I'm sure when John gets older he'll love seeing this shot of his dad holding him.

Meagan's Senior Portraits

We spent probably 45 minutes out in the freezing cold this weekend getting some portraits around the "Berry Patch" for Meagan's senior portraits. We got some really great shots all around the cabin, the prairie, and down in the forest by the pond. Meagan wanted nice outdoor snowy shots and even though it had been 60 degrees this week, there was a ton of snow left in the places we wanted to shoot. This one is my favorite, it looks more like fall since you only see the tall brown grasses, but I really like the natural backlighting the sun provided, and the criss crossing grass stalks add a lot of wonderful depth and texture. I know not everyone is brave enough to get out in the cold to have their portraits taken, but it really is a great way to get really cool, unique shots. If you haven't had your senior portraits taken yet give us a call and we can talk about your ideas and see how we can make them a reality.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and so far is having a great 2009. We'd like to offer up our services to anyone that was hoping to get a portrait taken in 2008 but for some reason was unable to. If you call and book a studio portrait with us in the month of January we'll waive the sitting fee. Just mention this blog and your portrait session is free. That should be a great way to kick off 2009, but call now, the month is almost one third gone already!

Is it that time again?

Well, it's official. Wal*Mart is playing Holiday Music, the city has wrapped the lightpoles in garland, and I've had people request Christmas trees for their portraits. This can only mean one thing, it's Christmas time again! I'm very excited this year because last year I got some great deals on cute little Christmas props for kids. I've got some giant bows, plastic snowflakes, and lots of other things including the adorable mini Christmas trees shown here. I had a really busy Holiday Season last year so if you need portraits take for cards or anything else give me a call today to schedule your appointment. My November is already half booked and if you wait until December, chances are it's too late. Call today: 722-3333.

Thankfully the weather finally turned back to pleasant enough for photography just in time for Matt's photo shoot. We started out in his wrestling room that was about 109 degrees. We followed that up with a nice session in an ally downtown with a windchill of about -3. My fingers were starting to tighten up on my camera and I could tell some of Matt's crossed arm poses were more for warmth than for creating a casual pose. The studio was a nice 70 degrees though so we were on easy street once we got back there. The wrestling shots turned out pretty cool considering wrestlers don't have a lot of built in props. No balls or equipment or anything else, just a big circle drawn on the ground. There's a cool selective color shot in the gallery. I hate to say it, but for anyone that hasn't gotten their senior portraits taken yet, you're either going to have to wait until spring or put up with being cold. I'm not sure how many more nice days we're going to get this year to do outdoor portraits.

What happened to the weather?

Well, everything was cruising along just beautifully then it dropped to 40 degrees outside! I had to do all of my scheduled senior portraits inside this weekend. Here's to hoping for a warm up for at least a couple of days so we can squeeze a few more outdoor sessions into 2008. We got some fun studio portraits of Brandon and his dog though. We also did some cool stuff with a huge US flag. We were hoping to do some stuff down on the dam, but with the huge drop in temperature and all of the nasty clouds rolling through we're pushing it off until a more seasonable day.

2008 LAA Photography Competition Scores

Advanced

Creative Manipulation
1st Ryan Buck Metal Church 6
3rd Susan Stewart Faded Caddi 53

Landscape/Architecture
1st Dale Sullivan Peggy's Cove 19
2nd Ann Weigand Desert Sanctuary 86
3rd Karen Nacke Ridgeview Lake 26
4th Ann Weigand Elegance in Architecture 88

Nature
1st John Troxler Hummer Tongue 11
2nd John Troxler Ruby Throat 8
3rd Dale Sullivan Gone Fishing 18
4th John Toxler Pollination 10

Open
1st John Troxler Sunrise Siding 9
3rd Susan Stewart Forgotten 59
4th Dale Sullivan Glacier 20

People
1st Ryan Buck On the Dock 7
2nd Susan Stewart Little Shy Guy 52
3rd Ryan Buck Little Angel 5
4th Karen Nacke Roasting Hotdogs 25

Amateur

Creative Manipulation
1st Jeremy Ashcraft Berries on Ice 97
2nd Don Weikle Lost in the Red 34
3rd Don Weikle Flowering White 33
4th Don Weikle Sunset on the Watseka 35

Landscape/Architecture
1st Ashley Meagher Behind the Window 58
2nd Arlene Puralewski Sunset on Lake Bruce 1
3rd Rosie Schafer Hidden Treasure of Cass County 74
4th Judi Barr Winter Valley Shadows 39

Nature
1st Stephen Goodwin Backyard Surprise 95
2nd Judi Barr Sky's the Limit 37
3rd Nancy L. Clark The Gulf Fritillary 64
4th Vickie Mechling Colorado Sagebrush 42

Open
1st Don Drone For Sale 84
2nd Don Drone Untitled 85
3rd Olga Khokhlova Fashion Time 61
4th Judi Barr International Charm 38

People
1st Arlene Puralewski Quinn at Park 3
2nd Vickie Mechling Goldminer 41
3rd Janet Fawley Honor and Courage 31
4th Olga Khokhlova Mother and Child 63

Youth

Kaylee Ervin Reflections 78
Tristan Kizer Reflections 67
Tristan Kizer The Forseers 68
Nicholas Kizer Shade Tree 71

Best in Show: Ryan Buck On the Dock 7
Youth Best in Show: Kaylee Ervin Reflections 78
Judges Award #1 John Troxler Hummer Tongue 11
Judges Award #2 Ryan Buck On the Dock 7
Honorable Mention Dale Sullivan Peggy's Cove 19
Honorable Mention Ryan Buck Metal Church 6

Luke Sparks

Little Luke didn't really enjoy his second portrait session with us. He seemed to really hate having the big shiny round thing pointed at his face. Every time I brought my camera up to my face he started squealing. It was kind of comical, but of course I felt bad for him. For all he knew my camera was some awful medical device designed to make his life miserable. We got some really cute shots and after about an hour of trying he finally figured out it wasn't so bad getting portraits made. Either that or we wore him out and he just gave up out of sheer exhaustion. I'm ok with either one.

I was so wrong!

I made a comment a few weeks ago about how the senior season was "winding down." I'd like to go on record now and say nothing could be further from the truth. I've never photographed so many people back to back to back like this before! It's really awesome. The only downside is I've had so much work to do I haven't had a chance to choose images for my gallery and I haven't had any time at all to blog about my most recent work. I also had a wedding about a week ago and I haven't had a chance to blog about it either. I'm so sorry the blog is being neglected, but as a photographer I'm absolutely ecstatic that I've got enough photography to keep me busy from morning till night. As soon as things slow down I'll try to get caught up on all of the shoots I haven't blogged about. Sorry everyone, but thanks to everyone out there that is making it impossible to blog! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Nathan's Senior Portraits

I haven't done any cool edgy portraits all year so it was really exciting working with Nathan yesterday. He had some really good ideas for poses and we put them together on some of the dilapidated buildings in down town Logansport. We created some extremely interesting portraits, one of which I'm planning on entering in a contest this month. This portrait is one of my favorites, we broke all of the rules for a good portrait and it turned out amazing.

Brittany's Senior Portraits

We had a nice studio session this weekend with Brittany, and got some amazing portraits. We also tried to get some shots in the Berry Patch up at the high school, but it really didn't look that great, photographically speaking. The floor of the forest is mostly just dirt and fallen over trees. Nothing green anywhere except 200 feet up in the trees. We decided to postpone the outdoor stuff and find a more picturesque spot. I'll be sure to post some in the gallery once we schedule the second session.

Kayla's Senior Portraits

I have to say that even though I really enjoy photography and I'm willing to put up with almost anything just to have the chance to do it, I'm so so happy the weather is cooling off and I don't have to put up with oppressive heat and humidity. Last nights shoot with Kayla was just a real pleasure. A gentle breeze was blowing the whole time which not only felt wonderful, but it also blew her hair around a bit giving her shots a really dynamic feeling. We spent some time walking around downtown getting some grungy portraits then we spent a half an hour or so at Spencer Park posing on and around her parent's motorcycles. It was really fun and we got some great shots, to see more check out my High School Senior's gallery.

Bethany Sager's Senior Portraits

I'm having such a blast with Seniors this year. No matter how many times you use a spot for portraits each person brings something unique to it. Bethany really rocked it on the railroad bridge and even though we do portraits there a couple of times every year, she got some truly unique shots. We got really good stuff at every spot we stopped, from Little Turtle all the way back up to my studio. The seasons starting to wind down, but I've got plenty of evenings free if you still need to schedule your senior portraits. I'm pretty sure I'm booked every weekend for the rest of September though, so unless you're willing to wait an evening will have to do.

More Senior Portraits

It's been a crazy couple of weeks but it looks like it's finally slowing down a bit. We had a lot of fun this weekend with Nathan posing on his dad's old Ford Tudor. Talk about a great old car and they had an even better old barn full of antique farm equipment. We got some really neat dramatic shots inside the barn, they were so full of texture, rough wood, rusty metal, straw, and pretty much everything in between.

Lamar's Senior Portraits

Well I guess senior portrait season is here in earnest. I've been averaging 3 seniors a week all month long and it's been great. I had a lot of fun with LaMar. She kept things simple with just a few outfit changes, but we made the best of it. We got great portraits in all of the scenes we made in the studio and out at her dad's house along the river. She did an awesome job posing all I had to do was snap the shots. If you still need your senior portraits taken give us a call and we can talk about any ideas you have and how to make those ideas a reality.

Tee's Senior Portraits

We got a huge variety of portraits last night out on Tee's farm and back in the studio. We covered everything from his yellow truck to a big stack of hay all the way back to football portraits and then some casual street clothes shots. It was a fun ride that's for sure and we got some amazing portraits. I know they're going to have a hard time choosing the best ones because they're all so good.

Brittany's Senior Portraits

We had a nice quick jaunt up the creek at France Park for Brittany's senior portraits. The bedrock makes the neatest little water falls that are much more photogenic than the large waterfall that everyone always thinks of for their portraits. We got some really good shots then headed back to the studio for some fun casual shots.

Hanna's Senior Portraits

I had a ton of fun, and almost a heart attack, doing Hanna's senior portraits. Talk about a muggy humid day. It was so oppressive I actually had to stop halfway through and take a break. We got some really amazing shots though, and considering most of the outdoor shots look like they were taken in the Amazon, I guess the humidity was just part of the effect. It was a relief to get back to the studio though for her final portraits.

I love newborns!

After all of the toddlers I've done recently it was wonderful to get a nice sleeping 2 week old in. Aside from keeping the studio warm enough to keep the little guy comfortable this session was a breeze. The shots are super cute too, we did some with nice blue blankets and also a few with our angel wings.

Josh is Two!

Ahh, two year olds. Do I have to say anything more? It's great that they're developing minds of their own, but boy it does not help when taking portraits. We tried everything to get little Josh to sit, stand, or kneel in front of my lights for a portrait or two. He fought us every step of the way, but we got the last laugh. I didn't make more than 30 exposures, but we got about half a dozen really cute shots. This one is my favorite, but there were a couple of really cute smiles that mom really loved.

Missy and Justin's Wedding

I had a great time in Indianapolis photographing Missy and Justin's wedding. It was ridiculously hot, but we all managed to get some great shots in and around the church. The garden was just beautiful and Missy and Justin couldn't keep their hands off each other. Their portraits really capture how truly in love they are, anyone that looks through their gallery can see it. Congratulations you two!

4-H Fair Week

It's that time again, the Cass County 4-H Fair is in full swing. If you've been wanting to see some samples of my work close up come on out to merchant building number 2 and see my booth. I've got a dozen of my finest samples on display as well as all of last years sample coffee table books. I had a blast last night meeting so many people, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the week. I hope to see all of you there.

Meagan and Matthew

I don't know what is going on with this crazy Indiana weather, but what started as a bleak stormy day turned into a gorgeous day for a wedding. Meagn and Matthew had a beautiful ceremony in Kokomo, Indiana for what seemed to be most of the county. That was by far the biggest guest list I've seen this season. It was a beautiful huge church though, so it wasn't an issue at all. We had a lot of fun and, of course, we got some awesome images. Here's to a lifetime of happiness!

Eric's Senior Portraits

Even with all of the rain we've gotten lately, we didn't achieve our exact goal of getting some good shots muddin', but we did get some good shots of Eric zipping around a pasture kicking up dirt and grass. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day although, after the sun came out it was still so early in the evening it was a bit bright and a tad on the warm side. We got some really great shots though showing all of the things Eric loves, his trucks, his trophies, his trucks, his cattle, his trucks, his bulldog, his trucks, and his semi truck. Here is my favorite of the montages I desingned for him, you can check out the rest in my gallery.

Ian's 4 year Portraits

Ian is a long time customer of mine and we've had some good times and we've had some bad times. I was starting to think he just didn't like me, until last night. We posed for a couple of studio shots and he was really into it. He was all about being a part of the creative process. We got half a dozen good shots to choose from, but then we left the studio to get some outdoor shots. It was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. He was no longer a part of the process. Despite his wanting to go play, run around, be free, and just in general be a 4 year old boy, we got a couple of pretty good shots. The one I added to my gallery is a super cute casual pose on an outdoor chair surrounded by raspberries. So I guess all's well that ends well.

Photographer's Daughter

I don't know how it is for other photographer's children, but I have not gotten a good portrait of my daughter since she was 8 months old. As soon as she got really comfortable being photographed, and she got used to the studio as a second home, all bets were off. She knows where the fun props are and she loves hiding between the hanging backdrops. Every time we've tried a new portrait with her in the last 2 years she's ran the gamut from extremely disobedient to playfully uncooperative. Don't ask me how we did it, but somehow we snapped this gem. I can only assume my wife offered her a million Barbie dolls if she would smile for one picture. At this point, I'm so happy to have a great portrait of her that I might just buy them for her.

Congratulations Crystal and Matt!

Well it was a whirlwind of a day. I think I've said that already this season, but I didn't know the definition of whirlwind until this weekend. The church was in use for baptisms until noon, which was exactly when we needed to start the formals to be done by 2pm for the ceremony. The people in the church got out at exactly noon. Then when the ceremony finished and we started doing the combined formals people started arriving for the church's afternoon mass. I think we got out of there just in time. It was a lovely ceremony though, and such a huge guest list, we put the Memorial Home to the test for the reception that's for sure. Seeing Crystal and Matt interacting throughout the day, it's obvious they are going to be together forever. Congratulations you two.

First Album of the Season

I just finished the design for my first coffee table book for 2008. I think it turned out really well. Kristin had such fun bold colors the album turned out extremely bold. It really has a lot of personality and it's a really exciting design. You can check out the entire design in my wedding album gallery.

Congratulations Abby and Luke!

I had a lot of fun with Abby and Luke and their families. It was really a joy to be a part of their day. It was a really lovely ceremony and a rocking good reception. I wish you guys all the best in your new life together.

Dylan and Kelsey

We had a nice fairly relaxing shoot on Saturday with these two. Kelsey did wonderful for her first professional photo shoot. Dylan on the other hand had his own agenda. We ended up just letting him wander around the studio until he finally found his way to the shooting area. We took what shots we could until his dad had a great idea. He tossed him up in the air 3 times, then on the third time he set him down in front of the camera and I took a shot. We did this 3 times and we got one really great shot. Unfortunately dad has been complaining of a sore back ever since. Small price to pay for portraits that will last a lifetime I guess. I'm just glad it's not my back.