Home Town Pride

21^st Century Burlesque’s top 50 of 2011 recently came out and as I spend probably too much time following links and watching videos I think about how we are probably pretty spoiled here in St. Louis. Any show I could go see at just about any time around here has performers just as good as the best on the list. Several have made the list but even those that aren’t yet as recognized or even new to the game perform with real quality.

In 2010 I took a trip to New Orleans. My travel companions and myself went out to see a burlesque show and band one night we were there. Our overall take on it was that it was ok but not great. Kinda meh. We didn’t do a lot of research and it’s understandable to figure we happened across an amateur show. The thing is though, that wont happen in St. Louis. I’m not entirely sure why, but there is an incredible community here. I suspect it might have something to do with the Van Ella Studio. All the new performers seem to go through there and a lot of those that have been around a while teach or spend time there. I don’t think there is anything stopping people from just putting on a show, but no one seems to want to do that outside of the community.

The result is that if you’re seeing someone perform for the first time it’s amongst a show full of veterans. They’re all so supportive of each other and as the audience, we really reap the benefits. 



Emma's 1 Month Photos

One month and one week to be exact.

And she did great! Emma & her sister Anna are both so easy to take pictures of. She slept through some, woke up for some, but never fussed.

Robots Invade Our Living Room

Tiny cardboard robots.

The Wedding at Milton

My previous post talks about the bridal portraits we did for this wedding. Now here is the wedding itself.

As the photographer I had the privilege of witnessing Joel & Meredith's ceremony. Something otherwise reserved for only a few close family members. It was one of the most touching and personal ceremonies I've seen yet.

Because they live in a school that's being remodeled for various uses there was no need to find an event space elsewhere. It just meant priority was placed on getting the areas they would use up & ready before working on anything else.

 

 
Just because the ceremony was intimate doesn't mean everyone else they care about was left out. The next day they had a party where many more were invited. This is something I've seen happening much more lately. If my personal experience stands for anything the new trend is to split up the ceremony and reception into two days. I would be hard pressed to call this particular day two a reception though. There were no typical wedding reception events. No first dances or bouquet tosses. What it had was BBQ, pinatas, contests, a bonfire, fireworks, etc. A very appropriate celebration for two of the most creative people I know.

Another Day at Milton School

“Have I told you what I was thinking about for my [bridal portraits] yet?”

“Just that you want to use a chicken.”

She tells me & I can feel myself lighting up with eagerness. Not just because it’s an awesome idea, but also because I can totally previsualize just what I want to do as soon as she says it. 

                                                              .   .   .

The day starts by wrangling said chickens. We get one little fuzzy looking chicken and one large colorful chicken. The small one was easy but the other made us chase her all around the courtyard for I don’t even know how long. Finally Meredith pulls some move crawling under a table and reaching back out to snatch it by the legs. If only there were someone to take pictures of us doing that.

While Meredith gets ready and I check light and locations one chicken waits in a cat carrier and the other in a dog kennel. The cats and dogs were very interested.

When it came down to it, I shot several versions on my DSLR finding what would work best and settling into my vision. When I found it I unloaded my view camera and made a couple shots on that.

It’s been said that success is when you can no longer tell the difference between the work you’re hired for and your art. This is the best example I’ve had of that so far. I couldn't be more thrilled. 



It's All Happening

I've neglected you, blog. I'm sorry.

There was a road trip. My heart lies in road trips.

There will be details of the adventure soon, as soon as I get something put together. There will also be posts on all the things I was doing just before and after the trip. I've been a busy bee.

Bad People Do Good Things 2

We're coming up on that time of year again. Walking through the stores you're bound to come across a fair amount of orange & black. Time to start thinking about your costume and which bags of candy you'll go with this year. Hopefully you'll find yourself with many things to do this season and I have one that's a must.

Saturday, October 22nd the Alton Undead will be hosting their second annual blood drive at the Jacoby Art Center, "Bad People Do Good Things." If this year proves to be anything like last year it's sure to be the most awesome blood drive you've ever been to. How on earth can a blood drive be awesome you might ask? Well, first of all, you'll get some real food. The Red Cross still brings their arsenal of crackers & cookies but the Alton Undead makes sure to have more than just that on hand. Last year there was more than enough brought in from sponsors Jimmy Johns and Papa Johns. Second, for donating you'll get a shirt that you actually want to wear out. Third, they'll have entertainment. While waiting to donate, or if you just want to hang out after you can catch a free concert right in the same room. And finally, there will be zombies! How can you beat that?

The drive runs from 1:00 until 6:00 pm. Unless you want to hang out it shouldn't take much of your day so even if you have something else going on that day odds are if you're in the area you can stop by for a bit & help a good cause. This is the link for the Facebook event. If you have a Facebook account and know you'll be going please click the attending button. This is the first time the Red Cross in the area will look to social networking to gauge their numbers to find out how much staff and supplies they'll bring. This may be due to the fact that last year we had more people show up to donate than were able to. Go Alton Undead!

(All these photos are from last year's blood drive.)