Sarah & Matt

Several months ago I contributed some things to a fund raising silent auction held by Crave café. They needed to replace windows and get air conditioning. I’m glad to say they were successful, especially with the way this summer has been. One of the things I donated was a gift certificate for a free session. Last month the winner got a hold of me. They only had a small window of time to have the photos done with their busy schedule or we would need to wait until next year. Luckily we were able to work things out and meet up.

The photo shoot was a nice little one-year anniversary gift to themselves. I thought it was a great idea. After engagement / wedding photos most people wait until they have kids before they get professional family portraits done. This was a really nice excuse to get out and enjoy each other’s company all while ending up with nice photos.

We started at Forest Park and ended up in the Central West End for ice cream. I really enjoyed hanging out with these two. They did a great job being comfortable and letting their personalities show through, even with a camera hovering over them. There’s obviously a lot of love there.

  

The Evolution of the Snapshot

There’s a cautionary story I’ve heard a few times over the last several years. Set many years in the future a family is rummaging through some old things in an attic. The children pick up a disc in a case and ask their mom what it is? She says oh, that’s your great grandparent’s wedding photos. When they ask to see them she tells them they can’t because it’s an old format we don’t use anymore.

It’s the sort of thing those of us who “grew up” on film have wondered about from time to time. Although anymore it really seems obvious that you just keep track of the photo files you care about and make sure they’re organized and updated, some people think the answer is to print hard copies of all your photos. I think that response comes simply from a nostalgic place where people miss seeing prints of all their shots.

At first glance, it had seemed like digital cameras were causing people to care less about their photos. You see people deleting photos off their camera because the card just got full. When they do upload them to a computer they forget where they put them. A hard drive crashes & everything’s gone. When I stop to think about it though, I realize that people don’t take worse care of their photos than they did before. I’m reminded of the sight of my aunt’s junk drawer full of undeveloped rolls of film. Years old. At a friend’s house finding photos stuck to each other because they’ve just been hanging out on a dresser amongst soda cans and other who knows what. Holes poked in them and the edges curled up on a bulletin board. Some people have never taken care of them. It just wasn’t so in my face.

That I think is the main evolution of the snapshot. Before, we took those pictures for ourselves. The main idea is to get a stack of prints and put them away in the photo album, which is put away on a bookshelf or in a closet. Sometimes you get it out and look at it & even less often is there an occasion to show someone else. Now we take pictures to post online for everyone to see. People seem much more interested than they ever were looking at your photo albums. We take more pictures and we share more pictures. That’s a good thing. It may be harder for me to make a living off it (which is a whole other topic) but I really do like how when I look at it from this other perspective it seems that people care more about their photos now, really.

That being said, I still print snapshots, write on the back and put them away in my photo albums. There’s just something about pulling a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages of your life.

I am the ice cream man.

So I came across an ad looking for ice cream vendors and thought why the hell not?

I've always loved the ice cream truck. Still, hearing the tune echo through my neighborhood gets my heart racing and I have to remind myself I don't actually want an ice cream bar right now. Also, truck or not, ice cream may be my very favorite food. It's at least my feel good food. When I told my husband I would be doing this he begged me not to eat all the profits with a genuinely concerned look on his face.

Some people have made the comment, as though it needed to be said, that I should be sure to take lots of photos and document my summer on the truck. I have every intention of attempting this, although there are a lot of things to consider. The main thing is that I'd look like a total creep taking pictures of anything out of an ice cream truck. Any photos of any kids would be totally out of the question. I won't even think of it. Not to mention, it's forbidden (because they know you wont sell ice cream looking like a creep). But even photos of anything else could make people suspicious. I'd probably wonder what that undercover person in the ice cream truck is really up to.

So if I can come up with something inconspicuous and preferably retaining some quality I'd love to properly document my summer. In the meantime I've snapped a few shots with my p.o.s. cell phone.

[My office]

[bees]

The mirrors on this thing give me every angle on and around the truck.

[Apartment complex]



The Milton Schoolhouse

Some days it's easy to let myself be in a grumpy mood. Stressed out, tired, what have you. It happens to all of us. But then other days I'm reminded of just how fortunate I am to do the things I love professionally. This is one of those examples.

I've you've followed this blog you have already met Meredith when we ran around taking pictures for Midnight Boudoir (If not, you can go back & find it). Her and her fiance Joel own a building up the street from me that used to be a school, and then an art glass factory. For quite some time the place has been sitting there mostly unused. Like anyone else I've talked to about it, I was thrilled to find out that someone was fixing the place up but even more so when I met them and learned all about what they're doing. Meredith can tell it much better than I can so I suggest you check out the Milton School's website where you can find out about events they have but also read the blog dating back to the start of the project. It's pretty entertaining.

 http://www.vivantproject.com/

They needed some photos for various promotional purposes and I'm honored and thrilled to be able to help them document their progress. A little while ago I was able to wander around the building to capture it. I couldn't help but tell myself man, I have a pretty great job. 

Tassels & Tunes - May 2011

I just wanted to share some of the photos from this past Tassels & Tunes show.

For the tunes portion of the show this month was J Boozer. He was a pretty good time.

Gogo knows what they want.

Gabriella & Matt's Wedding

Matt, Gabe & their friends & family were all a great bunch of people to spend the day with. Everyone was a lot of fun and they really seem to be good for each other.

I couldn't have asked for a more smiley bride. The corners of her mouth were ear to ear all day. Her face muscles must have still been sore into the next day.

The ceremony was at the Conservatory in St. Charles. It was my first opportunity to photograph there. The place is beautiful. You get the feeling of an outdoor wedding with the comfort and confidence of still being inside. The reception hall was also a first time for me and a great place as well. It was at the Franklin Room down in Soulard. A fantastic old building in a fantastic old area. There's so much character down there.

I thought I'd do a slide show this time. It seems to be a good way to follow through the day. Plus this way you get to see a lot more photos. Enjoy!

Those Randy Dandies...

...They're up to it again.

This show's story revolved around Swifty Deeds' quest for a new job.

Here he is loosing his job and loosing his shirt.

This show was at The Gaslight Theater on Gaslight Square. The area has a very interesting history. If you're not familiar, there's some info on the theater's website and here on the square's official website. The theater is small & intimate. A great place to see a show like this.

Swifty made a few visits to the career counselors at the Randy Dandy House of Unemployment and during his visits we got to see examples of different types of careers.  

 Riveting Rosy Riveters, and an astronaut.

In the end, Swifty decided he wanted to join the Navy and there was much rejoicing.

(You can see all my photos from the show on my facebook page)

The next show these guys have lined up is a choose your own adventure theme. I can't wait to see what they do for that one. Really, the prospect of sexy dinosaurs alone is enough to get me there and that I was given. Keep up with them here to find out details of their upcoming shows & whatnot.