Penning Photography Daily

Ben and Lauren like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

They exited from their wedding ceremony with the theme to the movie blasting over the church sound system.

I expected a rope swing at one point. =)

For their formals, they had two swashbuckling swords.

A bit of humor and fun at a formal occasion.

From last weekend’s wedding of Ben & Lauren.

The dressing room for the bride and her maids was a 10 by 10 foot room. With me in there, it was close!

Jessica, one of Lauren’s bridesmaids, helps Lauren put on her wedding shoes.

The light coming in off the window was bright and smoothed out by the curtains. I wanted to get Lauren’s face and dress, drenched by that light.

I tried several different was of processing, and liked this cool blue cross-process effect.

It is opposite the glaring, blistering hot south Missouri Summer sun, which had us all dripping.

Perhaps that’s why I like the cool effect. =)

Dan came to help me record my father-in-law Tom, on the occasion of his last formal concert with the Springfield Municipal Band.

Tom’s been playing with them for 45 years, and has been their music librarian for 37 of those years.

Tom decided that he’d rather go out on tom of his game, at 80.

During last night’s concert, Tom opened the program by singing the Star Spangled Banner – the US National anthem. The piece has a broad range and is hard for most singers to get right. Tom hit all his notes, especially the highest ones at “and the rocket’s red glare” which is way up there.

Tom sang “My Way” as made famous by singer Frank Sinatra. It was an apt song for his last concert. Tom retired, his way.

Jaci was full of energy, despite the 96F temp with high humidity.

She and her cousin Phillip (also known as James to his buds), were my subjects for a recent family session.

This is one of those “OMG I can’t believe I caught that” moments.

Jaci didn’t settle down once.

For this photo, I had the settings for speed (Tv) and light (Av) pre-set. I one-handed framed, hit the auto-focus and shutter while holding the camera down at my side, following Jaci around.

Turned out nice.

That’s part of the joy of post-processing. Seeing the beauty which was so fleeting that I didn’t see it at the moment.

Time in a bottle. =)

Sunset on the Prairie Soybean Fields

On my way to a client meeting to discuss their upcoming sunrise wedding (There is a sunrise?), I stopped and admired the farmer’s fields.

Soybeans surrounded by fields of corn. Corn is a big crop this year, with the push for biofuels – ethanol.

The vast acreage growing these two crops is staggering.

I liked the late afternoon sunlight, just prior to sunset, lighting up the corn as it turns from a deep green to eventually a dry brown, driving out the water to just the right moisture level for harvesting.

If you’re just seeing the bean photo, take a look at the full set on Flickr.

We were beat.

Weddings are like marathons to me.

Friday night rehearsal, Saturday preparations, Wedding and Reception.

Whew!

I took this while we sat in the hotel lobby, waiting for a member of our crew.

We went out for dinner when we were finished with the wedding reception. None of us had eaten much of anything all day.

The hotel is a mixture.

It used to be a first class hotel in the 1980′s when it first opened.

It is in the beginnings of being completely re-made into a modern hotel.

My room had what may have been the ultimate back in the day: a 12 inch black and white TV bolted to a corner of the bathroom vanity. ???

Hotel management seems to agree that they need to let folks know of what’s in store. There were interior design layouts, complete with photos, artists representations, and fabric, tile and paint samples, showing what’s in store.

Things are looking up!

Lauren and Ben – Lauren’s idea, Ben’s delight. =)

Lauren wanted this particular composition. Really, she did!.

Near the end of the evening, I asked Ben and Lauren if there was any other photo they wanted, since this is a once in a lifetime event.

When I said, this is your last time to have your wedding photo taken, Lauren’s eyes lit up.

She knew what she wanted.

Ben’s groomsmen assisted, if not whole-heartedly, at least with good humor.

Works for me!