Laura in the Winter, December 2007

In stark contrast to our first photo shoot, frolicking on the hillsides behind her house in the heat of the summer, this photo shoot was done in the frigid cold of this never-ending winter that we seem to finally be emerging from. We were able to bear about 3 minutes total out in the Arctic blast before were driven back indoors to finish our shoot in front of Laura's fireplace.

By the way, I have to mention- Laura has the most beautiful smile I have ever seen on anyone!

Tifini and her Kids, December 2007

Are you living a life devoid of challenges?  Well then let me give you a recommendation to spice things up a little: try doing a photo shoot with a hyperactive 2-year-old.

Now Tifini herself, and her older daughter, could not have been easier to work with.  The older daughter especially; she was a little ham.  If anything, the challenge with her was to get her to STOP posing.

But the younger daughter was another matter entirely.   This kid would NOT... SIT... STILL!  As soon as you set her down she was off like a rocket.  The only way we could get any pictures of her was to set up a triangular human-being corral, with her mother and a grandparent at each corner, and me wandering around the middle and different points along the periphery. 

As she ran from person to person, I had to snap pictures, trying to zoom in close enough to capture her alone, without any cars or people or anything else in the background.  Our hour-long shoot stretched out to about 3 hours.  But in the end, I was thrilled with the outcome, so it was all worth it. 

If nothing else, I proved to myself that I can shoot pictures of just about any kid you can hand me.

And anyway, she was cute, so it was worth the whole ordeal!

Carol Draney Shoot, November 2007

Imagine my elation and joy when my best friend ever asked me to come and take her family pictures this past November! Carol and I and the kids jumped in the car and headed over by Utah Lake to play in the rushes and snap a few shots in the middle of the street. And to cap it all off, I got a KISS FROM CAROL! Oh hell yes. I love Carol.

The Sheila Shoot (October 2007)

This was a landmark photo shoot for me. For the very first time, I looked at my pictures afterwards and I said to myself, "ahhh... I have arrived. I am a professional photographer."

I tried a few new tricks with daytime flash and lighting and angles that I hadn't picked up from anyone else, but rather came up with all on my own, and frankly I think they came out great!

And Sheila... let us not forget Sheila. To use words like "spunky" and "firecracker" to describe Sheila seem almost trite, although largely accurate. As small as she is in size, it seems like there ought to be larger, more beautiful words in the language to describe her. Sheila is a one-of-a-kind, and the kind that leaves an indelible imprint on your memory. She made this shoot what it was.

Sheri (and her kids?) June 2007

This started off as a family-portrait photo shoot for Sheri and her kids, but the kids just weren't having it that day. So rather than waste a trip to their place, Sheri and I just had fun doing an impromptu shoot in her backyard, which, as it turns out, provided us with some fun backdrops. Plus, come on, look at her! What guy isn't going to want to spend an hour hanging out with HER??

Kim's Senior Pictures, May 2007

Apparently happy with all the pictures I had taken for her in the past month, Tiffany referred me to Kim for her Senior Pictures. This was my first photo shoot with my Sony A100 SLR Camera, so I hadn't quite figured out all the bells and whistles and settings and whatnot. That being said, I'm going to pat myself on the back for a job well done.

Now look, let me make some comments here. First off, I know how cliche' the peeking-around-a-tree pictures are, but as a photographer, I realize that sometimes people want that cliche' shot along with all the rest of the pictures you're taking of them. Also, I'm well aware that the shot of her walking up a road in her cap and gown is a little hokey, but I'll put money down that it wasn't half as hokey as the "long road to success" line that assuredly appeared in the commencement address at her graduation.

And last, just for fun, I threw in a shot of Tiff that I captured at random, and just liked how it turned out.

All in all I was very pleased with how these came out, given the potential for disaster that existed. Kim seemed very pleased too.