Ben, Kelli, Hannah, Logan and Luke were home for the weekend, so I grabbed a few minutes of their time to get a few photographs. We had hoped to get all three children in one shot, but Logan was tired, arrived asleep, and was in no mood for my strobes blasting him in the face. While Ben reasoned with him just beyond the shot, I got this image.

Later, we noticed that Luke was enjoying his time in my Papasan chair. So we turned the strobes off, moved a continuous light into place, upped the ISO on the camera, mounted it on a tripod, and salvaged the following photograph from the session. It isn't perfect! I don't like the way the shadows fall beside their faces, but I love the angelic expressions on their faces. Luke is doing what three month-olds do: his hands obscure his cute little mouth, but we got some great images of him solo later.

What is Love?

According to Erika, "Love is something always present. It is something familial, platonic, and romantic. Love is acceptance and care, understanding and honesty. Love is warmth."

Last evening, Erika's family came for their photo session and I tried out the new parabolic light system I recently got. I used the parabolic light as the main light source, placed 45 degrees from the family and about six feet from them. On the same side, I used a narrow softbox, high and slightly behind them, but about 3 feet out from the parabolic and aimed at their backs/sides. Directly perpendicular to them on the opposite side, I placed a large reflector.

The first shot was of a white target that I used for custom white balance in the camera. We took fifteen shots, of two poses and were done. They chose their favorite and I worked my magic on it. Fastest photo session of my life! Erika is a fabulous student, person, and writer. It is a pleasure to be her art teacher; photographing her family is a sweet bonus.

Adron and Logan are big buddies! They remind me of Adron with Ben when he was a child. I caught this image recently while they thought we were between takes. As is often the case, these spontaneous photographs turn out to be our favorites. It will always remind us of of the bond between Logan and his Papa, and bring back many memories of all our children.

The verse I put on the photograph is Proverbs 17:6 paraphrased. The King James Version is as follows:
Children's children are the crown of old men;
and the glory of children are their fathers.

I didn't think Adron would want me to insinuate that he is an old man, but wanted to use the verse since it goes so well with the interaction between he and Logan. Our grandchildren truly are stars in our crowns; their parents bless us daily. God is good, all the time.

Ben, Kelli, Hannah and Logan from a recent session

Here's a montage of Kelli's picks from the session. It can be printed on canvas, mounted on canvas, artboard or a standout mount. I have examples of all these at the studio. It's all about choice at pbh Art, Inc.

Birthday Montage

I had such fun photographing Logan to commemorate his second birthday that I couldn't decide which photos I liked best! Since I love making montages anyway, that was the perfect solution to the choice problem.

We're preparing for Logan High School’s third annual Spring Arts Festival. The festival, a collaboration between the school’s art, creative writing, and band departments, will feature a variety of artistic creations. The festival will be held Thursday, April 2nd, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at Logan High School. Refreshments will be served in the cafeteria. There is no charge for admission, but a donation of a can of food or $1, to support the LHS Prayer Club’s annual Easter canned food drive, is appreciated.

The Festival will feature the work of student artists from my classroom in a gallery walk display. A variety of original art work will be available for purchase, including original drawings, prints, and 3" buttons. Students will be on hand to discuss their creative processes. The creative writing department, under the direction of Tracy Baisden, will host poetry readings every 20 minutes. As well as individual poetry there will be group poetry events during the evening. The band department, under the direction of Marty Ojeda, will present a variety of soloists, duets, and small ensembles in performance throughout the night. The public is invited to attend, and refreshments will be served.

Drawing by Emily Copley.