been to tower grove park?

Fall in St. Louis was a bit short this year as far as color goes. Except in Tower Grove Park, where I guess the buildings nearby and the tall perimeter trees protect some of the smaller, vibrant inner ones. If that's why Craig and Marianne chose to have their engagement photos taken there, it was smart. If it was by pure chance or for convenience based on that evening's plans, then good fortune is simply on their side.

It's been dry in St. Louis this fall, which is why the color was more muted than it has been in other years (again, I assume). Still, the locations they chose didn't necessarily need the vibrancy of a traditional fall shoot -- that park is great because of its unique structures and trees and lake. And, on top of it all, when it comes down to it, it's probably 1/5 location and 4/5 the attitude and the people involved. Congrats, you two. Not on the 4/5 part, but on the engagement... this is a somewhat-stressful-but-oh-so-exciting time!

Sweaters and Hairbows

One of the last warm days of fall brought us these beautiful family pics at Quail Ridge Park in Lake St Louis. Looking precious J, J and J!
And about the photos? Image 1: 50mm, with about 10 feet of separation between foreground and background and an average f stop of 5.6. Image 2: 120mm and fill flash to compensate for the sun's positioning. Image 3: 70mm and 200 ISO, with the sun at about 11 o'clock overhead.

PS, you're invited ...

Photos by Ben Munson.

so soon, the snow

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It's fall. And for the most part, it's felt like it. Occasional warm days, occasional cool ones. Breezy, sometimes gusty. Sunny, with sunsets that glow. But from the looks and sounds of it outside right now, that's all about to change. The cold is coming. Winter's still 30 days away, but somehow I don't think that matters.

So, here's to hot chocolate and happy holidays!* Glad we squeezed in a few more sessions over the past few weeks. Here's a sneak peek at some of the shots ... (Too many to discuss lenses and lighting and cameras, but if you have a question about one of them, don't hesitate to ask!)




* Here's to Becca and Marlie, as well, for standing strong for a string of shoots when I was, well, let's just say, less than healthy. Photo #9 is one of M's shots.

growing and growing and...

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The Missouri River Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just keeps on growing, this time thanks to our neighbors (well, sort of) Trent and Daniele. Congrats on the new addition!

Los Fish

Unsure whether there is a cuter "School of Fish" in the Northern Hemisphere. (We'll investigate and get back to you.) A quick shout out to our friend and lighting specialist, Marlie Hoyt, for helping make this shoot a success!

Years and years in the making

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You'd never know it, but the Finnegans have never had a family photo taken. Well, okay, so that's not entirely true, if you count the "everyone dressed up and in the studio," as they put it. But as far as trudging out into the long, itchy grass, under the bright sun, and battling chilly temps, this was definitely a first.

Most of the shots here were taken with a 70-200mm lens and our Canon 5D, various lighting arrangements. More to come...

The art of interpretation is not to play what is written.

family's in town

It's always so nice to have family in town. Hanging out. Going around town finding wacky places to eat. Good conversation. Good to catch up.

But you don't get anything done! Still: we wouldn't change it for the world. In the few, random, spare moments, we've done a little photo work, and here's a sneak peek of one recent outing: