Last evening we went to an event that has been held in Sioux City for the past 10 years, the Krewe de Charlie Sioux Marde Gras Gala Festivale. It is a night of costumes, friendship, music and fun. Here is a photograph Eric captured last night using a technique known as backlighting.

Two friends are doing what is commonly known as "chimping" over a photograph. We call it chimping because the common response is "Ooo,ooo!" We had a great time and it was great to see everybody!

On a tradgic note, we lost a friend.Farewell, Frank. You were one of the good guys. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and co-workers.

Sometimes, time gives you the answers and sometimes, not having answers gives you time. It's rare when you have both. Sometimes there are no exact answers, but many possible solutions. It is my philosophy that time is the most precious gift we have and using that time is positively is the best way to live life. I'm going to end this philosophical babbling by borrowing a phrase from a groom we worked with last year, Eric, who ended all his emails with: "Make it a great day!" because it is the only 'today' you have!

We are getting into the warm, wedding, senior season and things are heating up! We have taken some wonderful images of seniors and weddings.

Latham Park was the venue for the wedding on Saturday. It is always beautiful there! They had their reception at the Convention Center and it’s safe to say we were all glad for the air conditioning. The bride wore tennis shoes and it was awesome! They didn’t get their engagement setting so they came two days before the wedding in all their finery and we did bride and groom portraiture. Both are recent graduates from Morningside College, so go Mustangs! (I’m an alumnus, too This is a very romantic engagement image.

In the mist of this, we lost a man we were able to call friend. While we mourn his loss, we were lucky to have had him share space and Sunday coffee for several years.

But on a happier note, a couple of friends of ours recently adopted a cat named Jack. She sent a photograph so I am sharing their new family member.

We were adopted by a beautiful, six toed pregnant cat that showed up on the doorstep last week and after several unsuccessful attempts to get her to move on down the road, she has decided to stay. Her name is Karma. Only time will tell if it is good karma or bad karma.

AJ (our daughter-in-law) stopped by the house on Friday around 5:30 p.m. She was going down to Awesome Biker Nights to see Beau (our son). She asked if I would like to go to, and before she could say “Biker Nights”, I grabbed the camera and I was heading for the door!

I don’t know if you all noticed in Denise’s blog about our headboard that we made, but that is my chopper in the background. My son and I have been working on it for the last two years. It is suppose to be a low budget bike. If you spread thousands of dollars out over several year’s it will not hurt so bad. Wait a minute that sounds like a bike payment.

I took a couple of photos and I visited many friends. In fact, it took us almost three hours to walk four blocks. It was great seeing everybody.

I always like to look for abstract photoart during a time like this. I really enjoy the sculptured look of metal and chrome in a black and white image.

I only saw a few handcrafted choppers; mostly it was a sea of brand new motorcycles. I did get to meet a guy by the name of Harley from Jefferson Chop Shop. He has a small shop in Jefferson and does some incredible work. I have decided to have him re-weld some stuff on my bike.

AJ and I had a great time. Next year I can take my bike down. Maybe it will be done!

Anytime your working with a mother to be, a certain amount of sensitivity is required. She will be in a semi-nude state and unsure about how to pose flattering. My son and daughter in law stopped by for some maternity portraits and this is one of our end results. I think this portrait reflects their personality and their intimacy.

Gerber daisies are difficult for me to grow. I shared this with one of our brides who happens to garden and she said she had great luck with them. She recently sent me some images of her artwork of her gerber daisies. For those who don't know me, I am a flower nut. Mix some photography with that and you have a cocktail of complete contentment! I asked to share them and she agreed I could share them on the blog. She did a very nice job of growing these flowers and the photographs are awesome as well, love the spot coloring and text.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads, past, present and future! Where would the world be without strong men to make a child feel special!

Last night we went to have supper at Beijing Restaurant on Floyd Blvd. We took our camera as we were going to meet some family from out of town. During our supper, the manager, Wei, came over and started a conversation about our camera and photography. He took classes in photography and loves to take photographs of people. We took this image of Wei to show him just what our Canon 30D. Okay, so I don't usually do this but here is the boring technical stuff: This image was taken at 1/60 of a second at f4 with an ISO 800 using a Tameron Aspherical XR DI 28-75mm with a focal length of 28. Metering mode was patterned and Eric used auto white balance. The 580 EX Speedlite flash sat on the shoe and we used a Lexar PlatinumII 512MB 80x card. Yawn, but for all you technical geeks out there who enjoy the details, now you have it. Personally, I like the fact we were able to talk shop with another photo aficionado and eat good food! Cameras, photography, people and food. What more could you ask for? Okay, money would be nice but only if you spend it on fun stuff, like new lights, camera equipment, photo info (check out SmartShooters.com if you really want to learn how to shoot well), etc. We recently purchased new lights and anxiously wait for their arrival. Keep reading and you'll see us get familiar with the new gear, failures and all! That ought to be fun!

Eric and I are both members of the Sioux City Museum and Historical Association. Last night we held our monthly meeting. While I was there for the Peirce Mansion Committee meeting, another member showed us a fascinating discovery. On the ceiling, there were details painted on the wood rafters in one of the room that no one had noticed in years. We made sure to take a photograph of the detailed work.

Imagine the time it took to do this to two ends of about eight rafters! We are a society that does not often take the time to create such subtle detail that it goes unnoticed by many. Once found, though, it is appreciated by many.

Please go to our Sioux City Public Museum on 2901 Jackson Street and wonder through the Victorian era home. Take a moment, a breath, and cherish the details. Ponder the time it took to carve the ornate handrail in the entry and the many other wonders of this home. While your there, enjoy the exhibits. Right now, there are many drawings (circa 1930) by Fred Lewis, a Sioux City native, and a unique trunk called a Kari Keen trunk for your car, also manufactured here in Sioux City.

It's always interesting to go to a different location to take wedding images. Sometimes we have not been to some of the towns the wedding is being held at so it keeps us on our toes. We usually try to investigate the location on the internet and we always Google or Mapquest where we need to be. Storm Lake has some very cool spots for outdoor portraiture. This couple took a carriage ride to this quaint little gazebo. There is something very traditional about this type of image that speaks of a simpler time and the spot appeals to me as it did our bride and groom. Although most of the images they requested be artistic and candid, this one we did for prosperity. It was a lovely day!

Do you have good luck? Are you in need of a wedding photographer on this date? We are OPEN 7-7-7 so give us a call! It could be your LUCKY day!! We always feel lucky to be a part of a wedding and we work on making each one special.