03-04-14 Sleeping On the Job →

I'm not sleeping now and I'm not really sleeping in the photo, either. I was at Lake Area Technical Institute working on a project for Office Peeps, a local office solutions retailer, and decided it might be a good time to get a self portrait. Also, I was using Camranger to remotely control my camera so it was convenient to get myself in a photo. (If you look closely at the iPad on the floor, you will see the same photo you see here because I can get a live view on my IOS device with Camranger.)

For those who are regular readers of my blog, you might see the humor in the title, given that my last post for "A Photo A Day" was on the 17th of February. Have I been sleeping too much? No. Have I been traveling? No. Did my wireless connection quit? No. Do I have a good excuse. Maybe.

I have been working on projects and, significantly, I have been working on a new web site, which you are apparently looking at right now. Thanks for visiting. (How about subscribing to new posts on both my "Learn" and "A Photo A Day" pages here at Scott Shephard Photography? Just fill in the little box on the right.)

Will "A Photo A Day" as you know it disappear? No doubt. When? There is much doubt.

And, yes, four external links is way too much for the average viewer. But you're better than average, aren't you? Check out some of the LATI Office Peeps project photos here.

02-06-14 Justin

Deb came into my office as I was working on this photo and wanted to know who the subject was and why I was working on the photo. I said, "It's for my blog today. Every once and a while I like to demonstrate that I can do portraiture."

So here's Justin, who traveled from Minneapolis to Watertown to have his senior pictures taken a few years ago. Justin was a great subject and the setting was the Old Farm North Of Town (as I called it). So a great subject + a great location + good light = pretty good portrait. The Old Farm, sadly, has been razed and corn now grows where this old farm house once stood.

Canon 5D 1/50s f/4.0 ISO800 75mm

01-24-14 Matt & Lacey D

You may have noticed that I have a propensity to post photos of places and things in this blog. But once and a while I like to prove that I do like working with people. Most would hope that would be true given that I have worked pretty closely with thousands of people as a classroom teacher for 35 years. :-)

This photo was taken this past summer during an engagement session for my nephew Matt DeGeest and his fiancé, Lacey Johnson. There are great colors in this photo but I figured that savvy South Dakota hunters would know that you would not likely be out hunting in a field of mostly green grass graced with purple and gold wildflowers. And so I turned it into something that looks a little more seasonal.

Canon 5DIII 1/1600s f/3.5 ISO125 200mm

01-13-14 Two Beauties

The title says it all. Both Glenyce Jane and Deb were dolled up for a family wedding.

Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/3.5 ISO500 105mm

12-01-13 Then & Now - 6 Months Old

Yesterday's photographic mission was to copy a photo that had been taken 59 years ago. The subject in the photo is Debra DeGeest (AKA Deb Shephard). The new subject for the copy was Glenny J. (AKA Glenyce Jane Shephard). The dress in both photos is the same dress - worn very little for the photo so long ago and worn only for a few minutes for the recent shoot. Both subjects are 6 months old.

Careful observers will note that there are striking similarities between the two children. Such is the nature of genetics. The single most striking thing to me is that they both seem healthy and happy. What more could you want?

Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/5.6 ISO200 58mm

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In case you'd like to see the out takes, here's another contact sheet. . .

And a short video. . .

11-30-13 Glenyce Jane At Six Months

A few years ago one of my photography students told the front office that there were several reasons I should be fired. As hard as it is to realize one isn't all things to all people, the one reason that made me laugh went something like this: "He should be fired because he doesn't like children and therefore we won't learn how to photograph children!"

Really! The truth is that I love children of all ages, even if they can be intimidating and even aggravating at times. And I will admit that I have never aspired to be a child photographer. Getting a good portrait of a child is a daunting task and I admire anyone who does it well.

This photo of our grand daughter Glenyce Jane Shephard is probably more snap shot than portrait, though there was a little technical artistry that went in to this, including the white pillow my wife was holding off to my right to bounce some light back on Glenny's face. The problem with the pillow, though, was that Glenyce Jane was both fascinated and amused by it. I was aiming for a shot where she was looking at me, but I was hidden by the camera. But I did get a keeper. . .

Canon 5DIII 1/100s f/4.0 ISO800 102mm

For those who wonder what this shoot was like, check out this contact sheet:

11-04-13 Glenyce Jane

I can't help it. Here's a photo of Glenyce Jane Shephard striking a pose with her grandma Deb. Great faces. And wonderful catchlights in Glenyce's eyes.

Canon 5DIII 1/100s f/3.2 ISO400 100mm