On the Road Again

To my small but loyal reading base,

Sorry it has been a bit since I last blogged I am a slacker! Been working like a dog and of course, shooting weddings and taking road trips. Just got back from a road trip into Oregon with some pals out in Vale. Never before had I taken a ride in an RV laced with fun and of course, a few cold ones. All of this came to be after I left a wedding I shot on top of C.W. Moore Plaza on Friday (Pics coming soon) and it was nothing short of awesome. I will save my thank you’s aimed at Jared and Anna for later. We started early on Saturday morning drove to Sumpter where they had one of the largest flea markets known to the human race! Simply amazing and by the time day one was done I had consumed a few too many cold ones and had to let myself fall asleep. Day 2 brought much of the same except we ended up in some old western town that provided me the chance to take some High Dynamic Range pictures that I am pretty damn happy with! I am feeling pretty amped to do another wedding this weekend and my next stop brings me to Boise’s own “Powerhouse” which is a pretty cool place to shoot a wedding. For all of you brides out there looking for a Fall photographer come and see me the summer is NOT the only time to get married you hear? I am pleased to say that I finally joined Professional Photographers of America and for the record, the resource library is second to none when it comes to knowledge based photography. I am looking forward to the many benefits they offer not to mention a chance to meet some really talented folks! More to come VERY soon I promise…

What I think and what you should know

As my political brother pointed out, supply & demand is not the problem with gas prices cause if it were, we would all be waiting in line at the pump.

Oregon is one of the greenest states I have ever set foot in.

Idaho is in for a hot summer.

Weddings on top of buildings is a super cool idea.

The wedding business is more about marketing and $$ and less about the art and fun of photography which I find a tad sad.

Pam and Don are one fun couple to go on a road trip with let me tell ya!


Drinks and Snapshots for all my Friends,


Lance

We're Getting Warmer

Engagements and more fun stuff my peeps! No I won’t bore you with how elegant the engagement sessions were or use pretentious terms rather, I will only say they were fun and I am glad I got it done! Why I say this is because to me the engagement session is more of a social between me and the subject(s) and a means to break in what I will be doing on their wedding day. Of course I want them to represent the couples love for one another (there I said it) but it really gives me the chance to see how a couple will react come wedding day when they have a Nikon lens fixed upon them thus I really keep it informal. Sometimes I never even meet the groom until the engagement shoot and by then I have already developed chemistry with the bride and I think this throws some of you boys off a little. Perhaps they find it odd that I have associated with their brides more than most men are ever allowed though in the end, they have ZERO worries. So on that note if you can boys, try and attend the initial meeting it helps break the ice a tad.

The “People” project is coming along super cool (see example) and I will be selling these as books in the future if you want something different to put on the coffee table. I am sure it will have a few people laughing when they open it. Helped a friend out by shooting some prom pictures for his nephew and luckily for me I found a new location in Boise to shoot that is a tad on the edgy side. Lets just say that the industrial age left this photographer a relic of sorts….

Drinks for All My Friends,

Lance

Push Me, Pull Me, Or Hold Me In

Ok maybe I have just been on one lately but geez. I troll the Internet sometimes looking at Boise based photographer profiles and upon seeing their sites I cringe. I sometimes think people just run out and buy a camera and create themselves a "Photo Biz". Mind you, they seldom ever try new things and leave that trusty camera on "Auto" mode. C'mon already, don't let the camera think for you take some time and learn to understand those other little dials thus doing something that is way out there for a change. Maybe I am an ass but it seems as though nobody is willing to push the envelope at all around here. Their colors, poses, concepts are ALLLLLLL the same. In a perfect world we would all be different and thus feed off of each other like cannibals (Not Literally) but I guess not. At least the Sam Marvin's, Greg Simms, Russ MacDonald's and Julia Baileys are still alive and well. I would bet anyone who reads this that 50% of these sites I have visited belong to "photographers" who have no idea what split formals are. Don't start revving your engines yet, nobody crowned me Ansel Adams I realize. Just itching to see some new stuff and I figure 50% of photography is the mental aspect one brings to the table. The rest? Bullshit, Light, and a Name Brand that you cling to like it was your best friend. Did I say light makes up 49% ?

Bitches and Moans for All My Friends,

Lance

The Latest

Well we are the dawn of yet another wedding season and for some of us it means fast shooting and tired feet. I am super excited about it all and have an awesome client list for this season. Recently I completed a few more engagements sessions most notably Nate & Launa and Scott and Lindsey. Both were amazing to work with and I am looking forward to hitting the aisles with these fun couples. Been working on some commercial stuff which included a project for “Shutter by Floral” and “Boondocks” amusement center. Both of these projects have been nothing short of fun and yet super challenging. Staying motivated while shooting floral arrangement after floral arrangement is the challenge I speak of but thanks to my trusted flower expert Heather, this was attainable. As for “Boondocks” I am finding that keeping the kids off of my gear to be even more challenging. I would be lying if I said that the kids didn’t piss me off but what is one to expect when it is a known fact that all kids are gadget heads.

Ok now on to more serious and pertinent things my friends. I have spoke about this before and this is not something I am soft on when I write so if I seem harsh, trust me I am and equally irritated. Once again Boise has found that not all wedding photographers are honest and worthy of the industry that provides a lifetime of memories to couples. Sometimes people take advantage of the trust that is given to them and one Boise Fraudtographer has once again taken someone’s money and provided them ZERO images. My question to this idiot is just how long they think that they can keep pulling this little stunt off. Just to refresh your memories this particular individual came to my attention last May when a friend of mine called me to tell me how this girl stole their down payment and never showed up for any meetings nor returned any of their calls. Listen folks, make sure that your photographer provides you a contract ASAP or before you give them a dime of your money the latter being preferred. Needless to say I provided a link to a listing from a review of this idiots profile on Decidio. If my favorite photographer who rips people reads this know that your bad name is affecting every other photographers good name. In other words, step off and disappear already. Below is the link & I encourage all brides and their families to utilize tools such as Decido to find out exactly what they are getting. http://www.decidio.com/search/?act=detail&id=62085&q=52%2E00&tid=26&sic=53

On a closing note I also want to send special thanks out to Irene who helped me get some of the most interesting portraits I have EVER taken. The pictures captured during her shoot pushed me and change the way the I approach individual sessions from this point forward. And last but not least I want to send my thoughts to a friend and colleague in New Orleans, Julia Bailey who inspires everyone who picks up a camera and excites our creative insights. Know that your friend Lance holds in you the highest of regards and wants you to keep providing the magic that inspires not only the work I do, but the work of all who aspire to achieve the creative process that you possess.

Drinks for All My Friends (Including Gadget Heads),

Lance

Spring Break Alive

Back at my favorite coffee shop in Boise musing about whatever, whenever, and wherever I feel. Now that I got my smart ass attitude in check I suppose it is time for me to start my rant of sorts.

I often get asked what I consider to be the most difficult aspect of doing a wedding. Surprisingly, this question comes more often than not and here are some of the assumptions I hear.

The mother of the bride is a pain in your arse
Either the bride or groom decide to skip out on the sessions initially wanted
You have a million people following you around trying to get the same picture
The bridal party fails to be anywhere on time
People mess with your equipment

After hearing these assumptions I can only say that other than messing with my equipment none of the others really bother me. To sit and bitch about a perfect day for one turned imperfect for another is useless and would mean I needed to find a new profession. In the case of #1 which is the most common assumption I say who cares simply because I am there for the B&G and nobody else. Is that a good answer?

Some of you have taken the time to send emails complimenting some of the things I have been lucky enough to pull off with a camera and I want to say thank you tons! The fact that you take a moment to send along an email means a bunch and is just another aspect of what I love about this lifestyle. That’s right, I called photography a way of life….Better not get me started on that one. Regardless, I have achieved a little bit just because there have been many who have taken the time teach and because nobody is above learning, I feel fortunate to have been humbled by some of the best. Repeat with me, NOBODY IS ABOVE LEARNING IF THEY WANT IT BAD ENOUGH!

Just spent spring break with my kiddo Devon and I have to admit I take for granted how intuitive kids are. I swear nothing gets by that bugger but it was no less a great week for some much needed father son time. Makes me wonder what type of world lies ahead for him considering the way things continue to go. Though I try to avoid the pitfall of total political debate it hounds me and wraps its dingy arms around my body! Perhaps that is the problem. Here we go dammit…Politics as a name is nothing more than an abstract fallacy used to sell emboldened reputations laced with deceit. What we need is accountability, sustainability, and most of all leadership. Does that mean Obama is the guy? Hillary the Woman? John the other guy? I dunno except to say that too many old & over privileged rich people continue to sit atop the highest seats while allowing themselves to become out of touch with the nuts and bolts of America. Imagine a scenario where some young, middle class person arises above it all who bears no affiliation to wealth as we know it, privilege as we loath, and a fakeness that makes us sick. What you have is a man or woman interconnected to the synergy that should be America. Based on what I see, don’t expect that concept to arrive in stores anytime soon.
Go ahead, cast your votes now for Lance………………….For the record, being rich is just fine before you send me some hate mail.....

The weather is getting warmer and I am glad though my peeps in the south are already seeing the 80’s as it skims there tanned foreheads. You lucky bastards I curse you.
Well that concludes my ranting I am ready for Launa & Nate who are going to be gracing me with their presence this weekend for a marathon shoot. (Should either of you read this, PACK A LUNCH :) )

Your Fatherly Advice

Enjoy Bear Grylls in “Man vs. Wild” with your kids, the show rocks and will have your kiddos amazed and howling after they see him eat a scorpion.

99% of the dating advice MSN preaches is B.S. and no more insightful than what you read on the bathroom walls in Jr. High.

Spend your “Stimulus Check” on something worthwhile

Be like me and learn not to take life so serious all the time

Go downtown and listen to the local musicians in the coffee shops, they will blow you away.

Java Mocha for All My Friends,

Lance

“Even emptiness can be photographed when all it needs is inspiration to create”

Coffee House Blogger

So I am sitting here in this local coffee house in downtown Boise listening to some Pearl Jam on the IPOD and typing to my peeps. Most of you always respond to my blog posts via email which is fine but inflate my ego a little, leave me a note on the blog itself. If you do not have a blog account I understand this totally. On to other things…..There is a great photographer out there by the name of Russ McDonald who if you care, can tell you anything you want to know about Nikon flash systems. The guy explains things in ways the manuals only dream of. Thank God he has been discovered. Here is his link if you are a Nikon shooter and want the in’s and outs of the CLS system. http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogspot.com/2008/01/nikon-flash-two-separate-metering.html

Been doing a whole bunch of soul searching in the last few months about the future and for some reason the southern part of the U.S. where I came from is calling me back. Why? For one I am a warm weather kind of guy and I have absolutely no family in Idaho. Second, living in Boise is great but as far as I am concerned, you are limited on the different types of places you can shoot weddings and what not. Seriously, there is a downtown, mountains, Castle Gardens, and uhhh mountains. For me it has gotten a tad bland but maybe I am taking things for granted that I shouldn’t. Be that as it may, I am not even sure if I will actually do it but New Orleans seems logical. Maybe sometime in the next 2 years I will actually pack it up and head back to my forgotten city. In case you didn’t know, they need a serious resurgence of people to move back and help heal old wounds. Besides, the diversity of the scenery is endless for a photographer. Now don’t go getting me wrong here, Boise is great but it was never my last stop or so I have said.

If you haven’t seen “Into the Wild”, go rent it now! I promise you it will make you think about the way all of us look at life.

“I have been wounded I have been healed”
Eddie Vedder

My personal photo project about people in the raw is beginning to take shape and I even included myself in the project as you can see in the example. More to follow on that one.

Take It Easy,

Lance

I am George W., & I approve this blah blah blah

Oddly enough we are being told we are in some sort economic funk A.K.A., a recession. Hmmmm, wonder if that transcends into wedding bookings? Well according to some of my colleagues in other parts of the country (Most Notably the South), weddings are flying off the handle and they are in fact turning brides away! Right here in Boise, things aren’t so rosy for many who are used to booking several weddings a year. I have at least 3 fellow photographers that have told me that their bookings are way down this year. What’s even stranger, though I have booked summer through the hilt this will be the first spring that I have not shot a wedding in quite some time. It sucks and yet it is nice because I have had the chance to go out and do some seriously wicked stuff on my own, most notably my little book project that I hope to have finished by next year. Nahh, I would rather do weddings...Whatever the reason I just hope it isn't due to the flood of Myspacer's who now think they are Ansel Adams and are swallowing up the Boise market. I say good for them but for the brides of this area, don't expect too much.

If you are one of my brides to be for this summer and you read this know that I am going to be chomping at the bit and super anxious once we get underway so bear with me. Why? Cause I am dying for some new bridal material and I would love nothing more than to do something really out there such as post a bride atop of this old Army vehicle I found behind Gowen Field (see top pic). Who is up for it?

Lastly, go rent “Into the Wild” and write me back telling me what you think. That movie will move you in ways a flick has never done before! Talk about self discovery and appreciating what really matters in this world. Oh and the soundtrack sung by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam ain’t too bad either.

Me Perched Atop the Boise Foothills Bored & Waiting for a Sunset that Never Came :(




Cha Cha Cha,

Lance

P.S. Windows Vista SUCKS! Avoid it all cost! I can’t wait to get on board with Mac.