Engaged

Comrades,

Been hanging out with some cool couples of late getting them all ready for the big day with the pictures that will end up in the invitations. Will and Laetitia were last week’s victims of my neurotic ways and we blasted through a quick set under a warm sky. Later in the week came Nate & Megan and using downtown as a backdrop, we made some music over the course of an hour. I always find myself wondering how many different ways can two people embrace? Whatever that number is I am sure it is greatly reduced once a couple knows they have a camera pointed at them. Engagements while important are not the top of the mountain for any couple who works with me. Rather, they are the chance for me to gauge what works and what doesn’t in terms of pictures so that come wedding day, all stars are aligned. Besides, there is nothing cooler than glitz and showmanship a wedding offers any photographer willing to lose themselves in a Zen state of creativity.

May 4th marks the commercial shoot for Roaring Springs and the new slide that is set to open for this season. I love working with them for two reasons. One, it is a free for all type photo shoot and I often see the results of the shoot on billboards all over town. I will be setting up some serious lighting action for these shots provided all goes as planned. Now let’s see if I can keep myself from getting electrocuted in the process.

Cupids for all my friends,

Lance

Outreach for Photographers

Comrades,

Things have been pretty hectic of late and that is just the way I like it. Lots of engagements and more previews to come so stay tuned. Been enjoying the nice weather and with summer just a stone throw away I anticipate lots of new material.

For any of you photographers out there looking to jump start a photography business or simply need to restructure the debt caused by business related operations have no fear, I have been asked to host a webinar for the Professional Photographers of America on May 18th at 2pm. Go to http://www.ppa.com/ for more details or simply email me at Foster688@msn.com. The subject matter I will be covering includes how to utilize the Small Business Administration’s loan programs and services (some of which are free I might add). The great thing about the program is that it is conducive to both start up operations and those who are already established and wish to reorganize their current business related debt. The SBA provisions that have been placed into the stimulus act do have a shelf life of less than a year so please, if you are thinking that this may be a good fit for your operation, I strongly encourage you to attend. I am flattered that I am able to do this for an organization that knows nothing but the on going concerns of America’s professional photographer population. Hail Hail and I will see you there shutter slugs.

Bank Notes For All My Friends,

Lance

Delayed but Delivered

Comrades,

Sorry it has taken me so long to post a couple of pics from the last two engagement sessions. What is a man to do when he is on vacation, work? Well, I guess they were right when they said there is “No sleep for the weary” but still, enjoying some time off is vital to ones sanity given that wedding season is about to push me in the stamina department. The first session was with Jenna and Tyler and I soon learned that shade is still at a premium around here. We must have had a good 12 o’clock fireball sitting right over us making the shoot difficult at times. Unfortunately, the trees are still feeling their way in terms of sprouting a leaf or two thus, shade was nill. Despite my admissions for making false assumptions about the timing of nature’s shade coverings, we made some great images together and ended up with a nice set.

The following day it was off to McCall to meet up with Stacy and Darrin for a session in downtown McCall, Idaho. Like the previous day, the sun was giving us fits but we had plenty of places to hide from the unflattering glare via the downtown structures. Counting my lucky stars for the science of physics as it pertains to light and objects, I had a great time getting some rockstar shots of these two love birds. The good news is that come summer when I head back for their wedding, I will have them an entire day thus will be able to take advantage of the lighting conditions as they calm down during the evening hours of the summer months and to be honest, I enjoy that aspect of every wedding. To me it is a natural insurance policy of sorts.

All this talk of harsh sunlight has left me wondering how I have for the most part been able to avoid it up until last weekend. Lets just say that taking nature for granted is sure to come back to bite you in your favorite lens! Research, research, and more research of not only the surroundings one plans to shoot in, but also the study of overcoming such conditions is the only way we can make music in less than desirable conditions. This means we don’t settle if at all possible nor does it mean we lay out in the wide open and admit defeat. Light modifiers are everywhere we only need to look and evaluate. I was emailed a link from a pal last week that demonstrated what not to do in the harsh light that is our sun. Without going into to details, I will only say that I am super glad I am not the one who was forced to deliver the pictures that I saw and can only imagine how and why these shots I speak of were even attempted.

More stuff to come soon including some wild shots that my son took in Vale, Oregon over Easter not to mention some wild landscape shots I enjoyed taking using a 10mm lens that makes the clouds look pretty damn ominous let me tell ya :)

Easter Cold Ones for all My Friends,

Lance

As Seen on T.V.

Comrades,

You always know you have had a bad day when you roll your SUV into the Payette River. I was heading up to McCall for some engagement pictures and I noticed the top of a vehicle rearing it’s cold, tired, and saturated head from the water. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the driver’s head (Other than water) when he realized he was right in the middle of the raging rapids. Also, given that the water is a balmy fifty degrees, I would think that this would be one of those times where pissing your pants never felt so good!

Hopefully within the next week I will have some more engagement pics up from the last two sessions. Maybe I am rusty but with warmer weather comes clearer skies which equals, HARSH SUNLIGHT. With no sprouting on the trees just yet I am finding that shade is at a premium. If you do many outside portrait sessions you know exactly what I mean and it simply sucks.

Great Car Insurance for All My Friends,

Lance

Train Station Lovers

Comrades,

In my second installment of 2009 engagement pictures I had the pleasure of heading out to Caldwell to shoot Nick and Brandi. For those of you that don’t know, Caldwell contains some very rustic places to do pictures so get your tail right on it already! Without hesitation I deemed the Train Depot to be the best spot and as it turns out, we even found a prop or two to use during our time together. Engagement shoots are really my chance to evaluate how I need to shoot (Not with a gun either) you on your wedding day. For example some people (usually the men) are not as anxious to get their pictures taken. The interaction and conversation is everything and if one can master that, people generally start to loosen up after a few minutes. I digress, Nick and Brandi were loads of fun and if last Saturday is any indication, the wedding is sure to be a hell raiser! Enjoy a few pics from the session and lastly, thank you Nick and Brandi for rocking out with me.

Broken T.V.’s for All My Friends,

Lance

Warm Season

Hello All,

For all the small favors in this world the one that puts a supreme smile on my face is the onset of warmer weather. Going out and taking pictures in the cold is always a feasible task but my tolerance only goes so far thus, I am not as prone to toughing it out. Saturday marked the first time this year that I was able to comfortably work outdoors with little worry of my hands becoming unbearably numb! Jamie & her fiancé Tyler were kind enough to meet me downtown for a quick engagement session and I find them both to not only be great in front of the camera but too cool for school as well. Despite feeling the effects of a nagging flu bug, we pulled off some great shots and I am happy knowing that the season for people pictures has arrived.

I recently purchased a lens capable of magnifying life’s little things. For you photographers out there you may know it as a “Macro” lens. I have found that investing in a lens of this caliber doesn’t mean you can simply place the lens on the camera and begin taking pictures of said tiny things. The art of Macro required me to do some serious review on how depth of field is affected when it comes to shooting things magnified many times over. I anticipate some frustration along with a little satisfaction once I master what this type of photography has to offer. In the meantime, enjoy some of my first “Macro” shots.

Nano-Sized Drinks for All My Friends,

Lance

A Campaign For All

Citizens,

Sometimes one must put the perspective of business aside for things that affect the very fabric of life. Saturday marked an important public awareness campaign that I had the chance to help out with while making some new friends. After being referred by a friend, I met the group organizer, Duane Quintana at one of my favorite spots to do a photo shoot that was simple in setup yet forceful in its message. Getting the point across required no more than a little bit of duct tape and some off-camera lighting on my part. The models who volunteered their time were total troopers as we spent the better part of an hour working on our craft while the slight chill that left us shivering did it’s best to drown our spirits. In case you are wondering, the duct tape represents our refusal as a society to openly discuss the issue of HIV and given that Idaho is such a rural state that point rings louder than war. I want to thank everyone who participated and for Duane’s commitment to driving home the issue to those who simply have failed to pay closer attention to a cause that needs to be at the doorstep of every American. Talk to your kids, your friends, and anybody else who will listen because unfortunately this problem is as pervasive as the air we breathe.

Awareness For All My Friends,

Lance