The Bird has Landed

Comrades,


Don’t you just hate it when people you rely on give you a bunch of excuses for not doing something? Well, I am going to allow myself to fall on the sword for levying a ton of excuses for being tardy on this blog. To save us both the grief, I am just going to list them accordingly and you can decide my fate.

1. Massive Home Repairs
2. Photo Shoots
3. Editing (LOTS OF THIS)
4. Slipping off to New Orleans for work related reasons (I admit, some of it was leisure)
5. Long Boarding
6. And many other things not blog related

When you live 50% of your life in front of a screen it is difficult to justify those extra few minutes writing away while hoping to God somebody reads the goods thus making you feel bigger than you really are. Even more, I have now joined the zillions who make up the attention deficit generation of Facebookers. That thing can keep you on for hours and this doesn't include the usage you dive into when you own an IPhone. Nonetheless, sometimes it is nice to have your own space designed the way you want it without the character restrictions thus, the blog is the island I should visit more often.

Did my photo thing for Nathan & Morgan’s wedding which started at the Depot, stopped off at Capital City Church just to say "I do", and then finished things up at The Stonehouse. Hot and muggy day no doubt but was a surefire process of shoot & move. Sometimes wedding schedules just go that way so it pays to be Johnny on the Spot. The “Wedding Gods” were gracious enough to ensure two of my former clients who were in attendance which brings me to my next point. It is truly awesome when surrounded by guests for whom you do not know, a familiar and kind pair of faces greet you while you work. Thanks Ty & Chel for the visit and the help loading my gear at the end of the night. Drinks on me.......



Jon & Melissa made the trek from the confines of Arizona and celebrated their day with perhaps the largest wedding party I have had to tackle to date. Earlier in the year I shot a wedding in Seattle with what I thought were the craziest groomsmen ever only to have that standard toppled by John’s crew. Always a good thing when people can simply cut loose and enjoy a fleeting moment and even better when there are pictures to freeze those moments in time. This wedding also marked the first time I gained access to the bell tower at the Boise Train Depot. If you are a shooter and haven’t shot up there, it is quite the treat if your creative gumption is in high gear. Many thanks to my crew from the “Cactus” state and may the comic relief shared with me that day, be shared with many more in the years that follow.

For those of you who have emailed me and asked for a particular image you have seen say, on Facebook, I am about to make your lives much easier. Here soon I will have a gallery built just for you so that you can get that image, pay for it, and have it shipped right to your door. In times past this was not as much of an issue for me but due to the increase in requests, I am going to make the whole process easy. Even better, the cost doesn’t change but you will still have to email me if you want a canvass or other “specialty" items. Stay tuned, I plan to get this thing up in October. Lastly, I have incorporated canvass prints into 2011 wedding packages along with some other options that may change just a touch more before the end of the year so bear with me, the goal is to maximize the offering to the soul on the other side of my lens :)

Satellite T.V. For All My Friends,

Lance

Vagabond Longboarder

Comrades,

Lately I have been a collection of business and pleasure so much so that I am starting to get confused between the two. With destination weddings coming in for 2010 it has afforded me the follow things: Cruddy hotel rooms that looked great online, super cool locations, and a baseball game or two. That is what can be so cool about shooting weddings is that you just never know where you may end up. Made the trip out to Seattle at the end of July for Sean “Seam” (his nickname) & Kiersten’s big day. You may know Kiersten as the lovely and vibrant news reporter for Channel 2 here in Boise. Well, she used to be anyway given she now resides in Laramie, WY. where Mr. Seam took on an executive position in the sports world. If you are ever in Seattle check out Gasworks Park the place is something to see. There is a totally unobstructed view of the city with more hills to climb than one could imagine. It marked the first wedding I ever shot on a boat which was tight but very cool in the same sense.

I have gotten away from doing those pictures that are for me and by me. I vowed to ensure at certain points this year I would make that happen! To do so, I coordinated a couple of volunteers to basically give me but a slice of their time while letting my photographic desires dictate the end result. The first of perhaps three this year finally happened and though I have never carried my gear very deep into water, I figured it was time to take a chance. The end result, perhaps my favorite portrait I have done to date! Hopefully the folks at Nikon see it that way as well because ultimately, that is where I hope it ends up! Thanks Chelsie for doing what you do for your bud Lance.

Last but not least, I saw some of the craziest lightning ever last night and probably could have gotten some pics to die for but chickened out. For some reason, lighting sends me into a frantic tailspin so hanging out in the open with a camera and a tripod just isn’t my idea of fun. As a result, I was able to snap off one shot and run for the house! Know when you look at the picture of bolts driving down from the sky, a scared kid was on the other end!


Rubber Suits For All My Friends,

Lance

I

Some Light Reading

Comrades,
Well my friends, it has been a tad too infrequent a visit for me to the good old blog spot. Much has transpired since the last time I came to you. Between three weddings and trying like a maniac to balance my family life mixed in with some bang bang fireworks it has battered but not beaten this soon to be 36 year old guy. Let us get right into the three weddings before we get into anything else. First stop on the tour was McCall where I had the pleasure of working with Jake & Kassy. What is it with me and lawyers? I have shot more weddings for lawyers in the last three years than most people have in their entire careers! I digress, hanging out at Shore Lodge I yet again visited the gorgeous waters with my subjects known for making amazing picture. Funny thing is, it marked the first the first time the caterer gave me flack for trying to steal a piece of chicken at a wedding. To make a long story short…….Wait, you don’t need to hear that crap, all you need to know is that I am convinced little miss server had plans of her own for the food that was supposed to keep my blood sugar from hitting the ground like a bull rider with no arms! So to offset this nutrient greed, I went over to the lodge and had em make me a burger. Little did I know that I was about to get hit up for $15 just for a beef patty on bread! No wonder the world goes hungry in some parts! Seriously, I had a blast and realize more and more just how much I enjoy doing what I do with the people who entrust me to make their day memorable. Jake & Kassy are amazing people with the looks, smarts, and edge to go the distance in this world. I hope that my commitment to their day stands the test of time as well.

Part 2July 4th was not your typical shin-dig by any stretch I am here to tell you. What was supposed to be a small neighborhood get together turned into something resembling “Daddy Daycare” vs. the Pyromaniacs! Funny how kids will crawl from all parts of the world just to get their paws on your firework supply and I am certain at one point in the night I was randomly pointing bottle rockets at those pre-school agitators! Just kidding…..I was more than glad to share the wealth and to make things complete, my son & the crew he runs with spent the better part of two weeks designing a launcher that rivaled NASA. We managed to shoot mortars across the night sky without getting anyone killed so I venture to say it was a success.

Part 3 (Sorry, No Pics)

Had the chance to spend some time in Redfish with Andy & Sabrina has they had a small ceremony with the Sawtooth Mountains as a backdrop. Talk about awesome! Met some really amazing people and spent the better part of the after party camped out on the patio of the resort drink in hand of course. The sun is so direct up in the mountains my face looked like an apple by day’s end! I always love the type of weddings that end up in a bar long after the formalities are complete. It is there that you see people letting their hair down and taking you in as if they sent you an invitation as a guest. It symbolizes one more block in the wall towards this thing a good wedding photographer invests heavily in that being, relationships with people!

Part 4The grand finale or the hot tamale you can take your pick I found myself spending some time with the ever so adventurous Mark & Emily. This gig marked the first time I participated in a “trash the dress” session and that in itself was both different and a blast. I didn’t want to do the typical dump something on the bride instead, I felt a need to create a scene of confusion mixed colors further emphasizing the beauty of the moment. For all that fancy romance novel talk I just spewed at you let me share what I used. SMOKE BOMBS! Yes, I had her in the cliché water shot but to add some depth I figured red & blue smoke would give the viewer a dybamic caught somewhere between the cover of a romance novel and a Vietnam Flashback. As for the wedding, let’s just say I just keep getting so damn lucky to run with people who represent everything that is right in this world. Somehow I know I have not seen the last of these two and my hats off to Emily for being daring enough to push our pictures to edge and beyond.

I always like to thank those who have pushed, encouraged, and helped me as I continue to pursue the ever changing world of photography. I can always tell who the “real players” are for it is not their gross revenues that speak highest nor is it their talent. It is an understanding that in some way all of us must pass the torch of knowledge on to those who come behind us so that something as healthy and worthwhile like pictures lives on forever. To that end I say thank you to the likes of Scott Evans & Greg Sims for their ability to strip out the ego & secrecy that has become so pervasive in the industry.

Selling Novels in your Hood,

Lance

Lessons with a new wedding to show

Comrades In Love,

Ever felt that ping in the back of your head telling you that your brain machine has had just about enough of the rat race? In other words, the pounding headache from having too much to do and deadlines to meet! My friends all say I am a loof when it comes to that but my argument has always been that it is part of my charm (Smiling). To give you an example, I was shuffling through the Denver airport the other day browsing my Facebook on my IPhone. I placed the phone back in my pocket and proceeded to my gate. Upon hearing my boarding call, I begin to think I have entered the aircraft sans IPhone. Searching my pockets like a confused child I let the anxiety of the moment get the best of me not even realizing that I had brushed my hand across the phone sitting right there in my cargo pocket! Not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES!!! Argghhh….Like a child I am but there is a lesson to all of this. Your wedding day can be much like the scenario I just painted for you (Yes it was a true story) & my offer is to tell you to relax and go with it regardless of how things go down. I know, you’re probably cursing me for throwing rocks in a glass house but at least you don’t have to see me in a dress! You on the other hand, will see yourself in that dress and the view is much nicer when you let the good, the bad, and the somewhere in the middle parts of your day flow for what they are, beautiful in their own way.

Had an awesome time shooting Mellissa & Noah’s gig 2 weeks ago. I would have posted earlier but vacations and the IPhone took up all of my time. Let me say that the lighting on their day was fantastic and I was on a role! Thank you guys it was fun, it was hot, and it was sultry! Until we meet again I say……………..

Sweatbands For All My Friends,

Lance

Depot Wedding

Comrades of the World,

I am always amazed at the spectacle a wedding brings. For all the pictures I take, weddings bar none bring out an elegance that is raw yet polished in emotion. May 10th did not disappoint and Micha & Carissa proved awesome! It marked the first wedding I have shot at the Depot and also marked the first picture I have ever shot in a men’s bathroom. You can laugh all you want but the layout of the bathroom was ripe for a comical picture of the boys. Many thanks to both families and the catering was by far the best I have seen in the years I have been shooting weddings. Just flat out awesome!

Urinals For All My Friends,

Lance

(Correction) Desert Storm

Comrades,

I think that I have figured out why I am not as frequent in my writings. Blame none other than Facebook! Between keeping tabs on that and the constant barrage of info found there, blogging seems secondary anymore. Not that I don't like writing the blog just sayin that when compared to the high speed exchanges on Facebook I am reduced to a lesser degree of dialogue when it comes to blogging. Most people simply read it and move on where as with Facebook you can almost always count some sort of exchange whether it be positive or negative. Maybe the blog is the "Minor Leagues" for Justis Photo and a place for me to warm up the thoughts? Hmmm, maybe not.....

Shot some pictures of Melissa out in the desert recently and aside from the fact we had 40 mph winds that seemed relentless, I pulled out perhaps some of my best work to date. Proud? That would be an understatement to describe the degree of imagery the two of us handed to ourselves on this warm yest blustery spring day. I spend weeks doing nothing but thinking of new places with new faces always trying to capture a different mood that others are either unwilling or incapable of pulling off. Was it worth lugging light stands up what seemed like Rainer like peaks? Absolutely and the pictures show it. Like I have always said, when you quit pushing yourself it is time to push yourself right out the door. This is the one profession that I have found that you can discover the true proximity of ideas and if harnessed, the ordinary becomes super natural! Having to clean sand out of my gear for a week sorta sucked but something tells me I will be enjoying these pictures for years to come.

More to come soon from last weekends wedding so stay tuned.....Drinks are on me :)

Camels For All My Friends,

Lance

Courtney Time

Comrades,

What a slamming start to the busiest time of the year for me. Individual sessions seem to be back in vogue and I welcome the challenge. I have been waiting for the opportunity to do a session on the sand dunes just past Mountain Home and come May 2nd that is where I will be. Of course, I will post some pics for ya and let’s hope for a pink sunset…..
Man somebody forgot to tell me that the more equipment you own, the more luggage you have to carry around! Perhaps it is time for me to shed some of the weight because it has become maddening. I figure I am going to need the road crew from Metallica to help me lug all this stuff around. The thing is, I bore easily and need new tools at my disposal so that I am better able to try new things. I will admit that some things have worked better than others. Perhaps I will just have a photographer garage sale of sorts this fall. The one thing you won’t see me giving up is the 30x40 light panels from Interfit. If you’re a shooter try em! I promise you that light will never look the same again and they are quite simple to set up however I encourage you to buy a sandbag or two (They catch more wind than a sailboat!). Enough of my rambling, let us begin the 2010 wedding season and I hope to see your shining faces in the warm sun.

Sun Tans For All My Friends,

Foster