Last Saturday morning I had a fun session here in Ottumwa with a family from Bloomfield, Iowa. After my two sessions in Hannibal a couple days before, I was worried that I wouldn't be physically able to give them 100%. Thank goodness I woke up Saturday feeling good and ready to shoot. I don't know why it happens… but sometimes you just have the perfect family in the perfect location and everything just seems to jell just right. The result of that combination? Usually about 10 bonus photos in their gallery because I shoot too much and delete too little! I have to tell you a funny story about their youngest daughter, Pyper. We started the session at my house (Mama Shari wanted to use THE GLIDER in some images) and I was shooting Pyper by herself. I was giving her the normal Hannah Montana age pep talk and I said "You're doing great… it's tough work to be that cute for so long!". Her reply… "No, not really." We all laughed and enjoyed her childhood honesty. Then, about an hour and a half later we were at our last location for the morning and I was shooting Pyper and her sister on some RR tracks. I was shooting away and said "Gosh you guys are cute!" and Pyper replied with… "See… I told you it was easy". Oh. My. Gosh. I thought I was going to pee my pants laughing. I love shooting that age kids… you never know what's going to come out of their mouths.
Our fence… Cooper's Toy Box…
This next photo was shot outside the best Mexican restaurant in Ottumwa (that wasn't open for the day yet). Picture me in my eight+ month pregnant glory squatted down in the middle of the street with a Hispanic man in a cowboy hat immediately to my left about 10 foot watching the action and making everyone extremely uncomfortable staring. At one point he motioned to me like he wanted me to hand him my camera and get in the shot with them. My response… "thanks buddy, but they are paying me to take their picture". I think that is probably why everyone is laughing in this photo. All of the rest of the shots in front of this door were scrapped because someone was looking at the creepy cowboy. I'm not sure if he ever got it, but we did move around the corner to the alley fairly quickly.
When Shari told me that she wanted to do an urban shoot I was excited because Ottumwa has so many dumpy old run down brick buildings historic brick buildings aged to perfection. We've lived in Ottumwa for going on two years now, but I very rarely shoot here. I drove around one morning a couple of days before their shoot to scope out where I wanted to go. I knew I liked this next location… but I had no idea I would LOVE this location once I saw the images.
And one last shot that is totally not my post-processing style… but there was something about it… it needed something other then just color or black and white… anywho… it makes me happy (especially happy because I know their girls were standing beside me giggling when i shot it).
Pretty good "rock her backwards and lay one on her" for a guy who looked at me like I was crazy!
by Kathy