nieces

I just love my nieces and their friends.  I'd say they rock, but I am not sure that 'rock' is a cool phrase anymore.  They are all willing subjects... I oft tire of taking pics of them before they tire of being subjects. Adults, we could all learn from that - for what it's worth.  


My sister's daughter is a challenging subject.  She's simply beautiful, but she's also a director... she's convinced that she, only only she, knows what poses work for her.  So, I roll with it.  Can't complain about the results.




My sister's neighbor has a very beautiful child. I love my gear, but all this kid needed was some fill flash and BOOM, great pic.

Off to my brother's house.  His daughters are older, but still just as innocent in front of the lens.  I just love my family. 

So cute!



Best part, all I have to say is "do something funny" and this appears instantly.  It's like they been holding it in forever!



My God-daughter.  Lucky guy I am.





The requisite outtake...

Celebrate the kids in your life - their the best of who we are...

d

Waterloo Girl

The contrasts between reunions on Sarah's side and my side of the family are pretty interesting. Sarah's extended (and I mean extended) family participates. She knows half of folks that attend, which means I know maybe a dozen. The event lasts an afternoon. That many people in that short of time frame and... Mr. Introvert is outta the tent and onto photogging! Fortunately, this annual reunion yields in some of the best still-life photography I do....

Then there's the reunion on my side of the family.... mostly my immediate family, S.O.'s and nieces. And it's a week long. The Vomastek's love it, but you can tell it wears on the significant others a bit. Those reunions are a textbook example of an overindulgence in food, vino and fun. Still great photo ops... albeit dominated by willing nieces!

Our families are diverse in many ways. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but certainly in a practical one. Sarah and I know we are blessed to have such great families on both sides of our marriage. WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

d

PS - you can find the full gallery from Sarah's reunion here... http://lakeshoreclick.com/family/bollingerreunion2009/

Life at the end of the alphabet.

I just may have cursed my wife...

Not deliberately, of course, but a pattern is emerging. In my high school days, I was the last person in my group of friends to go on a date, much less have a girlfriend. It wasn't that I didn't want to date, but hey, it was the 80's, and camera carrying computer nerds weren't sought after... at all.

Fast forwarding... I was the second to last person in my college circles to marry. This was more by choice - I'd shed some of the nerdiness of my youth and was dating more, but just couldn't shake this vision in my mind of the partner who'd be perfect for me. It took the 20-year old, who told himself he'd be married by 25, 15 years to find the woman of his dreams. She was very much worth the wait.

A few years passed, and Sarah and I have built close friendships with several couples in our locale. These friends (some of whom are family), all have kids (or are soon too). As Sarah and I are in the process of adopting, they've already been a wonderful resource to us - both physically (clothes, furniture, etc.) but also spiritually as we wait for a child of our own. Fortunately, our friends don't mind 'loaning' us their kids from time to time. It takes the edge off the wait, and provides a nearly endless supply of shooting opportunities.

Maternity shoots are especially challenging. Getting the light just right while not trying the patience of a soon to be mom is a delicate balancing act. But when you do get the light right, the delicate power of maternity is unmistakable.

Then there are the newborn sessions. Fortunately, if well fed, newborns will put up with a lot. Of course, Mom's loving touch doesn't hurt either...

My favorite sessions remain younger kids. Never are they afraid of the camera, and they'll not tire before you. Even the posed shots have a spontaneity to them that is hard to find in adults.

It's a wonderful reminder of what's in store for Sarah and I.

When Sarah changed her name after we married, she went from the B's to the V's. She'll joke from time to time that moving that far back in the alphabet hasn't been the best deal for her - especially in light of how often we're sorted by last name, even as adults. Hopefully, that won't translate to much longer of a wait for a kid of our own.

dan

Additional Images
Sophie's first gallery
Rachel and Allison