I would normally not have the opportunity to capture wildlife photos, however, the ducks at Lafayette Park will waddle right up to you. I would guess that they are used to being fed by the park visitors. We had to run away from gangs of ducks at times, but I managed to get a few nice shots. Thank you for looking! Conditions: Partly-sunny, early morning, light winds, warm light. 85mm
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We had unseasonably nice weather last Sunday, which was great because we had an outdoor shoot with the Otten Family!
This was the first time the Ottens had their family picture taken. We were thrilled to be working with them on their very first Family Session.
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We had the opportunity to work with a great couple last weekend. They were looking for a nice portrait to use for their holiday cards.
Location: The Riparian Trail, Chesterfield
Conditions: Morning Session, Low 50′s, Overcast
This shoot proved to be a bit of a challenge, as it was a very sunny and cloudless day. But, we were able to make it work in a SINGLE location and got a few shots.
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My parents have a small garden in their back yard. Over the holiday weekend, I got to pick green beans, okra and cherry tomatoes.
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Over Labor Day Weekend, Matt’s mom had the fantastic idea of spending the day biking along the beautiful and scenic Great River Road in Illinois. The weather couldn’t be better–amazingly cool temperatures (after going through a week-long heat wave of 90+ degree weather, this was a God-send), with little wind. We parked at the Piasa Bird exhibit in Alton and biked to Grafton, Illinois, stopping at a few places of interest along the way, such as the village of Elsa.
Getting Ready
The 16mile trek to Grafton was easy; we kept around a 9mph pace. The sky was cloudy, the air was cool. Once reaching Grafton we decided to have lunch at the Fin Inn (not the most notable food, however, the environment is nice, featuring an aquarium at your table) and then took the ferry across the Mississippi River to Brussels. Before boarding the ferry however, Matt and I had an unfortunate encounter with a wasp community and a renegade wasp stung Matt’s leg! OUCH!
The Ferry to Brussels
The ferry ride was great for multiple reasons. 1) I needed a break, 2) I love being on the water, 3) I really love being on the water. We didn’t bike the entire 8 miles to Brussels (I was tired and cranky and certain I wouldn’t be able to make it back to our cars) so we turned around about 3 miles in. The ride back to the ferry was much more difficult…on the way to Brussels we had a tail-wind, so on the way back, of course, we encountered a head-wind. After a brief respite at an ice cream shoppe in Grafton, we made the return trip back to Alton.
His & Her Trek Madones 
During the trip back down the River Road, I really started to feel the pain of not having been on my bike for a year or so. My quads were aching. My uncomfortable bike seat exacerbated the situation. By the last five miles of the trip, all of our butts were hurting! But we made it, all of us proud of the day’s accomplishments.
The Great Piasa (pie-a-saw) Bird
Last night, we had a nice outdoor dinner at the Beckner House. I couldn’t resist taking photos of their beautiful gardens and trees.
For dinner, we enjoyed Yellow Fin Tuna with a sauteed ensemble of mango, red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, cilantro and yellow squash. Delicious!
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Surrounded by the love songs of cicadas, I took a few pictures of some flora near my office.
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Here are a few spring images from my home in Farmington, Missouri. After the extensive rains of the past week, much of the area is flooded or nearly inaccessible due to the rain washing out sections of the gravel road. These images were taken from various flora in my mother’s garden. Thank you for looking!
