Sweet Girls!

I was able to take pictures of some sweet young ladies. They were taken at a local Great Falls, MT park and at Foothills Community Christian School.



The girls were a lot of fun to work with, and I think their personalities (and attitudes) came through nicely in these shots. Thanks, Nelsons!

Family Togetherness

I was finally able to finish the season that got started in the rain! This wonderful family is from Great Falls, MT, and allowed me to be their photographer for this family session.


They were great to work with, and I enjoyed my time with them!

Courtney

On Sunday we did a portrait session with Courtney. It was a great experience, and she was an excellent model!



Thank you, Courtney!

Last Night of VBS!

Tonight was the last night of Harvest Springs' Galactic Blast VBS in Great Falls, MT, and man was it HOT up on the hill...







Thanks to all those who chose to spend their time preparing for VBS and serving this week - we appreciate you!

HSCC and Galactic Blast VBS at the Water Park

Harvest Springs' Galactic Blast Vacation Bible School for Thursday was at the Electric City Water Park in Great Falls, MT, on Thursday evening. I didn't get to go in the water, but I really had fun anyhow. The event started out with some baptisms, which was very cool. Our pastor and one of our executive team members each got to baptize one of their own children! How cool would that be? I'm sure that would have been a very emotional experience. . .

After the baptisms, everyone was turned loose in the water park. It was a beautiful evening for it - warm and not windy.


The next blog contains more pictures!

More HSCC and Galactic Blast VBS at the Water Park

More Galactic Blast

Galactic Blast VBS at Harvest Springs Community Church, Great Falls, Montana.

Galactic Blast Takes Off!

Well, the Galactic Blast VBS offered by Harvest Springs Community Church in Great Falls, MT, just got off to a great start!




It was a little windy for the games, but the kids had a blast! If you have kids between 3 years and 6th grade, check it out tomorrow night at 6pm.

Thanks to all the volunteers and helpers for doing such a great job!

Rainy Saturday

We had a family portraiture session at Giant Springs in Great Falls this evening. Jamie and I got there a little early to scope things out, and found some excellent lighting we had to take advantage of. Very glad we did, for a couple of reasons. First, this is a great capture of my beautiful wife; and second, the lighting wasn't anywhere near as good for the actual session, after a thunder storm moved across the area.

We did get some shots with the family, but the session got cut short as a result of the poor lighting. To be continued...

Our Great Falls, MT, style 4th of July!

The Fourth was fairly laid back for us this year. We went up to Jamie's Grandma's ranch in the Little Belts, where we caught up with her family for a bit. The boys got to harass a rooster and pet the horses a bit, too. Then we lit off a few of our own little fireworks before watching the City of Great Falls display down at West Bank Park in Great Falls. It was nice and cool, and breezy enough the mosquitos didn't eat us alive.


I love being down on the river for the big display. The huge reports from the City's display, along with the hundreds of smaller reports from all the other celebrators... I close my eyes and try to imagine what it was like that night at Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote his poem "Defense of Fort McHenry", which of course later was adapted to become our National Anthem.


The wind sort of "smeared" the fireworks photos a bit, but I got a few I like. By far, though, my favorite of the night was a self-portrait of me and the kids. I was in a rush to get the shot, since the display was winding down. I meant to have Jamie come over, too, but I just said "Hey kids, come here," so I think that's why she stayed out of it. Wish I would have been more clear about that. Still a very precious image to me, but how much better if she had been in there too?

My Thoughts

Whether standing amidst the trees on a mountain side, in the tall grass next to a lake, on a city sidewalk, in the midst of a crowd, or at a park with my family, whether the camera is in my hand or not, I can't help but think of how best to capture the moment as it is. How to capture the glorious beauty of creation, the feel and flow of a building, the collective sense of a crowd, or the emotion of an individual. How to reconcile the technical with the aesthetic in order to faithfully represent the moment.

When done correctly, photography blends these aspects in a way that allows a viewer to enjoy the results without considering how they were achieved. Enjoying the emotion without being distracted by the details. Feeling the moment as it was originally felt.