Shutterscapes

2010-03-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are several other photojournalism photos.

2009-06-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

The world around us.

South Dakota, albeit mostly flat, can be so beautiful - you have to get out of the car though. Here are some of my favorite photos from my travels around the newspaper's coverage area.

2008-12-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Everything and Happy Always.

- Laura

2008-10-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Steph & Justin

2008-09-25T20:24:00.001-07:00

Henry

2008-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sarah & Danny
Sept. 6, 2008

*Photographer's note: I had so much fun taking photos of this couple - as you can see - they made the job very easy.

2008-08-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Rodeo: All american photo opportunity

2008-07-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

(a few sneak peeks)

Amy & Andy
July 26, 2008
Sioux Falls

2008-07-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

The zoo in Omaha is fantastic & the light in the Old Market is so neat. Good weekend for photos.
Enjoy.

2008-04-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

I took these in Jamaica- what a great trip - however, I have never seen them, except for when I shot them. I got back from that trip and the photos got stored away - it was good to break a few of these out for the world to see :)

2008-03-24T17:24:00.001-07:00

Tiffany & Aaron

Want beautiful pictures? Get married at the Washington Pavilion.

Even the guys had a good time!

I met Tiffany & Aaron at their "dress rehearsal", I think she found me on Craigslist. I had such a good time at their wedding, which was held in the Belbas Theatre at the Washington Pavilion.
Beautiful venue, beautiful couple!
They made my job easy!

2008-02-24T15:48:00.001-08:00

Chicago.

These photos were taken in 2002 & 2003. I was there in 2005 as well. I need to go back to Chicago.

2007-06-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hidden beauty in Chamberlain...

2007-06-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

These are my friend's boys, Gage and baby Talon.
There are so many fun ones, but these are my favorite. They were a suprise father's day gift for their daddy. :) I love projects like this!

2007-04-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

2007-04-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

I had such a blast at Jamie & Amy's wedding!
Here's a peek....

A beautiful couple with great friends and family, also had good weather for outdoor pictures!

2007-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Great things at weddings :)

1. Writing your own wedding vows the morning of.
2. Sparklers when you exit the church
3. Dresses that you can sit in :)
4. Bridesmaid dresses that compliment every body type... even if they aren't identical.
5. Personalized decorations.
6. Photo frame guestbooks. (I've also heard of having people sign a big platter w/ a special type of pen - then have the platter glazed and fired - and voila - instant serving ware w/ everyone's name on it.)
7. Bubbles are fun, anything that reflects the light is fun.... rice works too, and flower petals are very pretty.
8. Personalized champagne labels w/ a picture of the couple.
9. Variations on cake.... or variations on what you use to cut the cake.....
10. Time for outdoor pictures, an old bridge, alleyway, building.... so picturesque against a white wedding dress.

:) that's ten! and I have to go to bed to get up and shoot a wedding in Huron.

First one of the season, very excited! I will post the highlights!

-Laura.

2007-04-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Somebody got a new puppy! (Not me, my friend Teresa)

2007-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

What is a photojournalist?

Wikipedia says:
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such as documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by the qualities of:
Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a published chronological record of events.
Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict.
Narrative — the images combine with other news elements, to inform and give insight to the viewer or reader.
Photojournalists must make decisions instantly and carry photographic equipment, often while exposed to the same risks (war, rioting, etc.) that are faced by text-only journalists. The fact that they rarely have the option to stand back or wait until the dangerous parts of an event are over means they may take even more risks.
Photojournalism as a descriptive term often implies the use of a certain bluntness of style or approach to image-making.
The photojournalist approach to candid photography is becoming popular as a unique style of commercial photography. For example, many weddings today are shot in photojournalism style resulting in candid images that chronicle the events of the wedding day.

That pretty much sums it all up. Nearly two years into the world of professional photojournalism, I definately love it.

Everyday, I get to:
Go backstage.
I get to be the closest.
I see things that people don't get to see.
I tell the story w/ my camera.
Show people how they are.
I do something different every single day.

Photography - Helps People To See
- Unknown

2007-03-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Let's try this again. I'll admit it's tough to follow the last post that I put on here. :) I'm calling it: "A study in white space."
Actually, I had a great post about ... something... and I did not type it fast enough - so it was lost into cyberspace, for-ev-er.

So hello again -
I just got back from an amazing trip to D.C. Saw some friends, the sights, did a little 'light' hiking.
I loved being in the city - the hustle, bustle, and people! I love 'people watching' not in a creepy way - but just seeing what people do. And the architecture - oh my oh my - I saw a row house for the first time. Funny thing, when the cab driver pulled up to my friend's house - it looked like some big apartment complex - and I did not think that we had the right address. Sure enough, we did. The houses and buildings are amazing- they have so much character.
I apologize for my extensive 'vacation' from blogging on this site - I have my own computer now, and internet! I've caught up. :)
Well - enough text. Let me post some vacation photos!

2007-03-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

2007-02-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm back. :)

Where have I been? Just working.
I am planning a trip to D.C. in March - (which cannot come soon enough) and it is certain that there will be pictures to view on here after that.

Wedding season, for me, begins in April. I am enjoying the slower pace of the 'non wedding season' but it will be fun to get back into the swing of things. :)

Thank you for checking back.
I have internet in the comfort of my home now; so expect more updates.

cheers!

2006-10-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

10.21.06 - Jane + Brian - What a beautiful couple! They were so much fun on their wedding day. It was very relaxed, very romantic - and a great day.

I wanted to post about some of the cool 'new' things that I've been seeing at weddings.

Guest book variations
1. A very popular idea is a framed photo where guests can sign the matteboard, what a neat idea - a picture that you can hang up w/ a little note from all of your friends and family.
2. If you are a scrapbooker - incorporate that into your guestbook. Have fun w/ it.
Decorations
1. Just because your mom, sister, and 7 cousins had the same decorations - doesn't mean that you have to. Make your decorations personal to you. And you don't need to spend a fortune. A friend who is getting married is making wallet size reprints of her engagement photos and using them as 'confetti' for her reception tables - a little gift that everyone can take home with them. Make your own candles, use fun glasses or containers. Have a treat for your guests; a wedding I recently went to for my friend Kerry had a little box of tic-tacs for everyone w/ : "Kerry & Jess 09-09-06" and then on the back: "Shake this candy to marital bliss; and keep on shaking until they Kiss!" Another friend, who's wedding overlooked the Caribbean Sea - had sea shells as her table decorations - everything was 'themed' - but it wasn't cheesy at all.

Bubbles, Rice, and everything nice
Since most wedding venues outlaw the use of rice - in an effort to preserve america's bird population - there are several more options.
1. Bubbles - they are fun for people of all ages. There is NOTHING cuter than seeing the Grandpa of the Bride try to blow bubbles. They also catch the light just right and make for great photos.
2. Flower petals - fun! beautiful! Again, great photos.
3. Sparklers - (with the disclaimer to keep the flames away from the bridesmaids hair-dos) if you are having an afternoon or evening wedding - this idea is great. It makes pictures really, sparkle... :)
Clink clink clink - now kiss
An often overdone tradition of clinking glasses and making the bride and groom kiss in front of everyone has gone by the wayside to more creative ideas.
1. The bride and groom will humor their audience, and kiss on the first round of clinking - but then, change it up a bit - make the parents of the bride and groom kiss, then the grandparents, then the flower girl and ring-bearer (provided they aren't related) and so on and so forth :)
2. "Love, love love - all you need is love" Another idea is making your crowd work for the kiss. If you have a microphone - (but you don't need one) - make your guest sing a few bars of a song with the word LOVE in it.

That's all for now! More to come! :)

2006-10-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Shutterscapes blog - "Behind the Camera" :)
For my inaugural post, I'll let you know a couple things that I want to accomplish with this blog. First & foremost, I will be sharing tales from the 'road', and hopefully will be able to share photos and anecdotes about the people I meet and the experiences I have.

I hope that you check back.
I promise - there will be photos here soon!

I'm keeping busy - so that is a good thing. This fall, I've had 7 weddings, a photo-shoot w/ Bill Clinton and Bob Dole and many more neat assignments.

Details/photos to come.
Cheers!

Laura