Light - St. Louis senior pictures

Katie at the Library
July 14, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

This portrait of Katie Speicher creates the illusion of having been taken in a studio, when it was really shot outside the Edwardsville Public Library near the fountain. What appear to be studio lights are really reflections of sunlight in the fountain. Harsh sunlight is rarely good for portraits. And while it is almost impossible to fight the sun, in this case, Katie literally turned her back on it, and that made all the difference.

Shutter: 1/200; Aperture: f/2.2; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm

Moon, Maple Road

Moon, Maple Road
July 13, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

As usual, I was looking the wrong way. I went to the intersection of Staunton Road and Maple Road near Hamel to watch the sunset over a cornfield. A lovely sight, but then I turned around and saw the moon, full and making a phone call. Or something like that.

Shutter: 1/2 second; Aperture: f/20; ISO: 100; Focal length: 300mm

Endless fields

Cornfield near Hamel, Illinois
July 12, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Where I live there is a lot of corn. I remember an old saying that farmers wanted their corn to be "knee-high by the Fourth of July." Today, July 12, the corn around here is taller than a person. So I stood on my car on Hamel road to get this picture, the tops of the corn tasseling in the field.

The hottest shoot - Edwardsville Senior Pictures

100 Degrees in the Shade
Katie Speicher Senior Pictures Shoot
July 11, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

When I pulled up at the Speichers' home Monday evening to take Katie's senior pictures, the thermometer in my van read 100 degrees. That was the official high for the day. I thought it might be cooler in their shady backyard, but I guess 100 degrees is 100 degrees. For me, it was a record: hottest senior pictures photo shoot ever. But somehow, Katie managed to at least appear to remain cool. Take a look at her on the backyard swing. Does it look like 100 degrees in the shade?

Shutter: 1/60; Aperture: f.2.8; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm

Nine Trees

Near Marine, Illinois
July 10, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I was driving along Illinois Route 4, looking for a good place to watch the sun set, when I saw these nine trees in a farm field near Marine. Reminded me of "Six Persimmons," the famous Chinese painting by Mu Qi. Except there were trees instead of persimmons. And nine instead of six. And I'm not even sure if nine is the right number. Hard to count from this distance. Anyway, something about the placement of the trees that grabbed me, especially as the sun dropped behind them.

Shutter: 1/50; Aperture: f/10; ISO: 100; Focal length: 220mm

Shutter Speed

Fair St. Louis
July 4, 2011
Photograph by Tom Atwood

There were two good reasons to use a high shutter speed at Fair St. Louis. First, the planes on July 4 were moving very fast. These North American AT-6 Texans,  built in 1938, fly at speeds above 200 mph. Second, the lens I used was a 300 mm zoom, so any camera movement is magnified at that focal length and usually results in a blur, or fuzziness. Sometimes, blurs at a slow shutter speed can help, adding a feeling of motion. But this photo needed to be sharp.

Shutter: 1/800; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 200; Focal length: 300 mm

Landscape Portraiture

Paige on the Tracks
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Paige Sturley agreed to experiment in landscape portraiture as part of her senior pictures photo shoot yesterday. I have photographed these railroad tracks near Worden, Illinois before, but always without any people. I wanted to see what adding a person to the landscape would do. And so, Paige was added -- in this photo she appears almost to have been cut and pasted. But she was really there. Part of the landscape. July 5, 2011.