Anyway, this family of Elise Johnson-Hoffman has a history in the small town of Dawson, Mn. So, I am guessing the daughter of Elise, Julie, thought it a good way to document the history of family in this day and time now that the family is gathered from near and far in a small town of Dawson. Even though it was cold and windy for a picture, it did not matter, for they were together for remembrance of a loved one and reconnecting. Family is love and love is part of family. 

Newborn Breck William

"If You Don't Expect The Unexpected"

Newborn, Baby, and for that matter Children photo shoots are so unpredictable. So you try as a photographer to go with the flow at times. I find that I can plan to a certain amount in a photo shoot, and it totally does not go as planned.

For newborn photo shoots, I get so excited that I get to capture such a tiny miracle. I think about props, clothing, poses, and even parents' expectations. I even say a little prayer. Then, I start to think about the baby, and how the baby reacts in the studio. Furthermore, is this baby going to be fussy, or is the baby just going to put up with me as I lightly and gently push and place the baby's head, body, and limbs.

The latest newborn that I was fortunate to capture, I started with a prop that my client desired to have, which was an older dump truck. Well, I happened to have one of those dump trucks up at the lake. So, I cleaned the dump truck up and brought it to the studio. This baby, Breck, did not fit as nice in it as I thought. Yet, Breck just lay limp, and I got some good shots for the baby was so darn cute! Later, I had baby Breck in a basket, I was trying so hard to place his hands in a certain way. He kept squirming. I gave up on it for a smidgen so I could get a safe shot, for he was in a good mood. Then, I did not expect Breck by himself to place his hands close to the way I wanted him to. I think to myself that is not exactly the way I wanted, yet it was close enough. So, I quickly snapped the shutter. So, a poet, Charles Wright, wrote once, "If you don't expect the unexpected, you will never find it." Finding or happen to see the unexpected is a miracle in itself.

It is wonderful that it takes a baby at time to see miracles and the wondrous unexpected. to see the miracle of a face, nose, ears, hands, and toes, and the unexpected baby pose. This makes me love life and all is well.

                                                                                               By Joyce Hustad

As very young children, the most important love is the parents' love. It is a "no matter what happens" love, called unconditional love. Yet, every day as children, they want reassurance of the parents' love. So the children follow the parents' guidance and rules.

As children get a little older, they get to be with more people between school, church, and playgrounds. Friendships are formed. There is a type of love that is formed. I would like to call it the "love of friendship". I don't believe the young children go around and tell their friends, "I love you". Maybe some children will say it. You can see and feel the love in friendship, like sharing and caring that comes with respect of one another. There is a friendship guidance.

Children become teens and become more involved with groups of friends and teams, and they may have someone more special. With that someone special, I like to call it "infatuated love". We are still sharing, caring, respecting, and being guided by each other.

Children get past their teens and go to college, get a job, and/or get married. We are still following rules and guidance and are sharing and caring. This love is maturing that is reaching out to others to help and serve. Yet, it gets deeper when helping and serving to someone you don't even know or to someone that you may not particularly get along with. This is what I call a "good Samaritan love" or "brotherly love".

Yes, you can say that love is a feeling. Yet, it is also being and doing what is right for the good of others, and being and doing what your good conscience wants you to do.

What is more with this challenge on this particular day with this family was the wind. The wind was gusting to 30 miles per hour from the South. The time of day I took the picture was not ideal for the sun was high in the sky. Yet, this was the time when all family member were present. So I just went with the time.
 

When I got to the location, I checked all around the house to see if there was less wind anywhere. Well, it was windy all over. Then I stood still for a while to see which way the wind was blowing my hair. I really didn't want the hair to blow in the face. I wanted the hair to blow away from the face. So I had them facing more towards the sun, which is not ideal. The house in the background was ideal though, for it is part of the family farm place.
 

When I do photo shoots, I always analyze what I could do different. I did think about it afterward that I could have had them come to my studio and take a picture or two. But then I thought  would the picture mean as much to them from a studio location or the whole family at the home farm. I am guessing there is more meaning being at the farm.
 

This picture of the whole family reminds me of a picture from yesteryear, yet only in color and in the present time. How often do the whole families come together like this even if it is for an hour or two? When I talked to many families, they usually say it is so hard to get everyone together. It just so happened that this family came together for a special reason for a special little girl, Elliana Leopold, who is battling neuroblastoma, a pediatric form of cancer.
 

As I parted to go back home, I forewarned to those listening that they were going to have wind blown hair. Then Dar said, " That is ok! It is real! " The statement actually made me feel good. My wish would be that the family members will one day look back and say," I am glad we had the picture done in spite of the wind and how we had to sit." This is their memory set in time!
 

It starts out saying how it is helpful for children to see themselves as a valued and important part of the family unit. They are learning who they are and where they fit in.

When a child sees a family portrait with them included in the photograph they say to themselves; "These people have me as part of what they are, that is why I belong here. This is where I came from."

By displaying portraits in the home sends a message that we are important to one another and we honor our memories together. Furthermore, if you display portraits of that child with their family in the child's bedroom can be meaningful. It could be one of the last things they see before they go to sleep and one of the first things they see to begin their day.

______________________________

On my own personal experience, I display portraits everywhere in my home. Of course, I have many of my grandchildren. I even have them on my computer screens. I know when Reid comes to visit, he loves to look at the picture that I have on my computer screen. Since he doesn't see Uncle Brad and Aunt Brittany too often, I ask Reid, who is that. And he tells me. It is staying connected, even when there is distance mile wise. I love that he shows an interest in the portrait each and every time.

So what is said in a nutshell, "We love you and care about you. You are important!"

The picture of me and my grandson Reid is a daily reminder of how much I love him.

No matter how much I think I know my strobes, speedlights, or natural light, I always think that there is more to learn. so I keep experimenting. How strong do I want my strobe? How strong do I want my backlight or hairlight? I know there are certain standards when it comes to your main light and accent light. What I have been taught that your accent light should not be as strong as your main light. It could maybe be a stop down or maybe 2 stops down from your main light. I have heard another expression or quote that says, "Know the rules first, and then you can break them." I believe I have read this when it came to posing, yet I think you can do this for lighting to a certain extent. I call it being creative. I have seen portraits where the hairlights were stonger than the main light (meaning the main light is the one towards the face).

When I take pictures in my studio, sometimes I use just a main light and a reflector. Sometimes, I add a backlight or hairlight. I happened to use a main light and a hairlight on Brad and Lily. I study my pictures quite a bit. I thought the hairlight was fine for Lily but a little strong for Brad. So there should be a happy medium somewhere when there is darker hair and lighter hair. I guess that would probably a matter of opinion. Then I thought I should have added a reflector as a fill light for the shadows. In the picture, I did edit to balance the highlights and shadows more. My goal was a warm cozy look, not a dramatic look.

So painting with light is so true with photography. How you use the light or lights is what is pleasing to you. Therefore, you are showing people your own personal style.

Jason Stee, who is part of Freedom Hunters, a nonprofit organization based out of Colorado, organized Operation Noble Ringneck. The operation honored 12 of our combat wounded vets. Freedom Hunter's goal is to provide military veterans hunting and fishing trips for moral and gratitude.

Jason picked up the military vets at the Watertown airport on Wednesday evening September 9th, 2014 and were provided lodging at Buffalo Ridge Resort. Bright and early, the next morning, Stee Electric provided a breakfast for the vets before heading off for the event of the day.

A day to remember for the 12 military vets as they gathered at Dakota Ridge Pheasant Preserve along with some guides and their dogs from Clear Lake Pheasants Forever Chapter for the hunting. They walked around nine miles and gathered around 122 pheasants and 6 partridges.

I came late for pictures, yet I got the feeling that these veterans really enjoyed themselves. They were in their element, and they shared an experience together. They didn't mind that a woman was standing around taking some pictures. They did the guy type of joking around.

I learned that 8 of the military vets were from Texas, 1 was from Kansas, 1 was from North Dakota, and 2 were from South Dakota. One military vet didn't even mind that I took a picture of his leg/foot. When you see things like that a sense of reality set in what these military vets go through. So it is great that these types of events happen for them.

Operation Noble Ringneck has credit going to Jason Stee, coordinator, and part of Freedom Hunters, Stee Electric for breakfast, Buffalo Ridge Resort for providing 2 nights stay, Dakota Ridge Pheasant Preserve for the hunting grounds, Clear Lake Pheasants Forever for being guides and providing the preserve license, Legion Post 109 for monetary donation, Texas Jacobson Aviation, Hevi-Shot for providing shells, Watertown Holiday Inn Express for a night stay.

Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, or other social media, does your profile picture fit your personality?

I stay more connected to the younger career orientated crowd when I talk to my daughter, Brittany. Social media has weaved its way into people and their personalities and their careers. Social Media has become more important as part of their careers to stay connected.

My daughter, Brittany, is part of a networking group in which she partook in an activity of answering questions about herself. In Brittany's words, "I wrote down 25 events, people, places, etc., that led me to where I am now in my career. The good and the bad. Then from there, I wrote down how I felt at each milestone. Then I looked at themes in those milestones and feelings. I found two themes. 1) I crave adventure. 2) Company culture is very important, probably more important to me than the actual job."

Brittany chose an open road as part of her showing her personality of craving adventure. And as we were walking to the road, we were singing, "Life is a Highway...I want to drive it all night long!!" 

I have to say Reid was a trooper for the most part. He doesn't always want to do what the adults want him to do. Yet sometimes, crying still makes a good portrait.