01-27-14 His Biggest Fan

Glenyce Jane Shephard sits enthralled by her father, Brian, as he serenades her. It was a perfect photographic moment!

Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/4.0 ISO2500 18mm

His Biggest Fan by Scott Shephard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

01-24-14 Matt & Lacey D

You may have noticed that I have a propensity to post photos of places and things in this blog. But once and a while I like to prove that I do like working with people. Most would hope that would be true given that I have worked pretty closely with thousands of people as a classroom teacher for 35 years. :-)

This photo was taken this past summer during an engagement session for my nephew Matt DeGeest and his fiancé, Lacey Johnson. There are great colors in this photo but I figured that savvy South Dakota hunters would know that you would not likely be out hunting in a field of mostly green grass graced with purple and gold wildflowers. And so I turned it into something that looks a little more seasonal.

Canon 5DIII 1/1600s f/3.5 ISO125 200mm

01-19-14 Photographer At Work

I snapped this action shot with my iPhone as I watched Josh, the hired wedding photographer, pose Lacey and the groomsmen in the pre-wedding shoot at the wedding of Matt DeGeest and Lacey Johnson last weekend. I missed hearing the concept behind this shot so you'll have to impose your own interpretation on the scene.

iPhone 5s 1/30s f/2.2 ISO100 4.12mm (35mm eq:30mm)

01-18-14 The Good Life

We are being hit with the second Alberta Clipper (translate: mini blizzard) in less than a week. While I enjoy seeing the swirling snow and fierce winds lash the gray/green pines outside my window, I prefer more summery scenes as a rule.

Thus, I am resurrecting a photo that made it to my Instagram feed but not to this blog. Subject: son Jon floating serenely on a back bay on the amazing Lake Oahe. Jon had made a rare visit to the midwest last summer and an even rarer visit to a place we both love, Lake Oahe.

iPhone 5 1/1153s f/2.4 ISO50 4.13mm (35mm eq:33mm)

01-17-14 Family Unit

(Oops! Those who subscribe through email are getting 2 posts today, January 18. It was supposed to auto-post yesterday but I put the wrong date in. Am I losing touch with reality? But like the things you see here, I've concluded that calendars aren't real either.)

My nephew Matt DeGeest married Lacey Johnson last Saturday and I went not as a photographer but as an uncle. But as I watched the "real" photographer at work, I couldn't help but get my camera out of the bag and take a few candid photos of the wedding party. As a photographer I am much more comfortable as an observer and when I and my camera are not the center of attention. Maybe thats why I like taking photos of landscapes and nature so much: the land and nature could not care less about me.

Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/3.2 ISO1600 75mm

01-13-14 Two Beauties

The title says it all. Both Glenyce Jane and Deb were dolled up for a family wedding.

Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/3.5 ISO500 105mm

12-31-13 Global Babies

I guess it's appropriate that the final post of 2013 is a photo of our grand daughter, Glenyce Jane, whose arrival on June 2 was no doubt the biggest event in the life of the Shephard/Brass family this year. As everyone who has a grandchild has told me, she has been a blessing and a true marvel.

This photo wasn't staged and is the result of a little luck, as is so often the case in photography. Deb was intending to read this book to little Glenyce but Glenyce decided she would rather taste it instead. And I happened to have my camera ready.

Having traveled only to South Dakota and back from her native city of St. Paul, Glenyce isn't yet a "global baby." But given the nature of the world and the inclinations of her parents, she will certainly be cosmopolitan, which literally means a "citizen of the world." The world is lucky to have her. She is, of course, smart, beautiful and everything else that grandparents say about their grandchildren. :-)

Canon 5DIII 1/100s f/2.8 ISO800 100mm

12-07-13 Great Faces

I posted a great face yesterday so I decided to post two great faces today, this time of our grand daughter Glenyce Jane and one of G's namesakes, my mother-in-law Glenyce D. I'm lucky to have them both in my world and I'm learning to interpret Glenyce J's facial expressions. This one says, "You're pretty cool and I like you."

I get the same look from my mother-in-law all of the time. :-)

Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/5.0 ISO800 90mm

12-03-13 Curiosity

At the end of one of my photography classes the other day, I asked if there were any questions. During the minute or two that I waited, I was greeted with silence. I told the class that their silence may be due to their shyness, their total understanding of everything I taught, or their confusion. I did point out in a friendly way that "teachers don't drive the best learning; curiosity does."

I call this post "Curiosity" because when I watched my son (the teacher) coach his second cousins on the use of a fascinating puzzle, I realized that the learning was pure: it was based solely on a desire to understand. It certainly wasn't based on fear of the disapproval of the teacher, the disappointment of the parents, or the assignment of a grade to the task at hand. It was all about wanting to know more. . . .

Canon 5DIII 1/250s f/5.6 ISO1000 45mm

12-01-13 Then & Now - 6 Months Old

Yesterday's photographic mission was to copy a photo that had been taken 59 years ago. The subject in the photo is Debra DeGeest (AKA Deb Shephard). The new subject for the copy was Glenny J. (AKA Glenyce Jane Shephard). The dress in both photos is the same dress - worn very little for the photo so long ago and worn only for a few minutes for the recent shoot. Both subjects are 6 months old.

Careful observers will note that there are striking similarities between the two children. Such is the nature of genetics. The single most striking thing to me is that they both seem healthy and happy. What more could you want?

Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/5.6 ISO200 58mm

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In case you'd like to see the out takes, here's another contact sheet. . .

And a short video. . .