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