Our Future Looks Good

A blessing of my photography work is that I get to meet amazing young people; young men and ladies who work hard to achieve, who take their life and ambitions seriously, and who make the world a better place because they are in it.  It is indeed a privilege to introduce you to some mighty fine, high achieving leaders who make me believe that our future is in good hands.

Double click to enlarge photographs.
 

Evan is a senior at Hill City High School and will graduate in May 2012.  He's one of the few graduates in the US whose HS Commencement Service is at Mount Rushmore, a national monument.  Evan is a  really cool guy with talents and interests that keep him and his parents hopping all year long.  To name a few, he is a BMX bike racer, a saxophone player, a basketball player, a landscaper, an honor student and so much more.  The water, cliffs, rocks, trails, bridges, and flora at Horse Thief Lake, provided a perfect place to shoot up a  storm with Evan.  Here's a fun shot of Evan and his dad arm wrestling over the hood of a very sweet 1970 Firebird Esprit, which is owned by Evan's dad.

Another senior friend of mine is lovely Kylie.  I met Kylie's mom shortly after moving to Hill City, and am truly blessed to now know the entire Steever family.  They are salt of the earth people, generous, smart, and loving to each other and others.  Here's a collage from the first of three sessions that were held at Placerville Camp where Kylie's father is the director.  It's a beautiful place.

Kylie is an honor student, youth leader, musician, actress, and the list goes on...and she has a sweet sense of humor that makes everyone smile!  Here ya go, one more collage from Kylie's summer and fall sessions.

Speaking of the Steevers - you've got to meet Ben, Kylie's brother.  Ben and I share an interest in photography, and have had an opportunity to shoot with each other a couple times.  He has a very good eye for composition and is clever and creative in all his work.  On Halloween day, I subbed for the senior high art class, and Ben, a student, arranged a photo shoot for us after school.  He recruited Carin and Jared, high school friends, to be our models.  Those two had a chemistry that the camera liked.  Of course it helped that both Carin and Jared are absolutely beautiful people.  Mitchell Lake and the adjoining forest were perfect for the renaissance lady and pirate.

Justine and her mom were in the Hills last weekend visiting Todd and Shelly Larson and family.  While in the Rapid City Pet Shop, Justine spotted this adorable puppy who crawled from underneath the litter to make her way to the glass to greet Justine.  It was pretty much "love at first sight."  Justine named her new Schnauzer mix puppy Remi.  They are so sweet together.

I want to express my appreciation to the parents, grandparents, teachers, community members, and all who make an impact in the lives of our younger generation.  Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best, "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."

Families

Family... We are a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Each family has a story and every person contributes to the story! Photographs are a wonderful way to capture and preserve the expressions, quirks, love, memories, challenges, and the reality of being a family forever.

Here's a look at some amazing families that I've had a chance to photograph recently.

Double click to enlarge images.

The Johnsons

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at the people who belong to us, 

we see the past, present, and future.  ~ Gail Buckly

Lynn, Chris, and Daughters

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein

Jesse, Lynette, Chandler and Chastin

Success is having a family that loves you in the best and worst of times.  ~ unknown

Angie's Family

A mother holds her children's hands for awhile and their hearts forever. ~unknown

The Timmer Family

The only institution that I know that works is the family. ~ Lee Iacocca

I love photographing families as they each have their own distinct personality and interact with and express love for each other in diverse ways.  Some are playful and joke around, others are  huggy, and some are serious and approach picture taking as a "let's get this done." Whatever the personality of the family, it's obvious to me that love and and a sense of belonging are what all families have in common.

Baby Lincoln

Lincoln Jordan was born June 14, 2011, to Jordan and Ashley Dahl of rural Montevideo, MN.  He is their first child and deeply loved by his parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and a host of family friends.

Lincoln is spending part of his first summer in the Black Hills of SD to be near his daddy Jordan who is carving bears and other things in Keystone, SD.

Baby Lincoln, his mother Ashley, and grandma Laura stopped by my home for a visit and photos. At the time, he was only a little over 2 weeks old. Lincon is a sweet little guy with beautiful features and a friendly disposition. He was sleepy during his photo session and stretched out in his favorite sleeping position, so we didn't get the curled up baby pose.

Double click images to enlarge.

He loves to sleep with his little fist over one eye.

Ashley is such a sweet mother.  She seems to know just what Lincoln needs at all times. 

Is there anything better than a brand new baby and a beautiful mommy enjoying their time together?

Couldn't help but place a wood background on this image. 

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Jordan carved this 2 1/2' bear for his little boy.  Notice the "daddy's boy" on the diaper.

Here are a couple photographs from the family session on August 1st.  Enjoy!

Heather at Placerville Camp

People often times choose to have their portraits taken in special places that have significant meaning in their lives, and Heather is a perfect example.  Heather, a senior this year at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, has participated in summer Bible camps for the past 12 years at Placerville. It's a family tradition as her mother Kim attended Placerville Camp as a child, and their entire family, Dad, Mom, and two daughters have enjoyed family camp here for many years.

Placerville Camp, a United Church of Christ facility, is nestled on 12 acres in the Black Hills with Rapid Creek flowing through it.  It's a photographer's dream studio.  Wherever you look, there is a backdrop that provides endless opportunities.  

Heather's favorites were: the old cabin, the outdoor chapel, two bridges overlooking the creek, a waterfall, the volleyball court, and of course the forest and meadows.  Double click to enlarge prints.

Heather is pretty inside and out.

I love designing photo collages, especially for graduating seniors.

 In the middle images, Heather is blowing a kiss to her dad and giving her mom the thumbs up. 
Heather's dad crafted the 2012 rock display.

Simply beautiful.

At 6' tall, Heather is an avid volleyball player, and is looking at colleges where she can continue to play volleyball. 

We did take some serious, non-smiling poses, but they aren't Heather, so here she is,
once again, with her natural, beautiful Heather smile.

Our session continued into the dark hours, because it was so much fun photographing Heather.  

Thank you Heather and family for entrusting me with your senior photos.  It was indeed a pleasure to meet you and spend time with your beautiful family.  Enjoy your senior year.  It's going to be a good one!

Wally and Nona's Family

A celebration is more than a happy feeling!  It is liking each other, laughing together, and caring for each other.  The Garbel family is a wonderful example of a celebration!  It was my pleasure to meet and photograph Wally and Nona Garbel and their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren at the Custer Ranch House near Hermosa, SD.  In anticipation of Wally and Nona's upcoming 60th wedding anniversary, the entire Garbel family gathered for a long weekend of celebration.  The photos here are mainly posed so that we could fit everyone in the pictures, but believe me, cameras were clicking and there are many candid snapshots of the weekend fun!  Double click photos to enlarge.

 At the center of the Garbel family are Wallace and Winona Garbel.

Lots of memories to talk about.

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Their children:  Don, Lee, Kathy, and Jan

The Garbel Family ~ Sam and Neal were not present

Kathy and Greg's Family

Don and Kay's Family (Sam is missing)

Lee, Laurie, and Maggie

Jan and Lynn's Family (Neal is missing)

Joey, Lisa, Lucas, and Blake

Wade, Natalie, and Carson

Sheena, Todd, and Crosby

Aaron, Jessica, and Quin

Sarah and Derek

Lynn and Chris

Lynn and Chris' sweet daughters.

Sam, Erica, Hunter, Michael, Paxton, and Laken

Marcus - son of Amy and Neal

Nathan and Becca

In my "favorites" file ~ Grandma Kay and Laken enjoying a sweet moment!

In my "favorites" file ~ The Kiss!

Dear Wally and Nona, special blessings on your 60th wedding anniversary.  You have created an amazing life together and a loving legacy that your children, grandchildren, and all those to come, will forever cherish.  Congratulations and may you have many more happy years together.

Before closing, I want to say a special thank you to my beautiful photographer friend, Jessica Simons, for joining me at this session.  Jessica is one classy lady, and I'm very thankful to call her my friend and mentor. 

Lisa's Blessings

Hill City is blessed to have a well managed, safe, and fun Boys and Girls Club. The club provides structured activities for youth of all ages and is considered a life saver for working parents. Lisa Sagdalen is the executive director, her daughter Cody works with  preschoolers during the summer months, and son Ryan enjoys spending M - Fr with his mom and sis at the club.

It's obvious that Lisa and her children hold the Boys and Girls Club in high esteem.  It's also obvious that Lisa and her children deeply love and respect each another. It's my hope that the following images will reveal the closeness that I witnessed while spending time with the Sagdalens.

Double click to enlarge images.

A mother holds her children's hands for a while...their hearts forever.

They are very photogenic which makes it difficult to choose just one or two images.

Growing up is much easier if you have a caring mother to encourage you every step along the way.

This mom-daughter team has a special relationship that is built upon mutual respect and admiration.  Don't they look like sisters?

There's nothing better than a sunny day in the Black Hills. Cody kicked off her boots and splashed in the water, while Ryan found a big rock to rest upon.

 Cody and Ryan communicate with one another so sweetly. They truly enjoy being siblings.

I love how the warm sun rests upon Cody's shoulders and illuminates Ryan's big smile.

As parents, we try to teach our children how to live life, while our children teach us what life is all about.

Thank you Lisa, Cody, and Ryan for choosing me to take your photos.  My time with you was enjoyable and heartwarming. You have all made a lasting impression on me.