Category: Family

01-25-16 Mother and Child

Even in “posed” photos you capture real and special moments. . . (read more)

By Scott Shephard

I don’t have the opportunity to do much studio portraiture these days and when I do, it’s rare that children have are my subjects. But in December Brian and Katie came to stay at our house for a while and I volunteered to do some family portraits.

This photo isn’t at all what we were trying for – Irene is supposed to be looking at the camera and smiling. So much for that! But what I got instead is a “real” photo of a real moment in the lives of Katie and her youngest daughter. And I like it, though you’ll have to forgive my bias. 🙂

Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/9.5 ISO100 73mm

Here’s one taken when Ibby (aka Irene Bernice) was about a week old.

01-12-16 Photographer At Work

What shoes do you wear when you go out to take photos? (read more)

By Scott Shephard

You may know our youngest son Jon as the captain of the Un-Cruise Adventures ship Wilderness Adventurer. But when he is on hiatus, as he is this winter, he spends some of his time in Hawaii. This year it gave Deb and me a good reason to go to Hawaii, too.

Here Jon is setting up for a photo at the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden, where the orchid photo I posted a couple of days ago was taken. Like many good photographers in Hawaii, he is properly equipped: good camera and lens, solid tripod and fashionable flip flops.

Canon 5DIII 1/30s f/4.0 ISO400 55mm

04-21-14 Glenyce Jane – Easter, 2014

Glenyce Jane seems to be in perpetual motion but she does pause from time to time for photo opportunities. . . .

By Scott Shephard

We recently spent the better part of a day with out son Brian, daughter-in-law Katie, and our beautiful granddaughter Glenyce Jane. She is approaching her first birthday and I have discovered that when she is awake, she seems to be in constant motion, which makes her hard to photograph.

After her afternoon nap, Glenyce donned her brand new Easter dress, made by her grandmother Mary. We tried to pose her and I managed to get a few decent shots, though she seemed to be interested in any thing but my camera.

Glenyce Jane is perfect in every way, of course. What grandparent wouldn’t say that about their grandchild?

Canon 5DIII 1/100s f/5.0 ISO200 200mm

03-22-14 She Looks Up To Us

Granddaughter Glenyce has much to say long before she is able to speak.

by Scott Shephard

She looks up to us.

She is fascinated by us.

She trusts us.

She is amused by us.

She needs us.

Of course, I can’t really speak for our granddaughter Glenyce Jane. At 9 months she can’t yet speak for herself. But her eyes and her expressions have much to say . . . . 

Canon 5DIII 1/60s f/4.0 ISO400 70mm

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01-27-14 His Biggest Fan

2014 01-27 His Biggest Fan by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
2014 01-27 His Biggest Fan by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard

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

Creative Commons License

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

2014 01-19 Photographer At Work by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
2014 01-19 Photographer At Work by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard

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

2014 01-18 The Good Life by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
2014 01-18 The Good Life by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard

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

2014 01-17 Family Unit by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
2014 01-17 Family Unit by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard

(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