Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour IV

The homes have been selected for this year's Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour.... actually six homes and one school. Above, originally an apartment building, this is now a single-family home.
Above and below Scuola Vita Nuova a Charter School residing in a former church.

Excellent examples of great architecture. The house below is obscured by trees which accounts for my novel angle.


Image below is not mine but was borrowed since the building now has scaffolding in front of it.
The tour is from 1-6pm, Saturday, November 20th. For tickets and more information visit:http://www.pendletonheights.org/

New Bridge Picture

The new bridge, Bob I think, is going to be open 6 months early.... above is my impression of the dedication which I would have attended but it was invitation only.

Possumbilities

If the cat's on the roof then maybe somethings afoot. Mr. Daisy the cat began behaving weird even for him last week. He perched on the roof of my daughter's doll house and stayed there all day. Coincident with that was an increase in the uptake of cat food and "accidents" around the house. Then, early Friday morning, I heard sounds coming from the computer room that shouldn't be coming from the computer room and turned on the light to investigate. A small furry creature bearing a striking resemblance to a opossum trundled past my feet, down the stairs and into the kitchen. This, of course, is not good. Soooooo, I borrowed a trap from my brother who considers it a higher art form and put it in the kitchen baited with grapes and a peanut butter sandwich.... hey I don't want word to get around that I don't provide a nice spread for guests.... even the uninvited ones.
The next morning my little friend was in residence and not the least bit pleased by the whole turn of events..... he alternated between hissing and begging me to come closer to the cage. Mr. Daisy seems to have decided it was the biggest damn mouse he had ever seen and would have nothing to do with it.
He rode quietly in the back of the car as we headed to Indian Mound where a tribe of itinerant dogs seems to have encamped.... so I came part way back and let him/her (you check I ain't) out next to the woods.... It disappeared. And no... I haven't any idea how he/she got in.

Madi's Many Moods

Madison came over with her family for some pictures..... she's three. She will occasionally have a total meltdown where the core goes all the way to China.... but mostly she's just a kid.
As with any kid... they aren't just all smiles.......




These were taken in the studio with the D3, 24-50 and 105mm. 1/250th at F16, ASA 200 on all.

From Pilgrim to Brio

Last Saturday I photographed a wedding in one of my favorite places.... Pilgrim's Chapel on Gillham Road... Originally the Lutheran Chapel for the Deaf it is now one of the best places to hold a smaller wedding. It seats 72 people.... exactly.... but it's a delightful and scenic church.
All but the shots during the actual service were done with the D3 and 24-50mm lens... outside at 400 ASA, inside at 800. The shots during the ceremony were taken with the 70-200mm, same camera, set at 6400ASA.

Amy, below, was escorted down the aisle by her son......
I never use flash during the service and the Chapel is rather dark, photographically speaking, so it mandated the use of ASA 6400 for the shots of the exchange of vows.... in the days of film that was tough..... not so much with digital...
Amy and Ryan exchange vows administered by Reverend Roger Coleman who, along with his wife, operates the Chapel. I've done a number of weddings officiated by Rev. Coleman and they are always very calm and organized. He also does very special things when families that are blending join.

It was sprinkling most of the time we were there including the shots above and below....

The bride and groom were driven to the reception in a limo.... in a rain.... but we stopped at the Nichols Fountain anyway.... you just can't pass up this opportunity because of a little downpour.
The reception was in one of the rooms at Brio on the Plaza.... excellent food and service.
Above panorama includes three pictures stitched together in Photoshop.
Above, the traditional face smash.... and below the Magic Bus which carried family and friends on an adventure in the city..... I understand the stops included The Levee and Knuckleheads...

Amber in Autumn

Tis' the season for Senior Pictures and Lee's Summit's finest visited on Sunday. Amber is in her senior year and we did studio shots and then traveled down to one of my favorite spots... the West Bottoms... for some location work. She's wants to be a Registered Nurse and is already taking a course to that end.
These are just a few of the 88 shots she has to choose from.

Amber also dances and has entered several pageants.... winning Miss Photogenic in her last outing.... she's fun and a very good sport to sit on the ground :)
Studio shots were taken with the Nikon D3 and the 1o5mm... my favorite portrait lens... location shots were with the same camera and some with the 24-50mm lens, but most with the 70-200mm lens wide open at 2.8. ASA 200 on all shots.