testing…testing
I got a new umbrella last month. Of course, when you get new toys, you have to play with them. And who loves to play with toys more than kids, right?
I tried it out a couple of times on myself, but I just can’t get the camera that far away, even with my freakishly long arms, at least not without a decent wide-angle lens.
One of the (many) things my wife and I love about our son and frequently laugh about (between ourselves, of course) is how expressive his face is. He’s seriously the Boy of a Thousand Faces. He brought a few of them to the party that night.
Grandpa called as we were shooting. Did that stop us? Nope. (You can also see Mysterious Eye Injury #1 fairly well in this next one. It just appeared at some point. Neither kid would tell us a straight story about what happened. Very Mysterious, indeed)
And my favorite of his faces. I know; it shouldn’t be, but it is!
union station | kansas city
I am guilty of bribery.
That’s right, folks. You heard it first here! I, Rik Andes, bribed my daughter in an effort to convince her not to do an optional science fair project for her school. She was quite reluctant, even though we pointed out that we only had two more days to do it in and very little time to enjoy it in. Eventually, we had to promise to take her to see the science fair at her school and then take her to the science discovery center at Union Station in Kansas City. When I said that, even her little brother was pushing her to cave.
We went out there at the end of last month and had a great time seeing all the exhibits and trying everything out. That’s really the best part of the center–you can play with everything. And it’s not just for kids, either. I was frequently the last one trying out the different stations when my family wanted to move on, and I saw several couples there on dates, too.
Of course, I brought my camera along and had some fun while we were having some fun.
Where it all began.
The price of admission also gets you a show at the planetarium. We saw a laser show of Peter and the Wolf.
One of the exhibits
Digging for dinosaur bones. With protective gear, of course. (Click for slightly bigger enjoyment)
After doing the rounds at the science center, we started the trek over to the Crown Center for dinner, which took us straight through Union Station.
I have only two words and one picture: Gor. Geous.
We ate at Fritz’s, one of our favorite stops in Kansas City. The food is greasy and bad, but it’s delivered via an automated train system that runs on tracks up near the ceiling. When your food is ready, the train brings it and it’s l0wered by an elevator to your table. Kids, as you can imagine, love this place.
On our way back to our car at the Union Station garage.
Definitely a fun little day trip.
chase + tara: engaged!
A couple weeks ago, I had the extreme pleasure of getting together with two very cool young people getting ready to tie the knot next month! I have known Chase’s family since about the time we moved here over 2 years ago, and on that Saturday, I was also lucky enough to meet the lovely lady that captured Chase’s heart, Tara.
We met on the Kansas State campus and hit a spot I’ve shot at a couple of times and then set off to find some new and very cool spots. And boy, did we ever find some!
I have the feeling this could be a bit longer than what I normally post…I’m just too excited about these. =]
Chase
and Tara
Just can’t get enough of these stairs…or that sunlight!
I wish I could take credit for this next moment, but it was all them. Every tenderness you see is all theirs. I stepped away to change a lens, told them to just hang out for a moment, and this was what I got: a perfect moment.
From here, we ventured off onto the campus more. We hit up one spot that I just love. Every time I saw it, I would think to myself how I would love to shoot someone there, and Chase and Tara worked it for me!
My absolute favoritest ones of the day:
Chase and Tara, I wish you every happiness in the world for your nuptials next month. Thanks for an incredible time!
pleasing the natives
We recently were given a portable dishwasher as a baby shower present for my wife (thanks, Leon!). Dishwashers, because of their size, come in rather large boxes. If you’ve ever been a kid, you will probably remember the joy that comes from having a rather large box at your disposal.
Keeping that joy in mind, just think how you would feel if your mom then broke out all her paints and helped you cut it up and paint it like a house.
And, as if that couldn’t get any better, imagine how you would then feel when the box ripped open at one end so you could lay it down and pretend it was a space shuttle with a perfectly placed front window.
Yeah…that’s how my kids have been feeling for the last couple of days.
This last one I spent a bit of time on in Photoshop. If you click it, you can see it a bit bigger on my photoblog.
Here’s the Space Commander, at the helm:
The top image was shot with a new umbrella I just bought: shoot-through 45″ white satin. I’ve been having lots of fun with that. The last two were shot with the same flash as the top (Vivitar 285HV), except that I shot it through my reflector frame, which has a translucent white material through the middle.
