The Cook Islands

Well.... I can honestly say that the trip to the Cook Islands was the trip of our lifetimes. There was so much to do and see that we would have needed another month to even touch on it. We arrived in Rarotonga thinking that it couldn't get any better. Then we were proven wrong even before we landed in Aitutaki. Crystal clear water, lagoon reefs, Pacific Island culture and impeccable hospitality are only a taste of what the islands have to offer.

Here are a few pics of our adventures. You can see them all on our new site.



Here is the beach in front of our room in Raro. The snorkeling was amazing!! We saw octopus, sea cucumbers, spiny sea urchins, giant clams and countless varieties of tropical fish.



Here is a quick shot of our first sunset in Raro.



We went here with the intent to get Cook Islands Driver's lisence. We weren't ever able to see that one through.



The Punanga Nui Cultural Market can best be described as a weekly Pig Out in the Park. Great cooks, artisans and performers set up shop every Saturday to show off their talents.



Our jungle quad adventure was a blast. Think muddy mountain biking through a tropical rain forest.... WOOHOO!!



This is a shot of the lagoon we crossed to get from our island bungalow to the main island of Aitutaki.







Our lagoon cruise was amazing. We were able to see a few sea turtles, these giant clams and take a walk on a sand bar to Honeymoon Island. Some of the clams were as big as six feet across!!



Think this sunset is nice? Check out the rest here.





How about a little crab racing at the restaurant? A little strange, but plenty of fun. :-D




This was the view from our front porch every night. Can you get any better?

The Armstrong's Holiday Card

Holiday Cards

It's nearing the holiday season, a time when it's easy to reach out to those loved ones who aren't near us with holiday cards. Dead lines for orders are Friday, Dec. 5. Here are the cards that I am currently offering. Email me for pricing info.

Here is a 5x7 folded card which is great if you have a lot of images to share.

The front of the card....




The inside of the card....



The back of the card....



This is a two sided 5x7 card which is great for a few images.

The front of the card....



The back of the card....



Lastly, here is a traditional photo card. My most economical option.

Save That Date!!

Keep an eye out for those Save the Date cards.... You'll have them soon. In the mean time you can check out our wedding blog that Shawnia set up for us. You can see that here. It will keep you updated on what is happening with our wedding day plans.

Oksana

My last senior portrait of the season was with Oksana. A fun and spirited girl who took a trip around the south hill with me. Here are a few pics from the session. You can see the rest here.

It was a great season of seniors and I look forward to making some great images for the upcoming class of 2010.

Levi

On my first assignment with Logan Magazine, I met Joy Carlsen. My photos accompanied the incredible story she wrote about Carrie Davis. She asked me to shoot a senior portrait session with her son Levi. He turned out to be a great guy to hang out for a couple of hours with. We decided to do an urban themed session at a couple of spots downtown. Here are a few pics from the session. You can see the rest here.

The Armstrongs

Some of you may remember Hank from my SpokeFest post. I shot a few portraits for his family recently. They are a ton of fun and full of personality. Here are a few shots from the session. You can see the rest here.

Spokefest Part 2

Well.... As it turns out, Spokefest was a huge success. I was glad to have been asked to take part in the documentation of this inaugural ride. Hats off to the organizers, vendors, and all of the riders who showed their support for a biker friendly Spokane. Here are a few more shots from the day.

Here is a shot of the starting line moments before the ride began.



All of the riders are off.... Heading towards the Court House.



Here are a few riders loungin' around before the start of the kid's ride.



One of the many young riders to come out for the beautiful morning of biking.



The ride up Doomsday Hill was tough, but everyone made it up.





Here's lookin' ahead to many more successful Spokefests.

Work Portraits

When I was asked to take the head shots for work this summer, I decided to take a different approach at each site. I thought that I would try a light, medium gray, and black background using a one, two and three light set-up. You may be surprised at which background had the least number of lights. Oh yeah.... There was no PhotoShop trickery done here.

The first set-up is three lights. A main light to the right of the camera, a hair light to the left of and behind the subject, and the final light aimed towards a white sheet of background paper. Here are a couple of shots with that set-up.




Next I used a single light to the right of the subject and had them backed up against a white background. Here are a couple of shots from that set-up.




Finally, I went dark with one light to the right of the subject, a reflector on the left, with the final light directly behind the subject pointed back at the camera. Here are a couple of shots from that set-up.