Storytellers Blog Circle // Milwaukee Photographer

I am so fortunate to be part of a wonderful group of artist who contribute to stock photography websites. Within that community, we have come to admire and respect each other and appreciate the stories our photos tell.

Fo the Storyteller's Blog Circle, we choose one photo and give the background story into what makes this photo the strong Storytelling Image.

Lately, my girl's favorite snack is an orange. (To the point that we ran out of oranges, and she wouldn't eat a clementine!!) She loves when I cut it in wedges and she can suck all the juice from each piece.

This was a Friday morning snack before nap time. I basically just let her eat her orange and I worked the scene, shooting from different angles. I wanted to capture the one photo that sums up her personality - the enjoyment she has while eating the orange. I want the viewer to be able to feel her happiness and wholesomeness of how much she enjoys eating the orange.

So while I love the three images above, I feel like the one image below really gives you the full feeling of her intensity, and how seriously she takes her orange!

See the concentration in her eyes!! And the way she's holding her orange - as if not to miss one tiny drop of orange juice!

Settings: 1/250, f/2.0 ISO 800 Canon 6D, Sigma Art 35 mm

And since this is a blog circle, make sure to check out Jen - from Jen Lucas Photography's post to see how she tells a story with one image.

Of friends and cookies...

Don and Jerry have been close friends for close to 50 years now. I was recently honored to photograph Don's surprise 80th birthday where all his friends celebrated such a monumental occasion. Jerry asked Barbara if he could say a few words, and Barbara said as long as you keep it short, light and funny. Which in Jerry's words, "is fairly simple, because pretty much everything with Don is funny!"

Jerry and his family owned Milwaukee Biscuit Company for many years. About 41 years ago, when Jerry turned 40, his friends - Don included came over and figured they'd be funny and brought him a package of Oreos. Just so you all understand, the makers of Oreos were Jerry's biggest competitors, and he really disliked them because they were the best selling cookie on the market. They tried very hard to find a chocolate and cream cookie, but no matter what he found and sold for cheaper, he couldn't beat the Oreo. He made a personal commitment to not eat an Oreo in his life. So when his friends brought him the package of Oreos, he found a place to put the package, pretended to be angry, and that was the end of it.

So when he spoke at Don's 80th birthday, he thought he could relate this funny incident that highlights their unique friendship. He then proceeded to take out a wrapped gift for Don. As you might have guessed, it was a package of Oreos. "In honor of your 80th birthday, I would like to share an Oreo with you", said Jerry. And together they opened the package of Oreos and split a cookie. "So how did that taste", asked Don. And Jerry said "It was a huge disappointment".

This story and these photos are so much more than two men eating a cookie. It is a testament to their friendship spanning many decades and highlights their close connection.