I live in La Crosse, WI. A beautiful and vibrant small city situated between bluffs and the Mississippi River. For a small city, there is a lot going on. But, as a new photographer, I'm still dealing with my inhibitions and insecurity with walking around with a camera around my neck. Yes, I've explored on a few days, but it's an exception rather than a rule. 

Given my hesitancy and relative 'success' in India, I felt the need for some more education. And, there are, unfortunately, very few opportunities for photography education in my small city. So, I reached out to my friend and photo mentor, Matt Brandon, for a long weekend of one-on-one photo education. I met him and his lovely wife in Texas where they were temporarily residing, to get some education and hopefully a chance at shooting a newborn infant as I was about to become a Grandfather and wanted to be prepared to capture photos worthy of the moment. 

Matt didn't disappoint. We spent some time going over the basics of lighting, perspective, and composition. And, I was lucky that one of his friends had scheduled a shoot of their kids with him. I was able to tag along and captured some fun shots.

And, we were both lucky to discover that his call for an infant would be met with an opportunity from the brother of a friend. We were able to shoot photos of a beautiful little girl just a week old. What wonderful preparation for my upcoming grandchild!

Additionally, his friend's daughter also sat in for a few shots. What a beautiful young lady!

All in all, I believe it was a very successful weekend of shooting And, a great learning experience. Thank you, Matt!