Darrin Schreder Photography Blog

It seems I have a Black Eagle Falls and Dam theme in my photography going on this month. It was unintentional but in keeping with the theme, here is a shot of Black Eagle Dam I shot last June. The Missouri was really hopping last summer. With record snowfall and a warm spring we had record amounts of water running through the dams and filling the reservoirs to capacity in only a couple of months. This was shot as the first rays of sun were coming over the horizon. I love that golden horizontal light. It ads warmth and drama – at the same time – to any scene.

This is another photograph from my Black Eagle Falls shoot. I love the power and drama of the water. You don’t even have to be there to hear the water pounding down the stair steps of the falls. I’ve titled this “Chaos”.

I woke up to a frosty and foggy morning today. I jumped up and headed out to find a new never seen before image to capture. As I drove closer to town and the river, there was less and less hoar frost and no fog. I decided to head to the falls and watch as the sun peaked over the canyon rim. This shot made the whole morning worth while.

It was -5 degrees when I stopped to photograph these geese along the shore of the Missouri River just outside of Great Falls. They look a lot more comfortable than I was laying in the snow to get the right angle on them. I love the colors! The sky was hazy with quick moments of sun which accentuated the colors. There was steam coming up from the river that at times completely hid the geese. I captured this frame when the wind shifted for just a second giving me about two seconds to snap the shutter. This will be a solid contender for one of the prints I’ll include in my show this fall.

I was going through my photos from last year and getting organized for the upcoming year when I came across this photo. This is Angus – my 1 year old black lab. He’s been on my mind all day because we just found out that he has torn his ACL in his left rear knee and surgery is coming in at $2,500. This was the first photo I came to today. Maybe it’s an omen telling me that we need to get his knee fixed. But whatever it is, I thought I’d put this photo on my blog. He looks so tough and determined in it, you’d think he was a model. If you saw him in real life you’d think it was a different dog.

Inkfish Creative, my sister company, was the main sponsor of 221 Industries’ cage fighting event – ICF4, on December 9, 2011. As the sponsor, we got our logo on the center of the mat, on the cage and on the big video displays overhead, as well as the table of honor at ring side. As always, my trusty Nikon came along. This is another example of why I enjoy the diversity of editorial and advertising photography. It’s different and challenging every time. And, yes I get to photograph some very cool stuff.

Commercial Advertising and Editorial Photography is my bread a butter. I love the diversity of it. The subject matter and the challenges each assignment brings is stimulating and pushes me creatively and technically. This photo is from a recent assignment I did for Loud Tech, Inc. from Bothell, Washington. Harvest Prairie Church, here in Great Falls purchased a new state-of-the-art Array sound system from Loud Tech and Church Production Magazine is going to feature the church in their next edition. I was charged with photographing the sound system in use during Sunday service. Challenges Galore! Challenging light sources, capturing the sound system and the congregation without disturbing the service in multiple angles and vantage points. Challenge accepted and successfully completed! ~

This is one of the photos from a portrait session I shot last week with my folks. They wanted a new photo for their wall and one for their Christmas card. They are just too darn cute, aren’t they?

Zack is another former player of mine. I was fortunate this year to have him on my team at CMR. He is an exceptional player and genuine guy. I was happy when his mom Tracy asked me to shoot his senior portraits. By the way, great job manning the retina burner, Tracy! It was awesome watching you getting even with zack for all those times… Ha! Zack will be heading off to college this fall. Where, hasn’t been decided yet. He has several schools interested in having him play for them. I for one will be watching and waiting to see him playing in Major League Soccer.

Wow. How time flies. When I first met Christian he was 10 years old. He was a player on a U11 soccer team I was coaching. I had the honor of coaching off an on from then on and recently in his last two years at CMR High School.
He’s a bit taller now – like 6-3 I think. A far cry from the short blond kid I met 8 years ago. I have to say I was more than honored when he asked me to shoot his senior pictures. He’s grown to be a fine young man and I will miss seeing him on the pitch.