Kenny Lackey 11/5/24 Kenny Lackey 11/5/24

Halloween, a hike, a river

Since returning from Oaxaca I dialed back on shooting. I’ve gone out a couple times a week, but that’s pared back from daily. For one thing travel does more than just throw you off schedule. It bubbles up questions and observations, and deserves to be dwelled upon. For another, I began shooting last March and so I haven’t had to navigate the earlier sunset. I’m just not sure how to approach night photography yet.

50mm, f/10
My first time up in the downtown ferris wheel during a visit from my parents in early October.

50mm, f/10
View of the Meramac river valley from Lone Wolf trail in Castlewood State Park.

50mm, f/4
I knew the Central West End Halloween Party would be an opportunity to try out some night photography with interesting subjects. While a fun shoot, it was also challenging. The party bottlenecks at the intersection of Euclid and Maryland where the stage hosts a (rather lengthy) costume contest followed by DJs. Some vendors are fanned out along the streets spreading the crowd a bit, but crossing the intersection at the most dense part of the crowd is harrowing.

50mm, f/3.5
On my way home I saw that our local MC, the Saddle Tramps, had their bikes lined out beside their chapter on Boyle. Shortly after I took this picture I was informed by a biker that I wasn’t allowed to do that. I was, in fact, allowed to do that… but took that as my cue to head out.

50mm, f/3.5
This past weekend I went on an overnight kayak trip with a friend, covering 22 miles of the Current River. We paddled from Akers Ferry to Round Spring, camping maybe a mile shy of Pulltite campground.

50mm, f/11
This spring, aptly named Cave Spring, opens up off an inlet and winds back maybe twenty yards. You can paddle right over the source, a sizable (+10’ radius) hole doling out over thirty million gallons of fresh water a day. It’s equally fun and unsettling to park your kayak over it.

50mm, f/11
This tent has served me well for over twenty years!

50mm, f/11
The ripples emerging from the moss-covered rocks mark another spring. It was sprinkling on us Sunday morning, which turned into a downpour just two or three minutes after we reached Round Spring.

85mm, f/7
We saw a group of four bald eagles (one pictured here) watching the river together, along with half a dozen otters, several doe, and one buck.

Kenny Lackey 10/9/24 Kenny Lackey 10/9/24

Oaxaca #4 - Final Days

The final two nights in Oaxaca we had wisely planned a mountain retreat. We left our smooth-tiled bungalow on Rufino Tamayo up to a hilltop elevation of 5600’ last Monday evening by way of a driver who worked on-call for the next AirBnB. Before we departed I spent a few hours at Ramen Republic, shooting their menu, drinks, some back-of-house shots and was even invited to try the family dinner.

50mm, f/3.5
On the road up the gentle mountain.

85mm, f/4
Ambrose sniff-checks the coffee.

85mm, f/4
You'd like to think this might be the last pic of this view, but sadly no, no it's not.

50mm, f/3.5
The clouds just seemed to sit. They'd barely move at all.

28mm, f/4
Itanoni in Reforma. Definitely one of my favorite meals.

35mm, f/4
This and the final two below were taken on a solo hike our last night. The path was part of a rural pedestrian highway between the bustling Reforma neighborhood and Guadalupe Victorial Segunda Seccion.

Kenny Lackey 10/7/24 Kenny Lackey 10/7/24

Oaxaca #3 (of 4)

I’ve realized a couple of things since starting this photoblog. First, I think most importantly, I need to start an Instagram account. Second, my posts are too long. I was going to make this last post of the last four days, but I’ve instead taken the more measured approach of breaking it into two parts. It’s still probably too long.

50mm, f/1.6
Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante, nearby el Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and for the next several images.

50m, f/1.6
Still at Casa Oaxaca, but taken from the terrace of the temple's side steps across the street.

50mm, f/1.6
I guess I shot at 1.6 for a long while there. Here we're back at Centro Gastronomico for a kimchi workshop with Sophie Eng.

50mm, f/1.6
This photo was taken mere moments after a professional chef, pictured here, gently informed me that I was basically just moving stuff around with the pestle.

35mm, f/8
The tomato dish at La Levadura.

50mm, f/7.1
That lit up circular object in the background is a giant mezcal bottle bus situation.

50mm, f/1.6
This and the rest of this set are from a solo photowalk I did in parts of Oaxaca we hadn't yet visited. I found myself mostly shooting the murals I came across.

50mm, f/7.1
There were a number of murals to this effect, either overtly or subtly alluding to the dangers of alcohol.

Kenny Lackey 10/4/24 Kenny Lackey 10/4/24

Oaxaca #2

I’ve been home now for almost 24 hours and for me that’s not enough time to process a trip, but I’ll share what occurs to me now and a bit more in a final post on Oaxaca maybe this weekend.

50mm, f/2.2
Diego from Labo Fermento generously took us through the facilities after dinner. They have an incredible setup and a pantry crammed with inspired projects.

50mm, f/2.2
Corn fermenting into koji, likely to be used for either their in-house miso or shoyu.

50mm, f/9
The outdoor kitchen at Centro Gastronomico.

50mm, f/2.2
French chef Hugo Chaise setting up for a workshop on using ferments in the kitchen.

50mm, f/9
Ambrose at Mercado Benito Juarez.

50mm, f/9
Metalic sculptures by Alberto Aragon Reyes on the Zocalo plaza.

50mm, f/9
Museo de Arte Prehispánico de México Rufino Tamayo. Beautifully displayed collection of pre-hispanic art.

50mm, f/9
A light fixture above the small, private-feeling bar in the back of Boulenc (an excellent restaurant).

50mm, f/9
Oaxaca boasts a wild amount of artist shops, print makers, galleries. Just craft of every sort imaginable.

50mm, f/9
We only saw this once, but I like to imagine there is a whole society of roof dogs.

50mm, f/9
A company making naughty mezcal popsicles.

50mm, f/9
A shot from the roof where we were staying on the 800 block of Rufino Tamayo.

50mm, f/1.6
This parade swelled into the hundreds marching right past our AirBnB, so of course I had to go see what I could see. It was for a 40th anniversary celebration of a dental assistants group. They were having a blast, singing and dancing and handing out shots of mezcal.

50mm, f/1.6
Fire-spinner in front of Santo Domingo.

50mm, f/1.6
Steaming bowls of atole at La Atoleria. Atole is a hot, wintry corn-based beverage that can be flavored with vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, amaranth, and so on. It's similar to hot cocoa.

50mm, f/1.6
That's all for this batch. I'll post the final part sometime over the next couple days. Still sitting with all of these experiences and letting them percolate.

Kenny Lackey 9/28/24 Kenny Lackey 9/28/24

Oaxaca #1

Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico! I’ve come here with two friends, one of whom pointed out a fermentation conference to me half a year ago (Ferment Oaxaca) and we decided to make the voyage. Oaxaca to me so far is coffee, mezcal, artisanship, incredible foods of all sorts, and people generous with their time and spirit.

50mm, f/1.2
First meal in Mexico. After settling in with our AirBnB host, Guadalupe, we went to a Mezcalaria and on her recommendation ordered tlayudas (pronounced more like "clai-uda"). It's amazing that we've only been here a few days as it feels like several weeks have passed, fueled by many tlayudas.

50mm, f/2
DiDi is apparently similar to Uber--it's an extensive app based ride service as well as food delivery.

35mm, f/4
This and many of the next pictures are all from Central de Abastos, a massive mostly open-air market.

35mm, f/4
Still from Central de Abastos.

50mm, f/5
La Santísima Flor de Lúpulo, one of the many bars and restaurants that is brimming with fermentation genius and intentional in their craft.

50mm, f/8
Some diners enjoying Santisima.

28mm, f/5
The courtyard of the incredible culinary school which is hosting Ferment Oaxaca 2024.

50mm, f/1.4
A display in the front of Labo Fermento, a fermentation forward restaurant that blew us away with their generosity, food, and service. The next batch from Oaxaca will have several more images from this place featuring an impromptu behind-the-scenes tour of their fermentation setup. This wan't even a part of our conference!

50mm, f/4
The beautiful ceviche at Labo.

Kenny Lackey 9/21/24 Kenny Lackey 9/21/24

Balloon Glow, Hispanic Fest, Arnold Days

And also just a couple from S. Grand’s Fall Fest. Spent some time at all of the above between last night and today. I had the most fun at Arnold Days at probably that made for the best images, but by far the best food was Hispanic Fest.

50mm, f/5
Balloon Glow was wild and mostly a bust. I did meet Everett who runs a YouTube called Wing Watchers Aviation and had a good conversation about that platform, photography, aviation and so on. But that was really the highlight! Otherwise it was overcrowded and you were set quite far back from the balloons. For good reason I imagine with various safety concerns, but I hadn't thought about that and imagined we'd be milling about them. I did like the above shot, though.

85mm, f/4
Wrestling at Arnold Days. A lot of images follow because, well, I liked them. I loved the hammy drama and facial expressions and the crowd reactions, the whole thing was just a delight to shoot.

Kenny Lackey 9/21/24 Kenny Lackey 9/21/24

Music at the Intersection & Assorted Happenings Around STL

Last weekend saw Oktoberfest, Chuseok Harvest, Taste of Black St. Louis, Lebanese Fest, and Music at the Intersection. It made for a mixed bag in terms of getting images I like, but I did enjoy getting to see so many different kinds of events in a day. I still think it’s worth it to go and cover events as they come up and I’ll continue doing so, but it can indeed feel limiting. Yes, there are a lot of people out there peopling, but in a narrow band of behaviors: waiting in lines for food stalls, drinking, watching a performer. I need to be more mindful and patient when I go to an event, wait to find the signal in the noise. For me, that would be the more unusual moments—or perspectives, moving around more to try different angles or focussing in on part of the crowd to get clear subjects.

My list I’ve just jotted down that I’ll leave in my camera bag and now read before every shoot:

-slow down, take your time
-always ask “why am I taking this picture?”
-rule of thirds
-change lenses at least once per shoot or photowalk
-move around

50mm, f/3.5
This man I met at Taste of Black St. Louis--whose name I honestly don't recall, as I meet a lot of people these days--was one of the best interactions I've had so far. He was supportive and a fun conversation, a local DJ.

85mm, f/3.5
Mayor Jones, the first Black female mayor of St. Louis. Which is worth noting... she wasn't sworn in until April of 2021 despite St. Louis being 44% Black.

50mm, f/3.5
Centered is Alfred Montgomery, who recently beat incumbent Vernon Betts in the race for St. Louis City Sheriff. This photojournal isn't the place for it, but it's a story worth googling.

50mm, f/3.5
Walking to the Lebanese festival.

50mm, f/8
New construction at Powell Hall, an approximately $100mn project, $70mn of which was donated by Jack Taylor, now deceased but the founder of Enterprise.

50mm, f/8
A teenage blues band playing outside Music to the Intersection.

50mm, f/8
From here on out, images from Music at the Intersection.

50mm, f/8
My friend Ryan's portrait of me after I made the poor choice of getting a Turkey leg on a 90 degree day at a music festival.

85mm, f/8
Just a quick note as I've mentioned elsewhere, when I shoot on an 85mm it's an EF mount of the Canon family--which apart from the smaller frame size requires a lens converter that changes the focal length to 135mm.

Kenny Lackey 9/17/24 Kenny Lackey 9/17/24

Das Bevo - Oktoberfest Begins

I’m very familiar with the Bevo Mill but had never before taken the time to stop in. It dominates the somewhat unwieldy intersection of Gravois, Morganford, and Delor, and has done so since 1917 when the windmill was built by the Busch family. I stopped by last Friday evening, 9/13, after spotting they would have their Oktoberfest kickoff that night and I’m glad I did! Very friendly crowd, yummy looking brats and assorted other Germanic treats, and of course Okterbest style beers from a number of breweries—with a classic Bavarian band to boot.

Coincidentally, Das Bevo is at the far end of a section of Gravois I’ve been intending to shoot over some Friday and Saturday nights. So as an added bonus I took some time after the show to walk around a bit, get a sense of the neighborhood on foot and start thinking of some ways I might be able to shoot it.

50mm, f/4
Several audience members were invited up to try their luck blowing and holding a single note on the Alpenhorn.

85mm, f/4
A couple of things I noticed on this shoot. First, even though the prevalent advice I read is to simplify your shooting by sticking with a single focal length (or at least a single lens), I find that I'm happier when I get home and see results across multiple focal lengths. They have their different purposes, and there's a good reason that a wedding photographer for example isn't going to just shoot everything at 85mm or whatever.
Second, the more comfortable I am in a given setting, the easier it is to get the images I want, a set of images that fairly portrays an event. Because much more often than not some of those need to be intimate moments, and it's hard to get those if you don't feel that you have license to raise the camera and get the shot. It's not up to the crowd to make me comfortable. It's up to me to arrive early, make some small talk, get to briefly meet a few folks, mill around, get people used to me as a benign, friendly presence. I find that if I lay a bit of groundwork it is indeed possible to get to a place where it feels like I'm doing wedding photography--as in, I'm supposed to be there, and you're not supposed to hate my guts for it or get uncomfortable if I snap a couple of shots of you.

50mm, f/3.5
Dipping my toes into Gravois. I feel like there's more than one project on this street, as long and wild and weird and varied as it is.

Kenny Lackey 9/15/24 Kenny Lackey 9/15/24

Soulard #2

I did wind up going back to Soulard a couple evenings this week, and then again first thing yesterday morning for the Soulard Farmer’s Market. I have been cheating myself for a decade. It’s unique and full of every sort of vendor: candied pecans, toys, some actual farmers, art, bakeries, little coffee stands and places where you can get a bloody mary to walk around, musicians. Every corridor is crowded and bustling. It wasn’t until halfway through I realized it was too close quarters for a 50mm and switched to 35mm.

35mm, f/4
Protagonist Cafe, right near the farmer's market.

Kenny Lackey 9/14/24 Kenny Lackey 9/14/24

Jerseyville County Fair

Former President Trump’s attempted assassination was on July 13th. I had already noted that the Jerseyville County Fair was on the 14th and figured I might go, but after that and knowing a bit about the county (in IL, about an hour from STL, and conservative), I thought it might be an especially interesting time to go. Just to get a sense of the crowd and how they were feeling and responding. To clarify, my interest is in recording events as they happen… it’s one thing to be conservative and another to support Trump, and while I aim to find human moments I’m not endorsing or glamorizing anything.

14mm, f/4
I don't think I've written much about this, but it's not the easiest thing to take pictures of strangers. It's challenging. A thousand hesitations flood in. I remember the seconds leading up to this shot where I observed this woman alone on the concourse looking for someone, what she would think if she 'caught' me, what others would think if I raised the camera. But ultimately, I liked that she was alone, I liked that she was looking for someone, and I took the shot.

205mm, f/5
A driver inspecting his ride, post-destruction.

85mm, f/5.6
I love this one. Brother and sister, which I know from having watched them and their parents a bit.

18mm, f/8
A long row of trailer beds parked side by side acted as a secondary stage.

85mm, f/5
Almost always when I go out a person or group of people will ask that I take their picture. I don't totally get it, but I'm happy to oblige.

35mm, f/5.6
That young sir at center has a very long gait!

35mm, f/9
Presumably: take America back... from democratic elections?

Kenny Lackey 9/10/24 Kenny Lackey 9/10/24

Elephant Rocks & Johnson Shutins

These images are from an early June visit to Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shutins, two state parks about an hour and half south by southwest of St. Louis, and about a twenty minute drive from one another. The Shutins are arguably more popular because it features a series of natural waterslides and cooling pools, but a normal trip for a family would be to visit both in a day. The Elephant Rocks make for great scrambling and exploration and unwieldy hiking. It feels possible to get lost despite the main trail—the Braille Trail—being a loop.

35mm, f/4
I really loved shooting the Shutins. Both parks were a lot of fun, but my preference is to have people in frame and everyone is having a blast at the Shutins! I meant to make it back this season, but it's likely too late now.

85mm, f/7.1
This remains in my top 10 favorite photos so far. Often photographers are aiming for depth of field. This image has almost none, but to my eye the 'flatness' is what makes it work.

Kenny Lackey 9/9/24 Kenny Lackey 9/9/24

Soulard #1

I thought I would head downtown tonight, either that or there’s a section of Gravois I’ve been meaning to visit. Instead I found myself in Soulard. This is a neighborhood I rarely visit and it was my first photowalk there, and these shots somewhat reflect that. If I go downtown I feel very comfortable working and I know where light falls in the streets at certain times (at least in summer), where the interesting backgrounds and parks and so on are. Soulard is so new to me that I had to refer back to my photos in order to return to my car.

Oddly, it was one of the first neighborhoods I visited in St. Louis as I wanted to see the farmers market. So that very first Saturday in mid-August of 2014 I went. I was still very much in an agricultural mindset and as I walked the stalls I was jotting down prices and other notes. It struck me that nearly every vendor was a reseller. That is, as is often the case at a farmer’s market, the ‘farms’ aren’t farms.

Say a farmer has a contract with Kroger and they grow cucumber, squash, and zucchini across twenty acres or something. Kroger will open a certain number of boxes and if they find a certain number of rejects (pest bite marks or other imperfections) they reject the shipment altogether. It doesn’t get tossed, but instead goes to an auction. A reseller will be at that auction and bid on the shipment. If they win it, they take it to your local farmers market and pretend to be a farmer. Fun!

So there I was jotting down prices when a market manager came up to me and said in an especially clear manner that I was to either stop taking notes or leave immediately. I left, and have never been back. Although I will be there this upcoming Saturday morning if I stay in town. And even if not, I barely scratched the surface tonight and know I will be coming back many times.

50mm, f/8
Tile work from the 1930s on the 'Smile' building. Originally a German social hall, then the headquarters of Smile Soda, and now condos.

50mm, f/8
Facing Eat Crow gastropub at S.12th and Allen (the blue awnings). Three things struck me on this walk: the amount of bars and restaurants, the golf cart culture, and the architecture. I saw not fewer than two dozen golf carts on the road. I see this in my neighborhood, Tower Grove East, but maybe once a month or so. An hour into my walk a younger guy asked me what I was doing, which happens at least once when I go out. I explained and assumed he lived in the neighborhood, and remarked on how many golf carts I'd seen. It turns out he was visiting from Atlanta (hello if you're reading this, it was good to meet you!) and said he had the same first impression. It's definitely a thing.

50mm, f/8
Notice the three cake statues in front of the Soulard Art Gallery (and one more further down the sidewalk is pictured next--along with a golf cart). The city commissioned 250 of these for the 250th anniversary of the city's founding. Initially they were scattered all about. Many are in their original locations, some are unaccounted for, and some are clumped together like this.

50mm, f/8
Golf carts everywhere. And an attractive abandoned property.

50mm, f/8
At first I thought this cart misbehaved and got the boot, but more than likely this is the owner's security measure.

50mm, f/8
Even just a little pop of color can make me happy.

50mm, f/4
The spire of Trinity Lutheran. Founded in 1839, they built a new church on 8th street in 1865, which was then destroyed by a tornado 1896. They rebuilt on the same property, pictured here. The next few shots are on 8th as I made my way towards a triumphant return to the Soulard Farmer's Market.

50mm, f/4
This front yard blew me away. The next image is to the right of these stairs.

50mm, f/4
Right before I took this I had to wait because someone was approaching the shot. Not just someone, but a photographer clearly also on a photowalk, a young woman. We smiled and looked quickly at each other's cameras. I find that when you see another photographer in the city it's cats circling each other, as my friend Ambrose says of INFJ personality types meeting.
Another incident happened on 8th. I clocked a couple on the opposite side of the street standing in their doorway, the woman holding the man from behind and both smiling and just taking in the beautiful night. They had seen me. I really, really wanted that shot, but I find it's especially difficult to take if you've already been spotted and once I was directly across from them I didn't have the guts to raise the camera. I've been kicking myself ever since because for me it would have made the walk. I guess I'm feeling extra chatty tonight...

50mm, f/4
Looking down one wing of the market. There are several. I saw a poster for a Hispanic festival the weekend of September 20th which I'll definitely be returning for! This is the oldest farmers market west of the Mississippi. I underexposed almost this entire shoot, after reading some advice that it's a good idea to do so. It's not a good idea, it turns out, as while I like this shot many were unusable.

50mm, f/4
The broadside of the market, although this is less than half of the length of the structure. And a guy with his doggos. He arrived here by way of golf cart.

Kenny Lackey 9/7/24 Kenny Lackey 9/7/24

Art Fair, Zoo, Market, Jazz & Blues on Euclid

This week largely felt like a bust for shooting, maybe starting with the Greek Festival last weekend. But that happens. Quite a bit, actually. When you work in a studio, or work (paid) at a wedding or an event or some such thing, you have access to get to where you need to be. For me, I go out and see what I get. I do my best to frame things up, to compose an image, but in large measure you are at the whim of the world. What’s the light doing? What’s the weather? Who are the people and are they amenable to be photographed? It’s not the case that they always are, which I respect.

But between yesterday and today I put together a decent enough set of images to share. The settings were: the St. Louis Art Fair (held in downtown Clayton) between last night and this morning, but before returning to the fair this morning I got a few shots at the Tower Grove Farmer’s market, then after Art Fair part two I spent some time at the zoo, and then finally a jazz and blues fair at the intersection of Euclid and Lindell.

50mm, f/4.5
I stalked this trio for awhile as they tended to walk single file and all shaded their eyes and just thought it made for an interesting capture.

50mm, f/4.5
This isn't my normal editing style. I like big, beefy colors, but this is what's in vogue and I do like it. I think it's the sort of thing that alludes to film photography. I may end up incorporating more of it over time. Also just to note it, I know this isn't a good shot and so it's also a poor example of this particular style--just want to throw it in.

85mm, f/4.5
If you know photography, you can tell that a bunch of my 50mm shots are cropped somewhere between a touch and aggressively (50mm is maybe what the eye sees, but with around a 1.5X zoom). This one isn't cropped. There's a quiet little alcove by the large Riverside Crossing lake at the STL zoo that the pelicans seems to enjoy and my guess is get fed from. Nothing but a short plastic fence between you and them. This is the full frame of the shot, no cropping, just a few feet from me.

50mm, f/4.5
This and the rest are from the Jazz and Blues fest at Euclid and Laclede. It was small-ish but very well done

Kenny Lackey 9/6/24 Kenny Lackey 9/6/24

New Orleans

I stayed about a block from Bourbon St. in NOLA from July 25 to July 28 this year—my first visit there. Lodging on Iberville near its intersection with Bourbon, it was truly just a five minute walk to the craziness of the night life. At least one night I was out until 4am! The experience of Bourbon St. was a wholly positive one, or at least that was my experience. Despite significant levels of inebriation I saw no violence or even tension. It was a welcoming, friendly bacchanal.

I’ll post liberally here as this was an extensive shooting trip.

50mm, f/2.8
I've tended to shoot slightly overexposed. I'm working on it!

35mm, f/7.1
There's live music near constantly in the French Quarter.

35mm, f/4
This one is too tightly shot I know, but I still like the moment.

35mm, f/4.5
The French Quarter Marriage Chapel was kind enough to let me in from the rain and take this shot. They normally don't allow folks in unless you have nuptials in mind.

50mm, f/4
Touring the NOLA float 'museum,' which is also an active warehouse where next year's floats are designed, built, and painted.

35mm, f/4
So chess was happening all hours of the night near the intersection of Iberville and Bourbon, but what really grabbed my attention is that while these were games for money, none of the boards used a clock. I have no idea how you can play for money without a clock involved. It's not just the money--time is resource in chess, same as pieces and board control and tempe. Total anarchy without a clock.

35mm, f/4
Grainy, I know. Leave me alone I still like it.

35mm, f/4.5
A lot of posterior expressiveness on Bourbon St.

35mm, f/4
Experience a twenty-four hour layover in Houston. Got bored, had camera.

Kenny Lackey 9/5/24 Kenny Lackey 9/5/24

Twilight Thursdays

Tonight was the first of the Twilight Thursdays, a fall-ish music series of outdoor concerts hosted by the Missouri Museum. I milled about the crowd and even squatted in front of the stage for a few minutes to get some shots. The crowd was full of colorful umbrellas and outfits, smiles, and singing. I wasn’t really in the mood to go out shooting after a long day—but so far, after nearly half a year of doing so near daily, I never regret it.

50mm, f/4.5
Afterwards I parked over on Euclid and walked around for an hour or so. There wasn't much going on, just some folks enjoying dinner and drink, some out for a stroll. I just took a few quick ones. The light tonight was beautiful--my favorite conditions are partially cloudy and the hour before and then during golden hour.

50mm, f/3.2
This and the next few are from the previous evening, shot in Maplewood. I went to visit their farmer's market. It had cleared out by the time I arrived so I fixed on a polarized lens and decided to shoot through some windows, and then visit Side Project--a small brewer voted best in the nation two years running.

50mm, f/3.2
A desk in a lighting design firm.

Kenny Lackey 9/3/24 Kenny Lackey 9/3/24

Greek Festival

I visited the Greek Festival at St. Nicholas’ near to Forest Park Ave and Kingshighway on Labor Day, and really I don’t think I did it justice. I didn’t feel the same level of comfort I normally do in singling people out for shots, I think because this really was more of a shared public meal than anything else. I don’t know. It could also just be that I didn’t take my time, wait for the moments. Anyhow here’s what I got.

50mm, f/10
There's nothing really to draw the eye in this image, but I'm sharing it out of humility for what happens when you 'fail.' As in, this might as well have been me or anyone raising an iPhone and snapping a quick image. There's nothing at all wrong with that. But I think the difference between someone whipping out a phone and someone going out with a camera is intentionality, not equipment. That's a bit glib--someone could go out with a phone camera with the same level of intentionality of course. Most of the time, however, our phone cameras are for "taking pictures of things" or selfies or generally portraying our lives in a certain way. Not for portraying life.
What I do like, if anything, about this image is mostly nostalgic. Here I was at essentially a very large church cookout, and it plucked my heartstrings to see people queuing up in the church basketball court and plastic tables and chairs set out. But a compelling image it is not.

Kenny Lackey 9/3/24 Kenny Lackey 9/3/24

August 18 - 25: SLAM, TGP, Page Blvd

Again, just trying to catch up. Posts might be frenetic and brief for awhile, not that this will ever be a terribly word-heavy blog. But this is probably the best example of a ‘normal’ week of photography for me so far. No real plan or theme, just driving around from one spot to the next and going for a walk. Usually a slow walk, observing for a moment before snapping anything. Looking at light, what’s going on, backgrounds, potential frames.

50mm, f/1.8
Just a random pickup game at Love Bank park, Cherokee St.

50mm, f/2.8
I visit Cherokee pretty often, and there's something about this particular spot, Don Carlos at the intersection with California, that always draws me in.

50mm, f/2.8
Some people may think this DJ is wearing the jersey of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. To me, he is wearing the jersey worn briefly by the District 5 Mighty Ducks in the movie "D2: The Mighty Ducks" after they decided to take the ice in a beefed up uniform rather than their Team USA uniform. Those were the days.

50mm, f/1.8
The grounds outside the St. Louis Art Museum.

50mm, f/3.2
A completely random capoeira practice at the Tower Grove Park pavilion. I hadn't looked at an event page to find this, just stopped on by--there is nearly always something going on in this park.

50mm, f/2.2
Now, I was aware there's a Tuesday evening farmer's market at TGP, but I didn't realize there would be free swing lessons this particular Tuesday.

50mm, f/2.2
These two were a pleasure to shoot! They were having a blast, being weird and experimental with swing, didn't at all care what I was doing--in general just made it really easy to work with them as subjects.

Kenny Lackey 9/2/24 Kenny Lackey 9/2/24

Festival of Nations

This year I spent the first day largely solo apart from a brief rendezvous with friends, and otherwise walked just shy of twelve miles across Tower Grove Park. The second day I approached it from a more Dionysian angle with another friend. I have more to say, but I’m still learning SquareSpace and while I like it, it’s twice now cost me a substantial amount of work on this post simply for clicking the wrong button with nothing saved and I tire or rewriting the same thing. So briefly then: this is a beloved event, and I enjoyed both days equally—”working” it for a full day, and really getting to take it in the second day as a festival-goer rather than a photographer.

Kenny Lackey 9/2/24 Kenny Lackey 9/2/24

Japanese Festival

This year was my first time attending the Japanese Festival, hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden, right by Tower Grove Park. One of the things I enjoy most about photography and my semi-unexpected obsession with it is that I want to get out there, to be shooting every day. And if I go to an event like this (where by “like this” I mean an event that many hundreds or even thousands are going to), I hope to get at least some shots that while fairly representing the moment aren’t where most people’s eyes would drift. This event was a joy to shoot. Very well organized, something going on in every corner of the grounds and often overlapping—but it went on for three days and most events were repeated, so you could either just meander, or choose when to stop in on a certain presentation. The shots below are from both Friday and Saturday.

50mm, f/5
This might be my favorite shots so far. There's a lot going on without it being noisy, several 'moments,' all distinct, some overlapping, and I like that it's representing this corner of feminine expression. To me it almost looks posed, like I set the scene.

50mm, f/5
I like this one, too. This gentleman sitting alone, doing something on his phone but with a new friend on his lap that he'll need to take care of.

85mm, f/8
This one is special to me because the woman dressed as a geisha on the right had noticed me shooting and chose to look over her shoulder right at the camera, when she was supposed to just be staring straight ahead, showing the back of her ensemble to the crowd.

50mm, f/8
A magician working the crowd. I'd been trying to find a way to get a decent image from his impromptu performances. He wasn't on the schedule. He would just wander around the grounds and decide when he wanted to perform and he'd start. I'd tried a number of things and nothing was working. Stood up on a bench here and grabbed this when he began running this young sir around in circles, and while normally I don't like subjects looking at the camera it sometimes makes the shot a touch better.

50mm, f/8
Another 'off the schedule' performance. I love that they worked in these little moments of surprise.

Kenny Lackey 9/2/24 Kenny Lackey 9/2/24

Paint Louis 2024

Paint Louis ran from August 31 - Sept 1 this year, and I drove over yesterday to see what it was all about after getting a hot tip from some friends. It didn’t disappoint. Breakdancing, vendors, DJs, dozens of graffiti artists from all over the country, skateboarders, scooter-ers, photographers, motorcyclists, families all spread up and down the Mural Mile graffiti wall.

I’ll also soon (maybe later tonight!) post images from last weekend’s Festival of Nations and this weekend’s Japanese Festival at the Botanical Garden.