Former President George W. Bush to Speak at CofO

President George W. Bush will speak on “Leadership and Character” at College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri on April 7 in the Keeter Athletic Complex. We are excited as Larry will be one of the main photographers hired to document the event for the college. Larry has been photographing special events for College of the Ozarks for over 20 years, which has included visits by such notables as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Ben Stein, Tom Brokaw, General Colin Powell, President Gerald Ford, Lady Margaret Thatcher, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Spring Family Portrait Special

Right now we are doing a special fund raiser for 2 area organizations. For a $20 donation to either the Harvest Assembly of God Youth or the Elite Dance Studio, we'll give you a free family session and one 5x7! Indoor or outdoor.
This is a limited time opportunity. Call the studio for details, 870-749-2588.

Sometimes I Just Never Learn

Over 100 years ago, John Ruskin said,

"It's unwise to pay too much but it's unwise to pay too little.
When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all.
When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything,
because the thing you bought was incapable
of doing the thing you bought it to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits
paying a little and getting a lot.
It can't be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder,
it's well to add something for the risk you run.
And if you do that,
you will have enough to pay for something better!"

and also.......

"There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey."

I have to remind myself of that time and time again. Yes, we all want to save money and not pay too much. But how often do we get sucked in by the, "It's almost as good as ??????, just cheaper"?
Year ago when I bought my first 35mm camera. A good pro quality Canon at that time cost $600. However they had a much cheaper consumer version for just $200. So I bought that one. I was disappointed. Didn't do what I'd hoped. I ended up buying the $600 camera, which was still working great the last time I used it! It did the job!
Well, I did it again. Last month, I was needing another digital camera. Mine were getting several "miles" on them, and I just felt I needed to update to some newer equipment. With George Bush to photograph next month at CofO, I definitely wanted to make sure I had top-notch, reliable equipment.
After reading reviews, I thought I was onto something. A new top-level prosumer (the word they use combining "pro" and "consumer") camera was on the market. Half the price of the regular pro camera, and capable of doing pro work. The newest technology. So I thought I'd try it. Besides, I could buy 2 of them for the price of the pro camera, and still have money left over.
Well, it was an ok camera, made pretty files. But just not a pro level camera. Focus was a little inconsistent, something I don't tolerate very well. So I broke down and bought a true, pro-level camera, the Nikon D700. After a half day of shooting, I can already tell I'm going to love this new camera! 

Pageant Photos

Yes, we do photos for pageants.

Many pageants request what's referred to as a "glitz" photo. This is a photo that is enhanced to give the model a porcelain complexion.

Mommy/Daughter Session

Enjoyed a nice photo session with Tina and Hannah. Tina was one of our high school seniors from a few years ago!

2011 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship, College of the Ozarks, Opening Ceremony

For the past several years, I've had the pleasure of photographing the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. College of the Ozarks has hosted the tournament since 2000.
Thirty two teams are competing. Colleges from as far away as California, Oregon, Washington State, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio have teams represented at the tournament.
Here are a few photos from before and during the opening ceremony.
For more game photos, check our sports blog:
http://www.plumleesports.blogspot.com/

Click on photos to enlarge.

Montana Myer....future basketball star???

Each year, we do photos of Montana and each of his brothers around their birthday. We try to use a theme that says something about their current interest. Montana is a basketball player. I try to do something different each year. I usually photograph Montana either in the studio, or in our portrait park area. But this time, we went on-location and did his session on a basketball court.
I've not gotten to see him play, but from his height, I'd say he does ok.
This is a composite that Kelly created for Montana.

Jeremiah's 6 Month Portrait

We had a delightful session with Jeremiah for his 6 month portrait. He wasn't as happy when he came in for his 3 month session, but today he was on a roll!
Here's a peek at a few for mommy and daddy!

Larry Presents Program for Photo Group(

On Thursday evening, March 3, I traveled to Bentonville to present a program to the Photographic Society of Northwest Arkansas. Over 50 members were in attendance.
The presentation included the showing of various types of work we do, with emphasis on creating better portrait lighting.

Photo by Kim Lowery