Chris Stanfield

2010-07-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

2010-07-07T17:54:00.001-07:00

2010-07-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

2010-07-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

2009-05-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

All weddings are beautiful. All of them. When Angie and I arrived in Cancun to shoot the wedding of Trey and Traci, I found myself more impressed by the strength of their two families as the week went on than with the beautiful surroundings. Don't get me wrong, Cancun is amazing this time of year - but this wedding would have been beautiful held in the alley off of Spring Street in Atlanta. There is nothing more special about a wedding than celebrating your day with people who love and admire you. This was a wonderful week, spent with genuine people, full of genuine love and amazing memories. We were glad to be a part of it.

2009-03-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Three minutes. Sometimes, that's all you get to photograph professional athletes and sometimes this is all the time you need. Arriving at Hammond Stadium in Tampa around 7am, I set up three SB900 speedlights with umbrellas in the corner of the visiting team's locker room - The Twins starting pitching rotation of Glen Perkins, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn walked in at the crack of dawn and I made this portrait of them for an upcoming baseball preview cover in the Twin Cities. The Twins organization is wonderful to deal with and quite accommodating, considering team photo day was the day before.

2009-03-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

I finished up spring training with the Yankees in Tampa. Alex Rodriguez has been giving plenty of interviews lately, apologizing for using steroids. Alex has that classic baseball look and is one of the most photographed athletes in all of professional sports. I can't help but respect his talents and the way he carries himself.

2009-02-27T05:54:00.001-08:00

For those of you who love baseball and are considering a trip to spring training, I highly recommend visiting the Twins in Fort Myers - by far the nicest people in MLB as well as some of the best facilities in all of spring training baseball. I've been living and working with two wonderful and gifted writers out of St. Paul from the Pioneer Press - Kelcie Smith and Phil Miller. Be sure to check out their work here.

2009-02-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

Next to azaleas blooming at Augusta in April, nothing says spring quite like the boys of summer dressed in uniform under the Florida sun in February. I've covered a great deal of sports throughout my career and any photojournalist will tell you how hard it has gotten in recent years to gain real access to our nation's professional athletes. Of course one exception to this rule is during spring training where I have spent the last couple of weeks covering the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers. One thing you realize - and I believe this is what makes baseball so special - is that most of these athletes are very young men, chasing a dream and still very excited to simply be playing the sport. Big salaries and contracts are certainly a part of their lives, but these men truly love what they do. Most of them would play the sport for free....it means that much to them. Photography has this same affect on me. Each day is different, full of exciting and unique challenges with each assignment. Not everyone gets to do what they love....but they should. Go chase your dreams.

2009-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

Do1Thing.org is a collaborative nationwide effort between artists and journalists that raises awareness of homeless teenagers and encourages individuals to do one thing of their choice to assist them on Valentine’s Day 2009. As the wealthiest and most generous nation on the face of the earth, it is amazing to me that so many young people are living on our streets and while we spend trillions of dollars fighting wars and bailing out corporations, our children spend yet another night in shelters, alleyways or motel rooms across this country with nothing but hope to keep them alive. Contrary to public belief, several of them are not stupid, or lazy or unmotivated. For a number of different reasons, they have found themselves dependent on the good will of others, sometimes just to survive. I was fortunate enough to meet one of these teens and had the opportunity to spend a few days getting to know her.

To say she was an inspiration to me and those around her would be an understatement. Sakina Lockhart is 22 years-old and she graduated from college after spending part of her education living on the streets. After losing her funding for student housing and faced with incredible odds, Sakina kept going to class…every day. She was scared, embarrassed and frustrated – but she was also something else. Driven. She refused to let homelessness become her reality and fought tooth and nail to remain in what she called the real world by going to class and hitting the books. She starts a full time job this week and will be taking over full responsibility for all of her bills in the next couple of months.

She made me laugh, cry, smile and frown. She inspired me and brought life into perspective. In some strange way, I felt as if I met the younger sister I always wanted. Strong, determined, beautiful, supportive and triumphant. To her I simply say: You go girl! To those who read this, I say: Buy one less thing you don’t really need this month and take a homeless teen to lunch. Invest in their future. Be an example for your own children by teaching them to love your neighbor as yourself. Just for one day…let one single act of kindness turn into two and then three and then four. Volunteer at a shelter, become a big brother or big sister or donate that expensive meal you were going to share with your loved one on Valentine’s Day and help make dinner for the homeless teen you pulled off the street for that night. Whatever you do, do in honor of our nation and our reputation throughout history for lending a helping hand. I can think of no better place to start than in our own neighborhoods.

For The Beauty Of The Earth as performed by Tom Howard from the Marantha Music recording The Harvest

2009-01-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite photograph from 2008. Not because of the composition or any other related photo technique, but because of the memory and the story behind it. It was fitting this image was taken from behind. We watch our children grow, record the special moments in their lives and take them for granted. I don’t want them to grow up. Not now. I love them young, full of energy, building a strong bond as brothers and doing everything for the first time. I love the pitter-patter of their footsteps as they chase each other throughout the house. They drive me crazy, there is no rest…and I don’t ever want it to end.

2008-12-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

We thought long and hard about what to give our 12 year-old for Christmas this year. Watching our pennies like everyone else during these times, we decided to give our son something he would truly remember for years. Our son is an excellent musician and we think - aspiring rock star. What better way to build his confidence than a photo shoot!? So with the help of our 5 year-old, who ran the fog machine, Evan rocked out on his guitar and posed for the camera in between nervous smiles. He's a humble and kind boy and it was neat to watch his music bring out the confidence he has with a guitar in his hands. The look on his face when he saw the photos was better than any gift I could have bought him at the store. I got the sense he was a little proud of his dad for being able to make such a photograph and even more proud of himself for being a great subject. We're having a slight disagreement over what size to have these photos printed at, however. Evan wants full size wall posters in his bedroom. Rolling Stone...here we come.

2008-12-18T07:52:00.001-08:00

I love the South and all of its tradition. Southern belle's walk with a sophistication and sense of pride and Tuesday's High Tea at Fountainview Mansion was no exception to the rule. Nestled along the winding roads of Auburn, Alabama sits a home full of life and spirit. Decorated with more than 70 trees for Christmas, guests came for an afternoon of tea, fellowship and singing. Nearly a year ago, a relative was married at Fountainview and I was fortunate enough to stay at the mansion for the weekend. When I walked in and met the owner, he bare a striking resemblance to my childhood, church choir director from St. Louis. Gary and I lost touch over the years and I couldn't believe that the man who spent most of the church service trying to keep me quiet during the sermon was now the owner of this wonderful place. Gary and his wife Julie have transformed this home into one of the most magnificent B&B's in all of the South. The home is a photographer's dream...

2008-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Commercial jobs give me an opportunity to try new things with light and can present a challenge that offers a learning opportunity along the way. This photograph of a machine used to make fabric for mattresses uses a great deal of technology and making a photograph that reflects a high tech atmosphere isn't always easy inside of a factory. To accomplish such a task, a great deal of time is taken to set up strobes that throw the light in such a way that places a larger emphasis on the machinery and less on its surroundings.

2008-11-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

I did some commercial work this week for upcoming print and internet advertising with The Cigar Depot. Owner JD Sanders might have the nicest cigar shop I have ever been in and this shoot offered a nice change of pace.

2008-11-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how memorable the photos can be as children wait to have their portraits made. Children will offer you a glimpse of their personality, usually when they're not being told to smile.

2008-11-15T22:40:00.001-08:00

Kimberly, Scott and baby Kennedy were a joy to work with. It was fascinating spending the afternoon around a little person just a couple of weeks old and to remember just how much energy they can zap out of you...even if they sleep most of the time. I can remember when our first son was born. We drove him home in a snowstorm, as he was strapped into a toddler seat of my wife's old Buick. I didn't know any better, bought a "car seat" and didn't realize they came in different sizes. Half way home, Angie turned around to see our son's face covered by the seatbelt, made me stop the car on the side of the highway and she rode the entire way home in the back seat. We were scared to death...but we figured it out. Most parents eventually do.

2008-11-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

Today I was on location for a portrait session with Grace, her mother, sister...and my wife. Angie came home from teaching preschool in the morning and just before leaving, I asked if she wanted to come along and help assist. After more than 15 years of climbing the corporate ladder in the field of journalism, Angie and I took a huge leap of faith to start this photography business. Despite a less than perfect economy, against all odds and with a lot of prayer, I realize just how much I wish we would have started this venture sooner. I can remember the incredible sense of pride I felt covering the World Series a few years ago. To think that I would be flying across the country to cover the Cardinals and Red Sox along with many other national events would have been a dream years ago. And to think that I'd ever walk away from that type of opportunity to start my own business should seem even more ridiculous. As I was making photographs today, I realized that God had given me an even greater opportunity. When I was working for someone else, I rarely saw my wife and children as much as I should have. Meetings, the daily commute and being exhausted at the end of the day prevented me from spending the type of quality time my family so desperatley wanted and yet today, just after lunch, I was working alongside my wife capturing life's unscripted moments for a wonderful family and beautiful young girl. Now...how cool is that!?

2008-11-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

I went downtown this evening to meet some fellow photographers for coffee and to talk shop for a couple of hours. As part of the evening's activities, we had what we like to call in the business: A good ole' fashion shootout. Friends and models gave an hour of their time with the challenge of making some portraits around the cafe, using nothing but available light. Translation - Use the street lamps and light from nearby bar signs and try to capture something candid or creative. Our models have been married six years, have beautiful smiles and a sense of humor. Throw in a half dozen photographers and it gets a little hectic trying to step away to find something original. Here are a few frames from the evening. Good times.

2008-11-04T16:26:00.001-08:00

I started off my week in the North Georgia mountains near Ringgold, working on a portrait series entitled: The Matriarch. At almost 80 years-old, Betty hosts Thanksgiving dinner at her house, where extended family members have been coming for years. Arriving on Sunday, we scouted almost 11 full acres of land and settled on three spots to cover over the course of Monday. You have to love a woman who brings her Bible along to read in between wardrobe changes - randomly opening it to the Lord's Prayer. Trekking an 80 year-old woman through the forest and over dry creek beds isn't something I take lightly, yet Betty seemed to have more energy than any of us...and our shoot (with a few breaks) lasted more than 8 hours. Ending in a field with the mountains behind her, I thought it fitting to make a picture of her walking in the field towards the place she'd eventually end up having her last photo of the day made. That brief moment of serendipity summed up her life: A peaceful woman content with her surroundings. It was a wonderful ending to a two-day shoot that left me exhausted and restored at the same time.