Shaun Schlager Photography

2012 Pampurred Pet Christmas Photo Session

2011-12-10T03:21:00.001-08:00

Every Holiday during the year you will find us at Pampurred Pets in Post Falls, ID taking photographs of your little ones. Here is a slideshow of our first day of shooting this year for Christmas photos.

Childs First Experiences - Shaun Schlager

2011-12-02T00:28:00.001-08:00

A child experiencing something for the first time is always a pleasure for any parent or grandparent. Halloween is always one of the greatest times to watch a child experience this holiday.

You have the different costumes, decorations, chaos and of course the experience of knocking on a door and saying trick or treat.

While my family and I were out trick or treating we were following a group with a young child. The child was so fun to watch as he experienced his first Halloween.

The boy must have been around three years old and was trying to figure out the process to get candy. He would walk up to the door and stand there. He was more interested in the decorations than knocking on the door. The parents would say knock on the door Hunter. Hunter would listen and knock and knock and knock until the person opened the door. The dad saying, “Once is good, Hunter stop” and then finally giving up and letting his little boy just have fun.

While following the family, we started to come up on a house that was completely decked out in decorations. The house next to it was also decked out, but had a kid walking around the grave stone yard acting like he was a zombie. I knew this was going to be fun to watch.

Their boy was so excited and curious about ever little decoration at the one house. There was a trail to the back of the house which also had decorations and things being cooked up in barbeques. The child was really scared to go into the witch’s house and was looking back and forth the whole time.

After they finished in the backyard finally came the moment I was waiting for. The little boy started walking by the house with the zombie. The little boy was not aware of the “zombie” walking towards him. When the boy noticed the Zombie, he yelled and took off running down the street screaming, “He eat me!!! He eat me!!!” He didn't stop till he got to his dad who was smiling from ear to ear and giggling.

It is just an amazing thing watching a child experience something for the first time.

Let There Be Lights - by Shaun Schlager

2011-12-01T21:41:00.001-08:00

Every year the day after Thanksgiving, Coeur D'Alene, ID celebrates the winter season with a fireworks show and lighting ceremony.

With more than 1.5 million lights and an expected 30,000 plus people to attend, this is a family tradition and a vacation stop to see.

The night starts off every year with a parade filled with dozens of floats and persons putting on a show for all the spectators.

I am not sure if they have been at the festival in the past, but this year Coeur D'Alene had christmas carolers singing all throughout the parade and up till the fireworks display.

This year the fireworks seemed shorter than usual but that could be because of the hard times our country is going through and the funding may not be there. With that being said, the fireworks show was still very good and fast paced without many pauses between fireworks. This always makes for a good show.

Once the fireworks are over, they flip the switch and the city and lake light up with hundreds of Christmas lighting displays.

An Interview with April Terry - Shaun Schlager

2011-12-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

Banner Bank - Shuan Schlager

2011-12-01T11:46:00.001-08:00

Downtown Spokane had an exciting afternoon on the 800^th block and Riverside today. There was an attempted bank robbery and bomb threat by the would be bank robber.

Banner Bank was held up by Shawn P. Hoffman and arrested by plains clothes detective, Paul Lebsock.

Because the robber said he planted a bomb, streets from Riverside to Lincoln and Wall Streets were blocked off while police searched for the bomb.

The bomb squad assisted by their canine unit did not find anything while searching for the bomb.

The would be robber was later booked into the Spokane County Jail on 1^st degree robbery charges.

Hansen's Florist - Shaun Schlager

2011-12-01T11:45:00.001-08:00

Hansen’s Florist & Gifts is a premier flower shop in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho located on Northwest Boulevard.

Danielle Hansen, with 20 years’ experience in the industry, opened her own store in 2006. Over the past 5 years, her success has grown.

This is one of the nicest flower shops I have ever been to. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The décor and atmosphere is hands down the best in the area.

Consistency is key for me. Every floral arrangement I’ve seen from Hansen’s Florist & Gifts is the quality I would expect from any business. Previously, other flower shops I’ve used in the area did not consistently provide a quality product.

Danielle’s staff of professional floral designers takes pride in their work. They ensure every flower and every arrangement sent out of the shop is the highest quality.

When you visit the shop, you experience a comforting ambience lending to a French country scene.

If you are in need of an arrangement, give the beautiful ladies at Hansen’s Florist & Gifts a call. Danielle, Katrina, Wendy, and Lil are ready to take your order whether you’re planning a special event or you want to make a cherished love one smile.

Garden Street Yoga - Shaun Schlager

2011-12-01T11:43:00.001-08:00

On the corner of 6^th and Garden in downtown Coeur d’Alene, there’s a brick building that use to be one of the first schools in the area. Now it’s a two story building with 8 studios rented out to small businesses. One of them being Garden Street Yoga.

Garden Street Yoga is a dedicated Anusara Yoga studio opened in 20001 by Karen Sprute-Francovich.

Anusara Yoga is a style of Hatha Yoga created by John Friend and integrates the art of internal energetic movement with precise principles of alignment, a high degree of mindfulness and spiritual intention and a joyful expression of the spirit.

You can enjoy workshops, retreats, teacher training, immersion programs and studio classes at Garden Street Yoga.

I had the pleasure of photographing and interviewing Terri Simmons. She has been an instructor at Garden Street Yoga since 2006 and has also taught yoga at North Idaho College since 2007.

I asked Terri how she got started doing yoga. Terri told me her counselor said Terri needed something in her life that would nurture her and take care of her. Terri told her counselor she always wanted to try yoga. The next day Karen came to the building Terri worked at as a preschool teacher. Karen was looking for a place to have her yoga studio. Karen has been Terri’s mentor for 11 years now.

When I asked why she loved yoga so much, Terri responded, “What I love most about yoga is that it gets me into alignment with my own inner strength and radiance! I feel stronger and more confident. I feel less pain in my body. I feel more open with people and with difficult circumstances that happen in my life. I feel more like my true self. Yoga rocks!”

Being a wholehearted student of Anusara Yoga, Terri is currently in the process of working towards becoming an Anusara Certified Teacher.

Nightlife In Coeur D' Alene

2011-11-11T00:19:00.001-08:00

Thursday night and nothing in site. Just a lone cars tailights driving off in the distance.

Nothing going on at the new Parkside Buildings

Yep nothing going on.

Maybe there is something happening on Sherman Ave? Darn still nothing.

There has to be something going on at Seasons the new restraunt and bar in Coeur D'Alene. Interesting still no one to be found.

Maybe there is something going on at church? Lights out! Nothing here.

Not even god. Guess I will go home....

and sit in my underwear.

On a more serious note, downtown Coeur D' Alene, really has nothing going on during the week. Well, stay tuned to see if something happens on Friday or Saturday night.

Chatteroy Creamery – by Shaun Schlager

2011-11-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Chatteroy Goat Creamery in Chatteroy, Wa is a fun little place to spend the day. Our class had a location shoot here.

Christine and I were the first to shoot. Our shoot was about how they get the goats milk.

After our shoot, we spent most of the day taking photographs of the animals on the farm. I noticed that most of the students were by passing the sheep. Growing up on farms and ranches, I knew that sheep are skittish and you have to approach them slowly.

From the moment I opened the gate and started to walk out to the sheep, a certain tup, or better known as a ram was keeping a close eye on me. I was a good 50 to 60 yards away, but they made sure to keep their distance. I slowly inched my way closer. When I was around 20 yards away, I lay down in the grass and kept shooting.

I get bored easy due to my ADHD, so I started to stray from shooting normal photographs. People that really know me know that I am a goof and do odd things. So this is part of my boredom.

Elizabeth, DeAndra and Lark were working on the last shoot of the day.

While they were setting up, April , better known now as Momma, was keeping her kids happy.

The last shoot was of the owners of the creamery, Becky and Lon. We never saw the finished product but I am sure it turned out well.

Pickin' Pumpkins

2011-10-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my family and I went to Green Bluff in Spokane, Washington. Every year we visit the farms to pick our pumpkins along with other fruits and vegetables and ride the rides.

My son, Hunter, loves to play on the rides. One of his favorites is the Little Toot. The Little Toot is a wannabe ChooChoo train, or, as Hunter’s Uncle Rob corrects him, a diesel locomotive, not a choo choo train.

Hunter also enjoys the corn maze. This year he had a map and was giving us directions. They were wrong, but it was fun having him direct us around, getting us even more lost.

My wife, Michelle was a poor sport and wouldn’t ride the pedal cars with Hunter and me. So we took off on our own and took the car for a lap. Hunter was driving and of course daddy had to do all the work by pedaling us around the course. Downhill was great but I almost died on the way back when we had to go up hill.

Even though we didn’t do it this year, we usually ride the ponies. Whenever Hunter gets on anything resembling a horse, he has to have a hat. He likes to act like he is in a rodeo and swing the hat in the air yelling, “Yee haw!” I am not sure where he learned it, but he has been doing this for a couple years now, and he is only three.

I am not sure why, but, when we go to the pumpkin patch, Hunter uses them as a chair. He has done this every year. It’s pretty cute, and I tell him he is an Odd Duck just like his dad.

This year we added something different. We also picked apples. Hunter had a blast. If we didn’t stop him, we would have had enough apples to feed Africa.

That was our day at Green Bluff. We headed home and now Hunter can’t wait to carve the pumpkins we picked.

Forgotten Community – Shaun Schlager

2011-10-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my family and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon. One event we went to was the Portland Saturday Market frequented by hundreds of people every weekend. I thought this trip would be a great opportunity to fulfill my school assignment for community.

We saw a lot of characters while walking the city. The folks who drum away on five gallon buckets have always fascinated me. There were quite a few to listen and watch. One that made me smile was a young man drumming away by the river. Each time he would get a tip he would sing while drumming, “Thanks foyodollah." He saw me getting ready to take his photograph and pointed with one drum stick and sang “I'll smile foyo camera”. It made me smile and laugh and he came right back with more singing. “Yeah, I'll smile foyo camera”. So I gave him a tip and he sang some more.We even saw some so called "celebrities." He didn’t like me taking his picture. He was charging people to pose with him, so that is more than likely why he gave me dirty looks. It isn’t like he is really famous or anything. He was either on X-Factor or American Idol. I can’t remember which one. He was one of the guys they made fun of.

On Saturday night, my wife and I went out for a night on the town. We were going to a bar where I sang karaoke the last time we were in town, but I didn’t feel like singing. I was more hungry than anything. So we stopped in a local famous pizza joint “Old Town Pizzeria”. They were packed and we had to wait for almost two hours for our pie. It was worth it though, spending time with my wife and the pizza was awesome.

My wife Michelle waiting for me to come back in outside of Old Town Pizza.

While walking downtown, we walked by what everyone walks by in the city. The forgotten, lets not look or talk to them folks, the homeless. My wife says I am a sucker and they see me coming from a mile away. My wife and I have different opinions about this. I can’t walk by someone when they get my attention and keep walking. I have to say hi back. I have to respond to their hello, excuse me or whatever starts the interaction. I don’t always give out change, but I take the time to at least make them feel human and respond. I really feel for the homeless, and, even though I don’t know them, I care for them, worry about them and want to help them.

I watched how people went out of their way to avoid these people and completely ignore them. Yes, I too feel this way at times. Sometimes I don’t want to be bothered by them, but feel horrible because I treated them that way.

While sitting with my wife at dinner, I kept thinking about the homeless. When you walk around downtown, each door entrance has a body in a sleeping bag in it. You see families, husbands and wives, young and old. It really tugs at your heart. You want to do something for them. You want to know their story, why this happened to them, what put them in this situation.

When my wife and I were eating, I was thinking about our leftovers and how I wanted to give them to someone. My wife was thinking the same thing. She mentioned it to me when we were leaving. As we walked out of the pizza shop and walked past those homeless people, I noticed this very young guy sitting, wrapped up in a blanket with a sign. The sign read “Just hungry, don’t need anything else”. We gave him our leftovers. It was just a couple slices, but his face when we gave it to him ripped out my heart. He was so grateful, so thankful for us giving him the food. He couldn’t say anything and barely uttered the words thank you.

I know I should have taken photographs of the situation, but I couldn’t. I actually didn’t think about it till we had already walked away. He probably already felt so ashamed and I felt that I would add to that if I asked to take photographs of his situation. I was thinking about him all night. I could barely sleep. I wanted to get to know him and find out his story.

Sunday I said to my wife I need to find him and get to know him and get his story. So I went out in search of this man. I went to the doorway where we saw him. He wasn’t there. He must have missed out on his spot because it was taken by another. I walked around for about an hour looking. I wanted to get him a real meal and talk with him. Make him feel like a man again, to know someone cared.

Yes, there are people out there who give the homeless a bad name and make people not want to help. The people who act like they are homeless and make a living off of other peoples situations. It makes my wife and a lot of others not want to help. They are always asking themselves if these people are really homeless.

So I guess my long rambling about a forgotten community has to have some kind of point. I think if a homeless person says “can you spare some change," don’t ignore them like everyone else. At least acknowledge them and let them know they are still human by giving them a smile. Give them something. Just don't ignore them. They are a part of the community too.

Eckelson North Dakota – Shaun Schlager

2011-10-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

The township was named for A.O. Eckelson, a railroad civil engineer. Eckelson used to be a thriving community with lakes, schools and many businesses.

Today it is becoming a ghost town. A town that was once thriving is now a one way street with a population around 50. The lake dried up, businesses disappeared and the only things left of the schools are the playgrounds.

When I was a kid, I remember my great- great grandma working at the grain elevator. When I would go back to North Dakota to visit family, I always had to visit the elevator. As you drive through the community, every town had an elevator at one time or another. That is what I remember the most about North Dakota.

Just like the rest of Eckelson and the towns in the surrounding areas, the grain elevators are a relic of the past. The only thing that hasn’t changed in the community is the sounds of the trains traveling through the country side, traveling past the places they once stopped.

For me, as a photographer, visiting places like this excite me. I love capturing what was. The history and stories behind these towns and the residents of these towns intrigue me. Through my lens I want to preserve the stories they have to tell.