Back 2 Basics Cooking held a special Valentines Day cooking class for couples Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. Three couples spent their evening learning new recipes and some cooking tips while preparing a three-course meal. (Photo by Adam Vogler)

The One Day story assignment was right in my comfort zone. This was pretty much what I did for seven years working as a newspaper photographer. Ninety-nine percent of what I did outside of spot news and sports was come up with photo stories, essays and photo galleries I could do with one visit to the subject so this was pretty much old hat for me.

I set about doing the same thing I'd do back at the paper, look around for an event that would make a nice feature story. I settled on the Back 2 Basics cooking class for a couple of reasons. I was sure it would have some fun images, it would have lots of opportunities for detail photos and going back to my days as a photo editor it would be something that would allow for a Valentines Day feature that could run on Valentine's day since it occurred on the Saturday night before the holiday. 

Things did not exactly go as planned, though they never do. To start of I got lost on my way to the venue. I'd planned for this of course so I still arrived on time, but I wanted to be there earlier. The class was a bit smaller than I'd hoped and they were working in a fairly crowded area which made it more difficult to blend in. I'd thought this through before hand and made sure that I had brought a variety of lenses including a 70-200 so that I could hang back if needed.  

I was able to get some good emotive images fairly quickly and some good detail images but I was finding it difficult to find some images that connected everything together. I wanted to find something different but I was pretty much just doing my usual wide, medium, tight shot list. I knew that this might be a issue with this story, that was one of the reasons that I chose it. I shot more than I really needed to but I wanted to have more images than I needed to have a better hcanc eof putting it together in the edit.

Overall I'm ok with my results, they aren't great but I think that this would make for a fun, Valentines Day feature. It ain't going to win any awards but it'd get the jib done as far as daily work. 

Nathan Atkinson, right Elizabeth Hatting and Anthony and Tela McKire cook risotto during a cooking class Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. Three couples spent their evening learning new recipes and some cooking tips while preparing a three-course meal during Back 2 Basics Cooking's Valentines Day cooking class. (Photo by Adam Vogler)

Nathan Atkinson, front, and Elizabeth Hatting dice zucchini  during Back 2 Basics Cooking's Valentines Day cooking class Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. The zucchini was part of a relish and toasted bread that comprised the appetizer of the three-course meal the couple prepared.

Nathan Atkinson and Elizabeth Hatting add sautéed vegetables to their risotto during Back 2 Basics Cooking's Valentines Day cooking class Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. This was the couple's first class and their first time making risotto, a creamy rice dish native to northern Italy. (Photo by Adam Vogler)

Nathan Atkinson sautés red onions for a risotto during a cooking class Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. Atkinson and Elizabeth Hatting were one of three couples spent their evening learning new recipes and some cooking tips while preparing a three-course meal during Back 2 Basics Cooking's Valentines Day cooking class. (Photo by Adam Vogler)

Nathan Atkinson and Elizabeth Hatting check to see if their risotto is done during Back 2 Basics Cooking's Valentines Day cooking class Saturday, Feb. 13. in Columbia, Mo. Risotto, a rice dish native to northern Italy, is cooked in broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. (Photo by Adam Vogler)