I don’t get to use the other side of my brain all that often in this job. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing (I’m definitely not complaining!) but the other, more structured, logical side is always trying to find reasons to come out and play. A select few of you may know that before I decided to try and be artsy photographer girl, I managed to get myself a minor in Chemistry. I’m sure you see the relation! Any-who, I have since forgotten pretty much everything I ever learned of that discipline (sorry for the money down the tubes mom and dad!) but something must have stuck.

Last weekend I had the honor of shooting my cousin Niki and Ronnie’s wedding reception at Palladium St. Louis (photos to come in a week or two!) It’s a cool, new reception venue down near Soulard as part of the City Hospital redevelopment. And I thought to myself, I’m pretty sure Palladium is an element. And I was taking the below photo of the Palladium logo at the entrance when it hit me…

I wonder if all of those dots in the logo have anything to do with the electron shells corresponding with Palladium? So when I got home that night I looked it up and sure enough – they do! Quick science lesson – electrons float around the nucleus of an atom in shells. The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons, the next 8, and on and on. Now, let’s pull it all together. Below is a diagram of palladium’s electron shells.

See the resemblance? Props to the creator of the Palladium St. Louis logo for pulling science into a very nice modern logo design! I’m pretty proud of myself but I’m also positive I’m not the first to figure it out.

Ok, enough science for the day…back to non-linear creative thinking!

L Photographie Liz Sloan St. Louis Wedding Photographer