Thursday, June 30, 2011

So Many Shoots, So Little Time to Blog (Missouri Town 1855)


I adore maintaining this photoblog because it makes me feel like I have a connection with you, dear reader. But I have to admit that sometimes I simply run a little behind on the posts. Just recently, I logged well over 2,000 shots in one week... whew!

Here is a perfect example of some landscape work I did which I simply haven't had a chance to post here. Those of you who follow me on Facebook may recognize a couple of them, as I often post exclusive first looks for my friends there...



I took a weekend jaunt over to Missouri Town 1855 this spring, when the leaves were new and the grass was sweet. It was full of incredible character and sense of place and I captured some stark scenes as well as truly lovely scenes of pastoral peace.

I found the forge absolutely fascinating as well. This man was a true worker of the anvil and not merely a character actor. The blacksmiths there make all the ironworks for the entire village, including the hinges, pulls, horseshoes, etc., thereby preserving the knowledge and practice of a time-honored trade.

 Master Blacksmith was also an excellent storyteller, entertaining us with a tale of how an old raccoon hide ended up nailed to the wall of his shop... turned out a mighty wind blew Br'er Raccoon right out of his hide and he ran away naked, leaving his skin behind for Master Blacksmith to tack up on the wall (with a nail of his own making, I might add)!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sneak Peek: Christian's Senior Session

One of the nicest things I get to do as a photographer is be present in some of the happiest moments of a person's life. This was just the case with Christian when we shot a few weeks ago. Everywhere we went, perfect strangers would stop and smile at Christian (looking quite dashing in his cap and gown) and often offer congratulations.




Christian wanted a very classic and classy look to his pictures, and we definitely got that by taking advantage of the incredible architecture on the Plaza as well as utilizing a simple color scheme of black and white. In twenty years, I am betting these images will still look incredible!


Congratulations, Christian!
 
  


Friday, June 17, 2011

Driving past St. Louis, still lots of flood water from the Mississippi standing in the fields and streets.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Thoughts on My Favorite Photography Quotes

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

"Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph." – Matt Hardy

"A fancy camera and lights and a studio do not make a good photographer... those are only tools. If I gave you the best paintbrushes and paints in the world, do you think that you could paint like Michelangelo?"

 
"It’s what you include, not what you exclude, because what you exclude no one has any idea exists." - Dan Winters

Above are four of my favorite quotes about photography. I was updating my Facebook page the other day, it occurred to me that I might spend a few moments explaining exactly what it is about these particular quotes that appeals to me.

The first by the great master Ansel Adams, and the second by Matt Hardy, are really referring to similar things for me. Due to the instant nature of photography, it is sometimes tempting to think that the photographer just got lucky when they pressed the shutter and the resulting image is wonderful.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that yes, there are occasions where this happens and the lighting conditions, the subject, the setting and just everything combine into the most beautiful harmony that you've ever heard (or seen). I have the word "serendipity" on the wall in my studio for just this very reason.

But to create images over and over again that are outstanding... that is not just luck. That is hard work and talent. So I think when Ansel Adams is referring to "making" a photograph, he means that there was effort and intention in most work. And when Matt Hardy speaks of "composing beauty", he means that same thing.

The third quote is meaningful to me because like a lot of photographers, I have serious bouts of equipment envy every once in a while. I see an incredible new lighting modifier, or a fat lens, and I have to wipe the drool off my chin! LOL
 
But aside from depriving my children of shoes ;-) I have finally realized that there's a much more compelling reason to not worry too much about the newest, shiniest equipment: At the end of the day, it's not the camera itself as it is who is wielding the camera.
 
The final quote is one I read recently in an interview of Dan Winters by Rob Haggert. This one is speaks to me on quite a few levels.
 
First, you can consider it a commentary on composing a photograph. What you leave in the frame is what counts. See my recent post about Lawson Lavender and the set I constructed... without seeing the behind-the-scenes shots, would you have known what the rest of the set looked like from the final image?
 
Second, it's a commentary for photographers building a portfolio. Be selective. What you leave in and display to the world is all anyone has to judge you by. You may have some masterpieces sitting on your hard drive, but although you know it's great work, no one else does. So show it off! Don't always put the safe stuff out there because you are afraid to take the risk.
 
Which brings me to the final reason I love that Dan Winters quote: it is a reminder to me that if you don't bring your best to every shot and gig you take on, if you don't INCLUDE that energy and love and attention in your photographs, no one will ever know they exist.

Don't let your photography be paved only with good intentions that never get seen. Bring the images that live in your mind to life and show them to the world!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Just for Fun: Time Lapse Chicks!

I had a fun opportunity to do my very first time-lapse photo project recently with my son's kindergarten class. To learn about a life cycle, the class was hatching some baby chicks in an incubator. My son's teacher (who is absolutely the best kindergarten teacher on the planet -- we love you, Mrs. P.!) sent out an email announcing that the class was "expecting" some babies. Because an egg can take anywhere from 2 - 12 hours to hatch, this was a perfect opportunity to use the time-lapse function. I arranged to come and set up my camera and photograph some of the hatchings.

It was somewhat difficult to shoot, as the eggs needed to be kept warm and the incubator had only a small window through which I could shoot. But it was still so great to share this experience with my son and all his friends! Here is the final video, assembled from over 900 images shot over several hours. I think it's cool how you can see the chick pecking a straight line across its shell from the inside before it bursts out!



This was so fun, I hope to do some more time-lapse photography soon!