Blog - Page 10 of 27 - J Alan Lee Photography

Another Birthday

January 16, 2019
Blog

It's January and that means another Birthday! The past year has been a great year and I am totally enjoying myself! Seems like everyday is an adventure and I cannot wait to see what today brings into my life. Just for fun I took a look back 10 years to 2009 to see how my photography has changed. There I was with my cool little Canon XSi DSLR camera, a kit lens and a nifty fifty! Great little camera and not bad lenses. My "commercial" photography was a bit in the future but even then my favorite shots were of…

Greenhouse in Velvia 50 Film

January 8, 2019
Blog

Fuji Velvia 50 film is specially designed to accentuate colors. This gallery was shot in Greiling Farms Greenhouse, Denmark, on medium format film. I used my Bronica ETRS camera and a 150mm lens. The film was developed by Richard Photo Lab and I scanned the negatives using an Epson Perfection V600. The colors were not digitally manipulated - what you see is what Velvia delivers. Funky skin tones but the colors sure pop!

A Winter Night in Neenah

January 4, 2019
Blog

It was cold, and snowy, and dark (one of the longest nights of the year). But out we went anyway to make some beautiful portraits. I like to say every day is an adventure and this day certainly was. Jump out of the warm truck and grab some photos and then back to the warmth to thaw out my numb hands. My beautiful model didn't mind the cold at all - oh, to be young again! Technically, these are a mix of natural light portraits along with some fill light portraits with a softbox. All were taken with either a…

Living Coral – Pantone Color for 2019

December 28, 2018
Blog

The Pantone color of the year is Living Coral. They call it "an animating and life-affiriming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge." Well, sounds impressive, I guess. On a recent safari I captures ice boats cruising on Lake Winnebago and thought they would make a great use of living coral. Here is the original photo: The next step, in photoshop, is to select all the highlights and create a new layer with a highlight mask. You then use the color picker to brush Living Coral into all the highlights. The next step…

2018 Favorite Medium Format Film Pics

December 21, 2018
Blog

And now, by request (or not), my favorite medium format film pictures of the year. It has been a great year of film photography and I have captured some great images. Of course, some awful ones too! Well, we learn by doing and I did a lot this year. Look for more film photography next year including some paid gigs! In the meantime here are my favorite portraits of 2018. Want some more film galleries? Click on the following: Film Shoot with AJ Alexis' Test Shoot

Sunday Wedding – Something Different

November 12, 2018
Blog / Wedding Photography

Wedding on Sunday and a different role for me - I was the officiant! Katie and Jake honored me with a request to marry them and I hope I rose to the challenge. It was a wonderful day in a wonderful location and I was so happy to be part of their new life together. Above is one picture I did take (I had to bring my camera and get a few shots).

Artists and Technicians – Two Types of Creatives

November 1, 2018
Blog

Art. It seems like there are two kinds of people who call themselves "artists" - creatives and technicians. Technicians often are highly skilled and have deep knowledge of their craft. They can quote specifications of all the tools in great detail. They know exactly how to set things to achieve perfect results. They can instantly spot imperfection in someone's work and are full of technical advice. Artists are often highly skilled in their craft. But they see the craft as merely a medium for their art - not the purpose of their art. Artists break the rules, and in…

Medium Format Film Test Shooting

October 31, 2018
Blog / Photography Training & Workshops

I continue the learning curve on my new Bronica ETRS medium format film camera. The wonderful AJ helped me with a series of test shots using a variety of apertures and shutter speeds. First up - shutter speed! The conclusion here is I cannot consistently shoot handheld below 1/125 second. While I hit some shots at 1/60sec it was only through luck I think. THis contrasts with my 35mm minimum handheld speed of 1/30 to 1/60 of a second. Below is a comparison shot at 1/125sec and 1/60sec Next up is exposure variation via aperture control. I metered for f/2.8…

Film Shooting with AJ

October 31, 2018
Blog

Some of the best shots from my film test shoot with AJ in Oshkosh. For some technical information see: Bronica Test Shoot