Night Portraits with Model Dreamera Marie

While walking through the woods I came upon a vision. A beautiful woman surrounded by light, magic and mystery! Good thing I had my camera and lighting along! Model: Dreamera Marie (Instagram @dreamera.marie) Some photos by Karrington Return to Model Portfolios Related Model Galleries http://jalanlee.com/modeling/a-winter-night/ http://jalanlee.com/blog/lets-get-back-to-work/ http://jalanlee.com/modeling/maria-lynn/ http://jalanlee.com/modeling/kayla-jo/

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Let’s Get Back To Work

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Let's get back to work! The only thing worse than being sick is being broke and sick! I am tired of being scared! What value is a life spent worrying instead of living? Life is full of risks - over 9,500 people die every day in America. But life is also full of joy and love and sharing with others. Don't give up the joy and huddle in your basement for fear of the unknown.

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High Cliff Bride

A High Cliff Bride So many beautiful brides - and so many beautiful images! I find the hardest part of photography is editing. Specifically - culling images the find the best. Sure, the occasional out of focus shot, or someone is blinking, is easy to cut out. But then I get 10 pictures in a row of the same scene but with wonderful little variations. A shy smile in one picture, a serious look in another. One picture is playful while another is deep and serious; and this one has a mystery! They all reflect the complex personalities of my…

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Wedding Season is Coming!

January is the dead of Winter but wedding season is coming. It is not too late to find a photographer for 2020. I still have some room in my calendar. Casual, formal, BOHO they are all great and great fun. I specialize in "lifestyle" wedding photography. Lifestyle photography, at least to me, encompasses: Capturing moments as they happen - with minimal posing or interferenceSetting up opportunities for great photos to happenWorking with my couples to make sure the day reflects their personalities and dreamsInteracting with guests in a natural and friendly way - not just documenting the wedding but being…

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A Winter Night

A Winter Night with Dreamera Marie. We met in beautiful downtown Neenah for a night shoot with the Christmas lights. It was a cool night - but unseasonably mild for the end of December. Marie is a 27 year old model from Wisconsin and has been in front of the camera since she was a child. She has over six years of experience as a Professional Model. Browse her Instagram @dreamera.marie for more pictures and contact information. Link to my Modeling and Fashion Portfolio If you are interested in a photo shoot drop me a message at Jeff@jalanlee.com

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Does Wedding Photography Equipment Matter?

Does wedding photography equipment matter? I think the answer is "sometimes". Let me tell you why. Two Kinds of Photographers I always thought there were two kinds of photographers - Technicians & Artists. Technicians love the technical aspects of photography - the gear. For them it is all about the equipment and the technical process of creating an image. Artists care more about the emotional aspects of an image. They view equipment as merely tools to get the job done. Getting the two together to view images can be frustrating but a little fun. The Artists will see the image…

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J Alan – International Wedding Photographer

Dateline: Annecy France, on the shores of beautiful Lake Annecy. People talk about their dream jobs or dream careers. I don't know if I have had a dream career but I have had a pretty good time. Maybe my fantasy career would be "International Wedding Photographer". Jetting off to romantic and beautiful spots with the rich and fmaous.. and of course earning a seven figure income! I shoot this photo in Annecy France at a romantic wedding on the shores of Lake Annecy. Does that qualify me an International Wedding Photographer? I think so... The interesting thing is the look…

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June is Almost Over

June is almost over! Hard to believe but July is almost here and the portrait season is in full swing. This is going to be a busy Summer but I still have some time to dedicate to weddings and portraits. Contact me for more information! The portrait above was taken on my just completed road trip out west. It is always a joy to meet a beautiful young lady that has a wonderful spark of joy and happiness. That spark is the reason I so enjoy photography - it is about the people. The photos are just a part of…

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Resiliency

A portrait of a tiny pine tree. It somehow has found a way to grow on a cliff in the middle of an old lava field. How did it get there? How does it survive? Resiliency: 1) the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. 2) ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy. Everybody has challenges and adversity. Things go wrong. Disease and old age get to us all. But, if you are resilient you can manage, you can overcome. I have had my…

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Black & White Wednesday

When you strip away the color what are you left with? The essential character of the portrait. No more distraction, no more clutter. Just the lines and tones of your subject. The portrait above is over 100 years old and the young lady's name is a mystery. This was taken somewhere in Russia. some time around 1900. There is a depth to this picture that is haunting. Her expression, her eyes and the wisp of a smile all contribute. This hard to define quality is what I try to capture in every portrait! This portrait is very recent and I…

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Still Time to Book Weddings for 2019!

Wedding season is fast approaching, but there is still time to book weddings for 2019! I just love weddings - I think wedding photography is just an excuse to attend more weddings! How can you go wrong spending time with people on one of the more wonderful days of their lives? Thinking about booking or want to have a coffee together? Click here to contact Jeff. Don't know where to start? Click: "How to Find the Best Wedding Photographer" See also: My Wedding Portfolio Wedding Pricing

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Sunk Cost or Joy?

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Two ways to Think I find it enlightening to think about the world using dichotomy. Often you can think about things as if they neatly sorted into two groups. East or west? Up or down? Left or right? With people I think there are two kinds: those who believe there are two kinds of people and those who don't! Sorry, for the bad joke! Of course, I know that people are very complex and do not sort themselves out neatly. So dichotomy is a useful tool to understand but not a perfect model. Sunk Cost or Joy? When you look…

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What do you see?

What do you see? A beautiful woman looking at a crystal ball is the first normal answer. Or maybe a tattooed model in a black dress with a crystal ball. But if you look more closely there is so much more to the picture. Start with the light. You can see purple pink light coming in from the right side. The light accents her flowered arm and her purple hair. Next her face. Her mouth is slight smiling but her eyes are not. Serious and yet a bit whimsical. It makes you wonder what is she thinking? If you look…

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Monday Morning Thinking

It is Monday morning, again, and I am having some Monday morning thinking going. So many questions in my mind. Where are you going? What's next? Should I change my career? Will I have enough money? What do I like doing and why not do more of that? I look at the picture above and my heart wants to create art. I think I managed to capture that "something" in her face and that is the reward for being a photographer. Could I do this again or was it just luck? And the biggest question is could I make a…

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Another Face in The Crowd

This post is another fortunate accident. Who would photograph a musical with a 100-400mm f/4 to f/5.6 Canon lens? It is too dark! The shutter speed needs to be too high! ISO way beyond noisy!Well, I did it at St. Timothy's production of Jesus Christ Superstar and the results were excellent! I covered this in a previous post and I am still amazed at the outcome. For years I have told people to invest in good glass and that even a modest camera body is pretty good. This picture is an example of that wisdom. The Canon 100-400 f/4-f/5.6 LII…

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A Face in the Crowd

A face in the crowd. This is a shot from my recent shoot for "Jesus Christ Superstar" a production of the St. Timothy's Lutheran Church Players. I had the pleasure to provide photography for them again this year. They put on an awesome show and I was moved to tears in the 2nd act. This photo was taken during Jesus' trial. It shows the love and concern for Jesus on the young ladies face. Perfect lighting and perfect timing - just lucky! In some ways this shot was an accident. I usually take three lenses for the St. Tim's shoot…

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What to Expect in Your Portrait Session

Getting your picture taken can be a scary experience. Most of us are nervous and uncomfortable posing in front of the camera. Never fear! Everything possible will be done to make your portrait session not only comfortable but a lot of fun! Before The Shoot - Planning For a successful time together we usually start with a casual conversation. A local coffee shop is a great place to meet and talk over your portrait session. Fox Valley coffee choices include Copper Rock Coffee, Acoca Coffee (my favorite), Atlas Coffee Mill and Shellattes in Neenah. We can get to know one…

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I wish it was Summer!

February has been a long month and I wish it was Summer! A couple of years ago we took a lat Fall vacation in La Jolla, California. This shot was of one of La Jolla's amazing sunsets. As I look out at the massive snowbanks in Wisconsin part of me wonders what the hell am I doing here!?! I love the change of seasons in Wisconsin. I love the crisp Fall days and I even get excited by the first snowfall. Yesterday I was thinking how beautiful the snow was coming down. But this morning I am thinking that I…

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Under Pressure

Under pressure - and the valve is too rusted to turn off! So much going on right now and I feel like there is no break in site! Well, that is life sometimes. I am not sure I would be happy with nothing to do. I don't really know what it would be like with nothing to do! So what is going on right now, you ask? Work is crazy busy, it's income tax time, snow snow snow! And I hat shoveling snow! My website is in the midst of a rebuild - more focus and SEO and less randomness.…

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How to Find The Best Wedding Photographer

A Google search for "Wedding Photographer" turns up millions of hits!  How do you find the best wedding photographer with all these options? The good news is there are lots of great photographers in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin.  The odds are you will find one of them.  The bad news is that even the best photographer may not the right one for your wedding!  So what things should you look for to find the best wedding photographer?  Here are some of my suggestions. What makes a photographer the best for you? A great photographer provides a great experience…

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Another Birthday

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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…

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Greenhouse in Velvia 50 Film

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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!

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