I met up with Dani and Cole in the North Woods of Wisconsin. After we captured our main image (for my Shoot-a-Month Project) we had some fun. We found a bunch of interesting, and strange, rock formations on the trial. They provided a backdrop for this gallery Dani and Cole in The North Woods Back to my Blog
One of my plans for 2020 was to complete a monthly creative shoot. Could be a model shoot or a video shoot or anything at all. This month I worked with Dreamera Marie (Instagram @dreamera.marie). We did an evening shoot in the woods in Fox Crossing. It was a great chance to work with color, lighting and a little smoke. At least until the smoke machine plugged up! As I get older I believe more and more that God love us to create. We are an expression of that love of creation and we were made to follow the footsteps…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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!
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…
Another batch of test photos was delivered today! While there were some shots that were underexposed most turned out pretty good I think. I also had a few out of focus - but wondering if the sticky aperture might have been the root cause. Here are a few more test photos for your enjoyment.
Style: a distinctive manner or custom of behaving or conducting oneself. Took this photo at Art in The Park in Appleton. I think she has style and character! Canon 5d mkIV | Canon 50mm f/1.2 L | 1/64- at f/2.5
Just fishin'. Medium format film from my Bronica camera. This picture has the "something" that you get from film that is hard to quantify. It just has a different look. Now I love my digital Canons and not giving them up. So I will be a hybrid photographer for a while, maybe forever. Bronica ETRS | Zenza Bronica 150mm PE f/3.5
It's Friday and my work week is finishing up. Or is the weekend kicking off? It's all a matter of perspective. Up is down and left is right depending on where you stand. Good is bad and bad is good depending on the ultimate outcome. I think it also depends on our thinking. If we seek the good we will find it. Or maybe it will find us. Did you ever know someone who seemingly always had bad luck? Everything goes wrong and their life is full of drama. Maybe it's not bad luck but bad thinking; they see…
Saturday afternoon and not much going on. Good time to sit and think. Or maybe just sit and not think. This is a natural light photo - no flash. Just the afternoon sun coming through the windows. Portrait was taken with my well loved Canon 135mm f/2 lens. This lens just has special glass for capturing wonderful portraits! Shot at f/2.2 to give a narrow depth of field. You can see just her face is in focus. Really "pops"! Canon 5d MkIV | Canon 135 f/2 L | 1/160s at f/2.2
I ordered the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L lens for the third time in a year. People report a love hate relationship with this lens and I can see why. It produces absolutely stunning pictures - if you get everything right. But then it produces out of focus and soft pictures much of the time! Twice I purchased the lens and twice I send it back. Despite the stunning pictures and the amazing low light capability just seemed to be to finicky. Also, did I mention expensive! So why round three? Because it still is a stunning lens that nothing else…
Friday night was A Very Neenah Christmas. Along with the store window live displays there were a number of "street performers" around main street. This poor girl took the double dog dare and ended up stuck to the pole! We debated on whether or not this was her real tongue - looks real to me... Canon 5d MkIII Canon 50mm f/1.4 | 1/40s at f/2 and 800 ISO
Exactly a year ago we were on a mini-vacation in LaJolla California. Sunny days and beautiful sunsets! Why did we not do that again this year? I do enjoy Winter - at least the first month or two, but lately I've been more and more sad that Summer is gone. Maybe next year... Composition with stock photo and a sunset shot Canon 5d mkIII | Canon 24-105 f/4 | 1/30s at f/9.0
St. Timothy's 2017 Confirmation class - such a nice group of young adults! See more pictures at St. Timothy 2017 Confirmation
Sparks fly as Marcia works on her next creation. Watch Not What It Was for news, updates and exciting buying opportunities! Canon 5d mkIII | Canon 24-105 f/4 L | 105mm | 1/320s at f/6.3
A quick portrait by the fountain in Riverside Park, Neenah. This photo was taken with the beautiful afternoon light during the "blue hour". The f/4 aperture should be obvious as the fountain is not in focus. I could have done more depth of field but that would have meant cranking up the ISO = more noise. I was at 800 ISO which for this camera is just fine. What makes this photo "work" is the good compositional elements. When we see a photo our eyes are first drawn to the brightest part. I did a curves and color adjustment to…
Another picture from the Menasha food truck event thing! We were just laying on the grass and enjoying the music where a group of fire performers moved in. Hot lady in more ways than one! Just kidding! Taken with my Panasonic Lumix LX7 - a handy little camera with a great lens. Only 10mp but who needs more. I purposely slowed down the shutter just a bit to get some movement blur - especially the flames. Panasonic Lumix LX7 | 17.7mm | 1/125s at f/2.3
Hey Mister! What ya doin' down there? The things you see laying on the ground in Menasha! This was taken on a Thursday evening while watching the clouds go by. You don't need a fancy camera - just carry a camera with you and have it ready at all times. Panasonic Lumix LX7 | 4.7mm f/3.2 | 1/250s
I'm just sitting here - enjoying the cool water! Well, maybe not. Given the river I don't think I would be making friends if I had actually sent her out there so this is just a composition i.e. Photoshop job! Just 2 pictures blended together and so much fun!
Again this year I did the pictures for St. Mark's confirmation. Such a nice group of young adults! Group pictures can be a challenge especially at St. Mark's where there is a lot of back light from the windows at the front of the church. The natural light has to be balanced with the flash on the people to turn out correctly. I used 2 Alien Bees B800 strobes with 64 in white shoot through umbrellas. The strobes were placed just behind and above me to the left and the right. Everything was shot in manual. Knowing I wanted most…
A beautiful young lady on a beautiful Easter Morning! A special portrait with the wonderful light streaming in from behind. Canon 5d mkIII | Canon 135mm f/2 | 1/60s f/2.8