Damsels Wanted! Have Hero, Will Travel

I gotta admit, this song has been running through my mind while I've been finishing this image; it's good to be finished...so I can get a different song in there. Making pictures with these kids was so much fun, and then drawing my monster in was a whole other fun thing to do. I can't wait to do it some more!

Tryon Creek State Park in Southwest Portland/Lake Oswego is a wonderful place to make pictures.

Jabberwocky

Nikon D800, 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro Lens, f/8, 1/15s, ISO 400, Nik Color
Efex Pro 4 with Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5.

Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?

  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

Man, I had a great time this morning with the Portland PAC (find us on Facebook) at Tryon State Park in Lake Oswego. Being new in town, I'm still getting to know areas, so I suggested we get together and go shoot in the woods. Tryon creek is such a beautiful park, and right in the middle of town, too, so it's super convenient. 

My pal Megan found us some willing models (more or less willing, anyway). As the day drew nearer I got thinking that something like Robin Hood would be a fun story to show. Then as we were sorting through clothes, this image came together. I'm reminded of the Jabberwocky, which I memorized in Mrs. Tuggle's class at Air Academy. It's supposed to be a retelling of Beowulf, which is one of the oldest English stories preserved in writing. I think I like Jabberwocky better, however. I really like the picture, and I really appreciate everyone helping me make it come together. I have some other ideas for finishing it, and if I pull it off well, I'll share it with you. 

Let's talk technical stuff, cause this picture is super simple, and it's totally a lucky happenstance that it...happened. See, when working with flashes off the camera, it's best to make the picture look good without the flash, then add the flash in the right amount for the subject. So, while doing my test shots I bumped the tripod, and it made the picture a streak. After I got the final frame of my awesome model, I combined the two with a layer mask in Photoshop. Super simple! I think it makes a dreamy, imaginary effect. Nik Color Efex Pro 4 helped with the finishing touches.

Light is coming from a single speedlight off to the left shooting through a white umbrella, triggered with Nikon's built in CLS. It kinda feels like a beam of light in the woods. Just the thing to make a vorpal blade pop. 

I love making photographs in Lake Oswego!

Mild Winter

It's been moderate, not that cold overall. Last year I was walking to work in my vibram 5 finger shoes and freezing my piggies off. This year, I could wear shorts most days and survive. The low snow pack has the ski bums, ya know, bummed, and the warmth is already flooding a bit on the river bottoms. Still, it's extended the season for making pictures outdoors.

And that's been fun. Sometimes, kids just react better when you go outside. In the Studio, they may get the feeling that it's my space, but outside is a free for all. They don't mind bossing me about when we're out of doors, and I don't mind moving accordingly.

So we headed out to make pictures with this wonderful family. We went to one of my favorite places I've never been before: the USU campus. I love working there because we can always find good light and we can always find something new.

I love this one. For these we played around the Geology Building. I studied Geology in college, and there's something homey for me there, I guess.

These guys were a blast to work with. They came down from Alaska to visit, and were really enjoying the warmer weather and mild winter this year.

Yep, no complaints from me about the mild winter. Bring it on!

Bad Day, Good Pictures

Sometimes things just don't work out the way we hope. Sometimes there's traffic that makes you late, or frost on the windshield that takes too long to scrape off, or extra work that takes longer than expected. Or little boys with the flu on the day of their photo shoot. Things happen. Fortunately, it doesn't mean that the pictures will suffer because of it. Mom loves this image, and I think it's nice, too...

"Carpe..." (Family Photography)

The pictures speak, ya know? Reminds me of that scene in Dead Poet's Society when Mr Keating is showing the boys pictures of previous students and reminding them that each of those pictures was a person, living his own life, thinking his own thoughts.

Sometimes as I ride my scooter around town I get to thinking that everybody on the street is living his life, everybody in a car is living her life, even the mailman is living his own life! Maybe you've already realized this, but there are millions of lives happening every second right here--in America! It's pretty stunning.

And every second a part of every person's life just went by. In photographs, I get to help capture that moment, record it a little bit like it was, and my record can potentially last forever. That means the moments  that I see in my lens maintain a small part of a story of a life. A tiny, itsy-bitsy portion of a life. And it's not that important.

Right now.

But how about in ten years, or fifty years when this mother's grandchildren look back at this image? Maybe the girl notices that she has her grandmother's red hair (I know, I know: it's black and white, but you still know she has red hair!) or the boy sees that his little brother looks just like his uncle. At some point this image may share the moment and it may make a connection to the past that shapes the future! Maybe the kid will see his potential and make some kind of decision to do choose to do something worthwhile in his life, to seize opportunity and make a life! Well, I'd like to think so, anyway.

Still, maybe he'll hear it whispering: Carpe...

Nikon D700,  70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 98mm, f/5.0, 1/125s, ISO 500.

Crossing the Bar

T. is a big brother, and quite a character. He's fun, and kind, and I really enjoyed working with him. He reminded me of this poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and I think he's living right along with what Tennyson had in mind:

  Sunset and evening star,
      And one clear call for me!
  And may there be no moaning of the bar,
      When I put out to sea.

  But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
      Too full for sound and foam,
  When that which drew from out the boundless deep
      Turns again home!

  Twilight and evening bell,
      And after that the dark!
  And may there be no sadness of farewell,
      When I embark;

  For though from out our bourn of Time and Place
      The flood may bear me far,
  I hope to see my Pilot face to face
      When I have crost the bar.

This is E.; he's trying to keep up, and I think will make it with a little help from T.

Here are a few more form this fun filled shoot. Spring is such a nice time to be out making pictures. I hope you'll give me a call so we can schedule a time for your kiddos...

Maybe we had a little too much fun...

Sneak Peek

Just a quick pick from a fun photo shoot tonight. Nothing like throwing Nephews around between pictures...

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO 500.

Life Goes On

M. and L. have been married a few years; they have a couple of darling little girls; they live a happy life. It reminds me of that Beatles song (this is where I'd normally include a link to the song, but the Beatles being what they are, those songs aren't available on the internet; you'll have to find "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" in your i-tunes and listen to the preview--but dont do it unless you're prepared to have it stuck in your head). 

And it's true, life does go on. See it from my perspective.

You start out--third grade maybe--tall kids in the back, short kids in the front, and you're finally glad that you're older than most of the kids in your class because you get to stand in the back and don't have to crowd in the front like Robbie; you get to do what ever you want in the picture because you are virtually invisible...so you think. Then Mom gets the print which she sacrificed going out to dinner in order to buy, and there you are with your eyes crossed on the back row, and you will never hear the end of it: every time a camera is on the scene, she announces that everyone has to watch and make sure your eyes are straight. Like that would make the picture better, everyone looking at you.

So it begins: portrait making is to be endured, yearly if you're lucky, more often if you're not.

Pretty soon mom's not the only one picking on you for the way you look in pictures: Polly just found your picture in the yearbook and is pointing out to everyone how squinty your eyes are--it's not your fault the picture guy blackouts the cafeteria every time his flash fires; one has to protect one's vision, after all. Your middle and high school years are now ruined, however. And the school actually sanctions this practice!

This is why everyone has a camera smile and camera eyes, as well. The smile usually resembles something like a man with super sized jowls on a motorcycle doing 85, and the eyes are...well, "saucers for eyes" is an understatement. If the eyes were wrist watches, they wouldn't be an attractive little piece with jewels...they'd be those enormous Fossil appliances that require pulley systems to lift the watch into view. Or something.

Fortunately, by the time you get married you've come to terms with pictures. All the exciting looking wedding photos you see on blogs everywhere get you thinking that if the photographer can make you look half as good as Betty and Ralf did in their wedding pictures, then there may be hope for you. You start praying to the wedding gods to make you look good on your wedding day. Your Fairy Godmother casts a spell and your wishes come true, and you love your wedding pictures. A real Christmas miracle.

Unfortunately, you know that you only get one such intervention in your life time, and your pictures will never look good again. 

At least, that's what it seems like everyone thinks. The fact is, you do look good in pictures--even if your eyes are crossed (granted, if you're halfway through a blink, you still look pretty terrible, but otherwise...). The important thing is to not look at your picture and criticize the way you look. When I'm talking with you, I never think to myself, "Geez, I bet he has a double chin in pictures." Pictures are not reality. They are an interpretation of a split second in time hat doesn't even exist anymore. Don't sweat it.

And certainly don't put on your bright eyes and toothy grimace.

That was really my favorite thing about working with M. and L.'s little family (well, besides making pictures of good looking people): they never told little S. to smile, and they were relaxed. Well, they were willing to relax, at least. After I helped them relax and showed them some pretty good looking images on the back of the camera they fell right into the groove and showed some pretty confident looks to the lens.

In fact, the relaxation showed in their whole bodies. Eventually, even when they knew the camera was watching, they interacted genuinely.

So, they got wedding pictures a few years ago, and now we've just had another fun time making pictures. S. hasn't been scarred by Mom's shattered hopes for the class portrait, and at this rate that will never happen. Break the cycle! It's just a picture. Let life go on.

Let it go on, and look back at it frequently, and remember that the glass is half full. Be in lots of pictures so you can look back at when they were taken and think to yourself not, "My, I'm so fat-bald-dopey looking-fill in the blank," but rather think, "oh, that was right after I had my darling little Mike, " or oh, that was right after graduation when we were getting started together," or "That was that time I drove seventy over through a school zone." (do they let you keep mug shots? they should--it would prevent a lot of crime if people frequently saw how bad they look in those photos.) 

If you let it happen this way, then you'll score karma with your Photo Fairy and she will bless you with good looking pictures for the rest of your life...

My Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This...

Do you ever have days when nothing seems to come together? When things are not running smoothly? When you can't seem to get on top of things? When the internet fails, and it takes two days to make a single blog post?

When you can't even get a three year old to smile?

Nikon D700, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/3.5, 1/100s, ISO 400.

Fortunately, that last one didn't come to pass!

Nikon D700, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/3.5, 1/125s, ISO 400.

Guest Blogger: Andy Warhol

Just kidding. this is more than a little nod to the master of graphic layouts. His, however, usually had multiple colors printed in each frame, and these are one color only. Still, I think it's pretty fun to show, and I can't wait to see it hanging on N's walls at her home.

What a Week...

It's been a busy, busy week, culminating in some terrific photographs today. I can't even wrap my mind around how fortunate I was to work with two great families this afternoon, in addition to some other projects that are wrapping up. 

These are a few quick picks from J and S's little family, with C as the newest addition. 

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @110mm, f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/4.5, 1/200s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @110mm, f/64.5, 1/250s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @120mm, f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO 400.

A Real Treat

Nikon D7000, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/80s, ISO 400.

G. is a member of the Cache Valley Photographers, and she's become quite active, lately--which is easy with all kinds of free activities happening all the time.

Anyway, last Thursday during Open Lab night at the Studio she brought E. and E. along with her, and these sisters were so good as to let us make pictures of them for quite a while, and it was very fun. These girls were adorable, and very full of personality. They were also very helpful, holding reflectors and adjusting poses for each other.

These are some of my favorites from the night. Hope to see these gals again!

  

Nikon D7000, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/80s, ISO 400.

Nikon D7000, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 82mm, f/5.6, 1/80s, ISO 400.

Nikon D7000, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/80s, ISO 400.

Flower Friday

It's different than my usual Flower Fridays, meant to bring a little warmth in the winter months. The cool out of doors is apparent here, with snow covering the lawn outside, and the cool colors in general show a winter scene. However, who isn't warmed by a little guy smelling flowers? Especially when you ask a kid to smell the flowers, and he puckers up like he's kissing them; a little touch of Spring on the window sill.

Nikon D7000, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 800.

Boys Will Be Boys

My colleague in Saudi Arabia and I stopped by his place after work one day last week. He invited me in for a refreshing drink of juice and to introduce me to his beautiful family. I also got to look at his wedding album and video footage--it's not everyday one gets to see what a Pakistani wedding looked like twenty years ago! Very festive, and fun to watch the traditions (especially those of the bride's friends picking on the groom)

I had gotten the idea that the neighborhood was a little rough when put my toolbox inside the cab of the truck and then covered it with something so as not to be seen. When we came out of his house to head to my hotel, this is the scene playing out down the block a little ways. These boys had just dropped their bikes and it looked like a fight was brewing. I quickly snapped off a few frames, as evidence that boys fight everywhere. 

Nikon D7000, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 300mm, f/8.0, 1/15s, ISO 800.

As we drove away from the neighborhood, I realized that it was full of immigrants, and probably suffered the same stigma as other similar neighborhoods and ghettos around the world. All I saw was men playing soccer in the street.

this picture has some movement in it. The sun was down, and evening was coming on quickly in Ryadh, so the slow shutter speed was required to allow enough light to expose properly. However, a 300mm lens is very long, and little shifts at the camera end translate to big wobbles at the end of the lens leading to blurry pictures. Stance, breathing, grip, etc are essential to making sharp pictures in low light; but sometimes you just walk out the door, note a story happening, and pray to the camera gods that the settings you have currently set will suffice. Then you thank those gods for Vibration Reduction lenses!

A Sneak Peek of J.

These girls are some of my oldest clients. I enjoy working with this family because they are kind folks, and it shows in their faces. They also are easy to photograph and capture some very fun expressions. These two links take are a little flash back to some memories we made last year.

This is one I never posted here, but has been one of my favorite portraits for a long time. P. and O. are fun sisters and I feel like this image shows so much of themselves and their relationship at that time in their lives. This picture will never be 'out of date', and will always be a favorite of mine.

Nikon D90, 50mm f/1.8 lens, f/2.5, 1/250s, ISO 200.

J. is their older sister, and she's getting ready to head to school and start her own chapter of life. What a pleasure to record her at this transition time!

Keep an eye out for more of J. to come. 

I'll never tire of photographing with this family!

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens @105mm, f/8.0, 1/250s, ISO 500.

Waiting for the Train...and Trendsetting

Went to Salt Lake with the boys, yesterday--my brothers and their boys, that is. (of course, the girls were along, too, but the little guys ruled the pictures).

There is a Planetarium at the Gateway mall, where they have this huge ball moving contraption. Little E. couldn't stop watching; for over an hour.

Next we had a real treat. These guys hadn't ever been on a train before, so we headed out to wait on the light rail downtown. N. couldn't wait to get on; seemed like the train would never arrive.

Of course, it did finally come, and E. had the time of his life ('course, he's only two...).

 A. and C. also came along for their first outing with the Clan.

After we were done downtown, we swung by the great-grandparents' house to introduce the new guys. There we found a yard covered in leaves, which we made short work of.

The thing is, when my grandfather is involved short work usually takes a little longer. Actually, I'd like to take this opportunity to set a few things straight.

I have a sister-in-law who fancies herself a very green individual, who works hard to reduce her (whole block's) carbon footprint. She's good at it! She even teaches classes on green living at the community college. Still, she doesn't hold a light to my grandpa. My grandpa wrote the book on green living, and set the trend before there was a trend.

For as long as I've been alive (and longer) my grandpa has been composting every possible scrap of garbage and bio matter produced on his property. There is a one gallon ice cream bucket on his kitchen counter with a produce bag (you know, the ones you put bananas in at the grocery store) in it and every peeling and stem discarded from every vegetable and fruit goes into that bucket. When the bucket is full the bag is taken out to the garden (year round) and the contents are tuned into the dirt to become the next generation of meals. In fact, his garden could feed the whole block. I dare say that his is the most fertile 1/2 acre on the planet.

Take the leaves above. We bagged them up but we didn't put them on the curb--nope, they went to the garden. But, we didn't spread them out to be tilled under. Uh-uh. That's not the process. Those leaves will remain in their bag until next Fall. Right now they will be put on top of the row of carrots, which will keep the ground from freezing under them, which will allow grandpa to come and pull fresh carrots all winter.

In the Spring, these bags will be placed under the apricot tree where they will continue aging to perfection all summer until most of the garden has been harvested and they will be tilled under at that time. But that's not all! The bags themselves will likely be used as ground cover to keep the weeds from sprouting. 

Yep. These systems are ages old, and have been producing loads of locally grown food for decades. So, g, when you're ready to enter the PhD. program, I'll help you with your application to the Sim School of Green Living. 

In the meantime, the new recruits above will begin their discipleship, soon.