Photography of Trone Rocks for Large Chemical Company

I am fascinated by the origin of products and the processes used to create them. I'm kinda nerdy that way, but this blog is not a confession. It is about creating photos of a natural raw material  named Trona and also the refined product named sodium carbonate. The photos were made for OCI Chemical which is one of the world's largest producers of this material.

Sodium Carbonate is used in countless ways including glass making, baking, casting and scores of other manufacturing processes. It looks like white sand or maybe a movie prop from the set of Scarface.

Trona rocks are interesting things to photograph since they can literally dry and flake on the spot turning their gorgeous amber hue into a less interesting chalky brown. This rock below is on the verge of flaking. What is interesting to me about this one is the reflected yellow shadow which gives the illusion of the light passing through the rock like a crystal.

 I used a technique of vigorously scrubbing the scaly flakes from the sample rocks and photographing them before they became cloudy again. I might not have tried this if my client had not shown me this trick, and told me it would not damage the sample.

It was important to show the striations of amber color and not the darker "root beer" seen on the first photo... even though I think that lends some visual interest. I photographed several configurations of the rocks for the client including single hero shots. I also took photos of several together so now I can say that I have taken photos of "rock groups". 

Finally, I combined the Trona rock with the sodium carbonate end product for a beginning-to-end style photo.

Web Site Design for QSpex Technologies

QSpex Technologies is a company whose tabletop machine allows eye care practitioners to make eye glass lenses in-house. By not having to send the prescription out to a lab, optometrists can control the whole lens production process, making them more efficient and obtaining higher customer satisfaction.

While at Graphic Works, I designed and produced the web site with the help of my coworker, David, who knows how to fix all kinds of coding issues. He has not been stumped yet (or if he has... he never let on). The site features rotating header graphics, animated drop menus and a simple clean design.

Family Portraits of Baby Lukas and His Parents

In 2012, I had the opportunity to photograph my good friends Justinas and Marie before they were going to have a baby. Looking back now, I think Marie was literally gonna pop. That maternity photo gallery can be seen in an earlier post here.

Later in 2013, I contacted them to see if they would return to the same spot where we took the previous pictures for a followup session.

My plan was to take the photos in the same location so when Lukas grew up he could see himself in a unique series of photo shoots.... "in the belly" and "in the world". I would like to say at this time that I am not responsible if these photos lead to the "where do babies come from?" question.

Young Lukas was not even a year old and already that boy had so much charm and charisma
that he wowed me during the photo shoot. He is incredibly smart and alert for his age. 

He would almost smile on command and respond to all the silly noises I was making.
Getting the attention of a child this young is not always successful.

Lukas is the perfect blend between Mom and Dad.

 The kid was a dream to work with, but that is what one might expect from a
child who has a model-like mother and a photographer for a father?

 In fact, if Lukas picks up at camera he will be the 

third generation of photographer in the Bartkevicius family. 

Dad is a giant so you gotta wonder how tall Lukas will be.

When I was packing up, I showed Lukas my camera. He knowingly
touched the shutter button, and I swear that kid winked at me. This just
proves that my photographic competition just gets younger every year. 

 

Maybe we will keep shooting a new portrait set annually until it is time for me
to hand the camera over to him.

I think this is how Lukas drives his dad around. Just tug the ears to steer in the right direction...

Capturing Personal Moments with a Point & Shoot Camera

Twice a year I head back to Virginia Beach where I visit my family and childhood home. For occasions like this, I have found that lugging a large bag of photo gear is not the best plan for me.

First of all, the visit is so hectic that I rarely get to use the equipment, no matter what my intent might have been when packing it. I hate to admit that sometimes it never even made it out of the bag. Secondly, I am technically off-duty as a photographer and a 3 lb. camera is not casual. These snapshots are not meant to be serious, but they mean a lot to me.

The real draw for me is seeing my parents, my siblings and their children. Here are a few of them.

I think that some of them like to ham it up...

What do you think?

 Sometimes a stroll around the block reveals strange things like a discarded mirror.

According to my nephew, he found "bigfoot's bed" less than a mile from my parent's house at Turtle Lake. To me it looked like a shallow pit with some branches, but I am not an expert.

 My parents have been in the same house since the 1960s when they were younger than I am now.

Pets are part of the family, and always underfoot.

The backyard is made for adventures of all sorts... in this case a daredevil's play ground.

In the spring, this horizontal vine turns into a mass of purple flowers.

 My Dad at his computer... I guess that is where I get my interest in these things. As a child, I remember him letting me listen to a record of an early computerized speech synthesis which sounds like Siri's great, great grandfather... You can hear that at http://youtu.be/ebK4wX76RZ4

I'm not sure how to describe this one... 

Lots of attitude... Her green eyes will burn holes right through you.

From serious to nutty in 2 seconds flat...

Our little gymnast is incredibly strong. Here she is demonstrating an "easy" handstand.

I can almost see why this one will look like when he is older... 

This is a strange blow up balloon animal with a light shining through it.

The newest nephew...

My Dad made those butterflies for my mother at least 200 years ago.

The trampoline provides hours of fun.

My mother always has a hug for each of us... I might miss that the most.

Family Photos on a Beautiful Fall Day

Ever since Ken and Anna had their first born daughter, we have been trying to get together for some family portraits. The scheduling was not helped by the fact that they lived in both Canada and the USA at different times... like migrating snow geese.

Now that daughter number two was several months old... this was getting out of control. 

We needed to put a date on the calendar.

On one of the last good fall weekends, we spent some time making portraits. Ellie, who was terrified of me as a younger child came out of her shell and was hilarious.

She would go between super-adorable to silly.

Contrary to what you mom might have told you, your face will not permanently stay that way if you make a funny face.

I love Atlanta in the Fall, even more than the Spring, because it is much more colorful... and no pollen. This would have been a great day for a family picnic.

Just the girls...

Daddy's girl...

Mom and the new gal, Juniper...

Who wouldn't want a miniature clone of themselves?