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?

Blood, Sweat and Tears of Photography

The old saying about putting blood, sweat, and tears into one's work actually came true for me during a particularly windy family photo shoot. A powerful gust of wind upended my heavy studio flash and whacked me in the back of the head like Thor's hammer. The timing was perfect since I was bending over my camera bag changing lenses.

Even though I almost blacked out, we finished the photoshoot. My friend, Ken, had some colorful language to describe the seemingly unstoppable bleeding, but I'll keep this PG-13. My head ended up looking like a prop form the Walking Dead.

Working alone without an assistant can have its disadvantages such as having no one to hold the stand when the wind really picks up. Even having a bag of weights on the bottom in this case probably would not have changed the outcome. That will teach me to take shortcuts and think that taking one of the legs into the soft ground would be sufficient. This post should be files under "WHAT NOT TO DO". Lesson learned...

Breast Cancer Video for Large Insurance Company

As DLSR video becomes the norm, regular photographers like me are called upon to generate video content for clients. While there can be some cross-over in the equipment used to make videos and still photos, I found myself having 2 sets of specialized gear including cold and hot video lights, high-end audio capture gear, and even a teleprompter. Skimping on any of those items can result in a less than professional looking (and sounding) video.

I was asked by Munich Re to create an interview style video to explain the complex nature of breast cancer, how treatments have changed over time and mortality rates. This is not a typical company promo... and it is also proprietary information so I cannot share the final product.

However, I can show stills pulled from the video to show the lighting and composition. We decided to use multiple camera angles to add interest to the 30 minute video. I recorded the host, James Swinton,  asking questions in a wide angle view first. Then I repeated the question set as closeup footage. This gave me the option of changing viewpoint during post-production.

Afterwards,  the expert guest was given several takes to explain his complex medical data. Dr. Lund is a master of medical-speak taking high-level medical and insurance terminology and blending them seamlessly into an easy-to-understand info-dose. Complex charts and graphs were used to explain the key topics and were composited during post production.

I told Dr. Lund that I would not want to play Scrabble with him since every word would be at least 10 letters long. 

Portraits of an Atlanta Astrologer

Some people that I meet leave a great impression. This was the case with Maureen
who contacted me to have portraits made. 

I knew right away that I liked her kind disposition and easy going personality.
Hopefully, that comes through in the photos.

Her plan was to use the photos for her astrology business, social media,
and maybe even for some online dating. 

We spent our time trying different settings, backgrounds and arrangements. I try to give clients the variety they want, and as a photographer, this allows me to experiment with different techniques along the way. The next photo was made with a special doughnut-shaped ringflash which makes interesting catch lights.

The amethyst ring was a personal gift from her mother that was important to Maureen so we
included it. The matching background color ties it all together.

A scarf can be used in so many ways in a photoshoot. No woman should be without one.

My prediction came true... working with Maureen was a pleasure.

Family Portraits of the Distant Cousin of Al Capone

 

What does a photographer do when the rumored distant relative of Al Capone asks you to take photos of his family? You say yes sir... especially when he brings his beautiful pregnant wife, Amber, and adorable daughter, Allessandra.

We had been planning a family session for a while. Spring turned into summer and then summer into fall. If we waited much longer, it was going to get cold and ugly outside.

We met in my favorite local photo spot and proceeded to try and tire Alessandra out. This was difficult to do since she was literally running circles around us. Ah... youth... can you bottle that energy?

It's important to capture special moments with children when they are young because you'll never get this close to them when they become teenagers.

There is no question who Allessandra looks like.

Backlit fall trees provided a spectacular background.

I love to mix natural and manmade things in my scenes with walls helping to bring some structure to the composition.

Alessandra found a wondrous treasure and wanted to show it to everyone.

A belly contest ended the day. Jason was trying extra hard to stick his gut out since he is a skinny guy. I guess he should have had a bigger lunch.

Pain in the Glass

Making photos of glass products can be challenging since the surface reflects everything including lights, reflectors,  the surrounding studio and even the guy behind the camera. To avoid this, the lights can be moved from the front of the product to the sides or behind. This allows the strobes to shape the edges of the glass product, not the center.  Doing this allows the glass to maintain the appearance of transparency while also showing the shape of the object. 

The photos were made for www.etchintoperfection.com, a company that makes customized chemical etched art on glassware for special occasions. Their artistic process creates unique keepsakes for weddings, showers, parties or just about any event you can imagine.

My plan was to set up one rig that would accommodate most of the different shaped glasses without having to make a custom shot for each one. This was important since I priced this job as bulk photography, and it was not in the budget to have a custom lighting solution for each style.

Here are a few examples of the glassware for weddings...

 bridal showers...

and even bachelor parties.

A Last Minute Head Shot for a Traveler

 I always try to accommodate to my clients… especially when they are in a hurry. 

This was the case with Michael when he needed head shots before an out-of-town trip.
In fact he was leaving the country and did not have much time.

He later used for them business communications and social networking.