a beautiful family shoot

100 foot oaks, the McKenzie river, flowing fields, people who love each other… beautiful is the best word I could come up with to describe the shoot.  Kelly and Brandon have an adorable family, and an even more adorable way with their kids.  I appreciate good parenting in a much deeper way ever since I became a parent myself.  Calm, patient, loving… it takes work to keep that up in real life, not to mention at a family shoot (note previous family shoot scars in tone of type).  But, this was my kind of family shoot; great people, amazing location, the request for fun and not overly pose-y, oh, and she wants all black & white.  Yes please, and thank you.

Brandon works for the electrical vendor I contracted with at my previous job, and if you have work to be done, do yourself a favor and call New Way Electric first.  There’s a very good reason they were on the short list of my “favorite vendors” for over 10 years.

I’m sure I will post more of the session later, but for now, just try to resist the perfectly messy curls.  I dare you.

i love portraits, i love music

I have never found much interest in landscape photography, it’s all about people, for me.  I enjoy the interaction, the give and take of subject and photographer, and most of all, I love seeing or hearing the reaction to the images we come up with.

I’m sitting at home today, a little sick and itching to go outside and shoot… so I thought I would blog.  I needed to do it anyway, so here I am.  The first thing I do when it’s time to get into the workflow mindset is turn on some music.  The sound fuels my work, it just does.  Often it’s music that inspires me to take a certain photograph in the first place; or, I at least have a particular song in mind when shooting something.  I recently discussed this very subject  with a musician named Andy Zipf, who finds inspiration for his songs in images from time to time.

The type of music I choose is usually determined by the type of work I have in front of me.  For example; weddings usually require some chill music, such as, Over the Rhine, William Fitzsimmons, or Peter Broderick.  I need the lovely, the sentimental, the emotional to come into my head and make me think “wedding.”  Now, portraits are a different animal for me.  Some portrait sessions are moody, and require the likes of Radiohead, other sessions are light and fun.  I grew up on 80’s and 90’s pop music… so when we’re talking about fun and light music, it’s gotta be Wham!, Milli Vanilli, Michael Jackson, or, if I really need to get fun and funky – and that takes some work – it’s Color Me Badd.  Yep.  With two “D’s” there, folks.  They’re that serious about being bad.  I mean, badd.

Hip Hop is a great energizer for days when the tasks is large.  Large editing job with little time to complete it?  Hop hop.  The Beastie Boys and Run DMC were in as heavy a rotation as Bon Jovi or Tears for Fears.  YO! MTV Raps – if only I could buy it on DVD.

I’m completely rambling, so I’ll stop.  I have some more formalized posts in the works, but for now, here’s another big post of multiple shoots.

a little b&w film

I decided to shoot some film at Landon and Jamie’s wedding.  It’s been years, but here are a few from my first 3 rolls.  I don’t know that I i’ll ever shoot color with film, b&w is too addicting.  The mood of film, the grit, I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I looked over these shots.  It’s official, I’m bringing my EOS 3 to each wedding.

Landon and Jamie, a quick preview of an amazing day

Friends make terrible clients. That’s what I’ve been told a million times, and I’m sure there must be some great truth which precipitated this saying… but I have to admit I find not even a hint of anything but perfection with this couple.  I have a lot more to share, but, for now, enjoy a little bit of the reception.

c h e c k   m e   o u t