Votrepear's Photo Thoughts

The Prime Mover

2011-04-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

I have been using more prime lenses rather than zooms lately. I am getting very nice results using them.
Even with their limitations they are sharp and in most cases faster and most prime lenses are smaller and lighter.
With my first 35mm camera all I used with it was prime lenses, I had a 28,50, and a 135mm for it. This set of lenses did a fine job for me for years. The first zoom lenses I bought was 80- 200mm and it was one of the worst lens I have ever seen in my life. Later zooms I owned were much better, but I still think prime lenses have the advantage in sharpness and contrast.

This past weekend I went out on a day trip with a group of some photographer friends and used only prime lenses.
Here are some of my results.

Out Shooting Again (finally)

2011-02-16T09:01:00.005-05:00

It has been a while since I have had a chance to shoot any personal photography.

Last month my friend Chris and another photographer had their latest exhibit open at a gallery in Lansing, so I went to the shows opening and we got a bit of a chance to catch up. We decided to make a shooting trip out to the lake shore in Muskegon Mi.

I worked with Chris for a number of years before he left the company and started a studio of his own. Now he spends a great deal of his time teaching photography at a community college in Lansing.

For the Birds

2010-08-03T10:47:00.002-04:00

Here are 2 examples of shots I took this past weekend. At the "Birds of Prey" shoot at the SWMCCC Summer Weekend of Photography.

SOFOBOMO 2010

2010-07-28T11:06:00.002-04:00

I just recently finished and upload my 2010 SOFOBOMO PDF book project. If you are unfamiliar with is it's an annual event that gives participants a 30 day window to shoot, produce and upload a PDF phototbook. Here is a link to the project SOFOBOMO HomePage

This is my second year of participation. Here's a link to this year's effort 2010 and this is a link to my 2009 effort.

Check them out and let me know what you think. Also go to the project home page and check out some of the other books there.

Improvement

2010-07-28T08:13:00.007-04:00

Not to long ago someone asked me what was the best way they could improve as photographer. I think that my answer caught them by surprise judging by the look on their face. I simply told them to go out and shoot.

In order to learn the craft of photography you do need to read, take a class or seminar, take part in workshops and utilize any educational opportunity you can. But it does no good to learn about something and not put it in to practice. The doing is where the greatest learning takes place. You learn from making mistakes and correcting them, but you need to participate in order for that to happen.

Why Argue?

2010-07-22T08:01:00.003-04:00

For some reason photographers like to argue.
And some of the things they argue seem mighty silly to me.
Here are some examples of exactly what I mean.

6 Things Photographers Like to argue about

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

2010-05-24T11:34:00.003-04:00

Playing around in the studio shooting smoke yesterday.

Urban Explorations

2010-04-12T13:17:00.005-04:00

Last Sunday I went to Gary Indiana with a group of Flickr photographers to do a bit of Urban Exploring. Brian the guy who set up the outing brought along some lights and two nice young ladies to model for the group.
We started out in a old abandoned church and after a while a group of us went a few blocks away to an abandoned bolt factory and did some shooting there.
I was a good time and I am sure a lot of good images were made.

7 Things Photographers Should Never Do

2010-03-08T09:11:00.002-05:00

http://www.lightstalking.com/7-things-photographers-should-never-do

This is very interesting. I especially like the last don't in the list.

The Outhouse 500

2010-03-02T10:55:00.007-05:00

For the last few years I have been working on an adhoc project of sorts. I get a real kick out of photographing events like this that are put on by some of the smaller communities in the area.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with the shots I have made. I have a lot of very nice images that I should put together in some form that I can show people. Maybe it's time to do a book.

These events whether single day or multiple day affairs are great to photograph because they are so accessible. In most cases you can get very close to the action and generally no one gives you any problems about being there.

If you like to photograph people these types of events are perfect for it.

These images are from "The Outhouse 500" in Coopersville MI a small town a few mile west of where I live. I have wanted to shoot there for a couple of years now but something always came up that prevented me from going. So I made the effort to go this year and I'm glad I did.

It was a hoot.

2010 Jammie Awards

2010-02-17T11:17:00.006-05:00

My oldest daughter invited me to go see the Jammie Awards with her last night. She knew a couple of the people playing. There were a number of bands and solo artists who performed small sets over the course of the evening on two different stages.

For those who don't know what the Jammies are I'll explain. WYCE is a local community supported radio station in Grand Rapids Michigan and for the past 11 years the have given awards to local musical talent at this special awards show.

Here are a few of the shots I made.

Playing Can Be Creative

2010-01-21T10:52:00.010-05:00

The other night I went to the studio of a friend of mine. We are putting on a lighting workshop for a couple of local area camera clubs and we needed figure out what we were going to cover, lighting setups, as well as some other details.

Larry rounded up a couple of models to work with. It was a great time because we got to play with all kinds of lighting arrangements we wanted to try and to figure out what would work out the best at the workshop. If we wanted to try something to see how it looked we could.

We did a lot of "what if we put a light here" or "what about a blue or red gel on the background light" kind of things. It was very refreshing to just mess around with light without the constants of shooting for a client's needs.

We got to play.

My New Favorite Photographer

2009-10-20T08:38:00.017-04:00

I like the work of many photographers both old ones and new ones. One of my all time favorites is Edward Weston. This has changed a bit. I had to move Weston over and make room for Vivian Maier.

The work of Vivian Maier, a french woman living in Chicago doing incredible street photography, is worthy of being shown in any great museum in the world. Her work to me is similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson, it has the same kind of "divisive moment" feel to it. I also like that the images were shot using an old TLR and they look to be full frame and in a square format.

Here is a prime example of an extremely talented photographer, working in obscurity, and producing an incredible body work over a long period of time coming to light. Her images were recently discovered by by a guy named John Maloof. Her story is on the blog he has created to feature her photographs. I ran across a link to this blog about a week ago and I subscribed to the RSS feed.

So here is the link to the "Vivian Maier-Her Discovered Work" blog http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

"The Seduction of Potential"

2009-10-06T16:04:00.012-04:00

As I have said in the past I am a fan of Brooks Jensen the publisher of Lenswork. His most recent podcast really hit home for me. I really can't add too much more, so here is a link so you can listen for yourself.

"The Seduction of Potential"

What is the Best Camera?

2009-10-01T10:23:00.006-04:00

OK so when someone asks you "what is the best camera?"

How you you answer?

This question is impossible to answer without more information, what are they going to use it for, what is their skill level, how much do they want to spend, and so on.

For me the answer is "The best camera is the one in my hands". I know this is a flip answer and it has been made by many other people, but there's a lot of truth in it.

What good is my $8000 DSLR with the most expensive zoom lens possible, sitting in it's camera bag back at my house doing me? What if all I have is the camera in the cell phone in my pocket and the mother ship from Alpha Centari lands 100 feet in front of me in broad daylight, which is the best camera in that case?

I take a camera with me a lot, and I always have my cell phonecamera. Bringing a camera with you as much as possible insures that you won't have the "boy I sure wish I had my camera" experience less often. I know that even if you have your camera with you can still miss capturing that great image, but without it it's a guarantee that you won't get the shot.

So like American Express says "Don't leave home with out it!".

Saint Ansel and the Myth of the Zone System

2009-08-11T12:00:00.007-04:00

I am sure I will be crucified for this one, but here goes.

My friend and shooting buddy Steve refers to Ansel Adams as Saint Ansel. I think there are two reasons he does this, one is he is truly a fan of Adams and the other mainly is to piss me off. At least in a friendly way.

Don't get me wrong I like AA's work and if you were to ask most normal people who he was, they could tell you that he was a great photographer. I'll give odds that they probably have seen only one or two of his photographs. He has become larger than life, a cultural icon, a person of mythological proportions.

There are not many other photographers who have achieved that kind of recognition. I am not trying to take anything away from his accomplishments, but I think there are many other photographers who were his contemporaries that don't get the notice that they deserve.

When you put a group of photographers together especially ones who shoot B&W and the conversation turns to photographers, Ansel is generally the first name thrown out. It's sort of like recognising the Beatles and no one else. Rolling stones anyone?

What happen to people like Minor White, Wynn Bullock or dare I say it, Edward Weston. These guys were much more then just a footnote in photographic history, but Adams is the person that the myth was created about. I find this interesting.

We all have our favorites, but I think we need to expand our horizons. It doesn't hurt to look at the work others even if we are not that big a fan just to broaden our scope a bit. We could gain a new perspective on how we look at things.

Then again I could be full of it............

Who Sez Living in The Country is Boring

2009-08-03T12:23:00.009-04:00

This past weekend I ran a lighting workshop at an annual photography summer school, put on by SWMCCC. It's held at Hope College in Holland MI.

I got home about 4 PM, put all my stuff away and I was just getting ready to take a shower.
When I heard a loud crack, like the sound made by a large branch breaking. I looked out the window and saw a car in the ditch in front of my neighbor's house. I had my mother in law call 911 and ran out to see who was in the car and to see if anyone was hurt.

When I got there an older man was climbing out on the passenger side of the car. He said he was all right. The air bags had deployed and he had scraped up his hand but otherwise seemed all right.

He said he thought he had fallen asleep. His car had come across the road into the ditch taking out the power pole in front of my neighbor's house. I spent the next the next 30 or so minutes directing traffic to keep other cars from running into the partially downed power line as emergency people and the power company arrived. Before too long I the road was full of plenty of help and so I went up the house and grabbed my camera.

There is excitement even in the country.

Persistance of Vision

2009-07-23T16:45:00.003-04:00

I believe that I have a much better eye now then ever before, and it improves the older I get.

I don't mean that my eyesight has improved; I need glasses to read and for closeup work, what I mean is it's how I look at the subjects that I photograph.

Now I notice things that I am sure that I overlooked as a younger person. Sometimes that makes the difference if I trip the shutter or not.

Subtle nuances in lighting, odd things in the background are some of the things I just automatically notice. Most of the time that is.

I all just comes with experience, the more you shoot the better you see.

Your first step is getting past the learning how to use the equipment part. The next step is learning the photographic technique part of the equation. Then when you feel comfortable with those two parts you can concentrate your efforts on learning what makes a good image.

Like most things this all takes time. The more effort and time you put forth the quicker you will improve your vision.

Sparta Fire Deptment. Waterball Contest

2009-07-21T10:58:00.006-04:00

Every year the Village of Sparta holds an event they call "Town and Country Days".

Activities start the middle of the week and wind down on Sunday when the have the fire works

display.

There are so many things going on it's hard to decide what to see and do.

This year I made it a point to shoot the fire department waterball competition.

The idea of waterball is to move the big metal ball down to your opponent's side using a fire hose.

The Sparta fire fighters invite other area fire departments to play in the water with them.

It is a lot of fun.

Dirt and Speed

2009-07-13T10:03:00.009-04:00

It looks as if I am turning into an action photographer. This was not intentional, I blame my daughter. If she hadn't started playing soccer..........

My Friend Steve and I have been talking about trying to shoot Motocross for some time now.

So Sunday we did.

Blues on the Mall

2009-07-09T15:02:00.005-04:00

A local radio station has hosted a blues series for the past 18 years. The music is great and there is always an eclectic group of people to photograph.

Here are a few for your enjoyment.

"Sure I'll sign"

"The Photo guy"

"Beaded Hair"

" High Five Kid"

" The Prom Queen and Her Date"

A Sad Day

2009-06-22T09:25:00.001-04:00

Well it has finally happened, Kodachrome is no more.

http://www.insideanalogphoto.com/inside-analog-photo-kodak-retires-kodachrome/205

I will miss this great film but things do change.

Waterfalls in the U.P.

2009-06-19T10:39:00.006-04:00

Here are a few of the waterfalls I had a chance to photograph on my recent UP trip.

More Images From Da UP Aye

2009-06-18T20:45:00.009-04:00

Never Met a Yooper I Didn't Like

2009-06-17T17:03:00.016-04:00

Just got back from a four day trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I like very much going there and on this trip I went to a part of the U.P. that I had never been in before. My oldest daughter went with me. I was hoping all three of my girls would go but the other two had other things they were doing so it was just the two of us.

The first night we camped at Baraga State Park. The next day we headed up the Keweenaw Peninsula and did a circle tour and saw and photographed a lot on interesting things.The Day's high point was when we stopped at "The Gay Bar" for a drink. The town of Gay is quite a metropolis. There is a old smoke stack left over from the days when the town was a place copper was smelted, about a dozen houses and of course the bar.

We had an nice conversation with the owner about alien abductions and he told us a few jokes about a Yooper couple taking a cruise. It was extremely funny and he spoke with a heavy Yooper accent which added to the fun.

Here's a couple more images I will post more when I get through them, but here is a taste for now.

The Preacher

2009-06-10T13:36:00.029-04:00

I have really gotten into photographing people in crowds the last couple of years. Festival settings and outdoor concerts are great places to grab candid shots of people.

Many times when people take candid photographs of others, especially people they don't know, they tend to use a longer lens and are back away from their subject. I find that getting in closer and using a wider lens, works well for me. I will use a longer lens but if I can get closer I will.

I haven't yet had anyone give me any grief about photographing them this way, plus you can say hello if you like.

One thing if I'm in close generally there isn't anything between me and the subject I'm shooting to get in the way. Plus I seem to blend into the crowd this way.

These are shots I made at a local festival of the arts. I think there were more people in the crowd watching the interaction of this preacher guy with some of the folks in the crowd than were watching the performers on stage. He did have a few people in the crowd quite worked up. But it made for some interesting images.

More Digital Infared

2009-06-04T08:56:00.005-04:00

In case anyone is interested, a few more infared images.

Digital Infared

2009-05-08T11:16:00.003-04:00

I finally got around to playing with the IR filter I bought the end of last summer. I think I can see a series in this.

What's My Motivation?

2009-03-16T13:38:00.001-04:00

What motivates you to pursue the craft of photography? Fame, fortune, insanity or something else.
For me the answer to this question is multifaceted. Because I make my livelihood as a photographer the fortune part comes in to play, although the fortune is a tiny one in my case, but it is also my creative outlet. If I wasn't paid to do it I still would.

There is an interesting thread on the APUG site that I have provided a link to.
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum50/59887-photographs-main-reason-you-photograph.html

This is sort of related to what I am talking about so you maybe interested in what different folks have to say.

Gear Again!!!

2009-03-16T11:47:00.016-04:00

OK, so I have an old issue of Outdoor Photographer that has been sitting around that I hadn't got around to reading. I picked it up and looked at the cover to see what was inside.
One of the blurbs on the cover said something to the effect shoot like Ansel Adams with your DSLR.

Now this caught my attention.
Just how in hell can you get the same result as a large format camera/film combination; and like Ansel Adams no less, using a DSLR.? So I went to page 56 and started to read the article. The article was about perspective control lenses. Gear again!!

I am not anti-gear by any means, but so much is written it the photo magazines about gear. I know that many people use the photo magazines to research what they want buy, but it seems like there is a glut of these kinds of stories.

It seems to me there is an inference being made, if you use this gear or that gear you'll get this result or that result. Yes you need to use photographic equipment to do photography.

BUT
Gear doesn't make an image it just takes the picture.

Great equipment in the hands of an inexperienced photographer will not make world class photographs. I have see way too much emphasis put on improving skill level by getting the latest stuff. Just because the guy in the camera store or the author of an article says you need it don't make it so.

You need to learn and master the craft. The more you understand the how and the why the farther ahead you will be creatively.

I am sure that if I won the super lotto jackpot tomorrow I would run right out and buy as much gear as I could carry.

But would it improve my photography?

Arena Racing

2009-03-09T12:03:00.013-04:00

I posted some images from the lawn mower races quite a few months back.
Arena racing is a similar sport from the standpoint that just about anyone who wants to participate can afford to do so. Many of the cars are owned by the people driving them.

These cars run around 60 MPH during a race. The track is designed to fit in the space a hockey rink would set. So even though the cars are small there is just enough space to run them two abrest.

Because of the small track space and speed of the cars spinouts and smash ups are a regular part of these events. It is the only racing I have been to where when a car gets fliped over on it's roof two or three track guys come out, check the driver out, and flip the car back on it's wheels so it can be on it's way. (here's a good example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpgVck6QpvM )

If for some reason a body part like a fender, hood or trunk lid become loose they are re-attached with liberal quanities of duct tape.

Pre race check out.

up on 2 wheels.

Spin in turn 4

This young lady just won her first race. Iwas rooting for her.

Heated words between a drive and race offical.

If you want to find out more http://www.arenaracingusa.com/

http://www.arenaracinggr.com/

Lighting The Way

2009-02-24T11:23:00.015-05:00

As photographers we concern ourselves with many things while pursuing the craft. What lens to use, camera type, film or digital, do I need a tripod, etc.

But before we ask those questions we need to ask ourselves what about the light. I would dare say the most important component of any photograph is light. Sure other things are important but without the light you have no image.

I know this seems like a very basic statement, but I think you would be surprised just how many people are out there shooting with no regard to the way the light is falling on their subject, and I don't necessarily mean people new to photography.

Learning to see and use light is sort of like learning another language, the more you understand it's subtleties the better you can communicate your thoughts and ideas. The more you study the light and what it's doing the better you photography will become.

Let's say you are out shooting an environmental portrait and light is very hard. You make the decision to move your subject into a shaded area, this helps you with your subject so you take the shot. When you look at it you see that the background is really washed out because it is so much brighter. If you would have studied the scene a bit closer you would have noticed that this was a problem and you could have made a different choice as how to proceed. All this comes with experience. The more you look at the light and learn how it behaves the better you results will be.

So do yourself a favor, study your light a bit closer. You'll be glad that you did.

Shooting with Friends

2009-01-19T12:24:00.015-05:00

Last Sunday I left the comfort of a nice warm house to go shooting with a few friends. It was some of the same group of folks who get together every so often to make the great photographic masterpieces of our time.

We decided to go out to the lake shore by Grand Haven MI. The power station in Grand Haven discharges warm water into the channel and the open water attracts eagles who feed there.

I don't have a really long lens, the eagles were far away and Sam wanted to shoot at the pier so I went with him.

He had never been out the the big lake in the winter to shoot before. I think he had a good time. We need to make a return trip on a day with more sunshine.

Sam the artic photographer.

Blowing snow.

Shooting New Year's Day

2009-01-02T11:22:00.005-05:00

I went shooting with a group of fellow photographers on new years day.

John

Steve

Sarah

and Sam.

Film is Dead?

2008-12-31T09:46:00.005-05:00

Here is a link to an interesting story about a resurgence of Kodak film use.

The use of film has been relegated to a niche but the niche seems to be growing especially among younger professional photographers and fine art shooters. Film does have it's own look that can't be duplicated digitally, it's not better or worst, just different. I think that different look is what many people are after.

There are a number of informational sources specific to the use of film, magizines and some websites. Here are two resources on the Web that you may like to check.

First is APUG the Anolog Photography Users Group and Second is the podcast Inside Analog Photo Radio.

If you still shoot film check them out.

Baby it's Cold Outside

2008-12-29T08:26:00.007-05:00

I drove my daughter back to Chicago yesterday, so on my way back I stop at St Joe and took a few shots of the Lighthouse. Man it was cold and I didn't have any gloves.

But I did manage a few nice shots anyway.

Camera Talk

2008-11-10T17:00:00.009-05:00

Here is a link to an interesting bit in the Summit Daily. I ran across it looking for something unrelated, sometimes a bum search can take you to very some interesting places.

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20081110/AE/811109989/1057&title=On%20Photography:%20Camera%20curiosity

After reading this article, I saw myself in the very situation. I'm not big into photo gear as a rule. I do own a lot of stuff, much of it old, like me, but I do get sucked into the what camera do you use conversation way more than I should.

In high school the editor of the yearbook and I were sent to a week long seminar on dealing with putting together the year book. He went to the classes for editors and I did the photography track. The main photo instructor was a very cool guy. He had worked for one of the big papers in Chicago for years.

He made a comment that has stuck with me for all these many years. "It's not what is between the photographers hands that count, but what's between his ears".

I try to remember that quote when I get involved in a serious camera talk. I doesn't always work but I try.

I guess the better question one should ask is how did you shoot that? Not what did you shoot that with.

I Disagree Strongly

2008-10-23T08:24:00.016-04:00

I enjoy listening to photography related pod casts. While I was listening to the "Inside Analog Photo Radio" pod cast for October 18Th 2008 the guest made a comment that made me cringe.

The guest was Steve Anchell author of the "Darkroom Cookbook" and it was a very good interview, he talked about his book, how he got into photography, the value of silver photography and a lot of other interesting things.

I was in agreement with most of the things he talked about until a comment was made about digital photography. He called it basically it is a point and shoot Photoshop process. He said digital is not about photography it's about Photoshop. When he uses the term photography he means a silver based process.

With this I Disagree Strongly.

To me It doesn't make any difference how you make your image, the basic process is the same. You focus light and expose some type of media to capture your image. Then you take your image and process it either electronically or chemically to arrive at your final piece. Granted making a B&W print using film is quite different that make a B&W print with your computer and an ink jet printer, but you still go through some kind of a process to get there.

I'm sure that as older processes we replaced by newer ones you had the same kind of debate churning in photographic circles.

I shoot film and I love it for many reasons, but I also shoot digitally and the same is true there.
They both do things that the other can not, but that doesn't make either one better than the other.
-

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

2008-10-17T12:32:00.011-04:00

As photographers we all have things we would rather shoot. These are generally things which we are familiar with and that we are good at making photographs of. When we shoot these subjects we know what to expect.

What is hard is when we attempt to do something new or different. But when we leave our comfort zone we learn so much more.

There are many reasons people don't try new things. I would say the biggest reason is people are afraid that their images will suck and they will be embarrassed, and shunned by their family and friends.

Every bad image you make is the best way to learn what not to do. It couldn't be a better learning experience. Than the next time you shoot you will do a bit better job. It will also make you look at the things you shoot best in a different way and help to keep you improving your over all photography.

So try leaving your comfort zone once in a while, you'll be glad you did.

Photo Fun in the Dark

2008-10-13T12:38:00.011-04:00

My friend Steve and I met at the State Park in Grand Haven MI Saturday to shoot the sunset at the pier. He just bought a new Canon recently and wanted to give it a good workout.

The weather was perfect.After the sun went down we made some photographs of the lights on the pier and then went and got coffee. We wandered around the downtown area shooting all kinds of things.

It was a nice adventure.

Maps the Photographer's Friend

2008-10-10T09:27:00.012-04:00

I just finished listening to another podcast by Lens Work Editor, Brooks Jensen entitled " The Seduction of Maps".
http://www.lenswork.com/podcast/LW0461%20-%20The%20Seduction%20of%20Maps.mp3
I whole heartedly agree that looking at maps is very exciting as you plan a photographic trip to a new place. In fact that is one of the first things I do when I plan a photographic excursion.

Here's is an example. I have made many trips to Michigan's UP to photograph waterfalls. I have a very nice book by a photographer from the Detroit area of his black and white images of UP waterfalls. He included a companion book with directions to help you locate the waterfalls in his book. I used that but I also used a Michigan county map book, that I had for many years, for the greater detail. It made it much easier to find the location of the falls I was tring to find.
My daughter gave me a new map book last Christmas, updated information and in color. I should be al set, at least for the state of Michigan.

Two great resources for online mapping are Google Maps and Microsoft's online mapping site

http://maps.google.com/ http://maps.live.com/

Not only can you use them to plan a route to your destination, but you can see satilite images of the area you are planning to visit. I think that that is the best part. I can see what a place looks like before I go there. The Microsoft site even has what is called "Birds Eye View" for some locations.

Maps are a photographers best bud.

End of an Era

2008-09-29T11:47:00.003-04:00

I read with a bit of sadness an AP article printed in our local on the paper on the probable demise of Kodachrome film. I have mostly been shooting digitally myself for quite a long time, so I guess I am a part of the reason for this happening.

I loved Kodachrome. I shot it exclusively for many years, even after the E6 films had improved to a point they rivaled Kodachrome quality.

About 25 years ago I was in the camera department of a local store and they had all of their stock of Kodachrome 25 marked down to a dollar a roll. Most of them were 36 exposure rolls.
It was close dated but I bought all they had and put it in the freezer. I think I ended up with about 50 or so rolls of the stuff. It lasted me about 10 months. I was sad to shoot the last roll of it. It was a very sharp film and I loved the colors that it gave me.

Even though Kodak hasn't officially announced they are ending the production of this great film, the current stocks of the film have a 2009 expiration date, and as of yet they haven't produced any more.

I'm sure that it will be a mater of time.

Maybe I'll get a few rolls and shoot them before this film goes the way of the Dodo. So I can say I shot it till the end.

Great Big Sea Part II

2008-09-15T09:54:00.019-04:00

Here are the pictures I promised.

If you read my last post you know that I went to Ann Arbor, MI to see the band Great Big Sea last Wednesday night.

Well my wife and I went to see the band last Saturday night in Chicago at the Chicago Celtic Festival.

Our daughters got us a room at the Palmer House to celebrate our 30Th anniversary.
What nice kids.

We had a great time even though it rained the whole time we were there. We sat there watching the band from under our umbrellas, it was a grand adventure.

Even though we got quite wet, I think it was the best GBS show I have been to so far.

Seeing this band twice in less than a week's time was way cool.

Maybe I'm turning into a groupie.............

Great Big Sea

2008-09-11T08:03:00.019-04:00

I know that this isn't the best image I have ever made, but since I took it with my cell phone I think it turned out ok.

Last night I went to see one of my all time favorite bands in the world, Great Big Sea. They hail from Newfoundland, Canada. I guess the best way to describe them is Sea Shanty meets rock and roll.

They haven't been close enough for me to go and see them in about a year and a half. So I had to go. Plus I was able to wrangle a seat in the front row, so it was imperative to be there.

In addition to the show in Ann Arbor, Mi last night, they are playing at the Chicago Celtic Festival this Saturday, so my wife and I are driving down to the windy city for the weekend and plan on seeing them play there.

If I get any better pictures I'll be sure to post them here.

Check the band out. http://www.greatbigsea.com/

I have a darkroom again (sort of)

2008-09-02T07:48:00.007-04:00

Saturday my friend Steve invited me out to burn some 4x5 film.
We met at a restaurant in Grant, a small town about 10 miles straight north of where I live.
We shot all of the film we had loaded on the old grain elevator in town.

I decided to process my film that same day. It usually takes me weeks to get around doing it, but I changed my normal procedure and souped the film right away.

After they were dry and I looked at the images. I wished that I could make even just contact prints, so I went up to the barn dug all my equipment out of the boxes it has been stored in since I moved and set it up.
It's not as nice as what I had before I moved and there is no running water, but it will do the job until I come up with a better solution.

America's National Past Time

2008-08-29T08:43:00.009-04:00

I Got a pair of tickets to the last regular season home game of the West Michigan White Caps. I took my brother's son and we had a nice time.
The seats were in the second row back right behind home plate so I brought a camera and long lens along.
The images aren't Sports Illustrated quality but I had fun shooting some of the game anyway.

Lawn Mower Races

2008-07-23T13:04:00.006-04:00

I don't know if it's just an American phenomenon or if it happens everywhere on earth. If it has a motor on it they are going to race it.

July 20th Sparta Airport. Sparta MI.

Tiger Woods, Me and the Zone

2008-07-20T11:31:00.004-04:00

This past weekend the village of Sparta had thier annual " Town and Country Days" event. It runs five days and there many things to see, do, eat and drink. But I couldn't get to any of the festivities until Friday night so there were a few image making opportunites missed to be sure.

Saturday night as I was roaming around the carnival trying to get some of that action, when I realized someone was trying to get my attention. My cousin Chuck who I don't see very often and his wife were leaving to go home, they saw me and called out. I didn't even notice them right away because I was in the "Zone".

I never noticed until this past weekend how oblivious I am to things around me while I am shooting, but still I am seeing the smallest details at the same moment. It's a bit freaky.

I'm sure this must be true for somebody like Tiger Woods, to tune out the rest of the world but be so into the shot or putt you are attempting.

The zone is a great place to be. At least for short amounts of time.

Shooting the Blues

2008-07-10T13:36:00.012-04:00

A lot of the personal images I have been making during the past few of weeks have been of blues musicians.

I wouldn't call West Michigan a Mecca for the blues, but we have had some pretty good music around the last few years. Some of it local and a number of acts outside the area.

For quite a number of years now a local classic rock station has put on what they call "Blues on the Mall" in downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesdays.

I love the music but I really have a great time shooting people in the crowd. It is an eclectic group of folks to say the least.

The 4th of July

2008-07-07T08:44:00.008-04:00

The 4th of July was a day of photography for me this year. I started in the morning shooting black and white film with my view camera and ended the day shooting fireworks at night.

I did spend a bit of time mowing the lawn in the afternoon. Then I went to Rockford MI, a small town a few miles east of my house. They had a blues band playing until just before the fire works started.

Here are a few shots of Cherri and the Violaters for you to look at.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula

2008-06-18T09:47:00.008-04:00

Two weeks ago my wife, our youngest daughter and I traveled to the Upper Peninsula . It was mainly a family trip but I did manage to fit in some personal photography between the shopping expeditions and visits to the tourist traps.

CTS

2008-06-02T11:12:00.009-04:00

My daughter Emily attends Chicago Theological Seminary. Like most grad students she works doing various things to make the rent each month.

One of the things she does is to work at school doing custodial kinds of things. She called me a while back and invited me down to photograph inside some of the interesting parts of the building.

" I have keys" was what she told me.

I asked my good friend Steve if he was interested in going along and he went with me. He brought a 4x5 and I brought a medium format camera plus we both brought DSLRs. I think we both got some interesting shots.

Thanks for the invite Em.

Flickr

2008-05-29T17:18:00.000-04:00

Every now and again I look through the newest Flickr up loads. http://www.flickr.com/photos/

It always tells you how many images were uploaded in the last minute. This is what it said the last time I looked. (There were 4,974 uploads in the last minute)

I would call this a holy shit amount!

Most of the time I look it's anywere from 2000 to almost 6000 once and if I had to guess it is usually in the 3000 image range on average.

If you take 3000 x 60 minutes that gives you 180000 phots per hour. Damn.

Then if you take those 180000 image x 24 hours you'd get 4320000 image a day.

You can do the math if you want to for a week, a month or a year. It makes my head swim.

All I can say is who the hell is shooting all these pictures?

What do you shoot and what do you shoot it with?

2008-05-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

I really like to listen to and read what Brooks Jensen has to say. Brooks Jensen is the publisher of Lens Work magazine and also has a pod cast that I find very interesting. I just finished reading the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Lens Work and it started me thinking.

What you shoot and what you shoot it with says a lot about you as a photographer. I should also say how you shoot what you shoot is also telling.

I shoot a diverse range of subjects.

I also shoot with a number of different cameras, formats, film, digital, etc. I love working in the studio for the control it gives me.

But when it comes right down to it I love to photograph old weathered wooden things with black and white film using large or medium format equipment.

I guess that says a few things about me.

You be the judge...

David Hume Kennerly

2008-05-15T12:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended a talk given by David Hume Kennerly a former White House photographer about his new book of photographs taken during the Ford Administration.

It was very informitive and entertaining, he is a great speaker.

I even bought the book!

Projects

2008-04-17T13:39:00.000-04:00

In my last post I put up some images from a near by grain elevator. When I showed some of the images to my wife and she thought a series of images of grain elevators might be interesting.

So a project was born.

I did some research on the net and compiled a list of nearby grain elevators. I have been to a lot of these places and don't ever recall seeing elevators in some of these places. I guess I just wasn't paying much attention.

I am generally not a project driven photographer, at least not consciously. Sure I am involved in photograpic projects at work or if I shoot stuff for other people, because these things are really project based.

But I am talking about my personal work. Most times I shoot with a subject or destination in mind, but not really as a project with a specific theme. It is very different to go out and create images for a definite reason and not shoot anything that doesn't relate to the project. That's not to say if the mother ship landed on 1st and Main while I was photographing for the project I would completely ignore it and not take an expsoure or two. I hear that The World Weekly News pays big time for those pictures.

I'm seeing big advantages in shooting with a project in mind. When I look through my older images of the same subject they sort of seem like they could be a project, but most times there is something missing that keeps that body of work from being a true project. When I do a project I'm forced to come up with some kind of a plan for what, when and where I'll shoot. It should make a more cohesive group of images that way.

Shooting Nearby Places

2008-04-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

I just bought a new dSLR, last Thursday as a matter of fact.

I am not really into equipment as a rule, though I do seem to have a bit of it, but I needed another camera to use as backup on a couple of up coming weddings that I got sucked into. So I bought a Nikon D60.

Sunday I went out shooting with it. I needed to get to know it so I would be comfortable using the thing. I decided to go over to a little town aout 6 miles west of where we live and shoot the grain elevator that is there. We go to the pub across the street from it two or three time a month, but it just hit me that the elevator might make an interesting subject.

I arrived about 6PM the sun was lower and it lit the place very nicely. Shot all kinds of angles and things close up. There were an amazing amount of things there to shoot and the cool thing is that it was only 5 minutes from home.

So I guess this shows you don't have to travel very far to capture great images.

Amen Sister Emily

2008-03-31T07:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend my middle daughter gave her very first sermon at our church. She is attending Chicago Theological Seminary and is one of the seminary interns at our church in the summer.

She did a very nice job and we are very proud. I mentioned I should take a camera and my daughter had a fit. So I brought it anyway.

You can't tell a photographer to leave thier camera at home, especially for an important event like this.

Fire is our friend

2008-03-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I was invited by a photographer friend to a house burning party. Her husband is a firefighter and a small group of us went to shoot the controled burn that the fire department did.

We had a hot time.(pun intended)

What the Hell Happened to Spring?

2008-02-29T08:29:00.000-05:00

Well I have to say I am very quickly getting tired of this winter. My good friend Jeff was just finally able to tap his maple trees about 2 weeks later than he has in the past few years. By now he would have gallons of sap and be well on his way to producing surup.

I like to help him tap the trees and I usualy make a few images to document the process. I didn't get the chance to help him this year, so I'll have to visit him and help him boil. It's a good excuse to shoot the shit and drink a beer or two. It's better than watching football.

Brotherhood of the View Camera

2008-02-18T08:06:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I went out shooting with a group of large format photographers who go by the handle Mid West Large Format Asylum. It's a nice group folks who get together once a month to expose some sheet film.

I had a great time. We met for breakfast and then starting at the light house in St. Joe MI. and worked our way up the lake shore and ended up in Holland, MI. The weather was perfect sunny and relatively warm.

I am hoping I will be able to meet up with this group again sometime soon.

Developing Your Own Photographic Style

2008-02-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

It has been said that you should develop you own personal style.

But what does that mean exactly? It sounds easy enough, but is it really that simple.
How do you begin to develop a style? I am sure it's something many serious photographers have thought hard about.

I would suggest that you.

Look at lots of pictures. I think it is important to look at the photography of others. Not just the kind of photography you do personally but all types. If you are a nature shooter for example it won't hurt to study commercial, fine art and photojournalisum. There are common threads in all photography.

Try to look at as many original photographs as you can. There is nothing like seeing finely crafted photographic images just as the photographer made them. Books and magizines are good places to view photography also, but do take the oportunity if you can to see the originals if possible.

Shoot whenever and as much as you can. Even shoot things you wouldn't normaly shoot. The practice won't hurt and you can't develop a personal style if you don't make images.

At first you may find that your work looks like the work of others. Don't be afraid of emulating great photographers. Remember it took them a while to get to where they are, so it will take you some time also. As an individual you look at things a bit different that the rest of us and that will show up in your work.

Building your own style takes time. Just like your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your world views, it can change over you lifetime. Growth is good. Change is healthy. Just be yourself and a style will come.

Defining Photography Styles or Shooting for a Specific Audience

2008-02-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was involved photo critique with some friends from a camera club that I am a member of. It was something we thought we would try and see if we would like to do on a regular basis.

Invariably the topic of why a good image didn’t score as high in the club monthly competition comes up. A big reason is that the maker didn’t take the audience in consideration when they entered their image. The same image entered in a juried competition may do much better. Just because a picture scores low one place doesn’t negate its value. Things that score high in a camera club competition might not do as well in another type of photography competition.

People expect to see certain things depending on what the type of photography they deal with. An advertising client is expecting to see images that sell his product; likewise a fine art photography buyer has a set of standards that he works from. So if you wish to excel in any area of the photographic craft you need to know who your audience is and what they expect.

In any photographic pursuit a photographer needs to be mindful of what the final use is of the pictures they produce.

Too Many Images

2008-01-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article on HDR in the Jan/Feb Photo Techniques magazine and it was interesting and informative but something the author said got me thinking.

He said "The downside of using this technique is that I need more space on my CF cards and disks, as well as more time needed for processing."

My first thought was so what? Storage is cheap, computers are faster, what's the problem? I then had the thought that yes storage is cheap, computers are faster and that is a problem.

The reason that it is a problem is because of the greater volume of work a person can produce in a given period of time. We are getting away from the practice of looking at our subject in greater detail and really seeing what is the best view of our subject before we click the shutter. Just kinda shooting from the hip.

That's ok if you are shooting action or some fast paced event, you can't spend that kind of time. This is the time when you shoot a lot and hope for the best. But when it come down to just every day kind of shooting I think we need to slow down and take the time needed to make a better photograph.

Here's an example of what I mean. Last weekend My friend Steve and I went out with our 4x5 cameras to photograph in a couple of old cemetaries that I know of. In a period of 3 of so hours I'll bet that we together didn't make more that a dozen or so exposures. If we were working with our digital cameras I'm sure we would have taken 200 plus shots each easily.

The mechanics of the 4 x 5 camera and expensive of the film make you slow down and think about what you are doing. I'll bet that we get a higher percentage of keepers, because we more deliberate in our shooting.

I don't want to give the impression that I am against new photographic methods, I love working digitally, but I think we need to stress less about quantity and more about quality.

When we are out shooting the question shouldn't be how many shots did we get, we should ask if we got anything worthwhile.

The "created image" VS the" found image"

2007-06-18T17:13:00.000-04:00

There are definite advantages to photographing in an environment in which you have total or almost total control. The studio allows you to do things that you couldn't do any other place. I love the created image, the process of bringing elements together, wrapping light around them to create a wonderful image.

Now I don't spend a hundred percent of my time in the studio photographing.
All though I do wander about with my camera on occasion. Often times with no specific
plan or subject in mind, just looking for what I call the found image.

The found image is the image that is there if you are paying close enough attention to your surroundings and are prepared to make a picture. I always see lots possible shots, but for one reason or another the image escapes my grasp. The light is wrong; I don’t have the right lens with me, no tripod. A million reasons mostly but mostly because I wasn’t prepared.

In some ways the found image can be more rewarding to me. I don’t have the control
that I do in the studio, but if everything comes together just right and I am
prepared, I feel extremely fortunate to take that picture. It’s like finding a rare gem
or gold in the backyard.

Here’s a prime example.
One morning on my way to the studio I had to take a detour because a warehouse building had a fire and the street I normally took was closed. The building was completely destroyed except for a corner of the building next to the street. On my way home as I passed the section of wall that was still standing the sunlight was streaming through the window and highlighting the smoke patterns on the glass. It was cool. Of course I didn’t have a camera with me (I failed to plan ahead). The next day I did take a camera, but the day was over cast. No luck the rest of the week. The next Monday they tore down the rest of the wall and the shot was gone forever. If I would have just taken my camera with me the first day I would have that image.

Here are 2 found images from the last couple of months.

My Trip Up North

2007-06-08T20:37:00.000-04:00

My daughter and I recently traveled to the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The reason for the trip was. for me to photograph and for her to have some downtime before she heads off to grad school.

We visited some of our favorite places as well as one or two new ones. I wanted to stay a bit longer but we had to get home and rejoin the real world.

If you have never visited Michigan's Upper Peninsula, do yourself a favor and make the trip. There are tons of places to make beautiful images just about any time of the year.

This image was made at the lower Taquamanon Falls. Moving water has always been one of my favorite subjects and there a many water falls in the U P that I have photographed.
I had brought along a 4x5 to shoot the falls, but I never took it out of the car.

I am hoping to go back in the fall to shoot fall colors if I can find the time. Maybe this farmer and his cow will still be out in the field.

Why Another Photgraphy Blog?

2007-05-22T16:48:00.001-04:00

My idea in creating this blog was to share some of my recent images, experiences and some of my own thoughts on photography with others.

That is assuming that anyone is interested in my thoughts,experiences and images.

My goal is to post at least once a month, more if possible.

This image was made a few days ago when I attended a niece's wedding. It was shot in a utility room just down the hall from the room that reception was in. The door was open part way and the sink was screaming to be photographed. So I did.

I liked the way the window light fell on the sink, as well as the yellow colors in the sink and the tile wall behind. Often times I am attracted to everyday objects especially if they look interesting because of unique lighting, shape or color.

This just might be the best image I made at my niece's wedding.