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Showing posts from 2010

Canon 35mm - Will it stand the test?

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Thanks to Rob at Pro Photo Supply , I have a Canon EF f/1.4L USM 35mm lens to try out for the weekend. Primarily, I would like it for food shots and maybe an interior or two but I could justify it much easier if I could also use it for portraits. I took some shots at the pool ISO 100, f1.4 @ 1/500th second. I love the natural window light. It's one of my favorite pools to shoot at. The wide shot is lovely as is the medium one.  The close-up is a little distorted but could be kind of cool. Off to do some more testing!

Fellow Photographers Make the Best Subjects

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You get an idea for lighting but who are you going to try it out on. My experience is that most people do not have the patience to sit whilst you fuss with this light or that reflector so I was very pleased that fellow photographer, Bruce MacGregor agreed to sit for me. (oh and if you check out his website, you might recognize me under portraits!).  Here is the relatively simple lighting setup except the strip lights were vertical and the reflector laying flat on Bruce's lap but you get the idea! Although it was relatively easy to take, this image was much more of a challenge to print.  I tried several labs who were unable to get the tones I needed or enough definition in the shadows. I finally went back to WHCC who did a pretty nice job.  You can see the final print in reality as it is on display at Newspace Gallery as part of the ASMP show until the end of the month.

Kids Jump...Children's Portraits

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This project was a lot of fun. 4th and 5th Graders at Willamette all jump for their school Auction project. You will have to go to the auction to see the final product.

High School Senior Packages

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There is still time to get your senior portraits taken....or book for next year and beat the rush! The fall colors will be beautiful and make a terrific backdrop for portraits. I am booking for the end of October and early November right now.

Charity Photo Session for Children's Cancer - Lovely Riley and her Family

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This July, I had the pleasure of photographing young Riley and her family on behalf of the Children's Cancer Assocation . Riley has terminal cancer and was granted her wish of spending the weekend in Portland where she got to have her nails painted and ride in a limousine amongst other wonderful adventures. Riley and her brother. She got a little tired so for this picture, she sat in her chair. Unfortunately, the family have just learned of some bad news and they are now officially signed up with hospice. I could not begin to imagine the pain the family are suffering right now.  Apparently, her mom has been crying so much that Riley told her she needed to put band aids on her eyes! FYI: If you would like to support CCA, they are raffling a Honda Fit. You can purchase tickets here. The drawing is September 12th, 2010.

Newborn Portraits - Baby Wake Arrives

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Baby Wake is the greatly anticipated newborn of Oregon City Swim Team Head Coach, Matt Crum and his wife, Macy. It was wonderful to share in the couple's first week with their new baby. During the shoot, Baby Wake had lots of "surprises" for us all but we were able to capture some precious moments with him awake and asleep and all the laundry and mopping was worth it in the end! And of course, being the coach's son, we had to get the goggle shot!

3 month old Girl Portrait - Baby Doll

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Maybe it's because I never had a doll of my own that I just love to dress up little girls! Miss Kate was fun to work with. Although she is not sitting as yet, we improvised. The expressions that she makes put a huge smile on my face. What a pleasure.

Doll Series

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Inspired by the innocent look dolls, I have started this new series in which my models take on the appearance of a doll. It's just new so look for more to come here!

Swimmer Portraits - Dramatic Lighting Shoot

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I had this shot in my head for weeks. Finally I had ten minutes to shoot it and I was extremely happy with the results. Firstly, I started out with my non-swimmer to test lighting and angles. I used two 1600 Alien Bees with strip modifiers. The subject was placed in exactly the right position to let enough light define both edges w little or no definition through the middle. Then when my real swimmer was around, I shot him. I am excited about marketing these images in my upcoming material. This is my test subject... Here is my real swimmer!

Newborn Girl Portrait

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There is definitely something in the water! I have been photographing newborns all week! Just a week old and Kennedy has the sweetest smile!

Newborn Portrait Session

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This week I had the pleasure of photographing newly born, Cecilia. Though just over one week of age Ceci, (named so by her family) has all the being of a much older baby. She is alert, attentive and full of energy, which is unusual in a newbie. I am certain that she was even having a conversation with us at one time! I had the sets, lighting and exposures all ready for a smooth shoot. For this I used my American Girl Doll as a stand-in. I started with this white, cloud-like setting for which the tutu was perfect. I used a two light set-up with a large Octabox for softness. Ceci looks as though she is an angel floating down from above. Then I moved on to the more dramatic black background for dad to hold his daughter for size comparison though as you can see, Ceci is not a small baby! I have dozens more ideas so look for more images in the future.

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