Ring in the new year

Happy new year everyone.

Hammer Head Studios and Pyure Salon

Yesterday I had a photo shoot with Richard Maurer of Hammer Head Studios. We photographed some of his amazing metal work that was procured by Pyure Salon in Maumee Ohio. The first piece that we photographed is my favorite and easily the centerpiece of the salon. It's where the nails dry and the conversation flows.

Next we have the steel dividers that separate each hair cutting station. Each station has a purse hook and a shelf built into the divider.

Every salon needs to display their hair care products, and these stainless steel shelves were specially built to do the trick. The color on the shelve is really a shiny stainless steel color, but it looks green in this shot due to the green coloring in the Pyure shopping bag and window tint.

Another shot of the shelves from the side.

I pushed the color on this a bit accenting the green from the windows reflecting on the steel.

Hammer Head Studio's did not produce this next sign, but I thought it was really great. The water flows over the Salon's logo giving a tranquil feeling and an awesome opportunity for photography. This first shot was taken at a high shutter speed which stops the water action and makes the logo look a bit like it's melting.

Here's a second look at this sign with the shutter open a bit longer allowing the water to mist over the logo.

Special thanks to the management at Pyure Salon for allowing me to capture some of the amazing artwork inside.

Gymnastics Season Is Here

The gymnastics season has begun and I am geeked to photograph it. It is one of the most challenging sports to capture because of the very low light . Stay tuned for some creative gymnastics photography this season.

Painting with Light

This evening I was experimenting with long exposure times. I call this "painting with light" because you really have a lot of control over what comes into the sensor when it's dark out. I picked a dark culdisac and set up the camera on a tripod right behind my car. I set the timer for 20 seconds in order to give myself time to get in the car and put it into gear. The exposure time was about 20 seconds at F/9. I then got in my car and drove away (swirving back and forth.) Oh, I had to be careful not to run over the camera on my return trip back to view the results. I like how the light polution in the sky begins to show up as a hint of red.

Cancer, Why?

He was a father, a husband, a friend, a golfer, a boater, and an all around nice guy. Cancer took him from us some time last weekend. So I ask, Why?

Why does this happen to great people?
why does this happen to fathers?
Why does this happen to mothers?
Why does this happen to uncles?
Why does this happen to daughters?
Why?

Christmas Portrait Take 2

Christmas Portrait

The nice thing about being home for Christmas is that I can take wonderful portraits like this one. I almost didn't make it home for Christmas, so this one is cherished much more than most. Merry Christmas to all.

Palm A-sku

LA S'mores

Camp fires in LA are hard to come by, so making s'mores is done at the dinner table.

Sparks A Latte

A new Starbucks is going up here in California (go figure) and this is one of the decritive pieces that will be going in.

Dark and Dreary Parking Garage

Camp Fire

Ok, more like a gas flame, but it felt like a camp fire.

Making a mess with the camera

Something Simple

Sometimes the simple things can seem interesting. I enjoy finding patterns in nature such as this one.

Christmas Palm Tree

These palm tree thingies are really fascinating to me.I really like the composition on this photo along with the perspective. I

Lego Shadow and the Left/Right Brain Analysis

Lego's are a big part of my upbringing. I used them as a means to satisfy my urge to build and create things when I was growing up. They ultimately prepared me for a career in engineering and I credit these little plastic pieces for part of my engineering degree. Legos did a lot for the Left side of my brain (the analytical side,) but they did not do much for the right side. This is where photography comes in nicely, because it allows me to use both the right and left sides of my brain. Here's the thought process that goes into this shot.

Right Brain (artistic side):
I love how the light is shining on the word LEGO. Wouldn't the composition of the Word taking up most of the frame be really neat? I'd like to compose a shot that shows off these shadows and highlights the rich red color.

Left Brain (analytical side):
Lets make this happen. It's dark outside and I don't want to use a flash, because the flash would just mess with the shadows. Better grab the 50mm lens because it can let in as much light as possible as quickly as possible. Open the aperture as wide as I can tolerate and still have everything mostly in focus F2.2. Next, make sure I use a shutter speed that is long enough to capture the light, but not too long that I can't hand hold the camera without getting a blurry image.

Green Green and more Green

In yesterday's post I showed you a picture of a tree that I took while pointing the camera to the sky. The plant shown here was below me so I felt like I got two gems in one. I especially like how the far edge of the pedals are a bit out of focus bringing the eye to the center of the plant.

Sunrise Suprise

The morning sun is really great for capturing the green color in plants. I discovered this leafy gem at the parking lot of my hotel the other day. The blue sky above made for a great backdrop to highlight the features of this plant.

Christmas from a Child's Perspective

In took this shot a bit blind by placing the camera low to the ground on a mini tripod and aimed it towards the sky. This Christmas tree is in Downtown Disney at Anaheim California. The moon made the clouds bright enough to show up on a long exposure shot such as this one, and I think it gives an ominous affect.

The Eyes Have It

This girl's eyes are just amazing. They show curiosity, beauty, and intelligence at the same time. I'm still in California at the moment and have been taking a plethora of palm tree photos. We don't have palm trees in Michigan, so every time I see one I feel like I'm on vacation (even though I'm working my tail off.)

Would you like to do this for a living

While on the field last week I was asked this very question "would you like to do this for a living?" The answer is an absolute yes of course. Not many people get to photograph sporting events for a living, and I was fortunate enough to meet some of those very people last Saturday. Being on the field and capturing a sporting event is exhilarating. Knowing the sport is key to capturing those pivotal moments, but finding those photographs that have not been taken is a challenge and I hope that my imagery shows this. Capturing the story of the game is a lot more than photographing the key play or the pivital event. It's the look on the players faces after they make a great play or while they watch the clock tick down. It's the capturing of the sidelines as well as what's on the field. I love sports photography and all of the opportunities that arise on the field and off.

Waiting at LAX

Waiting at LAX

I arrived in Los Angeles again the other day and while waiting for the bus I was inspired to take this shot. I had held the camera for this, so you will notice the ceiling of the waiting area is kind of blurry, however, the concept of the busses driving by with their bright colors is what I was going for. The whole shot implies motion and that's what I like most about it. Sure there are always things I would improve about a shot, but this was one of those situations where you take the shot as best you can whith what you can.

Clock Watching

Clock Watching

Another of my favorite shots from the game. View the slideshow to see all of the photos from this game.

Block that Kick

Block That Kick

Another shot from last weekend's game. I can't remember if this was the blocked kick or not. Anyone know?

Sideline View

Sideline View

I finished editing all of the photos from the football game on Saturday. I know it's tough to relive a loss, but take a look at the slideshow if you get a chance. Let me know what you think.

Click here to view the slideshow