Log Cabin Shots

While driving to the rehearsal of Laura and Wes's wedding and looking at the addresses to ensure I didn't pass up the church, I noticed an amazing building.  I thought wow, this would make a great back drop for wedding pictures.  Then I realized this log cabin with the amazing textures is in the parking lot of the church I am shooting the wedding. 




I am not sure how many shots I took of this building filled with character and stories.  I could have spent all eventing taking pictures of this great building.  Not only would this make a great backdrop for wedding portraits but imagine the look that could be achieved while taking senior portraits.  


Some adjustments made in Lightroom and Topaz Adjust.

The images were shot with the Nikon D300 - 17-50 f/2.8 ISO 200

What is the price of a picture?

What is the value of a picture? Thirteen cents paid to print a 4x6 at Costco? $1 paid for a larger print? $1000 paid to the photographer that shoots your family portraits? $1500 - $25k for wedding photography packages? What is the value? I believe there are certain pictures that are priceless. Consider the value of the only images of your child or your favorite pet. The pictures you find of your grandparents wedding in a box in the attic are priceless. What is the value of the images of your loved one that passed away or the funny pictures of your friends in leisure suits?

Very touching blog post

What is the value of childhood memories captured in a photo?

Recently, I finished portraits sessions of married couples ranging from 16 years of marriage to 67 years of marriage. One of the saddest truths learned in this project is the fact that most couples never get any portraits done after their wedding as a couple.

I hope this post is not depressing. My intent is to challenge you to get out and capture the beauty of life! Those pictures your photographer captures has a value that many times only you can realize. When your special day is captured and documented - your album is more than just a collection of pictures. It is a timeless piece of history for you to pass on to your family. Who knows who will pick up your album, twenty, thirty, fifty, or more years from now and smile, knowing that they have a piece of their history in their hands.

Please do not ever underestimate the value of photographing that special day in your life!

Detail shots

Many years ago I had a blog going of our 'rehab' project that we decided to take on.  (However, due to a lack of time, I didn't keep the blog current.)  Over the course of our marriage, my wife and I did a few 'rehab' projects.  Yes, the houses advertised as "TLC" or as my wife calls them.  Terrible Living Conditions.  Yes, our current house was one of them.  We bought it over five years ago from a bank and the house was in slightly run down, ok, terrible condition.  I won't go into the entire story today but through a tremendous amount of work and God's grace, the house looks nice. 

A few of these images are detail shots from our yard.  We have four acres of property and decided to make our front yard a haven for decorations.  :-D

Every year we bought trees and decorations for the yard and before we knew it, we were consumed with creating a beautiful front yard.

Each statue represented someone or something in our life.  The eagle is my favorite bird and we recently added the base for the eagle to rest on.

The little kids represent our oldest grandkids.

The marine represents our son in law and is a tribute to all those who serve this great country.  We have many other items and trees in the yard and over time, I will post them for everyone to enjoy.  Never in our wildest imagination did we believe the beauty that would develop in our front yard.

{To give this any significant meaning, prior to this project, we did very little yard work.  :-D }

As always, get out and enjoy the beauty of Life!

Hotel lobby detail shots

This was taken in the lobby of the Embassy Suites in Cleveland, Ohio.  I was up very early and was walking around the hotel and noticed many items in the lobby to shoot.  Plus, I was looking for interesting places to shoot a few group photos.

In a few hours this lobby would be filled with people talking, laughing, and children running and playing.

I have been playing with a plug-in for Photoshop, Topaz Adjust and liked its effect on this scene.

The second image is the location where I shot a few group photos.  Above this very interesting structure is a wide open sky light which provided an outdoor feel.

The forth image was taken from the third floor, immediately outside my hotel room.  I used Topaz Adjust to give the scene a 'different' artistic look.  The final image is a shot of some beautiful flowers taken outside the front door of the hotel.

As always, get out and enjoy the beauty of life!

Laura and Wes engagement shoot

Wow! Another fun engagement session completed with a great couple. Laura and Wes are very playful and a complete joy to photograph. Both are very athletic and open to fun portraits.




When we arrived, the weather was not cooperating. However, after a brief delay, the rain stopped and we were able to get some amazing shots. We shot until nearly dark when the bugs were looking for a late night snack.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This was shot with the Nikon D300 and the 85 mm f/1.8
 

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Isn't she beautiful?
 
Over the weekend, I worked on a documentary project with Victory Family Church of photographing couples married 10+ years. I photographed a couple that was married nearly 70 years on Sunday and they were very spunky and fun to photograph. Since it is a private project, I doubt I will be posting many if any of the images to this blog. However, I will keep you informed how the project is going.




Get out and capture the beauty of life!

Expect the unexpected

Nikon D300, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8

One of the best parts when shooting an event such as a wedding is to expect the unexpected. People do the funniest things at weddings. In this sequence of images, the DJ begins to give the instructions to the guy who caught the garder. Just as the DJ started to talk the guy did a standing back flip on the dance floor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him start to do the back flip and I turned and fired off a few shots. The camera was at waist height and the lens zoomed out to 17 mm. This all happened in a blink of the eye. Notice the motion blur and how close he was to the floor. He performed a perfect (in my eyes) back flip. Immediately, I turned to the young lady who caught the boquet earlier to capture her reaction. The next image is when he started and the last image is when he was finishing. A few images in between are not shown.


One of the best parts when shooting an event such as a wedding is to expect the unexpected. People do the funniest things at weddings. Years ago I learned to expect the unexpected. Regardless, if the event is a wedding, party, corporate event, or sporting event, always expect the unexpected. In this sequence of images, the DJ begins to give the instructions to the guy who caught the garder. Just as the DJ started to talk the guy did a standing back flip on the dance floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him start to do the back flip and I turned and fired off a few shots. The camera was at waist height and the lens zoomed out to 17 mm. This all happened in a blink of the eye. Notice the motion blur and how close he was to the floor. He performed a perfect (in my eyes) back flip. Immediately, I turned to the young lady who caught the bouquet earlier to capture her reaction. The next image is when he started and the last image is when he was finishing. A few images in between are not shown.

One of the most amazing items I find about a wedding is that even thought the outline is very similar. Non of the weddings are the same. There is always so much emotion that takes place and so many types of photography available. From the candids when the bride is getting ready before the wedding to the emotions flowing when the bride and groom see each other for the first time. Then a quick pan to the bride and groom's family as we capture the smiles and tears. Wow! The emotion that takes place is unreal. Then we slow down some for the formal portraits but the emotion kicks in again when we take all of the fun portraits. The entrance into the reception hall brings more fun activities and emotion. Oh, so much fun. Until next time, get out and enjoy the beauty of life!

Sara & Dustin Wedding Relaxing by the fireplace

Due to a very busy schedule, I have not kept up my blog. Ouch! I have another very busy week with portraits and events. Hopefully, I will get a few more images posted from recent shoots.Thats it for now.  Get out and capture the beauty of life! 




This image I took toward the end of the day and converted it to a 'drawing' in Photoshop. Due to a very busy schedule, I have not kept up my blog. Ouch! I have another very busy week with portraits and events. I hope that I will get a few more images posted from recent shoots.



This image I took toward the end of the day and converted it to a 'drawing' in Photoshop. Both the original and this image, I love! The setting is in the lobby of the venue and created a very 'homey' feel. We had to move quickly since there were people walking through the lobby. I lit the scene with an SB 800 fired through an umbrella to my right and above the couple. My goal was to create a relaxing fun image and ensure the ambient light was maintained.

Both the original and this image, I love! The setting is in the lobby of the venue and created a very 'homey' feel. We had to move quickly since there were people walking through the lobby. I lit the scene with an SB 800 fired through an umbrella to my right and above the couple. My goal was to create a relaxing fun image and ensure the ambient light was maintained.

Sara and Dustin's wedding

Another great and fun wedding:

Sara and Dustin - who are from the Cleveland area in Ohio were married at the 100th Bomber Restaurant near the Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

Check out this four minute slide show of the highlights from their special day.  It starts with a few shots from Friday night's rehearsal/dinner and into their wedding day.   Wow!  What a great time we had.