NPC Competition with Lisa

A recent client, Lisa, participated in the NPC (National Physique Committee) bodybuilding, fitness and figure competition in Wyzata, MN a few weeks ago.  The day after the competition we photographed Lisa in the studio to document what she has accomplished.  She is a self-employed business owner, a mom, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and [...]

Studio Photography: One/Two Light Portraits

This post and next features commissioned portrait work.  The bulk of what we shot in both cases featured a single subject light and, in some cases, a background light.  The power of a single subject light setup is that it allows the photographer and subject to concentrate on what’s really important; the soul/personality/attitude of the [...]

Portrait Photography: 85mm (Canon f/1.8)

Hi Gang,
Today’s post is about a new portrait lens I’m using.  Its also about lighting.
The lens I’m using in these images is an 85mm f/1.8 (Nikon also makes this lens, but the reviews aren’t as strong as they are for the Canon).   Its amazingly sharp, gives GREAT control over depth of field, its fast (f/1.8) [...]

Studio Portrait Photography: Ania Saletis

Today’s images are from another comp card studio shoot recently, with Ania Saletis. What I want to focus on in today’s post is the use of a hair/make up artist for a shoot. Its the first time I’ve hired out for one on this type of shoot. Usually, the model’s budget is [...]

Studio Portrait Photography: Matt Albiniak and Sierra Bravo

Hi Gang,
A shift back to studio work this week and next.  Over the past month I shot two studio projects, the first of Matt Albiniak for his web brand identity which he wanted to link to his employer, Sierra Bravo.  The key word to capture was “nerdtastic.”  I had a definite look and feel in [...]

Studio Portrait Photography: Val Carpender and Hilary Duff

This fashion look is one that’s being used a lot today.  From Maxim Magazine to Target Advertising, the black on white background with strong shadows has almost become common place.  It was used recently as the cover of Maxim, featuring Hilary Duff.  They’re using it again this month with Eliza Dushku.  One of the technical [...]

Video – Grace3

Hi Gang,
A good friend of mine, Bryan Allen, turned me on to Animoto. They have an amazing service turning digital images into something approaching an MTV video. Well, maybe that’s a little overstated but the founders came from MTV, and the service is for amateurs and professionals alike.
You can also view another example [...]

Studio Portrait

Hi Gang,
This is Grace and she is 3 years old. This is the second year I’ve photographed her and what a difference a year makes. There were way too many fun expressions to share, so I’ll post this triptic and on Friday I’ll post a slideshow from the shoot.
Technical: Canon 1Ds Mark [...]

Kubota-Greenburg Effect

Hi Gang,
We’re in a transition here. So, here’s what’s happening…knee deep in the middle of a full custom re-design of the blog and my commercial site. The new blog site will soft launch Jan 15 with a full launch Feb. 1. It will contain new images and new video content. Until [...]