Zac and Vena: Sneak Peek

Zac has been one of my closest friends from high school and he came to visit over Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for Zac he came became a test subject for my studio class.

I really never know how to tone engagement or wedding photos. I feel like there are million ways and styles, but nothing really fits me. Essentially that is my life story;I've never really fit anything.

More over Zac and Vena endured the cold and my commands to just relax and at about an hour into photographing it all came together. They became relaxed and I started making the pictures. You can't fake intimacy or chemistry, so when it clicked I stalked them through the viewfinder allowing them to do what was natural.

Thank you Zac and Vena for dealing with cold and uncomfortable poses. I hope you enjoy the sneak peek of what is to come.

Illustration: Cleaning Products Going Green

I used a piece of white cardboard to make a cyc. I front the products from above and filled in the right shadow by placing a piece of white cardboard right to reflect some light.

JRN 420: Fashion

Wisconsin senior Layla Gilmore models a coat from Burlington Coat Factory along with black and white destroyed jeans from Kingdom.

Lighting setup: Flash fired off gold reflector camera right. Filled in with a umbrella at cameral left.
F11 @ 1/125 ISO 200 White Balance set to cloudy to warm photo. Shot at 70mm with a 70-200mm f2.8 Canon lens.


Wisconsin senior Layla Gilmore describes her look as Urban-chic.

Used a gold reflector camera right at about the same angle as the models arm. Fill flash through white umbrella on camera left just beyond the corner of the dumpster.
F7.1 @ 1/125 ISO 200 White Balance set to cloudy, shot at 98mm.

An update not for school!

CMU's soccer team is amazing a record breaking season.

Friday it was pouring rain and IS0 1250 was barely cutting it. But here's what was salvaged.

Lately I have had the hunger and it's a big part of why I won't be an editor again next semester, even though I know I will miss it. I will for sure miss the design aspect and just seeing friends in the office.

I need a break from the office and I want to get back to the daily grind.

Location Lighting

Farmington Hills sophomore Ashley Miller models her neon yellow fitted jacket from Old Navy. According to Glamour Magazine neon colors are this season's latest trend.
F8.0 @250th ISO 200


Breckenridge sophomore Eric Dresden has played baseball for since he was five-years-old. He has an intense love for the game and batted .312 during summer league baseball.
F5.6 @200 ISO 200

JRN 420: Still Life

For the two candle photos I back lit the photos so to give create separation and also to light the smoke. I then used another strobe at 10 o'clock to as a fill and then place one at 4 o'clock as kind of main/fill for the front of the candle. I also used a blue gel the second photo to give the smoke a blue color.

For the shoes I used a red Nalgene Water Bottle as a gel and lit a white background. I then placed the shoes on a white piece of cardboard and used a main flash high and left and fill on camera right to light them.

State Supremacy

I'm such a procrastinator. More updates from non-studio work coming this week.

JRN 420: Painting with light

Grand Haven junior Jake May and Milford senior Matthew Stephens play a game of night soccer at the Woman's Soccer Field behind the Student Activity Center Friday night.



Milford senior Matthew Stephens is an avid golfer. "What I golf in one round, is the same score Tiger golfs in a tournament," said Stephens.

Nature's Wrath

Willie Randolph is the new track and field/cross country coordinator at Central Michigan University. Randolph was working in New Orleans as a track coach when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast. He has a very heart warming story about his personal struggles during the storm and following months afterwards.

Check the whole story out here:
http://www.cm-life.com/2009/08/24/natures-wrath/

I designed this front page and I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out.

Sunsets and missed oppurtunities

"There will be times when you will be in the field without a camera. And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed. Don't be bitter because you can't record it. Sit down, drink it in, and enjoy it for what it is!" DeGriff

Much of the last month has been just that for me. It's been nice break to step away from the camera, but I found myself day dreaming about photography. I'm always approaching everyday situations and thinking about how I would shoot it or what I can do to make it look different.

Reegan

Grand Haven has become my second home this summer. It's such a beautiful town and the beach. I love the beach. I haven't shot much at all, but Jessica's niece Reegan loves the camera and is just to easy to photograph.

Work Stuff

I've been uninspired for a while and it makes it hard to shoot news type stuff. My mind has been on finding a fall story and creating my own studio. I really need to make some money and the weather has been so ideal for taking outdoor portraits. The problem is I've done nothing to market myself and I've been too busy with other things to even start.



I took this picture for a preview of an upcoming play and instead of shooting the dress rehearsal, I shoot a feature of the girls getting ready. I spent a lot of time waiting for some interaction as they all were dressing and sitting on their computers and then it happened.



It was extremely difficult to compose a clean frame, but this was honestly the best I could do. Neil the paper's adviser was not a fan of the photo because he wanted to see the face of the tattoo artist. This image is leaps and bounds more interesting than a plain photo of some guy laying down ink. Look at the irony of this photo, who brings their kid to a tattoo parlor and how often do you see them taking a picture of the tattoo.

Left Turns All Weekend Long

Three guys, one tent maybe is a more appropriate title but we won't go there.

Norm, Chris and myself ventured to Brooklyn, Mich. for a taste of NASCAR and of course to celebrate Norm's birthday.

We camped out for three days at the North Camp just outside of the race track. It was an adventure to say the least.

Free Bird was the official-unofficial song of the weekend, even though it was never once played.

Bloody Mary's for breakfast, Budweiser and Martini's for lunch and dinner.

Watched the Canadians get all excited about the Detroit Red Wings losing.

Didn't have a spatula so we went back to Camp Canada and stole theirs. Don't worry we gifted onto to someone else after we were done camping because they put up with our drunk debauchery.

Talked trash about Canadians all night in the dark only to wake up and see we were surrounded by them.

Burgers and dogs when we sometimes ate.

Walked more than 4 miles for a clean porta-john.

Wrestled Norm and won. The Canadian's wanted more and then he kicked the crap out of me.

Found our neighbor Sammie, passed out in our camp.

One word to sum up the event: Sammie!!!

It was an awesome weekend of three city boyz finding their little bit of country deep down inside of the. Thank god that side doesn't come out often.


P.S. How many Canadians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? "Ohhh no the lights are out? I'm scared." - HIMYM

Centered

Who ever said being centered was a bad thing?

A picnic in Alma and a short drive later Jessica and I found an abandoned warehouse on the river. We spent about 20 minutes taking turns of shooting photos of each other. I wish I would have a had reflector and someone to hold it to eliminate some of the shadows.

Memorial Day Weekend with friends

A beautiful day in Milford, Michigan led Jessica, Norm and myself to a little photo adventure in Kensington Metro Park. The sun was a little warm and kind of harsh, but we couldn't stay long anyways because the three of us had a date to see Terminator. If you haven't seen it yet, it's pretty sweet.

500 Jello Shots, Memorial Day and the Start of Summer

I took a visit back to my hometown of Milford, Mich. I slept on the futon of Norm McGarry, had a midnight BBQ, drank, had a bonfire, played a lot of pool, attended Chris' college grad party, drank more, watched hockey, had a photo shoot, saw Terminator, missed some hockey, watched basket, attended the Memorial Day Parade, drove 2 hours, visited my mom, had a BBQ there and at some time and point slept in between these events.

Simply put it, it was a good time.

Summer

Baseball. The true sign of summer. Fresh cut grass, a cool breeze and warm rays of sunshine best describe why I love baseball.

I have shot more baseball this year then I ever have and honestly I have seen such an improvement in my photographs. I need to upload the Michigan State University photos from almost a week ago, but I've been a little preoccupied with other things.

This 'cold' summer weather has me itching to take some dusk portraits, but no on is in Mount Pleasant. It's to bad because the sunsets here have been astonishing and the warmth of the sun is perfect right now. I need to also book some weddings and senior portraits both for the money and my own sanity. I'm finding it hard to sit at a desk and not be doing what I love.

'Rain' - Ace Enders

'Rain, I'm filled with lust and pain
So take me back to three years
When we all looked the same'

I won't lie; I'm afraid for the future. In exactly one year I will graduate from college and be faced with extensive loans I can't pay. I won't have a job because I no longer have dreams or goals. How did all of this change? What do I want out of life and why can't I answer this?

Stealing Home

Stealing home never happens. Stealing home NEVER happens against a right-handed pitcher.

Well never say never I guess.

Tailgating Spring 2009

Spring 2009 football game and the weather was sunny and warm. A rare commodity in Mid-Michigan in the month of April.

It felt good to get out from behind the desk and make something.

Threads 2009

I did this last week for a class project and for work. Shot it and edited it all in 24 hours.

Wrestling

I'm sad. The collegiate wrestling season has come to an end. I will update with some new photos from 24 hour trip to St. Louis, Mo.

For the win

I spent the first part of my spring break in Ypsilanti, Mich photographing the MAC Wrestling Championships for fun.

I left the edge of the mat in search for a different perspective. High a top the stadium I stood thanking Erik Holladay for his words of advice a few weeks ago. The words of advice were along these lines, "Shoot the shit out of every cliche' and then go find something else." And so I did.

Engelage Meet Pasquale's fist

This is from a few months ago when I was in Saginaw on assignment. Sadly the lights decided not work for myself or the team's photographer, but such is life.