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Contact Jennifer today to sign up for the 2009 Holiday Mini Sessions!

I have had a coulpe of good days in the studio, and things are picking up a little now that we’re approaching Christmas. I had a really good photosession today and I’ll post some photos from that later

I’m still working on my project so here’s a couple of more shots from that

:D

I have som butterflies laying around the studio in case I need it for a photoshoot. They’re the perfect size to put in someone’s hair

:D

Okay, so this is not the best shot, but I was a little pressed for time today. All things considered, it didn’t come out too bad

(click on images for a larger version)

On Saturday, Hailey and I did a family portrait shoot with the Halls — Bryce, Marni, Oliver and Harrison — at their Centennial home. Marni is my sister-in-law’s sister; she was the maid of honor at Ben and Amy’s wedding while I was the best man.  So we’ve known each other for roughly 15 years, and it’s such a treat to see her and her wonderful family these days, especially since Hailey and I are expecting in March, making their two-month-old son Harrison an automatic play buddy for our baby.

We did much of the shoot in their front room, which for me was conveniently empty and east facing, making it very studio-like with lots of natural light (yes!). Their two-year-old son Oliver took only a few minutes to warm up to us (after all, it had been a few months since we last hung out). He showed us some of his awesome toys in his play room, and then he had fun jumping off an ottoman onto a massive, pillowy, stuffed sheep chair. He’s also a natural in front of the camera. Look at that smile and pose!

Harrison was born just two months ago, and he’s at that super sweet age where his eyes search everything and he’s smiling a bit. The blanket in these images below was knitted by Harrison’s grandmother.

After the shoot at their house, and a little lunch, we all went to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. This place is awesome. Locomotives and cabooses of all kinds, a Galloping Goose engine that makes circuits, and all sorts of memorabilia in the gift shop. I’m not a model-train collector by any stretch, but we’re definitely hitting this place up when our child is old enough to love it like Oliver does.

Thanks to Marni and Bryce for such an awesome shoot. Really fun, really engaging and easy-going. What more could a photographer ask for? We had a blast!

I was invited to participate in their Portraits of Opportunity pro bono exhibit that took place October 15th 2009 at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix. I selected a family to photography that would then be apart of the exhibit that raised funds to provide aid to the families that Southwest Human Development helps in Arizona.

Southwest Human Development contacted me at Rick Gayle Studios and a few other photographers in Phoenix to participate in their fund-raising exhibit called Portraits of Opportunity.  I was given a family to photograph during their daily activities. The exhibit was this past October at Steele Indian School Park.

Thank you to all the photographers that participated, the Gonzales family and Southwest Human Development for contacting me for this project.

One of the biggest things you need to do to be successful as a creative person is learn how to problem solve.  This sounds like something that is very easy but it’s not. It takes years of learning your craft to make sure all aspects of each project are addressed so you can go through the process of creating in a smooth manner.  Nothing is worse than having an issue with lighting or the camera while you have a client standing there wondering if you are for real or just an amateur.

Lets face it- the client is paying you to understand these things in advance.  That is why the pros are getting paid more than the amateurs.  It is not because they look better, but because they have learned through the years how to solve problems.  Imagine you are being paid $15,000 for a photo shoot, and for some reason something goes wrong. Who is going to fix the problem? You can’t call Ghostbusters?  It is too late.  You have to be able to fix the problem as fast as possible, otherwise it will probably be your last shoot with the client.

Digital has made it a little easier for photographers to see our problems. In the days of film, it was impossible to see if anything was wrong until you went to the lab to look at the processed film.   Pressure, pressure and more pressure. These are the things that make a great photographer or director successful.  It’s how he or she handles pressure points, and then fixes the problem so the whole crew can get back to work.

The one thing that digital photography and filmmaking has done is let the average person have a much faster learning curve than that of previous artists.  It is possible to see things faster without the waiting time of Polariod or film.  Does this make things better? Personally, I think it has hurt the industry in a lot of different ways.  For one, now everyone is a photographer or a videographer.  People don’t take the time to actually look at what they are doing.  They get in such a hurry and create without thinking about the concept and vision they want.  Digital has allowed more things to be corrected out of the camera and less in the camera.  The artist that understands his gear and cameras can accomplish more in the camera and less on the editing table. Doing this saves everyone money and time.  This doesn’t mean the images can’t be worked on in postproduction.  It just means that you are able to see more of the details of what you want to accomplish in the end and it can all be done faster. Remember one thing-  images and video sell things but quality always sells more.

Tip of the Day-

Slow down and look at the best part of the image and make it move, interact, and speak to the person viewing it.

Cutting thru the tough stuff.

In July 2007, the Rick Gayle Studio location which I was in for 22 years burnt to the ground. I had been thinking of moving into a new space, but not exactly that way. The fire made it really easy to make the move…no packing, plus I learned a lot from the experience and best of all (thank God for insurance) – I got all new equipment.

The day after the fire I secured a new space and had it completely built out by the first August. I had the help of a group of very devoted people who really made the new chapter possible. On the one year anniversary of the fire I decided to make still life photographs of some of the charred remains I chose to save.

This morning after a portrait shoot I saw this fallen toilet landscape. See all the toilet landscapes on a new blog:  toiletlandcapes

Guido

More info: about

Food photography is a passion of mine. What a great combo, I love photography and I love food.  We do a lot of work with AJ’S and Bashas’ and we recently shot holiday pies for them for billboards and bus shelters. We did several shots and the cool thing for me was we had over 40 pies delivered to the studio for the shoot. Nothing like having pie for lunch.

Their marketing group is over-whelmed with work so, rather than coming to the studio we work remotely with them. We get a rough idea of what their needs are, the stylist pulls props and she prepares the stand in food, a capture is made and then emailed to the art director, changes are made and then we go to final. It’s cool because they trust our vision and allow us some creative freedom.

Special thanks to Kim Krejca food stylist, Jill Flewellen stylist assistant and Ken Clark photo-assistant.

This is another family I met through TBP when I did the santa photos. Mya and Avery are so precious! Avery was a ham for the camera, and sweet Mya wouldn’t let go of my hand the whole time we were walking around for this session. Lisa, hope you enjoy your sneak peak!

Profession: Photographer

Who are you?

I’m a French photographer on staff for Paris Match Magazine. I’m 32 years old and I come from a town in the South of France called Sète. I’m based in the US and I am currently living in LA.

Why did you choose to become a photographer?

I was 17 and at a party with some friends where someone gave me a camera- it was early, very early in the morning or very late, and I became obsessed with this “throw away” camera. I tried to make artistic photos and I fell in love with the camera: looking back on those photos, they really suck!

What was your best shoot?

Mariah Carey! We changed our set from NYC to LA at the last minute. The set in NYC was a very expensive production and at midnight she cancelled on me. We talked and rescheduled for LA. The new shoot was simple because we wanted to show off her recent weight loss. This was my best memory because Mariah involuntarily made me go to LA and by chance on that trip I met my future wife who I am marrying on June 19th.

Any crazy happenings on set?

On the same photo shoot I was electrocuted and almost died! Mariah didn’t even notice.

Any fun memory?

A round trip on a private jet from Paris to Greece to photograph the Patras Bridge. It was a huge expense for something so simple, we left Paris at 8am and I was back on the Champs Elysees drinking a coffee by 6pm.

If you could pick anyone, who would you shoot?

Barack Obama. I worked with him on the campaign but I would love to have a private session with him now and see how his time in the White House has affected him.

What does a city like NY bring to you?

Every time I turn a corner in the city, I discover something new. It inspires me. NYC is like In-n-Out Burger, I can’t get enough!

What is you favorite place or thing to do in the city?

I love to go out. There are always new places to hang out. My new favorite is SL nightclub in the Meatpacking. The space is beautiful and the creator Mark Birnbaum is very talented and a great guy.

What’s next?

Shooting with Julie Ordon in NYC soon!

What a busy weekend.  Casting for several magazine spreads and a magazine cover.  As usual the models seemed to show up in groups.   Busy for a while, then sit around and wait.  The models that did show up were pretty good in general.   It is going to be tough for us to make the selections.

There were a few standouts who will get the key features, but some of the other shoots will depend on what the concept is for the issue.

And we are having one more casting to make sure we can fill in any gaps, or even find another standout or two.

Plans are to begin shooting the spreads in December and early January.  We already have the next year’s concepts ready, so it just finding the right models and making the magic happen.

Orcatek Photography, Phoenix, AZ

M2ATK All Rights Reserved

M2ATK © 2009

http://M2ATK.com

I came across Andrew Moore’s website back in August when I was looking for some cool photographs to present to my digital media bootcamp class. I remember his clicking on the photograph button and my breath being taken away. I think all of his work is great, but it’s his montages that really make me swoon. Look at a few examples below:

"Library"

"Brooklyn Bridge"

"Bicycle"

How incredibly magical are these images? Looking at them, I feel like I could fall into another world. These pieces make me want to attempt to create my own composited images!

Would you like to create composite images but don’t know where to start? Here is a tutorial you can check out that shows you how in Adobe Photoshop:  http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/compositeImage.php

Also, these images make me want to write; I think they’d be a good inspiration for a magical realism piece or science fiction of some sort.

Hopefully this inspires you! Again, check out Andrew L. Moore’s website here: http://www.andrewlmoore.com

Happy creating!

Pictures can depict the Food Shuttle’s mission and the magnitude of work that our volunteers do every week. Thanks to Twitter and the N&O’s Retail and Coupon Queen, Sue Stock, we’ve been linked up with a couple of spectacular photographers.

Photographers Mark Petko and Andy Beal responded to a ReTweet from @FoodShuttle that Sue Stock sent out. Mark, Andy, and other volunteer photographers are now a part of a monthly photo opp email to shoot pictures at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle events and programs at their own convenience.

  Andy recently shot some wonderful pictures from our annual Turkey Takeout last Friday

 Mark spent a morning at the farm picking lettuce and taking some amazing pictures

Mark also came out to the Carolina Rollergirls Charity Bout this past Saturday to catch the action at Dorton Arena 

We are extremely thankful for these photographers who have been volunteering time to capture the Food Shuttle through a lens. Our Flickr site has been updated with a handful of Mark and Andy’s pictures. Email Jason (jason@foodshuttle.org) or CeCe (cece@foodshuttle.org) to become a Food Shuttle volunteer photographer!

Belgian photographer Bieke Depoorter  has a lot of excellent work on her website. Her series on Russia has already won a number of awards.

The only child in the house who still loves to pose, and doesn’t have to be bribed (cash or lollies!) for photos….. gorgeous Miss Laila Mae

Thanks for a lovely morning and for sharing your beautiful belly… a little sneak peak.. LOVE the beads x

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding alongside Jessica Lemmons. Brian and Courtney are from Southern California but Courtney’s family is from the Longview and Vancouver area. Although we all only had just met eachother, I felt like I knew them forever! Cool as cucumbers these kids were!! And the church was probably the most gorgeous building I’ve ever been in. They were married at the historic St. James Catholic Church in Vancouver. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t mind shooting there again!!!

Anyway, it was a super fun day and thank you Jessica for letting me shoot it with you!!

The boys were waiting patiently while we were setting the girls up– this was just too funny

Thanks for visiting and please visit my website www.poweredbythesonphotography.com

“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible…”

- George Bernard Shaw

Copyright: Misty R. Lemons/Misty Expressions Photography

Golden Age Photographer (RVB) - NYC

Each of these days is an anniversary. Saturday marked the 13th year of my move to the U.S., and I realized that I’d stopped counting, in which lies a certain sadness. Today, the 24th, is the date of my first venture in front of a camera. Rory Wrey, the burlesque incarnation, had been born, and I awkwardly posed as I assumed models did, oblivious to what the following year would bring. Highly intimidated by the lens, I was also still wearing my engagement ring. That first shoot therefore also represents the first thread of an unraveling relationship. Flying from Chicago yesterday, I forced myself to catalog the timeline of that ring, of what varied meanings it held to me. I was dignified in my writing, stony and unemotional, though the words I penned were searing. It seems that so much penance has been done and yet I still cannot feel absolved. I don’t grant myself that and I don’t believe that I ever will. Today begins a year of biting anniversaries, each of which held enormous weight. Since that shoot, I’ve matured more than within any single year of my life and have become aware of how little wisdom my red head holds. And still, I cannot forgive myself for the follies of youth. Maybe today, I’ll wander the French Quarter in search of a confessional that will hear my sins, that for ten Hail Marys will make me clean, if only for a moment.

OK – Camera 47’s 2nd Annual 20 Photography Gifts Under $100 has already been posted this season – but I also wanted to pass along some other great gift guides to help you with your holiday shopping.

So – in no particular order – here you go:

• Well – let’s just start with the big one.  That, of course, would be Scott Kelby’s Fourth Annual Gonzo Holiday Gear Guide.  And I might just suggest that this could be his best guide yet.
• Photographer Terry White has also posted a 2009 Holiday Gift Guide over at his Tech Blog.
• Canon Blogger has pulled together a great list of Ten for 25! Yep – everything’s under $25.
• And though this is technically a question – the “list” is found in the comments to the post.  Digital Photography School asked its readers – What Photography Stocking Stuffers Would You Like? There are lots of good ideas over there.
• And the folks over at Outdoor Photographer have posted their Holiday Buyer’s Guide – all 7 pages!
• Those folks at Make Magazine have posted their list – it’s the $20 and Under Gift Guide Electronics!
• And – of course – it’s not always about gear – JD, over at Get Rich Slowly, has posted The Anti-Stuff Holiday Gift Guide written by guest writer April Dykman.
• OK – this last one isn’t a gift list – it’s just a great video showing a butcher’s method to carve a turkey.  I re-watch this every year.  Enjoy!

“Husband and Wife”

Here is one more shoot of the beautiful Alina Vacariu.  This one is a little patriotic.  I have a lot more photos from my shoots with Alina, from pretty to fashion to sexy.  They can be seen “Almost Nude”, “Fashion” , “Fashion 2″ and “Wig”.

Enjoy!

Michael Creagh

http://www.michaelcreagh.com

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