Cinetique Femme revamped

About a year ago I took these photos of an amazing Portland area model named Tara (or Cinetique Femme). I was going through some photos from this shoot today and thought I'd revamp a few for fun. So I guess this would go under my "goodies but oldies" section.

Enjoy!

A day at the park

Here is a little collage I put together from photos that I took on MLK day of my little guy.



(click photo to view large)

Cat and Couch

A photographer friend of mine gave me some great advice when I was just getting started with photography. He told me that no matter how busy I get with taking pictures for clients to always make time to do some personal work for only myself. At the time I hadn't started a business or even considered it but now that I am busy with fairly consistent work I am finding his advice valuable.

Following his advice I took this photo of my cat on our new couch. You'll probably see a lot of our new couch in personal photos because it has mid-century-modern lines and really looks cool in photos. Our poor little bengal cat was recently de-clawed so he has to wear that dish around his head.

Enjoy!

Hellige Family

Hellige Family

Hellige Family

Meet the totally fun and totally photogenic Hellige family! You might remember Mitchell, their son, from some football pictures I took back several months ago. We met at Murase Plaza in Wilsonville, Oregon (which is just south of Portland) for their family photo shoot. I have used this location several times before and love the diversity of colors and textures that are present in the buildings.

Their relaxed and natural personalities really came across in the photos and I could have probably spent the rest of the afternoon taking their pictures it was so enjoyable. To view all of them please check out my proofing site.

Enjoy!

Scott/Carpenter Kids

Scott/Carpenter kids

I am finally updating my blog with photos from a recent family shoot. It was honestly raining cats and dogs out on this day but they were troopers and we were able to get in a great shoot. Us Oregonians are a hearty bunch. :)

I'm a winner!

So while I was in a meeting this morning I was sent an email that I thought was a joke. It said that Joe McNally (a personal favorite photographer and pioneer of creative off-the-camera flash photography) had given a photo of mine an award for a contest he conducted. This contest was for creating interesting photos that use his "The Moment it Clicks" concept of telling stories with creative lighting. As it turns out, the email was legit and I had indeed won the contest in which tens of thousands of other photos were entered.

The photo that won was one I took at Skateworld of my sister, Olivia:


Joe made the comment:

"The skater rental dept. portrait....just great, simple use of light and graphics and mood. Sets the scene, and tells the story of the young lady behind the counter pretty much wishing she were out with her boyfriend instead of supplying skates to a bunch of screaming youngsters....love it."

What's cool is that when I took the photo that is exactly what I told Olivia to portray when I took the photo...and she pulled it off flawlessly, showing just what an amazing model she is.

I honestly feel so humbled that one of my photography idols recognized a photo of mine. Just his compliment was enough but I won't turn down the shwag that also came with winning. :)

Brooks and Mindy

Brooks and Mindy

Brooks and Mindy

The first thing you should know is that I LOVE snow. In fact, I thought about applying to the University of Minnesota for further graduate work because of this. However my wife informed me that if I did go there it would be alone, so that idea was quickly scratched. Anyway, when I had the opportunity to take photos for my sister in law in the snow I was excited.

Mindy and Brooks were an amazing couple to shoot and such good sports even in the freezing cold. We ventured down to the Columbia river front in Kennewick, Washington for these and there were so many photos that I loved from this day that it was hard to pair them down.

Enjoy!

Robinson Family

Robinson Family

Robinson Family

I had the pleasure of having a session with the Robinson family while all of the kids were back home from school. The next couple days will feature these photos. I love the intensity of this first one. Enjoy!

New gear

There's a new snake in my boot! (and by snake I mean a lens and by boot I mean my camera bag) I broke down and bought an amazing new lens from a fellow on craigslist. I won't tell any prices but I got an almost new lens for about 40% off it I would have bought it brand new.

Anyway, the lens is the Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G AF-S IF-ED. Since I know only about half of what those intitials mean I'll just say that this is the best and highest quallity lens I have in my bag and it shows in the photos I've taken with it. It's tack sharp at every aperture, it's the perfect focal length on a DX body for portraits and I couldn't be more happy with it. I'm excited to start putting it through it's paces.

Yay for new toys!

Straws

I know, I know. I've seriously been slacking when it comes to making sure I'm keeping up with the title "an almost daily photo blog" but now that the snow is melted and vacation is over I can get back to my photo blogging ways. I do have a lot to post so it's not due to lack of content. Here is a fun little photo I took in the pearl district of downtown Portland while taking a break from walking around in the cold. I love the story that this photo tells. Enjoy!

Brooks and Mindy Sneak Peek