Light Walk

The Word, KLGO

I am so pleased to announce that imageclectic photography has a radio spot as of this past week on KLGO radio! It will run for about sixteen weeks around Focus on the Family, Alistair Begg and Ryan Rush. Give a listen to the station and see what you think! Many thanks to Gene Bender, Dean Clark, and Scott & Luci Olson for helping to make this happen.

Here’s an mp3 version of the spot in case you want to listen now:

KLGO Imageclectic photography 60-second spot

I confess, I love working with people. It may be trite, but I believe it; everyone has an inner and and outer beauty that we can capture and show to the world. It is simply amazing how each person is unique, and I love the challenge to create unique photographs of each person for whatever use in business they might have. Of course, there are certain expectations and we work within those in general. That just makes it more fun! The most important part of photographing an individual from my perspective is the goal of creating something that makes that person feel great about the way they look and project in the world. If I succeed, then the photograph portrays something unique about the person that they themselves believe is true and important. Hopefully, you see in my work some of the result of all this; beautiful people who are enjoying life and expressing themselves in the real world.

My friend Robert Fischer over at Keller Williams hosted a day of headshots for his team as well as fellow Realtors; here are a few of those photographs as well as a recent individual session with Kim.

 

Last week we put together a day of headshots over at Coffee a Deli on N/ Lamar. It’s a very nice little shop with great ambiance and character, and the owner is wonderful. Besides coffee, the have sandwiches and soups and awesome desserts, all homemade right there. You really should go check them out! We used the front meeting room and took portraits of people who signed up for the special deal. Here are a couple of my favorites:

 

Of course, my grandson had to come by and help, so I grabbed a traditional business headshot for his web page along with all the others. It was easy – he adores lights…

You Just Can't Take a Bad Portrait of Eli

I was pleased to be a part of a vow renewal for a couple on their 50th wedding anniversary – on Christmas day! It was really cool to see such commitment lived out, and even more so as all the family gathered around and prayed over the couple and blessed them. Times like this are especially moving to me because they demonstrate real commitment in marriage and in life. I think the most awesome part of this particular ceremony was hearing the grandchildren speak such wonderful things about their grandparents; how they had been shaped and helped along in their lives by the love and care shown to them. What a blessing!

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful 2nd 50 years together!

 

I wanted to create a rather unique Christmas present for my mom this year, and thought I might share it here. I really love the words to the song “You’re Beautiful” by Phil Wickham and was mulling them over a little while before Christmas when this idea came to me: photograph an eye from each person in the family looking at the sky or the horizon. A closeup photograph of an eye can often reveal the subject where the eye is looking, so an eye with a visible image of the world might be a cool demonstration of the phrase in the song “…the colors of the morning are inside Your eyes…”. And, each eye would be from my mom’s children (by birth and marriage) so it would have a bit of a reflection on her heritage in the world via those eyes. My end result was a frame originally designed for baseball cards with a set of our eyes in it and a numbered “cheat sheet” to match eyes up to people in the family. Turned out, one of the cool things we did was to engage the kids and adults around the Christmas tree in a little game of Guess the Eye. That was a lot of fun and I think made the gift more special.

So, I present here a simple set of eyes for you to look at and perhaps be inspired to create something special for someone in your life.

 

Yesterday was a wonderful time for us and the larger family; we spent time thanking God for sending Jesus, blessing each other and just being together. I treasure days like that and I hope that all of you were able to enjoy some time with God, family and friends as well. Leah and and were also blessed to be a part of a 50th wedding anniversary yesterday afternoon; I’ll post some photographs and thoughts on that later. For now, here’s a “snapshot” of the day for us:

The Clan all Together on Christmas Morning

Saturday Hannah and I photographed a wonderful family all collected together for the Thanksgiving holiday. They came together from all over the country to meet in the middle so to speak in the greater Austin area and we were honored to be their photographers for the morning. Our location was Springwood Park in N. Austin off of Anderson Mill Rd. This is a very lovely place with tons of trees and playscape. It was great fun and the weather was perfect. Here is one of many great shots from the session:

Just Hanging Around in the Park

What makes a “perfect” photography shoot? I think there are several critical factors involved:

• Relationship: The subjects and the photographer all connect and learn something about each other. They relate, and find common ground for relating. They enjoy and feel energized. They work together to create a perfect portrait.
• Involvement: Everyone is working together to create something they will cherish. The photographer is as involved in the moment as the subjects are. Fun happens.
• Permanence: When everything is said and done, the portrait stands the test of time.

So, how does all this happen? Personality of the photographer is important. Love for the art of creating beautiful portraits is also big. But the best thing that all involved can do is allocate the right time and place for the process to take place. A location where the people in the portrait are really able to enjoy themselves and since forth their inner kid is what we’re going for. A location where movement is allowed helps (no one likes to be still!). Time of day and time of year can be selected to give the most energy and the right people to fill up the portrait (like a reunion, not at nap time, etc.). And of course time involves commitment; having a dedicated time slot for everyone to plan on and schedule gives value to the moment so it can be captured.

I Can't Believe You Caught That!

We had the pleasure of photographing Amy at Laguna Gloria this past weekend and captured some great images. This is one of my favorites. I love the location; it has lots of scenes that create wonderful backdrops and ambiance.

Amy Waiting

The Capitol angel hovers past our vantage point

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is everything. That’s one of the things that distinguishes professional photographers from the rank and file. Recently we were camped out at the Texas State Capitol (one of my personal favorite places to photograph at night) doing some building photography. When we got home and took a look at the photographs we found that we had captured this very rare moment when the Capitol angel floated by right during the exposure – what an amazing event to capture! You probably won’t ever get a chance to see her with your own eyes so I thought we might post this photograph so you can believe…

Instead of showing several images from this past weekend, I thought we’d start off with just a portrait from the wedding of Micah and James. This particular portrait is one of my early favorites; there are so many! This was taken at a wonderful place called Chapel Dulcinea out at the Wizard Academy. It’s a very cool place. They were married at Hope Chapel, but came out here for portraits after the reception and before the family get together. They were very patient and really enjoyed getting to take some photographs while all dressed up. We’ll have more from the wedding soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this one!

Micah Near Chapel Dulcinea

By the way, this image uses a technique called “high dynamic range” photography (HDR), which combines several photographs into a single image using a combination of algorithms and Photoshop editing / layering. It works on some images, not on others; I think it works well here because it brings out the texture in the sky, rocks and trees.

This is the portrait session we love to be part of: Scott asked his girlfriend Lucy to a session with us last Friday, with the goal of surprising her with an engagement ring. The pretense was to capture some couple portraits they could each have. We captured some great photographs in several setting around Mayfield Park in Austin, then he pulled out his cell phone and read a poem he had written to her. At the end of the poem, he brought out a tiny but obvious box with a beautiful engagement ring inside and the look in her eyes and the sound of her voice as she said “yes!” were breathtaking. She didn’t even hesitate! We were honored to have been a part of this amazing moment in their lives; what a blessing to have been there. Congratulations on your engagement Scott and Luci!

Scott & Luci by the Pond

Joy After "Yes!"

Hannah and I were blessed to be invited to photograph a family celebrating 50 years of marriage this past weekend; what an accomplishment! We went to their home in Wimberley which is right on the Blanco River. Fifty years together is a wonderful example of what really can happen when a couple commits their lives to making it work; it’s what every bride and groom can look forward to with excitement, anticipation, and a little trepidation on their wedding day.

Here are a couple of photographs from our time together:

The Family Celebrates Fifty Years of Marriage

The Children Gather Around

Congratulations!

If you want a great place to get some unique portraits, take your favorite photographer over to the Texas State Capitol at night. You can pretty much get the run of the place if you go later in the evening, and there are some fun, out of the way places to go. On the North side of the Capitol there is the Extension which is not as well known as a tourist attraction; you get there from within the Capitol. I love the stairs, the granite, the lighting, and the grand feel of everything!

Here are a few of the places you could use for a setting:

The North hallway in the upper level

Awesome Stairs

The Extension Rotunda to the Stars

Another Round Area

Another shoot at the Capitol! We had a great time; even though we’re in the middle of the hot Summer months, places like the Capitol give a ton of flexibility for locations to shoot and can bring a lot of “Austin” to a photograph. Oscar and Amy are getting married in December and we needed to get their engagement photographs done in time to make a “save the date” card for their family and friends, so even though it’s Summer we were able to capture several great shots for them to chose from.

On the Staircase

The Faces of Joy

Kissing with the ring in the foreground

A good breeze and some fun

I had the honor of photographing a candidate for the Texas House this past week. He chose to do it at the State Capitol, which was great since I’d had just been there for other reasons and had some ideas about where to shoot. The Capitol is very photography-friendly; you can basically shoot almost anywhere as long as you don’t get in anyone’s way, and it’s always fun to shoot anywhere you get onlookers who are interested in whatever is going on out of the ordinary. While you can generally see flashes going off all over as tourists photograph, people stop and look intently when they see a professional toting around equipment to see if the subject is someone they should know …

Here is one of my favorites from the session. There was an event going on in the House chamber, so we had the added benefit of real people in the scene.

Running for the House

On Friday I photographed Donovan for his web site and printed bio; we enjoyed talking and working to create just the right headshot for his uses. I like to capture a range of expression and poses with coat on and off, formal, informal, full-length, 3/4-length, head-and-shoulders, smiling, laughing, serious and fun. It was great seeing his eyes as we reviewed the images together, knowing we had accomplished what he was looking for. Go check out his personal training website for Busy Women Bootcamps and get to know him and his business.

A casual business headshot

Hannah and I photographed a new mother-to-be and her husband this week to capture the anticipation and joy of their baby-in-the-making. Mandy was awesome and you can see in her eyes that this is going to be really cool! We had a great time talking about their life and plans while we were capturing her expressions and obvious joy. As a husband and a dad, this is such an incredible moment in time for me; new beginnings are so filled with anticipation and excitement! While we can do this kind of session almost anywhere, it seems best sometimes to just go for the simple studio backdrop so we can focus on the key elements of the heart as seen in the eyes and shapes of the mom. Congratulations Mandy and Matt!

The Joy of Mom

In Austin there are several groups I belong to as a professional photographer that are very helpful and encouraging and help me to build my skills and keep them current and fresh. Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the Professional Photographers of Austin, or APPA, where we heard from an awesome photographer – Shelby Lane. She is based in Victoria and specializes in babies and children and she talked about her business journey of the past 8-9 years. I love hearing how other photographers approach the business; it’s something that I can never learn enough about it seems. From my perspective she is a very down to earth teacher, giving what amounts to simple clues that can help anyone willing to listen to hard-learned lessons. I learned a lot! This talk was particularly good for me since I have always loved children and creating portraits to celebrate their lives is something that I have a passion for.

Shelby covered the obligatory “here’s the way I work with kids and here’s the equipment I use” stuff but what was most useful was her experience trying different approaches to build life-long relationships with her clients. I love photography precisely because I can have meaningful friendships and connections with real people and can make something with them that they cherish. A couple of things I walked away with in my pocket:

• A lot happens in a child’s first year of life, so an overall plan to capture key milestones during that year is an awesome way remember those changes and provide a wonderful set of memories to the family.
• Very early on in a child’s life (<1 month) is really the best time to successfully photograph them sleeping.
• Expressions are everything with a baby; when he or she is learning them (around 3-4 months old is when it tends to start) is the most fun time to create portraits focused on expression because this is what everyone in the family has been longing for!
• Older babies (12 months) are great for movement and more actual posing since the child can sit and stand and walk and move about.

I plan to bring some of these things into my business practices over the coming months.

And here’s the booth almost gone. We had a wonderful time meeting very gracious brides and talking about wedding days to come. Almost ready to get the dolly…

The Austin Wedding Extravaganza is today! Our booth is ready and we’re resting before the show opens. Come on down and see all the wonderful possibilities! The Palmer opens at noon and the show closes at 6:00pm.

Regardless of the camera you are using, these steps can help get great results:

1. Frame the subject; photograph only what makes the image matter. Keep distractions out of the picture, make sure all hands are either completely visible, or completely invisible (don’t cut them off at the edge!), and position the subject out of the center for drama.
2. Position the subject with intent; look at everything in the frame and make adjustments to anything that needs it! Create a pleasing background: not too distracting, nothing intersecting with the subject’s head, don’t shoot against the wall (shadows usually don’t look good), don’t shoot towards anything shiny in the background; you can get nasty reflections from glossy cabinets or walls and certainly from shiny metal, and make sure there isn’t any bright light in the frame; this will just make the subject look dark. It can be fun to position the subject directly blocking a bright light (like the sun) for a silhouette look.
3. Light the subject; the interplay between light and shadow is what makes a photograph. Make sure some kind of light is falling on any and all faces; if you are outdoors, position people in the shade looking outward toward light. The flash on your camera will generally do a better job if it only has to augment the existing light, rather than provide all the light on the subject. Note that natural light generally looks more natural than flash. A window or even a regular household lamp can provide a great light for a face. Remember also that light is what makes a person look “real”; if all the light comes from the camera position the person can tend to look “flat”, but if more light is landing on one side than on another they take on a more three-dimensional look.
4. Coach; sometimes what people are wearing is just as important as expression or scene. If possible, coach the subject on what to wear; clothes should not draw attention away from the faces! (Well, unless you’re trying to sell clothes…)

With those steps in hand, your photographs will look great.

We all know about the Austin 360 bridge; it spans the Lower Colorado River on Loop 360 and is uniquely Austin. There are so many cool angles and views around the bridge that it just makes a perfect place for photography. One of the important characteristics of a good photograph is “place”; where the photograph is taken and what it says about the person in the photograph. For portraits of people, the bridge can place them “here” and help identify something important; their life in Austin.

One of my favorite vantage points is from the cliff to the NW of the bridge; from there you can see over the top of the bridge and all the countryside around it. It’s a fairly easy climb to get to the top and enjoy the overlook view.

Here are some images from a recent sunset session.

If you want an “Austin” portrait, this is one of the many cool places to go.

Closeup of Kristen and the arch of the bridge in the distance

Shooting from down low to only see the bridge and sky

The rays of sunset are almost parallel to the North-bound traffic.

If it weren’t for light, we’d have no photographs… Aside from that, it’s important where the light comes from and where the light doesn’t come from; light directionality brings shape and interest to a photograph. One of the distinctive features of a beautiful portrait is the difference between light and shadow and where the light falls on the subject. In the case of people, it is generally more realistic and natural for light to fall on the person from a different direction than the camera. If the light comes from the camera direction it’s usually very “flat”; there is no shape to the face and we don’t see something that looks like reality. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much where all light comes from when you use a simple point-and-shoot camera; the flash is right there on the camera!

When we photograph people, we shape the light so that the portrait has a natural look to it. Here are some examples:

Light is coming from a large flash on the ground to the left of Cindy. Note the shadow on the left side of her face.

The light is coming from a small flash to camera right, creating a nice glow on Adam's left side.

Light for the floor is coming from camera left, creating a nice shape on her face.

We have light coming from directly behind Halei as well as from the general direction of the camera, creating a nice hair glow and sunset burst.

We've hidden a small flash in one of the windows to cast light directly on Halei's face.

I was brought in by another photographer as part of a photo shoot for a consulting company holding a business retreat at Horseshoe Bay recently, and here are a few of the images I made. These are meant to illustrate the company and what it does for their web site; open for business, getting down to the issues, able to help, etc. The people were great and didn’t mind my constant photography during their planning and operating meetings. I enjoyed working with these guys.

This kind of photography is a lot like wedding posed shots and reception work; everything is moving fast, people have other stuff to do and you really don’t want to interrupt the flow of things too much. Dynamic is the tempo here. I love working with people, especially when they are engaged and doing what they love and we can capture what makes sense together. Light is what “makes” a photograph and in these situations it is always a challenge to capture the moment with the right kind of light, whether the event is a reception, a meeting or a party. I use several off-camera lights strategically placed around the scene, fired by a radio remote on the camera to light the scene. This kind of lighting is one of the hallmark differences between the results in a professional photograph and a quick “candid” shot.

Business meeting in progress

Impromptu meeting

Managing for Results

Halei Looks to Her Beloved

This past Thursday we went out to a fantastic place for photography: Villa Antonia. There are so many wonderful scenes there! We photographed Halei inside for a while, then went outside and braved the incredible wind; this is one of my favorites from inside. Halei’s personality is so warm and fun we pretty much could put her into any scene and find a portrait waiting to be photographed. The Villa is just out RR 1431 from Leander.

Congratulations, Halei, on your journey; we’re getting close to The Day!

Yesterday I photographed a local business in Cedar Park to help build a new set of images for their web site. It was great fun (if you ignore the incredible heat outside that was making us all more than a little warm) and we came away with some great images. Here’s one I like:

A Happy Server is a Happy Client

I’m back from an intensive week-long course up at UT Arlington called “The Power of the Classics”. This was an awesome group of dedicated professional photographers learning more about “the art of portraiture as it has been practiced since the renaissance era to the present”. Gabriel Alonso is a Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman in the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). I found the course to be very helpful and inspiring. My brain is full and looking for ways to infuse my everyday photography work with these ideas, although I’ll likely apply most of it to in-studio work with children. Check out Gabriel’s web site for an example of this kind of work.

I can’t post images from the photography, but is a shot I took while on break:

Wary Squirrel Watches Me

One of the main sponsors for the school sent the whole group (1038 students!) to Six Flags for an evening. While I didn’t actually ride anything, it was great food and I grabbed this shot of some classmates:

Wood is Strong?

My favorite kind of photography involves the subject not spending their attention on what we’re creating together, but rather on enjoying life and relating to others. So when I take someone for an environmental portrait, the goal is to forget I’m even there. We create a playful place and enjoy. Portraits that come out of this approach are always more real when we’re done.

Keeping my eyes on the ball...

There’s a very cool place in South Austin that I highly recommend: Dunvegan Keep. The owner has hand crafted all of the decorations and the plants to give a very “elsewhere” look and feel to the environment there. If you are looking for a fun place to go for a bridal or engagement portrait, or even for a whole wedding, this might be it.

Let me in to your heart!

Come on over to my side!

I found this on the interwebs today; I think it really says something important:

“A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind.”

-Albert Einstein

When I create a photograph, I’m usually just looking at the things I can see at the moment: light, shadow, lines, shapes, contrast, texture and eyes. But sometimes I look at the photograph later and see a fun abstraction of the surrounding environment that I find pleasing. I can add a “painterly” feel to the image using the computer and some time and effort that just works in some cases. Of course, it’s only pleasing to some people, so I make it an option on some of my work. I’ll post more like it from time to time. Let me know what you think!

Mother and Daughter in the Woods

Sometimes you have to improvise to make the moment “work”. I was photographing a family that had several young children and they were more than a little antsy. So, in order to make the shot, I grabbed a rock and shoved it under the rocker so they could be still for just the few seconds I needed to make this photograph. I could of course edit it out, but then the picture wouldn’t tell the same story! Life is filled with moments and they move so quickly sometimes you have to jam a rock in there somewhere…

When life is moving too fast, jam a rock in there somewhere!

I went looking to see if a bridal portrait could work at the

Lovely scene for a bridal portrait

park area near Memorial Park in Round Rock and came across this spot. It is simply Texas at it’s best for peacefulness, trees and rugged rocks. I love this area; go check it out if you’re looking to get a portrait done somewhere in the area. It’s very simple to get to, just take Chisolm Trail road South from Hwy 79 and park at the creek. The location is just West of the rail road tracks.

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