October 29, 2011

Happy Halloween!


Tonight I shot portraits at our annual Boy Scout Halloween party.  


Used the amazing Canon Speedlite system with modifiers for family shots and it worked swimmingly.  
But I was feeling a bit Martin Parr/Dan Younger/Wayne Lawrence as well, so I put an unmodified flash on the hotshoe of my Canon F1 with a normal lens and here is what I got.

 I got what I was expecting and I have to say the low tech feel is kinda cool, it does not feel gimmicky either.  

October 24, 2011

b/w film...

Man I miss this shooting 35mm, here are a couple shots after teaching a night class made with with my Canon F1 and 50mm f/1.2L




October 14, 2011

Practicing what I preach.

I just got an email from a friend, photographer and ASMP board member that my ASMP article looks great.  I haven’t seen it yet (check back, I’ll post it here) but I have a funny story that I wanted to share.  When ASMP/PDEedu editor extraordinaire, Jill Waterman contacted me, I quickly forwarded the chapter from Lighting for Dummies that she wanted to feature (ch 8) and the pictures that I could access quickly.  

You have to know the images for the book live in several places with the largest file being a whopping 2400 images!
my quicky wine glass set 
I couldn’t locate one particular shot.  Then I realized the irony, the AWOL image was the example of the ‘quick one-light wine glass technique' where you can light any clear or lightly frosted glass by simply illuminating the wall behind it. 


Of course it really only works with clear liquids (cranberry juice standing in for Pinot Noir in this case) but in less then 21 minutes, including finding a camera, a CF card, a ceramic tile, dragging stands and lights from the one of our studios to a lounge with a relativity clean wall, I shot the lead picture of the article.  A true testament to what’s inside!  

ASMP members check your mailbox and others; check back and I’ll post it here when I get mine in the mail.

October 10, 2011

Couple of recent Sunrises

Sunrise at the Lakefront on the dawn of Chicago Ideas Week 

Daybreak from OakBrook IL
Pre-dawn skyline from OakBrook IL

October 5, 2011

October 3, 2011

???????

Chicago Union Station 9/27/2011