When the phone rang in December, I didn’t think too much about it.
Apples Corporate Ladder
Does life give you lemons? Sometimes it gives me ladders. Several years back, we were at the Kelly Orchards property to create family images for Richard and Caryn Kelly (on the family firetruck) and while scouting the area I had come across these. I had walked past these ladders at least twice all the while thinking ‘I should take a moment a capture that image.’ So I did. This printed merited at state competition.
Haunted
Haunted is a perfect example of how a concept rarely ends up finishing as first intended. During Amanda Himple’s senior session, she changed into a prom dress and we started looking around Centennial Park in the canyon to photograph near the water. It wasn’t to be so we walked into the trees at Centennial and did this image instead. Open minds are a necessity. I did not enter this image into competition due to some broken compositional rules.
Just Another Day in Paradise
‘Paradise’ is quite possibly my most favorite image that I’ve created. Yep, it’s monotonous, almost a snapshot, as well as anonymous. I guess to make a long story short, it’s okay if you don’t like it. You probably shouldn’t. But if you do, it might be for the same reason I do. Like the way it makes me feel whenever I look at it. I imagine a life FULL of Christopher Robin days and Winnie the Pooh task lists. This image is from Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. This print merited in state competition.
Last Call
Janae had photography questions. And also had hired us for her senior pictures. So, while trying to explain how unimportant a camera is, and how truly important light was, I created this image that perfectly demonstrates how to make a bright white wall look dark gray. The microphone cord was added digitally. Just for fun, how many lights did we use to create this image? Hint: count the light reflections in the microphone. It did not merit at state competition. (3 lights)
Noted Performance
Painted Lady
Another senior client. And to give credit where it’s due, this was totally Ashley’s idea. The image is actually three images composited together. Expressive Ashley (due to the paint coming down in her hair) and the paint bottles. Only the streams of paint from just before the paint landed in her hair. And the paint on my black seamless paper floor once we were finished making a mess in the studio. Shot in the studio on black paper and no paint on me! This image merited at state competition.
San Francisco Skyline
The bride and groom were late. Over an hour late. It’s their day of course so it’s not a thing. Especially since this country boy is atop the Fairmont hotel’s tower in the Crown Room. A room with glass walls in every direction and views ranging from the Golden Gate, to the sun setting on the Pacific. Views of San Francisco to the South and even this one that includes the bay. I hope that you’ll allow me one touristy image. If you’re old enough, you might recognize the tall building on the right from the movie, “The Towering Inferno.” This image did not merit in state competition.
Thelma and Louise
Wanna Get Away? Thanks Southwest Airlines. The Professional Photographers of Idaho hold what are called retreats (think business retreat only way more fun) from time to time and this is from one held in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. The girls were models hired for the event. Before you judge, we were photographing at the Thunder Mountain Line and had permission after they had shut down their tourist line for the night. Because this image could technically be considered to have been created during an instructional event (even though I was not being instructed), I did not enter it for competition.
Whitewalls
How much do you know about skateboards? I’m already quite good at falling down, so I’ve never felt the need to magnify it with a skateboard. But after this commercial shoot, I learned a ton. These are skateboard wheels. They come in different sizes, widths, and materials of course. The client wanted everything shot with a white background, which got me to thinking, “How much white can I add and still be able to show detail in the black and the white on the wheels?” This much. This image merited and even scored quite well at state competition.
You could say, it didn’t fall down.