photography

This is something that I don’t normally do… I don’t like having my unedited photos out in the wild.

However… I get asked so often how I get my photos to look so good out of the camera. Well, the real answer is… Photoshop. Duh, duh, duhhhhhh!!! That’s right! Photoshop! It is an essential tool for the photographer’s digital workflow. If a photographer says he/she doesn’t use Photoshop he is either lying or he/she is not getting the full potential out of the shot. Ansel Adams once said “We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium.”. He also said “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”.

I believe both of those statements to be true. In my opinion a photograph is never done. There is always an improvement to be made no matter the subject. Now I don’t subscribe to the idea that you should make fundamental changes to the subject, like changing the shape of a face or a nose. I don’t play that! However, blemish touch up and minor adjustments to clothing or backgrounds is sometimes a must.

I offer you one of my older shots of the beautiful Jantzen Rees. The photo looks great in full color and untouched. However, I felt that a little blemish touchup, darkening the edges and punching up the highlights in key areas would help lead the eye to the focal point better.

The color change, I will admit, is a matter of taste. I prefer the sepia like tone over the colored version because it adds a vintage and almost intimate feel to the shot. You can disagree with me, that’s the beauty of all art, interpretation! Click the image for a larger view.

I have been traveling for a few weeks now shooting, going to conventions, and generally just having an all around good time. Now it’s time to slow down, edit, and share.

Many people often assume that glamour photography is what you see in modern men’s magazines. While that type of photography does fall in the category of glamour that’s not where it ends… nor where it began. Glamour photography started in the mid to late 1920′s and was inspired, in part by silent movies. A photographer by the name of George Hurell pioneered the look and went on to create ”Hollywood’s Golden Era of Portraiture”. These portraits were often lit with as many as 6 lights and have a very distinctive hair light. That’s the light that caused a models hair to have that super bright glow.

In honor of Glamour’s beginnings I would like to share a couple of 20′s inspired portraits of Keri Gillen. I didn’t initially set out to create a 20′s style portrait, nor are these a true 20′s style. In these portraits I have done something very different from the 20′s style. Primarily in my decision to use only one light. That’s right, one light. I chose one light softened with a large sofbox to make the subjects face more dramatic and to force the shadows to turn to a crushing black. I tried to keep the overall feel of the 20′s portraiture while putting my own spin on it. I often choose to light my subjects with one light because I feel it gives the shots a little bit more drama. Tell me what you think of them, and don’t be shy.

Kids are always a challenge when they are being photographed. It’s no exception for this little one. We had to play a game of hide and seek to get her to smile. Their not the most traditional of shots and their not my best shots; but I think their fun and they look great in my portfolio. What do you think?

As many of you already know I just returned from an amazing trip to Italy. As an art major, artist, and lover of all things artistic it has been the number one destination on my bucket list since before I can remember.

I spent time in Venice, Florence, and Rome. Each has their own distinct look, art, and architecture. Each city is amazing for it’s own reasons. Venice for it’s canals; Florence for it’s cobble stone roads, the David, and the tomb of Michelangelo; Rome for it’s architecture and the Sistine chapel. 

My life seems so complete having seen the artistic splendor of the people, who in my opinion, invented art. Enjoy!

Scared your going to get the most boring High School Senior Portraits ever? Well don’t be. Here’s a great montage of some super cool and fun senior portraits. Feel Free to click on the image below for a larger view. I will have more coming very soon so check back! 

Here is another series of shots from a recent shoot. Jantzen had some great photo ideas, a real fun sense of adventure and a willingness to try new things which made the photo shoot really easy.

In fact she is so cute and photogenic she actually makes me look like I am a better photographer than I really am. In the end we got some amazing photos that are powerfully sexy!

Check them out and please leave a comment and feedback.

I recently had an opportunity to visit the muddy marsh for a fine day of photography. It just so happens that I had a couple tagging along with me, Angela and James. 

Angela is no stranger to being photographed in the mud. You may recall her mud 1.0 shots in the glamour gallery. It was a really compelling, entertaining, and amazing series of photographs. So amazing in fact that there happens to be a great enlargement from that shoot sitting right here next to me as a studio sample. I show it off to everyone! That’s how much I love those photographs.

With that being said… I think this second series of photographs are even more amazing. I guess I will just have to get new enlargements! 

Enough talk, lets let the photos speak for themselves! I give you Angela and James in the sticky, black, nasty, completely amazing mud. 

Here are a couple of the photos that i have been playing with. I have been been playing with color, exposure, and texture, all while trying to add a little something extra to the shot. Tell me… what do you think of this look? Really! I want to know!

I recently had the opportunity to travel with one of the greatest group of people I have ever met. I was sent to photograph and document the first ever Cricut Cruise sponsored by Provo Craft. I want to start by thanking the great people that sent me and the amazing people that I met from all over America and Canada. It was a really great trip!

It was also a photographers dream. I saw some of the most breath taking beaches, amazing sunsets and the most beautiful blue water on the planet! We traveled to a number of islands including St.Thomas and Half Moon Cay. I enjoyed every second of the trip! The hardest thing was coming back here to the snow and biting cold. But I will get over it and I look forward to my next photographic adventure! Check out the photos!