Recently here in Ohio we’ve been having some interesting weather, as we have in winters for the past several years.  While on a drive recently, the family and I came upon a pretty cool result of that weather - a local pond had frozen, but then just the top quarter inch or so had melted.  The resulting effect was that it looked like glass, as you can see from some of these photos:


 

on the other side of the pond were roughly 100 or so geese just honking away while taking a break from flying, some of which are seen here…
 

finally, as the majority of them started flying off in smaller flocks, I got a shot I like of a flock flying directly overhead.  Click on the thumb here to go to my site to see the full size version. 

Hello readers - just a quick announcement that if you want to have portraits done in time for Holiday gifts, now’s the time to make sure you book a date.  December 1st is the last day to get portraits done in time for Christmas delivery, and there’s only a few dates left!  Click here to go to the portraits page and see what I have to offer.

You’ve searched and searched for the photographer that has the vision you’re looking for…

You got the kids’ hair cut a few days before…

Maybe even got some new clothes for the event…

And now the day of the shoot has come, and you show up to meet your chosen photographer and it’s time to… let go, relax… yes, relax

That’s what a recent client of mine did, and it was wonderful - I think the results speak for themselves:

When you think of your kids - do you think of crumpiness or of their unfailing ability to laugh and be fun?

Isn’t that what you want the end results in the photos on your walls to reflect?

Kids can naturally have fun - if you let them. Yes, you have time and money invested in this, and that can put pressure on you as a parent because you want everything to come out perfect. But trust me, this is a zen like process - to get perfection, you must let go and let the true beautiful nature of kids shine through. It will, so long as you let it. This is a truism whether you hire me or any other photographer for your kids’ portraits - a calm demeanor shines right through.

Special thanks to Kelly and Tim (and of course their wonderful children) for being perfect clients this past weekend. If you would like to view a few more samples from this shoot and others, they can be viewed on my site by clicking here. If you would like to read more information about my portraiture services in general and book your own perfect shoot, click here.

Before I start this article, let me first clarify a few things. The term “archival” typically means that the materials (in this case, a photo), will last at least 100 years, if not more, before the first noticeable fading occurs. In modern photographic printing, there are basically 3 avenues here.

The first is traditional darkroom processes using long chemical processes (sometimes more than a couple hours) to create an archival print - these are often referred to as gelatin silver print (black and white) or cibachrome (color). Secondly, there is the “lab print” and for the sake of a short discussion on archivalability, it doesn’t matter if that lab is the drug store or a pro lab - machine prints do not generally carry an archival rating, and will generally last between 20 and 60 years. The third method is the “Giclée” print (aka archival inkjet, pigment inkjet, etc.) and this is a very high end inkjet print using archival inks and papers (and my preferred method for digital printing). For what is probably more information than you’d ever want or need, the official house of testing for archival ratings is Wilhelm Imaging Research.

Now what was I going to write about? Oh yeah…

As I grew up in my parent’s house, I was surrounded by art. Almost every wall in the house had something on it, usually an oil painting or some sort of print. There wasn’t anything by any world renowned artists, but my father especially always kept his eyes open looking for another piece.

The point is though, that I grew up with that art. Those pieces are very important to me now, they are relics of my childhood. Most importantly, they formed the groundwork for my art appreciation as an adult.

This is why everything that I produce for my fine art prints is made with archival materials and processes. This is also why I make sure to offer my portraiture clients a premium printing option for archival level prints. The art you buy is a reflection of who you are and sets the tone of your home. After we pass, art is one of the few things that our heirs can use to create the same mood in their own home, in homage of us.

Looking at this a different way… let’s say that you’re 40 years old and considering between two photos that you feel equally about. One is $50 more than the other, and is also an archival print. You might say to yourself that the $50 isn’t worth it because chances are that by the time the non-archival print begins to antique, you won’t be able to see it. But what about your heirs? This is not to be so presumptuous as to assume that my photos will some day be worth 10’s of thousands of dollars (though I promise not to complain if they do), but from an emotional value, your heirs will likely be disappointed that the non-archival print doesn’t last their lifetime.

So to the point, the title, the topic, of this article: Why I’m stuck on archivalability.  It is quite simply because I value your decision to purchase my work as much as you do, and for just a little more trouble, I can make sure that your decision reaps benefits for you for many years to come, and for your heirs.

From time to time I get rather inquisitive looks from people wondering why I produce the majority of my work in black and white when technological improvements have made stunning color display possible. In some ways I feel that black and white was lost in the sea of new color printing technologies. So I’ll take a few minutes here to explain why I hold black and white so closely to my heart.

First, it’s partly because I visualize in black and white. I cut my teeth in the darkroom over 16 years ago, and at the time all that I could work with was black and white. So when I approach a subject, I’m often visualizing how the colors will translate into tonal values in the final image.

Next, shooting for black and white helps to focus my composition. Or, stated another way, color can be a crutch. There are plenty of photos that are visually appealing in color, but will look like trash in black and white. This is because color distracts from form - however I will say that the best color photos use color to reinforce form.

Black and white also allows my composition to be more complex. As an abstract photographer, this is definitely a bonus. Abstract images can be harder to “get” with regards to what my intended message is. Often times, throwing in the additional visual complexity of color would/could put the accessibility of the concept over the edge.

For portraiture, I’ve always felt that black and white was the best medium. This goes back to the saying that “if you want to see the color of their clothes, shoot in color; if you want to see the color of their soul, shoot in black and white”. Just as black and white brings forth the form and message of a still life, it helps to remove visual clutter from someone’s portrait, and let their true nature shine through. There especially is a certain quality to a subject’s eyes in black and white that cannot be grabbed in color.

From a practical standpoint, a black and white print will fit with any decor, anywhere.

There’s no true tonal scale, or zone system as Ansel Adams explained, in color. I won’t go into the debate on this one, except to point out one thing: the best way to make a really engaging color photo is to first make a black and white version of it (such as I did in my series, The Evening Clouds, inset photo).

Recently I was talking with someone who was looking at my work, who shared my love of the black and white print. He mentioned something that I think really sums it up very succinctly: “Anyone can take a color picture of a red apple, but it’s an entirely different accomplishment to take a picture of a red apple in black and white.”

Hello dear readers. Tonight I’m publishing a new set of photos to celebrate my favorite time of year: fall. The series, called simply Gourds, is a set of 10 photos of gourds that I collected from local farms in the Wooster area. I’ve always found gourds to be the most interestingly shaped fruits and have wanted to capture their oddities.

So take a look and enjoy! See the full series here.

Technical information: All photos were taken with a 50mm lens, aperture between 2.8 and 4. For the setup, I used a 36″ tall box and cut out one side and cut a half dollar coin sized hole in the top. I then mounted an Alien Bee 1600 strobe with parabolic reflector and a low-diffusion gel. The result is a small single light source with little spill and harsh shadows. I then cranked the contrast to produce the starkness you see.

Today I’m announcing the “official” start to Feel the Wind, a documentary on Denny Parsons (inset photo, Denny on right, me on left). In August of 2006, Denny was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), a destructive nervous disorder that is fatal within 3 to 5 years in over 90% of cases. The title for this project, Feel the Wind, is Denny’s call to ride. It’s his call to action. It’s his call to grab life by the horns and wrestle from it what you can.

For this documentary, I’ll be joined by Sue Hatos, a close friend of Denny’s. Together we are going to tell the story of Denny’s fight against ALS. I will be photographing the times to come while she shares the stories of his days. Close friends and family will also be contributing articles to the story. Through this project, we hope to release a book, a set of prints for exhibition, and a blog (at http://dennyparsons.wordpress.com).

When Denny was diagnosed with ALS, his life insurance canceled his policy - an especially cruel twist with respect to the fatality rate of ALS. Accordingly, a portion of the proceeds from the above mentioned activities will be donated to a trust fund for his children, and towards ALS research and outreach. Donation links will also be posted so that you may make donations directly to these funds.

To be bluntly honest, we already know how this story is going to end. The goal of this project is two-fold. 1. To bring attention to this disease and the research needed to address it. 2. I believe that the path to understanding life is to understand the fringe of life, and so this is a project in understanding.

One last note here before I sign off for the night: do not expect this to be an objective documentary. I will not pretend to photograph neutrally, and quite frankly any photographer who does is kidding themselves or possibly you. The camera can and does lie, and in capable hands it deceives very effectively. I will not use my camera to lie, but I will use it to emphasize emotional or physical elements where I feel it’s appropriate.

A lot of people ask how I get good shots of kids, so I figure I may as well spill some beans here for you.

First, kids move… a LOT.  So you’re going to have to take a lot of photos.  It’s digital, so you can trash the bad ones, so just shoot away.  As a reference, when I’m taking pics of kids “documentary style” (e.g. in their element, not the studio), I’m typically trashing 25 or 30 pics for every “winner” candidate.

Second, you need to GET ON THEIR LEVEL!  I can’t stress this enough.  So many pictures lose that magical kid touch just because they’re taken from an adult perspective.  So in the photo itself, 2/3 of the head area of the kid will be the top of their head, and only 1/3 face.  If you have been shooting from your height and not theirs, start getting down to their level consistently, and you’ll start to immediately see an improvement.

Third, anticipate the expression.  Easier said than done, I know, but this is where it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on.  Often times if I’m photographing a kid I don’t know already, I’ll spend some time getting a feel for their energy level and cadence (for lack of a better term).  The better job you can do at anticipating when the “wow” is going to come, the better you’ll do at getting the genuine expression instead of asking them to look at the camera again.

Fourth, get some detail.  Too often I see a great shot from too far away.  I know it’s a great shot - I can see a fantastic expression in there, and the light and mood is just right.  But what the heck are is that kid doing?  Again, this is digital, you don’t have to pay for every shot, so get in there and get some details about what they heck it is they’re doing.  Detail shots work great in albums and multi-photo frame presentations; and they help determine what was going on 50 years from now when this kid is showing her own kids the photos.

And finally, use what you have there to create some interesting framing situations.  Whether it’s other people or objects in the scene, by all means add them up.  The contrast in foreground and background can create a great means of communicating the mood of a scene, such as this image here - you can’t quite make out her details, but you can see that she is relaxed and that it’s a quiet day.

One more item for your benefit - sometimes often  photographed children have a habit of “hamming it up” because they like to get the “oohs and aaahs”.  This can make it difficult to get that genuine expression.  So, hold your camera up, half press the shutter so that the camera focuses and gets the exposure ready.  Then take the camera down again but keep that shutter half-pressed.  When the kid stops hamming, then take the picture with the camera down somewhat.  With some practice, you can get a great shot of a tough subject, and the kid will have some fun with your trickery!

I’ve posted a new addition to my collection of photos of manmade objects. This one is called Oilhead, and you guessed it, it’s the top of an oil well. These are found randomly throughout the farmlands of Wayne County. This was taken on a fairly clear day about an hour before sunset. To see the full sized version, click here.

Because of the singularity of these wells as they crop up from field to field, I’ve found them interesting since moving to this area. There’s also the advantage of being able to get rather close to them, which makes them attractive targets. This particular well is located in the farmland area near West Salem. Technical details: ISO 100, f8 @ 1/80 sec, 28mm lens.

Whenever I run into parents of young children, I always give them this experiment to try out, so I may as well post this here as well.

Do you have an older point and shoot digital camera? Are you about to replace it with something nifty? Maybe you just replaced it and now it’s sitting in the closet? Don’t let it just collect dust - give it to your kid!

We had a cheapo Nikon P&S that I thought I would eBay - but saw that they were only going for about $25. So I gave it to my son Mickey, who was only about 3 at the time, and man has it been fun ever since. Kids aren’t going to care if it’s only a 6MP, or if it doesn’t have the latest anti-shake technology or doesn’t make breakfast for you. For them, the pleasure is simple: they push a button, and see a picture on the back.

In the past couple years, my son has shot probably 700 or 800 photos. Sure, the first 50 were of my butt, my wife’s butt, or the dogs’ butts, or the backs of our knees. But with a little practice, he learned to point it up some more, and now has a blast with it. He takes photos of everything in his world, and it’s a lot of fun to go through his pictures from time to time and see what he’s interested in. Sometimes it’s pictures of mom and dad, sometimes it’s the dogs, and other times he’ll even set up elaborate scenes with his toys.

The point is, your kid, or your friend’s kid, or whomever’s kid, will have a lot of fun with that little point and shoot. If you really have no use for it anymore, what’s the harm? Just have fun!