86 inch pipe and welder

We shoot a lot this time of year for annual reports and we go to a number of great locations.  This is a pipe foundry in Bristol TN.  They are making water pipe for New York City and this one tops out at 86 inches.  That’s a bunch of H2O!!  This one section is about 40 feet in length.  Think of all the pipe you have to form, weld, and haul from Tennessee to NY.  The sections have to fit on a flat bed trailer to ship.  It’s almost inconceivable the amount of pipe they have to manufacture and move to New York.

I love these situations because the light is funky and I can get dramatic and crazy with lighting.  The trick was to have a light at the back of the pipe and then position the model to block it.  There is also a small light coming through the side portal and then one front light.

This was processed in Lightroom and then layered to give a slight grungy look.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

More later…ml

It only hurts a little...

I am a big fan of acupuncture and have had many treatments.  It helps a variety of ills.

We were shooting  medical photography at a large hospital and they are offering many alternative types of treatments.  Unfortunately, the model wasn’t quite prepared for the needles to be put in her hand.  In fact, this is our brave art director.  Now she knows what a model goes through.  And this isn’t the most sensitive area for the needles.  She winced a little bit but then relaxed and actually got something great out of the mini-treatment.  All for the good of the shot.

Plus, it only hurt a little!!

More later…

ML

Luck or Patience...

To quote a great golfer, “The more I practice, the luckier I get” (Lee Travino, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jerry Barber…who knows).  I use this to illustrate that what looks like luck is sometimes just patience.  It’s like when you “know” you have the shot in the camera.  The ability to wait for the right moment to click the shutter involves anticipation of what’s coming and having patience.

This image was for the Charlotte Convention Center and Visitors Bureau.  We were shooting simultaneously from this angle and 90degrees from this angle across the street.  Here’s the catch: we couldn’t have any people in the shot and there was a convention going on with over 10,000 people at the same time.  We weren’t allowed to approach anyone at the convention to ask them to move or to stop any flow of people leaving or entering the building.  Being a dusk shot, you only have a few minutes with the perfect light.  We had to wait until there wasn’t anyone on the sidewalk because post would have been difficult.  So we waited and watched.  It was like the place had a pulse…hundreds of people could be at the doors in seconds.  There are actually a bunch of people to the left of the frame.

We took MANY exposures and bracketed all along the way.  There was 1 perfect shot.  No people.  Post production for spotting and the usual stuff.

To see more of our architecture images, go HERE. If you have questions about any of our images, drop me a line and we will use it in a future post.

Was it “luck” or “patience”?

More later

ML

Working in Hawaii at the American Farm Bureau Convention

Yes, I did go to Hawaii and, yes, it was beautiful.  We were shooting a group of 50 or so folks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and when climbing up the ladder, I turned around to see this image.  This is the only photo of me (really) from the trip but it proves the point that sometimes the most interesting images are behind you.  It also reminds me of something we don’t have here in my neighborhood.  Palm Trees.  There are some here in Charlotte, but I have never seen them.

Mokolii-Chinaman's Hat

I had the opportunity to travel with Mike Danna and his video crew from Louisiana, to Kualoa Regional Beach Park off the North Shore of Oahu to view the island of Mokolii, also known as the Chinaman’s Hat.  At low tide, you walk right over to this smallest of Hawaiian islands (1477 ft) or just take a canoe or kayak.  A storm was brewing so we only had a short amount of time to get the video needed and for me to take a few shots. When I turned around to leave, here’s what we saw…

View into Kahana Valley State Park on Oahu, Hawaii

Back home in Charlotte, ready to tackle 2012.  Couldn’t have started any better.

More later…

ML

Quiet booth in Cape May New Jersey

On the day after Christmas, I was on our family trek to Cape May NJ.  My sisters started this tradition many years ago to get the kids out of the house and away from their new electronic gizmos for at least a day.  Last year we didn’t get to go because of the “big” snow that hit the east coast so I was especially excited about the trip.  Usually, it’s very cold, overcast and dreary.  This year, it was cold and windy but very sunny.

I love the beach and beach towns in the winter.  They’re quiet and don’t have a lot of folks wandering around.  The beaches are desolate but you can hear the ocean in a way you can’t in the summer.

This image combines many things about photography that I love:  the quietness of a place, the ability to see something differently than you normally would, and the ability to shoot spontaneously.  Walking to the beach, we passed this restaurant that was closed.  I put my camera next to the window as close as I could and used my body to block out reflection in the glass.  Canon G5 (ancient, I know) set at aperture priority with the flash forced off.  Some photoshop post to reduce noise.

Happy New Year.  More later….

ML

Happy Holidays to you and your family.

I love the line from Dr. Suess’s Welcome Christmas song ” Christmas day will always be, Just so long as we have we…”  We will spend our days with family and grateful for all the trials and tribulations the year has brought us.  As the new year hurtles quickly at us, please enjoy this image of snow and light.  I don’t know if we will see ANY snow this holiday season, so here is a snowman to remind you in case you forgot.

Many thanks to my daughter Angelica for being the model and fashion consultant.

And thanks to all the folks we have worked with and worked for this year.  As I look at the images produced this year, I am grateful for all the people that allowed me to be creative and follow my passion for photography.  Your invited to follow along…

More later…ML

The Varsity in Gwinnett GA

The Varsity in Gwinnett GA

So, your north of Atlanta off I85, and you want a cheap hamburger but “not” a cheap hamburger.  I was there during my birthday late last month and picked The Varsity for 2 birthday meals.  It’s the most amazing cheap hamburger you can get.  Plus fabulous onion rings and scoop ice cream.

Your thinking, so what’s with the signs.  Well, I was able to go the The Varsity twice during my stay.  The first time the sky was beautiful blue with puffy clouds.  2 days later, a storm was moving in.  This became a simple exercise in “just because you shot it once, doesn’t mean your finished”.  Things change over time, some slower like rust on metal, some take a change in the weather.  AND, always have some way to create images with you at all times.  A sketch pad, notebook, camera phone (!!!). Doesn’t matter.  What’s important is SEEING….and of course, a great cheap hamburger!

More later

ML

Heather and Jesse at 37 weeks

Heather is one of my great assistants and gave me permission to photograph her with her husband while she was pregnant.  I shoot a lot of things as a professional photographer, but this was one of the most exciting projects.  Heather worked with me into her 7th month and I was able to see her progress during those months.  We worked out where and when to eat, that she shouldn’t lift anything heavier than a baby, when to take her vitamins, and where the closest bathroom was.  It was truly an honor to watch.  My question is, where does the belly-button go??!!

By the way, Adelai Emerson Fink (great name for a girl) was born on August 10th @ 1:12 am weighing 7lbs and 21 inches.  Another Leo.  Welcome to the world.

More later…ML

From an Annual Report Photoshoot...

We have been working diligently, working hard, working all night and all day, just plain doing what it takes to produce photography for our clients and we wanted to share some of the new work with you.  Now the images are here in our  new virtual portfolio.  How else can you market and get your work to the masses 24/7?  We are very pleased that this is now out in the world and on the web.  You can view it here and even download it.

Let’s talk about this image.  This was shot at the end of day 2 while shooting on location.  The art director didn’t ask for it, the client didn’t know about it, my assistant said “your focus is just a little off!!”.  Talk about your selective focus.  I shot it just for the fun of it.  I love the backlight through the windows with the verticals and horizontals and the reds that pop through.  We all know it’s four people standing there but isn’t it more interesting this way?

So, take a look at our new portfolio and send us some comments.

More later

ML

Grandmom at her 100th Birthday Party

I wanted to share this photo of my Grandma who made it 102 years plus 8 months.  She passed away on Monday the 25th in her sleep.  She had 3 sons, 7 grandkids, and 11 great-grand children.  We were quite the crew around the dinner table with wives and kids and significant others.  Every morning she would tell my dad “Another day, George.  Thanks God”.  In all my years, I never heard her complain or say anything bad about anyone.  She grew up on farms, ate fresh farm food (can you say healthy) and loved Reeses.

I guess the thing to really know about her was she was truly generous. In our world of get it done now, what can I get out of it, etc..  she always thought of other folks…in her neighborhood, church, and the little area she lived in all her life.

In my last post, I said I would come back with images from the great New Jersey shore.  This shot, although taken 2 years and 8 months ago, is much more important.  Call your parents, grandparents, kids, loved ones, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of.  Just say “I was thinking about you”.

Thanks for letting me get personal.

More later…

ML