Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Portrait
Hut Hut
A future football fan gets a unique perspective of the game in a life-size display at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. It’s a fun place for the whole family, plenty to look at – especially for the true football fan.
See more of the details in a larger version of this shot by clicking on the photo.
Engaged
Meet David, Michelle…and the jewelry box. When we met at a local park for their Engagement Photo shoot, they told me they wanted to include this jewelry box in one of the photos because it held sentimental importance to them.
The jewelry box cover says, “You are My Forever Love.” It was a gift from David to Michelle on the day he proposed to her. In fact, it was the jewelry box that provided the words. The box has an audio feature. It will record your voice and play your personal message whenever the box is opened. David recorded his proposal to Michelle and gave her the box as a gift. When she opened it…well, I didn’t get the details of that encounter, but the photo above tells you everything you need to know.
There was a moment as we were preparing that he opened the box and the message began to play. I quickly moved away so I couldn’t hear it. I don’t know if they cared whether I heard it or not but, to me, it just seemed too special, to private, a moment for young lovers, for her ears only.
To view a larger version of the portrait above, click on it.
For friends and family of David and Michelle, a gallery of all the photos from our session can be viewed here: GALLERY
Mama’s Pride and Joy
Welcome baby Blake! He is an Easter baby, born March 31, 2013. He is one day old here. I was able to capture this sweet shot of him, with his proud mama looking on.
I had taken a bunch of typical photos during out short visit and had packed up my camera to leave. The nurse had come and did her nurse stuff – checking whatever they check – and placed him in the neonatal bed. As I walked by, headed for the door, this view caught my eye and I thought it would make a great image. So, I quickly unpacked my camera and snapped a couple – this being the last one. It is my favorite of all I took.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for these parents. You can’t duplicate this a week later. It’s a good example of why you should call a professional photographer when the moment really matters. The cost of a professional is minuscule when you consider the priceless memories you will have captured forever.
To see a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Family in the Woods
I photograph a lot of different subjects – sunrises, lighthouse, birds, bugs, flowers, scenic landscapes, etc.; just browse through this website. The one subject that intimidates me and always proves to be my greatest challenge is people.
I can go to shoot one of my favorite lighthouses at sunrise and if the finished product doesn’t live up to my expectations, no big deal. They’ll be another day and another sunrise. The only person who is out anything is me and the only real loss is my time. When I photograph a sunrise, I’m trying to capture a moment. With a portrait, you have to first try and create “the moment” and then successfully capture it.
When photographing people, I’m not the only one who has a stake in the outcome. Others are investing their time and come with their own expectations. If I take fifty shots of a sunrise and I mess up some camera setting or I just don’t like the way any of them turned out – nobody knows but me. When you take fifty shots of a person, make them go through a battery of facial and body contortions, you’d like to have something of value to reward their patience and effort.
This photo is from a family portrait session last fall. A great group to work with – and a good lookin’ bunch, too. I like the way this turned out, but it comes in low on my “satisfaction” scale. There are a number of technical issues that spoil it for me (I won’t bore you with the specifics). I did a lot of post processing, trying to overcome those issues, and it’s still not quite there.
The good news is, each portrait session is a learning experience. And, as they say…”Practice makes perfect.”
You can view a larger version of this image by clicking on the photo.
Digital Divide
A father-daughter moment – dad browsing with his iPhone and daughter browsing “old school.”
Sometimes a “moment” just happens. This photo was taken in May of 2011 while visiting family. There were a number of other people in the room, visiting, laughing and having a good time. I was down on the floor focusing my photographic effort on the little girl, snapping pictures and didn’t really notice the symmetry between her and her father in the background until I saw it on my computer screen.
This image actually took a good deal of work and digital magic. Beyond converting it to monochrome, there was another person in the shot and a fourth person’s foot that I had to remove to isolate my subjects.
To get a better view, click on the photo and larger version will open in another browser tab.
With Dad – in color
A few days ago I posted the B&W version of this portrait. I’m posting the color version so you can compare. I like them both, but I can’t decide which I like better.
To view the B&W version, click HERE. When you do, it will open a new browser tab and you’ll be able to easily bounce back and forth between the two and formulate your own opinion.
To see this image larger, click on the photo.
With Dad
The eyes of this child are hypnotic. It’s hard for me to look away…all the while, wondering what she might be thinking.
This is a father and daughter – part of a family of five I was working with for a family portrait. He was carrying her as we walked to another setting in the outdoors.
To view a larger version, click on the photo.
Sara
pho·to·gen·ic [foh-tuh-jen-ik]
adjective
1. forming an attractive subject for photography or having features that look well in a photograph: a photogenic face.
When you look up the word “photogenic” in the dictionary, you should see Sara’s photo.
No doubt about it. Some people are photogenic. I’m blessed to have a wife that is one of them. However, she’s not always willing to jump in front of a clicking camera. I usually have to do a little coaxing.
This was a shot from the Happy Birthday to Me session.
Happy Birthday to Me!
It was my birthday (55) yesterday and when my wife asked me what I’d like to do, I told her I wanted to get outdoors and take a new photo of ourselves. I take a lot of pictures, but rarely capture both of us together.
We had an enjoyable afternoon, a fun time…and I’m pretty pleased with the result. Isn’t she a beauty! (Inside and out) I’m a blessed man!
You can see a larger version of this image by clicking on the photo.
Photo Restoration – Before & After
Chalk this one up to the magic of Photoshop and hours and hours and hours and hours of tedious work.
The background story: A good friend came to me with this photo and asked if I could fix it. The photo is a little more than 50 years old. The subjects are siblings that were separated shortly after this picture was taken – I believe, due to the death of one or more parents. My friend’s father (little boy in the overalls) is the one who had the original, and only known copy. It was recently discovered rolled up and literally falling apart. My friend wanted to have it restored, as much as possible, and present it as a Christmas gift to his dad.
The original was a bit smaller that 16×20 inches. It had been printed on a thick paper that time had made very stiff and brittle. My first step was to scan it and create a digital file that could be manipulated in Photoshop. The My scanner will only scan 8.5×11 inch images. To get the full photo I had to make multiple scans of it, being sure my scanned images would overlap. The photo itself presented a lot of problems, because of its stiffness and the areas of major wrinkles actually had small small pieces of the image that were falling off. That stiffness also prevented the image from laying flat on the scanner. I was very worried about damaging the original just by unrolling it.
After scanning was complete, I had to join all the pieces of the puzzle to come up with the image you see on the left. (Actually, some work had been done to it try to even out the tone and remove the tiniest of wrinkles before I saved the “before” image you see here.)
Once I had the “before” view you see above, it was a matter of removing the big wrinkles and recreating some of the areas where the image had flaked off, like on the boys knee or the tall boys face and neck.
When I first saw the photograph, I wasn’t sure how good I could make it look. Trust me, the “before” image doesn’t do it justice. I actually took on this project to test my own skills – to see if I could really do it.
After the multiple hours of eye straining work, I think it turned out pretty good. I’m not completely pleased with it, because I can see plenty of other things that need to be fixed. I would have also liked to work more on the background. Time decided for me, when the project was complete. I had worked on it when I could, for several months, and stopped the week of Christmas, so I could get a 16×20 print made for the gift.
I learned a bit through the process and honed my Photoshop skills as well. The greatest lesson learned? Do not take on another project like this unless… 1) you have a lot of time…and… 2) someone is paying you a boatload of money. Now that I know I can do it, that challenge is not as motivating.
Final word: My friend presented gave his father the photo for Christmas and everyone was delighted and amazed by how good it looked. I also gave him the file on a CD so they can print more copies for the other family members.
I consider it a happy ending.
You can get a closer look at this side-by-side image by clicking on it.