Jack Jack

As it turned out, we were able to get some great shots of little Jack as he turned one year old at Trimborn Farm, just a day after, and hours before it started raining yet again. This spring has been full of disappointing days for photography considering how cold its been, as well as how much rain we have had. With Jack, I went with a little different approach than normal. I shot everything at f2.5 or lower, with no flash, on my Canon 5d with only the 85mm f1.8. I wanted to try and get a lot of shots with great bokeh. Many of the shots I took tended to include angles that exemplified the bokeh through the use of benches, walls, steps, porches, etc.

Throughout the fall, I have been working on creating some collages from various shoots. When the creative juices begin to flow, I like to play with some Photoshop brushes, textures, and gradients. I like to setup the Photoshop images as 8×10′s so that clients can print them easily wherever they may take the images. Here are a few of the collages I have put together this fall…

Just a Walk in the Park

I am sure that many of my clients are jealous that I can take pictures of my kids at any time. Strange thing is, they hate the camera, and to get them to smile for it many times is a hassle filled with promises of cake, ice cream, and McDonalds. As everyone else has gotten their fall pictures taken, we finally found some time to take ours. I think its more difficult shooting the pictures and trying to convince our kids that what we are doing is truely fun. In the short amount of time we were able to coral them, I managed to grab a few shots that might make their way onto some holiday cards this year.

5 Alive!

As fall slowly dies out, and the trees loose all their leaves, myself and 5 younglings head out in search of smiles, laughter, and fun. There was no shortage of entertainment working with this group of children. Everyone was so willing to express themselves, and I’m sure by looking at the pictures below, you can figure out what personality each one truly has bottled up.

3 of a Kind

Its not very often that I get the chance to take pictures of a newborn…but when asked, I always accept. Who doesn’t love little babies? Working with the newborn, and her two older siblings in a studio setting was a much needed change of pace for the summer.

Summer Joy

Had the great pleasure to meet a young family and share a sunny afternoon together taking pictures. What a joy it was to see smiling young faces as we walked through the grounds at St. Francis Monestary.

The Burlington Beat

As the fall arrives here is Wisconsin, there is no doubt leaves on the ground. Instead of a traditional fall look, we walked through downtown Burlington, WI to get a little different perspective on fall pictures. Little Eli, who just turned 3, rocked the lens all day. The guy knows how to work it!

Hot Summer at Grand Geneva

A summer afternoon in Lake Geneva generally pans out to walks around the lake with a stop downtown for some refreshments. This time I had the chance to walk the grounds at Grand Geneva with two young families to capture their kids, their expressions, and their youthfulness. This summer I have been working on using the Canon 580EXII flash during the middle parts of the day to bring in a more washed out, over exposed look. In many other instances, I like to back up the subject against the light, so that the sun is behind them and use my flash as fill light to light their face. This has really helped with keeping some of that harsh midday shadows off their faces.

Back Home

With daddy being home on leave from the service, we were able to get everyone together for some candids. It is so rewarding seeing this young son and his father! Using the back drop of the St Francis monastery in Burlington, we were able to capture this young boy, his smile, and his wild side.

The Train Yard

I recently found a fantastic venue to shoot at while taking a few shots of my 1986 Nissan 300zx. This place is great, our little subject could not stop talking and pointing to all the surrounding train related items. We found everything from rustic stock yard buildings, to rail spikes. A great place for a young train enthusiast.

Merry Christmas to All

Its come to that time again to send family and friends Christmas cards. One thing I love about them recently is that photo cards have become the best way to send your holiday cheer. In my house, the same is true. For just a few cents per print, you can get great looking prints with matching graphics and text to match your style. I wanted to give the new muslin a run, and the results were great. The shots were set up with one Canon 580 EXII set straight on, and one set camera right, both shot into reflective umbrellas. I used a reflector disc to bounce back the light onto the left side of their cheeks. With all muslin, it gets wrinkled. Using a small aperture brings the focus to those wrinkles, but widening the aperture to F/4.0 kept the background nice and buttery.

Thanks to all that have allowed me to photograph your families this year. It has really helped me learn! Merry Christmas to all…

Nick

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall…

Halloween came and went, and it seems that our neighborhood has decided that this holiday is equally as important as Christmas. I have never seen so many home decorations. It was quite impressive. Considering the temperature outside, I would have thought a few kids might stay at home, but again, candy reigns supreme. I decided to stand in the driveway besides a fire and hand out candy to our neighborhood kids running the streets. My little girls didn’t make it very long, but I was able to get our youngest in front of the camera for a few shots. Its easy to see the fairest one of all…