More of Celeste...

Here are a few shots I took while I tagged along on Michael's shoot with Celeste (the model in our previous blog post):


1: Shot with an Id-light held slightly above and to the right of my camera to flood the near side of her face with light, and to leak over to her far eye as well. 85mm, f/2.8, 1/200 ISO 200 :


2) Was trying a different feel with this one...shot with a ring light just slightly above the camera, and an id-light behind the model for rim light. 85mm, f/2.5, 1/160, ISO 100 :



3: A different side of Michael's stunning head shot of Celeste in the previous blog post (go check it out if you haven't yet). 85mm, f/2.5, 1/125, ISO 1600 :





I hope you have enjoyed the images we have put up so far. Celeste was great to work with and I was happy to be a part of the shoot.

celeste . . .

well, this is Celeste, she modeled for me recently and here are a few of the shots. more to come shortly.



taken in an old '46? pontiac with a gold reflector for fill.

iso 1600 or 3200 . . . she is sticking her head through a door with a light above and behind her, some of the light was bouncing off of the wall to her left, and gave some nice split lighting.


straight on with a ringlight, thats all. . . ringlights are a pretty good investment.

introduction to THE END OF AN ERA

For 6 1/2 years now I have explored Beckendorf dairy. I have greatly loved what it was, and the emotional and historic significance of what it is becoming. Its dramatic settings have enamored me more than any dream . . . it is at times even more surreal.
Out of modern suburbia this century old dairy juts out of the last remaining agricultural lands in the surrounding area. The decaying buildings house a century of Beckendorf family history. Countless exhilarating nights and early hours were spent in an unreal, awe inspiring daze. Time ceases to exist, and a ghostly or spiritual air hangs low among the relics. Countless photographs and hours later I struggle with creating a body of work that could somehow let you experience this place in some way, as it is THE END OF AN ERA.

here is a photographic introduction.

Mini-series x 3

My mind is a bit of a mess at times. Ideas will float in and out of my conscious, sometimes barging in for a cup of coffee that they weren't invited for, sometimes lingering around long enough for me to realize that they are legitimate. These ideas (assuming I'm lucky enough to remember them) sometimes spawn mini-series - small glimpses of different concepts, personalities, or styles that I find interesting.


Mini-series 1

I have this idea in my head that I've been playing around with for a while...I want to subtly show chaos and deep emotion in a set of images, shot in a very traditional setting, without looking too 'portraitish'. I've had some trouble with this, and still don't think I've nailed what I really want (it's hard for me to actually be pleased with a finished product). The following three images stood out to me for some reason or another, so I have decided to post them as my first mini-series:











Mini-series 2:

This next series is slightly similar to the last in that their styles are alike, but the themes are a bit different. I wanted to shoot in a very simple, natural set, but didn't want it to be too 'traditional'. My original idea was to emphasize the feeling of being bound or impeded from any kind of movement. While the latter was actually true (my poor subject couldn't move and almost fell over a few times), the emotions of the images didn't quite go over as I had originally planned but were still interesting to me and i thought i'd share.







Mini-series 3:

Off the south side of 2920, west of Tomball, is a small strip of rather old buildings. I've always been attracted to these buildings, as they seem to be a bit lonely, even though one or two of them are bars that keep fairly busy. One of them, a country-style gray structure, is (or once was) home to a small, family-owned business called 'Froelich Hardware'. The building is obviously very old, and has apparently been in the Froelich family for over a century. One day I drove up to the building and saw that there were several people wandering about outside, browsing over what looked to be a yard sale of sorts. Not being one to pass up such a neat opportunity, I pulled in. I introduced myself to the woman who seemed to be heading off the sale - I was carrying my camera and didn't want to seem too...shady. Her grandfather, a head of the hardware shop back in his day, had recently passed away. For the last few years of his life he was unable to keep up with shop, so it had been closed down and locked up for some time. She felt it was finally time to open up the building, to allow curious passersby to see the shop and what her grandfather had done so well. He not only kept track of a hardware store, but he was also very accomplished at creating brands and branding irons. His success was obvious, as the interior walls were completely covered with brands he had made and burned into the walls over the years. I snapped a few photos of little things in the building that I found interesting, and was happy to settle at that. Sometimes I just enjoy experiencing the situation instead of worrying the entire time about 'getting the shot'. While that definitely has its place, there are times that I find require a much more relaxed approach. I really enjoyed browsing the shop and talking to Mrs. Froelich - the store and the people behind it obviously have quite a history and I'm sure many great stories as well.


I can't say the same about the yard sale though. I only bought an old LIFE magazine and four of what I think were seville oranges (?). They were very lemony.


















I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos, and reading through the blabber if you could make sense of it :)