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.

recent portraits

this is a photo of my grandpa, on my mothers side. i'm playing with a new lighting set up, this was with an sb-800 on camera, and an sb-600 a couple feet to the left. there will eventually be a whole portfolio of portraits shot this way, i have changed the setup slightly to use a ringlight for fill, and an sb-800 off to the side.

what i've done is slightly underexposed the background (mid day, bright sky) by using a fast shutter speed, and overpowering the sun with the two flash units. http://www.daveblackphotogrpahy.com/ has some good instructionals on how to do that.

very fun shot of a very fun girl, sb-800 bouncing off a white wall to the side, and ringlight for fill. backdrop is just a waterbed with a red sheet, next time i would want to shoot this in a room with a higher cieling and a ladder so that i wouldn't have to use such a wide angle, and get the shot without distortion.

a machinist from work, shot with a softbox to the left and a bare strobe off in the back - alien bee's courtesy of daniel colvin, www.danielcolvinphotography.com check him out. myspace.com/danielcolvinphotography hopfully this shot will end up part of a very fun portfolio of people who work indoors and/or at night.


this is baldemero, photographed at beckendorf dairy tri-x pushed to 1600, 6x4.5 shot at f/4 or so, printed on oriental and toned by photographing it with the wrong white balance to post online (i don't have a scanner) ambient light only, a series of strip lights ran along the cieling and lit his face just enough.

shot late evening, a window behind the pov, and a lowel id-light off to the left, shot on film, 6x4.5 at 80mm f/2.8



hopefully there will be more soon!!!