Some more of my favorite images from Jordan and Cameron’s wedding at Pastures of Plenty in Boulder, Colorado. Such a great memories! Scroll down to view a creative blend of photojournalistic wedding moments and creative portraits of amazing friends.
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Composition, lighting, and color, has stood at the center of my lightpainting for three years. I strive for consistency, cohesion in creativity. And lots of contrasting color.
In creating a signature image, I pour tons of escorting including:
4 hours to manage logistics / admin / travel >> 2 hours inspiration >> 60 minutes to prep >> 30 minutes to conceive >> 15 minutes to explore >> 5 minutes to shoot.
All this to create ONE image. The process continues:
15 minutes to edit >> 20 minutes to share >> 30 minutes to design and print >> 60 minutes to ship.
Whew! Together that represents ballpark 1,000 hours of work. Just to create these 72 images:
A creative style isn’t created overnight. It takes years of practice, thousands of hours, and tons of mistakes (I’m good at those). Yet, I stand fearless to creative something I’ve never seen before on each shoot…. these images I stand proud to sign as a piece of originality, a piece of me. Looking back, I’m exhilarated to glance this set of ilghtpaintings. I see myself in this tight edit, style.
Creative Geek Confession: I Paint from the Heart I draw on years painting. Deep in my soul, I am still a painter, yet fall in love over and over again with photography due to the immediacy the medium provides. Alas, I find myself in search of a new canvas: medium format digital. Not sure it is yet for me, but fun to entertain to notion of shooting more of my creative portraits of couples in love at Burning Man. I balance the imagination and thrill of an expensive purchase from Capture Integration with practicality and wisdom from Laurence Kim, I find myself in creative limbo. I’m happy with duel Nikon D-700s, but does that lead to stagnation? Does one wait for a 24 megapixel Nikon D-SLR called the D-800 or D4? Or go with a tried-and-true 22-megapixel PhaseOne/Mamiya 645 medium format camera with a pre-used Leaf Aptus 22 back for $6,000? In the end, I stand true to the fact that the camera doesn’t make a good photographer.
You get the point. The bulk of creative work doesn’t come from actual shooting. In fact, 10% does. Perhaps I should charge more? How do I justify the cost of new equipment for client work vs. personal work? (How) Does equipment matter? Should I shoot for film / medium format film / medium format digital to closer match what I imagine? These are questions I struggle with.
Lightpainting ‘Moments’
After a critique from Ben Chrisman at the Foundation Workshop in New Orleans, I’m now in pursuit of capturing more ‘moments’ in my lightpainting. Here’s the first of many creative portraits yet to come… policemen in the French Quarter, a contrast of transportation, old and new (thanks to Matt Steaffens for being an awesome shadow of inspiration):
You see, there are no easy answers when it comes to defining a particular photographic or artistic style, only to re-affirm what makes you happy and what you feel you are good at. Simple as that.
Photographers: I encourage you to seek to create something different with your lighting style. Not sure how? I offer private lightpainting mentoring detailed here and share a ton of tips and tricks here. Drop a comment and I’m happy to help!
Introducing 10 m.o. Mira and her family. We met for their family portrait session at Thomas Lowry Park, the same place they tied the knot. I love shooting in meaningful places! Leah is an amazing hair stylist who does wonders with our hair. Craig writes and shoots for the Salvation Army. Together, they exude cute, colorful, and creative! And Lenny is the perfect accessory designer dog, a blend between a French Bulldog and Boston Terrier… proof God has a sense of humor. These photos warm my heart. Scroll down to view my first Minneapolis family portraits.
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Working with creative clients, I strive to keep on top on my A+ game, keeping focused on delivering a consistent, beautiful portraits, but always shooting for outside comfort boundaries. As selfish as it sounds, if artists aren’t creating work for themselves, but for money, burn out is inevitable.
I’m fresh from two wonderful workshop experiences, renewed after a long-season of change, working long hours, lots of travel, and being too far away from home. All I need is to be around a few inspirational people, some dear friends, a mentor, good food, loved ones, and the comfort of home… add in a run, massage, and hair cut. Yikes! Inspiration can come from any where as long as these basic human {high medium maintenance} creative needs are met. Just being my metrosexual self, yall.
I share this portrait of 10 m.o. Mira from the Dirkes family portraits in Minneapolis:
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Simple sequences, subtle grain, film brought to life with moving pictures of couples in love… this is what artist Kevin Von Qualen creates using Super 8 mm film in cameras from a bygone era. There’s something authentic about creating images in 2011 with 1965 technology. Kevin’s work creates a palpable nostalgia from a bygone era, contrasted with a modern love story. He makes last summer’s experience feel like a dream from 1965. His art makes you savor the experience like finding a lost family photo.
Kevin’s approach to documentary is as authentic as his tools. He uses real 8 mm film exposed at 24 frames per second, sans Final Cut Pro simulated effects. Super 8 mm film cameras do not record sound. They are silent films. Kevin manages blends a appropriately chosen soundtrack perfectly suited to the moving images, like a perfect pairing of wine and cheese…. however, his films and soundtracks are NOT cheesy!
Kevin’s art is not only illustrated by his timeless documentary style, but he adds a sense of comfortable professionalism to each shoot. Unlike most wedding videographers, you don’t know he’s there, your images are captured with a silent, unwavering reassurance each time. He still nails the sequence, but more importantly he’s a friend at your side ready to make you smile. His kindness makes you feel special.
Our chosen wedding videographer We choose Kevin as our engagement and wedding videographer and could not be more certain of the decision. He created this 3 minute experience using old B&W film, my favorite film of my entire life featuring Krista and I together in our Colorado engagement session in La Porte:
I catch subtle nuances with each viewing on my white iPhone 4S I hold in my hands. Witnessing yourself in love is an amazing thing- it reinforces feelings to your eyes that you feel with your soul.
If you are considering hiring a vintage cinema artist (not to be confused with a videographer), just hire him.
Kevin, you’ve outdone yourself again and I am sooo proud to call you our wedding videographer!
View color stills by James Christianson here and B&W stills by Kevin Von Qualen here. Music provided by The Champion and His Burning Flame.
Can’t wait to say Aloha to Hawaii with the stellar, rockstar team of James and Kevin!!!!
Learning to be a student isn’t much different than learning to walk. We want to run so quickly. Yet, our feet falter at the slightest bump in the sidewalk. Sometimes it’s the fault of iOS 5, or the US mail forwarding service, or the end of daylight saving wasting time.
Making first steps ain’t easy. Yet, life’s little stumbles make us learrn. The last 4 weeks have been nice pistachio flavor I’ll still call “NUTS!”
My first ‘STEPS’
Spent wonderful time with my clients in person finalizing their wedding album, hearing some REALLY good news from Grace Ormond (stay tuned), and rediscovering my affinity for sharing un-published images like this one from Davuth & Judy’s wedding:
My first ‘FAILS’
Sometimes luck graces our first few steps and it is a blessing to boost confidence. Other times, I feel there is sooo much to learn that I forgot how to tie my velcro shoes and still manage to trip over my laces. Either way, we should learn from both. Let’s get moving without much thought, see what happens, then learn from mistakes. Like that metallic taste of a not so good wine, or table as this little one figured out:
Congrats to all those new born babies from this weekend, especially to Fort Collins wedding photographer / my match-maker Rachel Olsen!!!!). You’ll make a great Mom!
