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Photos with Animals | Erin & Tully

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Photos with Animals. We see them all the time, but rarely do we think to bring them along when it’s time for a family portrait session. The thing is, they ARE family to us. And with dogs, more than any other pets we may have, there is a special bond. They love us unconditionally and would stop at nothing to protect us, or to be by our side. Our dogs keep our secrets, are our friends and even our guardians when duty calls.

That’s why I was so happy when Tully greeted us at the door with his Mommy in tow. I love taking pictures of people with their pets – most of the time they’re impossible to pose, but that’s part of the fun. Some of my favorites can be found in my portfolio. Each of those photos was selected for display on that page because the candid moments we share with our pets are much like those we share with our kids. Uninhibited and loaded with personality. That’s why photos with animals are among my favorites to take.

Photos with Animals | Erin & Tully

Photos with Animals - Erin & Tully

As much as I talk about the pets and love photos with animals, usually, they are at their happiest when they are with their families. We’re just as important to them as they are to us. So I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there is also a person in this picture.

Erin is the better half of Eddie, who was featured in the previous 52 Portraits entry. In fact, I knew Erin before she went off to college, where she met Eddie. Erin was also in our wedding party.

See, Erin and Eddie are part of this small group of our friends that have been together since high school. As life has gone on, we’ve become more and more spread out. Jobs have moved many out of state, families take priority over evenings at the Cavalier Diner (which is gone now, anyway), early mornings at work trump late weeknights. But without fail, we gather on the 23rd of December every year to celebrate and catch up. It’s still up for debate, but we believe this has been going on for 20 years now. Not everyone can make it every time, but we have been blessed that more often than not, we are all able to be together for at least that one night. And now, another generation is taking over, as the gathering has become as much about our children as it is about our friendships, that can now be measured in decades.

Some of the fondest memories any of us have, were created together with this extended family. And as I was writing this, a very funny moment came back to me.

A large group of us were out enjoying dinner together. This was a fairly regular occurrence for us – anywhere from 8-16 people. Anyway, on this night we were at TGI Fridays in Watchung, NJ and there seemed to be a LOT of birthdays happening. With every single one, Erin got excited – clapping, maybe even singing along. And if you know Erin, you know that’s just her nature. Always smiling, always positive. Genuinely happy to see joy in the lives of others, whether she knows them or not. Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that it needed to be Erin’s birthday. I spoke to a friend of mine who happened to be our waiter and asked him to deliver a birthday dessert to Erin.

As they came out, chanting their birthday tune, Erin was clapping and singing along, getting even more excited as they headed into our area. I will never forget the look on her face! Erin turned bright red when she realized they were coming right to her. I find myself laughing out loud over that memory, 15-16 years later. But that night, I couldn’t breathe, I was laughing so hard. To her credit, it didn’t even phase Erin. She blew out the candle and had a good time with it. I wouldn’t have expected any less.

After writing all of this and memories started flooding back, I realize that I’m going to have to feature each of the people involved in those memories in this project. It just has to happen.

So for those of you implicated…and you know who you are…consider this your warning. I’m coming for you.

Location:    Cranford, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Natural

Settings:
ISO 400; f/4.5; 1/640 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Filed Under: 52 Portraits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Long Exposure Photography – In the Field

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Last week, for some long exposure photography, I had the pleasure of getting together with Gevon and Scott along the waterfront in Sewaren, New Jersey. I had no idea the spot Scott took us to even existed, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I know Scott, so I was sure it would be a great location.

We met up at JJ Bittings in Woodbridge for great craft beer and food, then headed down to the water. Craft Beer Flight at JJ Bittings

Scott is a long exposure photography wizard. Gevon’s not too shabby, either. And both of them were using excellent filter kits (Scott with a Lee Filter kit, Gevon with a WonderPana). Since I don’t usually shoot what would be truly considered long exposure Neutral Density Filtersphotography, I was not as prepared as I wish I was. But that’s OK! With the time of evening we were shooting, a little knowledge, some advice and input from Scott and Gevon and a couple of stacked filters, I was able to get the results I was after. Of course, it left me wanting to experiment more, so I’m researching neutral density filters.

Long Exposure Photography

From Wikipedia:
Long-exposure photography or time-exposure photography involves using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. The paths of moving light sources become clearly visible.

 

I’ve done some long exposure photography in the past, including one of my absolute favorite images, “As Time Goes By.”

As Time Goes ByBut in terms of long exposure, this was short. Just enough to get the blur of modern vehicles as they passed by the truck on Main Street. In Sewaren, our exposure times were measured in minutes, not seconds. With a camera like the T4i, this can be a challenge, unless you have a controller that allows you to set your exposure times (I use a Neewer timer remote). Even then, it took a little finagling and some ideas from Scott before I got it working the way I needed it to.

I consider myself lucky, because Scott (along with our friend Joe) is preparing to host a workshop on Long Exposure Photography. So as much as he was enjoying the time we were shooting, he was also very much in teacher mode, whenever I had a question. It didn’t take long to get things dialed in – even though I was using my least favorite lens out of my bag. A funny thing when I’m around other photographers – I don’t feel competitive, but I do want to make sure I’m not only learning, but applying the techniques I see them using while we’re all shooting. There’s a certain sense of pride that goes along with learning something and being able to apply it immediately. There’s an even bigger sense of pride when I can do it using my own equipment – especially if it’s a piece I very rarely use (In this case, a Canon 75-300mm lens). Not that it’s a bad lens, we just don’t seem to get along most of the time.

Fishing Boat on the Arthur Kill

A small fishing boat navigates the Arthur Kill. The water was very calm, allowing them to travel at a high rate of speed.

At first, I was cursing myself – to date, I have not purchased a single ND filter for my Sigma 17-70mm lens. But as any photographer will tell you, you have to adapt. You have to work with what is in your bag and be prepared to change course when you have to. One of my favorite quotes is “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” Since I had filters for the 75-300, that’s what I was going to use and I was going to make it work.

B Franklin Reinauer

The B. Franklin Reinauer tug boat is one of the strangest I’ve ever seen. Seems to be as tall as it is long, if not taller.

The evening proved to be interesting. I learned that the 75-300mm. is more versatile in these situations than I thought it would be. We had opportunities beyond shooting just a skyline/waterscape. One of the most interesting tugboats I’ve ever seen came into the dock, there were pleasure boaters and fishermen, barges and even some interesting wildlife. Beyond all of that, you could see the New York City skyline.

Double-crested Coromont

I watched with fascination as this Double-crested Cormorant dove under water for what seemed like an eternity, coming up with a fresh catch almost every time!

Scott even spotted a Ghost Tog in one of his exposures. And while I did use the  Sigma here and there, after a certain point, the 75-300mm stayed on the camera.

From our vantage point, there was several areas of interest. First of all, the industrial landscape is excellent. Directly across the Arthur Kill was a large ship, riding high in the water. To our left was what I believe was a refinery. With four stacks, a burn off tower and a neon HESS sign, the reflections in the water were excellent and ideal for long exposure photography.

Long Exposure Photography - My Camera

A look at the scene through my screen.

So, the lessons learned:
1) The 75-300mm isn’t really the worst lens I own. As I already suspected, there was nothing wrong with the lens…
2) Being forced to try something different will inevitably end in a learning experience.
3) Long exposure photography is a lot of fun, especially with friends.
4) I NEED a neutral density filter kit, or at the very least, a darker ND lens, 72mm.
5) The beer and food at JJ Bittings are awesome, which kind of makes up for the lackluster service (in the seating area, not at the bar!).

If you’re interested in learning more about long exposure photography, I highly encourage you to sign up for the workshop Scott and Joe have put together. Space is limited, so don’t wait! Based on what I learned just by hanging out with Scott, I know the workshop will be excellent!

For more information about Scott and Joe‘s Long Exposure Photography Workshop, click here:
http://scottwyden.com/long-exposure-photography-workshop/
To register, click here:
http://scottwyden.com/nj-photography-workshop/

Scott even created a short video titled “Time Is On Your Side: Long Exposure Photography” that you can see on YouTube.

Equipment list from Long Exposure Photography outing:
Canon EOS T4i
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro lens
Canon 75-300mm lens
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto lens
Neewer Timer Remote
Neutral Density Filter
Circular Polarizer
Ravelli Tripod

 

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New Jersey Family Portraits

May 15, 2013 By 1 Comment

It’s always fun when we get together with our friends. Especially when the kids are involved. And while I don’t always bring the camera with me, this day I was acting as educator, as well as catching up. New Jersey Family Portraits

As usual, no one is safe from the portrait blog and since I was there to teach, how could anyone argue?

Eddie didn’t  hesitate to work with me and I had a shot in mind. But as I started to arrange things for the photo, things took a turn. I knew that I wasn’t going to get my shot. The thing is, once I captured a the photos you see below, I didn’t care!

New Jersey Family Portraits

There is a reason that I keep my options open while shooting. Even though I usually have a specific result in mind, things change. In those situations, it’s better to adapt, than to try and force a shot.

In this case, there’s a little history behind the photo I wanted to capture. You see, Eddie and I go back a ways. He was in my wedding party and even though we don’t see each other often enough, when we do, it’s as if no time has passed. Things have changed since the first time we met. Eddie graduated from college, we’ve both gotten married to wonderful women, we both have kids, we’ve both chosen career paths (although Eddie was already well on his way with his chosen profession when we met), etc.

But even though all of that has changed, the friendship hasn’t. We joke around about a lot of the same things that we always have (baseball especially – Eddie is a Mets fan, I’m a Yankees fan) and genuinely enjoy each others company. So when we got together with the families, I made sure I wore a Yankees jersey, just to rub it in a little. What I didn’t expect was to see Eddie in a Mets shirt, but I wasn’t surprised. And that’s exactly why the shot I wanted to get was that of a frustrated Mets fan. Eddie has a good sense of humor and a good nature, so I knew he wouldn’t fight it!

But before I could get my shot, Eddie’s little girl happened to notice him sitting on the steps. And what you see here is what she decided to do when Daddy had a seat.
Family Portraits in NJ

 

 

 

 

After seeing this, how could the shot be anything else?

Being Dad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When  you’re taking pictures, it is imperative that you are aware of your surroundings and be prepared to adapt to the things that unfold. Scenes like this are the reason I rarely go for just a single shot, instead focusing on personality for a period of time. It allows me to capture candid photos during a session that would otherwise be missed. In this case, a daughter, unprompted, is showing her Daddy just how much she loves him. Eddie never saw her coming, which brought the natural smile to his face that his friends see frequently. I’m  happy that I was able to capture this moment, because this is the definition of the Eddie we all know and love!

Location:    Cranford, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Natural

Settings:
ISO 400; f/4.5; 1/400 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Filed Under: 52 Portraits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hillsborough, NJ Photographer | Baby Chick Day

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Baby Chick

Don’t worry – the handler is experienced. That grip is just tight enough to keep the chick secure and safe!

There are many great things about being a Dad. But when you’re a Hillsborough, NJ Photographer who also happens to be a Dad of a student, you get some fun opportunities to put your skills to good use.

Back in April, the kindergartners at my daughters school had the opportunity to observe the early life of baby chicks, starting out as eggs. The eggs and equipment were provided by a local farmer. Of course, the chicks went back to the farm, before they got too big for the classroom!

When the day came for the parents to visit, the teachers had put together a full presentation with the kids. They sang songs, we did a craft together and the teachers even put together a slideshow presentation, so we could see the baby chicks with the kids in the classrooms.

One of the best parts for me was the ability to not only document the event through photography, but to then be able to share those photos with the families, with the help of the teachers. Parents who hadn’t been able to attend, were able to see photos from the day. Families that did attend, got to see things through a different set of eyes, or got to see things they hadn’t noticed, while they were busy with their own kids.

All in all, it was a fun morning. BabyChickDay-3875

The Baby Chicks and the Hillsborough, NJ Photographer

But as a photographer, it was a field day. Really, how often do you get up close and personal with a brood of chicks?
So I popped on the 17-70mm Sigma lens and went to town.

The chicks were still small enough to be handled with ease, but some of them felt the need to explore. This made it easy to get some fun shots of them both in the hand and on their own.

I’m looking forward to the years of school events we have ahead of us. I really am. To be a proud Dad is awesome all by itself. But knowing I have the skills to document those events makes me feel even better about securing these memories for my daughter!


Equipment List:
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Overhead flourescent

Camera Settings:
ISO 1600; f/4.5; (multiple shutter speeds), Aperture Priority Mode, Evaluative Metering

Processed in Adobe Lightroom 5 (beta).

Filed Under: Blog | The Digital Artscape Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unique Portraits – Vintage Nick

April 30, 2013 By 1 Comment

Unique Portraits - Nick

Unique portraits that are vintage in nature are a passion of mine. Many of my personal projects involve old cars and models that are decked out in a pin-up style. It’s not unusual for me to seek out vintage/classic/retro toys and apparel at consignment sales. One prop can inspire an entire day of shooting. Such was the case when I worked with Archer – I found the Radio Flyer Retro Rocket at a sale and immediately a vision came to mind. Uniqe Portraits - ArcherThe same thing happens often when I see Nick. He’s my neighbor and we have a lot in common, which surprised me quite a bit. You see, like many people, I had a preconceived (and way off base) notion of what it means to be a Jehova’s Witness. I really didn’t believe that they could enjoy certain things. Things like popular music, or alcohol. So I’m sure you can imagine my confusion the first time I saw Nick wearing a Beatles shirt. Or when later, I found out he’s a craft beer fan, like me. These two things prompted me to start asking Nick questions about his faith. It was a pleasant conversation and one that I’m glad we had. I learned quite a bit that day and am better for it.

I also discovered that much like me, Nick has a vintage style and is a fan of Steampunk. And ever since, I’ve been wanting to get Nick in front of the lens. I didn’t really pursue it too much, but when I started seeing photos of Nick wearing a derby and sporting a mustachio, I knew I had to make it happen. I had an end result in mind, so it was just a matter of getting the shot.

Unique Portraits – Getting the shot

Like I said, I’m all about the unique portraits. When Nick and I were chatting the other day, I decided it would be a good time to take a few minutes to get the shot. Not only did Nick oblige, but he went inside to grab his derby and wax up the mustache. See, Nick’s an amateur photographer. He gets what it means to have a shot in mind. It’s always fun to work with someone who “gets it” because they don’t usually mind taking that extra step or two, to help bring a vision to life.

I tried a couple of different spots in the area, finally deciding on a brick wall backdrop with even shade. The light reflecting off the wall gave me the bounce I wanted to highlight the derby, without washing out Nick’s features. The setting sun was dropping below the buildings behind me, creating a shadow across the lower quarter of the shot, about even with Nick’s collar. It was ideal for creating separation between his face and jacket, drawing your eyes up, to the important elements of the image.

I opted against using any kind of fill light or reflectors, because I wanted some shadows to add depth to the photo and lend to the vintage end result I was after.

That’s right – even when you’re using natural light, a lot of thought goes into the setting and how the light highlights the subject. It isn’t just finding a sunny or shady spot – it’s about finding the lighting that falls where you want it to, to create a final product that matches the look you want.

Here’s the original:

Unique Portraits - Nick's Original
To see some of Nick’s work,
check him out on Tumblr!

 

Shot data:
Location:  My own stomping grounds
Camera:    Canon EOS T4i
Lens:          Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto
Light:        Natural

Settings:
ISO 400; f/6.3; 1/125 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Processing:
Photoshop CS6, Hue/Saturation layer to create tintype coloring, multiple texture layers to add antiqued appearance. Motion and surface blur added to mimic long-exposure times which were necessary in the early days of photography. Levels adjusted to blow out the highlights a little more and darken portions of the portrait. Vignetting and border layers added.

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Headshots – Robert Kobus

April 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The last in the series of portraits from “This is Studio Light.” Robert needed some new headshots, so he volunteered to be our male model for the afternoon.

Headshots - Robert Kobus

Behind the scenes of Robert’s headshots session.

Commonly, actors that are just starting to make their name in the industry look for a trade of “Time for Print.” Such was the case with Robert, who wanted to update his portfolio.

What you see above is one of the setups we tested that afternoon: A simple reflector, and a neutral backdrop.

What you can’t see is the monolight and then the behemoth 79″ Rime Lite softbox with a Dynalite SH 2000 Blower Cooled Studio Flash Head. Control for all of the lighting was handled via PocketWizard PlusX and Plus III units.

The Rime Lite is a thing of beauty. It was like having the sun as your own personal strobe, with a giant softbox on it.  The kind of lighting it creates is evidenced in the above photo. With just a simple backlight for fill, the lighting is smooth, even and very natural looking.

Headshots

It was important to get the necessary headshots that most actors need, but it was also important to get a few creative shots. After all, if all you have is a standard image, how will you stand out from the crowd? Robert worked well with the photographers at the session. And in my case, he was patient as we changed around some lighting to achieve the different results.

In the end, we all got what we needed out of this event. Great portfolio pieces for everyone, plus the photographers were able to get hands-on with some new equipment. In my case, it afforded me the opportunity to start developing a new skill set. Unfortunately, it also resulted in a rather large shopping list of things that I want!

For more information about Robert James Kobus, check the following sites:
RobertKobus.com
Robert’s SAG listing
Robert on Model Mayhem (the profile shot there might look familiar!)

 Equipment list for headshots:

Location:          DynaLite, Inc. – Union, NJ
Camera:             Canon EOS T4i
Lens:                    Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:                   Single strobe (modeling light), reflector, DynaLite Sh2000, DynaLite Grand Series 79″ Rime lite
Accessories:    PocketWizard PlusX

Settings (Behind the Scenes, only):
ISO 200; f/10; 1/100 sec.; Manual mode; Evaluative Metering

Post Processing:
Optimized for web viewing in Photoshop CS6.

Filed Under: 52 Portraits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Professional Portrait Photography – Mobile Makeup Maven

April 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Professional Portrait Photography - Mobile Makeup Maven Meet Joanna, the Mobile Makeup Maven.

Recently, Joanna volunteered her services for “This is Studio Light,” hosted by Scott and DynaLite.

While new to the industry, it quickly became apparent that Joanna really knows her stuff. She was a consummate professional from the minute she walked in the door. Friendly and easy to work with, Joanna worked her magic like an experienced pro. Watching her work, I couldn’t believe she wasn’t an artist with years of experience under her belt. She worked quickly and achieved amazing results.

Not only did Joanna handle makeup duties, but later in the day, I asked her to step in front of the cameras. You wouldn’t have guessed that she had no experience as a model. She took direction very well and clearly enjoyed her time at the event.

Professional Portrait Photography

As Joanna worked, I began documenting the process. As I said, she was a professional all the way and I wanted to capture that as she applied the makeup to Gianna. I love photographing people while they perform their duties and this case was no exception. Truth be told, it was fascinating, watching the change in Gianna’s appearance. Joanna wasn’t phased as I snapped away, capturing images of her as she performed her work. She did an amazing job and I know I’m not the only photographer that attended the event that is looking forward to working with her again.

Professional Portrait Photography - Joanna

Joanna, on the other side of the lens.

And a fun little side note – after the event, I sent Joanna a friend request on Facebook, so I’d be able to get in touch with her more easily for potential jobs. Once we were connected, I discovered that she is family to a friend of mine from my days at Seton Hall. Small world, huh?

For more information about Joanna, the Mobile Makeup Maven, check the following sites:
Mobile Makeup Maven
On Facebook
On Model Mayhem

 

Location:    DynaLite, Inc. – Union, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Overhead flourescent

Settings (Joanna at work, only):
ISO 400; f/4.0; 1/50 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Post Processing:
Softened in Photoshop CS6 using inverted high pass filter and Imagenomic Noiseware plugin.

Filed Under: 52 Portraits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Portrait Photography – G Servo

April 25, 2013 By 1 Comment

The past few weeks have been really busy around here, so I’m going to be playing catch up on the portrait photography blog. Portrait Photography - G Servo

Gevon and I first met a few months ago during a photowalk in NYC with the incredible Trey Ratcliffe. Since both of us have a tendency to stray from the crowds during events like this, we wound up hanging out most of the afternoon, chatting and shooting the scenery. One of the things we noticed was that we were drawn to many of the same photo ops, but we had very different methods of capturing them and very different results. That’s how it is with photographers – you can put 300 of us in the same place, taking a picture of the same thing and you’ll wind up with 300 different photos, some that will look similar, but no two exactly alike. But I digress…

Since that time, Gevon and I have gotten to know each other better, finding we have a lot in common. We hang out a lot at photography events and now, we’ve even been getting together with our kids at a local playground. Even our kids get along great – no surprise there.

Gevon, known in photography circles as G Servo, is also a blogger at ThePhoblographer.com. On a regular basis, Gevon tests and reviews camera gear for the site. He also writes on his own personal blog at GServo.com. If you’re a coffee junkie, Gevon is someone you need to follow. He’s a connoisseur of the first order and always comes up with great photos to go along with the latest news and reviews in the world of java. He even maintains a paper.li site dedicated to the obsession called “League of Coffee Tweeters.”

Portrait Photography

This photo was captured during an event called “This is Studio Light” which was hosted at DynaLite and put together by Scott Kivowitz.  While we had models for the event, we have a tendency to turn our cameras on each other. At the end of the day, we started testing a single light set up, using just a modeling light and a reflector. I had already told Gevon I wanted to get him on this blog, so he agreed to have a seat and let me get this shot.

If you’d like to learn more about Gevon or see his work, check out these links to his sites:
Twitter: @gservo
Personal blog: gservo.com
Contributor to: ThePhoblographer.com
Body of work at: 500px

Location:    DynaLite, Inc. – Union, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Single strobe and reflector

Settings:
ISO 200; f/8.0; 1/60 sec.; Manual mode; Evaluative Metering

Post Processing:
Softened in Photoshop CS6 using inverted high pass filter and Imagenomic Noiseware plugin.

Filed Under: 52 Portraits Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flounder – the Brewer

March 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It’s not every day a craft beer fan learns that a brewery is opening in his or her neck of the woods. Well, not just neck of the woods, but only 2.5 miles away. Needless to say, when I heard about Flounder Brewing coming to Hillsborough about a year ago, I was excited. And I made it my mission to meet the brewer and get to know him. While it’s awesome to have a brewery coming to town, it’s great to see a new business of any kind opening. And it made a lot of sense for a connection to happen between Digital Artscape and Flounder Brewing. After all, I’m also a big fan of Beertography and even have a contest winning piece of beer-related photography hanging at the TapHouse Grille in Wayne, NJ. In other words, on both personal and business levels, getting to know each other almost had to happen.

Since I first connected with them, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting with the Flounder Family from time to time over the past year. I’ve also been very fortunate to photo-document much of the behind the scenes work. It’s turned into a nice working relationship with a good group of folks and like so many others, I’m really looking forward to their opening day.

Jeremy "Flounder" Lees

Jeremy “Flounder” Lees

This photo celebrates a big step forward for Flounder Brewing. It was taken on the day they began brewing their first commercial batch of Hill Street Honey Ale. Towards the end of the process, I asked Jeremy “Flounder” Lees (Yes, the namesake of Flounder Brewing and yes, named for the “Flounder” of Animal House fame) to step outside for a quick photo with his Jeep, which is nicely branded with the Flounder Brewing logo. It had been a long day for him, but he happily obliged.

I’ve learned a lot about Jeremy, Flounder Brewing, the brewing process and beer in general over the past year. It’s a family affair and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of the Flounder clan and even their pets. They are really a great group of hardworking people that the craft beer community is going to love. Even beyond that, I believe Flounder Brewing will find they have quite the home here in Hillsborough and they’ll be embraced by the locals. I also have no doubt that having a local brewery here will introduce people that have never walked past the Big American Beer case in the local liquor store to the world of craft beer.

So here’s to Flounder Brewing! Wishing them all the best as they take one more step toward success!

Want to know more about Flounder Brewing?
Check them out on Facebook
Visit their Homepage

Location:    Flounder Brewing, Hillsborough, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Natural

Settings:
ISO 1600; f/5.6; 1/1000 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Post Processing:
Processed in Photoshop CS6, converted to grayscale with select coloring added through layers.

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Engagement Photos with Dr. John and Leigh

March 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Several weeks ago, Dr. Ammeraal was the subject of the portrait blog. Now, he’s showing up in engagement photos!

A quick refresher: Dr. Ammeraal saved our little friend, Alice the Cat. If it had not been for him, she would not have survived. Dr. Ammeraal performed these duties in the name of charity, for which we will be forever grateful.

And while my family could not handle what would have been a super-sized Vet bill, I did offer Dr. Ammeraal the one thing I had to offer in exchange: My talent.

Now, as part of our exchange and thanks to a major milestone in John’s life, he gets to make a second appearance in the blog. But this time, he isn’t alone. Since John and Leigh got engaged about a year ago and I hadn’t seen any official engagement portraits, I offered an exchange of services. And I’m thrilled that they took me up on it!

Engagement Photos

Click thumbnail to view larger image

John and I set the date for the photos, weather pending. After all, this is NJ and it was February. Even though we’ve had a mild winter, you never know what’s going to happen. But as the date approached, the forecast looked promising, so we locked things down. And when I got out of bed the morning of the shoot, I was excited! The skies were clear, the day was warm and you really couldn’t have asked for anything more on a winter day. I even sent a message to a friend that lives not far from the session location we’d picked out to remind him I’d be in his area. His response was “You got a beautiful day for a shoot!”

Like I said, you couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Fast forward a couple of hours. I started loading my gear into the truck…and the skies started turning gray. I got in the truck…the wind picked up. John sent a text “Clouds just rolled in heavy.” I told him not to worry. The cloud cover would provide us with nice, even lighting. No shadows to contend with, no glare from the sun. Then I hit the road.

Engagement Photos in Clinton, NJ

As I headed up Route 78 to Clinton, the skies went from cloudy to dark and it started to drizzle. As I got closer to Clinton, it started to flurry. My mind was racing…what would I do? This was an outdoor shoot at a beautiful location and Mother Nature was about to tell me to stuff it. But I pressed on and sent John a text telling him to keep coming, no matter what the weather did. I was formulating a plan and we were going to have an awesome shoot, no matter what.

The really bad weather never did arrive, but the temperature had dropped significantly along with a wind that was whipping up. We were along a river, in the shadows of a hillside, which seemed to channel those winds right at us. We decided the best bet was to work the original plan, but quickly, so they wouldn’t freeze. Why work against Mother Nature, when you can work around her?

The location was great – a pair of historic mills (both now museums), a dam, a steel bridge, a nice main street. We worked mostly on the bridge and in that immediate area. And even though it was chilly, John and Leigh were both very relaxed and enjoyed themselves, which allowed me to capture not only a series of must-have shots for any engagement session, but also the casual shots, like this one.

Throughout the session, they joked, they laughed, they enjoyed themselves. Several photos show just how much they enjoy being with each other. There was never a moment that I looked up and the two of them weren’t smiling and laughing.

This photo also demonstrates an artistic sacrifice…and is the reason I would discourage John and Leigh from using it in an announcement, or anything official regarding their engagement: You can’t see the ring. For that matter, you can’t even see Leigh’s left hand.

But I wanted this background, I wanted this positioning and this shot was about the two of them together, not the engagement. And while there are several photos that do show the ring, there are many more that do not. I wanted to document their obvious love for each other as much as I wanted to highlight this event in their lives.

This was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting Leigh, but it doesn’t take long to recognize that she’s an absolute sweetheart. The three of us sat down to warm up over a cup of coffee after the session and it was great getting to know her a little bit. Conversation came easy and it certainly never felt like we’d just met. The two of them are lucky to have found each other – because they are truly a great match. They’re such a fun couple that bring out the best in each other. I consider myself very lucky to be the engagement photos photographer that had the chance to showcase it!

Location:    Main Street, Clinton, NJ
Camera:       Canon EOS T4i
Lens:             Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro
Light:           Natural

Settings:
ISO 800; f/3.5; 1/125 sec.; Aperture Priority mode; Evaluative Metering

Post Processing:
Softened in Photoshop CS6 using inverted high pass filter and Imagenomic Noiseware plugin.

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