Back-End Beetle
Back-End Beetle – Quincy, Michigan
See You At Sandhill Crane Vineyards
Here’s something exciting: I’m hosting an artists reception at Sandhill Crane Vineyards on Friday, May 6 for my Artists In Jackson project.
My dear artistic friend Colleen here (one of the artists featured!) is helping me with event and art details. It’s a great location, and I can’t wait to throw a big party for all my new artistic comrades.
If you’re in Michigan this May, please join me!
Goodbye Hedgerow
Goodbye Hedgerow – Pulaski, Michigan
A sad sight – lots of farms in south central Michigan are removing their hedgerows. The reason is probably straight economics, since the tree line limits a farm’s arable land.
But still: hedgerows are what makes my country road commute so lovely, each and every season. Now there are just flat fields from horizon to horizon.
My Next Adventure
If you were to ask me what my dream job was 10 years ago, five years ago, even a year ago, I would’ve said it’s my current job. My whole life has prepared me for working in communications at a small, liberal arts college like Albion College. I knew that much when I was in college.
I still feel that way. Higher education is a calling for me, kind of like a monastery is for those who are spiritual. My belief system is strongly tied to learning, and I believe in education so much that whatever I do for a living, I want to be around it.
But then the arts came in after I started treating photography as a serious hobby. And as I got more serious about it, I started to learn more about the arts, and study the great works and art history.
What if I could combine those two passions: education and the arts?
Turns out it’s possible, and that’s why I’ve accepted a position as communications manager at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).
It’s a tremendous opportunity. I’ll be working with curators and artists, on a big state university campus, in a world-class art museum. UMMA has been a special place to me for 10 years now. I try to visit the museum at least once a year, and spend the day around Ann Arbor and campus. It feels good get a job at a place I enjoy so much.
My time at Albion has been life-changing, as I knew it would be. America’s small, liberal arts schools are such a treasure. They allow students to wander and grow and learn and make connections – especially for those students who, like me, like to do a lot of things.
One thing that Albion did so well was show its appreciation, as you can see from the thank you cards above. I collected them over the years, because I was humbled by how often they arrived in my mailbox. People at Albion know how to write a thank you note.
I’ll try to take that lesson with me at Michigan.
Suck For A While
To be a photographer, one must photograph. No amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there is no guarantee that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters.
Harry Callahan
(via theglasschild)
Amen.
My advice to new photographers is always this: You’re going to suck for a while. And that’s okay. Keep shooting. One day, you won’t suck as much.
Around The House 2
Last year I shared some photos from around the house, where the light comes through the windows in lovely ways.
This year, I took an earlier look at the winter light that comes in. As the season changes, so does the light, and it’s fun to chase it around the house when the sun comes out.
On weekend afternoons like this, the house is pretty quiet. When the sun is out, it almost teases you to start thinking about spring. All these windows. It’s a great tableau.
‘See the Moments You Care About First’
You may be surprised to learn that people miss on average 70 percent of their feeds. As Instagram has grown, it’s become harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share. This means you often don’t see the posts you might care about the most.
To improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most.
The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post. As we begin, we’re focusing on optimizing the order — all the posts will still be there, just in a different order.
If your favorite musician shares a video from last night’s concert, it will be waiting for you when you wake up, no matter how many accounts you follow or what time zone you live in. And when your best friend posts a photo of her new puppy, you won’t miss it.
We’re going to take time to get this right and listen to your feedback along the way. You’ll see this new experience in the coming months.
Terrible. I’m so sick of this we’ll-decide-what-you’ll-see algorithm crap.
Model Trains in Jackson
I’ve been on an eBook kick lately. This one is a product of my 2014 portrait project with the guys from the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club that first appeared on this blog.
Now, it’s a free eBook, available as a PDF download or an Apple iBook.
This is the project that kickstarted my community-focused portrait projects, like Artists In Jackson. It was fun to revisit this project and see the guys again.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Welcome Year Zero
Welcome Year Zero – Grass Lake, Michigan
Thanks to my urbexing pal @sethingtons-creations for the quick portrait. Check out my interview with him – he does good work!
Photographer Interview: Seth Duimstra
Seth Duimstra is a Jackson, Michigan-based photographer, and good creative friend of mine. Seth and I (along with his lovely wife Aynee) have shot together a few times, but what I appreciate about Seth is his good advice.
By the way: that’s me in the first portrait shot above. Part of our fun urbexing trip.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Seth Duimstra, a husband, dad-to-be, and I guess I’d consider myself as a “creative” so how’s “creative photographer” sound? Aside from photography, I paint, do graphic design, and recently I’ve been exploring video among other random creations.
How did you get started in photography?
I’ve always enjoyed taking a good pic but I started really messing around after I got out of tattooing. I still needed an artistic outlet and I had a DSLR that i never figured out how to use properly. so I jumped down the proverbial rabbit hole.
What do you like about your photography?
What is there NOT to like about photography? It’s like seeing through other people’s eyes, reliving a memory or a feeling, and so much more. Not to mention the human element in itself just is so interesting to me. People are weird and I love it.
Your work is varied: products, people, landscape, urbex. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
I feel like a dabble with a little bit of everything. I have my favorites but they all fit into one of two ways for me, documentary or artistic. I think keeping things mixed up keeps me from getting bored. I love product photography because I generally work with local artists; so not only do i get to get a first hand private viewing of some pretty amazing work, but i also get to have a small part in their own success.
Landscape and urbex are all about the adventure to me. I generally do this with other photographers, so not only are we hunting for those great images but I get to document the adventure as well. Street photography is also a blast when I get the opportunity to visit other cities. Portraits/candid photography has to be my favorite though. People in general fascinate me… no two alike (even twins), your personality shows through… not to mention just the random expressions we all make in the moments that are only there for a split second and they’re just oh so wonderful.
What themes do you like to explore with your work?
I just recently started messing around a little more with themed type shoots, Its fun but I’m just getting started so the jury is still out on that. 🙂
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
Always pondering something, as of late I’d say testing my newsletter concept. I’m itching to get outside more now that color will be back here in Michigan soon. The best way to know what I’m up to would be follow my Instagram or blog. 🙂
For more of Seth’s work, visit his portfolio page, his Facebook page, or follow him on Instagram.
Warren Richardson and His EOS 5D Mark II Win World Press Photo of the Year
Warren Richardson and His EOS 5D Mark II Win World Press Photo of the Year
He probably would’ve won using a Canon 5D classic, too.
Just goes to show you – to make great work, nothing beats an artistic eye, being in the right place, and a bit of luck.
Photographer Interview: Jamie MacDonald
Jamie MacDonald is an everything photographer – the guy just makes and makes. Jamie and I have shot together a few times, and I always respect his sense of experimentation and adventure.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jamie MacDonald and I am a professional photographer for Olympus Imaging North America, podcast host, and workshop leader. My position with Olympus takes me all over the place doing workshops and promoting not only their equipment, but also my work, and my podcast focuses on the world of mirrorless cameras.
How did you get started in photography?
I got started in photography when I decided I needed a camera for a family vacation back in 2007. I had never owned a camera, and thought one of those fancy interchangeable lens cameras was just what I needed. Once I started shooting I realized it wasn’t just the camera that I needed, it was a reconnection to my past life as an artist that I abandoned after high school.
What do you like about your photography?
I like that my photography is not subject limited. I like that when I walk out the door the world is my muse and I feel as comfortable shooting an impending storm, as I do a senior portrait session or an eagle in flight.
You take a variety of photos – everything from dramatic landscapes to intimate portraits. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
That is such a difficult question to answer, but I’ll try my best to put it into words. When it comes to inspiration I guess I should say that I am always in this weird state of wonderment about the world around me. The best way to explain it would be to ask you to remember a fond childhood memory, and when you have one picked out, think about how it makes you feel. I have that same sense of excitement and yearning to drink up life as I did when I was a kid. I even tell people that my soul has not grown up yet. So I guess I try to explore things visually in a way that shows I am still in a state of wonder about the world I live in.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
Life. That is the theme I explore. Life is everything, and comes in every conceivable color and shape and form. I get the same level of excitement discovering a patch of weedy flowers growing through the cement, as I do standing atop a mountain shooting the sun filling the valley below me. I imagine that sounds crazy, but it is a part of who I am and how I see my world.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
I sincerely wish I had a glamorous answer for that question, but I do not. I have never once had a project come to mind, and yet I think I need to do some sort of series of photos as a way to grow myself. But I just haven’t had anything come to mind.
I DO however have a lot going on in the way of photography workshops and events this year. I will be presenting at the Out of Chicago Conference in June. There I will be doing a class titled “The Art of the Dramatic Landscape” where I discuss my approach to landscape photography, with an emphasis on my particular post processing methodology. I am also co-leading an astrophotography workshop in the mountains of Arizona in May, a weekend workshop in Philadelphia, and a few events here in Michigan. It is going to be a busy year!
Find more of Jamie’s work on his portfolio site, at @sl33stak on Tumblr, and on Flickr.
Photographs No Longer Needed
- Sunsets
- Fireworks
- Waterfalls
- Trails
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Lattes
- Leaves on branches (even in autumn)
- Dew-covered flowers
- Anyplace with a gift shop
- Anything with its own postcard rack
- Portraits of wrinkly faces (just because they’re wrinkly)
- Concerts with more than 25 attendees
- Rain on windows
- Celebrities
- Area 51
- Anything that’s popular on Tumblr
- Anything that’s popular on Instagram
- Anything popular
- Anything the pros are doing
Use all the extra time to create something awesome.
Add to that list: Iceland.
