photography

I know Mitchell and Sara through my work. They’re both young, go-getter students – and now they’re engaged.

Mitchell and Sara: Close

So we braved a chilly December day in downtown Marshall for a fun engagement photo shoot.

Mitchell and Sara: Coffee

To warm up, we stopped inside a tavern to grab a coffee. While thawing out, we worked on some photos there, too, and watched the Detroit Lions lose in snowy Philadelphia.

Congratulations to Mitchell and Sara.

Check out more photos from our photo shoot.


Trying Out Film

Fuji Superia

The fun part about a hobby is that you can take risks and trying things out with little to no consequence (if you don’t count time or effort).

And so, while I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, this year I’m going to try to do a bit more 35mm film photography.

I just posted my first batch of photos developed from a roll of Fuji Superia film. My local photo shop actually developed them for me last year, but it’s taken me this long to get them scanned and uploaded. I’m also working on a roll of Ilford black and white film that I’m excited about.

Fuji Superia: MacBook

All of this film stuff has me thinking about experimenting with film more. Specifically, I want to play with my Tomyko LT002 plastic toy camera. I just loaded it with some Lomography 400 speed color film (if you’re going to go toy/plastic, go all the way, right?). While poking around, doing some research on the camera, I came across some sample images – the type of dreamy photos I’ve wanted to make, just for fun.

(An aside: it’s super hard to find info on these Tomyko – or Lavec – cameras. But you can grab your own for $15 on eBay, or for $5 at a local thrift store.)

Fuji Superia 770

Also, I have collected rolls of Kodak Portra and Ektar to try out with my Pentax K1000.

To do all this, there’s a little bit of an investment involved. It takes money to develop and scan the film (though not much), but that’s to be expected with any hobby. And lord knows I know how to spend money on a hobby.

Fuji Superia 767

Taking photos with film is different almost automatically. You need some patience, and some selectivity, to make film photos.

That’s my goal for 2014: explore this measured pace. Make thoughtful images. And learn a bit about how people used to make photos.


Snowed In

Snowed In: Mail Stop

We here in Michigan were walloped this weekend – bitter cold, freezing winds, and tons of snowfall.

So what better to do than head out and grab some photos?

Snowed In: Low

Below-zero temperatures and a hazy cloud cover made for some lovely light, especially around sunset. During the day, I had to head out and shovel my driveway, and grabbed some images while knee-deep in snow.

Snowed In: Shiver

To cool off (ha!), I took a walk down the road to see what the rest of the neighborhood looked like. Luckily most of my neighborhood roads were plowed, but some areas were still untouched.

Snowed In: Red

I didn’t get very far down the road before the conditions turned me back home. But weather like this doesn’t happen like it used to, even here in Michigan.

So why not capture the day?

Snowed In: Lights


Sweet Home Chicago

Chicago: Ivy

I often tell people that I get to Chicago at least once a year.

This year? It’s more like five or six.

Chicago: Union Station Stairs

A fun trip. Another fun trip. A business trip. A work trip. A conference. It seems I’m heading to the Windy City, on average, every other month.

And boy, I don’t mind. Every time I head to Chicago, whether for personal trips or business, it feels like a getaway.

Chicago: At Work

I’ve said it before: I feel like I know Chicago better than I do my nearby metro area. That goes mainly for the downtown areas, because once I get out of the main hub of Chicago I’m not so confident – whereas in Detroit, I know the surrounding areas fairly well.

But since taking up photography as a hobby, Chicago has been one of my favorite subjects. The people, the architecture, the city life – it’s a smorgasbord of photo opps.

Chicago: Waiting Line

For a work trip back in October, I hit the streets to specifically grab more street photos than anything else.

Chicago: Under El

Chicago: Framed Spire

Chicago: Back Alley Infrastructure

Chicago: Justin

(Most photos taken with Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2, edited in Lightroom with VSCO Film 03)