11-05-12 I Approve of This Message

I don't normally endorse products, especially alcoholic beverages, though my title gives you a little insight into how I feel about the general subject being photographed. However, I haven't sampled this bottle of Cardhu Scotch since I wanted it full for the shot. (It's another kind of Scotch in the glass pretending to be Cardhu.) Why this brand? Well, it came in a short bottle and I figured that would help the composition. So, yes, I bought this Scotch just because it would fit the photo. I think that's certainly a form of sacrifice. . . .Click here to see a quick snapshot of the lighting setup. In summary, the main light is set up on the left with a small soft box and the background light has a 20 degree honeycomb grid to create a small glow behind the shot. The "studio" was our dining room, which has a perfect deep brown accent wall.Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/7.1 ISO100 95mm

11-04-12 Deep Woods

Here's one I took a few years ago and which I found yesterday in a quest to find a photo to "operate" on. By operate I mean "to rescue from relative mediocrity by using cool software." (Try finding that alternate definition in your dictionary!)The software is onOne's new Perfect Photo Suite 7 and the subject is a mossy branch I discovered deep in the shadowy woods along Iron Creek a few miles away from our cabin in the Black Hills.

11-03-12 Bread Art

I am teaching a little bit about food photography in my studio photography class and that has sent me in quest of photos I've taken that might illustrate the art and practice of making food look good in photos, which is rarely easy.Bill Zubke's buns are always photogenic, however, as these detectible samples demonstrate.

11-02-12 Revisiting Iron Creek

My friend Jack H. asked me yesterday if teaching photography has helped make me a better photographer and he had barely finished the sentence when I said, "Yes." I then went on to say that in finding words to describe thought and physical processes that are the result of 10 years of fairly random reading/looking and endless practice based mainly on intuition has made me more aware of the complexities of finding, framing and capturing my subjects.Beyond that, I am much more sophisticated in how I use software. And this photo is an example. Frankly, I have posted a nearly identical shot of this place in this blog already. The difference is that I was "playing" with software that I didn't have a few years ago and with processes like sharpening, white balance, saturation and contrast that I didn't have as of understanding as I do now.Is this a better photo? Maybe not. In fact, the casual observer may not even see what is "right" about this photo. I would like to think that my second year photo students would because I see clear evidence that they "get it": that they see and understand the 10,000 minute differences between the simple and the sublime.Here's the previous version:

11-01-12 Halloween

Several of my studio photography students spent most of the day yesterday getting face paint applied and then documenting their efforts in the studio. The makeup artist was Alli, who is also a talented photographer. The subject of this portrait is Valerie, who is a talented photographer, too. And she is a natural in front of the camera. :-)Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/8.0 ISO200 70mm

10-31-12 Mysterious

Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/2.8 ISO320 200mm

10-30-12 Rise and Shine

Warm sunlight bathes the east facade of the Terry Redlin Center in Watertown, South Dakota.

10-29-12 Straight Up

If you were to lie flat on your back in the central chamber of the Codington County Court House, this is what you'd see. I didn't lie on my back to get this photo, though I did lie my Canon camera on its back. It helped to use the 16mm-35mm lens. :-)

10-28-12 Leafy Roof

10-27-12 Serenade

This photo documents both an impromptu performance by our son Brian and my Mom's last Thanksgiving outing in 2008. I had forgotten about this photo and I'm happy I'm a packrat.

10-26-12 Aspen

Well, how about another golden aspen tree? This photo was taken a few years ago near Center Lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

10-25-12 Variations On A Theme

It was on this day in 2009 that my mother died. And it was on the same date years before that that her mother and my grandmother died. So these roses are for Bernice and Ida. The "roses" are really the same rose with 4 different HDR treatments.