Rebirth Workshop 2012 (non-digital techniques)

Last week I had the great priveledge of hanging out with some amazing photographers at an equally amazing location in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  It was five days of creative energy at the coolest hotel I've ever stayed in, the Shack Up Inn.  For information on next year's retreat, go to http://www.rebirthworkshops.com.

I didn't get to make one, but Sarah Hodzic also taught many of the participants how to make encaustic wax images from digital prints.  The technique is one of the oldest known methods for painting, and creates some very unique one-of-a-kind pieces.  Hosting the entire event (and the gallery show) was Will Jacks, while being assisted closely by Chris Willams, Chris Pike, and Jessica Del Vecchio (among others).  I can enthusiastically recommend any of these photographers, and thank them immensely for putting on the workshop.

Lately I've been working a little more with film, and this was an opportunity to just get out and play.  One of the formal activities was to make an image using a 4x5" view camera - then print that image using palladium.  Here's the final result (it's a beer growler, with my reflection).  This work was led by New Orleans Photographer, Thom Bennett.

Another formal activity was to create an image using one of the oldest photographic techniques, wet plate colloidon, on an aluminum plate - the so-called "tin type".  (This is very similar to the process which was used to document the Civil War)  Of course I couldn't pass on the opportunity to be in one - so I made a self-portrait using a replica outhouse on the property.  Instead of a Sears and Roebuck catalog, I was reading a Wal-Mart sale ad for an excruciating 60 seconds.  I'm really not fond of black widows or brown recluse, both spiders are notorious for hanging out in such places.  Wet plate colloidon photography was led by the enigmatic Euphus "Butch" Ruth.

Oh, how I would LOVE to make glass plate negatives for contact printing to palladium or silver... (next year?)

As stated above, I also played with film cameras.  My personal weapons of choice for the week were my trusty Agfa Isollette and a borrowed (about to be purchased) Mamiya 645E.  I had a remnant roll of color film in the Agfa, and the Mamiya ran nothing but black and white.  Both use 120 size film.  Here's a few of my favorite scans.

2012 Miss Greater Baton Rouge Pageant

On February 5, 2012, I photographed the Miss Greater Baton Rouge and Miss Capital City Pageant in Baton Rouge.  The pageant was held in the auditorium at Woodlawn High School.  But you're probably not here to read about it, I bet you'd rather see some photos of the winners, right?  Well here they are!  AND HERE'S THE REST OF THE PHOTOS

From Left to Right:

Miss Capital City's Outstanding Teen Jaryn Waguespack

Miss Greater Baton Rouge Junior Teen Makayla Williams

Miss Greater Baton Rouge Fleur de Lis Princess Brynn Weber

Miss Capital City Kassy Sanchez

Miss Greater Baton Rouge Megan Miller

Miss Capital City Fleur de Lis Princess Desiree Green

Miss Capital City Junior Teen Katelyn Scannell

Miss Greater Baton Rouge's Outstanding Teen Rachel Segreti

One of my favorite things to photograph pageants like this one (part of the Miss America System) is to try and capture the contestant/performers either in the air (dancing) or with great still poses.  This one did not disappoint, as several of the girls danced, one played Jewish fiddle, and some others sang and played piano.  A few of my favorite performance photos:

Help! I'm surrounded by cuteness!

Last Saturday (February 5)  I had the good fortune to photograph the Miss Greater Baton Rouge Pageant.  This pageant is a preliminary to the Miss Louisiana-America and ultimately the Miss America Pageant.  The youngest competitors are in the Fleur de Lis division, and winners get to accompany their Miss and Outstanding Teen "big sisters" to the state pageant.  This year, the girls were just a bundle of cute.  Here's a few photos of the little girls.  Stay tuned for a printable gallery.  In the mean time, check out the winners photographs on my Facebook gallery.

Mom wanted new shots of the grandkids.

Last Sunday morning I was getting ready to head back to my secret life in Lake Charles, LA, when my Mom asked me to make some new photos of the grandkids.  These are SOME of my neices and nephews; if you're a long-term reader of my blog you may recognize them.  We shot for about 20 minutes, unfortunately the sky was typical Houston "smog white", otherwise I was happy with the results.  24" shoot-thru umbrella with GN58 flash at half power to camera right.  Sony 70-200 2.8 and A900 at f13, 1/60, facing mostly northwest.

It helps tremendously as a photographer to have a final product in mind when making images.  My Mom likes physical prints that she can display in her home, generally 11x14 for the walls, and really prefers having images she can group together.  This was what I shot for on Sunday, the first and third images are on the way.

There is a small group of muscovy ducks that lives in the neighborhood lake, and they generally approach anyone who stops.  There was one duck who was mostly underwater with another on top of her.  "They're fighting! It's gonna drown!"  The ducks were not fighting.  Ah, memories.

Gone for far too long...

It's been a long time since I posted here, largely because I haven't been out photographing as much as I would like.  (I had to take on a day job back in June.)  I do get out every now and then just to play, however.  One Saturday afternoon back in August, my friend Jenn and I decided to go on a photo adventure just north of Baton Rouge, mostly to East Feliciana Parish, to see what we could find.  I tried the "one lens" approach, and only brought with me my Sony A900 and Minolta 35 1.4/

On the way back I got my best stuff of the day, some long exposure dashboard shots.   

We wound up back in downtown Baton Rouge, and stopped for a few minutes at Happy's on 3rd Street.  Caught this one looking out the window from our booth.

Katie's Steamy Portrait Session

I recently was given the opportunity to make portraits for the gorgeous Katie.  She gave me complete artistic license, so I took this session a little darker and a little more sultry than usual.  My friend Carrie came out to help with clothing and makeup and brought a very nice black corset for Katie to wear.  I did the entire session with a 17-35 and 70-200 2.8  along with two 300w/s studio heads in 2'x3' softboxes.  Also, special thanks to my friends over at Big Head's, one of the coolest new neighborhood bars in Baton Rouge, for letting us shoot there.  Here's a few of my favorites from that afternoon.

 

William David. Nine days old, and already an LSU Tiger

Last Saturday it was my honor to meet Baby Will.  At nine days old, some of the newborn-ness has gone, and he's sleeping, well, like a baby.  Here's some of my favorite photographs of him.  The whole portrait session lasted about an hour.