farmers hit the big city

Sometimes people get the recognition they deserve.  Congrats Marvin, Earl & Loren...

Chris,

GREAT NEWS!  I'm really excited to share with you that we entered the Photo Essay in the CRMA awards competition, for photography.  (CRMA=City and Regional Magazine Association). And, it is one of 4 finalists to win in that category.

Congrats!  Thanks for bringing beautiful work to the magazine.  We'll keep you posted - they announce the winners in May.

Best,

Grace

morning light

 Early morning light, upstairs in the old farmhouse.

is it sharp

It's spring break at NKU and I had hoped to be shooting something really exciting this week but first, a problem.  While rooting around in my camera closet on Saturday I dropped my 60mm micro lens - the money lens (because of all the cash it's made through the years) - on the oak floor.  Ouch.  So, just to make sure it was still functional I decided to test it this morning by shooting stuff in my office. There's the bridge pins on my Martin & the red spruce grain of my Guild @ f3.2, Elise and Dan Gurney @ f2.8, my dad's Indiana Hoosier @ f5.6 and my Domke.  All good it appears, so on to spring break.

leap

Not much to say this month, but I couldn't let 'leap day' pass without a post. Photographed some food and a couple of shops recently, but probably had the most fun shooting statues. Not really tough - just have to wait for some decent light, pick the right angle, push the shutter and then do some Lightroom magic. So, here's Honest Abe, a few days after his 203rd birthday.

the stand-ins

When you shoot corporate CEO photos you want to make sure that everything is set and ready to go when your guys (I've never photographed a female CEO) arrive on the set.  So, you have to have people 'stand in' for the real subjects while lights are set, positions are established and cords are taped down. Many photographers use their assistants for this job, but for the past 20 years my models on these shoots have been my two art directors and friends Frank Satogata & Linda Shepherd. Usually I capture them with their eyes closed, talking to one another or just looking pissed off.  Since these frames are only for test purposes I rarely care what their expressions are, but as I found out this week, they do.  After I sent samples to them (with really bad looks) both Linda & Frank said they were retiring from modeling - "no more," I think is what they said.  So, I searched through all of the image tests we did and found one that looks pretty good (to encourage their continued participation). Whatever happens, thanks Linda & Frank for all of your 'stand-in' memories.

and for dinner

Hungry?  Want a nice three course meal?  Well, I just finished photographing a number of restaurants for the March Food Issue and I can make some suggestions.  Open with smoked, curried Trout salad at Nectar in Mt. Lookout; move on to roasted chicken (Amish, free range chickens) & goat cheese risotto at the Wildflower Cafe in Mason; and finish with chocolate pot de creme (with salted caramel & toffee popcorn) at Honey, in Northside.  

been such a long time...

Long time between posts - no excuses, just post holiday laziness, starting back to school craziness and a ten day flurry of photo work.  Also working out the kinks with my new laptop (& OS X Lion).  But enough of that, and on to the important stuff - we've got new studio lights at school and my applied class has been using them for portraits.  They are cheap, fluorescent banks that produce a wonderful light, almost as good as the soft light of open shade.  So, here are the comparisons - Lindsay (one of my students), in the studio and Floyd, in one of the Cutter barns. The light on each seems to be just right...