Title: Applause Line.Wanted to post this crowd shot from Runway For Charity. It not only pops as a black and white photo, but I love the story that it tells with my use of depth of field and placement of the runway/horizon line.Image taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

Title: Applause Line.

Wanted to post this crowd shot from Runway For Charity. It not only pops as a black and white photo, but I love the story that it tells with my use of depth of field and placement of the runway/horizon line.

Image taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

Title: Mirror Image.Some of my favorite images that I make at fashion shows are the ones that are made backstage. These backstage shots of the models getting ready are always so full of emotion and they tend to introduce you to the overall vibe of the event. The photos from backstage have an slight voyeuristic feel to them as well and you get the chance to let the viewer look into something that they normally never get to see, feel, or experience. Outtake from Runway For Charity. Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens.

Title: Mirror Image.

Some of my favorite images that I make at fashion shows are the ones that are made backstage. These backstage shots of the models getting ready are always so full of emotion and they tend to introduce you to the overall vibe of the event. The photos from backstage have an slight voyeuristic feel to them as well and you get the chance to let the viewer look into something that they normally never get to see, feel, or experience. 

Outtake from Runway For Charity. Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens.

Title: Seasonal Produce.Outtake - Downtown Market Grand Rapids.Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens.

Title: Seasonal Produce.

Outtake - Downtown Market Grand Rapids.

Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens.

Title: A Stable Relationship.Sharp, colorful and tells the story. One of my favorite performance shots from Cirque Mechanics / Grand Rapids Symphony.

Title: A Stable Relationship.

Sharp, colorful and tells the story. One of my favorite performance shots from Cirque Mechanics / Grand Rapids Symphony.

Title: Pouring It On.One of my favorite shots from a recent city profile done on J. Gardella’s Tavern, located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. I owe a lot to knowing my settings, timing, light via an off camera flash, and good karma from the camera karma Gods… as this one came out on the first try!

Title: Pouring It On.

One of my favorite shots from a recent city profile done on J. Gardella’s Tavern, located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I owe a lot to knowing my settings, timing, light via an off camera flash, and good karma from the camera karma Gods… as this one came out on the first try!

Title: Ellen Lenhart.Portrait of J. Gardella’s Tavern’s own Ellen Lenhart. Profile shot for the Grand Rapids Downtown Alliance. Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, and off-camera flash via a 580 EX II Speedlite.

Title: Ellen Lenhart.

Portrait of J. Gardella’s Tavern’s own Ellen Lenhart. Profile shot for the Grand Rapids Downtown Alliance. Shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, and off-camera flash via a 580 EX II Speedlite.

Title: Blowing One’s Horn.I’ve been really into my portraits being to either a far left or far right of the composition… if I had to guess why I’d say it’s probably due to the amount of portraits I’ve done lately for design/print/ad publications.Having said that… I kinda like how it looks.

Title: Blowing One’s Horn.

I’ve been really into my portraits being to either a far left or far right of the composition… if I had to guess why I’d say it’s probably due to the amount of portraits I’ve done lately for design/print/ad publications.

Having said that… I kinda like how it looks.

Title: Open Dialog.Portrait of TEDxGrandRapids speaker Greg Galle. 

Title: Open Dialog.

Portrait of TEDxGrandRapids speaker Greg Galle. 

Title: Fred Keller.Part of my involvement in TEDxGrandRapids is capturing the speakers when they are on stage. So today I thought I’d share a portrait of Fred Keller from TEDxGrandRapids 2013… his speech was met with a standing ovation and his words hit home.Fred is a man of words, action and compassion and leads GR with a strong focus on philanthropy. He rocked the house and is such an amazing person, way to represent Mr. Keller!

Title: Fred Keller.

Part of my involvement in TEDxGrandRapids is capturing the speakers when they are on stage. So today I thought I’d share a portrait of Fred Keller from TEDxGrandRapids 2013… his speech was met with a standing ovation and his words hit home.

Fred is a man of words, action and compassion and leads GR with a strong focus on philanthropy. He rocked the house and is such an amazing person, way to represent Mr. Keller!

Title: Sweet Rewards.We all love taking photos of food, right? Here are some tips on getting the most out of your foodie shots!5 Tips on Being a Photo-Foodie1. FRESH. Don’t photograph old food… colors fade, sauces start to blend in, and the longer you take - the less attractive the food becomes. If you are shooting for a client you may need to re-plate items or even have 2-3 backup plates waiting for you. Also, keep the hot food hot and cold food cold.2. FINE DETAILS. Like all photography, the minor details make your photos interesting. Think of ingredients, the patterns drawn out by the chef, and even items and how they sit on the plate.3. NATURAL LIGHT. I’ve touched on this before, but will say it again. Flash/strobes kills food shots. It takes away your savory flavors and colors. Not to mention it tends to make your food look flat. Use open windows and tables near those windows as your set up location.4. Depth of Field. At the end of the day you are selling food and presenting images that need to look clutter free. Depth of field helps with things in the background that you want to mask out from the overall shot, not to mention it also helps bring the focus in on the food. Having said that, don’t go too extreme with depth of field. I tend to shoot around f/2 - f/3.2 for food shots as I’ve learned f/1.2, 1.4 and 1.8 are too much depth of field and take away from the details that you need to capture.5. Work Smart. Keep in mind that most professional food photographers are working with food stylists and creative directors. Take a few test shots and look at them, if items need to be moved - move them! The key is to think about the big picture and set up your food shots for success in camera. Yes, you can process at home… but do you really want to spend the time moving a salt and pepper shaker out of your shot that you could have easily moved before taking the photo? Time is money and your time is valuable… remember that!

Title: Sweet Rewards.

We all love taking photos of food, right? Here are some tips on getting the most out of your foodie shots!

5 Tips on Being a Photo-Foodie

1. FRESH. Don’t photograph old food… colors fade, sauces start to blend in, and the longer you take - the less attractive the food becomes. If you are shooting for a client you may need to re-plate items or even have 2-3 backup plates waiting for you. Also, keep the hot food hot and cold food cold.

2. FINE DETAILS. Like all photography, the minor details make your photos interesting. Think of ingredients, the patterns drawn out by the chef, and even items and how they sit on the plate.

3. NATURAL LIGHT. I’ve touched on this before, but will say it again. Flash/strobes kills food shots. It takes away your savory flavors and colors. Not to mention it tends to make your food look flat. Use open windows and tables near those windows as your set up location.

4. Depth of Field. At the end of the day you are selling food and presenting images that need to look clutter free. Depth of field helps with things in the background that you want to mask out from the overall shot, not to mention it also helps bring the focus in on the food. Having said that, don’t go too extreme with depth of field. I tend to shoot around f/2 - f/3.2 for food shots as I’ve learned f/1.2, 1.4 and 1.8 are too much depth of field and take away from the details that you need to capture.

5. Work Smart. Keep in mind that most professional food photographers are working with food stylists and creative directors. Take a few test shots and look at them, if items need to be moved - move them! The key is to think about the big picture and set up your food shots for success in camera. Yes, you can process at home… but do you really want to spend the time moving a salt and pepper shaker out of your shot that you could have easily moved before taking the photo? Time is money and your time is valuable… remember that!