Before and After Wednesday | Totally Rad Actions

I think my favorite part of this picture, aside from Tyler and Lindsay : ), is the thick, lush, tactile grass.  Okay, okay, so those of you who know me are probably rolling your eyes right now.  For those of you that don't know, I've mowed grass as a side job since I was in the eight grade.  John Deere green runs through my blood.  I know nice grass when I see it, and this was NICE grass!  I shot this with a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS.  I was able to bump the ISO up to 800 and shoot at 1/800.  Even compared to the 50mm 1.8, this is the sharpest lens in my bag.  When I lock that puppy on the camera, it's similar to when Superman came out of the phone booth a changed man.  One word... invincible.   

Recipe:
You are going to hate me if you are trying to follow along with this recipe.  So many actions, so many masks, I will try to be detailed.  Just a reminder, these recipes start with the first action you should run and end with the last one.  Click in the order listed : )

Slice Like A Ninja (100%) - only on the subject
Warm It Up Kris (30%) 
Seventies (60%) - a secret action.  I can't give away everything; )
Lovely and Ethereal (35%) - another not so secret secret.
Big Blue (100%) - on the sky only
Prettyizer (30%) 

The Mission - part 2

"The Idealist" 

Okay, maybe "idealist" isn't the ideal word to use here :), but I couldn't think of a better one to describe the way I see photography.  This doesn't have to be a long post.  It's pretty simple actually.  When I take pictures, I like to see a utopia, a perfect scene.  

Maybe an example could explain this better.  Abby and I love coffee, coffee shops, and Scrabble.  They all seem to go together I guess.  Most times when we play a game  of Scrabble, we sit at home and play over a cup of hot coffee, just the two of us (except for the night we mixed Scrabble, beer, and a couple of friends... but I shouldn't tell you stories like that!).  When I imagine this activity in my head however, it is in a coffee shop.  The espresso machine is steaming in the background with chatter throughout the room.  People are walking in and out with smiles on their faces.  That's a real game of Scrabble!

So, when it came time to get some engagement pictures taken (thanks Coty and Ashley!) we thought, why not take our little Scrabble game to the coffee shop?  

Of course, we don't play Scrabble in the coffee shop...ever!  But, that's the idealist in me I guess.  Maybe you play the guitar.  Why not take it downtown and play on the street corner?  How about playing the piano or singing?  Why not go to the auditorium and get some sweet pictures or maybe the State Theater or Morris Civic?  

I'm an idealist.  I think we all are to some extent.  Our imaginations do most of this work for us.  I guess I just prefer to let the camera do it for me.  

The Mission - part 1

A good photographer needs a vision/mission to guide them.  In my feeble attempts to identify my vision for my work, I have chosen to include you... :)

Photography means a lot of things to a lot of people.  For some, it is an expression of their artistic vision.  For others,a means by which to capture a moment forever - a time capsule.  I can't say that I don't pull from either of these and many others, because I do.  I'm an object of society.  But, as I have been given the opportunity to work with some fantastic couples over the past few months and turn a hobby into a "professional hobby" (lol), I have had to question my motives.

Maybe this is a question that all photographers people should ask.  If you don't know why you're doing what you do, you're probably in the wrong place.  I don't know why people like taking sports pictures.  In my opinion, it's expensive to get into, hard to sell a picture, and you are entirely at the mercy of the players.  Landscapes are the same way for me.  I don't enjoy taking pictures of fields or rivers.  To me, these have little significants to any one person (kind of ironic how I just posted a picture of a river yesterday!)  

I take pictures not for my satisfaction, but for yours.  I love to see the look on your face the first time you see the proofs.  The first comments left on your facebook album.  The way not only you and your family enjoy the pictures, but the comments left by your friends and coworkers.  It's not about me or my artistic vision.  It's about giving you something that not only captures a moment, but creates one at the same time.

You need to know how gorgeous you are.  How fantastic your smile is.  What an incredible personality you have.  Everyone is unique. Sometimes we have a hard time seeing that through our own "lens" and in our own mirror.  When you finally get to see yourself from another perspective, that in itself is a moment.  

Summary

• It's not about capturing a moment, but creating one.
• You're unique.  You deserve to see that.

Next: The Mission - part 2 "The Idealist" 

Before and After Wednesday | Totally Rad Actions

A shot from our time in the porcupine mountains this summer.  

Before

After

Recipe:
B&W Red Channel (100%)
Boring Old B&W (100%)
Bitchin BW (100%)