Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 7-10, 2019.
Kristina, Window Blind Shadows, Columbus Ohio. January 7, 2013.
This is my favorite photo for January 7. We were doing window blind shadow portraits, using sunlight streaming through the half open window blinds.
Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin California. January 6, 2014.
When we go to Fort Irwin, it is my custom to get up early each morning, head out into the Mojave Desert, and take pictures. I wanted to capture some of the volcanic rocks around Mount Blackie and still provide a sense of place. I created this image with my iPhone. This is my favorite photo for this date.
Southwest Jet Over Las Vegas at Dusk, Looking Southwest. January 4, 2013.
On our trips from Ohio to see family in California, the least expensive route is usually through Las Vegas. When the winds are out of the west I always try to get a seat on the right side of the plane so I can get photos of “The Strip” as we take off (next photo below). Keep that in mind the next time you fly our of Vegas. One of the perks of flying Southwest is to choose a seat based on the photos you want to take during the flight.
Perseid Meteor photographed from Rose Hill Cemetery west of Lamoni, Iowa. 4:55 am CDT, August 13, 2018.
Tonight (January 3-4) is the night of the Quandrantid Meteor Shower. This article will tell you what you need to know to see and photograph the first meteor shower of 2019. Predictions are always just estimates, but this shower is predicted to produce about 25 meteors per hour. Best of all, this will be a dark sky night without interference from the moon.
Night Sky and Milky Way over the Mojave Desert, Fort Irwin California. December 3, 2013. 10:05 pm.
My favorite photo for this date was taken in the Mojave Desert, about two miles southwest of Fort Irwin California. The photo was taken looking northwest. The Andromeda Galaxy is directly over the power poles about half way up the photo. The Pleiades are at the upper left corner of the photograph.
Favorite Photos, December. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of December. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
Family Christmas, West Point, New York. December 31, 2005.
If you have been following this series recently, you have figured out we celebrate Christmas on most any date, and sometimes several dates. With family spread out across the country in six different states, we travel to them and they travel to us in different combinations every year. One year we had 4 Christmases spread out between December 25 and late January.
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California. December 30, 1990.
In my “favorite photos” folder the photos for today’s date are a mix of landscape and family pictures. I have two first choices for today’s favorite photo. The first was taken in Yosemite National Park.
Kristin, Columbus Ohio. December 29, 2014.
Kristin and I were doing a photo shoot in downtown Columbus. It was chilly out (the windchill was 26°), but we did it anyway.
Bird Reflections, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Fremont California. Dec 28, 1990.
We were in Fremont California visiting family over the holidays. As I sometimes do when we are there, I head out early in the morning to go to the local wildlife refuge. This image is my favorite that morning, my favorite for this date, and one of my all time favorite wildlife images.
Silent Night, Moraine Park, Colorado
Snow glistens in the last light of dusk.
Distant clouds glow with the fading light from the sun, long since set.
Janae and Candle, Nebraska. Christmas 1980.
My favorite photo for this date is actually two photos. The first is a photo of our daughter looking at a Christmas candle.
Christmas Ornament, Columbus Ohio. December 24, 2013.
After decorating our Christmas tree I did images of some of the the individual ornaments. For this exposure I zoomed the camera lens for about half the time the shutter was open. This is my favorite photo for today’s date.
Leg Lamp and Legs, The Pizza Shack, Lamoni Iowa. December 23, 2018.
My favorite photo for this date was taken just a few hours ago.
Grand Canyon at Dawn, Arizona. December 2, 1985.
Landscapes photos are rare for me in December since we aren’t usually traveling unless we are going to see family for the holidays. But in 1985 we were driving across country on I-40 to spend Christmas with family in California. The Grand Canyon isn’t far from I-40.
Family portrait, Lamoni, Iowa. December 21, 2016.
I have two favorite photos for this date. The first is a family photo from two years ago.
Jennifer at the Piano, Worthington Ohio. December 20, 2009.
This photograph was spur of the moment. Jennifer played the piano at church for a Sunday morning service and I decided after church that I wanted a photo of her playing the piano.
Dina, Columbus Ohio. December 19, 2007.
It is December and most of my favorite photos are of family, friends, and models. My favorite photo for December 19 is this image of Dina, a model in Ohio. I used one studio light to camera left, bounced out of an umbrella, to create the semi-high contrast light. The camera was right on the floor to catch some of the reflection in the hardwood floor.
Kristina in the Snow
The white snow in a winter scene can and often does fool a camera meter into underexposing a portrait, so here are the steps to take to get the right exposure. I throw in a few portrait suggestions too.
Selina, Downtown Columbus Ohio. Windchill 4°.
You would think a windchill of 4° Fahrenheit (-16°C) would be too cold for a photo shoot, but not with some models. We booked this January shoot weeks in advance so we knew it would be cold, but we had no idea how cold until the day arrived. Here’s the story behind this image and how to work with a model when it is so cold.
Kristina at Christmas
On Christmas eve I found myself doing Christmas portraits for Kristina’s portfolio. She is a friend of mine who is a model and actress in L.A.. There isn’t a lot of space in my studio when the Christmas tree is up so I had to improvise a bit with the lighting and I needed to get the right mix of flash and ambient light for the look I wanted.
Christmas Lights, Easton Shopping Center, Columbus, OH
‘Tis the season and there are a lot of Christmas lights out there to photograph. It is fun and easy, and with a few tricks up your sleeve there are creative things you can do. Many of these techniques can be used on other lights throughout the year, so this is a good time to practice your skills for photographing lights.
Kroger Panorama. Graceland Shopping Center, Columbus Ohio. November 12, 2013. Click for a larger version.
I’ve done a lot of commercial panoramas for clients as diverse as KOA Campgrounds and Crown Plaza Hotels. When I am on a commercial assignment I follow all the right steps and use all the right equipment. For the Kroger pano above I did everything right.
But there are times when you are doing your own thing and decide at the last minute you want to try a pano. You might get lucky trying to do a handheld panorama. I will tell you how to increase your odds of getting a good handheld pano.
Sunny on the Sofa, Columbus Ohio. December 17, 2015.
Our dog Sunny didn’t sit, lay, or sleep on the back of the sofa until our “granddog” Jack came to visit. Jack loves the back of the sofa so Sunny picked up his back of the sofa habit from Jack. This is my favorite photo for today’s date.
Stephanie, Columbus Ohio. December 16, 2016.
To my eyes, a mother looking forward to the birth of her child is one of the most beautiful sights on the planet. That is why I love baby bump photography.
Autumn Leaves, Columbus Ohio. December 15, 2015.
I was surprised these colorful autumn leaves were still hanging around this late in the year, so I got out my iPhone and took a picture. This is my favorite photo for December 15.
Perseid Meteor photographed from Rose Hill Cemetery west of Lamoni, Iowa. 4:55 am CDT, August 13, 2018. Cropped from the original image.
Tonight (Dec 13-14) is the night of the Geminid Meteor Shower. This article will tell you what you need to know to photograph what should be the best meteor shower of 2018.
Sarah, Downtown Columbus Ohio. December 13, 2006.
In my “favorite photos” folder, all of my favorite photos for December 13 are from photo shoots with Sarah and Lela Rae, two of my favorite models to work with.
The River Walk, San Antonio Texas. December 12, 1992.
The River Walk in San Antonio is a great place to be most any time of year, and certainly at Christmas. You can tell this is a long exposure from the blurred boat. This is my favorite photo for December 12.