wee miss h gets some credit

How do you like my hat?

Remember this portrait of me from a few weeks back? I was going though some images when I came across a picture that I tookt he same day. What sparked the connection is the little girl in the image I found was the same little girl that asked for my camera and took this image of me.

Miss H.

So, here is to Miss H. Sometimes I forget just how surprisingly good our younger photographers can be. Thank you Miss H. for reminding me.

 

choosing colors

Sorting Fabric

I was watching my friend Deb setting up a sewing machine when I turned and saw this scene. This was one of those moments when you knew that everything was perfect. From the pose, to the light from the window, to the activity, the entire scene was begging to be photographed. So, I did. I took several shots, but this one is my favorite. I tried B&W , and it was ok. However, I loved the colors and the warmth in her skin tones. So, I made some basic curves adjustments and kept the color in place.

 

do you recognize this woman?

Deb

 

If you were to sift through all of my photographs of people, taken over the last two years, two women would stand out more than any other people. The first would be my wife, Jodi. I have hundreds of photographs of Jodi in her dance costumes. The second most photographed person would be my friend Deb. 

Among the many hats that Deb wears is that of professional musician. In that role, she asked me to create a head shot for her. She has an upcoming concert and needed a photo in a hurry. While editing the head shot, I suddenly realized that this image is completely out of context for the way you would normally see me shoot Deb. As a matter of fact, many of my longtime readers refer to her by a completely fictitious name; Jeanne Clausen.

 

Here are a few of Deb's more memorable portaits.

 

P1060791

 

Belle and Deb

 

Spinner 7

 

Laundry Day 2

 

New Hat 2

 

Knitting Socks

 

Friendly Approach

 

Ball 1

 

Don't see Deb in that last image? Look on stage, Deb is playing classical guitar. You would be surprised at all of the talents she has. Here is an incomplete list of the many hats that Deb wears:

 

Historian

Musician (That I know of; recorder, flute, lute, guitar, & mandolin)

Spinner and weaver

Needle worker & seamstress (Deb made all of the costumes she wears in all of these period images)

Gourmet cook

Chicken herder & lady farmer (Sheep, horses, chickens… you name the farm animal)

House mistress (I use this term in its historic sense)

 

I think it is fair to say that Deb is a good example of a modern renaissance woman.

 

 

pictures of rob

Rob 1

 

Rob 2

 

These are two portrait images that although very soft, I like very much. I would like to shoot them again to get them sharper? Why are they so soft? Well, I was shooting in dim light at f1.8. Combine the narrow DOF that resulted with the wide open aperture along with the my struggle to focus in dim light and you have the perfect condisitons to produce the soft images you see.

Still, I am happy with the light and compositions. Next time around, I would shoot with a nnarrower aperture, lower ISO, and use a tripod.

 

we had a ball

Ball 1

 

New Year's Eve, I took a friend up on an invitation to attend a Civil War ball held annually in SOuth Charleston, OH. I am not a reenactor and I really didn't know what to expect.

 

Ball 2

 

I don't think that I have ever used the word "enchanting" in my entire life. However, enchanting is the only word that really covers my experience. The ladies in their hooped skirts and the gentlemen in their tails and dress uniforms were a spectacular sight.

 

Ball 4

 

Just a little costume failure. Nothing that a couple safety pins couldn't remedy.

 

Hats 2

 

Ball 6

 

The ball was held in an old 1880's era opera house and the proceeds from the door charge went towards the upkeep of the building.

 

Fiddler

 

The small music group played throughout the evening and the guests waltzed and danced reels non-stop.

 

Ball 7

 

The ball is held twice a year, on January first and mid summer. I think I will plan on joining them again and again. After all, we can all use a little enchantment in our lives.

 

supervised play

Supervised Play

 

I haven't posted any numbers in a long time. I've gotten some nice comments about the light in this image. The light is natural and comes fromt he windows to the right. Notice that I had to bump  up the ISO and crank down on the shutter speed to get these tones. 1/30 is at the limit of my ability to shoot hand held. Any slower and I would have to use a tripod.

Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 28 mm
ISO Speed 1600