Tag: people

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Lets Play

Its been a few days since I’ve posted anything on the site.  I’ve really been busy with work and want to spend as much time with my little girl as possible therefore at times the website will just have to be on hold.

The picture uploaded today was taken in 2008 at my residency graduation party.  I have to give my wife credit for this one.  We were all at a friends house and the second year resident decided he would play guitar for us.  My wife took this picture and I later edited it with Silver Efex Pro.  I think she did an outstanding job.

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Last Summer

The summer before my father’s passing we spent a lot of time together.  He was undergoing chemotherapy and I was in between my first and second year of podiatry school and was also preparing for my wedding.  Fortunately, he was not sick a lot and was able to enjoy most of the summer.

Probably, his favorite past time was fishing.  I still recall many times growing up leaving extra early in the morning to go with him to some local lake to fish.  Often times I would fall asleep about 30 minutes into our adventure while sitting in the boat with the fishing pole in my hand.  We had a lot of good talks on those fishing trips.

The last time we fished together was at a friends small pond.  He was having a good day and we decided we would take my nephew Sage (he’s now almost 18).  I caught this picture of him, Sage, and the dog.  Every time I look back at this picture it remains me of all the great times we had together.  Even though he has been gone for a long time, I still feel he is with me every day.

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Our Future @ 3 months

Continuing with my monthly series of “Our Future”, I’ve captured our baby girl at 3 months.  Each time I setup for this shot, I get scared that she may not cooperate.  As she has gotten older, she sleeps less, and is more in tune with her surroundings, thus it’s hard to get her to stay still for any duration of time.  With this said, it’s actually been easier to get this shot.

I’ve only posted one picture from each photo shoot so far but this time I have two.  Maybe you can comment which one you like best?  Personally, I like her looking forward but I think her mom likes her smiling at the camera.  In either case, it’s remarkable how much she has grown and how she can easily hold her head up now.  Enjoy, we sure have!!!

P.S.  I’ve also posted a comparison of all her previous pics (you can also see the previous post “Our Future“, “Our Future @ 4 weeks“, and “Our Future @ 8 weeks“).

 

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Finalist: Outdoor Photographer “Art of Expression” Contest

Recently I submitted a picture of our baby girl to Outdoor Photographer “Art of Expression” contest. Fortunately, the picture “Our Future” has been selected as a finalist. Now it is up to the viewers to decide the winner.

Typically, I don’t ask people to do things for me but if you have any interest in voting, click here to register and vote. Last, below is the picture that was submitted. I will have an updated, 12 week picture in a few days.

Thanks,

Gage

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Part 2: Pics from Leica Akademie Workshop – Chicago

As I mentioned yesterday, I really enjoyed the Leica Akademie workshop and also meeting with the participants.  Here are a few more pics taken during the workshop. The first one I was trying to focus in on the gal sitting but I think what makes the picture is actually the 3 people all trying to take pictures. The second pic was taken while waiting to cross the street. I usually wouldn’t find this interesting but I like how the crowd of people are so content in looking in different directions. The last pic was taken of a guy near our hotel street corner who was attempting to entertain the crowd with his multiple musical abilities.

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Leica Akademie: M9 Shooting Experience – Chicago

This past Saturday I participated in the Leica Akademie M9 Shooting Experience Chicago.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve never met any other Leica users with the exception of speaking to Steve Huff, of Steve Huff Photo (the online Leica guru!).  Simply put, the experience was wonderful and could not have expected a better instructor, Leica representative, and professional photographer to guide us through the workshop.  What made the meeting even more pleasurable was interacting with the other participants.

Before the workshop started, I ran into Steve Huff of Steve Huff Photo.  I frequent his site daily and have spoke to him via email a few times and felt he was a terrific guy and after meeting him, it confirmed it.  He reviews many Leica products and other cameras, mostly rangefinders and micro 4/3’s.  He does a phenomenal job and I have to give him credit for guiding me towards Leica.

The workshop started out by meeting the Leica representative Matt Butzow and the instructor Tom Smith.  Next, Matt allowed us to pick a Leica lens to borrow (I wanted to get my hand on the noctilux but unfortunately someone got to it before me).

Next, Tom Smith spent the remaining morning going through the ins and outs of the Leica M9 system.  All I can say is that I learned a tremendous amount and if you are new to Leica or rangefinders in general this is a must do class!

After lunch, Carlos Javier Ortiz presented on his work as a photojournalist and showed many of his ongoing projects.  Some of these projects are listed on his website.  He also showed us a current project that him and other photojournalist around the country are participating in.  The project is called “Facing Change” (I don’t consider it politically motivated) and you can see pictures from the project here.

Next we went out and shot for about an hour.  Like most participants I followed Tom around and he showed us his perspective in street photography and also taught us some invaluable camera tips.

Last, we came back and Tom showed us his typical workflow when downloading pics from his computer and uploading to Lightroom.  I found this info useful, but I have to admit I’m a die hard Apple guy and use Aperture 3.0.

As stated above, I found the workshop a great learning experience and 100% worth the cost.  I’ve heard rumor of maybe a 3 day Leica course in the future in Chicago, I will definitely be there.

If you are interested in Leica Akademie you can see upcoming events here.

P.S.  I mentioned that we did go out and shoot for a while.  Here are a few pics I took (more in the next few days) and you can go to Michael Sullivans flickr page to see pics he took (another Leica shooter at the course, great guy).

 

 

 

 

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A Kids Perspective

Recently a friend of Serenity’s (my wife) inquired if I would be willing to take a few family pictures.  As much as I enjoy taking pictures, this is still out of my comfort zone.  I don’t envy portrait photographers, there are many things that go into making a great family picture.  For one, you need great lighting and no shadows.  Second, you have to have your subjects position just right so that a proper exposure can be obtained.  Last, trying to coordinate all subjects to look and smile at the camera all at the same time can be especially difficult when dealing with small kids.

The picture below was shot through the opening in the back of a chair.  I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out but I think it’s what made the shot.  It allowed for me to frame my subjects and also allowed for some candidness.  As you can see, there was no issue in getting their attention.

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Mother’s Love

Lately, with work I have not had much time to write or upload pictures to my blog. I’m not going to complain because I enjoy working and most of all enjoy helping others.

I don’t like taking “canned” pictures. I prefer when my subjects are not looking into the camera and focusing on whatever task at hand. Personally, I think this makes the moment much more memorable and can often allow the viewer to imagine what the subject is feeling or remind them of a similar time. Also, I enjoy capturing many of these moments in monochrome. Again, I think this adds a much more memorable, and long lasting touch.

Below is a picture of my beautiful wife and now 8 week old girl. You can see enjoyment in my wife’s eyes when looking down at her cherished little one. Even though you can’t see my daughters face, you can imagine that she is showing affection back to her mother. I think the monochrome and vignetting assist in this “real life” portrayal.

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Our Future @ 4 weeks

One of my first posts on this site was titled “Our Future”.  Another photographer recommended trying to take the same picture monthly (eventually putting clothes on her) so that we can watch her grow.  Definitely, at one month she has filled out, in comparison to her original pic.  She has a lot of room to grow before she even comes close to filling the couch cushion, let alone the length of our couch.

Click on the picture to see a larger version and also see a comparison shot.

Have a Happy 4th of July weekend everybody!!!

 

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