Art, Wine and Spirits – and a Free Poster

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Craig

I’ll try to make a long story short. In May of last year, we visited the Trona Pinnacles near Ridgecrest, California with the goal of getting some good photos. The Trona Pinnacles is designated a National Natural Landmark, which is a program administered by the National Park Service.

Trona Pinnacles near Ridgecrest, California

I had a number of images I was happy with, so I sent some samples to the National Park Service with a note they were free to use them. Well, about a month later I got a phone call from the NPS to ask if they could get a high resolution copy of one of the photos to use on a poster they were preparing to celebrate 50 years of the National Natural Landmark Program. I was honored to be considered and was happy to help out. Fast forward a year and the NNL 50th Anniversary poster has made its debut.

Do you want a copy of the poster? I’m having a show of my work this Friday, June 22 in Delavan at “An Evening of Art, Wine and Spirits” cosponsored by the Morgan Elser Gallery and Hometown Wine and Spirits. The National Park Service was kind enough to supply 200 posters to be given away at the event (while supplies last). Of course, I’ll also have an original print of the Trona Pinnacles photo on display as well.

Posted in Photography | Comments Off on Art, Wine and Spirits – and a Free Poster

Found Right Along the Interstate

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Craig

We’ve had a run of really nice weather in Central Illinois for the last couple of weeks. The downside of that is that the skies have been clear and sunsets have not been very dramatic. That’s finally started to change the last couple of days. Last night we had some high clouds hanging around to the northwest, so I headed out to a spot I’d seen along Interstate I-155.

Snow fence

What caught my attention was the snow fence and the old barn. Fortunately, there was an exit ramp right there, so I was able to pull a ways off the highway. Then, all I needed was to find the right place to set up my tripod to include the fence, barn and sky.

Like most of my sunset pictures, this one was actually taken about 10 minutes after sunset. I really like the colors that sometimes emerge during that civil twilight period when the sun is below the horizon, but it’s still lighting up the clouds. It’s especially nice when there’s a layer of high clouds that can catch the color of the sun and stay lit up for quite a while.

Posted in Photography, Recent Work | Comments Off on Found Right Along the Interstate

Behind the Scenes with Magician Mitch Williams

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Craig

I’ve been very busy lately doing photo shoots of local Central Illinois artists, performers and entertainers for the Playing Peoria website that I’m producing in association with ArtsPartners of Central Illinois. I completely enjoy every shoot, but some are more interesting than others. And, the photo shoot of magician Mitch Williams was certainly interesting!

Central Illinois magician Mitch Williams

I like to approach the photos as a collaborative process, so Mitch and I had talked through a variety of ideas. The one that seemed to keep coming to the top of the list was of him spearing the ace of spades from a flurry of flying cards. And, we might as well make it more interesting by having him appear to float above the ground with the Peoria skyline in the background. Lastly, I didn’t want to use a lot of Photoshop “magic” to make the photo, so we mostly relied on good old-fashioned production processes, and a couple of helpers.

The setup was pretty simple. My helpers (wife Deb and grandson Chase) and Mitch all tossed their cards into the air. Then, Mitch jumped at just the right moment as the cards are flying past and I try to get the shot as it’s happening. The short video clip below shows how it looked. Timing, of course, was critical, and we had to do numerous takes to get the right combination. Then, we’d all join in a game of “52 Pickup” and repeat the process. In the end, we had just a couple of frames that had a good combination of Mitch in the air without any cards covering his face, and this one in particular stood out as the best.

Photographically, the setup was pretty simple as well. The camera is on a tripod at the far right of the video frame. Mitch is mostly shaded by some trees along the river, so I’m free to light him with a couple of strobes. (My preference is to let nature light the background while I light the subject.) You can see the main strobe high in the air between Chase and the camera. The second, accent strobe is positioned right next to the video camera and has an orange gel to mimic the color of the light of the setting sun. Post-production in Photoshop was pretty basic. Besides adjusting tones and colors, I removed the small stool and added a few more cards from two other frames to create the final image.

Of course, I can’t tell you the secret of how Mitch managed to end every take with the ace of spades magically impaled on his dagger.

Posted in Photography Techniques, Playing Peoria, Recent Work | 1 Comment

A Quick Pic from My Son’s Wedding

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Craig

I’m starting to work my way through nearly 1400 images from my son Christopher’s wedding to Ketra this past Saturday. I swore I’d never again photograph my own child’s wedding, but I couldn’t resist. I did get some assistance from my brother-in-law Terry and friends at the reception.

Wedding kiss

The wedding was held outdoors in the Botanical Gardens, so we were keeping a close eye on the weather. With all of rain we’ve had, we were really worried, but it turned out to be an absolutely perfect day – good weather, great family and friends, and a swinging party.

Posted in Family | Comments Off on A Quick Pic from My Son’s Wedding

Mary Simon is Playing Peoria in Goodfield

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Craig

Mary Simon of Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield is the latest entertainer to be featured on the Playing Peoria website. I had a great time doing her photo shoot, and it was really interesting to learn something about the person behind the characters we see on stage.

Mary Simon

I’ve also begun to collaborate with Arts Partners of Central Illinois. They are putting together a set of photos featuring local artists for National Arts and Humanities Month in October, so my photos can now have a dual purpose. They are also helping to promote Playing Peoria on the Arts Partners Facebook page.

Posted in Playing Peoria, Recent Work | Comments Off on Mary Simon is Playing Peoria in Goodfield