Bridges Portrait

As of yet, this blog hasn't featured any people. This wasn't intentional. So, I found my first model. This young guy stood up and got a nice portrait taken. The pose and lighting was inspired by the cover of Rangefinder magazine (July 2010). The cover highlighted Jeff Bridges in a similar portrait, shot by Jerry Avenaim. Of course, Bridges had a rustic beard, long hair, & brown leather jacket -- a much more manly dude!
Shot with:
- Nikon D700 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens
- 50mm, f/9, 1/100 sec, ISO 200, Manual mode
- 5600K white balance
Lighted with:
- 1 AlienBee 800W with 3x4-foot softbox directly overhead
- 1 AlienBee 400W kicker with grid to light chest & face
Processed with:
- Lightroom 3.0 to add a graduated filter darkening the bottom
Shot by:
- Wifey (thanks honey!)

Butterfly Blues

This photo is "as shot"... only minor photoshop. The blue color came from a window reflecting sun light behind the butterfly. To my eye, the window was gray. The camera picked up the blue, and it was instantly my favorite shot. The Milwaukee Public Museum butterfly collection is a treat for anyone with a macro lens! Oh, and kids love it too; it's so interactive. The best part was when a big, burly guy turned to me and said, "They don't bite, do they?"

Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO 1250
- Handheld, manual white balance
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, minor saturation boost

Carl Zach

We spent the afternoon a few weeks ago in downtown Waukesha at the Carl Zach Cycling Classic. During the senior men's race, I finally got the shot I wanted! The rider is perfectly in focus, the background is silky blurry... and his arms are ripped! This was shot 104 out of 108. We packed up after I shot this one -- a keeper shot.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 150mm, f/18, 1/60 sec, ISO 100 (L3), Manual mode
- Handheld panning with rider, manual focus
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, minor saturation boost, removed many dust spots

Milwaukee Fireworks

The Milwaukee fireworks display afforded wonderful opportunities for photos Saturday night. I snapped this shot early in the show. You can still see the blues in the sky immediately after sunset. This view was from Pier Wisconsin with the amphitheater dock in the foreground, city to the left, and Veteran's Park to the right.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
- 24mm, f/8, 5 seconds, ISO 250
- Manual mode, Bulb setting
- Tripod, shutter release cable
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, enhance saturation, remove dust spots