With senior photo sessions in full swing I was lucky to photograph these two young women at the same time at one of my favorite locations. Depot Town and Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, MI.
The day was sunny and warm and the Sunday by the river vibe was perfect.
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As the senior season is in full swing, I’ve been busy photographing in the local parks.
Also, the business environment is busy and the need for headshot sessions is keeping me working in the studio as well.
Here are a few of the people I’ve had in as visitors.
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An ex coworker and friend is marketing a series of faith based apparel and approached me to photograph her, her young daughter and a group of women who were modelling the product on a beautiful early fall day in one of my favorite locations, Depot Town in Ypsilanti.
We wandered from location to location and the results are in the accompanying composites.
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Depot Town is an area in Ypsilanti, MI that abounds in good restaurants, neat shops, parks, a farmers market and the river that ties it all together. The train tracks that run through the area provide an interesting chance to hit the pause button on all the activities as the ringing of the bell warning everyone of the gates descending followed by the blasts of the horn from the engine and the overwhelming thunder of the passenger or freight trains crossing the main intersection brings conversations to a sudden halt.
I’ve been photographing portrait and senior sessions there for a while and am posting two here in this blog entry. Chronologically the young woman was first followed a week later by the young man also featured here.
During the session a female passerby who had apparently just purchased a sun flower bouquet at the adjacent farmers market stopped and asked my young woman subject if this was her senior photo session. When the reply was yes the woman congratulated her and gave her the bouquet to keep. It was a sweet moment and totally unexpected.
Clicking on the composites below will enlarge them full size.
Now that my studio has been brought back from the rubble it once was after the flood that left two feet of sewage backup in late June I’m happy, once again, to be able to set appointments for headshot and portrait clients.
Here are some samples from the last few sessions.
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Those long term visitors to my blog know I make the drive to Oval Beach in Saugatuck, MI to photograph the sunset on September 13th every year. The 13th is my anniversary and my late wife’s ashes are resting on the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan facing west into the setting sun.
This year the beach erosion was, again, more pronounced and the bluffs are being worn away with crevices where the rain and wind are eroding the sand hills despite the best efforts of the grasses to hold the damage.
It’s a natural process accelerated by the increasing strength of the incoming storms but still sad to see.
This year, as in the past, I photographed some people as well as the sunset. I got to meet a local resident, Lyle Kissee, with whom I’ve been communicating on Facebook. It was a pleasure to meet face to face.. his sunset photos are outstanding and I envy him for living in a great community and having access to the best photo locations all year long.
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With summer drawing to a close the demand for senior sessions is on the rise.
I photographed this young man’s family as well as his sister previously and now it was his turn.
The day was brutally hot and humid so we spent a few minutes outside and the balance of the session was in the family’s music room and upstairs over the garage in a great still under construction space with loads of light.
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Predicting the weather is always tricky so balancing outdoor with indoor sessions keeps the flow going.
Here are a few samples taken in studio.
The twins (yes.. they are tough to tell apart so they dress and do their hair differently) needed some theatrical headshots. They both were on General Hospital back when they were very young and still are in the hunt for roles. They and their younger sister, also shown here, are models and I’ve been photographing them for a few years.
I’ve included a few headshot samples including one for a government employee needing a photo with a flag background. Photoshop helped accomplish that and the before/after is also included here.
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While there’s a window of warm Michigan summer weather this family decided to take advantage of a beautiful day in a local park to capture images of their daughter at this fleeting time of her life.
I was pleased to be a part of their day as I know it will be gone in a flash as she starts to walk and talk.. but not yet.
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While I’ve been fighting the studio flooding (see previous blog posts) outside the walls the real world of flowers and greenery has been available and I’m sharing a day with a couple and their daughter and also a boy/girl friend senior session photographed locally in two parks.
Outside sessions are always weather dependent so two great days like these were a joy!
Clicking on the composites below will enlarge them full size.
My last blog post documented the destruction of my studio after a massive sewage backup.
This one is a record of the fight to get back in business, The initial process is to completely gut and sanitize the space. The next step is an assessment of what is needed to get back in business.
The list is extensive and many times surprising. Drywall replacement? Yes.. knew that. Painting? That, too. Floor covering? A two hour there and back trip to a carpet wholesaler for commercial grade carpet tile.. solved.
The things that were a surprise.. many of the doors and jams needed to be replaced because the originals had deformed due to being partially submerged. Drains that were thought to be good.. weren’t… requiring further excavation and the installation of back flow valves,
After a bit over $30,000 in cash outlay depleting my business account the photos here are a record of the 95% recovery with a few things yet to be done.
FEMA and the SBA have both been here in the neighborhood and the confusion is rampant as the help we hoped for seems to be mired in conflicting programs.. Loans many of us can’t use and grants held up or unavailable because of the loan process.. all still to be resolved.
The good thing is to know the extent of mutual support in our neighborhood for one another.. heartening!
Clicking on the composites below will open them full size.
The photo above was my lower level studio prior to 2:00AM June 26.
It rained heavily that night and, since I have no clue what sleep means, I went downstairs to check as I’d seen a small leak behind the furnace during a heavy rainstorm a week earlier.
Bear in mind I had a $20,000 basement drain footer project a few years ago followed by $2,000 for a collapsed drain last month.
When I got to the top of the stairs my flashlight revealed what was my share of a neighborhood catastrophe.
The massive rainstorm moving through southeastern Michigan had overloaded the sewer capacity and many homes on my block as well as throughout the city were flooded with raw sewage, in my case about 2 feet deep.
The ensuing struggle to find crews to address the aftermath and the discovery that many people’s insurance did not cover the damage was epic. Even those who did have coverage found it was a small fraction of the cost.
The composites below document the recovery effort in my studio… still to come, drywall repair and painting, replacement floor covering and moving forward after the loss of materials and studio income.
Kudos to my neighborhood, College Heights in Ypsilanti, as well as other adjacent neighborhoods for the support offered by our neighbors during this reminder that nature and the environment is a force not to be ignored!
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This session had been scheduled for a long time and we finally got together in a bright and sunny but chilly day!
The young woman was a trooper and never showed the goose-bump inducing weather. We went to a number of locations and she changed outfits in mom’s car on the way to each.
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As Covid restrictions continue, although easing a bit, I’m still carefully observing measures to keep clients safe in the studio. I’ve received my 2nd vaccination and also diligently clean surfaces as well as respecting personal distance as much as possible.
These three people were guests for head shot sessions and I’m sharing some of the results here.
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With warmer weather just around the corner I’m fielding requests for outdoor sessions. We’re not quite there yet but I should have some to show shortly.
While we wait for nature to catch up with our wishes I’ve been busy in the studio with a number of head shot and portrait sessions.
Here are some examples of results from the past few days.
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Business is slowly picking up at the end of a cold and snowy winter.
I photographed this young woman in need of head shots and dragged a local guy down to the studio after he cleared my walks and driveway from what, hopefully, will be the last significant snow of the season.
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My last blog post documented a session where I photographed a young couple who came into my studio looking for photos that would show their commitment to each other.. done on Valentine’s Day.
This post is from the very next session, a couple who have a long and loving history together.
They’re great people and since the husband is a photographer we got to use each other as sounding boards in some after session editing discussions.
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During a period of very cold temperatures outside I was privileged to be able to get into my warm studio with this great couple.
Snow and single digit temps were no match for their closeness.. a pleasure to be part of this shoot.
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With the daytime outside temperature in the low double digits I turned on the heater in my lower level studio and had a great session developing an acting portfolio.
Sometimes a session gets to be playtime because the client wants to get creative and this was one for sure. This young woman is aiming high and it was gratifying to be a part of her plan.
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Last November during a photo shoot I did some critical damage to my lower back bringing everything movement related to a screeching halt.
Supporting a heavy camera and lens put the point of balance directly over my lower left side and the pinched nerves were a graphic reminder of how fragile we are as biological entities. Suffice it to say, working has been a no go and I’ve been and will continue to be a regular at physical therapy twice a week since then.
Finally and cautiously.. ten weeks later.. I took my first job and although I knew I wasn’t back entirely I felt good that I was part of another family’s life when I met this senior on site an Huron High School to document his passage towards the next phase of his education.
He’s an incredibly bright young man and the session was great re-entry for me.
Clicking on the composites below will enlarge them full size.
