We keep looking for a better term than ‘Senior Photos.’ It just reminds us of our own painful, first solo photoshoots at 17 years old: leather jacket slung over shoulder, cheesy smiles, studio lights, and lots of ‘editing.’ We worked with Stacy just how we work with a model or a commercial client: she worked with us on concepts, was open minded, professional, adventurous, and gorgeous. 5th & Elm’s Boone loaded us up with some black coffee (thanks!) and studio manager Meghan got out of the studio for a couple hours and joined us on this one which was a treat. She had scouted locations that fit what Stacy was looking for and we did clothing changes as we changed scenes. The clouds were a little ambiguous which always makes for changing light, and more annoying – changing light temperatures, both of which require continuous, on-the-fly thumb and finger work adjusting exposure and white balance. Congrats to Stacy – who like most of our wedding and portrait subjects lately – had no problem lying in the woods, sprawling across fallen trees, or standing waist deep in a swamp. Ha! Her shots are worth it and we hope she’ll have less traumatic memories (and photos) from her first pro shoot.

Unedited images below were shot with a combination of natural and reflected light with a 200mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.4.

In addition to charismatic opera singers, gorgeous brides, tattoo covered beauties, youthful high-schoolers, sweaty triathletes, and the occasional dog, we photograph kids too. They’re actually a nice cross between puppies and opera singers, so we’re reasonably qualified. And its a good thing we’re not big on the formal looking setups, because just like puppies, kids do NOT do this very well. The beauty is really in the dysfunction though, and we spend as much time laughing as we do trying to get multiple faces not to blink, squint, or drool. The excerpts below are from a family that we photographed in the studio and in their home over the course of a single session. Using the studio gives a nice predictable, light-controllable environment, and moving to a home allows us to shoot candidly, capture the natural surroundings of everyday life, and gives a great contrast to the studio work. These little ones were great. All shots were with a 70-200 2.8 and 50mm 1.4.

Frequently asked questions: “Do you do family shots?” “Do you do senior photos?” “Do you make all your models get in the water?!” “Are those tattoos real?!” Answers – yes, kinda, if possible, and um… yes. Despite all the candid work that we love, yes, we shoot formal groups for weddings and families. You know us though – we won’t tell you to smile, and we won’t shoot you on a green-screen, amidst fake plants, bricks, or in any way that reminds us of our own painful Olan Mills portraits from childhood. Ugh! The Kangas family is a perfect example of what we do. This beautiful family wanted us to come to their annual, week-long family reunion on their farm about an hour South of our studio. Photog and assistant Sarah drove down on a 90 degree evening (dodged a fat black bear on the way) and were handed cans of KBC before we stepped out of the Honda. (Nice!) We explained our vision to the family, and worked with them to find spots that were both special to them, and accessible by a fleet of ATVs. We didn’t prep them on clothing, and we didn’t clean up any scenes. We wanted to capture them in their element and give them some lasting memories. In this process, we become more than an observer. We learn about them, hear their stories, laugh, and eat and drink with them. Actually – in this case, we even shared a sauna! All shots were at ISO 640 with Nikkor 2.8 lenses with moderate shutter speeds – 1/1250 down to 1/30.

photog transportation & gear

family w/ family barn

homestead w/ laundry

photog's favorite

So many fun stories behind the shots. Thought we’d share this one in particular. Shot just before 11PM, we wanted to get the bride and groom out on the dock, which was reasonably lit by some solar lanterns. Actually, the dock and some of its features were finished just before the wedding at this historic resort. The new wood smelled wonderful… Not to digress – Megan and Jon had been great sports with our shooting all day. This included wading in a waterfall, hanging out of moving vehicles, and kissing for long periods of time – you know, the usual… When we got away from the party in the tents, past the high-centered & stuck tour bus, through a maze of euphoric guests and finally down to the dock – the stars were amazing. We had them hold their poses (and their breath) for some 4 second exposures while we used a spare strobe as a tripod. The camera was set for a 2-sec delay, with a relatively open aperture, moderate ISO, and with an ultra-wide Nikkor lens. Lots of challenges in a short amount of time (bride & groom priority isn’t on photos, but on wedding guests & dancing!) and one of the challenges was how to focus on two dark subjects, under a dark sky. iPhone & assistant Louisa to the rescue who held the lit phone in the same plane as the bride & groom, allowing an easy focus lock. The shot below is an out-take and the result of an ultra-sensitive shutter release. Oops. A final version below that. Both are un-edited. Gorgeous couple. Highlights soon.

an out-take showing Louisa using iPhone for focus-lock to set the shot

a final, un-edited version

The editor at Modern Brewery Age loved the ‘tattoos in a brewery‘ shoot that we did with our friends at the Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton. Pete Reid used a few of them on the closer page of the 4/20 edition, and there are some nice shout-outs to our friends, our crew, and to beer. Thanks to everyone that helped with this fun project.

And as always – these sweaty, dirty, bloody, smiling bikers inspire us. We had a crew of 4 shooters at two course locations to get complete coverage. If you can’t find yourself chronologically, well… you were probably avoiding us on purpose. Thank the race organization for hiring us to shoot, which means mid-resolution images are totally free for you to download from the full gallery. How nice is that!? Thank you to our second shooters & assistants who were nice enough to share water and DEET: Tania Levy, Sarah Bird, and Louisa Raisbeck.

With that, there are a few ways to enjoy the images.

Highlight slideshow from 2010 and 2011 below (100 images)

Facebook highlight gallery (20 images)

Full gallery for download and purchase (1200 images!)