We took a break from shooting kissing couples, tattooed women in industrial ruin, and research laboratories to focus (pun intended) on some super cute gymnastics girls at the Superior School of Dance and Gymnastics the other night. And what a treat it was. We tried to avoid the traditional ‘stand here, smile, POP, okay next!’ process and setup three locations in their gym for group, action, and portrait shots. We think they turned out pretty well, but see for yourself. It helped that all the subjects were naturally photogenic, and again – not just cute, but super-cute. Special thanks to assistant and gymnastics interpreter Betty who kept the photog from looking too dumb, calling the bar the beam, and the beam the bar, but also moved gear in and out of the studio.

There are two galleries for the team, including one from a recent meet in Wisconsin. Ordering on the former is as-you-wish, with a wide variety of sizes, finishes, and digital downloads. The latter are freebies for fun

Many thanks to our host and gym owner, Nicole Polakowski, and her crew of coaches who helped corral fast moving, spunky girls – a job we likely couldn’t do without a glass of wine…

*** GALLERY ***

If you’ve been keeping up with our portrait work, you’ve probably noticed some subtle and dramatic makeup work going on. Rhian is the secret here, and we thought we’d give her a bit of a shout-out for her fantastic work. AND – if you are one of our brides or portrait clients, we highly recommend that you ask us about how to get Rhian to make your face even more beautiful than it already is. Below are some shots we did one sunny, Saturday afternoon in our studio. We pulled all the stops out on these: mopped the floor (again), turned up the trance music, dusted off the magic green couch, and cleaned the 50mm lens with more than just a t-shirt corner. All shots in the studio were done with natural sunlight, coming in through our 10′ windows, and with the magic f/1.4 lens. Our workflow is through Adobe Lightroom, and we ran the final shots through a very delicate treatment.

Rhian Harrington-Yeoman was born and raised in the city of Bath, located in the South West of England. She has had an interest in art, photography, fashion and makeup from a young age which she has only recently been realized as a career choice.

As evidenced by the photos here and in some recent project work with our studio, it is clear that she has an appreciation for individuals’ bone structure, skin type (even problem skin), aesthetic style and an understanding of what it takes to conceal and enhance different features. She essentially enhances natural beauty (which is why we like her!)

She is always willing to try new styles but has a current interest in natural, SFX, glam, special events and photographic makeup work. Rhian is interested in networking, working with local clients and businesses and assisting other established artists.

Rhian HY can be contacted by phone (906-281-7441) or email

Enjoy the below. Click on each image to enjoy details in hi-res.

Our friends at the Keweenaw Brewing Co. in downtown Houghton were kind enough to allow us to do a project shoot in their place recently. Manager Christine, owners Dick & Paul, and bartender Whitney helped brainstorm the idea with us as a fun project, with photos ending up as candidates for our revolving gallery in the KBC. As usual, we wanted to utilize an unusual location, and contrast it with some great tattoo work on some of our regular and some new models. Projects like this are always a blast because they are good exercises for our crew, provide portfolio pieces for our studio and models, and eventually result in large prints in our studio or in local galleries; everyone wins!

(Just posted ‘Whitney’s selections’ in a slideshow below. Be sure to hit the ‘play’ button or better, the fullscreen option)

OH, and many apologies to our fans who gave such rave reviews to the photos on our facebook page. We posted a trio of facebook-friendly photos to a gallery which stayed up for a good couple days until we were reported (shame on you!!) for inappropriate content. This is an often debated topic on this social network, and while we commend them for ‘protecting’ people, we must disagree with their removal of two of the images. Also kinda funny that they left one up. Alas…

One of your photos was recently removed because it was found to violate Facebook policies. As a reminder, the following types of photos are not permitted: Content that is pornographic or contains nudity, or is inappropriately sexual.

*** UPDATE – BANNED from facebook uploads ***

Um, wow. We feel like high-schoolers who were caught smoking in the bathroom. We knew the images were edgy, but they were carefully selected to be facebook-friendly, and in fact, the images were live for over 48 hours. 2 images (amber, stout) were removed for content and we were warned. We clicked okay and posted two ‘censored’ images to be cheeky. Facebook must have reviewed the uploads and assumed we had just added the ‘blonde’ shot that they missed. Instant Facebook detention for a week. Enjoy the images here. They are posted using Brockit Inc. terms and conditions, which means, well… absolutely nothing!

director Whitney setting up the blonde shot

safety briefing & shot planning

setting up a two-model shot

Skiers, your smiling faces and hard-working bodies never fail to be photogenic (and inspring.) We’ve got a full batch up from shooter #1, and shooters #2 and #3 have images exporting. There is a collection of over 1000 images, and listed in chronological order in our storefront. Many ordering options are available including a variety of digital download options. Please browse the flash slideshow below to get inspired, and then head to the gallery to find yourself, your partner, or that really annoying person that you could just never pass on the trail…

Many thanks to our crew of shooters, including Ben Wittbrodt and BettyJean Jaehnig, with special thanks to Angela Lucas Luskin who helped with organization.

our storefront

While we focus primarily on ‘people’ shots, we have been known to shoot landscapes. However, we don’t do this from a tripod on a pristine beach or hillside. We prefer to hang out of door-less helicopter, be strapped to the tailgate of a speeding truck, or in any situation that brings us dangerously close to frostbite. As a result, many people ask us for these shots, and we quietly sell a good number of them. The second most sold gallery shots are pretty much any photo of our unusually attractive, adventurous models – and again, often risking frostbite, tetanus, or being arrested. SO – if you’re struggling to find that perfect, last week gift for grandma, your partner, or yourself, take a browse through a gallery containing photos of scantily clad models, and the Keweenaw shot from a helicopter with a 17mm lens. All shots are available in two sizes, perfect for your living room. Order away, or at least see if we’ve shot your house, camp, or secret vista. The lab can ship to grandma’s door in two days.

Our storefront here, and a sneak peek at the contents below. Email us for the story behind the shot if you like – we guarantee there is one for each…

We have an adventurous client who we are working with on a mission to ‘rock the frock’ or ‘trash the dress’ photoshoot this weekend. Judging by our growing pile of damaged clothing from previous shoots, they’ve picked the right folks for this. BUT – we’re leaving some variables up to our fans. How far should we go? How trashed should we get the dress? Where should we go to do this? Should the bride casually roll around in the sand a bit, or should we end up with a garment that isn’t even suitable to be used as a bar-rag? So – three options below. Click on a photo and give a ‘like’ by 4PM on September 31 and we’ll let the newlywed know what she’s in for! Give some comments too. We’ll share them…