I shot the Sheriff…

It has been my pleasure to serve as the official photographer for our local sheriff for the last couple of years.  In addition to great expressions, good lighting and the right backgrounds, formal uniforms create a new set of details to capture.

Business portraits are perhaps the most under utilized aspect of the image of any business or organization.  Call Picture Place at 651-426-0232 to inquire about updating your business portraits, or for a quote on “shooting the whole staff”.

Not even your local Sheriff can protect your image, call us today.

With this ring, I thee light

Portrait photography is one of the most exciting parts of our business.  High School Seniors demand more all the time, and it is exciting to always be looking for fresh and creative new techniques and looks for our customers.

We are proud to introduce our new “Eclipse Portraits”.  There are many ways to light portraits, and I am really excited to be working with a modified ring light that allows me to create a stunning new look.  For you photo buffs, ring lights have been around for a long time, but for many years, were largely limited to small strobe based units that were barely bigger than the front of your lens.  Great for insects and flowers, but limited for portraits. I converted to all constant “hot lights” in my studio years ago so this is an easy tool to blend into my camera room.

Our new Eclipse portraits really brings out eye color, and allows us to create a stylized fashion look for our seniors.

Every senior I have photographed since starting to use this technique has gone crazy for these images.  In an industry that is being over run by amateurs pretending to be professionals (you know, the cheap dslr with a cheap kit lens and the camera always on program) count on Picture Place to keep raising the bar.  Your image is worth it.  You deserve nothing less.

Call us at 651-426-0232 to schedule your summer session, before they’re all gone.

Picture Place Photography

We only have 10 minutes to get this picture done…

There are many things I love about my job.  Isn’t it great when we have weeks to plan every aspect of a session, and then execute it perfectly?  Ok, back to reality.  Families are busier than ever, and it becomes quite a challenge for families to gather in one place, at one time for a family portrait.

I was asked to create a family portrait for a family we have photographed for many years.  Their son just graduated from high school, and in addition to the portraits from his senior session, they desired a new family portrait.  The plan was to create an image that would work as a 30×40 canvas, shot 8 days before the open house, and of course, they want the print for the big party.

I arrived early and considered my options.  This rock wall was by far the best option, and I knew that by the time everyone was gathered, dressed and ready, my time behind the camera would be very limited.

I setup one Alien Bee light, with a top secret light modifier I am testing.  I used a Nikon D700 with a 50mm prime lens.  This was about the 4th of the 12 exposures I made.  Just like that, it was a wrap.  I had only two blinks in the entire series, and had enough flash to balance the blazing sun.  My preference is to find a scene that I can use the sun as a backlight, but in this case, that was not an option.

To all my customers, rest assured that I will always find a way to get the image you dreamed of, no matter what faces me!  Call me anytime at 651-426-0232 to discuss your overdue family portrait!