mountain standard time

Portrait Session - Molly

2011-09-07T13:54:00.000-06:00

Molly wanted some fun photos to display at her upcoming Bat Mitzvah so we went downtown and created some great portraits on the riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut Greenway. Even though it was close to 100 degrees outside, she kept her cool and posed like a pro.

Crofoot Pontiac Bat Mitzvah

2011-08-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

Previously unpublished slideshow from Marla's Bat Mitzvah at Beth Shalom and The Crofoot in Pontiac. The portraits at the synagogue were taken by me (Brett) and the party was photographed for me by photographer Melissa Herndon who I use to photograph events when I'm double booked.

Youthville Detroit Bar Mitzvah

2011-08-02T08:35:00.000-06:00

Previously unpublished slideshow of Ryan's Bar Mitzvah at Temple Israel and Youthville Detroit. They did a great job transforming the space at Youthville and everyone had a great time playing hockey and dancing with Star Trax.

Ben - 1 year portraits

2011-03-31T18:31:00.000-06:00

Here are some of my favorites from a recent portrait session with one-year-old Ben.

Ellen & Phil - wedding photography

2010-10-31T07:51:00.000-06:00

Some of my favorite photos from Ellen & Phil's wedding. They have been together since high school and despite the many knots Phil had tied in his days sailing, there was one knot still to tie... They had a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Orchard Lake Country Club. Despite a few early drizzles, they were able to have their ceremony outdoors, on the lake. To top it off, a full double rainbow (like this one) appeared during the reception. That has to be good luck! The Killer Flamingos kept the party rocking all night. It was a pleasure to work with Carolyn from the China Closet again (twice this summer!).

182:365 Home 9.21.10

2010-10-20T23:35:00.000-06:00

neglected.

For the past 4 years, I've been trying to figure out what to do with this side of my backyard. It's next to the garage and has pretty much grown over with ivy. Matilda enjoys the occasional swing here and I put up the privacy fence last summer, but other than that, It just sits there. Maybe I'll get around to doing something next year.

On a technical note, I use 9 different exposures to composite this photos. Fun with photoshop!

181:365 people 9.20.10

2010-10-19T21:36:00.000-06:00

The lonely road.

Ok, not really, I was just trying to be poetic. This old guy was apple picking all by himself and it seemed like we were intruding on his solitude. We, on the other hand, were having a great time picking/eating apples. It was Matilda's actual birthday today, but I decided that 3 Matilda pictures this week might be a little much. Look for more on her blog if you are having withdrawal.

180:365 people 9.19.10

2010-10-19T21:30:00.001-06:00

~~Elmo's~~ Red Monster's World...

The "red monster" (not to be mistaken with Elmo - which we can't call him because of trademark issues), came to Matilda's birthday party. Matilda referred to him as "big Elmo" because, well, he was much larger than her, even when on his knees and only slightly scary looking. He was a big hit at the party and only made a few kids cry. Big thanks to Uncle Ben (not the one of the minute-rice fame) for taking one for the team.

179:365 people 9.18.10

2010-10-19T20:30:00.000-06:00

Crazy Cousins.

Alex and Jake. Sometimes I wonder if we are really related, but most days I'm glad we are.

178:365 people 9.17.10

2010-10-19T20:28:00.000-06:00

Ready to go.

Matilda insisted that she needed her "laptop" for preschool. Never to early to start the college prep.

177:365 people 9.16.10

2010-10-18T11:33:00.000-06:00

Top Chef.

This is Zack. Zack is one of those people you meet and know that they are going to be huge. I wouldn't be suprised to see him on the next Top Chef or open the next big restaurant. He's a creative and talented chef who demands and creates perfection on a plate (or on a paintbrush - as was the case for one of the dishes he created for this event). Check out his company, Cutting Edge Cuisine. I'm working with him to create some new images for his website that will do justice to the digestible art he creates.

176:365 people 9.15.10

2010-10-15T09:22:00.001-06:00

The Presidents.

These are the presidents of the United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (JFMD), photographed before their joint annual meeting. JFMD has been one of my biggest clients over the past few years. I photograph all their major events, so getting new, interesting photos can sometimes be a challenge when I see a lot of the same people at each event. This was one of those moments where I was "chimping*" on the back of my camera and thought, hey, I may have something here. I was only using one flash, on-camera, and bounced if off the ceiling and wall next to me. It's amazing how that little flash can look like a big softbox when used correctly.

*chimping, for you non-photographers, is the term referring to one or more people looking at pictures on the back of a digital camera and going "ooh, ooh, ahh, ahh" - like a chimp. I try to avoid doing this, but sometimes it's inevitable.

175:365 people 9.14.10

2010-10-15T09:05:00.000-06:00

thirsty??

Shot at a charity event I was photographing. Strangely enough, the same guy was at another event I photographed 2 nights later...

174:365 liquid 9.13.10

2010-10-08T08:43:00.000-06:00

bubbles.

Sarah (my wife) got me addicted to drinking seltzer water or club soda, or soda water, or sparking water, or carbonated water, or as Matilda calls it "bubbles." Whatever you want to call it, it's very refreshing and makes regular water seem dull. We used to buy 2L bottles of it from Meijer and schlep them from the store to the house and then back to the store to return the empties. Needless to say, this was annoying and expensive. We would usually polish off a 2L per day, if not more.

Then, I found out about the soda stream. Anyone who enjoys carbonated beverages should have one. It's a little investment up front (we got ours as a holiday gift - thanks mom!), but it's only about 25cents per liter after that. There are also soda mix flavors that turn the bottle into flavored water or pop (yes, I call it pop - you may know it as soda). So put one on your chrisma-hanu-kwanza-ka list and enjoy.

173:365 liquid 9.12.10

2010-10-08T08:28:00.001-06:00

clean.

(Almost) every night, I spray down the kitchen counter with Method all-purpose cleaner. Tonight, it sat on the counter a little longer so I could take a few photos before wiping it off.

172:365 liquid 9.11.10

2010-10-08T08:28:00.000-06:00

Purple Rain.

This is what I was shooting when I took the above photo:

Awesome senior session - we didn't let a few raindrops stop us. They made the most of it and jumped in the fountain! Will post more soon.

169:365 Liquid 9.8.10

2010-10-06T09:58:00.001-06:00

Bath water.

Oops. this one is a little out of order. That's what happens when I get behind on posting. Sorry.

171:365 liquid 9.10.10

2010-09-16T11:56:00.001-06:00

An Assortment of drops:

Golden Showers.

170:365 Liquid 9.9.10

2010-09-16T09:35:00.002-06:00

2 shots.

Ok, I have to get something off my chest... I hate when people add an "X" to espresso. It's not "expresso"!! That just makes my skin curl. While we are on that note, "across" does not end in a "t" and there's no "x" in "especially" either... thanks. I feel better now.

168:365 Liquid 9.7.10

2010-09-16T09:06:00.000-06:00

hot, butternut squash, cocktail.

sounds interesting... look for it in the November Styleline. Photographed at Cafe Cortina.

167:365 Close-up 9.6.10

2010-09-16T08:50:00.000-06:00

it's in the eyes.

here's a tip: make sure the eyes are in focus. even in this little toy giraffe, the photo doesn't work unless the eyes are in focus. I took 5 or 6 frames of this little guy and this was the only one that had the eyes in focus because the depth of field is so shallow. This means that only about a 1/4 inch sliver is in focus, then it goes out of focus extremely quick. I love the look, but its a bitch to get something in focus accurately without using a tripod. Click here to see the scale of my little friend so you can understand just how little is in focus.

166:365 Close-up 9.5.10

2010-09-16T08:35:00.000-06:00

camp.

165:365 Close-up 9.4.10

2010-09-15T00:24:00.002-06:00

no vowels.

I have great respect for people who speak multiple languages. I spent 4 years of my adolescence learning the basics of Hebrew to study for my bar mitzvah. I came away with little more than memorization of many of the prayers from pure repetition. Sure, I can read most of the letters, but understanding what you are reading is a different story. Since I had a subconscious desire to inflict pain upon myself, I took a semester of Hebrew in college. What made me decide to do this during my first semester of college is beyond me, but I managed to survive. I got a 2.7, but it could have been much worse.

Here's what it boils down to: When you study for your bar mitzvah, you learn Hebrew with the vowels (various dots and dashes under the letters). Then, just before your bar mitzvah, the Rabbi pulls a bait-and-switch and says, "oh, by the way, the Torah doesn't have any vowels, you are going to have to re-learn your Torah portion and figure out how to do it without the vowels." Try t rd ths sntnc nd s hw sy t s. (Try to read this sentence and see how easy it is). Yeah, it's a pretty cruel joke to pull on a 12-year-old. So you manage to get through it (since you memorized it) and everything is ok. I thought that would be my last brush with a vowel-less world. Then, to my surprise and horror, I walked into my 2nd week of college Hebrew and the professor throws out the vowels. sht.

164:365 Close-up 9.3.10

2010-09-09T21:56:00.000-06:00

the beholder.

163:365 Close-up 9.2.10

2010-09-08T21:35:00.002-06:00

beans.

I'm going to need a lot of this ground up with hot water poured through it in a cup or a mug tomorrow. If you were stalker-ish enough to click all the way through to see the file info, you would notice I took it at 2:13AM. Time to go to bed.

Oh, while I was up, I thought you might like to know how to get some nice, natural looking light at 2:13AM (or any other time of day) so here you go:

...that fancy reflector is a sheet of white paper propped up by the coffee bag, the bounce light is a little piece of foam that was in the close-up filter case (which happened to be on the counter. Yes, I triggered it with my wireless pocket wizard remotes and the light came from my canon 580EXII speedlite, but you could probably do something similar with a flashlight or a table lamp. Give it a try.

162:365 Close-up 9.1.10

2010-09-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

honey bee.

Don't worry, I was about 2 feet away from this guy. He didn't really care much about me either. He was enjoying one of the many mint flowers that adorn my planter box. On a somewhat related note - the yellow jackets that have taken up residence behind my gutter don't want to leave just yet - despite my many pesticidal attempts. I may just have to wait for winter and hope they don't come back next year...

161:365 Close-up 8.31.10

2010-09-07T21:44:00.001-06:00

dent.

So the whole idea for this week's theme is because I just got this cool new close-up lens filter. It's pretty high quality and it allows me to get macro shots without keeping an extra lens in my bag. It works great on my 70-200 as seen in last week's penny photos, but there's just one problem - my lens is a little dented. It is a screw mount filter so it is supposed to screw to the front of the lens, but after 5 years of use, my 70-200 has taken a few bumps and bruises. The dent that can be seen here is preventing me from actually screwing the close-up adapter onto my lens. I'll get it fixed soon, but for this week I'll have to just hold it up there - ghetto style. Enjoy.

160:365 Before & After 8.30.10

2010-09-07T21:35:00.001-06:00

Before.

After.

Breakfast for Matilda on her first day of school! This was actually taken at night, but I tried to light it to look like daytime. What do you think?

159:365 Before & After 8.29.10

2010-09-07T21:34:00.002-06:00

You guess which is which.

158:365 Before & After 8.28.10

2010-09-03T10:24:00.000-06:00

Before.

After.

Classic.

157:365 Before & After 8.27.10

2010-09-02T23:12:00.005-06:00

Before.

After.

No, it's not photoshopped. It's two different photos. This is a great example of one of those cheesy photographer tricks that often works. This was for Elana's senior yearbook photo and really all you need is a good smile. Don't worry, I didn't have her say "cheese."

For the first one, I had probably said something like "give me a nice smile" about 5 frames prior to this and by this point, the smile had gone a bit stale. Don't get me wrong, she looks great, but as you can tell, it wasn't her best smile. Then, all I said was "ok, now give me a real smile!" There was actually a frame between the two of these that shows her thinking over my statement and then she gave me the "real" smile. I know, it's cheesy, but it works. I do what I have to do.

156:365 Before & After 8.26.10

2010-09-02T23:12:00.004-06:00

Long day.... so I shot myself. Twice...

before.

20 minutes and 2.5 miles after.

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."
-Elle Woods

155:365 Before & After 8.25.10

2010-08-31T08:56:00.002-06:00

Before.

After.

My two cents: Same lens (Canon 70-200 2.8) on both. The "before" is the minimum focusing distance (about 4 feet). The "after" is the minimum focusing distance once I put on my new close-up adapter (about 4 inches). Quite a difference. I'm happy with my purchase.

154:365 Before & After 8.24.10

2010-08-31T08:52:00.000-06:00

Before.

After.

Miniature baseball game. The Tigers won.

153:365 Letters 8.23.10

2010-08-25T07:15:00.001-06:00

The SS is not all bad.

This was actually at Shir Shalom so the SS was quite serendipitous...Matilda enjoyed the fireworks thoroughly, and then passed out in the car on the way home.

152:365 Letters 8.22.10

2010-08-25T07:08:00.001-06:00

Ay?

151:365 Letters 8.21.10

2010-08-24T13:16:00.001-06:00

Nice buns.

150:365 Letters 8.20.10

2010-08-24T13:06:00.002-06:00

Oh.

Not at this one, but at similar structure at the corner of 13 mile and Southfield, not far from where I grew up, my friend Paul lied to me. He said that he had skateboarded all the way around the circle. The circle I'm speaking of is about 3 times the size of this one and about 5 feet higher off the ground. I believed him. I mean, what 7 year old wouldn't believe their best friend who had a rat-tail and a cross earring (his mom was a minister). I may have been a little gullible.

149:365 Letters 8.19.10

2010-08-24T12:56:00.001-06:00

Master P.

148:365 Letters 8.18.10

2010-08-24T12:54:00.002-06:00

W, M, or N... you pick.

147:365 Letters 8.17.10

2010-08-24T12:51:00.003-06:00

What up?

146:365 Negative Space 8.16.10

2010-08-18T23:34:00.000-06:00

more bars in more places.

No, it's not AT&T, it's the new Quicken offices in Detroit. I was on an assignment there for the Jewish News and I liked all the design elements they have going on. If I wanted an office job, I would think that would be a cool office to work at.

145:365 Negative Space 8.15.10

2010-08-18T23:30:00.000-06:00

What does it mean??

I couldn't resist. It may not be the best example of "negative space" but in honor of the recent youtube phenomenon and Ellen and Phil's wedding (where this was taken) I chose the double rainbow. All the way across the sky.

144:365 Negative Space 8.14.10

2010-08-18T23:23:00.000-06:00

ready. set. go!

exploring.

We played at the park for a little while this morning. Matilda hasn't been on the blog in a little while, so I decided to share two today.

143:365 Negative Space 8.13.10

2010-08-18T07:55:00.001-06:00

Symmetry.

143:365 Negative Space 8.12.10

2010-08-17T22:46:00.000-06:00

gesture.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't an intentional photo. Sometimes you just get lucky. I had some cute shots of my dogs sitting at a street corner and some esoteric ones of some street lamps, but I kept coming back to this one. Maybe it's the simplicity or the abstractness of it that I struggled to capture 2 weeks ago... whatever it is, here it is.

142:365 Negative Space 8.11.10

2010-08-17T22:36:00.000-06:00

stumped.

The tree in front of my in-laws house was removed the other day. It just feels empty now. It was a huge tree that lost a significant limb during a big storm a few weeks back. Now it's a stump.

141:365 Negative Space 8.10.10

2010-08-11T22:03:00.000-06:00

Positive space.

I spent part of the day photographing for Summer in the City. They are truly a creator of positive space in a place that has gotten such negative press - Detroit. Their volunteer projects range from muraling and community gardening to running free summer camps for children in underprivileged areas. Today I was photographing at the Latino Mission Society in southwest Detroit. SITC runs a camp there where they have an average of 80 kids show up every Tuesday through Friday. The kids are paired with a "buddy" and they play games and organized activities and just have an all around good time.

I took lots of photos of the kids and their volunteer buddies. I haven't had time to go through all of them, but here are a few more that fit with the "Negative Space" theme I'm going with this week. I hate to say anything is "negative" about SITC or these kids, so I'll call these "positive space."

Life is like a box of chocolates...

If you have some free time on Friday, you should stop by for the last day of SITC this summer. It's going to be a blast - I'll be there. Check out their website for more info.

140:365 Shadows 8.9.10

2010-08-11T15:21:00.002-06:00

barcode.

Happy 8.9.10!

139:365 Shadows 8.8.10

2010-08-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

upstairs...

What is up there? a haunting ghost? a bunch of cobwebs inhabited by a basketball sized spider? A portrait of Dorian Gray? No, it's even scarier - an almost 2 year old!!! Don't worry, she's sleeping. For now...

138:365 Shadows 8.7.10

2010-08-09T22:57:00.001-06:00

an alpaca in the shade and some detail in the sky.

Here's the thing about digital cameras, they can't really capture everything we see. Even the best ones pale in comparison to the human eye. Digital cameras have a notoriously narrow range of exposure (or "dynamic range" for those who speak tech talk). Basically, this means that if you are looking at a scene with a large contrast between the bright areas (highlights) and the dark areas (shadows), you can't properly expose (see) both at the same time.

This is the problem that arises when you are trying to shoot outside on a sunny day. There are bright areas in the photo, usually the sky, and then there are dark areas, or the harsh shadows cast in bright sun. Your eyes can see both at the same time, but the camera can't. You have to make a choice. Do I expose the photo for the highlights or for the shadows? If you choose one, you usually lose detail in the other. This photo is a great example of that bright sunny day... but wait, what's that you say? You see details in the shadows and the highlights? Well, that's the magic of post-processing. What comes out of the camera looks like blah, the sky is all white and the shade is too dark, but what you can do with the information hidden in the zeros and ones is quite remarkable. When you play around with the little sliders in Adobe Lightroom and find those details in the highlights and shadows that you thought had disappeared, you can massage the pixels into showing us something close to what our eyes can see. Unfortunately it takes a good amount of time on the computer to coax out these details, whereas our eyes do it instantaneously.

The funny thing is that most people will look at a photo like this and say "that's not real, they did something to it in photoshop." And while that is true, the intention for doing this was to be able to bring it back to reality - to show the full dynamic range of the scene, or simply, show what our eyes see. So the next time you are squinting on a sunny day, be thankful that you can see the bright blue in the sky as well as the girl under the umbrella laying on the beach. If your eyes were like a digital camera, you might have to choose which one to see (I'd go with the latter...).

137:365 Shadows 8.6.10

2010-08-09T20:45:00.000-06:00

Stress.

Don't worry, she's just acting for the sake of the photo. The dramatic shadows didn't feel like a smiley happy photo. Sorry, they can't all be smiley and happy. Maybe next week. Thanks for modeling (and putting up with me), sweetie.

136:365 Shadows 8.5.10

2010-08-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

Spork.

Yes, this is a metal spork. Albeit a little more fork than spoon, but it's the closest thing to a spork I've found of the non-desposable sort. I believe it was borrowed from a Lufthansa flight back when you didn't have to pay for crackers.

135:365 Shadows 8.4.10

2010-08-09T20:26:00.000-06:00

Lurking in the shadows...

134:365 Shadows 8.3.10

2010-08-09T20:20:00.000-06:00

i wish i was a little bit taller...

Cliche? Yes, but necessary in any good exploration of shadows. Think of it as self-realization. It's all the rage in the groundhog world.

133:365 Abstract 8.2.10

2010-08-05T09:35:00.002-06:00

purple corn.

So now that abstract is done, I have come to appreciate good abstract photos much more that I previously did. I actually thought this would be a pretty easy week, but it turned out to be much more difficult. I define abstract as something that has no easily identifiable object in the image and looks at the light, color, shape or texture more so than any specific subject. I am usually trying to get sharp, well composed images of people, places or objects, so this week forced me to check my natural instincts at the door and see deeper than the physical subject. I found myself deferring to out-of-focus photos that are essentially all bokeh, or the blurry part of a photo (days 131 & 133). Because it was a struggle, it felt a little contrived or cliche most of the time - hopefully the results didn't come across in that way. In short, it's been a humbling week, but that's not a bad thing.

132:365 Abstract 8.1.10

2010-08-05T09:11:00.001-06:00

in the hood.

131:365 Abstract 7.31.10

2010-08-03T08:21:00.000-06:00

Not an emergency.

What am I?

130:365 Abstract 7.30.10

2010-08-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

S-curve.

Lit with my iphone.

129:365 Abstract 7.29.10

2010-08-03T08:09:00.000-06:00

glass, wood & steel.

Shot at the Forest Grill in Birmingham while on assignment for StyleLine. Look for the drink photo in the October issue.

128:365 Abstract 7.28.10

2010-08-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

bouquet bokeh.

127:365 abstract 7.27.10

2010-07-31T23:28:00.000-06:00

alien skin.

126:365 Transportation 7.26.10

2010-07-31T23:26:00.000-06:00

target.

125:365 Transportation 7.25.10

2010-07-31T08:39:00.001-06:00

Spent the better part of the day at Greenfield Village. Matilda had a great time and I had way too many "transportation options to pick just one, so here's some of my faves.

A vintage train passes by the baseball game we were watching. They play the game by the 1867 rules - no gloves!

A model T cruises through the streets

A man on a Penny Farthing bicycle

More penny farthing pics

choo-choo! black smoke and white clouds.

124:365 Transportation 7.24.10

2010-07-30T22:58:00.000-06:00

plane and simple.

It kinda looks like a toy airplane, but I swear it's real. I spent about 45 minutes waiting near a small airport for a plane to fly over. I was thinking it would be really cool to get a shot as it was landing or taking off and have most of the plane fill the frame. So I waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently no one wanted to go for a flight that day. I ran out of time and had to go home. Luckily, there are planes constantly flying over my house as they are coming in for a landing at Detroit Metro airport. They aren't that close to the ground at this point, but they are there. So I pulled out the big lens and got as close as I could. The result - this photo looks a little like a toy plane. I swear it's real. There are probably 100 people in the plane. I didn't even do anything weird to the photo to make it look small. Well, here it is - a plain plane. enjoy.

123:365 transportation 7.23.10

2010-07-27T11:29:00.000-06:00

happy accident.

I know what you are thinking - this isn't transportation. I disagree. I'm taking artistic license on this one to say that I was "transported" to another world by the sunset tonight. It was all crazy red, pink, and orange. The soft look to the photo isn't a fancy photoshop filter, quite the opposite - in fact, I didn't really do any work on the photo after it was shot. This was a very humid night and my lens was fogged with condensation. It had been inside in the air conditioning and it looked like a cold glass of water when I brought it outside. I almost didn't take the photo because of the fogging, but I said "what the hell" and shot off a few frames anyway. I rather like the look, especially with this photo. It enhances the otherworldlyness. So enjoy being transported to mars. Tomorrow I'll have something more traditionally recognized as transportation.

122:365 Transportation 7.22.10

2010-07-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

mini.

Two interesting things about this photo:

1. I am playing around with a technique in Photoshop that mimics a look you can get by using a tilt-shift lens. If done well, the scene can look like something from the opening scene of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. If you want to see more like this, let me know and I may make it a theme for a week. See some other cool photos using this technique here.

2. Don't try taking this photo. Apparently it's illegal to walk along this overpass in Royal Oak. I was stopped by a nice police officer who informed me that I was trespassing on private property (Amtrak owns the overpass because its used for the railroad). There were no signs anywhere that indicated this was private property, illegal, or came with a penalty of 30 days in jail. Luckily the officer was understanding and told me that there used to be a sign there, but someone removed it. After taking down my info and giving me a full cavity search, he let me go. I don't condone breaking the law to take photos and don't make a practice of it, but my general rule of thumb when it's not clearly against the rules is to shoot first and ask questions later. When I'm asked to stop, I do. Luckily, I'm not writing this from jail...

121:365 Transportation 7.21.10

2010-07-26T15:13:00.000-06:00

They get her where she needs to go, and often fast.

120:365 Transportation 7.20.10

2010-07-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

before the storm.

On the road back from Chicago. Let me tell you, it's not easy to take a photo of a truck going in the opposite direction while you are driving 70MPH on the freeway. I'm sure there's a torturous math story problem in there somewhere...

119:365 night 7.19.10

2010-07-24T12:34:00.000-06:00

Chi-town.

Last night in Chicago. Viewed from the Fullerton parkway bridge over the South Lagoon. Shortly after this was taken it rained.

118:365 night 7.18.10

2010-07-24T12:27:00.000-06:00

Lincoln Park after dark.

Subsequently, this is also the name of a nail polish my wife uses. I'm not sure why I know this...

117:365 Night 7.17.10

2010-07-24T12:23:00.000-06:00

Drive-by shooting.

Tonight we drove to Chicago to visit some friends. We were in the car until pretty late, so I was only able to get this shot of streams of light from cars and stores while we were driving to their house. It's not the best version of "night" but for those of you who voted for abstract, this is for you. On another note, I don't recommend photographing while driving, but in this case it was kind of a necessity. I think I was only going about 25mph at the time so don't worry too much... I'm a highly trained professional - don't try this at home (mostly because driving a car through your house probably would mess some things up a bit).

116:365 night 7.16.10

2010-07-21T08:43:00.000-06:00

There's no place like home...

115:365 night 7.15.10

2010-07-16T08:22:00.000-06:00

child's pose.

due to the crazy rain, I stayed inside tonight. luckily matilda slept through the photo shoot.

114:365 night 7.14.10

2010-07-15T23:38:00.000-06:00

Garage.

Vinsetta Garage, in Berkley on Woodward. They service my cars and do a great job. No, that is not my 'vette (or my minivan)...

113:365 Night 7.13.10

2010-07-15T23:19:00.000-06:00

Through the trees.

Night it is for this week. I'm sure negative space will get its week soon.

Which one?

2010-07-14T13:17:00.001-06:00

1)

or 2)

Consequently, both were taken at night, but #2 is more along the lines of "negative space" so since I can't decide on a theme for this week - it's up to you, again. Which do you like better? Leave a comment.

112:365 nature 7.12.10

2010-07-12T22:56:00.000-06:00

north side.

111:365 nature 7.11.10

2010-07-12T22:48:00.000-06:00

curiously strong.

2 years ago I planted a little mint plant. Now we have a forest of mint. It makes a good mojito or a great addition to lemonade, but I'm running out of ideas on what to do with it. Yes, we will probably dry some to make tea. What else?

Oh, this one was done with the lensbaby too, but I put it on a tripod, shot a few long exposures with some light painting techniques (i.e. shined a flashlight on only certain parts of the scene) then combined a few in photoshop and applied some effects in lightroom. So that explains why it looks a little funky.

110:365 Nature 7.10.10

2010-07-12T22:42:00.000-06:00

slipped through the cracks.

Took this one with a lensbaby. My regular "all around" lens (24-70mm) is in the shop so I've been playing with the lensbaby a little more. Lots of fun.

109:365 Nature 7.9.10

2010-07-12T22:36:00.000-06:00

Not poison.

Pulled over the car in Dearborn to photograph this one. Not sure how I feel about it in black and white... the rocks were a little distracting in color.

108:365 Nature 7.8.10

2010-07-09T09:15:00.000-06:00

after the rain.

107:365 Nature 7.7.10

2010-07-09T08:58:00.000-06:00

birch #2.

I know, two birch trees in a row... I was up north where there are many of these and there are not so many downstate. Deal with it. I like them. Hope you do too!

106:365 Nature 7.6.10

2010-07-09T08:44:00.000-06:00

tree autopsy.

Wedding Album - Jennifer & Jeremy

2010-07-08T21:19:00.002-06:00

Jennifer & Jeremy | Make Your Own Book

Wedding album I created for Jennifer & Jeremy.

105:365 Threes 7.5.10

2010-07-05T13:22:00.002-06:00

Buses.

Yes, there are 3 of them. The 1st one is small in the photo, but you can see it between the other two, down the road. These are the buses taking the Teen Mission to Israel participants to the airport. I was on the Teen Mission as a staff member in 2006 and as a participant in 1998. Two of the best summers ever. I'm sure this one is going to be great. My cousin, Jake, is on the trip. That's my Aunt Susie waving goodbye. Have a safe trip guys!

104:365 Threes 7.4.10

2010-07-05T13:17:00.000-06:00

clowns.

At the Huntington Woods 4th of July parade. Don't worry, they didn't float away.

103:365 Threes 7.3.10

2010-07-05T13:14:00.001-06:00

tails.

Happy 3rd of July! It took Hazel, Buster and Phoebe a few tries to sit together, but thanks to my sister, an animal trainer (and a few doggie treats) they obliged.

102:365 Threes 7.2.10

2010-07-05T13:09:00.001-06:00

Umbrellas.

In Campus Martius, while on assignment for Platinum Magazine.

101:365 Threes 7.1.10

2010-07-05T13:07:00.000-06:00

mexican train.

Julie & Kurt

2010-07-04T12:13:00.000-06:00

A few of my favorite photographs from Julie & Kurt's Wedding at the Inn at St. John in Northville. I also had the privilege of working with Carolyn Hefner of The China Closet. She helped with my wedding, so it was fun to be on the other side of things and work with her.

Celebration!

2010-07-03T12:40:00.002-06:00

Check out the Free Press (page 3D) and the Detroit News (page 3C) for the Celebration! section featuring Sarah & Darren and Jennifer & Jeremy's weddings.

100:365 Threes 6.30.10

2010-07-01T10:09:00.001-06:00

Bamboo.

Is bamboo both singular and plural (like sheep)? Or would I say this photo is of 3 bamboos? English is one silly language. Anyway, I couldn't resist the unreal puffy clouds we had today. It was like the opening credits from the Simpsons. I found these three lovely bamboo(s), which were reminiscent of the evolution of man, at Mind, Body & Spirits in Rochester where I was photographing a white sangria for StyleLine (look for it in the September issue).

99:365 Threes 6.29.10

2010-07-01T09:13:00.000-06:00

Judges.

It was our little Huntington Woods version of toddlers in tiaras. Welcome to the baby parade. This long tradition involves children (under the age of 2) running around, playing with each other, while three senior citizens rate them in categories like "biggest eyes," "reddest hair," and "best tumbler." At the end of the judging (which went on for way too long this year), the awards are given and every child receives some kind of award. Matilda was crowned "Most Enthusiastic." Then, as if this weren't enough, two lucky children have their names chosen from a hat to be crowned Little Miss/Master Huntington Woods. Their prize? They get to ride in the annual 4th of July parade and throw candy (that they probably can't eat) at all the kids watching the parade while hanging out of a convertible. This year's winner... RUBY (one of Matilda's best friends). We are taking bets to see if she will be a big sister before the parade. Her mom is due any day now.

98:365 color 6.28.10

2010-06-30T09:36:00.001-06:00

man vs. nature.

Thirsty?

2010-06-29T10:25:00.001-06:00

If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you may have seen past posts on the "Imbibe" feature I shoot monthly for StyleLine Magazine. The July issue is on stands now and you can see my photo on page 100. Or just click here and see it online. Recipe for the Beach Grill Mai Tai is in the article. The above photo is one they didn't use for the magazine, but it was one of my favorites.

While I'm at it.... here's the link to the April, May and June imbibe articles that I hadn't yet posted. The Pineapple Mojito is a personal favorite!

97:365 Color 6.27.10

2010-06-28T08:46:00.002-06:00

Blue Moon.

96:365 Color 6.26.10

2010-06-28T00:25:00.000-06:00

The best laid plans...

So you may be thinking to yourself: "Self, why am I looking at a picture of what appears to be a jelly jar?" And you would be asking a good question. Here's the thing, sometimes I have ideas that don't work out. If you are human, I imagine that you have this problem too from time to time. But, what you choose to do when the plans don't go according to, um, plan, is what makes you stand out or suck at life. Ok maybe that was a bit harsh... I'm sorry, you don't suck, that other guy who stopped reading after the first sentence does. read on...

So I was outside after dinner, enjoying all the fireflies that were making my backyard sparkle while I worked on my mosquito bite collection. I thought it would be cool to try to get the fireflies in my photo for today. After running around my backyard, trying to photograph fireflies in flight for a few minutes I decided that this was not going to work for multiple reasons. Plan B: Get a jar and catch the suckers. Don't worry, no fireflies were harmed in the process... but if any of my neighbors were watching, they may think less of me after watching me wander around my yard with my camera and then a jelly jar. So I caught 3 (no easy feat). Then set the jar on my table like a hunter returning home with his catch. I figured this would now be easy, just set my exposure and fire off a few frames when the fireflies were glowing green. Guess what? These suckers wouldn't preform. They don't like to light up when trapped in a little jar - go figure. After waiting a few minutes longer, I was about to throw in the towel when I realized, that the bugs didn't have to be my subject after all. I let them free and they promptly turned on their glowing green behinds, essentially flipping me the bird. Once my hostages had escaped, I focused my lens on their temporary confinement, the Bonne Maiman jar. The only light outside came from what little light was left in the sky and the citronella candle I had lit after also applying gobs of deet to ward off the mosquitoes. I still got bit. The combination of the two light sources and trying a few different angles gave me a variety of usable photos. It may not be the best or most interesting photo I've taken, but it's a good reminder to not focus too hard on getting one thing when something better (or at least simpler) may be right in front of you. That all for now. Off to get some calamine.

95:365 color 6.25.10

2010-06-26T23:57:00.002-06:00

red, white and blueberry.

Feeling a little festive (and hungry)? Try this easy recipe. I substituted the raspberries for blueberries and I was quite pleased with the results. The only suggestion I would make is to cut the sugar at the end down to 1Tbs. Great with fresh berries or served warm with a scoop of vanilla or lemon ice cream. Probably would be good with coolwhip if you like that sort of thing (I don't).

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Gourmet
June 2009
by Melissa Roberts
Want to see how other cooks rated and reviewed this recipe? Go to http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/353616

94:365 Color 6.24.10

2010-06-25T22:01:00.002-06:00

Making a stamen(t).

Cliche? yes. Pretty? possibly. In my front yard? definitely.