Tagged: photos

Molly & Zac – Summer Simplicity

[UPDATE – we just posted Molly & Zac’s wedding of family, love and seersucker]

An engagement session that feels simple is usually a great one. Working with Molly & Zac felt very simple and comfortable from the beginning. I consider all of my clients to be friends, and this was especially so for Molly & Zac. Prior to working with them, I already considered Molly’s family to be personal friends, but that’s a story for another day.

Molly & Zac gave me creative freedom for their engagement session. We decided to keep it nice and simple. We spent a gorgeous afternoon walking around various neighborhoods in downtown Cleveland. Making it better, it was a warm and comfortable afternoon with amazing light.

We were also lucky! Below are a few of my favorite photos from the session. You’ll notice an Air-stream trailer filled with vintage clothing. We just so happened to stumble across a street fair with the trailer sitting at the end. It was a totally fortunate accident (wink, wink).

Molly and Zac's simple summer engagement in downtown Cleveland

I love that Zac is gently holding Molly’s hand above. Her smile is priceless as well.

Molly and Zac's simple summer engagement in downtown Cleveland

Molly and Zac's simple summer engagement in downtown Cleveland

Molly is a true Clevelander, so we made sure to stop by a true Cleveland institution. In hindsight, we should have stopped longer and had a beer!

Molly and Zac's simple summer engagement in downtown Cleveland

Molly and Zac's simple summer engagement in downtown Cleveland

The last photo is one of my favorites from the summer. It’s an image I had stored in my head for months. I was waiting for the right couple and the right time. For Molly and Zac, it the setup was perfect, but their execution was even better.

That’s all for today. As always, find us on Facebook to keep us with our current work. And, more coming to the website very soon.

VIDEO – VSCO Film Overview

In the past I have done a couple posts concerning the Visual Supply Co. VSCO Film preset package for Lightroom (here and here). As you may know, I snapped up this package pretty quickly and have been using it for a couple months. I have never bought a preset package before and to this day, VSCO Film is the only preset package I own. There is a big reason for this. Included today is our first video, and I decided to tackle and overview of VSCO Film.

During the (very low-budget) video, I discuss aspects of my shooting style and an overview of the VSCO package. Here is a quick list of what I cover –

  • My photographic style and why VSCO Film works for me
  • A walk-through of the different film emulsions included with the package
  • I briefly touch on how VSCO Film works
  • The additional preset “toolkit” items included with VSCO Film
  • How to integrate the presets into a Lightroom workflow
  • and finally, some potential hurdles to watch out for

I think that covers it for today. I certainly aim to produce better videos in the near future. Speaking of which, I will have more coming soon specifically for photographers. Also take a moment to check out what we are up to now on Facebook.

P.S. – This one video took me 9 takes and a barzillon edits. Please be kind 😉

Elise- High School Senior Portraits Around Lakewood

I focus on weddings around the Cleveland area almost exclusively. However, I’ve spread out a little lately to take on some high school senior portraits for students around Lakewood and Rocky River. The sessions are a welcome change from weddings. Instead of working hard for one client over months and photographing large groups of people, senior portrait sessions offer a completely different approach. I love working with a single student for a few hours at a time. The concentration on just one person can have magical results. So I was happy to take on another senior portrait session when Elise and her mother, Mary, contacted me.

All three of us wanted some variety in the pictures, so we planned the afternoon session for multiple locations around the Lakewood and Cleveland areas. After a little time in my Lakewood studio, we headed out into the beautiful October weather. We shot a little in Cleveland’s west flats, as well as locations around Lakewood.

For each senior portrait session, I like to include something personal about the client. For Elise, she was absolutely in love with her mid-eighties Mercedes Benz. This opened us up to shooting at a location I had on my list for a long time – a simple car wash in Lakewood. I knew the light streaming through the wash bay in the evening would be truly magical. In the end, the shots at the car wash turned out to be my favorite, and we happily avoided the standard car wash cliches.

Here are just a few highlights and some personal favorites –

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

Shooting in a truck parking lot might not seem like a good idea a first. However, the light passing through the golden fall leaves creates a gorgeous color palette with Elise’s fair skin and blonde hair.

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

Elise brought an amazing variety of outfits to her senior session. This allowed us to mix and match the outfits and create something unique for each location. Not to mention, she just has great style!

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

I drive by this car wash nearly daily and I have always wanted to shoot here. The light can be really amazing. I just love how the light seems to flood everything and be constrained at the same time.

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

Right as the sun was setting, we were able to capture the last photo below. I love how the light moves through the water spray. Elise’s “straight” glance is also priceless.

High school senior portraits for Elise in Lakewood and Cleveland

So that’s all for Elise’s senior portrait session. We had a great time, and Elise and Mary were very happy with the results. I was just happy I could help. Looking forward, I will have a few more senior portrait sessions coming soon and I’m really looking forward to them. The sessions are definitely a welcome change of pace.  To see what we are working on this very moment, stop by Facebook for a quick peak.

!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->