Posts tagged portraits | Page 6 of 9 | Columbus Wedding Photographer

Makiko & Dylan – Engagement South of Cleveland

We first met through a failed Skype video call. After numerous attempts to get connected, we gave up and just stayed on the phone. Makiko and Dylan were in two different locations, as they are today. We talked about their planned wedding at Holden arboretum, how they met and how they got engaged. Like many of us, Makiko and Dylan met at college. What started at Standford is now headed towards a happy wedding.

And their relationship started at just the right time. After a couple years together, Dylan graduated and started the job hunt. With our crappy economy, he had to cast his net wide. He found a job, but on the other side of the country and took it, but not before he asked Makiko to marry him. Now they are planning the wedding from different coasts for a city in which neither Makiko nor Dylan live. To help out, we quickly started to plan their engagement session. Both Makiko and Dylan pointed to some examples from my past work. It was clear they wanted a style to match their wedding. We decided upon a favorite place of mine just south of Cleveland. For the fall, it was amazingly bright, yielding gorgeous portraits.

Makiko & Dylan - engagement photos south of Cleveland

Above – I love the light breaking through in Makiko’s cheek. Below – one of my favorite views of the valley.

Makiko & Dylan - engagement photos south of Cleveland

Above – I adore Makiko’s look back. Below – a fun laugh together.

Makiko & Dylan - engagement photos south of Cleveland

To end the engagement session we headed into downtown Cleveland for a quick visit to the shore, as seen above. The sky was filled with seagulls, which had me a little concerned. Gulls are not known for their manners. In the end, we got a great shot of downtown Cleveland. That’s all for today. We will have much more coming soon.

Elise – Real Film vs. VSCO Film

[UPDATE – I have published a detailed video review of VSCO here]

As many of you may know from my prior post, I happen to shoot both film and digital. I have also been playing around with VSCO Film lately, a new preset package designed to make digital photos mirror their film counterpart. I’m definitely not a fan of preset packages because the results can often times look unnatural. However, the idea behind VSCO Film seemed to be entirely different.

So different in fact that directly comparing film to a digital photo processed with VSCO Film makes sense. So below are two photos shot in my Cleveland studio within minutes of each other. One is definitely film and one is definitely digital (no tricks, I promise). The setup and lighting is nearly identical for both, although I did move a reflector further away for the one on the left.

So a simple question – which one is film?

Elise's senior high school portraits captured by Hunter Photographic, a Cleveland portrait photographer

Feel free to sound off in the comments. I’m really curious to see how the guesses shake out. I’ll clear up which one is which after Thanksgiving. I will also be adding another post with some VSCO Film recipes that I have been experimenting with. For now, have a great Thanksgiving!

Update – the film image is number 2 (on the right). It seems that was what most people guessed. I am continuing to experiment with VSCO Film and it really is producing some great results. I will have more to share soon.

P.S. – In case someone is curious, the film photo is Kodak Tmax 400 shot at 200 and processed in Rodinal 1+50 for 10 minutes. I love this combination!

Lender Family – A Sweet Summer Sunset Session

When Paul contacted me about photographing his family, I not only jumped at the opportunity, but I was also sincerely touched. Paul is a professional photographer as well, and quite accomplished. His trust in me to represent his family well means the world to me. It’s often said that good work earns the respect of your peers. Hopefully I can take Paul’s trust as a small sign that I’m headed on the right track.

After meeting Paul and his family at their home, I realized that working with a peer was only one benefit of the session. Paul’s family is absolutely wonderful. His kids are polite, but spontaneous. They are complete individuals and a dream to work with. Paul’s son mirrors his father and loves Harry Potter (hence the constant presence of a homemade wand). Paul’s daughter is a complete ham and loves the camera. No surprise – she is the daughter of a photographer. The best laugh I had all day is when the young girl said “but he’s using a Nikon, and Nikon is evil”. I guess Paul must shoot Canon, which is evil ;-).

The weather and location could not have been better. It was a cool summer evening with a never-ending sunset. Paul thankfully requested Holden Arboretum for the location, which is one of my all-time favorites. His family has been members for years, dating back to Paul’s father. They even have a dedicated bench at the arboretum.

I love family portrait sessions, and below is a visual example of why –

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

The first young girl I have met who actively searches for snails at the park.

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Above is a great example of the blue and golden hour. At dusk, most of the light comes from the blue sky, making for amazing portrait photographs. The setting sun then adds highlights of orange and peach.

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

What you can’t see is that his magic spell worked like a charm – his sister was turned into a toad (temporarily of course).

Lifestyle photography session for the Lender Family

Given how much the kids love Harry Potter, I guess bringing sparklers along was a good idea. Personally, I love alliteration, but I clearly use it too much. The next time I use an alliterative title, it’s time for an intervention.

Tagged: portraits