Thursday, June 18, 2009

Sugar Factory Photo Shoot

Well, we did it. We finally took some time and went over to the Sugar Factory to take some pictures. There was a lot of preparation before hand. I also didn't know if it was going to happen since we have had some pretty severe rain storms nearly every day for the past 2 weeks straight!

I have to preface this entry with the fact that it was getting late and it was cloudy. Most of these pictures were taken with an ISO of 1600 which makes them a little bit grainy. I would have like to have more crispness, but you do with the light that you have I guess.

With that said, here come the pictures... (Warning - Long blog with lots of pictures)

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The kids had a blast climbing all over these old buildings and exploring. They also enjoyed doing different poses. I think this was the most fun we have ever had doing a photo shoot. Hopefully we will be going back on Saturday to do my Sister-in-law and her family (yipee - more fun pictures to post).

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The thing I love about the "Urban Style" photography is that candid shots are usually the best. Getting pictures of the kids wandering around, talking, laughing, looking away are always the best. I love it when I get surprised like the one above. I love her laugh. It just radiates from this picture. The other thing that is good about the "Urban Style" is that you are not forcing kids to pose and smile. You know how it goes... "Sit up, smile... not like that... I swear, if you cry one more time... stop hitting..." That is typical with formal studio shots. I know, I was a Lifetouch photographer and had to get kids to laugh while they were crying.

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These next two were actually taken by my daughter. We let the kids play with the camera just for fun and she actually took some amazing pictures. I think I might hire her on a regular basis.

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This one (above) was really fun. I climbed up on the wall on a ledge and held on to the walls on each side. My wife turned around and looked up and I took advantage of the opportunity to steal some kisses. Fortunately my daughter got a great shot.

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Again, another candid shot that just turned out great.

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I love my wife's eyes in this one! That is what I usually focus on when I am looking through the viewfinder. Unfortunately, the sun was gone, so you can't really see the "catch light" in her eyes. That really makes it an incredible picture when you can see the "catch light".

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I love this corner with the ivy growing and the paint coming off the bricks. It has so much personality. I actually took two pictures to get the heigth & width (up & down) .

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This picture shows just how much fun we had. The kids had been climbing up this small stepladder and I grabbed them both and threw them on my shoulders. They were laughing hysterically. It was fun!

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The particle board in this picture turned out really cool. We didn't even think anything of it until we got back and reviewed the pictures. Next time I do a photo shoot at the Sugar Factory I will be sure to get more here. I love the contrast.

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My wife wanted to get some with me in the picture. This is obviously one that she took. I love how the texture on the metal walls has so much contrast. The composition of this is pretty incredible.

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Here are the steps I mentioned earlier. They were actually tipped over and partially buried. My son & I pulled it out of the dirt and put it up against the wall. I will be sure to use it each time I take pictures here. This is another picture where I took the normal level, and then took a picture above the subject to get more texture (wall) in the picture. There is always so much character in these old buildings.

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I'm not sure if this is considered a diptych, a series or a storyboard. Either way, I thought it was so fun to show my daughter skipping down this piece of railway. It was actually her idea to do this.

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The one above was pretty random. I was taking pictures of my wife and my kids hopped up on the wall several feet away from her and I decided to adjust my angle to include them. This picture turned out AWESOME! Just to let you know, I have incredible Photoshop skills (sorry to brag). The reason why I mention this is because my wife had a strap from her shirt hanging between her legs onto the concrete. It looked pretty odd and nearly ruined the picture. I decided to save the picture and remove the strap. This same strap haunted about 6 other pictures, but now it is gone! Thank heaven for Photoshop!

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Since we were using the 10 second timer on my camera, this shot was really hard to get. I had to take quite a few. My wife and I kept re-positioning everyone so that it looked good. We had to run up to the camera in between each shot.

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More pictures where I had to make the strap disappear! Poof! Magic! Gone!

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Well, that is it for now. You can always check my Flickr account to see the pictures without dictation.

As always, if you are interested in seeing a photo at a higher resolution or if you would like your pictures taken, just let me know.

RIGHT NOW I AM DOING PHOTO SHOOTS FOR FREE!!!! YES, THAT IS RIGHT, FREE!!! I WANT MORE PRACTICE, SO I AM MAKING THIS OFFER RIGHT NOW.

You can pick the location, or I can suggest them. You can have as many people in the picture as I can fit into my lense! Leave a comment requesting a photo shoot or call me at 801-652-3213.

7 comments:

Clark Siler said...

How about my family in Austin, TX, near 12 Jul?

Rockin' Rowes said...

Sounds like a plan! Make sure you guys pick out some outfits that are bright and colorful!

Alyson said...

These are great, Brett! Can you give me the address of this location? I love it!!!

And Nicole, you look AMAZING! So gorgeous!

Rockin' Rowes said...

You get to it from 2200 West and it is about 8200 South (by Gene Fullmer Fittness - South of the outdoor pool).

Scott Draper said...

These are great photos Brett! We just had a photo of our baby boy taken today. We could have used some help.

Ashlee said...

Hey Brett! Wonderful family photos!You have such a great talent! They all turned out darling! Where do we sign up for you to take pics of our little clan at? I would still love to have you take some family pictures of our family. We can be flexible with your schedule! :) Great pictures!

Nicole said...

Hey babe! Thanks for the fun photo shoot. You are so talented. Love ya!