Red Wing Digital is officially launched!
Red Wing Digital Launches Today!
It took longer than hoped and cost more than expected, but Red Wing Digital was finally launched today.
Red Wing Digital is a targeted business providing products for fine-art and passionate photographers. The initial product is the Panel Print, with more products to follow. What makes this website unique is its point-and-click selection of products and the print-on-demand nature of the interface.
The most exciting part of the website will be the guest contributors. These guests will provide inside tips for their specific photography niches, making the website a portal for photographers who are always striving to advance their skills. So far, contributors will include:
Stacy Bengs (Stacy Bengs Photographer) discussing sports photography and photojournalism
Barbara O'Brien (Barbara O'Brien Photography), a talented animal photographer
Clare Polencheck (Off the Cuff Photography), an especially skilled portrait photographer
It is a privilege to work with such talented and creative individuals, and this will be a lot of fun.
The above Panel Print is 'Red Wing Boathouses' by Dr. Jack Alexander and is on display at Red Wing Fairview Hospital.
Visit the new site at RedWingDigital.com.
Hole in the Wall
Supporting a Rising Filmmaker: My Niece's Journey
My niece is on her way to becoming a famous filmmaker. Recently, she won a grant from the IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts, enabling her to film and produce her original screenplay, "Hole in the Wall." It's a short film that explores the intergenerational tension between a father and a son.
I had the privilege of shooting still set photography during the movie production. We shot the exteriors on the first day and the interiors on the second day. The interiors were filmed in a dilapidated house in Minneapolis with extremely small rooms. I used an extremely wide lens and shot mostly from the hip to capture the tightness of the set and minimize camera intrusion.
It was a fascinating yet tedious process. Everything was captured on real film, which presents its own challenges. A single overhead jetliner can ruin a shot, and you never know if there was a light leak until after the film is processed.
In the top photo, my niece Mandy is on the left, reviewing a shot setup. The bottom photo shows the primary room where the father confronts the son.
Wolf Moon over Downtown Red Wing
Capturing the Wolf Moon: A Yearly Tradition
This is a photo I try to capture every year. It is the largest and brightest full moon of the year and is called the Wolf Moon.
Last year I missed the opportunity, but in 2009, I managed to capture it about 5 minutes after it was at its most dramatic (Full Moon over Barn Bluff).
This year, I suddenly remembered it was Wolf Moon time and jumped in my car, driving all over town to find an interesting perspective. I pretty much ended up where I shot this moon two years ago. You have to be quick because this moon rises very quickly.
Shot in RAW, 47mm, 1/200 second at f/2.8, handheld.
Trains are cool
It is difficult to take a bad picture of a moving train. They are just that photogenic.
Trains are big and powerful. They kick up dust wherever they go and nothing better get in the way of a moving train.
Slow your shutter speed down, find a static element in the foreground and shoot as many exposure combinations as you can, as quickly as you can.
Treasure Island family portraits
An annual delight: Family Portraits at Treasure Island Casino
This business is project-driven, which means we get involved in projects that have a beginning and an end. Some projects have longer life cycles than others, and all projects are unique.
Our most recent project is a series of family portraits. The Human Resources department at Treasure Island Casino has contracted us to provide family portraits (photos taken, printed, and framed) for all of their 1,500 employees who want to participate. At first glance, this might seem like a church directory project, where efficiency is prioritized over creativity.
But it isn't, and here's why:
Each family has their own story to tell. There was the man who, despite being extremely body-conscious, proudly showed me his gastric bypass scar. Or the young family with a little boy who had serious skin graft scars all over his body from a bad burn accident, yet he was busy running around, trying to keep up with his older siblings. Or the married couple who have been together for 55 years and still enjoy ribbing each other with wisecracks. This photo is of a young mom who had just found out she is pregnant. Her joy is obvious, and she is so excited that she is exaggerating her pregnant belly.
Another aspect was the challenge of using a very spartan set consisting only of a white vinyl backdrop and a simple bench while still making every image unique. It was easy to fall into patterns of using common poses that would always work. The challenge was to slowly add to the repertoire of winning poses by experimenting.
Initially, this project was not especially welcomed because the hours were long and crazy (the casino operates on a 24-hour basis), but after two weeks of photography, I am really sorry to see it end. The casino employees are fun and genuinely fond of each other. The demographics are at the lower end of the income scale, so it has been an especially well-received perk by the employees.
This has been a lot of fun.
Richard Nixon, the everyman
Richard Nixon's Bowling Alley
In 1969, friends of Richard Nixon paid for and had a two-lane bowling alley installed in the lower level of the Executive Office Building. Nixon was an avid bowler and spent quite a bit of time at this bowling alley over the next five years. He had been known to bowl up to twenty games without a break.
Ollie Atkins, the official White House photographer, snapped this photo in 1970. Later that year, Nixon's White House staff used this photo to demonstrate that Nixon was not out of touch with the average citizen and was, in fact, just like any other citizen.
The photo later achieved iconic status due to a single scene from the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski."
There is a tremendous amount of public domain imagery available from the US Government, some of it noteworthy and historically significant, and some of it kitschy. Since it was paid for with tax dollars, it really is owned by the public.
A Bully Pulpit hiatus
This note is being added after the fact. May was a nearly overwhelming month between work, a mini-vacation, graduations and non-profit activity. In lieu of posting anything of substance, here is a photo that was taken in May.
Grand Marias, MN on May 24, 2010. The fog was very thick and the air was very gray. Probably not a good idea to stand in the middle of the road, but it was awesome.