Flashbulb Moment!

This Saturday, I had a blast getting together with some photographers and hitting up Chicago for a great time of discussion, photography and awesome memories!

Thanks everyone who made it out for Flashbulb Moment, I hope you enjoyed our day together!

What a great group of people to hang out with in Chicago!

The people in our group who weren't shooting pictures that day did a great job modeling for those of us who were snapping away.  (Whoops, didn't mean to make that rhyme, I'll try not to do that again next time.)

Check out Alyssa's blog to see some of her photography skills!

Nicole also keeps her blog fresh and up-to-date with pictures, so stop by and say hello to her!

Messing around with reflections...

Can't forget to get a picture of my delicimoso lunch of chicken enchiladas.  So good!

I end up in this church yard some way or the other almost every time.  I love the stonework and the peaceful atmosphere in the middle of a bustling city!

The gusty breezes kept us all laughing as it swept hair every direction.  (Except mine of course) :o)

Emily, in her own little Secret Garden.

As you can see, everyone that came was super fun and willing to do crazy stuff for the photographer!

The three musketeer....ettes. :o)

We won't mention how long it took to get through the line to get to the top of the Hancock building, but we finally made it up and got a few pictures before getting in line to head back down....crazy!

Don't they look like matchbox cars from up here?

My "car" shot

I love this city! 

At least visiting it anyway.

Caleb Rardin - Senior Shoot

Last Saturday, Caleb and I braved wind, fire and plague in order to get some amazing senior pictures.    Well, okay, I guess it was just raining a little bit, but it sounds much better with the fire and plague...oh well.

Here are a few of the amazing shots we got in downtown Chicago on a cloudy and cold day.  

Enjoy!

1 epic picture of looking out into the distance to convey dreams and aspirations...Check!

1 entirely cool senior...Check!

1 random picture of the subject being swept away by a bit of Disney dust that was floating around the downtown area....Check! 

1 amazingly chill picture with cup of tea...Check! 

1 shot of Caleb with his future place of employment...Check!

Having a fun time during the whole shoot...Check!

Awesome lighting due to cloudy day....Check!

1 picture on the river-walk steps...Check!

Sweet urban backgrounds...Check!

Cloning Caleb...Check!

Finding walls that compliment the colors that Caleb was wearing...Check!

Falling in love again with the beautiful arches of the Fourth Presbyterian Church....Check!

A random and very blurry picture with Jessie Jackson...Check! :o) 

1 totally intense silhouette shot...Check!

Sweet bokeh and existing light sources...Double Check!

Talking the theater manager into changing the sign for us...Check!  

(Okay, so the managers initials are CS5..who cares?)  :o)

A few trampoline pictures from last night

Last night I took out my strobes, and tried to capture good images of fast moving objects in the dark. 

For those of you that are photographers, you know how hard that can be.

Below are some of my results:

I didn't even know that AJ was a Kung Fu master!

Or that Eli had abilities similar to Superman!

And one not-so-fast object, but very cute!

Matthew and impromptu lighting

After I attended a workshop with Jerry Ghionis and Sandy Puc', I was inspired to try some impromptu lighting techniques.

Well, last night after church, I was talking with my good friend Matt, and we decided to head outside to take a few pictures.

We spied a large business sign at ground level that was back-lit with fluorescent bulbs just across the street that would make a great soft-box.

This picture was taken, using the sign as the main fill light, and Levi used my Android phone as the back/hair light.  No flash was used.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and I look forward to using existing light sources a lot more in future photo shoots!

So, what do you think? Shall we call a modeling agency and try to hire this guy out? :o)

16 days and counting!

Alrighty folks, get out you calendar and mark the 23rd of this month with a big important looking circle because that is the day that the Flashbulb Moment photographer collaboration is down.  

Seriously.....I am waiting....where is your marker?

This is going to be a great day in the heart of Chicago for anyone who wants to get out and really kick your creativity into gear. 

We will be exploring the Magnificent Mile, shooting pictures, and making memories that will last for a lifetime.

Come prepared to share your photography skills with the others as well as pick up some amazing ideas from the group!

One thing though, you need to drop me an email at: jack.a.mcd@gmail.com if you want to sign up for this.  

It is totally free and a super exciting ground breaking first time event, so you definitely want to be there.

Laser Car

I told a friend I would take a picture and post it by the end of Monday (today) and as the clock struck 8:00 pm I realized I hadn't even shot a picture the whole day!

So, in a mild panic, I glanced around my office for something of interest to photograph.

I ended up grabbing my Mach 1 Mustang model and green laser to mess around with.

Here are the results, for better or for worse! :o)

The straight lines have a nice techy feel to them...



But the freehand lines give it almost a spraypaint look.

I think this is my favorite one.

Which one do you like best?