My friend's new car

I have a friend who just bought a new-to-him BMW.  Although it doesn't have the sleek design of the newest BMWs it still has that get-up-and-go power that makes these cars so much fun!

Anyway, when he drove up in it, I had to get a shot of it, just for fun.

So if any of you need to sell a car, I guess I am in the advertising photography business now too! :o)

Chicago Workshop with Britton

Yesterday I attended a workshop by Britton Felber, and I got to model for the photographers.  I quickly realized that I love photography not only for the beauty of the art, but also because I get to be BEHIND the camera! ;o)

We had a wonderful day of learning, talking, laughing and doing all things photography.  Then Britton and I had the opportunity to go hear philanthropic photographer Jim Davis-Hicks speak on the Thirst Relief movement that he founded.  Check out their website for more info, it is a worthy cause!

I, of course, brought my camera along and got a few pictures of the day as well.

I was literally laughing out loud when I took this picture.  It was just too funny, I (a photographer) was taking a picture of a photographer taking a picture of a photographer who was taking a picture of Anna.  Wrap your mind around that sentence! :o)

I enjoyed meeting Ruth and envying her awesome Canon Mark II. :o)

Love the variety in the shoes!

Sorry guys, I was a little goofy with this one. You look like seriously cool photographers here though!

Okay, great story behind this picture!

I am kicking myself for not having my settings right on my camera, hence the extra blur and noise in the picture, but here is what happened: 

Britton stepped into a corner with some nice reflections so that we could try out a shot or two.  He has the same problem as me of not liking many pictures of himself due to fake smiles, so he wanted us to get him to smile for real somehow.  I was wondering how to do that, until one word popped into my head.  I said it, and instantly got the genuine Britton smile in this picture.

What was the word?....Why of course Erika! (His fiance)  

I love it when people are in love! :o)

If you want to learn more about photography, starting a business, editing images or relating well with clients, then I would encourage you to keep an eye on his blog for upcoming workshops.

Studio Update!

Hey guys!  Just a quick video update on the small studio/gallery that I am currently working on putting together for Photography by Jack.  I can't wait until it's done and I can start using it for myself and my amazing clients!

I shot this clip by setting my 50D on a bucket and setting the remote to shoot every 3 seconds. :o)  It's about 1,000 pictures in all!  The blurry video clip at the end was recorded on my mac laptop to give a shot of more of the room.

Bonus points if you spot three things in this 1 and a half minute clip:

1. Me, holding up two jugs of painting glaze right in front of the camera. 

2. A long drip that I catch after it almost makes it down the wall to the floor

3. Mail arriving with my little sister Emily's senior pictures and me opening the package and showing the two 8x10s to the camera.

The beauty after the storm

Last night, we had a pretty good storm come through our area  Heavy wind, thunder, large downpour and even some good sized hail!

About a half and hour after the storm had passed, we stepped outside to feel the cool breeze and we were greeted by this breathtaking sight.

Amazing what an artist our God is!

Fun with friends...

The guys grilled up an amazing meal...

...while the little guys had a picnic.

Not sure if the younger two got the memo about smiling for this picture! :o)

The older guys played the fast paced game "Ninja" while waiting for supper to be served.

Garden Flowers

Okay, I know, guys aren't supposed to like pretty flowers and "girly" stuff like that, but here is one guy that loves seeing God's creation displayed in the delicate art form of garden flowers!

Lighting Fun

Who doesn't like messing around with some extreme lighting, right?

Here are a few pictures of the guys messing around with me and my off-camera flashes.

Clapping push-ups?  No problem!

The only lighting for this picture was two flashes set on either side of Donovan.  He was standing at the end of the driveway, and there was actually a house and a few people standing behind him that you can't see due to the lighting!  Love it!

Forked tree branches are also nice for holding onto a flash!

Birds and such...

While out jogging the other day, I got a few pictures of some wildlife that I thought you might enjoy seeing.

If you are wondering why this big hawk looks disturbed, the next picture will explain why.

He was being dive bombed by several irate grackles and eventually flew off after being pecked several times.

For once, I had a deer that was fine with pictures being taken of it!

A female cardinal.

I am not quite sure if this winged gentleman was upset with me taking a picture of him without asking, or if he was simply striking a serious pose.  I guess we will never know!

Thacker Family

I thoroughly enjoyed taking family pictures for the Thacker family last Saturday.  Seeing as the are going to be Lizzy's new family in a few months, we decided to include Liz, so that their family pictures wouldn't be out of date so quickly.

Amanda

Alyssa

 Alexis

Reid

We had a little bit of extra time after the shoot to do a few fun pictures with these three Thackers.

Air time!