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Last Summer

The summer before my father’s passing we spent a lot of time together.  He was undergoing chemotherapy and I was in between my first and second year of podiatry school and was also preparing for my wedding.  Fortunately, he was not sick a lot and was able to enjoy most of the summer.

Probably, his favorite past time was fishing.  I still recall many times growing up leaving extra early in the morning to go with him to some local lake to fish.  Often times I would fall asleep about 30 minutes into our adventure while sitting in the boat with the fishing pole in my hand.  We had a lot of good talks on those fishing trips.

The last time we fished together was at a friends small pond.  He was having a good day and we decided we would take my nephew Sage (he’s now almost 18).  I caught this picture of him, Sage, and the dog.  Every time I look back at this picture it remains me of all the great times we had together.  Even though he has been gone for a long time, I still feel he is with me every day.

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Vermilion Lighthouse

When we lived in Cleveland, we would visit Vermilion a few times a year.  It has a nice old downtown with many shops to explore and great places to eat.  Each time we came, I would take a picture of the lighthouse.  I never realized until recently that it is actually a replica of a lighthouse that used to sit there (no wonder it’s so small).

This picture is a 5 exposure HDR.  I used a wide angle lens for the shot and corrected most of the distortion in photoshop.  Most people probably think that I shrunk the lighthouse but in reality it is very small.

P.S.  Here is another post of mine taken at the same spot.

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The Rustic Barn

Last summer I was driving around trying to find old barns to take pictures of.  It’s getting more and more difficult to find these old structures and when you do they are typically surrounded by other buildings or homes therefore it’s very difficult to get an isolated shot.

I came across this barn that set well behind the owners home.  I went up to the door and inquired if I could take a few pictures.  They initially questioned if I was trying to sell them something (I guess they have people come by inquiring about taking “fly over” pictures of their farm).  After I informed them I was just an avid photography with an interest in old barns, they had no problem letting me walk around their property.

This was a 7 exposure HDR.  I used a wide angle lens and made sure that there was something in the foreground so that I could add depth to the image. The only downside is that a wide angle lens causes “distortion” to the structures.  This can be fixed in photoshop but often adds a nice effect to the image.

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Peaceful Summer

My introduction into digital photography began in 1999-2000 when my father and I purchased an olympus digital camera. I can’t recall the model number but I remember it was a 3 megapixel (back then that was huge). The camera took ok pics but definitely weren’t very impressive. I never grew accustomed to using it because of how slow it was.

In 2003 my father passed away after a year long battle with cancer. After he passed, I inhereted his Canon SLR and lenses. I knew I would never use the SLR because it was film therefore I didn’t immediately find any use for the lenses.

After spending a few months on externships during my fourth year of podiatry school I found that I was called upon to take intra-operative pictures from attending physicians. In comparison to other externs, photography was not that difficult, probably because of my strong interest in computers and technology. One of my rotations was with my mentor, the late Dr. Gerard V. Yu. He also had a strong interest in photography. He owned a professional Nikon dSLR. After spending time with him and his residents I grew even more interested in photography.

After returning back from my rotations in early September 2004 I finally got out my dads lenses and saw that he had a Tamron telephoto lens (I think it was a 28-200mm). Anyway, I decided to invest in a Canon 20d. I really liked that camera and kept if for many years.

One of my first attempts shooting with the 20d was at the Omaha Zoo (it’s a must to see if in Omaha). We came around to the bear exhibit and there was this big black bear a sleep in the tree. I was able to capture this picture (I think my dad would have been proud).

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Steve Huff Photography Workshop – Chicago September 24th

No new pictures tonight (hopefully tomorrow).  Steve Huff of Steve Huff Photo will be having a photography workshop in Chicago on September 24th.  You can find details here.  Steve is probably the biggest Leica user and supporter on the internet right now.  He is a big reason why I moved the Leica M9.  He’s not only a good photographer with a lot of rangefinder and micro 4/3 experience, he’s a good person.  Please go to his site to find out more information if interested, I’m sure it will be a great time.

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Our Future @ 3 months

Continuing with my monthly series of “Our Future”, I’ve captured our baby girl at 3 months.  Each time I setup for this shot, I get scared that she may not cooperate.  As she has gotten older, she sleeps less, and is more in tune with her surroundings, thus it’s hard to get her to stay still for any duration of time.  With this said, it’s actually been easier to get this shot.

I’ve only posted one picture from each photo shoot so far but this time I have two.  Maybe you can comment which one you like best?  Personally, I like her looking forward but I think her mom likes her smiling at the camera.  In either case, it’s remarkable how much she has grown and how she can easily hold her head up now.  Enjoy, we sure have!!!

P.S.  I’ve also posted a comparison of all her previous pics (you can also see the previous post “Our Future“, “Our Future @ 4 weeks“, and “Our Future @ 8 weeks“).

 

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Motion – Silver Efex Pro 2 (short review)

I thought today I would show a before and after picture taken in Chicago using Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 for post processing.  All my pictures that become black and white are processed through Silver Efex Pro.  I’ve been using it since the first version.  The second version is far better because it has more control sliders and has “U point” technology.  “U point” is unique to Nik Software programs because it allows you to edit only certain parts or colors of your picture instead of making global changes.  I highly recommend the software if you are going to be making black and white pictures.

This picture was taken with my M9.  I was hoping to get a since of motion with the car. I was able to get this by making sure the rest of the scene was in focus.  The initial color picture is boring, changing to black and white and adding some vignetting makes it much more interesting.

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Finalist: Outdoor Photographer “Art of Expression” Contest

Recently I submitted a picture of our baby girl to Outdoor Photographer “Art of Expression” contest. Fortunately, the picture “Our Future” has been selected as a finalist. Now it is up to the viewers to decide the winner.

Typically, I don’t ask people to do things for me but if you have any interest in voting, click here to register and vote. Last, below is the picture that was submitted. I will have an updated, 12 week picture in a few days.

Thanks,

Gage

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Part 2: Pics from Leica Akademie Workshop – Chicago

As I mentioned yesterday, I really enjoyed the Leica Akademie workshop and also meeting with the participants.  Here are a few more pics taken during the workshop. The first one I was trying to focus in on the gal sitting but I think what makes the picture is actually the 3 people all trying to take pictures. The second pic was taken while waiting to cross the street. I usually wouldn’t find this interesting but I like how the crowd of people are so content in looking in different directions. The last pic was taken of a guy near our hotel street corner who was attempting to entertain the crowd with his multiple musical abilities.

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Leica Akademie: M9 Shooting Experience – Chicago

This past Saturday I participated in the Leica Akademie M9 Shooting Experience Chicago.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve never met any other Leica users with the exception of speaking to Steve Huff, of Steve Huff Photo (the online Leica guru!).  Simply put, the experience was wonderful and could not have expected a better instructor, Leica representative, and professional photographer to guide us through the workshop.  What made the meeting even more pleasurable was interacting with the other participants.

Before the workshop started, I ran into Steve Huff of Steve Huff Photo.  I frequent his site daily and have spoke to him via email a few times and felt he was a terrific guy and after meeting him, it confirmed it.  He reviews many Leica products and other cameras, mostly rangefinders and micro 4/3’s.  He does a phenomenal job and I have to give him credit for guiding me towards Leica.

The workshop started out by meeting the Leica representative Matt Butzow and the instructor Tom Smith.  Next, Matt allowed us to pick a Leica lens to borrow (I wanted to get my hand on the noctilux but unfortunately someone got to it before me).

Next, Tom Smith spent the remaining morning going through the ins and outs of the Leica M9 system.  All I can say is that I learned a tremendous amount and if you are new to Leica or rangefinders in general this is a must do class!

After lunch, Carlos Javier Ortiz presented on his work as a photojournalist and showed many of his ongoing projects.  Some of these projects are listed on his website.  He also showed us a current project that him and other photojournalist around the country are participating in.  The project is called “Facing Change” (I don’t consider it politically motivated) and you can see pictures from the project here.

Next we went out and shot for about an hour.  Like most participants I followed Tom around and he showed us his perspective in street photography and also taught us some invaluable camera tips.

Last, we came back and Tom showed us his typical workflow when downloading pics from his computer and uploading to Lightroom.  I found this info useful, but I have to admit I’m a die hard Apple guy and use Aperture 3.0.

As stated above, I found the workshop a great learning experience and 100% worth the cost.  I’ve heard rumor of maybe a 3 day Leica course in the future in Chicago, I will definitely be there.

If you are interested in Leica Akademie you can see upcoming events here.

P.S.  I mentioned that we did go out and shoot for a while.  Here are a few pics I took (more in the next few days) and you can go to Michael Sullivans flickr page to see pics he took (another Leica shooter at the course, great guy).

 

 

 

 

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