Dylan’s Candy Bar and Candy Cafe inside the resort offered the perfect location for a Christmas themed photo shoot. The resort was a little busy and we had people walking back and forth by the window watching us to see the action. We even had people coming up and taking their own pictures of the models. It’s no wonder. The girls were sporting their Sexy Santa outfits. We drew a lot of attention.

In all it was a great experience. Hopefully I can do more of these in Traverse City and East Lansing.  We had so many great pictures it is hard to get them all in. This is just a sample.

Once we got bored with the candy shop we walked around looking for other locations. The Grand Traverse Resort doesn’t disappoint.

Terry and another photographer were shooting with Leslie Sevenski when I arrived. They had been shooting for a couple hours and were just wrapping up when I arrived. Leslie and I have worked together several times over the past couple years. I always love photographing the Sevenski girls.

However, this time I had a model named Sarah LaRosa who had asked me to shoot.

Terry’s lighting wasn’t working out too well for me so I decided to pull out my Frezzi video light to get a different effect. I love the fall-off created by this light.

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.  ~Hugh Allen

Meg Howard and I were planning to shoot together for several weeks but for one reason or another we weren’t able to put it together. Well, this past Tuesday things seemed to fall in line nicely. My friend Brian Harwood had taken delivery of his new Alienbees and Terry Clark had mentioned over the weekend that he had set up his pole barn as a small photo studio. As luck would have it Meg and I finally found a day that we could shoot. That day was Tuesday.

I called Brian and Terry and set up the shoot. It took us a while to get everything set the way we wanted it but once the lighting was in place everything else just seemed to flow.

Meg is a gorgeous model. She was the perfect person to photograph.

Meg brought along her old prom dress. I’m glad she did.

Terry’s wife, Jodie brought out a fan so we could get the blowing hair effect. Notice how the background is a different color from the photograph on top. It’s actually the same backdrop. The only difference is that I moved Meg out a little and increased my shutter speed. We also wanted dramatic light so I put various grids on the light to give it more of a spotlight effect as you can see in the next photograph.

Notice the difference in the light produced by the honeycomb grid as opposed to the soft-box.

This Sunday I am hosting another model photography workshop at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I also do private shoots with models to help them build a portfolio. Feel free to contact me for rates.

We started at a plant nursery that we found off from highway 72 in Traverse City. It was closed for the day so it gave us the perfect opportunity to shoot without worrying about spectators. I had Amy sit near some plants that matched the pattern in her dress and I place the flowers all around her for effect.

Amy’s eyes are naturally blue. I asked if she wore contacts and she said she did but that they were clear and added no color. This photo was taken out on the Old Mission Peninsula. It was incredibly windy and I had a difficult time setting up the lighting. I positioned the softbox to Amy’s side pointing away from the wind to keep it from blowing over. We also had to hurry. We got to the location just as the sun was setting on the horizon. You can see from Amy’s hair that the wind was blowing pretty hard. She had a difficult time keeping her hair tame and out of her face.

The sun is almost gone but it still gave me enough of a kick to make the shot.

Here you can see the effect of putting the lighting with the softbox off to the side. I like the effect that it creates in that position. Sometimes what seems like a challenge is actually an opportunity.

This series of photos represents the main reason we did the shoot. I wanted to try lighting at night with the bokeh in the background. Amy and I had fun on our photo adventure. The photos were coming out so nice it was difficult to stop shooting.

All photos ©2010 Todd L Church

Walking on the dunes with all our camera gear in 80 degree heat is no easy task but we were able to manage.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes is a perfect setting for photography workshops. The water is warm and inviting and the views are spectacular. If I would have had my swim trunks I would have taken a dip.

Brian Harwood.

Bevin and Sarah

This is me talking to Sarah and Ashley about exposure and camera settings (photo by Brian Harwood).

We met Bree on the beach. She was visiting the dunes on her way to California and she was nice enough to model for us.

The girls practicing the hair whip.

Bevin and I are hosting another workshop tomorrow, August 8th,  at the State Hospital in Traverse City.  We have 27 people signed up so far on Facebook and another 25 who said they might come. That should be lots of fun. Photography is a fun way to meet people and interact.  I always enjoy getting together and talking about photography.

The sandy beaches of Traverse City are a photographer’s dream!

When I recently got the opportunity to visit Traverse City I jumped at the offer.  Meg Howard was interested in getting some swimwear shots so my friend Joe and I packed up our gear and headed north. We arrived at the beach on old Mission Peninsula at around 1:30 p.m. for the 2:30 shoot. I was a little nervous of the weather. Meg had called while we were driving up and asked if we were still planning to shoot. The lower half of the State was sunny but Traverse City had an early morning storm. When we arrived at the beach the wind was chilly and threatening. I thought our equipment would end up getting blown into the lake.  But then, while  we were setting up,  the sun  came out and the wind died down. It was as if the Grand Traverse Bay was welcoming us for the shoot. The rest of the day was beautiful. The hot Michigan sun finally made its appearance.

Meg arrived a little late but that was okay. We set up our equipment on the beach and suddenly a family showed up with their kids. They took over our little plot of paradise. Joe and I, along with my good friend Terry Clark, decided to move everything down the beach where we could be more private. We didn’t want Meg to become a public spectacle or the shoot to be interrupted by children. There were only a few people on that beach so we found a place where we could stake out a spot of our own.

We packed all the gear and started walking down the beach. We went back and forth until we finally had everything. Meg showed up just as we finished the move. Perfect timing.

Meg is incredibly beautiful as you will see from the photographs. I feel privileged that she chose me as her favorite photographer. We are both hoping that she will be “discovered” and move on in the world of modeling. I think she has a chance.

You can see more of the shoot on my Flickr account

We also were invited by Rob Diegel to come into his store, Eyes-4U to have Ashlyn model some glasses. Rob was a great guy and we had a lot of fun shooting in his store. We also met the cutest little bulldog named Dorothy Parker.

Gabrielle and Robert did an excellent job of modeling for the theme.

It’s been a slow transition but now that summer is finally approaching I am excited to get out and shoot more. I met Samantha on Facebook and asked her if she like to model as a way of testing new equipment and dusting off the cobwebs on the old equipment. She agreed.

Our first thought was to do a hippie theme but when Samantha mentioned her Mustang GT we changed our original idea to a James Bond theme instead. Samantha is the director of the Michigan Paranormal Research Association.

We set up our shoot date but unfortunately Sam had to cancel because she was attending a funeral. She suggested her friend Manuel stand in for her as a model instead. I decided to wait a week and have both of them model together. I am glad I did. Our shoot turned out wonderful! Instead of James Bond I sort of fashioned a movie theme based on the ghost hunters idea. It seems to fit the actors.