The rusty colored sands of the Sleeping Bear Dunes seem to glow against the subtle blues of Lake Michigan. I visited this area that Good Morning America named “The most Beautiful Place in America” just before heading west to visit Colorado and New Mexico. The fall colors here were remarkable.

I wanted to catch the sunset so I arrived around 6:00 PM and waited.

I was able to get shots of people at the park as I waited for the sun to go down. These two were comfortably sitting next to some trees that grow at the edge of a large hill. The view from here is impressive. You can get here by taking the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to parking lot #9 and taking the short hike up on the trails.

Once you get here you’ll be met with incredible views of Lake Michigan that stretch out before you on the horizon.

While I normally don’t consider myself a landscape photographer it’s nice to have beautiful scenery to inspire the shots.

This young man seems to be walking out of the wilderness.

To wrap it up. I finally got my sunset.

For the location, I contacted Melinda Lombardi at Salon de Capelli to see if she could ask her husband to let us into a building at the former state hospital. What came next was a total surprise. Melinda emailed back and asked if the salon could do Megan’s hair in exchange for portfolio pictures for the stylist.

I asked Megan and we both agreed.

The stylist, Cindy Toranzo, did an amazing job. We told her that we were planning a rock-and-roll themed shoot and Cindy worked magic on Megan’s hair. We never expected that. Thanks to Melinda and Cindy at Salon de Capelli for all their help and to Tony Lombardi and his son for operating the fog machine

The shooting location is a garage that someone was using to store lawn maintenance equipment. The garage caught fire because a motorhome that was also stored there had faulty wiring. Most of the building didn’t have a roof and everything inside was in charred and in ashes; perfect place for what I had in mind.

Tim Miller with one of his handmade guitars.

Spending time on the beach in Northern Michigan is like a vacation to a tropical paradise. The only thing missing is the palm trees.

I had a photo shot with Megan Dunn  who contacted me for images to put into her modeling portfolio.

Shooting on the beach offer special challenges to the photographer. First there are the elements. Sand and water are not friendly to the camera equipment so you must take special care to make sure your equipment stays in good condition. It’s a good idea to bring a sheet or a blanket to lay your equipment on when not in use.

Both of these photos were taken at 5:30 AM (I know, Crazy huh?) You can see in these photos the different effects you can get with a sunrise or sunset. Lighting plays a role in the final outcome of your shot. If you want to see the beautiful colors of the scene and also expose for the model you MUST use an artificial light source. I like the silhouette on the left but I knew by looking at the scene that Megan was going to appear black against the bright sky. If I would have pointed my spot meter on her she would have been in correct exposure but I would have lost the colors of the sunrise. The photo on the right is the best of both worlds. You get a good exposure on the model and dramatic colors in the background. The following few shots are more examples of these two effects. Notice how you can use the variations for creative effects.

The photo above shows Megan in correct exposure with the background. For that shot I used two Alienbees with softboxes. They were powered with one vagabond power pack. Using two lights on one power pack drained the power very rapidly.

That’s not too much of a problem however, when shooting a sunrise or sunset you are forced to work rapidly because the sun is constantly changing. You have to be out there and ready to go when the sun starts coming up otherwise you lose the scene and there are no second chances.

If the power pack works for 30-45 minutes then you will have plenty of time to get your shots. I have tried to use other light sources such as Canon’s 580EX or just a reflector held up in front of the model.

The smaller flashes are fine if you can’t afford a studio light or if you are in a hurry and don’t want to try to set up studio lighting on-location but you may not get the colors to look as dramatic as the ones above. The reason being that you would have to compensate for the lower light output by making the scene brighter in your camera settings.

The image on the left is a good example of the silhouette effect. When shooting silhouettes you want to pay attention to the outline of the body and the various aspects of the scene. I Think of those old-time Victorian silhouettes. You want the parts of the body to be clearly visible and easily read by the viewer.

Body parts that overlap each other will not be visible. It’s best to try to show all the contours of the body. Have your model pose in such a way as to show the arms and legs or the curves and textures. This shot would not have worked if the model was facing  towards me or away from me. You would not have seen the contours of her hair or the curves of her body. The bikini string would have also blended in with the rest of the body.

The same principles apply when shooting later in the day.  You never want to shoot on the beach in mid day sun. It’s better to shoot in the early morning or later in the afternoon.

This shot was taken on a different day at 5-6 O’clock in the evening. We went out to the Old Mission Peninsula because the sun was on the opposite side  of the bay from the sunrise shoot. We were facing west instead of facing east.  The beauty of shooting in Traverse City is that there are two bays to choose from. You can shoot both sunrise and sunset depending on where you go. You can also find beaches that are relatively private, which gives you an opportunity to practice without the additional pressure of onlookers and gawkers.

Notice the directional light on Megan’s body caused by the sun behind her. This time I didn’t have the Alienbees. I used a reflector held by an assistant. The water behind her is not as deep and dramatic as the sunrise shots above.

This shot was done using a wide aperture setting to get the blurring in the background. This particular lens goes to f2.8, which means that the opening in the lens is large and, therefore, lets in more available light. To compensate for all the extra light coming in to your camera you need to make your shutter speed faster than than your camera’s flash sync speed. Shooting with a flash is difficult in this situation. This photograph was shot at f2.8 at 1/320 sec. The sync speed of a Canon is 1/250 sec. If you shot at that lower speed you would have to “stop down” your aperture to compensate thereby increasing the depth of field.  I also used a neutral density (ND) filter to cut down the light even further. The lighting in this image is  done with the sun directly behind the model and a gold reflector to compensate.

The photos above where shot with Megan positioned so that the sun approximately 90 degrees to her left. I did this in order to create a side lighting effect. You don’t always need to have the sun behind your model. When the sun is lower in the sky it makes a great light source because it casts a directional light on your subject. You should always look for the interplay of available light on your scene and use whatever tools you have available to balance against that light source.

When you see the directional light use it  to your advantage but don’t forget to balance that light on the other side with a flash or, in this case, a reflector.

Megan and her mother met me at Espresso Bay on Front Street. Espresso Bay is a quaint little coffee shop and my favorite hang out in Traverse City. Megan was looking for something different and it was my job to figure that out as we ventured into the cold. We started with a rough idea of what we wanted and went from there. Fortunately I have fast lenses so I could capture Megan’s expressions without showing how much her teeth where chattering from the cold.

I made a trip to the Mackinaw Bridge in Mid-February. For those of you who don’t know, the Mackinaw Bridge connects Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. It is the third longest suspension bridge in the world behind the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan and the Great Belt Bridge in Halsskov-Sprogoe, Denmark. I copied this information from the Mackinaw Bridge website:

The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet. The length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier is 7,400 feet. Length of main span (between towers) is 3,800 feet

The bridge is beautiful even in the winter. The toll to cross the bridge is $3.50 for cars or $1.75 per axle.

You can see the lights on the bridge as the sun started to set. I couldn’t stay out too long because of the chilly temperatures. I had to wait in my vehicle and jump out to take photos in stages.

The weather was very cold and windy when I took this final shot but it was well worth the effort. If you are considering a destination to visit I would suggest the Mackinaw Bridge. While there you can visit Fort Fort Michilimackinac or hop on a ferry and head out to Mackinaw Island. A perfect vacation spot to spend the day.

The leaves are changing in Northern Michigan, Autumn is here again. Yesterday I took my father’s boat out for a spin and took my camera along as well. This photo was taken on Green Lake in Interlochen. When I loaded the image in Photoshop I thought that it would look nice as a painting so I grabbed the new mixer brush and decided to give it a whirl. This was my first time using the mixer brush. It is a new feature in CS5. I love the effect and look forward to exploring this feature with some of my other photographs. Stay tuned for more.

This digital painting is available on Canvas or as a print. Contact me for details.

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

Bevin and I were chatting on Facebook when we decided to host another photography workshop. This time the workshop was located at the barns in the former State Hospital Grounds in Traverse City. We didn’t have too much time to plan. We gave ourselves less than a week. We invited people through Facebook and word spread. The turnout was HUGE. I’m not sure exactly how many people, models and photographers, showed up but everyone seemed to have a great time. We were honored to also have a former National Geographic Photographer attend. How cool is that?

Bruce Dale approached me during the workshop and handed me his card. I never met him before and didn’t recognize the name. We talked casually about the workshops and how they operate. Generally people just show up and start shooting. I believe that the only way to improve is by doing. It helps to compare your photographs with the photos of others and to talk about technique and share ideas. My own learning process is by trial and error.

Bruce was with me when I was talking to one of the moms about our model release forms. I told her that the photographers who attend the workshops normally use the photos for portfolio and not for selling. Just then Bruce piped up and said that he has 2,000 images in the National Geographic and was there to test a prototype Panasonic camera. I later discovered it was a Lumix GH2. He said he was going to use the images at the Photokina fair in Germany. My jaw dropped. Wow! That’s impressive! Bruce has too many accomplishments to list here. It’s probably best to hear it in his own words.

30 Years of BAD Pictures from Bruce Dale on Vimeo.

I am glad he came to our workshop and I can’t wait to see the resulting video and images. As I said. We had several very talented photographers and models who attended. I love to see all the creativity that comes from getting people together with a common interest and artistic goal in mind. It’s the main reason I do these workshops. (update: The local newspaper did a story about this. You can read it by CLICKING  HERE.)

Lindsy Laway and Kent Wicksell. These two didn’t know each other but they look like they do.

Lindsy Laway came all the way from Charlevoix.

Katie Withrow

Katie is a student at Michigan State University.

Michigan State has some of the prettiest girls. (I may be a little biased because of my alumni status)

Charlotte Morgan has been wanting to come to a workshop for a long time. She finally made it.

These two are sisters. Can you tell? Amy and Leslie Sevenski. I’ve worked with Leslie before. This is Amy’s first time.

Amy has the look of a great model.

Arielle LaHaye

I had Arielle look at me from under a sunflower. I love the effect of the color reflecting on her face.

Michelle Michael and I went to the corn field to try and get a good shot.
It was difficult holding the reflector with one hand and the camera in the other.

Bevin and I are planning more workshops in the future. We love getting together with people and exercising our creativity. Besides, you never know who might show up to a workshop. Maybe next time it will be Annie Leibovitz.

Kristie took a moment to pause and look at herself in the mirror after putting on her wedding dress for the first time.

The Greystone Mansion has a wonderful courtyard with a water garden, a stone pathway, a Monet bridge and a covered gazebo. Kristie looked radiant in her dress outside in the courtyard.

The wedding was well attended although the ceremony itself was short and to the point (Kristie’s style exactly).

Kristie asked me if I got a picture of Matt’s face when he first saw her in her wedding dress.

Kristie was radiant as her father walked her down the aisle.

I met with Kristie’s mom the day before to wedding to plan some shoots for after the ceremony. We drove around Beulah looking at locations. Some of those shots never came to pass due to time constraints. But I could tell that Kristie and her mother have a special bond.

Kristie had been planning this wedding for almost a year. We shot the engagement pictures in October of 2009 (You can find those pics in an earlier post).

Kristie and Matt’s joy was evident although Matt is considerably more subdued.

The wedding party headed out to Beulah Beach for photographs after the ceremony.

One of the shots they absolutely had to have was of all the girl’s feet. I don’t ask questions I just take the pictures. lol

One of the shots I had to have was a shot of them kissing through the veil. Kristie wasn’t too clear about what I was trying for but I think the shot turned out nice.

Afterward they all loaded back into the van to start an evening of partying at the hall.

Where the couple entered in their usual fashion.

The shoot started at 3:00pm. Ten minutes before Leslie arrived the snow began to fall. It came down so hard you couldn’t see across the lake. Leslie, being the adventurous sort, agreed to go on the shoot anyway. We ventured out on the ice but most of the shanties were empty. I think we got some interesting shots regardless of the snow.

Wandering out on the lake proved to be very cold. We decided after a while to move into the Interlochen Center for the Arts to see if we could get some interesting shots there. We were also met by my assistant Jessica Lynn Nichole who came along to help with lighting.

Our first stop was the Interlochen bowl, a nice location for the shoot. Leslie’s red top was an excellent selection for a winter shoot.

After a a while we decided to come in and warm up. I live near the arts camp so we came to my house and set up a backdrop so that we could continue the shoot in comfort. I also had Leslie change and gave her a cowboy hat to try on.

Sometimes the day doesn’t go as planned when shooting on-location but I think we made the best of it.