Tag Archives: Documentary

Portrait

Yuma, CO | Documentary Portrait Session | Toddler Shoes

When working on a documentary portrait shoot, I always like to keep an eye out for the little details that can add depth to the story and will work nicely with the more traditional images in a session album.

In this case, we have a picture of a little girl’s worn out patent leather Mary Jane’s. You can tell these shoes are well loved and were not jut put on for the portrait session. In other words, they are a real part of this little girl’s life; So even though they may not be pretty and perfect, they are important to document all the same.

Click on the image if you would like to view it larger. Enjoy…

Two year old girl's worn out shoes

Tech Info:
Mamiya 645AF
Mamiya 80mm f2.8 AF
Ilford HP5

Documentary

Salt Lake City, UT | Family Gathering| Kids Crack Me Up!

We recently went out to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a Bat Mitzvah (attending, not shooting). The night before, there was a reception at our hotel. I brought along my camera and grabbed some fun pictures of Molly at play.

For me, these pictures fall somewhere between wedding photography and documentary portrait photography. I shot them at a family gathering (similar to a wedding reception) but they are really all about my subjects (Molly and her Grandfather) rather than the event itself.

Almost any situation or event will give you an opportunity to get great pictures of kids. Get the camera ready, pay attention, and they are bound to do something funny or interesting. Along with being ready and paying attention, I am always on the lookout for great light or great expressions. Either of these things can make for a nice documentary photo, if there is a chance to get both, that is when exceptional photographs can happen.

In the case of these three images, I didn’t have great light, but the expressions are really fun and they tell us a lot about Molly’s personality (and Papa Al’s as well).

Just click on any of the images to see them larger. Enjoy…

A two year old girl plays with her grandfather at a hotel reception the night before a Bat Mitzvah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A two year old girl surprises her grandfather at a hotel reception the night before a Bat Mitzvah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A two year old girl looks suspiciously at the camera. Picture from a hotel reception the night before a Bat Mitzvah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Note: Molly is always perplexed by my old film cameras. She asks “Who is it? Who is it?”, Which actually means “show me the picture on the back of the camera”. Of course, I have to tell her “Sorry, this camera shoots film.” Which usually gets me the suspicious look you see here.

Tech Info:
Nikon F100
Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens (wide open)
Fuji Neopan 1600 (@ 1600)
Processing and scanning by Richard Photo Lab

Personal Work

Denver, CO | Details | Quiznos Pro Challenge Press Conference

As you may have heard, Lance Armstrong was in Denver on August 4th to announce the Quiznos Pro Challenge with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. I though it would be a great opportunity to shoot some interesting documentary photographs. As it turns out, I was right. There were thousands of cyclists at the capitol for the announcement. They probably set the world record for most lycra at a press conference. This made for great juxtapositions between the “freewheeling” cyclists and the staid atmosphere of the capitol steps. I have more pictures from the event, but will save them for another post.

Click on any of the pictures to see them larger. Enjoy…

Cycling shoes and high heels. Photograph from the press conference announcing the Quiznos Pro Challenge, in Denver, CO on August 4th, 2010.

Picture of multiple bicycle wheels, an interesting detail from the press conference announcing the Quiznos Pro Challenge, in Denver, CO on August 4th, 2010.
Cyclist in a Livestrong jersey at the state capitol for the press conference announcing the Quiznos Pro Challenge, in Denver, CO on August 4th, 2010.

Cyclist at the state capitol for the press conference announcing the Quiznos Pro Challenge, in Denver, CO on August 4th, 2010.

I shot these using an old Canonet QL17 GIII rangefinder camera on Fuji Neopan 400 (Legacy Pro 400) film. This was also the first roll of film that I have processed by hand in about ten years. Luckily, it is kind of like riding a bike, once you’ve done it a few thousand times, you never forget how.

The “scans” were made using a Sigma SD9 camera and a light table. I am still working out the kinks in the camera scan workflow. These images  turned out pretty well but some of the other frames had focus problems. Looks like I will have to pick up some hardware specifically for making camera scans. Still, this is much faster and easier than using a dedicated film scanner. So I think it will be worth the effort.

Tech Info:
Canonet QL17 GIII
Canon 40mm f1.7 lens (fixed)
Legacy Pro 400 (AKA – Fuji Neopan 400)
Ilford Ilfotec DD-X Developer
Camera Scan – Sigma SD9 + 50mm f2.8 Macro + Light Table

Wedding

Louisville, CO | Home Wedding | Reception Establishing Shot

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Below is an image from a cool at home wedding that I shot last year. This type of documentary photograph is often referred to as an “establishing shot”. It sets the scene and gives context to the rest of the images in the story you are trying to tell with your pictures.

I really like this image because it so neatly documents all of the different things that are going on at this wedding reception. First, there is the setting – white tent, lights, lanterns, etc. Next you have the groom in the white tuxedo shirt interacting with the guests. There is a woman off to the right taking pictures. Throughout the picture, you have people talking and laughing. In the foreground (out of focus) you have a young boy who is looking pretty tired. Over in the corner, you can see the DJ’s iMac set up and pumping out the tunes. But wait, it’s a photograph, how do we know there is music playing? Look dead center, there is a woman dancing with her arms raised. With the visual space around her, it is almost as if she is in her own little world – alone in a crowd. I find this last detail especially fascinating. Do you agree?

Click on the image if you would like to see it larger. Enjoy…

Establishing shot of a wedding reception at a home wedding in Louisville, CO. Shot using available light on a Nikon D70s with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens.

For more info of the elements of a photo story, check out this cool blog post…

Tech Info:
Nikon D70s
Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF
ISO 1600

Portrait

Westminster, CO | Haircut+Warm Spring Day=Park Photo Shoot

Back in the spring, my daughter Molly got a nifty new haircut. A warm spring day and a delivery of fresh film provided a great opportunity for a photo shoot. We just took a quick trip over to our local park – Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO – and shot all these pictures in about twenty minutes. There is a pretty short window of opportunity when working with a two year old, especially when it’s your own two year old.

There are a few things that I really like in these photos:

  1. Molly’s pixie cut
  2. The vertical bars on the playset vs. the horizontal stripes on Molly’s dress
  3. All of the different settings that we were able to incorporate into the images
  4. Molly’s interaction with her surroundings as well as with the camera

You can click on any of the pictures below to see them larger. Enjoy…

A two year old girl looks through a playhouse window on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.
A two year old girl sits for a quick portrait on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.

A two year old girl peers through bars on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.
A two year old girl looks through a telescope on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.

A two year old girl standing on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO points in to the camera. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.
A two year old girl goes down the twisty slide on the playground at Nottingham Park in Westminster, CO. Photograph from a documentary portrait session using Fuji 400H film in a Nikon N90s camera.

Tech Info:
Nikon N90s
Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens
Fuji 400H film
Straight scans from Richard Photo Lab

Wedding

Boulder, CO Wedding Photography – Rainy Day Details

Colorado has over 300 sunny days a year, so rainy days are pretty rare. Days that are rainy from morning to night are even more rare. June 12th, 2010 was one of those rare days.

Although rain is never a Bride’s ideal situation, when it happens, the keys are to embrace it and have a back-up location (if you had planned for an outdoor venue). For the wedding I shot on June 12th, the Bride did both of these things.

I really think that rainy days make for vivid memories and unique situations that can be fun to document, resulting in images that will standout here in the centennial state. For photographers, rainy days present their challenges; but if you keep your wits about you, you can be rewarded with some really beautiful and interesting photographs.

Below are a few detail images from the day, they will help set the stage for the pictures to come in later blog posts. Enjoy (you can click on the images to see them larger)…

Raindrops sitting on blades of ornamental grass. Black and white detail photograph from a rainy Boulder, CO wedding.
Wet sundial on a white pedestal. Black and white detail photograph from a rainy Boulder, CO wedding.
Overturned umbrella on the porch. Black and white detail photograph from a rainy Boulder, CO wedding.

Tech Info:
Nikon F100
Nikon 50mm f1.4
Legacy Pro 400 (AKA Fuji Neopan 400)
Straight scans from Richard Photo Lab

Portrait

Arvada, CO – At Home Family Portraits – Baking Cookies

Nearly any family activity at the family home can be a great occasion for a documentary photo shoot…

Here we have kids baking cookies with their grandmother. These images were shot in the family kitchen using only the available light. I really like the story that you can piece together with these images. Everyone has a purpose and is in their element. We are capturing a memory, not just recording how these people look at this moment in time.

For this self-assigned shoot, I was testing out a used medium format camera, and though I was not crazy about the camera itself,  I love the medium format “look” of these images. Even an in-use kitchen does not become a distracting background when you shoot with the 80mm lens wide open.

Family portrait of a Grandmother and grandson baking cookies at home in the kitchen. Shot on a medium format camera using black and white film.
 
Documentary portrait of a baby boy with a spoon in his mouth sitting in a walker in the kitchen. Shot on a medium format camera using black and white film.

Documentary portrait of a 5 year old boy frosting cookies at the kitchen table. Shot on a medium format camera using black and white film.
 
Documentary portrait of a 5 year old girl decorating cookies at the kitchen table. Shot on a medium format camera using black and white film.

Tech Info:
Mamiya 645AF
Mamiya 80mm f2.8 AF lens (at F2.8)
Ilford HP5 film

Personal Work

Documentary Portrait – Mother and Children

A mother and children sitting on an airplane.

Here is a fun picture from our recent family vacation. The image has a lot of layers to pull you in. The obvious focal point is Molly’s face, but what is making her smile like that? Pull back just a bit, and you notice the puppet on Julie’s hand. If you look past Molly, you can see the boredom that usually accompanies air travel all over Emma’s face.

Finally, there is the light. You don’t usually associate airplanes with flattering light, but in this case the cabin lights were off and the strong back lighting from the windows gave me great rim light on the girls, and bounced around the cabin enough to fill in the shadows. Of course, the wide dynamic range of medium format black and white film was a major help.

Tech Info:
Fuji GS645S Medium Format Camera with a fixed 60mm f4 Fujinon Lens – Wide Open
Ilford HP5 Film

Portrait

Documentary Portraits – The Brothers – Brighton, CO

2 Comments

Below is a gallery of documentary portraits from a recent shoot. I love the authentic expressions in these images. We even got some nice smiles and no one had to say “cheese”…

slideshow

Beautiful color and awesome dynamic range provided by that ancient medium called film.

Tech Info:
Nikon N90s
50mm & 85mm prime lenses @ f2
Fuji 400H film
Processing and Scanning – Richard Photo Lab

View the whole shoot and order prints here.