Where to begin?

A few weeks ago, I put up a poll in my Instagram story asking if people would want me to add a blog section of my website. The vote was overwhelmingly yes. So here we go I guess. I’ll be attempting to post these around twice per month. To start off with, I’ll talk about April. I admittedly took most of April off between taking a trip to Hawaii (I’ll get to that in a separate post, don’t worry), and starting planning on some other projects. I still do have a bit to go through though. so, lets start with this shoot with Zo (Instagram: @zoantonow) and we will see where we end up from there.

This was an incredibly fun shoot. The location was at Cherry Creek State Park; which is where I do a lot of photoshoots due to the variety of backgrounds and general versatility of the location. We had a few different swimwear outfits as well as one dress. I’ll be adding in some of my favorite shots from the shoot throughout this post.

I loved the beach theme of this shot. Between the pose, expression, and location it really just gave the feel of a relaxing day at the beach. Now this shoot also served as a test for a lens that I had recently bought as well. A vintage Leica 90mm f2.8. I have a lot of personal love for rangefinder cameras, in fact one of my main cameras is a Fuji X-pro 2. They give me personally a lot more flexibility and creative freedom. Which is why I am slowly starting the move from my fuji system over to a Leica setup. But I have to say that there is something truly special about this 90mm lens. It isn’t a perfect lens by any means, but just take a look below at the beautiful effects this lens gives.

There really is something truly Unique to the way this lens renders contrast and light. It isn’t the sharpest lens in the world, and it definitely flares, but the way it renders images is so beautiful that I have found myself reaching for it more than any other lens I own. But I think I’ve rambled on about equipment long enough for one post. I think I’ll finish this post by talking about light.

In my opinion, light is what makes photography the art that it is. The biggest trick in photography doesn’t have to do with the equipment that you have, or having someone who can pose perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, those things can help; but without knowing how to handle and work with light, the best equipment in the world won’t do anything. Throughout my years of doing photography, I have shot with just about every type of camera save for large format plate cameras, so trust me when I tell you that all equipment does is give you options. It makes it easier to get the light just how you want it. Without that knowledge, and skill, all of that equipment is just about useless. I have seen photographers make absolutely stunning images with a n old iPhone that you would swear came from a $10,000 setup. Light and the skill to use it to create the image you see in your head is the true art of photography in my opinion.

I think I’ll end this post there. I ended up not talking about this shoot very much to be honest, sorry about that. But I think that the post went in a good direction for a foundation of this blog. Talking about photography and the art behind it. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and I hope to post again soon!