Crazy Photo shoot

I did a photo shoot for a co-worker this weekend that was a bit crazy. I like to previsualize my shots and I had something great envisioned. The shot above is actually pretty close to what I wanted to get. There were just a few things I didn't expect like the hurricane force winds, the bitter arctic air and the 10 ft high snow bank around the park. It is no mystery that most portrait photographers prefer the studio. Things are a bit more predictable. I figure that everything just needs to be perfect for about 1/60th of a second. Fortunately, the family were troopers and we got a decent shot. ~Erik

Hansen photo shoot

We had the Hansens over for a photo shoot the other night. We got some pictures of their kids, some of our kids. I'll post some more pictures once I get more editing done. I am pleased with how they turned out. Addi was a bit shy when she first showed up but ended up being quite the model. ~Erik
You can sneak a peak of some of the other pictures here.

Christmas Card Outakes

We didn't do much this weekend but we did get our Christmas card picture taken. Here are a couple of the pictures that we didn't use. You will have to wait to see the final product. Let me know if you want a Christmas card, you won't be disappointed. ~Erik

Baby Logan

I took a few pictures of the new Hansen baby, wow what a cute kid. Look at those big eyes. Baby Logi (pronounced low gee not lougie.) as we call him at our house seems to have a really good disposition. He picked up the nickname as Owen was praying one night. He asked God to bless baby Logi in his deep man voice (weird for a 2 year old to have a man voice). Needless to say, the way he said it and what he called him stuck. Baby Logi was great to take pictures of because he is so easy going. Congratulations Hansen's on the new addition. ~Erik

Ala Family

My Friend Owen and his wife Camille were in town for a few days and wanted to get a quick family shot. It was fun to see their son Ryder, he is a 2 year old just like our Owen. They had a great time running around getting in trouble. Owen has a few years left in his orthopedic surgery residency. Hopefully they decide that they want to live in Alaska after they are done. Aren't they a great looking family. ~Erik

Family Photo Shoot

I did a photo shoot with a co-worker for their neighbor a couple weeks ago. They were a very fun family to shoot. I had to chuckle a little because the younger boy was a bit like our Owen. He just didn't want to get his picture taken. Can't really blame him, I don't really like getting my picture taken either. We did get some really good shots though. I like capturing little gems when true personalities come out. Most of the time it is pure luck. In fact, with the last picture in the series I didn't realize I captured this tender moment until I was reviewing the pictures on my computer. You can see mom is trying to get the boys to smile. The oldest boy has his younger brother in a choke hold. The youngest boy grabbed a fistful of dad and poor dad was trying not to scream. It is tender moments that make it all worth while. ~Erik

Another Pond Photo Shoot

I did another shoot for the Pond's. Lachlan is 1 yr old now. I shot him while he was still in his mothers womb, after he was born and at 6 months. In fact I also shot the Doctor that made it all possible. I messed around with some textures in the shot above. I am not sure if I like it or not. There are a couple more shots here and here. Congrats on 1 year Lachlan! ~Erik

Family Shoot

The colors of the trees are spectacular right now. I made the kids get dressed up for a photo shoot. There is a great field that I drive by every day on the way to work and I thought, "hey that would be a good background for a picture." Fortunately, no one came out with a shotgun to kick us off their private property. I need to edit a few more of the pictures but they turned out pretty good. I'll post more when I get them touched up. ~Erik

Ollie Pop

We did Oliver's baby blessing this week at church so he got to dress up in this snazzy outfit. The guy is stylish, seriously a bow-tie, stylish. As you can see he also got a photo shoot out of it. The kids have been calling Oliver "Ollie Pop". It is kind of cute but a bit girlie. Maybe we will go get him a tattoo to balance things out. Also, I need to clear thing up from yesterday's post, Angela did not really pee her pants. I thought it would be funny but apparently some people thought she really peed and I was mocking her on the internet. Sorry, Angela, I didn't try to be hurtful, maybe you should stop peeing your pants. ~Erik

Lexi Second Post

Here are a couple more picture from the photo shoot. This time of the year is great in Alaska because the sun sets at a normal time so I can get some nice evening shots. It was a really fun shoot. ~Erik
There are a few more here and here. The first post is here.

Lexi Senior Photo Shoot

I tagged along to help with a senior photo shoot for Lexi. She is a real trooper, what you can't tell it that the temperature was close to 15 deg F with a 50 mph wind. Needless to say, she got a bit cold but pushed through the pain. Tami got some new equipment and wanted to try it out. The gear worked wonderfully, I really liked the 28" softbox she got. You can tell by the quality of light in the shots. I will post a few more pictures tomorrow. If you can't wait, you can see them here. ~Erik

Degray Photoshoot

I did a photo shoot for the Degrays the other day. I will post few more when I get them edited up. We had a really good time and they are great family with lots of personality. Thanks Josh for a few behind the scene shots. ~Erik
A couple more here and here.

Brandon's Senior photo shoot.

Here are a couple more pictures from Brandon's photoshoot. The clouds were great down at the beach so we took advantage of the moody sky. As a side note this is my 300th blog post. You can see a couple more pictures here and here. Good luck with your senior year Brandon. ~Erik

Senior Photo Shoot with Lydia

Did another senior photo shoot. I had a couple ideas that I wanted to try, unfortunately during the summer in Alaska it is light until late at night which makes it hard to get night shots. Right now is a great time of the year because it is starting to get dark earlier and it isn't snowing yet. Great right, anyway I got a couple night shots that turned out pretty good. I took some shots at another location and was pleased with the results. There are a few other pictures on the photo stream you can check them out here, here and here. Lydia was great to work with; it is nice when your subjects are naturally photogenic. It makes things much easier for the photographer. Good luck with your senior year Lydia. ~Erik

Senior Photoshoot

I did a senior picture set for a kid that I know. It was really fun, we were able to go to one of the autoshops in the area and get some pictures in front of a nice car. Brandon had a few ideas which turned out pretty cool. He wanted to go for a greaser type look with a fast car in the background. I think they turned out really quite nice. You will probably see some other shots in the future because we have to do some more formal shots. ~Erik
P.S. Don't worry I will throw some more pictures of the new baby up on the blog.

Flower Girls

Part of the photo shoot from the previous post. Hauled out one of my big lights to take these shots. I just can't get enough of the colors during the summer here in Alaska. The girls aren't too excited about getting their pictures taken but they put up with me. Maybe someday they will appreciate these pictures. Until then you have to humor me by looking at the blog. ~Erik
Setup Shot

The Queen of Sass...

The weather was nice so we went and did a family photo shoot with the wildflowers. Angela is a good sport with all of the photo stuff. I think it was because she was brainwashed into thinking it was normal when she was growing up. Anyways, she may seem a bit mild mannered, but she is the queen of sass. That's right, the little girls are always throwing attitude and you know where they get it from, their mother. Not only is she sassy but she is hot, really how many 20 month pregnant women look this good? I guess that is why she has so many kids, too hot for her own good. ~Erik

Bridal Photo shoot

I did a photo shoot for Emily and Chris. There were lupines in bloom which are a beautiful purple. I was able to set up my strobes and get the right shots. I have to chuckle at OT in the setup shot. He's super stoked about the marriage thing. Thanks again Josh. Congrats Emily and Chris! ~Erik

Henwood Photo Shoot

I did a photo shoot for the Henwood family the other day. Justin and his family were up from Colorado and they wanted some pictures with the whole clan. We had a good time and the kids were great. There are a couple more shots here. I couldn't resist getting a jump shot at the end. This is where we did the photo shoot. ~Erik

Stobist Boot Camp II

David Hobby over at Strobist had posted an assignment for budding photographers. The assignment was to do a headshot of someone and in turn have them take a shot of you. I have had to work nights but it was a good chance to drag the gear out to the plant.
I had to scout out a place that looked alright. The shots below were test shots, I was shooting with my 50mm 1.8. When you kick it out of focus it has a nice effect, as you can see in the last picture. Setup was a shoot through umbrella camera right and a flash to the left and behind the subject. Josh from work was kind enough to to model for me. Also if there are any single women from the ages of 19-30 he is looking for love. He even has an airplane. ~Erik

Kenai River Canyon Trial

Here is a link to a map of the trail. It is one of our family favorites (because it is pretty easy). The weather was nice, too windy for boating but nice for hiking. The kids were pretty excited at the beginning of the trip but by the end they were pretty sure they were on a death march. Not only a death march but a death photo shoot. You can see the setup I used below. Connected my light and umbrella to the kid backpack. At the end of the trip my umbrella fell over and broke and the base of my flash got banged up also. Too bad I don't have a dog because I probably would have kicked it. The last picture was Owen trying to flop off my shoulders and down the 75 ft canyon wall to the river. Family outings are fun. ~Erik