Sledding - Merry Christmas

Nothing says winter in Grand Rapids quite like true fear on the sledding hill near our house...

My daughter Maddie and nephew Owen white-knuckle it on a Red Torpedo.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Living in West Michigan Video

I much prefer to be behind the camera than in front of it. But a few months ago my friends at The Right Place were shooting a promotional video geared toward attracting professionals to live and work in West Michigan (ahem...Grand Rapids!).

So when they called and said "Hey, will you be part of a video talking about how great it is to live here?" I had to say yes...plus they were licensing a TON of still photographs from me to appear in the video!

Check out the results...as well as my photographs of the region in the video. I think the production value is really good (despite my mug being in it). Don't blink or you'll miss me...I appear a couple of times in the last third of the video. Here's two links:

www.therightplace.org/live

Or on YouTube

Aerial Photography

I shot a lot of aerial photographs this summer for a variety of clients...it's one of my favorite things to do on a nice day. I have to admit that there are times on every flight where I have to ask myself, "I'm getting PAID to do this?"

As fun as it might sound, aerial photography certainly has a myriad of challenges to achieve great images. The high cost of flying is one and you won't get any "mulligans" on your client's dime. You have to have the right gear and pick the right weather in which to spend your client's money.

An experienced pilot (preferably flying a very shiny, clean plane with no visible dents or scratches) is a must. You can't be afraid to ask the pilot to fly over the target at various altitudes or ask him to bank sharply to get just the right angle. The photo above of the new soccer field at Aquinas College is a result of good communication between myself and the pilot in fleeting light...it took a couple of passes before I felt I had "the shot."

Conscientious

I've followed Jorg Colberg's weblog Conscientious for the last few years...Jorg has a keen eye for interesting contemporary photography from all over the world.

It's a fascinating site and one I check out every couple of weeks to see what's peaked Jorg's interest on the web.

Wonder Woman

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting personal photos on my blog, but as I was backing up one of my hard drives tonight I came across this little gem from Halloween this fall.

My daughter Maddie is in 1st grade and her class had a parade through Clark Retirement Home on Halloween...she was dressed up like Wonder Woman. I grabbed this quick shot of her running down the school sidewalk as her class was walking to the retirement home.

Maddie is an incredible little girl and has a great sense of humor. She's our (very) free spirit. This photo has me chuckling every time I look at it. It sums up how she approaches her life...full speed!

Rick DeVos Exhibition at The Photography Room

Our current show at The Photography is called Hover and features incredible aerial photographs of Grand Rapids by Rick DeVos.

This is our second major exhibition of Rick's work and it's been very well received...sales have been brisk!

Rick has manipulated the photographs to some degree...some of the aerial views make the cityscape look miniaturized or like architectural models.

Stop in to see the exhibition and say hello...it's a great show!

Brian Vander Ark plays The Photography Room

If you were at our gallery (The Photography Room) this past Saturday, I don't need to tell you what an inspiring performance Brian Vander Ark put on for all of us. I've been getting email and calls all day from people saying it was one of the best shows they've ever seen!

A curious side note; this show quickly sold out by mid-November! The gallery is arguably the BEST venue in Grand Rapids to listen to music in an intimate setting. Capacity is only 140 people. I spent a good amount of time last week deflecting calls asking for tickets (people were begging and there was nothing I could do!).

Enjoy the hand-held video below...it doesn't really do BVA justice. Let's hope he plays the gallery again soon...if so get your tickets FAST!