Behind the Scenes-Lux Land

Lux Land Shoot - Behind the Scenes from Brian Kelly Films on Vimeo.

A quick (and raw) video clip of part of my shoot with Lux Land last summer for her new album. If you haven’t ever heard her music, do yourself a favor and pick up her latest album “Sweet Suspension."

This portion of the shoot with Lux was located in a (mosquito infested) nature reserve at Calvin College. Just to the left of where we were shooting in this video was a small patch of trees where the cover shot to the album was taken.

Here's the photo we were working on in the video:

Upper Peninsula Discovery

I was prepping some files for a client from a shoot I did well over a year ago in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The client was finally ready to proceed with the project and requested a nicely edited suite of images from the trip.

I stumbled upon this outtake of a vintage car passing me. It was totally a grab shot...the camera pointed out an open window...a small diversion from hours and hours of driving in between cities.

The shot is totally over-exposed, blurry, technically flawed, random...

...beautiful.

(You can see earlier posts about this trip here and here.)

Wondergem Staff Photos

Grand Rapids based Wondergem Consulting undertook one of the longer term photography projects I've ever worked on...and it was a total blast. We shot over the course of 4 months starting in June of last year.

The project consisted of creating unique portraiture of each their staff as well as a selection of their blue chip client list for their brand new web site. We shot on helipads, pedi-cabs and everywhere in between!

Above are some of the staff photographs...and I'll post some of their client portraits later in the week!

Spencer Mulder photo shoot

Spencer Mulder is an extremely talented singer/songwriter based in Grand Rapids that sites Ryan Adams as a major influence. There's a lot of buzz about his upcoming sophomore album and that it might be the one that breaks him national. But if it doesn't happen now at age 19, he's got plenty of time to wait for the big time to come to him.

I had a great studio session with Spencer in June to produce the cover of the new album as well as jacket art. All the old tape and cassettes were actually Spencer and his producer Michael Crittenden's idea.

The new CD is out on September 13. There's a release party/concert is at The Intersection on the same day. I'll be there!

Aerial Images on tap

(a regatta on Reeds Lake)

I had two different clients waiting for aerials photographs but due to my schedule, weather and vacation those projects sat on the back burner for a few weeks.  Sunday was perfect so I shot some new aerials of Grand Rapids this afternoon...such a perfect day.  Two quick observations:

1. Call me superstitious but I always hire the same company when I shoot aerials (they're a good company and, you know, so far so good).  My usual pilot wasn't available when I called but I was happy when they said they could still get me flying within a couple hours with a different pilot. I was a little taken aback when the new pilot came into the office to introduce himself.  I must be getting older but he only looked to be about 17 years old.  To me it was like he should have been mowing the grass out by the hanger instead of holding my life in his hands while we spun tight circles around buildings over Grand Rapids.  He seemed official though (he had charts and stuff) and as we looked over sections of the city we would fly over, I started to gain more confidence before take-off.  My initial anxiety turned out to be be unfounded. It turned out to be a nice flight and I would definitely fly with him again...but holy cow that kid was young!

2. The high price of petroleum is affecting everything...the cost of hiring the plane increased by $65/hour from when I flew last fall (and it's not like it was cheap then).  I've never been more frustrated with government.  Our current administration has been asleep at the wheel with their foreign and domestic policies over the last 8 years. The absolute hubris of Bush/Cheney is disgusting. If winks toward the media pool and wearing large belt buckles could get the job done then we'd be in great shape, but I suspect GWB thinks that's all the job entails.  Bush came into office an oil man and he certainly did nothing to wheen us off of fossil fuels.  Let's hope the next President has some guts to truly foster a new economic model around alternative energy.

In the words of my brother-in-law Bill...it's too bad we still have to wait until January to get a new bus driver.

Shooting Like Crazy!

I'm feeling pretty lucky to be so busy (really busy) over the last several months. In the last two weeks I've shot some cool projects for some pretty high profile clients.

Last week I took off with Trisha Spaulding of Integrated Architecture to document a wonderfully designed private school in Howell, Michigan. The shoot went great and I'll be shooting 4 more projects for them a little later in the summer. I've wanted to shoot for IA for a long time so this will be a LOT of fun.

And I'm currently knee deep in shooting for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation's annual report. This is a BIG project...they really go all out with their annual report photography and I was thrilled to be selected to shoot this year's report. We've already completed three shoots and have several more to go throughout July. We're taking some risks photographically (just ask my assistant Tina who was standing perilously close to edge of a tall building downtown holding a reflector...but that's why she makes the big bucks!). I'd love to post some samples here but you'll just have to wait until the AR comes out!

I'm also simultaneously working on a major project for Nucraft Furniture. Basically they've commissioned me to create large art pieces for their expanded corporate offices. I've been given free reign of their entire production area; so I get to wander around creating abstractions of all kinds of things I find. It's a major challenge but I think we're going to be able to create some very, very dynamic installations in their office...more FUN.

I'm out on vacation for a bit to recharge with my lovely family...I'll be back at it July 5. Happy America, everyone!

Equest Center - Therapeutic Riding

On a very muggy day last September I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours shooting for The Equest Center in Rockford. EC is a therapeutic riding center.

But you won't find therapists in white lab coats...gentle horses and ponies are the therapists here, thank you very much. The patients are children; great kids with any number of severe physical and mental challenges. To say I was moved wouldn't begin to describe what I saw there.

The horses are magical. They seem to know they carry especially fragile cargo as well as the weight of dreams on their shoulders...dreams of escaping gravity for a while. I watched kids who were contorted, twisted and confined to their wheelchairs begin to grow wings once placed up in the saddle. 

A few other kids appeared locked inside their own mental world; seemingly not connecting with humans. But they would begin to smile, laugh or shriek with joy as they rode their horse.

I haven't shaken the experience yet. It's been 7 months since I visited The Equest Center and I still feel inspired, grateful and heartbroken every time I see these photos.

Consider a small donation...they go through a lot of hay.

"Across The Grand" - photography commission

In September of last year, I got a call from Joe Tomaselli who is the top executive at Amway Hotel Corporation (Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, the new JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott downtown, etc).

Joe asked me if I would consider creating a special photograph to commemorate the opening of the new JW Marriott hotel. The commissioned photograph would be given to 1000 guests at a special gala fundraising event at the JW. The gala benefitted the Grand Rapids Public Museum (across the river from the JW Marriott in the Van Andel Museum Center).

Needless to say I was flattered and accepted. Joe had two requests:

1. The photograph should depict both the museum and the hotel (no easy task since there is a substantial body of water separating the two properties)
2. Each building should be given equal weight compositionally and not allow one building to dominate the other in the photograph

I also worked closely with Rebecca Westphal who is the head of marketing and PR at the museum (who is GREAT to work with btw). She helped coordinate everything I needed at the museum (lights, carousel operator, etc).

I shot the buildings from a variety of angles (even aerials!). But in the end we kept coming back to this image as the final choice. The photograph is called "Across the Grand." Let me know what you think:

Horses on the Carousel

Yesterday I was shooting for the Grand Rapids Public Museum at The Van Andel Museum Center...I'm still spinning from shooting while riding on the historic carousel! Above is an early favorite from the shoot.

Last fall I was commissioned to create a special photograph for a very high profile project for the museum's capital campaign...so I am very happy to continue working with the good folks there. When time permits I'll post an entry showing the results of that project...it was a great honor to be asked to commemorate such a special event.

Album Cover - Brian Vander Ark

If you follow this blog you know I've been working a lot lately with singer/songwriter Brian Vander Ark. I've documented some of his studio sessions in North Carolina, dodged hunters with shot guns in the woods, and also shot a film documentary (much more on that later).

The new songs were wrapped up a couple weeks ago but we still needed to create a killer cover shot for the record. So BVA came to my studio on a Sunday night just before the New Year. We worked a few different looks and actually got more than what we needed. The session resulted in 2 other images that made the back cover and a large interior spread as well....a pretty productive evening if I say so myself!

I'd highly recommend that you pick up Brian's new album on his myspace page. It's available now! He's produced the finest album of his illustrious career. He always does West Michigan proud so here's your chance to support a national artist who calls Grand Rapids his home base!

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!

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."

Brian Vander Ark - short film

Just got back from NC late last night...a mind-numbing 14 hour drive. Over the next day or two I'll be posting some quick photos of Brian Vander Ark as he put the finishing vocal touches on a new record with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk. Bill's worked with The Eagles, The Who, Bob Seger...Brian Vander Ark...you get the drift.

My brother Brad (that's him with the camera) also shot hours and hours of film footage to be cut into a redBrick short film documentary that will debut before the album is released (target of February). Brad drove back to Boston to start cutting the film together. We've got really interesting interviews with Bill, Brian and tons of North Carolina scenery to hype the new record...

My first impressions of Brian's new album...his best yet...both lyrically and sonically. It's fantastic.

It's exhausting work. Here BVA takes a combat nap next to James Brown (who apparently still isn't buried and is staying at Bill's home).

Brian Vander Ark - North Carolina

Here's a couple photographs I took with Brian this morning. We had to scramble down a small ridge and dodge some hunters with dogs (and shot guns) to get to this location. The large rocks and morning sun peaking over the ridge made this particular shot work well.

Here's another shot close to Bill Szymczyk's house...there's a cool old mine near there. We tried a few things with the mine in the background but we both weren't really feeling it. So instead I put the sun right behind Brian's head to create a dramatic portrait.

Varnum photo shoot

I was working today all around the state for Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett. I've been shooting for them for years and always love working with them.

I was shooting attorneys (figuratively speaking) at their Novi office as well as the Lansing office. By the time we hit Lansing in the late afternoon, the weather was as beautiful as a fall November day can get....with that perfect raking light photographers drool over.

I noticed this tree in front of the Capitol Building while parking the car and decided to photograph one of their enviromental lawyers on the Capitol lawn. Here's the shot:

I'd like to take a moment to thank our inept Michigan Legislature for leaving on vacation today even though they've been unable to pass a budget agreement in the last 6 months. It's politics as usual in Lansing and in the meantime the clock keeps ticking for the citizens and businesses of our state...my faith is government is gone.

They don't rake leaves there apparently either...in this case it worked to my advantage!

Shooting Brian Vander Ark

Exciting news! I just got confirmation this morning that I'm going to North Carolina next week to photograph Brian Vander Ark while he records his new album. We'll shoot some cool portraits and hang out in the recording studio. It'll be fun to watch the creative process of a great singer/songwriter.

I've been fortunate to work with Brian in the past and he's just the best...he'll do whatever it takes to push the envelope and get something outside the box. Here's a shot from a session we did in 2006 for his last album, Angel, Put Your Face On. This shot didn't end up being used but it's still one of my favorites from that shoot.

My brother Brad (who is a killer cinematographer) is coming down as well and we'll also be shooting a mini-documentary/short film of Brian as he records the album. We'll be doing interviews with Brian as well as his legendary producer, Bill Szymczyk. We'll cut and edit this footage into an EPK (electronic press kit) to promote the release of the new record.

Brian tells me the new album is targeted to be released in February...lots of work to do for all of us!