Wedding Gear

I have a small goal this year, it is to be the absolute best wedding photographer on the globe.  Hey everyone should shoot for the moon.  In order to hit my goal I am reworking my photography gear and trying to revisit a few items.  I spent my lunch hour getting my gear in order for a wedding I have today and thought I would take a quick photo of it and explain a few things.  

I will be shooting (photographer talk for photographing) with mostly full frame this year.  The photos will become more high definition through the camera, lenses and editing process.  I have added more prime lenses to the mix.  The prime lenses are not zooms so I might have to move around a bit more but the sharpness and clarity will be killer.  I have added a 160gig netbook computer to backup photos super quick and easy.  

Now as a member of Canon Professional Services my equipment gets priority service and back to me the next day.  I plan on entering a few more contests as a member of Wedding & Portrait Professionals (WPPI).   I am also on the ThinkTank photo pro staff.   Well, now I have to take off and photograph a beautiful couple on their special day.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Baby Owen

I had the honor of photographing another beautiful baby recently, Owen.  "Baby Owen" as I call him was a joy to photograph and I am pleased with the results.  The first thing that I noticed about Baby Owen was his big beautiful eyes, so I spent the majority of the photo session capturing his personality through his eyes.

For a larger photo of "Baby Owen" and to see his big beautiful eyes visit my website: http://www.StatsonPhotography.com, go to the "gallery" section and then to "portraits".

Creative Juices!

If you have been following me on Facebook, you will know I am in a creative mood.  YEA!  

The above photo is one I took of my boys, yep, all four - left to right Scotty, Sam, Matthew & Nick.  They were trying to take me on with their mad fighting skills.

Visit my website for more creative portraits and corporate and creative work.   http://www.StatsonPhotography.com

What a Monster!

My kids are  home for "Spring Break" this week and sometimes you really have to offer creative outlets for them.  My son Sam likes playing the Zombie game in Call of Duty and wanted me to take a picture of him and turn him into a zombie.  Well, here is Sam as a zombie.....he thought it was "cool".  I personally think it is a little scary.  Lucky for Sam I have been on a creative streak.  (and don't worry Saima I will not add zombie editing to your wedding photos!).

Good Friday!

Here in Michigan we had a snowstorm less than a week ago.  In the past few days it has been in the low 50's.  The Lord is true to his promises and Spring is now kicking in.  I took a photo yesterday while out with my son and thought I would post the results here.  I want to wish everyone well this Good Friday.  Remember that God has plans for us no matter where we are in life.

You can visit the large version of this photo on my website (http://www.StatsonPhotography.com) then to the "galleries" tab up top and go down to "Corporate & Creative".  

People are Great!

I have been photographing a lot of different kinds of people lately.  Everyone from sports figures to ordinary people and a few babies.  I am going to make an extra effort this year to photograph as many people as possible.  This will keep me busy since there seem to be tons of interesting people in this world.  Visit my website for several new faces.  Go to http://www.StatsonPhotography.com and visit the gallery section and click on portraits.

Featured Guest Photographer

Well Spring is getting closer and time for new and innovative things, at least in my book.  I typically post my work here but would take a moment and post work from a fellow photographer friend of mine in Dubai, UAE, Michael Ritter.    He recently did a project called Dubai Gigapixel and is an excellent example of how to get creative with technology.  The photo allows you to zoom in and see tiny details of this huge landscape in Dubai.  The single photo was actually created by taking 1100 photos and combining them together.

Take a look at Michael's work: http://www.DubaiGigapixel.com

How about another sky

Here is a photo from my trip to the "Motor City" Detroit a few weeks ago.  I have never photographed a wedding at this church but would love to.  I was at St. Patrick's Cathedral a few weeks ago and this is certainly not on the same level. The City of Detroit is certainly full of history and believe it or not there is some great architecture there.  

Ok, maybe their was a little photoshop work done here to make things a little more exciting but heck nothing about life is real, well except life that is.  

Interested in what this looked like before I did a little photoshop magic?  Here take a look:

Spring....or maybe Fall?

It is Spring here in Michigan........well is is supposed to be.  It smells like Spring today (wet and moldy).  But it really has been looking and acting like Fall.  I am a Summer person myself.  I actually live for the sun and heat of Summer and try to enjoy every moment.  Here is a photo of the back of my house (please ignore the mess), I took this doing a little camera testing this evening.  The photo received a little editing to bring out the clouds.  

For those photography geeks out there the clouds are real but I did a little HDR treatment to it.   It was photographed with a Canon 1Ds Mark II and Canon 16-35L.   ISO 400/2.8 shot in RAW

Detroit

Sometimes it takes a little editing to turn a bland photo into something a bit more interesting.  Even the great "Motor City" Detroit, needed a little oomph.  I did time it correctly to photograph the location at sunrise,  however there really wasn't much to make it pop.  Without photoshop,  the building formerly known as The Renaissance Center, would not be much of a photo. 

By the way enjoy, this building before GM has to auction it off on Ebay to recoup a few bucks to repay a few billion in government loans ....... yikes.  

New York City

I was able to spend a day in New York City and of course I had to take a few photos.  I have flown into NYC and out in the same day for work before.  This time I was able to have a little time for a few photos.  I found the people in NYC to be friendly and the city is tons of fun!  There are lots of things to do and see. Here are a couple photos from the trip.  

Take Time to Smell the Coffee

I pulled out the "old" video tapes a few weeks ago and have been watching them with my family.  While watching videos of our goofy clothes and hairstyles is often funny and amusing, it is actually pretty sad.   What is really sad is actually seeing how fast my kids grow up and how quickly time flies.  Here is a photo of the "Jamaican Blue Mountain Party" at ABeanToGo.com last weekend.  This photo is a good reminder that we really need to take the time to slow down and as they say "smell the coffee".   

Make an effort to relax a little and enjoy the precious time that you have.  

Capturing Love

It is really exciting to look back on photos that I take and remember the love that was flowing during the wedding.  I spent a lot of time this weekend editing, and it reminded me of why I photograph weddings.  While they are extremely busy and sometimes crazy events, I appreciate how important they are in a couples life.  They mark a very important time and my goal is to capture photos of their special day that they will cherish for many years to come.  

If you are married, may the Lord bless you and your marriage.  If you are getting married, then lets talk. I would be honored to be your photographer on your special day.  

"Scott is one of the best"......

I received an email today that I was reviewed on the Martha Stewart Weddings website: "Scott is one of the best wedding photographers in the country".  All I can say is thanks!  What a nice compliment!  Wow, sometimes hard work does pay off.  Thanks!

All Stars!

We all love when we work hard and have others thank us for our effort.  I am someone who believes in putting 110% into everything I do.  I am grateful to have clients who take the time to thank me for my efforts.  Here is an example of a recent bride and her thoughts on my wedding photography skills.  :)

(click on the picture to enlarge)

Wedding Memories, some good, some not so good.

I tell perspective couples, or brides, not to worry no matter how out of whack the agenda gets.  I will capture photos that will be fantastic.  The majority of brides tell me "noo, my wedding schedule has been well thought out and will go as planned".   I know from much experience that even the best planned schedules tend to get off kilter.  

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding this weekend.  The weather was calling for "flurries" and warmer (better than 10 degrees) temperatures.  Well, what happened was a blizzard with 6-8 inches of unexpected snow, oops.  I knew the weather was going to be tough so I was at the location an hour before I was scheduled.

The wedding party, and many of the family, were staying at the same hotel.  The hotel was kind enough to shuttle the group to the location.  Unfortunately no one planned on the shuttle limo making a wrong turn and getting hit by a drunk driver.  This was certainly not planned but everyone eventually made it, some after the delayed ceremony.  Definitely a little scary.

The rest of the night went well.  Even with the weather, delays, traffic accident, etc everyone seemed to be having a great time.  We were able to squeeze all of the photos in that the couple wanted.  I managed to get a few creative shots and documented the couple's special day.

The night would have ended great if it were not for an intoxicated guest who fell from the stairs into the fountain of this historic building.  

No matter what happens on your wedding day,  enjoy your time together. Rest assured that I will go with the flow, adapt to the changes, and capture some moments that you will be able to look back on forever.

Facebook

I am now, finally, on Facebook.  So if you want to know more details about me and what I am up to,  you can follow me on Facebook.  Just send me a friend request and I will gladly add you as a friend.  :)  

Last Wedding of 2008

I was able to finish up the 2008 wedding season with Andrew & Jessica.  They are great people and their wedding was a fun time.  The weather was uncooperative for much outside but that did not stop the fun.   Jess and Andy will have tons of great photos to look through.  I wish them all the best and it was an honor to photograph their wedding.

Santa Comes to Michigan

There have been several people emailing me about my son Matthew.  Matthew has fully recovered from his rare illness.  He caught up quickly on his school work and is active living the life of a young kid.  Matthew is such a blessing and is a great kid.  According to the doctors his condition can flare up but we are praying that this does not happen.

Matthew's brother Nick dressed up at our Christmas party this year as Santa.  Matthew had the chance to thank Santa for all of the gifts that he received for Christmas.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Matthew.

The NHL

Many of you know that I take photos for minor league hockey.  I received an email the other day from the hockey league that my photos were featured on the front of the NHL website.  I have been fortunate to have my work featured in many places in the past year.  I am going to try to post a few of them like this from time to time.