Capturing Photos or Creating Photos?

I truly believe that photographs are not taken but created. Let me explain a little here. First off I don't mean that you create images by using a green screen and Hollywood editing. While creative Photoshop editing works and offers endless creative outlets that is not what I mean about photos being created.

The way a photographer, a professional photographer sees things are typically different than the "normal" perspective. There are times I see an image in my mind but it does not necessarily match what is in front of me. Many times this calls for me to stand on something, bend down, change the angle or perspective of how I photograph this person, place or thing. I tell those interested in photography to work outside of their comfort zone. Take photos from different angles, it can make a big difference.

The photo below of the tractor was how I envisioned it. I knew without thinking that I would have to manipulate the fence but it could certainly be done. This was a minor adjustment but makes a big difference.



Here is the final image of the tractor. This was taken by leaning over the fence and it was just out of camera range, barely. The tractor is now without obstruction but does take up the entire frame.

This was how this tractor looked from the normal perspective. Moving up on it a little which would eliminate the fence and bring it into the frame without the obnoxious obstruction was how I viewed it in my little brain.

Here are the photography geek stats on this photo: f/6.3, ISO 200, taken with the Canon 1D Mark II, Canon 24-70 2.8mm, taken at 24mm, photographed in RAW, editing was done in Apple Aperture

Healthcare Reform... for my blog

I do admit it. I have been neglectful in updating my blog. My busy wedding season is about over and I have lots of photos to share. I have gone back and forth this summer trying to decide how to make my blog a more effective and efficient place. I am yet to find the solution other than I need to do a little CPR to the blog and put a breath of fresh air into it. While I have been posting on my facebook account, I have neglected to take the time to post here at my little blog.

Like the healthcare debate going on in our legislature my blog has been a source of debate, not by the Senate or Congress, but by me. But in my case my vote counts and I voted to make this blog as fun as possible.......now I have to get a few stimulus dollars to.......well stimulate the blog. So from here on out I do pledge.......wait maybe pledge is to strong of a word. How about this, I pinky promise to make this a blog of not only funtastic fotos but to create not only inspirational photos but to create inspirational blog posts. *clapping*

So since we are discussion health care I will share a photo that I took with my iPhone of me exercising (my dog)....you can see my little puppy (Doberman) ahead of my golf cart to the right (she is fast).

Want to be Flashed? (web talk)

I have a flash based website (www.StatsonPhotography.com) and understand that some web browsers are less than happy with all flash - so I created an html (with no flash) based web site (click here) were you can view a few sample photos without having to use flash. So take a look and let me know what you think - share it with your friends and family and let them offer some input also.
I am also working on a new blog setup - it will offer much larger photos and I will share the new blog here in the next few weeks.
Thanks for visiting and please feel free to drop me a note if I can help you in any way!
Scott


Click Here for Html Based Sample Site

Makin' a Big Wedding Entrance.

I am honored to photograph many different types of weddings. I have photographed lots of different cultural weddings this year from traditional Christian church weddings, Muslim weddings, Indian weddings to a combination of several cultures coming together.
Below is a photo of Alok who made a grand entrance on horseback during a wedding I photographed in Rochester Michigan. I will post more photos from Alok and Amy's wedding as soon as I have a chance - but take a look and let me know what you think!
All the best!
Scott

It's All in the Details!

You have heard "it's all about the details" . Well the truth is it really is about details. What most people forget is that cameras see in two dimensions our eyes see in three dimensions. What this means is that even though I have some of the best equipment it is really the details of editing that turns a good photo into a "Wow" photo.
I encourage all of my clients to get a package that includes "full editing". This is a labor intensive process but it really turns photos into creative works of art.
Here are two samples of editing vs unedited photos. (click on each photo to see it larger)

National Geographic - Muddy!

I typically post beautiful, creative photos here but I want to post a quick sample of photos that I took for the Muddy Buddy Race sponsored by National Geographic Adventure.

I photographed a wedding all day on Saturday and Sunday morning I had to make it to photograph an adventure race. After getting to bed by 1am I had to wake by 5am to make it for a 7:15 pre-race meeting....I was whipped! But the photos came out well. Here are two that I can share with you.

Good old mud in your teeth.....talk about fun!

Rachel's Beautiful Voice

Rachel just turned 7 and has a beautiful voice. I have had the privilege of working with Rachel for several years now and she just seems to get better. Rachel is preparing for her national music debut and they are hoping to secure a spot on the Ellen Degeneres show come this Fall. Here are two rough drafts from the photo shoot with Rachel the other day.

So, if you are looking for a creative portrait from a skilled professional photographer, than contact me! :) Rachel and her mother were showing pictures of Rachel to people during their trip to Dallas/Houston Texas. Everyone was asking who took Rachel's photos, when they gave my name, it seems they recognized me as a famous photographer. :) WOW, I am even famous on the streets in Texas. So, if you want to be famous, let me take your photo. While I can't guarantee that a daytime talk show will want to interview afterwords, I can guarantee you will look stunning darling!

How to Make Doctors Happy?

I had the honor of photographing a great couple, Komal & Sam. They were married in Grand Blanc Michigan and had their intimate reception at the Brick Street Tavern. Sam is much taller than Komal so I decided to photograph them so no one would notice the height difference. The photo below shows what happens when you put the taller person in the back and photograph from a lower angle. I also used natural light for a little more drama - the light was extremely harsh outside and played well in this photo.

Not only are Komal & Sam a great young looking couple but they are both doctors. Congrats to both of them and may the good Lord continue to bless their relationship!

Baby Photography by Scott Statson

I have not photographed many babies but thought I would take another crack at it and incorporate the same locations that I would take brides for bridal photos or other "adults".  This little beauty is an extremely well behaved seven month old from Grand Blanc Michigan.  She was a joy to work with and the results of the baby photo shoot were beautiful.  Above it one of my favorites - there are lot more but I am saving them to show the parents.

If you have a young one (or group of them), let's talk and take advantage of the beautiful weather for outdoor family photos.

Thank you!

I love hearing from couples & family memebers that I have had the pleasure of photographing their special day.  I received an email today from a bride who I photographed recently.  She wanted to share with me the reaction her friend had to her photos.  Then the Mother of the Bride from another wedding sent me an email recently.   Here are the emails (with the names removed):

"Wow U look soo stunning!! Like a true princess queen!! beautiful! .....
and the photographer is a true genius!! these are so far the best I've seen in wedding pics.. he's a true artist... very original...."

Here is an email I received from the mother of a recent bride:

Dear Scott: 

Thank you for the wonderful wedding pictures!  You were a delight.  You were patient and stayed in the background and captured all the special moments.  We were a crazy group but we have a great deal of fun.  Thank you for helping to make a perfect day even better. 

Mother of the Bride

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".

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

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

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.  

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.

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.  

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

Well we did it.......sort of.  My wife actually is the true leader who coordinates when the tree will go up.  I was able to capture the festive time with my camera.  I went up the second floor and risked life and limb (I am afraid of heights) and looked over the balcony to take a shot of the family putting up the tree.  The last photo is of my son Sam who was doing a great job putting up ornaments.  

HDR

Unless you are a photographer or graphic designer you probably do not know what HDR is.  HDR stands for high dynamic range.  It is a process in bringing out stronger variations in light and dark areas within a photo.  I am not someone who likes "over processing" photos.  I personally think that every photograph can use some "tweaking" but I do not personally like them to be overdone.  HDR is something I have been avoiding but recently found a few uses for it.  For example in commercial photography such as portraits of bands etc there is a use.  Above are a few random photos that I did some HDR editing to.  

Harvest Time

The Fall is a beautiful time in Michigan and the actual harvest for farmers is a reward for all of their hard work.  I set out to photograph whitetail deer the morning of November 1st and ended up with an entirely different set of photographs.  Little did I know that where I picked to photograph was the spot where Kermit Koester from Davison Township Michigan had picked to harvest the early morning of November 1st.  

Long story short but I had a chance to spend time with Farmer Kermit and photograph him harvesting his corn.  The photo above shows Farmer Kermit standing on his combine and not pictured is Kermit's son who has just brought up a trailer to off load the corn from the combine.  

To view a collection of photos from the time spent with Farmer Kermit and the harvest visit here:http://statson.smugmug.com/gallery/6437458_HGPJZ#407935777_23fzi