June 24th, 2009

On any given day it is very likely that my parents, my brother, my sister in law, my brother, my sister in law, and I are all in different states. So it is a rare treat for us all to be together. To have three of my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my 14 year old newphew added to the group was just pure delight.

My visit was arranged as a glorified layover on my MIA-CLT-PHX-CLT-PIT-CLE-MIA-ATL-MIA-DAL-MIA circuit (all in two weeks). Still those few hours were very special. The big surprise of the day came when both my sister and sister-in-law announced they were each pregnant! The clan’s future now seems secure.

I often find my photographic creativity and my general mood go hand in hand. In this case I think the images show the relaxed, happy, and sentimental mood I was in throughout most of the day.

A Full Gallery of Images After the Jump

June 24th, 2009

I figured if I posted two random images from the workshop weekend that the viewer could struggle to find some deeper meaning for the pairing.

In actuality there is no connection; they just didn’t fit into the other categories.

June 24th, 2009

I’m happy to now be offering video when appropriate as part of my wedding coverage.

My philosophy is simple. Most viewers (the happy couple included) will not want to watch the entire wedding from start to finish. Instead, they will want to see such moments as the vows. So when I produce a video I am interweaving video and stills, taking the best of each medium. Often a still image can say something a video clip cannot.

My hope, as always, is that the viewer feel like they were at the best seat in the house for the wedding and that the bride and groom are reminded of how the magical day felt.

[video http://www.doug-peterson.com/download/dep-weddingmovie-smaller.mov]

June 24th, 2009

There is a subtly and grandeur found in a good black and white photography which is rarely matched in other imagery.

June 24th, 2009

Landscape photography is all about composition and light. After all the subject isn’t going anywhere. The mountains, rocks, and canyons have been there for millennium and will be there for millennium to come. When the light isn’t right the frustration can be hair-pulling. Since there are often only a few days in the entire workshop a single bad day for light often means hours of “wasted” driving and setup.

But when life gives you rain, make rain-aid. The below shot of the rain was taken at the Horseshoe Canyon; while not as colorful and dynamic as the shot I arrived to take I think it does hold meaning. Photography is many things to many people; to me the best photography evokes an emotion.

This image is a metaphor for all the frustration and disappointment of real life. Each drop is a set back and the out of focus clouds are that hard-to-shake vague sense of impending doom often found in the depravity of modern life.

A More Optimistic Foul Weather Shot After the Jump

June 24th, 2009

One of the things that fascinated me about the Great American west is the variation in texture wrought by the combination of abundant sand, wind, and time.

Black and White is the perfect medium to convey texture and patterns. Unfortunately the web is not. These images were capture on various digital backs between 39 and 60 megapixels; when printed several feet wide they reveal more subtle texture that even my 30″ monitors can begin too.

Two More Texture Photos After the Jump

June 24th, 2009

WARNING: Technical mumbo jumbo to follow.

The two images below were captured with a Cambo Wide RS body, Phase One P40+ digital back using a 2-image stitch (horizontal@15mm fall, horizontal@25mm rise) for 70 megapixel image. Since the stitching occurred by shifting the capture device within the image circle there was no distortion or geometric alignment of the two frames, making the stitching process both easy, and high quality.

June 24th, 2009

One of my photographic philosophies is “don’t miss a shot to get a shot”. While driving for hours in the Great American West to get to a particular pre-scheduled shot our fearless leader Guy Mancuso stopped on several occasions at unmarked, undocumented spots to shoot. This was one of my favorites.

Viewing these balanced rocks makes you wonder at the amazing effect of time on the landscape of the Great American West.

June 24th, 2009

I took these shots while on the workshop using my Phase One 645 Body and a self-made pinhole lens (body cap + coke can+ jewler’s drill + gaffe tape).

June 24th, 2009

My good friend Julia Kreibich (ShoeBizness.com) was at her best earlier this month styling a fashion show at the Setai.

Check Out More of the Outfits

June 24th, 2009

The GetDPI 2009 Arizona Workshop just ended. As with the 2009 Moab Workshop and the 2008 Lighting Workshop before that I was an instructor of software/workflow while the very talented co-owner of GetDPI.com Guy Mancuso (Jack Flesher, the other owner was unable to make this workshop) taught the composition and capture side.

I’ll post more of my images from the trip as soon as I get some rest. Until then enjoy these images from Antelope Canyon.

Several More Photos of the Canyon After the Jump