Successful Fishing Outing At The Skokie Lagoons

My small 8 or 9 inch Bass

My nephew's 15 inch Bass

Pike

23.5 inch Walleye

Several years ago, I was taught how to fish by my friend Gayle and so every Sunday, just before going to church, I'd get up and head out to Busse Woods to try my luck. I'd catch a few small bullheads and throw them back in and then go home, take a shower and then head off to worship team practice at church by 9 AM.

I did that for all of one season. Then I'm not sure what happened, but years went past and I didn't go fishing again. I suppose that was because I wanted someone to go with me, but nobody ever did.

Now, my nephews and nieces seem to have taken up the interest and they have been anxiously going with me.

So on a recent trip to the Skokie Lagoons, I was able to catch a small 8 or 9 inch Bass, my nephew caught a larger one (15 inches) and my wife's cousin caugtht a small Pike. Moments after releasing the pike, he immediately caught a HUGE Walleye which measured 23.4 inches!

I'm anxious (like the kids) to head back out to try our luck again. If we catch anything worth reporting, I'll post it here again.

I apologize for the poor images this time as the photos of the larger bass, pike and walleye were downsized images emailed to me from my wife's cousin and my small bass photo was taken with my cell phone.

Doyle Dykes & Haley Dykes at Cream City Music - Brookfield, WI

Last night, Doyle Dykes and his daughter Haley Dykes performed at Cream City Music in Brookfield, Wisconsin. As usual, I was on hand to take some photos of the performance. These are just a few of the images I took from last night's event.

Doyle played his usual Taylor DDSM (Doyle Dykes Signature Model) guitar, but also graced us with a custom made (one of a kind) Taylor nylon-string guitar. I had seen this guitar several years ago, but hadn't seen it since. It's a custom design that has his signature White Rose on the slotted headstock, Chet-styled fretboard markers on a short scale neck, Florentine cutaway, and LR Baggs Electronics. The body is made of flamed maple in a natural finish.

Doyle also played a new R. Taylor 12-string that he just received. He said that this was the most expensive Taylor guitar he's ever bought. It sounded GREAT! Complete with Laskin-styled armrest, this guitar was amazing!

Haley performed flawlessly as well. It's always nice to hear her voice and mandolin playing.

I'll see Doyle and Haley again in October when they come to Skokie, IL to perform at the Skokie Theatre. It's been many years since I've been at the Skokie Theatre so I'm definitely interested in seeing what was done since it was renovated. I recall going there in the 70's when it was still a movie theater. Since then, the Skokie Theatre has been upgraded to a performance venue. Should be fun! Be sure to click on each image to take a closer look.

Chinatown 5K and Youth Run - Photos Now On-Line

Today's race in Chicago's Chinatown was really nice! We had great weather although it did rain earlier in the day before the race. But with an overcast morning, it kept the pre-race events nice and cool. Just before the start of the race at 8:00 AM, the sky opened up and we had nice sunshine!

Attendance was less this year than previous years, but that could be because the race had not been run in several years. So perhaps getting the word out was a little more difficult that the Chinatown 5k race was back and running. Maybe next year, we'll have more people out. Still, we had quite a few runners and the Youth Run had a great turnout as well.

To see all the photos of the day, go to http://www.russlowe.instaproofs.com/ and click on the Events catagory. No password is required, but you will need to provide your email address to get in. Once you are in, be sure to click on the "View Catagory Slideshow" link at the upper right portion of the main page. Using the slideshow feature makes the images larger and moves it automatically for you as well. It's a lot nicer that way.

AquaTech Rain Shield - First Use!

Back on June 1, 2009, I wrote about the AquaTech Rain Shield and how I had never had the opportunity to use it. Well, I got my chance earlier today at a corporate event I was photographing.

The rain was coming down slowly but steadily for most of the outdoor event, but that did not stop the event itself. So I donned my rain shield over my Nikon D3 and a 24-70mm f2.8 lens and kept the camera and lens dry. The lens shade was the only thing out in the rain and I was sure to keep the lens itself pointed only forward or down towards the ground when I wasn't shooting.

The viewfinder is protected with a special screw-in adapter from AquaTech, so no real worries there. But what I didn't expect was how "hot" my hand and arm was getting from being inside that nylon/plastic protector the whole time! In fact, my hand and arm were perspiring so much that I was causing a fog to develop on the inside of the see-through vinyl window! So every now and then, I had to pull my arm out to try to cool down the inside of the shield and dry it off a little!

It was kind of cool to be able to shoot in the rain. I was getting wet throughout the day (my hair was a mess by the end of the event) and my belt system was too, but it is designed to handle light rain.

I can't show any of the photos from the shoot because all the images have to go to the company I was shooting the event for, but it's a major company that everyone's heard of. Fun times! :)

Catfish at Skokie Lagoons

Image taken with a Fuji F10 Point & Shoot Camera

After several attempts this past week to catch a fish... this nice catfish was landed by my nephew this evening. He had caught a much larger one just moments before this one but in trying to get him reeled in, the huge fish snapped the fishing line just before we were able to land him with a net. Yeah, "the big one that got away" could have been his first fish ever, but this one isn't too bad either for coming in second. Be sure to click on the image to take a closer look.

Small, but better than nothing

Yesterday, my nephew caught this small Bluegill after trying for hours to get something. Turns out our hooks were too large for these fish and so we were getting nibbles but no fish. Luckily for him, a fellow angler lent him a smaller hook (number 8 size) and he immediately landed this little guy. Small, but better than nothing. Minutes later he got an even smaller one, but let that one go. Next time, we'll try number 8 hooks if we go to the same fishing spot.

"Why do you charge what you charge?"

"Why do photographers charge so much for just working 8 hours at a wedding? Anyone with a camera can do their job. It's easy!"

Oh yeah?

Consider what some professional photographers offer...

1. He will be at the wedding for 8-12 hours of coverage at a typical wedding, rarely getting a chance to even sit down.
2. He has a couple of hours of consultation time before the wedding with the client and probably just as much time doing that after the wedding too when they give their input on their album design.
3. He'll shoot between 1000 to 1500 images on average at the wedding.
4. He'll use top of the line, professional grade camera gear and backup gear at the wedding which will cost nearly $20,000.
5. He has a professional office and doesn't meet you at Starbucks.
6. He will spend many hours (often 20 hours or more) in post production, working on the computer to enhance the look of each image using Photoshop.
7. He will spend many hours designing and re-designing your wedding album.
8. He will offer only the top-of-the-line wedding albums to make your album look good. That costs a lot more money than you might think... even at wholesale!
9. He will have insurance not only for his equipment, but to also cover you with errors and omissions insurance.
10. He will have to work professionally, dealing with all sorts of personalities at the wedding.
11. He will have experience to know what to shoot, when to shoot it, how to work without being obtrusive.
12. He will have the technical knowledge about photography to cover any situation that comes his way... dark churches without using a flash, being stuck in the back of the church the entire time and still get decent images, etc.
13. He will know when to take charge if required. Often times, without his input, nothing interesting happens at the wedding to take photos of. Sometimes shots need to be orchestrated and he'll know how to do that and when to do that.
14. He will know how to work with the other vendors to make your day run smoothly. This includes knowing how to work with the DJ or band, and how to work with the catering staff and the church staff as well.
15. He will have to advertise his business so that he will be able to stay in business.
16. He will continue to attend seminars and other training to keep up to date with current trends in the wedding industry.
17. He will need to network with other wedding professionals to offer you good advice and suggestions on how to make your wedding run smoothly.

Still think the job is easy? Can just anyone with a camera do it?

This is a small list of reasons why professional photographers charge what they do. There are plenty more reasons to hire a professional for your wedding rather than just anyone with a camera.

"I Can't Afford An Album, So I Can't Book You..."

Somrtimes I meet potential clients who like my work, but they tell me they can't afford me. Or, they'll tell me they can't hire me because they can't afford the album. Should they move on to another photographer?

I don't think so.

If you find someone who you like personally, and you find someone whose style of photography you like, but you can't afford that photographer, find other ways to book him/her! Often photographers have lower priced packages that do not include an album. Do that! Why? Because you'll at least still get the quality of the photographer's vision and work. You can always get a wedding album later.

Often, after the wedding, you'll find yourself with a bunch of "gift money" and I've had clients in the past who come back to me right after the wedding was shot to order an album at that time. That's a smart way to get the right photographer booked in advance and then get the album you want afterwards.

And what if you still can't afford an album after the wedding? Don't worry about it. The key is to get quality images taken in the first place. Why book a photographer who offers you a lot of items including an album but is just a tough personality to deal with or if his/her photos are not up to par? You'll still end up with a bad time at your wedding and bad photos! Of course you would have saved some money, but was it worth it? Not to mention that bad photos in an album... still come out looking... bad!

To me, it's better to have nice photos with a nice person than to be stuck with a grouchy photographer for the day who gives mediocre photos. Don't you agree?

So if you are on the fence about which photographer to hire for your wedding or event, pick the one who you feel most comfortable with and who offers the best quality images possible. I'm sure you can find a happy medium to work together. You may find he/she is willing to work out something for you if you are the right client. All you need to do is ask to see what can be done.

Fishing

A group of us went fishing Saturday morning around 5:30 AM. Only two small bullhead catfish were caught. My daughter did the honors of taking most of the photos on this expedition while I was helping others get their lines and poles ready, but I jumped in for the closeup shot of one of the fish after it was caught. In case you are wondering, the extra piece hanging by the fish's mouth is part of the nightcrawler used as bait.

While we were out fishing, one of the fish and game officers came up to check to see if we had fishing licenses. I proudly showed him my license and told him that in the years I've been fishing, nobody has ever come by to check on my license... even though I've always had it with me. I was actually glad to see him and I think that really surprised him! And yes, we all had fishing licenses. Be sure to click on each image to see a closer view!

Night Photography

These three images were created this evening while teaching night photography.

With the right exposures and some post production work, these images of Gameworks and Legoland at The Streets of Woodfield prove that sometimes taking a photograph at night could be more interesting than during the day. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Night Photography Photos - Coming Soon

I'll be teaching night photography later tonight and will post some images by tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Colorful...

I'm currently working on the images from Saturday's wedding and ran across this image of a boy at the reception. The reception was held outdoors and many of the guests dressed appropriately for the weather, including this boy. We had a lot of rain the day before and so while we ended up with a beautiful day on Saturday, the humidity and heat was definitely something we had to deal with.

I saw the light coming into the tent that the boy was under and saw a great opportunity, so I took the shot. The colors are natural and not "Photoshopped." It's a "cool" shot, don't you think? And while the shot was cool, for me to stay cool, I drank at least 7 full bottles of bottled water Saturday and sweated it all off!

First Presbyterian Church - Arlington Heights, IL

Over the years, I've photographed several weddings at the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights, IL. These images however, were taken this past Saturday. Like at many churches today, I was asked to take photos only from the back of the church which can make it difficult to get good images at a wedding without the help of high quality telephoto lenses and a good camera. Luckily for me, that's not an issue. I photographed these two ceremony images from the balcony of the church. They came out just fine. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Manfrotto 229 - 3 Way Pan / Tilt Tripod Head

The Manfrotto 229 three-way head is the tripod head that is attached to my trusty Bogen / Manfrotto 3046 tripod. I used this head when making the panorama images seen on my 6-18-09 post. With bubble levels to help guide me, I can be assured that the camera is perfectly level when panning to create the multiple images needed to make a panorama composite image.

Panorama Images With And Without HDR

The four images used in making the panoramas

(Left to right, Top to bottom)

Standard Panorama

HDR Panorama

Nikon 16mm f2.8 Fisheye Lens - HDR

These images of the atrium at my office were taken while teaching my class on Panoramas. The individual images were stitched together using Photoshop from four images taken with the Nikon D3 camera and a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens on a tripod. For the HDR version, each of the four images had 5 exposures each and were first created with the HDR technique before being stitched together in Photoshop. Essentially, the resulting HDR panorama is a photo using 20 images to make the final image. When all the images were combined, the image measured roughly 37 inches by 7 inches in size! These have been downsized for web use of course.

As a comparison, a Nikon 16mm fisheye lens was used to see how a panorama image stitched together with Photoshop looks against the fisheye. The HDR technique was also utilized. The fisheye doesn't quite cover the full 180 degree view as Nikon claims. It's close, but not exactly 180 degrees. It does show more of the image above and below, but it also makes the distortion of a fisheye lens more noticeable as well. The panoramas do not show the extra top and bottom space, but it does show the full 180 degrees. However, if the fisheye lens version were to have the top and bottom cropped off to similar aspect ratio dimensions as the panoramas, it would look extremely similar to the real panorama images.

Which do you like better? And do you like the HDR version or the standard, "Non-HDR" version better? Be sure to click on each image to get a closer look.

Panorama

I will be teaching Panorama photography today and will post some images later.

We will be taking a series of photos on a tripod and then stitching them together using Photoshop. While it's natural to get some edge to edge distortion using this technique, it's still a very impressive way to create a panorama image. True panorama camera rigs are the best way to create this effect, but unless you shoot panoramas a lot and for a living, it's just too expensive of an option. Besides, this Photoshop method is pretty good and a lot of fun to do.

Check back later for some sample images. I promise you'll be amazed. :)

Panning

This weekend, I photographed a quick "pick-up" basketball game. It was getting really late in the day and by the time this image was taken, it was already 8:47 PM. With each shot I took, it just kept getting darker and darker as the sun started to disappear.

I kept my Nikon D3 on with continuous exposure using focus tracking and it did a great job even in fairly low light. But since the camera was also set for auto ISO and aperture priority, the shutter speed kept dropping in order to get a decent exposure. By the time this image was taken, I was getting 1/40 second at f2.8 with ISO at 3200. The shot was taken at a focal length of 32mm on the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens.

I kept my camera locked on the player with the ball and followed him as he drove for the shot. Moving the camera to keep up with the subject is known as "panning." Interestingly, only his upper body is focused because everything else in the scene was moving! It makes for a very cool shot, don't you think? The image while blurred, shows action and that's exactly what was going on. Definitely click on the image to see a close up of the image to see the sharpness and blurring.

The D3 was set to shoot at 9 frames per second and with every attempt at a point, I was able to document the game... step by step.

Extreme HDR

Image by Marc Wallace

Here's an image that one of my students photographed and processed using the HDR technique. The image was created with three exposures and shot in RAW format.

Instead of a standard "photo" effect, he went for the extreme. When HDR images are done like this, a "cartoon-like" effect is usually seen, but it works here. The image was then cropped to achieve a panoramic view as well. Colorful, isn't it?!

Nice job Marc! Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Famous Dave's - Vernon Hills IL

Standard JPG Version

HDR Version

And yet another example of the power of an HDR image...

This one was taken in early June just after 7:00 PM. The first image is the standard JPG and the second image is the "enhanced" HDR image which combines only 3 RAW exposures. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

One More HDR Photo Example

Standard Version

HDR Version

(7 exposures combined)

I thought I'd share one more photo from today's HDR training session.

I shot this image of the front of my office building, but I had forgotten to use RAW when taking the photos, so instead, I shot the images in JPG.

The HDR version was a combination of 7 exposures shot in JPG. While RAW is the preferred method for working an HDR image, apparently, it's not all that bad with JPG either!

The standard JPG shot is the comparison of a non-HDR image. Which do you like better? While you might initially think that the HDR photo is darker, it really isn't. Look closely at the trees and you'll see that it's actually a little brighter than the standard photo. But of course, the sky is darker and richer due to the nature of the HDR process.

Again, be sure to click on each image to take a closer look. These were taken with the Nikon D3 camera on a tripod, instead of handheld. For a description of what HDR is all about, see the other post from today.

Photography Class - HDR Photography (High Dynamic Range)

Standard Image

HDR Image

(7 images combined)

Today, while teaching photography, we studied HDR Photography. HDR stands for "High Dynamic Range." Basically, HDR combines several images together to create a single image that can show very bright areas of a photo along with very dark shadow areas of a photo... all in one image.

As you can see, a standard photograph taken normally and based on the reading of the built-in meter of the camera shows the atrium in my office building with all the windows all "blown out" with the sunlight. But the plants look fine. However, even within the plants, the shadow areas are not bright enough to show details.

Now look at the HDR photo. The windows no longer look over-exposed (you can see outside!) and also the plants have enough light that you can see the details inside the formerly shadowed area. Essentially, the range of dark to bright areas are now rendered such that you can see more details in both very bright areas and very dark areas. No additional lighting was used to create this image... what you see is lighting provided by the sunlight outside and any additional lighting is from the flood lights above. Essentially, the same lighting that was used to create the first image above.

So how can the HDR image show so much more detail? Well, this particular HDR image combined 7 different exposures to make the one. However, you can make HDR images with as little as 3 images combined. While a tripod is often helpful to align all the images, I simply handheld the camera for this exercise. Sitll, the image looks pretty good, don't you think? Be sure to click on each image to take a closer look.

How do you make these incredible HDR images? Well, first you sign up for a class with me... and then we learn about...

You get the idea.

AquaTech Rain Shield - Keeping the water out

While my trusty Nikon D3 is basically water resistant, I don't trust it being so. As an added measure for success, I have one of these AquaTech Rain Shields in the event I need to shoot in the rain.

The AquaTech is one of the best rain covers around, but I have no idea if it works or not. I've never had to use it! It's not often a bride is going to want to continue the wedding with downpouring rain happening, but I'm prepared if it does.

The only thing these rain shields do not do is cover the actual lens of the camera. So if water gets on the lens, you'll have "spotty" photos anyway. But at least my camera won't be damaged. The lens' own sunshade extends out beyond the AquaTech and that is supposed to help keep the lens from getting wet. But the moment you tilt the lens towards the sky, all is lost.

You'll see sports photographers shooting with the AquaTech all the time. Regardless of a slight drizzle, the game usually continues. Check out football and baseball games on TV. You'll see the AquaTech in use then...

What's New??

Well, wedding season is upon us and so things are gearing up for this year's photography.

Again, I'll be shooting with my awesome Nikon D3 along with two Fuji S5 Pro's backing it up. The D3 continues to amaze me with it's high quality resolving power. Couple the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens to it and it does just about anything you want! And for those "long shots" often needed at the ceremony, the 70-200mm f2.8 VR is always ready!

So where are all the wedding photos? Well, I made the decision a while ago to reserve my blog for things other than just weddings to keep the blog fresh and interesting. Sure, I'll post an occasional wedding photo on here, but this blog has gone WAY BEYOND just wedding clients today. Early on, most of my blog viewers were just brides and grooms. No longer. When I check my blog stats, I am getting people from all over the world checking in weekly. And, I get to see what interests them too, and most of it pertains to things like guitars, and photography in general. Lots of photographers check in here and for that, I'm glad.

While my clients still visit my blog, it doesn't seem to be the only thing that draws them to me. That's actually good. Some photographers rely solely on their blog to get them business. By showing only the best photos of the wedding day, they look like "rock stars." But I learned long ago that you need to see a full day's work to know what you are really getting in the end and that's why my clients usually make their decisions to hire me based on seeing my samples in my office as well as meeting with me, not just looking at the blog photos. Half the battle in getting good wedding photography is relating to your photographer and you can't get that from a blog post. Only in direct meetings with your photographer will you really know if you match together. Working with the photographer you like will be the thing that results in quality photographs of the wedding day. I can't emphasize that enough.

In the "slow season" (aka, non-wedding months), I've been filling my time by teaching. In the past, I usually stop teaching during the wedding months, but I don't think I'll be doing that this year. I'm going to continue teaching. While I can't always teach on a Saturday as we approach the summer months, I can still teach on Sundays and also during the weekdays. It seems my help is needed all the time from both new photographers as well as more seasoned photographers and so I've decided to keep going. It's just as exciting to me to teach as it is for my students to learn. So if you or some friends of yours needs some photography or Photoshop help, let me know!

So with all that's happening in the coming months, you'll most likely read and see things that interest me and hopefully will interest you as well during the summer. And as always, feel free to let me know what you'd like to see and read. I appreciate your feedback!

Window Cleaning

Can you do this?

While these guys were not particularly that high up when I took this photo, they were just moments before. My office building has 10 floors to it, so this has got to be relatively "easy" for them. (It would be totally "hard" for me!) But can you imagine having to do a huge high-rise building downtown? No way! I could never do this. Can you? No scaffolds for these guys... they just hang off the building with ropes! Be sure to click on each photo for a closer look. (Edit note: To see how tall this building actually is, see the photo from the June 4, 2009 post above.)

Frog Test

My aunt sent this test to me recently... do not click on the picture above, Click Here instead after reading this entire post.

This is said to be a second grade computer test given in China. You are supposed to switch the frogs to the opposite side in 2 minutes or less. You can move frogs one at a time or jump over one frog at a time.

Can you do it? Give it a try and time yourself and then post your time in the comments section of this post. If you can't do it and need the solution, click on the comments section and you can read the solution I've posted there.

Good luck!

How Is The Economy Affecting Wedding Photography?

I get asked this question a lot lately.

Well, like any other business, the economy is definitely affecting the wedding industry and wedding photographers. While it may be true that people will still get married even in a lousy economy, it is also true that people are more careful in how they spend their money for their weddings. Budgets are tightening up!

It's not unusual to hear potential clients say, "I'll sacrifice unnecessary items for my wedding, but I still want the best photography I can get." That's most likely because they know that after everything is over and done with, the photos are one of the only things they will have to remember how their day went. Years from now, they can turn back to the photos to re-live the day.

Today, wedding couples are looking for a good photographer, but also they are looking for a good deal. I can't say that I blame them. Times are tight for everyone and you want the best you can get for your money.

There are two ways to save on your wedding photography. You can hire a less experienced wedding photographer who often will photograph weddings for less... or you can hire a seasoned professional wedding photographer and ask for a more modest package.

For my business, I'm finding that clients coming in today are asking for the more modest packages. While I do still get people coming in and booking higher priced packages, it is not as common as it was even just a year ago. This is how the economy is affecting my business. To make the same income this year, I have to photograph more weddings to make up for the loss of income due to smaller packages. That's ok. We all have to do what we have to do to make a living. I'm just glad people are still willing to hire experienced photographers and get smaller packages rather than going the route of hiring inexperienced photographers just to save a buck.

Still, there are those whom I have been in contact with who have told me that even my least expensive package is more than they are willing to spend and then they seek out the photographers in the lower price ranges. Their photography budgets? Under $500. That's really a shock. I always wonder if they have ever done a little math before asking if a professional photographer can help do their wedding for under $500. Even if the photographer were to photograph one wedding every weekend of the year, his annual income would only be $26,000 gross. That doesn't include taxes taken out or operating expenses. Think about that... can a pro do this full time if he only charges $500 per wedding?

My suggestion about how to be smart with your wedding budget is to cut back on items that may not be as necessary rather than sacrifice your wedding photography itself. Don't order the most expensive album or the largest album if your budget can't handle it. Hire the experienced photographer, but perhaps ask for less hours of coverage, or perhaps get a smaller album. And if the budget is really tight, just hold off on the album until next year. The key is to get the images taken correctly in the first place. Then after the wedding, you may find that you have some wedding gift money which could help pay for an album or a larger album. Book the right photographer first... don't skimp and hire the inexperienced photographer just to save a buck. Often, it's just not worth taking that chance.

Nikon FE - Years of Wedding Use

This Nikon FE camera has worked a lot of weddings! It's my wife's camera really, but after getting married, I took it from her.

When I first started photographing weddings in 1990, this was the camera I used. It's a camera capable of shutter speed priority, but I usually used it on manual mode. Really, a Nikon FM would have probably been better for wedding use as the FM allows for Aperture Priority. But it really didn't matter. Manual shooting was the norm for me back then and using a Nikon FE along with my trusty Minolta light meter, I was fully capable of taking care of business.

Today, the Nikon FE doesn't see any action. I haven't shot a single frame of film in many years since going to digital. And, like my old Canon AE-1 Program, this camera weighs "nothing" compared to my current Nikon D3.

By the way, the Nikon FE still works perfectly!

While I used the Nikon FE for weddings, I used a Nikon FM2 for my work in law enforcement. I had a power-winder on my FM2 which also helped me in holding the camera as well. Today's cameras have "built-in" grips which make holding cameras a lot easier. But older cameras like the FE and FM2 do not have any grips and you can easily drop the camera if you are not careful.

I used this Nikon FE with a Stroboframe R7 flash bracket along with a Sunpak 622 flash. Together, it was a monster of a rig. While my current camera is pretty heavy, it is more compact than my older rig with that Stroboframe bracket. Today's photographers often go without a flash bracket, but for me, a bracket is nice to have to keep shadows behind the subject. It's a nicer look in my opinion.

Play It Again... The Fairlanes Reunion

The Fairlanes have been playing together since 1979. Over the years, there have been various band member changes... but on Saturday, May 9, 2009, several of the past members joined with current members to play at Bogies Ale House restaurant in Mount Prospect.

I had photographed The Fairlanes back in March (see my March 22, 2009 post) but always felt that I could have done better. The lighting was extremely dark at Gino's East that evening and I could not move around too easily there. So when I found out that The Fairlanes would be providing their own lighting for this reunion gig, I promised them and myself that I would photograph them again.

As before, the band did a wonderful job playing songs from the 50's to the 80's. But having some of their past bandmates join in really made it special.

Bogies restaurant is actually a converted barn. The silo is still next to the building too! The restaurant was formerly called The Loft, but in recent years, the restaurant went through some major renovations and the name was changed to Bogies. It's a nice venue.

To see more photos from the reunion gig, click here and to go the Events section. There is a slideshow function on the site which you can activate by clicking on "View Catagory Slideshow" located in the upper right side of the page.

My First "Good" Camera

In the early 1980's I bought a Canon AE-1 Program camera to take on a trip to Hawaii.

The AE-1 Program was one of the first cameras (if not the first) to offer a "program" mode. Essentially, the camera made the decision as to what the photo should look like. While this was an innovative feature, I found myself wanting more.

The AE-1 Program could also shoot in shutter speed priority mode. I get to choose the shutter speed and the camera would choose the aperture of the lens. This is great for sports shooting where you might want to decide how fast the shutter speed needs to be to stop the action. But trying to do anything where you determined the depth of field, you could not do it automatically. It lacked the aperture priority capabilities. So to shoot where I could determine the depth of field in a shot, I had to do it manually.

My AE-1 Program camera still works. It's a great 35mm film camera. But I don't shoot film today, so it just sits around looking pretty. By the way, this camera barely weighs anything. Comparing its heft to my Nikon D3, the D3 weighs like a heavy brick!