Sunset over Elizabeth Park

Elizabeth Park, Trenton, Michigan

The sun would be setting in minutes, and the sky was filled with streaks of orange and magenta. My brother David and I were headed to Elizabeth Park in Trenton, to take his dog Trent out for some fresh air.

I had a spot in the park that I wanted to shoot, so before we let Trent loose, I walked over to my spot to see if I could make a picture. As is often the case, when you get to a spot where you have planned to take a photo, you always need to look around. Although the shot I had planned to take was there waiting for me, a better shot was just over my shoulder. While walking back to the truck, I spotted this scene, and quickly set up the tripod to get the capture!

A few seconds later, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the beautiful magenta sky quickly faded away.

-MT

First Snow of the Season!

This winter has been pretty strange, as far as the weather is concerned.  Usually, we get quite a bit of snow, and by this time of the year, we usually have already had a foot or two.  Other than a few light dustings, that haven't been heavy enough to cling to the ground.

Last night, we finally got our first real snow fall of the year.  To commemorate this event, I knew that the photo I chose, had to be a snowy one!  Unfortunately for me, the snow still wasn't heavy enough to create that "Winter Wonderland" kind of feeling in any of the locations that I visited.  Sure, I could have always photoshopped in some extra snow, but that would have been cheating!

After work, I was heading to my car, when I noticed the lamp posts in the parking lot had kind of a cool halo effect around them due to the falling snow.  My SLR was in the car, but I decided instead to get the capture with my Canon Powershot G7 (a point and shoot).  The G7 was up to the task, I set it to manual, ISO 200, with an f/2.8 aperture, and fired a test shot.  I then increased my shutter, until most of the ambient light was gone, getting the photo you see here. 

-MT

Mist over the Mighty Huron

Huron River, Dexter, Michigan

Today I was headed to Dexter, to go grab some supplies from George at Huron Camera.  First off, let me just say that, if you're in the Ann Arbor area and into Photography, you should definitely know George and the staff at Huron Camera.  If you've never been there.....what's wrong with you??

So anyway, I was headed to Dexter to see George, and grab some sensor cleaning supplies, and get some pricing on tripods.  The other day I had mentioned to a customer that I would be in the area, and he decided to give me a "Short Cut" that was sure to get me there faster!  As usually happens......I got lost!  Let me just say that, if you have to pick a place to get lost, Dexter isn't a bad place to be!  It's a quaint little town, surrounded by farms, fields and woods, along with the Huron River weaving in and out as you drive through.  Although I was most definitely lost, I didn't care, I was enjoying the ride......

Willows Weeping by the River

Weeping Willows on the River Walk in Wyandotte, Michigan

Last night I went down to the River Walk in Wyandotte, to get some fresh air and watch the sun set.  The weather was in the upper 40's, and was very nice compared to the below freezing days we've had as of late. 

When I arrived, the sun was very low in the sky, and cast a warm orange glow over the ground and trees.  I found these two weeping willows alongside the river, bathed in the orange glow, and decided to make a frame.

A few minutes after I took this shot, the sun dropped down over the horizon and was gone.  The sky darkened, and the weather quickly turned colder.  Off in the distance, the Detroit Skyline popped up over the river, but I was without my 70-200 f/2.8, so that picture would have to wait for another day!

-MT

Midnight in Gotham City

State Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

Last Night I decided to venture out into Downtown Ann Arbor, to see if there was anything interesting to see.  The night was a bit chilly, but not too unbearable, and although the streets below were still pretty busy.....from the top of an eight story building everything was quiet.  The sky was a sort of reddish color that had quite a dramatic effect, like something you might see in one of the many comic book inspired movies that have hit theaters of late.

Above, the moon was very bright, and was casting a halo effect on the low hanging clouds that looked like some kind of cosmic worm hole that was slowly pulling the earth into certain doom!!

Take the A Train

Ever since I was young, I've always been fascinated with trains!  I can remember being about 5 or 6, sitting in the upstairs window of my Grandmother's house for hours with my brother Joe, watching the trains on the nearby tracks going by!  We of course had model trains.....mostly HO Scale, and a few N's.  Eventually, Joe graduated into the bigger Lionel trains, which is what rounds the parents' Christmas Tree each year!

I decided to visit Oakwoods Metro Park while I was out and about today, thinking maybe I would find a nice spot by the lake to shoot.  As I was slowly driving up the 3 mile stretch from Willow Road, to the Oakwoods Nature Center, I came upon the old railroad tracks that cross the main road.  I stopped on the tracks (they don't get used much, so no safety issues) and looked in both directions, and there was my shot!  I figured what the heck, the lake will always be there, but the clouds in the distance looked very dramatic, and the sun was falling quickly, which meant that if I hurried, I could get a nice dark blue sky to go with the scene!

The rest of the story after the jump......

View South of the Border......

 

 Handheld HDR shot from a restaurant parking lot......

For a successful HDR shot, you need patience, persistence, a good camera and a sturdy tripod.  Unfortunately for me, I had none of these with me tonight!  As I was out and about running errands tonight, I made a quick stop off at one of my favorite locations.....Taco Bell!  As the leaves began to fall from the trees a few months back, they gradually uncovered a beautiful view of the West end of Belleville Lake, and I have been wanting to make a picture of the scene for a while now......

Alien in the Water......

I was all set, to venture out into the world this afternoon, tripod in hand, to capture a magnificent landscape.  The location I had in mind was a place I had driven by many times, just off of a main road.  It wasn't until this fall, when the leaves began to fall from the trees, that I noticed that behind them was a great view of the lake below.  I like these hidden gems....places that lie right in front of our faces, yet we pass by them daily without giving so much as a glance.  I love it when I get to make a picture of one of these places, so that when I show it and people ask where it was taken, I can see the look on their faces when I tell them, and they realize they've passed by it a million times.....

So I was headed to lunch with a friend, and then on the way back I was going to stop off and capture that money shot.......then I got called in to work!

Getting off of work 3 hours past sunset doesn't help, when your shooting an unlit landscape!  I'm always up for developing my Strobist skills, but I just don't have enough Speedlites in my bag to light an entire lake......what would David Hobby do?

Come up with a Plan B, that's what......

2012......a Photographic Odyssey!

A New Year always brings with it the promise of a new beginning....a fresh start.....time to change for the better!  For some, that means it's time to hit the gym again, or start that new diet, or quit smoking, or get a new hobby.  For me....it means it's time to take another stab at this whole blog thing!

The whole story, after the jump......

Sneak Peak at Nina's Photo Shoot

Sometimes this whole photography gig can be pretty rough.  Take today for example......today I had to spend the whole afternoon, photographing the two ladies pictured here to the right, Nina and Cortnie.  You all feel sorry for me, now don't you!

Seriously though, sometimes I have to sit back and realize that this is the best gig on the planet!  I mean really, who else gets to sit around and photograph incredibly stunning women all day?

Today's shoot was a lot of fun!  Nina's mom was a former fashion model, but Nina (left, black dress) has never been in front of a camera, ever!  She was a bit nervous, but with a little coaching from mom (as well as hair and makeup) and a few minutes in front of the lens and she was acting like a pro!

I had a great time shooting these two, and I think both of them had a lot of fun as well!  More pics to come later in the week, as well as a few subsequent photo shoots with Nina to come!!

-Matt

Eastern Michigan University Fashion Show 2010

Last fall, I had the opportunity to photograph for EMU's Fashion Show, which ended their Fashion Week 2010.  Here are the photographs I took of the many fashions on display that night!

Behind The Lens.....

It's Monday, January 31st, and I sit in my chair, hacking away at the keys of my Macbook Pro, and contemplating the impending catastrophe that is to come. Tomorrow is expected to be the worst snowfall of the year thus far, but that's not what I meant......I'm contemplating writing a blog!

It's 2011, and everyone has a blog! Actors, writers, musicians, artists and the like, and especially photographers! Joe McNally has one.....David Hobby has one....Moose Peterson has one.....hell, if Ansel Adams was still alive today, I'm sure he'd have one too! So here I am, writing my first ever photography blog!

In the next week, I will be launching a whole new website, new domain name, and a whole new direction for my photography. Throughout the coming months, I'll be updating this blog with details about upcoming shoots and events, photographs, as well as my thoughts on all of it. I will post my personal shoots, as well as work done for clients, with links to the galleries on my new site! Please bookmark this spot, or subscribe to the RSS Feed to stay up to date with everything going on in my little world of photography!

More importantly, if you would like to book a shoot, please feel free to contact me at matt@thompsonphotographymi.com or 734.363.8687.

~Matt