Juskuz Photography

Today I had the opportunity to shoot a couple of friends for a Michigan Tech School of Business publication. Steve and Caleb started The Bike Shop just under 2 years ago. In that short amount of time they have gone from the new kid on the block to what some would say is the best bike shop in the Upper Peninsula. They work hard, treat their customers well, and they know a think or two about bikes. Hopefully they will have a long successful run here in Houghton. 

Anyway, Michigan Tech’s School of Business is running a feature showcasing the different ways in which a student could use their degree from Michigan Tech. Steve and Caleb being graduates of the program who went on to start their own business were perfect candidates for the article. Once they were identified I got the call to see if I was interested in taking a couple of pictures of the two of them. How could I say no?

This was another one of those MTU assignments where I end up showing up to the site not having a good idea of what I’m after. Lynn pointed out that maybe I should be a little more proactive about finding out what they are looking for rather than complaining about it. I think she may be on to something, but on the other hand, I have tried gleaning a little more info by asking different questions about their requirements and usually we end up in the same place… “Were not really sure. Could you shoot a bit of everything.” Though this doesn’t mean I shouldn’t continue to try.

So, when I arrived UPS had actually showed up and there were quite a few bikes to unload. I shot a couple of images of the guys doing some work, and then put the camera down and helped out. Once that was all taken care of I decided to get a couple of headshots on white. This is quickly becoming a goto setup for me. It’s very quick to setup, gives good results that look great in black and white or color and the simplicity of the image highlights the subject in a way that not many other setups allow. There’s something about a simple image that can be quite powerful. I will probably continue to use this setup and keep collecting these headshots. Something cool may one day come of it.

After the headshots were out of the way we decided to setup a couple of images of the guys pretending to do what they would typically do at the shop… work on bikes. Unfortunately they had cleaned up quite a bit and some of the work areas were a little too clean. Also, the CFL’s that were lighting the shop were extremely yellow which led me to increase the power of my lights and totally overpower the ambient to keep it’s effect on the color to a minimum. For Caleb we positioned him at the truing stand and I had Steve hold my light stand with the softbox above him. For Steve we moved over to one of the bike stands and had him adjust and readjust the deraileur while Caleb held the light. 

After the individual portraits we needed to get a couple of frames with the both of them. At first I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. I had been thinking that we could position them behind the counter, or maybe on the couch they have set up for customer to hang out on. Then I remembered all the bike boxes. Steve had mentioned that they should build a fort out of them. As cool as that would have been I thought we should just stack them up and let the guys sit or stand by them. In my head I had envisioned more of a pyramid shape. Something that represented their climb to the top, their achievements over the last two years. What we ended up with was really just a pile of bike boxes, though they did have a sort of peak. 

The next problem was trying to figure out what to do with the lights. This is the second time in three days that I’ve wished for a boom. Fortunately a friend/customer stopped in and we were able to convince him to hold the lightstand and softbox overhead. I also set up two strobes as rim lights and a fourth strobe slightly to camera right to provide fill.  Overall I think that everything went pretty well and that we got some images that will fill my clients needs. I’d be glad to hear everyone’s thoughts on the images. Below you will also find some of the setup shots.

Until next time… 

Greg OUT!

This morning I had to be in Marquette at 8:30 for a photography gig. Now Marquette isn’t all that far away, but it’s not exactly close by either and I wasn’t super psyched to get up early drive down, take some photos, and then drive back. So, I decided to check the weather… and low and behold they were calling for waves.

I called Sam and we decided that it would be worth checking out. We at 7:00 in Baraga, loaded up the Jetta and got our drive on. We met up with Sam Crowley and Nancy Uschold of Sea Kayak Specialists to do some portraits for Canoe and Kayak Magazine. The session went pretty well and afterwards Sam was kind enough to show us some of the local surf spots.

At the last location we ran into Sam’s friend Steve who was also out checking the surf. He wasn’t feeling the conditions at that time so we said good-bye to Sam C. and headed to Third Street Bagel to grab a bite to eat and give the conditions some time to build. After a tasty breakfast bagel and some socializing we stopped by Steve’s place to change into wetsuits then headed back to the lake.

When we arrived it was apparent that we weren’t the only people thinking about surfing. The beach was downright over-run with surfers… a whole 7 of them. It was really cool to see the scene down Marquette. The people were super cool, the surf was good… what more could you ask for.

Anyway, here are some images from the day. At the end is a more complete slideshow. If you happen to find yourself featured in an image, let me know. I would be glad to get you a higher resolution copy.

Enjoy!

So, it is almost a new year. I am not usually one to make resolutions, however, I do have some goals for the upcoming year.

#1 – I would like to shoot more and get paid to do it. I’ve been lucky enough to be offered a couple of assignments by Canoe & Kayak Magazine and to have had a fair amount of work through the University. However, in the upcoming year I would like to develop and produce more personal projects in the areas of interest where I would like to work. With luck these will help me develop the relationships needed to get paid to shoot.

#2 – Run a Marathon… do I really need to say more than that?

#3 – Spend more time with my family and my brothers – We tried to initiate a yearly camping trip for all of us to participate in. Unfortunately, only Zach and my Dad could make it. This year we need to attempt to get everyone together for some sort of adventure. 

#4 – Buy a new DSLR that shoots video, and use it to produce a video. This is the direction the industry is headed. I need not sit on my hands and watch from the sidelines. Why not just jump in and learn as I go.

Anyway, well wishes to everyone and a Happy New Year!

“If you can’t give your dog wine… how can you keep from drinking alone?”

– Ene, Mari’s ema (mother)
 

“Only the mediocre are always at their best.”

– Jean Giraudoux

Today Sam and I headed out the McLain State Park to see what was happening with the shore ice and to take some time to try and create a cool portrait. I don’t know that we succeeded, but it was a good time even though it was much colder and windier than we expected. The most challenging part of the whole ordeal was getting my softbox to stay put. The breakwall was coated in a thick layer of ice and on top of that was a thin layer of fresh snow… think ball bearings on linoleum.

Anyway, I found a chunk of ice to brace the stand against, but I ended up needing Mari to help keep the softbox pointed in the right direction. I don’t really like the way the light cuts across the snow and I think that raising the softbox would help soften the line and would create more of a pool of light and less of a slash. I wish Lightware would make a grid available for the FourSquare softbox. I think it would be super helpful.

Below you can see some images of our setup and and ambient shot. I wish we could have played around longer. I would have like to try a greater variety of perspectives… but it was cold and we didn’t want to be out all day.

Here is a shot showing the ambient light before adding light and gels.

Here’s a shot of Mari helping control the light.

Here’s an ambient shot of Sam and his board.

And finally, here is one of my favorite images from the session. I sorta wish the breakwall were a little wider, it was less windy, or I had a really strong/sturdy boom. I would have liked to shoot straight down the breakwall, but we didn’t want to get too close to the edge with the lights with the wind and the open water. I’ve got some ideas… but they are going to have to wait. Keep in mind that we were shooting mid-day in the winter. I had 4 sb26′s in the FourSquare @ full power.

Anyway, I’ve got a ton of projects in the tubes at this moment and will hopefully be able to share some stuff soon as things get approved… if they get approved.

Later!

So… if anyone out there was wondering what to get me I’ve got this nifty little wishlist over at Amazon.

Just thought I’d throw this out there… you never know.

Later.

Yesterday was just another day here in the Keweenaw spent driving around chasing waves and trying not to put the car in the ditch. Earlier in the week there were reports of a huge system heading our way. I might have even overheard the phrase “Storm of the Century” used. I definitely wouldn’t go that far, however it was damn windy and that meant waves.

The system settled in a little to the east and south of the Keweenaw and that made for some unique wind conditions. It appeared to run right down both sides of the peninsula and that made it difficult for us to decide where to go. Myself, Sam Gardner, Mike Dziobak and Pete Rynes started out at Louis Point, but it was messy and inconsistent. Next we moved over to Big Traverse and here Lake Superior was rockin! Sam and Mike decided to give it a go, but didn’t stay out all too long as it was pushing the “too big” limit. After Big Traverse we decided that maybe we should check out Great Sand Bay… no good. Finally, we headed up to Bete Grise… again no luck. At this point we decided to call it and started the drive back to town. On the way back though, we decided to make one last stop at Big Traverse to see if things had calmed down a bit… They had, but it ended up getting to dark and we called it for good at this point.

I suppose just because it’s BIG doesn’t mean it good. Hopefully there will be more wind in the near future coming from a direction that is more favorable.

Here are some images from the day. I will post a more complete gallery in the next day or two.

Later.

UPDATE: Here is a more complete slideshow courtesy of Flickr.

Mikey letting us know Louis Point is no good

This is what happens when you overexpose an image and then try to bring it back in Lightroom… pretty interesting

Mikey ooohhing at the waves crashing over the breakwall

Sam jumping into the channel on his way out

What am I getting into?

Waves crashing over the breakwall

Mike making a lap

Paddling back up the channel

Taking a break and warming up in the van

Sam getting ready to go out at Great Sand Bay

Sitting… waiting…

The long walk back at Great Sand Bay

Pete

Calling it quits at Big Traverse

WINTER KAYAKING!

Yes, it is that exciting. You may think that paddling in the winter is stupid, but I am here to tell you that winter is the best time to paddle. Once you get past the fact that the air is cold, the water is cold, and if you go in there’s a good chance you aren’t going to come out… it’s a ton of fun. It does require a bit more planning, and a bit more gear than kayaking in the summer, but it is worth it.

Everything is more beautiful in the winter and even though we usually don’t have a problem with crowds around here… there are even less people. Plus you get to be that person that everyone looks at with one eyebrow raised because there’s snow on the ground, it’s 25 degrees out and you have three kayaks on top of you car. That’s right… you could be that person.

On another note… the memory card that contains the bulk of the images I shot today is currently PhotoRescue ICU and they are doing everything they can to stabilize it’s condition. However, you should know… the outlook is bleak.

In the meantime here are some other snaps I took while Sam and Matt were waiting for me to get my shit together.

Later.

UPDATE:

Here are some additional images from our paddle that I was able to recover from my dysfunctional memory card.

So, this winter started off pretty weak. Usually we have some significant snowfall by the beginning of December. When I say significant I don’t mean 3 feet. I’m just saying we usually have something on the ground. This year it was definitely a different situation. Up until a few days ago we hadn’t had anything. Maybe some slushy rain, or some sleet, but nothing that stuck around.

Today, I am happy to say that the winter season is finally open! I don’t know exactly what our snow totals are for the last couple of days. The snowfall in this area is very localized and just a mile or two can be the difference between 2 inches and 2 feet. Anyway, what I do know is that at our house we have probably seen somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 inches. It’s that nice light stuff which makes shoveling easy.

Anyway, I’m supposed to go paddling later today, and hopefully for a ski this evening. In the meantime here are a couple of pics.

Later.