Film photography is an art form that allows you to create images to make a picture exactly the way you want it to look. In the late 1800s, photographers turned to soft-focus lenses to create a painterly look and to deviate from true representational photographs. The rules of photography are set, but you can bend... Continue Reading →

My friend Clark and I usually meet on Tuesdays around 2 or 3 o’clock for a drink before we go to the Tuesday night photographers gathering I host in my town. As a photographer, of course I take a camera with me everywhere. One Tuesday a few weeks ago, I was carrying a Nikon F3... Continue Reading →

Outside of my commercial work, my photographic world is mainly black and white. But there comes a time for a bit of color, and when that time arrives, I turn to digital cameras. In this case, I was hired to photograph a lovely older couple, Hazel and Art, who had just celebrated their 50th wedding... Continue Reading →

Someone saw me with two cameras and lenses at a local pub this week after leaving a photo shoot and said, “This is all I need,” and proceeded to wave their iPhone. They then showed me a sunset photo with no foreground other than some electrical wires and a row of trash cans, saying, “See... Continue Reading →

Nobody. Nobody is better than you. Nobody is better than anyone else. I was at Stephen Tebo’s Garage recently where he has a collection of over 300 classic vehicles. (That’s John Lennon’s white Rolls Royce at left in the photograph below.) Stephen is a big Boulder real estate developer worth an estimated $14 billion. I... Continue Reading →

I’ve heard people say to photographers who are shooting at 20 or more frames per second: “Why not just shoot video and then pull a still frame from that instead of shooting a still camera?” Which got me thinking: Is that what the phone camera is essentially doing? If I hold up a color slide... Continue Reading →

I have a photographic problem. It’s real. I’ve been a working photographer–a photojournalist and commercial photographer–for over 30 years. Closer to 40 than 30, to be more specific. Let’s just say a long time. In those years, I’ve learned a thing or two about focus, exposure and composition. It’s ingrained. Comes easy. Muscle memory. Composition... Continue Reading →

Because I need more photo projects! Actually, I do, I welcome more photography work. Yes, I work as a commercial photographer and I know there are some that say they never pick up their camera if they’re not making a paycheck, but that’s not me. When I’m not working for a client, I’m working for... Continue Reading →

The person I photographed this weekend for my American Street Portraits project, on the final frame, number 12, blinked. Blinked! Even though I had said, “Don’t blink!” Which meant there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to use her portrait. That got me thinking–I had another roll of film with me, why not make... Continue Reading →

While I enjoy making Hasselblad instant portraits, my main focus for a photography project is my American Street Portraits with a Rolleiflex. And after working for three hours yesterday busking Hassy portraits, it would have been easy to call it a day. But then, these wouldn’t exist. And as I’ve written before, Who Cares If... Continue Reading →

The challenge with making street portraits is I want to give the person I meet their portrait, but I also want to own it, take it with me. I’ve made over 500 Rolleiflex street portraits in the last year from coast to coast (U.S.) and every one is in my collection. I offered a link... Continue Reading →

When news happens locally, especially national news, the photojournalist in me can’t stay home. Which was the case today when the Hands Off nationwide protest was happening in my town and all the local neighboring towns. My town of Longmont Colorado came out in great quantities—some estimate that there were 3000 people lining our Main... Continue Reading →

I went to a photography exhibit on Wednesday evening in Denver (about a one-hour drive) that turned out to be a bit of a bust. No one else was there. The photographs were okay, but not special in my opinion. The photographer wasn’t very interested in chatting. It felt like a long drive for not... Continue Reading →

When I played in a band, we would step off the stage after a show with a performance high that you would have to have felt to know what I’m talking about. The audience applauded and I remember the drummer’s wife saying, “I’m a teacher, I’ve never received applause in my life.” This past weekend,... Continue Reading →

Nothing great happens when we’re sitting comfortably, at home, not putting anything on the line. The magic happens when we try something new. Something scary. Something seemingly difficult. Even impossible. But then with some preparation, a bit of learning how to approach this new goal, the barrier to doing it we find is quite low.... Continue Reading →

So, I’ve been very prolific in my photographic career. It’s something that gives me great joy and a sense of accomplishment because as a creative, I live for the next photograph. I am not looking to be done, but rather to keep going. Keep making. When I go out to make street portraits in particular,... Continue Reading →

Well, as I wrote about yesterday, this new-to-me Seneca view camera from 1906 is inspiring me to make large format portraits. I went down to Denver yesterday to run an errand and on the way stopped at Afterglow Vintage, a shop owned by Alejandro Graterol, who I had previously photographed for my American Street Portraits... Continue Reading →

New and improved! Well, it was 119 years ago. That’s the camera that was for sale at an estate sale just north of my town, and how could I pass up this black beauty? The camera came with two lenses, both of the same 1906 vintage. I tried out the Wollensak 8 1/4” f4.5 on... Continue Reading →

For those driving a BMW i7. Making seven figures. Wearing a Rolex. I would like to invite you to consider the value of the highest quality family portraiture artwork–museum-grade professionally framed gelatin silver photographs. A large-format film portrait session is quite similar to these other luxury items. These are fine art images of your family... Continue Reading →

It’s interesting to me how things develop photographically. And yes, I could very well be talking about film development, but in this case, I mean photo projects that take on a life of their own and turn into much bigger projects than initially intended. It was the 4th of July, 2024, and I was going... Continue Reading →

Perhaps you’ve seen with my American Street Portraits project. I love how I can go out in public and find people to photograph and make portraits with a vintage Rolleiflex camera and black and white film that otherwise wouldn’t exist. I get to photograph their joyful faces. Some ask for prints and I gift them... Continue Reading →

My true love is making portraits on film with the Rolleiflex as you’ve seen with my American Street Portraits project. I’ve made some film portraits at weddings recently and they are just as beautiful. There’s a timelessness to these photographs. They get printed and shared with the families after the wedding. For years, I’ve also... Continue Reading →

I went down to Denver to a Sunday flea market and afterward went to Cherry Creek’s shopping district where there was a holiday market to see if I could make some Street Portraits. I had made 12 portraits in Boulder on Saturday knowing it was supposed to be windy on Sunday. These are those street... Continue Reading →

What a thrill it is to be seen. To be chosen to be photographed. That’s the power of making street portraits. People are seen and we get to make portraits of them. Similarly, what a thrill it is to inspire others. To have an impact and influence other photographers. My friend Michael started making street... Continue Reading →

Photography doesn’t need grand ideas. Small stories are all it takes to make successful photographs. I was at Thanksgiving dinner with a friend’s family and their grandson stepped away from everyone else in the kitchen and living room and was in the dining room working on something. I peered in to see what and saw... Continue Reading →

As I previously wrote, I have a portrait studio service I offer to brides and grooms for their wedding guests. I set it up at their reception and make family portraits before the ceremony and during the cocktail hour. But come the wedding ceremony, I have to make photographs. So, I bring along a film... Continue Reading →

I was recently photographing at a wedding of a friend’s son. My friend had asked me to photograph the bride’s and groom’s families in a portrait studio that I use to make beautifully-lit portraits instead of a campy photo booth. It’s a nice upgrade from the silly machine photo booth like every corporate event has... Continue Reading →

I was out photographing portraits of veterans before the start of the local Veterans Day parade in Longmont Colorado. I had used two rolls of Ilford HP5 120 in the Rolleiflex and went to a Leica M2 to photograph some other folks preparing for the start of the parade. These are those photos. Er… Wait,... Continue Reading →

I’ve written about the semantics of photography language before, but I was just listening to a podcast and they were talking about street photography and how some people take offense when their photo is “taken”. And, of course, they went down the road of no expectation of privacy in public. But I was fixated on... Continue Reading →

We are all just one big family! Like this beautiful family I met on Pearl Street in Boulder by the sprinkler fountains and asked to make their Street Portrait. Like all good families, we hold each other tight! Join for a daily bit of positivity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/joyfulpeopleamericanstreetportraits