Pal Katie came along for the ride and helped us compose shots, hold lights and even snuck in a few frames behind the camera.

Loads of laughs about our favorite internet memes and broad range of styles from Kristen. Here’s a look at what we captured…

High Contrast Black and White

Team Kristen

Full Double Rainbow!

Whoa, intense! Full Double Rainbow!

We began our shoot at the iconic Mill Race Village and later moved to the Cass Benton course within Hines Park.

General Store

We talked our way into the as-yet-unfinished General Store for these great shots against the wooden slats.

Buddy Shots

The girls in their custom-designed kicks — we hope to recreate this shot during Michelle’s shoot in October!

Stevenson Cross Country

Some fun shots on the home course.

The Finish Line

We hit the finish line! Two hours, dozens of poses and lots of outfit changes — time for a warm-down and a gallon of Gatorade!

With pals Andrew and Stephanie in tow we even managed to coax Lauren onto the precarious limb that overlooks the Rouge River. Everyone got soaked, but it was well worth the effort to capture some truly dramatic (and memorable) images.

White Barn

We love using this little white barn for senior portraits. The planks of wood create a nice rustic feel, while the white paint helps to isolate Lauren’s colorful outfit.

White Barn: Setup Shot

And here’s Stephanie, Andrew and Mom assisting with lighting and wardrobe for the barn shot. Lots of Gatorade and water on-hand due to the 90-plus degree weather!

Soaked

Andrew (whom we shot two years ago) and Stephanie (one of our upcoming 2011 seniors) prove to Lauren that falling in the river isn’t much to worry about.

Drama

Of course we wrap-up the session with a couple dramatic portraits.

We started off with the oldest Livonia institutions we could think of — the legendary Awrey Bakery and Wilson Barn. We then worked our way to the thoroughly modern Joe’s Produce, Rec Center Skate Park, and Greenmead Post office, just to name a few.

Awrey Bakery

Wilson Barn

Greenmead Post Office

Fire Station Three

Joe’s Produce

Livonia Rec Center Skate Park

Wonderland Mall

Livonia City Hall

Playing Around

Of course, with the Keblets in tow, a trip around the city means that another jungle gym excursion is just around the corner!

Steven runs the offense for the Livonia Churchill Chargers program. And, while we weren’t able to get Steven is full game time apparel we did manage to put him in some Heisman inspired poses. Based on what we saw during the shoot it is good to see there is finally a Klisz with some athletic prowess in the family!

Ciera came along for the shoot and was instrumental in helping compose, arrange outfits and hold light during the shoot. Throughout the session we built in time for these high school sweethearts who naturally enjoyed each other’s company.

A special thanks to Cierra and mom for their help and ideas during the shoot and with holding lights. Couldn’t have done it without you guys.

Time flies and it is hard to believe the last great pics we took of Shannen were back in the 8th grade for the school yearbook hugging one of her close friends, Katie. Four years later and we were honored to snap off more photos of Shannen’s “good side” on a beautiful afternoon this June.

Although it was bright and sunny with the sun hovering high in the sky – we positioned Shannen w/ her back to the sun to create a natural rim light effect and to allow the rich blues of the skyline to accent the colors of her letter jacket and shirt.

Shannen was super cooperative with these last shots. It was nearing 90 degrees and we continued to bake her with a Octo-box and a reflector to reduce some of the shadows from the sun. Thank you, Mrs. Serylo, for your assistance as well.

Buddy Shots

Buddy shots on the bridge and with Mom’s Mustang.

Shooting in The Water

Of course it’s not a Keberly Photo shoot unless someone gets wet, dirty or both. We waded knee-deep in the water to catch these great shots of Alyson perched on a tree stump.

Done!

Another shoot comes to an end thanks to a great kid and our trusty Vagabond generator.

The heat was 90+ degrees, but you wouldn’t know it from Carly’s calm and cool demeanor. She managed to stay perfectly composed as we sweated through our clothes and equipment.

Carly’s layered outfits, along with perfect ring and hat accessories, made our job easy. But, enough about the details—check out the photos!

Photo Setup

We use our octo-box as both a light source and a sun shade…

…to capture this killer pic!

That’s a Wrap!

Until next time…

Although the sky was bit overcast and the threat of rain loomed the weather managed to hold off for an excellent shoot. Becca kept things simple and accessorized her vintage v-neck tees with a handful of scarves, which added that extra little touch to help spruce up her session. In the end we also managed to squeeze in time for Bunny, her childhood friend.

Once again, my favorite part of traveling to Burkesville, Kentucky is capturing images of the subtle things that line the landscape or sit ignored by passers-by. Just down from the Southern Softball Classic in an abandoned parking lot sat an old GMC weathered by time. I immediately thought of my nephew, Mason, who has an insatiable love for the movie, Cars. I have no doubt he’ll immediately associate with this real life version of Mater, one of his favorite characters.

Enjoy Mason, and… “Git-R-Done.”

This, of course, made for the perfect setting for Violet’s photo shoot. We spent a quick hour playing in the flowers, knocking on doors and having loads of fun. Her bright green dress with a simple pink ribbon really captured the mood and spirit of the season.

Violet’s session goes to show that you don’t need exotic locations or multiple outfit changes to capture a broad range of portraits; we covered everything from serious to silly and all points in between… and it certainly makes things a lot easier when your subject is an adorable, cherubic and inquisitive four-year-old!

Knock-knock

Knocking on the door at the historic Wash Oak School.

Dress Details

Violet’s brilliant green dress really pulls out the color in her eyes!

Classic

Her perfect pose and smile for a classic black and white portrait.

Wide Angle

Some silly wide angle lens fun.

Trellis

Posing with an ivy-covered trellis.

Action!

A fun little composite animation of Violet hamming it up for the camera.

We kicked off another year of Senior Portraits with Kristin’s amazing session at Mill Race Park in Northville. Kristin was not only our first 2011 graduate of the season, but also our first Ladywood student — and it was a great way to get Team Kebs back in the swing-of-things.

As you can see, our first senior portrait shoot of the year went off without a hitch — due in large part to Kristin’s stunning features and instant connection with the camera. With nearly 30 shoots planned throughout the months of July and August we know that our 2011 graduates are going to make this our best season yet!

Farmington Road

Sorry…had to stop and take a picture of the archway to Livonia Cemetery. Whenever I walk down Farmington I find this entrance interesting, and today the cloud arrangement was stunning.

Time Exposure of people crossing Farmington Road to get the best spots for the fireworks.

Pregame

Cotton Candy, Snow Cones, Glo-sticks, Water…

Residents enjoying the “pre-game” festivities…

An Edward Cullen sighting?

Showtime

Nickel’s Arcade

Michelle and Ryan are blissfully in love and they were very natural with each other portraying both the playful and romantic aspects of their relationship. Normally, the most challenging job a photographer faces is composing couples in a manner that depicts an accurate measure of what makes their relationship unique. Much of what we covered was genuine, spur of the moment reactions of how much Ryan and Michelle truly enjoy being together. We trust the following images, not only reflect their outgoing nature, but serve as a testament to a long lasting relationship.

The Michigan Theatre

The Michigan Theatre is a staple of downtown Ann Arbor and caters to a variety of entertainment interests. Ryan and Michelle wanted to get their picture taken in front with hopes of using the Marquee for their wedding announcement. Lucky for the couple, Ryan Keberly (1/4 CEO and resident tech wiz) was able to put his Photoshop skills to the work, and whipped a seemingly unnoticeable announcement. See the Before and After below.

Marquee Before and After

Graffiti/Gum Wall

“Hey, would you guys mind hopping into these garbage cans?” Before we could finish the sentence, the liners were out and the couple was eagerly holding hands despite the odd looks from resident Ann Arbor-ites. We quickly moved from the comforts of the trash cans to the subtle, secluded atmosphere of the famous graffiti/gum wall just down from Encore Records where Sweet Shoes performs tributes to Michael Jackson.

Ryan and Michelle wanted to leave their mark officially in the alley. Ryan was relieved as Michelle’s answer hasn’t changed.

Talk about retro. This shot still makes Jordache jeans sound cool.

Water Fountain/Michigan League

Can’t knock U of M for its many traditions. In this case the fountain outside the Michigan League, where students walk through one way at orientation, then in reverse upon graduation. In typical Michigan weather fashion, the forecast was a moist 88 degrees with humidity close to 100% – the threat of thunderstorms lurked on the horizon the entire morning. What a perfect time kick off our shoes and cool off on, near or even in the fountain!

Hail to the Victors!

Hard to believe our two hour session flew by so quickly. Happy to rendezvous with families who spent the morning at the Hands on Museum. Time to cool off at the Jolly Pumpkin to enjoy the comforts of family, food and fresh home brew.

The Bride

Sheila makes our job easy — these images are straight out of the camera. No photoshop, no adjustments, no post-processing. Perfectly beautiful.

Killer Kicks

Sheila’s purple high-heels were the perfect accent.

Grande Entrance

There’s luck… there’s skill… and with a little bit of planning, sometimes you get both.

Following a quick Team Kebs huddle we positioned ourselves to catch Sheila as the ceiling light creates a radiating halo while Dad looks on, seeing his daughter for the first time in her wedding dress.

Proud Parents

Of course this event wouldn’ be possible without the kindness, generosity and support (thanks Molly!) of the bride and groom’s parents.

The Fellas

The Groom and his pals, doing what they do best!

Saint Joseph’s Church

Although somebody got yelled at for standing on the altar (we always get the shot!), the staff at Saint Joseph’s was kind enough to let us stick around and make some memorable images.

Our Favorite Part

And now the real fun begins: shooting the bride, groom and wedding party in poses that truly capture the mood and spirt of the day’s celebration.

Reception at the Henry Ford

Sheila sprints into Lovett Hall while the guests (us included) “ooh” and “ahh” over the table decorations, place settings and cake.

Rock out

The vows have been said, the speeches given, the garter tossed. All that’s left to do is rock out until the wee hours.

Until Next Time

As one wedding celebration ends, another begins. We can’t wait to meet old and new friends alike as we plan for Patrick and Kelli’s chapter in this storybook romance.

And, of course, your humble narrators after a long, rewarding day of shooting…

“I never thought I’d have this much fun getting senior pictures!” There’s no greater compliment than to hear these words from our senior clients and their parents when a photo session is complete. Word of mouth has been good to us, and as we head into a new summer season we thought it would be a good idea to provide a comprehensive overview of what we strive to accomplish in our 2 – 2 1/2 hours with a senior. Our goal is to bring as much of the studio process into the outdoors (is this an oxymoronic expression? we’ll have to let Nick or Kiki look ‘into’ this…) and bring a dynamic and vibrant element to the photographic experience.

Our three biggest priorities on a photo shoot are:

1. Making the session an experience: one that is fun, relaxing and captures the true personality of the senior. This is why we invest so much time up front asking about the special talents, hobbies and interests of each student.
2. What will make this session unique and stand out from the rest? This is the student’s special day and it is our job to make this happen.
3. How can we find a way to get stained, soiled or soaked by the natural elements of the shoot.

How do we accomplish this? By doing our homework, scouting new locations and trying to use mainstay staples in new ways — it helps when 1/2 the company is employed by Livonia Public Schools. So without further ado we present Hailey’s Photo Session…

Bridge Shot

The bridge shot is a popular prop at Mill Race Park, however we certainly like to use every aspect of the structure. Although there is a gooey tar (notice trace amounts on the back of Russ’s shirt) on the edges of the posts their angular design works well. We anxiously await the shot when a slip and fall sends someone into the river.

Vintage Feel

We wanted to combine the retro patterning of Hailey’s shirt with the vintage feel of the thick slats on the Victorian Style buildings that line Mill Race Park. We do very little post processing of our work in Light Room. We particularly like the black and white, and 60′s inspired toning of these two shots. There was a perfect breeze and it certainly complimented the layers of Hailey’s hair – the camera has made us guilty of knowing these ancillary pieces information.

The Little Black Dress

A staple of every wardrobe is the little black dress. Hailey’s dad loved the roughed up feel of the blacksmith door, but in order to add some dramatics to the shot we wanted to incorporate the use of the sidelights. They are great filling in the subtle lines, pleats and details of darker outfits and provide excellent highlighting around the contours of the body. Although the positioning of the lights wasn’t ideal, we were still satisfied in the end.

Spring in Michigan

Beautiful cloud coverage and lush greens indicative of spring in Michigan made this open space ideal for creating a casual and care-free feeling often associated with relaxing in a park. The paisley patterns of the sun dress were an ideal compliment for the mood of this pose.

Buddy Shots

Hailey brought her two favorite “buddies” on the shoot as well. In the first frame Hailey makes her best attempt at coercing her dad into getting the keys to her Cougar ahead of schedule. Dad responds appropriately. Laughter is truly the best medicine.

Into the Water

Finally, we wanted to wrap up shoot with a bit of a challenge and something to remember. At the start of the season we managed to get Hunter into the water, so we wanted to up the ante. Hailey was definitely up to the challenge. In fact, despite the wet sun dress, Hailey was certainly more coordinated about the current than we were. In fact we had a quick scare, briefly shorting out our Vagabond generator. However, when it was all said and done, we pulled off some memorable moments.

A special thank you to Haily (Hailey’s friend) Buddy (the dog) and Mr. Evans for your help, assistance and kind words during the shoot. We appreciate you letting us experiment creatively today…

Nope, nope and nope.

The key ingredient to being successful is to simply have an abundance of awesome clients. Case in point: Mike, Renée, Zach and Gavin.

From last year’s Christmas session, Zach’s recent three-year portraits to this weekend’s romp in the park, we always have the time of our lives working with this amazing family.

By the way, Zach was kind enough to bring a camera of his own and managed to show us a thing or two… he even snapped a handsome portrait of yours truly.

Sure they have our phone number and other important contact info; but as photographers, each business card is a tiny, portable portfolio.

Actually, they’re really portable. We’ve had cards travel state lines, land in different countries and get swapped multiple times between parents, brides, students and families.

And, because we never know where a business card is ultimately going to land, we want to make sure that it’s a reflection of our own personal commitment to image quality and technical ability.

We’ve been through a few of the “Overnight” and “48Hour” vendors with their unpredictable colors and flimsy cardstock. It seemed criminal to spend hours composing great shots, only to have them butchered by a low-budget business card vendor.

Luckily we’ve found Moo.

Moo can take our super-saturated portraits, extreme contrast and general obssessive-compulsive attention to detail and produce a business card worth framing. This is important to us because we put our clients directly on our cards! We love handing kids, moms, dads, grads and brides a crisp, beautiful, photo-quality business card that they can show to their friends and family.

Also, we love giving them away! If you’d like a few of your own pocket-sized portraits, jot your name and address into our contact form. We’ll drop a bunch of cards in the mail for you — some to have as a keepsake and some to give away.

Imposing features and wilderness survival skills aside, Andrew was a champ to work with as we moved through the alleys of downtown Northville and then to the rolling hills of Cass Benton for his portraits.

As we wrapped up our shoot we joked that we should send his Eagle Scout shots to the NESA’s marketing department… have your people call our people!

Special thanks to Ms. Schramm for holding lights and helping us lug our gear all over Hines Park.

We’ve had a few questions about our new t-shirts, so we thought it might be helpful to talk a bit about our process.

For starters, we’re all extremely busy with kids and careers (not to mention yard work), so we subscribe to the 37 Signals philosophy that states: Meetings are Toxic. Our plan to create branded t-shirts was executed entirely via email and instant message conversations during a single weekend.

Conceptually, we had a basic creative direction established. We wanted a single color of ink (to keep costs low), graphics on the front as well as the back, and something that vaugely matched our brand (no reds, greens or wacky colors).

Finally, we knew that we wanted to use a local, Michigan printer. Ypsilanti’s VGKids was the first vendor that came to mind. They’ve done terrific work for some of our favorite outfits: 826/McSweeney’s, Modest Mouse, Shadow Art Fair and Flight of the Conchords.

Initial Sketches

We iterated through a few low-resolution concepts in Photoshop, showcasing our logo and website address:

Initial Reaction

Reaction from the kids in Mr. Kebs’ yearbook class was: Booooooooring!!! The colors were drab and the graphics didn’t have any visual appeal.

Second Revision

A few emails, texts and instant messages later we were burning through another half-dozen Photoshop concepts. Working fast and loose we free-associated new concepts using splatter brushes, photographs and duplicated logos.

Additional Feedback

Yaaaaaay! Mr. Kebs’ students voted the top two images as the leading candidates. The semi-abstract graphic and unconventional text placement were consistent with what kids are used to seeing on sites like Threadless Tees.

The Winner

And here’s our crowdsourced winner: an oversized, asymmetrical design with our company name and web address on the back. The benefit of crowdsourcing our t-shirt to the students is that we have the exact t-shirt our clients want and they helped design it — thanks yearbook crew!

Gettin’ to Work

Now it was time to create the production-ready vector artwork necessary for the silkscreen.

Here’s the source image we used, an outtake from our airport excursion in Saline.

Production

We crudely trimmed the artwork to keep the abstract feel and dropped it into Adobe Illustrator.

Next we used Illustrator’s handy Live Trace function to create a single-color version of the artwork. The application traces the edges of the photograph and converts a pixel-based image into a resolution-independent vector graphic. We then bundled up our files and shipped them off to the VGKids production team.

Final Proof

Our pals at VGKids turned-around a proof in a single business day. We shipped them our artwork on Sunday night and they gave us something to approve for production on Tuesday morning. Since the cost was trivial, we decided to add our K logo to the sleeve for a little extra flair.

Results

Less than a week later we had a box of crowdsourced, custom-designed, hand-made t-shirts on our doorstep. All that’s left to do is give them away!

That being said, you may already know some members of Keberly Photography (certainly Russ “The Mayor” Keberly) but we’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the rest of “Team Kebs.”

Outside of being parents, siblings, husbands and wives our diverse personal and professional backgrounds all work in unison to make for an amazing photography experience.

Russ

Photographer, school teacher, coach, yearbook advisor… More about Russ →

Kiki

Set designer, cupcake architect, advertising copywriter… More about Kiki →

Janell

Location scout, school teacher, science department chair, yearbook advisor… More about Janell →

Ryan

Photographer, internet virtuoso, creative dictator… More about Ryan →

Sometimes the most usable backdrops can be found by looking out your front door. In this case the havoc going on in our subdivision — a full out construction zone in a no-outlet sub has certainly made life interesting. While many have been aggravated by the inconvenience, Henry and I were mildly thrilled with the opportunity to take advantage of the new props that lie in our midst. On a side note, we are even more excited to start playing on the pretty swank construction machinery.

That being said, give us your thoughts for a unique location in the Metro Detroit area to stage a senior photo shoot. We’ll reward the top five recommendations with a sleek and stylish Keberly Photography t-shirt as showcased by “supermodel” Henry Weyand.

Leave your comments and shirt size below!
Rules: Everyone is eligible to win! Must provide crossroads, description, or defining characteristics. The more details you give us, the better chance you have of winning!

Here are some fun shots from the McNamara Terminal, Lego Imagination Center and St. Pete Beach.

See you back in Michigan!

*our children!

Due to an aggressive timeline (and limited availability to our subjects) we pre-planned each shot with mock executives. We composed the lighting, camera angle and background with our stunt-doubles; then quickly rushed in the actual subjects for the final shot.

We’ll post an update once the final images have been approved — we’ll also include technical notes on lighting, gear and setup.

Sure signs of a successful and well trodden hike.

Josephine was real trouper as we stretched our one-hour session well past it’s limit. But, when you’ve got a subject that responds so naturally to the camera, it’s hard to know when to stop!

Thanks to parents Peter and Cara for improvising with us and helping to chase Josephine throughout the park.

However, when we stop and take a closer look there is much to be discovered. The following are snapshots taken with a Canon  17-40mm ƒ4.0 L USM lens and my trusty Canon 5D. No flashes, no extra lights, no extreme post processing — just the challenge of working with mother nature and taking in a finer appreciation for all that Burkesville has to offer.

Color adjustments made in Adobe Lightroom 2.4.

There are times, however, where having the stability of tripod would be really helpful for composing a long exposure shot. In these types of situations we simply find a flat surface and use our camera’s self-timer function. It’s a handy trick that prevents blurring of the image while pressing the shutter down.

The self-timer is typically used for family portraits — allowing the photographer to compose the scene and then hustle into the frame while the timer counts down, ultimately tripping the shutter. Our “hack” adds a whole new level of functionality and saves us from lugging around a gigantic tripod.

The following long-exposure shots were taken without the benefit of a tripod:

Camera Stand

In major metropolitan areas newspaper stands, benches and utility boxes (like these in Berlin, Germany) are the perfect makeshift tripod.

Basic Setup

A decent shot, but a little on the boring side.

Layered Shot

A buck’s worth of Easter grass not only adds context, but gives some much needed dimension and texture.

It was a terrific opportunity to use our polarizing filters and create some dramatic effects with the rusted, weather-beaten machinery. Here’s a look at us having some fun on a gorgeous summer day…

Welcome to… Saline Airport!

Service includes daily flights to nowhere…

Home Sweet Home

A bit on the rustic side, but wow, that rug really ties the room together!

Bug’s Eye View With Polarizing Filter

Using a circular polarizing filter helps to create a dramatic sky while reducing glare on the pump’s metal, glass and chrome. The bug’s eye view makes for an unconventional perspective.

Photographer’s Eye View

Setup for the above shot. The unglamorous side of photography. Also, one of us needs a better belt!

Gas Pumps With Landscape

Pushing the composition to include the rusted-out barn in the background.

Landscape Setup

This is what we call getting “parallel” with our subject. Altering your point-of-view is a sure-fire way to improve your composition.

Improving the Composition

Never hesitate to give your subject a little direction — we felt that $1.99 a gallon was more aesthetically pleasing.

Black and White Gas Pumps

And finally, a high-contrast, black and white image to capture that ooky-spooky “Tom Waits lives here” vibe.

Setup

It’s much easier to spend a few hours practicing with a toy doll than it is to experiment on-the-fly with a curious newborn. Here’s an early test shot of us working with one Brynn’s many dolls:

Studio Shots

Honing our dramatic lighting technique with our “stunt baby” allowed us to capture the following images with minimal impact our snoozing subjects:

Special thanks to Mr. Suida for additional video coverage!

Understanding how to control, sculpt and manipulate light is what makes a ho-hum snapshot into a thing of beauty.

In these silhouette portraits we purposely underexpose our subjects while retaining the detail in the sky. Although this technique darkens all facial features, it creates a dramatic outline that makes for a timeless image.

We can crouch down and shoot “up” to create a statuesque pose; or we can lie completely prone on the ground to establish a “bug’s eye view” of our subject.

Alternatively, we can stand on a bench, or climb a fence, to shoot “down” on our subjects. Shooting down can create an intimate portrait or a silly mood depending on the lens.

Here’s a collection of images that show how we drastically alter our perspective to present a unique point-of-view.

Regardless of your style, always consider the awe-inspiring words of our favorite celebrity, Tim Gunn, and… “Make it Work!”

Here’s an image from a spring 2009 wedding we shot at Michigan’s Frederik Meijer Gardens. We used a polarizing filter to minimize glare on the water and increase contrast in the sky.

These wedding flower shots were composed with a single remote flash placed under a $5.00 trash can from Target. The transluscent plastic created a warm, diffused light that would be difficult to re-create with “professional” umbrellas and reflectors.

We didn’t want a vase or other props visible in the frame, so we took our low-budget approach a step further by hanging the flowers upside-down with sewing thread.

This wide-open field of wildflowers and tall grasses allows us to create a pastoral composition among the modern hustle-and-bustle of Southeastern Michigan.

Although most photographers work to eliminate flares completely, we find ourselves removing our lens hoods and actually chasing the sun. We love the warm, summery, effect that the flares provide; they make our images feel improvised and playful.

The fun of working with lens flares is that they are completely organic and unpredictable. A beacon of light might render as a firey burst or create glowing loops of sun.

Case in point: wallet photos. We became so frustrated with unreliable vendors, goofy fonts and unpredictable quality, that we decided to buy a die-cutter and create the final product ourselves.

What was once a one-click process (albeit with unsatisfactory results) from a third-party service, became a multi-step workflow for us.

We now have a custom photoshop template that allows us to place the photos, manually typeset the name and school year — each with a custom gradient effect. We then hand-cut hundreds of individual photos and package them for delivery. It’s a lot of extra work, but we feel that our hand-crafted approach beats any automated system.

Photoshop template

Here’s a screenshot of our Photoshop template with custom typeface, gradient and placement. We can have as many as four different treatments depending on the photo orientation and color. For example, we have silver text for placement on dark backgrounds and charcoal text for light backgrounds. We also have the ability to add a shadow to improve contrast and legibility.

Un-cut prints

Our un-cut prints with image bleed.

Placing prints in the die-cutter

Trimming the prints

We can trim about three prints at a time — any more and we run the risk of an inaccurate cut.

Stacks of finished images

Pick a card

A collection of completed senior wallet photos.

Since the wedding day had already past, Hayley and Rich were more than willing to get down and dirty in the streets of Northville.  They even went as far as riding a tandem bicycle (with pedals that kept falling off) down Main Street.  You can bet we got all sorts of strange looks as the pair went zipping down the hill with me, the umbrella and the flash trailing behind.  The end result was amazing and so much fun for all of us.  The photo shoot truly captured the personalities of the couple.  Both bride and groom are free spirits and love to have a good time. From start to finish, I would have to say that this was one of my all-time favorite shoots…

Hunter

Two of us (and our subject, of course) knee-deep in water: one shooting and one holding a light source on an extended tripod. The weather looks warm and sunny, but the water was absolutely freezing, not to mention that the slippery footing nearly cost us a camera or two.

Tasi

We “borrowed” Mom’s antique chair, dragged it through Hines Park and dropped it in a marsh among the cattails and summer foliage. Thanks, Mom!

Maria

Two words: Road Apples. Sterlized the equipment, burned our clothes.

Chelsea

Mud, mud, mud. Just below this waterfall is a steep, messy, muddy ledge. We needed some additional light on Chelsea, so we slithered on our backs, holding a remote flash unit and umbrella just inches out of frame. We were filthy, but the shots made for great senior wallet photos — espcially for a varsity swimmer.

Hanna

There’s a reason this Northville viaduct is covered in grafitti—it’s nearly impossible to reach without getting compeltely filthy. What’s even more difficult is dragging two cameras, light stands, flashes and reflectors down there!

The Ring Shot not only gives us an excuse to use our macro lens, but it’s a fun departure from the standard wedding photography.

We like to incorporate the wedding theme, flowers and colors into our Ring Shots, creating a still-life that is a quiet little portrait of the happy couple.

All kidding aside, we never take a moment for granted when it comes to shooting a wedding. It’s the details, not the just the family portraits, that make the day truly memorable. Check out our wedding gallery for more of our work; in fact we’ve still got a few summer dates left for 2010…

…of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a cute kid in the frame as well!

An on demand shoot was certainly something out of my comfort zone and style. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to work alongside other photogs in the business and hopefully learn something new in the process.

As a rule of thumb, we generally use prime lenses, but I quickly learned the value of having a good telephoto zoom lens.  Most of these shots were taken with a Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 with image stabilizer. This lens allowed me the greatest degree of flexibility and range while battling other photographers. I also managed to get close enough to snap off a few with Canon EF 17-40 f4 wide angle.

One of the biggest challenges was Mr. Ford’s request to not use flash during his presentation. In traditional manner the banquet was dimly lit.

Check out more of Marc’s work on his website or track him down at the Sins of Steel car show this summer.

I make no claims regarding my Photoshop skills. However, I am confident in my claim: it can be a challenge convincing teenagers to pose…cooperatively. This was something fun that generated a high level of excitement with all the students. Considering many of our clients are graduates I thought this brief tutorial may cater to their interests.

Gear

• 3 Alien Bees B800s
• 2 Canon Speedlite 580s
• Pocket Wizards
• 1 Octagon Umbrella
• 2 Strip Lights
• White seemless paper
• Canon 5d w/85mm f1.2 L
• 54 amazingly talented 7th & 8th grade students

Setup

Kylie was positioned against a white seamless backdrop in order to completely isolate her in frame. This is necessary in order to create a colored vignette in Photoshop later.

ISO 160, f10, 1/125

We have noticed the highlights aren’t as prevalent when against a white background – possibly the lack of contrast or the loss of depth? However, with this setup I have had success setting the front Octagon 1 or 2 settings lower than the sidelights to achieve the nice contours across the face.

Photoshop Layers

Layer 0: Magic wand to cut out around edge of Kylie. Then add outer glow to help blend in edge with background (the size, spread, and opacity vary).

Layer 1: Radial gradient tool to create vignette. Drag from center of subject’s face to edge of frame.

Hue/Sat: Took out some of the unwanted red values.

Our basic setup is three Alien Bee B800s, seamless paper backdrop and a few pocket wizards.

Music courtesy of our rudimentary GarageBand skills—I think we’ll stick to being photographers and not become a wedding band!

Love that clip-on necktie…

Here’s a few outtakes from his session at our studio.

What’s more, we use perspective to exaggerate the distortion of the wide lens. By crouching down, and shooting up at our subjects, we can create a point-of-view that is heroic, dramatic or even humorus.

The following images were all captured with our 17-40mm ƒ4.0 L, proving that you don’t need to lug around an additional specialty lens to make captivating portraits.

So, we fake it…

Our sneaky little technique is surprisingly simple: a cheap spray bottle full of water mixed with a few drops of baby oil or vegetable oil. Water, by itself, will evaporate too quickly—the oil helps to maintain the “sweaty” look and creates large droplets for reflecting light.

We also created our own eye-black smudges by burning the end of a wine bottle cork.

These are just two of some amazing photos we took back in December at little Gavin’s six month photo shoot. We’ve been taking photos of big brother Zach since he was one–in fact, we are taking Zach’s three year photos this weekend!

Thanks to Zach and Gavin’s parents for allowing us to capture some fantastic images of their children growing through the years. We love it when clients aren’t  just clients, but friends.

Living in Michigan, it’s rare to get such a perfect combination of weather and sunlight—what appears at nine a.m. to be a sunny cloudless day often turns overcast and gray by mid-afternoon. This October shoot made for lush grass coverage, golden highlights and a brilliant blue sky.

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Here’s how we did it…

Requirements

Remote shoot of nine people—two unique portraits each—for a total 18 images. Each image had to be extracted from the background, dropped into web layout and appear seamless.

Gear

• Six-foot white paper backdrop
• Three flashes
  • Two Canon Speedlite 580
  • One Canon Speedlite 430
• Two medium sized reflectors
• Two Westcott 32″ shoot-thru umbrellas
• Remote transmitter and receiver
• Painter’s tape
• Business card
• No assitants

Technique

The reflectors and support gear will clearly be in frame, but since my desired output is an isolated, tightly cropped portrait, I didn’t bother to shoot a clean image. More importantly, I didn’t have a dedicated studio, or want to lug around tons of heavy equipment—everything used for this shot can be stowed in your average grocery-getter.

Best of all, it’s cheap. The Westcott umbrellas are less than $20.00 at Midwest Photo Exchange, likewise for the reflectors; I have a large ($30.00) and a small ($20.00), I stuff them both in the same bag to save space and hassle.

Off Camera Flash

Although we typically use Pocket Wizards, for this shoot I fired my flashes remotely using the cheap-o Cactus units from Gadget Infinity: one transmitter on my camera, one receiver on my 580 Speedlite (set to master) and the other two flashes firing on slave.

Here’s a crude diagram of the setup, click for a larger view:

We have two Speedlites camera-left and one camera-right, pointed at the background of the white paper, giving a nice bright hot-spot behind the subject.

Reflectors

The reflectors are camera-right, parallel to the flashes, filling in shadows and bouncing light from the umbrellas.

As you can see from the poor-man’s setup, I simply have the lower reflector leaning against either the light stand or a handy chair.

Physical Setup

I always take a roll of blue painter’s tape with me on shoots. It’s handy for things that can’t be affixed to tripods or conventional mounts. Also, it doesn’t leave gunk on our gear or our clients. I used some to create a gobo with my business card—preventing light leaks from the rear flash. Note the blue bits in the upper-right of each frame, here’s a 100% detail crop.

I should mention that the flash is hanging upside-down on the light-stand, connected with a simple ball-bungee, a tip that we picked up from David Hobby at Strobist.

Final Result

A couple quick clicks in Lightroom and Photoshop and we have our isolated images ready to be dropped into the final web layout.

So there we have it, a basic setup and technique for shooting full body portraits.

What’s great about this shot is that, even though there’s no figures in the frame, it clearly tells the story of Father, Mother, Baby. We used an arrangement of common objects, in different sizes, to capture the family unit. We could push the concept further (during our harsh Michigan winter) by using gloves, hats or even boots covered in snow.

Technique

The technique we’re using here is called Second-Curtain Sync or, alternatively, Slow-Sync Flash. It’s handy for shooting moving objects in dark or poorly-lit areas.

Complete technical details will follow on a later post, but the process requires setting your camera’s shutter to “bulb.” When pressed, the flash fires, effefctively “freezing” the action, then we continue to hold the shutter down, exposing the background details. Finally we release the shutter, which fires a second burst from the flash that helps to create additional ghosted figures.

Exposure time varies from one to four seconds, allowing us to twist, turn and pull the camera, when holding down the shutter, to enhance the effect of the background lighting. We can create our own swirls of light that really help to capture the raucous mood of the reception party.

Well, if the statement holds true, our recent dessert shots will surely make you hungry.

From the gothic exterior architecture, to the lush interior woodwork, shooting at Marygrove makes for some truly timeless images. In fact, we’ve made a point to shoot long time-exposures of the interior — so that our brides have a keepsake of the quiet little chapel.

For more information on Marygrove’s Sacred Heart Chapel visit the Marygrove College website or the Historic Campus Architecture Project.

We could cram a dozen sessions into a single weekend, but we’d never get a chance to truly bond with our clients. Our on-location shoots at historic villages, farms and horse stables help to create a truly memorable experience for our graduates, brides and babies. We’ve even shot at graveyards and museums!

When composing, we push ourselves to find personal characteristics that go beyond a simple headshot: tattoos, boots, a favorite shirt, a pair of sunglasses — details that take a photograph from ordinary to extraordinary.

In fact, our detail shot of Liz and Woody’s wedding program worked out perfectly for the happy couple as well as Invitations by Salutations. They’re a Michigan-based duo that serves a unique niche in providing handmade and custom invitiations.

Check out more of their work and let ’em know that Keberly Photography sent you.

Setup

Three Alien Bee 800s with shoot-thru umbrellas — fired via Pocket-Wizard Plus II transceivers. We used the umbrellas to achieve broad lighting that minimized the shadows cast on each of the subjects.

Click the photos for a larger view…

Output

We blew-out the background so that the photos could be quickly cut-out in photoshop and placed into the website layout.

Thanks to Marc Nischan for the client referral.
]]> http://keberlyphoto.com/blog/2010/02/delicious-details-three-light-setup/feed/ 0 http://keberlyphoto.com/blog/2010/02/corporate-photography/ http://keberlyphoto.com/blog/2010/02/corporate-photography/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:05:48 +0000 Ryan http://keberlyphoto.com/blog/?p=28 Although we focus on senior/graduate, wedding and infant portraits, Keberly Photography is fielding more and more requests for corporate photography. View our work at Gongos Research’s “Faces of Gongos” Career Page. Keberly Photography provided full-body portraits that captured the spirit and personality of the Gongos team — and hey, they’re hiring! Check out the IT [...]]]> Although we focus on senior/graduate, wedding and infant portraits, Keberly Photography is fielding more and more requests for corporate photography.

View our work at Gongos Research’s “Faces of Gongos” Career Page. Keberly Photography provided full-body portraits that captured the spirit and personality of the Gongos team — and hey, they’re hiring!

Check out the IT Guru attempting to snap a laptop in half! It was a fun shoot with a terrific group of people.

Visit Livonia’s Facebook page to view the gallery.

Friend, and fellow Franklin Alumnus, Dan West, President of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce, asked if I would capture some photos for his annual charity event at Laurel Manor on Tuesday, February 16. His keynote speaker was William Ford Jr., the largest tax contributor to the City of Livonia. Considering our photography consists of controlling light and composing our clients, an on demand shoot of an icon to the car industry immediately presented some challenges.

The second thing I want to do is touch on the purpose of this blog. In a word? Fun. We want to give you a peek inside what it’s like running a growing family business. We want to share our excitement about what we do. Most of all, we want you to feel like you know us.

With that being said, all four team members will be posting entries to this blog. It could be my (Kerri, AKA Kiki) favorite shots from a particular shoot one day and then a rundown from Ryan on the type of equipment the guys used the next. Janell might post information regarding a special event the day after that or Russ might give a tutorial on how he lit a particular shot. Who knows—every post will be something new and exciting. So come back and visit us often!

Until next time,

Kerri