Joe, Middlebury, Vermont   View Larger Image

Purchase This Week's Print Joe is available as an 11"x14" Print, matted to fit an 18"x22" frame. Each print is signed and numbered by the photographer. Only 100 prints will be made, so order early to secure your piece.

Image of the Week Fine Art Print Offer Each week, I post an image from my recent or historical work and talk a little bit about it; the process, creative thought, and technical details that contributed to its creation. During the week an image is featured, I offer it as a Limited Edition Fine Art Print at a special price. Each image is printed personally by me on the latest Epson printers using archival pigment inks on acid-free archival paper. The prints are shipped matted and signed and can be framed using a standard size, off-the-shelf frame from your local frame shop. Learn more about my fine art printing process.

Other Images of the Week Beulah in the Carrizo Badlands, Anza-Borrego Desert, California Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Cross-Country Runner Alexandra Krieg, Middlebury, Vermont Horse Bath, Morgan Horse Farm, Weybridge, Vermont Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama The North Window from Turret Arch, Arches National Park, Utah Jeff, Middlebury College, Vermont Hostas II, Middlebury, Vermont Hikers in Coyote Gulch I, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah Ocotillo Shadow, Abandoned Cabin, Anza-Borrego State Park, California Moonlit Palms, Anza-Borrego State Park, California Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama Steven Halladay Road III Fall colors and ivy-covered wall, Middlebury College, Vermont Maple Tree, Middlebury, Vermont Jesse Hamner at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP Aon Center from Millenium Park, Chicago Mountain Biking I Boulders II, Canyonlands National Park, Utah Hosta Leaves Joe The Pour Skylar

Image of the Week

Take your time. Be flexible. Keep it simple.

That really sums up this week's image. It's a portrait of Joe, a student in the Russian Language School at Middlebury College, Vermont. Looming deadlines required that I shoot Joe, along with six other outstanding students, all on one Friday at various locations around campus.

Because of their busy class schedules, I only had about 10-15 minutes with each student, including location scouting time. By the time I had walked to the next location and met the student, I had less than 5 minutes to figure out the shot, set up any additional lighting, and start rolling. It made for a hectic day, but the images really turned out.

I wasn't satisfied with the first few images I shot of Joe at the predetermined location. It was outside in the noonday sun, and the image looked staged, not at all natural. Joe had a more flexible schedule than the others, so we walked over to a college dining hall nearby where we found beautiful window light and best of all, a grand piano.

After I had shot dozens of unremarkable frames, Joe sat down and began to play. I immediately visualized the shot I wanted. Leaving behind my tripod and strobed umbrella, I stood on the rear of a nearby sofa and shot several frames of Joe illuminated by the soft, north-facing windows at the end of the piano. This image really speaks, and has a gentle connection that the other staged and artificially-lit shots don't.

It's easy to get caught in a rush when the schedule is tight. Sometimes you have no choice. The key in these situations is to mentally slow down, explore your surroundings, communicate with your subject, keep the gear to a minimum, and be open to possibilities.

Take your time. Be flexible. Keep it simple.

Have questions, comments? Let me know what you think.

Technical Data

This image was captured with a Nikon D200 and a 17-35mm ƒ/2.8 AF lens using natural window light.