Photo Drives

Summary In this episode Gary and Jacob share their journey’s in photography. With their near 20 year age gap, there is a definite difference in how they got started.  Despite that, they have found common ground through their love for photography and sharing everything they have learned with each other.  It doesn’t matter how you got started, what matters is how you can connect with others through photography or your art and share the world that you see. Download Episode 5 Subscribe on iTunes or download via the link below (right click and save as) Download Episode 5: In the Beginning Notes from this episode. Gary’s Journey. He started out with film back in school through classes and the dark room. Jacob’s Journey. He started out using his dad DSLR, took a film class in college, and then bought his own DSLR to originally get into video production. There’s always a learning curve. Film can be tough to master and understand, but once you get it, it is so much more rewarding. Everyone’s journey is different. The fact that we all have a different story into photography makes us who we are and defines our style.  Be thankful all the steps you have taken. Don’t lose the charm that you had when you first started. Sometimes we forget why we wanted to do photography or maybe the reason that evolved in time.  Let photography mentor you and be an extension of your perceptions and personality. Images related to this episode. Jacob’s Images My second photograph taken with my T2i. I wish I would have composed it a little differently, but with no tripod I had the ground as my platform. Still a fun shot! My first photograph taken with my first camera, a Canon T2i, in the summer of 2010. It had just rained and there was an awesome fog on the downtown street of Menominee, Michigan. Gary’s Images In getting the images ready for this podcast, I decided to photograph the two film cameras I’ve used in my journey as a photographer. The first, my dad’s old Minolta 7s that I used in my high school photography that he bought in Vietnam, and my Ricoh KR-5 Super II that I bought in college with a short term student loan for my photography class. I shot this with my first (and current) DSLR, my Nikon D90 with a pair of AlienBees. This is one of a dozen or so film prints from my photography 101 class in college. I rolled my own film, shot this with my old Ricoh KR-5 Super II 35mm, processed this in a darkroom, and mounted the print. This is actually a photograph of the print which turned out better than I had hoped. Initially when I pulled these old images out of storage, I cringed, but looking at them now, there’s something about them I really like, and a warmth I can’t get from current processes using digital. This was one of the first images shot with my Nikon D90 back in May of 2009. This was my first, and is still my current, DSLR. What a watershed moment this camera was for me!   How did you get started with photography? What was your journey?   Baby Gary, the OG (original ginger), and Jacob Miller, the Super Kid with the plastic cape….      The post Episode 5: In the Beginning appeared first on Photo Drives.The post Episode 5: In the Beginning appeared first on Photo Drives.

Summary There seems to be this weird concept by some people we encounter that you are not a true photographer if you edit your photographs in photoshop or manipulate the images you capture.  Photography is derived from the Greek phot- for “light” and -graphos for “drawing” is the art, science, and practice of creating durable images.  We have the right as a photographer or “light painter” to edit and create an image that we envision. (Big thanks to Aaron R. Lindemann for sharing that concept of photography with us recently.) Download Episode 4 Subscribe on iTunes or download via the link below (right click and save as) Download Episode 4: Don’t Be Dodgy. Don’t Get Burned. Notes from this episode. Editing digital photos is similar to when you dodge and burn film. Don’t be afraid to experiment in photoshop just like the days of experimentation in the dark room. Photography is an art form.  Do not define your style by what others think, but remember to get constructive criticism from others to develop your style and become better to create quality images. Don’t use photoshop as a crutch. It is still important to capture a high quality image in the camera.  It truly just makes your work better and more efficient as well. DSLR video capabilities opened up new doors in the film/movie industry.  High quality videos and movies with a “film” look could now be made by almost anybody.  You can either fight it or embrace it. The learning curve for photoshop changes as the younger generation is more computer literate.  It can be a struggle for older generations of photographers to catch up with the speed of technology. Digital artists are equally talented as artists that create tangible items.  Who really has the right to say that a digital artist does not work hard and create amazing work? Images related to this episode. Gary’s Images Here’s an example of the power of shooting in camera RAW. When i shot this image, I grabbed the camera and clicked without adjusting getting my exposure right (stupid mistake, I know). In camera RAW, i brought it back from the dead. I shot this photo in the gardens at the Paine Art Museum in Oshkosh, WI after seeing their Ansel Adams exhibit. Feeling very inspired by Adams’ work, I decided to process this one in his style using many dodging and burning techniques. This photo was shot on my recent trip to Hawaii. It was difficult to get an even exposure on this image to capture all the details in the sunbeams and the dark Maui landscape. I did some dodging and burning in the foreground to bring out some of the detail while not losing any detail in the sky.   Jacob’s Images   Had some fun with blending modes. Definitely got me thinking about how I do my editing and how sometimes bizarre subtleties can add just a little extra to an image. Photo Composite of two images.Both of the characters in this piece are the same exact person. I wanted to experiment with true self interaction in photograph.This is my first photo composite that I have ever done. I met up with a great new friend today and she was very willing to help me out with this concept. It is compiled of two separate photographs of the same person wearing a white outfit to resemble an angel and black to resemble a devil.“Whisper” is a conversation between the devil and angel that float on our shoulders and tell us what to do. When the devil tells the angel what she is up to, she is disgusted and speechless. We all suffer inner battles to make decisions in life and it’s our hope that our angels can always win for us.     Great dodge and burn tutorial for photoshop. The post Episode 4: Don’t Be Dodgy. Don’t Get Burned. appeared first on Photo Drives.The post Episode 4: Don’t Be Dodgy. Don’t Get Burned. appeared first on Photo Drives.

Download Episode 3 Subscribe on iTunes or download via the link below (right click and save as) Episode 3: Road Trippin Summary In this episode we hit the road!  We get pretty excited when we are in the car driving to a destination, so bear with us on this one!  We drove from De Pere, Wisconsin and moved Eastward to the town of Kewaunee and then north to Sturgeon Bay and Cave Point County Park.  We wanted to talk about the origins of this podcast and why getting off the couch and outside of your home is important to all of us as artists.  There is so much inspiration in the areas that we live in and if we can, its great to hit the road and see new places we never knew were there! We are still learning… We hope that this episode is still as easy to listen to as the last two.  We recorded this episode while driving down the highway.  We used a Zoom H4n field recorder between the two of us to capture our conversation.  We will be experimenting with another mic setup in the future for cleaner audio.  We love the idea of recording on the road since that is how this all really started.  At home we have a greatly controlled environment.  In the car, not so much.  We still hope you enjoy it!   Notes from this episode. The origins of Photo Drives. We discuss our first photo adventures or “drives” that we took and how it inspired us to start this podcast. Get out there. Grab a map, go online, take a walk, hit the road and just search for something new or return to places you have always loved. There is so much beauty around where we live. Inspiration is attached to motivation. Sometimes we feel like we have seen it all or we have run the areas we live in dry.  It is up to ourselves to learn to appreciate the places we live and not always rely on extremely high expectations. We are two wild and crazy guys. Seriously we get a little goofy in this episode. Meet up with friends or make new ones. Short road trips and meet ups are a great way to catch up with friends or even make new ones. Let your friends inspire you. Sometimes we can get inspiration from seeing how others see the world we live in. Not just through the lens, but through friendships as well. What to bring with when you hike. Sometimes the simplicity of one lens vs a backpack can be refreshing yet challenging for your creativity. Make an effort to find the time to shoot for fun. We can easily get distracted by life and client work. It’s important to get out there and photograph what we really love. Images discussed in this episode. Jacob’s Images   Little old building from this episode’s road trip. Jacob’s photograph from the New Year’s Eve sunrise. Photograph on the shore of Lake Michigan from this episode’s road trip.   Gary’s Images Gary’s photo from 2012 New Year’s Eve sunrise trip. Gary’s photo from Cave Point while on this episode’s road trip on Lake Michigan Gary’s photo at Cave Point from this episode’s road trip.The post Episode 3: Road Trippin appeared first on Photo Drives.The post Episode 3: Road Trippin appeared first on Photo Drives.

Summary In this episode, the Follow Up, we discuss our experiences with big moments or projects in our work. When they happen, we celebrate and get a wonderful high from it, but where do we go from there? How do we top those big moments? We have to remember to celebrate the little steps too. Welcome back! We made it to week two! For those of you that have heard episode one, thank you for listening and all of your awesome feedback.  That’s what this is all about, having the great conversations about something we all love! New to Photo Drives? Welcome!  If are not familiar with who we are head over to our About page to see our friendly faces and short bios.  We love to chat, so feel free to follow us on twitter, facebook, or email us at our Contact page! Subscribe on iTunes, download the podcast below or listen to it using the audio player at the bottom of this blog post. Episode 2: The Follow Up - Right Click and Save As to Download In this podcast we discuss: Big moments in our work. What was a big moment in your photography career or life? Gary’s photograph that went viral. It just kind of happened. Jacob’s documentary project with the homeless community of Madison, WI. It taught him so much. How social media effects your work. Use it to your advantage, but be genuine about it. What do we deal with these ups and downs in our work? Art is about appreciation for every step of the way. Photos and content discussed in today’s episode. Gary’s images This is it. The big image that went viral. Weather channel, Washington Post blog, cross-country, and eventually around the world. Lightning, northern lights, and some stars helped make for a trifecta that many said was the shot of a lifetime. This image was shot the same night as the viral shot. It didn’t get quite the attention that the one with the lightning got, but it’s still my second most viewed photograph ever. What do you do after your image goes viral and you have another photograph to produce 24 hours later? How do you top yourself? You simply don’t. You just go for a walk in a dried up river run-off and let a small deer follow you around! View Gary’s YouTube video from 2007 that went viral on YouTube and got over 160,000 views.  Jacob’s images and video   INFLUENCE PROJECT OFFICIAL TRAILER EP 1 from Kinetic Bear on Vimeo. View the full first episode here: https://vimeo.com/40173316The post Episode 2: The Follow Up appeared first on Photo Drives.The post Episode 2: The Follow Up appeared first on Photo Drives.

Welcome to our maiden voyage podcast. Today we talk about procrastination with personal projects or ideas that we all have, but never do.  We have been talking about starting this podcast and blog for quite some time, nearly a year, and now we are ready to “just do it” and share it with all of you. We found it to be a suitable way and topic to start off this awesome new journey for us. If you are not familiar with who we are head over to our About page to see our friendly faces and short bios.  We love to chat, so feel free to follow us on twitter, facebook, or email us at our Contact page!   Subscribe on iTunes, download the podcast below or listen to it using the audio player at the bottom of this blog post. Episode 1: Just Do It - Right Click and Save As to Download   In this podcast we discuss: Time isn’t on our side.   If you have a project you’ve been wanting to do, just do it. Who we are.  Seriously, who the heck are these guys?! Why we started this podcast.  We love to go on photo adventures and photography always seemed to be the main topic. Projects that we procrastinated on.  Ones that we finally did or ones still on the back burner. What to look forward to from us.  We have lots of ideas for photography discussions that cover every realm of photography. Photographs discussed in today’s episode. Gary’s photo from the autumn road trip. Gary’s winter photo from the road trip.   Jacob’s photograph from the autumn road trip. Jacob’s photograph from the winter road trip.   What are your thoughts on our first episode? Leave us a comment and let’s chat!    The post Episode 1: Just Do It appeared first on Photo Drives.The post Episode 1: Just Do It appeared first on Photo Drives.