CGM Photography » nature

Joe Krsek Senior Photo Session

Grant — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:02:40 +0000

Last weekend, I traveled out into the country to photograph Culver community High School student Joe Kresk at his home. The weather wasn’t the best for the session but realizing that out days for scheduling Fall sessions is quickly coming to an end, we decided to go ahead with the session. Joe was a big help during the session in that he had several locations already picked out that he wanted photos by and then he humored me with my suggestions. I hope that the computer that you view these photos on will show this–Joe has some of the bluest eyes we’ve ever seen on a person. They are really cool. For any skeptics out there… if they do not show up on your computer, these are his natural eyes as shot. I did not color enhance them or anything.

Culver Indiana Photographer: Country Sunset

Grant — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:01:18 +0000

Tonight was another great night to catch a sunset. This time, we stopped at a railroad track to get our shots. Little did we know that a train would arrive within minutes of taking the first shot. Additional photos are posted at:

http://www.culverphotos.com/p643607445.

Culver Indiana Photography: Culver Sunset

Grant — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:59:21 +0000

Ginny and I tried at the last minute to catch the April Fool’s Day sunset. We managed to get a few photos of the end of this beautiful day.

Culver Indiana Photography: Academy Horses on Break

Grant — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Today, Ginny and I decided to take a short break from work and take some pictures of the horses that were out in one of Culver Academies’ fields. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I think the horses liked the company, though they get a little bashful around clicking cameras. Here are a handful of the shots we took. Enjoy!

Culver Indiana Photography: Sunsets and Full Moon in Culver

Grant — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:02:09 +0000

Yesterday and today, Ginny and I went over to Culver Academies campus and took some shots just at sunset. Tonight, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a full moon as it rose over the lake and cast a golden glow across campus. This is a collection of our shots on campus during this time of the evening when all is quiet on campus. It has been especially quiet the past two days, as the kids and faculty/staff are on Spring Break. It’s a beautiful time of the day to take a few moments to capture the quiet calm of campus and the lake. Ginny wanted to photograph all of the trees on campus. We hope you enjoy this collection of moments at sunset on the lake and beautiful Culver Academies campus.

Indiana Photography: South Bend Urban Decay

Grant — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:51:28 +0000

Ginny and nature photographer Corey Hilz were talking at dinner the day before Corey and I went to explore in South Bend. Corey was talking about how he likes to shoot nature, but how he also likes to see the grittier side of life and looks for more urban shots that reflect a different way of life than what you see in nature. So, Ginny suggested we look around South Bend or head toward Chicago and go through Gary. We decided to go to South Bend, as we were also hoping to get time for some other areas in Northern Indiana.

We took some photographs of the River Walk in South Bend, and then we explored other parts of the city. We came across a building that appeared to be abandoned. It was filled with photo opportunities of “urban decay.” I can’t quite describe the building, as it was unlike anything I had ever seen. It proved to be filled with interesting objects, including several cars that appeared to be stripped out.

I’ve posted a few of my favorite shots. I think this building was probably the size of a few WalMarts combined. It was overwhelming in size, and some of the gritty detail of it was a bit overwhelming as well. You can find more photos at:

www.culverphotos.com.

Indiana Photography: St. Joseph, Michigan Sunset

Grant — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:19:23 +0000

While nature photographer Corey Hilz was here, we (Grant and Corey) decided to drive north to St. Joseph, Michigan. We weren’t sure what we are going to see, but we thought it would be nice if we could catch a sunset. We did get some sunsets and other scenes, such as guys fishing, a beautiful light house, and some boats that seemed to play on the water the entire time we were there. In addition to what is included here, there are more of these photos posted at www.culverphotos.com. Ginny’s favorite are the ones with a pink sky. I like the lonely fishing pole. There didn’t appear to be a lot of fish coming in on those poles, but I thought they made for a good shot. I didn’t shoot them, but we also saw a lot of couples who came out to the pier just to see the sunset. I can honestly say that I know now why they do and I hope to take Ginny the next time I make that trip with a camera.

Indiana Photography: Indiana Dunes

Grant — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:43:14 +0000

Today, we (Grant and Corey Hilz) explored some of the many state parks located at the Indiana Dune’s waterfront. It was hot with a lot of hiking involved, but once the sun started to set, the shots were worth the sore feet I had when I got home. In several of the sunset shots, the skyline of Chicago can be seen on the right side of the photo. I couldn’t believe you could see that skyline from where we were. I was grateful to capture some of it.

I had to play around with a lot of settings, as it’s easier to blow out the sky on sunsets than it is to capture some color. I also find it more difficult than it would seem to capture foregrounds, such as the shoreline, while trying not to completely blow out a shot. You have to work rather quickly once the sun gets low in the horizon, as you lose the light quickly, but I enjoyed trying to get a few shots while there was enough light to adjust the settings until I found a shot I liked. Though we got home really late (after midnight), I enjoyed making that trip and hope to make it again next summer.

Indiana Photography: Bridges and Barns

Grant — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:55:25 +0000

While nature photographer Corey Hilz was here, he wanted to shoot some country scenes, so I took him out to do what Ginny and I like to do–roam around the country roads until we see something interesting. On this trip, we found some bridges and barns. Corey spends several minutes (up to an hour) setting up a scene shot. He uses his tripod and waits for all the right elements to fall into place. He’ll wait half an hour for the clouds to line up as he wants them. Those who know me know I tend to show signs of ADHD, so I’m not as patient as Corey; however, I did try to pay more attention to my lines, the sky, and composition. Here are a few shots of our day of shooting bridges and barns.

Indiana Photography: Corn and Country Roads

Grant — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:22:38 +0000

As noted in other entries, Ginny and I like to hit the country roads and take pictures. For some reason, on this day, we tended to take photos of roads and corn. Maybe it’s because the lines popped out at us, or maybe we were just craving corn on the cob. We ended our day taking shots of some wild flowers along the side of the road. Ginny took several pictures of bees pollinating the flowers. Their wings move so quickly that it was difficult to get a focused shot. Ginny claims she needs to purchase a certain lens from her dream list, so she can take more close-ups of bugs. She did seem to like those bees. She also likes to take wooden posts and signs along the road. We might need to avoid the pictures of signs that say “Private Property.” We tend to not pay attention to details that could get us in trouble. We promise that we don’t cross that particular line and we do stay off private property, however. Hope you enjoy some of lines we discovered among the roads and the rows of corn.