There’s a lot that’s happened to us over the last while. By “us,” I mean humans. By “while,” I’m referring to the last 100,000 years.
Read More “Black is the Best Color – A Photographic Argument.”
A Great Nor’easter of a Trip
I hadn’t seen the ocean in nearly 20 years.
It’s interesting, that while I’ve spent my entire life with constant access to the Great Lakes, any time we go on a trip, I’m still drawn to water. We went to the Great Smoky Mountains and ended up hiking along rivers. We went to Chicago and always seemed to gravitate away from the city, to the shoreline. Any time we venture into Northern Michigan we go hiking – but we always hike toward the water.
The Way of the World
Much like birds and whatnot on National Geographic, people do things to attract attention or show off. For the most part these things can be summed up in a word:
“Style”
Sometimes it’s clothing style, cosmetic style, artistic style, or personality style. Many times, these days, it’s hairstyle.
Recently I did a photoshoot for a long time friend of mine, who happens to be a top-notch stylist. By “top-notch,” I mean Redken Certified. If you know what that means, you know how prestigious it is.
Anywho – she has had her styling fingers in many heads of hair and, as such, has developed her own unique style of cutting, feathering, trimming, coloring and other verbs that I don’t actually know. The point is that she’s good and has something to show off.
That’s where the actual photography comes in.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out.
However, the whole point about trends in style all filter down to the point of the whole post.
The Pack
Much like with wolves, if you don’t keep up, you fall behind to get eaten by crows and such… OK, maybe not to that extent, but still – there are ramifications. Really what I’m trying to say is “beauty is determined by the determiner.” I know that sounds convoluted, but its just the case. This model is beautiful. She’s beautiful with the retouching and she’s beautiful without the retouching. In fact, she’s flat-out hilarious (one of the most fun people I’ve worked with in quite some time.) Just to drill home my point – she busted out the robot in the parking lot for the sake of a funny portrait. Awesome.
However, people that look to style mags demand a more “commercial” level of beauty, and so the process of retouching begins.
Now, I know what you’re saying (or at least should be): “Jon! Didn’t you write a post a few months back about not doing this exact thing if at all possible?”
Well, yes. Yes I did. But in the same breath as condemnation, I will always stand straight up and say I will break my own rules to help my friends succeed. Also, I like paying my bills… well not… I… YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
So yes. I am conflicted and my brain doesn’t quite know which side of the fence to come down on… So I sure wouldn’t mind some opinions. There’s a comment box down there somewhere…
But, because I know you’re looking for it, here’s the before and after:
– Jon
The urban surfer
A bit ago I had the opportunity to shoot some subject matter I had been lacking: a full-on skateboarding promo campaign.
My cousin is a fairly skilled longboarder. (For those of you who don’t know – long boarding is like a cross between skateboarding and surfing, all preformed on – you guessed it – a long board.)
He actually won the board. It was a literary competition illustrating why each entrant love long boarding and should win the board. Mike Strong won. This thing is worth hundreds of dollars. It’s a big deal.
The problem is that we both live in Michigan… and Mike won his Loyal Dean board in December.
Basically he had to stare at it an wait for almost 5 months. So, when spring rolled around, we hit the asphalt. He busted some moves and gave the board a run for its money.
Check out some of the series!
– Jon
It’s Summer and I’m Polish.
It’s just about summer and as far as I’m concerned, that means festivities.
Now, I don’t know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods (Metro Detroit) there are fairs, events, and festivals EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND from Memorial Day to Labor Day. However, there is one kick-off that draws people from a 
really really long way off.
The Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Polish Country Fair.
This thing is straight up awesome. Forget the corn-dogs and elephant ears for a second – most fairs take a few days to set up the rides and pavilions. This one takes 2 WEEKS. It started small and insignificant about 40 years ago… as of last year, it topped 110,000 attendees.
North American Midway Entertainment puts on the show (they’re the “world’s largest traveling outdoor amusement park”).
There are, of course, many a photo opportunity at this thing. For your viewing pleasure – here’s a little gallery from my trip to the fair yesterday. If you’d like to check out the rest, or pick up a print, be sure to swing over to the full event gallery! <– (link).
-Jon
Colorful Effervescence
Did you know there’s a substantial difference among tonic water, club soda, and sparkling water? It pretty much boils down to a lack or abundance of sodium bicarbonate and/or high fructose corn syrup.
However, one thing that all 3 of the aforementioned beverages have in common is a LOT of bubbles.
My girlfriend showed me a tutorial video, presented and narrated by this guy –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqBVWlrHqG8 (You wish you had hair like that.) You can also check out the people he works with here–> ppsop.com/instructors.aspx
I got pretty stoked about the prospect and went to the local scrap-booking store to pick up a wide array of gaudy colorful backdrops (the gaudiness is subdued due to the shallow depth of field). So, while I’m fairly pleased with the results, there are certainly some tweaks left to be made.
A re-do to follow!
– Jon
Rockin’ it out.
This a project that’s been in the works for a few months now.
So my girlfriend collects rocks. It’s been a topic of debate occasionally (I’m not big on nick knacks). Most walks in the woods/on the beach/around a field result in overly heavy fanny packs. I’ll admit I complain occasionally.
That said – I take back all my whining.
Rocks are pretty cool. Did you know obsidian is actually translucent? Because it’s volcanic glass, and whatnot, you can shoot light THROUGH it. My gal showed me that… so if you did know, don’t rub it in… OH! Did you also know that shiny, multi-colored colored one is a massive pain to shoot. See – the problem with a dark, crystalline rock that reflects at every possible angle, it that you have to find that one, single, solitary, PERFECT spot for the light. It’s irksome, to say the least.
So, here are some rockin’ pics. Because these are generic enough, I decided to put them on my fine-art site, JonKArtogrphy. Stop by and pick up a print if you’d like.
-Jon
JonKPhoto 