Carl and Becky

Carl and Becky, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Before church one Sabbath, Becky and I made a few couple portraits. This is the one we liked best.

Strobist info: SB-900 into 60" reflected Impact umbrella camera slight left and above. SB-800 into white 45" shoot through umbrella behind left. SB-600 into 43" shoot through umbrella behind right. Fluorescent strips left and right for slight rim light.

A Sunny July Morning in Minnesota

A Sunny July Morning in Minnesota, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Sunny July Morning in Minnesota.

While it is the end of January when I'm posting this, my thoughts are on days like this. The morning likely was still somewhat crisp and cool at 7:30 am when I took this. The day would get warmer into the high 70s or low 80s.

This is a single image made facing west with the sun to my back. Tonemapped for HDR effect and then massaged in Photoshop.

Remembering My Garden

Remembering My Garden, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Remembering my garden. In the midst of winter, when there is snow on the ground, it sure is nice ... to remember my crisp green garden from last summer. taken 6/18/09.

Natalie with new braces and new contacts.

Natalie with new braces and new contacts., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Natlie in the space of 2 days got braces and contacts! Here is the new Natalie! She curled her hair this morning with the help of Becky.

Strobist info: SB-900 into 60" reflected Impact umbrella camera left and above. SB-800 into 45" shoot through umbrella to the left and behind and above for hair light. SB-600 into 43" shoot through umbrella to the right and behind and above for hair light. Two 4 foot fluorescent light banks - one left one right - with 2 40 watt 5000k light bulbs for slight rim light and focusing aid (these contributed just enough to show light spots on her hair and cheeks in a photo without the flashes). Shot tethed into Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 with Adobe Lightroom auto importing. Displayed on the laptop so Natalie could see the photos as we went along.

Brent holding a pan of Cinnamon Rolls

Brent holding a pan of Cinnamon Rolls, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Brent holding a pan of Becky's brown sugar cinnamon rolls ready to be baked. They were fantastic. We had powdered sugar/brown sugar frosting on top of them. We sat in the living room eating them in front of the fire as the sun set casting a purple/pink hue over the snow outside.

Cinnamon Rolls - Large Depth of Field

Cinnamon Rolls - Large Depth of Field, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Becky's brown sugar cinnamon rolls ready to be baked. They were fantastic. We had powdered sugar/brown sugar frosting on top of them. We sat in the living room eating them in front of the fire as the sun set casting a purple/pink hue over the snow outside.

Shot at f/8 for a large depth of field. Compare to the other one I posted shot at f/1.4 for a shallow depth of field.

Cinnamon Rolls - Shallow Depth of Field

Cinnamon Rolls - Shallow Depth of Field, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Cinnamon Rolls - Shallow Depth of Field.

Here are Becky's brown sugar cinnamon rolls ready to be baked. Shot with an aperture of f/1.4 for shallow depth of field. See my other photo shot at f/8 for a larger depth of field.

A Snowy Stream Meandering Through Minnesota

A Snowy Stream Meandering Through Minnesota, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Snowy Stream Meandering Through Minnesota.

While visiting my parents over in Albert Lea, I noticed these exceptionally tall drifts encasing this little stream. A great opportunity to capture that range of exposure with HDR! It was bright and sunny and since I don't have ND filters, I used an aperture of f/32 and ISO to try and achieve a slow enough shutter speed to get some smoothing of the water movements. Exposures of 1/15s, 1/4s, and 1 second used at f/32.

My wife thinks I took the processing too far (when I asked her if I had or not). I promptly replied that that was what I had intended! :-)

The Frosty Tip Tops

The Frosty Tip Tops, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

This is one of the tallest oak trees around Dad and Mom's place.

The heavy mist of night settled in on the trees and when the sky cleared in the morning there was a wonderful photo opportunity. Too bad I didn't have more time to take advantage of it!

Frosty Trees with Snowbank

Frosty Trees with Snowbank, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

This one has more foreground interest than the one I posted yesterday. What do you think?

The heavy mist of night settled in on the trees and when the sky cleared in the morning there was a wonderful photo opportunity. Too bad I didn't have more time to take advantage of it!

Snow and Sun kissed Tree Tops

Snow and Sun kissed Tree Tops, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Heavy frost settled in on the trees over night. There was a dense fog that the sun burned through. This left a deep vibrant blue sky with the sun lighting the tree tops.

Family photo in the snow

Family photo in the snow, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

We went for a walk under pitch blue skies, with vibrant white snow on Sabbath afternoon to look at a piece of land not far from Dad and Mom's. Dad, Brent, Mom, Carrie, Becky, Danielle and Natalie are pictured.

A snowy view to the Southwest.

A snowy view to the Southwest., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Snowy view to the Southwest. We've had quite the cold winter with multiple snows. The most recent snow added several more inches.

A Snowy view to the north

A Snowy view to the north, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Snowy view to the north. We've had quite the cold winter with multiple snows. The most recent snow added several more inches.

A Snowy View to the South.

A Snowy View to the South., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Snowy View to the South. We've had quite the cold winter with multiple snows. The most recent snow added several more inches.

A Snowy View to the East with Natalie petting Angel.

A Snowy View to the East with Natalie petting Angel., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Snowy View to the East with Natalie petting Angel.

We've had quite the cold winter with multiple snows. The most recent snow added several more inches.

Sunrise photo taken with my iPhone on the way to work

Sun lit smoke stack taken with my iPhone while driving

Natalie with Curls

Natalie with Curls, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Natalie got a new curling iron and Becky curled her hair before church. While they were finishing curling her hair, I set up my lights for a portrait. Mom and Dad and Ben had come for New Year's Day and stayed over night. For New Year's Day lunch we cooked a turkey and a bunch of other food. Becky made pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. I cooked the turkey, made potatoes with Becky along with realy turkey gravy. Saturday morning I got up about 5:15 and adjusted the fire. It was -16 over night and the house had got a bit cold. I made pancakes, tater rounds in the oven and a big bown of peaches with rasperries from the freezer. Mom cleaned up and did dishes. Thanks Mom for doing dishes on your birthday! We went over to Carrie and Jon's place after church and had a meal there, took a tour of the house Jon built and was just finishing on being sold and then went home.

Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" Impact reflected umbrella camera left up close to her. SB-800 into 43" white satin Wescott shoot through umbrella camera right and behind and up high for hair light. SB-600 into pringles snoot camera left and behind left of her up high for a bit of extra hair light. 4' Fluorescent light box on either side for slight edge/fill light (each with 2 bulbs 40 watts at 5000k). Triggered with pop up flash with IR pass through filter infront. Power levels set in commander menu on D80. 7' tall white styrofoam reflector camera right and in front of camera providing some extra fill on that side.

Natalie's Christmas

Brent's Christmas

Danielle's Christmas - Various Expressions

Kiwis on White

Kiwis on White, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Kiwis on White.

Becky purchased some kiwis the other day. I like kiwis if they are ripe. I got bored and decided to photograph a few of them.

Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" Impact reflected umbrella camera slight left and above. SB-800 kiwi right - bare. SB-600 kiwi left - bare. Sitting on white posterboard. Triggered with pop up flash with IR pass through filter in front.

Connected via USB and shot tethered into Adobe Lightroom 2.6. Used Nikon Camera Control Pro to adjust power output and settings from the computer. Copied develop settings across multiple images as I imported.

Setup shot here - www.flickr.com/photos/christensen_carl/4202605485/

Natalie's Baptism

Natalie has been studying and preparing for almost a year. She decided she was ready and she was baptized during the Christmas program. 4 of her friends were baptized at the same time.

Memories of the Spring in Key West, Florida

Memories of the Spring in Key West, Florida, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Memories of the Spring in Key West, Florida. I'm posting this with a foot of snow on the ground. The day I made this photograph, it was so bright you couldn't see without sunglasses and it was warm and balmy by the ocean. The ocean had this beautiful vibrant teal green to it.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM

Dark Clouds Overhead

Dark Clouds Overhead, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Dark Clouds OverHead. This fall during a cloudy day, a gap opened in the sky as the clouds went rushing east. I ran outside and made a few photographs such as this one and within a few minutes it was back to cloudy gray!

Natalie Walking to Feed Angel her dog

Natalie Walking to Feed Angel her dog, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Natalie Walking to Feed Angel her dog. We had a our first major snow. It is bitterly cold outside - less than zero. Natalie was going out just in coverals and a stocking cap. I stopped her and but my big heavy Carhart jacket on her and zipped her up to go outside. Beautiful pink/purple sunrise.

Setting up the Christmas tree

Setting up the Christmas tree, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Setting up the Christmas Tree. The kids got to hang all the balls on the Christmas tree after Becky had finished assembling it.

Jon and Carrie

Jon and Carrie, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Jon and Carrie came over for lunch on Sabbath after church. I made this photograph of them for their Christmas card. Strobist info: SB-900 into 60" Impact reflected umbrella camera right. SB-800 into 45" Impact reflected umbrella camera left and behind for hair light. Triggered with pop up flash in commander mode.

Danielle on Sabbath Morning.

Danielle on Sabbath Morning., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Danielle on Sabbath Morning. Becky straightened her hair so her natural curl was no longer visible. I don't know that I have ever seen Danielle with straight hair! I think it looks great. The 60" umbrella produces a great soft light. This was one of about 60 photos of her :-) .

Strobist info: A SB-900 into 60" Impact white satin shoot through umbrella camera right and above. SB-800 into 45" Impact reflected white umbrella behind to the left. SB-600 into 43" wescott white satin shoot through umbrella camera right and behind. White posterboard reflector underneath for underchin reflected fill. Triggered with pop up flash in commander mode setting power from the camera.

Taken with a Nikon D80.

* Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200) [+]
* Aperture: f/2.8 [+]
* Focal Length: 85 mm [+]
* ISO Speed: 125 [+]

Natalie Before Church a different pose.

Natalie Before Church a different pose., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Natalie Before Church a different pose. While Natalie said she like the previous one I posted with her looking more at the camera, I thought this one was really good too. I had the children come up for a head and shoulders shot before we went to church. Natalie always has such long eye lashes. I have to have her open her eyes quite a bit so they aren't hidden by her long eyelashes! Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" white satin Impact umbrella with black backing on, camera left slightly and above. SB-800 into 43" white satin shoot through umbrella subject right and behind aimed at between subject and white wall.

Brent with Christmas Tree Lights Bokeh

Brent with Christmas Tree Lights Bokeh, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Brent With Christmas Tree Lights Bokeh. We bought a new tree - 9' tall with lights builtin. We played a CD of Christmas music while we put it up and the kids decorated by hanging the Christmas tree balls. Strobist info: SB-900 at TTL into 45" white satin Impact umbrella with black backing on, camera left slightly and above. Triggered with popup flash with IR pass through filter infront.

Natalie Before Church

Natalie Before Church, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Natalie Before Church. I had the children come up for a head and shoulders shot before we went to church. Natalie always has such long eye lashes. I have to have her open her eyes quite a bit so they aren't hidden by her long eyelashes! Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" white satin Impact umbrella with black backing on, camera left slightly and above. SB-800 into 43" white satin shoot through umbrella subject right and behind aimed at between subject and white wall.

Danielle Before Chruch

Danielle Before Chruch, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Danielle Before Church. I had the children come up for a head and shoulders shot before we went to church. Danielle is always so dynamic when it comes to sitting down for a photo ... Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" white satin Impact umbrella with black backing on, camera left slightly and above. SB-800 into 43" white satin shoot through umbrella subject right and behind aimed at between subject and white wall.

Brent Before Church

Brent Before Church, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Brent Before Chruch. I had each of the children come upstairs to the photography room for a quick head and shoulders shot prior to church. Strobist info: SB-900 into 45" white satin Impact umbrella with black backing on, camera left slightly and above. SB-800 into 43" white satin shoot through umbrella subject right and behind aimed at between subject and white wall.

Danielle

Danielle, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Memory lane time. Here it is November of 2009 on a Friday evening. I'm looking back through old photos. Here is one I photographed in 6/29/2002. This is Danielle at age 4 on Sabbath morning with her new dress on. Oh the kids grow so quick and we forget. How I miss my little children :-)

The Winding Road at Sunset

The Winding Road at Sunset, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The Winding Road at Sunset - I was on top of the garage photographing the sky at sunset. I just finished the other photo facing south. This one is facing west. The sun is just out of the photo. I think it is visually interesting the winding road meandering away. This is a 3 shot HDR -2,0,+2 EV. I shot some 6 shot ones as well.

Larger here - farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/4091901161_39aa2b9ab1_b.jpg

A warm Fuzzy Sunset

A warm Fuzzy Sunset, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A Warm Fuzzy Sunset - This is how my wife described my photo that you see and so that became the title. Becky was out returning a friend's dog that we had borrowed the failed hopes of breeding our Great Pyranees. I climbed out on the roof of our garage and setup my tripod on the shingles at the peak. I photographed the sky about 60 times. Here you see a view looking south with the sunset just out of picture.

larger here - farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4091882757_720133e4b6_b.jpg

Morning Sunrise in My Backyard

Morning Sunrise in My Backyard, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Morning Sunrise in My Backyard. We had a particularly strong orange sunrise the other day. There were clouds across the sky, but there was this band of open sky in the east through which the sun shone for about 15 minutes. You can see I have plowed the garden. The big rock is seen as well. My blueberry patch is by the garden.

Cloudy Sunrise with Bright Sun on the Pines

Cloudy Sunrise with Bright Sun on the Pines, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Cloudy Sunrise with Bright Sun on the Pines. I photographed this the other day in the morning as the sun rose. The sky was cloudy, but there was a section to the east through which the sun could shine. The sun disappeared after about 15 minutes. Most of the trees have lost their leaves. The pines and a few oaks remain.

Dark Clouds Chased Away by the Evening Sun

Dark Clouds Chased Away by the Evening Sun, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, rain and wind all day. In a matter of minutes a wind blew up and started blowing the clouds to the east. The evening sun shone brilliantly with a vibrant orange tint. By the time I raced outside with my camera, half the sky had already been cleared of clouds. Within another ten minutes, the entire sky would be cloudy and the sun would be gone. I would have liked it had I got the shot with the clouds a bit higher in the sky. Brent and I jumped on the four wheeler and raced through the field with him hanging on for dear life to try to get in a good position for the photos. This is a single shot with some mild HDR processing.

Dark Clouds Receding with Orange Sun on the Corn Field.

Dark Clouds Receding with Orange Sun on the Corn Field., originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, rain and wind all day. In a matter of minutes a wind blew up and started blowing the clouds to the east. The evening sun shone brilliantly with a vibrant orange tint. By the time I raced outside with my camera, half the sky had already been cleared of clouds. Within another ten minutes, the entire sky would be cloudy and the sun would be gone. I would have liked it had I got the shot with the clouds a bit higher in the sky. Brent and I jumped on the four wheeler and raced through the field with him hanging on for dear life to try to get in a good position for the photos. This photo is a matter of minute later than the first photo that has more clouds in it. The sun was gone about 30 secs after this. We brought the tripod with us in case I had time to shoot multiple exposures and combine them. However, the clouds were moving so fast and the lighting conditions were changing so fast that I didn't have opportunity to. This is a single shot with some mild HDR processing.

Through the Boughs of the Tree

Through the Boughs of the Tree, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The colors of the leaves are great this time of year. It was cloudy and I set my camera up to create this shot viewing through the boughs of the trees. 3 shot HDR bracketed at -2 EV,0 EV, +2 EV with infrared wireless release and mirror lockup.

Brent in front of Fall Leaves

Brent in front of Fall Leaves, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

After I photographed the burning bush and the trees with their yellow leaves, Brent came down to join me. I had him step in front of the trees for a minute. This is natural ambient light.

Burning Bush

Burning Bush, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

This burning bush was so vibrant it was almost unbelievable to the eyes.

Through the Boughs of the Tree

Through the Boughs of the Tree, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The colors of the leaves are great this time of year. It was cloudy and I set my camera up to create this shot viewing through the boughs of the trees. 3 shot HDR bracketed at -2 EV,0 EV, +2 EV with infrared wireless release and mirror lockup.

The View Atop Insipiration Peak

The View Atop Insipiration Peak, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

When we visited Alexandria, Mn we traveled about a half hour away to Insipiration Peak. Even though it misted and drizzled, we still enjoyed our hike up. Here is a view from the top looking over the forest and countryside. View large - farm3.static.flickr.com/2636/4038751340_d0c7bea703_b.jpg

or if you really want to zoom in here is huge - farm3.static.flickr.com/2636/4038751340_c727c15660_o.jpg

Remembering a past meal

Remembering a past meal, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

A few weeks ago we visited Alexandria,Mn. Here is a remembrance of a meal while we were there. While I post this tonight, we just had watermelon even though there is snow on the ground and fresh baked bread.

A ton of new snow has fallen

A ton of new snow has fallen, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

It started with rain, but turned into giant snow flakes. It has really added up quick this afternoon.

Dad and Mom's Place

Dad and Mom's Place, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Dad and Mom have had their place finished for a bit now. We visited after church on Sabbath and had lunch with them. We stayed the night and came back home on Sunday morning so the kids could make it to their piano lessons. I shot this 4 shot HDR on a tripod right before we were ready to leave to do something Sabbath afternoon. Larger view here farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/4030666906_c70a581c58_b.jpg

Fall Colors of the Forest

Fall Colors of the Forest, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Fall Colors of the Forest. While visiting Alexandria, Mn, we went to Insipiration Peak. On the hike back down, I stopped with the mist dripping down all around us for a quick moment photographing the vibrant fall underbrush and leaves. I think I'll have a large print of this made for my wall. A larger size view is here farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4018436782_8947baf5d7_b.jpg

Purple Sunset over Green Grass

Purple Sunset over Green Grass, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Purple Sunset over Green Grass - We went to the Morrison family reunion (related through the Thomasson side). It was hosted at Aaron and Marcy Thamke's farm. While everyone was inside having a feast, I stepped out and captured a few images of sunset. This is a 3 shot HDR shot on tripod with 3 exposure bracketing in the D80. IR remote used.

View large here - farm3.static.flickr.com/2443/4005983867_c30150ac50_b.jpg

Family photo at the top of Insipiration Peak

Family photo at the top of Insipiration Peak, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

We took a family photo at the top of Insipiration Peak in Northwest Minnesota close to Alexandria, Minnesota. It was a small hike up a old blacktop path through trees that were just starting to change color. Misty rain made for challening photo conditions. One could see for miles around. This is viewing west just a bit down from the summit out of the wind. Becky provided cover with the umbrella while I set up the photo. Each child helped carry up a piece camera stand or lighting stand. Thanks kids! SB-900 on camera as master with SB-800 above camera triggered from the 900 and both on TTL.

The Drive to Insipiration Peak

The Drive to Insipiration Peak, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

On our way to Insipiration peak I stoped down at the entrance to the park. The road appears to go on forever and then disappear into the trees. The flaming red leaves of the sumac were a welcome addition to the photo. We quickly made our way to the begining of the trail. This is a 3 shot exposure HDR. Shot on tripod with IR remote. Bracketed using aperture priority mode at -2,0,+2 EV steps.

Stopped on a Country Road

Stopped on a Country Road, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

On the way back from Alexandria, Mn we drove on the Glacial Ridge Trail Byway. At times, the signs had us head off on gravel roads. I was glad we had our gps otherwise I might have got lost out there! This is on a gravel almost single lane road. A few sprinkles coming down and I jumped out of the van with it running right in the middle of the road. I set up my tripod, adjusted exposure, shot 3 bracketed images and off we went again. All of a few minutes. Scenes like this were common - distant vistas, lakes in the valleys, changing colors of the trees. Only way it might have been better would have been blue skies!

Fog on the Grass in Morning

Fog on the Grass in Morning, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

The cool nights result in heavy morning mist or fog rolling off the grass. This wasn't the most of it. At first light the fog was dense in the little depression between the hills. I needed to shoot 3 exposures and process as an HDR to capture some of the full range of light.

Danielle

Danielle, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Danielle prior to going to Church. Strobist Info : SB-900 into 60" Impact reflected umbrella above. SB-800 and SB-600 camera right and left respectively and behind model for side hair light. Triggered with on board pop up flash with IR pass through filter in front.

Baby Kitty at the Farm

Baby Kitty at the Farm, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

Over Labor Day weekend, we visited Becky's parents. Here is a baby kitty at the farm. Natalie is holding it.

A Close view of Brent

A Close view of Brent, originally uploaded by Carl's Photography.

That sparkle in his eye ... . Brent is as always a patient model. Strobist info - SB-900 into reflected 60" Impact umbrella with black backing on. SB-800 and SB-600 at model right and left respectively and slight behind to provide contour / edge light.