This means so much to a photographer

Many of the children I photograph feel like an extended family to me. This is especially true of the Mehrle family. I’ve had the good fortune to photograph Kerk and Liz Mehrle’s children for many years now. Their home was recently featured in The Northside Sun edition of Beautiful Homes and Gardens. Liz is a talented artist and has a great appreciation for the work of other artists. This is clearly evident by the decor of their home. In addition to the collection of art, there are two walls of black and white photographs that I have taken over the years. Liz commented in the Northside Sun article that these walls contain her favorite collection of artwork in her home. I would love to think that she loves this work because of my photography skills, but I understand that she loves these photographs because they represent her family. Kerk and Liz value family and these walls are a snapshot of their time together. It has been such an honor to be a participant in documenting their life.

I have watched Pryor, their oldest child, go from elementary school to a senior in high school. We recently added her senior pictures to the list of photography sessions I have done for the family. My fondest memory of Pryor was during a session on some hunting land several years ago. Pryor was given the task of driving me around the land to scout out photography locations. It gave me the chance to get to know her a little better as we rode around the countryside. She was humble, sweet and a pleasure to be around. I know how proud her parents are of her and they have good reason to feel that way. I want to say thank you to the Mehrles and all the families that have allowed me to play a part in documenting their lives. It touches my heart when I hear that photographs I have taken are cherished by someone. Thank you all.

Best outfit choices for girls portraits

What type of outfits do you recommend for my senior portrait? This is a question I get asked all the time by senior girls and their mothers. Here are a few suggestions that I hope will help you decide what to wear for your senior portrait session or when being photographed at any age.

Black and white photography

I am a big fan of black and white film photography. It has a timeless look that will never go out of style. I would recommend having one outfit that is very dark or very light for your black and white photographs. In fact, as illustrated above, black dresses or white outfits with texture work exceptionally well. Any outfit that provides contrast and texture to a black and white image is a good choice.

Color photography

Pastel colors and bright colors are great choices for portraits. This is especially true for backlit images like the ones above. Many of the girls I photograph select a pastel top with white jeans as one of their outfits. Colors that highlight your personal features are also important. If your eyes are blue and wearing something blue draws attention to your eyes then by all means make that one of your options. Use a little caution when selecting a red outfit for your portrait. Sometimes red will reflect on to your skin and cause you to look a little red in your images.

Sweaters and coats

I like to encourage girls to bring a sweater or coat for some of their images. One of the most difficult things about having your picture taken is trying to decide what to do with your hands. Wearing a coat or sweater offers a a great solution to this problem. Some other options would be a scarf or necklace that you can hold onto in a relaxed manner.

Detail shots

The final piece of advice would be to consider parts of your wardrobe that would help tell your story. This would include anything that is unique to your personality and way of life. These types of images are often overlooked, but can greatly enhance a portfolio of images from your session. Most importantly, don’t stress out about having your picture taken by a photographer. Just be yourself and it will all work out fine.

The colors of Yazoo City

Occasionally, I enjoy taking the short trip on Highway 49 to Yazoo City, Mississippi. The downtown area of this town is interesting, to say the least. The main street provides a colorful array of buildings ideal for photography. I have also found the store owners in the downtown area to be some of the nicest people I’ve had the opportunity to meet. Everyone seems to go out of their way to make your visit enjoyable.

This trip to Yazoo City was long before the pandemic hit Mississippi and I am not certain if shops are currently open. I would however encourage you to visit the local shops whenever the opportunity presents itself. It is a town worthy of a visit at some point. These images from Yazoo City were taken with the Contax G2 camera and Fuji Pro 400H film.

Hot Coffee and the Contax G2

I really enjoy a good cup of hot coffee, but that’s not what this story is about. I recently took a drive down to Laurel, Mississippi in search of some photographs. My plan was to take some photographs with my Contax G2 camera. This is a camera that I have owned for many years but rarely have a chance to use. The Contax G2 is a rangefinder-style film camera designed to be used with a series of Zeiss lenses. The lenses for this camera are some of the sharpest lenses that I own. The camera is compact and great for travel without sacrificing quality. On the way to Laurel, I decided to take a detour through Hot Coffee, Mississippi.

According to Wikipedia the towns name came from the story of L.J. Davis. “ L.J. Davis built a store and hung a coffee pot over his door, advertising "the best hot coffee around". His coffee was made from pure spring water and New Orleans beans, and molasses drippings for sweetener. He never served cream with his coffee, believing it ruined the taste. Local politicians would visit Davis' store and buy coffee for constituents and passing travelers. The popularity of Davis' coffee led to the name of the community.”

My choice of film for these images was Kodak Portra 400. This trip was a nice change of pace from my usual photography. I will definitely be taking a few more trips around Mississippi with the Contax G2. After a lifetime in Mississippi, I finally get to check Hot Coffee off my bucket list.

Sheltering from the storm

When I was a young boy, nothing made me happier than to go fishing or hunting with my dad. However, there was one time when a fishing trip with my dad didn’t turn out to be all that fun. Looking back, however, the trip was a life lesson that is coming in handy these days. We had taken an aluminum boat out on the Ross Barnett reservoir with the hopes of catching some fish. The boat was equipped with a small outboard motor which made moving around the big lake possible although fairly slow. That is until it decided to quit working properly in the middle of the lake. For some reason, my dad could only get the motor to go into reverse. That wouldn’t be such a big deal except for the fact that a major storm was heading in our direction. We began to make our way back to the boat ramp (in reverse) until it became apparent that we could not make it before the storm hit. We could, however, make it to the Highway 43 bridge in time. The decision was made to shelter in place under the bridge.

Shortly after we made it to the bridge, so did the storm. It was worse than expected and as a young boy, I was scared to death. Waves were crashing over the side of the boat and the water began to fill the boat. I lowered my head and began to pray silently. My dad looked back at me and said, “How are you doing?”. I nervously said, “ I’m fine”. I didn’t want him to know that I was afraid. He smiled and just continued to hold the boat steady. It was clear that he and I did not share the same concerns about our situation. This was my first lesson from that day. Don’t worry, just trust your father. I was about to learn my second lesson. The storm was beginning to weaken and it came time to head back to shore. Keep in mind this was before you could simply check the weather on your phone. We weren’t completely sure that the storm was over. But, at some point, you just have to go for it and have faith that your father will get you home.

These past weeks of sheltering in place reminded me a little of my time under that bridge. My dad passed away many years ago and is not around to hold the boat steady anymore. However, I place my confidence in another Father that has always been there for me. The one I prayed to on that day. I am certain that just like my dad, He understands my concerns, but doesn’t share them. As it approaches the time to stop sheltering in place and slowly return to life, I’m pretty sure that life will repeat itself. Just like before, I will say a prayer for this to be over. I will tell you I am fine even when that is not entirely true. But, ultimately, I will trust my Father to get me home.

Suffering and Sacrifice

Good Friday

It seemed appropriate that it was overcast and raining the day I captured this image. After all, it portrays Jesus being put to death on a cross. This crucifix is located in Cedar Hill cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The monument is surrounded by cross shaped tombstones where Catholic nuns from the local order Sisters of Mercy are buried. Some of these nuns cared for sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War. However, much of the care was not for gunshot wounds or wartime injuries. Most of the deaths from that period were a result of disease. The dates on the tombstones indicate that the majority of the nuns that died during the Civil War period were only in their twenties at the time of their death. It is likely that they contracted illnesses from the soldiers in their care.

Over a million people around the world have contracted a terrible disease from the current pandemic. Many more have been asked to make sacrifices for the better good. Doctors, nurses and first responders are putting themselves at risk everyday. This may be remembered as a period of suffering and sacrifice. However, we are currently living this story and the story is not over. We are not certain what the final chapter will be.

A message of hope

Today is Good Friday. Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. A day in which Jesus suffered on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Christians celebrate Good Friday because they believe a message of hope arose from the suffering and sacrifice. The image of the cross above was taken in front of Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the belief of Christians that the story did not end with suffering and sacrifice. The story continued with a message of hope, forgiveness and love. What is the final chapter of our current story? Maybe it has already been written. Maybe, just maybe, we win in the end.

The colors of slide film

Transparency or slide film

Some of you remember the slide projectors of days past. Families would gather around the projector and watch vacation pictures projected on a screen. Countless memories were captured on Kodachrome film until it was discontinued in 2009. Many of Steve McCurry’s images from National Geographic were shot on Kodachrome. Paul Simon even wrote a song about it - “Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away”. The lyrics went like this:

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away

A few slide films are still available today. Kodak Ektachrome, Fuji Provia and Fuji Velvia to name a few. Fuji Velvia is still a favorite with some nature photographers. I captured the image below of a stream in the Smokey Mountains on Fuji Velvia.

Fuji Velvia

Kodak recently released a new version of Ektachrome film. The image at the beginning of this post and the photograph below of the Mayflower Cafe were both captured on Kodak Ektachrome.

Kodak Ektachrome

If you own a film camera and have never used slide film consider giving it a try. I must warn you that slide film is not very forgiving when it comes to exposure. However, when exposed correctly these films can offer some beautiful results.

The look of film - Part 2

Color film photography in portraits

Backlit images - This is one of my favorite attributes of color film photography. In digital photography it is usually necessary to use strobes to expose backlit subjects properly. This is because it is very easy to blow out highlights with a digital camera. In other words, detail in the brighter areas of the image will be lost. Film however retains details in the highlights quite well.

The images above were captured on Fuji Pro 400H film. This film is considered a 400 speed film. In other words, it is rated at 400 ISO. For the images above, I intentionally overexposed the film and rated it at 200 ISO. This brings out detail in the shadows while retaining the highlights due to the films latitude.

I also like the fact that anyone having their portrait taken in this situation does not have to wait on the photographer to set up lighting. It can be a much more pleasant experience.

Skin tones - One of the most important things to get right in portrait photography is skin tones. The images above were shot on Fuji Pro 400H film rated at 200 ISO. It has been my experience that portrait images captured with this method require very little if any touching up. Skin looks beautiful straight out of the camera. What do you think? Please feel free to comment.

I want to share a couple of other things I have discovered doing portraits with a film camera. First, it helps me be more engaged with my subject. I spend more time getting to know the person I am photographing and not looking at a screen on the back of my camera. Second, it slows me down and forces me to consider each shot more carefully. I have found that this increases the number of quality images in a shoot considerably.

I hope you enjoyed this series on the look of film. While film is more expensive and often more difficult, It is the method I prefer for most of my photography.