Outdoor Family Photo session

The value of meeting a client before there image session is immense. When you schedule your session I always tell my clients that we need to meet face to face to get an idea of what they are thinking of for images and to get an idea of what style of images they are looking for. This not gives us a chance to meet and let the customer deciede if we are a good fit and gives me some locatin ideas and help you on chloting for there session.

In this session the client had a good idea of what type of image they wanted and wanted it to compliment the new design of there home. This also took some time to find just the right location which to give the client what they had imagined. When we were done with the original images I finished up the images in post processing to give the feel and the style they were looking for.

The client put there favorite image on a canvas which matched the style I think perfectly. It was amazing.

In these days of Craig s list and other online discount offers make sure before you commit to any photographer first see if they volunteer to meet with you first if not let that be a warning signal. Most reputable individuals will offer or insist on a meeting before agreeing to do the session. Almost all of the time this initial consultation is free and is really in your best interest. This allows you to first meet in person who you are wanting to hire to see if this is someone you can get along with, get an idea of what type of things you may want to do in your session, get an idea of what products are available and what you may be interested in and you can visit with the photographer to get an idea of what the final expenses will be so there are no surprises when you order your images.

I meet with so many people that at first say they do not have an idea of what they want to do during there session but I have found that after visiting with them for a while I can get an idea of what they like or dislike and it really helps to prepare for there session so they get the style they want. 

Alumni Football game Stanwood Iowa 2012

What better to do on a hot and I mean really hot late June day than to play football. While most would call it insane that's just what several alumni from the North Cedar and Tipton Iowa school districts did.

The game started off by the game ball being presented by the St Luke's Hospital Life Flight Team flying in the game ball and landing in the middle of the field. Not to many football games open that way and I was glad that they did not have to make a return trip for some of the players.

While it was hot it was great to be shooting football. I love shooting sports action anyway and what a great way to hone up on your skills than to be able to shoot a game this time of year. This game was also extra special as my son Nick was right beside me shooting his first football game.

While a lot of folks struggle to get there camera settings right to get some great shots most of the battle is in the timing of the action and being able to read what is going to happen before it does. For this game I set up my camera as follows. Shutter priority mode with a shutter speed of 1000. That way you are sure to freeze the action. Most of the night the camera stayed in an apature setting of around F 4.5 If it wanted to go smaller I went to manual mode and set the camera to F 2.8 and a shutter speed of 1000 if I had to adjust I upped or lowered my iso speed.

As you can see these guys weren't taking it easy on each other. If they were they forgot to tell no 8.

Senior Photos with trumpet outdoors

The unusual spring weather has really changed the look of photo sessions outdoors and made for an interesting search for places to shoot. Normally we can not shoot at the river due to high water but that was nothte case  the other day and trying something different we went down to the edge of the river and carried a chair and trombone and shoot some great images. Hers is a couple from that shoot.

I t is always fun to shoot for people who are open for trying new things and doing something unique.
Brennan was up to the task and I think we made some great images and the sound of his trumpet echoing off the large rock walls was great.

Of course we made some other great images that day but I think these will gve him something I am sure no one else has by far.

One lase surprise for Brennan was that I was in Des Moines a couple days before his shoot and knowing that he is a page at the legislature I stopped and made some images of the capital to ad Brennan later in post production.

Brennan Haymond

Below is a video link to view the images of Brennan's senior shoot.


Brennan Haymond

Two year old photos

  Two year old photo sessions are always interesting. I have found that you had better be ready and fast with the shutter button to catch that  split second moment when they unwillingly cooperate. When I am in the studio I   like to use large soft boxes to keep as large of an area lit as possible to accommodate a swift moving child. But by being patient you can create some super images.

It takes a few attempts to get it right but the results are worth the effort. Have your lighting pretty much nailed down before you start with your subject often times your cooperative time is short lived and you don't want to waste it getting your camera.a setting right.

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Always be ready to snap a shot more often than not some of the best images will come when you least expect it. Try to capture the real personality of that toddler. You'll be amazed by the results.

Dance, Pom, Competition photos

1. Almost Famous Dance

STACK THE STANDS

DANCE AND POM COMPETITION

PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL 2011

Wow what a day 11 hours of almost non stop shooting. 9,360 images of the day. Yea you saw it right 9,360 images for one day. But it was a good day and when you meet a challenge like this it is always satisfying.

The only thing is that is when the real work starts. All those images have to be edited, sorted and put into galleries for online viewing and they have to be done fast.

But that is done for this event and again it feels good.

Below are some more images of the day. With so many images it makes it hard to pick just a few.

 One of the more popular image options is the panorama cropped image.

this 10 x 20 image got a lot of attention at the competition. It is amazing how a image can get a totally new look and feel just by changing from a normal image size.

Shooting in an indoor space at moving subjects can be a real challenge especially when the gym is not all that bright. Equipment does not make the photographer but it sure makes the job easier. All the images were shot with an ISO of 2500 to 3200. That is getting up to the limit on usable images on my camera but that is what it takes to keep a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action.
I used two lenses that day my trusty 70 to 200 and my 17 to 55 for the closer action.
I love doing action shots. It is always a challenge and fun when you get the shot

you are looking for. Be sure to check out the video on my Face book page Mike Macke Photography.






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Newborn photos 

Had a great time capturing some great images today with a super family. With any younger tots patience is the key to success. Kids are never on the same time table as you so that's why I plan on a lot of time with younger ones so no one feels pressured or hurried. It tales time to get the image just right.

It took a while to get baby to sleep so we could try a few things but I think it was worth the wait!!!

Big brother was a blast and we had a great time playing in the back yard. Sometimes this is the best way to capture a child's true personality.