Hanson Image Blog

Brandan Fokken

2012-02-03T21:16:00.003-06:00

I just shot this with Brandan after he got back from competing in the Bodybuilding.com spokesmodel contest.

Custom Lights in Photoshop

2012-01-20T17:08:00.004-06:00

I got the urge to do some custom work on a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, but somehow couldn't come up with the money for the real deal....

Benjamin

2012-01-12T12:22:00.008-06:00

I thought this shot was an interesting example of how a ring light can be used for the main.

f/1.4
1/250
ISO 100

Photoshop Plugins
Silver Efex
Color Efex

1964

2012-01-11T17:22:00.003-06:00

Brandan

2011-11-20T00:11:00.000-06:00

Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T22:55:00.002-05:00

Boxing

2011-09-20T18:58:00.005-05:00

I Just ran across this and thought it was worth posting. As usual the lighting is just a blend of creativity and Menards. If anyone has any questions about light feel free to ask.

Burning Down the Olympia

2011-09-17T16:14:00.004-05:00

I just had another shoot with Brandan right before he went to Vegas for Mr. Olympia. There's one sick athlete for you.

Lions with Lambs

2011-07-20T12:25:00.009-05:00

Yesterdays photo shoot with my newest niece, Natalie.

f/1.4
1/60
ISO 100

On another note, OS X Lion is available today in the app store. Don't have too much fun.

Photoshop?

2011-06-09T17:35:00.005-05:00

You've probably heard me talk about this before, but since it comes up a lot I thought I'd post about it again. Photoshop is a great tool for making a good thing better, but the honest truth is you don't need to have it to take great photos. Even edgy hard shots can still look great without even going thru ACR or Lightroom. Focus on getting things right in camera and you'll not only save time, but it'll improve the quality of your work even after going thru post.

Cinema Style

2011-05-21T13:58:00.008-05:00

I'm constantly fascinated by the process of making movies, but my current camera only shoots stills, so I've been playing with the idea of creating photos with the feel of movie frames. I only use constant lighting for this style, and do as many effects in camera as possible, so eventually I may actually be able to shoot film clips with the same look. Here are some of the shots I've done so far.

If that's not enough for you, how about a movie poster to top it off?

Back to The Shop

2011-04-18T20:28:00.007-05:00

So, you're a creative photographer who understands outdoor lighting, and how to create edgy senior portraits. You have all sorts of photoshop tricks up your sleeves, and can turn any mistakes into art. But what do you do when someone comes to you needing clean professional images for business cards, magazine articles, websites etc?

If you're anything like me, this isn't where you want to put your money. But these are the jobs you tend to get more than you expected. It's not always very exciting, but then most of the jobs we get aren't all glamour and glory. It may seem like these are the easy shoots that you really don't need to think about that much, but for me these are the jobs that tend to keep me up at night, because they demand something beyond adding texture and using some actions to make them pass. You need to get it right from the start, and keep the photoshop to a minimum to preserve quality.

So what am I trying to say?

First of all you don't need to buy a magic softbox and a how-to guide. Head out to your workshop, grab a 500 watt work light, and a 100 watt heat lamp, (Just don't keep them out too long or those poor little chicks will freeze, and your dad won't be able to finish his wiring project) and follow the diagram.

Keep in mind that these lights are very warm, so you'll probably want to keep your color temp below 3200K, and the images might need some minor color correcting in post. And they will start a fire if you leave them on near anything that burns...

If you found this helpful or have questions I'd love to hear from you!

AC

2011-04-16T18:58:00.003-05:00

If you're creative you will definitely not want to miss out on this blog. This is my recourse for getting past the myths and fog in the creative world when I'm feeling stuck.

Accidental Creative

iPad + PS?

2011-04-14T00:09:00.008-05:00

Just read this article on MacLife

With the announcement of the Touch SDK, Adobe also announced their three companion apps for Photoshop CS5 on the iPad. While Adobe Lava and Eazel bring new and exciting ways to play with color and form on the iPad, and send that information to Photoshop, it's Adobe Nav that's the real workhorse in the mix and to us, the best of the three apps.

All three apps connect via Wi-Fi with Photoshop's built-in Remote Connections feature new to Photoshop CS5.5. You can connect via an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network, or a network Wi-Fi connection.

The app displays the most used Adobe tools, the color palette, screen mode, and an Actual Pixels button. Your iPad just became an additional monitor for Photoshop with access to your toolbar.

Quickly edit the tools you're using with just a few taps

If you're a hot-key master, these might not be of much use to you, but you can edit the tools to switch out for tools you might not know the hot-key combination or tools without keyboard shortcuts.

Dealing large stacks of camera images just got easier

While that's impressive, for users that deal with multiple images open at once--especially images from cameras with their DSC-numerical names--Adobe Nav will also display all the open images in Photoshop on the iPad in a helpful grid.

Need to switch to that photo of the dog wearing a tutu? You can quickly scan your iPad, find the image, tap on it and it becomes the foreground image in Photoshop. Awesome.

Adobe Nav only works with Adobe Photoshop CS5.5. Our test device was the iPad 1 so we're guessing that it'll work on both versions of the iPad when finally released. The release date is early May and it could cost anywhere from $1.99 to $4.99.

We'll have a full review soon on MacLife.com.

Legends

2011-04-11T19:33:00.005-05:00

I know; you've seen this before. But who doesn't want to see it again?

Warning: Mild Violence (MUUUAAAAH)

2011-04-01T22:24:00.004-05:00

Yes I enjoy what I do... Hopefully you feel the same way...

And no, I didn't photoshop him bigger. That's real.

My Little Portfolio is Getting an Upgrade

2011-03-31T20:27:00.005-05:00

There are more coming; I just couldn't resist putting one up.

Sorry

2011-03-30T10:13:00.006-05:00

It's been a year since I've updated. Sorry about that. Here's a little glimpse into what I've been keeping busy with.

If anyone is interested in seeing how I'm making these wings let me know. If I get enough interest I might give away some secrets.

For Now

2011-03-07T22:45:00.000-06:00

I have a lot more of these to go through, but this is what I have so far. When I flew to San Antonio I brought my camera and a reflector, and from there we went out and found the light wherever it was. When you find yourself in this kind of situation your ability so see light will make or break the shoot, which is why it's important to always be studying light everywhere you go.

Kelsey

2011-02-15T16:49:00.004-06:00

We sure walked through a lot if snow, but it doesn't look like much in the photos. Spring is taunting us!

Jenna Article

2011-02-09T12:55:00.012-06:00

I was visiting my grandparents yesterday, and they gave my this article. It's interesting to see my work turn up here and there.

More Snow

2011-02-07T20:02:00.002-06:00

And I'm still alive...

Snow Days

2011-02-02T20:03:00.006-06:00

I'm pretty sure another outdoor shoot in South Dakota would kill me (and my model), but so far it's been worth it!

Problem Solved

2011-01-17T17:47:00.004-06:00

Hannah informed me last night that she hadn't had a new profile picture in about a week, and that something should be done about it.

Waiting... But Not Patiently.

2011-01-05T13:01:00.008-06:00

I would LOVE to post some 3D photos for you, but until everyone has screens for that 2D will have to do. Sorry.

The Art of Being Able to Make Art...

2010-12-27T15:26:00.003-06:00

Fixing the fog machine... The fun thing about being an almost broke artist... if you can't keep everything else from going broke... you're sunk.

Snow Shoot

2010-12-26T18:56:00.001-06:00

Ellie Around the House

2010-12-24T21:48:00.001-06:00

The Nativity

2010-12-22T00:20:00.004-06:00

We've been using this nativity set for years, but this is the first time I looked at it and wondered what it would be like with minimalist lighting... Shocking. I know.

Vietnam in 8mm

2010-12-08T21:43:00.007-06:00

My grandpa brought his 8mm projector over with film he shot while he was in Vietnam. I snapped a few photos of it, but it falls dismally short of seeing the actual footage. Hope you enjoy them anyway!

Libby

2010-11-06T19:36:00.003-05:00

Photo Art

2010-10-22T23:09:00.000-05:00

Weekend Shooting

2010-10-10T20:20:00.001-05:00

Campaigning

2010-09-30T20:02:00.003-05:00

I was driving down the street after an awesome day shooting and I saw my photo going up. Good luck Jenna!

Action

2010-09-24T11:46:00.001-05:00

Having fun in the middle of the night...

Cars

2010-09-23T17:11:00.002-05:00

Not Much Sleep...

2010-09-23T15:31:00.002-05:00

Before Photoshop

2010-09-23T11:55:00.003-05:00

Acquired thru bridge (Cause I'm too cheap to buy Lightroom) and compressed to jpeg. No photoshop in this house.

Fashion

2010-09-22T11:58:00.003-05:00

Not my normal look, but it was fun!

Lauri

2010-09-22T11:42:00.001-05:00

Settings

2010-09-20T14:29:00.003-05:00

Settings for this shot were F/00 1/40 ISO 1000. And that blur thing isn't from photoshop...

Bible Bee

2010-09-17T09:53:00.003-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to photograph Kari and Kayla for the National Bible Bee. These girls have shown amazing dedication as they have studied and competed to reach the national level. Follow the competition and cheer them on at biblebee.org.

New Website!

2010-09-16T15:44:00.008-05:00

Check it out!

Just Hangin...

2010-09-16T13:46:00.003-05:00

Gallery Images

2010-09-15T09:32:00.001-05:00

Snapped this with my iPod.

iPod Touch Movie

2010-09-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

Just having fun!

2010-09-13T23:49:00.003-05:00

Setting up my light

Lighting Vid #1

2010-09-13T20:21:00.002-05:00

Splat.

2010-09-11T23:10:00.001-05:00

Sheep

2010-09-08T19:57:00.001-05:00

Rod Evans helping me chase sheep...

Warroad

2010-09-07T11:26:00.004-05:00

Random photos from our trip to Warroad, MN.

My work station...

One of my many lighting assistants

My uncle working at the corn maze

My grandpa in one of his many awesome trucks

Abby

2010-09-06T20:16:00.001-05:00

Straight From the Camera

2010-09-03T17:23:00.002-05:00

No RAW processing, cropping, color correction or photoshop.

Ben

2010-09-02T00:10:00.003-05:00

One of my current faves.

Ben and Abby (behind the scenes)

2010-08-30T19:49:00.022-05:00

I had an awesome time working with Ben and Abby this weekend. Thanks to all the people who made these shots rock!

Setting up the shot

Fall in summer

Ben got to climb down a 30 foot muddy slope wearing his one size fits all armor... and then back up again...

Testing my light before we burn the place down

Huge thanks to our effects guy, Isaac

Ringlight

2010-08-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

Just messin' with my toys.

Rachel

2010-08-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

Group Ideas

2010-08-23T10:10:00.003-05:00

Just playing around with ideas for stylized group shots.

Before the Fall...

2010-08-18T13:07:00.002-05:00

or 'while it's still summer'...

Drive to Omaha

2010-08-11T11:14:00.002-05:00

Snapshots of our drive to Omaha yesterday.

Kaleigh Turns One (facebook album)

2010-08-05T22:32:00.001-05:00

Sorry guys, I didn't have time to upload these again...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25796&id=100000703631361&l=7d43de25d4

Photography, Not Photoshop

2010-08-04T07:26:00.003-05:00

I'm getting tired of seeing photoshop being used as a crutch rather that as a tool to make good images better. So I decided to post an un-retouched image...

Happy Birthday Kaleigh

2010-07-31T23:20:00.001-05:00

My niece just turned one!

Tricks For Your Toys

2010-07-15T00:05:00.003-05:00

I just got the August Mac Life, and it had a whole article full of sweet terminal tricks! :D

Turn dock icons translucent for apps that are open but hidden.

Open terminal (Applications-Utilities) and type "defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool YES; killall Dock" and press enter.

If you aren't as happy with the results as I am, retype the command replacing YES with NO.

X-Ray Folders in Quick Look.

Type "defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableXRayFolders -boolean YES" and press enter.

I love this one, but if you don't, retype the command and replace YES with NO.

I hope this isn't too technical... I just thought they were cool! If you want more, there are 25 terminal tricks in the August 2010 Mac Life.

One thing I find most iPod Touch users don't know (and wish they did) is how to screen capture. When you have the image you want to save on the screen, press the lock button and the home button at the same time until the screen flashes. You'll find the image in the saved photos folder as a PNG. If you didn't already know this don't feel bad... I learned it by accident...

Kaleigh

2010-07-14T18:25:00.001-05:00

I always love it when my niece stops by!

Yet another senior shot...

2010-07-10T23:57:00.002-05:00

I know, I'm self centered... But mom wanted more...

Before and after

2010-07-01T18:52:00.001-05:00

Or after and before...

2010-06-29T10:44:00.004-05:00

This isn't a normal thing for me, but I thought I'd do a little product review today. My old Apple headphones started peeling apart, so I decided it was time for something new. After picking up Apple's in-ear headphones I realized that at best the other headphones are a representation of how your music is supposed to sound. Each ear has a woofer and tweeter that increase the dynamic range by an amount you have to hear to believe. Snug, in-ear fit blocks out background noise, (I can't wait to try this on a plane) and it has small medium and large silicon tips to give you the perfect fit in each ear. If you use headphones on a regular basis these things are definitely worth the 79 price tag (especially if the set that came with your iPod has finally fallen apart). These little wonders also come with the remote and mic, so if you've been living in the dark ages with a cheap set, this thing pretty much unlocks the glory you're iPod has been hiding all this time. Enjoy!

Outdoor Fashion Lighting

2010-05-18T21:59:00.003-05:00

Setting up for the shoot.

2010-05-15T00:05:00.002-05:00

Ellie Black and Whites

2010-05-10T14:42:00.002-05:00

Behind the Scenes

2010-05-08T18:01:00.004-05:00

This is the "studio" where I do virtually all my indoor photography. The lights are set up for Abby's portrait.

Rainy Day

2010-05-07T18:30:00.001-05:00

I was going to mow the lawn today, and it started raining... So obviously the best thing to do was photograph the event.

2010-05-06T21:15:00.001-05:00

Outdoor photography

2010-04-29T18:44:00.001-05:00

I've been posting so much studio work, I thought something from the great outdoors would be cool.

2010-04-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Jonathan's Truck

2010-04-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

Lightning

2010-04-15T14:56:00.001-05:00

Profile Pic Landscape

2010-04-13T16:18:00.001-05:00

Here's the landscape version of my new profile pic.

Photoshop CS5

2010-04-13T12:13:00.005-05:00

If you missed the web launch yesterday, you should check out the new software from adobe. As soon as I've had a chance to play with the new features in photoshop I'll post more.

Time for a new facebook profile pic

2010-04-08T00:17:00.001-05:00

Grunge

2010-04-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

Throwback

2010-04-01T13:30:00.003-05:00

Way back before there were iPods, there were... Yeah. These things...

Mom's China Hutch

2010-03-31T17:32:00.003-05:00

This is just to prove that I don't have to break things to take a picture.

Josh's Seniors

2010-03-30T16:32:00.002-05:00

Accidents are fun!

2010-03-18T14:53:00.002-05:00

I left an empty frame sitting on the counter under the cupboard with our glasses, and someone was thirsty. That was kinda cool.

Libby

2010-03-17T16:56:00.005-05:00

The photo isn't new, but I thought it would be fun to play around with it.

Ellie and Kaleigh

2010-03-05T22:44:00.000-06:00

Ellie

2010-03-04T21:50:00.001-06:00

Hannah in blue

2010-03-04T21:45:00.000-06:00

The Basement

2010-03-02T12:21:00.003-06:00

Just a few shots in our very old and awesome basement...

More Affordable Lighting Tricks

2010-02-09T22:39:00.005-06:00

Here's another lighting trick Rod showed me. The credit for this one actually goes to Brian Demint, who has mastered this little tool...

It's pretty simple. Go buy a heat lamp ( or get one out of your barn), and a 100 watt standard boring everyday average lightbulb, and have some fun.

One thing to remember here; the closer you hold the light, the more diffused it will be. Just change your shutter or aperture to keep your skin from clipping.

This light cost me $8 plus 50 cents for the bulb. I got it at Menards, so it might be cheaper other places. I haven't looked.

And if you're wondering why I am always posting photos of myself, it's because I find whenever I need someone to try something new on, I seem to always be available.

Rod Evans

2010-02-09T12:44:00.004-06:00

A few of the kids just had a shoot with my all time favorite photographer, Rod Evans. I got a few camera phone pics at his studio, and he said I could post them.

Sister Shoot

2010-02-06T17:30:00.003-06:00

I just did this with my new soft box. I'm loving that thing.

My Wood Floor

2010-02-06T17:22:00.004-06:00

While I was in Menards buying parts for my soft box I found linoleum wood flooring in 5'X6' squares for $13, so I got one. It looks pretty good for that price.

Do It Yourself!

2010-02-04T22:29:00.005-06:00

I ended up at Rod Evans' studio yesterday, and he told me how to build a soft box, so I did (with some help from Mom). I wasn't really counting, but I think it cost around $20 (The light is an extra $20-30). I think I saved about %90 on the thing, and it works great! Just make a pvc frame and stretch some nylon over it, and there you go.

Just For Fun

2010-02-02T14:04:00.006-06:00

If you're a pc fan I'm not trying to change your mind. I just thought it'd be fun to take some comparison shots.

You might think I'm comparing apples to oranges since the pc is a 15in. and the mac is a 13in., but the 15in. MacBook Pro is the same thickness as the 13, (.95in.) and the 17in. is .03in. thicker...

This is a closed MacBook Pro sitting by an open Dell Inspiron.

A typical pc trackpad...

And Apple's multitouch glass trackpad.

And here I have two MacBook Pros stacked one on the other, and one Inspiron.

If you feel like sending me death threats or hate mail, please remember this is just for fun. I'm not trying to change your mind... really.

MacBook Pro

Check this out!

2010-01-30T00:57:00.003-06:00

Hannah embroidered these on my laptop bag today! Gotta love it.

iArtist

2010-01-29T17:03:00.002-06:00

Just a new version of an old image. Sometimes I can't help myself.

iPad

2010-01-28T12:47:00.007-06:00

Apple just announced this new toy yesterday. I'm guessing most of you have seen it, but if not check it out.