In The Middle Of The Street

This was shot at the Virginia Beach oceanfront with Mattias, an old friend of mine. Mattias is getting out of the Military, and about to pursue a career and education in acting. Naturally, he needed some head shots, but we also got him some pretty cool portraits while we had him.

My sister Phoebe was assisting with this shoot. She was holding the light stand on the sidewalk while Mattias and I were standing precariously in the middle of the street. Shot using one light shot through a very large softbox, I had to push the AB800 to the max in order to get my ratio right.

Wearing a Kenya Hat

I was just telling my good friend Craig that I never posed anyone while I was in Africa earlier this year. I always had my cameras on and around my neck, so I would grab whatever photo I could, whenever I could. Because I was pulling double-duty by recording video and still images, I had my mind going in two different directions at all times. The subject matter made it easy to always get a good shot. It's a target-rich environment in third-world countries, you can basically just close your eyes, lift the camera, and snap away.

This woman had just returned from the field where she was either herding the goats or hunting. She was my favorite woman in the village we were at during the day because of her glasses. Plus, you can't beat that knit cap in the middle of an African Summer.

Natalie and the Silver Diner

I was really looking forward to Natalie's senior portraits. We had some pretty elaborate plans for an outdoor shoot, but the rain made sure we kept our expectations low. I was able to get permission from the local Silver Diner in Chesapeake, VA and the general manager, Andi, was so gracious and accommodating that she put us in a section they had closed off because they thought we could use the murals.

One of my first prime lenses for the Nikon was the 50mm f/1.8D. For a while, that was the only lens I owned, and I made it work for whatever I had to shoot. I've since gotten a few more lenses that are designed for specific purposes, and sadly, my 50mm often goes neglected. I wanted a load of head-room in this shot because of the mural, but I also didn't want to distort anything on the edge of the frame, so I dug deep into my bag and pulled out my 50.

This was also shot with only one light. I used a hot-shoe flash shot through a 20" umbrella. I really wanted to get the lamp in the frame to give some motivation to the source of light. I think Zack Arias would be proud.

Beef and a Plane

This is my beautiful sister Phoebe. A friend of ours switched the syllables in her name and called her Beefy. For years now I've called her Beef. It's just one of the many nicknames in the Bethune household like Uncle Davis, Ner, Tom, Jeardod, Motcat, Trandoshan, Naynay, Cofaehater, Nakeyboy...

Phoebe, in all of her wonderful quirkiness, was posing for head shots and portraits when she decided she needed a prop to motivate some new poses. If you've been to my parent's house in Chesapeake, Virginia, you know that there is no shortage of props or costumes, so this Fisher Price airplane was just begging to be picked up and cradled. Even jumbo jets need love.

Shot with two Alien Bees in my parent's converted garage using my dad's grey paper background. Minor editing in Aperture, my post-production workflow program of choice.

Songs of Water in the Park

This is an odd angle for me. I'm not usually a big fan of dutch tilt. In fact, if you really know me, you know that I have developed a rather strong distaste for it in most situations. However, the moment was too good to pass up, so in this case, I let it past my filter and to the public eye. Emotion trumps technicalities.

The photo you're viewing was taken while I was visiting Winston-Salem, NC on business.

A Happy Accident

This photo of Sarah was an accident. My batteries died in my pocket wizard while I snapped a couple pictures, so my lights didn't go off. The resulting photo was a near silhouette, but after some creative editing in Aperture, this is the happy accident.

This One is For Lindsay

When I was in Africa this past February, Lindsay asked specifically for pictures of trees. She was on the team as a hygiene training instructor, and she has such a loving heart for the people of Africa.

Why does the sun seem so much bigger in Africa?

Old Session, New Photo.

This is yet another photo of Yuri from earlier in the year. I will occasionally go through old sessions to dig up new photos to post on the blog. This is one of those photos.

Downtown Upstairs

I don't know why it stood out to me, but I really like the scooter at the bottom of the stairs.

Taken in downtown Winston-Salem, NC while I was down there for business.

Using only available light and waiting until there was no car or person walking by, I snapped this at an excruciating 1/25th of a second, handheld. Like some sort of Russian sniper.

I Told Him To Act Frustrated

This photo of David is part of a series of portraits I took for musicians at Bright City Studios in Charlotte, NC. Great friends of mine, and really good sports, I had the opportunity to be creative and let them be themselves.

East Africa, Old West

This is a photo I took while in Africa last February. I never really noticed it before, but while sorting through photos to get printed, I realized how "old west" it looks. I could totally see that building in Arizona somewhere. Instead, it's in Kenya.

Blue Skies Above Lauren

I love my ring flash. It provides a completely different look than my standard softbox.

NC State Inspection

I've been staying the past week in Clemmons, NC doing a contract job for a client here, and in the late afternoon and into the evening on Thursday I hit the town with nothing but natural light and a 24mm lens.

As I was looking for the freeway in order to drive into downtown Winston-Salem, I noticed this mechanic on the side of the road. His little shop is surrounded by crisp, clean, new construction and a strip-mall. For some reason, he still holds claim to a beat-up square of parking lot where he runs his little inspection station.

I love that there is nothing 2009 about this photo.

Inside The Senate Building 8

This photo is the final image of a series from one hour in the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC.

My Friend Lauren

This is Lauren. We used to hang out a long time ago. In fact, as we were talking about it, we both suddenly started feeling old. Of course, I've got kids, so I'm old by default, but when you start using "10 years ago" in conversation, then it starts to sink in a lot more.

Lauren is a very talented classical dancer and actress with a very unique a beautiful look. She has a quirky style which perfectly compliments her sense of humor.

My wife Heather and our kids met Lauren at the Virginia Beach oceanfront to take her photos, and my son Isaiah was once again my assistant. He even got his photo posted on light-test.com because of his involvement.

With Our Mexican Combined...

This is my friend Stacie. She recently gave me permission to blog nice things about her and something about how rad it is to be part Mexican, and how everyone should try it sometime.

I'm part Mexican too, so whenever one of our racist friends wants to be rude, Stacie and I can team up using our combined Mexican blood and defend our heritage. We never do though. Because we're too lazy.

But seriously, Stacie is not lazy. She is actively standing up for what she believes in. She's has a crazy sense of humor, and a contagious laugh. Oh, and if you're not careful, her mom will stalk you on the internet.* In fact, I probably shouldn't talk about it, chances are she's reading this right now.

This was shot on the same day as Matt Lockett's "Popeye Forearms" portrait. I only used one light for this one though.

*please refrain from any "Stacie's mom" jokes and "Your mom is online" jokes in the comments. Except for Statie's mom, she's allowed.

Sand, Glorious Sand

Zay really likes getting his photo taken just so he can ham it up and then see himself on the back of the camera. And Zoe really likes to do whatever Zay is doing.

My kids, Isaiah (Zay) and Zoyenka (Zoe), right after we wrapped a photo shoot with a friend of mine at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Auto Sale

I snapped this photo of a body shop on Highway 58 in Suffolk I would pass all the time, but in the past there was never a rooster hanging out. So clearly there wasn't a real photo opportunity in the past.

Shot from a stopped car using my Nikon d200 and a Nikkor 85mm lens.