A portfolio, revamped!

Friends:


I've slowly been updating my online portfolio.  I've completed the people side of images...  http://lakeshoreclick.com/portfolio/people.htm for those of you interested.


d

wallpapers are updated

Well, it's only been two years since the last refresh, but I have finally updated the wallpaper downloads on lakeshoreclick.com.  If you're looking for a change of scenery on computer, check it out at http://lakeshoreclick.com/Wallpapers/.  I dropped the 4x3 format, and am only producing widescreen versions now.  Nothing personal to those of you with standard-screen devices - I just don't like the format, and have decided that I am indeed vain enough to think my images should not be artificially crammed into that format.  

the dominican republic wedding

Sarah and I took our holiday vacation somewhat earlier (and farther) this year, to travel to the Dominican Republic for a wedding.  Other than the day of the wedding, we spent 8 days and 7 nights doing absolutely nothing besides sun, food, reading, cigars and of course rum.  ;)


There's a rather large gallery posted, mostly for family and friends, on my main site.  The link is provided above - just click on the title of this post. 


A special note to Natalie & Dave...  Thank you so very much for sharing your wedding with us.  May all your days be as special!


D

Congratulations Ken!

lakeshoreclick.com would like to take this moment to congratulate Kenneth Bollinger (dan's father in law) on winning this year's Farm Bureau Michigan Agricultural Technology Teacher of the Year award.  Ken has been teaching students for over 40 years now, making this award more than due!  


Congratulations, Ken!  We are all so very proud of you!

from the lakeshoreclick.com staff.... both of us!

linnea

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Sarah and I are more thankful than ever (more to come on that topic shortly).  I have been shooting a lot these last few months, most of which has been  for personal use.  I did, however, have the honor of shooting the senior pictures for Linnea.  She was great in front of the lens!  I wish all of my photo sessions were as successful as hers!

A small sampling of her pics can be found via the following link. 


http://lakeshoreclick.com/linnea/


Gobble, gobble!


D

nieces

I just love my nieces and their friends.  I'd say they rock, but I am not sure that 'rock' is a cool phrase anymore.  They are all willing subjects... I oft tire of taking pics of them before they tire of being subjects. Adults, we could all learn from that - for what it's worth.  


My sister's daughter is a challenging subject.  She's simply beautiful, but she's also a director... she's convinced that she, only only she, knows what poses work for her.  So, I roll with it.  Can't complain about the results.




My sister's neighbor has a very beautiful child. I love my gear, but all this kid needed was some fill flash and BOOM, great pic.

Off to my brother's house.  His daughters are older, but still just as innocent in front of the lens.  I just love my family. 

So cute!



Best part, all I have to say is "do something funny" and this appears instantly.  It's like they been holding it in forever!



My God-daughter.  Lucky guy I am.





The requisite outtake...

Celebrate the kids in your life - their the best of who we are...

d

the other side of the lens

Sarah and I are in the process of adopting. We're on the wait list and have had some near misses, but still waiting. Waiting for a child to call your own is a pretty surreal experience. I can't quite explain what it's like. Sarah, on the other hand, has no problem (nor inhibition) describing how she feels... "It's like I've been 9 months pregnant for 2 years."

Regardless, we can tell you this - being on hold has made our favorite phone call also our least favorite. We've gotten the "we've had a baby" call three times this year, twice from some of our dearest friends. We are SO happy for them, and are grateful and blessed to share in their joy. Still it makes the longing we have for a child weigh even heavier on our own souls.

At least I am getting some good practice with baby pics. Below are some shots from the most recent arrival. I am really happy with the pics, but I also look very forward to the day I can experience the arrival of a child from the other side of the lens.

d

Waterloo Girl

The contrasts between reunions on Sarah's side and my side of the family are pretty interesting. Sarah's extended (and I mean extended) family participates. She knows half of folks that attend, which means I know maybe a dozen. The event lasts an afternoon. That many people in that short of time frame and... Mr. Introvert is outta the tent and onto photogging! Fortunately, this annual reunion yields in some of the best still-life photography I do....

Then there's the reunion on my side of the family.... mostly my immediate family, S.O.'s and nieces. And it's a week long. The Vomastek's love it, but you can tell it wears on the significant others a bit. Those reunions are a textbook example of an overindulgence in food, vino and fun. Still great photo ops... albeit dominated by willing nieces!

Our families are diverse in many ways. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but certainly in a practical one. Sarah and I know we are blessed to have such great families on both sides of our marriage. WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

d

PS - you can find the full gallery from Sarah's reunion here... http://lakeshoreclick.com/family/bollingerreunion2009/

On Photography and Golf

Photography and golf share a common demon – the yips. You can define the yips as a sudden loss of ability to perform at a level you’ve come to expect from yourself. Frequently they show up after a breakthrough performance – you come off that high, finding yourself in a sea of self-imposed pressure to repeat. Of course, this pressure only hurts your game.

I’ll never forget the day I shot my best 18 holes, an 87. I also won’t forget the 104 I shot the next round. I can still hear my father. “Relax, Dan, relax.” It was almost as if he was a kung fu master … “let the swing will find you, young grasshopper”.

Photographers feel similar pressure. You reach a point where your images stand out, others recognize you’ve got some skill or, God help you, you win an award. You start chimpin’ like crazy. Each click of the shutter is like a judge’s gavel – the image better be flawless. In this anxious state you miss the ’zen’ that separates good pics from the average ones.

Photographers and golfers frequently attack the yips with the same, flawed approaches. We blame bad light, poor greenskeeping or even those around us for interfering with our concentration. We buy instructional books, DVDs and read every blog we can get our mouse on. And we buy more gear. I’ve known many a golfer who was convinced a new putter would solve everything. Substitute “photographer” and “lens” in the above, and you’d be where I’ve been.

In the end, the only way I’ve beaten the yips was to follow my father’s advice… relax. Keep at it, and good images will find you. The last time I suffered the yips, I was camping in Northern Michigan. I just about drove my lovely bride nuts with all my fussing and the incessant chase of the perfect camping picture. Good thing she loves me – it’s tough to be around someone in that state of mind.

I went out shooting the first morning with lackluster results as my only quarry. It wasn’t until the next day I found my groove. We were hiking through Taquanamen Falls on a day where the mosquitoes couldn’t have been worse. With my mind distracted by the mosquitoes, I forgot all about the yips and got this…

And this…


You’d think the irritation of mosquitoes would make it harder, and while they did, nothing is worse than the yips. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

D

It's Never Perfect...

Shooting a wedding is one of the greatest challenges, stress tests and pains in the butt a photographer chooses to put themselves into. Fortunately, it also yields some of the greatest rewards. You just have to remember that wedding photography shares a common tenant with the wedding itself... no matter how much you plan, it won't be perfect. Things happen fast, and some mishaps will happen - especially if you are shooting by yourself. When mishaps do occur just keep 'flying the plane', as my best friend would say.

At the most recent wedding, there were three mishaps during the day. But much like everything else, most people won't notice if the mishap is small. The biggest of the three... I missed the signing of the marriage license. I was outside setting up for the traditional throwing of the bird seed, thinking the signing would occur later. Nope. While I was waiting outside, they were signing inside - and nobody thought anything of the fact that I wasn't there. Fortunately, I had a good relationship with the bride and groom, and they were very gracious regarding the missed shot.

Which brings me to an important point... the single most important prep work you will do before shooting a wedding is building a relationship with the bride and groom. Have lunch with them. Shoot their engagement photo. Talk with them several times before the big day. This does a lot for you... you learn their style and personality, you gain a foundation to work from when things don't go as planned, and most importantly, you learn to trust each other. That last one can't be understated. You get much more authentic pictures when the bride and groom trust the person behind the lens.

By day of the wedding, I want my clients so used to me and my camera that is easy for them to ignore me and go about their day as if I wasn't even there. Trust me, this is how you get the best pictures. Not that I am against posed pictures, but they do lack the authenticity that comes from a client who trusts you and let's you get in a little closer.


I've mentioned this before, but I also choose my clients carefully. I won't work with a couple if I don't think we can have fun together. Now, the day is all about them - that's a given. But if we can't have fun together, they won't ever relax in front of the camera. Without that, the images aren't fun either - and they have to be a little fun.


Of course, you still have to have the traditional posed shots in your toolkit. Practice the lighting beforehand and be ready on scene to grab the perfect pic when the moment presents itself.


Nope, it's never perfect, but it doesn't have to be...

D

(Stacey and John's wedding highlights can be found here. Thank you, Stacey and John, for letting me share your day and for being such a great couple to work with!)

What I've Learned from Annie

Last weekend, I read Annie Leibovitz's latest book, At Work. It is an auto-biography of sorts, concisely sharing behind the scenes views of her more famous works and assignments. It was somewhat of an odd book for Annie - far more text with her images taking a much smaller role. Even the writing style is different. More choppy and random in nature. Still, this isn't why one studies Annie - you study her solely for the inspiration afforded by exposure to her work. And even if the vehicle of her writing isn't the best out there, it's important to remember that the destination is what matters.

Annie opens the book talking about her first forays into photography, and the respect a photographer must have for the camera. "If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant." She also compared photography to painting (her original field of study). She recalls being drawn to the immediacy of the print over a painting, and how that suited her impatience (something I can relate to).

She stresses honesty in pictures, preferring candid shots to the posed. But when posing is required, it should maintain that sense of honesty. She talks about her favorite pic, which happens to be of her mother... "[she] is looking at me as if the camera were not there." I think Mr. Cartier-Bresson would second this.

But, what struck me the most was how the camera became her social vehicle. Painting can be isolating, but photographing people forces one to be social - there's no way around it. This strikes a huge cord with me - as someone who was shy in his youth, getting behind a camera gave me a way to interact with others without the anxiousness my shy side would often produce.

All in all a good read for the Annie fans out there.

D

Studies

Just a quick post today - I've updated the studies page on my main site to reflect some more current publications.

ciao!

D

Nikon Equipment Reviews

For the record, I'm done with Ken Rockwell's reviews. He trashed the Nikon SB-900 flash - without using it himself - when it came out. I ended up buying one anyway, mostly on the strength of Joe McNally's and Thom Hogan's reviews. I used it on a shoot last week, and the flash, while not at bright as the SB-800, has a new Fresnel lens that puts out great light with great control. Well worth the purchase... in fact, I'll be buying a second one.

Ken, buddy, nothing personal, but you're blacklisted.

Spring Break

Working in education, it is always fun for me to watch the bulk of our students and teachers leave town, as fast as they can, for spring break. As we live in Michigan, warm destinations are the popular norm. Personally, I don't get it. Michigan is awesome, and enjoying your home turf when the masses have left affords one with an oft-solitary journey into the local, surrounding beauty. Even more, it seems each spring break we get a 'freak' snow storm. As the temperature is warm, the heavy, wet snow sticks to everything, leading to some fantastic images. Would you believe this was shot on April 6th???

Then, there's this image... funny story - I'm on the side of the road with my gear, and the county plow is coming down the road, 45MPH and headed straight for me, spraying an 8ft trail of wet-salty &%^&$. Fortunately, the driver slowed to a crawl, lifted the plow blade, and just waved as he drove by. Don't know who that guy was, but THANK YOU!

Then the police cruiser stops next to me... dano's busted again... Surprisingly, he roles down the window and tells me he's jealous. He's a fellow photog and would rather be out shooting. I understand.

Finally... Yes, Sarah, I was wearing my new Polo jeans as I walked through six inches of wet slush and mud to get to this spot. Sorry....

Sometimes the best photo destinations are right where you are!

d

Ansel Adams I Am Not...

Artists are blessed and cursed. We create from visions within, yet cannot help but see those subtleties separating the good from the excellent and the excellent from the genius. We apply this ‘eye’ to our own work, whether music, painting or photography, and become our own toughest critics when we see just how much we fall short of our sources of inspiration. I look at the work of Joe McNally, Bryan Peterson, Glen Johnson, John Shaw, Annie Leibovitz… Henri Cartier-Bresson, and work hard to incorporate their genius into my style – ever aware just how much I fall short such high standards. Of course, Ansel Adams belongs on this list as well. His darkroom skill will likely never be bested, and the powerful simplicity of his compositions is a hallmark of fine photography that others, myself included, aspire to.

I was honored to win the Ansel Adams Award for Fine Photography my senior year of high school – signed by Virginia Adams herself! I spent many of those days hiking around with a 4x5 view camera, plates, and the largest tripod I’ve ever carried, trying my best to imitate one of my heroes. The better I became, the more I was able to appreciate just how large the gap was between what I could produce and what Ansel did.

Ansel was very methodological in his approach. He would visualize an image from start to finish even before the first meter reading. He’d mark on his plates exactly how he planned to develop the film back in the darkroom. Of course, Ansel had his happy accidents - Moonrise Over Hernandez, his most celebrated image, chief among them. This image was also one of those happy accidents. I was meandering about with my wife and sister, looked over my shoulder, saw this scene, and instantly knew it would be the shot of the day. The composition was a no-brainer… the horse in the foreground with the triangular s-shaped fence leading the eye to the rest of the horses and the rancher’s house was practically gift-wrapped. I’d like to think even Ansel himself would approve.

The sky was mostly cloudy, creating a relatively low dynamic range and affording me an exposure that captured the detail in the clouds and snow. Still, it’s easy to see where I am not Ansel…. he would have kept detail in the shadow areas of the horses and the brightest whites in the fence line. He would have known they would be important to the final image, and would have exposed and developed accordingly. Me, I just wasn’t paying enough attention to recognize it at a time when I could have done something about it. I still love this image, flaws and all. Absent my studies of Ansel Adams, I might not have noticed these flaws, maybe enjoying the image more – but then I wouldn’t be as good of a photographer.

Yes… a blessing and a curse. The trick in all this is not to become discouraged as your awareness of what separates good, excellent and genius increases. Rather, allow that awareness to inspire you on to higher levels. Take the curse for what it is and improve your skills. Just never forget to enjoy the blessing along the path to becoming a better artist.

d

(this blog is a partial except from dan's portfolio - click here for the full page)

Life at the end of the alphabet.

I just may have cursed my wife...

Not deliberately, of course, but a pattern is emerging. In my high school days, I was the last person in my group of friends to go on a date, much less have a girlfriend. It wasn't that I didn't want to date, but hey, it was the 80's, and camera carrying computer nerds weren't sought after... at all.

Fast forwarding... I was the second to last person in my college circles to marry. This was more by choice - I'd shed some of the nerdiness of my youth and was dating more, but just couldn't shake this vision in my mind of the partner who'd be perfect for me. It took the 20-year old, who told himself he'd be married by 25, 15 years to find the woman of his dreams. She was very much worth the wait.

A few years passed, and Sarah and I have built close friendships with several couples in our locale. These friends (some of whom are family), all have kids (or are soon too). As Sarah and I are in the process of adopting, they've already been a wonderful resource to us - both physically (clothes, furniture, etc.) but also spiritually as we wait for a child of our own. Fortunately, our friends don't mind 'loaning' us their kids from time to time. It takes the edge off the wait, and provides a nearly endless supply of shooting opportunities.

Maternity shoots are especially challenging. Getting the light just right while not trying the patience of a soon to be mom is a delicate balancing act. But when you do get the light right, the delicate power of maternity is unmistakable.

Then there are the newborn sessions. Fortunately, if well fed, newborns will put up with a lot. Of course, Mom's loving touch doesn't hurt either...

My favorite sessions remain younger kids. Never are they afraid of the camera, and they'll not tire before you. Even the posed shots have a spontaneity to them that is hard to find in adults.

It's a wonderful reminder of what's in store for Sarah and I.

When Sarah changed her name after we married, she went from the B's to the V's. She'll joke from time to time that moving that far back in the alphabet hasn't been the best deal for her - especially in light of how often we're sorted by last name, even as adults. Hopefully, that won't translate to much longer of a wait for a kid of our own.

dan

Additional Images
Sophie's first gallery
Rachel and Allison

Your Inspirational Story for the Day

What I wouldn't have paid to be there...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3967807

Think I will think twice about whining about anything today.

Welcome to the lakeshoreclick official blog. Personally, I'd prefer to maintain custom pages all the time, but the overhead is getting to me... and I've got other things I want to do with my time.

For those of you wondering where I have been, I have been shooting, but mostly for clients who have requested that their galleries remain private. I am working on a new shoot this weekend, and will have some postings soon!

ciao!

dano