Photography from Nicholas Viltrakis: May 2010

052910 FREEDOM (soon)!

It's almost summer... and time for teachers everywhere to be off for three months.

052910 Pyramid Hill Photowalk!

I met local photographer Bob Rohrbaugh at David Ziser's last Master's Class and we became fast friends. Bob is a terrific presence around subjects, very calming and soothing (unlike my chaotic stuttering).

(Totally natural light used in this image no flashes)

When he suggested we go to Pyramid Hill (sculpture park) in Ross Ohio I said "What day?!?"

This is Bob's beautiful daughter Abby she and Allyx (below) were gracious enough to be our models for the day.

The group was Bob and his lovely wife Beth, Abby, Allyx, the unstoppable Trevor Sears, and Terri and I. It was almost too much fun.

Turns out acres of sculptures are really great places for portraits. Also, 3 hours. Not going to cover much ground. Every inch of the park is perfect. I really suggest checking it out sometime.

Here's Bob's setup of a jumping shot just pre-jump.

Another one of the cool sculptures.

I'm not very good at high key, so this was my attempt. Any suggestions?

The wonderful Ms. Terri.

This is Mr. Rohrbaugh himself!

Unfortunately Bob was crushed to death by a random giant gear just after this photo was taken.

We had a great time and tried out a bunch of cool ideas.

It was hot, but a great day!!!

Abby and Allyx were some of the best models I have worked with in a while. Very energetic and lively and were having fun (that's the best part)!

Then we happened upon this pioneer castle/house thing and it screamed "Take a picture of Trevor!"

You didn't see many pictures of Trevor above because, while he's a really fun guy to be around, flowers and sunshine aren't really his thing. I thought this was, however.

Had he only known to bring a sword...

We get out and have photowalks all the time. If you are interested in getting out and learning contact me!

052310 Stacey's Magical Portrait Shoot

This is our friend Stacey. He's a Senior at Wilmington High School, plays trombone, likes magic, is an actor, and among other things has a really nice sense of style.

(I'm not going to give away the secret here, but this is a single "Photoshop-ed" image.)

Stacey came to Terri and I a while ago but at the time scheduling conflicts kept getting in the way. Finally last Friday everything came together for a magical shoot.

We got to try out some totally new locations, and Stacey was a perfect model.

Find amazing locations and take your subjects there!

We had a great time talking about future plans and theater performances that day. Thanks again Stacey!

(This image was created by placing a 580 behind Stacey's wand.)

I wanted to make this look Harry Potter-esque.

052910 Doug and Cathy (Great People)

I have always admired Doug and Cathy's artistic style and personalities. They are above average entertaining almost all the time. And their art work is amazing and prolific! Doug draws several comics, so I wanted this image to be cartoony.

You may remember Doug from a previous wedding!

Cathy and I had been talking about a photoshoot for a couple months when Terri saw a post Cathy had on facebook about these wicked monster heads that she was making. Soon enough, the deal was sealed.

I called them up that moment and we made plans for later that afternoon!

Let's say there's no shortage of cool things to photograph in Doug and Cathy's house.

At the end they even showed me the "how long can Doug hold the cats?" game.

052010 My Lovely Wife

Part of the key to being a successful photographer, in my opinion, is having a great assistant. that takes so much work off your shoulders. I have the best assistant possible. Heck, She was the subject and the lighting for this shot. You know you've got it made when you can move an eyebrow to communicate.

As a model she is amazing as well because she knows exactly what we are going for. I can set up a lighting scenario and she can pose for the light. Quite a handy skill. These shot while we were scouting for locations for the ultra fast shoots below.

Terri's art:

Blog

Flickr

052210 Family Weekend

They say it's the house painters house that's never painted (or some such nonsense). And after not being in contact with my wonderful family for a while I thought it was a great opportunity use the ultra fast portrait style I've been doing to preserve the day!

This is my mom's parents. Both wonderful people with great sense of humor. We spend most of our conversations laughing. My grandfather is a purple heart recipient and World War II veteran.

This is my beautiful Grandma V. She was born in 1914 in Lithuania. She has been quite an inspiration in my life. I try to talk to her once a week as I do with all the family I can.

(sorry guys :)