Earlier this month I had the pleasure to photograph two lovely friends of mine: Rita Strough (who talks to Angels) and Mike Gross (a.k.a. “the Wingman”). They are co-hosts of Talk’n’Angels radio show which airs live every Wednesday night on 1460 AM radio from Florence, NJ and online on blog talk radio.
I had photographed the two of them a little over a year ago, but was never really happy with the photos. (Heck, I had a good excuse – I had a  couple of  cracked  ribs and could barely hold my camera much less use any lighting equipment.)  But this time I was nice and healthy, and we had a gorgeous spring day – who could ask for better!
The photos were shot outdoors at the Ryerss Museum in the Burnholme section of northeast Philadelphia at Central & Shelmire, just off Cottman Avenue. The cherry blossoms were vibrant and the sky was a rich blue, so although I generally love black-and-white, today was a day where color ruled! I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Thanks Rita & Mike for being such fun and fabulous subjects!

All photos © 2012, Colleen D. Gjefle

Okay, I had to do some black & white!

While walking my dogs one evening, I picked up a clump of double cherry blossoms off the street. The flowers were beautiful, at their peak of bloom. Not wanting to waste their beauty, I took them home, back-lit them with a small light-box and then photographed them.  I used a Sigma macro lens that I did a review of in an earlier blog. It worked well for this, allowing me to get nice and close. I exposed to get the lit background nice and white, which gave delicate edges to the flowers, partially blending them into the background for what I consider to be a pretty effect.

All photos © Colleen D. Gjefle, 2012

Below are variations of the same photo:

I love ruins! It’s especially fun when you discover well-hidden, little-known local ruins that are absolutely remarkable. Case in point: the Philadelphia Coal Piers.

Back in the days of the coal-powered transportation, ships had to refill their supplies, and that’s where the coal piers came into use. Now graffiti-covered relics, these behemoths are found on the Delaware river in Philadelphia, right off the intersection of Richmond Street and Girard Avenue.  I took these photos on March 24, 2012.

All photos © Colleen D. Gjefle, 2012

Remember “The Furniture Guys” from TLC and PBS? You can still see lots of their shows on YouTube. I’ve known Furniture Guy Ed Feldman for a couple of years now and recently he asked me to take a few photos of him with his cohort Joe L’Erario. The Furniture Guys may be making a comeback to TV, so they needed some publicity photos to send to whoever they send such things to. These are my favorite photos from that shoot, all taken at Architectural Antiques in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia.

Photos © Colleen D. Gjefle, 2012

It was one of those cold, blustery winter days when I met my friend Kate for a casual visit and photo shoot.  She’s living in a drafty old house that is absolutely gorgeous!  It’s huge with marvelous Victorian detailing.  The heating system is probably as old as the house, so it was a bit of a chilly afternoon, but I had a fabulous time photographing her. This wasn’t really a formal photo session – just two friends having some fun.  I have to go back to this house when it isn’t quite so cold out! Brrr!!!

Photos © Colleen D. Gjefle, 2012

I read reviews but outside of some reviews on Amazon, this is my first that I’m writing. No details on the specs, no spectral diagrams, no super-duper technical anything. Just my take on a couple of very inexpensive pieces of equipment that I bought, played with and am impressed with. The lens is a Sigma 50mm F2.8 EX DG Macro that I got used off ebay for $235.  The macro light was a dirt cheap Meike LED Macro Ring Flash FC100 I got from Amazon for a whopping $26.95. (Meike seems to be the same ring as sold under the Neewer name, which is what my Amazon invoice says I bought.) The macro ring looked halfway decent and since I knew I wouldn’t use it on a daily basis, it didn’t have to be super heavy duty.  I did research the lens online before buying it. It got good reviews pretty much everywhere, so I’m tossing in my 2-cents as well.

I absolutely love the Sigma macro lens.  The apertures range from f2.8 up to a silly f45.  However, the image quality degrades after f22 or f29, but perhaps its just my lens.  I originally bought it for photographing jewelry and  figured the higher f-stop would help with the problem of depth of field with macro shots. But I don’t need to go up that high – f14 still gives good results. Below are two pieces of custom jewelry that I shot recently with this lens set at f14. Both of the smaller images below are linked to the full size photos (both are over 1mb in size, so they might take a bit to load). These jewelry shots were taken in a light box hand-holding my Canon 5D Mark II camera.

Photos by Colleen D. Gjefle / © 2011 / GJFOTO.com 

As sweet as this lens is for jewelry photography, the real artistic strength is, of course, in the wide-open f2.8 aperture.  The super shallow depth of field really locks your attention on the spot that is in focus. I love this to no end! It can make for some terrific semi-abstract photos that are just plain fun.  Below is a close-up of one flower on my African violet, which is happily blooming right now. I was hand-holding my camera with the Meike macro light attached.  The lens was only about 2” away from the flower I was photographing, and the flower is only about 1” in diameter to begin with. So if you ask me, that’s pretty impressive as most “macro” lenses still have to be several inches away from the subject.

Once again, the smaller photo above is linked to the full-size image. Note that the yellow stamen is in focus and everything else is beautifully out of focus. A friend said this shot reminded her of a painting, which I can only take as a compliment.

The macro light is a lightweight LED light that runs on 4 AA batteries with the power source connecting to the camera’s hotshoe.  It came with 7 different sized adapter rings so you can use it with a variety of lenses with different filter sizes.  You can have it operate as a flash, which provides more power, or as a continuous light source, with a lower light output. There are also 7 different light levels easily changed by the push of a button.  I don’t know how durable it would be if used on a daily basis. But at only $27 bucks, it’s practically disposable!

So here’s what the macro light and my Sigma lens look like. Small investments, but I don’t regret either one.

Unless you’re totally internet-phobic, you may have seen various versions of people’s 365-day projects.  For photographers, obviously the idea is to  take one photo each day for 365 days.  I liked the idea, but wanted to wait until January 1st to start (is that being anal??).

The only rule that I’m making for myself is that the “365” photos cannot be “work” photos, though I can take them while working. They have to be something personal – a photo I want for myself.

So without further ado, here are the photos for January 1 through 4.

Photos by Colleen D. Gjefle / © 2011 / GJFOTO.com

1/1/2012. Having fun with my Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro lens.
The photo is taken hand-held in available light and features an old “baby booze bottle” circa 1980.

1/2/2012. This is a different view of a photo I took several months ago.
The reflections and nearly horizontal angle of this print makes a cool image on its own, IMHO.

1/3/2012. Using the same print as I did yesterday, I focus in on my name, using a very
shallow depth of field and the reflections from the window to create a semi-abstract image.

1/4/2012. I really love this! Once again it’s using a really shallow depth of field and a muslin
cloth full of wrinkles to create an image that reminds me of the hills and dunes of a desert.

I’ve been negligent about keeping up with my blogging. Sometimes just trying to think about what to share makes my head hurt. So I blow it off and do something else!

But several days ago I got an email from a fellow photographer that made me think. Don’t get me wrong, I’m introspective to begin with, but this made me consider how I view myself and my art. It also gave me a  nice little boost, which I really needed at the time.

I was asking this photographer about an organization I’m considering joining and I wanted to get a photographer’s perspective on it.  She had taken a look at my website and in her email reply to me she referenced my "high end fashion photography". 

This surprised me and the phrase ran through my head: “but I don’t do high end fashion photography!”

I photograph normal people with jobs, families, pets, PTA meetings, mortgages, car troubles and everything else that goes with a “normal” life.  I just try to make them look spectacular through posing and lighting (not by taking years or pounds off them via Photoshop!) Okay, I have photographed a few models/aspiring models, but we didn’t do anything fancy at all, mainly on street photography using existing light.

But this did get me thinking about our self-perceptions.  Not counting somebody with a really distorted image of themselves (such as an anorexic), the visions we have of ourselves often aren’t what other people see.

I think we all know classic beauties who scrutinize “flaws” that nobody else can even see.  Or the guy who clearly has above average intelligence but he just keeps working in a menial job.  Or the person who always sells himself short and has never recognized that they have an incredible talent for something.

I certainly never considered any of my photos as “high end fashion photography”.  So I’m taking another look with a different eye. I can see similarities and I do try to make many of my clients look like models, but I think I consider my photography to be more artistic. As a result of this “new perspective”, I am emphasizing the artistic aspects of my photography more than I have in the past. It makes sense anyhow, since I’m also a painter.

How do you see yourself and your talents? Do you need to take a second view or to pay closer attention to what the people around you are saying? An old year is coming to an end and a new one is beginning, so now might be the time to take another look at yourself.

To repeat some wise words: “Change your perspective and you change your life.”

Photos by Colleen D. Gjefle / © 2011 / GJFOTO.com

LIMITED TIME HOLIDAY PORTRAIT SPECIAL

It’s that time of the year again! I know – it came up fast. Before you know it, Santa will have come and gone. But not to worry (yet!) – there’s still time to get holiday portraits taken.

Space is limited and time’s running short, so call me now to book your slot.

215.483.4027

The last date I will be booking sessions is Dec. 18, but if you want your photo cards in time to mail out, the time to book is now!

Packages available:

1. $99* – 25 cards + (1) 5×7 print + 3 low-resolution digital photos
2. $99* – (3) 8×10 prints + 3 low-resolution digital photos (NO CARDS)
3. $135* – 40 cards + (2) 5×7 prints + 5 low-resolution digital photos
4. $135* – 40 cards + (1) 8×10 print + 5 low-resolution digital photos
5. $165* – 65 cards + (1) 5×7 + (1) 8×10 prints + 1 high-res photo + 5 low-res digital photos

* plus 8% PA & Phila tax
All sessions require a non-refundable deposit of $50 to be paid at the time of booking.

Select from several different designs for your Holiday cards. Click here to see the different cards available.

Earlier this month I had my first visit to the massive (approximately 380 acres) Mount Moriah Cemetery located in Philadelphia and Yeadon, PA.  I attending a volunteer clean up day to photographically document the efforts of the volunteers, the condition of the cemetery and some of the magnificent, though horribly neglected, monuments and memorials.

A couple weeks later was the second volunteer day that I attended, and I brought my camera with once again.  I pretty much knew during my first day there that I was going to be hooked.  The second visit completely confirmed it.

After decades of neglect, there are some great people dedicated to resurrecting Mount Moriah and bringing it back to its glory. In particular, the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery are taking the lead. I’ve been made to feel very welcomed by members of this organization (special thanks to Haunted Mt. Moriah and Paulette for that warm welcome).

Mount Moriah’s sordid history of neglect has recently been brought to public attention, with even the city of Philadelphia going to court to determine ownership of the cemetery. It seems to be quite a unique and complex situation that surrounds this huge, historic cemetery.  I won’t go into much detail as this information is readily available on  the  Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery’s website and elsewhere on the web.

Here are two galleries with photos of the volunteers : Oct 8, 2011 and Oct. 22, 2011. You can see more images I photographed here -  http://gjfoto.smugmug.com/Cemeteries/Mt-Moriah-Cemetery

I also have several special fine art prints available of my favorite Mt. Moriah scenes. Purchases of these prints will benefit the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery.  Fine art prints are available on metallic paper or metal prints with float mountings.  These fine art prints are available here – http://gjfoto.smugmug.com/PrintsforPurchase/Mt-Moriah-Cemetery

I’m just starting to do a little with the high-def video feature on my Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, so I also have a few short videos  up on my YouTube page. I’m not a videographer (yet!) so don’t judge my first videos too harshly!

The first photos below are of the incredible, though now decrepit, Gate House designed by Stephen Decatur Button.

Photos by Colleen D. Gjefle / © 2011 / GJFOTO.com