Ted and Amber

Ted and Amber...

One Model Place Selects my Photo

The popular site where models go to get work has included one of my
photos of Jillian Valdisar as a featured photo.. Cool!

Valerie! First "Senior Shoot" of 2009

As my first Senior Portrait shoot of the Year

Ted and Amber

Trash the dress...

Found a New Photo Lab

I've just started to use a new lab for all my
printed images. They made 5 prints for me just to
dial in the proper color balance between my computer
and theirs... They can match the exact color that I
see on my computer screen when processing images...
That is something I've been trying to achieve since
the first digital photograph.

I am very excited to have found a professional lab
that takes such time and care and trouble
to ensure that every photo I sell is, well, perfect!

Ed

Inauguration Day

I congratulate Mr Obama on his inauguration, and pledge my full support to his Presidency. I pray the country has made a good decision.

Fusion... The New DSLRs

I am an early adopter.. Have been all my life... I love technology. I was very interested at the national meeting last week of the Digital Wedding Photography Forum in the concept called fusion. Fusion in this context means the combining of a HD video capability into a still camera. Even with my impeccable credentials as a hopeless purchaser of new tech, I resisted the idea of having motion pictures included on my still camera. Don't know why.. very out of character for me.

There were many arguments posited for the coming demand for video clips as a part of traditional wedding photographic coverage... They are probably right... But I got to thinking that video is so much bigger than just covering the sometimes forced artificiality of weddings and is something that consumers want.

Also, I have business need to show not only my work, but my personality. That is difficult if not impossible to achieve with still images, and hard with the written word. I needed to get a video on this site, but did not want to hire a videographer or buy a video camera.

So, over the weekend I thought about how to get a video of me talking about my work onto my blog. I remembered that I somewhere had a little Fuji point and shoot pocket camera that purported to have a video capability... So, I dug it out with very low expectations... Unbelieveably, I found I have a perfectly competent video camera. The video you see above was created with that silly little point and shoot with no added accessories or gegaws. I edited it with the most primitive video software bundled with Microsoft products. Admittedly I look appalling in the video, but that's me, not the camera... Anyway fusion has hit the Wilson household..


Fuji's little sub $200 gem, great lens (not HD, but pretty good)




Nikon's D90 with HD video capability.. awesome!

Talking Ed

Imogen Cunningham

I just got through re-reading a biography and portfolio of Imogen Cunningham. Book is called

Portraiture, Imogen Cunningham by Richard Lorenz.

I am struck by the apparent alienation of her subjects.. Likely a reflection of her own feelings of separateness and emotional isolation. Her images are both beautiful and unsettling at the same time. Even her identical twin sons appear not to bound together. It is a singular body of work. .. I wonder what the families of her subjects did with the photographs? It's a beautiful book with many full sized well printed photographs. Strange woman, great book.

Digital Wedding Forum National Meeting

© David A Williams 2009 ©

Today was the last day of the annual DWF conference. What a meeting! I got to mingle with many of my peers and a couple of iconic photography luminaries. I heard a speech by David A Williams, a notable artist/photographer from Australia. I believe the philosophy he shared with us will fundamentally alter and enhance how the photographers who heard him approach their art. A watershed event which will be a landmark for many. David is a proponent of the philosophy that photography is the perfect medium for promoting and cementing the connectedness of families and people. I'd really like to attend one of his Almost Alone workshops.

Also got to meet and have an extended conversation with Jerry Ghionis, who's work I admire tremendously... It's funny how you expect an icon and idol to be seven feet tall and have the voice of god... and when you meet them they are just common folk... Well, hugely talented and motivated common folk.


© Jerry Ghionis 2009 ©

The most fun of all was a photo shoot that I hosted in my studio with DWF members. We had such a response that we added a second session. The poor model was so exhausted she could barely drive home.

link to David A Williams http://www.davidwilliams-heartworks.com/
link to Jerry Ghionis http://www.jerryghionisphotography.com/

Grampa Dave

Grampa Dave Borchardt is a wonderful guy. He's now in
his 90's and going pretty strong. He was a photographer
in the Signal Corps during WW2 and photographed some
of the Anzio invasion. Also took some of the first pictures of
the first operational jet fighter (Messerschmidt 262).

David was an important wedding photographer in Buffalo, New York
for many years. He was active in the Boy Scouts for over 40 years.
He's also an expert wood carver..whittler.

Grampa Dave broke his hip this week and is having surgery
today. We wish him well and God bless!

Jan 19th UPDATE:
Surgery went fine. Grampa Dave is feeling better and will try to
take his first post op steps today!

What's in an Icon?

My dad was a very busy doctor who loved cameras and everything photographic. Back in the mid fifties, he bought a rangefinder Leica to take with us on a family train trip to Chicago for the American Medical Assn meetings.

Believe me it was a big deal... People in our neighborhood were gossiping about the huge adventure of our leaving Salt Lake City on a train to travel across the country to Chicago. It took 2 nights and three days to get there.

When we got to the train station in Salt Lake City, my dad got out his new leica, and lined us all up for a photograph. He grabbed a luggage porter and asked him to take the picture. The porter, obviously had no idea what to do, so dad pre-focused the camera and showed the porter the button. Dad hurried back and didn't notice his tie was all askew. The porter took a single frame. No other pictures from that trip survive. And, as far as I know not many more pictures were made with that camera. But in 1/100th of a second an iconic image for my family was created.. .

My parents are long dead, and I inherited the camera... Whenever I hold it in my hands, I think of that day. The camera is over 50 years old and the best picture it ever took was on the first roll... taken by an anonymous stranger with no camera skills. Make pictures. . .. not just of your kids. . .. but with your kids. ..

Henk deLannoy getting a photo lesson from Mom

Kaylee, naturalist and photographer

Graduate of Rocky Mtn School of Photography. Superb model. Tough as nails..

Hosting a Class

I'm happy to report that next week I'll be hosting a couple of small photo shoots. The attending photographers will be from all over the US and at least one from Scotland. The Digital Wedding Photography Forum is having it's national meeting here, and we're piggybacking this onto that big event. We'll be demonstrating elements of portrait lighting and posing. Can't wait. Should be a blast!

Ed

Tiana

Deanna DuPree

deannE2W_7489web
Originally uploaded by ebwilson

Looking fabulous

New Years Swimming Party

Visitors from the North don't believe it's crazy to go swimming on Jan 2 in Phoenix

New Year Visit

Linda and I were thrilled to get a visit from my eldest daughter, Laura, and her family. We had an absolute blast and ate way too much. The grandkids: Joop, Cricket, and Henk were a real joy to have in our home for what seemed like a very short time... What a blessing grandkids are!

Ed


Martin and Laura deLannoy..