New client site - for a CPA

Working with my favorite clients to design a site. She's an accountant, so it has its challenges. The client gives me beer and lets me crash on her couch for helping her out with the design

setup shot

I love when set up photos end up being keepers. This is Dylan, who was kind enough to take time from his busy WOW schedule to allow me to use him as a lighting test. Such a good sport

Premier Accountant in the Seattle Area

A dingo ate my baby!
Not really.
I've been away from my camera for some time now, trying to find a new house to buy (one that we can afford in the area which we want to live) and I've had much of my time with my 9-5 job, in addition to trying to rebuild my 69 volkswagen fastback motor (well, the whole car, but the motor is first).
Kim wanted a photo that she could put on her social sites and her website, so while she was out gallivanting around Redmond today, I set up a 4 light portrait setup in our dining room. It felt really good to get behind the camera again and play with my strobes. I use Skyports to trigger my flashes, and my sending unit is dying on me. I have used and abused it to the point where it works when it wants to. The last wedding I shot, I used it for some shots, but then it stopped working and I had to switch to my ST-e2, which is my favorite.
Anyway, I used a couple of sample "uber-actions" by Doug Crouch to finesse the photos http://www.uberactions.com. Doug is a good friend and an awesome photographer. I assisted him on a few shoots and we had a blast.

Senior Portrait -Last minute style

My son needed to get his senior portraits done this year. We discussed it a long time ago and he asked if I would shoot them for him. We gave him the choice of different photographers and he likes my style, so I shot the pictures for him. I had elaborate lighting plans and great scenery in mind - something cinematic and dark. (Hey, that's what I do.) He wanted simple and natural light. They are his pictures, so who was I to argue. We agreed that this shot would be used for the yearbook to meet the deadline of Friday, and we will shoot again later for more artsy shots.
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Wedding in Boring, Oregon

I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding in Boring at a beautiful property near one of my favorite golf courses. This is just a teaser, as I am in the middle of editing the 900+ images I shot during the wedding. These two girls were quite the hams during the wedding. The smaller girl is Samantha, the daughter of the bride and groom. She is about the cutest little girl in the world. The older of the two is her cousin.
Here is an edit for which I used the Tri X filter in Lightroom. I still love grain from the film days and whoever it was that made this preset has reproduced it beautifully.
This is a first blush edit, so I'm not sure that it will make it to the client in the final cut, but I needed a warmup.

BTW, I moved

My family and I decided to move back to Kirkland, WA, where it feels like home. I made some great friends in Oregon and had some great photo jobs, but I feel like I'm home again. My email is still ken@kengillstudios.com and the website is kengill studios.

Still Life Rake

I shot this photo for a school project. I like it so much that I ended up printing it and hanging it in my house. It's really not often that a piece of my own work becomes a favorite, but this is one of them.
This was for a still life project of some sort. I don't remember the requirements. I think it was "simple background, single item still life".
If you are interested in the lighting, there is one white lightening with a grid spot pointing down and forward from behind the rake and one other with a large strip box to camera right. This one was flagged so it didn't affect the circle of light or shadow of the rake. I just wanted a little rim light on the tool.
Not that I'm sponsored by Craftsman, but I had a finishing rake like this one - a gift for housewarming. I was moving 3 yards of river rocks with the old rake, when the head popped right off toward the end of the job. I swore a few times and took the old rake back to Sears. I didn't have a receipt, but it was Craftsman, so they took the old busted and gave me the new hotness. I finished the job with my foot or a shovel, so the rake was barely used for this shot.