During the party, I’ll have a small studio set available all night for one free portrait to all attendees.  Also, you will be able to bid in a silent auction for a full custom portrait session of your own.  This portrait session is available in any genre you want including my specialties of family, couples, maternity, boudoir, or even equine portraits.    The portrait session up for bid will include a free consultation, 2 hours of shooting on location, at least 60 images, a multimedia slideshow on a USB drive, and a framed 8×10 inch print.  This session has a retail value of $635.  So this is a great way to get a discount or even to give generously to a local non-profit organization, because the best part is that all the profits from the auction will go to help support Petaluma Arts Center.

AQUS COMMUNITY LAUNCH PARTY!
A New Way of Building Social Capital
Saturday, February 25th
4 pm – 8pm
Lydia’s Sunflower Center 
1435 N. McDowell Blvd

8 – 12 pm
THE REDWOOD CAFÉ – After-Party
EAT – DRINK – DANCE
Featuring “Choppin Broccoli”

Here is some behind the scenes snapshots of a recent wedding I shot in Corona, California.

Answer:
In fairly broad terms, most artists begin with an inspiration or idea and then make a decision on the best medium to visually translate that idea artistically.  Grant it, most artists do use the same or similar medium consistently.  This is especially true of photographers.  But it’s still a critical decision.  For me, there are some aesthetic differences to be considered when choosing between film and digital photography, but the most important factor is how it affects my approach to image-making.

When I was a freshman in college, digital was just coming onto the scene and I didn’t know anyone who used it.  That didn’t last long.  One day in the spring of my Junior year I received a letter from the department chair notifying students that we will all be required to purchase a digital SLR with at least 6 megapixels by the following school year.  Since then, I have mostly used a digital camera, but I do still complete some projects on film.  Including my MFA thesis.

The first thing that the proliferation of digital cameras did was make everyone at least a mediocre photographer.  This is due, in part, to the ability to take many many more pictures on a digital memory card compared to a roll of film.  A digital photographer can quickly click away for hundreds or thousands of exposures feeling assured that somewhere in that mass of images is a few good ones.  Shooting in this fashion certainly doesn’t require as much thought, and I would argue that quantity over quality is not the way to go.  However, as long as I keep my mind in the game, the ability to shoot more pictures is definitely a benefit.

For me, one of the best aspects of digital is that it is much more cost effective, efficient, and just plain faster.  Photographers, like myself, are notoriously impatient.  I once heard that toward the end of his life, Ansel Adams would put his prints in the microwave because he didn’t like waiting for them to dry.  Therefore, the speed at which I can work with digital can be a huge benefit for me.  Especially, for commercial photography.  I can do a shoot in the morning and have proofs ready for clients by the afternoon with little effort.  Again, though, this speed can be also be a major negative.  Speed is not always the best way to make compelling and thoughtful imagery.

Working with a 4x5 field camera.

With that said, a huge benefit to film is that it forces you to slow down.  Especially, when you shoot sheet film.  I shot my MFA thesis, “Imprint,” completely on sheet film with a view camera.  Every time I clicked the shutter it cost me around $4 after the cost of the film, development, and shipping to and from a lab.  Since I was shooting hundreds of pictures for the project, the cost alone really made me think long and hard about what I was shooting and why.  Aside from the cost, using a 4×5 view camera is slow simply because its a large cumbersome machine that requires a tripod and takes a bit of effort to carry around and set up.  I believe this slow and thoughtful approach can really improve my photographs assuming I have the time and money.  Which I usually don’t.

Certain film cameras can add another dimension to my portraiture.  Its true that for my more commercial-style portraits I only use a digital camera.  However, for my fine art documentary-style portraits a 4×5 film camera is the way to go.  This is because I don’t have to hold the camera in front of my face and look through a viewfinder.  When I click the shutter I must use a cable release, having previously composed and focused the image under a dark cloth.  This allows the subject to look at my face instead of the camera.  I believe this conveys a feeling to the subject that I am taking the picture, a human-being, instead of a machine.  The slow speed at which I have to shoot helps the image feel more sophisticated and intimate than a quick snapshot.

You may notice I haven’t said anything about resolution.  In my opinion, when comparing PROFESSIONAL digital cameras with high-quality optics to film, digital image quality is as good if not better than film.  Even sheet film.  Not to mention, most photographers still using film choose to go “figital.”  Which is a slang term meaning they shoot on film and scan with a digital scanner and then print with and inkjet printer.  However, when you scan film you are essentially making a digital rendering of the image therefore making the film resolution moot.  It would be hard to convince me of the resolution benefits of even a drum scanner or virtual drum scanner over a 60MP medium format digital back.  ”Figital” certainly isn’t any cheaper either.  With that said, I still think that working in this way has its benefits to the approach to image-making, but not in resolution.

In the end, shooting film often completely impractical for me.  And digital is a must on commercial shoots.  However, I find that my approach to image-making is much more thoughtful and sophisticated when working with film.  So I’m not selling my 4×5 anytime soon.  But it is nice to not have to work in the dark anymore.

Boudoir By Nathan Larimer Photography

When your sweetie says, “All I want for Christmas is you,” that doesn’t mean she’s not expecting a gift, too. Score a present that will please both of you with today’s deal: For $99, seduce your significant other with an indoor or outdoor boudoir photo shoot from Petaluma-based Nathan Larimer Photography (a $325 value). This hour-long session comes with an in-studio consultation, the services of a professional makeup artist, a 5×7 framed print, and CD of images. Larimer holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and he has loads of experience in family, portrait, and boudoir photography. A passionate outdoorsman, he’s an expert in using natural lighting to reveal the beauty of his subjects. Stuff this deal in your honey’s stocking for a Christmas gift you won’t soon forget.

Want it for free? Buy first, then share a special link. If three friends buy, yours is free!

To purchase click here!

Black and white maternity portrait on a Southern California beach.

“I will admit I was slightly hesitant to have maternity portraits taken because I typically dislike having my photo taken and I was concerned that having lasting images of myself at a “larger” state wouldn’t be fun. However, I decided to hire Nathan for a maternity session and to document my baby shower and I cannot say enough good things about his work. The maternity portraits were all very tasteful and captured my husband and I (along with the “bump”) in a beautiful way. Nathan had some great suggestions but also kept the shoot within the structure of what felt comfortable for me while also complimenting the artistic vision I desired. I know Nathan doesn’t typically shoot events, but I’m so glad I was able to persuade him to capture my baby shower as well. The images really tell a story of the day. My relatives who were unable to attend the event said they felt like they were there through the pictures. Thanks, Nathan, for allowing them to share that special day with me through your work. The turnaround time for images was faster than any other photographer I have worked with and I was blown away with what he produced. I can’t wait to use him again!”

///  Jenn, San Diego, California

If you are interested in booking an equine portrait shoot for your horses contact us today.

Answer:
There really isn’t a best time to take pictures outside, but it is a critical decision a photographer has to make.  This is because the time of day, year, and the weather all affect the light that you are working with.  So deciding on a good time to shoot outside depends on the type of light you want to shoot.

I’ll try not to be too technical here, but I feel that the type of light you are working with is one of the primary aesthetic elements effecting emotion in a picture.  For example, bright sun in the middle of the day can create a dynamic energy filled image while a dim overcast day can evoke a calm, peaceful, or even melancholy feeling.  (See the two images below for examples.)

For much of my work, I prefer a soft sunlight either in the early morning or late in the afternoon.  This is because that type of light is often perceived as pleasing aesthetically and the emotions it evokes can be broadly interpreted to satisfy a variety of viewers.  It’s also much easier to expose properly and rarely needs the addition of artificial light.  Like a flash.  This is why I almost always schedule on-location portrait shoots in the late afternoon or early morning.

Fortunately, here in coastal Northern California the weather is pretty nice year round.  It rains some in the winter, but its never really too cold to shoot outside.  Here in Sonoma County the grass grows tall and many wildflowers come out in the winter and spring, like the iconic yellow mustard flowers in a vineyard.  So the landscape this time of year can really create some unique pictures.  I wouldn’t hesitate to schedule shoots outside the entire year.  With that said, I do shoot indoors as well.

The bright sun in the image helps convey the youthful energy of the boy running to his father.

This soft even lighting makes for a quiet and pensive portrait.

This is the first in a series of questions submitted by clients about photography, my studio, and myself.  I will be answering many of these questions over the next few months, and I’m still looking for more questions to answer.  So don’t be shy.  Ask away!

Submit your questions to nathan@nathanlarimer.com with the subject “I Have A Question.”

Last week I shared some behind the scenes snapshots from this maternity portrait session in San Diego.  Here are some of the final retouched images from the shoot.

These are just the first few images that I have published from the project and I expect to include around a hundred more.  So keep checking my website for more.

The next day the weather was beautiful and we went to Coronado Beach to do some maternity and couples portraits.  Walking along the beach and around the Del Coronado Hotel the light couldn’t have been more perfect.  She had chosen the location, and I see why, because the place was crawling with other photographers!

Here are some behind the scenes snapshots.

Here are some behind the scenes snapshots.

This deal will only last until this Sunday, November 6th at midnight and only at www.shopsocodeals.com.  I rarely discount my services, so don’t hesitate to take advantage!

Log onto: http://bit.ly/usRmTp to purchase