Shaking The Dust OffI seem to have made a pattern over the last few years of posting to my blog periodically and then going many months without posting a single thing other than updating client galleries. Every year I keep telling myself that I'll turn over a new leaf and be more consistent with my posts but to no avail. I've hardly been one to maintain a blog for very long and it honestly hasn't been a major priority within my photography business. Well, maybe it's time for a real and permanent change. Not everyone uses social media and not everyone spends a huge amount of time online. So, in an effort to reach more people, I will certainly try to keep this updated on a more regular basis. Until then, just a small handful of what I've been up to since last fall.
Fitness and Star WarsA couple months ago a friend and I finally were able to get together and do this photoshoot we've been planning for months. He wanted some progress photos as part of his Nerd Fitness training and combine it with his love of Star Wars. This is just part 1 of a multi-part series we're going to do. Stay tuned!
The last one has text that speaks to Tyler.
Grace, Elegance, Ballroom: The Snowball 2016In my last post I briefly mentioned a close friend was going to be competing in her first ever ballroom competition: The Snow Ball Dance Dancesport Competition 2016. Prior to the competition I was able to get her in the studio to take a few photos to celebrate this accomplishment.
Finally the weekend of the competition arrived and we were off to a very early start.
The newcomers dancing with a professional instructor usually go first so it meant a very early morning for Greta starting with hair and make up in the wee hours of the morning. Saturday was for rhythm dances (cha cha, rumba, swing, etc.) and she absolutely rocked it.
Greta placed in first or second for all of her dances and ultimately took home third place in the Newcomer Bronze division!
Sunday was for smooth (waltz, fox trot, tango, Viennese waltz) and once again, Greta was in tip-top form.
All that hard work paid off and once again, Greta placed in either first or second for all of her dances and ultimately took home second place in the Newcomer Bronze Smooth division. Congratulations, Greta! You worked hard for this achievement! Also a big congratulations to all the other finalists at the competition! Time to start preparing for this year's Twin Cities Open and hope to see some familiar faces there! Additional highlights from the competition.
Photos from the official photographer can be found here courtesy of Ryan Kenner Photography. Special thanks to Sarah Fuller of Fuller Life Photography for allowing me to use her studio space. If you would like to learn ballroom dance, I highly recommend the following two studios and visit USA Dance - Minnesota for more information. Mill City Ballroom
2015 In Review
Happy New Year! With each new year there comes the customary retrospective and in my case, considering how long it's been since I updated the blog, it's going to be a bit on the lengthy side so strap in for a longer than usual post. August With the end of summer comes the Great Minnesota Get-Together, otherwise known as the Minnesota State Fair! This year I ended up going more days to one fair than I have previously. In fact, the total number of days spent at the fair ended up being more than the number of State Fairs I’ve ever been to! Old friends were in town for several of them and I was very fortunate to be able to spend some time with them. A couple of them even posed for pictures after a long day at the fairgrounds. September I was asked by a friend to take his headshots for professional and personal use. We met in the backyard of my apartment building and made use of the surrounding foliage to create some interesting bokeh but that came with a price: color spill. Green grass and leaves are surprisingly reflective materials, particularly in harsh sunlight and with strobes. Scrims and the Omega Reflector to the rescue!
A photographer friend reached out to me for some help in advising on a few photo sessions for a charity group that began with a very good friend of hers. The group focuses on raising awareness on Desmoid tumors and raises funds for research with the annual Desmoid Dash 5K. It was very special to witness this event and learn more about this disease. More information on Desmoid tumors can be found here. October Once again the annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk came upon us and this year it was an early morning trek through Minnehaha Falls led by Mel Peifer. It was good to see some familiar faces as well as make some new connections. November For something a little different than what I normally do, I volunteered to take photos of the red carpet at this year’s Rumble On The Runway Fashion Awards. Not being a terribly fashion conscious person I had no idea what to expect other than be surrounded by quite possibly the highest concentration of beautiful and well-dressed people in Minneapolis. December To close this year out with a bang, I had a triple header: corporate headshots in the morning followed by two portrait sessions in the evening with three different people. Taking headshots reminds me about the power of human interaction and figuring out the most ideal way of communicating with various people. Finding common ground is always a great place to start, especially if it gets your subject laughing!
My soon-to-be sister-in-law and her good friend are always a hoot to shoot with as they always manage to bring some fantastic costumes. Never a dull moment with singers and theater people! Stay tuned for a more detailed post about how that went. This last set is particularly special to me. Greta is my fiancée’s cousin and she’s quite the introvert and always has been. It’s been a bit tough for her in terms of finding her place and being comfortable in her own skin and in the last year or so, things have really started to go her way particularly in the last six months. She started taking ballroom dance lessons after sitting on the fence for quite a while and she’s taken to it like nothing else. She’s been the happiest anyone has ever seen her and she even participated in her first competition earlier this month. She’s completely hooked and will be competing in the Snow Ball Dancesport Competition in January. A year ago she would give me these death stares anytime I would even sort of point my camera at her. Now she perfectly comfortable with it and, well, I’ll let the pictures do the talking and can't wait to see her perform at Snow Ball!
I’m really glad she’s found something that makes her so incredibly happy. Just goes to show that there’s something for everyone in this world so if you haven’t found it yet, get your butt out there and go look for it! Enjoy a few more highlights from the year. Happy New Year and bring on 2016!
Pippa, Petra, and PhoebeEarlier this summer I had the pleasure of photographing an adorable little 3-year-old and a high school senior. Those who have been following me for a while now will recognize them as part of a family I photographed about a year ago and they are truly some of the most fun people I've had the pleasure of having in front of my lens. Let's kick things off with little Phoebe. I first met her when she was around a year old and it's been amazing to watch her grow in and just how much her personality has started to shine through!
Next up we have Petra. Always fashion conscious, she really wanted to bring out her inner spy in the style of film noir.
And finally, we have Pippa. This high school senior has dreams of becoming an archaeologist and enjoys writing and coffee, lots of coffee! She also has very fond memories of Como Park, where we took the first few of her photos (nothing like moving quickly through a greenhouse on a hot summer day). We ended her session with a trip to Spyhouse Coffee for some refreshment and nice change of scenery.
These are three awesome and completely inseparable sisters, each with their own unique personalities with an unbreakable bond with each other!
« Older Posts
© 2023 David Chin Photography
|
