Joe Blog

Sunday, December 22, 2013

The 2013 Holiday Card Photo Shoot

Last year, my boys and I had a great time cooking up a photo for our holiday card and we decided to make another one this year. It's a fun photographic challenge to see what we can invent and what the final look and feel will be. I really love to share photography with my kids. They ask all sorts of questions about the set-up and make a few clicks themselves. As you can see, they also get into the spirit of the story line.

This year, the big mystery the kids wanted to unravel when they saw the first shot was "how did you make the wall red!?" For inquiring minds at home, the main light is a Paul Buff Einstein studio strobe with a medium softbox triggered with Cybersynch's. The red wash on the wall is a Nikon SB-910 speed light with a red gel on it. It's placed low and pointed up from camera right. The SB-910 was set to slave mode so it was triggered by the light of the Einstein strobe.

Above all, this has become a holiday project that we all get excited about and have a lot of fun creating. It's becoming a tradition... and isn't that what the holiday is all about?

This is the final image...

This one was a close second..

Here are a few out takes...

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

What size print should I get?

Gifting a print this holiday season or perhaps thinking you want give yourself something awesome? Maybe this is helpful. Like most things in life... Go big!

This image of a beautiful winter morning in Freedom, NH is available for purchase at joeviger.com!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Everyone Gets a Discount Through December 7th!

The mountain and trail running community has been a tremendous supporter of my work and I've become a huge fan of all these amazing athletes. So, I ask you to consider this... did you get a shot from your PR run at Sidehiller? You probably don't have a good picture of that famous pain face you get on the second lap. How will you convince your kids you were in fact crazy enough to run UP a mountain!? Do you have a photo of World Champion Max King lapping you at Cranmore?

Take advantage of this sale and preserve these precious memories forever! 25% off at joeviger.com continues through December 7th and that includes all race galleries! Just spend at least $10 and use the code JVGRnov when you check out.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Snow Makes Everything Better

There was a good coating of snow on everything in Freedom this morning. The kids were excited thinking there'd be a snow day and anticipating ski season. All of a sudden it's looking like the holidays!

The First Christian Church of Freedom
Freedom Village, NH

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The House of Maisel

Jay Maisel is a master and revered among photographers. I love to hear him talk and he is imminently quotable. My personal favorite is "If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person." Many folks not in the photography community may not be familiar with him. His best known image is from the cover of the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue".

Jay bought the Germania Bank Building in 1966 for $102,000 when the neighborhood around190 Bowery was in decline. It has been his studio and home ever since. New York Magazine said this "maybe the greatest real-estate coup of all time" as the building was estimated to be worth over $30 million in 2008. Built in 1898, the 35,000 square foot building has six floors and 72 rooms. Over the years he has rented space to other artists including Roy Lichtenstein.

Last week, I had to be in New York and one of my commitments was to attend a dinner at Sammy's Roumanian Steak House. I won't get into that here, let's just say they had Kettle One frozen in blocks of ice, a schmaltzy lounge act and a waiter fond of the F word. As I walked the two miles from my West Village hotel to the restaurant, I was following the directions on my cell phone and turned right from Bleecker Street onto Bowery. The building in front of me said it was 350 Bowery and my wheels started turning. I knew that Jay Maisel's studio wasn't far. A quick google search comfirmed 190 Bowery as the address.

Two blocks later I stood in front of the house of Maisel. A temple to color, form and the secret ingredient to all good photographs that Jay calls "gesture". Some day I'll get inside this building and see the treasures it holds. In a video tour I've seen, Maisel shows off a large room dedicated to things he's found on the streets... neatly organized by shape... circles, squares, etc. There is also a gallery space. He holds four day workshops here about three times a year. Someday when I have an extra $5,000, I'll learn from the master.

In the meantime, I have this photo of his amazing building. I didn't have my DSLR with me on this dinner outing and it was very dark when I made the image but the best camera is the one you've got and my iPhone never disappoints.