Random 005, 006 & 007 : Expressive Interiors by Marietta Calas
Creative Spotlight: Stephanie Nickolson Design
Stephanie
Nickolson is one of my favorite interior designers. We met last year when I had the opportunity
to photograph a very diverse portfolio of her work.
Many
think of interior designers when building a custom home. Stephanie’s talents however can be seen in a
variety of settings from residential homes, commercial office spaces to college
sorority houses. She is also well versed
in working with the hospitality industry, having completed several hotel
projects.
Her
work was recently featured in KBB online magazine and she has been awarded best
in Houzz from 2015-2020 for excellence in service. If one were looking for a full service
interior designer, calling Stephanie would be an excellent choice.
Below
are some of my favorite shots from a recent residential project.
You Have To Start Somewhere
We've been
working a little more at the office, preparing to get back to
business. Makes me smile!
To
pass time while processing a couple of recent product photo shoots, I fired up
my ancient, trusty, reliable, bullet proof, amazing 2005 Macintosh G4 with dual
chrome doors. This computer (know as MacZilla) is what I
use to run all of my period correct film scanners and related software from.
Recently
while archiving a stack of old film negatives , I came across what I believe to
be the only exterior photo of our Plainfield Ill, Lockport street portrait
studio. It made me flash back to where
we were over twenty years ago.
Seated
on the sidewalk bench is my business partner Mary Price and her studio dog
Samson. I am certain that is taken early in the morning, when Mary was out walking Samson and I went across the
street to get us some coffee. I always
carry a camera and took a quick snap shot while coming back. I am so happy that I did.
It’s
healthy to look back on your career, to remember how you started. To ponder the struggles that you overcame,
the help that you received from family and friends, the hours spent learning,
crafting, honing your skill so that you could be better at what you love.
In
our humble studio you entered a comfortable gallery waiting area that highlighted some of
our portrait and wedding photography.
Our studio consisted of a formal office, changing room and large open
studio, complete with state of the art cameras, studio lighting and sound system. Here we photographed scores of high school seniors,
families, models, musicians and fine art portraits. It was a very creative atmosphere and one
that we loved working in.
It
is also the location where we received a call from a Michigan architect that
asked us to photograph a location he had built just behind our studio. “Shoot a roll and just send it to me, don’t
develop it, I will take care of that myself”.
A week later I got a call from this seasoned architect to tell me that our film contained the best architectural photography work he had ever
seen. Would we be willing to travel and
do more? You bet, and so was the begining
of our architectural work, which has now become our specialty.
Below
are a couple of film shots from our days on Lockport Street.
Film Cameras: Leica M6
Whether
amateur or professional part of our enjoyment of being a photographer is the
satisfaction one gets from the camera they use. No matter what, every camera is a different
experience. We all have our favorites,
yet we are also willing to try as many different formats and brands as
possible.
Some
base their ownership on cost and exclusivity.
Others want to use the cameras that the pros use. For me personally, I
have never been a ‘camera snob’, meaning I use what works best. Brand
popularity doesn’t mean a hill of beans to me.
Results are what matters most.
In
the camera world, especially when were talking about small format 35mm cameras,
none have as much mystery or panache as Leica.
Maybe it’s because Leitz invented the 35mm camera or because of the
German craftsmanship or that they seem to last forever? There are so many reasons one can find to own
a Leica. Often still considered the
finest cameras in the world.
My
first Leica was a Leitz/minolta CL, then a Leica CL, then the M6 you see
here. I
had read all of the stories, all of the professional reviews and even my close
friend photographer guru Bruce Starrenburg touted how the M6 was a camera he
would never be without. I think he sold
his before I sold mine.
Purchased
new, right out of the box the camera needed servicing. The lenses wouldn’t
focus to infinity, that and the meter was off a good two stops. Hmmm.
After
a CLA (for a new camera.. really?) I was set.
I loaded some of my favorite Fuji film and went off to shoot.
Things
to like; the build quality is stellar, the viewfinder is crystal clear, the
lenses are wonderful. The shutter fire
and wind is smooth, though not the smoothest.
(minolta XE holds the crown).
Easy to carry, fairly compact.
Things
not to like; the ‘black chrome’ wears easily and looks ugly after a few hours
of handling. The viewfinder can ‘flare’
in some instances making it impossible to focus. The bottom plate film loading is out of the
Stone Age. Forget having to load in seconds, it’s going to take some time to
learn to do this and it will never be quick.
There
are also limitations using the rangefinder format. Lens focal length is best kept to 50mm and wider. Using a 90mm, the focusing patch is so small
and the rangefinder length itself compromises the accuracy.
I
used mine regularly for about 6 years. Diligently
carrying it with me everywhere. But I never fell in love with it. I hated having to remove my eye from the
viewfinder to see the shutter speed. I hated having to load film into it. Every time I had to wind a frame or release
the shutter, I missed the precision and smoothness of my minolta XE.
While
I did get many good shots, I also got as many over or under exposed
images. I never checked but I am
certain that the metering is center weighted, as opposed to being bottomed
weighted which yields better results.
I
also came to realize why SLR’s took over in the professional field. When you’re framing, you are actually looking
through the picture taking lens, not an offset rangefinder.
I
also found that when I carry a camera for grab shots, I liked the 40-50mm focal
length best. The 45mm Rokkor pancake
lens on my minolta XE-7 actually makes for a smaller package then the M6 with the 50mm Leitz Summircon attached. The minolta is also a much
more enjoyable camera to use and the results are always perfect. Always.
So
it was an easy camera for me to part with.
Yes, I know some of you will die with your Leica M camera in your
hands. I won’t. All in all the camera to me, was just another
camera. While I do enjoy using rangefinder
cameras, this one really failed me in the ‘magic’ department. It just didn’t have any.
Creative Spotlight: Neff of Chicago
For
several years I had the pleasure of working with Nancy Olive and Pat Borg,
owners of Neff of Chicago.
It’s
my understanding the both Nancy and Pat have moved on in their respective
careers, but when they were heading up this custom design firm in Chicago, they
stood among the top one or two in their field.
Further,
they were a joy to work with. Especially
Nancy. Her level of professionalism,
attention to detail and client satisfaction were evident with every project
that we photographed for Neff.
Here
are a few shots of a project that we did back in 2015.
Shot on Film: Metro
Taken
at Union Station in Joliet Illinois around 2007. To me this image evokes strength and
power. The massive steel wheels, the
enormous braking system, the large coiled load springs and the big bell, rolled
in and stopped right in front of me. Glistening in the afternoon sunlight was
the radiant stainless steel panels of the coach car.
This
image was photographed using a Voitlander Bessa R rangefinder camera with a wartime
era 50mm f2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens on Fuji black and white film. The image was
scanned using a Minolta DiMage 5400 Elite scanner. No image adjustments applied.
Creative Spotlight: Ryan LaHaie – 42 North Architecture
Last
year we had the pleasure of shooting a Michigan residence designed by architect
Ryan LaHaie. This was our first
impression of Ryan’s work and it was really outstanding.
The
spaces are wide and open and yet they maintain a very cozy comfortable almost
cabin like feel. The main level of the
home opens into a large gathering area with a spacious kitchen, dining and
living room combination. This is the
perfect setting for large family gatherings where one can entertain as meals are
prepared and conversation and drinks are enjoyed.
The
home also is complete with private offices, sewing room, family room, bar area
and home theater, and gym to name just a few of the spaces one can enjoy.
Below
are a few of our favorite views from the photo shoot.
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