A.D. Drumm Images, LLC – Landscape, Portrait, and Fine Art Photography in Rochester MN Photography

August 26, 2010

Dani’s Senior Pics

Filed under: General photography,Portraits — Tony Drumm @ 9:05 pm

Children grow up, don’t they? A high school senior is nearly an adult, and senior portraits seem to provide a glimpse into the subject’s adulthood. Dani was a great subject, in part because of all the ideas she brought to our shoot. I’d take her ideas and try to make them happen. This shot was my favorite of the day. I knew it would be my favorite as soon as the viewfinder met my eye. Wow! I can remember when Dani was born, and here she is a woman. Where does time go?

But a high school senior is still a child, too. And, she’ll hopefully keep that spirit for a very long time. Adulthood isn’t always easy or fun. We need to jump with joy when the moment is right. Everyday life doesn’t need to be constantly serious.

When I pick up my camera, I think I feel a bit like this. I forget everything else, any problems and worries, and just try to make a good photograph. I think this is a value of art that we don’t often consider. It’s a meditation of sorts – it clears the mind, it frees us from the world beyond ourselves and our subjects.

Controlling the light is so important in a shoot like this. Even with the sun fairly high in the sky, we can use shade, reflectors, and speedlites to bend the light to meet our need. Post-production tools help, too, but can only polish the light the camera saw.

I had a few of my own ideas going into this shoot. Knowing we had a Ferrari available, I saw this shot in my head when I was scoping out the Plummer House. Danielle was game for it and gave me the attitude I thought appropriate for this shot. I was thinking this was a woman ready for a night on the town – a mansion, a super car, a gown, yeah – let’s go.

And some shots just show us a girl in transition to a woman. Older girl? Younger woman? Here you can see both people in one photo. And I’m happy to play a small role in capturing this time in this young woman’s life.

August 15, 2010

Toby and Katie get married

Filed under: General photography — Tony Drumm @ 2:14 pm


This weekend, I’m in Columbia, Missouri for my nephew’s wedding. While they hired a local photographer for the day of the wedding (which is actually today!), I’m going to bring some of my gear to the event for sure! Yesterday was the rehearsal of the ceremony which will be taking place outside.

The site is a vineyard along the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, as you can see in some of these shots. There is a nice spot set up for weddings with paving stones for the walkway and the area for the bridal party. Here is a shot looking down toward this spot from the main building.

Katie and her dad are marching down the aisle. Weather is always a factor for outdoor ceremonies. With our recent heat and humidity in Rochester, I was wondering what we’d have here in Missouri. The temps were about 10 degrees higher than Rochester with as much or more humidity. The rehearsal was what I’d call sweltering. But the entire wedding party seemed to take it in stride.

I seem to be taking a lot of photos outside in the middle of the day lately. And, as I’ve mentioned too many times, the light is just not great for photography. But Lightroom helps me even things out a bit, and the noise performance of the 5D MkII helps, too. I’ve been using my 24-105 EF-L f/4 lens a lot since I bought it, and I’m liking it. It helps having such a photogenic couple, too!

During the rehearsal, I saw a photo of the couple standing with the river gently framing them. So, I asked Toby if I could take some shots after the rehearsal was done. I let them cool off inside first. Most everyone was dripping with sweat – except Katie, for some reason! I brought a portable round diffuser which we used to tone down the sunlight, and captured the top photo above of the couple. This shot is Toby and his big sister, and I loved their expressions. What great kids! Kids – yeah.

The building overlooking the ceremony site has a couple stories with walls of windows. They provide some nice light inside, but they’re mirrored and block a lot of the sunshine. Still, there were some moments and willing (or more than willing) photo subjects. A youngster in some soft lighting is always a shot worth taking. A nice expression, head cocked to the side, and who couldn’t take a great photo?

We all stopped for lunch after we were done at the vineyard. This shot involved a mix of ambient light and flash. Shooting the flash back off the upper wall behind me produced a pleasing butterfly lighting pattern which works well on such a young face. These brothers love having their pictures taken and want to see the result on the LCD. I, in turn, love practicing my craft with such willing subjects.

Sometimes, you get the shot you have in your head. That’s a feeling that’s hard to beat.

August 7, 2010

The Olmsted County Fair

Filed under: General photography,Rochester — Tony Drumm @ 9:03 am

Olmsted County Fair (click for more photos)

 I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, home of the great Ohio State Fair. When I was young, I took art lessons from an artist down the street. It was fun, and one thing he always had us do was enter our artwork in the fair. So, I would go to the fair every year and visit it multiple times since we had to take our work there and pick it up. I also learned to enjoy aspects of the fair apart from the rides (which, by the way, I did enjoy) and the Grandstand.

An aside: For a time, the Ohio State Fair raised the entry fee, but made the Grandstand free. During that time, I saw some very cool acts: Hermin’s Hermits, The Association, Rare Earth. Just had to arrive early!

I dropped the lessons as I got older, but once I was driving age, the Fair would be a fun thing to do on a steamy summer evening. I learned all the back ways to the place and could almost always avoid much of the traffic. It would be easy to visit the fair two or three times during its run. I would always visit the fine arts building, see what the current crop of kids were doing as well as the professionals. I’d look up what my old art teacher had submitted that year. I learned from him that the artwork you are most invested in, spend the most time on, and feel the most attached to, isn’t always the artwork that catches the judges’ eyes. That painting you did on a whim in 20 minutes wins the First Place ribbon instead. Valuable lesson.

Columbus is in Franklin County. Having the state fair right there, less than five miles from home, I never visited the county fair until years after I left Ohio. But here in Rochester, we’re quite a ways from St. Paul and the state fair. The county fair is right in the middle of Rochester, and it’s a place to visit for some funnel cakes or carnival rides. It’s a place to take the camera for some people watching.

I set out yesterday afternoon, camera in hand, to find some people to shoot! It was IBM’s day at the fair, so there were plenty of IBMers with their families. There was a tent set up with picnic tables for relaxing and a few airbrush tattoo stations to paint kids’ faces. And, I saw a few adults taking part.

I headed over to the animal barns. Lots of activity there, with folks brushing and washing their prize creatures. Looked like some judging might be taking place, as well. It was fun to walk around looking for interesting shots and people just enjoying themselves. And a girl’s long hair pulled by gravity while she was being held upside down.

It was warm, and the sun was giving us mid-afternoon light (less than great), but shooting opportunities were all around.

August 1, 2010

RCT’s Artists’ Happy Hour

Filed under: General photography,Rochester Civic Theatre — Tony Drumm @ 2:09 pm

RCT hosted an artist get-together on Friday evening. There was a nice turnout, and the musically inclined artists entertained us. While painters painted and singers sang, I pulled out the tools of my artistic trade and snapped a few shots.

The sun was getting low and there were some fairly thick clouds which fortunately held onto their moisture. So there was light, but I did boost it a bit with a flash set one or two stops below my exposure, and a yellow gel gave me a bit warmer color balance. There’s a hint of a shadow in the shot above that I’d rather not be there, but so it goes.

We were outside the theatre on the patio. Most of the folks sat, sipping wine or “patio punch” (not sure what all was in that!), and discussing life. But this woman was busy with her small paintings.

Mitch showed up along with his trap set. Mitch plays for Lost Faculties and said he just happened to have the set in his vehicle. I met Mitch when he served on RCT’s board of directors. He’s become something of a fixture in Rochester, and it was fun chatting with him. I’m reminded of all the years I played percussion back in elementary and high school. Playing in a band is a lot of fun, and they say drummers are sexy. Well, yeah, that’s what I’ve heard.

I’ve seen the owner of this arm other times at the theatre for musical and poetry events. His tattoos were intriguing, and I found this shot. I like the warmth of his arm and the warmth of the guitar. Tattoos mark his skin, but the guitar is pristine. Just seems interesting to me.

Mayor Brady stopped by. No matter your political leanings, Brady has been a huge supporter of the arts in Rochester. He’s a regular patron on RCT’s opening nights, and I wasn’t surprised to see him Friday night. I saw him again Saturday night at another theatre group’s production of Oliver. Gregory Stavrou, standing next to the mayor, is RCT’s executive director.

Like the photowalk last week, it’s fun to take the camera to other events and see what images find their way onto my memory cards. When shooting for yourself, it’s easier to experiment and just see what jumps out at you.

July 25, 2010

Worldwide Photowalk 2010

Filed under: General photography — Tony Drumm @ 7:54 pm

Yesterday, the 24th of July, was the third annual Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk. A photowalk is a group of people getting together to wander about somewhere, cameras in hand, and shooting photos. Scott Kelby (his blog is linked in my blogroll on the right) organized an event in which folks all over the planet gather in their various locations all on the same day.

This is the second year I’ve participated. Rochester had its own walk for the first time last year. Then, we did the shoot downtown at night. It was fun, and I don’t do much urban (can we call Rochester urban?) photography, and the night shoot was also a nice challenge.

This year, we tried something vastly different, shooting during a festival in the tiny town of West Concord, MN. One of their attractions was a vintage car show. From a photographer’s point of view, this wasn’t ideal – shooting in the mid-day sun, on a very sunny afternoon. We prefer early morning and late evening light, but sometimes you have to shoot with what you have. Much like a wedding.

Personally, I enjoy trying new things and working in less than ideal conditions. In a way, anyone can shoot a nice sunset, but it takes more thnking when the light is working against you. Like trying to light up the shadow side of a dark blue car so that its reflection looks proper. I like that. I have another shot of the headlight on the other side of this car, with the reflection of the sun-lit side of the car over there. It might be a better photo, but I like this one better because it took more planning, more skill to achieve. On the other hand, to a casual viewer, the other shot might look better. Such is art.

We wandered through town, looking for the Heritage museum, and we passed this old church. Both this and another, better maintained church, have what looks to be some very nice stained glass. It would have been nice to see them from inside. This church has character in spite of, or maybe because of, its worn siding and flaking paint. Photos of churches aren’t really a big draw for me, but there’s something I liked about this shot. Perhaps the angles up toward the heavens produced by a somewhat wide angle focal length. Perhaps its the clouds and very blue sky. Anyway, I liked it enough to upload here!

The heritage museum occupies an old school house. They have many classrooms decorated in various ways. A fun one is the 50s and 60s room with an old sofa and big console B/W TV on display. This room was decorated in its more familiar attire. I was shooting the old chalk board then turned around and saw this. I just had to find the right angle, and I knew when I took it I would be doing a sepia treatment. It’s always nice when you see in your mind’s eye the shot as you’re taking it, then produce that shot in the digital darkroom.

Others on the walk were not as lucky in this room and had other visitors looking around and, well, getting in the way! I’ll take luck when I can get it.

Sometimes, all you need is a little push, a little reason to pick up the camera and shoot. There’s no better way to learn and to hone the craft. And there’s always – always – more to learn. Here’s a new situation, here’s the lighting you have, here’s the subject: make it art. A photowalk is just such an opportunity and well worth doing regardless of skill level. For me, it was a Saturday afternoon well spent.

July 14, 2010

Shooting the Pond and Garden Tour

Filed under: Beautiful Earth,General photography — Tony Drumm @ 5:29 pm

I was asked to be a sponsor and official photographer for Rochester’s 2010 Pond and Garden Tour. The tour featured several gardens, rain gardens, and ponds mainly at residences throughout Rochester. It was an interesting day of driving and shooting. The sites ranged from very elaborate to simple but inspiring. There was a reception at Rochester Community and Technical College the evening before the tour for the sponsors and hosts.

There is a beautiful garden on the south side of the Heinz Center which includes the pond and gazebo above. Some delicious food and wine were served. I was shooting so trying to limit my wine intake! My friend, Deb Thompson, was one of the organizers and my connection to the tour. She had a busy day ahead of her.

This waterfall was at one of the first sites I visited. The water cascades down the sloping yard along side the house, ending in a small pond. I did some fairly long exposures at some of the locations to capture the water’s motion. Although I had a tripod in the car, I elected to stick with hand-held throughout the day. Mostly that worked. A tripod is always better, or at least safer. But it adds legs, so to speak, that slows you down and makes you less agile. Trade-offs.

One interesting site was essentially surrounding a city-owned parking lot. It was built to show how run-off can be controlled. It sure adds interest to an otherwise stark environment. And the butterflies (or is it a moth?) find something they like, too. You can make out a white parking lot line in the background of this shot. When I happened upon this critter, it struck me as symbolic of what this rain garden, and maybe the tour in general, is all about. I’m happy it cooperated and struck a nice pose.

This shot was taken at one of the more elaborate gardens on the tour. A large (40 foot) waterfall in back and a spring-fed fountain in front of the house. All quite beautiful.

This rather small and quaint garden with its little waterfall was actually one of my favorites because of the story behind it. It was constructed as a sanctuary during the wife’s battle with cancer. The calming sound of the waterfall was said to be heard even inside the home with closed windows. Unfortunately, cancer won this battle, but the garden remains living on. A stone is etched with an inscription that touched my heart.

Life can be cruel, and cancer takes many folks much too soon.

I found this fellow at a site which was out from the city. The featured pond was near him and used a man-made bog to help maintain the pond. It was one of the few with fish (at least, that I noticed). Nearby were other fountains and another much older pond.

A sign greets visitors to this labyrinth garden inviting them to take a worry pebble and carry it to the center of the labyrinth, where it and the worry it represents may be deposited. The thyme-lined trail was best traversed barefoot. It’s a pretty design, with many native flowers. Apparently, milkweed is among them and Monarch butterflies are a feature later in the summer.

Two of the sites were open late in the evening to enable visitors to see how lighting may be used to enhance the ambiance. This was the first I one I visited, and it had a nice waterfall into a creek running from the back of the house to a small pond in the front. I like the walking stones and the very natural look. In general, the ponds and waterfalls were all nicely done.

This was my final stop on the tour. Several of the sites had speakers to discuss various features, and here the visitors learned about lighting and the use of solar-powered lights. Lighting is melded into the landscape and water in a way that makes it blend in with the rocks and water and plants. Taking a shot like this is a similar balancing act. We want enough light to see the setting, but not enough to blast away the lighting design. Although the sky seems to show quite a bit of light, it was actually becoming fairly dark. A little bit of bounced flash along with fairly high ISO (thank you 5D MkII) and a touch of post-processing gave me the balance I wanted.

This sort of challenge is why I love photography.

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