It’s a Girl! My First Newborn Shoot

Not wanting to turn down an opportunity to photograph something outside my comfort zone, I accepted a friend’s request to photograph their newborn. I’m not much of a baby person, but It went pretty well. I think babies are a little easier to photograph than toddlers. They pretty much just stay were you put them, and they fall asleep really quick. Once they are sleeping, you can mold them as if they were made of Play-Doh. Here are a few photos from the shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

The Game

It was a beautiful spring day in the city today. I came across these guys engaged in a pretty intense chess match.

Little Stinker

Usually I hate when these guys come to visit, but after seeing them through my macro lens, I’m starting to really like them!

Danboard Plays in the Forest

 

I followed Danboard into the forest yesterday. He really seems to be in his element among the trees. Maybe it’s because he is made from cardboard which comes from trees. Or maybe it’s because he blends in so nicely. Whatever it is, he appeared to be really enjoying himself. I noticed that he is surprisingly nimble as he hopped onto logs and bravely crossed the streams. Water and cardboard are not a good mix, but that didn’t stop him from exploring his surroundings. The poor little guy did get tired along the way, but he found some soft moss and a pine cone to take a rest on. All in all he had a great time, and I think he’s already planning his next adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

Honey Harvest – Video

I finally got around to editing some footage from our honey harvest back in September. It was a beautiful morning, but we (meaning my wife and our friend Josh) had to work quickly to remove and clean the frames and make it to our extraction appointment on time. It’s much easier to bring the frames to a place that already has all the equipment and knows what they are doing. Plus, they do all the cleanup.

We brought them the frames and they cut off the capped combs and spun out the honey for us. We ended up with about 65 pounds of honey which we took home and bottled ourselves. The honey tasted a little different this year, kind of like apricot and pumpkin. Who knows were those bees had been!

Hope you enjoy this short video!

Honey Harvest from Jeff Baumgart on Vimeo.

Large Group, Small Space

Last week, I was hired to make a group portrait of 15 people. The client and her 4 siblings wanted  this as a special gift for their parents upcoming anniversary. Such a great idea! The original plan was to shoot the group outside, but with arctic temps and fierce winds, typical February in New England, we had to bring the project inside. No problem…until I saw the space.

Due to the layout of the house, the largest and most open space was the finished basement, but it was still small and there was not a decent background. None of this was the clients fault. They had a really nice house, but finding space even in the open basement to group 15 people together for a pleasing portrait was going to be a challenge! Of course a wide angle lens would be able to fit everyone in the shot, but it’s not a very flattering focal length and the distortion would make the final photo look odd.

The best option for this situation was to shoot small groups separately and them composite them all together later in Photoshop. I set up a white backdrop, a couple of flash units and we were finally in business! The nice thing about shooting a large group this way is that you only have a couple people at a time to manage poses, smiles, and non blinked eyes, especially when kids are involved. Plus, it’s fun for everyone waiting for their turn to get the ones in front of the camera to loosen up and smile naturally.

When the white backdrop is not directly lit with the flashes, it turns gray. Once in Photoshop, the gray makes it easier to select the subject and remove them from the background. Next comes placing each group, now on their own layer, together to form the final photo, and adding some fake shadows so that it looks real. The new solid white background gives the photo a crisp, cheerful feel, and the panoramic 8″ x 20″ print when framed will make for a very special gift.

New Video – The Human Sinuses

I recently finished a new video for Better Rest Solutions. This one highlights the importance of keeping our sinuses free of germs and how this is harder for people who suffer from sleep apnea and need to use a CPAP mask at night. Their product called SoClean easily and effectively disinfects CPAP equipment.
On this video, we utilized some green screen techniques as well as some animation. This was also the first time I got to try out the video capabilities of my new Nikon D600.
Make sure to select the HD option!
Enjoy!