Christmas 2010...

Merry Christmas to all and have a happy new year!!

More HDR...

Rink

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen

Sixteen inches of snow fell over the weekend in Minneapolis!  We had a guest harboring from the storm and snow covered roads, my dad.  Katine, Tucker and I took a long walk and went to the hardware store and bakery to stock up in the morning.  Later that day, I snowshoed for 1.5 hours to get some soda for my dad and beer and wine for the winter weekend ahead! It was a great time with good food that Katina cooked for breakfast lunch and dinner and we even tried out the crockpit her grandma gave her for the birthday.   When the snow finally stopped falling, we had to have my little car pulled out even after 30 minutes of shoveling.  My dad (prepared as always) had a tow strap and was able to drive with us in tow to 42nd street. 

Before all of this snow hit us, my secret sneaks and I were able to pull off another surprise birthday party for Katina.  This time we went to Buck Hill tubing and she didn't have a clue :)  Unfortunately, the snow meant that the rest of her weekend fun was called so no Pancho villa on Saturday night and no tree ornament painting in Apple Valley on Sunday.  I am glad that Katina had a great Friday with friends and family!!  Happy Birthday, Honey!

December and HDR...again...

 

Christmas Prep

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

It is that time of year again!  Snow, Green and Red everywhere and Christmas!  Minneapolis is getting covered and snow and the temps are staying below freezing.  No better time to pick the camera up and capture a lot of the new seasonal action in HDR!  I really like the addition of Adobe Lightroom in optimizing the HDR images that come out of Photomatix Pro.  You just can't beat the "live and there" feeling that comes from the combination of these two software packages!

Winter and my buddy!...

 

Buddy

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Winter is upon us and it is just the time to get a new friend to take out in the snow!  This is Tucker and we were proud to rescue him from the Humane Society. He is just a really great friend and seems to have no problem with the cold 6 am walks!  Now if we can only get him past his allergies and all that scratching!  Meh.  We love him and all his quirks!

Autumn Arrives...

Fall Comforts

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Finally Fall is here with all what the season brings!  Actually the way the wind has knocked around leaves it looks like we are fast approaching winter.  Halloween is right around the corner which for me means the celebration of a lot of birthdays in the Mortensen family.  This is also the season for elections and this one is a big one in MN.  We need a governer that focuses on creating valuable jobs in innovative high-tech fields!  

I should note that I don't endorse Tom Horner as a gubernatorial candidate, only his advocate's ability to put this sign in a spot that made for an excellent composition! 

End of an Era...

 

Coming Home

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

With this weekend marking the anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers, we should all be glad that our troops our coming home.  President Obama has declared an end to combat operations in Iraq.

Back to Beijing...

 

Great Wall

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

The second to trip to Beijing in just 6 weeks?  Amazing opportunity and this time was better than the last!  If you ever get there, make sure to go to a section of the Great Wall that is less traveled, it is well worth it.  The image above was created at 888 meters just before this section of the Wall becomes impassable.  We were even treated to a little scare when a thunderstorm rolled in and one of out party was off on a trek over the crumbled section a half kilometer out!  Absolutely breathtaking!

Of course, while in Beijing you have to do as the Beijing-ese do and see what the PRC paid billions for in 2008 - the stage for the Olympics.  The image below is an HDR of the Bird's Nest, the National Stadium.  Note the fellow on the right side of the frame getting his picture "professionally" taken in front of the monumental building by one of the dozens of locals sporting cheap DSLR's.

Beijing 2010...

Summer Palace Paradise

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

So I recently trekked off to Beijing on assignment and was that ever a blast!  Talk about a feast for the eyes...there is nothing like traveling to the other side of the world to see new things!  Sure there may be a McD's and a KFC on every block and I did learn how to spell Starbucks in Mandarin, but the back alleys and outer limits of Beijing are still full of wonder!  Next visit I will get many more images of the smoky late night scenes filled with smog, smoke and street food! 

Pick up this guide from my favorite series before you go:

Como Zoo...

 

Going for a Dip

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

The Twin Cities are an amazing place, there is something to discover even for the lifelong resident.  One such place is the Como Zoo and Observatory.  This place is a wonderful daytime outing for families and is all the better by being 100% free!  The newest addition to the animals is a set of polar bears.  For more on the zoo and many other things to do in the Twin Cities area check out one of these great guides - Walking Twin Cities or Insider's Guide to the Twin Cities.

Photos and Pizza Paradise...

Sirianni's

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Sirianni's Pizza in Davis, WV is the best pizza in the state!  And that is all that needs to be said for this post!  I should also mention that the area around Davis and Tucker County is some of the most picturesque backcountry you will ever see.  Go for the pizza...but bring your camera and hiking boots!

The Money Matters...

MarketFocus

Time to take a little break from photography and talk about the bread and butter of life - money!  That's right all you starving artists out there who want to make fine art photographs, you still need to know about the money. We all know that money (capital) is needed to start our business, but we need to know a lot more to make our meager earnings as photographers turn into a nice nest egg.  That is why I have decided to share a little secret with you - to keep my financial future looking bright, I look to the folks at Mountain State Analytics for the timely advice I need to keep my money invested wisely.   Once your subjects have gone home and left you with a nice paycheck for your efforts, you need to jump to action to get that money working for you!  Sign up over at their website and take a peek, I promise you won't regret it.  Those guys offer an insane deal for the publications they are putting out.  You could be paying a lot more for the static advice from a dusty old textbook!

Lightroom Magic...

 

Colors

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Oh, the power of Adobe Lightroom!  In this modern world of color images everywhere, almost everything you look at in a magazine or online will have been processed with Adobe Lightroom or a similar program.  The scene in this post really caught my eye as I walked past last weekend.  This was an abandoned building that for some reason had a fresh coat of pain on the entry.  The photograph, processed through Lightroom, represents the scene as I interpreted it, slightly more gritty, dark and rough with slightly more vibrant colors!  enjoy!

Nikon D2Xs, 35 mm, f1.8, 1/500, ISO 100

Happy Memorial Day...

Happy Memorial Day 2010 and thanks to all the men and women who have given their lives. A big thanks to all those who are serving in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan today! Thank you!

Great Deal, limited time...

I finally am going to do this...its time to part with a lens I am just not going to use. I have the Nikon 18-70 mm f3.5-4.5 that I have placed on craigslist for $199. This is an underrated lens that gets you a lot of great shots with the zoom combined with Nikon's unprecedented sharpness and color capture. This guy goes for quite a bit more at Amazon!

Irish Winds...

 

Danger Blowholes

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

As I was passing through some of the old photos, I ran across these from Ireland.  What an amazing place the Celtic coast is!  I am always amazed at how solid the colors of Europe are without a lot of complications or distractions.  The large bands of color make for extremely interesting subjects.  Next time you try to make a portrait of a loved one, make sure only one or two colors are prominent, anything beyond that and the scene becomes too distracting!  Good luck and enjoy!

Great kids - great subjects...

 

Chores

Copyright 2009 Matt Mortensen Photography

Shooting portraits is never easy, but sometimes it is a real pleasure.  This past weekend we had the chance to work with two great kids, Austin and Dylan.  The shoot was a great success, even though the weather was not cooperating.  At times like these we all give thanks to Nikon for giving us an amazing speedlight system they call Creative Lighting System (CLS).  The absolute, most definitive reference on this subject is Joe McNally's Hot Shoe Diaries.  You need it.  This system allows you to spend your time building a relationship with your subject, making them smile (or giggle and drool, a little!) instead of calculating flash outputs and lighting ratios.  And the best part is...your world-class (at least mine is!) assistant can chase your subject all over with an SB-900 and a diffuser, and you will get great results from every angle!   

Nikon D200, 50mm, 1/640 , F1.8, ISO 100; SB-900, iTTL, remote

Downtown...

 

City Nightscape

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

So we took the chance to hang out in the city after the run the other night.  I found this shot just waiting to be made while wandering along Seventh Street.  I made a few but this one caught my eye for Lightroom processing.  Gotta run, lots of plans in the works!

Nikon D2Xs, 50mm, f5.6, ISO 800

One Idea, One Mile...

It all starts with the first mile...that is the slogan of this race. MNIdeaOpen was there to help bring that slogan to life. For MNIdeaOpen it starts even sooner, it all begins with the first idea. You can make a difference in the lives of Minnesotans around you by contributing your idea at WWW.mnideaopen.com.

Crazy weather...

Farmer's Loaves
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

It is that time of year again! The markets in Minneapolis are open for business and people are busy bustling around the city looking for plants, produce and tasty vendors of street food. It is unbelievable good news that the Minneapolis City Council has lessened the restrictions on street food vendors starting May 1st. That means some excellent fuel can be had if you are wondering around making images of this great city. I am sure those creative city folks will come up with great cart designs and food concoctions that we can photograph as well!

Nikon D2Xs 70-200, f2.8, 1/750, ISO 400, VR on

What a view...

As part of my goal to bring some of the best views and backdrops in Minneapolis, here is the yellow room on the ninth floor of the new Guthrie Theatre. This is just a peek at the room itself, I have displayed the expansive views of the cityscape elsewhere. The Guthrie's brilliant architect made the whole building a master vista of the city. Check it out for yourself, and enjoy! 

Guest Post - Iceland...

Untitled

Copyright 2010 Andrew Mork

My apologies to Andy for taking so long to get his post up! Andy is an avid traveler and has been to Iceland on several occasions. His work has been highlighted here in the past and I thought with the current volcanic eruption I should get him to voice his opinion. With that, take it away Andy!

Iceland has been receiving some serious press recently, with its "Land of Fire and Ice" moniker in the forefront.

Perhaps my favorite place in all my travels is Skeiðarársandur in Southeast Iceland, seen above. The Sandur, or sand plain, is a 1300km2 amphitheatre of flat coastal sand surrounded by ominous promontories, glacier coated volcanoes, and the North Atlantic.

My connection to this area was unexpected, and I took in much more than I imagined while stepping out of the car for a quick photo. The sky was clear, the morning air cool, and a gentle breeze flipped my hair around. Standing in center of that enormous space was a very metaphysical experience; I felt like something was gently pulling from all directions. As if the atmospheric pressure was slightly less than that of my blood. Maybe it was the gravitation of those massive mountains and the Vatnajökull icecap. Maybe it was sheer entropy acting through osmosis - one very large expanse of chaotic wilderness surrounding the speck of a single man. Was it the opposite case? Was it the complexity of a living organism and its modern world, seeping out into the air, rock, and ice? Whatever it was, I expanded here.

I had read about this place. The mineral rich sand composed of flattened mountain pulverized over thousands of millennia, with streams comprised of freshly thawed water frozen long before the beginning of time made an ideal place for farmland in centuries past without a single consideration for the aesthetic. Ideal until a volcano not unlike the one we've become familiar, perhaps Öræfajökull seen here, erupted high above, creating a lake underneath the glacier. Slowly but surely the water weakened the ice, and like it had done thousands of times before, ruptured its ice dam, creating a speeding wall of ice water - a backwards tsunami known as a Jökulhlaup (a word loaned to English), depositing anything out of place in the ocean. Twisted remains of a bridge demolished from a 1996 Jökulhlaup can be seen along the road here. In addition, this area is known to have sandstorms fierce enough to overturn cars. Who would have guessed such a mystical place could be so fierce?

The volcano Eyjafjallajökull, a small spot on the map several degrees south of the Arctic circle has for a time severely impaired air travel in the North Atlantic. Much of South Iceland, now covered in a soot blanket, has undoubtedly been reported as stark, hostile, and grim.

And it can be. But I've had the completely opposite experience.

MPC Photo Shoot...

I finally got around to putting a post up about the photo shoot we had recently at the Minneapolis Photo Center. It was a great time and we made some amazing images of local author John Koblas. The images will be used all over John's new website, on which you can purchase copies of any of his 60+ books. John was great to work with and an all around good guy! Look for him around the tri-state area at bookstores and other events celebrating the history of the Midwest. (Photo credit on this shot goes to Katina Petersen - Canon S70)

Away and Back Again...

Whoo! It has been a busy few weeks! As many of you know, it is a hectic time of year with all sorts of graduations, events, engagements, festivals and parades. I have been out documenting these amazing and fun festivities and also working on some independent projects. All this work has meant not much posting on the blog! I have been busy drumming up guest bloggers and other special posts. I promise lots more images as the summer progresses. As the activity heats up you should also stay up to date by following us on Twitter @mm_images. Thanks as always for all of the support!

Graduation...

Elation
Copyright 210 Matt Mortensen Photography

This weekend I shot a graduation ceremony for a culinary school. Boy, the hard part that I wasn't expecting was keeping all those newly-minted chefs in their white coats and hats within the dynamic rage of my camera! That is a valuable lesson. Every shot had some blown out highlights, even the ones I would have called under-exposed. I also got to help organize the 150 students in graduating class for the big formal group portrait. The thing you have to remember with these kind of portraits is that you have 2 choices, 1) shoot it outside OR 2) bring lots of speedlights and know how to use them! After you make your choice, then get high up on a ladder and take more shots than necessary so you can do post-processing fixes if necessary. These shots are hard, really hard...
Have a great week, All!

Nikon D2Xs, 70 mm, f2.8, ISO 800, VR

NPO Portraits...

Happy-go-lucky!
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

This week I had the great pleasure of making some portraits for a local non-profit that fills a variety of needs in the Chicago/Lake Area of Minneapolis. The images have already been used in a fundraising effort and will hopefully continue to generate revenue for them. The staff and clients over there were very hospitable and professional and the executive director was clearly running a very well-tuned organization. I was able to get in and out to two different sites and get 15 portraits within 1 hours time with limited setup. The image above was my favorite and happened to be the first, as so often happens!

As a new feature to satisfy the Geek side of all my readers, I am going to give you the EXIF data on these images.

Nikon D200, Manual exposure, 1/250s, f2.8, ISO 100 w/ off-camera, diffused SB-900 set to TTL +0.7 EV

Stillwater Times...

Floodwaters
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

I took some time last weekend to see the flooded riverfront in Stillwater, MN. I finally got some time to post these images! I also pulled out the old printer and made some nice prints, I especially like the one above.

Vision...

For those of you who ask, "is that the camera that takes the really awesome pictures?" I say take a look at this shot. This was taken on my phone! In fact a recent book was published by a pro photog with nothing but iPhone shots! The point being that it is not the technology that matters, it is your vision that makes really awesome pictures. Sure, I have some fancy equipment that costs a fair penny but I also have five years of reading every book on photography I can find. Five years! That is the same number of years I spent getting a PhD in chemistry! In those years I studied structure, compositions, lighting, sun angles, posing, depth of field, and more. So why do I have all the fancy stuff if it doesn't matter? Well, I want to be able to capture beautiful images in every situation. A $5 disposable film camera can make the same image of the Egyptian pyramids in the early morning sunlight as my NIKON D2Xs. BUT, that disposable can't get photos of your kids running through a dim Roman cathedral or of your husband racing down a hill on his cyclo-cross debut race! To capture those images you need at least an slr, but you first need vision!

Food Failure...

Since today is the end of the work week for me, we have officially failed to meet our goal of delivering the same amount of food for half the cost as last week! We went to Supervalu, a local grocer, and a large gas station chain with no success. BUT, rest assured that persistence is a common trait in our team and we will succeed in the end. Miss a goal just means we get the joys of working harder for people who can't!!

If any of you readers out there have a suggestion or a contact at a local produce supplier give us a shout!

Food Update...

Fruits

Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

We are still working hard to find partners in our preferential nutrition program! We have made several visits to local grocer's and are looking forward to creating a workable arrangement for everyone. If any of you readers out there can make a connection to a local grocer on our behalf that would be great!! We will keep up the good work and try to alleviate some of the hunger faced by kids in MN everyday. If you have some time, please check out a fellow photographer's work highlighting hunger in the USA.

Got Food?...

Nutrition Needed
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Did you know that 1 in 6 schoolchildren in Minneapolis goes hungry every day? I would bet that an even larger number of children are malnourished, that is to say, that they eat CRAP all day. To see what can be done about this (at least in our own little way) Katina and I are starting to connect grocer's with local emergency food shelves. In just one week's time we have already delivered 60 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to Groveland Food Shelf. If you would like to help with a donation please contact one of us for information - a mere $0.50 can bring a whole pound of fruit & vegetables to a child's table!

A Good Man Gone...

A Grand Couple
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Last week one of the good ones passed away. My grandfather, K. E. "Mort" Mortensen.It was neither tragic nor unexpected. He loved two things most of all in life - his beloved wife Maxine and work. For about the last 5 years he was without both and that wore on him. He was ushered into the afterlife in a beautiful ceremony in the church he loved with the help of the loved ones he left behind. We know he is now seated at that big card table in the sky with Mac. Sorry, Grandma, we may have stacked the deck in Grandpa's favor!!

Waiting
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Leaving on a trip Friday and couldn't resist the urge to examine the archives for some airport photos. There is no place where people act quite like how they do in an airport. I snapped this one in Washington, D.C. in July 2009.

Look Who's 30...

Holy Cow! Look at the old man pictured here! Somebody get him a wheelchair to sit in for cryin' out loud!

Updated website...

Go on over to the website to see the new format! Click the 'Galleries' link above to get there!

Nikon 24-70 f2.8 = "Falafel King"....

Pita Palace
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

This picture was kind of a throw-away shot until I paid more attention to it. I was having shawirma falafel at a local Lake Street place and just snapped this shot with a lens I had on rental. The lens was the Nikon 24-70 f2.8, which is the top of the line. The sharp focus from edge to edge and true color reproduction even in the difficult lighting of this shop is amazing! The bokeh is very pleasing with the city scene out of focus in the background. This is really a great shot for a lot of little reasons!!

Winter Landscape...

Winter Wonderland
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

As I was driving to the office this week, Minnesota was shrouded in a haze of cold drizzle. I had to pull over and take a few shots of the trees barely visible in the distance. The landscape was muted in white tones and these trees barely stood out.

Grand Opening Benefit...

Grand Opening Benefit
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Tuesday was the Grand Opening of the studio of my good friend, Natalie Finazzo. Now all of your portrait needs can be met right in North Minneapolis near the new Target Field! I had the great pleasure of photographing the event at which all proceeds from attendance went to Camp-Get-A-Well-A, a great children's non-profit. You can see Natalie's work at www.nataliefinazzophotography.com but be warned, with talent like her's she is booked well in advance! See some of the photos from the event in the upcoming issue of Metro Magazine.

New for 2010...

Keynote
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

Many new happenings are in the works so far this year and one repeat from last year. I just found out I was invited back to shoot the Alzheimer's Association Annual Education Conference. It is the premier event for researchers and caregivers working with this terrible condition (see an image here). Also, I will be shooting a much-anticipated studio Grand Opening in the Arts District in Minneapolis as well as a benefit for a local children's non-profit. Look for a completely re-vamped website coming in the near future, as well, that will better highlight the types of photography available. Look for the link at the top of my blog! I hope the New Year is treating everyone just as well!

New Year's 2010!...

Carrots Everywhere!
Copyright 2010 Matt Mortensen Photography

What an excellent New Year's it was that brought in 2010! The snow was still on the ground in Minnesota with more each day, and the cold is gripping the state. We were able to get out and enjoy a nice warm home-cooked dinner with some Turkish and German friends. Surprisingly, the majority of the dishes were made with carrots! From the garlicky main dish to the dessert it was those delicious orange carrots everywhere. I hope that New Year's was equally (if less carrot-y) good to everyone out there! Best wishes in 2010