No excuse for missing a post last week….either regular or ‘meeting’ with the Professional. But my wife and I were exhausted.

We were giving back. Both of us volunteered at the ‘LifeLight’ Festival in Sioux Falls over the Labor Day Weekend. I was asked to help photograph for the Lifelight Ministries and my wife helped out in the ‘volunteer and performer’ kitchen. In addition, our youngest son and his wife came to help as well. He covered the ‘Souled Out’ stage which was some of the harder Christian Rock Groups (I got over there for one of my favorite groups, ‘Day of Fire’), but missed some of the other artists I’d of like to seen. And our daughter-in-law also helped in the kitchen.

I know it’s not a lot; but we like to give back. I’m also the head photographer for PULSE, a college and youth Ministry based out of Fargo/Moorhead. And we just finished a benefit photo shoot for Hospice in Jamestown at Stutsman Harley-Davidson this past Saturday. (I’ll post some shots here). And we’ll be doing our Humane Society Santa Paws in both Grand Forks and Fargo in the coming months. Through these efforts, we probably raise over $10,000 for these organizations in a single year. Just one of the ways we like to ‘give back’. If you have any questions on these, give us a call at 1-800-344-7667.

So here’s some of the shots from LifeLight. And thanks to the JUMBOTRON operator from Atlanta who put me on the top of his truck to photograph Sunday nights crowd of app. 125,000 watching and worshipping with Casting Crowns.

If you’re not familiar with some of these names, Google them and check out their songs. Some of these are just the ‘lead’ singers and not the whole groups, and others are the main names (acts).

This week we will be asking Ron about some of his Fine Art Photography and images.

I: Many people don’t know of your Fine Art Photography. Can you explain a little bit about your past and what you do with your fine art?

Ron:  Well, I guess my fine art photography started many, many years ago. It would be the photos I started learning photography with. They would be still lifes of flowers, landscapes and then evolved into animals and as time has passed; more intricate black and whites and painting these images.

I: How did that help you with photography?

Ron: When I was learning all the camera controls such as depth-of-field and using the shutter to blur or stop the action; it was easier to do it with an inanimate object. Of course that was film, so to save on expenses, I did a lot of it with black and white film. On my 35mm cameras, I was able to buy bulk film and reload my own cassettes. Plus I developed my own film so that kept the costs down as well. Now people can pay a higher price for a digital camera and keep experimenting with these controls and just reusing the flash cards. Another factor was to experiment with different lenses and filters. Obviously lenses are still a big part of shooting with digital. But filters have somewhat gone by the wayside. Most of those effects can be done in the post production on a computer. It probably isn’t as efficient as the filters on the camera used to be; but it allows you to do any effect with any photo. When you used a filter on a film camera before; what you got was it. There was no changing it after the fact.

I: You mentioned the painting of your images. Can you elaborate more on that?

Ron: Quite a few years ago, after Photoshop had become the ‘norm’ for digital manipulation and production, a program called “Painter” was introduced. I had been teaching Photoshop since its’ beginning and it was kind of hitting a plateau in my opinion. And I was looking for more of a challenge. Unfortunately, the first number of releases were very complicated and hard to understand. And the company knew that. They made some adjustments and when an easier to understand version was introduced, I picked up my stylus and wacom tablet (used to paint and draw with) and starting working on the program. It wasn’t long until I had mastered certain features of the program which allowed me to use my photographs as a base and paint them in the computer. Painter is able to replicate almost any medium there is. Acrylic, watercolor, oil, pen, pencil and much more. It is the experimenting and practicing in this program that gives me the results I want. Plus we have a large format printer that gives me access to producing images as large as 40×60 inches on archival art material for this art. I love it.

I: So is there any one type of subject that intriques you more?

Ron: I’m very eclectic. I still like nature. Flowers, trees, landscapes and wildlife. But I’m getting more and more involved with painting my portraits and I’m looking for everyday life situations to paint. Excitement of sporting events. Wedding images. Farming scenes. Architecture and so much more. The possibilities are endless. Especially with all the different techniques I have available in Painter. Plus it’s not just a button to push. You actually have to make the strokes and the lines and adjust the color just like using oils or acrylics. Studying art has become a big time issue for me. There’s so much to learn and so little time.

I: Where are these images available to view and purchase?

Ron: Right now we have a number of them at each of our studios in Mayville and Grand Forks. I’ve been working on a web site just for my art and it’s not quite ready for launch yet. Hopefully within a couple months it will be up and running.

I: Thanks for sharing with us about your art.

Ron: You’re welcome. I’m posting a few of my ‘art’ images to give readers some idea of what’s available.

Yes, I found even more to post.

On September 1st, we start our 31st year in business. For the past 20 years for sure, I can remember a handful of HS Seniors coming to us each year after they’ve had a ‘less’ than stellar experience with another photographer. I pride myself in talking our ‘benefits’ and not talking down about other photographers. But the truth is, not all photographers have the same experience or give the experience each client is expecting. And that’s already happened again this 2009 HS Senior season. So if you’ve experienced something like this; give us a call. We’re still offering the $150 bonus plus a free ‘2009′ Jacobson Senior Crew t-shirt until we run out. And fall is a great time for beautiful outdoor colorful portraits. 

So for now…..here’s some more to look at.

Can’t keep up. But I’m trying to. Here’s another set of HS Seniors from the Class of 2009….

This weeks interview will be replaced by a tribute to a fellow photographer.

This past weekend my wife and I made a trip to Watertown, South Dakota to buy a few items from an estate sale for a photographer friend that passed away this past spring. Ralph Richter was a long-time photographer who had come to this country from Europe/Russia and learned his craft through apprenticeship. 

His photography career started out with school photography and eventually led to all types of photography. In addition, Ralph was a lifetime learner. Not only did he engage in photography as his vocation, he spent many days per year by himself or with friends going on photo safaris to improve his skills and to learn new techniques. He was always at conventions and seminars and in the front row….with his trusty camera (film based) and a cassette recorder. As we went through his studio on Sunday, we found cabinets and shelves full of binders with photos and notes from each of these educational events that Ralph attended. 

Ralph gave back to the photography profession by serving in all the positions on the South Dakota Professional Photographers Board, as well as being one of the founding members of the Northern Light Professional Photographers Association which at that time included South and North Dakota, along with Minnesota and Wisconsin. Later Wisconsin would drop out and Manitoba would join for a number of years, until recently it’s only North and South Dakota along with Minnesota in the Northern Light Professional Photographers Association.

Ralph also served as a long-time councilor for South Dakota to the Professional Photographers of America and also was a top representative for South Dakota in the American Society of Photographers. Ralph loved to share with other photographers and to enter print competitions. He will be well remembered for his extraordinary prints and the meticulous work he did on his entries each year.

So my column this week is to honor a fellow photographer. Thanks again Ralph!!