Just a quick update to let readers know my photo, “Sunset Over Soybean Field” has been selected by Manfrotto US, makers of fine ballheads, tripods, lighting supports and accessories, for their YouTube cover image.
You may visit the Manfrotto US YouTube page here:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8uVuYgq2IxTpKLGUaZWy3Q
Go have a look and be sure to check out all the great videos Manfrotto has to offer.
TG
“Sunset Over Soybean Field”, 2012
I’m always surprised when a photo goes viral. In my case, it was this image of a soybean field, which I captured in early August of 2012 just outside Little York, Illinois. I was driving north on Il Rte 67 when I looked over my left shoulder and saw the clouds start to break. As I crossed the bridge over the Edwards River, I knew I had to park and unpack the camera FAST in order to grab the setting sun before it dipped below the horizon. Luckily, I had my trusty Pentax K-7 at the ready sporting the stellar DA 21mm Limited lens. It clicked into place atop my Manfrotto 468MGRC2 ballhead which sat perched atop Gitzo 1541T carbon fiber legs, giving me a rock solid base to compose, focus and shoot. Grabbed three frames total before the last light gave way to nightfall.
Last night I revisited this image, having been unhappy with the way Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4′s color engine interpreted the RAW image data. This time around, I dropped it into Phase One’s excellent Capture One Pro 7 application, and immediately knew I had a keeper. C1 handled the subtle tones in the sky and balanced the range of light from foreground to background with relative ease. The Advanced Color editor allowed me to fine tune contrast and saturation for each individual color channel, which really gave the image some depth.
On a whim I decided to upload this one to Twitter, just to see what the denizens of the Internet thought. Imagine my surprise when Manfrotto US picked up the image and promptly replied with a usage request! I was only too happy to oblige a company I admire and whose products I use (in addition to the magnesium ballhead, I also own several air-cushioned light stands made by Manfrotto). Since I uploaded the image, it has received over 500 views. Additionally, the image is also on my business Facebook page and has been generating a steady stream of visitors since early this morning. The image will soon be gracing Manfrotto’s corporate Facebook page and official YouTube channel, so keep an eye out for it!
TG
Chris Verene’s new book, “Family” on display at Stone Alley Books & Collectibles
Last weekend I had the honor of collaborating with Chris Verene, one of the top documentary photographers working today. Chris really needs no introduction; he is a documentary photographer who is best known for his multi-decade long project which follows the lives of his family and friends in Galesburg, Illinois. His work has been shown in museums both nationally and around the globe, and he is one of only a handful of photographers in recent memory to successfully bridge the gap between the fine art and commercial worlds. He’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and was easily one of the most dynamic producers I have worked with to date.
Got a call late Friday afternoon from Tom Foley of Foley Photo Studio (Tom is a talented and accomplished photographer in his own right and also one helluva nice guy!) asking if I would be interested in shooting motion for a friend of his…Chris Verene. He would have done it (and no doubt done an amazing job, too!) if it were not for a schedule conflict. I jumped at the opportunity to work with top tier talent and agreed. Chris called me later that night and explained the project details; he’s working on a documentary about his life and needed an extra camera rolling during his book tour. He would be signing copies of his latest book, aptly titled, “Family” the following day at Stone Alley Books & Collectibles on historic Seminary Street. He needed HD footage as well as audio to record interactions between him and patrons as well as conversations with several family members and subjects of his works who would be in attendance.
No problem! Knowing the built-in mic on my Pentax K-7 wouldn’t offer the reach we needed, I set out to find a suitable mic or recorder for the job. Dave Plunk over at Music Makers set me up with the versatile Zoom H1 audio recorder. Perfect, except there was no way to mount this to my hot shoe…or was there? When I got back to the studio, I looked around and what I could use to mount the H1 to my K-7. Gaffer tape? No way, this isn’t amateur hour. I scanned the equipment drawer and staring back at me was the little Joby GorillaPod I use with my smaller rigs. It had a quick release plate! Excellent! That would connect the H1 to my GorillaPod, but what about a hot shoe? Then I pulled out a Calumet Hot Shoe-to-PC Connector. There was the missing link. The H1 with the GorillaPod QR plate slid snugly into the Calumet adapter, which fit my hot shoe like a glove.
Zoom H1, Joby QR Plate and Calumet Hot Shoe-to-PC adapter
Zoom H1 mounted on a Pentax K-7 (back)
Zoom H1 mounted on a Pentax K-7 (front)
We shot for two hours both inside the bookstore and out on the street. The K-7 worked well under pressure, thanks in no small part to the quality DA 21mm Limited lens on the front. The H1 also took its lumps with grace, recording several heartwarming stories told by Chris Verene’s mother. Everything was transferred from camera and recorder on location, and I made several backup copies of the data later back at my studio. Most importantly, Chris was happy with the job and that’s really all that matters at the end of the day.
Timothy Gray and Chris Verene
It’s been a humdinger of a month. Got the chance to break away for awhile last weekend and took to the gravel roads just west of town. Funny when I think back to how long it used to take me to get out of the big city. Here, it takes me mere minutes to find myself in the middle of nowhere (to me, anyways). The light hangs around a little longer now with Spring trying desperately to wrestle free from the clutches of old man Winter. Thing are (were) starting to green up a bit, and everywhere I looked there are (were) telltale signs of the changing seasons. That is, until we got hit with snow the day AFTER this photo was taken.
It’s hard to think I’ve been hear almost a year now but my eyes still go in all directions when I throw myself into the rural agricultural landscape of the Midwest. But, I am learning to see. This photo is proof. The lines and subtle contours of the gently rolling hills in this pastoral scene remind me of at least half a dozen states I have visited. The sever lack of trees, however, is pure Illinois, no doubt about it. I look at this image and wonder what it will look like a month from now…two months…twenty years. Perhaps it has always looked this way, remaining unchanged aside from ownership through the generations. It’s a great thing to set your mind in neutral and just let it wander where it may…mine is somewhere just beyond the horizon. It’s a nice change of pace.
If you like this image, please consider purchasing a print from me. I’m thinking this would look great in the office of any Ag Sales rep. Drop me a line if you’d like one. Thanks!
TG
I’ve been working on some new images which are in striking contrast to the works included in my recent exhibition, Near and Far Away. This time around, I have forgone color altogether, focusing purely on making delicately rendered monochrome interpretations of the surrounding rural agricultural landscape. For this initial offering, I will be offering each of the three images below as 6″x9″ archival pigment prints at two very affordable price points; $45 (print only) or $65 (matted).
Cornfield After Heavy Rain
The Long Road Home
Early Spring Storm Clouds
To place an order or for more information, please contact the studio using the form on this website. Thanks!
TG