This session happened this morning on a bit of a cloudy, blustery day that improved drastically just as we started.
This young woman just received her Bachelor’s degree and will pursue a Master’s in forensic science and criminal investigation.
Photographed on the Eastern Michigan University campus in Ypsilanti the day went well. Sunny with a side helping of huge Koi living in the ponds.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
Part of me envies the part time photographers picking up a few jobs here and there for a bit of extra funds although, in fairness, many of them yearn to go full time but due to family, financial or personal reasons have not done so.
In my case I was laid off shortly after losing my wife to cancer after being together 31 years and I was done with corporate so bootstrapped my photo business.
It was a leap of faith and I love what I do. The business side of running a business is where many entrepreneurs fail. I had many years in and out of corporate so had the background to make the move.
I am an LLC, BBB accredited and licensed as a home business in the City of Ypsilanti. I carry equipment and liability insurance, pay for search engine optimization, my website, gallery and Etsy page as well as print samples, maintain my in-home studio much of which is pictured in the composites in this post and have a load of equipment also pictured in the post.
Two camera bodies, 8 flash heads, a host of light stands, tripods, umbrellas and light boxes, backgrounds, various electronics to fire the heads and enough computer power to process the photos and some stuff I’m sure I’ve forgotten here all add up to my tool kit.
I guess I qualify as a cottage industry of which there are many in this city alone and we are eternally grateful to our customers who keep us alive and still working.
Clicking on the composites below will display them full size
While it’s still a bit chilly here in Michigan it’s still not too early to plan for a graduation photo session.
Whether it’s high school or college the need to capture that slice of time is fast approaching.
Obviously the preference is for an outdoor session utilizing one of the many great locations available to us with, perhaps, a side trip back to the studio to incorporate a short yearbook photo into the mix.
This post is intended to be a thought starter as I always get frantic calls as the deadline approaches.
The composites below are a very small sample of some of the sessions I’ve photographed.
Clicking on them will display them full size
Last week I posted some Etsy products using my own and others’ photos and this week I am rolling out my new Metal Print Wall Art page.
I stress the these prints truly need to be seen in person to appreciate the dramatic difference over paper prints. I have a wall of them in my home and when customers come in for studio sessions they almost always are shocked at the intensity and color depth of these display prints.
Rather than printing the image directly onto aluminum which results in a lower resolution print that scratches easily, my lab uses the Dye Sublimation Process! During the dye sublimation process the image is first printed onto a transfer paper with "dye" inks then "sublimated" into the aluminum sheet with heat and pressure. At this point the inks are bonded with the aluminum for permanent protection and longevity! Because the inks are infused beneath the coating of the metal these prints are also scratch resistant and hold up perfectly in moist environments. Unlike other print mediums, you can wipe away fingerprints easily with a soft microfiber cloth and glass cleaner, which will leave your HD Metal Prints looking like new for a lifetime!
This post is a bit wordy as I am trying to get as much information a possible to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeX53aItNys is a link to show you a video of the process.
Here is a link to the store page:
https://www.ssphotographic.com/metalprintstore
Clicking on the photos below will display them full size.. these are a small collection of what is available and photos I do in sessions are always available in metal.
I’ve been posting links to my product sales sites occasionally but this year my mission is to make a more concerted push to make people aware of the available custom imprinted image items.
I’m integrating a couple of new pages to my website that will be up and running soon but here is a preview of some product using my photographs…. more to come regarding the metal prints soon.. these in the photos below first.
I am also, in this post, asking anyone who has suggestions for new product to post a comment.
Also any product is available to clients who want photos I’ve done for their family, seniors, portraits or pets with those images printed as items to have commemorating those memories… just contact me.
This link takes you to my Etsy site https://www.etsy.com/shop/SSPHOTOSTORE
Clicking on the composites below will display them full size
I don’t get to play much in my studio as many sessions don’t lend themselves toward too much experimentation.
The mission is always to capture the personalities of people who come in so when this young woman who had never been in a formal photo session asked for some photos for a potential model portfolio I jumped at the opportunity to be a bit more inventive.
She immediately relaxed in front of the camera and it turned out to be a really fun session.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
I photographed three sessions that piggybacked a couple of guys needing high school senior yearbook pictures with a woman updating her head shots.
Until the actual, consistent spring weather moves in I’m happy my studio is available for indoor sessions.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
Anyone who “owns” an animal knows full well the animal is the true owner.
Bad weather walks, expensive food and vet bills, middle of the night wet nose in the ear are all par for the course.
The obvious other side of the coin is the companionship, unconditional love, sheer fun and the inevitable statement “Sorry, I can’t move… there’s a cat on me”.
Back in the mid 1960s I lived in a 5th floor 2 room walk-up apartment in the East Village in New York City with my then wife, a cat, two Afghan Hounds and a rescued Great Dane so I get it!
These photos are a combination of my son’s dog just prior to a much needed clipping and a pair of customer’s dogs.. all photographed in my studio with a brief burn off some energy break in the snow.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
A while ago I donated a gift certificate for a one hour session to a worthy cause and this family bid and won the session.
Their story of coming to this country was very interesting and the session was quite rewarding!
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
This week’s post highlights two headshot sessions.
The first was for a gentleman who came in for a quick session. His wife accompanied him and when we were done I convinced her to get in front of the camera despite her protestations that she didn’t photograph well and her hair and makeup had not been done at all.
I actually love it when I get someone who says they don’t photograph well as in many cases they turn out to be my best shots. I love this one!!! Her natural intelligence and charm just came across perfectly.
The accompanying couple of headshots were from another session and in a very nice small world moment it turned out the woman went to high school with my son, who is now in his late 40s.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
This dad and his two sons came into the studio for a family session to update the one we did in a park last year.
No surprise, the boys have grown and, as before, we had a fun session.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
If you’ve been following my blog posts you know I have been sharing the backlog of warm fall weather photo sessions. I met with this great family on a warm day in mid November just before the winter chill set in.
They were the last family group photographed outside in 2023.. Had a great session and it was a perfect day to wind up the season.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
More from the last of the warmer weather.
This couple had me photograph them and their pup last year and came back for a one year redo.
The header photo is an after/before and it’s amazing how much he’s grown.
I’ve enabled a new pets and people web page and am posting the link below. Please feel free to visit.
https://www.ssphotographic.com/pets-people-and-animals
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
This is the third yearly session with this family and, once again, this little charmer lived up to expectations!
Her previous wonder woman costume was a blog post favorite and this year with two looks was even better.
From princess to military she was superb at both.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
Those of you following these blog posts know I have a huge backlog of outside session photos to post but this week I want to share the last of the senior sessions and a headshot session in my studio.
The young man shown here was photographed at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business from which he’s graduating. He is personable and bright.. a good combination for a great future.
The gentleman shown in the headshot section is a return customer updating his files as it’s been a few years since our last session. He’s a super guy and it was good to reconnect.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
I was so jammed this fall that I still have a store of outside sessions to post here.. this is another one!
This great family returned for another fall session at Ann Arbor’s County Farm Park.
The boys have grown and it’s fun to be part of a family story.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
2023 went by in a flash for me!
I’m grateful for the wonderful people who supported my business and on this, literally the eve of a new year, I’m excited and also a bit apprehensive at the changes yet to come.
The header photo is from my metal print collection (more about that in next week’s blog post) and I also launched an Etsy shop featuring items printed with my sunset series carried over from the metal print gallery, also to be featured next week.
Sadly, as it seems to be every year, there is much pain in the world and I wish that magic wand I envision were real so I could magically solve every problem.
Barring that I wish you all a happy new year for 2024 filled with wonder, love, health and good fortune.
Clicking on the composites of the faces of the year below will display them full size.
With Christmas day literally arriving momentarily I’m still milking the last of the warm weather photo shoots for these posts.
It was a very busy senior season and this very sharp (and very tall) young man and I met at Ypsilanti’s Depot town and Riverside park for an hour to capture these photos, then making a short trip to his church to finish with a change to his scout uniform.. a very influential part of his life.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
I’m sharing another of the warm weather senior sessions, this one at Ypsilanti’s Depot Town and Riverside Park with a quick trip to my studio for some yearbook photos.
For a while I was photographing seven day weeks and one or two sessions daily so these posts are a look back at the fall weather.
This young man is a football player and looks every bit the part! Another fun session.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size
I’ve been sharing some of the last of the good weather sessions.
As the fall season for senior sessions progressed we got lucky with weather cooperating to give us the opportunity to come up with some like the one here.
I photographed this young man on site at Ann Arbor’s Huron High School on a chilly day with clouds and sun mixed as the rain held off. We then drove to my studio for some yearbook photos.
Also I am including some head shot photo results from a couple of business sessions, also in my studio.
Clicking on the composites will display them full size.
