2&3 Designs

Kari & Keith

2008-11-11T20:09:00.004-05:00

Sarah and I had the wonderful oportunity of documenting Kari and Keith McGrit's wedding on October 25th. We had a blast! See more of their pictures Here.

Our New Website!

2008-09-19T16:25:00.003-04:00

Well, we finally got our new website up. Take a minute and check it out. Let us know what you think. Good and bad.

http://2and3photography.com

Jennifer

2008-07-05T21:45:00.002-04:00

Jennifer, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

Last month we were fortunate enough to be able to take the bridal portraits of the now Jennifer Hand. We drove down to Bear Creek to a beautiful estate with an incredible house where we did the shoot. Jennifer did a good job of putting up with Sarah and I. This is the shot Jennifer chose for her printed bridal portrait.

Jennifer married Randy Hand today. Congratulations guys! Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey.

Lauren & Jeremy

2008-07-05T01:19:00.002-04:00

Lauren & Jeremy, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to be able to photograph Lauren and Jeremy Woock's wedding. Sarah was gone to Indiana to officiate basketball, so Krista , Cara and I shot the wedding and had a blast. This is a shot we took after stealing them before their first dance.

Lauren's Bridal Portraits

2008-06-29T21:05:00.004-04:00

Lauren, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

This past Wednesday Sarah, Krista, and I were able to take the bridal portraits of Lauren. We had a beautiful but hot evening and came away with a set of nice shots. Lauren's cathedral length vail makes for a beautifully dramatic image. Lauren's wedding was this past Saturday, so we will have more images to come!

Check out more by clicking 2&3Designs below the image!

Ben and his BMW

2008-06-09T19:49:00.002-04:00

Ben and his BMW, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

This past Sunday we took some time out around sunset to take some pictures of our friend Ben and his bike. We pulled off onto a very short side road, it was only about 25 yards long. Needless to say there wasn't any traffic, thus perfect for pictures. We used 5 strobes for this shot, 3 in umbrellas and 2 bare. The only thing this picture didn't capture was the humidity!
Thanks Ben!

Nikki's Men

2008-06-05T07:23:00.002-04:00

_5316394, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to photograph our good friend Nikki's wedding. Her husband Tommy (second from the right) and his groomsman and ushers paused for this shot. Kinda Blues Brothers, kinda Men In Black and a lot of fun! This is my personal favorite out of the formal shots. We shot this one with 3 strobes, one high camera left at 1/2 through and umbrella, one low camera right through an umbrella at 1/4 and a strobe on the floor below the cross aimed up at 1/4.
Thanks Nikki and Tommy!

Top 10!

2008-06-03T16:49:00.004-04:00

Yeah.... she's better than me!, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Sarah and I entered this photo into a photo competition which was voted on by the public and we made the top 10! Now we are waiting to be judged by a pro photographer to see who gets the top spot. The winner gets a $1600 7-14mm lens!! We're cossing our fingers over here. I think we definitely have the most interesting image. We'll see what the Judge thinks...
Here is a link to the Top 10:
http://fourthirds-user.com/2008/06/top_ten_finalists_for_spring_photo_competition.php

We've been published!

2008-05-13T22:04:00.011-04:00

Through flickr I was able to get one of my images published. In a discussion forum, a writer from "What Digital Camera Magazine," based in the UK, asked the opinions of those who have an Olympus E-3. I submitted my comments and was asked if I wanted to submit them to their magazine. So, long story short, we got the magazine in the mail today.

The picture is one I took on my trip to Kansas City, Missouri for a teacher workshop. It was taken in one of the walkways that connect surrounding buildings called "The Link."

Here is the original:

Jenna's Bridal Portraits

2008-05-12T10:06:00.004-04:00

Jenna, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

We recently were blessed to be a part of Ben and Jenna Sugg's wedding this past weekend. They are an absolutely awesome couple and we enjoyed working with them every step of the way.
Earlier this month we shot Jenna's Bridal portraits at Duke Gardens. The second one is the one she chose for her Bridal Portrait. Here are a couple of our favorites.
As for strobist information, we shot all of these with a single shot through umbrella with 2 SB-28s mounted.
Click here for more.

Seeking: Prince, Got: ??????

2008-05-04T22:14:00.003-04:00

Seeking: Prince, Got: ??????, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Or awesome photographer friend Aaron Nace took a picture which my mind immediately related to Sarah and I. So of course we had to do an image in response, since we are also doing a 365. I originally wanted Sarah in my hand as if I had found my Queen. Sarah decided to switch it up, which really adds to the humor of the image.

Day 65 of 365

Speak, See, Hear no Evil

2008-04-17T09:25:00.006-04:00

Speak See Hear no Evil, originally uploaded by Capa12.

We had another get together last night with
Aaron to do a photo shoot. This was pretty much all his idea. We took three different pictures of each other and photoshopped them together into one image. So each of us is effectively in each image; either in the form of hands, mouth and chest, or eyes. As usual, Sarah had the best image... seen here in center.

Joei @ Bain Water Treatment Plant

2008-04-13T14:38:00.002-04:00

Joei, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Yesterday Sarah and I joined in with some of our Raleigh flickr friends for a day of photography at the Bain Water Treatment Plant. From what we could tell it hasn't been in use since ~1998 and has since become very run down, but full of character and a great place for photographers. We had a blast and were worn out by the end of it all. It is a huge facility with tons of photographic opportunity waiting to happen. This shot is of Joei Reed on the main staircase. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!

Sarah...

2008-04-03T13:16:00.002-04:00

Sarah... my love, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

I had an urge to try some creative lighting outdoors after seeing Martin Prihoda's work. I drug Sarah out to one of the fields next to Jordan Lake and shot away. I actually wanted to get the sunset but saw this grass and couldn't resist. Check out more here.

NY Super Fudge CHUNK!

2008-03-27T11:08:00.003-04:00

NY Super Fudge CHUNK!, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Oh the joys! Chocolate is one of life's great pleasures, especially in the form of ice cream. This shot is from a shoot done with our friend Aaron. This is the type of shoot I have no problem doing... I mean really, Sarah hanging over my shoulder feeding me chocolate... emmmm.

WE had four lights set up. Two behind us out of frame, one ring flash on camera and one to the side shooting towards the ceiling to provide a hair light. I I think it came out awesome and we couldn't have done it without Aaron!

Reeses!

2008-03-22T19:48:00.003-04:00

Reeses!, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Sarah and I called up a friend, Aaron, we recently met at the last Triangle Strobist meet-up and ened up spending our entire night shooting Reese's and donuts. We had a blast and came up with some fun images. Aaron had many more ideas but we just didn't have time... so... to be continued...

Old Trains

2008-03-09T10:26:00.004-04:00

, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Krista, Sarah, and I went out yesterday to take some pictures. Sarah had been wanting to take some pictures of some decommissioned trains in Raleigh, so we went down to do a shoot.

This shot was taken through the fuel oil filler hole in the side of the train car. I knew it was a good picture as soon as I looked in the camera. I love the angle. And, as you can tell... I had fun with the post processing too!

365

2008-03-08T23:44:00.002-05:00

Day 7, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Sarah and I started a 365 this month. We will be taking a picture of ourselves together every day for a year. When we have to be apart from one another we will take a picture of ourselves and put them together later. Who knows what kind of ideas we will come up with.... this should be interesting!

This one is day 7. It was inspired by Joe McNally's photograph of Steve Martin.

Jackson!

2008-03-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

Jackson, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

We got to keep Jackson for the weekend and decided to see if we could get some nice "pet portraits" out of him. Krista and Gill, went to Tennessee and dropped him of with us. Good thing we had some leftover chicken!!!! And speaking of chicken... Jackson is just that. He was scared to death of the camera, lights and umbrella, but with the power of leftovers we were able to distract him.

The Stars Upward Cheerleading Squad

2008-02-29T17:52:00.005-05:00

_2237747, originally uploaded by 2&3Designs.

On the 23rd, Sarah and I were lucky enough to be the photographers for my cousin, Sydney's, cheerleading squad. We had a great time, and as you can see we got 'em to loosen up a bit.

Parents, click here for proofs or ordering more prints, email us for a password:
http://2and3designs.instaproofs.com/

Strobist info: FL-50R high to camera right with clear gary fong light sphere without the top so a good amount of light is reflecting off the ceiling. Light stand = Sarah.

The Link

2008-02-20T21:39:00.005-05:00

The Link, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

I recently took a trip to Kansas City, MO for a teacher workshop. This was taken inside one of the enclosed foot bridges that connect buildings around the city. I thought it had some really nice lines... very industrial looking!

Felicity

2008-02-20T21:39:00.004-05:00

Felicity, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

This image was taken at the February Triangle Strobist meet-up. As usual, another great meet! I wasn't able to get my hands on a pocket wizard for this shoot, cause we had soooo many people shooting, but I think the result from just the modeling light came out pretty darn well.

Complementary

2008-02-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

Beact, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

I took this of Sarah at a flickr Triangle Strobist meeting under a bridge in Raleigh. I love the complementary colors which really make the image very dynamic.

The Triangle Strobist group is an awesome group of photographers.
Thanks to everyone who let me use their lighting equipment!

Check out our flickr accounts for more.

Restoration

2008-02-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

This is an image that I restored for Sarah's mother for a scrap booking project. This is only one of many. It provided several different types of problems. Not only with rebuilding the faces where the scratches and damage was, but with the discoloration of the tape along the edges. Getting the couch the right color brown, was probably the hardest part. Overall it came out better than I was expecting... always a good thing.

Click image for a larger version...

God's Masterpiece

2008-02-03T22:17:00.002-05:00

God's masterpiece, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

I took this in Charlotte, 02/02/2008. Looked out the car window and saw what looked to be an upside down rainbow, but soon saw the whole picture. Luckily I had my camera, cause it didn't last long. Truly amazing!

Its technically known as a 22º radius halo, which is cause by ice crystals that form in cirrus clouds.

Snow!

2008-01-20T10:33:00.002-05:00

Snow!, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

Finally got some snow! Sarah and I went out to enjoy it all. This shot was taken on duck hunting land. The E-3 held up just fine in the freezing cold and being covered in water and snow.

Strobist

2008-01-20T10:32:00.002-05:00

, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

This is a shot from the Triangle Strobist meet-up on the 15th. This shot was taken with a strobe shot through an umbrella right of camera.
We got several great shots; check out our flickr account to see more... Links to the right, 2&3

Sarah and high speed flash

2008-01-07T19:18:00.002-05:00

Sarah, originally uploaded by LShadrack.

I decided to play around with the high speed capabilities of my E-3 and FL-50R flash, here is one of the shots I liked. Its of an oddly familiar model; for some odd reason she is always around. Very handy and quite beautiful none-the-less. But anywho, it was shot at ISO 200, f4.0, 1/5000 sec with the flash low and to the right.

Christmas Tree

2007-12-03T18:30:00.001-05:00

Here a a few shots I took last night of Sarah and I's little Christmas tree with fake fiber optic lights. Taken at ISO 100, 2 sec, f5.6. I think some of them came out looking like colorful cloth.

Engagement Photos

2007-11-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shots from Sarah and I's engagement shoot with Ben and Jenna. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so we had to work with what we had. But, overall I think they came out pretty good.

Franklin St.

2007-11-01T21:58:00.001-04:00

Halloween on Franklin St.! Always a fun place to photograph. Sarah decided to take me since I had never been. Here are a few shots from the night. The clowns are by far my favorite shot.

New Toy

2007-10-23T21:55:00.001-04:00

I recently purchase a Lensbaby 2.0. It is a lens that produces optical distortion around a "sweet spot" which the user can move around. Its pretty cool, and you can come up with some interesting shots. Here are a few I''ve taken over the past couple of weeks.

Art Teacher!

2007-09-27T19:22:00.001-04:00

Sarah designed the word "teacher" and I created the rest of the design so I can put it on the door to my classroom.

A special portrait

2007-09-22T11:24:00.001-04:00

This is a portrait of my father and I. I did it for him for being the Best Man at my wedding. The composition combines two different pictures taken around the same time. I chose the best image of my dad and of me and put them together to render the image you see here. Note: There is a slight reflection off of my father's beard from the sheen of the pencil marks.

Costa Rican Culture

2007-09-15T15:23:00.001-04:00

On our journey to Costa Rica we encountered many different people. These boys thoroughly enjoyed being photographed. I would take their picture and they would run back to see what I had captured... laughs and comments ensued. They wouldn't have stopped if we hadn't had to leave. The fishermen were fishing off of the same beach and were surrounded by pelicans waiting for a escaped fish.

Macro lens trick

2007-09-15T15:06:00.001-04:00

I discoverd this trick on PopPhoto.com. With a telephoto lense on your camera, take a spare 50mm lense with the aperture all the way open and touch the two lenses nose to nose. You can get incredible macro shots.

Plaing with zoooooom

2007-09-15T14:59:00.001-04:00

These are a couple of interesting shots of a tealight candle while zooming with a slow shutter.