As a creative I have chosen photography as my medium. And for a while I have been thinking about my next fine-art project.

Introducing: The Long Exposure.

I have always been captivated by what the camera can do. It can literally capture 1/8000 of a second. And that is pretty cool… but it also can make a single image out of 30 seconds.

All of the photographs in this project will be made using the 30-second shutter speed setting…and a tripod (of course).

My first subject is The State Route 509 Bridge in Tacoma, Washington.

Enjoy.

A few weeks back I visited one of my favorite Northwest cities: Portland, Oregon.

Portland is home to more than a dozen bridges. It is affectionately and appropriately nicknamed Bridgetown.

The Hawthorne Bridge (pictured above and below) is lighted beautifully at night.

The multi-colored lights of the Morrison Bridge are reflected along with street lights in the movement of the Willamette River.

A winter storm was looming in the distance, but we braved the elements and headed over to Cathedral Park under the St. Johns bridge in Portland.

Amber is such a trooper and will be a fabulous mother.

At 37 weeks she was game for just about anything, including walking out onto a dock that stretched out into the Willamette River near the bridge, so we could make some amazing pictures!

Stephan is such a great husband and will be a terrific father. How do I know? Because he looks at Amber with a tremendous amount of love in his eyes and gets really excited about the notion of being a dad.

Your son will be truly blessed to have such amazing people to call mom and dad!

And my personal favorite…

In the last installment of Focus, we discussed the importance of drive.

I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the importance of ethics. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do today.

Simply put: drive is not an excuse to ignore ethical behavior.

When I was working as a newspaper photojournalist there was one underlying ethic ingrained in my head: never [ever] falsify reality.

That ethical stance applied to both during the assignment and post production.

I continue to hold the same ethics as a wedding photojournalist because I believe that reality is beautiful and worth being shared.

In business you mustn’t do anything that would be contrary to your ethical beliefs.

Never sell a product or service to a client that isn’t needed. Never use guilt or position to sell your product or service. Always fulfill your contracts.

Being willing to do whatever it takes is being driven. But what’s the point of being driven, if it means you have to do something unethical.

I believe that maintaining an ethical business will help your business be successful.

Know where your proverbial line is, and never cross it.

The wedding and portrait photography industry is a service where the experience the client has during the session is just as important as the final product.

One of the most important elements in making the experience amazing is trust.

I think quickly building a foundation of trust with my clients is paramount to achieving excellent photography.

Your emotions, whether relaxed and carefree, or apprehensive and distressed, will reflect in the final photographs.

The assurance that the results will be amazing will let you enjoy the experience of making wonderful pictures.

In the last installment of Focus, we talked about distractions and how they aren’t always a bad thing.

Today, I want to talk about the importance of drive for creative professionals.

The relevant definition: drive is the innate urge to attain a goal.

As a creative professional, I definitely say that I have drive. But what does this mean?

Simply put: it means that I want to be successful, and will do what I need to do.

This is great news if you are my client, because just like a golden retriever, I aim to please.

My goal is high, but simple: make the best and most compelling images for the project.

Whether I’m photographing your engagement session, wedding, trash the dress session, family portraits, sporting events, editorial assignment, commercial campaign, or other project, I am driven to create the absolute best images.

Drive is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.

Being driven in business means never giving up. Sure, make modifications, but never give up.

No, I didn’t get a new dog.

But, it did snow today (quite a bit, I’m told) and so I walked over to Wright Park in Tacoma, WA where I found this cute little Boston-terrier-beagle-pug mix named Taylor playing fetch in the snow with her owners.

And yes, for those of you who know me all too well…the first thing I noticed was how adorable this dog looked in her super cute pink hooded puffer jacket.

Just wanted to share… Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday!

Wanted to share this photograph of Amber and Stephan from their amazing maternity portrait session at Cathedral Park under the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon.

They are just about ready to become first-time parents. And they’re super excited to welcome a baby boy into their family.

Congratulations!!

We did this photo shoot over the weekend [yesterday]. More photos coming soon.

The top 12 trends for 2012 [List brought to you by OneWed, commentary powered by me]

#12: Food Trucks: a new way to cater your reception and after party.

#11: Unique Head Chic: headpieces are coming back, the traditional veil has got some competition.

#10: Royal Wedding Inspiration: Yep, you guessed it Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding is filled with inspiration for yours, even if you don’t have a royal budget.

#9: Letterpress with a Modern Twist: Modern, even punk rock, edge meets the classic luxury of letterpress printing.

#8: Bijou Weddings: smaller guest lists will give you more cash in your pocket to splurge on the things you really want [like quality photography, just sayin!].

#7: Two Wedding Dresses: Not sure I agree with the notion of this one, but hey, why not have another dress to party in!

#6: Scaled Back Centerpieces: Big floral centerpieces are out. Unique pieces with meaning are IN.

#5: Touches of Sheer: Illusion is sexy.

#4: Sparkle: What’s a wedding with out the glints. Metallic pieces are definitely a fun way to add contrast with class.

#3: Mix and Match Mania: No longer is there a need to make all your bridesmaids look alike. Give’em the freedom of choice [within reason]!

#2: Ditching Tradition: I’m a big believer in this one. No where in the book of wedding planning does it say you have to do anything. Do what you want. You’ll be much happier with the result.

#1: Not your Mom’s White Wedding Dress: White is out? Really?! Ok, why not. Remember #2. Wear what you want, after-all, it’s your wedding day.

The wonderful folks at OneWed also put together a photo gallery highlighting these trends.

These may be the trends, but remember to make your wedding everything that you want it to be. Happy planning!

Editors Note: Focus is a new series bringing elements of the creative world together with the business world.

As a photographer, I find myself wanting to create beautiful images to share with the world [sometimes at my own expense].

As a business person, I want to make decisions that will help build a sustainable [and profitable] business.

Which brings us to the topic of today’s discussion: When does a distraction become worthwhile?

I’ve been approached, on more than one occasion, asking if I’d be willing to do what I do for less than my quote. This is an issue that many photographers face. And one that I consider a distraction.

Now, wait just a second. I never said that a distraction was necessarily a bad thing.

But, it becomes a decision to even entertain the notion of doing something for less than its worth.

When situations like this come up, the question that I ask myself is: what’s in it for me?

And of course, that simple question is really shorthand for a half a dozen or so other more specific questions

Like…

• Is adding this project to my portfolio going to be profitable in the near future?
• Will this project give me the opportunity to do something unique?
• How much control will I have over the creative process?

If the answers to the questions above yield positive responses, then something may, indeed, be in it for you.

Sometimes a distraction can become worthwhile and will be a successful addition to your portfolio, which will ultimately make your business succeed in its goal of being sustainable and profitable.

When that is the case, I say bring on the distractions. But it’s important to [quickly] recognize when a distraction is just a distraction.