The July, 2010 North American Whitetail cover. On newsstands NOW!

It was back in early November of 2009 that for me, at least, the groundwork for this project began to form.  It was about that time that my friend, Garret Armstrong, of Elite Archery, shared with me pictures that he had just taken in the field of Chris Kiernan’s 2009 Illinois archery buck.  I’m pretty certain that my jaw dropped, and I laughed out loud in amazement when I first saw how truly incredible this deer was!  Back in November, though, I had no idea that I would have the opportunity to photograph the mounted buck for the July 2010 “kickoff” issue of North American Whitetail Magazine!

Chris Kiernan, of Illinois, is a member of the Elite Archery Pro Staff, and has several big whitetail bucks to his credit.  On November 1, 2009, he killed what was to become the pending Illinois State Record for a non-typical whitetail taken with bow and arrow. I was able to meet Chris at the ATA show in Columbus, Ohio in mid-January, and it was at this point that we started to discuss the possibility of doing some studio photography to accompany the field images that Garret had done in November.  Chris was in the early stages of writing his article, exclusively for North American Whitetail.  It was also at this time that I was able to meet and have a conversation with Gordon Whittington, Editor in Chief of the magazine, and begin to understand what types of images they would need for the upcoming article.

The Kiernan Buck as photographed on April 4, 2010.

It wouldn’t actually be until early April, though, that Chris and his lovely wife, Maria, would drive the mounted trophy from Illinois to our studios at Myers Creative Imaging in Rochester, NY.  We had made arrangements a couple of weeks prior to the shoot, and I had previously done some lighting tests with one of Garret Armstrong’s bigger whitetail mounts.  When the Kiernan buck arrived that Saturday morning, we were all set to go.  Once we had the mount arranged on a solid post in the studio, I spent some time with Chris and Garret just looking at the deer.  The antler structure and mass were just incredible.  There were so many details in the antlers that required close examination!  Lots of “Ooooh’s,” “Wow’s,” and “Holy cow’s!” as I recall.  I was blown away seeing the deer up close like this.

With Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts cups in hand, we spent time walking around the mount, looking at it from different perspectives, trying to decide which camera position would ultimately tell the best story of this buck.  The perspective we kept coming back to is the one you see in the image used on the cover.  After shooting some more refined tests, and working on the lighting until we were happy, we proceeded to make the cover photo, and then turned the pedestal at different increments to capture the buck from all angles.  The shape of the buck’s antlers change dramatically when viewed from the sides!  One of the side views we photographed, shown below, accompanies the article in its opening spread.

A stunning view of the whitetail buck's left side.

Several hours after the buck came through the front doors of the studio, he was gently packed back up in the truck, and before the Kiernan’s headed back to Illinois, we headed over to Dinosaur Barbecue for a little celebratory lunch of pulled pork, brisket, and loads of other good stuff!  The Spring day was warm enough that we could sit outdoors at the Dinosaur and overlook the mighty Genesee River as it rushed North to Lake Ontario.  It was a very satisfying way to end a really great day.

The story of Chris and his buck is one of a lifelong passion for deer hunting, of strategy, restraint, persistence, and success.  It’s a really nice read!  I would encourage you to hit up your local newsstand for a copy of North American Whitetail to check it out!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2 with Leaf Aptus 65S Digital back.

The Judge, new for 2010, in a matte black "Ninja" Edition. Extremely Slick!

My New Year holiday weekend was capped off with the completion of photography for Elite Archery’s 2010 Product Catalog.  I’m really excited to get my hands on the final printed piece, because the PDF I saw online today looks just great!  I’ve had a really fantastic time working with Garret Armstrong, the VP of Marketing and Sales for Elite Archery, and have enjoyed spending time getting to know the rest of their team, Maggie Armstrong, Missy and Denny Sharrone, and Pete Crawford, the company President.  It’s both energizing and refreshing to be working with people who believe so deeply in producing high quality products, are dedicated to supporting their customers, and genuinely love what they do.

Elite Archery's GT500, in Anthracite Gray Metallic. Absolutely gorgeous!

The upper limb and Rev cam of the GT500, Anthracite.

Eric Barbehenn, from our shop at Myers Creative Imaging, was the driving force behind the retouching of the images, and preparing them for going to press.  Many hours were spent at the computers in the studio during this post-production process, after the photography was complete.  At our latest estimate, 13 gallons of Starbucks Coffee and 29 pounds of Almond M&M’s were consumed during the entire project.  Amy Millert and Jennifer Morse provided a great deal of help in the studio on our shooting days, and I felt very fortunate to have had them as part of the team!

Elite Archery's One Piece Bow Quiver, in Realtree AP, mounted on a 2010 Judge. Made by Treelimb for Elite Archery.

Some really exciting, new products have been added to Elite Archery’s already solid arsenal of bows for 2010.  Elite’s newest bow, The Judge, is a very sweet looking piece of equipment, featuring an axle to axle length just a whisker under 35 inches, Elite’s new Revolution cams, and a 6 inch brace height.  Also new this year are one and two-piece Treelimb quivers, and a line of 7 and 11 inch stabilizers that are Doinker equipped, and feature a smoke colored acrylic rod that is etched with the Elite Archery logo.  These accessories have been designed in a way that beautifully complements Elite’s bows aesthetically, and they look as though they will perform solidly and effectively as they should.  Other new additions to the product line include a hip quiver and a soft-sided bow case that has to be one of the nicest looking cases I’ve seen!

Efficient Powerhouse! Elite Archery's 2010 Revolution cam!

The catalog went to press today, and will be delivered in time for distribution at Elite Archery’s exhibit booth at the ATA Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio this month.  I’m excited to be flying into Columbus on the 13th and attending the show this year for the first time, and for the opportunity to meet with and show work to new, prospective clients!  Wish me luck!

The Judge, dressed to hunt, in Realtree AP.

Elite Archery's new Field Quiver. Intelligent design and very classy!

Stokerized, Doinker equipped, and laser-etched! Elite's new 11-inch stabilizer, shown here in black, and available in AP and MAX-1. Also available in a 7-inch model!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2, with Leaf Aptus 65S Digital Back.

When one of your buddies agrees to be picked up at 6am on a Saturday, and you’re not heading out to hunt or fish, you had better have something good in store!

I had worked with Dan Jones on a shoot recently, when John Myers was doing some photography for Catalyst Direct.  Dan is an Art Director with that agency.  During the afternoon, I had asked Dan if he’d be interested in being photographed for my portfolio of bowhunting related work.  I thought that he would fit the project really well, especially with the beard he had grown since last time I’d seen him.  He said sure, but there was a catch.  He was getting rid of the beard in a few days, so we needed to do the photography very soon!

Dan was willing to hang on to the beard just long enough for me to organize the details and find the right kind of day to photograph him.  We had scheduled the shoot for this morning and after picking Dan up at his house, made a stop at Starbucks on the way out of town. We then drove to one of my favorite locations, the property I hunt in Canandaigua, NY.  I’d had the idea for this portait in my head for some time, and had done some quick test shot a couple weeks prior when I had been on the same property with Matt Smythe.

The morning was overcast at first, but weather reports claimed that there would be breaks of sun.  For a while, I wasn’t sure that was going to happen, but eventually, things worked out just as I had hoped they would.  We had a really great morning, a good visit and a few laughs during the ride and the shoot.  I’m really pleased with the photography, and have popped in a few samples here.  Thanks again, Dan.  I really appreciate your help, and hope the beard wasn’t too painful coming off!

Special thanks to Mark Bibbens and family for allowing me to create these photographs in such a gorgeous location!

Camera: Canon EOS 1DS Mk 3.

I got together with my good friend, Matt Smythe this morning to do some photography of him in one of my deer hunting stands in Canandaigua.  It was an absolutely stunning Spring morning!  I picked him up at 7:00 and headed over the hill to the property I hunt during archery season.  We saw countless Canada Geese, and probably a dozen deer along our way.  It made us wish we were heading out to hunt instead!

I had gone to this location the previous weekend to plan the shot, choose the perspective, and set up my twenty foot climbing stick ahead of time. That accomplished, all we would have to do was find the right morning, get out there and execute the shot.  We didn’t have a great deal of time this morning, because I wanted to have the sun low in the sky and behind Matt.  He also had commitments later that involved kids, birthday cake and bowling!  Fortunately for me, he was gracious enough to carve out some time to get out in the woods first!

Everything came together pretty smoothly.  I used my Tree Saddle to get up a little higher than Matt was, and standing on top of the climbing stick, was able to move around some to make some subtle changes in perspective.

After I felt we had accomplished all I had hoped to, we packed up the gear, hiked back to the truck, and did some quick test shots in a couple different locations I plan to use soon.

I got Matt dropped off at his place on schedule, visited with his family for a little bit, and headed back to the woods to walk around for a while and look for shed antlers.

I really hated to leave to come back to the city this afternoon!  By the way, Matt, next time, we’ll go out for a proper breakfast afterward!

A huge thank you to Mark Bibbens for making his land accessible for my shoots!

Camera: Canon EOS 1DS Mk 3.

Matt photographed me in the Tree Saddle during a break in the action.

Grant with the three Laddy's he was presented with.

Friday, March 13 was a big night for quite a few people in Rochester!  The RAF Addy Awards 2009 event was held downtown at the Clarion Riverside Hotel.  From 6:30 pm until 1:00 am, people from all walks of the local advertising community came together once again to celebrate and honor excellence in advertising and the advertising arts.

Attendees were photographed on the red carpet upon arrival, then were whisked off to an energetic cocktail hour and walk-through viewing of this year’s entries.  It was wonderful to see such a huge collection of quality work!  Eventually, the crowd was encouraged into the ballroom for the presentation of awards, and entertained through the evening by the classiest of Emcees, Robin Lohkamp and Joe Mayernik.

Christine Walker and Grant arriving at the event.

Thirty Addy’s, the highly coveted trophies, were awarded, and thirty-five Laddy’s were presented as well, each in salute to great creative achievement.   Best of Show was awarded to Martino Flynn for their Dundee Ales & Lagers campaign, and the 2009 Silver Award was presented to Sharon Napier, President and CEO of Partners & Napier.

After the awards presentations, the masses headed back out to the cocktail lounge and social area for a couple more hours of celebrating, back-slapping, hand-shaking, congratulatory fun!  I think everyone that I saw was really enjoying the evening!  In many cases, it’s the only chance that some have to catch up with friends that they may only see once or twice a year.

Dan Hare, hunter and friend, poses with one of my winning entries.

I was really excited to have been presented with three Laddy trophies, one for my self-promotional booklet, “Seasons,” on which I collaborated with Rachel Spence and Matt Smythe.  The other two Laddy’s were awarded for two series of images from my body of bowhunting photography.

Our “studio family” really turned out in force that night!  We had a table full of smiling faces, and all had dressed beautifully for the occasion!  Christine had come into town for the event, Kathy brought Frank, in a bright red jacket, Heather (with baby on board) looked radiant, and our good friend Amy looked very springy in her pink dress.  John wasn’t able to arrive until later due to a stage production he was acting in, but Heather had made the trip to the stage to accept the two Laddy’s he had won for two separate entries in the photography category!

Here are a few pictures from our night!

Camera: Canon Powershot Pro S1

Rachel Spence, Christine and Grant at the cocktail hour.

Frank and Kathy Dicesare, and the infamous Red Jacket.

Chris Krapf, our good friend and client was in from Virginia Beach for the week!

Good friends Heather and Amy showing their support!

John Myers and Christine Walker hamming it up for the camera.

Paul Hill of Martino Flynn shares his excitement with John!