Seufert's Scenes

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Christopher Seufert Photography

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Cape Cod Photo of the Week- Gillnetting Boat Allegedly Used for Whale Harrassment

03/11/09 · 1:35 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

Link: http://www.ChathamPhoto.com

"Unicorn", the boat owned by Chatham gillnetter Robert Eldridge Jr, that was allegedly (very allegedly) used to harrass a humpback whale last summer.

©Christopher Seufert Photography
ChathamPhoto.com

And an alternate wide shot

Cape Cod Winters: A Shoot for Boston Magazine

03/03/09 · 11:10 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

Link: http://www.ChathamPhoto.com

Chatham Light Bluff during a Snow Squall

Recently I shot photos for the current March, '09 issue of Boston Magazine at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis. The name of the article is "Come for the Beaches, Stay for the Blizzards," about Cape Cod in the wintertime.

(Read it here http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/dispatch_letter_from_cape_cod/)

Shoots like this, coming from magazines over the bridge, really help to pay the bills here in the off-season, as they tend to pay better than the on-Cape publications. The extra exposure is great too, of course, but it's also great to be able to go explore a part of the Cape I wouldn't normally have the chance to, and also to meet some of the people here that make the Cape tick.

Photo Assistant Chris Kolb Stands in for the portrait subject as I make lighting and exposure adjustments.

The shoot consisted of two parts:

1. Capture scenes of a snowy, cold Cape Cod winter. Visit tourist destinations normally associated with summer and shoot them in their icy, white bleakness.

2. Then go to the Cape Codder resort and shoot some of their condo units and also a portrait of Cape Codder president, Bill Catania.

A seemingly boring but necessary establishing shot.

One of the kitchens in their condo units

Typically, I post a proof sheet for the editor or art director to cull through, at high resolution, and then they download what they like for the final article. I make every effort when doing this to post enough of a selection for them to have enough variety, but not so many that they're forced to wade through too many redundant shots, or ones that don't fulfill the proposed concept. Featured here are the final shots and also some of the test and proof shots that went into pulling of the shoot.

Next week, a shoot for Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.

Until then,

Christopher Seufert Photography

Cape Codder Resort President Bill Catania

Bill Catania in the Condo Billiard Room(Outtake)

Bill Catania (Outtake- This one's just a touch too squinty)

Cape Codder Resort Condo Bedroom

Barnstable Farm Sprinkler System and Crops

Christopher Seufert Photography for Buy Fresh, Buy Local Campaign

02/16/09 · 8:28 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

Link: http://www.CapeCodPhoto.net

Final Logo using photo elements below.

Contrary to what some might think, working as a professional photographer on Cape Cod is not all beach portraits and framed sunsets. There are some great over-the-bridge jobs that come my way (more on that next week), but some of the most fun jobs can originate right here on Cape Cod. The unexpected nature of the inquiries that come into my studio really does help to keep the off-season fun, bringing me out to areas of Cape Cod that I wouldn't normally get to see in my daily round.

Case in point: Christopher Seufert Photography was tasked to shoot the photos used to design the Barnstable County Campaign logo above. After walking the farms and fields of Barnstable shooting chickens, crops, and assorted bucolic views, several images were combined as inspiration for the project artist to design a logo using several features from different photographs. It's satisfying to provide real Cape Cod places for inclusion into what could be a more generic Cape Cod scene, not the sort of job I would have predicted when setting out on this adventure.

The barn used in the logo, which comes from the lettuce farm image was used as-is, with the window and open door situated as we shot it, however, it was colored red in the final logo. The other elements, the rows of crops and the Sandy Neck village buildings were added direct from the images.

In the coming weeks I'll be talking more about some of these unusal gigs.... photography with my wife on her current New York Times Best Selling book, a recent job with Boston Magazine shooting at the Cape Codder hotel, and also I'll discuss how I got my recently released self-published hard-cover Cape photo book picked up by a publisher. Want to see more of my stuff? Just click on the photos below to see my ongoing stream at Flickr...

Sandy Neck Lighthouse

Barnstable Lettuce Farm

More information about the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Horticulture, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Program

The Cape Cod Cooperative Buy Fresh Buy Local Cape Cod Campaign aims to connect consumers and businesses to the freshest, most delicious locally grown and produced foods available, while also supporting local growers and the agriculture and aquaculture communities on Cape Cod.

Why Buy Local?

-Exceptional Taste and Freshness: Local farmers offer food that is bred for taste and freshness rather than shipping and long shelf life.

-Strengthen Local Economy: Buying locally grown food keeps your dollars circulating in the Cape Cod Community.

-Support Endangered Family Farms: Family farms are part of the American tradition of self-sufficiency and serve as the basis of local communities.
Safeguard Your Family's Health:

-Knowing where your food comes from allows you to be sure that your food is free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc.

-Protect the Environment: Local food doesn't have to travel far, reducing carbon monoxide emissions and packaging materials.

©Christopher Seufert Photography

2469 Main Street

South Chatham, MA 02659

Christopher Seufert Photography

Cape Cod Photo of the Week- NY Times Best Selling Author

01/17/09 · 10:48 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

Full disclosure here: Today's photography blog is partly a shameless plug about my wife, who's book will debut next week at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller's List (for fiction.) The rest plugs my photography services, and whatever's left is merely the idle ramblings of a Cape Codder snowed in on a dark afternoon, and dreaming of summer.

A few months ago when my wife, Author Lisa Genova, got her self-published first book, Still Alice, picked up by Simon and Schuster, I got the job to shoot her new head shot. She picked Hardings Beach as a location, where I shoot a lot of beach portraits, so I knew the best time and place to get what we needed. We hired a make up artist (Lisa George) and camera assistant (Chris Kolb) to help out and three hours later the job was done. At the time Lisa had sold about a thousand copies of her book over the course of a year, not bad for a self-published book, but not exactly high exposure, so it was a pretty casual affair. I didn't quite imagine that this photo was destined to be the most widely distributed one that I've ever shot and probably will ever shoot. It's a great book sure, but there's a lot of luck involved. Great books go unpublished every day and nothing is a definite hit.

Formal Shot #1 Formal Shot #2

Since her book was released on January 6th the runaway sales have gotten her a #5 slot on the NY Times Best Seller List. Certainly all the plugs and appearances that go along with that ranking will no doubt push her to all sorts of film options and Oprah Book Pick levels of exposure (two quick predictions). Just today, for example, she was interviewed by Time Magazine. Most all of these will use her official head shot for the article, as the interviews are conducted by distance. Of course the back of every book, all 250,000 of them to start, have the image too. So, I've got my wife to thank for letting me tie my photographic caboose onto her literary achievement.

Setting up for the headshot...

On a less personal level however, the lesson here for professional photographers is this. Always shoot your portraits and headshots as if your image will be seen by millions. There is just no telling what this person in front of you will go on to do, even if you think you know them very well. Take your time and get your focus sharp. Stay tight on the desired image so that it doesn't neet to be cropped and full resolution can be maintained. Also, all shots of people can use touch-up work in Photoshop, even with the use of an on-set hair/makeup person.

A quick test shot done in 5 minutes without hair/makeup several days before the shoot.

The funny part of all of this is that the image she chose was one that I snapped as a camera test in between the formal setups (top of this page), usually a natural delete. As of this week that one shot now represents my work more than any other image I've ever captured. I have indeed found that some of my more off-hand shots go on to be the most successful. The first shot I made at the hotel on our honeymoon is now the first photo that comes up if you go to Yahoo.com and enter in the search term "Hawaii." A shot I took on the highway on my way to my grandmother's funeral is my most popular stock photo image. I could keep going here about all the shots I take outside of my main course of work that consistently get more notice but hey, this article is about my wife. Buy her book!

Christopher Seufert Photography
htttp://www.ChathamPhoto.com

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Cape Cod Photo of the Week- Chatham Lighthouse at Christmas (HDR)

12/19/08 · 2:31 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

This week's photo is another high dynamic range image, created by shooting three images at three different exposures (autobracketed two stops.) HDR is not an effect but a type of photography that I use to shoot in difficult light. The resulting image can look extremely different or very similar to straight photography, depending on how you process the images. Usually, I output with high saturation, low noise, and high contrast. See the very bottom of this blog for another example.

When it comes to well-shot (and indeed overshot) places like the Chatham lighthouse I prefer to get experimental. The world does not need another boring image of this location.

If you're reading this you're invited to the Christmas wine and cheese Open House that I'm hosting at my photo gallery on Saturday, December 20. I've just released my third book (a general Cape Cod photography book entitled Cape Cod & Islands Views) and I'll be signing all three here too, if you're still looking for unique Christmas presents for those Cape Codders who already have everything.

I also have framed ($70 to $550) and matted prints ($20 to $30) and as well as the CD's and DVD's that I've produced for my multimedia company Mooncusser Films. If you're a photographer come in and talk shop. I've also got an extensive vintage camera collection that is worth a browse...

Happy Holidays,

WHEN
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008
2:00pm - 7:00pm

WHERE
Christopher Seufert Photo Gallery
2469 Main Street, South Chatham

DESCRIPTION
Christopher Seufert signs his new coffee table photography book "Cape Cod & Islands Views: A Photo Journal" at a Christmas open house, featuring free refreshments, wine, and cheese. Stop by anytime between 2pm and 7pm and enter the raffle for a free framed print.

Also signing
"Chatham by Air: Aerial Photos of Chatham, Cape Cod"
"Chatham Views: A Photographic Journal."

More Information
http://www.CapeCodPhoto.net

Christopher Seufert Photography

Cape Cod Photo of the Week- A Chatham Christmas

12/10/08 · 7:20 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

This week's image is a sample of what is called HDR or High Dynamic Range photography. It's a combination of three photos, shot at different exposures of -2, 0, and +2, exposure settings. This allows much better detail in difficult exposure situations.

The Chatham Christmas Stroll is this weekend and I have a book signing for my latest book "Cape Cod & Islands Views: A Photo Journal" from 1pm to 3pm at Yellow Umbrella Books on Saturday, December 13th. Swing by and say "Hi."

Free Cape Cod Screensaver- Happy Holidays!

11/26/08 · 11:38 pm :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

Well, it's the beginning of the holiday season here on the Cape and a happy one to you all. Thanks also to Cape Cod Today for providing such a great, liberal blog environment all year long.....

In the spirit of this dismal economy here's a little gift I designed utilizing some of my favorite general Cape Cod & Islands images from the past year. It's a cross-platform, fully tested computer screensaver, and it's currently available from Apple downloads here.

It features 17 photos from all over the Cape and Islands, a relaxing ocean soundscape (Chatham's Lighthouse Beach), and one bonus desktop image of the Euphoria dune shack in Provincetown. Nothing too tacky and annoying, just right for your office.

And here's the info about a book signing I'm having this Saturday....

Stay out of traffic,

Christopher Seufert Photography

------

Photographer Christopher Seufert has released his latest coffee table photography book just in time for Christmas, with a signing December 6 from 2pm to 4pm at Where the Sidewalk Ends Books (432 Main Street, Chatham). The 80 page hard cover book "Cape Cod & Islands Views: A Photo Journal" also includes a free companion DVD with 50 bonus Cape Cod images suitable for viewing on a large HD television.

Seufert is also the author of "Chatham by Air: Aerial Photos of Chatham, Cape Cod" and "Chatham Views: A Photographic Journal."

WHEN

Saturday, December 6, 2008

2:00pm - 4:00pm

WHERE

Where the Sidewalk Ends - 432 Main Street, Chatham

DESCRIPTION

Christopher Seufert signs his new coffee table photography book "Cape Cod & Islands Views: A Photo Journal." All comers will be eligible for a raffle for a free framed Chatham photo.

Cape Cod Photo of the Week- "Edward Gorey's Desk"

11/24/08 · 10:35 am :: posted by Christopher Seufert Link to Post/Share

I shot this photo of Edward Gorey's desk the week of his death on April 15, 2000 as part of a documentary I was doing with him about his everyday life. I spent most of that week in his house with the permission of the estate documenting the way he left his things on photo and video. He did most of his illustrations over the last 20 years in this cramped space, taking breaks at the couch in his living room with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or some USA network movie on the tv.

You can see info about the upcoming documentary here.

Shot with a fisheye lens, this image is included in my new coffee table photography book Cape Cod and Islands Views: A Photo Journal, available here.

The book will be released with a signing at the Chatham Bars Inn gift shop this Saturday, November 29 from 2pm to 4pm.

Stop by to enter the raffle and win a free framed print also.