Geoffrey Baker Photography

50th Annual JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon

Geoffrey Baker — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:33:30 +0000

As a three time finisher of the JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon, the race holds a special place in my heart. This 50 mile race is run from Boonsboro, Maryland to Williamsport, Maryland over the AT, C&O canal and eight miles of rolling country roads.

It was the first ultra I did. My then fiancée, now wife, locked the keys in the car at the start. She was my crew. The weather, 30′, 40 mph wind and snow. We were 20 minutes late to the start due to the snow. My water bottles froze solid in the first 5 miles. She was not able to get the car unlocked and back on course until I hit the 35 mile mark. I still finished and have NEVER been so cold. So yes I love this race.

For the 50th Annual JFK 50 Mile Ultramarathon I headed to the early 5:00 a.m. start and was photographing the runners throughout the day.

Stunning performances by Max King and Ellie Greenwood. They both set new course records. Ellie has had a spectacular season. She won the granddaddy of all ultra’s, the Western States 100 back in June. Big congrats to them both.

If you enjoy the images please leave a comment.

See you on the trails.

All Images © Geoffrey S. Baker – All Rights Reserved

Sarah & Ray Wed at The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum Ellicott City Station

Geoffrey Baker — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:42:35 +0000

Gotta love a couple who want to get married in a historic railroad station in Ellicott City. What fun! The rain held off, trains rumbled by and the party went deep into the night. We spent the morning visiting abandoned buildings along the Patapsco River shooting, shooting, shooting.

If you enjoy the images please leave a comment.

Cheers to to Sarah & Ray!

Sarah & Ray – Pre Wedding Photography

Geoffrey Baker — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:21:15 +0000

Sarah and Ray, who happen to be Oella neighbors of mine, approached me about eight months ago to discuss their upcoming wedding. Turns out Ray is a big mountain biker and rides the same trails of the Patapsco that I run on. We immediately hit it off discussing the best places in the park. When he told me that they wanted to shoot in the park as part of their wedding package, I was totally on board. Here are some of my favorite pre-wedding, location scouting images we made together.

The icing on the cake is the couple’s wedding location. I’m keeping that a secret until after the big day. Just wait to see those images.

If you enjoy these images, please leave a comment.

Ron Bowman – An Ultra Life

Geoffrey Baker — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:29:44 +0000

I recently finished a short film on 62 year old uber athlete Ron Bowman of Annapolis, Maryland. Ron is a member of the 100 Marathon Club, and has run numerous triathlons including the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. He recently completed his 100th Ultramarathon at the Rosaryville Trail Runs, a race he created, and which is featured in the 16:55 piece. This was shot on a Canon XH-A1 and edited in Final Cut Pro. ©Geoffrey S. Baker, All Rights Reserved.

Please feel free to leave a commet on the film.

Video Portrait: Ultrarunner Caroline Williams

Geoffrey Baker — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:20:51 +0000

I recently finished a video portrait celebrating the life and running achievements of Caroline Williams. This super strong ultrarunner is a member of the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club and is one of the nicest people I know. Have a look and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

UPDATE: Seems folks are making something out of nothing watching this video. At 3:30 into the video she drops a paper cup. Folks, it’s at an aid station. In full view of the aid station caption. She is not littering on the trail.

Fuji X-Pro 1: Thoughts On A New Camera

Geoffrey Baker — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:33:55 +0000

This is not a tech heavy, pixel peeping review (you can easily find that elsewhere). I really don’t care about all that. What I care about is the final image.

I’ve been reading everything I could about the new Fuji X-Pro 1 since its announcement around the first of the year. This is a new class of camera. It’s not a DSLR, not rangefinder, it’s a hybrid. Great for street shooting. It’s very light and discreet. The APS-C sized sensor is a radical new design. The system was launched with three prime lens’s: an 18mm wide, a 35mm normal, and a 60mm telephoto. The camera has an aperture ring and a shutter speed dial, gasp. You can shoot it in full manual mode, gasp. It has different aspect ratio’s including 1:1, gasp. In short, my kind of camera.

After reading Zack Arias’s blog and seeing his steller X-Pro 1 images, I pulled the trigger.

When I first got the camera and the 35mm lens from the good folks at Service Photo in Baltimore, I did not have the time to sit down and read the manual or give the camera much time. I charged up the battery and took it to my daughters track practice. My first reaction while using the camera was not good. Slow to focus and the image review in the viewfinder slowed things down, a lot.

I put the camera aside until I could really set it up to my liking after having a look at through the manual.

Second time out with it I had a different reaction, whoa. Sleek, quite, fun. Shooting in 1:1 was a treat. I quickly learned the camera’s quirks and was happy to be shooting with it.

I have to say that the camera has unleashed a new creativity. Simply having it with me at all times, shooting in 1:1, and only having the 35mm for now, is very liberating. It forces you to “see” in a new way. When I cut my teeth as a photojournalist I only had primes and I’m glad to be heading back in that direction.

The biggest problem right now is no support from ACR in Lightroom or Photoshop. So for now it’s .JPEG’s instead of RAW. But man these .JPEG’s, sweet!

If you are an amateur photographer, I’d steer you away from the Fuji. If, however, you are serious enthusiast or pro photographer, I’d run to your nearest camera store and grind down the credit card to get this beauty. Love the Fuji. The Fuji will be my “art” camera and the Nikons will do the client work.

What is your opinion on the Fuji X-Pro 1? Pro or con, leave your thoughts.

This post will be continually updated as I shoot new images.

All images were shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1 camera with 35mm lens @ 1:1.

(1:1 is the aspect ratio. For the Fuji X-Pro 1 you can choose: 3:2, 16:9 or 1:1 and the change is reflected in the EVF and OVF)

©www.geoffreybakerphotography.com

Trash can patterns along Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

Fiddlehead fern greets the morning sun. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, macro mode, manual focus, 35mm @ 1:1.

Runners streak by on a track. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

My wife Ann. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm, wide open @ 1:1.

A lone cross on a hill in Ellicott City, Maryland. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1 @ 1:1.

Morning dew drops on leaves. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1 in macro mode, 35mm @ 1:1.

The Catonsville Kavern, dusk. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1 @ 1:1.

Bill's Music Store in Catonsville, Maryland shot at dusk on a Fuji X-Pro 1 @ 1:1.

Main Street Ellicott City, Maryland at 1 a.m. after a rain.

Backlit leaf and rain drops in morning light. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

Storm drain detail shot. Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm.

Morning light on the Ellicott City, Maryland train trestle. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

A well dressed man at the Baltimore, Maryland Flower Mart. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

Hollywood Cinema, Arbutus, MD.

Purple Dew

Ninety Years Of Smiles. Baltimore Flower Mart. Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

J.W. Treuth and Sons in Oella, Maryland. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

Griffith. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm. Four stop ND, 1000ws of strobe into a Softlighter II, triggered by PW's.

Howard County Library, Miller Branch at dusk. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm, @ 1:1.

Early morning sun through railing on the bridge over the Patapsco river in Ellicott City, MD. Shot on a Fuji X-Pro 1, 35mm @ 1:1.

Baltimore Portrait Photography: Shooting Panorama Artist Christos J. Palios

Geoffrey Baker — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:00:57 +0000

I had the pleasure of photographing Baltimore Panorama Artist Christos J. Palios recently. Christos and I go back to a different time and place. We worked together in cube land for a number of years. We both sought our own new paths in an abrupt fashion (our company went belly up). Christos is a super talented panorama photographer. His work is in priviate collections world-wide. You need to check out his work at www.christospalios.com.

One of the great things about photographing another photographer is that they automatically get what you’re trying to do. You speak the same language of visual literacy. Christos was totally ok with shooting in Oella’s abandoned water driven power plant. I told him it fit his zeitgeist. The roof was gone, windows gone, floor rotting, grafitti on the walls and a several ton iron turbine rusted amid saplings growing through the floor. I lit Christos with a combination of natural light and 400 watt seconds of Lumedyne strobe. I used a 30′ grid gaffed to the head for some shots and a medium Chimera softbox for others. My favorite is the hard light shot of him with his tripod in the foreground. Which is your favorite? Leave a comment or a question.

Patapsco River Photography in Black and White

Geoffrey Baker — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:03:07 +0000

With an overcast day here in Oella, I ventured across the street and down the mill race path to my muse: the Patapsco River. I walk the riverbank two to three times a day with my dog. I know the area blindfolded. I run for miles in the extensive park that runs along the river. I wanted to try for some black and white shots. With tree branches stripped of their leaves, a slate grey sky, grey rocks, and brown duff, I had a muted palette to work with. I setup my Gitzo tripod in the water near some rapids and framed a shot. Set the focus. Took a meter reading. Did a custom white balance. Hmmm. Needed something to make it work. Ah! It needed time. As in lots of time. Out came the ten stop ND filter. Out came the polarizer. Out came the remote shutter release. Locked the mirror up, screwed on the now twelve stops of exposure loss and set the remote for 1:30. Now we’re talking.

So, what do you think? Winter in black and white. Does it work for you? Which shot do you like best? Leave a comment with any questions you might have.

Eagle Photography – Pohick Bay Regional Park

Geoffrey Baker — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:30:10 +0000

I know that as a Baltimore photographer, in order to develop a niche and a following, I’m “supposed” to specialize. You know what, I can’t help myself. I like to shoot everything. Perhaps that is due to my photojournalism background working on four different newspapers. Yes my forte is people and environmental portraits. However I carry my camera everywhere and thus shoot everything. Street photography, check. Sports photography, check. Wedding photography, check. Wildlife photography, check. You name it I shoot it. So it was this weekend when a good friend’s family and my family headed an hour and half south of Baltimore to see eagles. Man did we see eagles. Perhaps a dozen bald eagles were in residence at Pohick Bay Regional Park in northern Virginia on a cold and blustery Sunday morning.

I managed to hand hold a 300mm F/4 and shoot wide open in order to get these beautiful birds in flight. Yikes is it hard to follow focus through trees!

Which shot is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. I kinda like the ones through the bare branches. Artsy fartsy no?

Baltimore Headshot Photography: Liliana

Geoffrey Baker — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:37:43 +0000

As a Baltimore, Maryland area headshot photographer, I’m amazed at the transformation in appearance that takes place between a model/actor arriving at a photo shoot (rumpled clothes, rumpled hair, generally asleep), and what you see in the final take. Start with basic beauty and add lighting, makeup, clothes, lensing, photographer, music and shoot vibe and you’ll get a metamorphosis. So it was with pre-teen Liliana. After looking at the shoot on the on-set laptop, her mom exclaimed “She’s 12 going on 16!”

Credit to to MUA/Stylist Sandye Kaye for a big part of the transformation during this shoot.

Shot on location in North Baltimore, Maryland.

Leave a comment if you enjoy the photography or have any questions.