Michael Palmer Photo Blog

Where Magazine Cover

2012-01-30T09:45:00.001-05:00

I shot this cover shot composite in December!! MY FIRST COVER!!

Feet Fun

2012-01-29T14:54:00.003-05:00

Toki Underground - Year Of The Dragon Tasting

2012-01-25T13:52:00.000-05:00

Moves Like Jagger

2012-01-22T17:27:00.002-05:00

Formality II

2012-01-20T11:37:00.002-05:00

Just a Formality

2012-01-19T13:51:00.002-05:00

Toki Underground Tasting Menu w/ Guest Chefs

2012-01-17T12:42:00.001-05:00

Toki Underground!! I am going for both nights to shoot. You should go!

Portfolio Sessions

2012-01-16T14:27:00.002-05:00

Have some new items on the menu? Need to update your website? I am looking to update my portfolio with AWESOME NEW Food and Restaurant images. I am announcing Thursday Portfolio Sessions. I will come to you (DC Metro Area Only) and shoot for one hour for FREE, I get to use the images for my portfolio and you can use for marketing, web etc. I have Thursday 2/26/2012 available from 10am to 2pm. Comment that you are interested and I will put them all in a hat and David Smelson will draw the winner. I anticipate needing 10 of these sessions over the next couple months so please comment with what your wanting shot. You can see my current portfolio here:
http://mpalmerphotography.com/

Running

2012-01-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

Start

2012-01-09T13:31:00.001-05:00

Lil Fun

2012-01-06T09:17:00.002-05:00

On Watch

2012-01-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

Jr Chef

2011-12-23T16:18:00.003-05:00

A 5th grade project this week was to create a ultimate sandwich, proud of Michael for keeping it healthy and not junking it up with silly food.

Portal

2011-12-19T10:53:00.001-05:00

Cityeats

2011-12-16T13:56:00.001-05:00

Its nice to pop over the the cityeats.com website and see some of my work. Have you booked a reservation yet? In case your interested, I shot Fusion and Martins on this page, and the bar shot from Sequoia and the dessert for Seasons Eating - LOVE this gig with Cityeats!!

Yellow Cab

2011-12-13T14:50:00.001-05:00

Olivia in NYC

2011-12-09T15:15:00.001-05:00

Palmer Kids Stylin'

2011-12-06T10:17:00.001-05:00

Tasting Elisir

2011-11-30T10:57:00.001-05:00

I was invited by Chef Enzo Fargione to the soft opening of his new restaurant Elisir last night to sit for the 7 course tasting menu. I am not a word person, so explaining the depth of flavors and textures he masterfully used are beyond my vocabulary. I will simply say "Bravo, Enzo, BRAVO!! I look forward to the up coming photo shoots and I am honored that you use my services to capture your art.

A sample of what I had going clockwise starting at the top left image:

Roasted Filet of Lamb - wrapped in pancetta and served upright, sambuca braised fennel, roasted artichoke and potato ragu

Olive Oil and Salt Tasting

Roasted Baby Beets - mache, goat cheese gelato, dehydrated morel/coffee/almond texture, lacquered leek coins

Red Beet Funduta Tortelli - green asparagus broth, parmesan crisps, quail egg, black truffle air

Warm Porcini Dusted Venison Carpaccio - sherry vinegar, wild blueberries, warm Milanse style chanterelle mushrooms, black truffles, reggiano shavings, chocolate, rubyqueen micro greens.

Elisir is opens today!! Good luck my friend!!

Antolli Styling

2011-11-26T13:35:00.001-05:00

Rocking It Italian

2011-11-25T07:44:00.001-05:00

In honor of our Italian vacation we did an Italian feast for Thanksgiving yesterday, Paul rocked it with a from scratch Ragu with Pasta & Pumpkin Ravioli for the main courses with Funghi al cartoccio al forno that I made, we did a Charcuterie tray, Caprese salad, & Pinzimonio. I got a little slack with the camera after the wine started to flow so this is all I got. Dessert went bust as we were too full. How bout them COWBOYS!!

The Doctor Is IN!!

2011-11-23T13:27:00.001-05:00

Cooking for tomorrow.

Hanging With The Langer's

2011-11-22T10:21:00.001-05:00

Central Uniforms Test Shot

2011-11-18T15:20:00.001-05:00

My fearless test model is at it again, shooting for a brochure for centraluniforms.com this weekend.

Nepali by TDM Design

2011-11-16T13:08:00.001-05:00

A test shot for Nepali by TDM Design. I just shot their product line for spring/summer of next year.

Capital Food Fight 2011

2011-11-11T06:24:00.001-05:00

Headed to the city last night for the Capital Food Fight.


David, Me & Jose Andres (and Bourdain)

Top Chefs Jenn and Mike with David

Paul with Top Chef Jennifer Carroll

Shawn with

Having Some Fun With The Kandel's

2011-11-10T08:31:00.000-05:00

I think this is my favorite shot from the shoot, I love the laughing expressions on everyone's face.

Product Test Shot

2011-11-09T08:28:00.001-05:00

2 to WIN

2011-10-21T08:34:00.001-04:00

Wings

2011-10-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

Captured this last week at the MD Renaissance Festival.

Mom & Jim

2011-09-27T12:39:00.005-04:00

Over Labor Day Weekend, we went down to Va Beach to visit my brother Jim who I consider our families gaurdian, you know what I mean, the one who does the most for the families best interest. My Mom is in a nursing home about a mile from his house. She is not doing so well these days and has entered into hospice care there. Jim and I have not always seen eye to eye, but lately that has changed. I am so proud of my younger brother, he has grown up to be a outstanding man and even more so, a friend I need to have. Jim thanks for all you do, making the hard decisions for the family and keeping the flame lit for Michele, me and you. Run Hard Bro and when you want to run fifty, I will be there for you.

At The Beach

2011-09-20T12:15:00.001-04:00

Olivia at Virginia Beach Labor Day Weekend.

Gelato In Venice

2011-09-19T09:26:00.002-04:00

The Ride Into Venice

2011-09-13T08:20:00.003-04:00

Coke in a Arena

2011-09-07T12:04:00.001-04:00

Rovinj, Croatia

2011-09-06T09:54:00.004-04:00

After Rome, Tuscany and Sienna we drove to Pula, Croatia. The first morning there we went to Rovinj. What better way to to see a bustling sea port then by boat.

Snack

2011-09-01T09:23:00.001-04:00

Frankfurt Airport

2011-08-31T07:43:00.003-04:00

Kind of a self portrait, family pic, location shot. Julia is making bracelets, Liv is on the iPod, Michael was chilling with Mandy & Marcus a couple tables over. Paul and I were fueling up with multiple Espresso's. Rome was an hour away.

The View

2011-08-30T07:47:00.003-04:00

The night before I took the sunset shoot I posted yesterday. Tuscany is really a special place, would love to drop all and move there and be part of the magic it is.

Sunset In Tuscany

2011-08-29T08:01:00.003-04:00

Il Canto De Sole is the B&B we stayed at in Tuscany, there was a elevated terrace to hang out on and watch the world rotate (with a glass of wine made by the B&B owner). It was more of a farm then what we would call a B&B. Check out the link, I highly recommend it if your ever in Tuscany.

Strolling in Rome

2011-08-27T16:31:00.002-04:00

My Chemical Romance with Michael JR

2011-08-13T10:44:00.002-04:00

Had a great time last night with Michael JR at the MCR concert.

Chilling

2011-08-10T13:59:00.002-04:00

X100, iPhone, Snapseed

New Snapseed App

2011-08-09T19:06:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Bro and His Family

2011-07-28T18:45:00.004-04:00

I had the op to shoot Jim and his family on our last visit to VA Beach. These are my favorites from the shoot.

Pork Belly Confit

2011-07-27T13:38:00.003-04:00

Check out Pleasures of the Table blogger David Smelson
for a Pork Belly Confit project we collaborated on. Be sure to 'like" him" as he regularly shares his views on local restaurants and his variations on recipes.

Fuji Finepix X100 Self Portrait

2011-07-26T17:07:00.002-04:00

This camera ROCKS - the quality is amazing!!
Set Up - X100 with Elinchrome Skyport wireless transmitter, WL600 main f11 - WL 600 fill f8,
Background WL600 with 20%grid - F11 @125th 200ISO
Post in Lightroom and Photoshop CS5

Ready to roast some garlic.

2011-07-25T09:39:00.002-04:00

It was the best garlic ever!! Thanks for hooking us up David with the fresh garlic!

Blue Point Oysters For Stock

2011-07-22T17:35:00.002-04:00

Brine Ingredients

2011-07-21T09:32:00.003-04:00

My buddy David is doing Pork Belly (Thomas Keller Recipe) for a little party at the pool this weekend. I am photographing it for stock and his blog. Can you name the ingredients?

Douglas Senior Portraits 2012

2011-07-20T10:39:00.005-04:00

I did my nephews senior portraits last weekend, now I am not a senior portrait photographer, nu I think we got some really good shots. Now to get creative with photoshop. I will post more as I do them.

D700 - Nikkor 24-70 2.8 - 2 SB800 thru umbrellas

Relay Carnival

2011-07-10T17:26:00.004-04:00

Coach Richard and crew leading the "calls". Team Spirit is a HUGE!!

Olivia tagging herself!!

BTW..............Loving the x100!!

00.48.09 (S)

2011-07-09T11:27:00.003-04:00

X100 1st Shot

2011-07-07T17:16:00.003-04:00

I wandered around looking for something interesting so I could fire of a couple frames on my new Fujifilm Finepix x100 - ended up just back the car out the garage. I first impression is that I REALLY like this camera. Read the manual, have a good understanding of how it works. This is a full rs jpeg untouched/sharpened etc.. Go ahead click it and see for yourself how sharp it is!!

On Your Mark

2011-07-07T08:56:00.001-04:00

You Eyeballing Me?

2011-07-06T08:35:00.002-04:00

Family Portrait Project 2011

2011-07-04T07:40:00.003-04:00

I shot the family this weekend with some ideas on how I want to use individual shots. This is a rough of the first idea. So far, so good.

Color

2011-06-29T11:01:00.004-04:00

I ordered a few colored backgrounds for a family portrait project this summer. This is a test shot I did today. Click it for a larger version.
D700 - Nikkor 85 1.8 - 20% grid on background - main light right - fill left.
Need to mess around with the background light a little - not quite the way I want it to pop.

Palmer Girls Cupcakes 1.1

2011-06-28T15:59:00.002-04:00

Palmer Girls Cupcakes

2011-06-27T09:03:00.004-04:00

Julia and Olivia made the BEST cupcakes yesterday afternoon, I went in the kitchen and was like "If I was not lazy I would shoot that for Stock", so I did a quick set up on the cutting board and fired off a couple shots. Great job Palmer Girls.

Smoked Salmon on a Bagel

2011-06-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

Smoked some Salmon this morning.

Scallop Ceviche

2011-06-24T16:12:00.004-04:00

Bay Scallops, Jalapeno, Shallot, OJ, Lime Juice,Tomato, S & P

Blue Point Oysters

2011-06-19T14:57:00.001-04:00

My Fathers Day is shaping up just fine.

Enzo Fargione of Elisir

2011-06-15T14:42:00.003-04:00

I had the great pleasure of working with Chef Enzo Fargione today! He is smack in the middle of opening Elisir in the Penn Quarter in Washington DC. We had a Capital Portrait theme for the session - and I think we nailed some of the shots - These are a few of my favorites --- so far.

D700 - Nikkor 24-70 VR - SB800

Smoked Salmon

2011-06-03T14:07:00.003-04:00

Today I smoked salmon for the first time. After some great tips from friends, David and Paul, I soaked filets in a brine overnight, fired up the smoker, I shot the process for my stock portfolio over at stockfood.com.

Clouds

2011-05-22T16:11:00.001-04:00

There was some really cool clouds overhead at Michael JR soccer match.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chili and a Beer

2011-05-19T07:57:00.004-04:00

Recipe

Braised Halibut with Leeks, Mushrooms & Clams

2011-05-15T19:30:00.004-04:00

Mobile Test

2011-05-09T11:02:00.002-04:00

Testing an app that will let me blog from my iPhone.

Julia is headed to NYC this morning, the limo took up the whole driveway.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Product Photography

2011-03-09T07:55:00.005-05:00

I have been working with Central Uniforms as of late to help do marketing, email campaigns, and some photography. We shot their Signature Lab Coat last week.

Hope to get back to more posts soon....

Michael & His Sax

2011-02-09T08:38:00.001-05:00

Olivia Feb 2011

2011-02-08T16:46:00.003-05:00

Been busy doing some design work so the blog has been neglected, but today I was inspired by Scott Kelby's Sessions. I dusted off the camera, fired up some strobes and got shooting. Michael will be next with his Sax.

Capitol in BW

2011-01-21T11:01:00.002-05:00

Mini DC

2011-01-12T19:46:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T12:00:00.002-05:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T11:33:00.001-04:00

Smelson Fall Portrait

2010-10-27T17:20:00.004-04:00

Went out for a hike on River Trail last Sunday, we had gone out the week before and I saw a couple spots for shooting the Xmas card for the family. The Smelsons joined us on the hike. I really like the shot I got of the kids also, but you will not see that one until the holidays.

D700 - 24-70 2.8 Nikkor - 2 sb800's shot into white umbrellas

Just around the bend

2010-10-20T10:56:00.001-04:00

Fall 2010

2010-10-19T10:12:00.004-04:00

Went for a drive down Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park last Friday with the family.

D700 - 24-70 nikkor @ f3.2 800 ISO - yep 800 ISO - It makes it hard to grab the D300 to shoot with now.

C&O Tow Path

2010-10-08T09:42:00.001-04:00

View from Olmsted Island on 10-7-2010

2010-10-07T10:05:00.002-04:00

(Click to view larger)

Went for a walk out to Olmsted Island at Great Falls Park yesterday and took this pano.
Its a 8 shot pano shot with my D700, 80-200 2.8 nikkor, 200 ISO, 1/25 sec for some movement in the water.

Fun at Devils Den in Gettysburg

2010-10-01T10:29:00.001-04:00

Crispy Tilapia Fingers with Lemon & Garlic Mayonnaise

2010-09-20T09:13:00.003-04:00

I did a shoot last week with Jenn of Once Upon a Chef, that she uses for her site and then I can submit for stock. Very symbiotic relationship = ) I did take a couple of these home and warmed them up in the oven, they were excellent, as are all of her recipes. You can check her out here.

Executive Portraits

2010-09-17T09:14:00.003-04:00

I did portraits this week for Julia's team of executives in her store. I did a basic 2 light setup with SB800's in shoot thru white umbrellas and used the CLS system to sync.

Weekly Photo Tips

2010-09-14T09:21:00.003-04:00

My Pixel Bender posts were picked up to be featured on Weekly Photo Tips. Scott has a blog that is a wealth of information for photographers. Go check it out.

Just shoot it!!

2010-09-10T09:16:00.004-04:00

Georgetown Canal HDR with Pixel Bender

2010-09-09T08:31:00.004-04:00

Shot this last weekend in Georgetown on the canal, I used D300, 24-120vr Nikkor, 5 shot HDR and merged and tonemapped in Photomatix Pro, back to Lightroom 3, small develop tweaks, then to CS5 and used Pixel Bender. Click it to enlarge the shot, I am digging what it does to the water, the image was going to be trash due to the moving water for the HDR process. Let me know your thoughts...

Pixel Bender Plug In For CS5

2010-09-08T09:23:00.002-04:00

(click to enlarge)

I saw this yesterday over at Jeff's blog. I thought is was worth checking out since he gave it a thumbs up. I must say that I like it also, especially the trees, so check it out if you have CS5.

Here is the link for the plug in at Adobe Labs.

Braid Diptych

2010-09-07T13:42:00.002-04:00

We went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival over the holiday and Olivia had her hair braided.

Green Bokeh & a Dragonfly

2010-09-02T11:28:00.003-04:00

Used some content aware fill (new feature in CS5) to quickly remove some distractions in this shot. I really like the composition of how I had the branch (twig) coming in, but there were a couple other twigs and web to get rid of. The bokeh on the 80-200 nikkor is very nice in this shot also. This shot was taken at Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens in DC in July.

I am still plugging away at getting my images sorted from the past few months and running some CS5 tutorials.

HDR with CS5 First look

2010-09-01T07:29:00.003-04:00

I am getting caught up with the latest upgrades to Lightroom and Photoshop. One of the first things I had to try is the new HDR Pro feature in Photoshop. After watching a turorial on the NAPP site, I had to give it a run on a bracketed shot I took in July in Central Park. I like the remove ghosts feature so you can pick which bracket image to "feature" and since I hand hold a bunch of HDR, this will be used a lot. The image is okay, but I do better HDR so its time to grab the camera (and tripod) and shoot.

Also on a personal photography milestone, after submitting images to Stockfood.com and being accepted as a contributing photographer, my portfolio has started online with them. Its only a few images, but its a start in the right direction for my personal goals this year.

Really?

2010-08-31T09:30:00.003-04:00

That was about the reaction to a 7am shoot with her, she just wanted to get to school.

Back to School

2010-08-30T10:17:00.003-04:00

Today is back to school day and Camp Palmer is officially closed for the 2010 summer season. Michael is starting 4th grade and Olivia is a 1st grader.

I have been taking most of the summer off of photography. I was feeling a bit uncreative and not really wanting to shoot that much. When we traveled this summer, the camera stayed in the bag most of the time.

Well, its time to get creative again and start posting here with new work and personal shots.

Julia told me this morning to dust off the camera and take a back to school shot. This was shot on white seemless paper, I wish my studio space was bigger (don't we all), so I had to photoshop the background wider, as the paper was only 5 foot wide. I used a ultra 600 in a medium softbox left and a ultra 600 in a umbrella right, F11 @ 125 sec, D700 camera with a 24-70mm Nikkor.

So this is sort of a new start, I have a ton to catch up on.......Lets get started

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Water Lily at Kenilworth Aquatic Garden

2010-08-12T15:58:00.003-04:00

World War II Shoot - Fundraiser at Towner Jones Photography

2010-08-11T10:56:00.002-04:00

I have not been posting much this summer, but this is a worthy cause and you get a excellent image to hang or give as a gift. If you interested in helping, follow this link to my friend Rob's site.

Top of the Rock Pano

2010-08-02T07:37:00.001-04:00

(click to view larger)

OBX Storm Pano

2010-07-24T18:11:00.003-04:00

(click to view larger)

Giving it his best

2010-07-22T08:10:00.002-04:00

Photography Meet Up Tomorrow

2010-07-19T18:23:00.003-04:00

I am having a Photography Meet Up tomorrow morning at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Click for info.