PM Subscriber Spotlight: LB Imaging
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Photographer: Dennis Rogers • Web Site: http://www.lbimaging.us • Location: Billings, Montana USA
Contact: lbimaging at gmail dot com• Member Since: 02/12/06
Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D; Canon Powershot S410; FujiFilm FinePix F10 Zoom
PM: How did you get involved in photography?
DR: It happened with no intention or forethought. After using a friend's digital point & shoot camera I decided that I had to have one of my own. Unable to justify spending a lot of money I purchased the unassuming little Nikon Coolpix 2100 on the strength of its Consumer Report's rating. Once it arrived in the mail I was hooked and it went with me everywhere. That was a couple years ago and I haven't stopped snapping since.
PM: How would you describe your photographic style?
DR: I'm very much landscape oriented and try to take every opportunity I can to capture Montana's beautiful landscapes. My preference is to underexpose my shots in-camera and adjust in postprocessing. What often passes as "correct" exposure often seems too bright for my style and rarely provides the deep contrast that I look for. As my style progresses, however, I more and more often appreciate those wide shots with an almost flat, washed out look.
PM: Why do you photoblog?
DR: My original preference was to post galleries on my Pbase site as often as time allowed. However, there were too many times that a certain image simply didn't fit into the "theme" of any gallery. Sure, I put up a couple of "favorites" galleries that are essentially themeless, but ultimately I wanted a format for sharing that felt less restrictive. Photoblogging was the perfect choice.
PM: What are your strengths and weakness as a photographer?
DR: My strength is vast landscapes paired with exceptional clouds. When I see what I want my passions drives me to capture it. It's a great feeling to capture a mixture of light and color that will never exist again.
Skill-wise my strengths are fairly rudimentary: Keep theperspective unique, higher or lower than normal eye level andalways explore whether the R of 3rds will improve a particular image.
Weakness are too numerous to address. The art of photography is so much larger than myself or my capabilities and I think that every image I capture demonstrates endless growth potential . . .
PM: Do you feel that good coffee is an inherently necessary element of good photography?
DR: Well, I'm glad you asked that - as I was beginning to wonder when you were finally going to get to the point! Good coffee has its place in a good life. And we all know, unless it's just me that knows, that a good life feeds the inherent needs of the passionate landscape photographer.
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• PHOTOJENIC: Jen's landscapes never fail to amaze me.
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• PHOTOFLAVOR: There's just something about zac and his images. They are just so . . . Florida!
• Nativeagle Photoblog: Ed Little, Jr. is always offering up something unexpected and still often shoots in film. In fact he just started with digital recently with the D70.
• Daily Walks: Diane's images are so beautiful I often wonder whether she's living on the same planet as the rest of us.
PM: What is your background, and what are you doing when you are not photoblogging?
DR: I am an attorney but not engaged in the typical practice of law. When not photoblogging I'm usually trying to find a way to get out and explore our beautiful state -- that is, as long as it's not Monday night when I'm in front of the tube watching 24. For a time I also roasted and sold my own coffee. This little known fact is actually at the root of the name "LB Imaging." If I did start my own coffee shop some day, I would call it The Legal Bean. And as you now know, I see coffee and photography as essentially inseparable.