Winter Beauty from the Air

February 8, 2022

The beauty of my job lies in the variety of work I do. One day I might be shooting videos for a healthcare client, and the next shooting college sports, and on another day teaching landscape photography. I thrive on that variety.

Last weekend, I was hired to shoot Winter Beauty at the nationally recognized Morton Arboretum. I spent four hours walking, hiking and driving in the 15 degree temperatures, but never really got cold… the adrenaline from a shoot usually warms me up. Apart from shooting many images on the ground level, I also brought along my drone to get some new and interesting angles.

Although I’ve been flying since 2017, I never tire of the unique perspective from a few hundred feet in the air. It was cool to see the bare trees deep in the woods, covered in snow but showing their stark bare branches. And my favorite shot… the small patch of trees in the middle of a field of snow. Can’t wait to do it again soon.

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Photography Workshop October 2021

April 28, 2021

For the fourth year in a row, I’ll be running my Autumn in Acadia photography workshop this October. This is always a highlight of the year for me and I can’t wait to do it again in less than six months.

Allow me to back up a few years and explain why I do this workshop…. Twenty years ago, I wanted to go to Tuscany (Italy) and photograph the beautiful landscapes I’d only ever seen pictures. But I had a few problems to overcome– I’d never been to Tuscany before, I don’t speak Italian and I knew I would spend the whole time trying to find my way around. So in the end, I booked a trip with an established British photographer who knew the area and had experience running photography workshops in Tuscany. I flew over in 2004 and had the time of my life– it’s still one of the favorite things I’ve ever done in my photography career. The instructor was very personable, he knew where to go and what to photograph at all times of the day. We had a week of all-out photography, leaving the hotel at 5:30am and taking pictures until after the sun had set. Then afterwards, we enjoyed a great Italian dinner at one of the local restaurants. The camaraderie of fellow photographers was a highlight of the trip.

That experience taught me a lot, but most of all it taught me how enjoyable several days of landscape photography with a group of like-minded photographers can be. So that’s my goal in all my workshops– that you have fun, get to take pictures all day long in beautiful locations, learn from me and others on the trip, enjoy the company of fellow photographers and enjoy a well earned meal at the end of the day, not to mention that you leave Acadia with several images you can be really proud of.

So who is the workshop for? Basically, anyone with an interest in photography, whether amateur or professional. It doesn’t matter what camera you have; I only ask that you use a ‘real’ camera and not just a phone, though if that’s your thing, I won’t stop you! I’ve had photographers in my workshops with $400 cameras, up to one who came with a $50,000 camera, plus $30,000 worth of lenses. Photographers have come from all over the US to join me, and I’ve had some come from as far as Mexico, Ecuador and Argentina. I’ve had seasoned photography veterans who have just made the switch to digital after a lifetime of film photography, but on average, most are amateurs who have a passion for photography and want to be taken around to some awesome locations to shoot. I’ve never had anyone tell me they regretted being on the workshop; on the contrary, several have told me they can’t wait to do it again, and I’ve had some come back two years running to do it again.

You can read about the 2020 workshop here; despite the pandemic, we played it very safe and kept the numbers low (only four photographers and me). You can also read about the 2019 workshop to give you more a sense of a ‘normal’ year.

One last thing… the cost for the workshop includes your hotel accommodation and transportation. I’m one of the only workshop leaders to include both of these. By traveling together, we get a better sense of community, no one else has to worry about driving, and we only take up one parking space in an already crowded park.

If you’re interested in joining us this October, click the button below, enter your email address, and I’ll send out a registration form right away. The workshop is first come, first served, After I reach the maximum of eight participants, I will put you on a waiting list.

Questions? Contact me here and I’ll get back to you right away.

Hope to see you in October!

Learn more

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Prince Philip 1921-2021

April 9, 2021

FEI World Carriage Driving Championships, August 1986

Some of you know I photographed the Royal Family 'once or twice' in the 1980's. Actually, I honed my photography skills photographing them from 1985-88, just before I finished college and turned pro. The Duke of Edinburgh was at many of the events I attended, almost always at the Queen's side. The only time I photographed him on his own was when he competed at the World Carriage Driving Championships in August 1986.

These unpublished photos have never been seen anywhere until now.

RIP Prince Philip.

Guards Polo Club, Royal Ascot week, June 1987

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Chicago Henge

September 23, 2020

I went downtown with a friend a couple days ago to photograph "Chicago-Henge," a phenomenon I don't think anyone thought about until recently. However, it happens twice a year, during the Spring and Autumn equinox, when the sun sets due west, right down the end of the road– in this case Lake Street. I shot with my medium format camera and was limited to just a 120mm (96mm D-SLR equivalent) lens. I should've brought a super telephoto and really gotten up close and personal with the scene.

For prints, email mike@hudsonfineart.com

Commercial Drone Photography and Video

September 10, 2020

This summer, I passed my commercial drone pilot's test and am now a fully licensed pilot by the FAA. This is just some practice footage from a recent drive through rural Ohio.

Downtown Wheaton at Night

May 25, 2020

The Little Popcorn Shop (far left) has stood in an alleyway since the 1920’s. The new lighting and plaza recently opened in 2019.

After a heavy rainstorm a few days ago, I took my medium format camera down into the town I live in for some night photography while the streets were still wet with rain, and the sidewalks were empty– even though it was only 9:30 on a Friday night- normally a busy time with people filling the restaurants and ice cream shops.

One of the oldest buildings in downtown Wheaton, built c 1870’s.

The medium format camera is so well suited for architecture and night photography– the dynamic range (the ability to record details in the shadows and highlights) is amazing, and with a 51-megapixel sensor, the images are so sharp you can see smudges on the window panes.

Carlsons has been a fixture in town for over 100 years.

The old Wheaton Grand Theater (opened in 1925) has been empty for almost twenty years. Many have attempted to revive the theater but so far, all attempts have fallen short.

Stepping into My Time Capsule

April 27, 2020

I became a professional photographer in 1989, in the days of yore when film reigned supreme. Films like T-Max, Tri-X, Kodachrome, HIE Infrared and Kodak Technical Pan 2415 film often arrived in big boxes from New York City camera stores in large quantities. I made prints for my fine art exhibitions, putting on several shows of my work and selling a number of prints, even eventually producing higher end, hand colored black and white prints. Some images went on book covers and some in magazines and some were bought to hang on collectors’ walls. I loved the thrill of seeing a print appear in the tray of developer, then later holding a finished 8x10 in my hands, something that’s all but lost to most people in the age of digital photography.

Many of my commercial clients expected me to shoot black and white for the pages of their magazines or for press releases, so I naturally had to have a darkroom of my own to process the film and print the images. At first, I put pieces of cardboard in the windows of my apartment kitchen to create a temporary darkroom. When we bought our house at the end of 1996, the first thing I set to work doing was building a purpose built, permanent darkroom in my basement, running all the wiring and plumbing myself after learning how to do it from books in the library (it’s a source of immense satisfaction that it all still works today and I didn’t create a short circuit that burned down the house long ago).

I’ve developed thousands of rolls of film over the years, and made thousands of prints down in my basement. But while I enjoyed working in the darkroom, I didn’t enjoy endlessly printing some of the large commercial jobs, being on my feet and breathing in chemicals for hours on end. So when I began the transition to digital photography in 2002, my darkroom eventually saw less and less use. But I still got a lot of pleasure from working in there, so I mostly left it as it was. From time to time, I’d develop a roll or two of film, or even make some prints- mostly fine art images or pictures of my kids. But until last night, I hadn’t used the darkroom for making pictures for maybe five years or more.

My youngest daughter turned fifteen this past weekend, so I got the lights out and took some pictures to mark the occasion. While I took some shots on my medium format digital camera (mainly for insurance in case the others didn’t come out), I also dusted off my weighty Hasselblad 503CW to expose a roll of Ilford Delta 100, one of the sharpest films out there (it’s been languishing in my freezer since 2005). I still love shooting film, specially when I’m shooting personal work and care abut the final product.

Last night, I spent an hour in the darkroom developing that roll of film, among old bottles of developer, fixer, cassette tapes and my six foot long sink with the ten year warranty that still doesn’t leak (whew). I had to remember how to mix HC-110 dilution B (1:31) again. I was using a new hose to wash the tank out because my old one had cracked with age.

I put on the first CD I ever bought (1986) in the stereo and reminisced while I agitated the developing tank for six minutes at 68 degrees. I usually wrote on the bottles when I bought chemicals or mixed them up, so it was interesting to see how many were at least 15-20 years old. I liked looking at the test strips stuck to the wall- pictures of my wife or kids at the turn of the century when they were babies or before they went off to kindergarten. The B&H catalog from 1998 made for interesting reading while I was waiting for the fixer to do its thing.

After thirty or forty minutes, the cap came off the tank, and lo and behold, I was pleased to see that I hadn’t forgotten how to develop a roll of black and white yet– the film was perfectly exposed and developed.

I have about twenty or thirty rolls of Delta 100 (120 size) in my freezer still and I plan on shooting it all. I probably can’t say the same for all the 35mm color Fuji Reala or Sensia that will probably never be used and is just taking up space that could be better used by bags of frozen chicken or tubs of ice cream. But now I’m already thinking, what can I shoot next? With all my 35mm cameras (probably a dozen or more) plus half a dozen medium format cameras and a 4x5 field camera all still around, I just need to find the right subjects to shoot now.

BTS (Behind the Scenes)– Chicago Video Shoot

February 18, 2020

Ten days ago I received a somewhat frantic call from one of my clients; their staff photographer was sick and couldn’t make it for a four day video shoot they were doing the following week… and would I be available to be the on-set stills photographer? I couldn’t do all four days, but fortunately my schedule worked out to make it the last three days.

The client is a large healthcare provider in Illinois and they were shooting a community benefit video to show how they’ve partnered with healthcare organizations and churches in some of Chicago’s poorer neighborhoods. We interviewed healthcare CEO’s, doctors and pastors and shot in clinics, community centers and inner city churches.

I’ll post link to the video when it comes out…

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Have a Heart... Happy Valentine's Day

February 14, 2020

I’m often asked what may all-time favorite photo shoot is. It’s a hard question to answer. I’ve had over thirty years of professional photography and video jobs to look back on now.

I could name several amazing jobs I’ve been privileged to work on, like the two royal weddings I’ve shot, or the presidents of China, Ireland and the US I’ve photographed, or the homeless shelters I’ve photographed, where I saw lives being changed and turned around. Or I could talk about the rewarding experiences I’ve had leading others on photography workshops, but the job that stands out to me is the day in 2012 I saw a human heart beating for the first time… up close and personal.

I’ve had almost twenty years of experience shooting for healthcare clients now. I’ve gone from knowing nothing about oncology, bariatric chambers, stents and DaVinci robotic arms to knowing all about medical terms and procedures and I’m an veteran observer of dozens of surgical procedures. And I know I don’t look good in a bunny suit (but then, who does?).

In 2012 I was shooting some images for a local hospital, to be used to promote their cardiac services. This was the second day of shooting that week; all the images were going to be run as black and white, with an edgy look to them, showing the excellent care the hospital provided for their patients and the services they provided. All the shots were going to be with real patients, undergoing real procedures. There would be no asking nurses to stand in as patients this time. The final shoot we did was going to be an open heart surgery.

Being in the operating room is intense. Someone’s life is at stake, regardless of whether it’s a simple procedure or a life threatening one. If the doctor or surgical team makes a mistake, the consequences can be fatal. When I’m led into the OR, I’m always reminded that I need to stay away from the table that contains all the surgical instruments, all neatly laid out and ready to be used at any time. Everything on the table has been sterilized and if you so much as touch the table, it becomes an un-sterile environment and none of the instruments can be used… so the surgery has to be stopped. It’s a frightening prospect. You have to always remember– this is an environment like no other.

The focus of this shoot would be the cardiac surgeon, who the hospital wanted to feature in some promotional stories. There would be no good place for me to stand during the surgery except up by the patient’s head. But there was a screen between the unconscious patient’s head and everything below his or her neck (I never did learn if it was a man or woman- the rest of the body was completely covered), so I would need to be overhead on a ladder, shooting down on the doctor and patient.

Before we went in the room, we had to find a ladder for me to stand on to look over the screen. Once located, we used disinfectant alcohol pads to wipe down the ladder, then covered it in a large, clear plastic bag. So, even though I was nervous standing on a ladder overlooking open heart surgery, I also had to avoid slipping on the bag covering the steps. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Then, donning a bunny suit (a head-to-toe, zip-up white suit), hair net, shoe coverings and a face mask, we carried the ladder and my camera gear into the surgery, which had already been underway for probably several hours. I moved the ladder into position, careful to avoid all the tubes coming out of the machines next to me, any one of which was no doubt keeping the patient alive. Nothing could prepare me for the sight I found looking over that screen, down on to the patient’s body. Right there, only three feet away, was a real-life, beating, blood-covered human heart, pulsing away in front of me. Multiple tubes sucked away the blood while the surgeon used a tool to cauterize and cut away whatever was wrong. I don’t know what was going on- but I was fascinated by the whole thing. This was someone’s heart, naked and open to the light, beating in front of me. I’ll never forget that.

I used to worry about becoming nauseous seeing a person cut open like that- would I feel sick and have to leave the room? Would I recoil at the sight of blood (and I’ve sometimes seen a lot of it)? But I never have. I’ve just been fascinated at the ability we have to repair someone’s body, and the incredible knowledge surgeons have to do what they do to save someone’s life. It’s amazing to watch that happen in front of your eyes.

After only eight minutes and 58 photos later (and two short videos I could’t help but shoot), we were done. I carefully stepped down from the ladder, grateful that I hadn’t dropped a camera or fallen down on to the patient (you think about these things) and left the surgical room. The bunny suit, bouffant hair covering and the rest were taken off. I could finally relax a little.

The best part of my job is the experiences I’ve had over the years. I don’t know of any other job where you can do the variety of things I’ve been fortunate to do, or meet the people I’ve met. I don’t take that lightly and I never take any job for granted, no matter how big or small. But this one, seeing that heart beating in front of me- the essence of life- was the most fascinating job I’ve ever photographed.

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MHP on IG

September 12, 2019

I’ve had an Instagram account for years, but didn’t start posting anything until a couple years ago on my Images of Acadia account. It’s really taken off, with almost 2,500 followers and some images tallying as many as 4,000 likes.

But earlier this year, I realized I needed a new account to feature my commercial work, so I opened a new Instagram for my commercial photography and video work.

Stop by, follow me, see where I’ve been.

Mike Hudson Photography on Instagram

The Adventures of Mike's Camera