Todd Middlebrooks - Carrollton, GA based Life Photographer

Keystone Creek

Todd — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:00:03 +0000

As the weather begins to turn cooler (even if only temporarily), I begin to think of fall and winter. Although it used to be an annual trip, it’s been a few years since we’ve been snow skiing. This photo was made in Keystone, Colorado during one of our last ski vacations. I have a large framed print of this image in color. However, I feel like it has been revived by black and white processing. I can almost feel the chill of the air as I look into this photograph. It makes me want to hit the slopes once again.

Smoldering Sky

Todd — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:32:31 +0000

While looking through images for today’s Fine Art Friday post, I came across some sunset photos from this past June. It’s tricky to get a sunset photo that’s out of the norm. Sunsets are photographed so often, and have become somewhat cliche. I suppose this post is just adding fuel to the cliche flames. However, there’s a unique feeling when you see something that makes you instinctively run and grab your camera. It’s hard to describe. By the time I thought “wow, look at that sky – I should make a photograph of that,” I already had my camera in hand headed to my front porch. Sometimes a photograph can’t capture that feeling, but there are those times when it does. Cliche or not, I like this photo of the fiery sunset of my front porch.

Heat Lightning

Todd — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:00:54 +0000

The other night after putting our kids in the bed, I noticed several flashes of light through the trees in the back yard. I walked outside to see what was up and found one of the most incredible displays of heat lightning taking place. The sky was lighting up every 3-5 seconds. The cloud pattern that was being illuminated in the sky was equally impressive. It didn’t look like it was going to stop soon, so I quickly grabbed my camera, tripod and cable release and setup on a knoll on the golf course just behind our house. For the next 30 minutes or so I captured some decent photos of a most impressive heat lightning show.

Magical Geometry

Todd — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:10:33 +0000

This image is probably pretty familiar to the Disney fans out there. Spaceship Earth at EPCOT is one of the iconic markers at Disney World in Orlando, FL. Easily recognizable for miles in any direction around the park, or at close range as seen from this perspective.

Beautiful Ride

Todd — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:00:02 +0000

On Wednesday I attended the final practice round of the 93rd PGA Championship, being held in Johns Creek, GA this year. What I’ve always liked about practice rounds is that cameras are allowed. It was great to get photos of professional golfers and the course. However, I also came away with today’s Fine Art Friday image sequence. I posted three images today, because I felt they told the story better than any single image. Mercedes Benz is the primary sponsor of the tournament this year and is well represented throughout the grounds of the event. Inside the PGA Experience tent they had several vehicles on display, including one of the best looking cars I’ve ever seen – the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. Because I took my camera to photograph golfers and wanted to travel light, I only had my 70-200mm lens with me. This made taking photos of the full car very difficult inside. However, it also forced me to focus on detail shots, which I am pretty pleased with.

iPhone Art

Todd — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:00:40 +0000

Although I don’t currently use my iPhone as a phone, I still utilize it as an iPod, gaming device, and mobile camera. I’ve found it to be much quicker and provides better results than my DroidX. As soon as the new version of the iPhone is released, I will be switching back. This image was made using the Camera+ app on an iPhone 3GS. All processing was done within Camera+.

Cleated Rope

Todd — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:00:45 +0000

I love spending time at the lake. With summer camps, vacations, etc. we don’t get to the lake as often as we would like. Last weekend I taught two of my boys how to tie off the boat to a cleat when docking. Such an exciting step – they are growing so fast. Today’s Fine Art Friday image is a reminder of how much we love the lake and how even the smallest experiences can create lasting memories.

First Try Only Happens Once

Todd — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:00:07 +0000

I love watching my children experience their firsts – first steps, first baseball game, first attempt at water skiing, etc. The excitement and pride in their eyes when they’ve tried something new (whether they’re successful or not) is such a thrill to witness. This weekend at the lake had it’s share of firsts. I’m so proud of my boys for getting in the water and attempting to ski. Two out of the three actually got up for a bit. The longest ski run? My three year old! The only thing more exciting than witnessing these firsts and getting to share the emotion with my kids is knowing that I also captured these moments in photographs so that we can enjoy them all over again later. I keep going back to it, but this is the importance of photography.

Gateway Arch

Todd — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:00:06 +0000

This image of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was taken in 2007 during a massive cross-country RV trip with my wife’s family. We had the opportunity to visit many of our country’s most iconic destinations. At most of our stops, I attempted to make photographs that were somewhat different than I have seen before. Although this may not be the most unique angle of the Arch, it was one of my favorites.

While the image below probably doesn’t scream fine art to me, I did feel like it was a unique perspective as well. This version of the Arch image was made on the way to dinner. We crossed the alley between the two buildings and there it was, illuminated in the dusk sky.

Radio Controlled Aerial Videography

Todd — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:00:14 +0000

I’ve taken back to the skies with my trusty Mountain Models Magpie AP. I was inspired by the incredible video quality from the GoPro Hero HD camera to attach it to my plane and get some aerial video. I’ve previously shot stills and video with a Nikon Coolpix 7900. The stills turned out well, but I always wanted the video quality to be better. The GoPro has changed all of that. At 5.9 oz (with battery and housing), it’s only 0.6oz heavier that my previous setup, and shoots HD video! Below is a recent flight.

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