Commercial Photography in Natchez, MS

A Food Shot of the famous “Nettie Cake” at Natchez Coffee Company on Franklin Street in Natchez!

Commercial Photography in Natchez, MS

Call Us – We Are the Most Experienced in Our Area!

 

Providing Commercial photography in Natchez presents a wide array of interesting opportunities. For example, food, beverage, product, event, real estate and architectural, and even editorial photography (as well as videography) are but a few of these. Interestingly, they are among the many services we offer our clients and business customers. Furthermore, these and more are ways we help Natchez & Vidalia area businesses, corporations, industries and organizations with their imaging needs with the quality needed to help them expand and grow their market.

A core principle of ours is to offer truly unique images! Ultimately, this is done in order to help promote your business or organization more effectively. Finally, to accomplish this we focus on quality and creativity throughout the entire image-making process.

Additionally, by image making, we also mean videography and not just still photography. Truly, we are dedicated to offering Natchez area businesses outstanding quality and value!

Commercial photography ranges from headshot / staff portraits of owners and employees to images of products or services. Our unique talent is to capture product photos in a way that bring out the best of a particular product line. Similarly, our images of your products will capture the attention of your target market. Give us a call for a free consult!

An Image for Maker’s Mark Whiskey & Visit Natchez in an Ad Campaign they pitched in New York City to promote our area. They hired us at our day-rate and working together with an Art Director we produced this image, shot on the porch of antebellum Dunleith.

 

Event & Editorial Photography

Editorial Cover for the Vidalian Magazine. We also provided the Inside Story Cover and several other images for Mr. Huhn’s article.

Another common category of commercial (also known as corporate) photography is “Event” photography. To that end, we have covered many, many events too numerous to mention! These include Food & Wine Festivals for Visit Natchez, Balloon Races for the City of Vidalia, numerous Open Houses, Ribbon Cuttings, and anniversaries for area businesses, industries, corporations, and organizations… even the 50th Jubilee of a Catholic Priest! Just a small sampling of our Commercial clients include well-known area businesses such as Natchez, Inc; Visit Natchez; Makers Mark Whiskey; United Mississippi Bank; Waters Trucking; Vidalia Mills USA Denim & BASF; Delta Fuels; Natchez Railway; Bayou Fuels/Velocys; Crye-Leike Realty; Century 21; the City of Vidalia; the Adams County Sheriffs Office; Dozer, Inc; Miss-Lou Eye Care; Southern Designs; and many, many more! We have delivered services to Organizations and Churches, Non-Profits, Businesses, Corporations, Industries, and Government Entities. We’ve shot still photography and video for local small businesses such as The Natchez Ballet Academy… to multi-national corporations, such as Orlando Media, located in the U.K. We know what it takes to get “the shot in the moment,” fulfill strict file types, codecs, and compressions, and can catalog your event or deliver your photos and video in stunning fashion – the right way, the first time. No one is more experienced than Mike in our area for this type of photography!

Editorial photography is one of our favorite styles of photography. If you have a story you wish to have illustrated with images, we can deliver – whether for a print publication or an online one. We know what it means to shoot to a layout, aspect ratio, and leave whatever empty space you need for your text or masthead. We speak the language of Editors, Assistant Editors, and Art Directors. Have a cover that needs to be shot? No problem, we can make a stunning cover image for your story. We have shot for numerous online and print magazines for local, regional, and national publications such as The Vidalian Magazine, Good Grit Magazine, and Mercedes-Benz Magazine.

Our passion is to provide unique images and angles that others often overlook. To that end, one unique piece of image gear we have invested in is a professional level drone. Furthermore, this drone captures high definition images from elevated angles to give your image an edge that your competitors don’t have! Of course, it’s just one tool among many in our image making arsenal.

Ultimately, whenever you need a commercial photographer in Natchez MS, contact us and we will deliver!

Nurse’s Creative Headshot Portraits!

Nurse’s Creative Headshot Portraits!

R.N. Tye Murray in a Creative Portrait

When nurse Tye Murray contacted me for headshots and we discussed what she was wanting, I became excited. Not only did she know what she was going for, she had a lot of good ideas of her own. Furthermore, as Tye began to describe for me the variety of images she was thinking about, it gave me creative ideas. Tye also writes about nursing and medical issues. Thus, in addition to a range of professional headshots, she was also wanting a few images that would supplement her writing in creative ways. During pre-session consultations with Tye, I was listening closely. Importantly, my focus upon what she wanted for her images’ end usage is critical to how I’m able to successfully create portraits. In addition, I honed-in on the style and feel of the images she was hoping to get. Significantly, listening to my clients’ wishes and truly understanding their goals for their images is a CORE VALUE of my photography and imaging approach. 

 

OUR SUBJECT-CENTERED APPROACH IS UNIQUE!

Natchez Portrait Photographer - Creative Commercial Photographer

Shown here: Tye in a more traditional headshot but one with a unique-colored backdrop.

 

Importantly, our first goal is to clearly understand what clients like Tye are wanting. Consequently, that informs HOW we go about accomplishing their goals. Frankly, that’s an inverse approach to what happens with many portrait photographers. Too often, photographers will fit a client’s wishes into their own stricter template of image creation. Instead, our approach is a “subject-centered” one that truly begins with our client. First, we learn who they are and how they naturally express themselves. Second, we focus upon what they are passionate about. In this process we learn much about how to create their images unique to them. Of course, we guide them with creative and innovative suggestions. The point is, this process and approach makes for a truly collaborative effort. This approach is centered upon capturing them as unique individuals expressing their unique personality. As a result, photographs done in such a way can become precious pieces of image-art. Ultimately, Tye’s images capture her in a moment of her life that can be treasured and passed down!

The image directly above is a classic headshot. However, what is unusual is the “cocoa” background. Notably, this particular background was chosen for Tye due to her blonde hair and light-colored sweater. Furthermore, cocoa backdrops are more popular in other parts of the country but have not been utilized much locally. Finally, we keep a keen eye on the latest portrait trends so Natchez – Vidalia residents look their best! We can help you with creative portraits of yourself, or with commercial photography for your business. Contact us for a free consultation!

 

 

Looking For Unique, Quality Visuals? Look No Further.

Contact MeBack to Photo Stories

Architectural Photographer in Natchez

Architectural & Real Estate Photography in Natchez

When it comes to photographing and videoing architecture, properties and structures, no one is more qualified than us!

 

The Cedars Plantation in Church Hill, MS. We provided both stills and video of the interior and exterior of the home and the property.

Uniquely Qualified!

As someone involved in the building and remodeling trades for five decades, Mike is uniquely qualified. Growing up around uncles and a parent who was skilled at carpentry, he excelled in the trade. In high school, Mike won architectural drawing awards in his Junior and Senior years. After high school, he majored in architecture at LSU. Accordingly, his first major project was to design a Church sanctuary in Natchez. Mike completed the design, and also helped to build it. As a result, today it sits at the corner of Melrose-Montebello Parkway and Fatherland Road. He was nineteen years old at the time.

Since that time, he continued to build and remodel numerous homes and businesses in the Natchez area. Ultimately, Mike’s signature project was the total restoration of an antebellum plantation home in Jefferson County. Moreover, this restoration won the Heritage Award in 2010 for the State of Mississippi. Additionally, Laurietta Plantation was featured in Country Living magazine in 2010. Building upon that construction experience (pardon the pun!), and with his extensive understanding of structures and properties, he has photographed and provided video for numerous homes and properties over the years. He has worked with Real Estate Companies such as Century 21 and Crye Leike Realtors in photographing antebellum and high-end homes in the Natchez area. No one in our area has more experience than Mike in this kind of photography.

 

Professional Equipment Captures Architectural Photographs and Video

Our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) delivers stunning resolution in RAW image format and 4K video. FAA Certified & Licensed.

Obviously someone with that amount of in-depth knowledge of buildings and structures knows how to photograph them. Furthermore, our equipment is tailor-made for optimized architectural images. We use state-of-the-art DSLR and mirrorless professional cameras with high-quality stabilization equipment and the best lenses in the field to get you stunning images that you will be proud of. Additionally, we added a professional level aerial drone to our camera inventory. This allows us to further expand our capability to provide awesome photos and video. Recently, we’ve completed numerous projects involving architectural images. These include Dozer Inc, who contracted us to take their images after they built the Bridge of Sighs over Roth’s Hill Road. Second, Natchez, Inc. hired us to record a property they are helping to develop. Third, United Mississippi Bank contracted with us to take images of all of their branch locations for their new website. We have a long list of corporate entities that we have worked with to provide these kinds of images.

 

Exterior image of the back porch at antebellum D’Evereux. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) merge of five photographs into 1 final image.

 

GOT SKILLS? WE DO!

HDR – HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE TECHNIQUE

The technique of using HDR in Architectural and Real Estate Photography is commonplace among photographers. Mike is a master of this technique, and uses it on all of his projects. Basically it’s a way of taking several photographs of each scene (for example a Parlour of a home) and these photos in a range of exposures in order to blend them all together and getting the perfect single image of that scene. This results in the shadow and dark areas being lit and the highlighted areas (such as sunlight lighting up a window) to not be overexposed. Together with years and years of experience, knowing all the techniques and approaches, as well as equipment that others don’t have, Mike is able to provide you with images that no one else can.

When St. Mary Basilica was damaged in a recent ice storm, their sanctuary was damaged and had to be remodeled. Afterwards, the Construction Firm and Parish hired me to take photos of the work.

 

If you are looking for a local photographer to take still photos or video of interiors, exteriors or properties, there is no one better than us! You can reach Mike at 601-597-3762 to schedule a consultation.

 

Looking For Unique, Quality Visuals? Look No Further.

Contact MeBack to Photo Stories

A Wedding Story – Told In 25 Images

A Wedding Story – Told in 25 Photographs

Will Leibfritz and Stephanie Fradella’s beautiful wedding ceremony took place at St. Mary Basilica. Accordingly, husband and wife along with Will’s son Cody enjoyed an amazing time surrounded by family, friends and loved ones. We were blessed with the opportunity to meet them and to capture for all time their precious memories of that day.

 

This is their STORY told in images. Moreover, for this article it is limited to just 25 photographs selected for their variety rather than only traditional wedding shots.

 

A Grand Beginning

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezFirst, the day began at the Natchez Grand Hotel where the large wedding party had booked all their rooms. With nine bridesmaids and nine groomsmen, there were plenty of helping hands. As always, the ladies went one direction and the men another. No doubt each had their duties in getting ready for the big event. Meanwhile, the typical “getting ready” shot involves the makeup artist andLeibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez bride.

However, moving to my right I was also able to capture a shot of Stephanie in silhouette. Going with the darker theme of a silhouette, I rendered the image in black and white during retouching. Just a simple way to give her options for her photo album.

 

The Dress

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezThen, there was the absolutely beautiful wedding dress on a personalized hanger. Shot from many angles, this particular photo shows a close-up. The ribbon was color coordinated with the ladies’ dresses.

As one might expect, the men got ready a bit Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezmore quickly than the ladies. We captured them on the stairs as they left their rooms to head down toward the Basilica.

 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Next, the men left for the next stop along the journey, which was to take place at Memorial Park. Meanwhile, Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezthe ladies took a brief detour at the hotel’s bar to have some fun! No doubt, this group was a blast and full of hilarious energy. Check out their sassy poses!

Then, there are the rings. Before we left the hotel I seized the opportunity to take a creative ring shot utilizing the bridal bouquet. I carry a number of lenses, one of which is a 105mm prime macro lens. Consequently, this lens may double for ring shots or asLeibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez a great portrait lens. However, without a tripod it takes a steady hand to get tack sharp images. 

 

Memorial Park

The bountiful wedding party gathered at well-known Memorial Park behind the Basilica for several shots, including the first look and some group photos. It was very cold that Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezday, but everyone held up very well and we were able to get some great images. Just after the first look, the couple embraced and the moment was captured. Some of the family and friends can be seen in the background giving them their space.

 

Next, Stephanie invited Will under the veil for a kiss! It was obvious they were having a great time and enjoying every moment of the rapidly moving events of the day.Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

 

 

Dad & Bride Plus Others

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezAt this point, several hundred photos were taken of various groups of the wedding party. One favorite of ours is a fun shot of Stephanie with her father. The photo tells a great story about their love and their enjoyment of this time!

 

How about this shot when Stephanie and Will caught Cody in a kiss sandwich! Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezThis was a fun idea that we discussed long before the day when we were putting together a creative shot list. Many times shots are planned, but for various reasons do not work well. In my opinion, this one came off perfectly!

 

We then all moved inside the Basilica’s basement to warm up and make ready for the actual ceremony. One of my favorite photos of the entire day is a candid shot of one of Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezthe bridesmaids with her daughter. The expression of the child’s face is simply priceless!

 

 

 

 

The Ceremony Begins!

 

 

Finally, it came time for the wedding itself. The huge doors swung open and all the friends and family were waiting inside. Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezFather O’Connor presided over the ceremony, which in Roman Catholic tradition is a Sacrament. As the ushers hold open the literal doors, Stephanie walks through, entering a new stage of her life. Her father escorts her to the altar, arm in arm.

 

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezOne by one the bridesmaids also enter, until all nine of them are also at the altar. Here, Cody makes his walk along with another family relative.

 

At this point, the vows are being exchanged.Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez I took an opportunity to capture this shot of the ladies watching intently.

 

 

At the Altar & After Shots

Inevitably, the moment came and Will & Stephanie became man and wife. All during the ceremony and throughout the day, my second shooter and I took over 5,000 images! That’s a lot to edit and select Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezfrom. This photo was shot vertically rather than horizontally, as many angles were explored. St. Mary Basilica is stunningly beautiful, I think you will agree.

 

Directly after, the newly formed family posed Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezfor a photograph with Father O’Connor.

 

Next, several images of the various groups were taken until we arrived at the shot of everyone gathered together at the altar. This photograph illustrates this large and loving family.

 

 

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

 

 

Cel-e-brate Good Times – C’Mon!

Another couple of fun shots came next, the first being one with Cody. Leibfritz Wedding Photography in NatchezIt seems there’s a whole lot of celebration about to go on!

 

 

Finally, as they left the Church on the way to the Reception, the massive party jumped for joy on Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezthe steps outside! I have viewed this photograph many times. I can’t help but be amazed at the expression and gesture of each and every person. The little boy on the bottom right is almost flying! Also, I love the girl in the middle who has her hands outwardly expressed as if to say, “I can’t believe it!”

 

 

 

 

The couple load up in a horse-drawn carriage and head to The Natchez Community Center for the reception. Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

 

 

 

 

Let’s Get This Party Started!

 

 

 

Next, everyone hit the floors for a grand ole time! Saturday night dancing style!Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

 

 

 

 

The Final Photos

In the midst of taking all those thousands of shots, I came across Cody. He seemed tired, but very, very happy. I love this shot of a little Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchezboy just before becoming a teenager, seeing the adults he loves most join in Holy union with one another. He was just off to the side soaking it all in. How special a boy! We spoke a bit about his experience on this day, and he posed for this photo.

 

 

 

The ladies … remember how good a time they were having earlier? Well, it just continued. Here, they are gathered around one of the cakes having a blast.Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph Number 25 …

 

Last but not least I leave you with a photo of just the three, now united. Stephanie, Will and Cody Leibfritz. Their story continues!

Leibfritz Wedding Photography in Natchez

The End … or rather The Beginning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate Drone Photography for Natchez, Inc.

CORPORATE DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY IN NATCHEZ

 

Michael Chapman Studios (MCS) recently completed a corporate drone photography project for Natchez, Inc, that involved utilizing our professional imaging drone.

 

Natchez, Inc. exists as a public-private partnership established in 2010. They take very seriously their mission as “the dynamic organization in the economic development of Natchez-Adams County.” Accordingly, part of what they do entices commercial enterprises to invest their business future in our region. Naturally, they promote and market sites and properties in order to do so. For this reason, they recently assigned Michael Chapman Studios to provide aerial photographs and video of the former John Mansfield site here in the County. Due to the professional level imaging drone that we have in our equipment kit, we were able to accomplish that quickly, efficiently, and at far less expense than hiring a helicopter or airplane.

Full-Range of Motion Control Devices

Aerial drones provide a powerful level of motion control, known as “mo-co” in photo lingo. It also provides an angle of view to photography, videography & cinematography simply unmatched through any other form. We are excited to have such a piece of equipment. This is due to the fact that the drone gives us the ability to offer a wider range of services to businesses and enterprises such as Natchez, Inc. This allows us to be a great value to those in need of these services that help them enhance the successful accomplishment of their mission and goals. There’s nothing like powerful images, whether stills or video, to inform people intellectually and move them emotionally.

In addition to our drone, we also have several other dynamic pieces of “mo-co” that we use. These can combine to make video scenes much more impactful and impressive. These include a jib crane, a slider, and steady cam stabilizers. Of course we have what every videographer carries as well, which are monopods and video tripods. This full equipment range of motion-control gear allows us to truly get you the shots you need that will make your video and stills stand out from your competition.

 

Complete Control of Your Images & Video

The Nerdy Details: Our drone is capable of shooting still photography images in .dng file format (in addition to .jpeg). This simply means we are able to perform extensive image enhancement in Photoshop during retouching if we need to. One example of such enhancements includes bringing out shadows and details. This would not be available if we shot in jpeg images. As for video, the drone is capable of recording 4K at 30 frames per second, or 1080p (high resolution) at up to 120 fps. Both photography and videography can be done in full manual mode. This gives us flexibility in such things as shutter speed, ISO, aperture, white balance, picture control and so forth. All of which is controlled as needed while the drone is airborne! Therefore, we can provide stunning image quality and control exactly how they are shot!

 

If you have a need or desire for aerial images, contact us and we can make your needs a reality!

Looking For Unique, Quality Visuals? Look No Further.

Contact MeBack to Photo Stories

Local Running Back in a Sports Illustrated Cover style

 

LOCAL RUNNING BACK IN A SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COVER STYLE

I met Dee as the son of one of my fellow law enforcement officers, Tyrone Fleming. Tyrone and I both worked the same shift for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. When you face all the things we face on patrol, your shift-mates almost become like brothers and sisters. Through the course of those years, Tyrone and I kept up with goings on in one another’s personal and family lives. It didn’t take long to understand that Dee played outstanding high school football. Dee played at a couple of area schools, and finished up his career at Natchez Cathedral. In the process, he won a State Championship as their star running back. He now plays football for Louisiana Tech, a NCAA Division One Bowl Subdivision school.

 

The Study That Led To The Action

In the time just before making this creative portrait, I studied and practiced lighting patterns. There are certain very well known set-ups in lighting a subject when portraits are made. Lighting patterns known as Paramount, Loop, Rembrandt and Split don’t mean much to the average person. But for the portrait photographer, they are the fundamentals of lighting. However, beyond those fundamentals are many unorthodox approaches. Accordingly, I was studied various methods in order to be more creative with my portraits. Exploring some of those other lighting patterns led me to the work of Joel Grimes. I won’t go into details about how many lights, grids, and angles and such that he often uses. Above all, Grimes’ fearless approach utilizes shade, shadow and darkness to create drama. The rule he follows (and that I now use a lot) is that the more a light is “off angle” the more shadow it causes. The more the shadow, the more the dramatic effect. Grimes famous Sports Illustrated covers are widely appreciated for their stunning visual quality. Therefore, inspired by Grimes’ work, I set out to make a “Sports Illustrated” cover-style shot of my own. That’s when I thought about Dee.

Menacing helmet image that’s also very Sports Illustrated’s style.

Creative Portrait In the Making

I contacted him to see if he might be interested, and he responded enthusiastically. The rest is history except for the details. For the session, I needed a rather large space for the backdrop and the lighting equipment. I phoned my friend and fellow photographer Stan Smith to see if I could set up at his store. Not only did he allow it, he even helped. The resulting creative portrait is one that most viewers agree is indeed reminiscent of a sports magazine cover. Drama and mood are definitely qualities of Dee’s portrait. Dee probably had no idea how much would go into creating his portrait. I remember the session lasted a couple of hours. He endured several wardrobe changes and many various poses and stances. He also suffered through being sprayed down with “simulated sweat” in the form of water and glycerin. However, he held up very well and did a great job being himself!

 

Summary

I learned a lot from this shoot, and definitely added it to my bevy of lighting techniques. Channeling Gregory Heisler, I follow the more “subject-centered” approach to how I light a subject. Heisler’s approach focuses most on the subject of his portrait. Of course, the end usage for the shot and the message of what the shot needs to convey are also important. Ultimately however, the person or subject of the portrait drives the story of the portrait. Similarly to Heisler, my focus on Dee in his portrait heavily influenced how I styled and executed his own portrait. It doesn’t matter that I used inspiring techniques and approaches of amazing artists in the creation. In studying the work and techniques of others (not copying their photos) other artists such as myself learn to create our own unique approach and style.

Dee’s Sport’s Illustrated Cover – High School Era! His portrait of course never made it to the real magazine. However, what I enjoy most about this Creative Portrait session has to do with its uniqueness. Despite having many, many images to remember his high school football career by, this one certainly stands out for him and his family, and will for a lifetime!

 

Natchez MS Photographer Creative Portraits

Looking For Unique, Quality Visuals? Look No Further.

Contact MeBack to Photo Stories

Verified by ExactMetrics
Verified by MonsterInsights