Eric Francis Photography

2011 Football...

2012-01-14T22:56:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me tonight that I hadn't updates my blog with my Husker football faces from 2011. So, here you go, a few of my favorites from last season.

Cerny Family...

2011-11-15T08:36:00.001-08:00

At the request of friends and followers, I am going to try and update more often with not just the bigger stuff I do but also some of the little every day stuff. So, here's the first....

I recently had the pleasure to spend an hour with a friend and her family. Amy, Drew and Benjamin asked me to take their first ever formal family portrait. After doing the more straight forward ones I allowed them the chance to play a bit. This one is definitely one of my favorites.

Omaha Fashion Week Finale

2011-08-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorites from the Omaha Fashion Week Finale outside The Nomad Lounge Saturday night. This was a first for me covering the event for the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, so I was focusing a little more on the experience than the models/fashions themselves. All in all, it was an interesting night.

Teen vs. Senior drivers......

2011-08-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a few from a shoot last week for the UNO Alumni Magazine. The story is taking a look at teen vs. senior driver, the stereo types and the facts.
The shoot kind of required the entire bag of tricks... couple mono blocks (bare bulb) a reflector and a polarizer for the lens.

e

Who needs expensive lights?

2011-07-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do this shoot for a while and the State trophy seemed like a good opportunity to do it.
Four LED flashlight and a photographer's mind can do some fun things.
It's not about the gear a photographer has, it's about his mind. The gear is absolutely WORTHLESS without a mind that understands light.
A point all to lost in todays world.

e

Omaha Roller Girls.... hot action!

2011-02-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

As I promised, here are a few of my favorite moments from the Omaha Roller Girls' first bout Saturday night at the Mid America Center.

enjoy...

Omaha Roller Girls....

2011-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Omaha Roller Girls' season opening beat down Saturday night and the Mid America Center, I thought I'd post a few images from our shoot for their programs and general marketing.
The challenge: take a handful of colorful roller derby girls and a dark, used up, former roller rink and make something interesting. It took every White Lighting, and Speedlight I own, a handful of gels, and the better part of an entire Saturday, to come up with the finished product. I think we hit the nail on the head in matching the colorful personalities (not to forget colorful hair) of these fun and interesting women.
I'll be posting a few images from The ORG's opening night sellout and grand win Saturday night within the next couple days.

Baseball... the time is near

2011-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

In honor of pitchers and catchers reporting this week.... ok well, not really. I had a cover shoot for a local magazine for their baseball issue. Easy enough. I grabbed my son and a few Speedlights, a few gels and 10 minutes. Here's some of what we came up with.

Something just for the fun of it....

2010-09-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

When mother nature presents you with an opportunity like this, boy, you better pick up the camera and have a little fun. It sure is fun catching lightning in a bottle (or a camera in this case).
Enjoy...

e

Eli + Amy's moment...

2010-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

So.....
I get this phone call the other day from my friend Jim. "Eli is in town and is planning to pop the question. He wants you to come down and shoot some portraits afterwards," he says. As most of you are already thinking, there was no way I was going to let a moment like that go and not get it. I finally get Eli on the phone to discuss his plans for the evening. After a phone call the Mike at The French Cafe' in the Old Market, we have a plan in place to sneak me into position for the great moment.
You know the old saying, "even the best laid plans..." A few things presented a challenge but I handled them easily enough. The light was far from ideal, I had to shoot through a pane of glass, and the angle wasn't the best. All in all, the honest, real moment we saved from the abyss of time was worth every challenge.
My approach to photography may not be the most popular in todays trend toward fantasy, but opportunities like this keep me connected to the honest, genuine, timeless moments that make the world go 'round.
Congratulations Eli and Amy. Thanks for letting me share a small part in your lives.

e

Keith + Audra........

2010-07-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple hours near sunset in Heartland of America Park the other night. This isn't a social marketing pitch, but, I really like my clients. There is something about the people that book me to share their wedding day with. They are just down-to-earth and real. Amongst all the craziness that is wedding planning, you really get a sense that these people understand what is important and what is less important.
Here's a sneak peek and our time together.....

e

Jacque and Kelan's engagement shoot...

2010-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

We spent the sunset hours walking along the riverfront and ending up near the spot in which Kelan popped the question near the new foot bridge. I can tell after spending just a short period of time with them, this couple is going to be a blast to spend the day with.
I little ambient + a little man-made light = good stuff.

Sports Illustrated... Leading Off

2010-07-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

For those that haven't seen it yet and have been asking, here's the Sports Illustrated Leading Off image of mine that made last week's issue.

Nice to be excited again.....

2010-07-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

After a long career of having images published all over the world and even having had a few small pictures in Sports Illustrated, but this is the image that got me a "Leading Off" double truck in the magazine. How many images have I shot over the years of middle infielders diving for the ball? geesh, go figure.
Considering how much I love shooting sports, this is a nice little "get" for me. It's easy to get cynical about where you get published after years, but I have to admit, this one stirred the juices a bit. It was nice to get excited about being published.

e

2010 CWS...

2010-07-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite non-action images from this years College World Series. The way the series started this year, it seemed not even Mother Nature is happy about moving from Rosenblatt Stadium to downtown next year. She gave us hell the first few days.

Omaha's Old Market...

2010-06-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

These are part of a project I am working on for the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau. I thought they turned out pretty well.
I had this shoot from atop a building in the Old Market set up and almost rescheduled it because of a pretty good storm rolling in. I am so very glad I took the chance and we got it all done just in time before the hail came.

I'll post more from the project as I get them prepared for delivery.

And so, the end begins...

2010-05-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

No matter how nice, new, cool and "necessary" the new stadium is, this is a sad year for those of us that grew up personally and professionally at Omaha's Rosenblatt stadium. This is the final year of college baseball being played at the "Mecca" for collegiate baseball players.

Creighton vs. Wichita State @ Rosenblatt...

2010-05-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

NCAA Wrestling Championships... day 3

2010-03-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

The last few days has been the most wrestling I've shot in nearly 10 years I think.

...just like riding a bike!

NCAA Wrestling Championships... day 2

2010-03-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

NCAA Wrestling Championships...

2010-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

As evidenced by the images, my first assignment did not go well for the guy I was covering. More to come from tonights wrestle-backs and second round action.

120 Seconds with Dick Holland.

2010-03-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

Professional photography is not always about having a big budget, several assistants and all day to make your pictures. Quite often, it's knowing that you're going to have just a couple minutes and being prepared to work fast and furious.
The assignment was to shoot Dick Holland, Omaha philanthropist and artist, for the UNO Allumni Magazine's article on surviving the depression. It was somewhat of a minor coup to get Dick to be be photographed and we were squeezing between two of his other appointments for the day. This was going to be a 5 minute shoot, maximum.

I scouted the location the day before, got there a half hour early, set up an umbrella with 2 strobes, two reflectors, 2 cameras with 2 different lenses in preparation for every variable I could think of. Oh, did I mention that we had one of our many winter storm come through the day before leaving us with horrible streets to deal with. Anyway, Dick shows up, double parks the car, gets out and walks to the front corner of the car. One hundred and twenty seconds later he's getting back in his car and heading for his next appointment. I begin to pack up my gear knowing that I remember seeing at least one nice moment go through the camera. Oh, and all that gear I had set up, I didn't use anything but one camera and one little reflector. Such is the life of a photographer.

Hoffman Wedding... Hasting, NE

2010-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

Mason & Michelle were married Nov. 14th, 2009 at St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Hastings, Neb. The reception was held at the Adams County Fairground.

OUCH!!!!

2009-11-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

I captured this painful moment at the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer semi final game. I don't think I need to say much more about it. It pretty much speaks for itself, and that's good because I don't feel particularly verbose today. I know, I know, what's new?

e

A "take me back to my childhood" assignment...

2009-11-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had an assignment for a Canadian magazine that took me back many years to my childhood. I had the opportunity to shoot Maurice Vachon in his south Omaha home. For those of you that grew up in Omaha, or in the area, you may remember watching All-Star Wrestling on Sunday mornings. "Mad Dog" Vachon was a mainstay of the weekly shows and a key character in the professional wrestling world pre-WWF, WWE, WW-whatever.
Maurice is quite the jokester and, even thought the actual shoot only took an hour or so, I very much enjoyed the 2 hour spent chatting and listening to stories and jokes from the "Mad Dog."

e

Rob & Michelle

2009-10-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Rob and Michelle were married on the day of the first snow of fall '09. It was a beautiful snow that unfortunately stopped before the actual wedding events started. All that aside, it was a wonderful day. The ceremony was help in First Unitarian Church in Omaha, Nebraska on October 10th, 2009. This church is on of my absolute favorite place to shoot a ceremony because of it's bright and open feel. Rob, Michelle, and their families made this a wonderful day and i had a great time with them.

thanks,

e

Mason and Michelle's E session...

2009-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

We shot this session on the day we signed the contract. It was a cloudy, grey day so we did what we could with a little help from my ray of sunshine in a bag. Mason & Michelle's wedding will be in Hastings this fall yet. They got very lucky that I had their date available on such short notice. That being said, these guys should make for an exciting and fun day.

Today, Brett Favre is my hero...

2009-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Brett Favre is my hero today. No, I'm not a Vikings fan. Although I think he's among the greatest ever and love his passion for the game, I'm not particularly a Favre fan either.
He is my hero today for reminding me of something that is all to easily discounted these days. Ask any Vikings fan today and they will agree. There is NO substitute for experience. Talent is a must. Passion for your job is essential. Enthusiasm and hustle will take you a long way. When combined with the above ingredients, experience is the one thing that can't be taught, bought, or traded for.
So you ask, what does this have to do with photography?
We are in an age where cameras now take care of all the technical aspects of photography for you. With a few thousand dollars worth of camera gear and a splashy-looking website, anyone can call themselves a professional and make proper exposure now. With these new developments, there are now more people entering the photography field than ever before. This has brought some new ideas and energy into the field. It has also clouded the waters a bit and made for some overwhelming choices by those looking for professional photography.
Anyone who understand Viking football history understands why the Viking organization and Brett Favre are my heros today. They have had talented QB's, they have had passionate QB's, they have had QB's with enthusiasm and hustle. Not until they combined those qualities with real experience have they had the recipe in place to realize their dreams. Yes, experience is not cheap but...
There is NO substitute for experience! Thanks, Brett, for the reminder.

e

Jon & Libby... '09

2009-09-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yet another favorite from the Eric Francis Photography 2009 wedding season.

Lindsey & Jason

2009-09-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Denison, IA

May 9th, 2009

Matt & Cole

2009-09-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

One random look back at an '09 Fav...

2009-09-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Rick & Maureen April '09

Creighton Women's Soccer- 9/6/09

2009-09-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Creighton Mens Soccer Tune-Up Game....

2009-09-05T23:34:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my favorite images from my last Creighton Soccer game last week. Even though it's soccer, I still love shooting sports.

GQ shoot....

2009-08-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

On Aug. 12th I was contracted to photograph Brian Murzyn of Myth Lounge for GQ Magazine. Myth Lounge is located in the Old Market. Apparently Brian and his drink featuring Bombay Sapphire are finalists for a contest sponsored by Bombay. Let's all hope it goes well for him and his drink and that we get a nice big play in the magazine.

A little lightning hunt

2009-08-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Went out this evening for a little storm/lightning chasing. It was an ok show, 'bout as good as it gets late in the season like this.

Started off the evening shooting this rainbow while waiting for Dave to catch up to me.

Then, OMG I wished I had found this church before the first round of lightning had gone by. I'll have to remember this spot the next time a storm comes through this area.

The lightning was ok, and nothing real special. Lots of rain-wrapped stuff, not much CG. Oh well, we managed to make a couple ok frames last night.

Then, after all the storms had blown over, we had fun pushing the limits of the new cameras and managed to make a few nice frames of our Milky Way. Will have to do more of this when another opportunity arises.

Erika's second round of senior pictures...

2009-08-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we ventured downtown for a few more shots of Erika for her senior pictures. I don't know WHAT we were thinking heading anywhere near the Old Market in a Friday evening. Oh well, despite the parking and the wind whoas, we managed to get just what we were looking for.

enjoy,

2009-08-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Just a little photography job I shot for a trade publication of a ConAgra VP last week. Short and sweet shoot.

2009-08-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

It puts a little pressure on a photographer to find out that one of his subject was so nervous about the impending shoot that her stomach was unsettled. That aside, my shoot with Jason and Nicole went wonderfully. By all accounts, they are happy with their engagement photography. Myself, I can't wait for the wedding. The pictures are going to be awesome with this couple and the setting involved.

2009-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Carisa held a intimate wedding ceremony at the United Faith Community Church in Valley Nebraska and then moved to Tiburon Golf Course Clubhouse for their wedding reception on Aug. 1st, 2009. It was a typical mid-summer day in Nebraska for a wedding; hot, sticky, and windy. We overcame those issues for a nice portraits outside on the golf course before everyone cut loose on the dance floor and had much fun.

Thanks for letting me share in the fun,

2009-08-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

Nick and Laura's wedding on July 25th, 2009 at the Holiday in and Convention Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Both the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception were held there. We took some time to head to downtown Omaha to for a few group pictures. It certainly was a typical July day in Omaha. Hot and sticky.

Nick and Laura are great people and I fully enjoyed spending my as their wedding photographer.

Thanks,

Erika's Senior pics... round 1....

2009-08-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

I spent a while this evening with Erika working on her senior pictures. We made several nice ones tonight and came up with enough other ideas to require a second shoot. Now that we have to tame stuff out of the way, we're shooting for something a little edgy-er next time.

David & Brenda

2009-07-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

David and Brenda were married June 27th, 2009 in Elmwood park. As is normal in a Nebraska summer, it was plenty warm but not to bad for a quick ceremony in the park. After the ceremony, it was on to Ameristar Casino for the reception. I very much enjoyed the day with David, Brenda and their families.

I always seem to get the best couples that really make my job easy and enjoyable.

2009-06-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Neil and Sarah were married at St. Barnabas Church in Omaha, Neb. and held their reception at AView in Bellevue. It was not a day that you wanted to spend to much time outside due to that good old Nebraska summer humidity. That aside, everything went off without a hitch and it was another fabulous wedding in the books.

2009-06-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

Jeff and Sarah had the 11am slot at St. John's on Creighton's campus. This, of course, means that the day started very early for everyone. It was a long day, but, an awesome couple and a great family made it a pleasure to work and the pictures came easy. Jeff, Sarah, and family, thanks for including me in on your wonderful day.

Congratulations you two.

2009-06-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I picked up a G10 last week and have been loving it so far. Last night when some thunderstorms passed south of Omaha, it allowed me to play with it a little more. It was a nice little light show and the camera picked it up pretty well, better than I though it would.

Jon & Libby

2009-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Jon & Libby

May 16th, 2009

Omaha, Neb.

I don't really have anything out of the ordinary to reports from this wedding day. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful couple and family. Even when I yanked them from the reception because the light was just perfect outside the Paxton for a quick portrait, they were very easy to work with and made it a completely enjoyable work day for me. Thank you Jon and Libby for including me.

congrats,

Neil & Sarah

2009-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Neil & Sarah

May 14th, 2009

Near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska

As I was packing up the gear in the car to head out, I was very excited about this shoot. We had rescheduled once already because the condition were not that great the day before. Last Thursday things were setting up perfect. Little wind. Dry ground. clear sky, except for a thin layer of clouds that turned the entire western sky into a giant warm softbox.

You probably already know the punch line here. Not five minutes after pulling the gear from the car, my thin layer of clouds thickened and we were left with a grey overcast day to shoot.

With a little creativity and a little help from my bag of tricks, I think we ended up with more than a few nice images. Can't wait for the wedding.

p.s.

I just received a nice note from them that I can't help but share...

"We received the photos today and we're very happy with them. "Love 'em. Couldn't be happier", is the direct quote from Sarah. We were really impressed with the different ways you manipulated the light that you had to work with. Well done and thank you. " -Neil

2009-05-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Matt & Cole

May 8th, 2009

This was a very unique wedding. This might hold the record for the smallest wedding I've ever witnessed, 32 people. That being said, it was also one of the most honest, simple and beautiful weddings. Matt and Cole had planned to have nearly 100 people attend and participate in their wedding. but with so many of their friends being deployed, the number that could make it was whittled down considerably.

Even with all these issues, it was exceedingly clear that Matt and Cole love each other and understand what is truly important.

We wish Matt, who has been deployed, and Cole all the best. Moreover, I would like to thank them both for their continued service and sacrifices to this nation.

thanks,

2009-05-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Rick & Maureen

April 25th, 2009

We had a beautiful April until we awoke to a chilly cold day on the 25th. One of those days that you fear when planning an April wedding in Nebraska. Everyone was in good spirits and remained focused on the importance of the day.

It was rainy, it was chilly, it was windy and it was overcast........ it was a beautiful day!