Reason #782 Why I Am Anxious For Summer: 'Cause it Ain't Winter

It's cold, folks.  Miserably so.  In case you hadn't noticed.  Ever the optimist, however, I have combed my recent projects in search of the perfect images to help conjure the essence of growth, warmth and sunlight of summer.  Because believe it or not, summer is right around the corner.  Sort of.

I photographed the below sunflower field on a perfect, sunny, 80-degree day in August last year.  Located in Franklin, Indiana, the J.P. Parker farm is known for its annual crop of more than 300,000 sunflowers.  Established in 1986, J.P. Parker Flowers has retail florist shops in both Franklin and downtown Indianapolis.

As you peruse the images below, go ahead and take a minute to pretend you are standing in the sunflower field, your upturned face feeling the warmth and light of the summer sun.   Remember that barbecue, shorts and flip flops weather will be here before you know it.  Until then, just keep repeating this mantra...

Old Man Winter, don't go away mad.  Just go away.   

   
 

 

View From The Top

One thing that I love about revisiting Italy time and again is getting the opportunity to learn more about Italian culture and landmarks with each trip while gaining a sense of familiarity.  I recently returned from a 16 day Italian trip and had the pleasure of spending the first day in Milan.  I had spent some time in Milan before and knew that I wanted to go up on the roof of the famous Duomo di Milano.  The roof is not only a great place to take dramatic photos, but also another incredibly cool Italian hang out.  View my images below to see how I spent my afternoon... 

  My views from atop the Duomo di Milano.

Italians and tourists alike visit the Duomo roof on a daily basis. It can be the perfect place for a scenic lunch or a quick nap.

While shooting, I noticed an interesting rooftop bar just over the  Duomo's spires.  It was just about happy hour, so you can guess what happened next...

Needless to say, Il bar at La Rinascente did not disappoint.  I noticed almost everyone drinking this orange-colored cocktail and thought "When in Rome" (or this case, Milan). It was an Aperol Spritz, a new favorite cocktail.  Cheers to new discoveries!!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

If you have flown out of Indianapolis lately, you may have noticed the newly constructed field of solar panels adjacent to the Indianapolis International Airport.  The IND Solar Farm project, when completed, will boast 74 acres of more than 41,000 solar panels and will be the largest solar farm on airport real state in North America.

I had the pleasure of documenting this exciting development during the summer.  Over a period of two months, I shot over 12,000 photos of the solar farm construction with the help of two strategically placed time-lapse cameras and multiple visits to the site.  The fun part was piecing these images together to create a three minute time-lapse video that demonstrates the work and time that went into building this vast energy generation facility.   Click on the link below to take a peek at my 90 second "director's cut."


Director's Cut of time-lapse video of IND Solar Farm construction and installation
from John Bragg on Vimeo.

P.S.  See if you can spot the shooting stars during the sunset.  I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to capture them. 

Colts Season Parking 2013

Are you tired of driving around before a Colts game trying to find parking?  Well, for a select few, I'm offering parking at my studio for the Colts regular season.  You would have reserved parking right in front of my building which is easily accessible to I-65 and I-70.  And you would only be 3 1/2  blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium and the parking would be illuminated during night games.  I've got 5 spots available and I'm selling season parking for $ 120.  Also, if interested in parking for preseason games your total would be $140 ($10 per preseason game). Please reserve your spot today before the spaces are gone. Email me at john@johnbragg.com

Thank you.

Go Colts!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful girls

A big part of why I love photography is that I am constantly presented with opportunities to stretch my creative muscle by shooting new subjects in different ways.  I recently had the pleasure of teaming up with makeup artist Kiralee Hubbard for a beauty shoot to showcase her upcoming makeup line.

I conceptualized the lighting style to accentuate both the models' features and their makeup.  The result is dramatic and glamorous, yet simple.  

Downtown Office Space for Lease

If you are looking for downtown office space (or know of someone that is), I have some available for lease.  The specs are below and if you want to see it in person I'd be happy to give you a tour.  It is on the east side of my building and does not include the garage/studio portion of my building.   

720 sq/ft of ground floor office space.  3 blocks from Lilly corporate center and Lucas Oil Stadium.  Across the street from Iozzo's Garden of Italy and 1 block from Shapiro's Deli and Greek Islands restaurant.  Great interstate access.  Two individual offices, kitchenette/break area and private restroom.  Private/separate entrance. Utilities and security system included in the lease price as well as 2 parking spots.  Perfect for two or three person operation.  No garage access available.  $ 850/ month.  

Pass this info along to anyone you might know who is looking for office space, or contact me if you are interested!  Thank!

John 

john@johnbragg.com
johnbragg.com
317-972-8171 Studio 
317-679-5646 Mobile 

Happy hour at John Bragg Photography

A finely crafted cocktail is only as good as its ingredients.  A distinctive pre-Prohibition era cocktail mixed with a hand-made, naturally-infused elixir?  You had me at distinctive.

That's the idea behind the Wilks & Wilson line of natural, small batch simple syrups.  Inspired by the fine cocktails of yesteryear, co-creators Zach Wilks and Greg Wilson developed these flavored elixirs to enhance the nuances of such cocktails as the Sazerac and the Old Fashioned.  Not only does each elixir have a distinct flavor, each has its own unique story.

I got the opportunity to shoot the Wilks & Wilson products in my studio recently; as you can probably guess, it was a fun project.  Not only did I photograph the elixirs themselves, Zach Wilks was on hand to mix up his historic-yet-modern cocktails for the shoot.  The photos you see below, which depict each cocktail's transition from shaker to glass, are my favorites from that day.

What happened to all of those cocktails when the shoot was over, you ask?  Let's just say Wilks & Wilson now has a faithful following at John Bragg Photography.

Simple Mai Tai Get the recipe here.  El Diablo Get the recipe here. Sazerac Get the recipe here.