Shamelss self promotion commercial ;-)

Yep, what you are about to watch is 100% self promotion using video and photography of cows, and a few swiftly written phrases.  This video is being used to mainly get your attention, to think about using Nielsen Photography in 2012 as a  “New Years Resolution”, and maybe to get a little chuckle in.

So give it a second to load. then press the play button, kick up your feet and get ready to Rock!

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Oh yeah… the first person to email me with the name of the song and the band who created it will get 10% off of their next (1) day shoot/photography rate.  Yep this is totally shameless now!

Touched by the years.

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On a recent shoot for an area hospital, I photographed the face and hands of people who have been touched by the years.  During my short time, I was given a glimpse into their world.  I wondered what story each line, wrinkle, and age spot had to tell.  Were the stories filled with holding babies, were they filled with toiling in the fields of a rural area, or were they given to the task of helping to build a strong community.  I will never know the full story, but I know these people have a story to tell beyond what my cameras can ever portray.  Take time to savor the stories of the elderly people in your lives.  They might just know the foundation of who you are!

Shawn Nielsen

Ode to the boy!

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The joyous adventures of a boy!

Not too long ago I had the grand opportunity to create some images for an awesome company called http://www.jmcremps.com/  .  I have to say it is one of my favorite projects I get the opportunity to work on.  I got to think like a kid, act like a kid, and play with the kids.  Oh wait I do that anyway!  These images were created under the great direction of Matt Schnell of http://redbarncreations.com/ .

Enjoy the slideshow, give some comments, and check Matt out (his website) when you get a chance!

Best wishes on your day,

Shawn Nielsen

The X-System

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Fall harkens all sorts of feelings for people.  It is a time to harvest, hunt, and take in fall colors.  A recent shoot for a client yielded some shots I am proud to have created under the art direction of Kirk.  I am a passionate outdoorsman and I hope you see that come out in the images that are a part of this blog update.

Take some time this fall to take in the passage into winter.  It always goes out with amazing color!

Shawn Nielsen

NPI creates images for the Park Nicollet 2011 “I Have” Giving Campaign.

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Recently I had the opportunity to create images for Park Nicollet’s 2011 Giving campaign.  These images as I learned were to be black and white in their final use.  To me that was extremely exciting.  I feel that when people can be photographed in black and white it really creates a scenario where the eyes and the inner beauty of a person can shine through.  In a way, I feel like you connect one on one with the subject.  To conclude this blog entry I just want to say that I always look forward to working with the high level creatives at Park Nicollet.  Thank you Sarah for this opportunity!

Shawn

iToad App. is created.

In response to demand for bug-defeating software apps that meet increasingly high standards for green technology, we proudly announce the launch of the fully mobile, bio-fuel iToad. This organic app is easy to install on your computer or smartphone (just plop him on there) and takes up absolutely no memory (has a brain the size of a pea). The fully automated app actively seeks and destroys bugs (up to 1000 per day). The app is equally effective against worms, but has been found to carry its own viruses.

*Note: Processing bio by-products may be used for medicinal purposes in some Asian markets.

**Users rate this app: sticky, slimy, bumpy, sometimes smelly.

 

Design: Matt Schnell of redbarncreations.com

Copywriting: Scott Whitman of MWICommunications.com

It’s in the “I’s”!

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Recently I had the opportunity to shoot some shots of people who are patients of the Park Nicollet Health Care System, under the direction of Shelly K.  The images will be utilized in their “I Have” Campaign.  It was awesome to spend a few moments capturing on pixels the essence of each individual.  Each person showed such genuine personality and beauty.  In the end it was a shoot that changed me. Best wishes to you all!

Shawn Nielsen

Delicate Ugliness

The name for these photos just hit me, as I photographed the warty little guy.  Being inches away from a living creature is quite amazing.  I had the opportunity to look deep into its eyes, touch its bumpy skin laden with earthen hues, and watch as it breathed in the air from my studio.  Few people pick up toads.  I understand why.  They are squishy, pudgy, moist, amphibious creatures that are not all that pretty at face value.  However, when I began  to look at how delicately they are made,  I actually began to see a bit of beauty.  I mean, not the kind of beauty that is gonna win a pageant, but beauty that halts you to marvel at the generous brown tones of its skin, and finally peer into the psychodelically patterned eyes.

Flora, fauna, faces & places

The North Shore

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The North Shore of Lake Superior holds such incredible beauty.  The beauty is best shown by the graceful, delicate fern, to the rushing strength of water carving it’s mark on the rocks, to the eyes of people enjoying it all.  A recent vacation gave ample opportunity to take in the beauty.  Click on the video, sit back relax, breath deep and enjoy.  Think of it like a mini vacation!

Artistic wooden boats…

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Mid June for the Nielsens meant a vacation on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  Taking in sites from Beaver Bay all the way to Grand Portage.  The coastal waters of the “Norwegian Riviera” are simply breath taking (which you will see next week).  Out trip took us to the awesome town of Grand Marais.  Home to Sven and Ole’s,  the best skippin’ rocks anywhere, and last but not least a Wooden Boat Festival at the edge of town.  These boats are works of art.  Made by craftsman employing techniques, rarely used, to form wooden marvels.  The images I created show the true warmth of the wood, and detailed craftsmanship. Even a birch bark canoe was displayed, made to the specs of the local Native American culture.  All in all our trip was fantastically filled with family time and memories.

New Betta Test Site

Here is the link to my new Betta Test Site:

http://nielsen-photography.com/BettaTestSite

Let me know your thoughts, contemplations and underwater ponderings…

A little time with the Kid!

Spring is a neat time here at the studio.  The reason;  Goat kids.  These photos are of a percentage Boer goat kid that was born 3 days ago.  The were shot for AgriLifeStudios.com  Enjoy!

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Men of the shop floor.

On Friday January 14th, 2011 I was on location for a manufacturing based in Alexandria Minnesota.  The company that the following few images were created for is a company that is USA based, growing strong and creating a product that it’s employee owners are proud of.  I chose just a small sampling of a few people shots out of several taken that day to give a flavor of what was created.

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The winter hue of blue.

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As the morning moves gracefully into middle day the long wintry shadows filled with blue hue give way to white.  Winter is a time for rest, a time to slow down and soak in the glow of the summer months memories.  Set now your course for the months ahead, the life you have created needs you.

Shawn Nielsen

The Christmas Smile!

Do you remember when with great anticipation you waited for Christmas morn with a huge smile stretched across your face.  You had your pastel blue or pink footy pajamas on with a stuffed animal friend in your arms.  Oh and your hands were trembling with excitement at what lay beneath the festively colored wrapping paper waiting to be opened.  You were full of wonder, and childlike innocence.

Cherish each moment this season.  Play like a kid.

Heck maybe even wear footy pajamas again!

Happy Holidays from Nielsen Photography

www.nielsen-photography.com

A man named Maynard.

I was given the privilege to photograph a man named Maynard.  This man has such depth of character, and a passion for life.  Even though life has dealt him a blow or two through his many years living and working in the lands near Glencoe, Minnesota, he chooses to laugh hard, and love life.  You can see it in the images.  I could most certainly hear it in his voice as he spoke. You know, I could actually feel it in his strong, age-sculpted hands as he gracefully shook my hand as we parted.  It was indeed an honor to meet Maynard.  Needless to say, I walked away changed, contemplating life, and knowing that I need to resist the temptation to grumble about the gray hairs that keep finding their way to my head!;-)

Laugh, Live & Love today!

 

Shawn Nielsen

Guardians of the past…

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This morning I pointed my vehicle towards Minneapolis.  My goal was to photograph statues in a couple of cemeteries.  As I drove through the quiet and cold gates I was captured by the elegance and thoughtful detail each sculpture possessed.  I pondered for a moment what these statues meant.  For me the words that came to my mind were; “Guardians of the past”.  These chiseled creations born from the hands of master sculptors weather the seasons and represent memories of a loved one no longer alive.  Figures both strong in substance and gentle in represented demeanor,  guard memories of the past and names of the future.

Amazing!

I had the opportunity this weekend to watch the Twin Cities Marathon.  All I can say is AMAZING! My Brother-in-law ran the marathon in 3hrs12min (Way to go Jim).  An awesome feat to say the least.  Taking in the vastness of the competitors was intriguing to me.  Young and old, thick and thin, legs and no legs.  I can only imagine the stories, the personal hurdles that many had to overcome to gain their own sense of the prize…the finish line.  A finish, a personal best, a win.  What are your challenges today?  Reach your finish line with all you got!

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Facebook Challenge #4.

Nielsen Photography has completed Facebook challenge #4: Curt Olejnicak of: http://www.creativeconnection.net/ challenged me to shoot a series of backlit leaves. The leaves I chose came from plants, trees and bushes around my studio. My son Isaac decided that it would be a really cool idea to add a caterpillar that he found while assisting in finding leaves. Enjoy!

Give me some more “Facebook Challenge” ideas…

Have a great day!

Shawn Nielsen

Facebook Challenge #3

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The challenge given by Chad Libby took me to Victory Riders in Rogers, MN.  Victory Riders is a stable that specializes in physical therapy through the use of horses.  While I was there I saw the tender moments where trainer/therapists would work with the rider to bring out the best in each person.  I was truly touched as I watched Peyton (one of my lovely models) get a sticker and have a Scripture verse recited to her telling her who she is in the sight of her Creator. Peyton and her friend Allison end the session holding hands walking towards the loving arms of their mothers. This is one of those shoots that I come away changed from.

Looking forward to the next challenge…Keep the coming!