Minnesota Shootout Promises to Be A Photographic Affair to Remember
by Elias of AllStarPhotography OMP Member #10270

Mike Kelcher ( OMP Member #20862) had a dream... A dream to bring together a number of highly talented and very beautiful people to work together and spend a weekend creating awesome images.

On April 5 and 6, that dream will become a reality at the Minnesota Shootout, a two-day event taking place at the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, MN (check it out at http://www.waterstreetinn.us/)

The Minneapolis resident took his inspiration for the photofest from a friend.

"I have been fortunate enough to meet a great photographer named Michael Obradovich (aka MikeyBoy) from Milwaukee. He invited me to attend shootouts at an incredible place called 'The Hide House.' About 4-5 times a year, as many as 60 models, 20 photographers, and 8-10 makeup artists (MUAs) would come from all over the country to share their talents. I would guess that more OMP showcase images came from the Hide House than any other single location, as a result of these shootouts."

Although the event is sold out for photographers, if you are a model living in the St. Paul area (or are willing to make the commute), there's still time to sign up and schedule shoots with participants.

"In one weekend, models can go to one place and work with many photographers and some very talented MUAs. They can shoot a fantastic portfolio, or add some great new images to the one they have. The people you'll meet will provide a networking opportunity like few others. Also, the dècor of the hotel is not something you're likely to find in some photographer's studio. Above all, it will be a lot of fun."

Mike himself will be shooting at the event, and if you have seen his profile under Mike's Images on One Model Place, you will definitely want to book a time with him. He recalls how he got interested in the field.

"I started out as a hobbyist at about the age of 10, then I got serious about photography in high school in the '60s. By the time I graduated in 1967, I knew an f-stop from a shutter speed, but not much more."

A friend who was going off to the war in Vietnam asked Mike to shoot his wedding. He didn't have much money and considered me better than nothing.

"He paid for the film and processing, and for one other thing...flash bulbs! After that, word spread that I was fairly cheap and not all bad. The first six or seven shoots were all done with a rented Mamiya C-330 twin lens reflex, before I finally purchased a Hasselblad in 1971."

After doing about a dozen weddings, Mike took samples of his work to an established portrait studio in Minneapolis and was hired on as a wedding photographer. The owner of the studio was a fellow named Bing Wong, a Chinese fellow who taught him much more about photography than the instructors he had in college.

In the late 80's, Mike opened a portrait studio and a professional photo lab, during which time he shot family reunions, weddings, high school senior portraits, dogs, and crying babies.

"After selling my lab and closing my portrait studio, in 2003, I switched to digital like most other people. Then I decided to concentrate on photographing models. I wanted to do things that enabled me to create images that were more artistic. But I had no idea where to find models. I only knew one or two models and didn't know how to contact them."

The solution to his problem turned out to be One Model Place.

"I'm from Minnesota and so is Stuart Burden, the founder of OMP. I heard through the local photographer grapevine that the site existed and sure enough, it did! One Model Place allowed me to find out who the local models were, what they looked like, where they lived, and what they were interested in shooting."

Mike's favorite shoots nowadays involve models, MUAs wardrobe stylists, and big production concepts.

"I especially like to create images of the concepts in my head. I 'see' things in my mind, and I'm driven to create those images. The good ideas never seem to go away, and bother me until I get them done. Generally only God is credited with creation – however, artists are also creative. To be able to create a beautiful image is a wonderful thing."

Mike believes that a model's portfolio is the key to her success, or lack of success.

"The quality of the images displayed is more important than most realize. The portfolio shows almost everything one needs to know about a model. I feel a model's portfolio should reflect diversity. If a model claims to work in 10 different styles or genres, there should be some very good images in each category. Also if the model has 20 images in a portfolio, the model should look like 20 different people, not one person wearing 20 outfits."

He also feel the importance of a makeup artist is often overlooked by beginner models.

"Models can do their own makeup, but a good MUA makes a good image great. Good images are okay by themselves in many circles, but good images don't get much attention on a professional modeling/photography website."

Mike advises beginning models to work with photographers who are experienced.

"Models might have to invest some money into a portfolio to do that. A beginner model who works with a beginner photographer might produce a lot of images, but seldom are any extraordinary. It's like banging two rocks together and hoping for something magical to happen."

Photographers today need to understand the basics of photography, Mike relates.

"Digital has enabled some to take a fast track toward success. However, it's still necessary to understand things like light ratios, butterfly, lighting, broad lighting, short lighting, Rembrandt lighting and such. Many don't even know the basics of high-key lighting. Shooting film was expensive, so with film it was important to know these things. Digital made shooting less expensive, but the need to know the basics is still there. The ability to take 10,000 images for virtually free isn't a good reason for not understanding the basics. The rules or artistic composition apply to all genres of two-dimensional art, including photography. Photographers need to understand the rule of thirds, the power corner, etc."

Having dozens of professional models and photographers coming to his hometown for the upcoming MN Shootout will allow many people to experience the Minneapolis-St. Paul photo market for the first time.

"I think we rank somewhere in the top 10 U.S. markets. We have virtually no runway business to speak of. However, due to our proximity to the paper mills, we lead the country in printing companies. Some of the top printers are located here. Many major companies such as Target, Best Buy, and 3M are located here and do the shooting and printing of their ads here.

"As a commercial market, we're actually a lot better than most. We've got some great model agencies here and also some great ad agencies. Both models and photographers would do well to solicit work from both. It's actually a lot easier to get work here than in places like NYC."