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Photographers have a hard time not shooting and I am no exception; especially in the presence of interesting and abundant situations. Over the course of several years I helped my friend and photographer Jeff Mawer (metakephoto) with his photo series of models being hit by and covered in flour. My job was simple enough; throw the flour at the model. Before each shot he would direct the model on where to expect the flour to hit - head, side, back, face, etc., and by extension me, to where to throw the flour. (more here)


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Like the classic Zork but with a photography theme. To play; click Adventure on the menu above.


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The Polaroid Big Shot is an early 70s camera that had a fixed focal length, an aperture of f/29 and used Polaroid series 100 pack films. Because of its fixed focal length focusing was done by physically moving yourself (along with the camera)  back and forth to your subject; a dance that became known as the "Big Shot Shuffle". Even though it was popularized by Andy Warhol it only saw production until 1973. I bought mine at a Newspace Center for Photography swap meet, in the original box, along with an instruction manual. What was missing were flash cubes; but more exact - Magicubes. Now just...


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I recently had the chance to assist my friend and photographer Jeff Mawer (jeffmawer.com IG: metakephoto) when he shot the Art of Makeup School students' final projects. The Art of Makeup School is located in Portland Oregon not far from where I live. Their goal being (from their website) Entering the main studio was like entering a wild jungle; the movement, the sound, and the smells all contributed to this frenzied atmosphere where students were busy finishing their projects. They had a photo studio in the back; I only had to navigate past a hoard of various creatures, fantastical beings,...


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I've finally finished a series of wetplates called Less Human Than Human. You can see and read more about it here. Later I'll be posting some behind the scenes photos and videos but it's time to jump onto the next project.


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I was apprehensive at first; the forecast called for rain and lots of it. The location in mind was Sauvie Island; a favorite of photographers offering an accessible forest setting close to downtown Portland. It didn't tale long to find our first location - a desolate muddy road flanked by two dead corn fields. As it was duck season we were never far from the sound of gunfire. Hunters were our constant companion. As the cracking of rifle blasts drew ever closer we decided to move to another location. A 10 minute drive later and we were at the beach shooting along the Columbia River.  A clear...


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Welcome to the Luke Olsen Photography blog where I'll be writing about shoots, photo tests, gear and more. This post is more of a test message than anything else. More content will be added soon.


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