Ardon Alger served Chaffey College as a faculty member for 43.5 years and as Faculty Senate President for 18 years – the longest-running president recorded in the state. As my long-time professor and friend, Ardon helped me lay the foundation for a fantastic career in photography. I learned the value of passion, hard work, and relentlessly pursuing excellence. Ardon and I would still talk passionately about photography and art despite having decades in the industry. He was forever a passionate student, which was the most significant impact he had on many students and colleagues. His work ethic, unstoppability, and passion inspired many and helped me create a life I love.

While reflecting on the passing of my beloved professor Ardon Alger, I examined my earlier work and considered what made this early work so special. Before I owned a studio, my sole focus was to create images that had a visual and emotional impact. The clients in these early works were more models or subjects that didn't have specific requirements for the final art. I had the freedom to create without expectations. If the subject/model loved the images and wanted to own some, I had special packages and pricing to make owning a unique work of art accessible. Making money was never the focus of these early sessions. The intention was to create expressive art that revealed the subject's personality, resulting in an iconic image. The sessions were casual; we'd often hang out at someone's home, backyard, or a natural setting that allowed them to be themselves. We talked, laughed, and shared stories. This simple, early process created the foundation of my portrait work that started the brand for my studio.

The Ardon Project is about recapturing the magic of my early work and taking it to a new level. A little trick I've used as an artist since I was a teen is to create a process and some boundaries to explore within. It's similar to a painter committing to painting on a canvas of a specific size, with a particular medium, and maybe a color palette. These simple limitations confine the art so it has a place to begin, explore and end. Creating a simple process makes creating new art within that space fun, easy, and exciting.

The process from these early film photography sessions is what we'll mimic for The Ardon Project sessions. But, of course, these early sessions didn't have the unlimited frames of digital cameras, and we didn't have fancy portable lighting decades ago. So instead, I relied on seeing and using natural light and reflectors when needed. I also had to take fewer pictures, waiting for the right moment or catching the beauty of an imperfect moment. Digital photography with unlimited frames and perfect focus has distilled photography and taken away the emotion and dreaminess we could capture with the limitations of film. 

Below is the simple process to bring back the magic of my old film photography with current digital cameras. 

• Natural light outdoor sessions with only reflectors

• Maximum of 150 frames on a digital camera 

• Creating in Black White mode first and often with a square crop to emulate my beloved Hasselblad film camera

If this deep dive into my creative process and the work shared on this page inspires or resonates with you in any way, consider joining me on a fantastic journey. These sessions will result in one-of-a-kind images. So consider The Ardon Project if you know someone special such as your family pet, parents, children, grandparents, or you.

The sessions are only $49 for a weekday session and $99 for weekends, including one complimentary digital file. See, I told you this isn't about money. It's about art, recapturing the magic, and having fun. I made three simple and inexpensive packages if you love the art I created in your session. Look below at the unique leatherbound Story Book I'm offering at a family and friends price; it's perfect for these film-inspired sessions.