Topeka Kansas Photographer

I haven’t taken the time to do night shots of just stuff in Topeka since my Washburn U. days. I need to give credit where it is due. I have several  friends on FaceBook, Tom Beardmore, and Megan James-Rogers that contribute to  the “Retro Photos of Topeka” group taken with their IPhones. I believe that Megan was actually the creator of the group.  I then looked up and saw my ole trusty Mamiya C330 sitting on the shelf looking very lonely from lack of use. I thought to myself “Wouldn’t it be fun to put some Ilford HP5+ film in it and do some fun night shots of Topeka for this blog”!

The more I get back into film the more I realize I really love working with film. I like the process of loading it, hearing the mechanics of the camera working and most importantly the results! B&W film, I find, has a much larger tonal range than digital. I get the most of both worlds though by taking the images on film then having them scanned into digital format for a little Photoshop “tweeking”.

I would like to thank Phil at Zercher’s here in Topeka for hand developing the film and scanning it. Not many people know that there is now only one place to get actual B&W film processed and scanned here in Topeka and that is at Zercher’s. Yes I know that I can process the film myself (I actually love doing that) and even scan it myself but my paying clients I don’t think want me processing and scanning film instead of working on their images! So I let Zercher’s do the processing part, very reasonably priced I might add!

I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day! I hope that you have someone to love and share the day with. Valentine’s Day can be for more than just that one special love. The day can also be used to show others in your life what they mean to you. If you don’t have a special someone to spend the day with why not take some steps to change that for next year? Find a church to join or get involved with a charity to meet new people. Not to endorse one particular service but at least one or two of the weddings we photograph each year now the couples have found each other through services like eharmony. Whatever you do I hope it is warm and filled with love!

These images were taken on a recent visit to Hobby Lobby here in Topeka and to “The Paper Source” in Kansas City. I took some time to capture the images as my wife looked for “stuff”. I love the bright red color of Valentine’s Day. Those who know me know that the only color cars I’ve ever bought are red!

Cafe Holiday located at 12th & Taylor (just two blocks south of Topeka High on Taylor) is in the historic Devon Building.  Deb Barajas works hard to make Cafe Holiday a warm friendly corner cafe. For many years Deb was a key worker in the annual Mexican Fiesta. Each day she has a daily mexican special in addition to her regular menu. My favorite is her taco salad. When you order her tacos the shells are very crisp but not brittle. The tortilla chips are home made daily.

Our photography studio Harrington’s is also located in the same building as Deb’s cafe so we get to eat in her cafe frequently. She is very gracious to let us display our photographs in her cafe. Next time you are in the neighborhood stop in at the Cafe Holiday, eat lunch, and take a look at our photographs while you’re there!

Jim’s Service (formerly Jim’s Conoco) has been on the corner of 10th & Plass for as long as I can remember. Jim and his assistant, Harry, have been friends since Topeka High School. Before Jim’s Conoco, Jim worked at the DX station that was across the street from his current station. The DX station is now Dynamic Computing and in between it was “The Little Drummer Boy” restaurant.
At one point Conoco insisted that Jim turn his station into a convenience store in order to maintain his affiliation with Conoco. That was about the time Jim told Conoco that he was a mechanic not a convenience store operator. Jim stopped selling gasoline when it got to the point he could only make a couple of cents/gallon. He still, however, welcomes all makes and models of cars that need mechanical work done.
Images taken with a Leica IIIF on Kodak Portra 400BW

Kevin and Kari Aker’s and their son Robert operate and own Aker’s Diamond Galleria located at 1570 SW Wanamaker #130 (Just north of Best Buy).   The Aker family have been in several locations over the years. They used to be White Lakes Jewelers (where I met them). Then they moved to North Topeka just off of North Topeka Blvd. (that was a very cute homey jewelery store!).  For the last 4 or 5 years they have been located on Wanamaker.

One day, years ago, I was looking for some diamond earrings for my wife and had been into about 6 or 7 jewelry stores both here in Topeka and also in Lawrence and boy was I confused!  Kevin wasn’t too busy that day, I guess I made the mistake of saying some disparaging remark referencing jewelers about trying to figure out how I was getting a fair deal buying the earrings I was looking for. Well for the next hour or so Kevin sat me down and using his diamond microscope taught me how to judge the quality of diamonds that I was thinking of buying.   Once you understand about cut, color, size and clarity of a diamond it is pretty easy to make a informed jewelery buying decision.

If you want to talk about custom designed jewelery or the current market in metals or precious gems Kevin is the guy to talk to!  He has a machine that after he designs your ring etc., then makes a plastic 3D mold of the design. The mold is then sent out for casting. Kevin’s passion is designing  jewelry!  Kari on the other hand, is Kevin’s wife and when it actually comes time to get the love of your life a great gift Kari is the person to talk to!  Kari has jewelery tucked away in that store for every budget.  Guys if you need some help this Christmas season you need to see Kari!  She may be just about the sweetest jewelery sales person in town. You will feel really great about whatever you decide on.

Akers Sale now til Christmas

Custom Designed Rings

Custom Designed Rings

Gem Microscope (How I learned about diamonds!)

Award Winning Designs