Digital 101 Lesson 8

This time of year it is a good idea to carry a large zip lock bag with you if you intend to carry a camera.  Condensation could form on the lens and even the inside of the camera from transporting it between a warm environment and a cold rainy one.  Place your camera in the bag and zip it up so that the condensation forms on the bag instead.  I would also recommend a using a UV or Skylight filter over the lens for added protection.

Another Friday Night, Another Beautiful Bride

This pre wedding exposure was made in a hallway.  The lighting accentuates the dress and her face.  A little vignetting was added to down play the background.  The main light was in another hallway to her left using a large white satin umbrella.  The fill light was bounce light from a camera attached strobe.  The net effect is a beautiful 3:1 Rembrandt ratio.  

my new look

Time to go high tech, all the studio info is in this QR barcode.

Where did the time go?

Wow it's October already.  It is time to start thinking about family Christmas photos to send out to friends and family.   if you hurry you might be able to get an outdoor session before the leaves fall.  Let me suggest jeans with either navy or burgundy for fall colors.  Don't until there is frost on the pumpkins, give us a call.

Digital 101 Lesson 7

did you know that working on any image in Photoshop always check your work at 100%?  also it is best to reset the foreground/background color to default (black/white) before applying most filters.  in many case the effect will be altered by the foreground color selection, often not for the best.
most of my students don't know about the "Revert" command under the FILE menu.  revert does just that, reverts the image to either it's original open condition or it's last save.  most people today wade through the History window.  that works but Revert cuts to the chase especially when the History pallet isn't open in your work space.

so many beautiful brides, so little time

one of the coolest brides that i have had the honor to photograph.  Anne is from Chicago.  i used to teach at the Winona School of Professional Photography in Chicago when.  i acquired for true Chicago pizza while working there.  Lou Malnati's is pizza in that town.  Anne brought me one when she came in for pre-wedding consultation. what can i say, a beautiful lady and a class act.
the background in this photo is her wedding dress train.

Finishing June on a High Note

the month of June concluded with a beautiful wedding out in Adams County.  what a great place and good people.  i want to thank everyone who was so kind to us, especially Karen & Bob (the parents of the bride) who probably feel as though they just ran the Boston Marathon.  relax, you guys did a great job and your daughter's wedding was flawless.

Off to a great start...

how can you not make beautiful images with subjects like these ladies?  believe it or not, some photographers actually get models or former brides  to POSE for their wedding samples or competition prints. as you can see, i don't need to. real people, real location, created in real time.

Video Clip from a Beautiful Wedding

Jessica & Kyle share one hot sunday night in june.


view video

It's Wedding Season

i'm ready, are you?  i have been practicing for this for several years.  if you haven't engaged a seasoned professional for your event yet, call me.  i have taught wedding photography to other professional photographers through the Professional Photographers of America and i attend numerous conventions such as the Wedding Portrait Professionals International each year (i was recognized as a charter member this year).  consider this; trusting the memories of the most important day of your life, to a nationally recognized pro or someone with a camera who took a class somewhere.

Engagement Photos

Engagement portraits are fun photos that are timeless, they do not need to look like they were done for a church directory.  Even if we are not photographing your wedding, we would still like the opportunity to create something special for you.

Passport & CCW Photos

did you know that we do passport and ccw photos?  not only do we do them but they are done right and while you wait.  like your diver's license photo?  most people don't, while we can't do touch ups on passport or ccw photos we can make you look a whole lot better than the big box stores.

what would you rather look at for the next 10 years, a cheap mug shot or a portrait?

Digital 101 Lesson 6

Flash on Camera
have you ever taken a picture with a flash and only get half of the photo turn out?  usually it's the half that is useless.  this occurs when the camera's shutter speed is set faster than its sync speed.  every camera has a certain shutter speed that is the fastest one available before it captures the shutter in the image while using flash.  this called the sync speed.  new cameras will not let you go past this with a flash is mounted in the hot shoe but older cameras aren't quite as smart.

did you know that the distance between the camera's lens and the flash will also effect the possibility of the subject having "red eye"?  the best distance is between 12-14 inches apart.  this might mean that the flash has to be attached to the camera with a "sync" cord.  this will allow the camera to be mounted on a bracket handle and also the flash but higher.  some brackets allow for the camera to be rotated from horizontal to vertical with the flash remains above the lens while others have the flash flip over the camera for vertical shots.

a big selling point for flashes is how fast it recycles.  you fire the flash, it hums and then the ready light comes on.  this recycle time is as believable as miles per gallon on a car ad.  the ready light on some units come up at about 75%.  if you were to take two shots of the same subject, the second could be a little under exposed if you make the exposure as soon as the ready light pops up.  here's a little known secret that even most pros don't know; rechargeable batteries with recycle a flash faster than fresh alkaloids.  they have less internal resistance.

Down the Bunny Trail

don't miss out on this limited opportunity.  from March 22 thru April 3 the studio will be photographing children with live bunnies.  also... we're going to offer very affordable prices and... we are donating some of the proceeds to Kindervelt #72 which benefits Children's Hospital.  call early because this event os going to sell out.

i'm ready for spring

spring can't come soon enough.  i'm ready to get outdoors and create some images.  i love my camera room but honestly i am getting cabin fever. here's a black & white from last year. although i love b&w's, can't wait for a blue sky and some green grass.

got ring? i do weddings...

now is the time to book your 2010 wedding before all the good things are gone.  i would like to include my studio in that category.  since i personally do all of our weddings and there are only 52 weeks in the year, my schedule fills up fast.  the guys that do the big bridal shows sub-contract their weddings to part time stingers.  wouldn't you rather deal with the person whose name is on the sign?  there are a lot of people who think they are pretty good with a camera but a wedding is no place for someone without expertise, spare equipment and good people skills.  great images are hand crafted works and the lowest bidder may not be a very good place to save money.  when the flowers, cake and the music is over, the images are all that left.

Digital 101 Lesson 5

Color Harmony
did you know that are influenced by color everyday.  each color suggests something different to us.  let's take for example a shopping trip to pick up some steaks for a cook out.  have you ever thought about why the meat case is always lined with green astroturf?  to give the "down on the farm"  look, not really.  actually astroturf comes in different colors.  but... anything that is next to green appears more red.  since fresh meat is pink to red then the green background makes it more appealing to the consumer, whereas that same t-bone could be displayed on purple astroturf and no one would buy it because it appeared yellow.

fast food places know that hot colors (red, orange & yellow) project.  they make you anxious, you supersize yourself, eat fast and leave thus turning the table over for the next patron.  if they served drinks, they would want you to relax and have one or two.  this is no place for hot colors so then the choice would be pastels or earth tones.

okay let's apply this to our photography.  let's say that we are going to make a group portrait.  there are going to be four people in it.  three show in either green or blue and the fourth in red (they didn't get the memo on how to dress).  as i said above, hot colors project.  cool colors on the other hand recede.  if you lined them up in a straight line, the viewer's eye go straight to the red top.  if you grouped them with the red top in the center front for color balance, the red would pop and the others would become a background.  the solution is to place one cool color in front, two behind on the sides and finally the red directly behind.  this would cut the amount of red in the image and what little is left would optically pull the others in cool colors forward.

all of this said, people prefer warm fuzzy things to cool prickly ones.  try to arrange subjects in the same type, either all warm or all cool.

blue is the universal like me color.  nice color to wear for a job interview or to make a bank loan.  too much contrast in dress could make one appear a lot stiffer than they are.  extreme case, you can make a tuff guy look like mr. nice by putting a sweater on him. honestly this done several years ago to a news anchor because his ratings were falling.

i once spoke at a grade school where the class room was painted orange.  afterwards i asked the teacher if she had more problems with the children that room than others.  the answer was yes but she didn't know why.  think about it, how would your day start off if your bathroom was a bright orange.  you wouldn't need caffeine.  if your walls were light and the ceiling was painted black, you have back pain.

in photography, look beyond the elements of the composition and see what the colors are doing.

Youth Basketball Photos

this week will photographing boys and girls basketball teams after school each school. sunday i will be photography a special needs league that grew out of one team that was started a couple of parents.  those devoted parents are managing a league now with no help from any organization.  people bring their  special kids from miles around because there is nothing else like this offered.  amazing what a few motivated people can do and the effect it has on others.

Back to School

the university has asked me to teach a basic photography course again this summer at their Clermont College branch.  last year this corse was shut with a full enrollment a month before it started.  it was uplifting to walk in and overhear someone talking about getting the next to the last slot.  in the past the class has usually been scheduled on a monday and wednesday starting at 6:30. besides classroom instruction we go outdoors and shoot.  i try to mix in digital and photoshop techniques with the basic instruction.  if you always wanted to take a fun class and learn something at the same time, this is it.

University of Cincinnati, Clermont

Let's Teach an Old Dog Some New Tricks

again this year i will be attending the WPPI national convention at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.  last year i attended it with my old friend Bill Smith (Master Photographer, Nashville).  this year Bill and i will be joined by our friend Jeff Batterson (Washington, IA).  Bill and i have judged print competitions and given programs throughout the country for the PPA.  Jeff and i served together for years on an advisory board of a color lab network out west.  Bill, Jeff and i started meeting each other for conventions and family outings years ago.  last year we learned the latest trends in wedding photography and hope to build on that again this year.

WPPI 2010 Convention

Digital 101 Lesson 4

Composition - Lines
whenever people talk composition they always think "rule of thirds". let's break our subject down to the basics, lines. lines suggest or lead. we can use this to our advantage when we create images.
1. vertical line - masculine or a line of strength. in the early days they always had the gentleman stand, sometimes next to a grecian pillar and add a book to imply wisdom.
2. horizontal line - line at rest or pastoral. okay for landscapes but can become boring if you are not careful. since we speak English, we read from left to right, so a group of people standing in the fig leaf position could become a linear row of heads.
3. diagonal - line of of action. you will follow a diagonal line. let's take a guy just standing with his hands straight down, a vertical line. now let's have him place his hands in his pockets with the thumbs out. now his arms are bent at the elbows creating diagonal lines. now let's bring over his buddies. have one sit on something in front and another stand next to our model. now we have created a triangle with the heads. your eye will move around the the which is now more dynamic than the original row of heads.
4. "S" Curve - the feminine line of nature. yes you could pose a person in this by having one foot presented forward and bending the knee in towards the other. this also shifts the shoulders the opposite direction. mostly we see s-curves in calendar type shots as winding roads or creeks. this is a graceful line that your eye follows slowly. a waterfall would be an example. using a long shutter speed blurring the water even better.
5. zig zag - line of conflict. you're not going to see many of these on office calendars. accelerated line of action creates excitement.
6. converging lines - always have a vanishing point, whether you can see it or not. your eye will seek it out even if it's not there.

okay quiz time:
you go to a waterfall, you set the shot up perfectly using the rule of thirds and decide to take a shot with a person in it. the person gives a scale of reference to the waterfall.
What's the difference between a snapshot and a postcard?
if the person looks at the camera, it's a snapshot. you will look at the person.
if the person looks at the waterfall, it's a postcard because you will look where they looking.