Genesis 1:1-3
My first opportunity to photograph a total eclipse was in 2017 while we lived in Nashville. Who knew that 7 years later I would be back home in Ohio where I'll have a chance to do it again? Like the previous event, there is a ton of hype about this. I sense that people from this area don't really have a handle on how big this is. In 2017 I was managing a camera store in Nashville and people stopped in to buy what they needed to do this correctly from all over the world, and that is no exaggeration. It's fun to see your hometown become an International melting pot for a week or so!
There are several uncontrollable variables, making this a bit of a crap shoot. First of all your location, a difference of less than a mile can totally change your experience. Weather: Let's face it, we get a lot of cloudy days in NE Ohio, and if it's cloudy, it's a game changer. But, stay where you are and wait it out, because it changes by the minute. It is awe inspiring to watch it unfold. Listen: All of nature is fooled into thinking it's night time, so listen for night sounds around you. If you are in a huge public location and there are bands and music, don't hang out there, move on to take it all in!
I'm recycling my blog post from 2017 right after the last total eclipse. In it you will find answers to some of the technical questions like what you need to do it safely and efficiently. WARNING: Do not look at this or photograph it without the recommended amount of neutral density as permanent damage can happen to your eyes. This is no joke! It will also destroy your camera sensor with less than 16 stops. A polarizer is only 2 stops to give you an idea of what you need.
I hope you enjoy the blog, it was fun to write and I'm glad I did it. This provides a checklist of what I need to prepare for this one in a few weeks right here in NE Ohio.
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It's a good thing a picture is worth a thousand words. There just aren't enough words to describe what we were able to see this week. Nashville was right in the direct path of the total eclipse. Most of the world was not. Many people planned this trip for years coming from countries all over the world. All the time, planning and expense for a light show that lasted approximately 2 minutes. I was wondering if it was all hype, or would it be some super show. It was a show!
Working in the photo industry, I read a lot about this event weeks before the date it happened. We anticipated that during the eclipse the store would be empty. I was able to get the filters we needed to shoot pictures from Breakthrough Filter Company, they generously offered them to the staff free of charge! The filters were needed for all the pictures except totality. I had my Fuji X Pro 2 set up on a tripod with 16 stops of ND. (The total eclipse images were taken with my Fuji X-T2, the 100-400 and no filtration at all) It is the only time you can take images without a filter, but it only lasts for a few seconds!
I have to admit that the weather was looking uncooperative. The clouds were moving in and out leading up to the moment of "totality." When that happened, it was cloudy initially, but then it opened up for about a minute. That was all I needed to get a few frames. The opening image is called "Diamond Ring" for obvious reasons. This last one is the moment of totality. (Check out the cool sun flares at 3 and 5 o'clock on the sun)
I hope you were able to see and enjoy this event. This was potentially a once in a lifetime event. I am so glad I was able to experience and photograph this incredible display of God's majesty!
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1
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If you are a certain age, you will remember the CCR song, "Lookin' out My Back Door." July of 1970 this song made it to the #2 position on the charts. The only reason it may not have hit #1 was possibly that we didn't have any idea of what they were singing about. But, it was a catchy little Country Rock tune, so we sang along.
Today is February 3, 2021, and this is the view out our back door. Shot through the glass so I wouldn't bother the little guy. Birdseed and a feeder provide hours of entertainment.
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The team from CDP Architecture Nashville
When I got a call from Whitney about working with them, my initial thoughts were not that this would be a fun session. In fact, I knew I should dress up a bit and not show up in jeans or shorts. Was I wrong! Everyone was totally into what we were going to create and we enjoyed the time we were working together. (OK, it was a little warm in the building with no air conditioning but other than that it was great!)
We did a few variations of a group photo. We also did one for fun to remember 2020 with masks on for safety. :)
I intentionally processed this with a "dark" feel
On a serious note, it always pays to be prepared. The fact that all my Profoto B10 lights are battery or AC saved my bacon. This was a borrowed location that had zero electricity available. If I were dependent on power, I would have been scrambling to pull this off. Since I wasn't, I never missed a beat and the session went as planned.
Individual portraits should be fun. You never know what reaction you will get from people.
I think it's fun to share recent work. In today's uncertain time that we live in, I never really know where I'll be shooting. Tomorrow morning I'm working out of our home, the next day I am photographing on location at a bank. I enjoy the new unpredictability of what I'm doing from week to week. This stage of my career is really enjoyable and I am blessed to have enough work to sustain us.
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Sharp where you want it to be, and then a nice fade.
I thought the best way to see what this could do was to shoot at night. I'm sure a primary use will be for portraiture, where you want a subtle fade from the focus points, typically for me that would be the eyes. If it's too much, too close, the tip of the nose gets blurry. No bueno! It becomes something your eyes are drawn to even if only subconsciously. The above portrait was shot wide open at f1.0 and you can see her eyes and nose are perfectly sharp, nothing distracting at all. Even her hair that frames her face looks great, and then a very gradual fall off that is a characteristic of this lens. It is beautiful and natural, you just can't replicate this in post-production.
In this photo, I am a little farther away. Notice the increased depth of field.
When I first started to release these images I was amazed by some of the comments. Some of them took me by surprise, but this one comment seemed to keep coming back, and I don't for the life of me understand it. Several people questioned why would you want to buy this lens if you already own the Fuji 56mm f1.2 lens? That is a valid question. Several made the statement that there is no way they would upgrade to this lens, it would be a waste of money. Really, based on what? If you haven't shot this lens, how did you get there? There is nothing in my life that I use price alone a basis to make a decision. Cooking over a charcoal grill was fine until I bought a pellet smoker. Maybe your first camera included "kit" lenses. So why did you replace them with the same focal length and pay two to three times the amount of money to do that? All glass is not created equal, and if you think it is then this lens probably isn't for you. But, if you are a working professional and you have to shoot no matter what the weather is, then the weather sealing on this lens is reason enough to own it. The night of this shoot it rained off and on right up until we started the session. I told everyone involved that we were shooting rain or not. I only had the lens for a few short hours. I believe the price of the lens is remarkably affordable, coming in at under $1499.00. This lens will be shipping at the end of September. (which is also my birthday if anyone is looking for a way cool present for me) If you think that's high, do a quick search for lenses with the same speed. First of all, there aren't many available. The ones that boast the same aperture are over twice as much money, some many more times than that.
Even wide open and handheld this lens is sharp with plenty of DOF
The above photo was taken at 8:30 in the evening. There was very little ambient light, but the moon popped out from behind a cloud just long enough to create the image above. This created a super contrasty image, but it held nice tones through the models. Notice the area behind her long hair, just enough shadow detail to provide some separation and interesting depth.
In the good old days of pre-Covid Nashville had lots of great music performances and active venues. Not many have great lighting so a fast lens was a necessity. Since there aren't any concerts, the next best thing was to photograph at my church. Typically I shoot 1600 ISO and wide open on the Fuji 50-140 zoom. If I'm lucky I can get 1/60 shutter speed. Mathematically going from an f1.0 to the f2.8 doesn't sound like that big of a deal. But check this out, look at my shutter speeds. I can now stop action with little to no blur in low light!
Lit only by the stage spotlights and handheld with X-T4 I love the depth of field this lens produces
BTS Shots
Look at the lack of shadow detail at 10,000 ISO!
It takes a team to make this happen! Walter White (L), and, my incredible wife (R)
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Bruce Pallman, me, Corey, and Meredith Reinker!
Nashville has a full service photo buying option again!
I can finally announce that effective immediately I am representing Roberts from Indianapolis. Established in 1957 as a store that sold most everything but cameras. That all changed in 1968 when they added a few cameras to see what they could do. And now the only products they sell are photographic imaging related*. Roberts doesn't just sell to photographers, they also distribute products to other camera stores all over the United States.
My relationship goes back years with Roberts, in fact, I was a customer there before I moved to Nashville 10 years ago. When I found out that Dury's was closing, I started exploring other options in the industry I've known and worked in for decades. I knew that my options were limited. The Corona Virus was hitting every person and every market segment. Camera stores were no exception. I sent an email to Meredith to let her know of my interest and she was very receptive. We started discussing what it might look like if I were to work with them. A few emails, a few trips and it's now official!
What does this mean to camera buyers in Nashville? You can still buy all your camera equipment from someone you know and trust...me! I'm still here and a phone call or text away. (see below) My Nashville friends have been working with me for over 10 years. But, I've been working in this industry for over 25 years and have met thousands of photographers from all over the US and Canada. I have instant access to their actual inventory and can get your items shipped to you freight free. The inventory that is in their building is impressive, plus they have a second store they can pull products from if needed. Well known and respected by photographic vendors, there are even options to drop ship some items directly to your home if it's not available in the store. This all means the service and support you deserve and have always received from me.
What if you shoot film? Roberts has the largest inventory of film, black and white paper, and darkroom accessories in the Midwest! Ilford, Kodak, Cinestill, and designer films are available along with Paterson developing tanks and trays.
What's in the future? Events that we've all enjoyed in the past like "Photo Walks" will be coming back! We've had people ask for these for years and we weren't able to do them. Not anymore, vendors are excited to be networking with us and we are working on other vendor sponsored events for the near future. Because of Covid, most companies have travel restrictions for their sales and marketing staff. We are brainstorming on how we can create some fun for photographers and still be socially responsible. Fun is one thing we are all missing in our lives, so let's make it happen!
I'll also be working at the incredibly successful "Cash 4 Cameras" events. UsedPhotoPro, a division of Roberts has been buying used camera equipment in Nashville for several years. I will be at these events so you can turn your unused cameras into something shiny and new. Not sure what you want? That's why I'll be there, we can discuss what you like to photograph and what makes sense. Come see me this weekend at the newest photographic lab in town, Safelight Imaging. The owner Meredith is not only my friend, she is an incredible printer! She is a graduate of SCAD and has great skills. She ran the lab at Dury's and really outgrew what they could offer, so she took her vision and created this new business. Wait till you see what she's up to! Just click the link for all the info on her new lab.
To say I am excited is an understatement! Please let me know how I can help you, here is my contact info:
Email: [email protected]. Cell: 615-294-4652 (of course text is fine too)
I hope to see you and talk with you soon! Accepting pre-orders for all the latest and greatest gear, like the new Sony A7S Mark III CALL ME to preorder this long-awaited camera...or any other brand. (The new Canons arrive later this week)
*(with the exception of Klipsch audio, a high-end audio manufacturer located in Indianapolis. They ship and distribute for them because they have a well developed distribution network)
The Yuppa Family in 90-degree heat with a very active 2-year-old!
We visited our family in Ohio last week, it was a great time! Our daughter asked if we would update their family portrait while we were there, and of course, we said yes. Call me sentimental, but the idea that our grandchildren will have family portrait memories that their grandparents took for them makes me happy! Not to mention that Grandma is the best at getting everyone to look their best.
We tried to get out before it got too hot, but it was still oppressive even in the early morning. The next best thing was to find a somewhat shaded spot to pose the family. Once we found that it was a matter of getting everyone posed, happy, and smiling.
When one of the subjects is a very active and animated two-year-old you have to work quickly! Their attention span is short and they are easily distracted. (I may have just described myself!)
There are a couple of different ways to approach a shoot like this. Some believe this is an "available light" session, no need to supplement it at all. If you were to do that, you would expose for the shadows where they are standing and the background would be "blown out" white! If you are old enough to remember the TV show, "Touched by an Angel" you know what I'm talking about. You can almost make it look like a high key portrait except for the distraction of faded white/green grass and trees. If that's your style, who am I to judge?
My thoughts on "available light" photography: When someone defines themselves as this type of photographer, I immediately wonder: If there is no light available, or the light isn't flattering at that exact moment in time or location, are you still a photographer? I think the answer is obvious, so I will resist typing the two letter response. Seriously, there aren't many locations or times of day that you can predict the light to be perfect. Most situations will benefit from skilfully adding or subtracting light. I know, lights are expensive. Lights are inconvenient. Lights require math to make sure the balance is correct. All valid thoughts. I would rather have homemade bread that takes time to make, than grabbing a loaf at the store. If there's an option to eat it warm right from the oven with real butter, no contest. You get my point, it takes time but worth the extra effort.
Correct Balance? I feel adding light outdoors is like a recipe when you are cooking. I think of a recipe as a starting point to get close. Once that is done I taste it and then add whatever it takes to make it taste good to me. It's the tasting and adding that makes the dish stand out. Our tastes may not be the same, and that's perfectly fine. As long as we all have enough people that like the way we prepare the dish we will both do great. For me, my outdoors fill flash I target the strobe exposure to be between 30-40% of what the ambient light level is. Higher than that and it is no longer "fill flash", it has become your primary light or at least equal to your surroundings and it will make the photograph appear flat. I use a Sekonic L-858-D-U flash meter because it is the only meter that will give you both readings at the same time! They make several models that will do it, and they are worth the investment! Here is a link to the model I use. I'll be glad to help you get one from Roberts, just give me a call.
I decided to use the incredible Fuji GFX 50S medium format camera for the session. She told me it would be printed larger than 16x20 and I have the camera, it just made sense! I selected the GF32-64 f4 zoom and if anyone thinks by owning a zoom lens you give up sharpness, I would offer this image as "Exhibit A" to say that's not my experience at all. My preferred lighting brand is Profoto. I own Profoto B10's and they are the bomb! Small, light, travel well, lots of power and most importantly, they are consistent in output and color. I switched several years ago and couldn't be happier! I know, there are many less expensive brands out there. But, lighting is everything! An inconsistent light is worthless. If it's not consistent, then you are stuck in front of your computer tweaking every single frame. In this session, I shot over 100 files because of the "variables." (read small children) I also did smaller groups of us with the kids. Adjusting 100 files to get close enough so they can pick what they want? No, thank you! That is a huge time savings and time is money!
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10 years of working at Dury's is right here in this tote. The walls are picked bare, sad sight!
It was a great run, in fact, it lasted 138 years. Dury's, one of the original 8 stores opened up by George Eastman is now nothing but a memory. We served thousands of photographers and their families, in fact, we served generations!
I packed up my desk and belongings yesterday. It was a sad day, that no one wanted to see come. The handwriting was on the wall, and we all thought this day might come, but like the death of a sick loved one, you are never really prepared. You think you are, but you aren't.
I had to turn in my keys and credit card. All that's left is a stack of shirts that will end up at Goodwill. There is a certain "finality" to all this. Reminds me of all the medical shows I've watched just waiting for the Attending to call the "time of death."
I worked upstairs in the "crows nest." It provided a great perspective where I could see what was happening below on the sales floor. If they needed help, I could run down and jump in.
Gary Giles is a great photographer and a valuable employee. Everyone that shoots film loves Gary!
The unique thing about working at Dury's was we all got along well. I don't want to come off like we spent holidays together but we did and do care about each other. I'm sure that these relationships will live longer than the store did. I'm hopeful that we stay in touch, only time will tell.
Tilly worked a few desks away and did our purchasing. If you know anyone looking for a purchaser, give them her name!
This isn't intended to be an all inclusive article on our demise. It would take more time than I am willing to devote to this and I have to find a job! That is my number one priority right now. In all seriousness, when you've survived cancer, a job isn't that big of a deal. If you know me at all, hopefully, you know about my relationship with Jesus Christ and my total trust in Him! He healed and sustained me through chemotherapy and radiation, He can provide a job
I wanted to take a few images to document what I saw my last few hours in the store. The last photo is my desk area. This was where I worked 5 or 6 days a week. I scheduled the staff, answered emails, and entered customer's orders from friends all over the United States.
We had some of the most knowledgeable staff of any camera store I am aware of. Each of the employees had a specialty so we could answer most any question that came up. There just aren't many places left like this in the US. Nashville is an incredible photographic market and the absence of our store will leave a huge void. No place to pick up a roll of background paper or learn about the newest offerings.
My final thought is this. I moved here from Ohio 10 years ago to work at Dury's and my guiding sentiment is the fact that "people don't buy from companies, they buy from people!" I know whatever the next step is in my life, it will probably include selling photography equipment and teaching others how to use it. The relationships I've made here will continue so don't be a stranger!
If you'd like to stay in touch please add [email protected] to my contact information. Thanks for reading!
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We have lived in this house for over 5 years, and I don't think I've ever taken the time to photograph these flowers. Have I thought about it? Sure. Did I do it? Not that I can remember.
Now I have time to photograph them whenever I want to. It was raining and the lighting looked different. I knew the raindrops would add interest to the image.
One really good thing that has happened is I've literally taken time to smell the roses. (not literal roses in this case) I own the Fuji 80mm f2.8 macro lens for my X-T3's. I use it for portraits a lot, especially corporate headshots. But this, this is what it was made for! It focuses super fast and is beyond sharp.
This photo and the next were taken with the medium format Fuji GFX camera and 120mm f4 OIS lens, handheld.
A few days earlier I experimented with the GFX and Profoto A1X and Connect. I just added a subtle amount of flash to stop the movement. This was my first attempt using the medium format camera for macro flowers. I've used it for product photography and it is fantastic!
Just a subtle difference in these two shots, but I love the top of the images! The creamy blur of rich purple hues is beautiful. I am enjoying the freedom to create images that make me happy. All the above images were post-processed in Capture One for Fuji. One of my quarantine activities is learning new software, and this is my current project. I love what it does...but it is not the most intuitive software I've used. That said, they have great learning tutorials on their site. No, I am not sponsored by them and I've paid for my copy just like everyone else. I will always tell you what I like and what I don't like, and Capture One, I am beginning to like very much!
Stay safe! If you are interested in purchasing any of these for your home or office, just let me know!
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Just look at that face! You see why I fell in love with her. Then, look at my hair...wow! It was nice while it lasted, and before you ask, it was all natural. No perm.
It has been great having this time off. It's been very strange for me as I've only had two weeks off in a row one previous time in my adult life! (Well, other than the 8 months I had off for my cancer treatment. But that was totally different)
My bride and I are high school sweethearts. We came together at an important time in our lives as individuals and then as a couple. The most important detail I would want you to know is that it was soon after we both became Christians that we met. It was a time when we were making all kinds of life and lifestyle changes and meeting lots of new friends. Keep in mind we were still teenagers and made some mistakes. But, we grew with those choices and moved on. Most of them we didn't repeat more than once or twice.
Decades later, and in the middle of a Pandemic, we have lots of time together. I am so thankful for this time and the way we spend it. I have come to the understanding that I am a visitor here during the day. And that isn't a bad thing at all. She has had the house to herself for many years. She has patterns, schedules, and tasks that fill her day. On the other hand, I would be gone by 8:00 and not home till after 6:00. We would also have the weekends when I didn't work together that we looked forward to. Now it is, "six Saturdays and then a Sunday." It is an adjustment, but one we are enjoying.
I would encourage you to make the most of this time together. Consider it a gift. We are finishing home projects that need to be done. I am helping with the cooking and enjoying it! We take walks. We talk. We dream about what we want to do when we can get out and about again. We chose to consider this time as practice for retirement. It's not that far away, and I have to tell you, I am thankful for it!
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I recently photographed two entire days of headshots on location. About 250 employees and 1500 exposures for the two days. Just think of how many hours it would take you to do your initial sort. Not with the CamRanger 2, the subjects pick their favorite, give it a star rating and you move on to the next person. When it was time to post-process I only had to deal with the 250 frames that they had already selected, what a time saver that was! But, that was just the beginning, this is a game-changer for so many reasons.
Here are a few of the advantages I've discovered so far:
CamRanger 2 with Fuji X-T3, 50-140mm lens and Profoto Air Remote transmitter on Sirui Tripod
CamRanger 2 works with most camera models. All the current "players" are supported: Canon, Fuji, Nikon, and Sony. I have been a happy Fuji shooter for 7 of the last 8 years. My reason is simple, I make a living photographing people. Flesh tones SOOC (straight out of camera) are incredible! My goal is to always use JPEG's when possible, and in a studio situation (for me) that should be every single time. I know, that statement divides a bunch of people. Many photographers are passionate about one or the other, and it is a personal preference based on your style and experience. Personally I still shoot RAW plus JPEG on almost every job. It is a huge safety net providing peace of mind in case I make a mistake. RAW allows me to save the job IF I need to. (and we have all needed to at some point) The CamRanger unit will accept an SD card internally. But, it will only record JPEG's so for some of you that may be a problem. If that's you, then just use your cameras SD cards to write your RAW files to. If you use the code NCOURY20 on their website, you will save $20.00!
I shoot a pair of Fuji X-T3's I use for 99% of my photography. It is pretty important to understand the inventors of the CamRanger aren't photographers, they are just super smart people that set out to solve a problem. There is a real advantage to this when you hit an obstacle, they typically are able to resolve it quickly. There are a few quirky settings that are different on Fuji and Sony, but they have addressed them on their website.
One of my early discoveries is that depending on your camera brand when you plug in the cable, the USB connection may attempt to power the CamRanger from the camera battery. This will drain your camera in a hurry! You can opt to buy two batteries and a charge when you purchase it and unless you are shooting for 8 hours straight, I doubt you would have any reason to plug into a power source. Because of that, I have several friends that are using these in action sports situations. Shooting and sending the images in real-time to the client. In fact, you can send it to multiple feeds that will allow someone from the school to post to all social media feeds almost instantly!
There is no way your camera battery can keep up with the demand for establishing a WiFi connection all day. No worries, there is a charging option on the CamRanger and it works like a champ! I should also mention that my iPad was on all day and running the CamRanger app with a single charge, so it doesn't need much to keep running. That was powered up, connected to WiFi...impressive! It worked the same both days with power to spare so I'm convinced it does the job very efficiently.
Having a talented HMUA on the scene makes my job so much easier!
Here is an overall view from the fill light position.
The client views and approves their selection on the spot!
I don't think there is a more customer-friendly way to offer location headshots. If there's something they don't like about themselves or the image, there isn't a better time to hear about it. And when they have selected the image, they have approved the image. It is the ultimate win/win for you, the subject, and your customer.
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A month ago we had a demo day at our store for Hasselblad and Broncolor. I will always carry a special place in my heart for Hasselblad. When I bought my first Hassy, I thought I had "arrived" and there would never be another camera in my future. That was a true statement for over 20 years, but time brings changes. In those days there wasn't even thought of digital capture. (you have to remember that Dick Tracey talking into his watch was complete science fiction)
This portrait of Ann Michael was taken with the Hasselblad and a macro lens. It is sharp and beautiful. The lighting is totally different so it's not fair to compare the two images, but I thought I should include one from the day that started my mind thinking about "medium format digital capture."
As I reviewed some of the files I shot with the Hasselblad I wondered how the Fuji GFX 50S would stack up. I contacted my friends at Fuji to ask if I could borrow a camera for a while to do some testing and they graciously agreed. Timory is a young lady that is both beautiful and very talented. We had been talking about a portrait idea of her with her guitar and this would be the perfect time to try it.
For the portrait today I dug out a favorite Les Brandt Backdrop that I have owned for years...maybe decades. It is a beautiful hand-painted, low key canvas that photographs like nothing else. I had to break out the steamer to get rid of wrinkles but other than that, I was good to go.
I am using five Profoto B10 lights in this setup. The main light is a 2'x2' OCF Octabank with grids. There are various other lights used as fill and accent lights and most of them also have grids to control spill on the background. Each light was individually metered and adjusted throughout the session with a Sekonic L-758. I've used Sekonic meters for many years and while TTL is nice to have available the control available in manual is unmatchable. I always have this meter with me when I am using lights.
My goal was a very low key feeling with a nice, peaceful mood. Here her darker top pulls the image into key where I want it and also shows off the guitar nicely. I am considering burning the left side down to more closely match the right side, but I haven't decided if it needs done or not. Sharpness is there all the way through the image, incredible sharpness! But, the dynamic range of the larger sensor is where this camera shines. The Fuji GFX is 1.7 times LARGER than a full-frame camera. The sensor is huge and can carry a lot of data, that's the medium format difference. The camera size is surprisingly small for what it does and is easily handheld if you want to. I use a tripod whenever I can. I feel it allows me to communicate better with my clients and adds sharpness and safety.
Timory's dad is a good friend of ours and he drove her over. While they were here, I took the time to do a quick portrait of them together. One thing I've become aware of is that as image-makers we have a certain responsibility to make portraits that show relationships when the opportunity presents itself. It's natural for many people to not get excited about being photographed, or wish we were better prepared. But, the fact is, it's always a good idea to make the image. The day will come when you (and they) will be glad you did.
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Thanks to Dury's I was able to attend the annual Great Smoky Mountain Photo Summit again this year. It has become one of the yearly events we anticipate and enjoy. April from f32 in Knoxville has put together one of the best photo workshops available in my opinion. Just take a look at the speaker line up, and it is hard to beat. Small classes with one-on-one time with these superstars...why wouldn't you? One of my best friends on the planet hosts this event and he takes it seriously. Bill Fortney and Jack Graham put on a bunch of workshops all over the United States. If you enjoy creating beautiful images for the sake of creating beautiful images, you owe it to yourself to make time for one of their events! Fujifilm is a major sponsor and as a Fuji shooter, it is a great place to try the latest and greatest camera bodies and lenses for free! These images were my Fuji X-T3 and the 50-140 f2.8, one of my favorite lenses!
This year Marlene and I didn't get out until the last day as we headed home. We decided to take the road from Townsend over the mountain into Gatlinburg. The views on this road are breathtaking. We weren't in a hurry so we stopped a few places and were able to get a few wall hangers.
Sunrise is a bit of a wild card this time of year. It could be foggy and that's not bad if you are above it. It may or may not lift before the suns breaks through and that will affect your image. This was quite a while after the actual sunrise, but still a beautiful, majestic site.
I find it best to do sweeping wider angle views and some close-ups. There are plenty of both to focus on. This applies to scenic overlooks or waterfalls, it's the same principle and practice for me. The big picture, maybe a low angle with super wide lens and then a macro close up. I like this approach.
It really doesn't matter how you shoot it, just get out and shoot! It's great therapy and you may even create some images you will be proud to share!
]]>I attend Hermitage Hills Baptist Church and gladly volunteer to use my photography skills for the church. I would be lying if I told you that it was easy to keep the content fresh. I mean think about it. I'm in the same building, with pretty much the same lighting, photographing the same people...doing the same thing! This past week I gave myself a challenge. I limited myself to using just one lens. The lens I selected was the 80mm Fuji Macro lens. The image above is one of the two Shure SM57 mics that are used on my percussion instruments. I've never had that lens with me so this perspective was fresh and new for me. I didn't turn it in with my weekly images because nobody else would care about it. (except maybe the tech team) But for me, it was fun to see what I could do in just a few minutes using what I had available.
Using the same lens, I decided I would frame Poly looking "thru" the mounting lugs of my congas. Focusing on him made the extreme foreground blurred and created little colors of distortion. I like this "in camera" effect and again would have never thought of this application for the 80mm lens.
When I owned a bike we rode with our FAITH Riders Ministry and these are some dear friends. I love highlighting their "colors" in the foreground of this photo.
The light from her phone provided interesting light on her face
I will be on the schedule again in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll just take an extreme wide-angle lens and see what I can create. One thing is certain, no matter how many years you've been shooting, the "seeing" takes practice. And perfect practice makes perfect!
]]>As humans, we are all tempted to complain about how bad we have it. Sometimes we will preface our remarks by saying, "first world problem" like that makes it more understandable. Most of the time what we are complaining about is an inconvenience, not really even a problem at all. At least not a serious problem. When it is medically related and we are totally out of control, that changes things. But, when it is a small child, that will change your perspective immediately!
Kay is holding her precious son Joey. Joey is beautiful and has already fought harder to be alive that many of us could even imagine. In the last months of her pregnancy, they discovered that Joey had a rare disease called Trisomy 18 and the odds of him being born alive were very slim. Kay and her husband Daniel are friends from church. When I heard about this I offered to be on call whenever he was born. I wanted to make sure they had photos of them and Joey whatever happened. Late one evening I got a call that they were doing a C section and they asked if could I come to Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt? Absolutely!
Joey is four-pounds of fighter!
Good news, he is alive and fighting! I have never seen so many tiny wires, probes, and hoses. There were machines everywhere and they all had their own specific sounds and alarms. The nurses were taking such loving care of Joey and the good news was, he was responding. Kay had not been able to see him as she was recovering from surgery so after doing these and taking a little video I went back to her room to share these with her. Although groggy, she was relieved to see how well he was doing.
Fast forward about 10 days. I was making plans to leave town for business and I was going to be gone an entire week. The Lord was prompting me to run over and take some more photos for them but, I was busy getting ready to be gone. Sometimes when we aren't obedient to that still small voice, He will use people to help us fulfill his plan. Saturday afternoon I got a text from Kay saying she would be able to hold Joey later today and asked if I could come over again? This was no accident and I knew I had to go. I was looking forward to seeing his progress and all that the Lord was doing in his little body.
An intimate moment as Kay is able to hold Joey and see him open his eyes! (he did not like my strobe at all)
We were able to do their first family portrait right there in NICU
I am asking all my friends to continue to pray for Joey and his family. He is a living, breathing miracle!
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I know there has been a lot of speculation as to what I was going to do. It may seem like I change systems a lot, but I really don't! Here is the breakdown of my last 10 years. I started at Dury's with two Canon 5D's now called "classic", they were the original model and they served me well. But, the focusing was not good so I switched to the Nikon line and shot their full frame D700. That worked for me until this whole mirrorless camera system showed up.
As you may know, I went "all in" to Fuji and it was my only camera for about 6 years. I started when Fuji had one body, the X Pro 1 and only three lenses to offer in the entire system. But, the color was incredible and worth the aggravation of waiting for the development of additional lenses. I liked the size and portability and it just seemed to suit my shooting style. In six years I owned the X Pro 1 and 2, the X-E1 and 2. The X-T1 and 2 and a nice collection of Fuji lenses. I had 8-10 batteries and chargers everywhere I may need them: at home, at work, and in my camera bags!
Life happens and time marches on, but your eyes don't get better, they get worse. It seemed like everyone was improving their focusing but Fuji. I don't know why they didn't but they seemed more interested in launching a camera with IBIS (in body image stabilization) than they did addressing the real issue which was us older guys that couldn't see to focus.
Sony heard the complaints and knew that the struggle was real. They set out to not only fix it but fix it in a way that had never been done before! And if that wasn't enough they continue to up that game to unprecedented performance. I often say their eye detection is like science fiction, it just works really well...every single time! So I sold all my Fuji cameras, every single one of them, all the lenses and batteries and moved to Sony. But I didn't just buy a Sony A7RIII, I also bought a Panasonic G9 and then another one plus four Leica lenses and 2 Olympus Pro lenses to go with the two bodies. I shot these systems for about 1 1/2 years and I made a lot of beautiful images with them! I was pretty happy except for one thing, the color science wasn't great. Sony's color is more neutral than anything, I would describe it as "vanilla" and there's nothing wrong with that. Panasonic makes an incredible camera and I enjoyed shooting it a lot. I feel it has the second best color that I've experienced. For me, something was still missing...
It's all about the color. My opinion is that a JPEG SOOC (straight out of camera) should be beautiful and 90+ percent of your image. Why you may ask? Because you are letting the camera manufacturer determine how to interpret the 1's and 0's that make up the binary file your camera creates when you take a photo. Adobe Lightroom is a pretty incredible product and it does an OK job of developing RAW files. But it can't come close to the manufacturer's ability to create a photo from the RAW data! In my opinion, no one does this better than Fuji! Several weeks ago I requested a few cameras and lenses from Fuji. My rep Jackie has been a friend (and a former boss) for over 20 years. She arranged to get me my wish list sent it so I could see if it met my expectations. I can tell you with zero reservation, that the Fuji X-T3 is a game changer for me and many other photographers!
My initial concern was the focusing system. It was the reason I had to take a vacation from the Fuji system. The following image was done in a low light room, with modeling lights only and "eye detection" as my focusing selection. Spot on. Not only is it sharp, but the flesh tones and dynamic range are exceptional! My first session with a test camera and I am very optimistic. Note: I recognize he is a little magenta. It's what happens when you golf in the summer without sunscreen and your complexion already leans that way. See the difference between his white t-shirt and neck? They are totally neutral!
I may be ahead of myself so let me back up to some of the "why's" of any camera system. When people come into the store shopping for a camera I ask a lot of questions about them and what they like to take pictures of. Once I have that info, I can start to place a camera in their hand and see how it feels to them. Once comfortable with the size we look at the layout of the camera. Is it menu driven or are there actual knobs and dials that make sense? Another big win for Fuji! I started this journey into photography in 1972 with film cameras and there were no menus at all. Film cameras had three controls: a shutter speed dial, an aperture ring, and an ASA dial to set the sensitivity. Many Fuji models are set up that way today. It's like an old pair of slippers, comfortable. It also is intuitive when you are making a quick change. No need to remember how your Custom Functions are set up, just reach for the dial and take your photograph.
Lens selection and affordability: Fuji has been known for its glass for decades. Cinema folks knew about them before many still shooters did and still use them heavily in the images you and I see on TV or at movies. This glass is excellent. It is very affordable, in fact, there just aren't any other manufacturers offering compatible lenses for the X system because they can't make them better and cheaper. There isn't a market for what they offer. Sigma and Tamron make great lenses but the only "non-Fuji" lenses that make it to my X-T3 bodies are Zeiss Touit lenses and that's because they have either a unique focal length or that Zeiss look that can't be replicated. Here are a few images to illustrate what I mean. I am especially fond of the 12mm lens, it is incredible!
Beautiful color, sharpness and practically no noise at 3200 ISO!
Our past Governor Haslam and Senator Marsha Blackburn at a recent Republican fundraiser. X-T3 with 18-55 and bounce strobe
Beautiful (child) flesh tones, sharpness and handles extreme contrast well. That's great lenses and a great sensor!
Fuji X-T3 with 80mm macro
Fuji black and white out of the camera is awesome and lends a timeless feel to this portrait
There will be more written and more images, but for now, I am so happy to have the ability to be freed up from my computer in "the black hole of post-processing." Delivering beautiful work that was created in the X-T3 is awesome and saves me hours of time that I really don't enjoy and don't have available.
Some of you may be wondering how I can live without the awesome large files that I got from the Sony A7RIII and this is my answer:
It is the Fuji GFX! 50 Megs of beautiful file with Fuji color science!
Like John Denver said, "Hey it's good to be back home again"!
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I only know a handful of photographers that have bought either of these and are absolutely in love with them. I have read plenty of reviews and accolades from the Canon "Explorers of Light" or Nikon "Ambassadors." (these are their "sponsored shooters") Why do you suppose that’s the case? I propose because they are not quite ready for prime time. (see what I did there..play on words with prime as in lenses...) I also don’t have many clients that are converting their shooting systems to either of these full frame options.
Even though there are many Canon and Nikon photographers that own thousands of dollars in quality, big dollar lenses, you still need to use an adapter of some type and that is very much hit or miss with both systems. I should mention that adapters on Sony full frames still leave a lot to be desired. They do work...kinda. You will pay a price for not investing in native designed glass mostly in the performance area. Slower or spotty focusing is a common complaint. Speaking of glass both companies have a very limited initial offering of native lenses for these cameras. I suspect this will be a sticking point for the new Lumix full frame camera line too, limited and pricey lenses. Beautiful, sharp, fast performing and pricey.
One clear advantage Sony has in this market is lens choices. They are adding to their own line monthly and they seem to get better and better. If that isn't enough, Zeiss and Sigma Art lenses are available and Tamron is even jumping onto the Sony bandwagon! Making your lens options within the Sony line exponentially larger and with enough price points to satisfy all of us!
Many customers have voiced disappointment in waiting for the "big two" to come out with a full frame mirrorless camera bodies and then discovering these first models are just not good enough.
One example of a glaring omission is a single card slot. This is true in both Canon and Nikon models. What other pro cameras have just one slot? None! It makes no difference if you shoot RAW plus JPEG on two cards, you mirror back up or assign the second slot as overflow, it is unacceptable to eliminate that option. In addition, the Nikon Z6 and Z7 only accept XQD cards. There are a very limited amount of camera models that utilize those cards so you know the mass production isn't there making them unaffordable. And in Nikon's case to make that single slot anything other than an SD UHS-II seems just silly. At least Canon stayed with a tested and affordable SD slot. Nikon can talk about dependability all they want and a very limited fail rate, it is still a card that has not been embraced by many other manufacturers and its future is uncertain at best. This "second slot" rant is not just my opinion. It is the single biggest reason I hear given by pros that they will not consider either of these camera brands.
For me, the most disappointing fact is I think we all expected more from firms that were arguably the top of the pro camera pile for years...no, decades! They were the last ones to market with their "legit full frame pro camera bodies". For their first attempt, they are lackluster and missing key components. I would have guessed they would have looked at the leader in this market segment, (undeniably Sony) and made "me too" models or at least specifications. They did not.
There are many great technical expositions on these cameras. If you want the techie stuff, I suggest you go read them. As I've stated, this is an opinion piece. My opinion. In this case the slow sales of all three of these models confirms what I've said. If you've stayed with me this far, thank you! I have some more thoughts coming on micro 4/3 cameras and lighting. It should be fun and most likely controversial too.
This is my "full frame camera" the incredible Sony A7RIII
Right off the bat, I let you know that I own multiple camera systems. Why? It's all about using the right tool for the right job. I don't feel there is a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to digital capture. If a client is only in need of digital assets for a web site, then full frame is potentially overkill. There are of course situations where you need something the full frame does better, maybe a wider angle of view or less noise at super high ISO's. Other than that, there aren't a ton of advantages in my opinion. I've owned full frame Canon, Nikon and now the Sony. They are great but I don't need them for every job.
I've been mirrorless for 7+ years. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't be at this stage of the game, it just makes so much sense. Here are a few things that mirrors add that are not good contributions!
Reason #3 is what attracted me to Sony as a brand of camera. If you had asked me a few years ago to try Sony, I would have laughed out loud! In my opinion, they are the most improved camera company in the last few years. They went from the worst (my opinion) to absolutely killing it! I am in my 60's and that brings lots of changes. I'll spare you any other details, but let's say my eyes aren't what they used to be. Focusing became problematic for me. Sony has perfected "eye detection" to a level that no one else even comes close. Once their system grabs onto a pupil, it is like a pit bull! Their next generation that will be offered as a FREE firmware update takes it to an even higher level! This is a game changer and every other camera company better take note and move this direction sooner than later.
I pride myself on getting it right in the camera. Composition, lighting, and expression are variables within my control. But, if I can't see to focus or the focusing system is lacking, I'm in trouble! The focusing system was what pulled me into the Sony line of cameras. I need to also mention that it was what initiated me leaving the Fuji system I loved and promoted for over 6 years.
Fuji failed to admit or address their focusing was sub-standard. It was possibly the single largest complaint of most Fuji users. Fuji ignored it and pretended that it didn't exist. Instead, they gave photographers a camera not many asked for and again my opinion, their largest "fail" since they entered the digital market with the X-Pro 1. When the long-awaited and highly promoted X-H1 came out, they quickly discovered that IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) wasn't as big as they thought it was. Also, the IBIS feature made the body significantly larger which I don't understand based on the size of other camera companies that have it. Just look at the physical size of the Sony A6500. It offers a 5 stop/5 axis image stabilization. So do most bodies in the Panasonic Lumix line. They have it and they are super small. This camera should have come after the X-T3 that was long overdue if it came at all. And although they may not admit it, just look at the current price on the X-H1 body only. It is $1299.00 and it includes a free battery grip. (at the time of this release) That is an additional $329.00 incentive. Oops!
The introduction of the X-H1 was what pushed me to look for a new line of cameras. I sold all of my Fuji and bought into the Sony family and Panasonic Lumix line. I will address that transition in my next blog.
I'm sure you would like to see some images from the Sony, so here are a few of my favorites so far.
The Sony eye detection focusing assures tack sharp images when I'm photographing a person. That allows me to concentrate on all the other variables I need to control knowing the focusing is handled! The end result, sharper images! Photographed with the Zeiss 135mm f2.8 Batis lens.
Adrian Belew, front man for King Crimson, toured with David Bowie and one of the all-time guitar greats with his custom SKB Case.
I am fortunate to have SKB Cases as a client. In 2017 I photographed their images with the Fuji GFX, 50 MEG camera. This year I used a combination of the Fuji GFX and Sony A7RIII. This image was from my Sony with the Zeiss Batis 18mm lens. Just look at the sharpness and detail! This is a combination I use quite a bit and have never been disappointed.
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I have lots of photo swag and plan on showing it off over the course of these next blogs.
free agent | frē ˈājənt | noun a person who does not have any commitments that restrict their actions. • a sports player who is not bound by a contract and so is eligible to join any team.
I’m not even sure there is such a thing as "free agent" in photography. What I do know is I am a free thinker and always willing to look at new equipment or a new way to do things. For the past 45 years, I’ve learned from my many mistakes. I've tried to not repeat any mistakes and I warn others if I see them heading into one of those I've already learned from. If someone with more experience tells me it won’t work, I no longer try to prove them wrong. Unless of course, I have a reason to believe that it can be done a different way.
Disclaimer: These blog entries contain opinionated and potentially divisive statements. These are my options written on my blog. You are my guest and welcomed to your own opinions, in fact, you are encouraged to have them! Please don’t state them here, but consider writing them on your blog. 😉
Why I consider myself a “free agent”
Change - I’ve changed camera manufacturers many times throughout my career. It has never, not one time, been because someone “bought or bribed" me. Because of my job and long run in our industry I’ve been able to borrow or test shoot most any brand of camera, lens or lighting I've had a desire to try. Some were good, many were not. I have even been able to Beta test some equipment for manufacturers, and that is an entirely different subject, but still enjoyable. For a few years, I was the editor of a great online newsletter called ShootSmarter.com, it was owned by a man that taught me much in our profession. Will Crockett encouraged me to not take anything for face value and if I didn't think it was right....stand my ground and question it. I was responsible for the accuracy of the editorial content provided by very well known and established shooters. Many times I questioned what they submitted and would work with them to clarify the data or withhold the posting. For some authors, this wasn't acceptable and caused friction. For others, it strengthened our relationship and I count them as friends to this day.
I buy my own gear so when I change I experience the same pain you do when you make a change. I love that part of my job, suppliers make it very easy to test and even own if I decide it needs to be in my arsenal of tools. The downside of this is the actual change process. You need to get rid of the gear you own and invest in the new line. Depending on how you bought it, new or used, waited for rebates or spontaneously, you will lose some money. Many of my pro shooter friends know this is a part of the process now that we are digital. Gone are the days of buying a Hasselblad and using it for 20+ years, it was a great run for decades, but those days are over. Technology improves at an incredible rate and we need to stay somewhat current or pay the price by adding time to our processing times or frustration level. A friend that is a great shooter recently made the transition from Canon to Sony. He was reluctant because he had been a Canon shooter for so long and he knew the system inside and out. After shooting the Sony he knew it had to be done. He also knew it wouldn't be cheap replacing two pro bodies and half a dozen incredible lenses. As we walked through the process we talked about the financial impact of his decision. He explained that his current system has allowed him to make a great living for the past decade. It has allowed him to make exponentially more than it cost him and that it owed him nothing. To continue using it because it was paid for or because new it cost him $15,000.00 was not even in his thought process. That system was causing him frustration and missed opportunities, he had to make the investment in his business to remain viable.
There is a lack of freedom to change direction or allegiance when you are “sponsored” by one company. In fact, it is almost impossible to experiment with other gear to see if there may be a better mousetrap. That only hurts you and your ability to produce great images if you aren't willing to experiment and try new gear or new techniques. We know who the "sponsored" shooters are. We also know there are writers that change their allegiance to whoever will give them the newest, latest, greatest ________. I've heard these people referred to as "photo hoes." In other words, they can be bought pretty easily. They exchange their integrity for free gear. I don't understand that and never will.
I plan on taking a few pages to talk about some of the changes we've seen recently and not so recently. I will explore changes in cameras, lenses and lighting. There are trends and there may be some surprises. There is also fact and there is fiction. There are people that will accept whatever a certain YouTuber presents as fact because of the number of subscribers they have. I think that is a pretty dangerous policy. Numbers can give you some validity, but they don't make you infallible! God gave you a brain, use it or lose it! I'll include some images to demonstrate why I like what is available and how it's working for me.
I hope I've told you enough that you will want to check back and read my impressions and look at some images that will demonstrate why I feel like I do. Thanks for coming by, I hope you'll come back.
Yesterday I was working with a client that was purchasing a new Profoto B2 kit. They specialize in pageant photography so they wanted to try it on a model using the new equipment. Betty, our model, was so patient as we experimented with lights, settings and all things techie.
At the end of the session, I was able to take a few images with my Sony A7RIII and the Zeiss 135mm f2.8 Batis lens. This was my first time shooting this incredible lens. Like all Zeiss lenses it has, it's own "look" and I was not disappointed with the results. I hope to work with Betty on future projects, she certainly makes my job a lot easier! (I also plan on adding a few Zeiss lenses to my full frame kit) I have used the Zeiss 85mm f1.8 Batis and the Zeiss 18mm f2.8 Batis in the past, so my expectations were already pretty high. As anticipated, it delivered and exceeded what I hoped for!
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My good friend Steve Lowry is the house photographer there and we were given a choice of balcony left or right. We decided the right side would be best since that's the direction he would be looking.
This was a good decision and allowed us to capture some nice moments during the concert.
When an artist "buys the room" his people totally control what you can do. How long you can shoot and where you can take them from. It may sound unfair, but it really isn't. In fact, it's like most photography assignments, the client dictates what they want and you have to deliver no matter what. It was a good exercise in making the most of what you have to work with. The bad part is you know you have limited time, so you tend to overshoot. Good news is, you know you will get something cool...Joe Bonamasa is an incredible musician with a band that is super talented and tight as they come.
Geek notes: Panasonic G9 camera, ISO 1600. Olympus 75mm f1.7 lens that equals a 150mm field of view! Steve introduced me to this lens and once I shot it, I had to own it. My friend Mike Amico is the Olympus rep and helped me find it. It's small, light and super sharp. It also focuses really well even in low light.
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This week is our family vacation:
No email. No voice mail. No texts.
Nothing personal, it will just have to wait. I want to make memories, make some pictures and love on my kids and grandkids.
Next week I'll be back at it, 100 mph and nearly round the clock. But for now, we are riding waves and eating ice cream!
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Sometimes these images just "happen." Most of the time they don't.
I really enjoy covering corporate events! I always meet the most interesting people and discover lots of great things to do in our city. We've lived here for 8 years and I've documented dozens of events, but I still find places I've never been too.
Topgolf was one of the places I planned on visiting and Saturday turned out to be that day. It's not uncommon that one of the venue's I'm photographing turns out to be a cool spot that is now very high on my to do list. We've found great restuarants, museums, food and desserts while working a job. This place is awesome. I've always heard that it is fun but expensive. I can tell you it isn't expensive, in fact, it is really affordable. If you go with two other couples it will cost you less than $10.00 per person to golf. Can it get expensive? Yes! They offer lots of food and beverages and a staff that will keep them coming until you stay stop. The basic golf requires a one time, $5.00 membership that you can use anywhere in the US where they have a location. The magic happens when you see how the micro chipped golf balls track your shots and keep score. It is big, big fun and I can't wait to go there on a date night.
So, back to the image. Once you've photographed nearly every individual there at least a couple times driving the ball. You need something a little different, something visually exciting. This was what I came up with and all because the ladies wanted a picture of them toasting their "red and white" wines. Just add a blue sky and you end up with, "Red, White and Blue!"
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It was a very windy day. There were 20-30 MPH winds and they didn't stop long at all. Here is one that may remind you of the famous Marilyn Monroe image.
I continue to work with this camera. I will admit that I'm not totally "in love" with it, but there are many features I am blown away by. The autofocus alone is a real game changer for me.
It's been said, "the only thing constant is change." Thats never been truer than the time we live in. Technology and time keep marching on. We can keep up, or step aside. I choose to try and keep up the best I can. Testing new cameras, lenses and lighting keeps this industry fresh and exciting for me. Occasionally I come across a product I really like and adopt it into my workflow. The Sony A7RIII is one of those items.
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For the second year in a row, I was one of the photographers for a great charity event. This evening close to $500,000.00 was raised for Safe Haven! That is a good nights work! The reality is, it takes months of planning to pull of something like this and make it look easy. Enter, Rachel Wilkins. She works tirelessly to make sure everyone has a great time and an enjoyable evening.
This was a very busy day. After working a full day, I then went to photograph a wedding for a photographer friend. I consider this a very big honor. As a photographer, we have many friends involved in our industry. When another photographer asks you to be theirs, it is a huge compliment.
This event was the same time so I had to hire some help to make the night flow. First up was the "Red Carpet" couples photography. This year we provided the 4x6 photographs immediately by printing them on site!
This would not have been possible without the help of my wife that moved them in and out in near record time. We have done dozens of these types of events. (Think of it as a prom for adults) Micky Bernal manned the camera and Meredith Webb made the printing and delivery flow like butter! Could not have done it without them. My good friend Steve Lowry was also there to do anything else that could have slipped by. I'm glad to report that nothing did!
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Still, there is something about having a real camera available. A few weeks ago I was an attendee at a dealer meeting and training hosted by Panasonic. The location was a beautiful California resort! I had a little free time and it looked like there may be a chance to take a nice sunset image. My travel camera is actually my wife's camera. The Panasonic FZ1000 with an incredible 25-400 Leica zoom lens! This camera is the absolute perfect travel camera for most anyone. Because I had a camera with me, this will be a beautiful print on my wall. I can print it as large as I want and it will still be beautiful. I'm glad I had this camera with me as opposed to a quick picture with my phone that wouldn't be good for anything but social posting. With the built in Wifi, I was still able to "share" it right away in my social feeds.
]]>The year was 1972 and I was a Sophomore in high school. It was a pivotal time in my life, in fact, my entire life was forever changed that summer.. It was the year my best friend invited me to a bible study. In itself that was weird for a lot of reasons. First of all, we were drinking buddies, so those two things seemed kind of mutually exclusive. Second of all, I was a devout Catholic and really had never read the bible on my own. So the idea of going to a "study" just didn't make sense. David was relentless and eventually, I went just to get him to leave me alone. One time, that's all it took! Jim Lotz aka "Reverend Jim" took a few minutes to explain that God was holy and I was not, and a Holy God could never allow unholy in His presence. He also explained there was nothing I could do on my own to "earn" my way into His presence. Not a very good message up to this point, but then he shared the really good news. God loved me so much he sent his only son, Jesus to die in my place. He took all my sins, past, present and future and satisfied the payment needed to satisfy a holy God. So now when God sees me, he sees Jesus payment and me as righteous. If you know me, you know that just isn't possible. Not on my best day! This was a great trade but unfair in everyone's mind...but God's. By the way, the phrase, "but God" is one of my favorite phrases in the bible. After those words, everything changes!
So, I am a long haired kid with an afro of unbelievable size. I am carrying my bible to school every day and wore an awesome wooden cross around my neck suspended by a leather strap. Summer is coming and Campus Crusade for Christ is having a giant rally in Dallas Texas called "Explo '72" and I'm invited to go along with a bunch of kids on a bus. (take a look at the Wikipedia link) My parents were super cool and said if I earned the money, I could go. I've worked my entire life, so the money would not stop me and I was headed to Dallas!
This was awesome! There were 80,000 people crammed in the Cotton Bowl nightly with an estimated 100,000-200,000 for the last day. An 8 hour concert and messages by Billy Graham. Newsweek called us "militant Christians" and referred to this week as "The Christian Woodstock."
This is my good friend Tommy Coomes. His group "Love Song" played at Explo '72 in Dallas
I was 16 years old when I heard them play in Dallas. We've become friends 40 years later when I met him at my job at Dury's. Like most musicians, he enjoys photography as another creative outlet, and he's good at it! Recently I had the joy of photographing him for an SKB Cases ad campaign. (the best travel cases on the planet for musicians AND photographers) Tommy brought along this "United Artist" store promo from their first album. He asked me to take a picture with it for posterity and I was only too happy to do it. When I first met Tommy he gave me a copy of this album for my collection. The music that was presented during this week would change Christian music as it was then known. This was the foundation and creation of what is called today "Contemporary Christian Music."
The portraits from this session are some of the best work I've done. More important than those images are the stories behind the people. Photography has opened doors to many places and relationships I could only imagine. I am blessed to earn a living doing something I love. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about me. My past and my present, that have given me a promise of a unbelievable eternal future...whenever that happens.
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Jade and Scott being super competitive. I'm not sure where she gets that from. (her Mama!)
I was the official "popcorn holder." Gigi can eat her weight in this stuff!
A girl has to keep up her energy. Seriously, she can eat this stuff until we cut her off. (She is just like her grandma)
This could be the last family of "5" portrait we take. There will be a new addition around Christmas day. The Yuppa tradition is to not find out the gender. There really is an element of fun and surprise. As a side note, Gigi is sure it is NOT a boy. We will see, Gigi. We will see.
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Fifty megapixels! That is a lot of data. What do you get with all that information? The obvious is super sharp images but the dynamic range is unlike anything I've ever shot. You can pin point a highlight and it will hold. Do you want subtle shadows that aren't blocked up? Then I would suggest this is your camera. Dury's has this camera system to rent by the day or week, you may want to do it just for fun. I have a couple of suggestions for you if you are considering it:
Beautiful black and white images with one of the many Fuji film simulations. This is Acros with a yellow filter.
You can zoom into this image as far as you like. The detail is kind of unbelievable, it just keeps going. But if you miss the focus, just delete the file, there is nothing you can do to bring it back.
I brought along a few of my Profoto lights so we had a controlled lighting situation. We used a B1X that had the Westcott Rapid Box mounted as the modifier. The accent light was a Profoto B2 with one of my favorite and most used modifiers, the 12"x36" strip bank with grids. I brought multiple Profoto triggers so people could shoot the models on their camera or use their SD card in the GFX. Most people chose to do both and I don't blame them.
The feedback we've had has been incredible. Most are asking when we will do our next event and how they can sign up for it. Keep checking our web site, we will update it with all the fun things we have planned.
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This seems so simple, but how many times a day do we step over or go around something that doesn't belong there? Do you think, "it's not my job?" I was talking to my friend Brad who is a Sales Manager there and I told him what happened. We laughed but he then explained, "the floor is a high priority, especially the lobby. If only housekeeping did this, they wouldn't get anything else done." It is everyones responsibility from Management down to make this place immaculate.
Speaking of Brad, here is his portrait I shot using the lighting you see above. I like the dark to light contrast of this composition and was able to utilize the existing windows and drapes to add some background interest. The mood is casual but very professional.
This is a simple but effective lighting set up. By blending the studio lights and available light, I achieved a dimensional look. You can't create this with available light only. That image would have been very flat and look more like a snapshot. It could work, but not for the Hilton, that is not the message they are sending. Nothing is accidental and almost nothing is impossible. Top notch in every aspect. I am blessed to be able to work with this company and their excellent staff in Nashville.
I love my job! I have access "behind the scenes" of many businesses and organizations. I am a better photographer and business person as a result of these exposures. I want to be learning constantly and improving how I perform at my job and in my life.
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Genesis 1:1-3
It's a good thing a picture is worth a thousand words. There just aren't enough words to describe what we were able to see this week. Nashville was right in the direct path of the total eclipse. Most of the world was not. Many people planned this trip for years coming from countries all over the world. All the time, planning and expense for a light show that lasted approximately 2 minutes. I was wondering if it was all hype, or would it be some super show. It was a show!
Working in the photo industry, I read a lot about this event weeks before the date it happened. We anticipated that during the eclipse the store would be empty. The owners suggested we head outside and take it all in, they even provided the glasses for us! I was able to get the filters we needed to shoot pictures from Breakthrough Filter Company, they generously offered them to the staff free of charge! The filters were needed for all the pictures except totality. I had my Fuji X Pro 2 set up on a tripod with 16 stops of ND. (The total eclipse images were taken with my Fuji X-T2, the 100-400 and no filtration at all)
I have to admit that the weather was looking uncooperative. The clouds were moving in and out leading up to the moment of "totality." When that happened, it was cloudy initially, but then it opened up for about a minute. That was all I needed to get a few frames. The opening image is called "Diamond Ring" for obvious reasons. This last one is the moment of totality. (Check out the cool sun flares at 3 and 5 o'clock on the sun)
I hope you were able to see and enjoy this event. This was potentially a once in a lifetime event. I am so glad I was able to experience and photograph this incredible display of God's majesty!
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1
]]>Why trust is important
Matthew Jordan Smith and I at his recent seminar in Nashville
Recently I've made a new friend. Actually, I became reacquainted with him at an event I was working for Dury's. Matthew Jordan Smith had a tour in the US that both of us were at. It was providence that we would both be there. Ron Pollard and Matthew are friends. Ron has shot with and for Matthew so I knew he was good. Even more important, he was fun to be around and had great people skills. For some reason, I was impressed to pursue more conversation with Ron and I'm glad I did. In the top photo, he is working with me at a recent event on the roof of Acme Feed & Seed in Nashville. He is showing Ben from MP&F some of his images and this is important. It lets the client know what we are doing. It also gives them the chance to offer more direction to us. More of some images, less of these...it helps assure we deliver what they are expecting. (MP&F is one of my favorite clients to work with, I probably shouldn't say I have a favorite, but everything they do is first class. It's no surprise they were recently voted one of the best places to work in Nashville for the 5th consecutive year)
I am thankful for this friend and work associate. I am concentrating on building my photography business like never before. I really enjoy event photography! Meeting new people at cool locations and giving them a photographic record that they can use immediately on social media or promote their brand is satisfying and challenging. With the addition of Ron, I can offer more extensive coverage or provide coverage at multiple events.
If you need event photography or have a friend that needs coverage, please send them our way. We will take care of them and they will thank you. I thank you too!
]]>We had a day where customers could come in and shoot the camera here in the store. I brought in my personal Profoto lights and modifiers so they could experience the best of the best. This combination of lighting and camera is as good as it gets in my opinion.
Enough text lets see some images!
This young lady was in the store as a customer, not our model. She has such a beautiful look that I asked her to model for a few shots. I'm glad I did, this turned out beautiful. This may look like just another nice image to you, so here is a 100% crop sized to 8x10 of her eye.
I know this is kinda weird, but just look at that detail! This is cropped from the JPEG out of the camera with no post processing. I don't know about you, but please never photograph me with this camera and show this much crop.
Michael Bulbenko from Fuji has been a friend for many years. He is one of Fuji's best tech guys and a great shooter too. When I offered to set up a studio and get a model, he was all in. I don't think there is anyone in the US with more hands on time with the GFX than Michael, so he was the best possible person to show it off.
This is one of my images of Daley that I shot during the day. I rarely get to shoot very many because I am helping the customers and that's fine, it's what I'm paid to do. I can tell you this camera will absolutely ruin you for whatever you currently own. This camera is 1.6X larger than a full frame sensor! But, the physical size of the body is deceiving. It weighs the same or less than a Nikon D5 and it costs the same too! The Fuji lenses are second to nothing I've ever used. They are super sharp and very affordable.
Lisa Johnson and my good buddy Steve Lowry have been friends for years. You have got to see some of her beautiful guitar photography. Here is Lisa's website. While she was in Nashville, she rented this camera for a few sessions. After a weekend of use she was a believer. She is now the proud owner of her very own GFX and a couple lenses that I shipped her this week. I am super stoked to share with you some of her images and I will as soon as I get the OK from Lisa.
]]>Do you know that statistically, people are more likely to go online and write a negative review more than a positive review? People love to complain and tell everyone that they've been wronged. But when they receive excellent service they remain silent. Don't believe me? Just look up a Yelp! or Amazon reviews, you'll see what I mean.
We were traveling back from Savannah on the 4th of July and we stopped at a McDonald's in Dublin Georgia. I was blown away, so much that I went online and wrote the following review:
This is the absolutely best McDonald's I've ever been to. The manager runs a very tight and SUPER FRIENDLY crew! It was more like a Chick-Fil-a than a McD's! Every staff member greeted us with a smile. It was immaculately clean and they were cleaning. It was the 4th of July, who wants to work on a holiday? You couldn't tell it from this crew. They opened the door, said hello, asked how we were...impressive. This manager should train managers for you! She is teaching life skills to her staff and they may not know it. She is investing much that they are not getting anywhere else. Initial perspective was rural Georgia, lots of kids, ho hum attitude. I was so wrong! Motivated, happy and enthused about their jobs. Reminded me more of Job Corps situation (I photograph their facilities for advertising) WELL DONE. I called her over to tell her it was a highlight of our road trip and that she had the best crew I've ever experienced. I have never filled out a McD's review, I HAD to do it this time.
I probably eat at McDonald's half a dozen times a year, it is not my fast food of choice. This was more than a food stop, this gave me renewed hope for these young adults. We all have the opportunity to invest in the next generation. They are looking for role models and sadly they may not get it at home. I want to be that positive model to those I have a chance to impact.
Speaking of "fan mail" I don't receive it all that often. That same day, the morning of the 4th of July I received an email note from an event client I just worked with a few weeks ago. She represented a large Association from Illinois and she wrote me this on a holiday morning:
Hi Nick, thank you so much for your professionalism and fabulous photos taken at our conference – we have never gotten our hands on them so quickly and appreciate it!!! If we make our way back to Nashville, you will be my first call! Thanks,
This made my day! Look, we all enjoy being recognized when we go above and beyond. Many bosses fail miserably at this and miss opportunities to say thank you for a job well done. Thank you for coming in early or staying late. Thank you for covering the unexpected need that popped up. Two little words, "thank you." It can change your day and your attitude. Don't miss the chance to say that phrase!
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When you've been taking pictures for as long as I have, it is easy to lose the "fun and creative" aspect that got us hooked on this incredible art form. I am not saying that most of what I produce is art, in fact, it is not. It is marketable and has value, but not from an artistic perspective.
Every time I photograph a job if I'm able, I try to produce something special for me. This image may have zero value to the client or relevance to the job they are paying me to do. It does help nourish my creative side and keep me "looking and creating."
My friend Nathan turned 40 this year and I offered to photograph his party. He is one of the most incredibly talented people you will ever meet. Even more than that, he is one of the nicest! We were doing some portraits of his artist friends and he was doing most of the photography, it is what he wanted to do. I was watching him and I thought this would be a good chance to make an image of him doing what he loves.
He is photographing his friends on a huge white cyc wall at Westlight Studios. The light illuminating his face is reflecting off that wall. I love the way it lights him from the front and gently falls off his face. The back wall was lit independently and the hot spot was intentional.
It is also worth mentioning that I was experimenting with a new camera that a manufacturer had provided us to test shoot with. I tossed it in my bag and used this evening as a testing ground. I didn't fall in love with the camera, but I did produce an image that I like a lot. I only shot a few dozen files with this camera, so getting one I like is a pretty big deal, especially while working a job.
Keep on playing, it will prevent premature burn out!
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I have been a very happy Fuji X-shooter for nearly 5 years. I started with the X Pro 1, and have added each new model as they have been introduced. I have sold dozens, maybe hundreds of customers Fuji cameras and lenses, and they are happy with their decisions too. They are making great images and documenting their families growth and milestone events. Fuji cameras allow me to focus on the creative process and not get bogged down with the technical side of image capture.
In my opinion, there are two major features that are keeping Fuji from converting more pros to their brand.
In 2017 with all the resources that are available globally, there is no reason Fuji can't accomplish this. I have to believe there is someone, somewhere that can write the protocol to make this happen. When Olympus beats you to the punch, you have a very real problem. Based on market share alone, that shouldn't happen. Even Sony who has typically been the last company to "share information" has given Profoto what they need so TTL works flawlessly with (most of) their cameras.
I shoot Fuji because I like most everything about their "look." It is the only camera I've found that I can deliver JPEG's SOOC (straight out of camera) and spend zero time in post processing. The flesh tones and color are superior to any other camera that I have tried. In my job, at Dury's I get to try every major brand of camera and test it in my working environment. Most recently I tested the Panasonic GH5, it is an incredible camera. I would say that it does many, many things exceptionally well. The 5-way image stabilization is unbelievable. The way it focuses and tracks, unmatched. In fact, it has some unique features that have me thinking about this camera as a new system. It's major holdback to me, the JPEG's just aren't the same look that I love with Fuji. One other problem is that the Profoto solution isn't available, yet. It should happen soon because it is similar to other cameras protocol.
That said, I find myself at a crossroads in my thought process. Do I stick around and cross my fingers hoping that Fuji will fix this issue? If they won't address it and see the need for it, chances are they aren't going to fix it. Do I just admit it's been a great run with Fuji and move on to another camera line? (that is really the last thing I want to do!) If so, what line do I select? Having been mirrorless for 5 years, I don't see myself making a move back to a DSLR for many, many reasons.
The most difficult thing for me is my transition to Profoto lighting has me wanting more from my camera system. I've never entertained these two features, I just resigned myself to the fact it wasn't possible. The reality is, my lighting was keeping me from considering these options. That isn't a problem anymore, so now it is solely a camera issue.
What to do...?
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For the Techies out there, I visited Wikipedia to get a definition: A watt second (also watt-second, symbol Ws or W·s) is a derived unit of energy equivalent to the joule.[1] The watt-second is the energy equivalent to the power of one watt sustained for one second. While the watt-second is equivalent to the joule in both units and meaning, there are some contexts in which the term "watt-second" is used instead of "joule".
Does that make it clearer? If not, maybe this will help. This is the following statement offered as if to make it all more easily understood: "The energy rating a flash is given is not a reliable benchmark for its light output because there are numerous factors that affect the energy conversion efficiency. For example, the construction of the tube will affect the efficiency, and the use of reflectors and filters will change the usable light output towards the subject. Some companies specify their products in "true" watt-seconds, and some specify their products in "nominal" watt-seconds."[2]
Enough! Let's look at some images to see what all this has to do with photography anyway. I mean, if you can't make a beautiful image, what good is all this knowledge?
I love outdoor portraits! To quote Paul Simon, "I love the greens of summer..."
What is better than adorable kids? Nothing!
If you stood the West children in that super bright light, you would have them squinting and complaining, so would I if you stood me there! Placing them in open shade is a great idea, but you have a couple terrible outcomes. First of all, too much of a good thing. Green is great, except when it overtakes the flesh tones and then it looks terrible. By adding a proper amount of fill light from the B2, my colors are beautifully neutral. If you don't do this, or you subscribe to the "I'm an available light photographer" club, you can not pull this off. If you open up to expose them properly, it will look like a scene from "Touched by an angel." They will glow and the background will be blown out, pure white. You may as well take them inside and photograph them on a white cyc wall, it will look the same minus the green grass.
(I know, I know, I should have used a faster shutter speed to knock down the background and blur it out a bit. Shooting above f11 is not my preference. I am a proud Fuji X shooter, but they are missing the boat in one area specifically. There is no HSS available. How can this be? it is 2017 and almost everyone else has it. I have been putting my thoughts together on that and it will be the subject of a future blog)
Just another image, taken on another day with a much larger group. This is our family and it is lit with just one Profoto B2 at full power, 250 Ws pulled way back, maybe 15-20' from the group so I could get even coverage from left to right, and top to bottom.
Our son-in-laws are 6'4 and 6'5 tall. (we are not standing in a hole) Something about the design of the Profoto built in reflector, it is super efficient and gives great coverage. We took about 130 images this day of all the sub groups here. The B2 was full power for many of those exposures. I still had over 50% of the pack left when we were done. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need my back up battery.
I have been able to do more with less Ws. Comparing the Profoto B2's that are rated at 250 Ws and my former light that was 400 Ws, there is just a difference in the way it translates into output. And at the end of the day, that is what really counts. Great light, great coverage, consistent exposures and efficient use of power.
]]>Someone introduces us to a new way or a new tool and we are typically skeptical. I'd like to think I am not that guy when it comes to photography gear. In the last 40+ years of doing this, I've seen a lot of changes, we all have. Some of them are good and some not so good or even bad!
I admit that I love lights and I love lighting. I enjoy making a good image better by adding some additional controlled lights. I also enjoy location corporate head shot photography. Going to my client's place of work and setting up in their conference room means their staff is only away from their desks for a minimal amount of time. This also means they are in familiar surroundings and it doesn't feel quite as sterile or even weird for them. They just walk down the hall and are done in short order.
Headshots according to Nick: I use a four light set up. I like the look and I like the control it allows. Could I do it with less lights? Sure, but why would I? With Profoto B2's I am able to take what I need in just a couple of small bags.
Here is my location lighting gear:
It really doesn't take much room to set up a location studio. It does take great gear that is easily transported. I believe I have this down to a science and I'm super happy with what I'm using right now. Here are some shots of my last location job.
View from my Fuji XT-2 camera position: A single head B2 kit is powering the OCF 12x36" strip bank with grids. This is my "go to" separation light and has been for years. I will be adding another B2 head so I can use it as a "grided" background light behind the subject.
I use a 60" fill light in most situations. Because of the distance, I added an extension cable to the B2 head and used the same pack that powered my main light that was an umbrella with diffusion cover. 2 lights, 200 ISO at f11, no problem. The 250 watt second rating on these units is a little deceiving to me. They seem to put out much more energy than that, for sure they are the most efficient battery lights I've ever used! In addition, you can split these packs 50/50 and that is huge! I have never had that option in the past, this opens up many more possibilities.
My location lighting kit is much smaller and lighter, and it is more efficient. I personally prefer the 4 light look and this makes it more compact and quick.
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1956. That was the year my wife and I were born. I am on my 61st trip around the sun and thankful for every single one of them. Fourty five of those years I've been involved in photography! I photographed my first wedding in 1972 as a Sophomore in high school. (I still can't believe someone trusted me with that responsibility) Hundreds of weddings and events later, it is still what I do and love.
The only thing constant is change. As you know by now, I have officially changed my lighting system to Profoto. This has been a decision I've considered in the past but never could see the reason to do it. I thought it would be interesting to share some of the details about such a big change.
A few weeks ago I reached out to my long time friend, Mark Rezzonico who is the President of Profoto. I told him I was considering making a move. This started a journey that included comparing what I have versus what I would need. This process was a great exercise and very much like moving your home. You can get rid of items you no longer use and buy what you need. I've already decided that I made excellent decisions in my gear mix. I do want to tweak one selection. I bought one single head B2 kit and one two head kit. This should have been two of the two head kits. I'll have some images to demonstrate why soon, but this is a very easy fix. I'll just add another head and cable and it's done!
Since my first post about this change, I've had several emails and calls asking for more specifics. Most are friends that own other brands of lighting and are interested in how it's going and what is the big difference. They are photographers that feel the same way I do, it's all about light!
The best light you can own, is one you will use and you don't mind taking with you.
Size and portability - check
Self contained units (battery powered) - check
Quick recycle and lots of power -CHECK!
Pretty much sums up how I feel about the B2's and the brand new B1X units I own.
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When I buy any new product, I try to spend as much time as I can getting acquainted with it. The more I use it, the more familiar I am and when I'm out on a job there are usually less "unknowns" to throw me off my game. You never want to be fumbling with your gear in front of your client.
First stop is a golf outing for the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors benefiting Habitat for Humanity. Hermitage Golf Course was our beautiful venue on a bright and sunny Spring day. I had an idea that just may make my life simpler. What if I mounted a Profoto B2 light on the cart canopy? I would have 250 watt seconds of power...all day long!
This is a close up of the Super Clamp that held it firmly in place all day long
The power pack rode in the basket behind my seat
My thought was, I would drive up to the foursomes, hop out of the cart and take their picture. The light was mounted on the "drivers side" so I could simply stand up and shoot. It is worth mentioning that I have been shooting exclusively the Fuji X camera system. High Speed Synch (HSS) or High Synch is not an option for this camera. That said, I needed a lot of power to fill in for the sun since shooting at higher shutter speeds was just not an option. I was maxed out at 1/250 for my max shutter. How did it work? You be the judge.
There was no way could I get this even of lighting on a group with a speed light! Light under the hat brims and matching the back light on the subjects, I was impressed. The best part of this is, I did not run out of power and had super consistent files to work with, minimizing post processing time.
I am very impressed by the Profoto B2 for several reasons:
At the end of this long day, it was a very welcome surprise to see that my experiment worked. I am the first to admit this was overkill for a charity event. Or was it? I love the results and it made post processing much easier, it took no more effort than a speed light with many batteries. If I had tried that solution there is no way I would have achieved the same coverage and quality of light.
I will say this is the best equipment purchase I've made since my decision to go mirrorless with Fuji nearly 5 years ago. The ability to deliver JPEG's straight out of the camera with accurate flesh tones is still my first priority. This event was photographed with the 18-135mm lens on a Fuji X-T2 camera.
I've been busy shooting so I'll have more to share soon.
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Many times there are "team building" events like this one at Nashville Karting downtown by Nissan Stadium. This looks like a quick snap shot but the truth is it's far from that. It takes a long zoom lens, lots of portable powerful light and a fair amount of training to get these guys having the time of their lives at up to 35 mph indoors!
It is pretty hectic at times. Clients occasionally need the images right away and they may not be sure how to communicate that to you. Be prepared! If you own it, you better take it with you.
"Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!" Unkn
Do you need portraits at your event? No problem, we can bring lighting and even backgrounds to provide staff head shots while you have all your employees together at one time. In fact, providing head shots on location is one of our specialties and we have a great client list to prove it.
Dancing with the Stars Gala Fundraiser - Hilton Downtown, Nashville
Chances are you will need portraits at a step-and-repeat backdrop
Family Care Services 75th Anniversary
Smaller venues like the George Jones Museum, Nashville allow for one on one meetings
Senator Frist addressing a group at Nashville Healthcare Fellows
We are available for events wherever they are happening. All of our equipment is "travel ready" at a moment's notice. Just tell us where to be, and how to dress, you can confidently leave the rest to us. If you have an event coming up soon, just send an email to [email protected] or use the "contact" button on our site. We will be glad to quote it for you and get it scheduled.
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One of the things to look out for is the "light source itself." Here the many LED bulbs are visible, it may work for you or be distracting.
If you have been to my blog before, you know that lighting is something I am passionate about. It has been a part of my photography that I have practiced a lot and continue to improve on it every time I do a job. I am a strobe guy, in fact a manual strobe guy. Specifically, Elinchrom has been my personal light of choice for over a decade. I have never blown a job because those lights haven't performed as expected. When something works, you stay with it! Their modifiers are some of the best I've ever used. Expensive? Sure, they aren't cheap but they sure do work consistently!
Recently, there have been a lot of innovations in constant lights. Specifically, LED lights have come a long way. They are bright, affordable and even fun to work with! I was working with a client teaching her how to pursue her passion, food photography for her blog. She has an incredible art background so I expect to see great images on her blog very soon.
These are a few tests on my camera to make sure we were getting close to what she envisioned. They were!
Just move a little to change your angle and the light sources are gone. The choice is yours and only takes a second to adjust your tripod.
These parties serve multiple purposes. It may be old friends getting together one more time before the end of the year.
The business card exchange is a critical part of networking
I couldn't have posed this photo any better. This was a combination of being at the right place at the right time and ready when the moment happens.
Some attendees may ask you for a group photo because many of their "key players" are represented during this event.
Mixers, Networking Events, Holiday Parties, no matter what you call it we would be glad to work with you at your next event. By making these images available to your guests, you provide one more value added service to them. Email [email protected] or use the "contact" button on our site.
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4th of July breakfast with our family at Loveless Cafe
July 31, 2008: My day started off meeting a great group of friends heading out on a motorcycle trip we were supposed to be a part of. But, when you get a diagnosis of cancer, everything else goes on "hold." We met at Sheetz, prayed for their safety, and God's intervention in my life. (and I did ride my Gold Wing 20 miles down the road leading them out of town)
This image looks more "Art Deco" than a former State Penitentiary
I will admit it, I am an Ohio boy and proud of it. When you spend the first 50+ years of your life in one state, it kinda grows on you. I have Ohio State t-shirts, bumper stickers and hoodies. All worn at appropriate and to the dismay of my SEC friends, inappropriate times. I love cheese from Sugarcreek. Graeter's Ice Cream is simply THE BEST EVER! Skyline Chili, and Quaker Steak and Lube, just round out my menu preferences. Yes sir, there is no place like home.
When the Professional Photographers of Ohio invited me to be a part of their "Mansfield Mayhem" event this year, I jumped at the chance. I've been seeing great images from here and had to experience it myself. So, I packed up the Dury's truck and headed north...500 miles north! It was worth every mile and I will gladly do it again.
I was asked to take up lighting, so I provided Westcott Ice Lights and Elinchrom Quadras. I also took a variety of modifiers to loan out and it was a giant photo play date. The only problem is, I was pretty much tied to my table with lots of expensive gear so I wasn't able to get out and shoot like I had planned. But next year...it will be different. Still, there is so much to see and feel here. We gathered in the "Bull Pen" all 50 photographers and I don't know how many models there were. It acted as a general assembly and staging area. I was able to drift down a hall into one of the cell blocks and I saw this:
This image is a pretty good representation of what you see. Even with over 100 people there, you could still feel very alone, even isolated. In the quietness you think about what it must have been like to call this place "home" for the length of your sentence. Was it cold in the winter? Was it unbearably hot in the summer? It was cramped for sure, housing two prisoners to a cell. The guides said right before the new prison was completed, they had to cram three to a cell! Unbearable. This image was taken with a Fuji X Pro 2 camera and 50-140mm lens mounted on a MeFoto tripod. The details and texture helps tell a story. The colors are important to me as I view this. On the left the very cool blue/gray color of the paint peeling cells. in the middle area, the brown, rusted, steel floor and even darker brown shadowed ceiling. Gradually it transitions into a warm yellow glow from the outside world. A world you would only see and experience for a short time each day, if you were lucky. You could see the blue skies if you got in the right spot. The beautiful, blue Ohio sky with white puffy cumulus clouds. Almost like a post card except it was a federal prison. And who wants a post card from there?
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It was our first or second year here that I met a friend that asked me to help him with a project he was doing. The idea was to take a morning and photograph some of Nashville's homeless people. That turned out to include couples, sibling's and families.
Homeless in Nashville from Nick Coury on Vimeo.
We photographed this outside. I set up a white paper sweep for my backdrop. It was windy and the paper ended up getting a little roughed up. I think it adds to the look of the images. Once we met them and chatted for a bit, I photographed them. They then submitted the word or phrase that they felt best described them. I find their choice of words, incredibly interesting. I wonder what word I would use if I was living their life. A life on the street, with no place to call home? Most of these people were incredibly thankful and friendly. I was blessed to be a part of this and hope that in some small way I gave them a portrait that they may even still carry.
Our church is involved with Room At The Inn. Just today in a small way recognized the volunteers that serve in that ministry. For 26 weeks a year, when the weather is at it's worst, these people serve some of the homeless community. Picking them up, bringing them to the church, feeding them, giving them a place to shower and personal supplies. The volunteers give up their time, spending the night and moving them back and forth. Until today, I didn't even know who some of them were. I love the fact that this is serving a group of people that can in no way ever reciprocate. It's loving them the way Jesus would love them. Unconditionally.
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I wanted to share some of my favorite images from the concert. I used Pro Show by Photodex which is the best way I've found to make entertaining slide shows on the Mac platform. Turns out Vimeo works well in sharing the video format. So, this is my first attempt and hopefully it will work well. I hope you enjoy it.
The concert was at my home church, Hermitage Hills Baptist Church. Three awesome bands were there: Hawk Nelson, Tenth Avenue North and a newer band called, I Am They. A super fun, uplifting and encouraging evening.
I'm sure some of you wonder if I ever get to enjoy the concerts I photograph. In a word, yes! Although I am plugged into my viewfinder, all my senses are enjoying the concert. I love music, especially music that ministers to our souls. Lots of great lyrics, mixed in with sound, lasers, bubbles and talented musicians. Enjoy!
]]>Acros setting is unbelievable for portrait sessions!
I was helping my friend Keith Miles on a personal project this week. Keith is a multi-talented guy, there are many sides to his personality. He's a great businessman, a song writer and musician. Even more than that, I'm proud to have him as a friend! We had a great time experimenting with different sources and styles of lighting.
Our incredibly patient model. Brittany Smith, did a great job. She is one of the best models I've ever worked with when trying out new gear.
Please view this image as just a "test" because that's what it was. Keith was shooting medium format digital and "old school" Hasselblad with film! I'm anxious to see the differences between the three mediums.
I'd like to encourage you to get together with some of your photographer friends, clear off a few hours and have a photo play date! I know it's hard to find a few extra hours, and it takes time to commit to do it. My guess is you will learn something and have a great time.
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This is my very close friend Bill Fortney speaking at this years. PhotoProExpo in Kentucky. I was able to borrow the camera and 100-400 lens from my friend Jackie the Fuji Tech Rep. (she was also my former boss at Buckeye Color Lab in Ohio) This was an incredible test, but my day to day work is portraiture. So the next time Jackie and Cy were in the store, I asked a friend, Brittany Smith to stop by so I could try a quick portrait with it. Again, WOW!
This is only 200 ISO with very controlled Elinchrom lights and modifiers. I can't believe the sharpness in this larger sensor. I haven't missed my "full frame sensor" cameras in the past 3 years, I sure don't miss them now! There is just so much rich, beautiful information in these files.
I just have to get one of these for my own soon! I have another awesome commercial shoot coming up in a few weeks and I would love to have this to shoot with. If anyone from Fuji is listening....PLEASE!
]]>One thing I enjoy about my Fuji X cameras is that they are small enough to have with me. When the lights just right coming from the window, through the water bottle and the sweet tea, you can create a nice image.
We went to lunch with our son and his wife at Sweet Auburn Barbecue. This was our last stop before our 4 hour drive home.
Sweet Auburn catered their rehearsal dinner last year and killed it. If you're in town on a Sunday and want an awesome buffet, stop in after 11:30, you'll be glad you did. I met Howard the owner and told him I was "stealing" cookies for the trip home. (he is friends with the kids) So he got me a "to go" container. What a great guy, it's no surprise he operates very successful restaurants and food trucks.
]]>What a beautiful sunset today. I was glad I had my Fuji X-T1 camera with me at work. I put on the 50-140 and switched to Velvia film setting. I removed the power lines and this was our view.
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It was a Sunday just like any other Sunday...
I leave my home most Sunday mornings at 7:30. My route is the same as always. I obey the speed limit and I use the device placed in all cars to signal my intentions of changing lanes. (In your owners manual it may be called a turn signal) So what happened next was a bit of a surprise to me.
As I turned off Central Pike and headed North onto Old Hickory I noticed a Police cruiser pulled in directly behind me. No worries, I'm driving safe and responsibly. But, he stays behind me all the way up to Juarez, (that's 1.5 miles) where I turn to go to church. Still, no worries, we are just heading the same direction. In fact, maybe he is the officer that directs traffic at the church crosswalk. Then, I signal to turn into the church parking lot and he follows me in...and hits his blue lights!
To say this is embarrassing is an understatement. Still, no worries, I wasn't doing anything wrong. I pull into my spot, jump out of the car and greet the officers. I should probably mention that now there are TWO cruisers and three officers...blue lights on full! Ok, it's gotten even more embarrassing. This is my church, my friends, my people and I have three of Nashville's finest interrogating me. What could be the problem? It must be huge!
Me: Good morning guys, whats up?
Young officer: May I see your drivers license please?
Me: Sure officer.
Officer: It's your license plate.
Me: What's wrong?
Officer: We couldn't see the tag on the bottom, and thought you may be driving on expired plates.
Me: Seriously?
Officer: Yes.
Me: Oh, I get it. You must be a 'Bama fan, right? Still a little upset about last seasons loss. (slight chuckle)
Officer, not smiling: No.
Other officer, silent up till now: I'm a Blue fan. (for you SEC folks this refers to Michigan, the hated enemy of all things Buckeye!)
Me: Sorry for that. (still not much laughter and I must say I am shocked, I feel like I'm on a Roll....get it? A Roll!)
The lead officer returns my license, finding out I am squeaky clean and have been for decades. I must say he looked a little disappointed, but I'm not sure.
His parting words to me are, "you need to get that taken care of so it's visible right away."
Me: Yes sir, I will. You guys have a great day. Go Bucks!
Them: Shaking their heads they return to their cars, turn off their lights and leave the lot.
Me? I am now left to walk across the street and answer the questions of what was going on over in the parking lot. It's a long story.
O-H-
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Cathy is maybe 6" taller than her husband Joe. While they were both here for individual updated publicity photo's I offered to photograph them together.
To make this look balanced and believable, I had her sit on the stool, then brought him in at a good height. I prefer his mouth equal with her eyes. I think this looks believable and balanced. His words, "you've saved the best for last!" Mission accomplished.
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The short answer is, the gear made the difference.
Imagine the ability to shoot in 4K video, and grab a single frame that is up to 8 megs! What could that mean to you? What if you could film a sequence of your athlete and selecting the single frame that shows them at their very best. Yep, it's almost like magic. A really fast DSLR shoots 11 frames per second (fps). This camera is shooting at a blazing 30 frames per second! No more good luck or timing required. So, what does this technology cost? How about under $800.00!
The Panasonic Lumix line of cameras is my only non-Fuji camera. For walking around Cummins Falls today with one body and one lens, this was the right selection. The Lumix G7 with 14-140 lens, around $1,000.00. That is a pretty small price for making incredible memories that will last a lifetime.
]]>There are times when I get to take in my professional cameras, and there is just no substitute for the flexibility that offers. Here are a few images that show what can be done and why I'm such a huge fan of the Fuji X Series cameras and lenses.
Unlimited high ISO's, this is 6400!
This may not sound like a big deal, but the above image wasn't possible until I hit that number. It was my first time trying it, but it was what I had to do to get the shot. The Basement in Nashville is pretty intimate and very dark. If you can't shoot at 6400, just leave your camera at home!
Incredible color SOOC (straight out of camera)
Once you can nail down the color temperature, there isn't much left to do. Even in these situations AWB performs better than most cameras I've used. Music City Roots is taped at The Factory in Franklin. There the lighting is much better because it is both a video and radio broadcast. That makes it much easier to get good images.
Ability to use some the best, fast glass I've ever used. The Fuji 50-140 f2.8
I know, I know, what about the Nikon and Canon version of this lens, their 70-200 f2.8? Both of those lenses (version II's) are really great lenses. However, I can hand hold my Fuji at 1/15 of a second if I can't use my tripod and that is huge! Also, the Fuji is about 1 pound lighter and almost $1,000.00 less money! Those are two huge factors to consider.
Low key or high key? With a great camera and lens it doesn't matter!
I love music, period! I enjoy most musical styles and there is nothing like a live performance! Since moving to Nashville in 2010, we've made friends with some people that just happen to be incredible musicians, that share of love of photography! As a result, We've been able to enjoy some great concerts and events.
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I love live music! I also enjoy taking pictures there but it isn't always possible to get a pass to carry in my big lenses. It seems to be an accepted practice that if your lens isn't interchangeable, you are good to go. That is one of the reasons I still own my Fuji X20, it has a 28-112mm zoom lens and that is long enough in most arenas, at least it was in Bridgestone this week!
Other than a long, fast lens, you need to be able to shoot at higher ISO's, in this case 800 was no problem at all. A little Perfectly Clear Noise Reduction, and I'm very happy with these shots.
This proves once again the best camera to own, is the one you have with you!
Camera phones are fine for most situations. Not in a concert with lasers and tons of darkness, they just don't cut it...yet. I'm sure they will one day, but I plan on seeing a lot more concerts before then, and I'm not missing my chance at some great images.
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Totally happy, totally cute!
The father of the bride has been a friend for over 20 years. He's more than just a friend, he's like my little brother. He was fairly new in photography when I met him. The bride was only a few months old. At that time they lived in an apartment over his studio. Now besides having a great business, he has invested wisely in real estate is in a position that he can say "no" to jobs he doesn't want to take, including limiting the weddings he accepts. I only photograph a few weddings a year, and this is one I looked forward to. Terry photographed both of our daughters weddings and did an incredible job! It was our turn to reciprocate, and we looked forward to being with his family in Ohio for a few days.
The family bond is obvious in this portrait
This is the first time I've had to shoot my new camera of choice, the Fuji X series in the rain. I was a little concerned, but didn't say anything to anyone else about it. I had 3 Fuji bodies with me, plus a brand new Panasonic FZ1000 that Marlene was using. I was very impressed that all the cameras worked perfectly and never missed a beat. My wife is a much better photographer than she even knows. She has a great ability to see something thats about to happen and get the photo. Here is one of my favorites that she did as they were about to walk down the aisle, in the rain.
Photo by my wife with a Panasonic LZ 1000
The guests and all family members had umbrellas because it was going to rain that day! The location is the grooms grandparents farm in Hartville, Ohio. Just two days before this a terrible storm ripped through the area and was listed as an EF1 wind speed! There were trees uprooted and spit apart all over the place, it was a challenge getting to the venue.
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Why would you hire a professional photographer for a party or special event? Here are some of my thoughts when I'm covering an event.
I think a good analogy might be compared to what a great a chef does.
There really isn't any magic in what they use. Their skillets, pots, pans and ingredients are available to all of us. They cook on gas or electric stoves, just like we do. So what's the big deal? Why do we pay them to create a delicious meal? We could do it ourself and save a ton of money! The fact is, we can't do it as well as they do or we would. Most of us wouldn't dream of attempting to cook a gourmet meal for a super special occasion. Why would you trust your photography to document it. It would be awesome to have a chef cook all our meals, but practicality dictates that we make most meals at home for ourself and the fact is, there are some pretty good cooks out there. Day to day, what we make is absolutely perfect and I've had many delicious meals that friends have prepared.
So why do we accept "good enough" when we are celebrating a special event or milestone?
You've invested a lot of planning, effort and money in the event, but snapshots will be just fine? Large corporations don't do this! When they have National Corporate events, even training they wouldn't dream of doing it without a professional photographer there to document it. The mileage they get from our images will be used immediately in slide shows, many times later that evening! I've transferred files from my camera to my phone so a client could get an image out via email as it happened. They will also use them in training materials, blogs, websites, newsletters and other applications.
I wish I could take credit for this, but I can't. I don't know who said it, but I love the phrase: "beauty is in the eye of the checkbook holder!"
It doesn't get much better than after you deliver the images to your client and you get a text or a call thanking you for what you did for them. Here is my text from this event, and I quote: "Nick, these photos are so much more than I could have hoped for! You captured the night beautifully! Thank you so much!!!!"
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This turned out pretty good despite the challenges. Kind of like some life decisions I've made without totally thinking them through. The Lord is always so gracious to pick me up, set me back on the right path and let me go about my life, hopefully wiser and more attentive to His still small voice.
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While reviewing my images from the test shots, I saw this and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I started thinking about my own time as a kid. I can vividly remember many, many visits to Cambridge City Park and the swingsets there. We would get them going so high, it was a little scary. I remember the hesitation at the top of each arch as you would stop traveling in one direction and start back the opposite way. I remember thinking how cool it would be to experience weightlessness. Hovering, suspended above the ground, looking down...and it all happened in a fraction of a second. Isn't funny how these memories come flooding back? So real and vivid, you might even remember the smell of fresh cut grass while you were there.
I've been talking to my bride about the memories we are making with our grandkids now. I don't ever remember running into my grandparents bedroom to wake them in the morning. But our grandkids will! They will remember us pulling them into the bed and asking them how they slept and if they were ready to get some breakfast. We are conciously talking about the memories we will make with them. The things they will remember if the Lord tarries his return. These are the stories they will share with each other and their children. We are too busy when we can't take time at the beginning or end of the day to spend it with them. It's hard, I know, and it takes some doing, but it will be worth it all as we "make memories" with them.
A common phrase you hear a lot is, "at the end of the day..." Well, at the end of the day, this was very important and I feel blessed to have had this time with all of them.
]]>If Nathan is not a household name, I understand. I had known him for over a year before another customer told me who he was and what he did. He produced Taylor Swift's first three albums and has worked on all of them! He is super humble but has produced tons of great artists. He is only 38 years old, so he was super young when he started. I can tell you that I've yet to hear anyone in this town say anything negative about him, that is saying a lot. He has great music roots, his parents are Steve and Annie Chapman who have written some incredible Christian music through the decades, and they too are wonderful people! No surprise. Nathan is humble, fun and totally in love with his wife and family. If you would like to learn more about him, jump on his website by clicking this link.
L to R: Steve and Annie, Nathan, his wife and his sister Heidi
The album titled "Revival" is a very personal project for Nathan and his beautiful wife Stephanie. They wrote and produced the album together, one listen and you can hear how much thought went into these songs. They both introduced songs and told a few stories, this project is personal and that is one of the things that will make you love it Nathan even said that his wife is his "producer" in many areas of his life, and I for one, totally get that!
This was my first time at "The Basement" and let's just say it is a very small venue. Maybe intimate would be a one word description. The place was packed and jumping with the mutual admiration of the guests. Most of them were well known artists and they were absolutely enjoying the music. It was so well done plus the band was a "who's who" of Nashville players.
It was super dark. How dark? Everything I shot was 6400-12,800 ISO on my Fuji! That in itself was scary but unbelievable. Just a few short years ago images of this quality wouldn't have been possible digitally, now it's really not difficult at all. Sure there's some noise, but nothing that can't be easily cleaned up with a tool like Perfectly Clear. One click...done!
Nathan is a passionate person. He is also a gifted photographer. (see the Hasselblad shirt under his coat?) If you want to see some of Nathan's photography, just click here. I believe that when you are involved in the arts, any of the arts, you are probably very passionate. That passion overflows into everything you do, and that can be good and bad. There isn't room for some middle ground of involvement or commitment, it's almost an addictive tendency, something you need to guard against. I've always felt this way and it has been a blessing and a curse at times. But if you are aware of it, you can guard against it.
This was a great night, and I was blessed to be a part of it with my friend!
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I finally got out to test the new Fuji extension tubes and they work great. I had to use my 18-55 lens because I didn't have any of my primes. Still, the results are very good. I will shoot more a little later, but this was a great start. It was windy, so I used the Nissin i40 strobe in manual and very minimal power to freeze the movement. Because of the shallow depth of field, I shot stopped down a little so I'd have a better chance nailing the focus. This was ok for the first attempt. The daffodil remained very patient throughout the process.
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As I read this it made me stop in my tracks. It was a real "gut check." What drives me? Am I more committed to be a devoted follower of the Cross and what it represents or more concerned with being the best photographer I can be? Sadly, I have to admit that I spend much more time on my craft than the cross. I spend most of my waking hours talking about, reading, researching, teaching and doing photography. There's nothing wrong with that, it's my job and I understand that's pretty normal. But what about when I'm not working? How do I spend or invest that time?
Our time on earth is so short. I know this statement may weed out some of my friendships or relationships, but in no way do I believe that this life is all there is. No, I'm not coming back for round two or three, possibly as some other life form. And thank the Lord I'm not going to live forever on this earth, in this body that is slowly dying every single day. I believe there will be eternal life for all of us. We will spend eternity somewhere, it just won't end with the grave. If I didn't believe that, my life would look a lot different, and I'm sure I wouldn't be "better" because of that.
What about you? We are probably friends or you wouldn't have landed here on my blog. As a friend, I care about you and your life...now and later! I'd love nothing more than to chat with you about this. Let's grab a cup of coffee and talk about it. It's not my intention to "sell you" on anything, just to let you know how much the God of the Universe loves you and cares about you!
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Counting the two owners, there was one other employee at the store. After nearly two hours we had two customers, so the decision was made to close early, in fact, at noon. Around 11:00 Ron told me to wrap it up and head home.
I decided that I should at least go out and see if there was anything worth photographing in the back yard. Thinking ahead, I made some fresh coffee for when I came back in, it would be great with the Biscotti Marlene made this morning.
It turned out that I didn't have to leave the deck. Check out the cool ice hanging off the Weber grill. I love the contrast and ice encrusted handle.
Walking out into the yard, I saw some cool ice formations on the shrubs
This was my favorite shot of the day. All of these images with done on my Fuji X-T1 and the new 50-140mm f2.8 zoom? Both of these are weather sealed so the icy rain was no problem.
Calling for more ice tonight and plunging temperatures. May be back at it tomorrow. Stay warm!
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I have a customer that drove 4 hours to get help with lighting. Although he hadn't planned on being photographed today, I think this turned out really nice.We started with one light, and added a light at a time, eventually having this 4 light portrait. If you look at almost everything that can be mastered to some level of consistent execution, it demands solid basics. Sports? Yep. Cooking? Absolutely! I can't think of anything right now that doesn't include basics.
I believe that we are experiencing a "dumbing down" of portraiture. And at the very same time, there is a resurgence of classic, timeless portraiture by some great shooters. I love the portrait works of Tim and Bev Walden in Kentucky and Tim Kelly to name just a few. Please understand that I am in no way comparing my work, or this image to the likes of these incredible photographers. What I am saying is that we will never be able to create beautiful portraits like theirs without complete control of your lighting tools...modifiers.
I have a passion to help pass on these basics to others. I will be teaching a lighting class at Professional Photographers of Ohio "Photo Blast" on March the 13th. I'd love to have you join me. We will use great equipment and get to photograph models in a studio setting. I hope you can make it!
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Isn't it super easy to get caught up in all the "things" around us? Newer, bigger, better, faster...it never ends. So, this is directed at me for today and every day I can consciously remember to think about it. One day, it won't matter who had the biggest, fastest, or best. No one gets to take it with them when they die, so let's stop killing ourselves just to "get it!" Let's invest our lives into the things that matter and relationships with others.
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Although I don't talk about it much, I have been photographing commercial images on location for years. When clients have custom needs, and very specialized, delicate or extremely large products, going to them is the best solution.
That was the case on Wednesday. International Tower Lighting makes the lights and equipment you see on cell towers. These are very sophisticated lights and the boxes contain a lot of electronic equipment. There is much more to this than meets the eye and as is always the case, I learned a lot about their products.
These images were shot on a white sweep with Elinchrom lights on a Fuji X-E2 with the new 50-140 zoom. Everything went great, thanks to a hand from my assistant Otis Toussaint, we were done in the quoted time for the job. It is also helpful to have someone that knows and understands the equipment. In this case we worked with Andy, one of the Engineers. Great guy and super knowledgeable. When the lights wouldn't fire up inside the box, he knew what to do to fix it, and he did!
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Fuji 56mm f1.2 APD Lens
There has been lots of hype about this lens, is it deserved? I'll let you be the judge. When Aaron was home for Christmas, we wanted to compare the two side by side. He owns the original lens, and wondered if the new one is worth 50% more. We can't tell you how to spend your money, beauty is as they say in the eye of the checkbook holder, you judge for yourself.
The top image is the "new" lens. You can see this is one super sharp, great contrast lens. So what's the big deal? As you look at the out of focus light, just concentrate on the edges. Compare the roundness of those to the original lens below:
Fuji 56mm f1.2 original Lens
Same exposure, same distance, as controlled as we could do it in the store. Those subtle differences, plus more that I'm sure are beyond my pay grade are the reason for nearly 50% additional cost. While I wouldn't throw this out if they shipped one to me, I sure wouldn't invest the extra to own it.
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I know, I know, its a variable aperture. And...it's not very fast, so what. When I can do some quick grab shots of my very active grandkids, lit only by a window at the end of the hall that look like this, I'll take it all day long!
If you don't have $1700.00 for the new 2.8 version, don't sweat it. There are many great images to be made with this under $700.00 lens! This has been my primary portrait lens since I bought it and it has a great look to it. Plus, it's small and light weight, one of the things that attracted me to mirrorless cameras to begin with.
This image and the following were all shot at 1000 ISO, wide open and about 1/50 second hand held. If there is lack of sharpness it's because they moved. AND these are all SOOC, only cropped to fit this blog.
Vinny is a little tougher to keep in one spot but he is only 3 years old. When I can get him slowed down, I try to get something quick. This may not be my best attempt, but it shows what the lens is capable of. This lens is sharp enough for anything I need to do, in fact it's too sharp most of the time and I have to do some image softening.
Last but not least, the baby. Her eyes are gorgeous and yes, that is a marshmallow in and around her mouth. Whatever it takes for cooperation, right?
If you need a longer lens, and want to take beautiful images, I'd jump on one of these lenses. The only reason mine is for sale is because I've ordered the new 2.8 version. That being said, I could shoot this lens for years to come with no regrets and no loss of beautiful images.
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Unbelievable and worth the wait!
When I first heard about this, I wasn't even interested because I have the 55-200 and have taken some of my favorite portraits of the past year with that lens. Then I tried it yesterday...not a good thing to do. It is incredible!
Let me tell you that I've owned the Canon 70-200 version one, and BOTH versions of the Nikon 70-200 2.8. And those were all on a full framed sensor camera for you "pixel peepers". So, I've had 3 of these to compare my results against, and my opinion is this is an incredible lens and a great value at less than $1599.00!
100% crop of this image, hand held
Is it heavy? Compared to all the other lenses in the Fuji system, yes. But compared to similar lenses, no! It has an incredibly robust tripod collar ring that offers a stable mounting system. I do wish they would have machined the bottom of it to fit in an Arca Swiss mount, that would have been genius.
I don't know how Fuji designs their image stabilization, but it is unlike any other I've used. So, there is no argument this lens is sharp, but take a look at the capture data:
Yes, 800 ISO, at 1/18 of a second...handheld! I've never been able to hand hold that long of a focal length lens at anything less than 1/60 or possibly 1/30. So this is one additional stop of usability for me. Needless to say, I have a 55-200 for sale for a bargain price if you are looking to add a starter long focal length lens that is a great portrait lens too.
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I was done preparing the turkey and stuffing and dinner was a few hours off. What to do? Snack on some Swiss cheese and crackers of course! I love Guggisburg from Sugarcreek, Ohio and we try to have some here all the time. Aaron was here so we were talking cameras and I was able to show him some of the cameras and lenses I have on loan from my long time friend Tom Curley at Panasonic. I've been shooting these for the last week and quite frankly I'm very impressed with the image quality from this line!
The Leica 42.5mm Nocitron f1.2 lens is unlike anything I've every had the pleasure to work with. I am super excited about scheduling a portrait session with this lens. Since we didn't want to take the time to set up for a session, I used the kitchen counter. So this isn't as controlled of an experiment as I would typically do, but it shows pretty nicely how much difference a few stops can make. The work "bokeh" is overused and used incorrectly possibly more than any other "buzz word" in photography. If you read my blog with any frequency you know it is a sore spot with me. I know I can't right all the wrongs, but I'll keep trying to illustrate in my own little way what I see.
What do you see right away? I think its pretty obvious that by stopping down just a little, the entire look and feel of the image changes. If this were a close up of a person, with a background a few feet behind them, the look would be beautiful! That is my goal for next week. But for now, this will have to do.
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Other initial impressions:
More testing to do, but I'm having a blast!
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Sweet Baby James and his All Star Band
It was another "bucket list" check off, James Taylor in concert. We moved here a little over 4 years ago, and at that time J.T. was touring with Carole King. We decided to buy tickets to see them in Cleveland, and we bought pretty good tickets too. Then, all of a sudden, we moved to Nashville and couldn't go. I sold the tickets and that was that.
This past weekend we were booked to go to Gatlinburg, where we spent our honeymoon 37 years ago. Marlene ended up with a nasty sinus infection and we had to cancel. Now we had a rare weekend off, in fact 4 days in a row, and we wanted to do something. She remembered that this concert was happening, found out tickets were available and I'm so glad she did!
There is a reason the concert is billed as his "all star band" it's because they are all stars! Steve Gadd is a legend in recorded drumming! I made a comment to Marlene that the percussionist was incredible, and it turns out he was Luis Conte, another legend! If you love music, check out the links to read about who these players are. And if you get a chance to see this show, do it! You won't be disappointed, in fact you will be very entertained!
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I had a great time teaching in Dublin, Ohio last weekend at the Professional Photographers of Ohio PhotoU, Fall show. This is Logan Brazzell and she works for my good friends at Jones Photography. She patiently modeled so I could demonstrate some lighting techniques. This cover image is window light and a reflector. One of the easiest ways to pull off a flattering portrait in a hurry. It rounds out the shadow side of her face and makes her eyes "pop."
This is the Westcott Ice Light blended with some available light. She's sitting on the steps, just leaning into the landing. I am on laying on the floor with my tripod all the way down. Fuji X-E2 and 55-200 lens.
Same lighting set up as above, I'm just not laying down. This image is unusable without additional light. It didn't need much so the Westcott Ice Light was perfect. This is my second time working with that light, and admittedly it is pricey, but it sure is handy and a beautiful source!
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I know from watching our own daughters grow up, there is something very special about the bond between sisters. I have watched them grow and interact through all the stages of life and it has been amazing. Today as beautiful, mature women, wives and mothers, it's still awesome to see them interact and hear how much they care for and love each other.
These two young ladies are no different. We've been allowed to spend time with them and their family, and what they have is very special too! I know that as time goes on, their bond will grow stronger and even closer. Hopefully this portrait will serve as a reminder of this season in their lives, and maybe even make them smile a little.
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It just happened that I had yesterday off and it was our anniversary. As residents of Nashville for 4+ years, we still had not made it to The Loveless Cafe. Our plans included a late breakfast (to beat the crowds) and a big breakfast. Mission accomplished. No waiting, a great server and food that exceeded our expectations.
We decided to try a little of everything. The country ham is super salty and incredible. Sausage gravy, casserole and home made biscuits with home made preserves. There is a jar of blackberry sitting in our refrigerator even as I type.
After 37 years I love my wife more than I ever thought possible. Like all honest couples, we've had our good times and not so good. I can tell you that there are now far less "bad times" and many more "good times!" Some have asked what our secret is, there really isn't any secret. There is a certain peace in accepting each other and not trying to change them into something or someone else. Fact is, I love her as she is and wouldn't change a thing! Jesus talked about it years ago when he told us we need to die to ourselves, and live for him. The same applies to our marriages, it's about putting the others needs before yours. It also helps if you marry your best friend. The real truth is that you will probably put up with more "stuff" from your best friend than anyone else on the planet! I thinks thats a good plan for your spouse too, don't you?
]]>What an incredible time we had in Atlanta! Aaron and Cleo had put together a super enjoyable wedding.
I'm a veteran of many, actually hundreds of weddings, and this was one of my all time favorites. Thats a big statement, but it's the truth. I think my conversation with one of the guests pretty well summed it up. He said, "I felt like I was able to witness something really private and intimate, almost allowed to be there." Thats certainly not the case with a lot of weddings, it's all about the "production" or "wow factor." The setting was down a rock covered path, in the woods, by a like with a breeze blowing in. Nobody sported perfect hair and nobody cared! In fact, I don't think anyone noticed! This was all about their sacred union and exchange of vows (that they wrote themselves to each other) and their family and friends as witnesses.
The above quick portrait was taken the night before at the rehearsal party. There really wasn't a rehearsal, we just had a party with some of their closest friends. At the end of the night Blake (our incredible host and the best man) spoke encouraging words about them. That was followed up by many others who did the same thing and then we prayed over them. All in all, I don't know that it gets any better than that.
Aaron waited a long time for Cleo to come along, his mantra was "don't settle." He didn't and he will tell you it was worth the wait. She is perfect for him and we are blessed to include her in our family!
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We were invited to ride in the car that carried Cleo, her mom, maid of honor (Megan) and us to the wedding venue. You may ask, "why a car?" Well, it was down a steep, rock lined hill in the Georgia woods. Not a very good combination for a wedding dress and fancy shoes.
I was not taking photographs for any other reason than for us to have. Aaron had lined up shooters, and they were doing a great job. I had my Fuji X20 and saw this in the back seat. The light was perfect and the anticipation and happiness on her beautiful face, this had to be documented!
After studying it, I converted it to black and white using MacPhun Tonality Pro and love the result! More than that, we love our daughter in law and pray for them a lifetime of happiness!
]]>This is exciting! As you probably know by now, Marlene and I are high school sweethearts. There are lots of advantages to that and love for the same music is one of them. We love the 70's and all the great music from that era! Living in Music City has many benefits, and excellent concerts is one of them. But sometimes you just can't get in to certain events no matter how much money you have. Last night was one of those nights. We've loved the Doobie Brothers for decades and they were playing a private event. The only way I knew about it is one of the drum techs is a friend and he let me know. He even offered to get us in if it were possible. In itself, just the thought of that was pretty cool. Then early afternoon I got a text from Jeremy saying to call him, he had tickets for us later that night!
After a few calls, it was on and we were in! He met us there, gave us our passes then went way beyond what we could have guessed. First stop, sit behind the drum set. What? Who wouldn't want to do that, especially if you are a drummer?
Yes, that is a big cheesy smile and it was very, very cool!
Then he took our picture in front of the kit, Marlene looks great (as always) and I'm taking (as always) telling him how to set my camera, bummer for me.
Next stop was to meet the band...all of them! Jeremy took us backstage and introduced us to most of the band and support crew, it was awesome and totally unexpected. Everyone was super friendly and engaging, we really were out of our element but it sure was fun!
The concert was great and they sounded as good as ever. The Sax player is an animal, has played with most everyone including one of my all time favorites, Tower of Power!
I really like the diagonal symmetry of this image, couldn't have asked for cleaner lines!
The acoustics in the Country Music Hall of Fame Theatre are incredible! The mix was great and the lighting was easy to work with. A music loving photographers dream night!
I owe Jeremy a huge thanks! This was a night we won't forget and will talk about for years to come.
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Tuesday night is kids night at Chik-fil-a, so usually we stay away on that night. But when your grandson is in town, that is the place to be!
All along the plan was dinner and then ice cream, that was it. A few nights earlier I learned he loved milk shakes but doesn't get them very often. (he's not quite 4, there will be lots of time) but when you are out with "Bapa" nothing says he can't order one and share it. Thats exactly what we did, and loved it!
Everything was near perfect until I realized that I left "Tiger" his travel companion on the table. Mama called, and they had him safely secured behind the counter, so a short trip back and they were reunited.
This was a good night. Thank you Lord!
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We have a family tradition, the birthday boy or girl gets to pick what they want for dinner. When the kids were home, that meant Marlene would make whatever they wanted. As they got older, that meant they picked the restaurant. Sunday was my day to pick and Outback just sounded good to me, so that's where we went.
Its easy to forget how much fun it is to have children with you at dinner when you don't have them around all the time. They add laughter, fun and sometimes just a little embarrassment.
It wasn't super busy, so we got waited on fairly quickly, and our server was great. But, when you aren't quite four and the adults are still talking, you can get pretty bored. What to do? Just toss a piece of your napkin over the top of the booth into the next booth. We had no idea there was anyone over there...until it came sailing back onto our table. Yep, kids will do that sometime. We laughed...really quietly.
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Knowledge is power, or so they say. I believe that knowledge is a powerful thing to have at your disposal and that used correctly it will save you time, aggravation and simplify your life.
I frequently shoot photos at our church for special occasions. This was a celebration of Dan Arteburn's 30 years serving on our church staff. 30 years is a long time for anyone to work anywhere and a church is no different. In fact, it may be more challenging than many other jobs, but that is just my opinion.
So, when you have mixed light sources, floods, LED's and daylight coming in from a window, how do you set your white balance and exposure? I've landed on settings that allow me to get near perfect, SOOC. This image is a jpeg straight out of my Fuji X-E2 with zero post processing. By nailing down the degrees Kelvin, and compensating for the severe lighting, it is a pretty nice image just as it is created.
Not only is knowledge power, it will also make you more profitable. By spending less or zero time in front of your computer "fixing" your images, you can spend that time doing something else. Please don't forget that every additional minute you spend is also less profit for you from that job.
It's a message that has been preached for years, get it right in the camera. You'll be happy you did!
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One of those words is "bokeh." We hear it most every day, and sadly most use it incorrectly or with limited understanding. Bokeh, like gravity, just happens. I'd rather discuss what makes it happen. Focus point, aperture used and placement of your subject.
On our Photo Walk the other night, there were a few ladies that were intrigued by why I carried my tripod with such a small camera. It certainly weighs more than the camera, much more. To illustrate it I set up the following shots. These are not intended to be beautiful pictures, but they do show what happens by just switching your lens opening.
I've focused on the decorative gate in the foreground. As you can see even with my subject very close, there is a lot of depth here. I am close to the minimum focus to illustrate this effect.
This is a game changer, it makes this image totally different. Suddenly it's all about the decorative iron. You can't tell anything about the building, but it sure has a gate around it.
I know this is basic stuff, but I've stopped taking this fact for granted. The ladies I was with simply couldn't believe the difference. I hope this will be of help to others too.
This illustration reminds me of the bible verse that talks about our earthly vision. Here we don't see things as we will from God's perspective. He views all that is going on through an "eternal filter." I Cor. 13:12 For now we see through a glass. darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also am known. We see all the bad things that are going on daily, just turn on your TV or a news feed on your phone, we just don't understand it. Some even question God or his existence because it is allowed to happen. It's just a by product of our fallen world we live it, sadly it's going to get worse than it is. The only hope that's for sure, is not trusting in yourself, your bank account, your friends, even your church! Jesus said he is THE way, THE truth and The life. He's got this life AND the next!
]]>I've never been a fan of reshooting a previous shot. But when we did the photo walk this past weekend, I had a new light to use. The great folks at Westcott sent us an "Ice Light." I've never used one before, so I was looking forward to trying it out. I thought it would only be in portrait applications, but I found another use for it. As you can see above, the difference is subtle, but I think it is worth the effort. The plaque in the foreground now pops, and the detail is amazing. The detail is all thanks to the incredible Fuji X sensors, shots that were not possible before are now no problem. I don't think twice about using a super high ISO's whenever I need to.
]]>DISCLAIMER: I'm the first to admit this isn't a very good shot to stick on the site of a professional photographer. But, this wasn't taken by me or any of my friends, it's just a snapshot. What this photo represents is something pretty incredible in today's economy of disposable...almost everything!
This was taken at our 40th high school reunion. And by chance, most of us ended up at the same table, or very close. This group of classmates have all been married for a minimum of 35 years! Doesn't that seem incredible to you? We had about 275 or so in our graduating class in 1974. In Cambridge Ohio, there weren't many of us with dreams to change the world. Not to say that we haven't made a difference, because some of us have. The "small town mentality" that was taught to us by our teachers, and modeled to us by our parents, made a difference! I'm talking about the fact that you take your time and find a person you want to spend the rest of your life with. It was obvious that most of these couples were still good friends, that is a game changer.
I've said many times that marriage is so much easier if you marry your best friend. It's my opinion that you will put up with more "stuff" (read crap) from your BFF than almost anyone else. Sometimes that friendship may be all you have to carry you through the bad times. More important than that it helps if you both have a deep faith that you practice together. For Marlene and I, it is our bond with a Savior that demonstrated a selfless, loving example of how to love. A love that cost him his very life, but that he freely, lovingly, and gladly laid down so that we could live. That is the ultimate self sacrifice, the extreme picture of what real love looks like. Our spouse will probably never ask us to die for them, but sometimes it would be easier than "giving in" to what they want or need, wouldn't it?
So glad to see these friends again. To celebrate with them and catch up on their lives. If the Lord allows, we'll go back in another 5 years and do it all over.
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Wow, we have been non-stop for the past week or 10 days. After our moving adventure last weekend, every night has been spent doing projects or putting stuff away. My wife has been hard at it even more than I have! Last night, new locks on the doors. If you know me, that is not my strength. I did get it done with zero left over parts. Success!
I'd like to think it will slow down, but I doubt it will. For sure it won't this weekend. We are off to Ohio after work tonight. Then we are driving to visit friends Friday and our 40th High School reunion on Saturday. I remember photographing those as a young man thinking, "wow, they are old!" I was right! Now it's our turn! but we look way better than they did (for sure Marlene does!)
Sunday will be lunch with my siblings, and then we pick up the "grands" to bring them back to Nashville with us. (More details on that soon)
Sorry for the absence, I'll try to do better!
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We lived in our home in Ohio for about 30 years. We raised our family, entertained tons of wonderful friends, laughed, cried, celebrated milestones and just lived life there. Four years ago, we moved to Nashville. We rented a home for two years, built our first home ever and now we are moving again.
As you may know, we bought in a "55 and older Del Webb community." Promoted as an active lifestyle community, it just ain't us. I am no where near retirement, so as of mid July I've been to the pool 3 times. Long story short, our HOA fee has increased $100.00 a month in the last two years, so we decided to sell our home. The Lord turned this into a huge blessing! Our house sold for cash in a little over a week and we've found a new place to call home!
So, Friday August 1st we will close on both homes. Pack up that afternoon and Saturday morning, we will drive 7 miles to our new place. The house is about 10 years old, has a nice little fenced in back yard and a very open design. We will be able to entertain friends again without restrictions. You can park in the yard, we don't care. You won't need to go through any gates, just drive on up. We love to sit by a fire in the evening, so I'm building a fire pit. It's the little things right?
We are thankful, but it's now the home stretch. Marlene is packing up boxes and there is much to do. Hopefully it will all come together and the move will go smoothly. We hope to see you soon in our new place, drink a cup of coffee and share some conversation about our lives. And if you find yourself with nothing to do on Saturday morning August 1, come on by and carry a few boxes. We'll have donuts and coffee ready for you. :)
So, here is what you would have seen if you were standing alongside of me, or if you took this with your phone. I think it's a nice image, thanks to awesome quick posing help from my friend John Walters from Amelia (Cincinnati) Ohio.
But this is the finished image after just a few minutes in Photoshop. I prefer the blurred background, and when I saw this backdrop, this was already my plan for finishing the shots. In fact, I lit it specifically so it would look like this when I was done. I also knew I would want a quick vignette around the edges, about a minute to burn that in. Finally, everyone's friend, skin retouching done with one click of my preferred plug in. Voila! A beautiful, traditional, bride and groom portrait.
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Last Saturday I was able to help a friend of a friend. My friend, John Walters is a great photographer from Cincinnati, Ohio. John taught me a lot of what I know for formal photography, posing and lighting. He also allowed me to teach with him for my first PPA class that earned me a Merit towards my CR Photog. degree. It was only fitting that when I received my degree, he presented it to me. You can say we have history.
Johns friend, Bill Smith of Nashville had a daughter getting married and he needed some help making the images. John asked me if I would do the formals with him. I was there for the "first look." I kind of enjoy doing this, but it always feels weird, kind of like you don't belong. But, we were invited to document it and this was my view.
Super sweet couple and their bridal party was lots of fun. It was great working with John and a handful of other great photographers. I told them if I had that kind of help at every wedding, I would photograph them all the time!
Camera Nerds: Fuji X-E2, 35mm 1.4 lens and 3200 ISO.
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Note to self: "you are no longer in your 20's, 30's, or 40's. In fact, you are barely in your 50's. Please act accordingly.
This is no major revelation to most folks, but it sure is a needed reminder after my last "great idea." Living in Nashville is unlike most any other city. Because of the creative aspect, many musicians...even very famous musicians share a love or passion for photography. Working in one of the best camera stores on the planet, we meet many of these wonderful people and have even become friends. That's the case with Jonathan Cain, the keyboard player and writing genius behind Journey's amazing success. Jonathan has become a friend through the store, I was talking to him about this concert and he offered me tickets to which I quickly said YES!
OK, it's not a great picture of me, but I was talking the person through how to use my camera
I was driving back from a visit to Ohio a month or so ago, and heard of an amazing concert in Cincinnati. This didn't really interest me because it's a 4 1/2 hour trip one way. But it was three groups that I like a lot, Journey, Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power, all in one night!
Yes, that is the incredible Joseph Wooten over Steve's shoulder. He was fantastic as always!
The plan was simple: figure out who to invite without hurting anyone else's feelings. They have to appreciate great music and be crazy enough to drive 600+ miles in one day! I thought the most difficult part would be not leaving anyone out. Turns out, Wednesday nights are terrible for long road trips. I had a short list of about 6 folks I really wanted to go with me, but for one reason or another, none of them could go. (I have to add that all of them hated they couldn't make it!) In fact, I almost had to ditch the entire trip. But on Tueday I got a visit from my friend Tommie Coomes, he's been a TOP fan for decades and heard them when they started out. (He's from California, and a great musician/producer) it was spur of the moment, but he was in and the trip was on! The plan was simple, I would work till 12:30, he would meet me at the store and we would be off.
We had a great time talking all the way up and back. We logged over 600 miles, drank coffee, ate some junk food (including Graeter's ice cream) and had a great time!
I have to say this is probably the best concert I've ever been to. The sound was great and the bands were tight. Tower of Power was playing as we walked in and it sounded like their 40th Anniversary CD! Ironically, I didn't take any pictures of them because I was walking in and out for various reasons. Bummer.
Jonathan tossed out many picks to fans and I did get one in flight
I told many friends this was so good I would do it again...but not right away.
Camera Specs: The incredible Fuji X20! I have not owned a better "point and shoot" for concerts. The results rival using most bigger cameras and it handles high ISO's incredibly. It has a 28-112mm zoom and it's super fast, plus it doesn't attract attention of the camera police.
]]>When our children were young, we attended the air show in Cleveland many times. It is every Labor Day and a great time to be by Lake Erie. Nice temperature, lots of sun and great performers. After four years, we were finally going to make it to Smyrna. We did, and it was hot! In the 90's all day long with no relief from the sun at all. Water, iced tea whatever you want was $5.00 each!
In years past, I had typical DSLR equipment and shooting these types of events was simple. This year, as you know I am totally mirrorless and it proved to be more of a challenge. In fact, my "keeper" stat was way off. That said, this camera is not designed with this in mind, but it can be done. Here are a few of my favs from the day, there aren't many because I just didn't shoot that much.
This is a much smaller show than we are used to, but it was still fun. The Navy Blue Angels were incredible, as always. We love watching them or the Thunderbirds perform. Watching their precision flying makes you wonder what enemy pilot in their right mind would choose to go head-to-head against one of our guys? I believe the key is they aren't in their right mind! You would have to be some degree of crazy. These guys are 18" away at 300 MPH...on purpose! Just look at this, four jets occupying the same air space!
If you want to see some great images from the day, head on over to my friend Bob Wheaton's site, he killed it!
All things considered, it was a fun day. I spent it with my wife who kept me hydrated and sunburn free! Take away the nearly two hours it took to exit the parking lot, and you have an enjoyable time. They had twenty or more people taking your money and parking you, and maybe four directing traffic to get out. 'Nuff said, you can imagine the bedlam and mass exodus.
]]>Typically meetings like this can be mundane, and the lighting options very limited. This evening was an exception, and a lot of that had to do with the venue. These beautiful windows made it possible to blend some existing light that was coming in with my flash, that made for much nicer "mingling or networking" photos. I won't post those because I don't have releases on the individual subjects. It was a very y gray day, so I altered the color balance and did some post processing to make this look more interesting. Yes, I should have moved the car, but this wasn't a shoot for the Center so we went with what we had.
There were several dignitaries that are very involved in this organization and they have a passion for a healthier Nashville. Our Mayor, Karl Dean addressed the audience. He has taken many initiatives during his term to help make exercise more readily accessible to our city. You may notice the light is straight on, not from my camera position. I think this is much more flattering and gives some dimension to the shot, not a typical "speech at the podium" image. Although a little more trouble to set up, I prefer the end results.
As with any graduation ceremony of sorts, there is the group shot. Senator Frist was so easy to work with, he made it very easy to get what they wanted. I think this works out better because of planning. You can see the tape on the floor for position. I also asked for permission to reposition the banner prior to this portion, and that make it work much better.
There are the unsung heroes that make this appear to be a simple process, but lots of planning is necessary to make it appear that way. The group photo took about 5 minutes to shoot. The set up and planning? Much more time, but worth it. Making sure name tags are removed, and that you can see everyone is huge. Then making it look like the light was perfect that night for a photo, but it typically isn't. That's why you have to be over equipped and prepared. Here my Elinchrom Quadra supplied enough fill light bounced out of a 60" umbrella. I adjusted my shutter speed, allowing the available light behind them to record and provide separation.
Thanks to Paul Wharton for trusting me to shoot this important assignment for his client!
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Life is so different close up. When I break out my 60mm Fuji macro lens, something different kicks in. I have this urge to get down in the dirt and take a closer look at just about everything. I've discovered that some of the sights we see all the time, we may not really be seeing at all!
Blossoms are more beautiful, greens are much different and depth of field becomes a playground of the color palette for your cameras sensor!
Sometimes the absence of color is more effective, like with this bloom.
Cheekwood is a photographers paradise, especially if you are in a "macro mode." That time that seems to be more clearly defined at a one to one ratio.
You may also fine a beautiful flower growing contentedly in open shade...perfect when that happens!
NOTE: None of these images would have been possible without a great tripod and head. Here I'm using my Manfrotto 055 Carbon Fiber sticks and the Really Right Stuff medium ball head.
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At a recent event, we had arrived to do some formal photographs for the bride and groom. We weren't there to document the evening, but still I didn't want to miss anything they might enjoy. The gift table was small, off to the side and really pretty plain. But, the light was coming in from the front of the bird cage creating this really nice pattern of light on the card. Once I saw this, I knew I had to have it.
As photographers we should always be looking for great images. This is what separates us from the rest of "them." Just having a great camera is no more effective than owning a great instrument, if you don't practice.
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Warning: Do not try this at your studio!
While teaching a lighting class I made several brand new discoveries.
1. You can trigger Elinchrom flash units with two separate triggers simultaneously. The built in Skyport AND a Pocket Wizard.
2. If you aren't careful about the placement of trigger #2, you will melt it much like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
But, the biggest news of all could be the next one.
3. If you don't discover you've melted it until the end of the day, and the display isn't working, and it shut itself off, never fear, it may be OK!
Yep, as hard as it may be to believe, this unit stills powers up and works as intended. As you can see, this isn't a minor melt, it was pretty serious, but it's just fine.
There was a mixture of nervous laughter and a few hushed, "oh my's" in the class. I just figured it would have to go back to Pocket Wizard so Rameesh could work his magic. As bad as it looks, it is refreshing to know that it isn't fragile at all and a serious working trigger.
Phil is the Product Manager and an incredible resource. He's always ready to help you get the results you need. When I sent him this image he enthusiastically responded, "I must have this for my collection!" There is a lot to say about a company that gets excited when they find out their customers accidentally tested them beyond any reasonable usage, and helps get it back to normal. Thanks for a super rugged trigger and great customer service guys!
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What says "comfort" more than fresh baked bread and an open fire? To me, nothing I can think of! When I walked inside the Market, I saw this on the counter and I was immediately drawn to it. Since I was out shooting with the class from Jeff Johnson's Soul Road Trip seminar, I had my Fuji around my neck. Quick image SOOC and I am very happy with it. In fact, I may want to go reshoot it more intentionally in the future.
It's not too late to register for his Old Car City workshop later this week, just jump on his link above!
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What are you saying? I've been photographing wedding for 4 decades, and I still enjoy them...on my terms. The days of small events are pretty much gone for us unless we decide we want to do it.
This wedding was one of those occasions. Kim has been a friend since we moved here, and she just found Dennis the man of her dreams. They got married a few months ago but just had the celebration. When we received the invitation, we wanted to be a part of it! This was our first time photographing at Hermitage Golf Course, so we had no idea what to expect. But, when we saw this location, we stopped and composed this first shot of the couple. We are super happy with this one, and so are they. There are a few more that we like, but this is my favorite by far.
Technically mixing daylight with strobe is always a challenge, and I know I couldn't achieve this "natural look" with anything less than the Elinchrom Quadra and my Sekonic 478DR to accurately measure the two light sources and nail the balance.
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Our model, Jasmine is absolutely beautiful. The first time she modeled for us she didn't wear any make up at all, and truthfully she doesn't need it. But for this day, her mom agreed to let Brie our fabulous MUA do her work.
This shot is available light, SOOC with the Fuji 56mm 1.2 lens. That is the same as an 84mm lens on a full frame sensor. This focal length has always been a favorite of mine. Fuji sells this lens for $999.00, that is incredible for a lens this good! (Canon's 85mm 1.2 is $2,200.00, just as a comparison)
As you can see, with just the smallest bit of retouching, this is transformed into a "wow" portrait! Imagenomic "Portraiture" has been my retouching tool of choice for years. I am pretty Photoshopped challenged, I just don't know how to do that much. I can get done what I need to, beyond that I farm it out to trained professionals.
Soon, I will post some images from the students. I don't really take time to shoot that much, it's all about them having a great experience and getting some keeper images. I've received emails or texts from almost all the attendees and this was a huge success. I've already seen some fantastic images that I'm anxious to share with you.
Teaching lighting is something I'm passionate about! I don't want to see our profession turned into a bunch of folks that don't know how to create light that flatters their subject, or creates the proper mood for their session. If you'd like to know how you can get involved in our next class just drop me a note letting me know your interested, and I'll send you information.
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How do you spend your lunch time? Rarely do I take my full hour that's allotted to me, unless I run to Fork's Drum Closet to do some shopping.
Cecilia and her husband Stan are friends of ours from our church, Hermitage Hills. She has done modeling in the past and wants to explore the possibility again. It all starts with a good head shot, so we knocked it out while I ate lunch.
I really enjoy helping others with my photography. It is one of the few professions that what you do will be around for a long time. You may help someone land a dream job, or you may document their advancement and achievements. It may be as simple as documenting what their family looks like at this exact moment in time. If you are the client, those are all good reasons to invest in professional photography. It really does make a difference.
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This week marks our 4 year anniversary here in Nashville. We moved here two days after the devastating flood 05/05/10. What a terrible thing to see as I moved into our beautiful city, but as the posters said, we are back!
I've been blessed to make many new friends here in town, one of those men is Henry Hamman from Sewanee. A few years ago he asked me if I would be interested in being a substitute photographer for the college there. You see, they already had a GREAT photographer, in fact he works for a little magazine called National Geographic! Yep, he is the real deal for sure.
Now I'd like you to meet a brand new friend, Mr. Donald Holmes. To say this was the most enjoyable session I've photographed in a while would be an understatement. I enjoyed everything about the short time we spent together, and I feel like I made a friend in that time. He came in wearing this hat, and I loved the way it set off his suit and provided a final touch to his outfit.
What I need to explain is that typically I wouldn't have selected a black velvet background, but this is the spec for the college and their "Wall of Fame" where his official portrait will be displayed. I sure am glad that's what they like, because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have ended up with this beautiful image. Technically there were some challenges, but these were all solved by simply adding a light at a time and metering them with my Sekonic 478 meter. This image is out of the camera, no exposure adjustment at all. A little skin retouch is all that's been done. There is just no substitute for incredible lights and an accurate, calibrated meter!
Tech Specs: Fuji X-E2 camera with Fuji 55-200 lens, Elinchrom lights, Rotalux soft box and Interfit Strip bank with LightTools fabric grids. Sekonic 478 meter and my Manfrotto 055 tripod with Really Right Stuff ball head.
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It was a fun day of celebration! One year later you would have never known the physical challenges she had gone through. It wasn't long after her birth the doctors discovered some abnormalities in her kidneys. It was a year that kept us praying for a miracle that Almighty God provided for her! After a minor surgery, she is good as new and as they say, "growing like a weed!"
Our son-in-law Scott is more of a perfectionist than I am. So, when it was time to add this decal to the wall and he asked for help, I knew it wouldn't be quick. I will tell you this, it is absolutely evenly applied to the wall. I was glad we got it done before lunch...I wasn't sure we would!
I love this verse, it is one we have quoted as a family for decades. It looks like it has been adopted into this next generation and we couldn't be happier.
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Red is my favorite color, and if we ever own any kind of fun "sports car" it will be red if possible. Doesn't this bring back some great memories. I'm sure it will for my friend Bill Fortney. His dad worked for Coke as he grew up, and this logo was a part of his and Homer's every day life. He tells great stories about all the "Coke give-aways" that were stacked in his parents garage he one day got rid of as "junk." Hindsight is 20/20 and it would be worth a small fortune today.
Then there was my high school friend Harry Eynon. He had a Ford Falcon and I remember taking his picture with it many, many years ago. When I saw this car, I had to take it just for Harry.
Do you like it better in black and white? Or....
...color?
Saturday's will include regular trips to see these beauties and many more. If you want a fun evening that doesn't cost any money, you may want to come to Mt. Juliet and check this out.
All shots are with Fuji X-E2 with 35mm lens
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This tree is in Cades Cove and one of the most photographed trees I've seen, thanks to my friend Bill Fortney and his amazing videos on Kelby Training, now Kelby One.
Here is a "selfie" done with my camera, not my phone
Paul stopped for a photo op at our very first stop on the side of the road
And here is one of my favorites that I did with my point and shoot, Fuji X20. Keith reflected in his Tahoe.
It was an early morning, one mile hike up to Tremont Falls, but it was worth it.
The boys are happy we made it, broke out the gear and got some great pictures! It looks like Bob is welcoming us to "his place." He was our guide and did an incredible job keeping us on task and planning the trip so we would get to all the places in the short time we had.
And now some pretty shots from the trip.
There are lots more to process, and I will get to them as I have some time. This was a fun couple of days and I can't wait for our next adventure!
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It's been over a week and I'm just now getting to processing some of my shots from last week. It was Easter week and that meant lots of fun preparation for music at church, and I loved doing that.
The frustration happened when I finally had time to work on them on my aging, outdated, virus infected PC, it couldn't do a thing. This will be the last PC I own! I will be buying a Mac workstation soon, possibly a Mac Mini just because of affordability, and I hope it is soon.
This is the result of an early morning hike of about a mile, but it was worth it! Fuji 14mm lens was used on a Manfrotto tripod resulting in nice long exposure and super sharp image. Enjoy!
More beautiful images coming soon!
Tommy is a great friend and incredible musician. What a great smile and humble spirit this man has. Tommy and his band "Love Song" is credited with being a catalyst in changing the course of Christian music back in the 70's when my life was dramatically changed by meeting Christ. I heard of their group and knew their songs, little did I know that 40+ years later, we would become friends.
We also have the love of photography in common. He shoots Canon and Fuji, so last time he was in I showed him the new 56mm 1.2 lens, and this was a quick shot that I did of him. Great smile. Great guy!
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My wife and her sister Marsha fondly remember their old Plymouth Belvedere. The one thing they always mention is the transmission, it was actually a push button. Maybe that explains the resistance I faced when I told Marlene she needed to learn to drive a standard shift. She wasn't excited but she learned to clutch with the best of us. And all of our kids learned how to drive one, just in case. When I saw this car a few weeks ago I wanted to take a few minutes to capture a memory for two very special ladies, my wife and her sister.
While many of you readers are far too young to even imagine such madness, hopefully some of you will. And maybe it will being a smile to your faces too. I hope so, I don't know how many more of these you will ever have a chance to see. I'm glad I did.
]]>Aaron knew of a local shop called "Cool Beans" so that's where we met. Any time we get together with our family, usually coffee is involved. The coffee was great and the atmosphere super casual and friendly. Right behind us is their roaster, so I had to buy a bag of beans to bring home. You will note that there are two cameras on the table plus the third that took this photo. I was a scout and still subscribe to the "be prepared" moto.
What a cute and quaint, kind of "old fashion" downtown area they have, we loved it! Saturday's they have a "farmer's market" and there were many locals with beautiful, colorful veggies for sale.
Many people brought their dogs along and bought their fresh veggies for the week here. I know that if we had the option, we would too.
The water was already there, I just shot it in macro and cropped it tighter
Sometimes it pays to have a good camera with you. This would have worked on my phone, but it wouldn't have looked anything like this.
After this we had lunch together at a fantastic restaurant called "Jerusalem Bakery." This city has lots to do and many great eating options. I didn't take pictures of our dinner the night before at Marietta Diner, but take my word for it, you won't leave hungry!
]]>33 degrees, brrrr! It doesn't make any difference, we are here to shoot and learn. Its a good thing I brought several layers of clothes, I needed them all. We shot outside all morning and now we are in the classroom taking a look at what we got. This is the first series that I decided to take a look at and I like it! It is supposed to warm up tomorrow, but I'll be back in Nashville tonight. It has been another great workshop and I've learned a lot more what to do and not to do. We are heading out again in a bit, and I will reshoot some of what I shot this morning...because I need to!
]]>One of the best things is I get to spend two days with one of my closest friends and mentors, Bill Fortney. The fact that we are shooting together is just an added bonus. Add to that the fact that Jim and Snake will be along...double bonus. When I did this trip last year it had been ages since I shot just for me, I was just not interested and truthfully didn't have the time. The few days I spent with them revitalized my desire to take pictures that make me happy. That's what got me into this hobby over 40 years ago! Ever since then, I'm taking photos again just for the sake of having fun. I couldn't be happier with what I'm shooting and I've added lots of post processing tricks to make them look like I saw them. Add to that, I have some nice images people are buying to decorate with!
Ford F100 one owner, super clean, low miles
One of the great things about this trip is there is no agenda at all. Walk around until you see a subject that interests you, set it up and shoot till your happy! No time constraints and no expected results, just you, your tripod and camera. Another benefit of this time is that you can shoot a lot or a little, it's up to you. By shooting as much as you like, you end up with a ton of files to work on later in the year when you may want something to do. You can play till your hearts content, process, and reprocess, it's all good!
Get ready, there will be more images like this coming in the next few weeks. This is one of the few times I get to shoot just for me and I am excited. Taking along the Fuji X-E2, a Manfrotto tripod with Really Right Stuff head and L bracket, some reflectors and nothing but time. Come back soon and see what I found, it's going to be fun.
Here is one of my favorites from last year. The more I looked at it, the more I thought this verse needed to be added to the image. The Cadillac logo has prided itself on being a measure of success. Guess what, just like everything else it eventually ends up in a place just like this. Funny how the bible although written centuries ago seems to nail this reality.
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Will this Winter ever end? It has been unusually cold this year. I am looking forward to the promise of Spring. Walking here at home or on the foot bridge downtown, just getting out. (with a camera of course)
Stay warm and rest in the fact that it's just around the corner now!
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Nothing beats real charcoal for grilling out. Brats on the Weber and all is well! Today, I am working from home because the roads weren't safe to drive on. Sleet and ice and crippled the city and there isn't much happening at all.
Thankful that Ron decided to close the store so we didn't have to travel the roads. The state requested that there was no unnecessary travel because of the road conditions. I may make fun of the way Southerners drive here, but no one and I mean no one should try to drive on ice!
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Not impressed? What if I told you this is 12,800 ISO SOOC? Does that work for you? It works for me, I couldn't believe how clean this image is. Next up is the remote for some selective focus and wide open black areas, same setting.
In the store I was showing the camera to a customer. Her daughter was all happy in her stroller, so I took a picture. OK, again it ain't art, but it is hand held at 1/8 second! (400 ISO f4) I am 57 years old and there is no way I should be able to get this shot, but with the fabulous image stabilization in the Fuji lenses, it is tack sharp. Again, SOOC, zero post production. I'm not 100% sure, but it appears they've tweaked the Astia Film setting, it is super neutral and has a beautiful look, that's what I chose here.
As the sun was setting I noticed that beautiful late afternoon golden glow. I grabbed the camera and ran across the street to photograph the buildings there.
I am super stoked about this camera and there will be one in my arsenal in the very near future! They are short supply and probably will be because of the super reasonable price of $1299.00 for the body only!
I was able to shoot this thanks to the kindness of a customer that let me use his before he took it home! Thank you so much Bill, I appreciate this more than I can say. (my wife may not be quite as appreciative)
]]>We spent the day teaching an aspiring photographer, Kim Swift. We were hired by her to teach her what we love to do...light portraits. Kim provided two models, a wonderful hair and makeup artist, snacks and enthusiasm. We brought along everything else including a ton of lighting equipment with almost every possible light modifier.
I am encouraged that there are still people that want to take the time and effort to "create" portraits. I'm all for finding kight where you can, but sometimes you just have to, or even want to build it yourself.
I only shot a few at the end, because it wasn't about me getting great images. It was about Kim getting hers, and I know for a fact she did. I experimented with a new beauty dish set up that I want to play a bit more with. I've not seen this exact look before, but I think it has some real potential.
This is one of her shots that she did all the post production on, including retouching. This is so beautiful, I wish I had shot it myself! Kim brought along a fan that we used to get some action in the image, this whole thing just works. You may be interested in knowing that this is a Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS II lens on a Canon 60D body. Don't get all hung up on the latest and greatest cameras, you can make great portraits with most any camera today. I will mention that there is a noticeable difference in flesh tones, and there isn't a right or wrong. That said, we all do have preferences. If you want yours warmer or cooler, you can always fix it in post. I prefer doing as little post production as possible and that's what helped me land on the Fuji X camera system. When I get the files from my camera I will post a few for you to see the differences, just to compare the differences.
A great day that produced some beautiful images! Mentoring is what I love to do, and maybe even what I do best. Looking forward to working with more motivated individuals.
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Across from our booth were our friends from Westcott. They always have a great set up to show off their newest and hottest stuff. There were lots of photographers taking advantage of a free model shoot. I decided to see what the X-E2 could do with their Spyder Lights, I had to shoot at 2500 ISO, but it looks great! As I showed our customers how noise free these images were, they couldn't believe it. As a result, there are more "newbies" in the Fuji family!
Interesting concept, not something I've ever done before. But, there is no arguing that this camera can deliver killer flesh tones and great, noise free images at very high ISO's!
]]>My good friend Bob has a co-worker that wanted to have her daughter photographed in a beautiful dress. When I contacted the mother, she explained that they just haven't had any success in getting good images of her. She told me a few of her concerns and asked if I would be willing to photograph her. Absolutely!
I wasn't sure what equipment I would need or how much room we would have to work in, so I took it all with me. The back of the van was full of gear. Once there, it turned out that our possible shooting locations were very limited, in fact there was pretty much one spot I could put up my gray background paper. Whenever I'm not sure what I'll have to work with, I always take gray. Either paper or a muslin, but you can't go wrong with gray!
We rearranged the living room, set up the gear and waited for Miss Erin to come downstairs. Erin is 13 and a beautiful young lady of Asian ethnicity. Her parents adopted her on her 1st birthday and brought her home to middle Tennessee.
A few concerns were her beautiful, beaded dress. They just didn't show up in their pictures. Also, their living room is a bright yellow color, this was not good for her complexion, it just threw it way off. Once I was set up and metered the spot she would stand, I did a Custom White Balance in my brand new, just out of the box, Fuji X-E2 camera! Just like that, everything was neutralized and the color was spot on.
After a while, we were laughing and she loosened up enough to start having fun. She liked the way I demonstrated how I needed her to stand, (I am totally in touch with my feminine side for those demonstrations). You have to be OK with showing them what you need them to do. It is much easier for them when they can copy your stance.
All in all, this was a very successful session! I am super happy with the images and they loved looking at them on the back of the camera. First job with the X-E2 gets two thumbs up!
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It was cold in the common areas of the building. The first thing Marlene and I did was buy a coffee to warm us up while we scouted locations. We noticed this restaurant had a great little table out front and some pretty glass by the doors, this was our spot for Johnny Gonzalez. We think it looks warm and inviting, that is accomplished by allowing the color temperature of the lights inside to affect the overall exposure by dragging the shutter. Johnny loves working with kids, and they enjoy hanging with him! Coffee is a part of those meetings, and here's the shot:
Last up, is Mark our pastor at Rayon City. This is our Hispanic church located about 5 miles away from our main campus. Jokingly referred to as "the pretty pastor" we knew this one had to be great. He was last up and brought several wardrobe options, so we had time to play a little, but our existing light was fading fast. That wasn't a problem, in fact we were now looking for spots based entirely on the look we wanted to create. The challenge is that we would have to use our own lighting for main and fill sources, that's why we carry so much expensive gear.
I like this location and image best of the several spots we photographed Mark
I decided that the "hard light" gave me great shadows and the effect I wanted. The main light is a Quadra with standard reflector, high and camera right. The rear accent light, a gridded Dynalite providing great separation and contrast. I like this a lot! I did think I could improve on it a little in post by using my favorite filter in Nik Software, vignette blur. This time I modified it, something I typically don't do. It was a bit of experiment in adjusting opacity of the filter gradually as it worked in. I think it works really well and makes this an even better portrait.
So, these are my favorite shots. I said initially they needed them the next day, and this is what they received. I also gave them a DVD with every shot I took, right out of the camera. Interestingly enough, they didn't pick all the same shots I did, here is the a link to the Hermitage Hills staff page so you can see the actual use of our portraits. Our job as a photographer is deliver great files. Sometimes because of the needs of the clients, we don't have the luxury of days in post production. Plus, remember that every minute, hour or day you spend in front of your computer drastically affects your profit margin in a negative way. My good friend Will Crockett taught me years ago to "kill it and bill it!" That means, shoot it right in the camera, deliver it to the client, collect the check!
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He not only addressed the guests, he got involved in bidding on auction items and donating incredible time and talents up for bid! My intention is not to make a huge deal out of this, but to give a well deserved "thank you" for all that he did and continues to do. Make a Wish certainly goes well with one of his best known songs, "Don't Stop Belivin'." If you would like to donate to Make A Wish, just click here, and it will take you to their donations page.
I have to include at least one shot of him by his keyboard
Another good friend that may not be a household name was also there. Ron Fairchild is an incredibly gifted keyboard player. He is the man behind the magic for the Oak Ridge Boys. He and his wife Kim are great friends, and it was their invitation that allowed me to experience this incredible evening. Ron has long admired Jonathan's keyboard work and song writing. On this night, they were going to play together. I was able to photograph that for him. You might expect a picture of that right about now, but there isn't one. Why? Because I shot them on his Nikon D800 camera and he has the files! I did look at them and they looked pretty good, you'll just have to trust me on that.
I made sure I got a picture of them back stage after the event
And one of the Oaks with them
What an awesome night. A lot of money was raised, we listened to some great music and it was fun!
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Lights, good lights are an investment. We've invested nearly $3,000.00 in lighting in 2013. This investment will last many, many years and the dividends it pays in beautiful images you could not get with natural light are in fact, priceless!
Who doesn't like Christmas portraits? We all take them and so many of them are just not good. The tree is often a blocked up mass of dark green or black in most images. The lights are either barely visible, or too bright and the color balance is typically orange, not flattering at all. Not to make it sound more difficult than it is, but trying to pick the time of day, distance from any available window and blending the ambient light with the background of the trees...difficult at best. It is much simpler taking a studio light and picking the direction that makes sense compositionally, place your subjects and go to work,
Here are some examples of what I'm talking about. These shots are all right out of the camera, jpegs that have had ZERO post production done to them. I simply cropped them to fit this blog, and reduced them in size. I did throw a copyright on them because these are some seriously cute subjects.
First up, our grandson from California. He is a natural, I love photographing him! He is animated and adorable, how can I not get a great picture? Simple, I could try this available light or use an on camera flash, just a little bit better than no light at all. Both options will be an absolute fail in most cases. This is one light to my right, and above his head. Look how beautiful his face is, it looks like there is a light coming from behind him, but its a window way across the room and I'm dragging my shutter just enough to get it and the lights on the tree to work for me. Shooting wide open with a 60mm Fuji Macro lens to get shallow depth of field and out of focus lights.
Next up, the oldest cousin, also the "Little Mother" to the rest of these guys.
Trying to get the kids to hit the same mark is like herding cats, it's tough. But thanks to Grandma, they did great. Exact same light, and predictable results. I wouldn't change a thing technically on this image.
Next, the middle child, and the boy in the family, Vinnie. Spirited, ornery, hyper and fun!
Here the shallow depth of field almost hurt me, he starts to fall out of focus, but trying to focus on this moving subject is no easy feat. I've had lots of people question how the Fuji X Pro 1 does with fast moving subjects, overall it does pretty well. In dim light (like this) and super fast action, it still has a ways to go. But, just look at these creamy, beautiful flesh tones! Any issues I have with focus, are totally forgotten by the files I get from my camera. I am a people shooter, so flesh tones are where it's at!
Finally, our newest addition to the family. She is just about 8 months old and still has the most beautiful blue eyes ever! Don't believe me? Take a look...
...I told you so! This helps me illustrate one of my pet peeves about "natural light photographers" We've all heard the expression, "The eyes are the light of the soul." If that's true, how many photos have you seen of people that have deep set eyes and they look like Abraham Lincoln? I am talking total lack of light, just two dark holes. Please, use a reflector, bounce some light off a sheet, use a lamp, something to get some light in there? Look how these eyes sparkle, and there is absolutely no post production on any of these! Which beings me to another issue. All the "actions" and Photoshop "magic" that can be done, is usually overdone! Yes there are "Eye Pop" actions, along with every other band aid to make a terrible image kind of acceptable. Call me a purist, or Photoshop challenged, but I think it's hard to beat jpeg's right out of the camera.
If you would like to know how to get images like this, how to gain control of your lights or better yet, where to start in buying lights, drop me an email. I've taught many, many people how to use a meter, what makes for a good light and how to build up a great, lighting system that will work for your specific application. I offer small lighting classes that are hands on, guaranteed to make a difference or you don't pay!
Technical Info: Fuji X Pro 1 camera, 60mm macro lens, Sekonic L-478D meter (killer), Elinchrom Ranger Quadra with Skyport transmitter, one head with Rotalux Deep Throat Modifier.
]]>I love Christmas for so many reasons. It's the one time of the entire year we all get together! Our kids have set aside this week and travel to wherever we decide, so we can all be together. The fact that we can all hang out, is all I need or want. Aaron is coming from Atlanta, so it's a plane trip away. The Campos Family all the way from San Diego, and they are able to stay for nearly two weeks.
Our "Christmas Day" is somewhat flexible, one of the things you can do when you don't have anyone over 4 in the house. We drove up on Christmas eve, and the kids started arriving at 11:00 Christmas Day, with the last ones in after several delays, and 11 hours of travel in Cincinnati late that night. No problem, I'm off till New Years so I can rest when I want.
Opening presents is fun, because it is so simple. This was our second year with a $5.00 per person limit (kids are exempt) and bought at a resale or second hand store. It takes a lot of time to find a present that you want to give, and it takes multiple trips to different stores to find the right gift. It was fun and removes the bigger better gift syndrome.
Aaron loves playing with the kids, and they love playing with him. The bounced on him, ran at him, and climbed all over like a McDonald's play area. While I was driving Aaron back to the airport and he said it was a blast and he was glad to have all that time with the kids. He let them watch videos over and over on his iPad or whatever he had at the time. Played in the toy room, watched Thomas the Train videos, and just had fun!
The rest of us had a great time cooking, eating, and hanging out. We still are. Here are a few more images from the past few days.
Christmas in Columbus with more family! No shortage of great food here
Marlene's idea was that we would go bowling in our PJ bottoms...so we did. A 15 minute ride to Richmond, IN and no one even stared at us, we seemed to fit right in. We had fun, made a memory and have a family shot. (not sure what we'll do with it, maybe next years Christmas card?)
I love this week! I'm trying to unplug from all the hectic running around that led up to this time. So far, so good. Lots more fun to come!
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Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws. The freedom of speech is not absolute; the Supreme Court of the United States has recognized several categories of speech that are excluded from the freedom, and it has recognized that governments may enact reasonable time, place, or manner restrictions on speech.
Just one of the many freedoms we enjoy in our United States Constitution. It separates us from many other Countries in the world, and as a Christian, I am so glad we have this right.
Unfortunately the media today has become a police force of sorts, trying to silent people with opinions other than agendas they want to champion. Someone at A&E made this statement: "His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely." (bold emphasis added by me)
When I first heard of this I didn't believe it was real. Seriously, this is happening in 2013? I didn't want to blurt out with a "knee jerk response" so I decided to do a little fact finding on my own. How many people are we "protecting" here? It's a difficult number to nail down, I've heard the LGBT community in the US is as low as 2-5% and as high as 35%. Really? We don't have better numbers than that? I find it hard to believe that in a group of 100 people, 35 people would fit into this category. The 35% figure came from Gallup Poles in case you are wondering who provided that.
I have many friends, good friends that are a part of this group. I care about them and have enjoyed their friendship for years. Several of them for decades, and I still do! They don't force their lifestyle and opinions on me, and I don't "Bible bash" them. We are friends.
Here a few of my thoughts on this.
I don't have a crystal ball, and don't know where this will end. My wife and I have talked about how everything points that we are living in the last days. TV ain't what it used to be and it's hard to find many decent shows that you can watch for sheer entertainment. The LGBT has an agenda and they are making progress. It's hard to find many sitcoms that don't promote or accept this as "normal" family. I do not accept that and feel sad for our grandchildren and the world they will grow up in.
]]>I haven't been shooting that much, but there are some fun days ahead in the next few weeks. So, here is an experiment I did last year with my then brand new Fuji X Pro 1 camera. I wanted to see how the lenses looked at various apertures, so I nailed it down on a tripod and shot away.
All images are taken with the Fuji 60mm Macro lens. This first one is f8
I opened up a stop at a time, so 5.6 is next
Then, f4
Finally a shot at f2.4, wide open
What's the "take away" from these images? Depending on your focus distance, and the aperture, you can get some interesting effects by just controlling or altering your lens opening! Look at how the overall image changes. Take a look at the lights on the tree how they seem to get larger, yet nothing has changed but the aperture. You will also see in the top image, you can make out the ornaments on the tree, at least their shapes. On the last files, they are invisible.
I hope this encourages you to play with your settings and get to know your camera as best you can. These settings are the way to spice up your images and make them look the way YOU want them to!
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When I hear the words "Ice Storm" these are the visions I have. This was taken about 6 years ago in Ohio, but look how much ice is around this tiny branch! Ice can be beautiful, especially when viewed from the warmth of your house.
Stay safe my friends!
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We wanted to get with family for sure, but because I work retail a road trip of any distance was out of the question. Our son lives in Atlanta, so Chattanooga is halfway for both of us.
After a little research, it appeared that Cracker Barrel would be our dining choice. I want to give props to them for NOT taking advantage of people like us that want to get with family out of town for a predictable meal. They provided a $9.99 meal with turkey and ham, great sides, a beverage and pumpkin pie! The service was very fast and our server was super friendly.
The best part was a few hours with Aaron to catch up on his life. What an incredible blessing to hang out with your adult son and hear what's happening with him. To also let him hear what's going on in our lives, and how the Lord is working.
After dinner, we went up Lookout Mountain to Point Park, one of his favorite places. The weather was cool, but very tolerable because of the sunshine. We got a little hiking in and even scaled this rock for a group shot.
Plans are underway for Christmas Week in Ohio. Everyone will be there for an entire week! We are all excited and looking forward to that in just 4 short weeks.
I hope you had a blessed day. We reflected on how much we enjoyed the view from "above." How much smaller everything appears, even our problems. That will be our perspective when we get to Heaven with Our Lord! All the "stuff" that was huge here, will seem insignificant in His presence.
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Mahindra display in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The assignment sounded pretty simple, try to get a great shot of the tractors on display at the Mahindra National Dealer Sales Meeting. They were parked out front...in a line that stretched between two buildings. I looked around, moved my camera all over the place finally deciding to do a few cameo shots. With the help of some Nik Filters, I was able to make them more interesting than they appeared as they sat there on the street. The tractors are far from boring, but the presentation was more about showing off how large and complete their line is. After all, this company is number one in the world in tractor sales, crazy isn't it? There is a lot larger buying pool out there than just our United States, and capturing that market is obviously a game changer.
I like the custom graphic on their truck and thought it looked good against the building.
One of the things I enjoy most about this profession is the ability to go "behind the scenes" of places I would never be invited to. I've been able to hear motivational speakers, Presidents and CEO's of top companies share their visions for the future. Because of what I do, I've then had a chance to talk to them and speak one on one just like we were old friends. Funny how a little thing like a camera opens doors to more opportunities. Ross Bernstein gave one of the most interesting motivational talks I've EVER heard! He was beyond interesting, he was challenging and real in the material he presented. It was polished, had super graphics and supporting data, and all of it presented "upbeat" with a "first person" feel to it. This guy is a prolific sports writer with over 50 books to his credit. If you know me, you know I don't follow ANY sports at all. (except The Ohio State University football team) For me to be that intrigued is saying a lot. I am looking forward to reading some of his books and learning all I can from Ross!
There was a brand new model in the trade show area their advertising agency Richards/Carlberg needed an image of immediately. It was incredible to see their marketing plans unfolded for the attendees to see what is coming in 2014. What media they are planning, print ads, it was laid out like a well designed battle plan. I did say they are number one in the world, and Richards/Carlberg has helped them get there! Here is a very quick shot I did with a new Canon 70D, 24-70 f2.8 lens and 600 flash. I have to give a shout out to my friend Chase Reynolds from lensrentals.com He helped me rent the Canon system so I could give it a try to see how it worked for this low light, fast action situation. The money I spent on rental went a long way in making this assignment go much smoother. The equipment functioned perfectly and it was a breeze to return too.
After a little post in Nik Color Efx, it turned out fine.
I worked a ton of hours over the 3 days, but it was a lot of fun plus Marlene was there to help me. I haven't mentioned that I lost my voice for most of this assignment, so she was there to make sure we still delivered what our client needed.
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The first and most important item was that a friend introduced me to the fact that there is a God, He has a name, Jesus, who loved me and paid with His life so that I could spend eternity with Him and live a happy, fulfilled life here on Earth! That changed not just my life, but my life ever after.
Next, I met the love of my life. We are one of those very rare high school sweetheart stories. Shortly after number one above, I met my wife in choir. Five years after graduation, we were married. We just celebrated 36 years together, and I am so blessed by all that she brings to me daily! I don't deserve either one of these events, but I'm thankful they both happened!
So, what do the following pictures have to do with this? There was a man that was instrumental in my new life as a Christian. A man that took me under his wing and "discipled me" before that was a common buzz word in Christianity. Secularly we call it mentoring, same concept and invaluable in my opinion.
The above image is of our good friend Jim Lotz, his wife Dianne and their family. Jim and Dianne let us invade their home and play LOUD Christian music all through high school. To his right is his daughter Debbie, I was at their home the day they brought her home as a baby. And, we photographed her wedding in Pennsylvania about 20 years ago! That is her husband and their family, things like this really make you feel your age. Just a few weeks ago, we were able to photograph his sons wedding at the Tennessee State Capitol building. Jim was the guy that performed our wedding ceremony 37 years ago! (Ironically just two days after this wedding!)
Steve and his beautiful bride Christin were a joy to work with. She works at the building for Governor Haslam that performed the ceremony. He was incredibly friendly and cordial, but that's no surprise. Total attendees...19, one of my very favorite weddings to be involved with. I guess because it was like photographing family because that's how we were treated. Congratulations Steve and Christin!
]]>When Johnny Gonzalez called and asked me if I could photograph a 1966 Batmobile, the little boy in me got pretty excited. The photographer part got really excited about what could be done!
This was a lot of fun! Admittedly it was a lot of work, but I had great help to pull it off.
Here are a few of my favorite images from the night.
I like this image a lot. We are in a church parking lot on a busy Wednesday night
Big shout out my own "Superheroe's" that allowed us to pull this off in a very short time frame. Jeremy Bashan is to my right, a great guy and managed to get the fog machine for us. Miuki Sora came to work hard, I don't know if she knew how much we would be moving stuff around but she never slowed down. Howard Ezell is just one of the nicest guys I know. He will always be there to help, offer his own gear and do whatever it takes to make you look good. This would have never happened without their help. You can bet that if I have to do something of this size ever again, these are my first calls.
Chalk up another fun day with the Faith Riders at HHBC! I really don't know who has more fun, us or the kids.
This years beautiful bike was graciously loaned to us by Tom "Tumbleweed" Gibbons. You have to understand, kids are getting lifted on and off this bike for two solid hours. That means hand and shoe marks all over this bike and it will detailed again. Tom doesn't mind, because it was used with a perspective that it isn't his bike anyway. Gladly donating the use of it to give kids, young and old, a great time.
Not to make a big deal of this, but how do you feel about your treasured possessions? Are you really the owner or just a steward? As it started to sprinkle, I was worried about "my" camera gear and brand new lights. Bottom line, I did what I could and trusted the Lord to take care of "His" gear! He did just that and I am thankful.
The pictures are ready to be resized so the team can email them to all the families. Some may end of as Christmas cards, some just for laughs and a memory of how our church is reaching out to our community, right where we are planted. Good times!
Photo techie info: One of the things I appreciate about my new Dynalite's is the built in Pocket Wizard receiver. I only need to use one of the group that I own, so it simplifies set up. One power supply cord and I have 800 Ws of power between two heads. 200 ISO on the Fuji X Pro 1 with the 18-55mm lens. The camera gear was safe in my Think Tank Security V2.
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Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Franklin was our lunch stop
Pam has family in Gallatin, and they had a reunion this week. We had the pleasure of meeting her two brothers and sister. We went to lunch as a group and then just walked around Franklin enjoying the many shops and each others company.
Doug asked if there was anything from “home” that we missed? I told him that the cheese we’ve found here is not good at all. He asked what our favorite was and then brought us a 5 pound wheel of Guggisberg Baby Swiss! I’m telling you good friends, and good food make for some great times. We are blessed to have friends like this. Friends that ask about each of our children by name. How they are doing? Where are they living? Friendships like this are built over decades and will never be replaced.
We have many friends here in Nashville too, friendships that are just a few years old, but still great friends! Later in the evening we went to Sherwood’s to celebrate Laurie turning 50. What a great evening that was. Great food, fun gag gifts and cards, cake and a bonfire. Yes, it was a great way to spend a Saturday off!
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Quick look at the set up taken with my Fuji X20
For the overhead shots, I used a ladder to position myself high over the products. This gives you a glimpse of my brand new Dynalite's and my trusty "go to" Elinchrom BXRi with a strip bank. This was just my second job with the Dynalite's and I wasn't sure I would like going back to a "pack and cable" unit. But, the power and recycle time is incredible! PLUS my existing grids fit in their grid holder and that is huge.
Virginia had been prepping these dishes for several days. They were beautiful AND delicious. (yes I was able to sample a few items) I was able to use my 60mm macro lens for most of these including the portrait below. This is one of my favorite lenses!
This is a fair representation of what we did. Main courses and desserts were photographed like this.
Vistro has beautiful packaging designed for their carry out or catering services.
I love the texture on this dish. I used a strong side light with tight grid and overall fill from soft box.
Before we finished, we did a really beautiful portrait of Virginia standing in front of the appliances. This is a little more difficult to pull off because of the stainless steel surfaces. But, as you can see it worked out great! As we say,..."it's a wrap!"
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I have to say that this is always a great day. I really don't know what group of people enjoy this more, the kids or us?
Poly is snugging up her helmet before the ride.
Look at the smiles on the kids faces, but I think the adults are even bigger!
While most of the people from 5 or 6 Faith Rider groups fitted helmets and saw to the safety of kids, our very own Matt "Smoke Eater" Grace was busy cooking up hundreds of hamburgers for everyone. You have to love a group that has a trailer with a built in grill and the inscription, "If we're meetin'...we're eatin"! proudly painted on the side!
The single most touching moment for me is when Jeremiah gets to take his ride with Shrek. It takes a community effort to get Jeremiah out of his "wheels" that he lives in. (A motorized wheelchair) and safely secured on the back of Shrek's Harley. I can assure that it is worth every single second.
It takes many folks help to make sure he is safely in the bike. Check out all the smiles.
This is a very moving part of the day, big, burly Shrek takes this responsibility to heart and knows that this is more than just another ride. Most of the rest of the groups aren't even aware of this, because they are busy doing their jobs. What a great picture of the body of Christ. Many members all doing their part, some of us are legs, or feet, or eyes...each one of us important and make up the body. Without any one member, we just aren't whole!
Encouraging words, touch and prayer before the ride.
Just look at his smile once they get underway, awesome!
After the rides, we met for a great lunch prepared by our group for the kids and staff. What a great way to spend a Saturday, it really doesn't get much better than this!
Over $7,200.00 was happily donated to the Children's Home from the represented groups and their churches.
Pastor Ed Ollie gave an incredibly touching and heartfelt challenge. He related some of his own personal experiences and told the kids and staff how much they are loved and matter. What a great way to spend a Saturday, it really doesn't get much better than this!
FUJI X PRO 1 camera, 55-200 and 18-55 lenses. JPEG's right from the camera,
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Mike and Laurie chillin’ on the lawn
Our good friends Mike and Laurie invited us to go to a brand new (first annual) festival in Thompson’s Station. What a fun venue this is! It is in the city park, bring your own chair and eat off the food trucks. (hint: go early because most of them had sold out by the time we got there) Local artisans set up tents to sell their stuff and lots of folks brought their dogs with them for the day.
They had heard a musician that they really liked and wanted to share with us. Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythym Review was the final act of the festival First up, “The Wood Brothers.” For only three members, they made a ton of great music. How good are they? The are on Zac Brown’s label and he produced their latest CD due to be released on Tuesday. I’m not sure how to describe their musical style…maybe Americana? Whatever you want to call it, I call it great!
The Wood Brothers in a relaxing venue
Fun filled, action packed and a solid groove that did not quit!
Yes sir, that is a B3
The keyboard player was incredible! I admit that I am a sucker for a Hammond B3 with Leslie cabinets, I just don’t think any other instrument can reproduce that sound. As y’all know, the instrument is just a small part of the equation, there is the musician and this guy was off the charts! I wish I knew his name, in fact all of his group was rock solid. This dude played it hard, and was fun to watch too. This is a group you don’t want to miss. Check out his tour dates on their web site and make it a point to see them later this year when they are back in town. Mike is a former rocker that overdosed a few times and was at deaths door. After his last time, he gave his life to Jesus Christ and now plays “gospel music” like you’ve probably never heard. Even if this isn’t your preference, if you like funky music played by great musicians, you don’t want to miss this band!
We celebrated with Gigi’s cupcakes, good music and great friends. It was an awesome way to spend my birthday after all!
Fuji X100 (not S model) 2500 ISO
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That is true, but yet many people don’t do anything about it. How many times have you looked at a web site or business card that had someones portrait on it, met them in person and said, “wow!” That isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Here are some examples of strong, well executed head shots (in my opinion).
Harder to execute. Two people on black dressed in black. It is the two “kicker lights” that make this work!
I have to give a special shout out to my good friend Will Crockett that taught me this particular skill many years ago. There is just no substitute for great lights, an accurate meter and the knowledge of how to make them work for you.
It is the separation light that makes all the difference in this one too
These examples aren’t saying that they have to be on black, in fact most of mine aren’t. These are the most time consuming to pull off, and I believe some of the strongest images. I also understand that black doesn’t work for everybody.
Sometimes a company has their own preferences so they all look a part of the same team. I think Realtors and auto dealer sales people are possibly the worst offenders of continuity in their look! They spends thousands of dollars on, their vehicles and promotional freebies. But, when you see all their associates in one ad, their image can be several years or several decades old…and on a rainbow of different backgrounds! I have suggested they consider buying their own background, keeping it for their next batch of new associates.
I was at my dentist and noticed that in their framed staff portraits, I had never seen many of them. That’s because they no longer worked there. I offered to come in, set up and photograph all of them in a few hours. As I carried all the gear in, they were surprised by how much “stuff” it took to do some simple portraits. (Only if you want to do them well) The reward is a portrait that anyone would be proud to display, not simply a staff head shot!
Beautiful image, done for my Dentist office!
My friend Jamie needed a shot for his Crush Drum endorsement
Most busy executives are far too busy to take time out of their day to drive to a studio and have a session done. That’s why it makes sense to set aside a day and have your staff photographed at your location. Scheduling is done on your time and each session can be done in as little as 15 minutes per person!
This was photographed on location, not in my studio
Our good friend Kevin Cook photographed in a conference room at Manheim Auto Auction
Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] and schedule a session for yourself or your company.
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The beauty within. I love Marlene’s reflection in the door
Go Bucks!
As you know, we are from Ohio, home of The Ohio State University. When Marlene saw this car, she totally loved the design and the color scheme. She thought this would be a fun car to own, maybe even drive it to an OSU game. Easily worth more than our total net worth! Hey, you can dream.
For the informative, cultural contribution to today’s blog, here is the history behind this car.
It was a great day and I’m glad we made the effort to see this exhibit. I think we will add the Lane Auto Museum to one of our winter visits. It’s far too nice to be stuck indoors, there will be months of that ahead right around the corner. I’m not going to worry about that, I will enjoy the beautiful days we are having right now.
Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-55 lens, all hand held (no tripods allowed) and 2500 ISO
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After 35 years of marriage and kids in their 30′s, you eventually may be blessed with grandchildren. If you have them, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, when you do get them you’ll understand. No matter how terrible your day may have been, when you see these guys it’s all better again.
Sunday after church a quick group shot
Jade is a mini Marlene, just look at those smiles! Vinnie is my little buddy, yes we even wore our plaid shirts together. He’s all boy and brings a whole new dynamic to the family. While he was here he bumped his head and ended up with stitches, this picture is the “before” shot. Didn’t slow him down a bit, got to love how resilient kids are.
We are already planning for our annual Christmas week. This is the highlight of our year, not just because of the holidays but because we are all together for a solid week! The Campos family will fly into Columbus and Aaron will get to Eaton somehow. It is a great time and we can’t hardly wait for it to get here. When the cousins get together, watch out! It will be a blast watching Mateo and Vinnie play together, both are big, solid, active boys. Not really a fan of winter, but excited for the holidays.
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There is a really nice area, adjacent to the two largest camera rooms for your models to hang their outfits and for your hair and make up artist. A super big thank you to Chrissy Marie Nix that worked her magic for us!
Our model Kelly before
Our beautiful model Kelly after MUA Chrissy Marie did her thing
Most models are pretty enough to begin with, not to mention they have an understanding of where the camera is and put up with indecisive photographers that change what they want from one second to the next. This is a pretty good illustration of what a talented MUA will do for you. Basically, they make you look better and save you tons of post production time! They are easily worth their fee many times over, if you aren’t using one you are hurting yourself, your models and your clients! You can find Chrissy Marie on facebook or just send her a note to [email protected]
Beauty dish, large reflector and 12×36 strip light with grids on her hair
Notice the nice soft background? That is the new Fuji 55-200 zoom at 148mm and f8. Nothing done to blur it out, just the “look” of that lens, and it looks very nice!
Two of the processes I like to teach at these are simple, but so important. First of all, we calibrate our flash meters. This is something I learned from my good friend Will Crockett maybe 10+ years ago. It is still as necessary today as it was then, possibly more! That plus taking a few minutes to show how to properly do a Custom White Balance. Most folks are not using the ExpoDisc correctly if they choose to use it at all. Some are trying to use other commercially available products that have multiple patches. Nothing beats plain old grey or white…just like your camera manufacturer called for on their “how to” page!
BONUS: One of Michael’s assistants was not only a great help, but agreed to let us photograph her too.
A fan adds some movement to the image
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Ice cream and balloons! Anthony totally understands the “free enterprise” system, great guy!
Where the kids live there isn’t a Chick-Fil-A anywhere close. So you can imagine the fun of seeing the cow and all that goes on there. Kudos to them for creating a wonderful, fun, family atmosphere. Great food and a staff that makes you feel like you are not in a fast food restaurant. That they genuinely appreciate you and your business. These kids are different than what I see at many other businesses that fall in this category. Great kids that seem to enjoy their job, there is something to learn from this business model. It is really about happy employees, too many employers don’t care about their employees and treat them poorly, or are just plain unappreciative. The kids working here are the same kids you hear about on the news…you just aren’t hearing about THESE kids or their friends. I’m done…for now.
Nap time for Gigi
You scream, I scream….
A boy and his cone, it’s a beautiful thing!
Lots more to do, but I have to go help pick up toys!
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Back to basics instruments
I remember when the thought of shooting digital above 400 ISO was depressing. That meant a lot of time in post production trying to get rid of or hide all the noise that was there. Not just in the shadows, but all through the file. Forget those days, they are long gone. Since I’ve made the switch to Fuji X Pro 1, shooting at 3200 ISO like all of these shots is a common occurrence. Even better than that, they look great with NO post production for noise!
I don’t really have a lot to say about this evening other than it was a lot of fun. The fact that NewSong brought in all the rigging, lighting and sound like it was a major concert was a total surprise to me. I you would like to learn more about NewSong, here is a link to their website.
A great night of worship and more time to hone my concert photography skills. After all, I do live in Music City!
An incredibly touching story about his adorable daughter
A little “Sweet Home Alabama” played well!
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I’ve been so busy the past few weeks, I am just now getting around to processing these files from the workshop 3 weeks ago. I hate not having great images. but knowing there are some just waiting for you to get to is even more frustrating!
Sunrise at the Marathon Building
It all fits together
I remember Dino the Dinosaur “soap on a rope” – do you?
When you sign up for a His Light Workshop, you better come rested. They start early and run hard all day long, typically not finishing up till after 9:00 pm or even later. It is a great investment in yourself as a photographer and individual, the benefits far outweigh all other factors.
Aaron staking out a spot in the front for a shot at the beautiful pipe organ
HDR allows you to hold the otherwise blown out highlights in the stained glass and the beautiful surrounding woodwork
On Saturdays from 9:30-12:00 you can take tours of Christ Church Cathedral with or without a guide. They are very friendly and gracious hosts, even allowing our entire group to come in with tripods and gear. This is my attempt at this view, I saw many, many more that blew this away!
I was as involved as I could be in the workshop but I still worked at the store. Other than a lighting segment they asked me to teach, and a late start one morning all of my involvement was early or late, making for some really long days. It was so worthwhile, spending time with some great shooters and even better friends! I’ve said it before, Bill Fortney and his staff are very possibly the best workshop staff I’ve ever been exposed to! In my 40 years of photography, I have attended many, many classes, schools and seminars. I believe these are some of the best priced seminars I’ve ever seen, try it one time and you’ll see why so many of the students attend multiple times. Some are even groupies, hitting every one they can, making it more like a family than a class.
Here is a portrait of a really incredible guy that I am blessed to now call my friend, Ricky Skaggs. Bill asked me if I would take a few hours to show them something about studio lighting. If you know me at all, you know that studio lighting is a passion of mine and I love teaching others how to take their work to the next level. They asked that we do something dramatic and simple, so I used a large Elinchrom Beauty Dish and one gridded kick light. Here is the resulting portrait:
An incredible friend, musician, photographer and brother, Ricky Skaggs
If you can come away with one or two great shots during a week of intentional shooting, I thinks that’s very good. Here is my favorite shot of the week, it is our incredible city skyline at night. The General Jackson is streaking by during the long exposure, painting its beautiful lights into the image. Yep, it was a great couple of days and I am looking forward to the next time I can hang with these guys!
Music City Skyline with the General Jackson
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Jade taking a look at the cool “bug”
This little guy jumped up on my shoulder while I was sitting in the lawn chair. I had my Fuji X20 with me which has an AMAZING macro setting, it will focus 1 cm away just by flipping a switch. I grabbed a stick to see if he would get on board, sure enough he did! This shot was what was hoping for, since he was in my hand, I could place him anywhere I wanted to. Jade was totally intrigues by this guy, so she stood right there and kept her eyes glued on him. Vinnie, well he wasn’t quite as interested, but he did take a look. There was a huge yard to runaround in and balls to throw, that was a lot more fun!
Bug on a stick
None of these were great shots of the bug, I think he may be a “Praying Mantis” but I don’t know for sure. So here is the best image of the bug, just in case you care.
Ready for my close up Nick
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Always a challenge using the self timer, but not too bad for this many folks!
It was a beautiful Saturday in Columbus, Ohio! Unfortunately, our son Aaron and the Campos family were not able to make the trip. Other than that, it was the first time we’ve all been together in over two years. We had a great time and ate absolutely incredible food. Everyone made their specialty, so it was delicious. If you aren’t familiar with Middle Eastern food, I’m so sorry for this great vacuum in your life. But, if you know what I’m talking about, imagine: tabouli, shish kebob, kibbee, lebane, pita bread, humus, baklava and even more foods all at one fantastic meal! I was going to include pictures, but that would just be mean. Trust me, it was a good as it sounds!
Fun at Uncle Tony’s – his backyard has something for everyone!
Me, Tina, Tony and Bobby
They had one of my favorite desserts (beside baklava), Kennedy’s Bakery cake with a sweet (no pun intended) message in incing.
God is so good…all the time! Not just a cute saying, but a day to day reality. It makes no difference if you are celebrating your anniversary, or just received the news that you are entering a battle you didn’t volunteer for. It doesn’t change the reality of who God is, and how He loves you!
In Sunday School today, Jim walked us through the 23rd Psalm. To some of you this may seem boring and mundane, but to me it was a memory from the days following my surgery. Actually, the 9 weeks of chemotherapy and 5 day per week radiation treatments. Your body is so whacked out after living through the treatments, nothing works the way it should. I spent many sleepless nights, living on an average of 2-3 hours of sleep during the night. I also read this Psalm almost daily, it was my encouragement and my promise. My full time job was to get through that day and live to fight another day. So listen to the first few words of this very familiar Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. That is a promise from him, that we will not want for anything! If we want, then we aren’t allowing Him to provide the true needs of our lives, the way a shepherd does for his sheep. Especially as men, we have lots of trouble separating needs from wants. We think that because they both have four letters, they are interchangeable. They are very different!
I want to encourage you to find the rest and contentment that only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Trusting Him to lead you day by day and to do as He promised to conform you into the image of Himself. Phil. 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Amen!
]]>Bill Fortney is one of my dearest friends, I count him as a real treasure. You should make an effort to read his blog as often as you can. You will be encouraged, challenged and see some of the most beautiful images you’ve ever seen. Bill also has some of the finest, best trained seminar staffs I’ve ever been exposed to. They are caring and always glad to help you with any questions. There are no secrets and their techniques are all shared freely. My son Aaron learned a lot from spending time shooting along side them and in the classroom. He especially enjoyed the critiques, just listening to Jim Begley and Snake was invaluable to him and will form the way he thinks before he pushes the button in the future.
An incredible friend, Ricky Skaggs
Bill asked me to do a lighting demo and allow everyone to have some studio experience. I met Ricky through Bill, and as a result he has become a friend and dear brother to me. Besides having incredible musical talents, he is a great photographer and loves learning more about it. Ricky was kind (and patient) enough to let us photograph him with one of his instruments. I was able to demonstrate how I build a lighting set up depending upon the subject and “feel” that we are going for. Bill and Ricky wanted to do something dramatic, preferably with one light. I set up Elinchrom lights (my light of choice for over 12 years now) with assorted modifiers so we could show that they do. We had a very limited time, and tried to do in 2 hours what I typically take 6 hours to teach. The request was for “dramatic” lighting, possibly even one light. I used a large Elinchrom “beauty dish” as a main, with no fill at all. The only additional light was a gridded kicker from the camera right/rear location. Ricky has great hair, and I wanted to add light to separate him from the background and add a little drama to the image. If you look at many of my studio images, I tend to use a kicker, usually gridded in some way to achieve this signature look. Every single person in the class was able to photograph Ricky, now that is patience on his part. He is one of the most humble people I have ever met. He loves Jesus and isn’t afraid to talk about it to anyone and everyone that will listen, even at his concert we went to later that evening at the Ryman.
Bluegrass Night at the Ryman. Ricky and Kentucky Thunder, amazing!
I have to say that it doesn’t matter if you are a Bluegrass fan or not, Kentucky Thunder is one of the most talented group of musicians I have ever heard! Incredible. Unbelievable. Enjoyable. I am looking forward to hearing them again. One of our favorite songs of the evening was, “You Can’t Hurt Ham.” Look it up on YouTube, you will laugh out loud!
Nashville at night
Because we were short staffed at work, I didn’t get to shoot as much as I hoped to. I don’t have that many “killer HDR” images like I did from the Old Car City workshop. I did see some incredible images from the rest of the group, you always come away with some at a His Light workshop. All in all, it really doesn’t matter for me, I had some great fellowship with friends old and new. Our son was here for a few days, so we all got to hang together and that is awesome by itself. The shot above was possibly more fun waiting on than the actual image. We were all set up on the foot bridge, tripods everywhere, pointed at the city. Lots of people stopped to ask us what we were photographing? This crew made up all kinds of stories, none of them true. Laughter is like a good medicine!
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Last years “Relay For Life”
FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY: July 30, 2008 I was getting prepped to spend a few hours in surgery with Dr. Kurt Garren at Union Hospital in Dover, Ohio. Kurt did an incredible job and has become a good friend. He was thorough in his surgery, and very supportive in the following months more than most doctor’s would probably be. Thanks Kurt! By the way, sonce our move to Nashville I have had the privilege to meet the surgeon that taught Kurt at Vanderbilit. I can now call Dr. Jim Netterville my friend too!
Actually that day started off meeting a great group of friends heading out on a motorcycle trip we were supposed to be a part of. But, when you get a diagnosis of cancer, everything else goes on “hold.” We met at Sheetz, prayed for their safety and God’s intervention in my life. (and I did ride my Gold Wing 20 miles down the road leading them out of town)
I headed home, got a shower and went to the hospital where I would start my journey as a cancer patient. After a 4 week rest, I started 9 weeks of chemo and daily radiation treatments, that seemed like eternity! Eight months off work spent just “getting through the next day”, but it was worth the battle!
First of all, all praise to the One True and Almighty God. Not the “man upstairs” or any other cute name. His name is Jesus and He healed me! Secondly, my incredible wife that drove me to every treatment, tried to find foods I could eat, and made me eat when I whined like a baby. She never let me quit. She did let me feel sorry for myself for a few minutes, then helped me back to a place of trusting in the Lord. Tough love in action, and I am blessed daily by her!!! Our children that dropped everything to support us, words can not express my feelings and love. As a result, I’ve been able to walk our daughter Sara Campos down the aisle, place her hand in our incredible son in law Hugo’s and enjoy their son, Mateo. I’ve enjoyed many hours with Christin and Scott Yuppa in Ohio and their three children. I ‘m loving shooting pictures with our son Aaron and spending time with him! Plus I get two spend the rest of my days until Jesus comes back with my high school sweetheart, Marlene!
To all of you that supported us with visits, prayer, get well cards/notes, anonymous cash donations, and other things I probably did not even know about, THANK YOU!
This weekend we will travel home to Ohio to celebrate with my siblings! They all played a significant role in those days, I love you all and we’ll see you soon. Let the party begin!
Moving Forward!
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Saturday we went to our friends Kevin and Mary Cooks to photograph their beautiful daughter Shelby. Their home is awesome with a really nice foyer, that’s where Marlene and Mary thought would be the best place to work. After looking around, I agreed. Here is a look at how we set up, as you can see we didn’t have a lot of extra room. (we’ve certainly worked in much smaller places)
A look from the dining room into the foyer
Here is my view from the camera at my “shooting alley.” Interfit 30′x40″ softbox and 60″ Westcott umbrella for fill light.
My view from the camera, you can see my Manfrotto tripod on the right edge
One final view from Shelby’s perspective. She did great even though I was directing her from the next room. I always use a tripod every time I can.
OK, so it looks challenging, and it was a little. But all things considered, I am really happy with the session! Here’s an example of what we were able to produce set up just like this.
I love working with people who enjoy being photographed. Shelby was a blast!
Cropped so you can see the light stand lower left corner, and pillar on the right edge
These will all be fine photographs for her and her family. But her very favorite outfit was saved for last, her ballet or “Princess” outfit. For this, I really wanted to do something special. The challenge was that we were edge to edge on what space we had available. I thought it was worth taking a look from the top of the stairs, just in case it could be used. Wow, there it was, a beautiful overlook straight down to the backdrop. All I had to do was figure out how to light it so it looked as good as the perspective did. Marlene could tell I was working on something, but she didn’t know what it was. She told Mary, “I don’t know what he’s up to but this is what he loves to do, find something and make it work, he likes the challenge.” I was determined that I would do this last series for me, so I would have a shot or two that I like. Here is what we ended up with:
My favorite image of the day
I totally changed the lighting, I moved the fill light upstairs and bounced it off the ceiling, that worked out perfect. (it was probably 15+ feet from Shelby!) So glad I had a 500 Ws Elinchrom light to work with, I had power to spare. No speedlight or available light tricks would work here. Plus, I was able to work at the native 200 ISO setting on my Fuji X Pro 1 camera, so if they want a wall portrait, I can print it as large as they want! By making this drastic of a lighting change I did have to remeasure my light. Easy enough with my Gossen Starlite 2. I could measure her from my “upstairs” position with the spotmeter function to get close. Then, I went back down to my subjects position and placed the softbox where I wanted it. Here are the last shots I did keeping the overhead fill light position. I simply moved my main to the right side and ended up with this classic pose. Beautiful young lady and a beautiful portrait.
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Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle
I am so excited about the upcoming His Light Workshop that is here in Nashville next week! If you aren’t aware of what that is, do yourself a favor and take a look at what is offered by clicking here. I am blessed to call Bill Fortney one of my dearest friends, and brother in Christ. Rarely does more that a day or two go by that we don’t talk on the phone. It is something I look forward to and always a refreshing time.
Next week Bill and his team are coming to Nashville for what will be an incredible time of learning and encouragement. I can honestly tell you that the time I spent with them this Spring has revolutionized and revitalized my personal photography. (That is a pretty big statement considering I’ve been shooting for 40 years) It was during that workshop that I started taking pictures again for me, just because it’s fun! Looking, seeing then shooting. It’s how this all began for me but I got away from it. I was at a place where I would only pick up my camera if someone was paying me to photograph. That is a bad place to be if your business is photography, it just makes everything mechanical and mundane.
The picture above is from just about 1 year ago. I had just bought my first Fuji in many years, the x10. That camera started me down the path of taking pictures again, because it was small, handy and fun. I had fallen into the iPhone camera trap. I can honestly say that I have never printed a photo from my iPhone, they were just for show and tell or social networks. Because of it’s size, incredible glass and many features, I started carrying it with me. Unlike my phone, I have printed these images and they look great!
Bill, Jim, Snake and guest Rickey Skaggs will all be here sharing their love and knowledge of photography. They have asked me to help put together a class on studio lighting, so we have some awesome plans for that! There are still a few spots left and I’d love to see you there. I am stoked about another time of learning to see better and how to make better images!
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Butterfly metamorphosis
I was reading this morning in the “In Touch” devotional published by Dr. Charles Stanley about a lady that serves as a prison Chaplain in Georgia. It was interesting how she ended up working in the job and how much she is loved by some of the people we might describe as unloveable. That made me stop and consider who I am, and but by the grace of God I didn’t end up in some kind of prison. If not one made out of brick and mortar, potentially a prison of addiction. I certainly had many opportunities over my life and experimented with “things” that could have controlled me or taken me over.
The difference was the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ. A new, unexplainable, “spiritual metamorphosis” took place in me. 2 Corinthians 5:12-21 describes is like this: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This transformation isn’t immediate, like the butterfly above, it takes time! Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: I am a work in progress and according to this verse I will remain that way until He comes to take me home or I pass from this life to the next. Either way, it is going to happen…eventually!
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I’ve become friend with John Rees, affectionately known as “Papa Angelus.” He is a very likeable guy that takes the job of managing his family of musicians seriously and pours himself into them. Sacrificing much, he is always working to try and help them achieve the next level musically and as a family. Their family values are admirable and they seem to have a lot of fun doing what they do best, making great music! Their love for each other and the Lord is evident the more time you spend with them. L’Angelus is a dynamic high energy four piece band, featuring Katie, 27, Paige, 26, Johnny, 24, and Stephen, 22.
L’Angelus Family backing up a CD intro artist for Curb Records
John invited me to come hear them at this event last week. I thought it might be a great opportunity to try out the new Fuji 55-200 zoom lens. It was a great idea but the venue was very challenging for photography. As with many smaller, more intimate clubs here, the lighting is not that good. My friend Terry Wyatt photographs all the huge, high profile, beautifully lit stages. I tend to end up in smaller clubs that have a great feel to them, but probably don’t have $5,000.00 total invested in their lighting plus they don’t employ a full time tech to run them. So, you get what you get and you press on. Slow shutter speeds, high ISO’s and wide open, pray for the best and try to time it at the “peak” of action. This was my first concert shoot with this lens, and it performed better than I thought it might. Fuji continues to release firmware updates improving focus issues and other glitches, just another reason I am so happy with my transition to mirrorless cameras, specifically the Fuji X line.
Stephen Rees working his fiddle
I have to tell you that I pretty much enjoy all kinds of music when it’s done well, and these folks do it better than well! Plus, they are some of the sweetest and most humble people you will ever meet. It is no secret that in music you have to “pay your dues” and this family has done it and continues to do it. But, don’t be surprised one day when you discover them as some “overnight sensation.” Know that they have been working at this for a long time and they are overdue for the recognition they will eventually receive. Personally, I don’t think it will happen to nicer group of people. If you would like to find out more about L’Angelus, you can visit their website here. Hopefully L’Angelus will one day be added to the list of great family bands.
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Zeiss Touit 32mm f1.8 “Super Prime”
I was so excited when Tom Tingle dropped of a few of the brand spankin’ new Zeiss X Mount lenses from their Touit series. I have evolved into a “zoom lens shooter” and not too proud to admit it. Primes were the way I made my living for many, many years. They were work horses and never missed a beat. The glass of today is every bit as good in zooms, possible better than some primes. This prime is a thing of beauty to look at and to shoot. It focuses quickly and accurately, what more do you need?
Disclaimer: These images are out of the camera utilizing the Fuji B&W conversion. The first image is as shot and has beautiful contrast, some of the other images could benefit from some contrast addition or even post processing in some other software, but for illustrating the lenses performance, I did none of that.
I walked just a few blocks away from our parking spot and stopped by the Ryman Auditorium, affectionately known as “The Mother Church of Country Music.” The Tennessee Historical Commission has a plaque commemorating the birth of bluegrass at this spot in 1945. I’ve seen the plaque before, and it was OK, basically it was just a plaque. But last night, I was looking for visual designs and elements that would test this lens out. I looked left, right, up and down…that was the right perspective! By moving a little to the right and looking up, the “Batman Building” was placed beautifully in a sea of black sky. After a few adjustments to my Fuji X Pro 1 I was totally and completely blown away! Here is what I saw, and you won’t believe my exposure information.
The Mother Church of Country Music – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
The above image is a JPEG right from my camera with ZERO post processing! This is huge. Look at all that is happening here with contrast, sharpness and total lack of noise. You may wonder why all the excitement, right? This is hand held and 2500 ISO, 1/105 wide open at f1.8 and -2/3 EV compensation. This is a fantastic lens on an incredible body. I am so happy with the black and white I get from this camera, I prefer it over most methods. If I do need to make a file B&W after the fact, I use NIk Silver FX, but with results like this, that is a wasted step.
So we walked down the street and just looked for subjects or things that were visually interesting. One of the best street shooters in the known world is Zack Arias, man that guy can just kill it. I have never ever tried my hand at this, but what the heck. I took off with two of my friends from Fuji, our rep Cy Franks and X Product Specialist, Mike Amico. They were in town working at our store, so I invited them to go for a night photo walk. I also opened this up on short notice to some of my photo friends here in town. Kim and Keith agreed to meet us downtown, they just happen to shoot Fuji too. Kim has some incredible images from the X100S and Keith from his X Pro 1.
We saw these kids hanging out from a window on Broadway. They were too cute to pass up and loved posing for the camera.
Kids on Broadway
I love the way this shallow depth of field directs your eye. 2500 ISO, f2.2, monochrome setting with in camera processing.
We walked down the street and just like always, there were a few motorcycles parked. There was a great looking Victory and Cy was admiring it, I caught his eye in the mirror.
This one worked especially well in color
It wouldn’t be Nashville without live music on the street. This band was talented and a lot of fun to watch, their instruments, especially the drummer were…interesting. See how many home items you can identify on this kit.
Love the exhaled smoke and the bar “WannaB’s behind him
Here is a fun parting shot. I think this could be called “horse-power” for pretty obvious reasons.
I am happier than I’ve ever been with my switch to the Fuji camera system! I walked around all night in nearly 90 degree temps and never broke a sweat or complained about all the extra weight I was carrying. Shooting with the Zeiss 32mm lens was like a trip back in time for me. When I started taking pictures all I owned was a 35mm camera with a 50mm lens, this is nearly the same angle of view. I didn’t know what other lenses would do for me and could only dream that one day I might own more than one. This lens is super sharp with beautiful contrast. The camera focuses faster (especially after the recent Fuji firmware update) with this lens. A fixed prime is not my preferred way to shoot when I’m doing a job. But, street shooting it forces me to move to different angles and explore more of what may be there if I stretch myself. This lens will be in the $900.00 range, approximately $300.00 more than the Fuji lens and a little faster. This lens has much different characteristics than the Fuji prime and for some shooters it will be worth the slight additional investment. As for me, I can possibly see one of these in my future!
]]>Duck Dynasty at Lipscomb University, “Meet and Greet.”
I’m pretty sure this lady was happy with her shot. But if you look just at her and Si, it makes another pretty nice shot, all by itself, look…
Duck Dynasty at Lipscomb University, Uncle Si
Now if we look to the far left, I believe it’s one of the nicest images of the day of Phil and Miss. Kaye!
Duck Dynasty at Lipscomb University, Phil and Miss Kay
So there you have it, a three in one shot! They work together and stand alone as individual images. This doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does…magic!
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What’s old is new again, tools of the trade
I’ve been watching the light in the morning hit this cup and as Spring has progressed, it’s gotten prettier and prettier. Last week I grabbed my Fuji x20 and snapped this shot, immediately a flood of memories came back to me.
I’ve been shaving for more years than I’d like to admit to. The fact is, I had a full beard in my sophomore year of high school. That beard was my access into places I shouldn’t have even been allowed to go, because it made me look older tha I really was. Which is totally different from what I do now to try and look younger than my 56 years!
The Old Spice shaving mug you see, sits in our bathroom. For years it was my dad’s shaving mug and used daily. A few years before he passed away I saw this stored in the “linen closet” and I asked him if I could have it. I was making the transition to a badger brush and old school safety razor, all the magazines said this was the only way to get a really close shave. What you are looking at isn’t a decoration, it is used nearly daily (I still don’t like to shave and skip a few days each week if I can). If you watched “Skyfall” you saw 007 lather up with a similar brush, and I remember Tom Cruise in one of his recent roles using this to knock down the stubble. For me, it’s the only way to shave.
I’ve had several of you tell me that this image reminded you of your dad or grandpa. That’s cool, because I’m a dad and grandpa too, really “Bapa” to my grand kids. My dad was called “Gidi” by our kids,and that’s what my siblings and I called his dad. No matter who you knew or what you called them, chances are this was part of growing up. I guess it will be for the next generation at our house too!
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A home made “thank you” from the heart
Chances are, these are two of the first words your Mama taught you to say. I’ve watched our daughters spend time working with their children over and over, teaching them how to share and say "thank you." Why is it that as adults we don’t say it often enough? Have we outgrown the importance of telling someone that we appreciate what they’ve done for us? I think that possibly it’s even worse than that. We may “assume” they know we are thankful or possibly that their kindness or whatever was expected of them, certainly it wasn’t appreciated. How did we get to the place where we don’t say these words?
Recently Marlene and I were able to help out a person with some photography they needed. We were glad to do it! The delicious cinnamon loaf you see above, was her hand made, personal, thank you. She took her time, effort, labor and money to make this for us, just to say “thanks.”
How about you? Is this simple phrase common in your daily life? If not, why isn’t it? No matter how old we are, or our position in life, we never outgrow the need to say, “thank you!”
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Fuji X Pro 1 with the Fuji 14mm lens. Nice!
One of the perks of being an event photographer is all the (usually) great foods you get to eat! Seriously, I have had lots of incredible meals but especially desserts at events. This past weekends wedding was no exception. The above, delicious cupcakes were provided by Derrick and Nycole Donelson Of Short Cakes Cakery in Mt. Juliet. Not only were these delicious, but their attention to detail was incredible. Sometimes it’s just nice to recognize people that go above and beyond in their job, so thanks to the two of you for the beautiful and delicious treats!
This beautiful image taken by my wife. Great job, Marlene! (Fuji x20)
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The entrance to Del Webb in Mt. Juliet, TN
This past week I was able to borrow the new Fuji 100s camera from our Fuji rep Cy Franks. He left it at the store for a few days so we could get some experience with it. I thought I would take it home on Thursday, just in case I saw something worth photographing. I was running a little late Thursday, but it turned out that the sun was setting and the light was really nice. Instead of my usual entry, I decided to ride up to the main gate to photograph the entrance.
The light was just right. I picked an angle that allowed the text to be readable by the reflection in the sky. The 100S has a fixed lens that is a 35mm angle of view. This awesome wide angle lens is sharp, contrasty and beautiful! All built on a super solid body that is light and easy to hold. The view finder is bright and the focusing quick and accurate.
I can tell you that this is an incredible camera and I now understand why so many people love it! Every single person that owns this camera absolutely raves about it. One of my friends took her 100s to Europe, leaving her Leica here in Nashville. I’ve also heard of several others making the same decision and confirming that is was the right choice.
I am a huge fan of the entire Fuji X line of cameras. I personally own the X Pro 1 with a few lenses and carry the x20 as my travel camera. I’ve also owned the x10 and loved it.
No matter if you like this image or not, Del Webb does. In fact, they are going to use it to promote the property. All because I had a great camera with me at the right time.
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One of the keys to moving a lot of folks through an event like this is having good help. On this day I had GREAT help! Marlene is always my right hand when I shoot, and on this day I asked my friend (and co-worker) Terry Wyatt to help. This duo made it all happen, Jack! They stayed positive and happy, happy, happy while getting the guests quickly on and off the set. It never ceases to amaze me how many folks want to stop and “small talk” with the celebrities. The talent is always polite, but do you really think they want to now minute details about you or your family? Oh well, people will be people and we all have our little quirks. (Like telling the same stories over and over, that would be one of mine, just ask my wife)
Marlene making it all look “pretty” in just a few seconds
Meet the unbearded Robertson. Occupationally he is a pastor of a church and not involved in the family business. He and his wife were extremely friendly and they will appear next season.
My younger brother Tony drove down from Ohio just to be here. He has been a fan since before it was cool.
A very special thank you to Scott Ellis that asked me to cover for him on this day. He photographed the Friday night and Saturday afternoon events but because of a wedding conflict needed some help for Saturday night. Nashville is a big city with lots of photographers, so I really appreciate him selecting us to photograph this job! This was one of the really fun jobs that don’t come along all that often.
Photo gear: Top photo Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-55 zoom, Elinchrom lights, Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod and my trusty Gossen Starlite 2 meter. Remaining images, Fuji X20.
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Because of weather we were chased indoors and that is never as beautiful as the outdoor setting around Lake Providence. Last years concert with the Oaks provided some incredible concert images with the late afternoon sun setting and illuminating the group! But, you got to roll with it, so we ended up at The Mill in Lebanon. It was my first time there and it is a nice venue, but you have all of your typical challenges. Terrible access to the artist on an elevated stage so you are shooting up at them. Thick, black velvet curtains to soak up any possible remaining light from the over intense floods so they appear to be in a cave at best. It is what it is and you do the best you can!
When you are stuck with a low angle, you shoot what you got. In this case, boots!
I always try to document the concert the best I can for Miss. Shari. She is the super energy, driving force behind all the fun, recreational activities that are offered here in the community. I think of her as the “cruise ship director” from Love Boat days, some of you may be old enough to remember that. She always does her job over and above anything that would be expected and she is a joy to work with! If only every client were that easy to work for…
So, you need some typical concert shots, that’s what everyone wants to see, even if they were there.
The entire group did a “finger popping, do whop” song with some mad vocal harmony!
Maybe another close up, detail shot or two. Hey, Ronnie and I both like Yamaha’s! He plays his and I ride mine.
Have you ever wondered how so many entertainers look almost the same in every single photo you see of them? I’ve photographed quite a few, and they are able to just “turn it on” and it looks totally natural. As a photographer, most people are anything BUT that when in front of the camera. This is what they do and get paid for. (they actually do get paid to do it) If you think of it, how does a vision impaired person know where or when to smile? I admit, I wondered how this would happen, but it did, flawlessly, time after time. The results are the same smile you see in every picture of Ronnie Milsap. A big, happy, beautiful smile!
Every single time, the same wonderful expression. How does he do it?
The secret is…29. That’s right, his band leader and he have worked out a system that works perfectly. With his band leader/guitarist standing right next to me, Ronnie knows to listen or tune in to his voice and look in that direction. He counts to three and Ronnie says, “29″ as big as he can. At the right moment, you just snap the shutter. Now, the other folks are somewhat surprised initially, so they may not look all that great, (timing is everything) but the artist? Awesome!
So, the next time you have to take a group shot and don’t want to go with the typical “cheese” smile, why not try 29? It just might be what you are looking for! Thanks for the tip and a great concert Ronnie!
]]>What a great job the kids are doing adapting to her! Especially Jade, who just cannot get enough of her! Vinnie, is still not sure what to think, I’m sure she will grow on him. He is now the boy between two girls, just like his Uncle Aaron was growing up.
Here are all “the girls” together. Geemaw, Mommy, Jade and Gianna
Daddy and Jade counting her toes to make sure they are all there. And yes, she does have feet like her mommy!
I’ve already warned Scott that girls will wrap you around their little finger and you will let them! It doesn’t matter if you are warned or not, it just happens. I am speaking from experience and yes, it still works today.
One of the advantages of being the grandparents and the photographers is that you do get included in the photographs! (and you can retouch yourself if you want to, and why wouldn’t you?)
Photographed with the Fuji 60mm macro lens on my X-Pro 1 and just a hint of fill flash, I do love this image!
“Sisters” Every now and then we get a shot that we just love, this is one of those images!
The final shot is just the 3 of them, but there will be more with the entire family very soon. This was a great day and I thank my Lord that I am alive and healthy enough to make the trip up here for the weekend! I’ll head back tomorrow and Marlene will stay here for a few weeks to help them get settled in. We are blessed that because she doesn’t work outside the home, she can take this time to help out and enjoy the family. She is a huge blessing to many people because of that flexibility. I am no doubt the most thankful and biggest recipient of all she does!
Great job Sis and Scott! What a blessing she is.
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L to R: Ricky Skaggs, Phil Keaggy and my good friend Tommy Coomes
My two son-in-laws are HUGE guitar fans. They are talented at their instruments and have one thing in common, they have followed Phil Keaggy for years and admire his incredible skills. Tommy Coomes is in the group Love Song. In fact, Tommy and Phil are best friends. I asked Tommy to do me a favor at Christmas, and as a result our boys have autographed instruments from Phil. Again, no way that just happens.
Recently we were able to photograph some of the cast of “Duck Dynasty” at Lipscomb University here in Nashville. Another unbelievable opportunity just because I am a photographer. (Here are some pictures from that event)
Living in Nashville in unlike any place else I’ve ever lived so there are more opportunities for this type of photography, and I really enjoy it. So, I am a bit reflective right now about this aspect of what the Lord has allowed in my life. I guess it all comes down to one word, “thankful.”
]]>Marlene and Babs chillin’ after a great meal
Yes, chaps were necessary! Wind chill on the legs was pretty brisk
Tom and Barb are also our neighbors here at “The Webb.” It’s easy to catch up with them when we are out on a walk or just to drink a cup of coffee. Note: Barb now owns a Keurig so it’s OK to drink her coffee.
(Another story there)
Officially we logged about 125 miles of wonderful roads. That is with the exception of “the mile long yard sale” we happened to ride into. Not fun. Lots of clutch and brake work there, but it ended up OK. Tom planned a return route on the Old 96 which is one of our favorite stretches of road here in middle Tennessee. Scenic and twisty, just the way we like it!
Joe’s Place, Woodbury, Tennessee
What’s a ride without dessert? Incomplete! Snow White Drive In was our final destination before we headed home. All in all, a great ride with wonderful friends. A perfect way to start the 2013 riding season!
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One thing I’m looking forward to is playing with my newest camera, the Fuji x20! This is the newest version of Fuji’s advanced point and shoot and I just got it yesterday. I loved my x10, so I’m sure I will be really happy with this one too!
Wrapping up the trade show season is always a good thing. By this time of the year, you are just ready to be done. I believe I’ve been working photographic shows nearly 20 years. I have had lots of fun and met a ton of great people that are now friends. We enjoy going out to dinner and sharing the places we know about. If you are in a new city and want a suggestion, just phone a friend and they will come through! Lunch stop was just outside Atlanta at the OK Cafe, this was suggested to us by our good friend Brett Wells and he was right. Robert, Johnny and I all had great meals here!
This is a classic diner that is super affordable with quality food. The best, super thick chocolate milkshake I’ve had in a long time. Old fashioned metal blender cup and a spoon to scoop it all out! The decor is fun and the service was exceptional. Look at the detail in the “burger and fries” shot. Hand held close up that looks good enough to eat. (pun intended)
Next stop was Athens, GA. Turns out that beside being the home of the Georgia Bulldogs it was also the place where Luke Bryan and Jason Aldeen were having their concert on Saturday night. This was the first ever concert at their field and it was a huge success. We heard estimates of over 60,000 people at this concert. There were cowboy boots and hats on most of the folks we saw. To say the city was busy would be an understatement. It was more like crazy!
It was awesome that Aaron’s show and our event were in the same city!
This was the high point of my weekend, getting to take some time to visit Aaron at the event he helped curate and assemble. He also taught a class and was a featured artist. So great to see the man he is and the gifted photographer he is becoming. I love his creative eye and he has a gift for teaching too! Not everyone can teach, it takes a very special talent and a LOT of work to make it understandable. He nails it!
Now that I’m back home I can report it was not a great show at all. Very sad for some of the turmoil going on in this association and others. Poorly promoted and attended, sadly unless they recover well, this could have been the last SEPPA Convention. I wish them well and hope they can regroup in the next two years. Really nice folks that just have fallen onto some hard times.
As for me, I’m just glad to be back in Music City with my bride! We just took at great couple mile walk and got caught up on all that I missed while I was gone. We have a lunch date planned and then it’s back to business as usual.
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Bucket lists. It doesn’t matter if you’ve actually written it down or not, most of us have one. If you’ve ever stated something you would like to see or do before you die, that’s on your list! For me there are just a few bands that I would really like to see, not many at all really. But, at the very top of my list was Tower of Power! (click this link and you can listen to some of their music) I first heard them either in high school or shortly after, it doesn’t matter, I’ve always wanted to see them live. Seriously, there aren’t many groups that can boast of a 44 year track record! I think that 4 of the original members were playing last night. (May 11th they are in Cleveland, OH in case you are interested)
One of the standout performances was by world class drummer David Garibaldi. He is literally in the Percussion Hall of Fame, how cool is that? Rock solid beat and a wicked left hand that hit every “kick” with incredible precision. Sure I admit I’m partial to drummers, but this was really, really solid! My only complaint was that from our seats he was blocked by “Doc” so we didn’t get to see him as well as we would have like to.
That said, they are all super talented musicians that exceeded my expectations. It’s really gratifying when you’ve looked forward to something for that long and it turns out to be everything you hoped it would be. Money well spent and a night that I won’t ever forget.
I won’t bore you with the rest of my bucket list, because it is pretty short. I think that as a cancer survivor, there are fewer “things and places” that are that important to me. Sure, I’d love to take the love of my life to Hawaii sometime before we are too old to enjoy it. I also have a really ambitious motorcycle ride that I’d like to make too, it will take about three to four weeks. Realistic? Who knows. Part of the fun is dreaming and planning these things irregardless of the outcome. It’s biblical too, “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 When I was recovering from my cancer nearly five years ago, I started watching shows that featured different restaurants. There were a few that really interested me and I would tell Marlene, “when I get better I want to take a bike trip there.” She would always agree and encourage me to plan it out and make it happen. I literally made a list of a few of those places, and I can tell you that I’ve been able to cross a few of them off! It’s not about the actual meal, it’s just reaching a goal. One little thing to look forward to that would help take your mind off of the treatments and reality of all that meant.
By the grace of Almighty God, I am very much alive, very healthy and very thankful! I’ve been able to see our youngest daughter marry her husband and am now the “Bapaw” to three (soon to be four) beautiful grandchildren. None of them were born when I was diagnosed. That is a huge blessing in itself. Add to that, the many, many blessings the Lord has given us, far too many to list. His mercies are new every morning. Lam. 3:23 I can tell you that without the promise of eternal life with my Savior, I don’t know that I would have made it through those months of treatments and recovery. All praise and glory belongs to Him!
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I’ve shown this before, but I was reviewing some images and realized I made a very amateur mistake on this photo. Before I confess to what it was, take a look at a 100% crop.
Right out of the camera from the Fuji X Pro 1
And now the final image that I am very pleased with:
Beautiful window light at the Marathon building
OK, so what was my big mistake you might ask? I saw this beautiful light and got so excited that I forgot to check my settings. When I saw this image I was blown away by the sharpness. I also thought the depth of field was more than I expected…until I looked at the meta data. We were in extremely low light before we found this spot so my camera was still set to ISO 2000! That wasn’t the stupid part because as you can see, this camera looks great at that ISO. My 18-55 lens was at 27mm, still no problem, but that helps explain the depth of field I saw. The real surprise was that I didn’t pay attention to the basic settings and I shot this at 1/16 and f9.8! That is way too slow (but it worked) and I could have opened way up to get a more shallow depth of field. I wouldn’t select that slow of a shutter speed intentionally for this situation, but the optical stabilization worked really well.
This is a great example of always taking time to execute the basics properly, which I didn’t. However, in this case it worked out just fine and I now have a great portrait of my wonderful son!
*”faux pas” The term comes from French and literally means “false step”.
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Bob Valles, Mark Trotter and Frank Par-Due
I want to say that this was July of 1999. We were in Moscow, Russia on a missions trip called the “Volga River Campaign” with about 200 men from First Baptist Church of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Our goal was to pass out thousands of New Testaments in the Russian language to anyone that would accept it. It was awesome to have my son along with me on that trip, we were even room mates. We got to see and experience a lot together. It was great for me as the dad, but maybe not quite as great for an 18 year old.
Aaron was there because his youth Pastor Bob Valles encouraged them as young men to make this trip. Bob and his wife invested in our children for most of their high school years, we are grateful for the impact they had on our kids.
The trip had great impact on all of us, but I think especially for those young guys. For many of them it was their first time out of the country, so it was a real eye opener. Long flights, customs inspections, terminals with not much to choose from, food that was “unusual” to say the least, corruption at every possible intersection of life. We were all fighting our bodies that resisted the time change and pushing beyond what we thought was possible (or reasonable). There are 20 hours of daylight in Russia in the summer…unbelievable!
One of my life long friends Randy Meese posted this quote on his facebook page the other day, and he reminded me that we had to memorize it before this trip.
The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.
It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
Unfortunately we don’t know exactly who said this, some say it was Samuel R. Boggs, others would argue and I really don’t know if it matters. What we do know is that the Gideons place it inside every New Testament they distribute.
The other two men hold a very special place in my heart. Mark Trotter was my friend and pastor through most of my 30′s and 40′s. We were learning how to love our wives and raise kids together. He was helpful and transparent, never acting like he had it all together and admitting that he was just a few weeks ahead of us in the journey. He taught us to love the Bible and how to read and study it. Tools that I use to this day as I read or study, and the “filter” I view biblical statements through to discern if they are true and accurate.
Last but not least is Frank Par-Due. I owe so much of what I used in parenting to what Frank taught me. I didn’t just get it from his sermons, although he had an incredible ability to take the Words of God and make the light go on in your understanding! Mostly, I learned from watching him as he loved and served his wife and kids. He personified what it meant to teach them at all times of the day and to watch for “teachable moments” and take advantage of them! Frank went home to be with the Lord as a young man, however his words and teachings live on in me and many others. We have passed them on to our children and soon to our children’s children.
This is in no way an attempt to “deify” any of these guys, they would all hate it. I doubt if they will even see this, but if they do, they will know that I am forever thankful for their investment in our lives. I hope that in some small way, I will be able to pass on some of what they taught me to future generations.
]]>I’ve driven past this barn dozens, maybe even hundreds of times through the years. But the other day while I was in Ohio, it caught my eye for possibly the first time as an interesting image. I zoomed past it and thought to myself, that might have been a nice picture. I was in the car alone at this time so I decided to turn around and take another look. I’m really glad I did! Even though it still has a wintery feel, I like the look and the way the bare trees frame the barn. I could see this as a multiple season image, from green grass through fall leaves and finally the snow of winter. That would take a considerable amount of work since it’s several hundred miles from Nashville, but it would be awesome.
This is also shot at preserving a passing part of Americana. There were hundreds of these advertisements in Ohio and West Virginia at one time. Now, they are a rarity and slowly fading away. Either the paint is nearly gone or the barn is falling down, there just aren’t many left.
I think the point is that I am shooting for “me” again for the first time in many years. The joy of making beautiful photographs is what started me in this profession over 40 years ago. Somehow, it became a job and I rarely shot for my satisfaction or self fulfillment. I have to say thanks to my great friend Bill Fortney Jim and Snake from His Light Workshops for rekindling that fire that started me seeing again. There was nothing “magical” about what they did, they just offered a time to look around for a possible photograph then take the time to shoot it. After that in a classroom setting or at times one on one, they offered valuable feedback as to what looked good or how it could be improved. Constructive criticism is valuable in every aspect of life!
This is the Fuji X Pro 1 with 18-55 zoom lens. 200 ISO, 1/250 at f10 handheld. (it was cold and I was too lazy to set up my tripod)
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Scott made a great breakfast and Christin baked delicious muffins, what a way to start the day! We loaded into the van and drove to a small church that was hosting the egg hunt. Scott ran into a man there that he knew as a young man. He went to this church with one of his friends and played in a band with this guy’s son-in-law, how cool is that? To meet up with someone from your past and let them know that you are still walking with the Lord and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Lunchtime was Skyline with Scott. Need I say more? I think not, other than it was great as usual. After that Scott and I headed over to Jacob’s Well Fellowship so I could do some pictures for them to use on their site and for promotion. They came out great and I’ll post some of those soon.
The sun was out and it was in the mid 50′s so we spent time with the kids walking and pushing them on their toys. Here they are on their little “Indian” motorcycle.
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and we will celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with this church family here. Then we’ll have lunch and head back home. We have a few days of work planned here with Sis and Scott. Our assignment is to get the house ready for the arrival of the next Yuppa! It will be a labor of love. (no pun intended) Of course it will be fun watching the kids open their Easter goodies from their parents and us.
Happy Easter everyone!
]]>Above photo by Bill Fortney
As many of you know, I’ve been taking photos for more years than I like to claim. I photographed my first wedding for money in 1972 as a high school Sophomore. What were they thinking hiring someone that young to take their wedding pictures? 40+ years later, it is how I’ve supported our family and I have been blessed to do what I love. That said, I haven’t always loved every job. In fact, it became just that, a job or work. It got to the point where I really didn’t pick up my camera any longer for fun or to make me happy. If there wasn’t money involved, I pretty much didn’t shoot. How sad, I started this because I loved it so how did I end up here?
Early this year as you know I made a huge switch from big, heavy (but wonderful) DSLR cameras to the Fuji X Pro system. Something happened, all of a sudden I no longer dreaded carrying my cameras because of weight. Another great discovery, I also had a great camera with me more often so I was able to take some nice pictures I may have missed.
So, to my great friend and brother in Christ Bill Fortney, thank you for inviting me to this life changing His Light Workshop! This was literally the first time in over 20 years that I have been to any kind of workshop or class solely as a participant. It was liberating to simply get back to taking pictures that interested me. No assignments or agendas. No expectations. Time with new friends and all by myself. Saturday at Bill’s invitation, my son Aaron was able to join me. The entire two days were a breath of fresh “creative” air, and for that I am very thankful! Bill would be the first to say that this doesn’t happen all by himself and that without his team, it wouldn’t be possible. Jim Begley, Snake and RC were invaluable and so very giving. Quick to share and spend time helping all of us understand how to get some images we would be proud of. Because of their selflessness, I did produce some!
If you are stale and in need of some inspiration. Or if you are bored with what you are turning out day after day. Chances are all you need may just happen at one of these exciting workshops. There are a few more really exciting ones scheduled for this year. One of them will be right here in Music City in July and it is going to be great! There is a very special, surprise guest attending that you won’t want to miss.
Left to right at table: Snake, Jim and Bill
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The Nash automobile, forgotten by many but still alive in some auto bone yards. 1916-1954
If it weren’t for the fact that we live in Nashville, I may have walked right by this grill. But it kind of called out to me, a reminder of a vehicle either forgotten or not ever known about. Until we moved here I had never heard of the Marathon car line, but I sure do love that old building!
Color or black and white? Decisions, decisions.
What’s so great about the Nash automobile? Check this out: Nash started selling an optional air conditioning/heating system, using Kelvinator knowledge; it was the first car heater powered by hot water to work with fresh air. The next year, a thermostat was added, creating the Nash Weather Eye heater, the first thermostatic climate control system. I researched and got this info from the Nash at this link and it is very interesting reading.
The moral of the story is, that as photographers we have a duty to document some of these fading facts for future generations. If you are out walking around and you see something brand new to you, take a picture of it. You may not need or want it now, but one day you may be glad you did.
]]>My first car was a hand me down Plymouth Valiant station wagon, a real “chick magnet!”
You CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Here are some of my favorites from last weekend. I feel the key to HDR is not over doing it, making the images look more like “cartoons” instead of an expanded dynamic range photograph.
I appreciate the ability to at the flick of a switch go back to my composition of choice, the square. 25 years of shooting Hasselblad will do that to you!
What a great antique fire truck. Fuji X Pro 1 with the brand new 14mm fuji lens, incredible sharpness!
Look at the detail in the floor board area of this truck, it was in deep shadow but salvaged with this technique. I see this as a real life saver in some situations.
One of my favorite images from the weekend. I love the feel of this “kitchen car.”
Not a lot of words this time, just some of the images I was able to take with the help of the Workshop team. Bill, Jim, Snake all made this a weekend to remember. I will do one of these again as soon as I possibly can.
One of the things that made this time extra special was that my son Aaron was able to join us on Saturday. We found this car and thought it was a great place for a portrait together. I love this picture and I love my son. It is incredible shooting together, one of the most enjoyable times I’ve spent behind a camera.
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So, we are in the “world’s largest known old car junk yard.” That’s what the sign says anyway. I don’t know if it is or isn’t, what I do know is it is truly a photographers playground!
So, here is my first image, out of the camera with just a few tweaks. I like it a lot and the sharpness of my Fuji X Pro 1 is blowing the other attendees away! It rivals much larger, more expensive, full frame sensor cameras. In fact, it looks even better that some of them. Not my words, theirs.
I really like this image a lot. In fact, if this is all I came away with I would be very happy. One of the incredible workshop staff team members is Jim Begley. Like all of them, he is an incredible photographer! He shoots unbelievable HDR images all over the world. Some of the very best I’ve seen. He offered to show me how he works an image from start to finish using one of my files. He uses Photomechanic as a starting place, and it was pretty slick. I just looked and it is a $150.00 program so I’m not sure I’ll be getting it right away. Here is the altered file after Jim showed me some of the ropes.
This is the final tweaked image, Thanks Jim!
If you are looking for a “photographic refuel” I can totally endorse and recommend you do one of these workshops. The staff is top notch and makes it so easy to understand the process! Here are links to a few of the other guys that help with the workshop. Each of them could easily do this on their own, but as a team they are incredible! R.C. Concepcion works on Scott Kelby’s staff, enough said about him, right? “Snake” is an incredible outdoor shooter who produces drop dead images with ease. Like all “staff members” they do the behind the scenes stuff that often goes unnoticed. Since I am often that person, I appreciate so much all the attention to detail for smooth days. Thanks to all of you for all that you did!
After shooting all day we went to dinner and then came back for some classroom time. Bill shared an excellent, challenging devotional with us. That may sound very simple but it is what separates this workshop from any other I’ve ever been to in 40 years of photography. As photographers it is all about the light. In our lives, it centers around “His” light to make it from day, to day and into an eternity with Christ!
I’ve met many incredible people this weekend. We have a common love for photography and enjoy sharing what we know. This has been a breath of fresh air to me, and very relaxing. Tomorrow we are off to a Railroad Museum where more HDR imaging will take place. Aaron is meeting us there and we will get to hang out together shooting some great scenes. I’m anxious to see how he “sees” the same subjects I do, I know it will be different and I will probably like his images better than mine. He has such a great compositional eye, plus I’m excited about he and Bill finally meeting in person.
Off to bed, early morning breakfast. Kick stands up at 8:30! I hope I can sleep, it’s just like Christmas eve!
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Wednesday I went to Nossi at their invitation to expose them to Mirrorless cameras. This is Natalie Nicole, an actress and model. She got the short straw and worked the high key set with me today. I love the fact that her Native American heritage gave us beautiful olive flesh tones and super black hair. The outfit was perfect to show what the Fuji X Pro 1 sensor can deliver and how easy it is to do a great lighting set up with a minimum of equipment.
Look at this detail and beautiful flesh tones. Perfectly white teeth…it just doesn’t get much better than this!
Here is my simple two light set up with one giant flat reflector on the opposite side. So easy but yet so beautiful.
My reason for this trip was to expose the students (and faculty) to a couple of brand new thoughts. Mirrorless cameras, they are not a passing fad. Chances are very good that before they graduate, many of them will have transitioned into these or own at least one in their camera arsenal.
First a very sincere compliment. Nossi has some of the finest studio facilities I’ve seen in all of Nashville! If I ever needed to rent a large studio, this would be my only call. The main studio is beautifully designed with a large garage door you can drive vehicles into and a huge cyc wall. Nice sound system you can bring your own tunes if you want. There is an extensive rail system in place to make hanging lights very simple and that is a good thing, herews why. My next comments aren’t anything I haven’t said to the Administration many times, the most recent was during this visit. Like so many colleges, Nossi hasn’t for whatever reason committed to buying superior quality lights. They buy very inexpensive units because of the abuse their students wage on them. Not a great decision in my opinion for several reasons. My Elinchrom lights are over 12 years old and at this point have served me very well! Because of that I don’t consider them expensive at all, in fact just the opposite. I offer this same information to every person that asks me about lighting equipment. Buy quality and only buy it once. You’ll save the aggravation and down time of repair after repair. You will also save huge amounts of time in post processing that is necessary because of the inconsistency in output of those lights. All the effort that goes into a shoot shouldn’t be made more painful by hours of post processing time to fix exposures that are all over the place. Remember, the time you spend fixing exposures is time you are deducting from what you made for the job or you are typically paying someone to fix them for you. Either way, great lights mean more money in the bank and the ability to spend time doing what you enjoy doing…shooting!
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Aaron’s Toyota van affectionately named, “The Future.”
March 24, 2010 I went on a several day road trip with my son. We headed south to Florida just so we could take pictures and enjoy some time together. It was fun, random and spontaneous. We didn’t even make hotel reservations because we didn’t know where we would end up at. I found these files yesterday when I was looking for an image to add to my post, I just needed something “pretty” that represented stillness, and that’s where I found it.
So, I’ve been thinking about the uncertainty of the future recently and how quickly life changes. You can’t watch the news, read a paper or open up your browser without seeing some horrific accident, murder or life altering event. It happens every single day. Someone’s lives have been changed forever in an instant! It may or may not have happened to you, but you can pretty much be assured that it will at some point.
I don’t want this to be depressing or seem fatalistic, instead, I want to remind you that there is someone who knows all the future before it happens. He cares for you and wants to provide your every need.
Comfort during a loss. Help when you are hurting. Encouragement when you are depressed or healing when you are sick. No matter what your need is, He is bigger than that and has all the answers. However, we don’t always get the answers we are hoping for, or it seems like our prayers may have gone unanswered. In reality, we can know that they haven’t.
No matter where you find yourself today, in a state of all is well, or your life is turned upside down. I want to remind you that there is One who cares for you, and loves you. He will see you safely through whatever you are going through.
Be still
I was able to meet up with a very dear high school friend this past weekend. I’m sure he would want to remain anonymous, and I want to honor that. We met and went to dinner together, catching up on our lives in the 10+ years it’s been since we last met.
As with all of us, life just happens. He and I both have had a similar kind of cancer in our throats, and as a result, we battle some of the same side effects. Not dwelling on that, but rather choosing to be reminded of how very blessed we are to still be alive and enjoying our families.
I told him that I had a difficult time finding him. I “Googled” him and he did not exist. He wasn’t wasn’t even on facebook. What?! How could that be in 2013? He told me that he lived at the end of the cul-de-sac on the information super highway…by choice. Wikopedia defines a “cul-de-sac”: a dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet. Interesting choice of words don’t you think? It was worth the effort because we had a great visit and promised it wouldn’t be too long before we got together again.
At times I just want to “check out” of all the technology we have. I am typing this while sitting in the truck riding home from our another trade show. 70 mph, out in the middle of Kentucky, and able to have access to all the information I would want. That leaves very little “down time” or time we aren’t readily available to others needs, (percieved or real) whims and wants.
This brings me to a thought from Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted (not I might be) among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (all within His time frame)
Like many who have accepted the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ, I believe we are living in the last days. That is the days before He returns to earth to take all of those who have simply trusted in Him and His free, redemptive work on the cross to take away our sins. Not good works, you see we could never be good enough. No “random acts of kindness” will give us enough “God brownie points” that will count when we draw our last breath. Simply by grace, through faith. Amazing grace really is a great definition.
I am looking forward to Thursday this coming week. I have been invited by my dear friend and brother in Christ Bill Fortney to attend one of his “In Light” workshops a few hours away from Nashville. You would be blessed to add his blog to one of your daily visited websites. The photography is beautiful, but the insights are invaluable! So, I hope to take a few days to learn how to be a better photographer from some of the best and most creative people on the planet. More than that, I get to be among people “of like faith” that I will spend these treasured hours with and in the future all of eternity! I am looking forward to that more than anything. A “rest stop” in this very busy life we live. A short time to intentionally “be still.”
]]>I was asked to do two little “mini-seminars” in the gazebo area. It was pretty tiny, and I’m sure we have outgrown it for next year. We decided I would show the CamRanger in action. This has been a very exciting product for us and our customers. Finally, the ability to shoot wirelessly to an iPad and it doesn’t take an engineering degree to make it happen. If you email me directly, I can save you some money on your purchase, but you have to call or email me to get the savings. [email protected] is the easiest way to get in on this. If you want to see it in action, here is a video .
The CamRanger works on most any Nikon or Canon camera. So I had to borrow a camera from my boss since I don’t have one of those in my current arsenal. This was shot on a Nikon D3s and 24-120 zoom lens. I shot both RAW and JPEG on my card and sent small jpeg’s to the iPad. This image was taken right from the card, no exposure adjustment, just some Nik Software Glamour Glow and Imagenomic Portraiture. Lighting was a couple of Westcott Spider lights that were in soft boxes. The separation light was about a 12×36 strip bank with fabric grids, I use a similar lighting set up for a lot of my personal work.
This was the first time I’ve ever used a background by Serendipity Backgrounds. I was blown away by how nicely it photographed and reacted to a simple lighting adjustment. I was shocked to hear that these average right at $100.00 making them super affordable! I’m glad I was able to shoot on these a few times and had super favorable results both times.
This is a couple to watch!
I’ll wrap this up with a quick “one light” portrait I did of my friends Willard and Shawn Jones. This was a 53″ Elinchrome Deep Inverted Rotalux. No other light, not even a reflector! I have never used any light source like this other than it’s big brother, the 72″ Octabank. In my opinion, it would be money better spent to buy this box and a $400.00, 200 Ws light over the same amount on an inexpensive, multiple light set! Keep your eyes on this couple, they are real up and comers, plus a wonderful couple. They have built an incredible business in a short period of time. If you listen to them speak its obvious why. A lot of hard work and extreme customer service. No secret there, but not many are willing to do it either. This past week was their first program at PPO, and I was super impressed by the amount of information they presented in a short period of time. You two rock! Very proud to call you friends.
]]>This was my office last Tuesday, and it was a beautiful place to work. Wood floors, spot lighting, high ceiling and lots of outlets. Nothing missing at all. This room is a gallery that was being taken down, but they let us use it anyway. As you can see, my standard 3 light set up modified slightly for the client’s specifications.
The drive down was beautiful. The sun was bright and if the wind hadn’t been blowing the temps would have been great too. Marlene and I enjoy our road trips a lot. If we want a coffee we stop and get one, if we see something that interests us, we can take it in.
Pocket Wizard Plus III’s firing Hensel 500 Ws lights. My trusty Photogenic Posing Stool that I’ve owned for many years.
Finally, a view from the “hot seat.”
My friend Henry watching it all come together
Soon, I will have some of the shots posted up for you to take a look at. First look, I am pleased with the way they were executed. Oh yeah, all of these were quick snaps with my Fuji X10, I sure do love that little camera!
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Let me introduce you to my friend, Henry Hamman. Henry is a talented writer, great guy and a lot of fun to hang with. (he also is super smart and loves photography)
Today I am driving to Sewanee, which is about 100 miles South of Nashville. We’ll meet Henry there and set up to photograph some VIP that is an alumnus of the College. This is the second job I’ve been hired to photograph for them, I did one last summer too. The assignment: Create a portrait that will match a wall full of portraits they have previously commissioned through the years so it fits seamlessly into their design. No room for my private interpretation of the subject, just replicate what’s already been done. To some, this may not sound like fun, even boring. I consider it a challenge to hone my skills and get it right for the client.
So, my gear is tested, packed and ready. We will drive a couple hours, set up the studio and photograph our subject. When we are done, we will have completed our task in about 5 minutes! I will post our final portrait in the next few days so you can see what we ended up with for our client. Last year this was shot with a Nikon D700 and 70-200 f2.8 lens. This year I will be using my Fuji X Pro 1 and the 60mm macro lens. This is my first actual job with this combination and I can’t wait!
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I’ve made a conscious attempt to carry my camera to every event I’ve traveled to this year. So far, so good. As a result, I’ve been rewarded with a few nice images. Last night was our last night at the Photo Pro Expo in Covington, KY. We had a great time and I’ve always wanted a shot of the really pretty Cincinnati skyline. Last night was the night to do it. I like the dramatic sky and the appearance of texture it gave.
Cincinnati Skyline (not the chili)
I hope this illustrates that there just isn’t any substitute for a “real” camera. Not that you couldn’t pull this off with a lesser camera, you could get something close for sure. But, the better your camera/sensor, your willingness to nail the exposure and use a tripod, the better your final image will be.
For those of you that care about the specifics. This was a JPEG right out of my Fuji X Pro 1 with the 18-55 zoom lens. I would have never carried my huge DSLR camera…either of them. Last year when I did, I hated the weight and typically left it in my room. But with the X Pro, it weighs less than my 70-200 f2.8 VR II lens did! I am also carrying a small, very portable tripod called a MePhoto. As you can see, it does a great job even on this 30 second exposure. A little post processing with Nik Software to kick it up a notch and this is the final image. I am really glad that I took the time to do this last night. The weather cooperated and the long exposure timer on the camera display makes it easy to duplicate your exposures while bracketing.
]]>The window light was incredible for this portrait of Aaron
We were pleasantly surprised by a visit from our son! Out of the blue he called yesterday and said he was heading up after work. Good thing he left last night because he missed the snow this morning. It’s not that he can’t drive in it, because he can. But the rest of the city, well lets just say they are challenged by even a trace of the white stuff. We thought we would wait for the roads to be cleared (of all the accidents) before we headed out. So, about noon we took off for downtown. After a quick stop at Dury’s we went to Marathon Village just a few miles away. We’ve lived here for nearly 3 years, and this is the first time that we made it there. We have tried a few times, but always seemed to get distracted. Aaron and I thought it would be a great chance to shoot together again. I love shooting with him, it never ceases to amaze me as I watch him photograph what I just walked by. You should keep an eye on his work, it is getting better with every passing day. He is enjoying his Fuji X-E1 camera and getting some killer images from it! You can follow him on his blog.
It was kind of cold, so the first stop was for coffee. We found Garage Coffee Company to be a friendly place with great java! They actually roast their own beans and their house blend (named “Road Rage”) is very tasty. They sell creative mugs and T’s with really catchy names. It is well worth the stop!
Marlene and I enjoy watching the show “American Pickers” every now and then. We naturally wanted to stop by the Nashville location of Antique Archaeology. Like most places in Nashville, they had live music there. It was great having music while you walked around looking at the vintage and reproduction items they have for sale. I thought a sepia look might be right for this particular shot. I love being able to make that decision on the fly, in camera and see if its really the right feeling for the situation.
Take a look at the sign on the ceiling, “No dancing in this Room”
I wish this were like the movie “Groundhog Day” because I really would like to do it again, and again. I’m sure we will go back, it was a great day!
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Calming and beautiful
I don’t know about you, but I love water. It doesn’t matter if it’s the relaxing sounds of the ocean, a babbling brook hid deep in the forest or watching all the life in the oceans depths. There is something very calming about water. As we walked through the aquarium in Atlanta, it was awesome to look at the variety of life found in the depths of the waters.
This looks like you are on the ocean floor. In reality, you are safely behind a 2 foot thick piece of crystal clear plastic! While we were looking at this scene, we listened to the narrator explain that these all lived together because of the way they were designed. Designed by who or what?
I believe in one Intelligent Designer, Almighty God! I love the simplicity of how God narrates what He did and makes it seem so simple. Genesis 1:3 starts with the words, “And God said” and from there on it is a series of God’s commands and all that we know came into existence! To think that these were just a part of the thoughts of God is incredible. Look at this small snapshot of how varied the fish are in this image. There are hundreds, possibly even thousands more sea creatures that aren’t represented here and some that aren’t visible to our eye from this vantage point. Verse 20 talks about the life within the water. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. V21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind…and God saw that it was good.
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As I woke up early this morning, I took a look out my window and this was the beautiful sunrise. It made me think about this verse from Lamentations and that how each day we experience the Lord’s mercies in a brand new way. I was reflecting on some of the many, many, (too many to name) blessings we enjoy.
I always start with my family as they are such a joy to me! Marlene is at a women’s retreat with over 100 other ladies from our church. This will be a time of refreshing for her, and I am excited that she is there! Our son lives here in Atlanta and we are going to get to spend time together, that is a highlight for sure. He is involved in a two day meeting with people from his church where he is very active. Our eldest daughter and her husband are involved in ministries at their home church. Our youngest daughter and her husband are serving the Lord faithfully in San Diego. One of Marlene’s favorite verses that she has prayed into the lives of our children for their entire lives and continues to pray for them is 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. And now, she prays it for our grandchildren too. I have to mention that one of the things I am most thankful for is not just the love of my wife, but her prayerful, and encouraging support for the last 35 years!
I hope this doesn’t come off as bragging on Marlene and I at all. Rather, we are bragging on the Lord and his faithfulness! The fact that He can be trusted and will never leave you or forsake you. He is truly friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 I hope you know Him the way our family knows Him! My prayer is that you will find His mercies new today and every morning.
]]>Bokeh: pron.: /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay The term comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means “blur” or “haze.”
Please note right off the bat that it has nothing to do with any specific photographic lens. More specifically a Canon 85 f1.2, or any other “magical” tool. (that lens does have a wonderful look, but so does their 85mm 1.8 or the Nikon equivalent at roughly at 1/4 the of it’s price! The Sigma 85mm 1.4 has a beautiful bokeh at under $1,000.00. It’s just the appearance of the background in the final image.
Additional info from Wikipedia: The English spelling bokeh was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine, when Mike Johnston, the editor at the time, commissioned three papers on the topic for the March/April 1997 issue; he altered the spelling to suggest the correct pronunciation to English speakers, saying “it is properly pronounced with bo as in bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable”.[4] The spellings bokeh and boke have both been in use at least since 1996, when Merklinger had suggested “or Bokeh if you prefer.”[10] The term bokeh has appeared in photography books at least since 1998.
Christmas week our son was home and this came up in conversation. He is a very creative photographer with a bit of a twist. He also wants to understand the technical part of it so he can control his image in camera without a lot of post production. We had time to set up this little scenario and see how different openings affected the final image. So, if a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few images that illustrate the effect.
f8 You can pretty easily see it is a tree with ornaments in the background
f5.6 You can still see the outline of the ornaments, but they are fading
f4 Going, going, going…
f2.4 Gone. (and in a beautiful way!) Wide open on the 60mm Fuji Macro lens
Let me muddy the water just a little bit. There are so many variables that control what your background will look like. Not only does your shooting aperture affect the appearance, but so does your focusing distance, specifically the distance from camera to subject. The closer you are (like with a macro lens as above) the depth of field is greatly reduced and the effect emphasized. Two lenses that have shallow depth of field characteristics are macro and telephoto, so the effect is best with those. You want to see it for yourself? Simple, just fill the frame near minimum focus as close as you can get to your subject, take the photo and there it is!
One final addition from the Wiki site: Bokeh characteristics may be quantified by examining the image’s circle of confusion. In out-of-focus areas, each point of light becomes an image of the aperture, generally a more or less round disc. Depending how a lens is corrected for spherical aberration, the disc may be uniformly illuminated, brighter near the edge, or brighter near the center. Lenses that are poorly corrected for spherical aberration will show one kind of disc for out-of-focus points in front of the plane of focus, and a different kind for points behind.
Conclusion: Bokeh is real and beautiful when it happens as a result of using the right lens, the right way.
]]>A place for everything, everything in it’s place!
Today, I can actually transport everything I need to do a simple one to two light job, including the lights. In this case a Quantum T5d-R and Fuji speed light. The Q flash requires a dedicated Quantum Tubo battery pack and charger. I also have in here: Pocket Wizards, Gossen Starlite meter, and an assortment of synch cords that will cover most any application. All neatly stored in my Cable Management 30 bag, that easily fits in the side panel. My favorite modifier for the Quantum is the Harbor Digital Design Ultimate Light Box. My biggest complaint about this is that it takes up too much room, it doesn’t collapse or get smaller, but that just may be the secret to it’s efficiency at distributing light. That was a concern when my space was limited, I had to make a choice between what I would carry and what I wouldn’t. I really like having options for lighting, sometimes a box, or Rogue flash bender, maybe even a simple bounce off a near wall. I can also carry gells, allowing even more possibilities.
Here is the best part, as Fuji introduces their 55-200 zoom lens, it will easily fit in this case. And, when the successor to the X Pro 1 comes along, that will also have a home here no problem. I still have tons of room to add those without eliminating anything that I’m now using.
My biggest current challenge: What camera bag to buy next? I own three Think Tank bags and have to say that I have been super happy with them. That said, do I want a Retrospective 5 or 10? I think the 5 will be large enough for 1 body and 2 lenses, but I don’t know about my Fuji flash. Any more than that and I think that I may have to go larger. Having a smaller camera system is spoiling me, I don’t want anything larger than I need to carry. A month ago I was happy to have everything in my StreetWalker Pro backpack, now it’s just sitting in my equipment closet. It is just too big for my needs now. What a great problem to have right?
So what can you do with just one light? That’s a legitimate question so here are a few examples of a one light set up. If you are wondering about coverage from one source, my son-in-laws are 6’4″ and 6’5″. As you can see, no worries! Our family group with the Quantum and a 60″ umbrella.
Not bad for 7 adults and 3 kids under three years of age. (and a self timer portrait too!)
Here is one with the Harbor Design Ultimate Light Box. I did this of my wife and I at a corporate Christmas party we photographed for clients a few weeks ago.
I hope this helps you see some of the benefits of thinking small. If you have an open mind to change, it just may simplify your life…a lot!
Need to buy some camera gear? Just send me an email to [email protected] and I’ll be glad to help you get what you want!
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It doesn’t happen that often in Nashville, thankfully. But for the sake of our visiting family from California, I was glad it did. Besides, I am on vacation and I didn’t have to drive out with all the crazies on I-40 heading home tonight. The few times I’ve seen it snow here, have not been pretty. Nothing personal, but it is “amateur hour” on the roads at it’s absolute worse!
But for a photo op, it was super fun. We just ran across the street and played in the little park area! Here is Mateo out with his Uncle Aaron having some fun.
Uncle Aaron is lot’s of fun to play with!
One of the things I have always liked about Fuji are the creamy flesh tones right out of the camera. Look at these JPEG’s with nothing done but a quick crop to size! I have been working with the settings and am getting much closer to what I like to see. With 6 camera presets, it is pretty easy to pick the right one for your shooting situation and be ready to rock and roll.
Got to get one with Grandma and Grandpa (note the matching Yamaha hats) Sweet!
If you’ve never photographed in the snow, you may be thinking I should have used fill flash. That is a mistake you will only make one time. The snow flakes catch the light and end up HUGE in the photo. (rain can produce the same results) If you don’t have a reflector handy, just expose the best you can toward the shadow side and hope for the best. On this last one I had to use Nik silver reflector to lighten up our flesh tones a touch. You can see a color shift from the use of this filter, but it helped open us up. Still learning what ISO is optimal for the camera, but loving the results I’m getting.
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Our traditional “self timer pose” that will be our Christmas card portrait
Some of the concerns I’ve read about are focusing in low light. This was a very dark corner of the room, in fact this is a 1/4 second exposure to get some light from the tree lights to show up, ISO 400 and f9. I won’t say that the camera didn’t struggle, but I would also say this is a very extreme situation! I literally unboxed my camera at 2:00 in the afternoon and was shooting this event with it at 7:00 that night. OK, so I never said I was smart. I typically adopt a “burn the bridge” attitude when I buy new equipment. No way to retreat! I will make it work no matter what. This event was a Christmas party for an investment firm, they are giving these portraits to each of their clients. What a great way to say “thanks” for your business!
My lighting set up was simplicity at it’s best. One Quantum Q Flash T5dR with my favorite modifier the Harbor Digital Design, flash set to manual and rocked the set all night long. I use Pocket Wizards as my trigger of choice with this lighting set up. They are bullet proof and work every time. My Multi Max’s are over 10 years old and they still work like a champ!
Look at the incredible detail in the blacks
Since this was the maiden voyage of the camera and lens, I shot in RAW + JPEG, just in case. As it turned out the exposures were OK, but I didn’t like the look of the JPEG’s out of the camera. So I post processed these in Lightroom 4 and am super pleased with the results. I will tweak the many optional settings on the camera and come up with a look I like. The X Pro 1 has parking spots for 6 Custom Settings. At the push of a few buttons, you can alter the “flavor” to be exactly what you want it to be! Now that is professional control at it’s best. I am not delusional, there are some shortcomings in the system, but it is very early in development. I’ve had a few questions for the folks at Fuji and they are some of the most supportive support people out there. If they don’t know the answer, they will tell you so and get back to you. I can live with that.
Bottom line, this was a great decision and I am super stoked to see what I can do with it next. I am planing on attending a concert Saturday to see how it does at high ISO’s and tricky lighting. Then, all the family will be here for Christmas. My sons are all into photography so that means we will be making some intentional outings to see what we can come up with. I don’t know how quickly I’ll get them up here on my blog, but I’ll do the best I can.
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AllX-E1 with 18-55 at f4 and 41mm distance
I am very happy with the sharpness and subtle tones in the background! This was the day before I received my X Pro 1, I was experimenting with the X-E1 I had borrowed from a friend. Based on this test and some other shots, I purchased the zoom as my primary lens. Along with that, I bought the 60mm macro. This was hand held at a very quick shutter speed 1/3875 and 400 ISO at f4. Love the look!
]]>I feel like I need to apologize for this image, but I just couldn’t wait to give this camera, more specifically, this brand new 18-55mm f2:8-4 lens a test. So, any subject would do, like my little metal drummer sculpture that was a gift from my daughter Sara and sits in our den.
This is the full frame image from the camera
I wanted to eliminate as many variables as I could, so I shot with a Quantum T5d-R flash, bare bulb, manual 1/4 power. Camera Settings: Manual exposure, ISO 400, 1/125 at f11. The 18-55 lens was fully extended to 55mm. This lens features optical stabilization so these shots were hand held, not tripod mounted like I would typically be shooting in a portrait situation. I was impressed right away by the way it focused in extremely low light and the overall look from the lens. I love the bright colors in the edges of the image from the flash bulb and vase. Still maintaining a clean, neutral black base under it all.
This is a close up cropped at 100%
Not only sharpness, but look at the subtle color and surface etchings. (truthfully I had never seen them before this shot) There are no “blow outs” on the highlights in the metal. And no noise at all with this 400 ISO shot, I will obviously check out it’s capabilities at much higher ISO’s before I make any final conclusions. Based on this, for what I do photographically, this is super promising. As an event and portrait shooter, I don’t “need” the super high speeds required in low light photography. Still, I occasionally photograph weddings and social events that are low light so it needs to be thoroughly tested there. So next week I am shooting a Christmas party and guess what I’ll be using?
Same 100% crop, just a little lower to show some of the depth that is visible. (oops, I should have dusted the inside)
To say I am impressed with these initial shots would be an understatement. My hopes are that I can purchase this current available zoom and the upcoming 55-200 and have a simple, extremely lite, 2 lens kit. My next decision is which body to buy first? The X Pro 1 or the X-E1? There are pluses and minuses to both bodies. The X Pro 1 body is currently on sale for $1399.00. But, the X-E1 is only $1399.00 with this fantastic, super sharp, great resolution zoom lens. Eventually I will most likely own one of each body, I just don’t know which one will be first. Feature wise there are some cosmetic and functional features to consider, but those are discussed on a dozen different forums all over the internet.
I am now more convinced that selling my DSLR gear in favor of this move was the right thing to do! My next planned tests include comparing the two camera models with the assortment of lenses. However, that will have to wait until there is a lens update allowing me to shoot the zoom on the X Pro body. That brings up another first. The ability to do firmware updates for the camera bodies and specific lenses is an incredible step in the right direction. Don’t be intimidated by the update process, it is simple and straightforward. I want to shoot this lens wide open against the 60mm Macro at the same setting and see how it affects the bokeh produced. There is about 1/3 stop difference between wide open on these two lenses, still I’m expecting stunning images from both.
I bought the Fuji EF-420 flash today and will hopefully get to use that in the next few days. I should mention that I triggered the Quantum with my trusty old, (over 10 years) Pocket Wizard Multi-Max’s. They just keep on working and it proves that using this camera in any studio situation will be no problem at all. There is a little pop up flash that could possibly serve some purpose, like triggering other lights optically?
Finally, a special thank you to my boss Ron Rice that has let me use his camera more than he has used it himself. And an extra special thanks to my friend Henry Hamman that has allowed me to use his X-E1 before he has even put his hands on it! I appreciate the trust and confidence these men have placed in me!
All I have left of my Nikon gear is my 8 month old, 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens, everything else is sold and gone to good homes. Now I need to get serious about replacing this stuff pronto!
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First of all, these are pretty much out of the camera. I did a very slight exposure adjustment to each of them, just to try and get them as close as possible. Nothing more was done.
This image is from my Nikon D700 with 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens tripod mounted VR off
This is from a Fuji X Pro 1. No tripod and a tad over exposed. I still like the flesh tones here as a starting point.
Aside from the obvious saturation differences, I think they are pretty close. Here are a few things to consider:
CAMERA GEAR FOR SALE! Yep, I am putting all my stuff up for sale. (I’m pretty sure anyway) If you know me, you know how I baby my stuff! It has spent every day of it’s life in a ThinkTank bags when it isn’t being used. My camera probably has less than 15,000 shots on it, and the 70-200 f2,8 VRII lens was bought just this year. All boxes and original everything is included. You can send me an email from the blog site here. If it’s easier, just send it to [email protected] I also have an SB900, SB800, Tamron 14mm fisheye and Tamron 28-75 for sale.
Nothing terribly conclusive, but this may inspire you to look a little more closely at some of the emerging technology that I (along with many others) think is the future of our industry.
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Sometimes I get into just poking around on my archives of images and wonder what they might look like with a few modifications. When I found this one, I thought the color needed punched up a little. I always liked it, but didn’t really love it. A few “clicks” in Nik Color Efex and here is the finished picture. This was taken on a bike trip with my good friend Bud Warner July 6, 2007. Almost one year to the day before I would have my cancer surgery. Who would have even known?
This is me at 175 pounds on my 950 pound Honda Goldwing. To this day the best handling bike I’ve owned.
I want to thank the Lord Jesus that I am still here today, and healed from cancer! My friend and surgeon Kurt Garren was incredible and thorough. He walked me through that valley every step of the way and we stay in touch to this day. I hated the journey, but am so thankful for all those that prayed me through those months! I am convinced that without the faithful, fervent prayers of my friends and family, I wouldn’t have endured all those months of treatments. In the four short years since all of this I’ve seen so many blessings. To name a few: Sara’s wonderful wedding to Hugo, the addition of our three grandchildren, and a new start in Nashville. Although we miss our friends and family in Ohio, God has given so many more friends that we have grown to love right here!
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My favorite portrait of George. Shot on a little Fuji FinePix camera a few years ago.
As many of you know, George was a few months away from his 93rd birthday. How incredible is that? He comes from a family blessed with longevity. We were just in Cambridge to see him on Tuesday morning, sadly his health was rapidly failing and he didn’t recognize Marlene or I. We even brought two of his favorite treats, Kennedy’s donuts and bananas! I was able to help him get a few bites of the donuts down, but not many. We drove back to Nashville on Wednesday, and got a call on Friday that he was failing. Before we could get back to Cambridge, he had comfortably slipped off peacefully into eternity.
I’d don’t want to show you how he was this week, I want to show you how we choose to remember him. George had three daughters and one son, Ron that lives in South Carolina. I think Marg may have described it best as we worked on his obituary, she said, “he had an impish smile.”
As with most dads, his girls held a special place in his heart!
Marlene and I have been married for 35 years. No matter how many times I’ve seen him over the past decades he always asked me the same questions: Are you still working? Are you doing photography? He just couldn’t understand how I could support his little girl and grandchildren “taking pictures.” I think that is absolutely hilarious, sometimes I still can’t believe it either! If you didn’t know George, this man could play almost any musical instrument by ear! He was incredible and loved to play many of the old hymns from memory. I’m sure he will be playing them now and for all eternity for our Loving Lord!
He also loved his grandchildren. I don’t have a shot of all of them together, but I do have this one from our family Christmas Caroling at the nursing home where he lived. (This is one of our family traditions, going to nursing homes and singing carols for the residents)
Admittedly this is a few years old, but it’s still a great memory for us.
I wish I had the photo’s with me from taking both of our dads fishing about 5 years ago. I was playing parent, baiting hooks and helping with fish they caught. It was my dad that taught me how to do those all important life skills for fishing, now I was able to pay them back just a little. It was a great time and we made some memories.
So, when we have his memorial service on Monday, it won’t be goodbye, just goodbye for now. We know the promises of the New Testament are that “absence from the body is presence with the Lord” to those of us who have accepted his free gift of eternal life! That’s doesn’t mean we won’t be sad for our loss, but we know that given the chance he wouldn’t come back now for all the money in the world. Sure, we’ll miss you now, but we will see you again!
Thanks for your calls and messages, they mean a lot. Please pray for the family over the next few days. We won’t sorrow as those that have no hope, because we know where he is and will be for eternity. Still, it’s always hard to say goodbye, even if it is just for now.
Here is one more photo that I really like of him, I want you to see him as I’ll remember him.
George Graban January 1920-November 9, 2012
]]>I wouldn’t have attempted using any other stand than a Manfrotto C, it weighs a ton. Then, you hang the Ranger on it, and it isn’t moving. I’ve previously had a really bad experience working in the wind and lost one of my lights, so I don’t take any chances now.
Other essential gear includes a reliable trigger, and I’ve used Pocket Wizards for years! I do love the Elinchrom Skyport for all that it does, especially the output control. For this shot, I thought the Wizard’s were better suited based on the conditions. A great tripod, that I love to use is shown, it is lightweight and durable. Never moved an inch and helped me to not miss any shots. With children, you can’t be glued in the viewfinder, you need eye contact. Your tripod allows you to do that, frame the shot and fire when ready. Saves you a ton of time, and makes editing super easy too.
As you can see, this was a challenging day for photography. The set is almost totally backlit, a little to camera right. Black bike, shadow side of the hay, all the decorations will be a mere silhouette without supplemental lighting. This is an example where you could not do this same shots with one or two speedlights, it would be impossible. Plus, consider the fact that I took over 150 shots. You would spend more time changing batteries than taking pictures! It would also take many of them, strategically placed to even come close to this lighting quality. I’m not totally convinced you could do it at all.
The set up shot is from my Fuji X10 camera. It handles the wide exposure latitude really well, but you still need to be able to control the constantly changing lighting when you shot for a few hours from mid to late afternoon. There just weren’t any short cuts that would have worked.
Our church does this an an outreach to our community every year. Hundreds of kids and families come to the parking lot where they can play games, get some prizes and candy, and be loved on by our people. Sure, it was cold, took some planning and a little hard work, even cost some money. But, it gives us an opportunity to show our neighbors what Jesus would do. To let them know that there is a place they can go where they will be accepted, welcomed and loved. There are a lot of people that care about them and their families.
This was a lot of equipment to take to give photos away! We are emailing all the images to the families this week so they can use them any way they want. Our example is Jesus of course. He freely gave His life, so we can have eternal life with Him. Not a fair trade for the Son of God, but He gladly did it for us. Do you know Him and the gift He has for you? He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” He is waiting to introduce you to his Father as a friend of his. How cool is that? I hope you do, because it will not only change your life, it will change your eternity!
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82 Degrees in late October…we used to call that “a gift” when we lived in Ohio! It was a day meant to go out and enjoy your bike before the long, non-riding months of winter set in. We had a list of things we needed to get done, and if we did we were going riding. The list was done by noon and we were on the bike by 12:30!
Tom and Barb Gibbons are two of our dearest friends in Nashville! They are the first people we met at Hermitage Hills Baptist (our church home). They introduced us to Faith Riders, our Sunday School class and the people we love to ride with. They live here in “The Webb” just a few streets away. We have laughed and cried with them, these are great people who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.
First stop was Watertown, a quaint little village we’ve ridden to several times before. Right across the street is a pretty good Mexican restaurant, when we were there before I thought this old service station might be a fun place to photograph bikes. I think it worked out pretty nicely.
Our goal however was a beautiful fall scene, and we looked all around but couldn’t find anything that would work. Barb suggested a route called, “the Old 96″ heading East toward the mountains. It is about a hundred mile loop, and it was beautiful. As we started to gain altitude we finally started to see some color from the Maple trees, just what I was hoping for!
Tom let me take the lead in case something jumped out to me, Marlene tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to these tree tops. Just what I was looking for! We found a spot to locate the bike for the picture, in retrospect we could have moved a little farther off the road. But, it worked out well for what we wanted and we got the shot! This will be a portrait for their living room that we are excited to see hanging there when we go over for coffee. (if you ever visit them and Barb offers you coffee, make sure it isn’t the “Mr. Coffee” that just isn’t good) Trust me.
Photographer Stuff: Simple equipment, it had to fit in Tom’s trunk. Nikon D700 with 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens. That’s it! Wish I had room for more, but I think it worked out pretty nice with what I had. Post processing, a little Nik Software Color Efx 4.
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Chihuly Glass at Cheekwood
This was my Nikon D700 with a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lens. I still think this lens is one of the best value lenses we have for sale. Less than $500.00 and sharp as a tack!
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Vinnie and his family came down for a visit. We had planned a trip to Honeysuckle Farms so the kids could see the animals and play outside all day. The weather forecast was terrible for the weekend, but God provided a beautiful, crisp day for our field trip.
“Little Christin”, aka, Jade and her dad played on the self propelled carts. Jade wasn’t feeling 100% so she didn’t have as much fun as she normally would have. Still, it was a great day to be out and enjoy being together!
Family Photo Op: At the exit right before we left.
I was able to babysit Vinnie for a while, just the two of us. We crawled around on the floor and had a great time!
After days like this that are busy, and action packed. I become very, very thankful to my Heavenly Father that healed me from my cancer. To have these family times are the most special thing in the world to me. Four years ago, there were no grandchildren and Sara wasn’t married yet. All these things that I’ve been able to see and share in, only made possible by the healing hand of Almighty God! I praise Him for that daily. Do you know Him as your personal Saviour and forgiver of your sins? He is more than just “the man upstairs,” he is a loving, caring, personal God that wants to be your friend too.
]]>On our way to Texas, we make a planned stop at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. This is not a fancy place, let’s call it eclectic in it’s decor. A very simple menu, but everything you order will be delicious!
Here is where the magic happens, right inside these doors:
I love the Fuji X10′s ability to switch from a variety of aspect ratios to black and white with just a few menu selections! It can totally change the “feel” of an image.
The main attraction, hot sauce is optional but suggested!
Check out the old fashioned juke box, but note that it is “digital.”
Located just off famous Beale Street, this is a must stop destination. Do yourself a favor and don’t get there right at lunch time, maybe a little early or a little late. Otherwise you will be waiting for one of the few tables. It will be worth it, that I can guarantee! While you are waiting, check out the “decor” it is entertaining.
Don’t you just love the Elvis bumper sticker on the window?
A selection I suppose many would be proud of?
Good news Nashville, we have one either opening or already open! If you like fried chicken, you have to put this one on your to-do list!
]]>Morning is my favorite time of day. I’ve said before I love the entire new beginning! This time of year it is brisk on the back patio, and the steam rises from my coffee mug as I wait for the sun rise. I don’t sleep all that well, so sunrises are a part of most everyday for me.
This photo was taken Wednesday morning, it was supposed to be a day off from work after a dentist visit. Turned out that I ended up working all day. I do want to mention that the Lord has really blessed this past few weeks with some awesome sales and many brand new clients. I am so thankful that we are commanded to be faithful,work hard and that He will give the increase.
So, once again as I get ready to pillow my head, I’m thankful for the safe travel He allowed. I’m ready to rest, and do it all over again tomorrow if He allows it.
]]>One of the summer features here is an area called “Musicians Corner.” This is a very cool, open area of the park where you can lay on the ground or bring a chair and listen to a wide variety of music, all for free. Various food vendors are lined up around the perimeter offering a variety of food, water or ice cream. Families with their kids or dogs are everywhere! I must add that the sound mix at most of these events is usually quite good. We are after all in “Music City.”
Another attraction at this park is a building called “The Pathenon.” It is an exact replica of the Greek building that is centuries old. It is big and beautiful, and there is always something happening in or around this building. It’s a popular place for weddings and concerts. This was a great spot to try out the different film simulation modes on my Fuji X10. Here are two shots of the building, only change is the effect of the film type selected.
As you can see one appears pretty normal, while the second one, shot on the Velvia setting is super saturated in color. It is an amazing difference and a great tool to use when you are shooting scenics. If this appears a tad too much saturated for your taste, it is easy enough to back it off a little.
But, my absolute favorite shot of the day was this great portrait I took of my wife! It was her suggestion that we go up and shoot around the columns, something I’ve intended to do since we first saw them. At first I almost wished I had my Nikon camera, but now I don’t know that I could have gotten a better portrait than I did with the x10.
I am very, very happy with this portrait of Marlene! I used the tiny little built in flash to give me a wink of light in her beautiful blue eyes! I love this camera, but way more than that I love this woman! Next month we will celebrate 35 years together and at times that seems unbelievable to me. Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. I can tell you that I have found the favor of the Lord and have been blessed beyond measure!
]]>I’ve been looking really closely at the developments in mirrorless technology. Prior to spending some time talking about this with Will Crockett, I hadn’t given it much thought. It really looks like this is going to be the “next big thing” and that we will all eventually end up here possibly sooner than we think. I’ve been getting some great, super sharp images with my X10, but I really wanted to shoot some with the Pro version, the X-Pro 1. (This is the big brother to the X1o) The camera system includes three lenses now, but more are on the way. Including some great super fast, incredibly sharp zoom lenses. My boss Ron Rice owns this dream machine and was kind enough to let me play with it in the studio as I taught yesterday. Price is always a concern, so you should know that the camera and 3 lenses can be bought for under $3500.00. These lenses are sharp, inexpensive and super fast.
This image is from a Lighting Class I teach for Belmont University. Trevor Hinelsey was our patient, and easy to photograph model. Our class has 16 students, so he stood there for a super long periods of time letting each one of them take the same photograph, over and over again. Take a look at the incredible flesh tones from this jpeg right out of the camera!
Great flesh tones, black blacks and white whites, what more could you ask for? This was with the 60mm macro which gives you the equivalent of a 90mm lens. I think it looks incredible! Would you like to see what it looks like enlarged 100%? OK, here it is:
This camera is a 16M camera, but the file I am showing here was taken from a 3.4 MB JPEG right from the camera! I’m not ready to sell my Nikon and lenses…yet. I do see this as a very possible transition in the future.
I’ve carried large, heavy and expensive cameras for 40 years. I enjoy what the cameras do for me, and the images they allow me to capture. I love my 70-200 2.8 VR II lens, it is incredible and has helped me make some wonderful images. I will post some images from my D700 too, I think you’ll see they have some similarities and some specific differences. I DO hate the weight of it, even more now that I am not in my 20′s or 30′s or…well, you get the idea.
I hope to be shooting this camera a lot more, and the new camera that will be here in a few weeks the X-E1. When I do, I’ll be sure to post them here.
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I do miss this bike and would like to own another “land yacht” of some kind in the future. After my bout with cancer I lost over 40 pounds, at 128 lbs. I was no match against gravity and this behemoth. But, it was a great ride while it lasted. Marlene encouraged me to get a smaller bike and I’m glad I did. For now this is a great memory and I’m glad I found this photo.
]]>9 Months old!
Today we were able to take the Vin Dog’s 9 month old portrait. This couch is the same place they have been doing it since he was born, and it just works. Grandpa or as Jade calls me, “Bapaw” loves the drum on the side. He is the happiest “little” guy ever! We are able to stay for the entire three day weekend, and it is a much needed rest. I’ve worked well over half the weekends this summer, so we haven’t been back to Ohio since Memorial Day or earlier!
Jade and Vinny love to spend time in the toy room. So we crawl around on the floor as long as our aging bodies will allow us. Then we sit on a chair for awhile, stretch it out, and do it again. Sometime we chase Jade around the house, laughing or singing all the way. The house is loud and full of life, just the way we like it! We’ve taken walks, rode the bike, pushed the stroller and had great meals at home. (There just isn’t any reason to eat out when the girls have access to all they need in the kitchen)
Yes sir, we are so blessed to spend this time with our family!
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It’s that time of year again! Spring is finally here and it’s time to get out on our bikes. Today will be our first of hopefully many rides this summer. Last summer was the worst season since I’ve owned a bike for riding. I don’t think we made 5 group rides all year. This year will be different, I am committed to log more miles, spend more time with friends and use our bike to get some “down time” from my daily responsibilities.
I was looking through some of my past road trips, some were short day runs, others covered a few states and multiple days. They all have a few things in common…fun, food, and lack of stress!
A Fall ride in Ohio with lifelong friends! Mark, Sue, Pam and Doug
We’ve been riding for a little over 10 years now, that seems hard to believe. I’ve never really had a hobby that I enjoyed until riding came along. For some reason, I am so focused on making it all work together and keeping Marlene and I safe, that concentration is relaxing to me. I’m not thinking about much of anything else but my surroundings and how the bike is running. Seems weird right? All I know is it works!
Tony’s I 75 in Michigan with Super Dave Maylen and Will Crockett
Above was the ride we called “The Bacon Run” all this to get a BLT sandwich with 1 pound of bacon! What’s not to love about that? Best of all, we made some memories that will last a lifetime. No one needs a sandwich with that much bacon, but we laughed uncontrollably when we saw the size of that thing!
So today we will head out with our Faith Rider friends in Nashville in the search of good times and a new place to eat. I do know this, it will be fun, we will eat well and I will be better rested as a result of it.
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The cool thing is that this group although they’ve played together for years, still “brings it!” The bass player has been a member for 28 years, and his drummer for 30. the word “tight” doesn’t begin to describe what they do. On top of that, they had a monster local keyboard player, Joseph Wooten. As you probably know, he is a member of “The Wooten Brothers” and an incredibly gifted musician! What I didn’t know is that he has played with the Steve Miller Band for 18 years all over the world, and it sounded like it too! You can catch him most Wednesday nights at 3rd and Lindsley with my good friend Steve Forrest playing some funky, get down bass.
I know that you aren’t supposed to take cameras into these events. But I rationalized it by seeing all the other people with cameras and almost everyone’s cell phones take great pictures. Besides, it was just my little point and shoot Fuji X10. The final piece of information I used to justify shooting these pictures was the smell of pot in the air. I’m pretty sure that is totally illegal, possibly even more so than taking pictures.
So, I am still in love with my newest photographic purchase. The Fuji x10 camera with built in 24-112mm f2 lens. I would love to take credit for these beautiful shots, but all I did was control a few settings and let it do the rest. I adjusted my white balance to tungsten and set it to not exceed 800 ISO. I selected the “low noise” option and as you can see, it really works! By the way, I was able to carry this into the concert virtually undetected by putting it in my BlackRapid SnapR 35 case, a perfect home for this little beauty!
This next shot is obviously cropped a little and still no noise. Remarkable images and great memories of a super fun night!
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Pretty, but nothing to stop the car for at my initial glance
As I drove a little past this, the light direction totally changed and there was BEAUTIFUL orange/red late evening light striking the plant. I stopped the car and backed up to see what I might find. As luck would have it my friend Will Crockett sent me a little point and shoot camera to play with and it arrived today. Proving the best camera is the one you have with you! These were all taken with a Panasonic SZ1 camera, really very affordable and it’s biggest plus is the Carl Zeiss lens it looks through! What difference does a lens make? Take a look at some of these hand held close ups, just check out the detail.
If I had driven just 3 minutes to my home, grabbed my “real” camera and then 3 minutes back, the “magic light” would have been totally gone. These files are large and sharp enough to do some nice size prints, so I haven’t given anything up at all. The uncropped file is 6.5 MB, from a point and shoot. But wait, there are a few more I want to show you.
Shooting right into the sun? Yes sir, and look how well it held up!
One parting shot, no post processing magic, just cropped to look the way I saw it.
I think that this could be a very pretty shot with a little help from Photoshop. Eliminate the road and make that left side green, fix the sky…it just might work. Pretty simple fix even for a PS challenged guy like me. I do know for sure that with Nik filters, even I can make them look great!
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Does he realize he is uncomfortable and could potentially hurt his neck? (when he gets to be his grandpa’s age he’ll wonder where that old neck injury came from) No! He knows he’s surrounded by family that loves and cares for him. He’s got a dad that takes time to play with him and get him dressed for church. A sister to help entertain him (and us). And a mom that feeds him all he wants, and that is a lot! Good morning Mr. Smiley pants!
I will be teaching lighting as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University this year and I’m on the advisory Board for Nossi College of Art. I teach classes for groups, individuals, studio or corporate consulting and run workshops. Recently I’ve seen a bunch of “cover shots” here in Nashville that are well, to be very polite, just not good. So I’d like to illustrate what I think makes for a great cover shot. This is our friend Erla Bartell from New Philadelphia Ohio. She is our pastor’s wife at First Baptist and an Albanian by birth. She was going to be featured on an Albanian Woman’s Missions magazine and she asked me to do the photo for her. This is one of the sweetest families you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, and a family that totally loves the Lord and His work! I was honored and excited for the opportunity. So, here is my attempt at a “cover shot” that I think went very well.
I don’t typically write blogs that might be perceived as a rant, at least not intentionally. However, there is just a rash of really bad work showing up when there are plenty of options for really great work! If you are going to be on a cover, why not ask to hire someone that has the skill set to make you look the best you can?
This was not done with an amateur camera and available light. I also didn’t use an “on camera” flash. In fact I had a lot of equipment here to make it look totally natural, I created the environment and composition so it would work with the magazines layout that was provided to me. I guess I just wanted to put up something to illustrate what is possible with some planning and execution. Thanks Bartell’s for all that you do to invest in the families in Tuscarawas County and the other side of the world!
]]>First up, my beautiful niece Sadie outside Ernest Tubbs Record Shop downtown. This was snapped at dusk using the night/flash setting. I think it performed really well letting us see some of the street scene while still lighting her up with the flash.
Please notice the brand new purse, this was a previous nights field trip to Opry Mills and they were BOGO, such a deal! She was so happy to buy a couple of new bags to take to college with her and it was fun to see her excitement! Plus, isn’t it so cute?
No trip to Nashville is complete without a visit to “Music Row” to see the banners. This is one of her favorites, so it was a photo op. Note: best time to do this is on the weekend, far less traffic and stopping for these is so much easier.
At a concert in Gallatin, TN it was really hot that night!
Sadie, Tina and I at the outdoor concert. (Makes me look good I think)
OK, I have to admit I did a little (very little) post processing on these files. I fixed some color and saturation issues, also softened the skin on those of us that would benefit from it. Why? Because I can! I have to admit my personal choice is the Fuji X10, and I hope to add camera as my personal travel camera very soon. The above two pictures were taken with the Fuji and I love it’s low light ability to make the images work no matter how tricky the situation.
Finally a family group shot of us with the Daily Jeffersonian from Cambridge, Ohio. We did their family portrait and jumped in for one quickie of all of us.
Family shot at Del Webb Lake Providence
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Do you remember the movie Sister Act? I love how Whoopi tells the students it is going to be a brand new day, a fresh start. Even more than that, I love the promise from the Lord that we get that new start every day!
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
I was out sitting on the back porch reflecting on just some of the Lord’s incredible blessings to me. Of course the first couple I think about is my wife and family and then His healing in my life from cancer. In reality, there are too many to name but I do think about our friends both old and new. Some we raised our kids with, vacationed at Myrtle Beach, camped every holiday in the summer and just enjoyed each others company. Now some that we worship with and ride motorcycles, or just meet for dinner or ice cream…and coffee.
I am also thinking about friends that are in the midst of a trial or troubling season of life. The Doss family as Johnny is now in Hospice and my cousin Phillip as they battle cancer. My lifelong friend Fred that has recently lost both his mom and dad within a few weeks of each other. Many others that are battling sickness, unemployment or suffering, way too many to mention by name. But the reality is, it’s just a brief separation, they will one day be united again for all of eternity. No sorrow, no pain, no suffering, no sadness. Eternal presence with the one who paid the price for our sins. The One who paid a debt He did not owe, for a price we could not pay.
I guess I’m getting older and more reflective. The funny thing is, I started out feeling sorry for myself for a few things that are totally insignificant right now. Another sleepless night with much to do today. But in the light of eternity and the truth that we are only here for a brief time, I’m embarrassed that they entered my mind and confess them as sin. I hope you know the One that makes old things pass away and all things as new. The bible says his name, Jesus, is above all names. Only He can change our lives and give us the daily hope we need to enter a brand new day!
]]>This is our actual shooting location, nothing to write home about for sure.
The view from behind the model, harnessing the light with a reflector and directing back at her from a higher angle than you would typically see demonstrated. How does it look? You be the judge on the next couple images.
As you can see this is behind our store in an area that really isn’t very attractive. But, with the right lighting (after modification) and a beautiful model, you would never know it. Here are a few that I did some quick work on, there were lots more and I’m sure the class came away with even better images.
Imagenomic and a slight alteration in Lightroom that I learned from Lindsay!
Here is one that I shot in B&W inside my Nikon D700. I like the results right out of the camera, and just tweaked it a little to make it look the way I envisioned it when I was shooting.
This was an extremely productive class, and one of my personal favorites for learning additional lighting techniques! I would generally take out additional lights like the Quadra or some other unit. But, this was super effective and the results were stunning! Thanks again to Lindsay, her staff and Sigma for a great day of learning!
]]>The opening act was a very talented female artist, with an incredible voice! (sorry I don’t remember her name) Simply herself on acoustical guitar, an electric guitar, a bass player and percussionist. They were tight and enjoyable to listen to. Here is an early image from the evening ISO 2500, 1/30 at f2.8 with the Fuji 18-55 zoom.
All shots with Fuji X Pro 1 and the 18-55mm OS zoom lens
I was encouraged with the first few images of the evening. However, the lighting you see here was going to be totally changed for the feature act, and then it went bad in a hurry. While shooting these I had no major complaints with the focusing. It was of course slower than I am accustomed to with my Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens. It also was not $2500.00 nor did it weigh nearly 2 pounds like the Nikon! So, it is a trade off. I definitely experienced slower focusing, but I didn’t feel like I had been carrying one of my grand kids around all night either.
My soul reason for attending this event was date night with my wife. Our good friend, Bill Kelly was featured on vocals for a few songs. 12 Against Nature is not only an outstanding Chicago tribute band, they do Steely Dan equally as well. In other words, these are incredibly talented musicians no matter what type of music they do. I was blown away by the horns and super tight rhythm section! (This would be a fun group to play with!)
Here are some images from the rest of the evening. The color is not all that great, at least it’s not what I want. If all else fails, convert them to black and white right? I have not done any noise filters on these, just processed from raw. All this work was done in Lightroom 4 for now.
ISO 1600, 1/8 at f2.8. I’m not proud of this, but in an effort to be totally honest you have to show the good with the bad. One thing to be very happy about is the optical stabilization. As you can see it works well.
It’s useable converted to black and white and would benefit from noise reduction. 1/125 f2.8 6400 ISO
My conclusion from this first outing is that it’s going to be just fine. There is of course a learning curve to anything new, and this is no exception. Overall, I am encouraged that this wasn’t a total failure. My typical work is portrait and event photography. This camera is going to be a great answer for that. As with anything new, I’m trying it in all kids of different applications. I will continue to post what I find and the images I’m able to produce.
There was one final option I wanted to try. The Fuji X Pro comes with a copy of their “Silky Pix” software. From the beginning I’ve heard nothing good about this at all, so I didn’t install it. Today I had some time and I thought I needed to give it a try for myself. OK, it is painfully slow as it processes files. It is a clumsy interface and not that intuitive at all. But, it didn’t do a bad job, in fact it was better than Lightroom in my opinion. Take a look for yourself at these black and white files.
This one is processed in Fuji Software Silkypix. Nice gradation of tones
Lightroom 4 conversion. Looks more blocked up and not as much shadow detail
There is still much to learn about the camera, software options and the handling of the files. I hope that Adobe gets involved in accepting this camera and explores developing their ability to process files. I loved Lightroom for my Canon and Nikon cameras, but I’m not thrilled with what they are doing in the Fuji world so far. We can only hope that someone there hears about what this camera has to offer and jumps on board.
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Elinchrom Octabank, the one and only!
What can you do with one light and a reflector? How about this? There is no magic, it is just the most perfect light source I’ve ever used. Because of it’s reflective qualities, it transmits soft, beautiful and EVEN light all across the subject. Where is it placed? Just out of the frame on the models right side, almost touching her! Because you are working so close you don’t even need a lot of power, you can do this with a 200 Ws D-Lite (only $314.99) and get this result! That is way less money than most speed lights. Don’t try this with just any light box, you will not get the same look, I guarantee it. Better yet, why not give it a try? There is no hair light, no kicker light and no light on camera left, just a simple reflector throwing light back on that side to give separation from the background. Nikon D700 with 70-200 2.8 VRII lens, post production was Imagenomic’s Portraiture for skin smoothing, other than that it is straight out of the camera!
]]>I’ve been looking for the perfect travel camera for the last two years. I’ve tried several of them and I really like the Fuji X10, but I hadn’t had a chance to shoot it. My boss recently bought his first camera in 10 years…a Fuji X10. He really liked it. In fact he liked it so much, he bought the new Pro version that has interchangeable lenses, it is an incredible camera. I’ve been a huge Fuji fan for many years. I’ve shot Fuji pro film, I’ve even owned a Fuji 680 “big boy” medium format camera. It only makes sense that I would entertain one of theirs for my next camera. Super sharp optics, great color and built ruggedly with lots of great features. This feels like a Leica or one of my other all time favorite cameras the Contax G2.
My initial thoughts were that I wanted to have a controlled comparison of the different film simulations. This camera boasts multiple film “looks” and the one I’m most interested in looks like “Velvia” my personal all time favorite slide film. Not necessarily a good choice for portraits, but unbeatable for landscapes and scenics. Since we had some incredible Profoto lighting gear set up for a class, I thought I would use my camera and Ron’s to run through the looks in this controlled lighting situation. That’s when the problems started, I slid the Profoto Air trigger on, set my manual exposure, pressed the shutter and nothing! Not just my X10, but Ron’s 100 Pro too, neither one of them would fire the lights. That just didn’t make sense, I went to the manual, read the flash pages, looked at blogs and did a YouTube search. Others have talked about the issue, but there wasn’t a lot of information or any possible solutions.
Moving forward with my test, I tried to fire Nikon, Canon and Vivitar strobes in full manual. Flash set to manual, camera on manual, nothing. I tried to fire Pocket Wizard TT1/TT5 combination and again nothing. Experiencing a similar non-fire situation a few weeks ago (different situation and not applicable here) I wasn’t totally surprised that the PW’s didn’t work on the X10. (Note: The goal was not TTL, only to use as a standard trigger to shoot manually like I’ve done in the past with other studio strobes) See additional info in the update section below.
What did surprise me was the fact that the Elinchrom Skyport DID fire the Ranger Quadra! No modifier, just a simple snapshot, but important in the fact that while nothing else worked this one did. As expected, beautiful flesh tones and even light as metered.
Conclusion: I wish I had something more decisive, but for now I’m just more confused. I’ll try to get to the bottom of this, and I am enjoying the camera. But unless this camera is capable of using other non-Fuji strobes, I don’t know if it will end up in my camera bag. That is really a shame because just packing it along and throwing one of my Nikon strobes in the bag would be a great travel option.
UPDATE: On Friday July 6th I was able to use the newest member of the Pocket Wizard family the Plus III’s and they worked flawlessly! I was so excited they worked, they are small and light and worked just like I knew they would. I have owned the same set of Multi-Max’s for about 10 years, they have been rebuilt by Rameesh at MAC and they still work every single time!
TT1/TT5 Follow up: It turns out that the Pocket Wizard TT1/TT5′s have to be instructed to work in the “manual” mode on Nikon cameras. I really see no practical reason for this, in fact it is VERY frustrating when you just want a simple trigger. I am a manual strobe shooter anytime I have the ability to light that way. However, at times when TTL will work AND speed lights have enough power to get it done right, I will use that technology. To require owners to plug in the USB cord, update drivers, and select “allow manual trigger” seems like a waste of time in my opinion. In an attempt to be thorough in my review, I want to make it as accurate as possible. My personal units are on their way into the Product Manager now so he can look at them and make sure there is nothing wrong with mine. I’ll let you know what the verdict is when I hear back from Phil.
]]>It was Father’s Day and I had just settled into my recliner for a little rest. My phone rings and Marlene asks me to grab my camera and head up to the bridge. “The “Daylilies” are blooming, and it would look so nice with Jade’s outfit,” so off I head. I didn’t want to take a bunch of equipment so I grabbed a reflector and my ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro bag. I left the reflector in the bottom left corner so you could see the placement, cropping it out won’t take a minute.
The fact that there isn’t eye contact doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I like it a little better in a different way. There is nothing done in post production here, only cropped to size to fit the blog. Super shallow depth of field from the Nikon 70-200 VRII lens shot wide open, love it…and her!
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One large, fill from a 60″ Westcott umbrella
Looks fine, if you like totally flat lighting. Not to say there isn’t a time for that, but this certainly isn’t one of them
30″ Hensel Octabank added-main from camera left
Nicer, starting to get some pattern of light and shadow happening on Victoria’s face. But still, not near where I want to end up at
Adding a hair light makes a ton of difference!
I added a hair light, an additional 300 Ws Hensel with a 12″x36″ Interfit strip bank and Light Tools fabric grid over head. Look how nice her hair pops! I love this look, and we didn’t blow out her light colored clothing or her shoulders. That’s what fabric grids will do for you. I know they aren’t cheap, but I love the control they give me. They are also one of the most incredibly versatile light modifiers in my lighting bag of tricks. The question came up as to what I would do for a bald client. I have a super simple solution that I use all the time in my corporate head shot work. I take the strip bank from over head and move it off camera, and to the rear as a separation light. The grids totally eliminate any chance of lens flare and I get a well sculpted, beautifully lit portrait. Here is an example of what that looks like. My good friend Will Crockett (who taught me this solution) and I always get into the conversation of “nose whack”and if it is acceptable. (light hitting the subjects nose from that kicker side) I happen to believe it is totally fine, but if you don’t, just adjust the angle of your kicker and let it ride.
OK, change of subject just for a minute. Look high nicely the strip bank separates him from the background and adds dimension!
OK, so this above shot is now a three light set up, I eliminated the background light and made the original hair light my “kicker” light. It’s still doing what it’s supposed to, provide separation and a little drama to the portrait.
Back to the original set up, this time I’ll add a background light. It is a reflector with grid to lighten the background and give some separation from the background, and add some dimension. Our room size was very limited, so I wasn’t able to place it exactly where I wanted, I think but you’ll get the idea.
All four lights, simple, clean and totally repeatable!
Sure, if I had room or time I would have fine tuned the background light for a more dramatic effect. We had two hours to set up the situation, make a case for metering , custom white balance, and talk about all the gear and get some images. I guarantee that these files will fly through any color lab on the planet with no color correction and look perfect. Now, you may want them warmer or cooler (just season to taste) apply that correction globally and you are done!
More Techno Specs: Camera was my trusty Nikon D700 with the 70-200 2.8 VRII, on my Gitzo Carbon Fiber tripod with 468 MGRC2 head. I shot tethered into Lightroom on a MacBook Pro. Pocket Wizard TT1/TT5 as my trigger (totally manual of course) into the Hensel Integra mini’s. Manfrotto C Stand with D600 boom arm to hold the 12″x36″ Interfit strip bank and Light Tools fabric grids. If you want more information on any of these items, or to purchase just drop me an email here or to [email protected]
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Marlene traveled with me because Atlanta is only 2 hours south, and that’s where our son lives! So, after I was finished with my presentation, we loaded up the Honda (with just under 200,000 miles on her), and headed off to meet Aaron. What did we eat?
Aaron and Marlene
Of course I wanted one with him too, so here’s mine
Bub and me in the parking lot
Marlene thinks this is the best Mexican we’ve had since Hugo has cooked for us, and I think she’s right! It was a great meal. Even better than that was the few hours we got to hear of how the Lord is using Aaron in his local church ministry and in the lives of his friends. This coming weekend he is sharing a very exciting opportunity with the men in their fellowship, it will be great to see how it’s accepted and how the Lord uses it in their ministry. His pastor is super stoked about this, and asked him to take 15 minutes and lay it out for them. We will be watching and praying to see how the Lord moves and continues to use our son in the field he has placed him in. Would you pray along with us that he is able to share his heart with them, just like he did with us last night?
On the way home today we just rejoiced in the fact that our son is a man after God’s own heart and continues to amaze us by all that he has become. To God be the glory, great things HE has done!
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Something so simple about paper that just keeps you on task. It doesn’t distract you or the viewer, keeping your subject the main thing. I like to add just a touch hint of background light for separation and contrast. Here it was achieved by directing a small 20 degree grid on the paper. Placed on a stand pointed directly behind Miss. Savannah, it worked out just right.
When you have enough room in your shooting area, it’s no problem to use it for 3/4 length portraits too!
Savannah’s mom Kristie was kind enough to come in and help us out. I love photographing family members together. There is typically a chemistry and sincerity in their interaction. This resulted in a pretty nice mother daughter portrait.
If you just remove the grid and use the reflector, add about another stop of light and you can have a white background!
Everything you see here was done live while tethered to a computer. The one thing about that is, there is no where to hide! All the class is watching as you shoot to the screen. It’s either there or it isn’t, and if it isn’t you better have a good explanation. I trust my Gossen meter, and there were no explanations necessary. It’s really fun, the class watches the process and can see all of my Nikon D700′s controls as I shoot into Lightroom. I used my Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens for all of these portraits and Imagenomic for a quick retouch.
After a little Panera lunch, we moved our attention to a family portrait. Because my intention was to teach posing along with lighting, a family was the easiest way to teach foundational basics. I also wanted to go for a totally different look. So, I created a low key set for my beautiful family. On this set we switched to Elinchrom BXRi lights. The Elinchrom brand has been my light of choice for over 10 years, and I LOVE the light they provide, their reliability and ease of use. The Skyport system is the best I’ve ever used and for teaching purposes makes everything flow easier. I can control 4 individual lights output right from my hot shoe trigger so I never miss a beat while I’m teaching or more important, working with my clients! That is the ability to control each light in 1/10 stop increments, amazing and bullet proof in performance.
Don’t you just love the youngest daughter’s hand placement? I wish I could take credit for it, but she did it all by herself!
What a great portrait of this couple! Rhea and Kelvin were so much fun to work with, what great smiles too.
Kalia and Kayla Owens, too cute!
My main light on this entire series was the relatively new 53″ Rotalux soft box. The Elinchrom Rotalux design is just like the mother of all lights the Octabank, with one exception, it is smaller and much more portable. As a bonus, it is super affordable at only $599.00.
Just look at the beautiful light on these faces, does anything else really even matter? No! I love the innocence and feeling of connection here. As a parent we know there won’t be a lot of these moments, but as photographers it is our duty to either catch them or help create them while they are in front of our camera.
]]>Mark Mather from Hensel sent me some of their lights for evaluation purposes. I started the process this past weekend and used them for one of my sets during our “Posing and Lighting” seminar. This is their “beauty dish” with a reflector right under her chin. The light here is an incredible 300 Ws monolight that is built like a tank and super affordable! I also had a hair light (12″x36″ with LightTools grids), and that is all that was used to light this shot. There is no background light on this one, however I did use various grids for incredible background variety with ease. Of course it helps when you have a beautiful model with great hair and professional make up. Many thanks to Savannah for coming in on Saturday’s class! A quick run through Imagenomic retouching software, smooths the skin but leaves her beautiful freckles.
Look at the unique catch lights in her eyes created by the design of this beauty dish. I really like this modifier a lot and am excited about the possibilities it provides! Anyone that knows me very well at all, knows I am a huge Elinchrom fan and have owned them for over 10 years. This is the first time I’ve even come close to endorsing any other brand of lighting for my personal use. It’s still early in the process but I am very optimistic. They have a few unique offerings that are super cost effective and rugged. More to come.
]]>The incredibly gifted photographer Clay Blackmore has been posting beautiful infrared images lately. That reminded me that I borrowed our mutual (and missed) friend Monte Zucker’s camera on a visit to San Diego a few years ago. While walking around the Zoo/Balboa park area, I photographed this candid scene. It’s not great art, but I really like the effect. Shot on one of Monte’s Canon 20D’s that was converted to IR by David Sparer.
]]>Mr. and Mrs. Xavier Young
I met Xavier at work a few months ago. He is a big guy, super polite but maybe a little intimidating in his regulation Army Camo uniform. But once he flashes his smile at you, it’s all over. You know that he is a very cool person and you want to get to know him better. We’ve become friends and I’m trying to mentor him as he visits. His photography work is growing by leaps and bounds. He goes by “Loyal X” and I encourage you to check out his work.
He told me he was getting married and I asked what they were doing for photos. It all worked out and Sunday afternoon they drove over so Marlene and I could take some portraits of them. Teeara is a beautiful young lady from Texas that will be making the move up here in a few months. We counted it as a privilege to be able to provide them with some images they will hopefully enjoy for a lifetime.
PHOTO GEEK TECHNO DATA: Nikon D700 with 70-200 2.8 VII, Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Tripod, SB900 speedlight with Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5 and AC9. Post processing Imagenomics and Nik Viveza.
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My Tamron 14mm fisheye lens was perfect for this image and the next one.
This was a super fun evening. Marlene and I are the official photographers at our new home. We were able to take all the photo’s from the meet and great till the end. The guys in the band are almost all huge photography fans and have great gear. In fact, most of it was bought at Dury’s! I was up taking some pictures with my 14mm Tamron Fisheye, and the bass player called me over to ask what the heck I was using. He loved it and I got some great images of him looking down the neck of his guitar, very cool effect.
Del Webb is an unbelievable community and this is the biggest event of the year that they do for us, their residents. Imaging having The Oak’s for a private concert with just 700 of your closest friends. Bar-B-Que and ice cream were available and delicious.
The weather and light couldn’t have been any better. Here is a picture of William Lee that is one of my favorites from the evening.
Brand spankin’ new Nikon 70-200 2.8 VRII lens, doing what it does best. Razor sharp images and controllable depth of field. Love this lens!
I think I may have too many to put in a gallery here. I may try them on another site so you can enjoy them for yourself. As always, if you have any questions just drop me a note. Thanks for stopping by!
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Just this past week I learned of another friend (Gabe Lamog) that is off for treatment for the entire summer. Gabe plays bass at church and has an incredible attitude! Thank the Lord they caught it early, plus it is a very treatable form of prostate cancer. I will pray for him every day that it goes well and he is encouraged to stay strong in the fight. I’m asking all of you to pray for him too, would you do that? I told him this morning that next year we are walking this together, he told me to count on it!
On your mark...
Cue up, "I Will Survive!" (I know it shows my age, but that's OK)
Several of our neighbors here at Del Webb were there either as “survivors” or working to serve a fantastic meal that was provided! We are really enjoying our new community with so much to do no matter what your interests are! This was an enjoyable and emotional night for all of us. The survivor lap and the lap with our caregivers were the first two. I’ve got to tell you, walking around that lap with Marlene…it was difficult for either one of us to talk. She was so incredible during the months of my treatment and recovery. I want to take this opportunity to one more time thank her for all she did and continues to do for me on a daily basis.
I’m already looking forward to next years event and have some ideas of cool things we can do to participate and raise money for the cause of defeating this disease. If you worked here or anywhere on this event, I just want to say “thank you” for whatever you did.
]]>July 5th, 2007 Bud Warner and I took off for a few days riding some of the most beautiful roads and scenery I’ve ever been on. As you can tell this was before I discovered that I was carrying around some cancer cells. I loved this Gold Wing, all 950 pounds of her! But, I was a little larger then and able to hold up that much weight.
This old mill was a beautiful place to stop on a hot July afternoon. We had ridden all day to get there, and this was on day two of our trip. There just aren’t many more relaxing times I’ve spent than on an extended bike trip or relaxing by the ocean with my wife and family.
This may not be a fantastic shot, but it is a fantastic memory for me that I will carry forever. Thank you Karl Warner for taking me along! Looking forward to making this trip again hopefully this summer with a group of great friends from Ohio.
]]>There are so many “symbols” we readily recognize as being located in Washington. For me this monument has always been one of those that sticks out in my mind. It was unseasonably warm and beautiful our first day there. Robert Parks, Johnnie Spears, Richard Suter and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and do some sightseeing. We were close enough that we could walk to many sights from our hotel. On our stroll, I witnessed this scene:
Lunch time
What a contrast in the two men; both are eating lunch but one of them working as a street vendor and the other on a cart that holds all of his earthly possessions. We couldn’t believe the amount of homeless people we saw. Right in the center of our Nation’s governing body, are many men, women and children living on the streets. It was sad and sobering. If you have a home to live in, food to eat and a job you are better off than so many people that are living day to day, doing whatever they can do to just get by.
Dr. Martin Luther King
The high point of the trip was the day we were coming back home. We were very privileged to witness the arrival of an “Honor Flight” from St. Louis.
A big shout out to Southwest Airlines, they do this deal right. Our WWII Veterans are dying at the rate of 1,000 per day. For many of them, this will be their first and only visit to the beautiful memorial honoring their service and sacrifice. On a very personal note, my dad Staff Sergeant Louis Coury was one of the many proud servicemen that served our nation in these battles.
My dad, Louis J. Coury
As you can see, dad was able to make this trip a few years ago before he passed. My brother Tony was able to take him and his father-in-law on the Honor Flight. I wasn’t able to be there for my dads visit. But, I was privileged to be there for some other folks dads. It was very emotional. There is a group of people that live around Washington that serve as the “ground crew” for these flights. They represent some of the best cheerleaders I’ve ever witnessed. Clapping, cheering and calling each man out by name, they are not just “going through the motions,” they are doing it up big time! I was able to talk to a few of them and tell them the story of dad’s visit and how much it meant to him that they were there. If by chance you are one of those individuals, again I say a very heartfelt thank you for what you do!
There was a full range of emotions running through the concourse. Sons and daughters are pushing their fathers, drying tears simply overcome with the emotions of the moment. Proud of their dad’s accomplishments, and proud to call them dad. The gate announcement alerts anyone in earshot what’s happening and encourages everyone to come over and welcome them. American flags are passed out among the people waiting, and for one of the few times I’ve witnessed, time seems to stand still. No one is complaining about the delay in boarding because most of the men are in wheelchairs and it is taking a long time to get them off the plane. It’s OK. They are heroes. We will wait…gladly.
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Jade had a great time playing with some of the toys that Aaron grew up with. Yes, the “Weeble’s are that old!” The van he has is one that he painted when he was really young, it was the “A Team” van. Neither one cared that they are near antique, or maybe more accurately described as vintage.
There is a recurring theme of Aaron holding his nephews with his “sleeve” in primary view. I wonder if this is a sign?
It’s great to have an Uncle to play with! Mommy doesn’t even make me pick up the toys, and Grandma could care less!
It was so much fun spending a few days together. We took the kids to show them our new home that we are moving into and got to take them to our church home and introduce them to many of our friends there. They stopped by the Faith Riders Sunday School class and were treated like family…because we all are!
One of the many things I’ve learned from Aaron is the need for “community” in our lives. Just as we have prayed for him for many years, it was his prayer for us that we would find a community to plug into. He saw that as the missing link since we moved from Ohio, and now that it is complete, we feel complete too! We are so very blessed to have an awesome family that loves and serves the Lord Jesus Christ! We learn from and encourage each other, and life is so very good. It was awesome going to church together and discussing Poly’s message at lunch, just like we used to do when they were kids. The difference now is that they are adults and have great ideas and insights that they share with us, and we are the better for it.
Yep, I’m so blessed to be healed from cancer and alive to enjoy the stage of life we are at now! Praise the Lord!
]]>I offered to document this for Mel so she will have some images to remember this night long after the music fades. I felt honored just to be there. The music was easily the best music I’ve heard since I’ve been in Nashville. I think it was because the players weren’t just playing…they were paying tribute to a dear friend! Tom was a part of “The Alternator’s,” they were just too much fun to listen to. They made we want to jump up and play along! They acted as the house band for many of the solo artist’s that “needed” back up. The truth is that they didn’t really need back up, but it sure made their performances that much better. Ricky Skaggs was a close personal friend of Tom and Mel’s, his presence there was very special. (On a personal note, he is a great photographer too!) Phil Keaggy (a fellow Buckeye) was there and he was nothing short of amazing. Many others I wish I knew their names, but you see that wasn’t important to them. They were there for Mel and to pay tribute to Tom. I had only met him one time, I planned to take some percussion lessons from him But, Almighty God had other plans. Although difficult for those of us left, I’m sure it’s fine with Tom.
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Tom owned a ton of percussion instruments. Many of them are one of a kind and all are now for sale, just click here to see the list and for instructions on how to by them. I’ve already bought the coolest rain stick I’ve ever heard! I have my sights set on a set of bongo’s next. All the money goes to Mel, so it is a great cause.
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We became huge fans of Cafe Du Monde for their “breakfast of champions” well probably not, but very delicious cafe au lait and beignet. (Just think calories and sugar, you’ll understand) One morning it was dreary and overcast, but that didn’t stop us. While we were there I decided to take a quick little photo using the available light I had and am really glad I did. This image has hung in our kitchen by our “coffee station” since we got back. It has moved from Ohio, to our current house and will still be displayed when we move into our new place in March. Here’s proof that the best camera is the one you have with you. In this case a Fuji Fine Pix that gave me about a 2 MG file that we printed to about a 10″x20″ print, custom mat and framed and it looks fantastic!
This road trip we will miss our good friend and brother Terry Wyatt. He has been faithfully standing by his mama that has been on a respirator for the last few days. This story would take too long to tell in a way that would give Terry props for all he has done as a son and caregiver for his mom for decades. I would like to ask you to join me in praying for them, that they will be strengthened and encouraged and find their peace and hope in Christ alone during this time. We’ll miss having you with us Terry, but will be praying for you without ceasing.
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These are remote controlled sailboats and this is a very serious competition called “The Geezer Gatta” you just gotta love that!
This will help you with the scale of the boats. Let me tell you this is a serious 3 day competition!
I am shooting with the new Nikon D7000 camera. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my very favorite lens because I sold it. Yep, I am waiting on my brand new 70-200 2.8 VR II to arrive from Nikon! I hope to get it any day now. My first time without a long lens in decades, and I really miss it. So, the longest lens I had was a Tamron 90mm on the crop sensor it worked out OK, but I sure did miss the compression I would have had with the zoom. As you can see, I didn’t give up any sharpness or saturation by using this lens. I think it is an incredible value and a versatile lens that is probably underrated by most people.
Looks a little more interesting after Nik Viveza and Color Efex filters are applied
]]>There is nothing like window light! A great softbox is a good start, but even the best ones are no match to His light. Seriously, does that surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me that mans best attempts fall incredibly short of whatever God decides to do. We know that “God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son” for each of us. That is an unbelievable and incomprehensible love!
I know that as I think about my son or my grandson’s that there is no way I would consider doing that. Proving once again that I would be a terrible god! I think most everyone will admit to the fact that they wouldn’t be a very good god, I guess what I don’t understand is why they can’t admit the need for a Savior. We know that all our righteousness is as filthy rags before a holy God, that is easy to understand. But as humans we don’t like to admit that we need help, or we just aren’t good enough to do it on our own.
So my prayer for you this holiday season and start of a new year is that you would admit that you just can’t do it yourself. You would ask the Almighty God of the universe to come into your heart and live there. Start your year off right by a real new beginning, new life in Christ! Not merely a “resolution,” or simply trying to break a bad (and often self destructive) habit. But a dying to yourself and experiencing total new life in Christ! If you have any questions on how to do this, I would be honored to talk with you about it. I did this in 1974 and it has totally changed the course of my life, but more importantly my eternity!
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Here is a tight crop of the lower portion of this image. I love the way Jade is hanging onto his finger, and the weathered look of dads hand. The contrast is incredible and tells a story all it’s own. She feels safe and comfortable resting in his lap, and he is looking at her with pride. No doubt he was thinking about the fact that mom would have loved to be a part of this time of life too, she so loved being a grandma and spoiled our kids rotten! I remember Christin’s first Christmas, (which was also just a few days before her first birthday) there almost wasn’t enough room in our VW Rabbit for us to get back to New Philadelphia because of all the presents! She was the first grandchild and niece, so the spoiling was terrible. (in a good way) It’s OK, I totally understand it now that we are grandparents too!
Dad served proudly with the Army Air Corps in WW II. Here is a picture of “Sweater Girl” the airplane he flew in
I can’t believe dads been gone a year already. I have to say that I am thankful for my parents and my siblings, we have tons of great memories that will last a lifetime.
I want to make sure I do my job to help our children and grandchildren have great memories too. So I am looking forward to Friday when Aaron will ride with us up to Ohio where we will spend the week with our entire family for Christmas! I try to take this week off because it is the one time a year we can all get together…at least this year for one more time. I am blessed to have a family that wants to get together even to the point of sacrificially investing in it. Sara and Hugo have to fly here from CA, that isn’t cheap. Aaron will fly back to GA, Christin and Scott will provide the place to stay for all of us. We’ll all invest “financially” but the returns in memories will be priceless! Yes sir, PJ’s on till early afternoon and keep the coffee comin’, sounds perfect to me!
]]>Of course there are some individual shots of Vinie and some with his big sister, I just haven’t gotten to those yet. They will be up very soon, I promise.
PHOTOGRAPHERS Tech info: Nikon D700 camera, SB 900 flash in Cheetah Q Box, SB 800 background light, TTL Commander mode. JPEG out of camera with Nik Vignetter Blur and Imagenomic. No post processing exposure adjustment and about 15 actual exposures in 5 minutes. ( That’s all you get with a two year old and 4 day old)
]]>I have to be one of the most blessed guys on the planet. I married my high school sweetheart, and Saturday we will celebrate 34 years of marriage. Marlene has not only accepted my mid life crisis of motorcycling, but she has embraced it. This picture of us is after riding a few hours in the cold and rain…there she is smiling, just like always. Most importantly she has been an incredible encouragement through the good and bad, always looking to the Lord for strength. Trusting in Him to provide ALL our needs, even when we walked through the valley of cancer and all the treatments and uncertainty that carries. This verse says it all: Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. I can’t add a thing to that other than AMEN!
We’ve been blessed with great daughters who have wonderful spouses and are raising their kids as stay at home moms, just like their mom raised them. Our son is a man I would be proud to call my friend! He has a heart that is huge and sensitive to the needs of those around him. He does an unbelievable job at the Atlanta Union Mission and he is making a difference in many lives there and at his “home church.”
We are getting ready to enter a new phase of our lives. We’ve lived here for a little over a year, and we are now ready to purchase a home here in Nashville. Thanks to my dad, we can move forward and buy this home. We are going to settle in a Dell Webb Community called “Lake Providence.” What’s that? It is a 55 and older community! At first we were apprehensive, but after looking at it, we are convinced that this is the place for us. OK, so we’ll be on the younger side of most of our neighbors. We are excited about sharing this place with our family and you, our friends.
Like I said, we are blessed!
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Just look at the wood on this beauty. This is a Chrysler Town and Country, and it is huge!
The craftsmanship was so intricate and precise. It is sad to think that this is what we used to produce here in the United States not that many decades ago. I couldn’t even imagine what it would cost to build something like this today (or what it would weigh). I am glad to know that some people are committed to preserving these beautiful vehicles so that we can see where our roots originated. I’m also glad I had my Nikon with me at lunch so I could grab a few shots on this beautiful fall day.
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There were smiles all around from the riders, the passengers and everyone helping make it happen.
You’ve got to love the expressions on these kids faces. There were non-stop smiles from the time they put their helmets on till they took them off. The “smiley doo rags” were our gift to them to keep from the day.
Tom and Barbara working their magic on the grill
We cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs, then went into the gym to hear a concert from the Hermitage Hills Mt. Juliet worship band. They totally rocked the house with great music (like The Doobie Brothers) It was just plain fun!
Someone asked Poly, “can Baptist’s dance?” His answer, “some can, some can’t!”
All of the FAITH Rider groups represented presented the Home with checks totaling over $7,000.00. We are already making plans for next years event, and we can’t wait!
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OK, so we may not be pretty, but we are fairly warm. Besides, it really didn’t matter, we had a lot of excitement and expectation that provided adrenaline to keep us going. Tom and Barbara were our Road Captains, and did an incredible job of getting us safely there!
Tom giving us some last minute instructions before we pray and hit the road
Nothing like Cracker Barrel soup when you are cold and damp!
Yes, that is rain! No worries, I’m shooting the brand new Nikon Coolpix AW100…totally waterproof! (only $379.00)
The owners of this shop are incredible people! They allow us to set up our tents for two days in their parking lot and treat us like family while we are there. They have a great selection of Motor Clothes especially “Dragon” shirts if you are looking to add to your collection.
Here is a look at our set up. Breakfast all the staples, Krispy Kreme’s coffee and juice. Later in the day: ice cold water, G2, popcorn, snow cones, and candy. We had another table set up where they could take anything or everything. Biker bibles with stories, bibles alone, tracks, maps of the area, , sunscreen, and lots of other goodies.
So much more to tell, but I will do that in the next entry.
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So why are we going there, besides the obvious? This is a mission’s trip called, “Light in the Smokies” and we are very excited about it! Our local group is heading there to simply set up 2 bikers rest areas along the way to offer free water and sunscreen. Jesus taught us in Matthew 11:29, Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. All day on Friday, and most of the day Saturday we will be working at one of two areas. US129 Dragon Harley Davidson or Wings R’ Us restaurant parking lots.
I’m taking along a brand new Nikon point and shoot camera that should be a lot of fun to use. Hopefully Marlene can get some action shots as we are riding down the road. I want to document the trip best way I can, but not miss out on the purpose of our trip.
Would you be praying for us and our entire team as we initiate conversations? Pray the Lord would allow us “divine appointments” with people that may not know Him? We are super stoked about this weekend. Can’t wait to tell you all that the Lord does!
]]>One of Aaron’s favorite things to photograph are night shots, so we headed downtown. Cruising around, we caught a glimpse of the Pinnacle building and the moon was just hanging there off to the side. There was lots of activity last weekend and finding any angle was a challenge. We ended up in a remote parking lot down by Titan’s stadium. People were tailgating and there was a marching band, lots of activity. But, we found a place to set up our tripods and start shooting. Calculating your exposure for these shots is a little tricky, so we talked through the process of nailing it down. This is tricky because of the tremendous contrast of the black sky and the bright moon.
That brings me to the point of this blog. As bright as the moon is, we need to remember that on it’s own it has no light. It merely reflects the light of the sun. On a beautiful clear night, the moon seems to “glow” just like it had a light source internally. In the same way we are commanded as Christians to let our light shine. We are to reflect the light of the Lord in our lives, so others can see Him through us: Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. As I’ve been thinking about this, it has become obvious to me that some days I do a better job “letting his light shine through me” than other days. I want to be much more consistent in the way I live my life and treat others. I am reminded that I’m a work in progress, and there is still much work to do. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
No More Sun or Moon? There is a verse toward the very end of the bible describing what the world will be like after Jesus returns and sets up His new kingdom. Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. It will be so strange without the sun or the moon. Imagine what it will be like being totally illuminated by the “glory of God” who we all know is Jesus. I know that I am looking forward to spending eternity in that kingdom and experiencing that forever. I do want all of you, my friends and family to be there too.
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Marlene absolutely adores these kids and is soaking up all the “grandma time” she can get! We’ve both been able to babysit them while their moms went off to a movie (The Help) together for some “sister time”, if you ask us that is a perfect win/win for everyone!
Me and Mateo just hanging out as the only two males in the household until Aaron and Scott get here a little later this afternoon.
So, today the other boys get here and a dear family friend is coming in with Aaron from Atlanta. Jen is very much a part of our family and it will be great to have her here for the weekend too. More pictures to come as the weekend progresses. We boys have a night time photography field trip planned. We are hoping for some very cool images from that. Stay tuned…
]]>Both of the grandchildren will be here, and I can’t wait to see them together! You can be sure there will be lots of new photo’s added and gallons of coffee consumed. We will eat well and laugh a lot, and I’m sure the time will pass all too quickly. I’m not going to think about that right now, just the next days that we will spend together. Come on Tuesday night…!
]]>We had the opportunity to work with two beautiful and talented models for our Saturday class. We also had two distinctly different lighting set ups. One high key set that was lit with Profoto lighting. On our low key set we used Elinchrom’s, including my personal favorite the Octabank. Kevin never leaves home without his Dynalites, and he showed us how to use their power packs to get some great results! (their ring light was killer)
I have to say a huge thank you to Dave Metz from Sigma and Brett Wells our Profoto rep., it wouldn’t have happened without their help and support. We all worked together to make this one of the coolest classes we have offered at Dury’s Classroom!
Check out this portrait of our beautiful model Melodie. Look at the wonderful lighting on her face and huge catch lights in her eyes!
The lighting here is one Elinchrom Octabank camera right, a reflector left, two strip lights camera left giving the separation light on her left side and a gridded background light. I really like this look a lot. In fact, I asked Kevin to photograph my new head shot on this set. He said he is doing all he can with the file to make me look acceptable. Thanks Kevin.
Here’s Kevin behind the camera working his magic. (As seen from the model’s perspective)
So much more to add, but I didn’t want to wait to long before getting this posted. Hopefully I’ll receive some class images to share with you all. I was too busy helping to do much shooting, but it was a great weekend and I can’t wait till we get to work together again. We are talking about another project that will be super cool if we can pull it off! More to come on that…
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For many years I’ve been shooting a Tamron 28-75 XRDi as my “normal”lens. This lens is an absolute “best buy” in my opinion. Just look at the sharpness, color and contrast it delivers. There are two other features you will want to know about. First of all this is a true f2.8 lens all the way through the entire zoom range. The next feature is usually the biggie, and that is the price. But this lens is surprisingly affordable at only $499.00! PLUS, this lens has a 6 year warranty from the manufacturer. How can you go wrong?
Thanks to Dave Metz from Sigma that sent us these great lenses to shoot with. As a result, I am a believer and now have a few favorites that will make it into my camera bag as soon as I can afford them. This lens is a slam dunk for a “best buy” in this focal length. When you need to throw out the background and bring attention to your subject, this lens will do it. But, I didn’t want to stop there. I shot this next image at f8 to hold her body in focus and the Dodge logo, but to minimize the background. Again, this lens was a rock solid performer!
The first image is available light with a reflector, as you can see there is a fill flash coming in from the right side on this one. It was a tad overcast and I wanted to add some contrast.
Anyway, Sadie’s dad has had a few pickup trucks in the years I’ve known him and to my knowledge all Dodge. I don’t know how but they became known as “Dolly” and it just stuck. When we went out to their house, there she sat in all her former glory. I told Sadie we had to include her in a picture, so we did a series with her…well really on her. I like this shot and love Sadie’s smile! And as for Dolly, thanks for the memories!
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Left to right: Chuck, JR, Jack, me and Randy
Right before they left for the first leg home on Saturday afternoon, we took a group shot in front of our house. For anyone interested I did not nor do I ever ride in shorts and sandals! Even in the 97 degree heat on Friday I had my full face helmet, textile jacket and boots on. I can’t lie, it was so hot that I thought about not wearing the coat…but I toughed it out. Besides if I fell and the kill didn’t take me out, Marlene probaby would!
As they were driving off in the distance, I took this parting shot. As of a few hours ago they all arrived home safely. I thank the Lord for their safety and even more, their friendship!
If you can’t read the milk jug it says, “Dog Food Fund God Bless.”
We had lots of great volunteers working with us on this day! Alvin Peerman and his beautiful family were there. Love their little son, what a trooper he was even in the cold. I wish I could remember everyone’s name, but I just can’t do it. They did anything and everything that needed done with a great attitude and servant’s heart.
Tanzye and Kristin ham it up for the camera
I kept my equipment to a minimum and shot tethered into Lightroom for a super efficient work flow.
The premise of the project was this: homeless people may not have EVER had a professional portrait. They don’t have any visible image of their self to identify with. What do they look like? How do others see them? Does anybody really care? We wanted to let them know that they are real people that make a difference. We allowed them to choose which portrait they wanted and the caption that meant the most to them. So they did the editing and they selected the title, keep that in mind as you look at the images.
These are some of the best images I’ve shot so far this year. Personally, it was very satisfying to do these for people that may have never had a portrait done. Giving away something that we may take for granted is a really great idea. If you are a photographer, I challenge you to try and find a way to do a similar project. I think you will look at what you do in a whole different light. Thanks for looking.
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I am really impressed by the clarity of this lens on the Nikon D3 camera. I hope to get my new camera this week from Nikon, but in the meantime, this is working just fine.
I love the shallow depth of field when you shoot this wide open. Look how much difference in just changing focus a little.
It’s really great to have her around for lots of reasons. First, she makes me smile! I love watching her develop and learn new things. On this visit she “clapped” for the first time and that was a great discovery. It seems like we forgot how big of a deal that was for our own kids, now that they are adults. What a great gift the Lord has given us to see our grandchildren as they develop.
I used 4 Elinchrom lights and all kinds of modifiers from grids to softbox’s and open reflectors. Here is one of my favorite “portrait” shots with a strip bank and few kickers.
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Here is my favorite portrait of the night.
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This next one was converted with Nik Silver EFX. This is my very favorite tool for making color prints into black and white.
Ilford FP4 was a favorite black and white film of mine “back in the day.” Great contrast with lots of subtle detail; makes for a fantastic conversion. One of the advantages of using software to convert files is that you don’t throw away any data. You start with a 6 MB file, you end up with the same size file.
Looking forward to seeing them again in just a few days. March will be here before we know it!
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This may help you get a “feel” for it. But if you want to hear about how terrible it is ecologically, check out the Wikipedia description.
We’ve all heard the saying, “everything but the kitchen sink”, well that is about all that’s left in this desolate area. I knew you may not believe me, so here is a picture of the sink for you doubters.
All was not lost, on our way to Vegas we skirted by the Mojave Desert and saw the most beautiful moonrise. Since we had no real schedule we jumped out to see what we could get really quick. I know it’s not perfect, but I thought it turned out nice.
As I write this we are in Vegas for about a week. We are heading off on another photo safari adventure. So be sure to check back soon and hopefully I’ll have some more to share with you.
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I took this with my Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens. This is one of the best buys in the lens world in my opinion. For under $500.00 you can have a compact, lightweight and razor sharp lens that won’t break the bank. Is it as good as the Nikon or Canon 24-70 f2.8 lenses? In a word, no. But are those lenses are OVER 2 1/2 times more expensive than this one. That is a lot of money and I doubt you would ever see the difference in your real world application. I can tell you that I haven’t and I’ve been shooting this lens for over 8 years. I’ve sold a lot of really nice portraits that were shot on this lens, some of them were huge wall size images.
We climbed up this rock toward the end of the day and Ron was just sitting there looking all “King of the Hill”
so I just had to take a quick shot of him. This demonstrates on of the main reasons I switched to Nikon last summer; the ability to do off camera flash right from the camera with no other triggers!
I love this built in triggering system that works even in some pretty bright light. Is is perfect? No. But short of using some brand of radio triggers, there is no way to achieve 100% triggering. I don’t own Radio Poppers or the Pocket Wizard Flex units. I am typically a manual fill flash guy, but I did have this with me so I gave it a try. The great thing is that it worked and made this a really nice image. It’s not that I am against either of those units, but I just can’t justify that kind of money to pick up TTL capabilities that I won’t use that often. Maybe someday I’ll add them, but not anytime soon.
Finally, we are having a blast with our new Dury’s mascot: Nacho Cracker. Nacho is none other than our incredible driver of the truck with our gear and all around nice guy, Johnny Spears. We will totally develop the story of Nacho Cracker at some other point, but for now here is a glimpse of his super human skills as he stands suspended between the rocks and sky.
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We had one of our great sales reps and friend Bill Sanders along with us. He was a ton of help and lots of fun to spend time with. The funny thing is, he sells Manfrotto and Gitzo tripods: the absolute best in the business. And here he is hand holding his own camera! At least he has the hat on.
He did finally break down and try to help Richard Sutter figure out how to get his camera mounted on the tripod so we could take a group picture. How many photographers does it take to mount a camera on a tripod? More than two?
Terry Wyatt jumped in to take the group photo, which I don’t have yet.
Robert Parks capturing some of the incredible scenery. It is hard to believe that this is just about an hour north of Las Vegas.
Here is another photo installment in the ever evolving saga of Nacho Kracker, Superhero.
He was scaling mountains…
There will be more to tell about Nacho and the trip. I did want to get this update posted before I headed back home tomorrow. It has been a long two weeks; but we have had some fun along the way. We met lots of new photographers from all over the world at WPPI. We ate some great meals, and had lots of laughs. Thanks to Ron and all the guys I get to work with. It is a lot of work, but it is really enjoyable!
]]>I am not a huge fan of our Honda Odyssey for several reasons. Noise is the primary reason I don’t enjoy it. It is just so loud from wind noise. But, add a torrential, unending, wipers stuck on high rain storm and you have tons of noise! It rained from the time I left Nashville for the entire 6 1/2 hour trip. The adrenaline rush of unseen water that causes hydroplaning is always a real eye opener. I finally arrived after midnight, which wasn’t terrible since I have been living on West coast time for nearly two weeks. I was ready to be out of the van and reunited with my wife. Temperature on the bank said 32 degrees, but it was still rain.
I woke up to an accumulation of snow on the ground. I can’t say that I’ve missed it, but here it was back for another visit. The great part of all this is Jade loves going out and walking around. So Grandma dressed her up really quickly on Friday to take her out, but her mom wasn’t all that excited about the clothing choices. Better to be warm than to be stylish I always say.
I think she’s adorable, but I admit I am somewhat biased.
This morning her mom and dad imposed on us to not only babysit but also give her a bath and get her dressed for the day! Oh the sacrifices we are forced to make as grandparents. But, we do what we can.
We will be here for a few more hours and then we are heading back to Nashville. Always great to see the kids for a few days whenever we can squeeze in a visit.
Sara’s baby shower was last night, so we are anxious to hear from them on how that went. Hopefully we can put some pictures up here from that. Marlene already has her one way ticket purchased for March when the newest addition to the family will arrive! We are excited to meet him. I saw Sara a few weeks ago and she looks beautiful! Hugo is shrinking away because of his hard work on PX90. The baby area is shaping up nicely and all we need is him; whenever he is ready to arrive. Really exciting times and I thank the Lord daily that I am alive to see, experience and share all of these life events with our family.
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Last night Tom invited some of his friends to “jam” with him at a very cool “old school” theater in downtown Gallatin, TN. This was a small, intimate venue and a really enjoyable evening. The lighting was a little difficult, but I was able to get some nice images of most of the players. I’ve got to say that these were made possible because of my Nikon D700′s ability to shoot at high ISO’s with very little noise. These are all at 1,250 ISO hand held with the 70-200 2.8 VR lens. I want to get the version II of this lens, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. In the meantime, this is working just fine.
Here is Tom welcoming everyone and introducing the players
This guy is an absolute metronome! I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play and learned while I listened. Tom was the driving force behind the evening but he gave all the other players lots of time to do what they do…play!
I apologize that I don’t have these folks names with me right now, I will get them added later.
This dude was off the hook, check out this combo guitar/harp made by Gibson in the early 1900′s! The harp added an incredible bass sound that was rich and solid.
Can you tell that he is having a blast? He was all over this guitar!
This is Jay Brown and he is a singer/song writer that performed last night.
Tom was working this hand drum in a creative duet with the guitar player. I wish you could have enjoyed what we did! You may want to sign up for notifications on the Mel O Drama website.
It’s pouring rain here today and shows no sign of stopping. What am I doing right now? Working at the Tennessee Professional Photographers meeting in Murfreesboro. I hope to see old friends, make some new ones and sell some photography gear!
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You just have to take a mother/baby portrait. After all that hard work and taking great care of both of their health for the past year, it is a required image. Sara is our baby, well she is the youngest. She does such an incredible job as a mommy making sure he has everything he needs. This little guy can go through some diapers in a hurry! And he loves to be held by just about anyone, but especially his mommy!
And it just wouldn’t be fair to not have some of dad with his new son. It was so hard to get Hugo to look proud and beaming for his pictures, but he dug deep and was able to pull it off.
We’ve got lots more great images from the session, but no need to put them all up. I just wanted to share this very incredible week and some of the joy we are experiencing with the newest addition to our family! We did venture outside (it is San Diego) to try a totally different look for the family portrait and here is what we came up with. I think it works.
For Photographers:
Since I flew out here I had to keep my equipment simple. I brought all my Nikon gear including two strobes, an SB900 and the new SB700. I also brought out a Cheetah QBox as my main and only light modifier. I figured that with this gear I could pull of just about anything we wanted to try. I am so happy with my decision to switch to Nikon nearly a year ago. The lighting I achieved here would have been much more complicated without the Nikon Commander system that is built into the camera. The simple ability to adjust light output from the back of camera to the remote strobes makes life so simple! You could achieve similar results with other strobes, but you would need lots of additional equipment to make it happen and it wouldn’t be near as convenient.
These are two of the kindest, most hospitable people I’ve ever met. For the last month they’ve opened their home and their hearts to provide a place for Marlene to stay while she was in San Diego. When I was out there, they were absolutely awesome to stay with. From offering to entertain us, to allowing us to use their home as ours. We wanted to thank them in some small way, and doing these portraits was something we could do for them.
I love using a fisheye to show the beautiful San Diego surroundings. Here is a Tamron 14mm f2.8 lens, and a Nikon SB900 flash on a D700 body. I really like this environmental portrait of them.
Hugo is the pastor of the Spanish Church at Oceanview. He works with another great friend (and Harley Ultra rider) Sr. Pastor Jim Baize. Hugo also is a missionary pastor working with multiple church plants all over the city. He took us to a brand new work that will hold 5 different services all day on Sunday, with 5 individual pastors and teams. It is incredible! I Tim. 3:2 is one of the passages that gives qualifications for pastors and deacons. It is very specific in what needs to be a part of their lives and spells out, “given to hospitality” as one of the items. Well, these folks pass with flying colors! Every single time we’ve been with them, they go above an beyond anything we would have expected or asked. It is humbling to see the way they give and serve. And it is no surprise that the church plants he is involved with are taught to do the same exact thing! We would just like to say a very heartfelt thank you to our friends, and extended family! Hope to see you soon; in fact y'all come to Nashville sometime so we can do the same with you.
]]>So, what’s the take away from this for me right now? We have a Heavenly Father that knows us just like Mateo’s parents know him. He cares about us, loves us, provides for us, and anticipates our needs. He does these things because He loves us!
He knew we would all fail and fall, so he lovingly provided us a way of escape through his son Jesus. I have a son, and there are folks in my life that I care deeply about. But I can’t think of any that I would sacrifice my son for. Proving that I would be a terrible god, and we can all be thankful that I’m not one. I’m thankful that there is only one True God and that he loves us so much he died for us.
Babies make you think. Babies make you thankful. Babies make me smile!
]]>The end of a beautiful day. Our 22 member, fun, wedding party was positioned on the dock and on the count of three we got the shot!
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I love this shot of their reflections in the framed clothing on Hard Rock’s wall.
Yep, they are screamers. But they are great musicians and really nice guys! I wish them the best of luck.
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As you can see, he has been very successful in competition. I’ve no doubt that this young man will be successful in anything he puts his mind to. Congratulations and good luck JB!
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Congratulations to a great family!
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This may look like a pretty easy shot to execute, but it isn’t. 1:00 in the afternoon in bright sunlight with no clouds anywhere, just doesn’t happen. But, this was the purpose of my visit to see if we could overcome that much light. We did! The Elinchrom Quadra with the small Beauty Dish provided the lighting we needed.
Here is the set up and the natural light we were working with, not too flattering for the subject. What a difference the light made!
And from this set up on the beach…
To this beautiful portrait!
As you can see I had a very important role here. I provided shelter from the sun with a California Sunbounce and provided the meter readings so we could work quickly and efficiently.
Brother and sister. This was the only way to keep T. J. in one spot long enough to photograph him! But it does work.
Well I guess if you call taking a rest on the floor a “pose” this could work too.
This is Victoria’s one year old portrait. What a cutie!
This is Nikki part of their extended family. They brought her along to be included in our photo fun.
All in all, we had a lot of fun. There were kids running everywhere and it was all out bedlam for a while. But, we took our time and gave them their space and one by one, we finished the session. This is not my area of expertise, but I like being stretched to see what I can do. Fun subjects, a great assistant (thanks Don!) and moms that worked with us to make it happen made it possible. I think you can tell that there is no substitute for great lights, accurate metering and a rock solid tripod to make images that look this good. Thanks kids!
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I love the way the setting sun lit up this jellyfish from the edge and made it appear to have a glow about it.
I love this composition as a vertical image. The shallow depth of filed kind of keeps you right there in the center of the image.
Aaron was in “stealth mode” as he crept up on the gulls. Another lesson in lens selection and shutter speed. He switched to the 70-200 Canon 2.8 lens right after this. (which is what I took this picture of him with) He is my caddie carrying the Kata backpack that I LOVE!
This is one of my favorite images from the days shooting. I love the back lit orange glow around the base.
A “self portrait”, that’s me on the right.
Note how the late afternoon sun adds a beautiful warm tone, don’t you just love it?
An evening shot of Aaron’s 1988 Toyota minivan. Back then they didn’t even have model names, it was just a minivan. Doesn’t that seem funny when today so much effort is put into creating an “identity” for a line within a company? This just kind of says it all…it is a minivan. Aaron has dubbed this vehicle with a great name, “The Future.”
My visit to Aaron’s new home in Florida was overdue. Because of the “busy-ness” of life, it just hadn’t happened. So finally I just planned it and took the plunge. What an awesome time we had. For the first time in years we had no plans other than when I landed and when I headed home, everything in between was totally open. I think I could get used to a life that wasn’t scheduled 24/7 weeks or even months in advance. These shots don’t tell the whole story, but it was so much fun. We drank great coffee, had some good meals and logged quite a few miles in “The Future” over three days. I can’t wait to go back and do this again!
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We got to do Jade’s 4 month portraits last weekend and it was a blast. She’s so much fun to be with, or maybe it just takes less to entertain me now. Either way, I had a great time!
This wasn’t a great day for the Princess, she was battling a cold. But Grandma and I made the best of it we could and came away with a few nice images to document this landmark. It is really hard to believe how quickly the time passes when you watch her grow. We were talking with the kids and commented on how much has changed in these past few months. Life is but a vapor and our time here passes so quickly!
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