Johnson Ranch Daddy Daughter Dance

Some pix from the Johnson Ranch Daddy Daughter Dance of 2/13/09. Disks go in the mail on Monday folks!

short finger point

Perhaps I should call it a pinky point, today.

Just wanted to clue everybody in on a contest that offers an amazing opportunity.

Imagine if you dare: You devise, in that crazy Rube Goldberg mind of yours, the perfect photo shoot. Perfect location, perfect subject, props, and gear, everything - bodies, lenses, lights, PW's, powerpacks, the works. Stylists, makeup, assistants, whatever it takes. Now imagine $50,000 to make it reality!

That's what the contest is all about. You submit an idea, and if you win, you get to fulfill the dream with 50 Large!

Photocritic tipped me off to it with this blogpost

and here is the actual contest site with further information. It appears to be sponsored by Lenovo and Microsoft, so the deeps pockets are all lined up. Anywho.... it seems like too good an opportunity to let slide by. So, my brainstorming will have to start with location.... Tuscany?, Bangladesh? Patagonia? hmmm.....

Get thinking, friends!

Part 2 with Lime

Sounds like a recipe, doesn't it? Squeeze the Lime posted a follow-up video to their real engagement photo shoot video from a few weeks ago. Take a look.


LIME009 - A real life engagement session - Part II from Lime Photography on Vimeo.

spirit

It seems there was a haunted house on the outskirts of town which was avoided by all the townfolk - the ghost that resided there was feared by all.

However, an enterprising photojournalist decided to get the scoop of the day by photographing the fearsome phantom. When he entered the house, armed with only his camera, the ghost descended upon him, clanking chains and howling a terrible, tortured din.

The photographer told the ghost "I mean no harm - I just want your photograph for my newspaper." The ghost thought about it for a moment and decided that photographs might help him spread fear all the more efficiently. He posed for a number of ghostly shots.

The happy journalist rushed back to his dark room, and began developing the photos. Unfortunately, they turned out to be underexposed, completely black.

Apparently, the spirit was willing but the flash was weak.

Masters of Photography

A video about wedding photography featuring a number of the photographers whose work I follow, admire, and learn from.

Joey Lawrence gets around

Just a fun video of JoeyL shooting in Ethiopia for seven weeks or so. This kid is living the life. Be warned, the video is long (about 16 min.) and there is some nudity, profanity, and livestock slaughter, but it's not really as bad as all that. Enjoy.


Joey L in Ethiopia from Joey L on Vimeo.

Finger Pointin': Mon., 2.16.09

Big news on the wireless transmitter front. Pocketwizard has announced the Mini and the Flex and several outlets are already talking about them. As I am still on the fence about what to buy, I'll have to move Pocketwizard back to a place higher on my list. Pocketwizard, Radiopopper, and Paul C. Buff's stuff are my current top three in no particular order. On the plus side, Pocketwizard's new items are coming out in Canon compatible versions first. Nikon and pro strobes later. Here are a few links and then other news:

• For starters, Chase Jarvis is pretty excited about the PW's. Check out his post.
• Not to be outdone, David Hobby is right there with more info and a vid.
• Of course, we should post Pocketwizard themselves.
• In other news, parody site Fake Chuck Westfall is getting some flack.
• Here is a really interesting interview with Bil Zelman over on the Strobist - pay special attention to his comments on green uplighting, blur, and visual texture.
• DPS's take on indoor sports photography
• David Ziser on shooting the bouquet toss
• The Digital Trekker BlogFAQ: How do you shoot/approach people?
• Strobist: Fancy setup to shoot a hummingbird / very cool!

Enjoy these and stay tuned!

Bride's Choice Award for 2009!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Ron Warren Photography has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Ron Warren Photography is one of the very best photographers.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

We'd like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

father/daughter dance

Had the privilege to shoot formals at a father/daughter dance at a local elementary school on Saturday. I had intended to shoot formals and get candids out on the dance floor, but I had a line of people for the formals the entire evening! Knocked off over 50 portraits in under three hours. Here is one of my favorites...

finger pointing sunday: 2/08/09 edition

A short finger-point to clue you into the best of the internet's recent photography material.

• Could these be any cuter/cleverer/and cuter, again? Check out Jason Lee's work.
• (referred by photojojo.com) ... where to look if your camera is lost (besides the nearest pawn shop, of course...)
• ten ways to break photographers block
• Melissa Jill recently posted part three of her blogposts on low-light/reception shooting tips, tricks, and techniques. I'll link them all again here in order. Part one, part two, and, of course, part three (and don't forget to check the links within the posts for Melissa's gear list as well as extra info on her autofocus technique.
• Pretty much anything by Digital Photography School I'd suggest adding them to any blog/rss reader you use. They have had so many informed, useful posts on their blog the last few weeks that I can't even mention them all.

And, please feel free to let me know about any great posts or sites you see. I'm always looking for the best info, imspiration, and motivation! Thank you!

engagement shoot tips

Very informative video on engagement photo shooting from Squeeze the Lime. More about relating to your subjects than technical info. Worth a watch.


LIME006 - A real life engagement session - Part I from Lime Photography on Vimeo.

Sunday macro worship

Playing around with some macro photography this time. I don't typically have a need for a dedicated macro lens, so I don't own one. But I found you can DIY to some degree.

I tried several different approaches. You can mount or even handhold a lens to your camera backwards. You can also use a magnifying glass, as I did here. Macro work means means very shallow depth of field and the magnifying glass makes it even worse, so a steady hand is required.

A less DIY approach could include extension tubes, close-up filter(s), or a true macro lens. Or even a microscope if you can mount your camera!

This two inch tall pewter Pope achieved much greater stature with the right approach. Now where can I find some bugs to make mammoth?