flowering photography

the reluctant wife

Well, not reluctant to be my wife, just reluctant to have her picture taken! But I am a photographer and I do what I do.

macro flower fuzzy

Little diy macro action. A fuzzy macro flower. Mostly by way of experimentation. How'd I do it...?? Well, I handheld my 50mm f1.4 lens backwards against the camera body and focused with my feet (by stepping in close enough for a semi-focused image). Between my technique and my movement, its very soft, but considering the subject matter, I'm ok with that. Any thoughts?

orchard before the storm

finger pointing wednesday, May 6, 2009

Wild wacky wonders of the web from the wecent weeks (sorry, couldn't help myself).

• David Ziser offers insights on added service and digital mats.
• Photo Business News & Forum has Lotsa Little Things Are Actually Really Big Deals
• and.... Is the Amateur really a threat to the pro?
• Pixelated Image suggests that we sharpen our tools and offers suggestions.
• Photocritic poses the question: Why is wedding photography so expensive?
• A throwback tip on back button focus from Melissa Jill
• Flashflavor shares American Photo Magazine's Top Ten
• DIYPhotography talks about "voice-activated light stands" and...
• Get Your Flash 100% on Axis With Your Umbrella
• You'll laugh your tush off with Photographer's Math
• Been hearing good things about Yanik's Photo School
• Photopreneur offers up the five most inspiring people on flicker
• and six great posts from my favorite, Digital Photography School...
• How to Take a Perfect Headshot with a single light
• Top Ten Articles
• Intro to Time-Lapse Photography
• How to maintain your memory cards
• A great DIY softbox idea
• Five Keys to taking beautiful maternity portraits

That should keep you busy for awhile!

finger pointing thursday, april 23, 2009

Wonders of the web from the week we were:

• What looks to be a swell wedding photography book, Jacqueline Tobin's Wedding Photography Unveiled discussed/touted over at DPS
• More DPS sharing a basic lesson on ISO
• Oh, still DPS..... 14 great tips, tutorials and videos from around the web
• Cameradojo takes on color space. Specifically Adobe RGB vs. sRGB vs. ProPhoto RGB
• Pixelated Image suggests a plethora of photo blogs that you should be reading right now!
• Are you shooting any nudes? If you are, check out Photo Attorney's warnings about a law known as section 2257
• And... speed photography over at DPS. It's all about the flash, not the shutter speed!
  

bladt/hargesheimer wedding

Some pix from Saturday's Bladt/Hargesheimer wedding at the Phoenix Zoo.

zoo

Worked a wedding at the Phoenix Zoo last night. Ceremony by the "savannah" and reception in an area decorated like a Mexican village. Here's a shot from the reception.

"American Character"

Just stumbled across this project on MSNBC.com. They describe it as,

"American Character" is a collection of portraits put together to capture the diversity of subjects across the country. Conceived by USA Networks as part of an ongoing artistic initiative, the book brings together 11 photographers to share their visions of “character” in America. Photographers include legends like Sylvia Plachy and Mary Ellen Mark, amongst many others."

Basically, environmental portraits of average Americans doing their average American thang. Honestly, not exactly amazing, but always nice to see a project with a theme (as broad as it is) put together in a tidy package.

David Ziser seminar

Had the distinct pleasure of attending David Ziser's Digital Wakeup Call seminar last night in Phoenix. Let me tell ya, that guy is a dynamo! The tour continues in Tucson tonight and I can't recommend it enough. Especially for the price -- $59 advance/$79 at the door (although I believe you can register "advance" probably right up to about an hour before, but don't hold me to that). If you are somewhere else, check the schedule, they've got something like 50 more dates this year all over the country.

I won't go into everything he talked about or all the great perks you get -- go to his site and it's all listed there. But I will say that he fills every minute. He talks fast and gets tons of information in. When you take notes, do it fast, although he does provide a tourbook that has most of it in there. And he gives away a bunch of great door prizes.

One of the things that is great about David Ziser is he shows you how to accomplish some great photography without breaking the bank. For instance, up until recently his main workhorse was the Canon 40D, same as me, so that's nice.

I'd like to thank David and LaDawn Ziser for letting me be a part of the event and, of course, for the hospitality and beers afterward! It was great to meet you and I hope we cross paths again sometime!

finesse that retouching

One Big Happy
by Michael Johnston

hoppy easter, too

finger pointing saturday, april 11, '09

Check out the links for general awesomeness and specific examples of excellence!

• 50 Totally Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory by our friends over at psd tuts!
• Painting with Light by photocritic.org
• Creating Depth of Field with Filters and Masks by Digital Photography School
• Very cool yabadoo demo that interactively introduces you to the ways aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. come together for exposure and effect
• family portrait tips by Digital Photography School
• Night Landscape Photography by Nice
• Environmental Portraits by Digital Photography School
• Using Ambient Light and Strobe for a Natural Looking Still Life by Lighting Essentials
• Seven Lighting Tutorials to Make Your Photos Stand Out by Photography Bay
• Custom Business Cards for Marketing by David Ziser at Digital Pro Talk

look serious

Look serious. Look intense. Look without looking.

Oh, and look! Models.

tat's tat

Winding down with model pix. That just means I've got to go shooting this weekend. One job on Saturday and then some free time to shoot for fun.

This young lady had a plethora of terrific tattoos and showed them off to great effect.

more Dolars!

format test

just a test a pic. A test and a pic, yup a test and a pic. Don't get excited, it's just a test and a pic!

lady's night

... and now for the ladies. Two of 'em, anyway. Getting chummy.

the male of the species

Running with scissors here, or a theme, anyway. This time just the fellas are on parade. Enjoy!

models

Sticking with the fashion shoot for awhile as I'm satisfied with a number of these pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

lingerie fashion show

I was invited to shoot a lingerie fashion show last night in Phoenix. It's been a few years since I had a chance to shoot a fashion show. Here's my first favorite. Probably more to come as I edit the batch. Stay tuned...

all the single ladies

Well, they may not ALL be single. I know the bride definitely is no longer single! Just a lovely groupshot of the bridal party from Erin and Chris' wedding just about two weeks ago.

life of the party

These two gents were the life of the party on Saturday at the Dolar wedding. Especially the fellow on the right. He nearly burned a hole in the dance floor. It was a very fun night!

Review of CameraLensRentals.com

Hello All~

Several posts ago I talked about equipment buying/selling, sharing, borrowing, and renting. Since then I had the opportunity to try out one of the rental joints, Cameralensrentals.com.

I'll save you all the suspense, the experience was good. I placed the order online. Shortly thereafter, they confirmed availability and acceptance of my order. Lens arrived on a Thursday just like they said they would. I ordered a Canon 24-70 f2.8L and the Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS. My official rental period (I chose 10 days) didn't start until the Friday. I like that.

The lenses were wrapped in bubblewrap inside softcases (with UV filters, caps, and hoods) and then packed well in lots of scalloped foam in an appropriately sized box. Also in the box was instructions, an invoice, and a return Fedex label (shipping was part of my original cost).

The price was cheaper or at least on par with the other 1/2 dozen places I shopped and CLR offered a 10% for a first-time user. Not too shabby.

The lenses seemed to be in fine shape, although I expected more out of L glass. They weren't as amazingly or consistently sharp, bright, or fast as I thought they would be. Of course, this is no reflection on CLR. Just on these lenses and perhaps my overzealous expectations.

The day before I was due to ship the lenses back, I received an e-mail reminder from CLR just as they told me they would. The day of shipping I got an email asking that I replace the return label with a new one they were sending via email (apparently to change the shipping from ground to air or express). They wanted the lens back on Wednesday rather than Friday. As long as it was their extra dime, fine by me!

Then I got a call to once again remind me to ship, but it was already happily with the Fedex/Kinko's folk by that point! So, as long as they are happy with the condition the lenses are in when they see them tomorrow (and I believe them to be the same way I got them), I'd have to give the whole experience a big thumbs-up. CLR was easy to work with and did everything they promised. Having said that, I see no reason not to use them again, but I am interested to know how the other rental joints work. So, if you have experience with other photography equipment rental outfits, please comment on this blog and let everybody know about it. Thanks!

Dolar Wedding

Just a quickshot from the end of the ceremony for Michelle and Nate this past Saturday. It was a super laid-back beautiful wedding at the Church of the Beatitudes and a rockin' party at the home of the bride's parents. Nice work, Pat and Mike! (who was the caterer? The dinner was amazing!) Everybody was having such a good time that I went an hour OT because I didn't want to miss anything!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Dolar!

happy couple

Another shot of Chris and Erin (I've got a wedding today, so you'll get some new faces, soon, but aren't these two just a handsome couple!??!!).

finger pointing friday: march 27, 2009

Haven't done one of these in a bit. So today we point you toward great photo info from all around cyberspace.

• The online photo mag PhotographyBB Magazine has just released their latest issue, #14. All their issues are print quality PDF's. Always a few good bits of info and lots of pix. This issue includes info on Photography and the Law, Ireland, post-processing, and more.
• Dslr sensor cleaning tutorial over at Camera Dojo!
• Chase Jarvis recommends going above and beyond. For your client, of course, but also to expand your own creativity.
• David Hobby (the Strobist) points us to Nick Turpin, UK street and commercial shooter. He really pulls off a great look with just snooted and boomed speedlites.
• Fancy product shooting at Lighting Essentials.
• Bunch of great stuff, once again, from Digital Photography School:Capturing Energy and Emotion in Children , 50 must-have wedding shots , Macro Photography for Beginners Part 1 , Macro Photography for Beginners Part 2

sunset at the dawn of love

One more Chris and Erin and a glorious sunset. How can you go wrong with that?

the wedding of erin and chris

Yesterday was the terrific wedding of Erin and Chris over at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort. Great place for a wedding. Beautiful grounds, gardens, etc. For some formals, the coordinator wisked us off in a golf cart partway up the mountain to get some great images near sunset. Sunset in the desert can be a beautiful thing, but I think it was trumped this time by the beautiful bride and her beaming new hubby!

first faves from the lineberry rehearsal dinner!

Just a few immediate favorites from Friday's rehearsal dinner for the Lineberry wedding. Mostly the adorable kids, but they always liven up any event. Can't wait for the real thing in just about 13 hours! Congratulations Erin and Chris!

you can't afford bad photography

Just saw this over at the PixelatedImage Blog and had to filch it.

Friends don't let friends (or relatives) shoot their weddings! Just say no! This is your wedding. This is your wedding on bad photography.

See my article Why Hire a Pro? for lots of good reasons why you are better off with a professional photographer. Thanks for reading!

san xavier mission

Beautiful, historic, San Xavier Mission in Tucson, AZ. Amazing!

a very large group shot

Here's one way to do a very large group shot, compliments of our friends over at Squeeze the Lime...


LIME012 - 800 people groupshot from Lime Photography on Vimeo.

sharing equipment & equipment rental

Equipment. Camera bodies, lenses, flashes, brackets, remote triggers, lights, stands, umbrellas, softboxes, filters, cases, computers, software, plugins, etc. etc. etc.....

Adds up. Fast and to a high sum. So what's the little guy supposed to do? For starters, most of us do what I did. Start small and trade-up, trade-up, trade-up. It's a little trickier than it sounds because in the age of digital equipment, you have to time your trade-ups, sales, and buys very carefully. Sell too soon and you're not getting all the value out of your gear. Wait too long and the equipment is fast obsolete and worth only pennies on the dollar.

Another appealing option, especially in the current economic climate is some sharing within the community. When all your photographic acquaintances are busy and perhaps feeling competitive, this proves difficult. In tougher times like we are experiencing now, I suspect that many photographers are more idle than they like and their gear is just sitting around, too. In this situation, I think sharing or even renting gear from person to person is an ideal solution.

Between the economy and the influx of newbies because of the relative ease and accessibility of digital, photography as a business is under attack. Working together in the photographic community to foster the maintainance of commerce and quality is one way to preserve our craft and our business. And renting gear from person to person (rather than from the online sources that I will discuss shortly) keeps cashflow in the hands of the photographers.

Of course, another option is online rental of equipment. There are many outlets for renting equipment. Primarily lenses and bodies, but in some cases, lights and other equipment as well.

Some options include:

• Rentglass
• LensRentals
• ZipLens
• LensProToGo
• BorrowLenses
• Calumet
• CameraLensRentals

I've heard good things about all of these. I just placed an order with the last one, CameraLensRentals. I'll post something about that experience in a few weeks after I see how that goes.

And lastly, perhaps the best option of all might very well be a rich relative that likes to spoil you or a winning lottery ticket, or some insider knowledge on the stock exchange!

Please comment with ideas about how we can maintain our business and the quality of our work in these uncertain economic times. Also, any personal experiences with the online rental joints mentioned about or any others that you recommend.

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?

human stop-motion

OK, I just love this! Made by Tel Aviv photographer Eyal Landesman. More of a stop-motion creation than a time-lapse but you'll get the idea. As humans are already animated (at least in potential) this almost reverses the concept of stop-motion. Done from a series of still photographs.

part two to a recent finger point

That title sounds odd, doesn't it?

In a recent Finger-Pointing post (where I share stuff I've found around cyberspace) I pointed you to a blogpost from Melissa Jill that shares some terrific info on lighting and shooting a dim reception.

Well, the supertalented and immensely gracious Melissa Jill offers up a "part two" and I had to grab it for our readers (and she hints at a part three so stay tuned!). Thanks Melissa!

So check it out, learn a thing or two, then remember who else is looking out for you and come back to this blog!

I expect to run a short post about polarizing filters soon!

Mother Knows Best

my 30 second day

Just a 30 second sampler of some of our wedding work. Enjoy!

finger pointing monday: jan. 26. 2009

Plenty of goodies this time out the gate. Check out all this cyber plunder!

• Nice list of free adobe lightroom presets at cameradojo
• Digital Photography School posts a handy tutorial for replacing a blown-out sky
• Also from DPS, a finger-point within a finger-point. They pitch Photojojo's Magnetic Photo Rope. Cool idea. Could probably DIY it cheaper, but take a look, here.
• The strobist (David Hobby) has a terrific post on some alternative lighting ideas for specific low-light situations. A big maybe on the iphone part, but read through and it gets even more interesting.
• DIYPhotography.net tossed up this terrific lighting diagram tool from Kevin Kertz.
• DIYPhotography.net again. Extending your TTL offshoe cord.
• Lighting-essentials.com offers this wonderful tutorial on creating a simple spray light for your backgrounds
• Melissa Jill clues us all into her technique for getting great shots in the notoriously poor-lit world of the wedding reception...
  

bridesmaids

Since I shoot a lot of weddings, a think this very cute litte guide to bridesmaids is more than appropriate. Enjoy.

the last of the rodeo-hicans

I think this image will wrap up blogs about last Saturday's Equestrian Center. Force me to go shoot something new this weekend! BTW: I'm open to great ideas for subject matter! Thanks!

Revisiting Radio Triggers

OK, seems that there are some new radio triggers out there. And the old, tried-and-trues are still out there, too. Anyone have any strong opinions? As much as I'd love some Pocketwizards, I'm starting to think the RadioPoppers or the AlienBees Cybersyncs might be more bang for the buck. Please share your thoughts! My state of my creativity and checkbook depend upon them!

Alienbees

Profoto

RadioPopper

Microsync

Pocketwizard

Elinchrom Skyport

beasts of burden

Also from the ropin' competition last Saturday. These are some beautiful, well-trained horses. The cowboys sure seem to know what they are doing, too.

Anybody know a good place to get a cowboy hat? And some boots? Heck, I just might need a horse, too!

ridin', ropin', and wranglin'

Probably the most action-packed part of the Equestrian Center's grand opening (at least in an area with good light!). I was very impressed with all the skills that go into this. Riding, rope-work, strength, and probably more than a little animal psychology!

good ol' boys

These two friendly fellows also performed at the Equestrian Center on Saturday. I enjoy the way that they both just seem so very content with their lot in life. Making music and making people happy. Certainly a goal to strive towards.