Beauty and the Classic Car

I shot Becky and Kevin's wedding at the Great Oak Country Club. A friend of the family brought this great classic car for the bride's big arrival and stuck around for some formals.

Natural beauty vs. artificial flames. I think Becky is the clear winner, but they go well together, too!

Table Shot Without a Table

So....... shooting a wedding and we're between major events. Time to get those all important guest shots. Table shots, you might say. I'm about halfway through, when one table tells me they want to do something more creative. Am I game?

Of course I'm game! And probably a little gamey by that point. So their fearless leader leads the guests and me into the men's room. Ladies and all. And here is one of the shots.

I'm not entirely sure I get it, but they were having fun. It's definitely different. It's unique. It's creative. And now I want to wash my hands!

Can You Say "Ortonville" ???

OK, what can I say? I love the pix from this wedding. I keep playing and things just keep catching my eye. And I hope yours, too.

The couple (and family) did a great job of posing themselves. I offered suggestions, but they had some swell ideas of their own. This one was pretty cute. And everybody just kept right on smooching even after I took the shot!

Arty in Ortonville

The more you process, the more you love! One more image from Saturday for your enjoyment.

Hitched In Ortonville

Colleen and Ben are a fun-lovin' couple. Here's a few faves from the weekend.

Competition

This young man is trying to put me out of business! And he doesn't even have to pose the formals! Lucky guy.

Phillip & Katrenia

I had the pleasure of shooting the lovely wedding of Katrenia and Phillip on Saturday at the Athenium Hotel in downtown Detroit.

Lightning II

That's right, another storm passed through town. And there I was on my porch to give it another go. And I managed a whopper. Next, time I think I'll try to find an open expanse or perhaps a nice city skyline for my backdrop. But I'll give you a break from storms for awhile and tackle some new subject matter for the next post.

Lightning Strikes

The lightning was most definitely not on strike 'round these parts recently. SE Michiganders know we had some crazy storm action on Sunday. Last night (Monday) brought another batch of storms, although they didn't seem near as crazy, at least here in Clawson. So Dawn and I sat out on the covered porch (Cosmo wanted nothing to do with it and cowered away from the thunder in the bathroom right next to the tub).

And I tried to shoot the lightning. The lightning was not particularly cooperative. I was running 30 second exposures on a tripod. My D40 then needed 20-30 seconds to process the crazy long exposure and that was inevitably when a good bolt of lightning would hit. But after a half-hour of attempts, I got this.

Not terrific, but it is lightning. Looks like dusk, doesn't it? It was full dark. F/22, 30 seconds, ISO 100 and I went with Tungsten WB in order to get the blue in the sky. F/22 to maximize depth of field as I couldn't pre-focus on the lightning. 30 seconds because that's the best the 40D will do without being in bulb. I tried bulb but my hand got tired and kept me away from my beverage. So, there's some lightning. I'll be trying again at the next storm.

Little Guy, Big Thirst

Stumbled upon this little guy yesterday, dawdling well behind his Mom, fully intent on his drink. I like the expanse in front of him beckoning him forth and the slightly Kim Anderson quality of the image. One shot, off the cuff, and I made a nice image. So what am I getting at?

Keep your camera handy! All the time!

One More from the Weekend

Another Beautiful Wedding

Yup, that's right. Shot another wedding and everything just couldn't have been lovelier. A brief panic regarding missing flowers (that turned up and all was well) and that was about it for problems (at least as far as I noticed -- and I see all!).

Not like the horror stories I just read about in this CNN article. Take a look, it's a hoot!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/06/02/weddings.from.hell/index.html

But, as the saying goes, "The worse the wedding, the better the marriage!"

Tips for Crisp Pix with Low Noise

Ever chimp the pic at the back of your camera, ooh-ing and ah-ing over the rich, sharp image only to get it into your computer and see shake, blur, noise and other disappointing problems?






Darn it all to heck, you want National Geographic quality, crisp photos with even colors and gradients! Well, let's face it, the NG guys usually have better equipment than you and I. However, with some care, skill, and my tips, you can achieve some marvels with image quality.

• If your budget allows, get all that fancy gear. But if you can only afford one fancy item, make it a good fast lens. F2.8 or wider. Some folks believe that prime lenses are generally sharper than zooms. So keep that in mind, too.


• Lenses or camera bodies equipped with Image Stabilization (Vibration Reduction, etc.) will help with the twitch of hand-holding.


• Can't afford new gear? Ok, try this..... use your tripod. If you're not run-and-gunning it too much, a tripod, or perhaps a monopod can really make a difference.


• If light levels allow (and that f2.8 would help here) keep your ISO low, in the 50-200 range. This won't affect focus, but it will reduce or nearly eliminate color noise.


• Using a dslr? Most of them have a feature called Mirror Lockup. This moves the mirror (that allows you to see through the camera via the viewfinder) out of the way an extra moment prior to releasing the shutter. This eliminates the tiny vibration that is caused by snapping that mirror out of the way at the last split-second.


• Use a remote shutter release to avoid the slight shake caused by pressing the shutter. Don't have one or your camera won't take one? Use your camera's self-timer (on it's quickest setting, say 2 seconds). Does the same thing for no investment.


• Shooting moving objects? Try a high shutter speed. But remember that you will then lose light. So you may have to open up your aperture (which affects depth of field) or up your ISO (which introduces noise). If possible add flash or strobe to help you freeze that motion.

Now get out there and shoot, you National Geographic stringer!

Album Pages

Did some work recently on an album for a wedding I shot in January. I always start the designs clean and simple and work my way up from there. The couple approved the first version and off we go to press!

This was a spread from the end of the book that I particularly enjoy. The garter is always good for an emotional shot whether it be shock, silliness, laughter, alarm, or contempt. As you can tell, this one was all about the laughter!

Matt & Katie's Wedding!

I had the honor of shooting Matt and Katie's wedding this weekend and it couldn't have been lovelier! The bride was beautiful, the groom was dapper and ready to go, and the weather was simply picture perfect!

The big surprise of the evening? The father of the bride called a square dance! Unique and big fun!

Optimizing Images for the Web

Ever wonder why an image that you put on the web looks a bit dull and muted compared to what you saw when you were editing it? Well....

I always thought that that was just the way things go. But my eyes were recently opened by a terrific article in the April/May issue of Photoshop User magazine. Pick it up and check out the Photoshop Speed Clinic article by Matt Kloskowski on page 58. A great explanation regarding color space (most of us work in Adobe RGB but the web displays things in sRGB) and a step-by-step (with tips to make it a recordable action).

It also mentions a previewing tool that, in my humble opinion, works as a speedy cheat if you are in a hurry. Once you have appropriately reduced your image for the web, just go under the File menu and choose "Save for Web & Devices...". Your image should pop up under the "optimised" tab and voila! Just save it that way. Probably be a good idea to rename it, too.

This beautiful bride was subjected to the same treatment, after a polarizing filter, light vignette, and some sharpening of the eyes.

Check out the Photoshop User. I thought this issue had more good tips and tricks than usual.

1/8000th of a Second!

There's a lot of talk these days about the Canon 1D-Mark III (and the 1Ds-Mark III) and the Nikon D3 and D300. And, yes, I'm jealous and I'd love to have any one of them (well, really mostly the 1Ds-Mark III). But.....

Can I tell you how happy I am with my Canon 40D? Can I, can I? Well, a rousing chorus of "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy" is in order. I got my 40D last September right about the time they became available and I couldn't be happier.

It's got a lot of very nice features, none the least of which is a max shutter speed of 1/8000! Not bad. And (via a menu) you can max the ISO out at 3200. I'd still prefer to keep things under 800, but in certain circumstances, that 3200 is a lifesaver.

Anyway, you don't need me spouting specs, but I'm very happy with it. And so far, the battery really holds out, too. Eight hours at a wedding and it still had juice.

So, this past weekend I did some shooting at Sylvan Glen Park in Troy, MI. Got this speedin', flappin' goose in the bag. 1/8000, f5.6, ISO 3200.

Pocket Wizard, RadioPopper, Microsync, Etc.

Hello fellow photography gadget enthusiasts!

Today, I'd like to dip a toe in the muddy waters of slave flash triggers. And I'm looking for some feedback. Basically, what gadget do you like best? And what are their inherit benefits? Pocket Wizard seems to be the default, but there is RadioPopper, Microsync, Skyport, and brand specifics like the Canon ST-E2.....

What do you like? Why do you like it? Works with strobes, speedlites, both?

And some related links:

RadioPopper
http://www.radiopopper.com/
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008/04/radiopopper-palooza.html

Pocket Wizard
http://www.pocketwizard.com/
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/09/pocket-wizard-vs-nikon-cls-which-is.html

MicroSync
http://www.microsyncdigital.com/

Skyport
http://www.elinchrom.com/
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/03/elichrom-skyport-review.html

Canon
http://www.usa.canon.com/home

Other (???)
http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157594172539497/

Can you tell I read the Strobist? OK, get crackin' and let me know what you think about these and other products! Also, check out this cool lighting dealy-bobber:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/12/got-few-dozen-flashes-sitting-around-no.html

Moments, Angles, Lenses, & Laughs

As a photographer, I have to be ready for the picturesque moment, but it's often not good enough to simply be alert with my shutter finger at the ready. Sometimes, in order to get the most artistic value or interest from a scene, I have to anticipate the action to come to be able to make the best choice of lens, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

This shot is a good example. A magician performing at a family reunion. My standard telephoto lens would have captured the scene. However, my choice of a wide-angle lens shooting from a low, close position with the camera set to a highly saturating landscape picture style gives the resulting picture much more drama.

So, give some thought to what might happen and try some new settings on the ol' camera. Or, better yet, do like me and hang three cameras around your neck, eack with different settings and lenses in order to quickly change-up the situation.

Eye On The Prize

Nice moment. Nice moment that speaks to the photographer staying alert, especially during key events. This couple had a very nice dance and several good shots were already in the bag, but then, the big dip! I can't afford to miss a moment like this.

There are times during the sometimes long day that you know you can let your guard down a bit (with just one eye on the bride) but there are a dozen special events that behoove the photographer to be extra attentive. Every moment counts during the first dances. Each second during the cake cutting, the toasts, the prayer requires the photographer's ability to leap to action (well, press the shutter button, anyway).

Choose a photographer that can show some special moments or crazy events that could never have been anticipated. Then you'll know you're photographer is concerned with the little moments as well as the big ones.