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...