...what they call...a photo shoot...

informative article link

MyDeeJay.com has put together a very informative article about how to hire a wedding photographer. Lots of info from industry professionals as well as a list of good questions and issues to address with a potential vendor. Take a look, bookmark it, then, of course, feel free to call or write me with any questions! 480-252-2787 or Ron@RonWarrenPhotography.com

Thank You!

crisp dragonfly

painted dragon

old truck in goldfield

week of the panos

Another angle on the ol' Supersition Mtns. Click for larger, then scroll left and right!

Supersition Mountain Panoramic

Shot this panoramic picture in the Superstition Mountains this morning. We had a short hike and we didn't even have to call for a helicopter rescue! Click on the picture to see it larger.

ATV accident in the wash (San Tan Valley)

Yesterday, over by Dawn's school there was some sort of an accident with one or two people riding ATV's in the wash (sort of a valley for rain waters to travel and steer clear of the homes -- the desert doesn't absorb the rain very efficiently on the rare occasion that it does rain). Just a couple of shots of the rescue effort.

Zack Arias Shooting Strangers

Zack Arias recently self-assigned portraits of strangers on the streets of New York. Go see the portraits at his site at www.zarias.com. Whether it's strangers, rocks, machinery or whatever, a self-assigned photo project is a great idea. Whatever keeps you shooting. Here's a little video of Zack's experience with his impromptu subjects.

At Work

Reading Annie Leibovitz's At Work. Lots of folks think she's the bomb, others think she's over-rated. Some think the conceptual stuff is too (pretentious, obvious, silly, etc. etc.) while others defend her every move as genius. I've also seen a lot of press (both negative and sympathetic) about her current financial problems.

I happen to be in the camp that she is, perhaps not genius, but solid, creative, and certainly determined to be at the heart of things. Some of that may have been luck, but I'm sure most of stems from her skill, her adventurous nature, and knowing the right people.

There is no denying that sheer opportunity has been a big plus for her. Working w/ Jagger, John Lennon (on the day of his death, no less), Hunter S. Thompson, Streep, Belushi, Sharpton, Jimmy Carter, William S. Burroughs, Patti Smith, Jack White, Robert Penn Warren, and the Queen of England to name just a bunch is simply amazing. The access, the approach, and the execution have to be acknowledged as an impressive body of work, even if you don't particularly like her images. And I generally do. Pick up At Work. The stories behind the images are a great read.

Mr. Randy (Random) Poochie

a random poochie from Cosmo Park this morning...

shooting owls is a hoot

Got this fellow about an hour ago in the wash at Desert Mountain Park at Ocotillo and Hawes...

hd vid on the Canon 7D

A still from a swell little movie ( http://vimeo.com/groups/22589/videos/6475938 )
shot on the new Canon 7D at 1080p at 24fps by Philip Bloom.

handsome beast

OK, well maybe I like this little fella, too...

safari hut

Went shooting at the zoo today. And what was the most interesting thing I saw there? Well, it wasn't an animal. It was this odd little room that I have decided to call the Safari Hut. It is steeped in mystery, indeed.

becky and shane

One of my favorite shots from Becky and Shane's engagement photo shoot from Tuesday. It was hot and humid out, but they were troopers. We started near the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse and then worked our way over to Freestone Park in Gilbert. Catching that golden hour means working fast. We called it a night when the last orange glows of sunlight dipped behind the palm trees. Thanks for a great shoot, Becky and Shane!

Canon 7D announced....

Canon just announced a new prosumer DSLR to cover the market between the 50D and the 5D Mark II, although early opinions are that is is closer to the 5D, what with HD video at various frame rates and weathersealing. Here are some specs:

• 18-megapixel CMOS sensor (halfway between the 50D's 15mp and the 5DMII's 21mp)
  
• Dual DIGIC 4 image processors (you have to go up to the D1's for that)
  
• 8 frames per second (max 126 JPEG / 15 RAW images)
  
• ISO 100-12800 (in ISO expansion mode)
  
• 19 point cross-type AF sensors (fancy)
  
• Center AF point is 8-directional double cross-type
  
• 100% viewfinder coverage
  
• 1.0x viewfinder magnification
  
• TTL full aperture metering with 63 zone Dual Layer SPC
  
• 3″ 920k dot resolution LCD display
  
• 1080p HD video (30fps, 25fps, 24fps)
  
• 720p HD vidoe (60fps, 50fps)
  
• Live view mode
  
• External mic stereo mini jack input
  
• HDMI output
  
• Pop-up Flash (that I hear can control your Canon speedlites)
  
• E-TTL II auto flash with EX-series Speedlites
  
• 150k actuation rated shutter

Rumored to sell for $1700 body only, or $1900 w/ a kit 28-135mm. It all sounds good to me!

Restoration Plus Imagination

Our friends at PhotoWalkPro (www.revellphotography.com/blog/) recently did a post about a terrific photo restoration job they did. You can see that particular post, the restoration, and an idea as to how they did it here.

So let it be made perfectly clear that they did all the really hard stuff with the scratches and entire chunks of missing image (but I have done some work like that in the past). However, I decided that perhaps the job could be taken just a little bit further. So I tried a color-correction to remove most of the sepia effect and then did a manual colorization. Now, I have no idea what colors the people in the picture were actually wearing, so, in terms of accuracy, PhotoWalkPro was probably absolutely correct to leave it where they did.

That being said, I like where I ended up. Here is where PhotoWalkPro ended and where I started.

And here is where I ended up.

So, although I think this process can be taken further to truly maximize the overall effect (and I just wanted to show-off a bit), I know why PWP stopped where they did, and I'm certain that their client was thrilled with the authenticity of the restoration job.

If you have mildly damaged pictures or images with simple color casts, let me know. Perhaps we can bring those memories, that personal history, back to life!

Noah Camera Holster

Check out this interesting bit of gear from Brian Noah. It's a newfangled camera holster that you can find at http://www.losangelesweddingphotography.org.

and the winner is...

The results are in! We've drawn a winner of the free engagement photo shoot from entries we received at the East Valley Bridal show in Mesa last Sunday. The winner is....

Caron Poole!

I want to thank Caron and all the other participants in our giveaway. But please, don't be disheartened if you didn't win. I have a special offer for you. An RWP engagement photo shoot is valued at $200. But for you, as a special consolation prize, half off! That's right, an RWP engagement photo shoot up to two hours long for only $100!

Contact me at ron@ronwarrenphotography.com or call 480-252-2787 to schedule a shoot. Only $100 is a remarkable deal and a great way to get to know me and my work before you take the plunge of deciding on your photographer. Thanks again for entering the drawing, stopping by our booth, and considering RWP!