Tag Archives: Photography
I get asked the question "how long have I been doing photography?" all the time. Even though I get this question regularly I have to pause and think about it for a minute because it depends on what the person is referring to. I've always had an interest in taking pictures ever since I was a kid. So do I count my Kodak Instamatic experience complete with flash cubes? Probably not what the person is thinking. I then answer for about 5 to 6 years. Last night I spent some time in Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta and while I don't organize my folders by year, I can certainly see why someone would want to use that method. Instead I organize by the folder for a particular shoot. If I do a shoot with Jane Doe, then that shoot goes into the Jane Doe folder. If I do another shoot with Jane Doe then it goes into the "Jane Doe 2" folder. That has worked well for me as I'm usually looking for a picture of a person, not necessarily a year that I took it. With that said, I was curious to see what photos I took when and since I have one catalog for my "Model" Shoots containing every "edited" picture I've done, I decided to create "Smart" Collections to separate them out by years:
It was really fun taking a trip down memory lane! Some of the photos I looked at and cringed and others I said, "hey that wasn't bad for a beginner." The photo above of Mya was my first "solo" shoot. I say it that way because it wasn't my first shoot ever. I had actually started shooting portraits in 2006, but back then I was merely tagging along on other photographer's shoots. My first shoot ever was along side Scott Kelby. Scott visited me back in 2006 and he had set up a shoot for his upcoming iPod Book at the time (I was technical editor). We rented Andy Greenwell's studio here in Michigan and Andy setup the lights, Scott found the model and I just basically observed and got a shot here and there. The reason that I don't really count that as my first shoot is because I didn't do any of the work. I just pointed my camera and fired after I asked "hey what settings are you using?"
Going Solo
I finally got up enough nerve to try my own portrait session in 2007. My sister recommended that i use Mya (friend of the family) and Mya agreed to let me photograph (experiment with) her. I had no studio, no professional lighting and a consumer grade DSLR. The shoot took place in my living room. I had a Nikon D80, 18-200mm Nikon lens and an SB 600 speedlight. I also used a Westcott pop up background. My SB 600 speedlight was mounted on a stand and shooting through a diffuser. Quite honestly I had no idea of what I was really doing from a settings stand point. I just kept adjusting things until I got a half way decent image. That session showed me that I had a LOT to learn!
Renting a Studio in 2008
In 2008 I decided that I needed a larger space than my living room. So I did a timeshare with other photographers. I also started buying more gear including lighting. According to Lightroom I shot more portraits in 2008 than any other year. This probably due more to being less selective about the number of images I kept vs. doing more shooting.
2009-2011
Between the years of 2009 and 2011 I would say was the timeframe that I learned most of what I know.
Not only did I improve my photography skills and lighting skills, but I also improved my editing skills in post.
I'm always learning from the photographers that I admire. Videos, seminars, books and group shoots are ways that I learn the fastest.
The number one lesson that I can say that I've learned and constantly remind myself of is "Less is more – Only show your best work." This is one that I have to credit Scott Kelby for. He basically beat it into to me and I finally got it. I now limit my galleries to 24 images. If there is a new image that I want to put in, then it has to be better than one of the ones that's already there and it replaces it.
Today
Although I have my own studio now and a few years of shooting under my belt, I'm always learning something new just about every time I pick up my camera. I invite you to go back through your work and feel free to share some links in the comments below. Tell us your experiences over the years and perhaps some of the things you've learned.
December 13th, 2011
12:45
My Top 20 Picks for the Photographer On Your Holiday List
While I've already published my massive 2011 Holiday Gadget Gift Guide, I realize that I have quite a few photographers following me here. Therefore, I thought I'd share my Top 20 Picks for Photography Gift Ideas. These are among my favorite and most used products.
So here they are in no particular order:
Westcott 7' Parabolic Umbrella (White Diffusion)
Nikon D7000 DSLR Camera (Body Only)
Westcott 5501 Modern Vintage Background (9 x 12', Onyx)
ExpoImaging Rogue 3-in-1 Honeycomb Grid
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Zoom Lens
Wacom Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Medium)
Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Shoe Mount Flash
Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight i-TTL Shoe Mount Flash
Westcott Spiderlite TD6 2 Light Perfect Portrait Kit Deluxe (110V)
Elinchrom BX-Ri 500/500 To Go Set – 2 Monolight Kit (90-260VAC)
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Software for Mac & Windows
Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)
Nikon Nikon 1 V1 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 10mm and 10-30mm Lenses (Black)
Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera (Black)
Lastolite EZYBox Softbox – 24 x 24"
Lastolite TriFlip 8 in 1 Grip Reflector Kit – 30" (76 cm)
Lastolite Kickerlite Floor Level Softbox – 3×4' (91x122cm)
Lastolite Triflector MkII Kit – White/Silver
ExpoImaging Rogue FlashBender Kit
December 8th, 2011
9:00
Looking Forward to Volunteering at Help-Portrait This Saturday
If you're a photographer and you want to give back to your community. You should definitely check out the Help-Portrait opportunities in your area this Saturday. I'll be volunteering/shooting in Lansing Michigan on Saturday. If you're local I hope to see you there shooting with me. If not, I hope you take the time to participate where you are. Last year I wasn't able to participate due to work travel, this year I plan to make up for it!
In this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast I'll show you How To Use the Photoshop CS5 Patch Tool to Enhance Your Portrait Retouching.
Also don't forget that Lightroom 3 is currently ON SALE for HALF OFF here.
See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App here. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App:
PS. My iOS App just got an update that fixes the iOS 5 video playback problem and adds the following features:
- Retina Display Graphics
- A new tab bar interface
- Swiping to the left and right from the episode detail page will go to the next or previous episode
- UI enhancements
- Faster show loading
- Minor bug fixes
November 17th, 2011
12:55
How to Publish Your Photos From Lightroom Directly to Google+
In this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast I'll show you How to Publish Your Photos from Lightroom Directly To Google+. Special thanks goes out to Tom Roper for leading me to this tip.
Get the Lightroom Picasa Plug-in here.
See the resulting Google+ "Recent Work" gallery here.
Also don't forget that Lightroom 3 is currently ON SALE for HALF OFF here.
See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App here. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App:
PS. My iOS App just got an update that fixes the iOS 5 video playback problem and adds the following features:
- Retina Display Graphics
- A new tab bar interface
- Swiping to the left and right from the episode detail page will go to the next or previous episode
- UI enhancements
- Faster show loading
- Minor bug fixes
November 8th, 2011
11:11
My Desert Fashion Shoot
You might remember my photographic adventure from a couple of years ago where I visited Page AZ to shoot the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend. During that trip I knew that I wanted to go back and some day do a fashion shoot there.
The funny thing about this is that you would think this would be an everyday event for photographers, but really it's not. You can find tons of images of Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, but very rarely do you ever see images with models in them (unless they've been composited in afterwards).
Having been there once before I kinda know why this is rare. First of all this area is kinda in the middle of no where! So if you're wanting to shoot a model in this location you're most likely going to have to bring one in.
The second problem is that it's not that easy to get to. While there are small airports in the area, most of them don't have the major airlines. This means flying into Phoenix and driving for 4-5 hours to get there. (BTW: She's freezing her butt off, but she'd never let it show!)
Luckily I was already on the west coast doing the HOW Interactive Design Conference in San Francisco, so all I had to do was fly from San Fran to Phoenix and meet the model there for the drive to Page on Saturday. I chose my favorite model, Kandice Lynn for this trip because there's one thing that I realized about Kandice. Not only do I get great shots when I work with her, she's also not a "diva". LOL
Kandice accepted the challenge of extreme temperatures, hiking in the desert, making quick wardrobe changes, hair and makeup.
What I learned…
The best times to vist this area are April and October. Due to our schedules we couldn't go until November. You would think that a few weeks wouldn't make that big of a difference in climate and light, but it does! It was FREEZING! As soon as we got out of Phoenix and started heading north we were shocked to see snow on the ground!!! Pretty, yes, but it would kill the shoot. We called ahead to see if there was snow on the ground in Page and luckily there wasn't (YET).
The next thing I learned was that while the slot canyons are BEAUTIFUL and you can have wonderful rays of light coming in. The time of year also affects this. I knew from doing a little reading that we would NOT have the rays of light due to the fact that the sun would be in a different postion.
However, what I didn't think about was that on an overcast Fall day that the canyons would be just that much darker. While this isn't a problem shooting long exposures on a tripod, it becomes a challenge shooting a live subject due to the fact that no human being can stand perfectly still that long. This means either shooting at a higher ISO or introducing lights. They kinda frown upon flash photography in the canyons. Therefore I had to make the best of the combination of finding the right spots and working at higher ISOs. Lastly the light isn't as warm on the walls as it is in April and October, so you have to really look for the bright vibrant colors that would normally be everywhere!
Of course shooting in the desert there are no restrictions on bringing speed lights. I used my Gitzo tripod as a light stand to hold my SB800 and FlashBender.
Once again there's Kandice being a trooper laying on the cold hard desert terrain to get the shot!
Yeah I know the cropping is a bit tight at the bottom of this shot, but it's the one she really liked best.
The gratuitous car shot 
Photo by iPhone photographer Kandice Lynn
All in all it was a fun trip and as always I'm learning more and more about this whole photography thing.
November 4th, 2011
10:15
Apple TV Update Sneaks in a New Photo Wall Screen Saver
I use Apple TV's and HDTV's throughout my studio to display my photography. When I did my last update to Apple TV for some reason it forced a factory reset and while it was no big deal to set it up again, I discovered that there were a couple new choices in the Slideshow/Screensaver area. One of them is called Photo Wall. I love this one because not only does it frame your images in a variety of nice frames that float by, it adds nice touches like mattes and a 3D spin when it hits the corner of the virtual room. It's like you're walking along a wall of photos and you get to the corner and turn to walk down the next wall. Nicely done!
You can get an Apple TV 2nd Gen here for $99.
October 20th, 2011
12:14
Metal Mural Rocks!
Having your photographs printed on metal is not a new thing. I've seen companies like MPIX and others offer this for a while now. However, like many other printable products, you really take notice once you see one of your own images on it. I remember walking onto the Photoshop World show floor last year and seeing one my images on display in the Westcott Booth. While this is not a new thing for me, it was a new thing seeing my print on metal! The print was done as a tiled 3'x4' metal print. All I could say was WOW! I never made the time to go by the Metal Mural booth and check them out.
This year I took the time…
At this year's Photoshop World Vegas I spent a little more time on the show floor and I went by the Metal Mural booth. I saw my same print, but on single tile on the table used as a sample. This time I got to touch it and admire the quality. Next thing you know I was placing an order. The show special didn't hurt either The way it worked was I place the order and paid for it on the spot. Then once I got back home I used the invoice number to upload the photo that I wanted to have done. They let you download a Photoshop template to use to make sure that the cut lines don't go across anything critical. A few days later I received an electronic proof. It looked good and I gave them the thumbs up to print it.
When it arrived, it was complete with all the hardware necessary to hang it on the wall or suspend it as I did (hanging wire not included, some assembly required). I took one of the tiles out of the box and the first thing I noted was that the color was dead on! The photo above doesn't do it justice. It was probably the most color correct print I've ever received. I did nothing special on my end. They apparently just know what they're doing!
The tiles are UV coated and scratch resistant.
You can find out more about their products, pricing and configurations here.
September 20th, 2011
3:20
On Location: My Abandoned Warehouse Fitness Shoot
I wanted to do a fitness shoot. However, I didn’t want it to be just another shoot in my studio. I started looking at fitness shots like the ones in the Nike ads and I saw a consistent theme. The shots were mostly done outside and against interesting backdrops and walls. This lead me on a search for a location. It didn’t take me long to find a spot. I have to give credit to my photographer buddy David Birdsong for turning me on to this abandoned warehouse in downtown Detroit. I saw a shot of it in his portfolio and had to find out where it was. He gave me all the details.
There are lots of abandon buildings in the Detroit area. However, as you would expect many are boarded up or have no trespassing signs. This gem is wide open. There is a big 10′ open door right at the street with great parking.
I brought my Elinchrom Quadra for lighting as well as a deep octa softbox.
When you shoot in an abandoned building all bets are off when it comes to safety. Everything is “at your own risk”. Remember, technically you’re not supposed to be there.
You have to also be careful not only with your equipment, but also with the debris and broken glass. Falling is definitely not recommended We ended up just discarding the mat we brought because it was just too dirty to bring back.
I couldn’t get enough of this place, but I was on a time limit. I had a flight to catch later that evening as well as some more shooting to do in studio.
My beautiful & amazing model Kandice was a total trooper during the shoot. It was pouring down raining, wind blowing, dusty, dirty, etc. the whole time and nothing phased her.
One thing I’ll definitely bring next time is a broom. Also having some rags to wipe down everything after the shoot is over would have been really great.
In the shot above I managed to get more of the surrounding area. In many of the shots I took I wished I had done this more. I was too tightly composed on Kandice.
The Elinchrom gear performed like a champ. No issues with battery life or remote triggering with the Skyport Triggers.
I also have to give credit to my buddy Scott Kelby for his recommendation of hiring an off duty cop for security and keeping people off the set. It was great peace of mind to look over and see that unmarked police car the whole time While having security could be considered overkill you have to remember that most abandoned buildings aren’t in the best of neighborhoods. What would you do if two guys walked in, hands in their pockets and said ‘hand over your camera and all of your money?”
The fun continued back in the studio
In studio I used my Elinchrom 600 RX’s
When it was all said and done, my mistakes aside it was a great experience and I can’t wait to shoot there again!
Gear Guide (Stuff I used on the location shoot)
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII Lens
August 15th, 2011
12:17
Get Matt’s New Photoshop Compositing Book!
I actually entered the world of photography backwards! I knew way more about Photoshop than I ever did about photography when I started. Over the past 5-7 years I've been spending much of my spare time honing my skills behind the camera instead of saying "I can fix it later in Photoshop." With that said, I kinda left the compositing stuff behind as well. After taking a look at Matt's new "Photoshop Compositing Secrets" Book, my interest in compositing has been reignited. Now that I have a little more photography and lighting under my belt I can begin to look for not only great scenes to capture, but also great opportunities to create composites too. I never used to think about capturing shots of background images to use later in composites. Now I do!
There's an art to compositing
While technically compositing in Photoshop is simply taking two or more photos and putting them together, my goal has always been to make it look "as real as possible." That means that when a composite is done people should either look at the finished piece and not think that it's a composite or they may think it's one but they have a hard time trying to tell. That's when I know I've done it right. Matt's book exposes a lot of short cuts that I wish I had known back in the day, but glad I know them now.
The composites I'm showing in this post are actually some of my "old" ones that I did years ago. The second one I went in and updated the color of the model that I was never quite happy with. There are always new selection techniques to learn and new workflow steps. If you have any interest in getting better at selecting, cutting images out of the background and compositing them onto other backgrounds, then I highly recommend that you take a look at Matt Kloskowski's new Photoshop Compositing Secrets: Unlocking the Key to Perfect Selections and Amazing Photoshop Effects for Totally Realistic Composites. I have the Kindle version on my iPad and you can get it here in Paper or Electronic form starting at $21.99. Off to do more reading…
I will cover the technology, gadgets, events and cool toys that have affected me in some way. I will also give recommendations on the products that I have actually used.
January 16th, 2012
11:09