February 25, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.25.07

My last shoot was for Turco from Turcowear. He needed some shots for his website. It was a more challenging shoot since all of the shots needed to be done in his sunglasses! What a great guy though! If you are in the market for some cool sunglasses, this is definitely your guy!














Visit his website and you'll see some of my shots: www.turcowear.com

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

February 17, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.17.07

Part II
As promised, here is the second half of the shoot from the previous post. Again, I had a great time doing this shoot. This guy was very comfortable in front of a camera which always makes my job easy. Here are a few of his shots.














Thanks again for a great shoot!

February 14, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.14.07

I got to work with a great 'duo' this past weekend. We did two different shoots back to back. Here are a few images from the first of the two:














As always I had a great time. I know I say that all the time ... but what can you do when you just ...

Love your job!!

To be continued ...

February 10, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.10.07

BEFORE/AFTER
I get this question a lot ... and I have blogged about it before, but thought I would go over it again for those that are curious and those that missed it the first time.
What do you do in your post process work? What's the difference between a picture that comes straight out of your camera and one that you have done work on?
I do all of my own post-process work. I guess it's because I have 'control' issues and don't trust anyone else to work on my images. Plus, I know the look I am going for when I take the photos and I can't expect someone else to 'see' that. I truly believe that you need to start with a correctly exposed image to begin with (or, in the case of photojournalism, as close as you can get given the situation and timing). The image below has good levels and is what an image looks straight out of my camera. As you can see, it has a flat, gray look to it.

The image below is AFTER I have done a very simple workflow to it. As you can see, there is A LOT more 'pop' to it now. The colors are much more saturated, the skin is softened and the edges are darkened a bit to add more focus to the face. Remember that your eyes are naturally drawn to the brightest part of the image. This is why lighting is SO important in photography. It 'tells' your eye where to look and what the most important part of the image is. The shadows are darkened a bit to add more depth and give it a three dimensional look.

Below is a black and white of the same image. I have had people ask me "Does changing an image to black and white really require more than hitting the 'desaturation' button in Photoshop?" My answer is "It depends on what you want your black and white image to look like."

Of course I have an opinion on this ... I know, SHOCKER.

I like for almost all of my black and whites to show ... well, just that. Some blacks and some whites - not just shades of grey. For those 'desat' people, below is what you will get if you desaturate an image that comes straight out of camera (SOOC).

I have a lot of people who love my black and whites. This is why. Below is an image that I have changed using my own methods. You will see that there are blacks and whites in the image. There is a lot more contrast and 'pop'. Deep shadows and nice depth.

Now keep in mind that these images are all done for a 'glamour' effect.


And now I'll quit blabbing about all of this so that the folks who come here 'just to see some cool photos' aren't too bored. :)

I do hope that this gives you a better idea of what exactly I do on the 'back-end'.

February 07, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.07.07

Another newborn ... Yay!!
Here are a few shots from my most recent newborn shoot. Seems like there are a lot of babies around lately. I love it!








Love this shot. Newborns cannot actually 'see' anything except 'blobs' for a month or so after birth (maybe longer ... it has been awhile since I've had one!), but this little guy seemed to have NO trouble looking right into the camera. It was definitely different. I think he's gonna grow up to be a model. He's already working the camera! Ha!

The new mom asked me to take this photo. She wanted to get a good perspective on his size. We used dad's hand. It has a very artistic feel to it. My opinion, of course.

The very proud big sister - who we all know can work a camera! She is so great ... no matter what she's doing, she is always aware of the camera.

Congratulations on the newest addition! He's an absolute angel!!!

(aren't they all at two weeks old???)

February 05, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.05.2007

Some more studio shots
You may recognize the boys below from my website and my blog if you've followed me for awhile, but you won't recognize their new little sister! She is the newest family member. In the short time she has been here, she has managed to get every single person in the famliy completely wrapped around her finger!


The boys were absolutely wonderful (as usual). They love the camera that's for sure! What hams!







Somewhere in all of the craziness surounding our shoot, I managed to get some very quiet shots of the boys. Love the moodiness of these next two. I used a single directional light to create dramatic shadows and then did a soft black and white conversion on them.




This next photo is definitely going on my website. Another thing that you may know about me is my love of the 'anonymous' photos. I guess I like the fact that so many people can relate to these types of images. They can see their own child in them in some way.

Thanks guys for a fun afternoon in the studio! We will definitely head out again in the spring for some fun outdoor shots.

February 01, 2007

Weblog Entry 2.1.07

Rebecca
I had the opportunity to do a newborn session last weekend for one of my favorite clients. They just had their second beautiful baby girl. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of this beauty in the future!

I love the way the light is just 'kissing' the top of her head and her cheek. It is just beautiful.







Now I know of a lot of parents who only want their children to 'smile' and/or 'cheese' for the camera, but I love to capture all emotions. So, I just 'had' to throw this one in the mix!

And the new 'big sister'. She is so proud of her new baby sister!





Congratulations on your new addition!!