Hey everyone. I wanted to share a really cool video we saw at Imaging USA that Graphistudio, our wonderful album printer, put together. The video really showcases the time, craftsmanship and detail that goes into each album. It's amazing to see how many people work together on creating something that is truly beautiful, especially when there is an ocean between us.
Graphi has been renovating an old castle in Italy that will serve as the company's education headquarters. There will be workshops, tours, etc... for photographers to learn about the process of creating one-of-kind albums. The amount of investment they have in their clients really showcases their commitment to not just being an album printer, but a partner in the storytelling process.
Near the end of the video, one of the gentlemen says that this could be the century of forgotten images, where everyone has photography that just sits on a hard drive. We want to do our part to help those images come to life for our clients...to get them off the cd and into a book that is truly a work of art.
Our clients deserve and expect the best... and Graphistudio helps us deliver to that expectation.
Hope you guys like the video! (I'll try and talk Brad into sending us to Italy...)
It's cold outside! I've been spending a great deal more time inside (more than I want to) working on some business stuff. I'm definitely in the mood for summer, but until then, I like to stay inspired by checking out some of my favorite photographers. Now, I'm often asked by other photographers, or sometimes even clients, as to who inspires or motivates me? I think it's safe to say that most photographers draw their inspiration from other photographers strengths, at least initially. When I started to shoot weddings I had an idea in my head of what I thought wedding photography should be, so I went out to search for it.
I immediately identified that I loved the "California" style of photography. Now, what do I mean by "California"? I'm talking about bright colors, amazing locations, lots of contrast, shallow depth of field, all that stuff... Now, I know we're in Ohio (most of the time) and to produce that kind of look takes a bit more effort. But, that's what I like, so that's what I seek to produce on shoots.
Here are some examples of photographers I continue to check out on a regular basis:
Now, I have to mention up front that I do not advocate copying another persons work. That's not cool at all, and it shows that you can't think outside the box. However, I do think it is very important for a photographer to identify what they like about certain types of photography and more importantly, why they like it. It's through the industry as a whole that I developed my sense of style and what I think looks good. I tell brides all the time, "if you see something in a magazine that you love, rip it out, send me a link, etc...". Knowing what your client thinks is great photography only serves to help you raise your personal bar even higher. Get inspired! Read blogs, check out magazines, network with other photographers, whatever it takes. You'd be surprised how much your photography improves when you can truly establish your personal definition of amazing.
I think some of the best photographs I've taken have been in situations where I hadn't been to the location before and something happened unexpectedly. It's my formula for awesome photography. Take a great couple, add a new location, and make uncertainty your friend. Great stuff, every time.
We've been talking about video on our blog for quite some time now, and I always like to share some video work that inspires me. We have some photographers that follow our blog, so hopefully these videos inspire you as well. The more I see Canon 5d and 7d dSLR footage the more I want one. I've been looking for some Nikon D3S footage, and Chris sent me a great link that showcases the Nikon D3S in action. (Gotta give some praise to Nikon after all...)
We had some time to shoot in Nashville the last night of the conference and so we decided to have a little bit of a contest. Our goal was to go out and shoot for a couple hours and to see what we could come up with. Chris and Jeremy went off in one direction and Brad and I went off in another. I love walking around new cities. I think that being in an unfamiliar place with a camera really does allow your creativity to shine.
Our photos turned out awesome and I was really happy to see that everyone went for something a little different. Chris went for abstract art, texture, and shape whereas I produced some HDR photos, interesting color, and some portraits for people I met around town. I met a very nice lady named Abby who was playing spoons in the downtown area just up the street from the original Grand Ole Opry. She was gracious enough to let me photograph her playing. It was about 10 degrees out that night and I had to commend her on her willingness to entertain out on the street. She loved to play, and I loved to shoot. That's dedication to your craft.
There's so much detail to be seen if you just stop and look for it. A cool angle on a building, an interesting texture on the street, or a passing glance from a stranger... the point is to get out and shoot! You might be surprised what you're missing.
Brad, Chris, and I met up with Jeremy, from A-Team Productions to head down to Nashville Tennessee to attend a fantastic photography conference, Imaging USA. For those of you that don't know what Imaging USA is... it's run each year by Professional Photographers of America and was created to serve as a place for photographers to learn, network, and explore new technologies in the industry. We got a chance to meet some of the best and brightest photographers in the industry.
Some of our favorite lectures were delivered by Joe Buissink, Denis Reggie, Dane Sanders, Allison Rodgers, Jeff and Julia Woods, and Clay Blackmore. There lectures spanned a wide variety of topics such as studio management, marketing, creative identity, inspiration and style.
Joe Buissink and Steve
If you haven't seen Joe's work, you've got to check out his web site. Click here.
I heard many photographers give excellent presentations, but Joe's really stood out to me. The reason why I like listening to Joe is because when he talks about photography, he talks about it as a passion, not a job, and that's exactly how photography should be. Of course, it's a means to pay the bills, but there is so much more to it than that.
In his lecture, he said, "Every time I snap the shutter, I leave a part of myself in that image." He also went on to say, "I grab the moment between moments...the amazing instances..." Wow. It's funny to think about how many photographers call themselves photojournalists these days, and I think it's obvious when photography is overly posed. If I see an opportunity to put my subject in good light, I'll step in and make it happen, but what I've found over the last few years is that my most popular prints are the ones where my subject wasn't even aware that I was there. Joe's got it right. Capture the moment between moments...
"Put your passion first, and your business second." - I seem to remember a college professor telling me that once...
Hey everyone! I've been working on some 'behind the scenes' stuff all day and thought I'd take a break to peruse some blogs. One that I've started to check out is Switched.com. They recently did a story on Chase Jarvis, a photographer that we have been following for a few years now.
Chase created an iPhone app called "Best Camera" that allows people to share their photos seamlessly with Facebook, Twitter, email, etc... without having to use 4-5 different apps. Now, I don't have an iPhone yet (still waiting for some other network to pick them up) but I think Chase's message was good. Just take photos.
The video I linked to really showcases how the app is used to free you up to focus on the image. Chase says, "The Best Camera is the one you have with you...Photography is becoming a huge part of our culture... incidentally, because the capture devices are getting so cheap and so available and the opportunities and the means by which we share that material is so at our fingertips. I love it. I think it's amazing."
His message is great because he talks about how important it is to capture moments, which is the entire focus and driving force behind our photography. I thought you would get a kick out of this video. Perhaps it will inspire those of you out there with nothing more than a cell phone camera to start shooting. ;)
The last few HDR's from San Diego that I thought turned out cool. There's an outdoor mall in downtown San Diego called Horton Plaza. The plaza is architecturally interesting because all of the hallways are ramps to other floors and they intersect at different angles. If you like to photograph abstract shapes and patterns, this place is a must. Hope you like them as much as I had fun shooting them.
This week, we've been diligently working on numerous projects in order to prepare for our upcoming photography season. Album designs, new web site development, new products, and countless other to-do list items have kept us all busy. Chris is in Texas (I'm totally jealous) and Brad and I are gearing up for the Kaufman Kramer trip to Nashville for the Imaging USA Conference. We'll be hanging out with our friends from A-Team Productions in Nashville, so we'll keep you all updated with the cool stuff we find down there.
Since it's cold outside, I thought I'd post some fun shots from San Diego that I love, and that should evoke thoughts of being warm :) Enjoy!
(This is my FAVORITE shot from my trip to San Diego on Thanksgiving)
When I'm walking around looking for things to shoot, especially for HDRs, I am looking for architecture that stands out against the skyline. I love lines, color, and contrast, so if I can find all three in a particular scene, I'm going to try and see what I can come up with.
When processing HDR's you have to be careful not to over-process the image. Now, on my HDR's I am intentionally going for a more surrealistic look, since that's what I like. However, if for example you are being paid to shoot interiors of a building, and you want to expose the inside of a room versus the windows facing outside, the surreal look just won't work. In this case, you have to be very careful to make sure your shots are well-exposed and merged properly. If you look at good real estate photography, you'll notice that when you're standing in a room and looking outside, you can always see the room clearly and the outside area clearly. HDR's are perfect for that kind of thing, and certainly much easier than hours upon hours masking in Photoshop.
If you notice in the image below, while it is a cool HDR, it's slightly over-processed because of the "ghosting" around the buildings. Sometimes it looks cool, but in this case it's a bit much, so I would bring this back through my editing process to eliminate how extreme that looks.
On this image, I love how the HDR brought out the detail under the archway. You can see all of the wood rafters, as well as into the building.
Here's an example of how lines can create an interesting graphic element within the scene. The tall building in the background looks like a grouping of emerald crystals when standing far away. I thought it was cool to show it as a part of the block in downtown San Diego. Compared to much of the South-Western look of the downtown area, this building it seems to grow out of the ground and makes a striking addition to the San Diego skyline.
While I was at Balboa Park in San Diego, I got a chance to walk through the Spanish Village Art Center. This is an area of the park where many talented artisans display their work. You can find everything from sculptures, hand-carved wood work, jewelry, paintings, and much more. The great thing about this area is that it provides photographers with lots of great colors and interesting textures to photograph. I love to visit places like this. County fairs, craft shows, and farmers markets are always great places for people watching, and forces a photographer to think about different angles and perspectives.
If you've been keeping up with our blog, you'll remember that we have been documenting an ongoing conversation as to the state of the wedding videography industry. Specifically, we have been discussing how the Canon 5D Mark II is a game-changer not only in terms of production quality, but also in how it opens up the creative possibilities for photographers and videographers alike.
Chris found a great video the other day that I wanted to share on our blog. Now, please note, this is not our video... we haven't gotten into videography...yet (wink) but I thought that this was a great example of how a videographer named Jeff Wood took his 5D to the extremes. In this video, pay attention to the depth of field control, variable frame rate, and selective focus. There are also great examples of bright daylight and dark reception footage and how the camera handles both extremes. I also have to note that this video was VERY well edited and the post effects are top notch. Hands down, this is where the industry is going, and those who have an eye for it are certainly going to benefit greatly from the flexibility and affordability of video dSLR technology.
As always, we welcome to discussion on our blog, so if you have some insights, or links you would like to post, comment at the bottom! We've heard some great feedback on this series and we hope to keep the discussion rolling. :)
