It's time for the big game! (and it looks like OSU is taking care of business with relative ease) :)
Last year, Chris and I got a chance to shoot inside of the The Horseshoe, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes! We produced some great shots of the stadium and one of our favorites was this photo. We put together an amazing panoramic print and are once again putting it on sale!
This canvas print is 12" x 36", and is 1 1/2" thick. It's ready to hang as soon as you receive it. We are offering this size print for $285. If you're interesting in picking one of these canvas prints for the buckeye fan in your life, shoot us an email via our contact form.
We've heard some pretty cool speeches at weddings, but nothing as different as this! I have to say that this video is absolutely classic, and worth a watch. One thing about shooting weddings is that lots of our friends send us fun videos and links for us to check out. This one was worth a post. I participated in my high school's theatre department for three years, so this particular video put a smile on my face. (Thanks for the vid Tom!)
Check it out:
I love it when people switch things up and try to do something original on wedding day. Hope you like the vid.
Ok. We've seen quite a few things shooting weddings... flower girls stopping mid aisle, and running back to the entrance of the church, photographers getting toppled over by other photographers... but we've NEVER seen a processional quite like this one that we found on YouTube:
(Thanks to Marie M. for spotting this one!)
I think this was hilarious! So, I challenge any bride to come on down the aisle just like this!
Hi everyone! David and I got a chance to shoot with a really cool couple, Tausha and Luke and we wanted to share some of the photos from their engagement session. This was an especially fun shoot for us because I got a chance to work with David, (a really good friend of KKP's.) David (also known as the guy who waves his hands at the camera in EVERY blog post) started shooting with us a little over a year ago and he's really been producing some great stuff. I'll have some blog posts in the coming weeks that showcase some of his work. I think it's important to work with different shooters on occasion just to mix things up a bit and to provide another critical eye.
Tausha and Luke were very easy to work with and after we loosened them up a bit, (mainly by David and I just making fun of each other) the photos really started to take off. I always stress with our clients the importance of working with their wedding photographer before wedding day. There's just something about building rapport and knowing what to expect that helps put minds at ease on wedding day. When we first started KKP (almost 4 years ago...) we didn't offer engagement sessions right off the bat, and I think it impacts your ability to engage with a client on wedding day. It's nice to experience something familiar, and as stressful as wedding day is, the one thing you don't want to worry about is whether or not your photographer is going to produce for you. The KKP engagement sessions are really one of our strongest attributes, because we're always traveling to locations we don't know, and we're forced to think outside the box. I think that's one of the huge draws for me personally when I decided to become a photographer. Always new. Not just sitting in a cubicle with the same old monotonous tasks to complete.
This was a great engagement session, and I hope you enjoy the video!
Christine and Daniel approached us this past winter to shoot their wedding in June. I must say, this was one of those couples that just followed the classic love story. Christine and Daniel met online, and after getting to know each other, they wound up canceling their online accounts and decided to get engaged. From the moment we sat down to speak with them about their wedding, it just seemed like this couple would be different. Christine had lots of great ideas of what she wanted her special day to be, the dress, the look, everything.
It was a lot of fun to discuss ideas back and forth with these two because I think they had an idea of what they wanted, but they weren't sure of what their photographer could bring to the table. After all, when you hire a photographer, all you're really doing is hiring them based on the promise that they'll take good pictures on your special day. The great thing about our relationship with our clients, and especially with Christine and Daniel, is that we always strive to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and to explore new styles and techniques. Christine and Daniel made it so easy for us to produce great photography because they were up for anything. We got a chance to shoot at some of my favorite locations around Columbus, as well as mix it up downtown in the arena district.
One thing that really stood out to me was how wonderful both families were. Daniel in particular, was in short, courageous. Daniel lost his mother a few months ago, and to capture the emotions that he, and is family were experiencing was so powerful and overwhelming. It really resonated with me. Christine placed a single red rose in her white bouquet to represent his mother and I found that the little touches here and there really helped the families celebrate her life and to make her apart of their memories that day. It's times like that where a photographer has to pay particular attention to the details. Every little thing that Christine and Daniel spent time picking out, arranging, etc... was extremely significant to their day, and not capturing those details would have been unacceptable. James McBride, a famous author was quoted as saying, "As a journalist, the details always tell the story." How true... especially in this case.
The photos turned out amazing and I am so excited to share some of them with all of you. Christine and Daniel did a great job of allowing us the time to get creative with their images and I am thankful that we had the honor of shooting their wedding. Congratulations you two!
I have their engagement session as well as their wedding videos here, so feel free to check them both out!
We know...we know... the midst of wedding season tends to get a bit hectic, so we haven't gotten a chance recently to update you on some of our weddings. However, I think that now is a perfect time to share some of the awesome weddings from the year thus far. One of our recent couples, Holly and Andy were married in May, and actually, right after the wedding there was a crazy rainstorm that blew through. Luckily, their church had some great locations to set up some creative shots. Remember, clouds aren't a bad thing...just a giant softbox in the sky. ;)
Holly and Andy have been friends of ours for awhile now, so it was really fun to get them to mix things up a bit with us. (We do love those adventurous brides) - Oh, and when the storm did finally pass through... Let's just say, amazing sunset.
Check them out, and again, Congratulations you two!
Wow. It's been a busy summer thus far. Engagements, weddings, parties, holidays, and even a wedding I was in? That's right! I got a chance to be on the other side of the lens. (weird)
Kristen and Shawn are some of my closet friends from Bowling Green and I was given the honor of being Shawn's Best Man. I thought it was very cool to be included amongst such wonderful people. Shawn has 5 brothers, so I kinda felt a bit weird taking the best man slot, but I guess that avoids having to play favorites. Throughout the day, I got a chance to use KKP's new Canon SD780 point-and-shoot. (Yes, we bought a Canon...I know...I know...) Actually, the thing I love about the camera is that it takes HD 720P video, and is 12 megapixels. This camera packs a lot of punch and is extremely light and easy to use.
Chris put together a composite and I put together a video to help say thank you for making us apart of Kristen and Shawn's special day. We hope you like the pics, and congratulations Kristen and Shawn! We love you guys!
Hey there!
I just finished processing another cool downtown Chicago shot that I made. I found the old Oriental Theatre when walking around with Tim, so I figured...ooooh....that's cool. Let's set this up. Unfortunately, out of the 30 shots I made, only 1 series of 5 actually made it into Lightroom because the other photos had raindrops on the lens. However, the photo in the end was well worth the effort, and it just goes to show you, all you need is one!
Hello all. I'm here in Chicago attending the ANGEL user conference for Ashland University. The thing is, ANGEL just announced that it was purchased by Blackboard (something we're not to thrilled about at AU) So, there was some unexpected downtime where I actually got a chance to walk around the city and shoot a bit. (Can't go to Chicago without a camera...right?)
I was walking around with Tim, (who's an excellent photography assistant I might add) and we found some really cool sites around the city to photograph. We were staying at the Mariott on the Magnificent Mile (great location) and we found that Millennium Park wasn't too far away. So, despite the impending thunderstorm, we ventured out. Low and behold, as soon as we get to Millennium Park, it starts pouring. Actually, it was kinda cool to see a thunderstorm pass through a downtown area, since all the skyscrapers have lightning rods, it was quite a show.
Hi everyone!
Brad and I were down in Columbus a week ago for our latest engagement session for Danielle and Matthew. Danielle and Matt picked out some cool locations toward the downtown area of Columbus. We walked around the German Village area and got some great back-alley shots. We love to put our subjects in warm light with colorful backgrounds, and downtown Columbus is full of detail-rich places to shoot. The shoot was a a lot of fun and we are definitely looking forward to the wedding.
On engagement sessions, it important to keep things easy going and relaxed. It's a delicate balance for photographers because on the one hand, you want to get as many setups in as you can before your light is gone, and on the other, you don't want to rush your couple because it sets up a negative atmosphere where they can't be themselves. Brad and I kid around all the time with clients, tell lots of stories, and generally just make fun of each other. "If you can't laugh at yourself...right?" It's important to keep the conversation going and to make sure to take this valuable one-on-one time to build raport with each couple. Often, as a photographer, you only get to work with the client once before the wedding day, and that day may be a year away! So...make it count.
Here's a preview of their engagement session. Enjoy!
Hey everyone! I just got back from Arizona where I had a mini-vacation and a wedding to attend. (That's right...to attend. ahhhhh....relax.) But of course, it wouldn't be a vacation for me unless I had a camera, so...low and behold I got a chance to shoot some amazing sites in Sedona, Jerome, and Tempe.
The highlight of the trip was attending the wedding of my good friend from high school, Jamie. If you remember Jamie and James from my blog posts in December, that's the couple that just got married. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It took place at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel across from the ASU campus. The courtyard was set up to hold 60-70 people. It was a really initmate, personal ceremony with all of their close friends and family. The ceremony started around 6PM in front of a beautiful fountain that was just barely kissed with sunlight. The hors d'oeuvres were fantastic, and the reception was really fun. I put together a quick video of some of my favorite shots from the day. I hope you guys like it!
Hi everyone!
I was going through some of my notes from the conference and decided to start processing some of my HDR images. After following some of Ben Willmore's steps, I came up with this shot of downtown Boston. This is a 5-exposure HDR. This first exposure is at 15 seconds, f8. The remaining 4 exposures are at -2, -1, 1, 2 EV. I thought it turned out great, and I wanted to illustrate how HDR can make skyline photography look amazing. Enjoy!
At the closing of Photoshop World 2009, attendees are encouraged to fill out a conference evaluation to help NAPP figure out how to make the Photoshop World Experience even better. This last video from Boston is our review of the conference, and some things that we thought could help make next year's conference even more spectacular. We had a great time in Boston, and I think I speak for both Chris and I when I say that we are always grateful for the opportunity to spend time and rub shoulders with the people in industry that we admire. Continued education is one of the most critical aspects of a growing business. Bringing in new ideas, techniques, and best practices is paramount to developing a company's identity as well as its specialty.
Photoshop World is well worth the money for anyone wishing to learn from the those who do it best. NAPP is a creative home for Photographers, Graphic Designers, Professional Retouchers, Digital Artists, Print and Prepress Professionals, and of course, Creative Educators.
Our best advice for anyone looking to strike out on their own in some sort of creative endeavor is to find a conference or organization that will allow you to network and learn new insights in your field.
Thanks to everyone who checked the blog this past week, and we look forward to showing you lots of great images from Kaufman Kramer's upcoming photography season!
In this PSW 2009 post:
Empowering Your Creative Discoveries 3 with Eddie Tapp
Creative Thinking in a Commercial Setting with Joe Glyda
Lighting on a Laptop with Vincent Versace
In this PSW 2009 post:
Tips for the Working Photographer with Joe McNally
InDesign CS4: Beyond the Basics with Terry White
Light, Color, and Gesture with Jay Maisel
In this PSW 2009 post:
Portrait Retouching Techniques - Part 2 with Scott Kelby
How to Light for Shooting Food with Joe Glyda
UPDATE: I wanted to share some images that I have been shooting since taking Joe Glyda's class. I have to say, the information he shared has been extremely valuable, and has helped me to improve my food photography by leaps and bounds.
In this PSW 2009 post:
Illustrator Down & Dirty Tricks with Corey Barker
Still Life Photography Shoot "Live" with Jim DiVitale
Photoshop for Designers with Corey Barker
Chris and I decided to review each of the courses we took at Photoshop World Boston. If you didn't get a chance to go to PSW 2009 or if you are thinking about going to an upcoming conference, check out our reviews to get a good idea of what is covered in each of the sessions. We'll be updating these posts with photos from Boston that will demonstrate some of the techniques we learned at the conference.
In this video:
Photoshop Restoration Rescue with Matt Kloskowski
Photoshop CS4: The Creative Composite with Julieanne Kost
Mastering the New Adjustments & Masks Panels with Ben Willmore
