Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. I just love how Aaron's wry sense of humor reflects the current state of the photography industry. But what really freaks me out sometimes is how much they reflect whatever situation I'm currently experiencing as a professional photographer ...whether it's working with clients, desperately trying to stay on top of equipment and technology upgrades or trying to figure out social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.

The genius of his strip is the way viewers can interact with Aaron and his comic character. Folks are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, and post photos of their own plushy and stuffed W.T. Duck working or hanging out.

This Weekend: Photographying my editor's child

Image by Gary Jacobson
Tomorrow, I'm very excited to be photographing by boss' daughter! Nearly two years ago, I was so disappointed when my editor went into labor the morning we had scheduled to shoot her maternity photos, but daughter Eden had different plans. Tomorrow, I will be letting Eden take the reigns again when she wanders through a golden field of sunflowers near my home. I will be using my 70-200 lens to back way off and get some candid shots of the toddler playing with the flowers.

Am I nervous to be shooting my boss's baby? Sure, a little bit. But on the other hand, Elana's continuous support and encouragement of my photography skills from the very moment I picked up my Canon XTi fills me with pride and confidence to do a good job. Eden is a lady of style, just like her Mommy, so I can't wait to see what stylish garb she will be gracing me with. Given her age, I will only be able to shoot Eden for about an hour (if I'm luck) before her attention span and willingness to cooperate disappears. But I plan to make the 30 to 45 minutes that she gives me count! The field of sunflowers is so breath-taking under a blue sky that it's also going to be where I hope to shoot several upcoming senior portrait sessions.

An Aside: How do clients find me?

It never ceases to amaze me how new clients find my photography services given the hundreds of professional photographers they have to choose from in Colorado. I've made it a habit to ask all of my clients how they came to find my studio during our initial consultation, primarily to gauge how the success of my Google or Facebook Ad campaigns. It lets me know where I might want to beef up money for my ads or change some keywords to help make finding me easier. For instance, since most of my recent clients have found me just by typing in the words "Denver event photographer," I would want to make sure to optimize those words by having them appear all over my website or blog items so Google picks me up.

This past weekend, I shot a family reunion for The Dermers. I asked my client about how they located me and was shocked and pleased by the results. Turns out one of the family members (based out of state) was on a forum asking about photography services and how much he could expect to pay for having his reunion shot. A comment led him to a photographer directory site where I had added my studio's name to the list. He checked out my photos, liked what he saw and suggested his Colorado-based mother to contact me.

Ian found me on photography directory and persuaded his mother, Janet, to hire me.

Voila!

It's good to know all that time and effort I put in to diligently adding my studio to various photography directors or even links I post to my website in photography forums can help lead a trail of bread crumbs directly to Picture Your World Photography!

Get the Job Done: My first Quinceanera!

Ali's Quinceanera held last month in June was a great success, and I look forward to being able to shoot more of these cultural events in the future! The family received their final images this week, so I wanted to post several of my favorites on the blog. A Quinceaneara is a coming of age ceremony in some Latin American cultures celebrating a girl's 15th birthday. The scope is similar to a Sweet Sixteen with the grandeur of a wedding due to the honoree's gown, a court and a reception held after a church ceremony.

I drove to Paxton, Nebraska, to shoot Ali's ceremony, which started with a family barbecue. I enjoyed covering this event because it gave me an excellent chance to do some family portraits as well as some special event photography.

Today's blog is ALL ABOUT THE DRESS! I will post other photos taken of Ali's court, the ceremony and the dance-filled reception later.

On Location: Blogging Live from a Car Show Photo Booth

Photo by Jason Peckovitch, Editing by Sheba Wheeler

It's barely 11 a.m. and I'm already drenched with sweat. Photographer and colleague Jason Peckovitch of Illusive Dreams and I are on location at the 5150 Rise and Shine Car Show at Red and Jerry's shooting photos of models with cars, editing them and printing them on site for a minimal fee. A few weeks ago, a rainstorm and fierce winds buckled Jason's canopy, snapping the metal frame beyond use. So Jason ponied up the $200 we needed to buy a new extreme Sports Authority canopy that took four people to put together. But man was it worth the effort! The Quik Shade Summit S233 canopy is strong and sturdy with two let down thick frame walls for more shade. The aluminex-backed wall might work well for portraits too if we get anyone interested in those today.

Photo by Jason Peckovitch. Editing by Sheba Wheeler

But the main attraction will definitely be getting models to pose with vehicles in the show. We have numerous models for our clients to choose from thanks to Brody Hall and Kylea Killeen from Tempting Images who offered their own models for us to borrow in shoots today.

Here are some sample shots from previous car shows Jason and I have covered. A 5x7 costs $10 and an 8x10 is $15, plus $5 extra for a model.

Photo by Jason Peckovitch, Edited by Sheba Wheeler

Stop by and say hello! Bring water! :)

Instructor's Tip: Graduated Neutral Density Filters - Part 1

I hope you enjoy this week's "Instructor's Tip" by one of my favorite instructors, award winning nature photographer Russ Burden. I personally have a ton of trouble exposing to maintain white details especially when shooting things such as skiers on snowcapped mountains. To learn more about how Russ captured the above image, join him on one of his photo tours. Visit Russ Burden Photography to get more information.


WITHOUT GRADUATED ND


WITH GRADUATED ND

Graduated Neutral Density Filters - Part 1
I recently gave a show at a local camera club and at the end, one photographer asked, “Why do you use filters if you’re shooting digitally?” This brings me to the point of this article. Why is there a mindset that if you’re a digital shooter, you don’t need filters? I want to capture the RAW information with as much perfection as possible. I don’t want Photoshop to become a “rescuer.” I want it to be an “optimizer.” Additionally, I see myself as a photographer, not a mouse wrangler so the less time I spend perfecting the image after the fact, the better.

I know there are multiple approaches to mimic the effect of a graduated neutral density filter using Photoshop, but all take time. The bottom line is it takes a lot more time than the ten seconds it takes me to slide a graduated neutral density filter in front of my lens. Also, I’m firmly of the belief that if the image is worthy of taking up flash card space, it should be captured properly from the get go. This is especially true if you’re still shooting film. I know that the slide or negative can be scanned and corrected, but all these extra steps mean you’re adding unwarranted time to your work flow.

As a photo tour leader to some of the most magnificent locations in the US, much of the instructional work I do with my participants deals with scenics. With this in mind, there are two essential filters that I place on my list of required items for the tour. A graduated neutral density is one along with a polarizer. I recommend the grad filters to tame the contrast when shooting reflections and also to tame contrast at sunrise and sunset. By placing the dark part of the filter over the light part of the image area, the contrast range is tamed producing a more evenly lit photograph. Depending on the situation, it may call for a one, two, or three stop difference. Thankfully, these filters are made in each of these strengths. Additionally, there are soft and hard edge options. If the transition point between the light and dark area is abrupt, it calls for the hard edge variety. Conversely, if there’s a smooth gradation, the soft edge is more beneficial.

Check out Burden's "How To Tips" featured on Outdoor Photographer's website. The seven that are dated February 4th are his. Just underneath the articles, be sure to click on page 1 to see an additional 9.

Don't forget to check Take Great Pictures for Burden's most recent tips. On the home page, click on the "Photo Tips And Techniques" button in the left hand column. Additionally, check out his "Digital Tip of the Month" found by clicking on the Digital Photography button.

To learn more about this subject, join Burden on one of his photo tours.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. I just love how Aaron's wry sense of humor reflects the current state of the photography industry. But what really freaks me out sometimes when I read his strip is how much they reflect whatever situation I'm currently experiencing too...whether it's working with clients or desperately trying to stay on top of technology like Facebook or Twitter or a host of other things that all add up to being a professional photographer.

The genius of his strip is the way viewers can interact with Aaron and his comic character. Folks are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, and post photos of their own plushy and stuffed W.T. Duck working or hanging out.