Archive for the ‘photographer tips’ Category

WOW

December 10, 2008

SO today I decided to check out how my new Nikon D700 really performs iin low light situations. All I can say is WOW!!!! I’ve been using it at 6400 iso at weddings because alot of the churches that I shoot in are REALLY DARK. But I had never really pushed it all the way up to 25,000 ISO before.

So today I was sitting in the office, and I’ve been having trouble because I forgot to file taxes for 2 years while I was in college 4 years ago making minimum wage, and I needed something to make me smile.

The preformance of my camera did just that. All that these photos have done to them are auto white balance and the black and white one was converted to B&W.

Nothing else at all. straight out of the camera for you to see is incredible high ISO performance from nikon. Now if they could just answer the Canon punches with some really great wide prime lenses I would probably havea heart attack.

me-d700-25k-iso

and the Black and white version

me-d700-25k-iso-bwAs far as I am concerned, both these images are totally usable in a clutch situation, and this camera will allow me to shoot in situation that I never dreamed possible.

I know I look irritated, and thats because I honestly am. But tomorrow will be better, and I’ll get to the SSA office before 4 nad have everything sorted out by the end of the day.

On the plus side, its a beautiful December day, in the mid 40′s and as long as the snow doesnt melt on the mountain, I’ll be out snowboarding this weekend at 7 Springs. If anyone wants to join me, hit up the cell. The past two weeks were amazing skiing for how early in the year we were able to ski, nad i have a great feeling that the winter is going to be awesome.

Here’s a pic from 7Springs on Saturday from my iPhone, “its beginning to look a lot like Christmas”7-springs-white-treesHave a great day. See ya on the slopes.

Still Moving

April 2, 2008

As I mentioned last week, I am still in the process of moving into my new apartment, and I do not have internet or my desk set up yet. Hopefully by the end of the week, but I am not sure if they will get there that fast. So today I am writing from my old house before I turn the internet off for good.

The move was stressful, as they always are, but the plus is that I have a bigger room than I did before. The downside is that the kitchen is the size of my old bathroom, that means less cooking, and more simple things like sandwiches. 
Saturday was a long day. But it was worth waking up at 7. Now for some, that my seem like sleeping in, but for me, that might as well be 5am. But I did get up, made french toast, and had a great day. 
I started off with a photography workshop for a company that I am freelancing with, and there we played around with wireless TTL (flash photography) and composition. They wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing, even though I assured them that I did. :)
Here is a shot I grabbed that is balancing the ambient light with the flash, 

The shot is produced using 3 Nikon Sb-800 flash units triggered wirelessly by my nikon D200. 

Exposure: 1/25 sec f/3.5 at 18mm 640 iso. 
Here is an available light photo using just a table lamp that I placed above David Maki as he sat on the floor.

So that was the big part of my saturday, and I’ll throw some more of the weekend up soon, but for now I have to keep moving, be blessed!

Cool actions and Textures

February 6, 2008


I recently found some cool actions that are free, as well as some cool textures. While many people use textures, I have never used them, but think that I am going to start shooting some of my own. Every once in a while, I like to create images that aren’t typically associated with my style of photography. 

I do this because it helps me to think more about the final image of the photos while I am shooting them, and allows me the freedom to shoot a little bit more creatively. I do this so that my clients continue to get the best images that I can produce, and to keep me on my toes. The last thing that I ever want, is for my images to begin to look tired, boring and expected. 
The actions and textures that I used on this image are courtesy of Dror Eyai. A South African Wedding photographer.  His 8+5 pack has some nice actions and textures, and are easy to use. Plus they are free.
On the exciting part of typical life, tonight is guys night. This is a night where a group of guys from church get together and shoot some pool or play poker. tonight I am hosting the evening, and making a Beef BBQ, and a homemade sauce. It is kinda spicy, but it should be awesome with some coleslaw on the sandwiches. any ways, we are gonna hang out a play some poker, and catch up on life.
In a few weeks, I am going to see the AMC Best Picture Showcase, featuring all five best picture Oscar Nominees. Seeing as I haven’t seen any of them yet, I am really excited. Michael Clayton, There Will be Blood, Atonement, and No Country for Old Men are high on my list of must see, and Juno looks really good.
I know that it is a waste of a god day, but I don’t go to movies much, and that is my birthday present to myself. 
Friday and Saturday are concert nights, so I’ll post after I have some good images from that. Saving Jane is on Saturday, and I am excited to see that show.