Here is the second video of Joe McNally teaching Control of Color from Nikon School. As Joe did in his first video, he teaches techniques of using multiple flashes in off camera mode. Show the importance of identifying the correct ambient light and adjusting to the proper white balance. Joe also shows you how to place a flash for hair highlights.
A friend of mine stopped by last night. He’s not a photographer, so I was surprised when the conversation turned to wedding photography. He asked a few questions. One question he asked is: “Why don’t you do wedding photography? So I told him a few stories about why I am not a wedding photographer, nor did I ever consider becoming a wedding photographer. I will explain why.
In a previous life, to make extra money on weekends I drove limousines for a friends company. I actually did this for several years part-time on weekends. On of my jobs was to drive for weddings. Weddings usually happen on Saturdays so we were busy all the time. Clients have a tendency to drop their guard in a limo. I am not sure if it the booze or just the fact they think the limo driver is minding the road, or minding his own business, or the driver just can’t hear the occupants in the back. What clients don’t understand, while we are minding the road we have nothing to do but listen to the conversations in the rear of the limo. Also, we are self taught to listen, just in case there is a threat to other occupants or the driver. Continue Reading…
Costco Photo Center has recently sent out “An Exclusive Invitation”. If you are a member of Costco’s Online Photo Center then you recently received a email. Costco Photo Center is launching a new free service to provide Costco Photo Center members with valuable tips on digital photography, prints and gifts. Here is the letter they sent out if you missed it Continue Reading…
The other night, my wife and I were watching her brothers kids while they went out for a Christmas Party. No big deal the kids went down easy a 7 PM and that meant we would have a nice easy night of baby sitting. My sister-in-law asked if I would export some of my pictures that I have taken at the last few family events. That is an easy task. Plug in one of my external HD (the one with the photos), load Adobe Lightroom II, open the 2009 catalog, find the appropriate folder i.e. Halloween and export to her thumb drive. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy…
When I got done exporting and was done with using my computer, I went through the shut down sequence and put my computer away.
Good Morning and welcome back from a long holiday weekend. If you are in the USA then hopefully you celebrated Thanksgiving weekend with family, friends and or loved ones. You have slugged off your tryptophan coma, and decided to focus on something other football.
During the weekend in-between football games and eating leftovers, I did find some time to skate through the blogosphere. While in the sphere I ran across a great post about Restoration of old or aged photos. I know I have been looking for a simple easy way to restore some of our old family photos, that have either faded been slightly damaged or discolored. Sometime if you don’t have the negative to restore the original picture, then you have to scan the orginally photograph. When you scan the original, then you scan all the defects that go along with it.
So I ran across a blog by Michael Albany on how he restores old photos. He has a great video that he explains how he restored an early vintage baseball photograph. It was explained very well, and it is an easy adjustments to make in Adobe Photoshop. Here is the link to his blog post “Faded Old Photo? Easy?
I am currently working on some pre-World War I photos that my wife and her mom dug up from a folder of her grandfathers. He was in the US Navy and we think that he may have served on the USS New York, during his years at the United States Naval Academy. After I finish one of the Image Restorations I will post it again in a new post recap.
I hope this helps those of you like me, that have family projects to restore old images and movies before they all turn to dust. I would like to see any photos you restore using this Michael Albany’s process or any other process you might use to restore old photographs. You can post them and your technique to the comments section below.
Exhibition begins at the Richard Avedon exhibit at SFMOMA
Today on Monday morning re-cap, I will tell you about the Richard Avedon exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A few weeks ago I blogged and invite for anyone in the Bay Area to take a trip to SFMOMA and see the Richard Avedon exhibit.
On Saturday my wife and I spent the day in San Francisco, and we took some time to visit the SFMOMA. We were excited to see the Richard Avedon exhibition, since the exhibit will close at the end of November.
Let me just start with this. I expected the museum to be more crowded then it was. Also, since my wife and I are members we did not have wait in line for the exhibit we were let right in, (Membership has its privileges).
Richard Avedon was born in 1923. He passed at the age of 81 in 2004, was an Americanphotographer. Richard Avedon had a great career that span many decades. His most famous work was done with models of the fashion world. He also shot celebrities, dignitaries and common Americas in his series called the “American West”.
My personal take on the exhibit was inspiring. I love photography, and in was struck by the simplicity of his work. Granted it may not have been simple by any means, however they white background used in most of his portraits was a trademark icon that he used throughout his career. His work showed me how to use a simple white background to make a perfect portrait.
When you walk up to the images you can see the detail from every pore to crease and scar. Some of the images we not very flattering to the subject, but that were what he was looking for the real person and not the made up face or image that usually come from a professional photo session.
An example that I can give you, is the photo he has in the exhibit of Marilyn Monroe. According to the 87 minute movie about Richard Avedon, he said he spent hours in the studio photography the actress. She posed, smiled, flirted for hours in front of the camera. However when it was all over, she was like a little girl quite and sitting alone in the edge of a couch. According to Avedon, he would never taken the picture without her permission in this vulnerable state.
Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon at SFMOMA
Like I mentioned before if you have the opportunity to see the Richard Avedon exhibition go and take in the career of this great master of the lens. It will inspire and awe everyone…
Flight Test Nation – Is also know as the Edwards Air Force Base Air Show. Three years ago I my wife and I headed into the high desert to enjoy the Flight Test Nation 2006. It was a long day and the weather was warm. The Air Force handed out sunscreen and advised everyone to stay over hydrated.
This weekend was the Flight Test Nation 2009. This is the first year that they have had Flight Test Nation since 2006.
This year, Edwards celebrates the 50th anniversary of the X-15 and the heraldry of test legacy. You didn’t have to be on the ramp to hear the Edwards trademark opening sonic boom! At precisely 10 o’clock, Brigadier General “Chuck” Yeager and Major General Joe Engle sent a shock wave to the ground from 30,00 feet, high overhead! Where else does that happen?
One of the highlight of the Air Show was the new F-35 Air Show debut. The F-35 Lighting II is the newest fighter for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The F-35 did a flyby display and static display.
Many more static and flight displays took place. One disappointment was that in 2006 the US. Air Force Demonstration Team Thunderbirds took to the sky at 3 PM. This year they didn’t have the Thunderbirds.
The image above was taken in 2006 after the Thunderbirds had finished they show and were returning back to the flight line. They were headed right at me when I snapped a few images. This image reminded me of Ducklings walking in a straight line… “Ducks In a Row”
However, like everything else I was sidetracked and never got back on track. So this last week I decided to get back to it and completed the conversion and migration to WordPress.
I decided to go with WordPress, because this platform offers so much more as in new templates, widgets, plug-ins and many more interesting things to add to your blog.
Here is a image of my blog. I will update my post on how I was able to migrate all my blog post from blogger to WordPress in a future Tech Tuesday post.
However being said, it doesn’t make me feel any better. I will do as the many others in my position are doing, and rely on the governments (state and federal) to help subsidize my income until I can obtain another permanent position doing what I know best, an Equity Trader/Market Maker.
However, as one door closes another must open. This is why I will be starting a new adventure as a photographer. I have always looked at photography as a hobby. I have only on few occasions been paid for my work.
In 2003 I was hired to shoot a model hired by a start up cell Phone Company. It was more of a product shoot. My job was to photograph the model wearing the cell phone accessories that the company was promoting. These images were to be used on a trade show booth at the upcoming C.E.S. show.
In 2006 I was hired through a friend to shoot a Christmas party for her company. I was paid a fair amount for someone that had never done this before, and I suppose the company was happy with my work, for they invited me back. As fate would have it by the next Christmas, I had moved away and my fried had been laid off. Nonetheless, I had to decline the job.
Today is a new day, and I must keep putting that one-foot in front of the other. This blog will be ramblings of my photography and business in photography.
I will try to update my blog on a timely fashion to keep those who decide to read it informed about my goings-on at FishEye Studio.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and remember “Keep your Focus Sharp and your Horizon Straight”.
