Self Portrait Photography -Using Strip Boxes and rim light

I have a few clients looking to do some sports/fitness type of shoots pretty soon.   So, last night, unable to sleep anyway, I was up in studio messing around with lights and figured I'd pull a self portrait / lighting test party.  (Just me by myself!)   I haven't settled on the exact set up for the up coming shoots, but I do know that for the in studio stuff,  I'm looking to use at least 2 strip boxes in various positions for some nice side lighting and highlights.  Most likely to highlight arms, shoulders and such.  Well,  I haven't got any strip boxes!! UGGH!  (how is that possible?)  I know they're not absolutely necessary depending on how much of the person I want to light and how much I want to control the spill, but they do serve a purpose.  Anyway, without the strip boxes, I just focused on getting some highlights on shoulders and back/side of my head.   The two back lights are strobes with silver reflectors and the main light is just an Einstein w/ 40 degree grid on a boom directly over me and in front of camera.  I think it worked out  well.  Now, to get the nerve to take off my shirt and try and light.....muscle! Wait, first gotta get some muscles!  lol.  (Shot at f.14, ISO 125, Shutter 1/125)

Using Lightroom and Photoshop -The Digital Darkroom

To follow up with the previous post,  this is just a brief discussion regarding the use of post processing applications in general such as Lightroom (LR)  and the more commonly heard of Photoshop (PS).   Before I begin,  let me first preface everything by saying this:  The truly best way to capture a great image is to first, try and do so with the tool you're woking with in hand - your camera.  Proper exposure,  shutter speed,  iso settings, good focus, creative lighting, white balance, composition and of course subject  should be the essence of a good photo and these tools should play paramount roles in taking a decent picture to begin with.  Having said that, let me now get to the crux of this post.  There are the old school folks who lend themselves to being ridiculed as "film snobs" simply because they're stuck believing that film is superior format to digital and that "real" photographers still use film.  Hogwash! Lol.  In fact, that breed of snobs is slowly dying out and their cries to be heard are nearly silent.   I'm not going to get into the debate of film vs digital.  That's not what I want to talk about and it's a whole other discussion.  I'm certainly not taking a position and respect both equally.  How can one not?   I mention the film snobs simply because they give rise to and are very much cousins of the next set of snobs called the "Anti-Photoshop" elite!   Now,  clearly you know who I'm talking about.  Those faux...I mean...photographers who swear that anyone who uses PS is somehow less than a photographer and not to be taken serious.   Seriously?  Most professionals and enthusiasts realize that as soon as you even hear that,  you're pretty much dealing with someone who doesn't make a living from photography and or certainly doesn't understand photography at it's most basic core.   To go back to the "old school" for a second,  the dark room was essentially the photographers temple of creation.  Sure, the image was captured via his camera but it was in the darkroom where the negative was developed and the final image emerged.  Pretty certain there's no argument there about that process.  The question now becomes,  what do you think was going on there in the darkroom?   Without going into an entire discussion of  how negatives were processed, let me just point out that for the most part, plenty of photographers including many of the greatest were essentially MANIPULATING their images for various effects using a plethora of techniques to do so.   Ansel Adams,  one of the most famous and respected is no exception.    The amount of dodging and burning he did via various techniques was insane yet, his work spoke for itself and was none the less awe inspiring.   If you get the chance to read up on him or many of the other greats or even just negative processing in general,  you'll quickly understand how Photoshop, is nothing new and simply the modern equivalent of the darkroom used for digital files.   Which brings me back to modern times and this post.   You can't escape PS!  It's a tool to deal with the processing of your images once they've been captured.  So often,  the amateur "wannabe purists" believe PS is nothing more than horrible skin retouching and making an image fake.  While it's possible to go overboard with post processing, and so many people do,  many of the fundamentals can be absolute necessities in finalizing a great image.   Example:  When working in studio and there are massive amounts of light being thrown in the face of a model via strobes,  even with clean, shadowless, flattering light from say a beauty dish,  tiny imperfections and flaws are made that much more noticeable.   Especially when you're shooting with such high resolution cameras these days   It's just the way it is.  In real life you can look at someone who has gorgeous skin and not see anything but....gorgeous skin.  However,  shine a bright light in their face and suddenly you see things undetectable under normal lighting scenarios.  I've had clients come in and before we even shoot they're telling me about a pimple, a birth mark or some scar that they'd like removed in the final image.  That's not a problem and certainly not against the rules of real photography.  More important than vanity,  there are tons of other corrections and edits that need to be done such as color correction, white balance or lens distortion issues.  Again,  best bet is to just get it all perfect IN camera the first time but that's not always the case.  Beyond technical corrections and vanity,  let's not forget the artistic options.  (Again, I refer you to Ansel Adams and his dodging and burning. )   As a photographer using such programs as PS and LR,  you have the option to take images you've created and extend their creative impact in whatever ways you see fit.  Should PS or LR be the crutch for poor images?  Should aspiring photographers spend less time understanding technique and how to capture great images and spend most of their time learning to use processing programs instead?  Certainly not!   Don't get me wrong,  I see way too many images that are so retouched the skin looks as if it's just melted silly putty stretched over a person.  Then there's the overuse of the gimmicky filters via Instagram, Hispstamatic and similar apps.  They're fun when used sparingly here and there but can be boring used over and over again.   Trust me,  I'm 100% for shooting images and having to do nothing to them in post other than maybe a crop and resize for whatever medium.  But, that's not always realistic.   So,  at the end of the day I say,  if you're even trying to take yourself mildly serious as a photographer,  you need to not only learn your camera and lighting, but you need to learn the processing of your images.  You need to invest in and study, practice, learn and try to master these applications and make them part of your professional tool kit.   PS and LR can play a substantial role in a photographers life outside of just editing.  Take the time to see how they can be added to and enhance your photograph process.

Ansel Adams - From NPR's The Picture Show - Retracing The Steps of Ansel Adams. 

Post Processing - When is an image complete.

I've been meaning to do a post on editing/,  post processing and all using PS6 and LR5.   What I really want to focus on is not so much the software or any particular workflow or process of my own.  (My workflow needs help and my skills in BOTH applications is amateur at best!)  So,  what's this about? Well,  it's about the  idea of returning to an image to make adjustments to it long after it's thought to be finished.   I recently had a discussion with a friend who was telling me about an image he didn't complete until 3 years after he shot it!  After which,  it turned out to be one of his favorite photos and got a lot of attention.   So, after that talk and thinking about some of my own experiences,  I decided to write this post.    To quote filmmaker George Lucas: "A film is never finished , only abandoned."  Well,  it may not even be Lucas who came up with that quote. I believe it's been used to suggest the same for poetry as well.  But I digress.  With regard to photography and our images,  when do we decide that an image is actually....finished?  Is it determined by a deadline?  Obviously, if we're talking about a client's needs, well then it's really up to the client.  However,  as the photographer,  you may still find yourself wanting to tweak, mess with, perfect, try something new with images you have in your library.  It's perfectly normal and part of the artistic process.   Beyond the normal, sometimes necessary adjustments such as color correction, lens correction and small touch ups,  I'm talking about more artistic or style issues.  Or, perhaps you notice something you missed the first go around.   Case in point, the image above.   This is an image from a photo shoot I did for ATL rapper Sugar Tongue Slim aka STS.   The shoot was set up by his manager Riggs Morales who wanted some new promo material, specifically, a shot for NPR's website where they named STS's album Illustrious as one of the top 50 albums of 2011.   They ended up using a different image but this one in particular was one of my personal favorites.  Anyway,  a year or so later,  I was asked for a few more images from the shoot and ended up coming back to this one.  Right away I noticed the reflection and shadow formed by the eyeglasses. (image on left)  So, in addition to making some curves adjustments and tweaking the hdr black and white look,  I immediately went to work trying to fix the eyeglass issue.  As you can see from the copy on the right side,  I was able to clean it up a bit and overall I think it looks better now.  However,  I did screw up a bit with the edit.  Upon closer inspection, at full resolution, the cloning efforts and small tweaks I used to fix the image become obvious.  I could spend more time and get it right but for the most part,  it's not a big deal really because this image isn't being used for anything and isn't being printed.   I wanted to post this and talk about it quickly to point out that sometimes, an image is just never complete and it's okay to return to them and tweak them as you see fit.  I've gone through LR catalogs of photos and found images that I completely forgot about or neglected to pay attention to upon first review.   At times, it's a great thing to go back and have fresh perspective on a image.  Maybe you see something that can use fixing, a touch up or maybe you just see the image working in another way artistically.   In closing,   let me also say this;  It's possible to GO OVERBOARD.  Part of processing an image is knowing when to stop, even if you CAN continue and do more.  It's completely a subjective thing but you just have to know when you've gone overboard and too much is too much.   To bring it back to George Lucas,  his return to "unfinished" works actually ruined his...unfinished work.  With a ton of new technology at his fingertips,  Lucas went and messed with the Star Wars films and ended up  negatively affecting the films and their original beauty. (so say most fans.)   Again, I digress.   Just keep in mind, post processing shouldn't be a crutch for poorly shot images but more of a tool to achieve whatever visual impact you want from a particular photo.   More on this to come when I discuss post processing in general and the common, amateur understanding of the importance of Photoshop/Lightroom editing programs.

Pool Fashion Shoot - Lamborghini Murcielago Long Island

Saturday, April 13th, 2013-

New York -  Winter has seemed to last forever this year.  Even though we haven't been bombed with too many major snowstorms,  we've had enough nasty weather and cold temperatures to be fed up and anxious for some sun.    And April has most certainly lived up to it's reputation bringing plenty of showers so far.  So,  when a client, Emily called me on Tuesday letting me know she needed to do a swimsuit shoot asap,  I suggested waiting a few weeks to ensure some warmer weather.   She meant "asap!"  LIke that coming weekend.   So,  I immediately  set my mind to finding and locking down a location.  I already had one in mind, only question was whether or not the pool would be open and ready that early in the season.  Fortunately,  it would be by that Saturday!  The location located in Westbury Long Island, NY, is the estate of a family friend who usually gets his pool open and ready for the summer a few weeks earlier than most.   Timing wise, things were going well.  I got my crew together and had to get another model.  I called Maybelline, a model I have been meaning to work with for some time now.   Plan was to shoot some swimsuit stuff poolside and then get some really hot shots with an exotic car.  Owning a gorgeous mansion/estate of course means having to own some pretty nice cars.  Sure enough our host had plenty including a gorgeous, deep crimson Lamborghini Murcielago.   The weather forecast 60 degrees high, mostly sunny, partly cloudy.  Seemed like it would work out to be a decent day and overall, it was.  However,  with the sun going in and out with random intervals of bright sun and then clouds, it made lighting things a constant battle.   One or the other would have been great!  Basic set up poolside was:  Main light - P.Buff Einstein fitted with the P. Buff 22" beauty dish on a boom.  We used a large Westcott 5 in 1 reflector disc for the fill light and for the scrim when the sun was at it's brightest.  The temperature was no where near warm enough to place models in the pool so most of the action took place outside on the edge.  One of the models, Maybelline,  did venture in down the steps enough about thigh high in water for some shots.  She's a true professional and was down for whatever to get things done.  After the poolside shots with both Mabyelline and Emily,  we headed to a garden section of the estate with a fountain and stone benches where we continued with Emily's shots.   The sun was saying sayonara by this point but there was enough to get some decent rim light.

After the garden shots,  the sun was nearly all gone and it was getting late.  We were a bit behind schedule and Maybelline had to hit the road back to Philadelphia.  Before doing so, we were able to get the Lamborghini into position in the driveway and prep for some shots with her and the car.  This time, in addition to the Einstein and beauty dish, I busted out the Westcott 7' parabolic umbrella attached to a Bowens Gemini GM500r to light the car.  I experimented with a few positions hoping that the wide spread of specular light from the silver lining would catch the car enough to add some punch and highlights to the deep red color.   For the most part, it worked well.  But I was tempted to grab another light, maybe even just rig a speedlight real quick, but I was running out of time.   A few shots later,  the umbrella and light all sailed over and hit the ground.  (no sandbags, as I HAD one of the assistants on the light, but they left for a minute!)  I thought the light would break for sure but it turned out to only be the shaft of the umbrella that snapped.  So much for that.  I really liked that umbrella! R.I.P.  Gotta pick up another soon!  Anyway,  was a great day, great night.   I pretty much got what I needed, packed up the Rover with help from my assistants and hit the road back to NJ.    Below, are some images from the shoot.

Concert Photography- STS (Sugar Tongue Slim) at the Blockley, Philadelphia.

So I'm not big on doing concerts/live performances.  I've shot maybe 3-4, but nothing too serious.  One of the few I shot was Atlanta/Philly rapper Sugar Tongue Slim aka STS.  It was a performance a couple years back at S.O.B's NY.  I wasn't prepared when I shot that night.  Had my Nikon D90 back then and ended up having only one lens on me - A 50mm 1.8.  This made for a limited amount of close shots I could get from a distance.    I got the chance to shoot one of Slim's performances again last night at a trendy spot in Philly called the Blockley.   This time,  I had my d800 and my 70-200mm 2.8.  (the 50mm and a 24-70 were in the bag along with the d90 as well.)  The 70-200 stayed on all night and pretty much gave me what I needed- A great, sharp, fast lens with enough focal range to get in for some decent close shots of the performance.   In these low light situations, shooting wide open is obviously mandatory along with jacking iso up to pretty high levels.   I shot all night at the same settings for the most part: Between 100th & 160th shutter speed,  f2.8 and iso 6400.   Even though the d800 is capable of producing pretty good, usable images at such high iso's,  I still figured I'd be forced to do some noise reduction in post.   To my surprise though, I didn't have to do anything.   Whatever noise shows up works well for the whole concert / live performance thing anyway.   I made a few exposure tweaks and some curves adjustments but that was it. All in all, definitely a better outing than my first.

This shot above  is probably my favorite shot of the night.   I cheated a bit with the final image.  Originally, there were  people in the crowd there bottom right. One of them was doing video and had an LED panel of light attached to the camera.  There was also half of someone bottom left right down below Slim.  When I saw the shot, I loved everything, but that bright, square light pretty much ruined the focus of the shot for me. So, I went in and just took the light...and of course the crowd members  in front and 1 in back out of the image altogether.  Worked pretty well I think.   I thought for a moment that removing the crowd would essentially affect the image seeing as how an artist on stage with crowd below usually adds the flavor of the scene.  Sometimes, gotta make decisions.  Below, is the original shot.  What are your thoughts?

Other than being an incredible wordsmith and master poet,  much of Slim's appeal comes from his stage presence and personality.   Definitely wanted to make sure I captured that in a few shots.

This last pic is actually one of the flyers promoting the event at the Blockley.   The shot is from the first studio photo shoot I did with Slim.  Also happens to be the same image that NPR used on their web-site when Slim's Illustrious album was named one of the top 50 albums of 2011.

Photography Gear / Studio Equipment

About a day after receiving some new gear from Paul Buff,  I had a shoot.  I mentioned posting up my review(s) on some of the new gear once I've had a chance to use it. Truth be told,  I'm not a huge...review type of person.  I'll render my opinion on what I think of the gear and how it's beneficial to me or not, but, to "review" per se' sort of makes me seem like one of those gear experts with an opinion that may make a difference to some.  In reality, I'm just a photographer and I love messing with gear and using whatever tools help me to achieve my goals.  Oh, and one more thing....I'm pretty damn lazy lately with the blogging thing so, don't have too much time to get into it all! Also,  I haven't yet figured out how to post a new post to a particular page. (Like this should be on my GEAR page.) Anyway, I'll figure it out eventually.  While on the gear thing though,  the image below is an "after hours" shot of some equipment in my studio.  Figured I'd share/list some of the collection of toys I've amassed thus far because I know some people like to know what other photographers are using.   It's always a work in progress yes?  

1.  Paul Buff Einstein 640 strobe with 22" white beauty dish.  2.  Bowen's large soft box  3. Studio tripod (Calumet)  4. 22" beauty dish grid and silver beauty dish (Calumet)  5. Silver/White reflector  6. Profoto Acute2 ring flash and Profoto Acute 2r 1200 power pack  7.  Sekonic L-358 light meter.  8. Paul Buff Vagabond Mini power pack.   9. Set of 4 Paul Buff honeycomb grids.  10. Paul Buff 7" silver reflector.  11.  Set of Bowen's Gemini GM 500r strobes.  12.  Set of 2 Pocket Wizard Plus II's (laying somewhere in there.)  13. Arri 300w Fresnel, Arri 650w Fresnel (on loan).  15.  Assorted umbrellas - Calumet 46"Silver , Wescott 7' Parabolic Silver,  Set of Bowen's 36" Silver/white umbrellas.  16. Lenses:  Nikon 70-200mm VR II, Nikon 50mm 1.8G, Nikon 85mm 1.4D,  Nikon 105mm 2.8 macro. Nikon 24-70mm 2.8G (not shown...because it's on camera!)   17. Camera(s)-  Nikon d800, Nikon d90.  18. 2 Nikon SB-800 speedlights.   19.  An assortment of C-stands, light stands, A clamps, gaffer tape, duct tape, miscellaneous cables, cords and wires.  20.  Background - Manfrotto Autopole set up and seamless.

There are some random things missing here, but, that's the basics really.   I use an assortment of memory cards and for batteries, I'm pretty partial these days to Eneloops.

Couple of other pics of gear- That one above there an iphone pic.

Buff Einstein 640 with grid.

Einstein with 22" beauty dish.

Paul C. Buff Einstein 640 WS- Paul Buff accessories

Love getting new gear!  Coming in to find packages waiting for me.  The mad dash to open and unbox fresh new equipment/products!  These latest goodies  are from the fine collection of Paul Buff products.  And they came just in time for a scheduled shoot.   Reviews to come soon! Paul Buff assorted honeycomb grid set,  Einstein 640 flash unit,  7" standard reflector, Vagabond Mini  and 22" Paul Buff (white) beauty dish.

Photography Business Insurance - A must!

I’ve come across a few photography blogs/web-sites that often post great advice for photographers who are just starting off or at least, just starting to get serious. Most of the advice spans from tech guidance, learning your camera, learning lighting, mastering a workflow, how to build a portfolio, how to get clients and how to organize the  “business” aspects of your career.  I’ve definitely seen advice on model release forms and permissions/copyright info and such.  However,  one thing I don’t see too much on is advice on business insurance.  So, on that note, I just wanted to post this quick blog on what I would consider one of the fundamentally important first steps to taking your business to the next level.

There are two main reasons why you would want/need business insurance as a photographer.  For one thing,  this is an expensive hobby/profession.  Equipment costs add up relatively quick and most of your major , bread and butter equipment usually runs  in the area of thousands of dollars:  Camera body, lenses, computer(s), hard drive(s), lighting, etc.  What if something happened to this equipment?  A fire, accidental damage of some kind,  theft etc.  Many photographers just starting out can’t afford the costs to just replace all of their equipment or even some of it at will.  I know what you’re thinking:  “My home insurance  or renters insurance covers that.”  Not so.  There are fine clauses to home owner’s and renter’s insurance that limit the liability on business related equipment.  Not to mention the obvious: What if you’re on location somewhere?  It’s business insurance that’ll cover you and….your business.  The second reason and certainly no less important is to have coverage in the awful event of a client being accidentally injured.  Eg: A beauty dish & light falling off a boom and landing on your model’s head! Ouch! Not good.  The legal consequences/liability could be a disaster!  UNLESS you’ve got business insurance!  Or, what if a client sues you for claiming they’re not happy with your work?  You need that insurance to protect yourself, your assets and your liability.

Now, I’m no insurance agent or anything, so, I am not going to get into the ins and outs of policies, what type and how they work and all.  Just KNOW that you should definitely look into getting some type of business insurance.   I did a Google search, made some calls  and finally picked an agency and policy that fit my needs.  I pay about $1,300 a year for my policy.  Some companies that handle business insurance per se’ don’t actually handle photographer’s insurance or production related insurance.  Be sure to do your research.

An awesome advantage to having photographer’s business insurance:  RENTALS!  Long time ago, before I owned my own decent collection of gear,  I wanted to rent a newer, high end camera and lens or two .  The rental costs weren’t too much BUT,  if you’re renting a $5,000 camera or whatever,  you’ve got to put down $5,000 or charge $5,000 to your credit card. (You get the money back once you return the equipment okay.)  Problem is,  many aspiring photographers aren’t running around with $5k-$10k plus available credit on their cards.  Even if only a temporary charge.  So, this is where your photographer’s insurance comes in handy.  Once you have a policy,  you’re able to rent equipment and use your insurance policy to cover the costs of the equipment.  God forbid anything should happen to the equipment you’re renting, your policy will cover it.  I had my own experience during Hurricane Sandy and all I can say is THANKFULLY , I had insurance!   Once you have a policy, you’ll need to set up the details with your local rental shop.  (basically have to have your insurance policy on file with them naming them as “loss payee.” )

Oh, and one more thing:  KEEP RECORDS!  It's a great idea and very necessary to keep receipts and records/documentation for everything you buy.   New camera bodies, lenses, speed lights,  light modifiers, studio equipment, etc., etc.   You're spending thousands of dollars investing in your business and need to keep records for a variety of reasons especially for your business insurance.

So, that’s it.   My advice of the day.   Cover yourself (cover your ass!), cover your equipment and cover your business!

Bad Wedding Photography- "Fauxtography!"

So that's three times now that I've gotten a request to shoot someone's wedding.  The most recent came from a friend who has a friend that is getting married and needs a photographer.  The friend recommended me and shortly after, I got an email. Well, truth be told up front, I'm dying to shoot a wedding.  Would LOVE to be responsible for capturing images from such an important event in a couple's life.  I'd love to see if  wedding photography is for me.  Something I maybe want to get serious about. BUT I WON'T. I WILL NOT. "I DO" ....NOT!  While that temptation is there for me as a photographer,  as a professional,  I know better.   I think part of being professional is knowing what you can and can't do.  Or, shall I say, what you can do, and what you know you really, really can do well.  I know some will say "hey, you never know until you try!"  That's true, to a certain extent.  But,  do you REALLY want to TRY...and see how it goes on someone's magical day?  A once in a lifetime (well, supposed to be) event of utmost sentimental importance?  As decent as I think I am with a camera these days, and while I'm pretty sure I know I can capture some good portraits and general shots from the day, I'd be hard pressed to truly know the ins and outs of how to properly shoot a wedding and deliver a worthy photo package  to bride and groom.  My growing curiosity with shooting a wedding has led me to plenty of online sites of wedding photographers, their blogs and plenty of YouTube "How to's" regarding different aspects of covering a wedding.  If push came to shove, I guess, yes, I could try and pull it off and throw caution to the wind.  Truth be told though,  I'm not even sure how these few couples ended up wanting me to shoot their day. More than likely it was simply based on the referral of a friend of mine. The couple probably didn't have much of a budget and were looking for any type of photographer.  I could take the gig, take whatever money they've got and use the excuse that it's helping to build my portfolio and get experience.  But seriously, and my point with this blog, is to say that's NOT what being a photographer is about. That's definitely not what being professional is about. Out of the many genres of photography, a wedding has got to be up there with one of the most tasking and time consuming of assignments.  The preparation, the actual shoot and the post processing all combined require the commitment, patience and expertise of a lunatic! (So I've heard!)  I see many photographers out there advertising one way or another that they shoot EVERYTHING!  Fashion, portraiture, boudoir, lifestyle, commercial, families/babies...and yes, weddings!  Bad idea if you ask me!

Here's the deal: First, shooting some photos in a controlled environment is no where near as tasking as shooting a whole wedding.  Second, this is one of those times where yes, your GEAR/EQUIPMENT does matter.  Perhaps not brand wise or having the latest, most expensive camera, but just practically speaking as in WHAT gear you have.  Here's what I know from my own investigation into the matter:  To truly do a decent job you'd need the following - 2 camera bodies, at least 2-3 fast lenses, backup drives, memory cards, speed light(s), light modifiers of some type and a TON of other this & that items you can't possibly think you'll need in the spur of the moment. AND, most important, a ton of personality and patience.  At the end of the day, taking the time to assist a wedding photographer is the best bet and sure fire way to jump start your own career in the business.  Right now, that's actually what I'm looking to do. Get a few under my belt and then assess whether or not I can eventually go at it on my own.  All of that said, I'm not looking to discourage anyone.  That's not my thing. I'm just sharing my opinion and hopefully, guiding a few others who maybe didn't see it as so before.  I'm promoting that we all as photographers have one another's back and shed light on, give perspective on the business whenever needed. In the process, save an ambitious photographer from possibly ruining a couple's precious day as well as possibly ruining his or her own future as a photographer.  But, then again,  perhaps there are couples out there who actually like that look in the photo above! Bad composition and horrifying post processing. In this case that terribly hideous color selection work.  All relative I suppose!  What do you think?

Image above courtesy of: Youarenotaphotoprapher.com

Starting a Photography Blog - Why blog?

Well, I got to thinking about this new blog of mine and what exactly the point is. What would I be doing with this one? What is my intent? Who am I to be blogging? I’m no celebrity photographer with tons of experience and notoriety where people would hang on my every word and look to me for advice, reviews and general musings on my life as a professional. What does my opinion on a piece of gear matter? I’m just a regular guy with a love for photography and I dedicate myself to the profession. Guess I could claim to be a professional. I certainly try to act accordingly and handle my business as such. I’ve been paid for my work so I guess, yes, I’m a professional to a degree. But still, I’m not even full time at this yet. I’m a guy who took on a craft with no formal training in the art and just decided to DO IT. I was very fortunate to have a mentor for a brief period of time when I first began. His untimely death a year later however left me to figure out everything else on my own and more important, left me without a great friend. From that point on, I took what I had learned in that short period of time and ran with it. I immersed myself into everything photography related. Read blogs. Bookmarked and frequented all the top photography websites. Studied technique and lessons online. A never ending pursuit of mastering all I could. Purchased new gear whenever possible. And it all continues to this day. Beyond the practical studies, getting out there and actually shooting superseded everything. Applying each new lesson, random technique, lighting lesson to every shoot, I found myself getting better and better. I've got a long way to go. I've made numerous mistakes and I have so much more to do. So, this blog is my study. It's my record and most important, it's my connection to YOU: Someone interested in photography. A professional maybe that happened here by chance. A person thinking about getting into photography. A person with some experience. YOU, that person who reads some of my "record" here and offers advice, shares some of your own experience. I think overall, that's what it's really about. I'm putting myself out here, sharing and I hope to just, do what I do and maybe connect with others doing what they do. This whole social media thing it's not about showing off or just telling you my business right? It's about...well....connecting yeah?!

Peace! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned.

P.S.:  Now that I decided to use that "Mad Men"image of me "Draping"  up top,  I'm thinking  I should go back and shoot that over but have a camera in hand instead of the cigar! Hmmm....

Photography - Spontaneity

While waiting in the lobby of the Doubletree hotel, somewhere downtown NYC, I must have stared at this wall for a good 20 mins. Finally, pulled out my camera to get a shot as we were walking out.   Really should have taken the time and whipped the camera out for the20 minutes or so that I was sitting there, doing nothing. Lesson learned: See something inspiring, interesting, SHOOT IT!