Olivias Sweet 16 Party

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot a sweet sixteen party in Redondo Beach CA for Olivia.  We had a great time and got some great shots for her.  Here are a couple of my favorites.

#29 Palms

I know most of the country is shoveling out of a rather rough winter, so I thought I would take a picture which shows a traditional Southern California winter.  The weather is a little cool today, only in the mid 70s for the day.  But I can't complain.

f11 1/400 second  ISO 400  Nikkor 18-135 lens at 38mm.  Adjusted in Lightroom.

I thought just for fun I would post a different version of a similar picture.  I played around with this one in Adobe Lightroom a bit and ended up with a cool dreamy infared looking black and white version.  Comment below to let me know which you like better.  Thanks.

#28 Disneyland

Carrie and I spent the day Sunday at Disneyland.  We had a great time with her friend Shelly, her fiancee Brad, and her family.  Of course I drug my camera along and got a few pictures of the day.  This is my favorite time to attend the park, the crouds are low, and its not too hot.  By the end of the evening, my wife was freezing, and here I am walking around in shorts and flipflops.  We topped off the evening at Cafe Orleans, where I enjoyed a cup of their wonderful Gumbo, a Monte Cristo sandwich, and the most wonderful Beignets I've had since I was in New Orleans.  Not the most healthy of dinners, but it was wonderfully delicious.   It was just a wonderful day, spent with a wonderful woman, and fortunately for me, she's my wife.

#27 Thistle

I shot this picture of some thistle, and it just lacked any snap or flair.  I imported it into lightroom and converted it to greyscale, then played with the colors, and the split tones, and ended up with a pretty cool picture if I do say so.

#26 Teamwork

#26   Teamwork.   Micheal and Brad found a new method to get to the fruit a little higher up on the three.  I used lightroom to give this picture a inferred film look.  I like the way it turned out.

Photo #25 Birds of Paradise

I know I have been horrible keeping up to date with this, but I do love the challenge, so I am going to continue trying to post a new picture every day.  This one, I shot while sitting in my car in a Stater Bros. parking lot.  There were some nice birds of paradise in front of me, and all of a sudden this bird landed on top of one.  I quickly grabbed my camera, switched to aperature priority and shot off five quick shots before he flew away.  It was then that I realised the ISO was set for 1600.  Much too high.  So unfortunately it is a bit grainy.   I tweeked it a bit in lightroom so it is not so noticable, and I am pleased how it turned out.

 

Crystal and Jays Wedding

I had the opportunity this weekend to shoot Crystal and Jays wedding in Norco California.  They are a great couple, and the wedding was held in the beautiful Norco Village Banquet Hall reception center.  The wedding went well, and the couple were absolutely glowing all night long. 

This kid stole the show with his break dancing.

#23 Whip it.

For todays picture I took a sugestion from my brother, and did a picture of a nice bright colored streamer.  I wanted to add a little something than just a fly, so I added a spool of thread and a whip finisher tying it off.

1/60, f8, ISO 200.   Lights 2-500w photofloods, 2-flourescent photofloods for background lights.

#22 Photo of the Day

I know I have been terrible keeping this going, but I now have a new computer, and due to the economy, I now have more time to work on my photography.  Today I am posting an abstract photograph I took of some LED Christmas lights.  I shot the picture handheld, f 5.6, one second esposure.  I soomed and moved the lens while shooting to get the great lines.   I know its a little different, but I hope you enjoy it.  Please post a comment and let me know what you think.

Poorman Wedding

I had the priveledge of shooting the Poorman-Endicott wedding.  Tashina and Anthony had a beautiful outdoor wedding at a wonderful spot in Menife California.  It was a wonderful day, which turned out great.

Jay and Crystals engagement session

Day 20 I had the honor of shooting a really great couples engagement session this afternoon. We had a great time, and got some really good shots. I am excited to be able to shoot their wedding in December. They are so much fun, and a great couple.

#19 Commercial Job

Ok, I admit that its not a really artistic piece, but the art pieces don't pay the bills.  This is a picture I shot of some scanning equipment for a commercial equipment.  The job was a challange, and I did learn from it, which was the intent of this project.  It took some creativity to light it evenly, and a bit of photoshop to make it really work.

Photo lit with two 500 watt photoflood bulbs, exposure, f 8, 1/250 sec.

#18 Cherries, black and white

I was inspired by a post on Scott Bournes blog to shoot a picture of some fruit.  I wanted to do something a little different.  We always expect cherries to be their bright red color, so I decided to do a black and white of cherries.  It gives you a different look at a familiar object.

# 17 Health?

This picture is another I took for the stock agencies I work with.  I call it "Health?" because it asks if the methods we take to stay healthy, are really all that good for us.  Healthcare is huge business and every day we are being told we need this pill, or that pill.  Do we really?

ISO 100, f8, 1/30 sec.  Lit by two 500 watt photoflood hotlights.

#16 Cookies for Santa

I have been playing in the product studio for the last couple of days, shooting some shots for stock use.  I had this idea a couple of days ago after commenting on a forum thread in the b school (an online photographers community) where someone asked some questions about food photogrpahy.  I must admit, the best part was eating my subject when I was done!!!

ISO 100, f8, 1/30 sec  Lit by two 500 watt photoflood hotlights.

# 15 Ferns and Clover

I love the deep green colors here with the palm leaves against the clover groundcover behind it.  This was shot in deep shade, so I got a wonderful soft light.  I love how much depth of field I was able to get on this shot.

ISO 100  f 32  esposure 3 seconds, tripod mounted, sigma 28-80 macro lens.  In photoshop I punched up saturation, contrast, adjusted hue, and brightness.

Image #14 Shoot the Moon

One more astrophotography picture.  Jessica Tincopa, a local photogrpaher, asked me a question yesterday about shooting the moon, and I wondered how many other people had that same question, so I posted a shot I took, and the simple formula for a good exposure of the moon.
The rule is the f8 rule.  Set the camera aperture to f8, use shutterspeed nearest the reciporical of the ISO setting.  For example,  if the ISO setting is 100  use 1/100 sec  if the ISO is 200  use 1/250 second 400 ISO use 1/500  etc...  you will end up with a good exposure every time.

Hope this helps you to enjoy taking photos which include the moon in them.

#13 A try at astrophotography

I'll admit it, I am a nerd, and even worse, I am a science nerd.  I have always been interested in astronomy and have been wanting to give astrophotography a try for some time.  I noticed the clear sky and decided to give it a try.  I set up the big 400mm lens on a tripod and had a go.  I was lucky enough to catch this shot of Jupiter with four of her moons.  How cool is it to look from your planet and see not only another planet, but its moons as well.  Pretty cool.

400mm lens, f5.6, 1 sec exposure, tripod mounted ISO 3200  Color removed in photoshop to correct for chromatic abberation.

Photo #12 Holiday Preparations

I had to do a holiday themed picture for this post.  It brings back memories of childhood for me.  I used to love cleaning the pumpkin "guts" out.  Funny, when we grow up, it just seems a mess.  Where does that creativity and joy of discovery go.  Take some time this weekend to squish some pumpkin guts in your fingers and be a kid again.

ISO 200, 1/60 sec f5.6  lit by an sb28 strobe and umbrella, 7feet up, behind camera.

Picture #11

Picture #11   Today I just decided to use a simple portrait.  I was shooting a bunch of these portraits, and really liked this one.  I like the harsh side lighting and subdued color. 

ISO 100  1/20  f2.8  28mm lens,  natural light, handheld.