Timeless Activities: Building an Indoor Fort (D308)
Growing up I remember building indoor forts with every available sheet, blanket, pillowcase, and chair. We would cover the entire living room with randomly colored towers to hide beneath. They quickly fell apart if anyone moved too quickly, but while they lasted, they were more fun than almost any other activity. Building card castles came in a close second, but required much more patience and care. Today my kids created a fort in our living room... [Read More...]
Navy Man Meets Country Girl (D282)
Justin is a Navy man home on leave for two weeks and happily reunited with his girlfriend of 3 years, Amanda, and his family. I had the pleasure of photographing the two of them this afternoon in an unbelievable outdoor setting. Justin is also the brother of one of my previous Teen Identity models, Olivia. Since Justin is home for such a short time, he and Olivia’s mom wanted to capture some images of Justin and his girl, as well as some family... [Read More...]
Venturing into the Great Outdoors (D281)
It’s summertime in HOTlanta… not my idea of a good time. Today was a little more to my liking though… cool enough that I ventured outside to capture some of the beautiful, bold, blue flowers in full bloom. Image Specs: Shot with Nikon D50, 50 mm lens, natural light, 1/100 @ f/3.2, ISO 200. Processed in Lightroom with Gavin Seim Dark Vignette and Criss Cross presets. Technical Knowledge and Images: Camera Manual page 10, Basic... [Read More...]
Chris Brogan Got It Right—Custom IS Everything (D169)
Maybe “everything” is a bit of hyperbole. I’m willing to give you that. Simplicity and personality are important as well when it comes to connecting with guests, clients, customers… even friends. But after reading Chris Brogan’s post about the importance of customization, you can imagine my pure delight when I opened up a package with my new custom Teen Identity iPhone cases. We ordered black and pink to maintain our... [Read More...]
ADD, ASD, OCD, Gifted, Virgo… All in a Single Image (D168)
Today is about the perfect line up of toys, as seen through the eyes of a five year old… My son’s pattern of lining up toys, especially cars, trucks, trains, and planes, has been growing. Perhaps it was in a movie he saw, but each time he creates his setup, the group seems to grow. It started with just the small cars, but each time he adds a new element to the mixture. Today’s line up had three rows, starting with the Pteranodon... [Read More...]
Capturing History with Images & Stories (D152)
How many stories do you have locked inside your head and heart? Are they stories from your childhood, your teen years, or even college days? Whether positive and uplifting or embarrassing lessons learned, we each hold valuable or at least entertaining stories like a deep well within us. Kind of like my grandmother who is 95 years old, the stories she has locked inside her mind are absolutely astonishing. The tragedy is that we don’t have a... [Read More...]
Fix it in Post… or Not (D149)
The deeper I get into the photography world, the more I learn all the little sayings that photographers have adopted and said through the ages. One of the first that I heard was “Fix it in post.” This week I’m focusing on how not to have to fix it in post. The question I’m asking this week is… How can I focus on lighting, composition, environment, camera settings, and posing to allow post processing to be optional? I’ll... [Read More...]
Fashion Magazine Pop Photography (D146)
That’s my style… or so I’ve been told. I think it has a nice ring to it and describes one style of photography that I like to do, especially with the teen girls I photograph. I’m not sure it’s even a defined style, but if you were to try to find it, you’d see it in the teen fashion magazines like Seventeen. One main difference is the way I shoot the girls… less revealing and sexy, more fun and full of personality.... [Read More...]
D60: Doing the Work
Some days are all about just doing the work. Whatever it takes to get things done, that’s what has to happen. This whole week has been like that. “Git ‘er done,” as one of our wedding clients likes to say. Point being that the excitement and energy for anything other than the work becomes secondary. I can see and feel it in my photography. (No need to agree with me.) Intellectually, I know this is okay. Life is about seasons,... [Read More...]
D59: Day of Discovery—Part 2
It happened again. Another discovery. Another monumental moment. Another image captured. Did you know that if you balance them just right, you can hold five “poppers” at a time on your fingertips? Not unlike olives on your fingers at Thanksgiving. That’s a well-known pastime at the dinner table, if you didn’t know. But, this was new. This takes extra skill because the poppers don’t fit perfectly on the fingers. That... [Read More...]