Digital Delray Days with Rick Sammon

I just got back from my one day workshop with Rick Sammon.  This workshop was hosted at the Colony Hotel in Delray Beach, FL.  This hotel was built in 1926 and still used the original elevator!  The Digital Delray Days was the first annual workshop.  It was limited to eight people so we could rub elbows with Rick.

After meeting at 8:00am the day started off with an introduction to HDR photography.  Then we moved onto working with a professional model.  This included some posing, etiquette, HDR photography, window lighting, and basic flash photography.  After lunch we got together and Rick showed us some post processing techniques.  The last part of the day was a walk down the streets of Delray.  Rick is a master at talking to complete strangers and convincing them that nine people (8+Rick) taking their photographs is a good idea.  Below is a list of pros and cons for the workshop.

Pros

• Very well instructed by Mr. Sammon:  You can always learn something from a workshop regardless of your skill level or years of experience (you just have to watch and listen).  Rick did a great job even with the different experience levels of the group.
• Beautiful Location:  Not only is the Colony Hotel beautiful but the area is nice as well.  The beach was only about 1/2 mile from the hotel.
• Small number of participants:  There was a class maximum of eight people.  This meant you got a chance for one on one instruction.
• Rick and his wife Susan:  They are great and friendly people.  They make you feel comfortable after just a few moments. 

Cons

• There is just not enough time in the day.  The workshop was very well planned out but if just felt a little rushed.  Rick and Susan noticed this right away and by the end of the day had taken a poll among us how many days they should be for next year.  This should not be a deal breaker at all... if you ever have the chance to spend the day with Rick and his wife.

The images shown in this post are just a few of what was captured.  Enjoy!

Getting that Grunge Look Video Tutorial

This tutorial covers the basics of getting the dirty grunge look on your photographs.  This image was taken while I was at the Imaging USA expo in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago.  I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me or call.

Side Note:  This individual was a very interesting character and we hung out talking to him for a good bit of time.  If you take the time to get to know your subjects the images come naturally.

Film Still Draws a Crowd!!!!

While I was in New Orleans I joined Gavin Seim, a great photographer from Washington State, for a photo walk.  We traveled down Bourbon Street and started setting up our gear.  Most people just walked by without a thought.  Then, Gavin brought out an old 4x5 film camera and started setting up.

This image is what happened next.  Yep, a crowd started forming.  It took him nearly 10min. to set up to take a single shot.  This made me think that we could learn something from Gavin.  First, we learn how to draw a crowd and second, we could learn how to slow down.  I know that pixels are free and we can experiment but there are times when we should just take our time to set up.  Take the time to compose that one image as if it were going to cost us money.  Do we have to do this to get a great shot?  No necessarily but we might have fewer images to go through and delete later.

Imaging USA 2012

I joined the Professional Photographer’s Association (PPA) this past year. Each year they host the Imaging USA photography trade show and conference. This year there are 650+ vendor booths and hundreds of classes. It is located in New Orleans, LA which in and of itself is a “photographer’s” location. The pre conference classes start on Jan 12th-14th with the main expo starting on Jan 15th. Up and to this point it was something that I just wanted to do but never thought would be possible. This past Monday I got a wild hair and decided to try and put a quick trip together.

I was successful! The three of us (me, wife, and son) will be headed out Friday night and arriving on Saturday. I am in the process of putting together a list of classes that I want to attend while my wife is putting together a list of places her and Zackeal can go while I geek out.

If you are planning on attending send me an e-mail or give me a call and maybe we can meet up and do some after hour photo shoots. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

e-mail: jason@eldridgestudios.com
Phone: 305-989-3279

You can find out more information about PPA and Imaging USA here: http://www.ppa.com/ and http://www.imagingusa.org/.

Creative Juices and Nik Color efex Pro 4

I was looking around a few blogs that I follow and I happened upon one by Rick Sammon (www.ricksammon.info).  His post today was for a mini competition using Nik Color eFex Pro 4.  I just recently acquired this set of plug-ins (review on the way) so I figured I would give it a go.  The competition was to take two images he had posted and do a composite using Nik Color efex Pro 4 to do some final touches.  I put these two images together and used the following Nik Color efex Pro 4 filters in photoshop: Glamour Glow, Soft Focus, Bi-Color, and Levels and Curves.  This isn't something I normally do but it was a hoot.  Make sure you check out Rick at the above link.  You can also check out Nik www.niksoftware.com.  Thanks again for stopping by!

"The Magic City" at the Magic Hour

I have mentioned the "magic hour" of photography before.  The "magic hour" is that time 30min before the sunrises to 30min after (or 30min before sunset to 30min after).  This is the time when the light is it's most favorable for almost any kind of photography.  This post is about how quickly the light can change and how different the photo can be as a result.  Each of these photos below has a very different feel.  Both photos were taken from the same spot on the same day.

5 Image Panoramic shot with 80-200 f2.8 @ f11

The first one was shot just a few minutes before dawn.  You can see it has a very "cool" feel with all the blues and darker colors from the city.  This image in particular was shot as a five frame panoramic and has extreme detail as a result.

Single Image cropped as a Panoramic.  Shot with 24-70mm f2.8 @ f16

The second image was taken 15 minutes later than the first.  Just 15 minutes...  As you can see it has a very different feel with the tones being very "warm" in nature.  You can see the reflection of the golden sky in most of the buildings.  This images was shot as a single image using a 24-70mm f2.8 and cropped to a panoramic view.  Even at this resolution you can get large panoramic prints without loss of detail.

Remember, if you don't like the light when you first arrive to a site you may be better suited to wait until it changes than rushing off to find a new place.  The above images are great examples of that.  Please feel free to share this post on Facebook or Google +.  Remember too that if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me or even give me a call.  Thanks for stopping by!!!!!

Artistic. Personal.

When I picked two defining words for my business (artistic and personal) I never dreamed that it would have such an effect on both my clients and my attitude. 

I recently photographed a wedding but long before the big day I decided to do things a little different.  Trying to talk things out on the phone or through e-mail just doesn’t cut it for a wedding.  I wanted to get to know my clients so I asked them to pick a restaurant and my wife and I took them out to dinner.  It was really nice getting to know them.  We talked about whatever came up and I got an idea of what to expect from them and they got an idea of what to expect from me.  A few weeks after the dinner we met again for an engagement shoot and that too went really well.  Now, they had a really good understanding of what to expect from me.  The more you get to know your clients the better photographs you will make. 

Weddings are a TON of work and not all the photos I take are "artistic" in nature but they can be personal.  I apply these two words to my post processing as well.  You would be surprised how defining words can well…  define you.

I will be following this same method with all my future clients.  Doing things this way allowed me to get to know my clients on a personal level.  I would like to think that we are slightly more than passing acquaintances. 

The First Photo Outing of the 2012

ISO 200, 80-200mm (155mm), 1/50 @ f8.0

Usually around the first of the year I make a point to get out of the house and do a solo photo day trip.  Thankfully, this year was no different.  I ventured to a couple of my favorite spots in the Everglades.  The first spot was a huge bust but Pine Glades Lake proved to have more than a few opportunities.  What caught my attention with the first photograph is that the morning fog obscured a good deal of the glades give to a lot of negative space.

The second image I nearly missed because I was focused on the first one.  I just happened to turn around and see the sun shining through the trees.  I decided to turn this one into a panoramic by stitching several images together in photoshop.

The final image I caught on my way home.  I drove by the farm and thought 'that would make a cool photo'.  Then, I realized that all I had to do was turn the truck around.  A few seconds later the photo was captured.  All and all it was a good first outing of 2012.  I look forward to many more this year.  If you happen to live in the Homestead or Miami, FL area I would be happy to show you around these areas.  Just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail.

ISO 200, 24-70mm (24mm), 1/500 @ f11