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

Be Wary of the "Flickr Hug"

Yesterday I had the pleasure of Rick Sammon reviewing my portfolio. To say the least I was nervous. What if he hated my work or what if it turned out that I was a terrible photographer? The couple of weeks leading up to the review I continuously thought about what I wanted to get out of the review. Finally, I decided that what I wanted was an honest and objective look at my work from a seasoned professional. Up to this point I had received much praise from my friends and family and the few times I had posted work on Flickr it was always met with they typical “great shot”…“nice work” comments.

Before the Review

After the Review!!!

When the interview started Rick asked me what I wanted to get out of the review so I told him what I was looking for. Over the next 45min we looked at my work and he gave me some great pointers to help me improve. The hard part was trying not to defend my work. I kept my mouth shut and listened to him seeing as how he is one of the top photographers in the world. It is in our very nature to defend what we do but there are times when you need to bite your tongue and listen to the masters. Today my mind is racing with new ideas and ways to go back and improve my older images as well as ways to improve my overall ability.

So, what does it mean to be wary of the “Flickr Hug”? It means to be careful that your ego doesn’t out way your ability. If you want to feel good about your photography just post any image on Flickr and soon you will be getting “Flickr Hugs”… Rick Sammon puts it this way “don’t believe your own PR”.

If you are serious about your photography then I cannot recommend enough that you get a professional portfolio review. If you do get the review remember to listen more than you speak.

You can find out more about Rick Sammon HERE.

Best of 2011

Here is just a quick look at some of my favorites from 2011.  It was a great year and I am looking forward to what 2012 has to offer.  Thanks for reading, watching, and/or listening!!!

Video Tutorial-Removing Dark Circles Under the Eyes

Have you ever noticed that sometimes just under the eyes you see dark shadows.  This is caused by a light source casting a shadow.  It is certainly more defined on some than others but often times it cannot be avoided at the time of capture.  Photoshop gives us ways of correcting these shadow.  Take a look at the video below to see at least one method.

This will take you directly to my website where you can check out other video tutorials.  You can also change the resolution there to best fit your download speeds.  Enjoy!!!

Fruit and Spice Park (Homestead, FL)

I have lived in Florida for almost 7 years now.  Today my wife and I decided to try out the fruit and spice park that is within 10min of where we live.  I am amazed to have lived next to such a photographer's paradise for so long and not known that it was here.  There is something to be said about your own "back yard".  I see my self spending a good bit of time there throughout the year now.  We had a great time and despite the fact that we were there in the worst possible light I did come away with a few keepers.  I also found out that bamboo looks really cool in black and white!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Don't Stop with one Edit

  

Kim and Zackeal (Wife and Son!!)



Use your post processing tools!  We as photographers have more post processing tools than ever before and yet sometimes we shy from using them.  I find myself in that group ever so often too…  It is safe to be there.  Lately, though I have been trying to step out of my “normal” post processing.  The first thing I generally do is post process an image to the point that I like the image.  Then, I will create a few virtual copies of the image and play around with some of the post processing options that Lightroom 3 has (use whatever tool you have in place of Lightroom 3).  Some of these I go wild on and would never show anyone but I learn so much by trying these different settings.  The fact that it is a virtual copy means that the original image is safe so it doesn’t matter what I do to the images.  It does not hurt to play around and you can learn some interesting things about the editor you have chosen.  You might even be surprised by some of the effects that you can get.  It could also assist you on developing a style.  When I first gander at an image I generally know what post processing tools will work.  Why?  Well, because I have played around with Lightroom and/or Photoshop.  Stop being safe with your editing….  The sky is the limit!!!!  Besides if it turns out terrible there is a delete key on the keyboard.