Friday Foto: Busy little bee

I will shoot more this week than I have in a 7-day period probably ever. I had a bridal portrait session last weekend, I spent two solid days shooting flora and landscapes for Sea Island, today I have a soccer team shoot and this evening kicks off my first wedding of the season, and it's going to be a big one. I'm shooting the rehearsal tonight and the wedding with all festivities tomorrow.

I'm really excited about the Sea Island shooting I've been doing. I'm working with my good friend Whit who works as a landscape architect for SI and we are compiling a DVD portfolio of all the work that the landscape department does. From whole residential landscapes and hardscapes, to floral arrangement, centerpieces and containers. It's a ton of stuff and I'm only done with half of the shooting, but am very happy with some of the shots I've gotten so far. 

Bridal portraits are always fun. Brides are usually so excited to get into their dress and the excitement just jumps into the frame. This was a great bride to work with. I've known her for a very long time, so that always makes thinks a little bit easier. 

I'm really pumped about the wedding this weekend. It's going to be a blast for sure. What makes this one (and several I have this summer actually) particularly great is that I know the bride and/or groom very well. Knowing each other ALWAYS makes the photographing easier and better. People feel more comfortable with a photographer they know and/or can relate to, versus some sleaze in a black suite with slicked-back hair bossing you around. So be on the lookout for some of my favorite photos from this wedding when I finish, I'm sure I'll get some great ones.

Friday Foto: Ummmm, Pizza

I love food, no big surprise there. One thing I love ALMOST as much as eating food is shooting food. The colors are always really diverse and the creativity is almost endless. Food photography is actually a really big thing. There are photographers that specialize in only shooting food. Lighting and composition is key in all photos, but I think a little more so in culinary photos. See, it's easy to take a picture of a dish, but to make it look appetizing is where the skill and know-how comes into play. If the food looks flat (poorly lit) and sloppy (poorly composed) forget it. Take the photo below. This is a slice of real pizza, believe it or not. Look how flat it looks. The photographer had a flash shot directly on the food, allowing no shadow and light fall-off, creating a very washed out image. Not to mention the composure... ummmmm, wax paper.

I'm working on a promotion for Brogen's North, a local restaurant here in town. They are running a special on a medium pizza, two house salads and a pitcher of beer for $22 (not bad off the rack price of $30!). I used an off-camera flash and bounced it off the ceiling and then the mirror (not visible in pic) to the right of the food. I think it came out pretty nice. 

Anyway, not much else is new. I'm chaperoning the High School's Grad Night this Saturday evening. This is, for you that are less informed, when a whole bunch of HS seniors go down to Disney World for an inclusive party basically. Rides are open and it's an all-night event, just for Seniors. They have well-known bands there too. Laugh if you will, but it's a pretty sweet gig for a chaperone. Disney takes care of us. There's a whole chaperone-only section that has a never ending buffet, unreleased movies on the big screen (complete with free popcorn and candy), and yes, we too can ride all the rides (which I really enjoy). They already have security down there in the park, so we really don't do much.

That's all I got. Yall have a great weekend. 

Friday Post: Up on Cripple Creek

I just got back from Colorado. I was there from last Thursday until this past Tuesday. I spend the days fly-fishing and photographing (OK, and drinking my fare share of the CO-based beer from the Belgium Brewing Company, i.e. Fat Tire, Mothership Wit). I had a much needed brake, some quality mountain time, but I'm glad to be back to my wife and home. 

We went to Cripple Creek, the town The Band's song (Cripple Creek) is based upon. Note to readers, next time you go to Colorado, DO NOT got to Cripple Creek. Aside from the Pecos Bill themed slot casinos and the crappy poker joints, there is NOTHING here. 

I did a lot of photography, more so than fishing I would say. We fished three solid days and I am happy to inform you that I was NOT skunked. On the third day I got about 5 trout, which is fine with me. 

As all my photos go, I'm not totally done with an image until I print it. Inevitably there will be tweaks in the printing process that will render the photo better. However, I am pretty please with some of the stuff that I got while out there. 

We stayed in my uncle's (dad's twin brother) cabin. It's on top of a mountain in Westcliffe. My aunt (their sister) has a cabin on the other mountain, and you can see them from each other. Talking between cabins across the valley is a breeze. I say 'cabins' loosely, because these are not your typical mud and log dwellings, as you'll see in the photos.

So, without further adieu, here are three different galleries with some photos from my trip. Hope you enjoy. I would love to hear what you think, so post up.

My artsy-fartsy photos

My Uncle's Cabin

My Aunt's Cabin