I'm going to Italia!

Kelly and I just booked our flights and our lodging. We are finally, after 5 years, going back to Italy. If you didn't know, we lived there for close to 5 months in 2003 while we studied in Florence. We have since then missed the unsalted tuscan bread, olive oil and chianti so much. Thank God for frequent flier miles, as we were able to use them and secure to tickets flying into Florence and back out from Rome. I knew all that spending I've been doing on my American Express card since High School would pay off one day!

We have been planning on going for awhile, but we were planning on going next summer. When I found out I had enough miles to get the tickets for free, we bumped the trip up to this summer and are so excited.

We are renting a place in Florence for a week. We want to be able to cook, so we want to have access to a kitchen and this way we save on food costs too. Here's where we are staying, we've already booked it. Falleri Apartment.

We are going to rent a car for a day as well, go drive up in Tuscany, visit a vineyard, and stop at every kilometer and take pictures. I'll write more about Italia within the weeks to come, don't worry. BTW, I took this photo with my old 35mm Minolta Camera, loaded with Ilfrod BW 100. I loved that film. It's a skyline shot of Florence taken from Piazza Michelangelo, a great place in Florence... awesome walk to get there.

Friday Foto: New Lens, Another Wedding, Bird and Dog

Hey Folks, that title about sums it up. I bought a new zoom lens the other day, and it is bodacious. Really bodacious. It's nice and long and fast too, which allows me to get shots like the ones above of a Great Blue Heron and my dog. A lens described as fast is one that has a low aperture, allowing one to  shoot photos with little light and still get them sharp. This lens is going to really shine when it comes to weddings. I'll be able to sit in the back and shoot close-up photos of the ceremony with no flash. Anyway... that's that. 

So, I finished the last wedding I had and posted the photos. Below are two of my favorites from that wedding. To see more of them, follow the yellow brick road to here and see all my favorites.

I have another wedding this weekend. It's another one of my close friends getting married. It should be a grand ole time. Rehearsal dinner tonight and the wedding tomorrow. 

Next weekend is Memorial Day and I have a couple of college friends coming down and I can't wait. I haven't seen them for about a year and Kelly hasn't seen them in about 4 years. Crazy huh. Anyway, that's all I got right now. Have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Timing is everything

I'm sure I'll get kicked hard for posting this photo, but it's worth it to convey this simple rule in photography: Timing is everything. No where is that more important in event photography, especially weddings. 

Man, this week as flown by. I've worked harder this week than I have in a long time and this weekend couldn't come at a better time. My one down weekend (sort of) until another wedding next weekend. It will be a great wedding though, another close friend getting married. 

Kelly and I are heading up to Statesboro, GA tomorrow to see her sister graduate from Georgia Southern. Then on Sunday we are hosting a Mother's Day dinner at our house, which has turned into a small soiree of sorts. Everybody wants in!

I plan on finalizing the photos from this past wedding this weekend. I'll post the link here so you can all see them. I'm slightly changing the way I present photos from a wedding, I'm going to give each bride and groom a little web flash slideshow of my favorites on top of the regular ordering page. That should make for better viewing. 

Anyway, that's all I got. Hope yall have a great weekend. 

Friday Foto: Lot's of People, no Pants

I thought I'd get your attention with that title. Today is No Pants Day! It's a great holiday, and anyone can participate. I'm wearing shorts today, wish I could go all out and be in my undies, but alas, I have to maintain some sort of professionalism (ha, yeah right). So, enjoy fellow pantless patrons.

I've been shooting a lot of people lately. Some for weddings, some for portraits and some for advertising. I like shooting people because there is that element of the unexpected, that you don't get when shooting static subjects like homes, flowers and beaches.

I like this shot... Behind Rafter's Blues and Raw Bar on St. Simons Island. We do a lot of work for them, and I have spent a good deal of time there listening to great music.

Anyway, I'm excited about this weekend. I'm going out in my boat tomorrow, the inaugural summer boating trip, to be followed, by many, many more. I have a shoot Sunday afternoon and all day Monday for a conference and then more weddings to come. I'm keeping pretty busy, and loving it.

Yall have a great weekend.

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

Friday Foto: IR again...

I'm still really interested in Infrared photography. I've blogged about it before, if you remember. Basically, it's a film that is sensitive to the light waves that are just beyond our perception. So, the fact that we can't see it makes it that much harder to shoot. Above is another example of IR photography, although not a true example. This was recreated in photoshop. 

I bought a roll of IR film though, and hope to experiment with it next week when I am in Colorado. I'm really excited about going. It's going to give me great opportunities to expand my photography, and not to mention fishing. I've been in withdrawl for awhile now because it's been awhile since I last wet a line. 

The other photo is from the same place that the "IR" one was taken. Right before that photo was taken, Gwinny had jumped off the dock and right into the marsh mud.... the kind that you sink into. She went completely up to her underbelly. I laughed hysterically watching her try to get out of that one... she succeeded in 4-Lo.

Not much else is new on my end. I have some great things in the works though, and you all will be the first to know when they come into fruition. But, for now, keep your fingers crossed for me folks.

I plan on shooting a little this weekend. Hopefully I can get out early Saturday morn. The rest of the day I WILL spend with beer and beach. I promise you that. Have a great day!

Friday Foto: Nothing New, but don't worry

It's been a slow month for me, photography speaking, but don't worry I got LOTS on the horizon.

First and foremost, I'm in this month's Southern Living Magazine! Monkey Love Gallery and Dessert Bar, where I've hung a couple shows, was featured in the Georgia Living section of the April 2008 issue, and the half-page photo of Britt (the owner) is taken with her pointing at the photos and the caption reads:

"The menu at Britt Figueroa's Monkey Love Dessert Bar and Gallery in Brunswick includes big laughs, serious talk, and exhibits such as these photographs by Ben Galland."

So, that's pretty cool. I'm excited about that one. Other than that, here's what else is new. I'm working on a new design for my web site. It will look and feel very similar, but be way cooler. It's going to be 90% Flash, and you are going to be able to activate it in a full-screen mode and on select photos you'll be able to zoom all over the photo to really see the detail in the work. And, finally, you'll be able to order fine-art prints from the site. All prints will go through me, so I can control and guarantee the quality.

And last but not least, In about 2 weeks I'll be traveling to Colorado for a Fly-Fishing and Photography trip. I'm going with my dad and a couple of his brothers. My uncle has a cabin tucked away in some mountain out there. We will most definitely hike into remote places in search for trout and I am packing in my camera equipment. This will be my first trip out west as a photographer (although I've been out there two other times, before I really knew what I was doing). I've been reading and studying a lot about the landscape out there and plan to try to get a good study out of the whole experience. I'm looking forward to making BIG photographs (composition, not file size).

I'm also looking forward to coming home after that trip. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Truer words were never spoken when it comes to Kelly and I. We hate being apart for too long (we can't ever seem to get enough of each other!), but the away time will make the return that much sweeter.

In other news, I finally got a piano. My uncle (mom's brother) gave me a spinet type last weekend. I'm meeting the piano tuner over at the house this morning. I'm so excited, you have no idea. I LOVE to play and miss it tremendously. Well, that's all I got folks. Happy Easter.

Friday Foto: another BW

What do you think of this one? It was an underdog, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. 

So, I'm glad it's Friday. It seems like everyone around me has been stressed out of their minds lately and I'm really looking forward to hosting a little get-together Saturday night to ease all those tensions. Usually I'm on front of the line with stress, but not right now (funny how that works).

I have no real big plans for this weekend. I'm going to, of course, work on my Jeep a little. I need to process photos from a recent wedding as well. 

Friday Foto: #61!

Thursday morning was the grand opening of the Chick-Fil-A on the island. I had caught wind that the first 100 people in line get free food for a year (it measure down to 52 free Combo meal coupons to be used whenever you want and expiring in 1 year). So, I set to camp out.

I didn't know what to expect because I hadn't heard much talk about it from any other people here on the island other than my little group going. We planned on scoping it out Wednesday afterwork to determine if we needed to spend the night in the parking lot or not. Well, my ride to the gym Wednesday morning answered that question as I counted about 5 tents already pitched a whole day before the event.

I spent the rest of the day working in anticipation for 5:00 p.m. I was out the door and signed up at the registration tent with number 61 by 5:15. I had my sleeping bag, my beach chair, jacket, camera and flask (of course!).

Whit and I were originally camped in our designated spot by the drive-thru, but upon complaining about the sewer smell and actually watching raw sewage bubble from the clogged drain, we were quickly moved to the place you see in the pics. These were taken about 1:30 a.m.

We had roll-call every hour up until 2 in which we had to line up and prove our attendance. If you left the parking lot or missed roll call, you were disqualified. Finally we "slept" a little from 3-5. They woke us up at 5, began roll call and after standing in line for close to an hour, enduring a speech and trumpet solo by Dan Cathy himself (owner of all), we received our coupons to the cacophony of cowbells, cheers and the chant of "corn hole" (cleverly named depository of the raw sewage, you figure it out...)

I was back in bed for an hour and then at work... what a day.

Not much planned for this weekend. I have a real small wedding to shoot on Saturday and that's about it. Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: She's going to kill me

It's very rare that Kelly actually lets me shoot her. I'm sure if I was more proactive in requesting her assistance as a model things would go smoother, but regardless, it was fun.

Shooting people has always been fun and challenging to me. It is 100% completely differant than shooting landscapes, abstract, etc. The only source of lighting I used was an off-camera flash triggered wirelessly. This allowed me to position the flash where I want the light to be, very similar to a strobe system. I used a soft box on the flash to dampen and soften the harsh light from the flash.

I'm sure I'll get chastised for posting these pics and be sure to view them now (read: save them to your computer), cause they might be removed soon. But oh well, I'm proud of them, I think they turned out very nice (read: HOT!)

Anyway, not much else is new in the life of Ben. I have a leak in my brake lines on my jeep and have decided to just replace all the brake lines, instead of just the one. It's almost the same amount of work to do all of them as it is to do one, and this will ensure longevity down there.

I have no big plans this weekend. Might go watch some soccer tonight. Have a great weekend all.

Friday Foto: New Favorite

It's not too often I like a photo this much. I love this picture. I've been experimenting a lot lately with in-camera controls. Basically, I'm trying to get quality photos straight out of the camera, without photoshop. Now, I have NO PROBLEM with photoshop, trust me... I love that program and am not one of these photographers that say it's cheating or such. I believe it is a absolutely necessary tool to any photographer. However, the better I can get the photo in the camera, the better I get and the less time I have to sit in front of a computer.

Anyway, this shot was a mid-morning shot, as the sky turned bright blue. I changed the white-balance settings in my camera (the setting that determines the color of light, ie: warmer or cooler). I used a cooler setting, as well as a polarizer filter at a 6th of second exposure to get this image. I was standing on a rock ledge, shooting down on the moving creek. I did nothing in Photoshop to this image, other than clean off a couple of dust specs from my camera.

Funny side-story... My dog Gwinny was hanging out with me. She was standing on the rock ledge as well, just dying to get in the moving water. It was pretty quick water, so I didn't want her to go in. She was being a good girl, minding me. Well, the ledge was rather small and when I repositioned with my tripod I swung the legs around and knocked her into water and she went down stream for a good bit before being able to get out! I felt bad, but couldn't stop laughing. She's a strong swimmer.

Anyway, not much else is new. We had a great time at the cabin. It's nice to get up there for such a long time (Thursday night to Monday morning). Here's another photo I took. It's one of our best friends from college and her 14-month-old Abbey. So cute...

Have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Vines and paper

I really like this picture. My favorite part is how the vines seem to emerge out from the depths of the bottom (as always, click to enlarge this one). I'm experimenting with new fine art printing paper for my printer and man is it nice. The typical glossy photo paper that I have been using is a nice paper, but it lacks the weight, feel and overall look of the classic dark-room paper. That's mainly because I always used a fiber-based paper in the darkroom, which needless to say is a lot heavier and has a somewhat rag-like feel to it. Also, in the darkroom, your final product is a produced from a chemical reaction, one that is etched into the paper if you will. It's hard to get this effect with inkjet printing, because the ink basically lays on top of the paper. The paper I'm trying out is a type of paper nicknamed Baryta Paper. It gets that name from the thin layer of barium-sulphate gelatin that coats the top of the paper, giving the image, once printed upon, that unique darkroom quality. So far I only seem to like it for Black and White prints, but I haven't experimented too much with color. At $2.50 a sheet (8.5 x 11) I can't just go printing pics all the time.... So, if anyone sees me and wants to see the print, just ask... It's pretty cool.

Anyway, nothing really new. Have no major plans for this weekend. I'm leaving next Thursday afternoon to go to our cabin for the weekend. Man am I so excited. We are meeting a handful of old college friends up there for the long weekend (got to celebrate those presidents!). I'm really looking forward to shooting some new material while up there. Kel and I will be up there for a whole day before the other folks arrive, and I hope to get some quality time in with the Canon.

Until then....

Friday Foto: Ad shot

So I do a lot of work for Southern Soul BBQ. The owner came to me the other day and wanted to promote this new dish he's offering, The Marley. He actually used to sell this at Rafters, the other bar he used to work at, but when he left he took the recipe with him. It's a great Mexican dish, a burrito of sorts with jerked-chicken and lots of Caribbean flare. Ummmmm, yummy.

Anyway, so here's the photo I took for the ad. It started out as a regular photo, but to add more of the 'southern-soul-indie-hippie-image' to the ad, I changed the pic around a bit and am very happy with the results. I love this look on certain photos, it really makes it standout.

Anyway, that's all that's going on. I have nothing bigged planned this weekend. Might head on down to Jacksonville tomorrow, and I'll watch the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Have a great weekend !

Friday Foto: Oaks

Yeah, I know this shot has been done a zillion times. I've even shot this place several times, but it was a foggy morning the other day, and in keeping with my attempt to shoot more, I pulled in and did a little.

I like it all the same, the color one is pretty nice too, but I'm trying to work on my B&W conversion here. So, tell me what you think. As always, you really need to see this one blown up and printed nice and large. It's super sharp, showing tons of detail, and this little preview doesn't do it justice. If you want to see a better representation of it, go here... I've uploaded to my web site. Be prepared for a large file.

So anyway, I have a normal, fun weekend ahead. A party on Saturday night and that's about it. Maybe I'll get to work on the Jeep a little, who knows. I have no real plans. Y'all have a great weekend!

New countertop; bathroom finished

Over the christmas break we tiled our spare bathroom and hung various new fixtures. This past weekend we finished the bathroom with a new countertop made out of the same marble tile. I removed the preexisting top, modified it with new back and side splashes, and glued the marble on it, cutting where necessary. I reinstalled it and we painted a little of the walls and hung a new mirror. Done with bathroom number one, on to the master bath!

Friday Foto: art

It's been awhile since I've expressed my artistic side with photography. I get so busy shooting material for ads and clients that is seems like I have less and less time to further my artistic skills. It's a shame, because this is what I truly enjoy. I try to add my own style and artistic "flare", if you will, to my everyday shots, but a lot of the time the material I shoot dictates the style in which it needs to be shot, not the other way around. 

So, I've come up with my own self-help program. I'm forcing my self to put together all new material for a show of grandeur proportions. I don't know when it will be or where. For those of you who have been to Monkey Love and seen my work there, it will not be like that. I want this in gallery, with just my work, all for me. Having this high of an aspiration forces me to push my skills further. I want BIG, bold, beautiful prints with nice solid frames. I don't know how I'll pay for that yet, but that's just a hurdle. 

Now, the photography part... The show's going to have a theme, of which I haven't decided yet. Right now I'm in the conditioning stage. I've started going out and shooting more art related shots. Each time I go, I only allow myself one lens, and so far, it's been my favorite fixed focal length 50mm lens. Not having a zoom really forces me to think a little bit outside the box.

I'm toying with the idea of doing a black and white show, but haven't decided yet. Above are two shots that I took last weekend. I'm not displaying these as potential show material, just would like to get some feedback. Criticism is much needed.  Have a great weekend.

Twin-Sticked Dana 300

Ok, I know this post will probably appeal to only about 3 readers, but what the hell... it doesn't hurt to know a little bit about Jeeps, so read on.

Over the Christmas break I installed a twin-stick conversion kit into my Scrambler (thanks Santa!). What's that you may ask? I shall tell you.... Typically in 4-wheel drive equipped cars, you have two options for 4-wheel drive. 4 High, for faster speeds (like driving on icey roads, etc) and 4 low (for slower speeds, which also includes a lower gear ratio so you get more power with less engine stress). Now, that's great and all you really need (in most cases). In my Jeep, when you shift the lever, you are actually pulling a rail in and out of the transfer case (the thing that gives power from the engine to the axle). There is one rail for each axle. When you shift, it pushes both in or out, depending on what you are putting it into. Look at the stock photo with a twin-stick installed below. See how the two shifters each go to one rail? That's what I did. This gives me the ability to now shift just the front into high or low, just the rear into high or low, or any combination of the two. There are three common uses for this upgrade:

1. Rear Low, Front axle disengaged. This puts just the rear axle into low range. Imagine riding a bike in the easiest gear to peddle... Especially with a locked-rear (both wheels get power, like my jeep), in 2-Low you can get through pretty much any thing. This is good, because it puts a lot less stress on the car, not having to deal with the front axle.

2. Front Low, Rear axle disengaged. This does the opposite, putting the rear axle into Neutral. With this, you can do what's known as a 'front dig'. Having just the front axle working, you can move the front of the car where you want it. You can pull yourself up or out of things without digging the rear into a messier state of 'stuckness'.

3. Front High, Rear Disengaged. In the worst case, if you break something in the rear, like your axle, drive shaft, etc, you can disengage the whole rear driveline and get home in front-wheel drive. I've actually been in that situation before.

So anyway, here's a couple of progress pictures from my install and tunnel cover I made. Hope you enjoy...

Original setup, notice one shifter (on the left) for 4wd.

Stock Dana 300 Transfer case, with a twin-stick installed. Notice the two rails.

Mine installed, before I heated up the stainless steel
shifters and bent them to a better position.

Bent into place and beginning fabrication of a new tunnel cover
constructed of stainless steel.

All finished!!!

Friday Foto: BBQ

I'm working on some more photography for Southern Soul BBQ at the moment. It's a great clients because he's edgy and it allows me to be a little bit more creative with my photography, which I always love doing. Hope you enjoy some of these pics...