Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. I just love how Aaron's wry sense of humor reflects the current state of the photography industry. But what really freaks me out sometimes when I read his strip is how much they reflect whatever situation I'm currently experiencing too...whether it's working with clients or desperately trying to stay on top of technology like Facebook or Twitter or a host of other things that all add up to being a professional photographer.

The genius of his strip is the way viewers can interact with Aaron and his comic character. Folks are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, and post photos of their own plushy and stuffed W.T. Duck working or hanging out.

This Weekend: Finally doing a maternity portrait session!

Photo by Phil Maland

Saturday afternoon I will finally get to participate in a maternity photo shoot! Several members of the Mile High Photographer's Femme Photographie group including workshop leader Shannon Marie Casey are meeting to shoot today at The Studio at SouthLands.

This is perfect timing, as I just got a call from Harriet earlier this week that she should be ready for some maternity shots next month. She will be the first bride whose wedding I've shot that will be having a child, and I can't be happier to be her growing family's official photographer. I would love to be able to recreate this great storyboard I found on Flickr this morning by photographer Yvonne Lorraine.

Photo by Yvonne Lorraine

I hope to be able to use some of the new low key lighting skills I picked up Wednesday in Bill Murphy's workshop. I will be editing some of my images this weekend.

This will be a new location for me, so I'm doubly excited to shoot there as well. The studio just has its grand opening on Feb. 25 in the new SouthLands Mall. I have been considering joining a studio so that I could have a more credible location for indoor shoots besides my basement studio. This studio's location so much closer to my home as well as it's great location in the SouthLands mall would offer some amazing curb appeal traffic. I will check out it's prices today to see how much membership would cost.

Get the Goods: Attending a Low Key Lighting Meetup Tonight!

Tonight I will be crashing...er ah, attending, a low key lighting photography meetup hosted by Bill Murphy. Murphy, shown at left, is the organizer of amazingly affordable and educational Basics of Studio Lighting workshops to meet other photographers and share techniques and ideas. Check out some of Murphy's work on his Model Mayhem account.

Because I was out of the state on vacation, I was too late to RSVP for this Meetup which is limited to only about 10 attendees for more personalized attention and enough room to maneuver without having to feel like a vulture when shooting a model. For just $25, photographers get hands-on instruction, access to a model and at least two hours of shooting time at the North Denver Photography Studio in Northglenn. NDP is a facility is amazing, and I've enjoyed many shoots help there.

Tonight's low key workshop will focus on integrating shadow play into my imagery by using a one light set up as well as reflectors and fill lights. We will be going from a photo like this one displayed of this adorable child to very little illumination except rim lighting! Because I've attending Bill's previous High Key Lighting seminar, I asked him if I could just show up tonight in case anyone who had RSVPed didn't show, and he said sure!

I think I'm going to have even more fun at this Meetup considering that one of my signature looks is having subjects appear to just float in out of the darkness of a totally black, solid background. To me, it creates drama and gives the impression of capturing a moment even though you are shooting a posed portrait. I love the moodiness and darkness of low key lighting and mastering this technique instead of relying on hit and miss attempts to achieve it will be a great boon for my photography. Here is an example of one of my favorite low key photos. My images of Anne Filler was taken during my first digital photography class held at the Denver Darkroom with instructor Efrain Cruz. Cruz is now the director of Illuminate Workshops. While I love this image, I think I was lucky to have shot it being so new to photography. I want to rely on true knowledge, rather than luck, on how to capture this kind of shot, and I think tonight's workshop will give me that!





You should join this Meetup group and maybe we can shoot together!

An Aside: My Brother's Wedding

My brother John and his lovely wife LaKisha

After much consideration, I decided I was going to be a guest at my brother's wedding rather than a photographer. But man....it was a very hard decision to live with! Not only was I being plagued with "big sister protectiveness," but "backseat driving photographer" syndrome to boot!

I definitely need to work on learning how to let go already and stop trying to control things. I must have "lead photographer disease."

Even though I had decided long before the 14 hour drive to Texas that I wouldn't be shooting the wedding, I STILL couldn't make the trip without taking my Canon 5D with me along inside my extremely heavy camera bag overflowing with all of my lenses and other photo equipment. It was like a security blanket; I didn't quite feel the same without having it with me. I literally had to drag my eyes away from watching (more like critiquing) every move the photographer at my brother's wedding made so I could concentrate on the ACTUAL wedding. Even Patience, my last wedding bride, commented that I'm going to make things hellish for my OWN wedding photographer (should I ever be blessed with marriage) if I don't learn how to let go and let God, or in essence -- let the professional do their thang!



Once I succeeded at that, I really enjoyed the experience! I cried and laughed along with everyone else. My brother was crying before his bride even walked down the aisle. He was shaking so bad that we were afraid he would fall off the altar...or maybe he just appeared to be shaking because I was crying so hard I could barely see through my own tears. I just know our mother, God rest her soul, was sitting right next to me in my pew seat crying along with me and my little sister. Our little brother, my mother's son, is MARRIED!

By the time we made it to the reception, I barely felt the need to whip out my Canon G9, my trusty backup camera which fits in my purse). The battery ran out during the wedding anyway, and sure, I tried taking a couple of shots with my cell phone to no avail. But EVENTUALLY, I was able to fully relax and just have fun, dancing the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle, eating way too much, and wondering who I should kill in order to make sure I caught the bouquet during the traditional toss. :)

Congratulations, John and Kisha. I love you!

An Aside: Congratulations Russ, Outdoor Photographer's Newest Tipster!

Photo by Russ Burden

I want to congratulate photographer Russ Burden for an incredible career coup that is long overdue and greatly deserved. Burden's fantastic photo tips and techniques are now being featured on Outdoor Photographer's website!

My blog readers will recognize Burden's style and seemingly infinite fount of knowledge on Monday's regular "Instructor's Tip." Now, readers can find 16 of his articles each illustrated with one of his photos.

Go to the site and just under the top banner on the left side of the home page is a HOW-TO button. Click on it and drag to the Quick Tips title. You'll be brought to a page that has nine of his articles. Click on page 2 and you'll see another seven.

To thank Russ for his willingness to help other photographers grow, I encourage you to read the articles and please leave comments. The more positive feedback he gets, the better it will be for him to continue having his work appear on the website.

"The more people who read the articles, the more will know just how much photography means to me," Burden says. "I'm hoping this helps reinforce to everyone just how important our wonderful art is and that I'd love to share my knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for it with each and everyone of you on a nature photography tour. I need to fill them all, especially in that I have to send my son to college this fall!"

Nice job Russ! You rock, and I'm so happy for you!

Instructor's Tip: No Merging Allowed

Photo by Russ Burden

I hope you enjoy this week's "Instructor's Tip" by one of my favorite instructors, award winning nature photographer Russ Burden. To learn more about how Russ captured the above image, join him on one of his photo tours. Visit Russ Burden Photography to get more information.

NO MERGING ALLOWED

While out on the road I often see yellow caution signs - “Lanes Merge - Drive with Care.” I love to ski and being the careful person I am, I take care when I see a sign that says, “Trails Merge - Slow Down.” I’ve heard boaters talk about how careful they need to be when they go through a narrow channel where different waterways Merge. As photographers, we need to heed the same warning when it comes time to create a composition.

Avoiding mergers is a very important guideline to follow when making a composition. A merger occurs when important elements in the photo overlap, touch the edge of the frame, or blend in tonality preventing separation, all in awkward ways. The quintessential example is the tree growing out of Aunt Sally’s head. In that the tree merges with her, it gives the appearance that the trunk or branches are part of her being. You’d think it would be obvious and very easy to avoid, but the fact of the matter is the photographer is usually so zeroed in on the main subject, the rest of the image area is overlooked. I encourage you to study the entire viewfinder for any and all mergers before pressing the shutter. This takes practice and patience but it will net you better images in the end.

Take a class with Russ or a fellow Digital Photo Academy instructor in your area, check out the Digital Photo Academy. I took Russ' intermediate and advanced courses last year, and he continues to be a strong source of knowledge and encouragement as I progress in my photography.

Get the Job Done: Patience and Jack's Wedding

Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

My wedding photography presentation last night with Patience and Jack was one of my enjoyable and successful ones yet! Their pleasure with the photos was infectious, and I didn't realize how much tension I was internalizing until I walked away from their home knowing they were were not only happy clients but becoming good friends too! This blog post contains some of their favorite images.


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Jamie Cotten and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Heather M. Smith-Matthews and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

Unbeknown to Patience and Jack, I used their wedding photos to try out a new way of building anticipation to my final presentation. Everything I've read so far about how photos should be presented to clients says photographers should never show their work until the final presentation in hopes of increasing impulse sales of either more prints or albums. However, I've found that editing and uploading new photos to a gallery every day for my clients not only lets them know where I am in the process, but makes it an enjoyable way for re-experiencing their event.


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Susan Hill Baggett, Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Susan Hill Baggett and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

Patience told me that she and Jack looked forward to spending time viewing new pictures just about every evening, almost like a couple's ritual. And her friends found themselves checking out the photos at work or at home whenever "they got bored," Patience said.

"They would be disappointed if new pictures weren't uploaded. I told them they really needed to get a life," Patience said.

Maybe I did miss out on the surprise element of increase sales. But Patience and Jack said they would have gone crazy if they weren't able to see the pictures ahead of time, if only to stem worries they had about the quality of the photos.


Photo by Jamie Cotten and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Susan Hill Baggett and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

Patience said her wedding guests all remarked how well I and my assistants worked together, and our top to bottom coverage made her guests "feel like movie stars." The only drawback I have found to working with three other assistants is the tremendous amount of photos that were taken! We each shot about 1,000 images. I took my photography instructor Efrain Cruz's advice and immediately downloaded their raw images to my Epson viewer. Efrain says it's the only way to know the true work ability of a photographer to see what they are getting in camera before the images are post-processed and use that information to decide whether to work with them again.


Photo by Heather M. Smith-Matthews and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Heather M. Smith-Matthews and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Heather M. Smith-Matthews and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Heather, Susan and Jamie did a phenomenal job! But having that many assistants and that many photos to edit took me a month to finish! Because it took longer to get the final product to my client than originally agreed upon, I gave Patience and Jack a free DVD of all of their edited images sized as 4x6 (retail value $150). Next time, I will tell my client that it will take a month before turnaround since I have a full-time job and so many assistants willing to work for me. The end result is amazing coverage of moments that Patience and Jack weren't even aware were happening...a true photographic retelling of their special day. And they even ordered several more photo books for their parents as well as an additional DVD, so I think I still was blessed to make a little more money than the final payment. Definitely the best of both worlds.


Photo by Jamie Cotten and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo by Jamie Cotten and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

As part of their contract, Patience will receive a free bridal portrait session. But I and her new husband have been trying to convince her that a boudoir session would be better! She's so cute and sexy that she could totally work a boudoir session!


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler


Photo and Post Processing by Sheba Wheeler

An Aside: Major catching up to do...

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy...so busy that I had to use every extra minute or hour of the day I had handy to finish editing Patience and Jack's wonderful wedding images, drive to Texas for my brother's wedding, and attend my first photo meet-up -- this one being a high key Valentine's themed shot.

Here's some quick sneak peaks of upcoming posts to let you know what I've been up too:

Patience and Jack's Wedding








High Key Valentines Day Meet-up with Bill Murphy

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. I just love how Aaron's wry sense of humor reflects the current state of the photography industry. But what really freaks me out sometimes when I read his strip is how much they reflect whatever situation I'm currently experiencing too...whether it's working with clients or desperately trying to stay on top of technology like Facebook or Twitter or a host of other things that all add up to being a professional photographer.

The genius of his strip is the way viewers can interact with Aaron and his comic character. Folks are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, and post photos of their own plushy and stuffed W.T. Duck working or hanging out.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Here is my favorite "What the Duck" comic from this week. Rock on Aaron! "What the Duck" is an online comic strip created by Aaron Johnson. I just love how Aaron's wry sense of humor reflects the current state of the photography industry. But what really freaks me out sometimes when I read his strip is how much they reflect whatever situation I'm currently experiencing too...whether it's working with clients or desperately trying to stay on top of technology like Facebook or Twitter or a host of other things that all add up to being a professional photographer.

The genius of his strip is the way viewers can interact with Aaron and his comic character. Folks are welcome to link, post, copy/paste, or save the strips to their own sites, blogs, forums, newsletters, etc. Aaron also allows viewers to suggest titles for his individual strips, and post photos of their own plushy and stuffed W.T. Duck working or hanging out.