An Aside: Great Intentions

As it turned out, I was so exhausted that I only did one of the three things I was hoping to accomplish this weekend. My maternity session client was a no-show, so I waited for an hour and then promptly went back to bed. The next day, I overslept again and didn't wake up in time for the photographers luncheon with Mile High Photographer members, so I will have make time for another meet and greet with this group at some other point. But thankfully, I made it to the David X. Tejada session arranged by the Colorado Strobists Flickr group! It was wonderful and I will post up some great tips and philosophies I gained from Tejada later this week.

During dinner, I asked Tejada if he was ever as tired as I seem to always be after an assignment. Somehow I had been thinking there must be something wrong with me. After an immense immediate high I get from shooting, I then feel drained and exhausted for a day or so afterward. Tejada, and other photographers who attended the dinner, all said they feel the same way. We must be using a different part of the brain as well as different muscle groups in our bodies when we shoot. When I'm on assignment, I am totally focused on trying to get the shots that both I and my client have agreed are the most important images to capture that event, and I wonder if I even tense up my body to try to stay alert. I know during the last week in Snowmass, I was pretty much on my feet for several hours at a time "working" a room, constantly moving from different angles to shoot new perspectives. Add the weight of my Canon 5D with a battery grip, as well as my 70-200 or my 16-35, flash, Gary Fong diffuser and Stroboframe and it's almost like a workout with resistance!

This Weekend: Maternity Session, Photographers Lunch and a Night wiith Corporate Photographer David Tejada

No rest for the weary! I just made it home from Aspen/Snowmass yesterday evening after an exhausting week covering the 36th National Brotherhood of Skiers summit. I was so tired I woke up in my own bed confused and not knowing where I was! During the drive back to Denver, I had to take a break at a rest stop, sleeping in my car for an hour, because I was worried about dozing off on the road. Well, I hope that cat nap gave me my second, third and fourth wind because on top of all the photos I will be editing from the NBS event, this weekend is going to be busy and productive as well!

Saturday afternoon, I am scheduled to shoot a maternity session. My earlier planned session was rescheduled due to my illness, so I'm looking forward to finally being able to shoot one of these.



Then Sunday afternoon, I am having lunch with the Femme Photographie group from Mile High Photographers group I recently joined. This social group was created for female photographers who shoot weddings. The luncheon will be the group's first official meet-up, and I'm very excited about being able to socialize and learn from other female photographers, as the industry is very male dominated.



Sunday afternoon, I will be joining several Mile High DPS and Colorado Strobists members for an Evening with Colorado-based Corporate photographer David Tejada. Tejada has been featured numerous times on the Strobist site for his excellent work with small strobes. Check out some of Tejada's photos here. For only $10 (payment for studio rental space at the North Denver Photography Studio.

Topics to include:

* Slide shows of projects and discussion of how he got the images.
* Review of his shot designs and their setups with some studio
examples.
* His use of small strobes - less is more, no need for big fancy
lights.
* Tips on starting and running a business in photography.
* Q&A



David's Background and Bio:

David Tejada has been shooting professionally for 25 years, specializing in location work for corporate annual reports and other business collateral material. David has been featured several times on the Strobist website as well as national publications as PDN and Rangefinder Magazine. If you are unfamiliar with David's work, check out his blog. He also has over 20 videos posted at YouTube of assignments he has shot and other informational videos.

David will be sharing his work, discussing location corporate assignments and sharing lighting tips and techniques he uses on assignment. He will show attendees how he uses "Small Strobes, for Big Results." Plenty of time for Q&A, tips on starting and running a business.

David teachs lighting workshops here in Denver as well as at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops in NM, Maine Photographic in Rockport, and is a Mentor for the Popular Photography "Mentor Series"

Saturday Morning Cartoons

I thought this What the Duck cartoon was applicable given my week covering the National Brotherhood of Skiers summit in Aspen/Snowmass. I had a ton of people asking me about my 5D and various lenses I was using during the event, namely about the massive 70-200 2.8 and the Gary Fong diffuser atop of my flash.

I must admit that I'm torn: many clients are impressed by camera equipment and often equate good equipment with a good photographer and good product. That means they might be more likely to book you based on your equipment alone. I've even had some clients ask about what set-up I'm using because they said they wanted to make sure I was using "professional grade" equipment instead of a point and shoot or dare I say it, a cell phone camera!

But at the same time, I wish more people understood that the quality of the pictures they receive is based on the photographer's skill, ingenuity and experience understanding how to get the kind of image wanted with whatever equipment they use. This popular thread on the Digital Photography School forum explains how other photographers handle this situation.

On Assignment: Two Days in and Tired but Happy

What is it about photographing an event that makes my muscles feel like I've just run a marathon? Yesterday was my first day off and I was just about too sore to walk! My triceps and knees were burning, my eyes were strained and it took forever to force myself out of the comfort of my bed. I've been working like crazy and up on my feet for hours at a time is quite the workout. But when I finally got going, I felt pleased with the work I've done so far in Snowmass for the National Brotherhood of Skiers.

I left Denver Saturday afternoon, and It took me only 3 hours to drive to Snowmass because the weather was fabulous, sunny and bright. My first assignment was that same night, covering the Welcome Party at 9 p.m. hosted by Snowmass. My main assignment was to shoot the welcome comments from the NBS president Haymon T. Jahi and Snowmass city officials. The 900-strong group was deemed the largest to ever come to the ski resort town.





After that I was pretty much on my own to shoot whatever I thought showcased the event. The party was all about dancing.







What i wanted to capture during this event is all the happiness and joy people were experiencing when they reconnected with friends, many of whom they haven't seen since the NBS summit last year. I loved seeing the hugging, kissing and hand shaking. Even though most of the members live in states that don't have snow or skiing such as Florida or southern Texas, they share this passion for the sport that they only get to experience together in places like Colorado. Their enjoyment was infectious.



All of these photos have minimal editing, just sharpening, noise reduction and some curves adjustment. The NBS media director said she would like to look through some proofs and pick out the photos the she wanted me to edit in full to save time. She also suggested that I take fewer pictures, so I wanted to make each one count rather than shoot as many as I could.

Monthly Photo Assignment Announced: "Youth and Maturity"

Amy Martin, January's photo assignment winner, has chosen the topic for February 2009. The assignment is: YOUTH AND MATURITY. I asked Amy to explain her topic so everyone would get a better idea of what to photography. Here's what she said:

"Sheba,
I was envisioning youth and maturity together. Example would be a mother and baby. I got the idea from a photo I purchased. It had a young green plant on the window sill of an old window with peeling paint. It looks like it was taken in a village in Italy. Another example would be a young kitten sleeping with an old dog. With there being an endless number of combinations of youth and maturity, I thought people could find something that interests them. Hope this helps."

You have from NOW until Feb. 22 at midnight to turn in an entry. The photo must be taken during this time frame, as the goal of this assignment is to keep us all out shooting regularly and working on our conceptualization skills.

Please email entries to srwheelr@comcast.net

Entries should include EXIF data and be no larger than 800 on the longest side. Watermarks are optional to help protect your photo from unauthorized usage.

Instructor's Tip: Use a Tripod

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 this image, join him on one of his photo tours. Visit Russ Burden Photography to get more information.

USE A TRIPOD

"A tripod is essential in helping create a good image. Not only does it help ensure sharp capture, it forces me to slow down so I study the composition more closely. A technique I often use when I set up a composition is to take my eye away from the viewfinder for a count of five and then re-look through it to see if I notice any distractions. The reason it works is because it’s as if I’m now looking through the viewfinder at a newly created image. The technique is similar to looking at the LCD, but I find I can be more critical using the above.

If weight is an issue, a carbon fiber tripod is an option. They are much lighter and equally as stable as a heavier one, but the catch is they come in at a higher price. Carrying a flimsy tripod is as good as not carrying one at all so make sure the one you bring serves its purpose. In the accompanying sunset image, it was essential I used a tripod. In order to attain the depth of field to hold both the structure and sky in sharp focus, the corresponding shutter speed at my lens opening of f22 was 1/ 8 second. If I tried to hand hold the camera, the image would not be sharp."

-Russ

To learn more about this subject, join me on one of my photo tours. Please visit www.russburdenphotography.com to get more information.

To 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.

Don't forget to check Take Great Pictures for Russ' most recent tips. On the home page, click on the "Photo Tips And Techniques" button in the left hand column. Additionally, check out his "Digital Tip of the Month" found by clicking on the Digital Photography button.

Congratulations January Photo of the Month Contest Winner: Amy Martin

Congratulations Amy Martin for your winning entry in the PYWP Photo of the Month: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. This month's poll was another tight race with only four votes separating the top entries shot by Amy and Sean Donnelly. The topic was difficult but fun, giving the photographers who entered a chance to stretch their creative muscle.

Since this the second contest Amy has one in a row, she has promised us that she will host a session on shooting pets. Pet photography is definitely something I've been wanting to learn how to do better. Besides bragging rights, Amy gets to choose February's monthly assignment, which will be announced tomorrow! So make sure you come back to see what the topic will be!