Instructor's Tip: Earth, Water and Sky

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.

EARTH, WATER AND SKY
As a former teacher, I stressed to my students to always make connections. Whether I was teaching math, writing, or science, I wanted my students to be able to take their thinking to higher levels by making connections either between subject areas or within given concepts. As I practice what I preach, I try to do this with my photography. For instance, I apply the same principles of lighting that I use when I photograph a person to when I take a shot of an animal in the wild. Is the face turned the right way? Is the angle of the light flattering? If I were to challenge you to make a list of commonalities between earth, water and sky, what would you come up with? PAUSE TO THINK...... How many of you came up with color? impact? nature? drama? combining all 3? There are no right or wrong answers. The idea is to get you to think photographically to create the best possible image.


EARTH: The earth has a myriad of colors. From the fall foliage of autumn to the deep greens of the rain forest, every color in the universe can be found. Learning how colors play off each other is important in order to create striking images.


WATER: If you reduce water to its basics, it’s colorless. The reason we see color in water is dependent upon what’s reflected upon it, what’s underneath it, and what’s in it. When photographing water, a strategically chosen shutter speed is important to its overall look. Fast shutter speeds stop the movement while slow ones emphasize it.
SKY: Sky and dramatic color are a marriage made, forgive the pun, in heaven. When the sky goes electric, it often becomes the focal point of the image. A clear horizon with clouds above it create great opportunities for color. But the sky can also be dramatic when there’s an impending or clearing storm. This is true especially when the sky in front of the sun opens up spotlighting the landscape.

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.

This Weekend: Editing photos from Patience and Jack's Wedding

This weekend I will editing all the fantastic images I and my three assistants took during Patience and Jack's wedding earlier this month. Susan Baggett, Heather M. Smith-Matthews and Jamie Cotten and I took more than 3,800 photos! I've definitely got my work cut out for me, but it will be a fun process because I can already tell just by looking at the RAW images that they are amazing! Time to get to work.

Here are some bridal portraits I took of Patience, the lovely bride.

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.

From My Portfolio: Jessaca's Bridal Portraits

Over the weekend I and three other photographers shot Jessaca's bridal portrait session in my home studio. I've been editing her images this week. I found this photo so striking that I just had to post it.

I think her gorgeous eyes are really what make this image. The catch lights from my Alien Bee strobe inside a soft box and a Westcott Spiderlite TD5 lighting make her eyes pop. The expression on her face is filled with natural wonder because I took this shot while Jessaca was watching the two other photographers set up for their next photo. She was entranced by their work, and consequently was unaware I was taking this shot at the same time. Once she realized I was shooting, her expression got stiffer, more self-conscious and those shots didn't work. But this original one does. I often like to sneak in these kinds of shots while other photographers are holding a subject's attention. I think it offers a different perspective in the overall album a client might purchase from a shoot.

Here is a different take on a traditional wedding ring shot:

VOTE NOW: Vote for my client's family portrait and win a chance for a free photo session!

My first family portrait contest entry has been accepted into the 2010 Sandy Puc International Charity Model Search for North America's Cutest Family!

Here's the link to my client's entry. Click on the TOUR CITY Link and scroll down to Denver!

The Ryan's portrait taken on New Year's Day is now available for voting. Each vote costs just $1, and the photo with the most votes from 52 Sandy Puc 2010 Family Tour cities will qualify for being judged in the final round where the grand prize is a new car for North America's Cutest Family and a new Canon 5D Mark II for me! Plus, each vote benefits the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, a network of volunteer photographers who shoot newborns and infants who have passed away, leaving a tangent reminder in the form of a free photo to mourning families.

Please support my entry by VOTING NOW! Each vote you make will put your name in the running for a free 1 hour photo session with my studio. At the end of the contest in April, I will draw one lucky winner.

For example:
If you donate 5 votes (or $5) to the contest, I will put your name in a hat 5 times, increasing the chance that your name will be drawn for the free one hour photo session. Email me ASAP as soon as you post your vote so I confirm the votes on the website and put a number of votes by your name!

Good luck to you, The Ryans and my photo studio!

Get the Job Done: Jessaca and Nathan's Wedding

Photo by Sean Donnelly

Sometimes persistence pays off. In the case of Jessaca and Nathan's Christmas Wedding in December, that perseverance made the ultimate difference in the coverage of one of the most memorable days in their lives.

If you remember, the officiant of Jessaca and Nathan's wedding originally refused to allow I and second shooting Sean Donnelly to shoot the service because it was considered a sacred ceremony. But I just couldn't get over the fact that this couple had hired me to shoot their wedding, but that I WOULDN'T actually be able to shoot the event. It bugged me so much that I tracked the officiant down just minutes before the ceremony and asked him again to tell me again if we would be violating church policy to shoot the ceremony. He said that flash would be disruptive during the ceremony and he didn't believe our equipment would be able to capture anything inside the dark church. When I told him we did have the equipment capable of shooting the wedding without flash and that we could shoot it from the balcony without disrupting the service, he said "go ahead, but the photos aren't going to be any good."

I'm glad he was able to look past his doubts to give us a chance to shoot the ceremony. It was the best gift I could ever have given Jessaca who had no idea that Sean and I were clandestinely photographing the wedding from balcony! I got some great story telling shots with my 24-70 while Sean snared some great detailed shots with his telephoto.



photo by Sean Donnelly

photo by Sean Donnelly

photo by Sean Donnelly

photo by Sean Donnelly

Fans and followers get a special gallery sneak peak. Check out Jessaca and Nathan's wedding using this link, password Zion. Just a few minutes ago, I edited the last image from Jessaca and Nathan's Christmas Wedding. Out of more than nearly 2000 images shot, 355 were edited and will be placed in her album.

Here are several of my favorites. If you like what you see and think my style meshes with how you envision your wedding day, book it with me today. I promise I will go above and beyond you, too!









photo by Sean Donnelly

photo by Sean Donnelly

I will post up more favorites from the reception later this week! Enjoy

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.