This Weekend: Attending MHDPS photo session

Today I am very excited about attending a photo session with members of the Mile High Digital Photography School social group. I've been pleased with the photos and camaraderie that's resulted since I created this group last year. Our membership continues to grow and our planned meet-ups are becoming more detailed and well executed.



This afternoon, we will be shooting models, including the lovely Pinay Bella (seen above) and practicing our lighting techniques courtesy of my friend and colleague Tiffany Trott. Tiffany just became a member of the North Denver Photography Studio. As part of her membership, she pays for studio time, so the MHDPS members have agreed to divvy up payment for a share in her studio time this month.

Instead of feeling shaky and unsure about my equipment, I now feel confident that I can take my Alien Bees on location with me and know how to operate them since attending a Colorado Strobist off camera flash meetup. I am loving how everything I'm doing is building on itself to help me become a better photographer. I think I get just as much excitement from learning and educating myself in new techniques as I do from the actual act of photography.

Growing Pains: Don't Make This Terrible Mistake

My friend and photo colleague Tiffany Trott was right on the mark in her blog post today at 23photos.com when she suggested that photographers reset their camera settings before putting away their equipment.

I made the terrible mistake of not checking my settings during a shoot at the Democratic National Convention. The night before, I had been inside a dark museum, requiring me to boost my ISO to the highest setting possible on my Canon 5D, which was an amazing 3600! My shots were perfect from that night, but I forgot to change those settings the very next day when I was shooting in broad daylight in front of Mezcal when celebrities associated with the Creative Coalition made another appearance.

I didn't realize my mistake until I uploaded the photos for post processing. As you can image, the increased ISO made the photos incredibly grainy and the color noise was out of this world, peppering darker African-American skin tones with speckles of blue, green and red. I was so sick to my stomach, I thought I was going to vomit! Some noise correction in Photoshop took care of most of it, but some of the shots just couldn't be saved.

From this point on, I would advise all of us to take Tiffany's advice. Don't store your gear away without resetting to your basic shooting mode. For me that's ISO 100 and turning the dial back to Manual or Aperture Priority. It's a great routine to have and include in your overall work flow.

An Aside: Can't Get Enough of Me? I'm Writing For Two Other Blogs!

If you aren't sick of me yet, then you might be interested in checking out what I have to say in another blog I have been writing for since last year called One Day, One Picture. Since my own blog is so heavily narrative driven, I really like the ODOP format that concentrates on one or two photos in a single post. Since my colleagues Tiffany Trott and Chester Bullock both seem to focus on book reviews and other general photography topics, most of my posts deal with "How Tos" explaining how to master cool shooting techniques. I'm far from being a pro at these kinds of shots, but I'm learning, and whatever I have the opportunity to learn I will gladly share with you.

If you can't get enough of me, head over to ODOP and see what I have to offer in smaller, consistent bites. :)

Plus, since I cover home and interior design at The Denver Post, be sure to check out The HomeGirls blog I and my editor, Elana Ashanti Jefferson, maintain about our features beat coverage.

Get the Goods: Free Subscription to Great Photo Mag!

My friend and photo colleague Tiffany Trott spread the news this morning about Rangefinder Magazine handing out free subsciptions, and I'm very glad she did.

One of my instructors, Jim Turley, recommended this wonderful magazine in his Passions and Profits workshop several weeks ago. He says it is one of the best resources out there for photographers. But I forgot about it until Tiffany mentioned it again

Rangefinder is the premier monthly magazine for the professional photographer. Each month Rangefinder typically includes:

— product and new equipment reviews
— lighting and technical pieces
— how-to’s
— promotion and marketing stories
— portraiture tips
— accessories and system round-ups
— computer technology
— black-and-white shooting
— lens reviews
— processing techniques

Use the link above to sign up for your free subscription. I can't wait to get my first issue.



And be sure to check out Rangefinder's sister publication, "After Capture" as well. It specializes in post-production tips and is free too!