On Assignment: Working with a Denver Post Photographer and Photo Stylist

I'm thrilled to be going on assignment this morning with Denver Post photographer Cyrus McCrimmon! He will be shooting a model at REI today for a fitness article I'm writing for the newspaper on plus size activewear clothing.

For the past month or so I've been sampling new extended sizes from 14W and up in technical performance clothing from various retailers including REI, Athleta and BornFit. As a size 16-18, I as well as other larger athletes, have a harder time finding activewear that conforms to our curves and provides the same features as other smaller size performance wear like sweat wicking, breathable mesh panels, or anti-chafing. I can't wait to have the article run on May 24 because it includes a list of places where curvy women can shop to find workout clothing that suits their frame and dresses them appropriately for activities like hiking, biking, yoga and pilates, running, and competitive volleyball (my personal athletic addiction!) Take a look at the Lolly 38 "Taffy" line, one of the lines I will be featuring in my article:







My editor has supported and encouraged my involvement in just about every aspect of this article, including choosing a plus size model with an athletic build and look to wear the clothing in a shoot. I'm pretty excited to be working with a photo stylist for the first time. I've been blessed to work with several outstanding makeup artists such as Jett Middleton, on numerous shoots, including last Friday's sunset shoot. It will add dimension to my own growth as a professional photographer to see a talented photo stylist at work. A photo stylist plans a shoot, setting up schedules and contacting suppliers to lend us their garments, shoes and accessories for the shoot. I have three outfits that I want the model to wear: one for biking, hiking and yoga. The stylist and I discussed a location that would allow us to shoot all three scenarios in a seemingly realistic environment and settled on the REI building in downtown Denver. I will be meeting her at 9:30 this morning so she can look over the clothing and make sure the accessories she has will work.

I can't miss out on an opportunity either to watch a master photographer at work. Cyrus is one of the best photogs at the Denver Post and it's an honor to be working with him. And of course I'm going to be bringing my camera and shooting a bit too!

Get the Job Done: Covering the National Brotherhood of Skiers Summit for third year in a row!

WINTER PARK -- I'm happy to share that Picture Your World Photography was hired to cover the National Brotherhood of Skiers 2010 Annual Meeting & Challenge Cup Mini Ski Summit in Winter Park!

This is the third consecutive year the studio won the contract for coverage of this event, and I'm blogging live from the media room at Winter Park Resort. With 69 clubs throughout the United States and United Kingdom, NBS members gather to raise funds for the NBS Olympic Scholarship Fund and recognize two-time Paralympian Ralph Green and former NBS Ski Team and Olympian Errol Kerr.

I started my coverage Tuesday night when I shot an exclusive Comedy Show with Cocoa Brown


Wednesday I shot the annual "Picnic on a Hill" luncheon which is basically a snow party right at the base of a ski slope! Several of the key NBS members were interviewed for a local radio and television stations, so I shot photos during the interview. I also got to take shots of members skiing down the mountain as well as others dancing and enjoying the luncheon. Lots of fun, for sure!

Here are some of my favorite photos from last year's event held in Aspen/Snowmass:

Picnic on the Hill 2009




It always fills me with pride when I run into people who remember me as the official photographer from last year. It makes me feel as though I'm definitely part of the team. Today, I will be covering the Challenge Cup races and tomorrow night, a pajama themed party. I've been driving back and forth from Denver to Winter Park to save money on housing since the drive is only about 90 minutes. I want to use the savings so I can do something I've been vowing to do since NBS members have been on my case about it: I'm going to take my first ever ski lesson! But I won't do it until all of my shooting duties are done on Saturday, you know, just in case I fall and hurt something and can no longer shoot the event!

Here's what I can expect from today's Challenge Cup Races:

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.

This Weekend: On Assignment in Snowmass!

Image by ultimatetaxi.com

My boss at the Denver Post has allowed me to take vacation time next week so I can photograph the National Brotherhood of Skiers summit in Snowmass! Not only was she agreeable to the idea and understanding of the late notice, but she offered suggestions on where I could find cheaper hotel stays and appropriate ski clothing. Plus, she told me to concentrate on taking some stock photography shots so that I might be able to leverage more money from the event other than what the association is paying me.

I think I am truly blessed to have that kind of support for my photography efforts. The only thing she asked is that I finish everything I needed to get done this week so I can have an article run on Feb. 12.



I'm looking forward to this year's event because I think I'm better prepared. I feel more comfortable working with the organization's media relations director since last year's event was so successful, and the attendees will recognize me as their official event photographer from the previous summit.

Most of my equipment has been updated to models that will help me get the kind of shots I need. The Canon XTi was replaced by the Canon 5D which has proven to be an extremely sharp camera with excellent results. My new 70-200 2.8 lens will make capturing those ski races a breeze, while my 24-70 2.8 will make it easier to get great results even in low light while shooting dinner receptions, meetings and parties. A new MacBook Pro purchased last spring will help take my business mobile, allowing me to upload photos, edit them right after an event and load them to my website so attendees can view photos quicker. I've spent the year learning how to work with my Mac and I feel proficient. I also purchased an Epson P-4000 Hard Drive to upload and view photos, clearing out my memory cards.

To help make finding my photos easier for attendies, I'm going to use a tip from friend and photog Mark Hayes. Mark suggested that I create an empty gallery on my website labeled "NBS 2009" or something similar so I can have a URL that I can give to attendees. Here is the place where my photos from the event can be viewed. I will write that URL on the back of my business cards and make sure everyone has one before they leave.

I'm also planning on bringing my Alien Bee and Vagabond battery pack so I can set up some "photobooth" stations where attendes can get portraits of themselves shot. I even have warming packs to keep my batteries from freezing and shutting down on me like they did last year.

The only thing I wish I had that I wasn't able to purchase this year was a compact printer so I can make prints of edited photos on the spot. That will definitely be a purchase I need to make this year as I prepare for future assignments where I will be shooting on location away from my studio.

Can you think of anything I've forgotten or have any tips on shooting this assignment?