Get Out There: Gallery Showing

I haven't heard anything from the Denver Darkroom yet about whether or not any of my photographs sold at Friday night's exhibit. But whether I made a sale or not, I still think the experience was a terrific opportunity for me.

Seeing my photos blown up to an impressive poster size of 20x30 was amazing. I kept looking at them thinking, "Wow...did I take that?!" As people wandered through Jeffrey Rupp's studio in the Arts on 7th building, I held my breath while guests made comments about my photos. I didn't hear a single negative word, and many of them didn't know that the artist was standing right there next to them. "Whether you are able to believe it or not, you are a hit!" Jeffrey beamed with confidence. I want to thank Jeffrey for allowing me and other Denver Darkroom students to showcase their work in his studio. His passion inspires me.


"...really enjoyed seeing your work at the show Friday night -- beautiful images!" from photographer Dave Wood.

I also enjoyed being able to meet with other local artists to see how they presented themselves and their work. And I was introduced to an art form I've never seen before. Betsy Duzan and Judith Babcock both use a technique where paint is applied to a canvas in large, thick blocks with a spatula. I have always enjoyed texture in photography, and I couldn't stop myself from touching the canvases. I haven't told anyone yet but you, but I also started to feel that familiar tingling in my gut...the same sense of excitement I get whenever I take my photography. Could it be that maybe painting is in my future too? Perhaps I could do both such as Ron Zito, another artist I met at the showing.


"Aspen Solitude" by Judith Babcock was one of my favorite's at the showing.

Do you practice both art forms? If so, do you have any suggestions on how I could get started? Many of the artists said they often start painting an image they've seen in a photo...hmmmm

Get the Job Done: Shooting My First Wedding

While I was at the wedding expo, I reconnected with a previous client I worked with last year. I took the photos during her parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary re-dedication ceremony where they renewed their vows. Now, one of her friends is getting married, and she asked if I could take those pictures as well.



I accepted the assignment, and the wedding will be May 31. I've been busy this week doing some research about wedding photography, since this will be my first official wedding shoot. To gauge my cost of service, I checked to see what local photographers are charging. Prices seem to range from $1,000 to $3,500; so I'm going to aim for something in between. I've also asked my boyfriend to assist me as a second shooter for broader coverage.



To understand what type of photos I should be thinking about capturing, I got some great recommendations ironically enough from this Take Great Pictures article giving brides-to-be advice on how to choose a good photographer. One of my specialities is being able to capture emotion, so I'm not worried about that. I will meet with the couple to get a better idea of what they are looking for as well.

Get the Job Done: Third Place "Best of Show" (A Case for Always Matting Your Images)

Jeffrey Rupp, the Denver Darkroom Exhibitions Director, just called to tell me that the image above won Third Place for "Best of Show" in the upcoming gallery showing Friday night. But, he told me that judges said it was hands down the best image entered and would have taken First Place if I had matted my entry!

Looks like my gamble on the artistic nude shots paid off! But as with everything, Jeff said these student gallery showings hosted by the Denver Darkroom are learning tools. To that end, it's always best to never allow your photo to "touch glass" because it causes the photo to curl and "start looking nasty" as, Jeff put it. I haven't seen the image yet, but Jeff says I will notice the difference and the noticeable decay of the image right away -- and he's only had the photos for a week.

I have a couple of days to either get a larger frame and mat for the original 20X30 print or reuse the 11x14 mat and frame I kept from a previous entry. The show is on Friday, wish me luck and sales!

Instructor's Tip: Work Your Subject

Work Your Subject
Before leaving any subject you’re photographing, eliminate all
variables of how to improve its capture. This may mean choosing a
different lens to change the perspective, getting down low or up high
to get a different angle, augmenting the light by using flash or a
reflector, softening the light with a diffuser, using a filter for an
effect, etc. As you can see from this list, therIe are many strategies
that can be applied to change the image. When used in tandem, even
more variables can be applied. Learning to use them should become
part of your photographic repertoire.



A great task for you to do right now is sit down with a pen and paper
and generate a list of different ways you can change the way you
capture a picture. Use the ideas I shared as a basis from which to
start. When you’re done, make some copies of the list and place one
in your camera bag. Refer to it often and apply the techniques when
you’re out on your next shoot.

- Russ


All photos in this post were taken by award winning photographer Russ Burden. To learn more about how Russ took the following photo in this post, join him on one of his photo tours. Visit Russ Burden Photography 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.

Breaking News: New Blog Monthly Assignment Contest

I've been mulling over a recent Digital Photography School post written by Australian photographer Neil Creek about creating and participating in photo projects hosted online. I think Neil is right on, and I have made many new friends and colleagues posting my own images to photo projects I frequent on Flickr, DPS, Digital Photo Academy and the Colorado 4x4 Photo of the Week. I enjoy seeing how others interpret the assignment because it helps me stretch my own creative vision and learn how to see things differently. Plus, rules that require you to shoot during a specific time period motivates people to shoot regularly and keep adding new dimensions to their portfolios.

I've noticed that I've got about 20 subscribers to my blog, so what do you guys think about having our own monthly assignment contest right here on Picture Your World Photography? I'm going to be basing my rules from the various contests I participate in, and I reserve the right to tweak things as we go until a system is in place that works. You can email me your submissions and I will post them in a new blog as they start to come in. Then at the end of the month visitors will be able to vote in a poll for their 3 top images.

MAY ASSIGNMENT: "Self Portraits"

Our first theme is "SELF PORTRAIT" shots. Here's a chance for us to get to know a little more about each other based on how you choose to capture yourself in a self-portrait. Plus, it's a relatively easy assignment just to get people started.

RULES:

1) Assignment photographs should be TAKEN BETWEEN MAY 4 and 24. Only ONE photo can be submitted and each photo should follow the current Assignment's theme. The contest will be closed for voting on MAY 25.

2) Please email me submissions that are no larger than 5 MB at shebawheeler@picture-yourworld.com. Include a WATERMARK and/or a LINK to your blog or gallery which will run with your submission.

3) All submissions should be emailed with the camera settings used and the EXIF info intact.

4) All photographs will be posted on a blog and open for voting.

5) Only one winner will be selected. If there is a TIE, each winner will be asked to select a topic for the following month and blog readers will then vote on which topic they would like to photograph.

OK, that's it! This is a work in progress so I appreciate any ideas you may have to make this work. I'm also taking ideas for more challenging assignments to really get the creative juices flowing. Leave comments. And I can't wait to see what you guys come up with for "SELF PORTRAITS"

Now...Get Out There and Happy Shooting!

This Weekend

This weekend I'm going to finish editing the photos I took during the wedding expo I blogged about last week. I've already taken an initial glance at the images to see what I'm up against. The shooting conditions were dark and abysmal, especially during the fashion show. So I will no doubt be doing a lot of compensation work in CS3 with noise reduction and other editing tools, since I had to pump my ISO up to at least 800 for most of those shots.

I also made several new contacts within the wedding industry, including the wedding gown designer, a catering company, a hair and makeup artist and a travel agency owner who needed some business portraits taken for her new website. One of the skills I need to get better at is networking. My gregariousness makes it easy for me to meet and connect with people. But I need to get better at the "follow-through," or sending emails and follow-up phone calls to people I've met. For example, the woman who owns the catering company told me to stop by her shop and leave a stack of my business cards for potential clients to pick up. But I still haven't done it yet! I've been very busy at my day job at The Denver Post this week. I will check to see if the company is open this weekend to drop off the cards and give the caterer free 4x6s of the shots I took of her in them in hopes she will like what she sees and might hire me or pass along my name to other clients.

Get the Job Done: PUBLISHED!

I've known about this since Monday, and it was nearly killing me to keep it a secret until today....three of my photos were PUBLISHED with one of my Denver Post articles, and one was selected as lead photo of the Room Section Front Cover!

Friday, before I went on vacation in celebration of my first year of photography, I had to interview luxury kitchen designer Bill Ohs in his mountain cabin retreat in Boulder County. My editor told me if I took some good portraits of Bill, they might be selected to run with my article in today's issue. I took my trusty wide angle 16-35 mm with me since I also wanted to get some shots of the interior design of Bill's cabin. Three of my shots, including the one above, were chosen.

I asked why this wide angle shot of Bill relaxing in his living room was chosen over more traditional head and portrait shots. It was explained that since the "My House" series of articles profile a subject based on how they chose to live in their home, the above shot was the best "journalistic" display of how Bill interacts with his personal space. I have to admit, it took a while for that explanation to sink in. I was just trying to get Bill and his living room to all fit inside the same frame. ;)

Being slow on the draw is proof of why it's going to take many more years of experience before I can be an affective, storytelling photojournalist. Until then, I'll just stick with the simple concepts that I can follow.....hey, I was PUBLISHED!