LensProToGo

Tonight I'll be shooting at the First Academy High School football game. The job is for two seniors so I'll really be able to focus on getting some good shots since I only have to shoot the two of them. I didn't have the kind of lens I needed to do this job so I rented a 300mm f/2.8 from LensProToGo. This company rocks! The lens came in on Tuesday in the Nikon case (the lens is huge) and it works perfectly. If you ever find yourself needing to rent gear, LensProToGo is the place!

Product Assignment

Welcome back to Assignment Wednesday! I hope you had fun doing your product shoot. You never know when that big company is going to come calling!

I have to admit that I cheated this week. I did not take a new picture but the moment I saw the back of my camera after taking this picture, I saw this ad. So I've been wanting to sit down and make it for a while now. Here's the ad and after the picture, I'll show you how I did it. As always, you can click on the picture for a bigger view.



How to do it:

1. Take a great picture
2. Take your product picture
3. Take away the background of your product picture
4. Move it over to your photo
5. Copy the layer of your product and turn the copy upside down. Then move it directly below the first copy. Adjust the opacity of the upside down layer to create your reflection.
6. All that is left is to add text.

If you attempted this, I'd love to see it and share it with everyone. Just comment to this post with a link to your shot.

Next week's assignment:

-- 10 Minutes From Home --

This week's assignment is Ten Minutes From Home". Walk, bike, drive or fly exactly 10 minutes from where you live and shoot what's there. No 9 minute or 11 minute trips!

Fred & Bekah

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do a portrait session for Fred & Bekah. They were wanting a picture to use for their Christmas card this year, and I was happy to help them out. When I first talked to Bekah, she told me she wanted to do something with a "woodsy" type background. Once we chose the location, I knew I would need some lighting. Of course I could make a good picture with available light there in the shade of the woods, but would it stand out and "pop" the way it would if I used a little lighting?

I set up one light shooting through a Lastolite Tri-Grip Diffuser and balanced it with the ambient light in the shaded tree area we were in. Because they were both wearing black shirts, have dark hair, and we were in a relatively dark place, the camera was tricked and thought "hey, I need to slow down and let more light in because this picture is really dark." But the camera was wrong and ended up blowing out their faces. So I had to dial down my exposure compensation two whole stops to get the proper exposure. Here's the keeper:

Rachel's Senior Portraits

I shot senior portraits for Rachel tonight at her dad's building in downtown Leesburg. It was a great setting for the pictures, and we had a great time. For most of the shots, I used two SB800's and Lastolite Tri-Grip Diffusers. We got a little creative with some of them, but most were very straightforward. Shot all night with the 70-200 2.8 lens. It's definitely become my favorite lens for portraits. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the session.

Thanks Rachel for allowing me this opportunity!

Bubbles Assignment

We had fun with the bubbles assignment last night. What's a better way to use bubbles than to take a bubble bath?! Shame on you who were at the fall festival and didn't use the bubble machine and all those kids to get yours! Ainsley couldn't pick her favorite so here are a few:





Next week's assignment:

-- Product of your choice --

That's right! You've just gotten a job to do a commercial shoot for some product you love. You pick the product, you pick the idea. Make it good if you want to work again! Go ahead and add some text to it as well so your client will have the ad ready to go. Have fun!

Weekend Wedding

I had the opportunity to shoot a beautiful couple's wedding this weekend in Lady Lake. We had a ton of fun and got some great shots! Here are a few of my favorite:

Photography Class

I've been asked to teach a workshop at The Villages Public Library on Thursday, November 13th from 1:00-2:30pm. The class is free and open to everyone who is interested in learning how to take better pictures with their digital camera. Just show up! We will focus on things that pertain mainly to digital SLR (single-lens reflex... or those cameras that let you switch lenses) cameras but anyone is welcome and will leave a better photographer.

During the class, we will discuss camera settings, how to get proper exposure, and the two easiest ways to make your pictures better. Having your camera at the workshop will be a benefit to you.

The library is located at:

325 Belvedere Boulevard
The Villages, FL 32162

Here is the link to the Sumter County libraries page.

This will be the first workshop, but we hope to make it a consistent event at The Villages Public Lirbrary. Hope to see you there!