My Father's Cessna, circa 1982

I've been working with a private pilot friend recently setting up a stock photo shoot. In the process we've naturally talked quite a bit about airplanes. This has brought back memories of the plane our family had when I was a kid, so I thought I'd share it here.

In today's capture you can see my dad taxiing the plane, a Cessna 172, before takeoff. To the best of my knowledge this was taken around 1982 from our boat in Big Lake Alaska. I will say that growing up in Alaska and having a floatplane in the family made for some great times.

Nikon FM2, VIvitar Series I 70-210 f/2.8 (if I recall correctly)

The 21st Century Office

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 100

Corner Canyon Fire, Draper Utah

I took a break from photographing Mabey Farm Fresh Corn in the studio this afternoon to head to a favorite overlook of Draper to capture some images of a nearby brush fire. Thankfully, as of this writing, the fire was able to be contained away from the nearby homes.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

My Interview on the LightSource Podcast

I've been a semi-active listener of the LightSource photography podcast at StudioLighting.net for nearly two years, so imagine my shock earlier this month when I was contacted by one of the hosts, Bill Crawford, to be a guest on an upcoming episode. My initial thought was something along the lines of "These guys have interviewed the likes of Paul C. Buff, David Hobby and Chase Jarvis - and now they want to talk to me?!?". Well I quickly got over the shock and we scheduled the chat.

We did the interview one evening over the telephone and I've got to say that it was really cool. Bill and Ed, the hosts, make their guests feel comfortable and they are genuinely excited to talk about photography. They wanted to learn about my stock photography business and how I have been able to create a full-time income from it in a relatively short period of time. We also chatted a bit about this blog and my involvement with Photowalking Utah.

The episode is now live on their site, so if you feel like listening to me ramble on for nearly an hour jump on over and give it a listen. More importantly though, I recommend that you check out their back episodes and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss the future ones.

Links

The LightSource Episode with Me
Back LightSource Episodes
Subscribe to LightSource in iTunes
www.StudioLighting.net

A Drop of Golden Sun

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/4, ISO 160

Speed Week 2008

"What? You went to Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats and the only picture you show doesn't have any cars in it?!? Yeesh!"

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/3200 second, f/4, ISO 100

Alyssa Returns!

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/4, ISO 100

Photowalking: The People You Meet

One of the cool things about being involved in a Photowalking Utah event is the people you meet. When folks see a large group of photographers walking down the street they often ask us what we're doing. I love to use this opportunity to get to chat with the people for a minute and then take their photo. Last Saturday's event in Ogden was no exception.

During our walk through the historic downtown area we ran into Tony and his gang. Tony owns one of the soon-to-be-gone bars on 25th street and was more than willing to share his story. He was one of the friendliest people I've met while photographing and was a pleasure to shoot.



After the walk around the downtown area, a few of us stuck around at the Union Pacific depot for an impromptu strobist session. One of the photographers struck up some conversation with a pair of interesting young men and before we knew it they were modeling for us. They were waiting to hop a train (literally) to Idaho and thought it'd be cool to get their picture taken.

On the top image of Joseph, I purposely created a hard look with both the lighting and processing. I wanted to show the roughness of Joe's character while still highlighting his striking blue eyes.

I used a similar though less edgy look for Joseph's traveling companion Jake. As I photographed him he was holding onto his cigarette to get every last bit of goodness(?) out of it and I wanted to capture that in the image.



Both Joseph and Jake made great models. I would love to meet up with them again and pay them to do some stock modeling for me. I think that together we could create some dramatic images.

Vision

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/2000 second, f/5, ISO 100

Speed

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/8 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Photowalking Utah: Ogden - Tonight!

(this is a re-post of an earlier post as a reminder for tonight's event)

The next Photowalking Utah event has been set. It will be an evening 'walk around the downtown area of Ogden. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008
Time: 5:30 pm - ?
Where: Downtown Ogden

The group will be rendezvousing in the lobby of the Union Station located at 2501 Wall Avenue (map). For the photographers coming from the Salt Lake area, riding the UTA Frontrunner train is a great alternative to driving.

These events are open to photographers of ALL skill levels, from first time shooters to seasoned pros. This is a great way to meet other people that share your love of photography.

For more details (and to announce your participation), drop by the event discussion by clicking HERE.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 100

T.G.I.F.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/4, ISO 100

Create Friendly Backgrounds with a Wide Aperture

One of the easiest tips I give beginning photographers that are looking to improve the look of their portrait shots is to shoot at the widest possible aperture. This means the lowest f/ number on the lens. In doing so, what could be a boring or distracting background translates into a nice smooth surface helping to accentuate the subject.

For today's example image, I photographed Brenda on the streets of Seattle during last weekend's shoot. I spotted a surface with a great blue reflection that would help enhance Brenda's eyes. By shooting wide open (f/4 in this case), I was able to smooth the harsh circles in the background into an interesting design. Using a long focal length lens helped to further add to the effect.

When shooting outdoors using reflector lighting (like in today's image), I set my camera on AV (Aperture Value) Auto mode and leave the lens aperture wide open. Doing this lets the camera determine the appropriate shutter speed and frees me up to concentrate on composition.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/100 second, f/4, ISO 200

UV Filter to the Rescue

There are a couple opinions on using UV or Skylight filters. Many photographers use them to protect their lenses, while an equal amount of shooters feel that it's counterproductive to put a "cheap piece of glass" in front of their expensive optics. I fall into the "protect my lens" camp.

My decision to use UV filters on my lenses paid off big time while I was on the shoot in Seattle. I had just made a lens change when my 24-105 rolled off my camera bag onto the slate floor. The lens hit the hard surface on its front edge. I expected the worse when I picked it up, but the lens cap and UV filter took the fall for the lens. I did a quick check to verify that focus was still intact and moved on with the shoot.

In retrospect, the $35 I spent on the filter paid for itself many times over with this single event. If I hadn't had the filter attached, the lens barrel would have taken the hit. At the very minimum I'd now be unable to attach filters, or worse the front element would've been damaged.

Now, off to pick up a replacement filter.

Canon 30D, Canon 50 f/1.8 lens - 1/60 second, f/1.8, ISO 400

Taking Care of Business

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/40 second, f/4, ISO 200