LeggNet's Digital Capture

Tonight is the night for the Photographing Flowers mini-clinic at the Salt Lake City Library. There is still plenty of room for anyone interested in attending. The clinic will be hosted by Ann Torrence and myself and will cover many great tips for taking stunning flower photos. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday April 2nd
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: FREE!

These classes are open to anyone who has a desire to expand their photography knowledge. There will be info useful to photographers of any skill level.

See you there!

Tonight is the night for the Photographing Flowers mini-clinic at the Salt Lake City Library. There is still plenty of room for anyone interested in attending. The clinic will be hosted by Ann Torrence and myself and will cover many great tips for taking stunning flower photos. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday April 2nd
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: FREE!

These classes are open to anyone who has a desire to expand their photography knowledge. There will be info useful to photographers of any skill level.

See you there!

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Earlier this year I was talking with Ann Torrence about what a great thing we have in Utah with Photowalking Utah and how we really should work a bit harder on getting the word out about it. Well, today Ann and I had an opportunity to do just that.

We were invited to speak at the Sandy City Rotary Club about Photowalking Utah and our involvement with its inception and growth. It was a great feeling to play a video showing the growth from the first event in October of 2007 through last month’s PhotoCamp and to deliver a presentation chronicling the group’s history. The local business leaders in attendance seemed genuinely interested in Photowalking Utah and the success it has become being an all-volunteer group. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a few Rotarian Photowalkers at the next few events.

Today’s image is one Ann captured of me (with my Canon!) from her comfy seat at the head table.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/25 second, f/4, ISO 6400

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

I’m still recovering from last weekend’s iStock SLC Minilypse event and preparing for two presentations I’m giving in the next two days, so today’s post is short and sweet – a shot of Tokyo (the model’s nickname) being a DJ. For his expression, I told him that I wanted him to say that alphabet “Gangsta Style”. I think this shot was the letter E.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/6.3, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

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

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

This has been a very cool but exhausting weekend so far, and it’s only half over. I have been helping out (and doing a bit of shooting) at the iStockphoto SLC Minilypse ’09. Yesterday we spent the morning and afternoon photographing models in a nightclub before doing an evening business shoot in an office suite. The organization by Rene and Todd and the locations/models they have provided have been fantastic.

On tap for today, a morning/afternoon shoot at Alta Ski Resort followed by a creative evening session at SaltAir. I am anxious to see the images created by the 25 participating photographers. If what I’ve seen from behind-the-scenes is any indication, the results are going to be great.

Oh, and today’s image is one that was captured of me while I was on-the-job at yesterday’s shoot. That’s just how I roll… 🙂

This has been a very cool but exhausting weekend so far, and it’s only half over. I have been helping out (and doing a bit of shooting) at the iStockphoto SLC Minilypse ’09. Yesterday we spent the morning and afternoon photographing models in a nightclub before doing an evening business shoot in an office suite. The organization by Rene and Todd and the locations/models they have provided have been fantastic.

On tap for today, a morning/afternoon shoot at Alta Ski Resort followed by a creative evening session at SaltAir. I am anxious to see the images created by the 25 participating photographers. If what I’ve seen from behind-the-scenes is any indication, the results are going to be great.

Oh, and today’s image is one that was captured of me while I was on-the-job at yesterday’s shoot. That’s just how I roll… 🙂

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

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

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

My daughter Elisabeth was tipped off by a classmate yesterday about one of my stock images featuring her and a friend being used for Walmart’s Twilight DVD release ad on the back of a national magazine. Since she is such a huge Twilight fan, this one was especially cool.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

I have been a reader of the website Photography Bay since early 2007. During that time it has become one of my main resources for staying up-to-date on photo news and rumors. Shortly after I began using Twitter actively about a year ago I started following Eric, the founder of Photography Bay, through the service. Over the past 12 months we have began communicating on a regular enough basis that I now count him as a friend.

It was this friendship that has opened up a new opportunity for me. Last month Eric approached me about writing a weekly Photography Tips column on his website. Even though I’ve written over 1,000 here on LeggNet.com I still don’t consider myself much of a writer. But with that being said, I accepted Eric’s offer.

To help me on this new venture, I have a favor to ask the readers of this blog. Please consider following Photography Bay by either visiting the site on a regular basis or subscribing to the RSS feed. I am amazed at the amount of information that is provided on the site. If you’re like me, you will shortly make it your “go-to” place for photography info. And as another favor, if there are any subjects that you would like to see me tackle on my weekly write-up over there, please drop a comment below or email me at rich@leggnet.com.

And finally, here are the links to the first two columns I have written:

Photographing with the End in Mind
Simplifying the Rule of Thirds

I have been a reader of the website Photography Bay since early 2007. During that time it has become one of my main resources for staying up-to-date on photo news and rumors. Shortly after I began using Twitter actively about a year ago I started following Eric, the founder of Photography Bay, through the service. Over the past 12 months we have began communicating on a regular enough basis that I now count him as a friend.

It was this friendship that has opened up a new opportunity for me. Last month Eric approached me about writing a weekly Photography Tips column on his website. Even though I’ve written over 1,000 here on LeggNet.com I still don’t consider myself much of a writer. But with that being said, I accepted Eric’s offer.

To help me on this new venture, I have a favor to ask the readers of this blog. Please consider following Photography Bay by either visiting the site on a regular basis or subscribing to the RSS feed. I am amazed at the amount of information that is provided on the site. If you’re like me, you will shortly make it your “go-to” place for photography info. And as another favor, if there are any subjects that you would like to see me tackle on my weekly write-up over there, please drop a comment below or email me at rich@leggnet.com.

And finally, here are the links to the first two columns I have written:

Photographing with the End in Mind
Simplifying the Rule of Thirds

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5.0, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5.0, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/60 second, f/4, ISO 400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/60 second, f/4, ISO 400

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/20 second, f/5.6, ISO 200

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tonight’s the night for some of us to re-live our past with the Film Shooters Photowalk in downtown Salt Lake City. For equipment, I’ll be rocking a borrowed Nikon F5 and a Mamiya-Sekor 1000 DTL. For those interested, it’s not too late to join us. If anyone wants to come and doesn’t have a film camera, no worries – just stop by Walgreens on the way and grab a couple rolls of 35mm film and we’ll find a camera for you to use.

For the skinny on where and when to meet up (and not to mention another pageview on my blog), click here to read the original announcement.

I hope to see a few of you tonight!

Labels: photowalking

Tonight’s the night for some of us to re-live our past with the Film Shooters Photowalk in downtown Salt Lake City. For equipment, I’ll be rocking a borrowed Nikon F5 and a Mamiya-Sekor 1000 DTL. For those interested, it’s not too late to join us. If anyone wants to come and doesn’t have a film camera, no worries – just stop by Walgreens on the way and grab a couple rolls of 35mm film and we’ll find a camera for you to use.

For the skinny on where and when to meet up (and not to mention another pageview on my blog), click here to read the original announcement.

I hope to see a few of you tonight!

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Finding great locations to shoot stock images in can be a bit of work, but my latest location is one that is literally right-next-door. It took place in Crystal Nails, the nail salon in the same shopping center where my studio space is located.

My goal for the shoot was to create a series of images featuring an attractive young woman getting a manicure and pedicure treatment from the salon attendants. Big props go out to Kati for modeling. Due to a last minute scheduling conflict, the model I had originally planned to use couldn’t do the shoot and after reading about this on my Facebook feed Kati offered to step in. Kati is an outstanding photographer in her own right, so in addition to being a great model she understood what I was working to create on the other side of the camera. This was extremely helpful.

For anyone that has seen me work on location, the lighting setup would look very familiar. I worked with three softboxes of varying sizes and positioned them to create the soft natural-looking lighting that has come to be pretty standard in my work. I usually know in my mind ahead of each shot what I want the lighting to look like, and move the boxes until I am able to achieve this.

Working with us on the shoot was a photographer friend of mine, Nathan Sweet. He is on break this week from his college classes and offered to assist on the shoot. I’ve got to say it was nice having him there. Working with a photographer assistant is something I could easily get used to.

I have just begin selecting the images from the shoot to include in my stock portfolio, so I’ve got a couple days worth of editing/uploading/keywording ahead of me. I’m excited to see how the series does.

p.s. In addition to Kati and Nathan, huge props go out to Crystal Nails and their technicians Linda and Tony for helping out with the shoot.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Kylee just dropped by to show me this cover of Careers and Colleges featuring an image we created in a stock shoot last year. The publication is distributed to teachers nationwide, so suffice it to say that ALL of her teachers had copies of it when she arrived at her school today. She laughed as she told me that she got asked to autograph several copies for them. Hey, that ought to be worth a few extra credit points in those classes.

Photo by Mike Calanan

This past weekend the first ever PhotoCamp Utah was held at East Bay Studios in Provo, Utah. The event was the culmination of two months of planning by a dedicated group of volunteers consisting mainly of the leadership of Photowalking Utah. I would have never imagined a short 18 months ago when a few of us local photographers began Photowalking Utah that it would lead to such a cool event as PhotoCamp Utah.

Reading the program during the opening keynote

Instead of rambling on about how great the day was, here’s a list of facts and highlights:

– Over 300 (including volunteers) in attendance
– 14 Training Sessions
– 10 Hours of Events
– 2 Keynote Addresses
– PhotoCamp Inspired session featuring 7 photographers
– Prize drawings for merchandise / services from sponsors including the grand prize of Adobe Photoshop CS4
– Catered lunch available at a great price
– Post-PhotoCamp Photowalk in downtown Provo
– All for a low $10 ticket price

The opening keynote attendance was outstanding

What impressed me the most with being involved in the day was the feeling of camaraderie I felt among the attendees and volunteers. Just like a Photowalking Utah outing, new friendships were being made and old friendships renewed.

As I am writing this, plans are already being put together for next years event. With the experience the team gained from the inaugural session, next year’s event promises to be bigger and better.

Jeremy Hall giving away doorprizes

And finally, huge thanks have to go to the team of volunteers that came together to host the day. Led by PhotoCamp coordinator Jeremy Hall, this group worked hundreds (if not thousands) of hours to make it all happen. It is this “giving back” attitude within the Utah photographic community that makes be feel so blessed to live where I do.

To keep up-to-date with the latest PhotoCamp Utah information, bookmark the website at photocamputah.com.

PhotoCamp Utah Sponsors

Adobe – SmugMug Pro – Pictureline – O’Reilly – BorrowLenses.com – Pixels Foto & Frame – PhotoShelter – AdoramaPix – International School of Photography

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

It’s a bit short notice, but we’ve organized a Photowalking Utah mini-event for Film Shooters Only. This outing will give those of us that haven’t loaded a roll of film in years a chance to revisit our early photography days.

Here are the details:

Date: Friday March 20th
TIme: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: We will meet at the Boston Building in Salt Lake City. The address is 9 Exchange Place (between 300 and 400 South on Main Street)

We are asking that each photographer carry at least one film camera. A digital is acceptable as a 2nd camera.

As always, these events are open to any photographer regardless of skill level. Feel free to drop me a note at rich@leggnet.com with any questions.

As for me, I’ve made arrangements to borrow a Nikon F5. Yes you read correctly, a Nikon 🙂

p.s. If you are planning on coming (or even just thinking about it), drop a note in the discussion over in the Photowalking Utah Flickr group – Link

Labels: photowalking

It’s a bit short notice, but we’ve organized a Photowalking Utah mini-event for Film Shooters Only. This outing will give those of us that haven’t loaded a roll of film in years a chance to revisit our early photography days.

Here are the details:

Date: Friday March 20th
TIme: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: We will meet at the Boston Building in Salt Lake City. The address is 9 Exchange Place (between 300 and 400 South on Main Street)

We are asking that each photographer carry at least one film camera. A digital is acceptable as a 2nd camera.

As always, these events are open to any photographer regardless of skill level. Feel free to drop me a note at rich@leggnet.com with any questions.

As for me, I’ve made arrangements to borrow a Nikon F5. Yes you read correctly, a Nikon 🙂

p.s. If you are planning on coming (or even just thinking about it), drop a note in the discussion over in the Photowalking Utah Flickr group – Link

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5, ISO 100

I had the opportunity to photograph the photographer yesterday. My friend Julie came by the studio so I could shoot some portraits for her to use in the bio section of her soon-to-be-unveiled website. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to feel a bit nervous when I’m photographing a fellow photographer whose work I admire. Yesterday was no exception.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5, ISO 100

It’s time for another one of my photography Mini-Clinics at the Salt Lake City library. These clinics are presented as an additional event of Photowalking Utah. On Thursday April 2nd Ann Torrence and I will be hosting the session. Just in time for spring blooms, the theme of this class is Capturing Great Flower Photos. In the class we will be demonstrating methods to create stunning floral photos without spending a small fortune on specialized equipment. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday April 2nd
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: Zero, zilch, nada – FREE!

These classes are open to anyone who has a desire to expand their photography knowledge. There will be info useful to photographers of any skill level.

For those who plan on attending, please head over to the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group to put down your RSVP.

Labels: photowalking

It’s time for another one of my photography Mini-Clinics at the Salt Lake City library. These clinics are presented as an additional event of Photowalking Utah. On Thursday April 2nd Ann Torrence and I will be hosting the session. Just in time for spring blooms, the theme of this class is Capturing Great Flower Photos. In the class we will be demonstrating methods to create stunning floral photos without spending a small fortune on specialized equipment. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday April 2nd
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: Zero, zilch, nada – FREE!

These classes are open to anyone who has a desire to expand their photography knowledge. There will be info useful to photographers of any skill level.

For those who plan on attending, please head over to the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group to put down your RSVP.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/1250 second, f/4, ISO 200

Today’s image is a sample from a studio session with Hayley. This was our first time working together and her first time modeling in stock images. She was great to work with and I look forward to using her on some of my upcoming shoots.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/5, ISO 100

Today’s images are ones I shot last month for a regional magazine. The portraits are of Kinetic Artist Andrew Smith and were taken in his studio in Lehi, Utah. The assignment I was given from the magazine was to create a portrait of Andrew within his studio. The image was to run full-page accompanying the feature article about him and his artwork.

The reason I am posting the images today is that I recently found out that the article will not run in the magazine. The magazine is shifting from a quarterly to biannual publication schedule and has canceled the next issue. While I don’t know all the details on what precipitated this change, I can only assume that it is a combination of the current economic situation affecting advertising dollars combined with the ever-present shift of readers from print to online sources.

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

Another indication that we will be seeing more-and-more publications cutting back or eliminating their print edition is a blog I follow in my RSS reader. It is called Magazine Death Pool and chronicles print magazines shuttering their operations. I am sad to say that the blog reports of several magazines a week shutting down.

Even though I will still be paid for the assignment, I am disappointed that Andrew’s story will not be published. It was a pleasure to meet him and hear about the extremely creative kinetic sculptures that he creates.

On the photography side of things, here is a quick behind-the-scenes image I shot to show the environment I was working in while creating Andrew’s portrait.

Today is my good friend and fellow photographer Dale’s birthday. I won’t go as far as saying how old he is, but I can think of at least Fifty reasons why I count him as a friend.

Dale is a truly gifted photographer and through his travels around the globe has amassed an impressive collection of fine art images. Here are a couple examples of his work that really stand out to me.

Samples of Dale’s work can be found on his website at WelcomePhotoImages.com and on his Flickr photostream. Be sure to check them out.

Happy Birthday, Dale. I count it a blessing to have you as a friend.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/25 second, f/4, ISO 6400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/25 second, f/4, ISO 6400

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Today’s post marks a milestone as number 1,000 for LeggNet’s Digital Capture. I never would have imagined back in 2005 the journey that my photography would be taking me on over the next 3+ years. During that time I have completely transitioned from a real estate broker to a full-time professional photographer. This little blog has chronicled the experience in it’s own special way. I used to be a bit embarrassed by the older posts on the blog, but I now embrace them as my own sort of wayback machine serving as mileposts along the road.

Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported me from post #1 up until today. I anxiously look forward to what the future holds for me and my photography.

All the best,

Rich

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

While editing images today I was watching/listening to the live recording of the MacBreak Weekly podcast on TWiT.tv. One of the features of the program is that each of the hosts makes a Pick-of-the-Week. One of this week’s picks was a free program for making Photo Collages called Shape Collage. This pick caught my attention so I downloaded the program to try it out.

Today’s image was created using the program. Utilizing the extremely simple interface, I was able to drag a group of images from the finder and drop them into Shape Collage. From there I selected the output shape (in this case a circle) and clicked the ‘Create’ button. Simple and easy.

I’m not sure how I will utilize the program, but I plan on experimenting with it in the coming weeks to see what creative uses I can find for it. The variety of shapes available makes for near endless possibilities.

To learn more about Shape Collage and to download a free copy (Mac/Windows/Linux), surf on over to http://www.vincentcheung.ca/shapecollage/.

click here for to see a full-resolution version of the group photo

This past Saturday I again had the honor of hosting the Studio Lighting event for Photowalking Utah. Much like the inaugural event last year, this was an indoor photowalk consisting of multiple studio lighting setups for the participating photographers to demo. The idea of an indoor photowalk was hatched last year as a way of doing a winter event without having to brave the unpredictable weather of Northern Utah.

For this year’s outing, we had seven different ‘studios’ for the photographers to shoot in. In planning the setups, I worked with the volunteer ‘studio hosts’ to have a variety of styles for the photographers to shoot. This worked rather well. The setup themes were: Speedlight, Natural Light, Stock, Bridal Portrait, Fashion, Group Posing and Dramatic.

Each of the setups featured models for the participants to photograph. I have to say that our models went above-and-beyond for the three hours of the event to make sure that the photographers were able to capture the images they sought.

The ‘studio host’ was available at each setup to assist the shooter with exposure, syncing, model direction and anything else they needed assistance with. Not only did these hosts bring all their own lighting equipment, but they had to essentially work the entire time. It is volunteers like this that make Photowalking Utah a success. This year’s hosts were: Dale Welcome, Scott Smith, Ann Torrence, David Terry, Mike Calanan, Mark Abercrombie, Kim Guanzon and Ed Paz (who manned my setup).

By the end, over 120 photographers had participated in the event. I’m thoroughly impressed with the samples I’m seeing coming into the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group. It is really interesting to see the variety of results created using the same models/lights.

It’s been an exhausting few days for me between teaching last Thursday’s Mini-Clinic and hosting Saturday’s Photowalk. But I’ve got to say it has also been extremely rewarding. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported this month’s events.

Big Thanks to:

Gateway Community Church – Location sponsor
Pictureline – Door Prize sponsor
Pixels – Door Prize sponsor
Kenneth Linge – Grand Prize sponsor

…and the models: Andrew, Alyssa, Kylee, Ron, Elisabeth, Mady, Brittanie, Sarah, Emily and Laarni

Labels: photowalking

click here for to see a full-resolution version of the group photo

This past Saturday I again had the honor of hosting the Studio Lighting event for Photowalking Utah. Much like the inaugural event last year, this was an indoor photowalk consisting of multiple studio lighting setups for the participating photographers to demo. The idea of an indoor photowalk was hatched last year as a way of doing a winter event without having to brave the unpredictable weather of Northern Utah.

For this year’s outing, we had seven different ‘studios’ for the photographers to shoot in. In planning the setups, I worked with the volunteer ‘studio hosts’ to have a variety of styles for the photographers to shoot. This worked rather well. The setup themes were: Speedlight, Natural Light, Stock, Bridal Portrait, Fashion, Group Posing and Dramatic.

Each of the setups featured models for the participants to photograph. I have to say that our models went above-and-beyond for the three hours of the event to make sure that the photographers were able to capture the images they sought.

The ‘studio host’ was available at each setup to assist the shooter with exposure, syncing, model direction and anything else they needed assistance with. Not only did these hosts bring all their own lighting equipment, but they had to essentially work the entire time. It is volunteers like this that make Photowalking Utah a success. This year’s hosts were: Dale Welcome, Scott Smith, Ann Torrence, David Terry, Mike Calanan, Mark Abercrombie, Kim Guanzon and Ed Paz (who manned my setup).

By the end, over 120 photographers had participated in the event. I’m thoroughly impressed with the samples I’m seeing coming into the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group. It is really interesting to see the variety of results created using the same models/lights.

It’s been an exhausting few days for me between teaching last Thursday’s Mini-Clinic and hosting Saturday’s Photowalk. But I’ve got to say it has also been extremely rewarding. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported this month’s events.

Big Thanks to:

Gateway Community Church – Location sponsor
Pictureline – Door Prize sponsor
Pixels – Door Prize sponsor
Kenneth Linge – Grand Prize sponsor

…and the models: Andrew, Alyssa, Kylee, Ron, Elisabeth, Mady, Brittanie, Sarah, Emily and Laarni

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Last night’s Photowalking Utah mini-clinic at the Salt Lake City library was a great success. Even though the event didn’t feature any walking (unless you count the trek up to the 4th floor), it turned out to be our most attended event to date with 86 photographers participating. The theme of the clinic was “How to Get Great Studio Lighting Results for Under $250”. In the session I showed how to create nice studio portraits using some of the absolute lowest price lighting available.

I really enjoy sharing my somewhat limited photography knowledge with others and doing this through the Photowalking Utah group has become a nice venue for teaching and learning. Even though the internet provides an abundance of free information for photographers to learn from, there is just something about getting several dozen like-minded folks together that increases the ability to share and learn.

As a follow-up to the session, I want to take a few moments and share some of the simple setups I demoed along with some links to el-cheapo budget lighting equipment.

I began with a balanced two-light setup. This is my absolute least favorite setup and one that I rarely (if ever) use. This is the lighting arrangement that I was trained to use back in the eighties during my days as a school picture photographer (eek!).

After showing this setup, I made a quick change to the lighting arrangement to give a key-light with on-axis fill. Unlike the previous balanced setup, on this configuration I set the key light at 1.5 f/stops more powerful than the fill light. This is an extremely simple yet useful setup that I was taught by my friend Kenneth Linge. I use a variation of this quite frequently.

After these two initial setups, I showed several more ways to create different feels by moving the lights around. While all of the arrangements can be classified as rather simple, they can serve as a nice starting point for a photographer new to using off-camera studio lights.

Here is a setup using a shoot-through umbrella for the key (or main) light and a small softbox for the hair light. The top image of Diane in today’s post was shot at the clinic using this arrangement.

Another variation of the previous setup involved bringing in a reflector to add light to the darker side of the model’s face. Unlike the diagram below which shows a $50 reflector, in keeping with the budget theme of the night I used a $1 piece of white foam board.

One of the last setups I demonstrated involved using a single light above and behind the model. I then used two of the $1 white boards taped together to create a V-Card held under the model’s face to reflect light back onto her face. This gave a nice rim-light combined with a very soft light on her face.

For the demonstration I used a pair of probably the cheapest mono-lights available – Adorama Budget 100 Studio Monolights. They can be picked up for around $50 each. LINK

I’m really thankful for having the opportunity to facilitate classes like this. If the turnout at last night’s event is any indication, I expect we will see a great turnout for tomorrow’s Studio Lighting Photowalk. It promises to be a lot of fun!

p.s. Big props go out to Diane for being such a patient model and not minding that my shots of her were scrutinized in front of everyone on the projector screen 🙂

Labels: photowalking, tutorial

Last night’s Photowalking Utah mini-clinic at the Salt Lake City library was a great success. Even though the event didn’t feature any walking (unless you count the trek up to the 4th floor), it turned out to be our most attended event to date with 86 photographers participating. The theme of the clinic was “How to Get Great Studio Lighting Results for Under $250”. In the session I showed how to create nice studio portraits using some of the absolute lowest price lighting available.

I really enjoy sharing my somewhat limited photography knowledge with others and doing this through the Photowalking Utah group has become a nice venue for teaching and learning. Even though the internet provides an abundance of free information for photographers to learn from, there is just something about getting several dozen like-minded folks together that increases the ability to share and learn.

As a follow-up to the session, I want to take a few moments and share some of the simple setups I demoed along with some links to el-cheapo budget lighting equipment.

I began with a balanced two-light setup. This is my absolute least favorite setup and one that I rarely (if ever) use. This is the lighting arrangement that I was trained to use back in the eighties during my days as a school picture photographer (eek!).

After showing this setup, I made a quick change to the lighting arrangement to give a key-light with on-axis fill. Unlike the previous balanced setup, on this configuration I set the key light at 1.5 f/stops more powerful than the fill light. This is an extremely simple yet useful setup that I was taught by my friend Kenneth Linge. I use a variation of this quite frequently.

After these two initial setups, I showed several more ways to create different feels by moving the lights around. While all of the arrangements can be classified as rather simple, they can serve as a nice starting point for a photographer new to using off-camera studio lights.

Here is a setup using a shoot-through umbrella for the key (or main) light and a small softbox for the hair light. The top image of Diane in today’s post was shot at the clinic using this arrangement.

Another variation of the previous setup involved bringing in a reflector to add light to the darker side of the model’s face. Unlike the diagram below which shows a $50 reflector, in keeping with the budget theme of the night I used a $1 piece of white foam board.

One of the last setups I demonstrated involved using a single light above and behind the model. I then used two of the $1 white boards taped together to create a V-Card held under the model’s face to reflect light back onto her face. This gave a nice rim-light combined with a very soft light on her face.

For the demonstration I used a pair of probably the cheapest mono-lights available – Adorama Budget 100 Studio Monolights. They can be picked up for around $50 each. LINK

I’m really thankful for having the opportunity to facilitate classes like this. If the turnout at last night’s event is any indication, I expect we will see a great turnout for tomorrow’s Studio Lighting Photowalk. It promises to be a lot of fun!

p.s. Big props go out to Diane for being such a patient model and not minding that my shots of her were scrutinized in front of everyone on the projector screen 🙂

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

I’ve lately begin to re-shoot some of my older themes. There are two main reasons that I am doing this. The first reason is since I am now shooting with a Canon 5D Mark II, the images are 21 megapixel as opposed to the 12 my previous camera created. This equates to stock images being available in sizes up to XXXL versus XL. The cost difference between the two on iStockphoto is 28 credits (XXXL) versus 12 (XL) for the largest available size. While a low percentage of buyers purchase the largest image, when they do my royalty increases by over double.

The second reason is one we can all probably relate to. When I revisit a theme, I come at it from a different perspective. I will usually shoot the theme differently – lighting, posing, props, etc. Today’s featured image is an example of this. I did a re-shoot on Monday of one of my most popular images. Here is the previous image featuring Alyssa as a receptionist.

This popular image has sold over 1,000 times in the year that it has been available. While I like the warm tones, I have since painted the inside of the studio walls so the new image with Kylee features a white walled background. It’s also noticeable that I shot a tighter crop from a different angle.

Time will tell if revisiting this theme will pay off. In the coming months I will be continuing to re-shoot my most popular themes.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

A few months back I was invited to be involved in the creation of PhotoCamp Utah. During that time there’s been plenty of planning going on behind the scenes and we recently rolled out the announcement of the inaugural event to be held on March 14, 2009.

Instead of me rambling on about it, let me quote directly from the PhotoCamp website:

We are excited to announce the first PhotoCamp Utah event to be held on March 14, 2009 at East Bay Studios in Provo, Utah.

What is a PhotoCamp?

PhotoCamp Utah is a one day photographic learning extravaganza! The local photographer community in Utah has been growing, sharing in the fun and business of photography. We will be coming together for a one day event, full of great presentations and workshops to help you get more out of your hobby or business.

When:

March 14th, 8am to 6pm

Where:

East Bay Studios, Provo, Utah

Who is Invited:

Anyone of any photographic skill level is invited. Topics offered will appeal to amateur enthusiasts on up to full time professionals!

What to Expect:

A full day of presentations by local and some imported quality photographers sharing tips, training and inspiration. A large Keynote address to the entire group will include multiple speakers, followed by 3 workshops to choose from at each session following. A total of 14 classes currently scheduled! Vendors will be in attendance with the latest gear to check out, plus swag and prizes being given out throughout the day. This is a must attend event!

The initial interest (read: paid reservations) in the event has been great. We’ve got a very diverse and knowledgeable slate of presenters to cover photographic topics for all skill levels. I will be holding a session on stock photography.

For a very reasonable $10 fee, entrants will receive a full day of photographic training. To get the rest of the details and to reserve your spot, drop by the official website at PhotoCampUtah.com.

Being a prolific user of PocketWizards to fire my lights, I found today’s announcement of their next-generation models featuring true TTL (through-the-lens) functionality rather exciting. Here’s the announcement/demo video.

Since I use my PocketWizards to mainly trigger my mono-lights, the TTL feature isn’t something that I need to upgrade to immediately. But it does swing the door wide open with possibilities for using my Speedlights more prominantly in my work.

Being a prolific user of PocketWizards to fire my lights, I found today’s announcement of their next-generation models featuring true TTL (through-the-lens) functionality rather exciting. Here’s the announcement/demo video.

Since I use my PocketWizards to mainly trigger my mono-lights, the TTL feature isn’t something that I need to upgrade to immediately. But it does swing the door wide open with possibilities for using my Speedlights more prominantly in my work.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

My latest stock photo shoot centered around a four year old girl in a home kitchen. The various themes from the shoot included learning to cook with mom, getting her knee bandaged, washing hands (today’s featured image) and such. She was a great model and really seemed to have a lot of fun being in the shoot.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

This afternoon I had my third photo join the exclusive ranks of images in my portfolio that have sold over 1,000 times.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

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It’s probably no coincidence that the image in my stock portfolio with the most models (and hence, most signed model releases) is also my top selling image. This particular shot with 12 signed model releases has sold nearly 1,300 times as of today.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/5.0, ISO 100

If you are working in a creative medium, it is inevitable that you will eventually encounter creative block. Since photography definitely qualifies as a creative medium, this is something that will most likely hit every serious photographer at some point.

In the 13 months or so that I have been working full-time with my photography company, I have for the most part been able to avoid a major case of block. What I have realized though is that my current mood plays a large part about my creativeness. If I’m feeling particularly “down”, it definitely has a tendency to show up in my work (or lack of work). On the other hand, when I am feeling “up”, I tend to produce a higher amount of good content.

This morning I read a blog post I found through my friend Dennis’ Photo News Today website. The post is titled 10 Ways To Break Photographers Block. It has some great ideas for dealing with this problem and is definitely worth a read. After reading the 10 suggestions, I began to wonder how others handle this.

What I would like to hear, is how you (as a photographer or other content creator) overcome a creative block. Do you have a routine you do to get out of a funk? Are there resources you would be willing to share with the community? I am anxious to see what you have to offer. And as a purely selfish benefit, the next time I find myself feeling particularly foggy in my creativeness I will have a resource to help me get back on track.

One of my recent stock photo shoots was a new take on an earlier theme, Street People. In the fall I did an outdoor shoot featuring two models dressed as a homeless couple. The series of images are beginning to see regular sales in my stock portfolio.

To follow up on the earlier shoot, I did a studio session featuring Diane again as a homeless looking woman. I positioned her with the shopping cart loaded with possessions and shot against a white background. Some of the images were photographed with the background lit to create an isolated-on-white look while on other images (like those featured here) I turned off the background lights to create a darker look.

Given the bad news recently with the world’s economic health, I’m hoping that these stock images will be found useful for designers looking for a certain look. To see my complete “Street People” series of images on iStockphoto, click here.

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…and another random find of my work in print. Not the most glamorous publication, but a cover nonetheless.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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One of the greatest things that becoming involved in a local photography group has contributed to my life is the friends I have made. When I sat down with Ann Torrence and Bryan Jones a year-and-a-half ago to organize what is now Photowalking Utah, I never dreamed of all of the truly good friends I would make through the group in the coming months.

Today’s image is of one of those friends. Photowalking Utah regulars will immediately recognize the face of our pal, Scott Jarvie. He’s a kick-butt wedding photographer and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I first met Jarvie (it seems that’s what everyone calls him) last July when he came to the Fourth of July Photowalk. I immediately found out that he’s a live-and-breathe-photography-24-hours-a-day photographer. Calling it his passion would be an understatement.

Beyond the photography, Jarvie is simply a fun guy to hang around with. His unassuming manor and witty sense of humor make you want to have him in your group.

I don’t really have a major point to today’s post other than this – if you’re not involved with others who share your passion (photography or otherwise), you might just be missing out on having a Jarvie in your life. Find a group and get involved!

Oh, and one more note. It seems that when I wrote my blog post last week on Twitter & Photography, I picked up a lot of new followers on Twitter. Jarvie took note of this (we had been neck-and-neck with followers) and now feels a bit left behind. So, if you feel inclined, drop on over to http://twitter.com/jarvie and add him to your follow list. He’ll really appreciate it!

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/4, ISO 6400

Labels: photowalking

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One of the greatest things that becoming involved in a local photography group has contributed to my life is the friends I have made. When I sat down with Ann Torrence and Bryan Jones a year-and-a-half ago to organize what is now Photowalking Utah, I never dreamed of all of the truly good friends I would make through the group in the coming months.

Today’s image is of one of those friends. Photowalking Utah regulars will immediately recognize the face of our pal, Scott Jarvie. He’s a kick-butt wedding photographer and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I first met Jarvie (it seems that’s what everyone calls him) last July when he came to the Fourth of July Photowalk. I immediately found out that he’s a live-and-breathe-photography-24-hours-a-day photographer. Calling it his passion would be an understatement.

Beyond the photography, Jarvie is simply a fun guy to hang around with. His unassuming manor and witty sense of humor make you want to have him in your group.

I don’t really have a major point to today’s post other than this – if you’re not involved with others who share your passion (photography or otherwise), you might just be missing out on having a Jarvie in your life. Find a group and get involved!

Oh, and one more note. It seems that when I wrote my blog post last week on Twitter & Photography, I picked up a lot of new followers on Twitter. Jarvie took note of this (we had been neck-and-neck with followers) and now feels a bit left behind. So, if you feel inclined, drop on over to http://twitter.com/jarvie and add him to your follow list. He’ll really appreciate it!

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/4, ISO 6400

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/6.3, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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When I was writing last week’s blog post about using a monopod, I used my friend Kenneth Linge as an example. This got me thinking that I hadn’t talked to him in awhile so I dialed him up. It was great to catch up and hear about what’s been going on with his studio and photography school.

After chatting with him, I thought it’d be a good time to give the teaching side of his business a plug. I have taken numerous classes from Kenneth and not a photo shoot goes by that I don’t put to use some of the lighting techniques I learned from him. The biggest thing he taught me is to “see the light”. While I don’t think I will ever perfect this skill, I have noticeably come a long way from where I was just a few short years ago.

With that being said, here are some upcoming classes being offered by Kenneth that I would recommend any photographer looking to expand their skills should look into:

– Photographing People, Part II – February 7, 2009
– Photographing People, Part I – March 28, 2009
– The Wedding School – March 23 – 25, 2009

For details on any of these classes, visit Kenneth’s website at kennethlinge.com and click on the “Seminars” link.

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Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/60 second, f/5, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Cactus and Tropicals, January 2009

The Photowalking Utah group has been around now for about 15 months. In that time it has grown a great deal and many of my best photographer friends are ones that I made through the group.

One thing we do (or at least attempt to) at each event is to get a group shot before we head out. It seems that this task falls on me quite often. For today’s post, I thought I’d share the group shots that I have captured as a sort of “Time Capsule” backward in Photowalking Utah’s history. Enjoy.

Hill Air Force Base Museum, December 2008

Thanksgiving Night “Turkey Shoot”, November 2008

Downtown Provo, September 2008

Fourth of July Freedom Festival, July 2008

Great Salt Lake, June 2008

Salt Lake City TRAX, March 2008

Downtown Provo, November 2007

The Very First ‘Walk – Salt Lake City, October 2007

Labels: photowalking

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Cactus and Tropicals, January 2009

The Photowalking Utah group has been around now for about 15 months. In that time it has grown a great deal and many of my best photographer friends are ones that I made through the group.

One thing we do (or at least attempt to) at each event is to get a group shot before we head out. It seems that this task falls on me quite often. For today’s post, I thought I’d share the group shots that I have captured as a sort of “Time Capsule” backward in Photowalking Utah’s history. Enjoy.

Hill Air Force Base Museum, December 2008

Thanksgiving Night “Turkey Shoot”, November 2008

Downtown Provo, September 2008

Fourth of July Freedom Festival, July 2008

Great Salt Lake, June 2008

Salt Lake City TRAX, March 2008

Downtown Provo, November 2007

The Very First ‘Walk – Salt Lake City, October 2007

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

image by Scott Jarvie

One of my photography resolutions for the new year was to use a monopod for the majority of my shooting. The reason is quite simple: to create sharper images.

Two photographers whose work I greatly admire, Kenneth Linge and Yuri Arcurs, use a monopod the majority of the time. Kenneth (international award winning wedding/portrait photographer) uses his mostly while shooting outdoor portraits with a 70-200 lens using available light, and Yuri (one of the top selling stock photographers in the world) uses his for all his commercial work. The final thing that pushed me over the edge to begin using this piece of equipment was this video that Yuri posted on his blog:

The statement that Yuri makes in the video that you don’t want to be throwing out your #1 pick when selecting images because of blur hit home with me. Having absolute perfect focus on stock photography is critical, and I have had to often discard an image because of slight camera shake.

Kenneth Linge using his monopod

One thing that has happened since I have begun with the monopod is that I have received numerous requests about the equipment I am using. My setup is very similar to the one Yuri describes in the video. The great part is that I already had most of the pieces and only had to add the relatively inexpensive monopod to complete my kit. And guess what? My mother knew what I wanted thanks to Michelle and I found it under the tree on Christmas morning (Thanks mom!).

Here are the pieces I have assembled for my setup:

Monopod: Manfrotto 334B Automatic Monopod
Head: Manfrotto 488RC2 Ball Head
Bracket: Custom Brackets QRS-H2 rotating bracket

For the bracket, I use the QRS-H2 which normally has a flash mount. I have removed the mount (simple to do using an allen wrench) for everyday use. The reason I use this bracket versus the more compact Digital PRO-SV is twofold. The first reason is that I already had this bracket (hey, I saved +$200), and the second reason is that I can attach the flash mounting arm if I am shooting in a scenario where I need the strobe.

I have now used this setup for a half-dozen shoots and must say that it is becoming a very natural part of my work. I find that after a rather brief adjustment period, I don’t feel as though it is an inconvenience at all to use. In fact, I think it has made it easier for me to shoot. And the final result, I have absolutely noticed that I have discarded fewer images, both in-studio and outdoors, for camera shake.

Labels: tutorial

image by Scott Jarvie

One of my photography resolutions for the new year was to use a monopod for the majority of my shooting. The reason is quite simple: to create sharper images.

Two photographers whose work I greatly admire, Kenneth Linge and Yuri Arcurs, use a monopod the majority of the time. Kenneth (international award winning wedding/portrait photographer) uses his mostly while shooting outdoor portraits with a 70-200 lens using available light, and Yuri (one of the top selling stock photographers in the world) uses his for all his commercial work. The final thing that pushed me over the edge to begin using this piece of equipment was this video that Yuri posted on his blog:

The statement that Yuri makes in the video that you don’t want to be throwing out your #1 pick when selecting images because of blur hit home with me. Having absolute perfect focus on stock photography is critical, and I have had to often discard an image because of slight camera shake.

Kenneth Linge using his monopod

One thing that has happened since I have begun with the monopod is that I have received numerous requests about the equipment I am using. My setup is very similar to the one Yuri describes in the video. The great part is that I already had most of the pieces and only had to add the relatively inexpensive monopod to complete my kit. And guess what? My mother knew what I wanted and I found it under the tree on Christmas morning (Thanks mom!).

Here are the pieces I have assembled for my setup:

Monopod: Manfrotto 334B Automatic Monopod
Head: Manfrotto 488RC2 Ball Head
Bracket: Custom Brackets QRS-H2 rotating bracket

For the bracket, I use the QRS-H2 which normally has a flash mount. I have removed the mount (simple to do using an allen wrench) for everyday use. The reason I use this bracket versus the more compact Digital PRO-SV is twofold. The first reason is that I already had this bracket (hey, I saved +$200), and the second reason is that I can attach the flash mounting arm if I am shooting in a scenario where I need the strobe.

I have now used this setup for a half-dozen shoots and must say that it is becoming a very natural part of my work. I find that after a rather brief adjustment period, I don’t feel as though it is an inconvenience at all to use. In fact, I think it has made it easier for me to shoot. And the final result, I have absolutely noticed that I have discarded fewer images, both in-studio and outdoors, for camera shake.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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The plans have been finalized for the February Photowalking Utah events and they are going to be great. We will be having two separate but related events. The theme is “Studio Lighting” and since it tends to be a bit cold this time of year in Northern Utah, both will be indoors.

FEBRUARY 19th – Mini Clinic

On the evening of Thursday February 19th, I will be facilitating a mini-clinic at the City Library in Salt Lake City. The theme of the clinic is “How to Get Great Studio Lighting Results for Under $250”. In the session, I will be demonstrating how to shoot portraits with extremely inexpensive (cheap?) lights and get professional results. I will be using a model and shooting with a tethered camera so everyone can immediately see the results.

Handouts of all the lighting setups will be provided. If time permits, I will also demonstrate with the help of Harley Pebley a “Strobist” style setup using a couple of Speedlights on stands with umbrellas.

Date: Thursday February 19th
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: Free

FEBRUARY 21st – Studio Lighting Photowalk

In a repeat of last year’s most popular Photowalking Utah event, we will again be doing an indoor “Studio Lighting” photowalk. The event will feature six different studios set up within a large conference room. Participants will be able to walk to each setup photography station and try their hand at shooting. Models will be provided along with assistance from the host photographer at each station.

This year we will be working to create a variation in the type of lighting setups provided. This will give the participants a way to work with a large variation of portrait lighting arrangements.

I have arranged with several of my stock models to help us out. Just like the previous event, we are suggesting a $3-5 “tip” given that will be put in a pool and divided up among the models after the event. This is purely optional but it really helps to have dedicated models available for the photographers to shoot and this is a great way to compensate them for their time. I’ve got a pretty diverse group confirmed so far including different ages / genders / looks.

For those photographers that aren’t carrying around digital SLR’s, don’t worry. We will have a way to sync point-and-shoot cameras via slave to at least a couple of the setups. Everyone is welcome at these events regardless of skill or equipment. There will even be some higher end gear available to borrow.

Our friends at Pictureline have again donated a bunch of photography ‘swag’ to be used for door prizes at the “Pictureline Prize Table”.

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday February 21st
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Gateway Community Church, 584 E 12300 South – Draper
Cost: Free (though a suggested model tip of $3-5 is appreciated)

If you’re planning on attending, please drop an RSVP into the ongoing discussion thread on the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group. Here’s the link.

For any questions, please feel free to contact me at rich@leggnet.com or 801.259.3500.

Labels: photowalking

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The plans have been finalized for the February Photowalking Utah events and they are going to be great. We will be having two separate but related events. The theme is “Studio Lighting” and since it tends to be a bit cold this time of year in Northern Utah, both will be indoors.

FEBRUARY 19th – Mini Clinic

On the evening of Thursday February 19th, I will be facilitating a mini-clinic at the City Library in Salt Lake City. The theme of the clinic is “How to Get Great Studio Lighting Results for Under $250”. In the session, I will be demonstrating how to shoot portraits with extremely inexpensive (cheap?) lights and get professional results. I will be using a model and shooting with a tethered camera so everyone can immediately see the results.

Handouts of all the lighting setups will be provided. If time permits, I will also demonstrate with the help of Harley Pebley a “Strobist” style setup using a couple of Speedlights on stands with umbrellas.

Date: Thursday February 19th
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Salt Lake City Main Library – 210 E 400 South, Conf. room #4, 4th floor
Cost: Free

FEBRUARY 21st – Studio Lighting Photowalk

In a repeat of last year’s most popular Photowalking Utah event, we will again be doing an indoor “Studio Lighting” photowalk. The event will feature six different studios set up within a large conference room. Participants will be able to walk to each setup photography station and try their hand at shooting. Models will be provided along with assistance from the host photographer at each station.

This year we will be working to create a variation in the type of lighting setups provided. This will give the participants a way to work with a large variation of portrait lighting arrangements.

I have arranged with several of my stock models to help us out. Just like the previous event, we are suggesting a $3-5 “tip” given that will be put in a pool and divided up among the models after the event. This is purely optional but it really helps to have dedicated models available for the photographers to shoot and this is a great way to compensate them for their time. I’ve got a pretty diverse group confirmed so far including different ages / genders / looks.

For those photographers that aren’t carrying around digital SLR’s, don’t worry. We will have a way to sync point-and-shoot cameras via slave to at least a couple of the setups. Everyone is welcome at these events regardless of skill or equipment. There will even be some higher end gear available to borrow.

Our friends at Pictureline have again donated a bunch of photography ‘swag’ to be used for door prizes at the “Pictureline Prize Table”.

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday February 21st
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Gateway Community Church, 584 E 12300 South – Draper
Cost: Free (though a suggested model tip of $3-5 is appreciated)

If you’re planning on attending, please drop an RSVP into the ongoing discussion thread on the Photowalking Utah Flickr Group. Here’s the link.

For any questions, please feel free to contact me at rich@leggnet.com or 801.259.3500.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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I’ve been an active user of Twitter for over nine months. In that time I have come to depend on this great social-networking tool for keeping in touch with a lot of fellow photographers.

If you don’t know what Twitter is, it is kind of hard to explain. It is a micro-blogging service that allows users to post 140 character updates. These updates are then sent to other Twitter members who are “following” the user. Users can decide they follow and can block people from following them (if they desire).

The majority of the people I follow are related to photography. They are photographers, designers, industry people and the like. In keeping with this theme, the most of my updates (Tweets) are photography and tech related.

When I am working on my production iMac (usually editing images), I keep Twitter running on the second computer. I find this is a great way to keep in touch without having to be “actively” chatting with people. If I see something come across that I want to reply to, I can. Otherwise I just watch occasionally read the updates as they scroll by.

One of the best uses I have found for Twitter is using it as a source of quick information. If I have a question (again, usually photography related), I can ask it to my Twitter followers and I will usually get a pretty quick answer. As an example of this, I just asked this rather generic question on my Twitter feed:

“How many photogs carry a backup camera with them when you shoot? Is it a DSLR or Point and Shoot? Same model as primary or an older one?”

And within a minute, I’ve received a couple of replies. The first one came from local photographer Mike Calanan and the second one from St. Louis photographer Dan Zimmerman:

(Edit: After 15 minutes, I received an additional 6 replies to the question)

One thing about Twitter that I have learned in both the updates of users I follow and my own is to provide a bit of substance. As I mentioned, I like to keep my tweets photography related and link to outside sources when relevant. There are users that blast meaningless junk into their feed, and these are the ones I avoid.

Bad Tweets (fictitious)

twittgrls123 OMG, I just at teh most AWFUL sanwich. PB with tomatos on rye. YUKKK!

mlm_guru_123 Make $10,000 this month!!! You’re an idiot if you don’t do MLM. Click this link ——> jkfdsjkldfs.com

Good Tweets (real examples)

ramseeker New blog post: How to Upgrade Memory in Apple Mac Mini 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo http://tinyurl.com/cdjh2p

hawridger New post at PB: Canon 1D Mark IIIn Rumor Update http://tinyurl.com/dn9ct2

When someone follows me on Twitter, I take a look at their last 20 or so updates and make a quick judgment on whether I want to follow them back. If I see any marketing or “Get Rich Quick” posts I don’t follow them. If I see photography or tech information, I usually will. I follow about 1/2 the amount of people who follow me.

So, how do you get started. It is simple. Go to http://twitter.com/signup and do just that, sign up. It is free and easy. Once you have your account, find a Twitter user with similar interests and click “Follow”. You can also look at who they are following and see if any of those members are ones you’d like to add to your network.

Once you’ve done that, begin posting updates and replying to others. You will be amazed at how quickly it will become a useful tool in your online life.

To follow my Twitter updates, go to http://twitter.com/leggnet

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I’ve been an active user of Twitter for over nine months. In that time I have come to depend on this great social-networking tool for keeping in touch with a lot of fellow photographers.

If you don’t know what Twitter is, it is kind of hard to explain. It is a micro-blogging service that allows users to post 140 character updates. These updates are then sent to other Twitter members who are “following” the user. Users can decide they follow and can block people from following them (if they desire).

The majority of the people I follow are related to photography. They are photographers, designers, industry people and the like. In keeping with this theme, the most of my updates (Tweets) are photography and tech related.

When I am working on my production iMac (usually editing images), I keep Twitter running on the second computer. I find this is a great way to keep in touch without having to be “actively” chatting with people. If I see something come across that I want to reply to, I can. Otherwise I just watch occasionally read the updates as they scroll by.

One of the best uses I have found for Twitter is using it as a source of quick information. If I have a question (again, usually photography related), I can ask it to my Twitter followers and I will usually get a pretty quick answer. As an example of this, I just asked this rather generic question on my Twitter feed:

“How many photogs carry a backup camera with them when you shoot? Is it a DSLR or Point and Shoot? Same model as primary or an older one?”

And within a minute, I’ve received a couple of replies. The first one came from local photographer Mike Calanan and the second one from St. Louis photographer Dan Zimmerman:

(Edit: After 15 minutes, I received an additional 6 replies to the question)

One thing about Twitter that I have learned in both the updates of users I follow and my own is to provide a bit of substance. As I mentioned, I like to keep my tweets photography related and link to outside sources when relevant. There are users that blast meaningless junk into their feed, and these are the ones I avoid.

Bad Tweets (fictitious)

twittgrls123 OMG, I just at teh most AWFUL sanwich. PB with tomatos on rye. YUKKK!

mlm_guru_123 Make $10,000 this month!!! You’re an idiot if you don’t do MLM. Click this link ——> jkfdsjkldfs.com

Good Tweets (real examples)

ramseeker New blog post: How to Upgrade Memory in Apple Mac Mini 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo http://tinyurl.com/cdjh2p

hawridger New post at PB: Canon 1D Mark IIIn Rumor Update http://tinyurl.com/dn9ct2

When someone follows me on Twitter, I take a look at their last 20 or so updates and make a quick judgment on whether I want to follow them back. If I see any marketing or “Get Rich Quick” posts I don’t follow them. If I see photography or tech information, I usually will. I follow about 1/2 the amount of people who follow me.

So, how do you get started. It is simple. Go to http://twitter.com/signup and do just that, sign up. It is free and easy. Once you have your account, find a Twitter user with similar interests and click “Follow”. You can also look at who they are following and see if any of those members are ones you’d like to add to your network.

Once you’ve done that, begin posting updates and replying to others. You will be amazed at how quickly it will become a useful tool in your online life.

To follow my Twitter updates, go to http://twitter.com/leggnet

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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My most recent stock photo shoot was a poker themed session. I had a few particular shots in mind when designing the shoot, and I was able to get pretty close to my ideas with the final products.

For the shoot, I borrowed a small poker table along with some generic cards and chips from a card playing friend. The table wasn’t as authentic looking as a real casino table would be in wide shots, but it worked nicely for the close-up style of images I had in mind when planning the shoot.

I brought five guys in to model for the shoot, and they had a great time playing the part of “players”. Some of the shots are particularly authentic since the models were actually playing hands of poker as I shot. We did several various setups including a home poker party, a blackjack dealer and a tournament player.

I am not sure of the demand by buyers for poker themed stock images, but I will soon be finding out.

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My most recent stock photo shoot was a poker themed session. I had a few particular shots in mind when designing the shoot, and I was able to get pretty close to my ideas with the final products.

For the shoot, I borrowed a small poker table along with some generic cards and chips from a card playing friend. The table wasn’t as authentic looking as a real casino table would be in wide shots, but it worked nicely for the close-up style of images I had in mind when planning the shoot.

I brought five guys in to model for the shoot, and they had a great time playing the part of “players”. Some of the shots are particularly authentic since the models were actually playing hands of poker as I shot. We did several various setups including a home poker party, a blackjack dealer and a tournament player.

I am not sure of the demand by buyers for poker themed stock images, but I will soon be finding out.

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 200

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/250 second, f/4, ISO 100

LeggNet’s Digital Capture
© Rich Legg, Inc. All rights reserved.