LeggNet's Digital Capture

Yes, it is time again for Photowalking Utah to make its annual trek to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to photograph the holiday lights on display. This will be the 5th year in a row to hold this event.  It really doesn’t seem that long ago that we held our first Holiday Light Photowalk.

This year’s event will be held on Tuesday December 20th beginning at 7:00 pm.  The group will meet at the statue located at Main Street and South Temple.  From there we will venture onto the Temple Square grounds to photographically capture this year’s wonderful lighting display.

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but PLEASE dress WARMLY!  Nothing can take the fun out of this event quicker than a frozen extremity.  Tripods are also highly recommended.  For those photographers who do not have a lot of experience taking nighttime photos, there will be several Photowalking Utah volunteers on hand to assist in capturing a great shot.

As always, there is absolutely no charge to participate in this event. Photographers of ANY skill level are invited to join in.

Head on over to the Photowalking Utah Facebook group if you have any questions or would simply like to say you’re coming. I hope to see a great group on the 20th.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/9, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

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

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

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/8, ISO 160

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/1200 second, f/16, ISO 200

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/5, ISO 400

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/2 second, f/2.8, ISO 200

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/125 second, f/2, ISO 200

Mona Lisa, Louvre Museum – Paris, France

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/105 second, f/2, ISO 3200

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/4, ISO 125

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/500 second, f/22, ISO 100

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

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

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

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/9, ISO 100

Canon Powershot G11 – 1/800 second, f/5.6, ISO 200

I have been asked to be a host of an iStockphoto photography event in Utah this September. iStock events are called “Lypses” so this event is labeled as the Utahlypse.

Since there was such strong interest in the 20 available spots, we opted to have a random drawing to select the participating photographers.  Instead of doing a simple drawing, Nicole and I decided to do something a little more ambitious.

Here is the result 🙂

Huge thanks to everyone involved in putting this together: Nicole, Todd, Harley, Natalie, Diane, Renee, Cal & Robin.

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/340 second, f/2, ISO 1000

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

Fujifilm Finepix X100 – 1/90 second, f/5.6, ISO 200

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/9.0, ISO 100

iPhone 4 – Captured with Pro HDR, processed with Instagram

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 125

(Movie theater audience photoshoot in 2010 with nearly 100 extras – © Rich Legg)

I have had another stock photo concept bouncing around in my head for several months and now it is time to execute that idea. What’s the idea? A series of images for my stock portfolio depicting a realistic graveside funeral service with a large group in attendance.  Contrary to many stock photos that take a humorous or dark spin on portraying a funeral, we are putting together a realistic looking solemn and respectful scene.

I have been assembling the needed items (securing a venue, arranging props, etc.) over the past couple of weeks and I am at the place now where it’s time to ask for volunteers to be in the audience. So here are the details:

Date: Saturday July 9th, 2011
Time: 8:00 – 10:30 am
Where: Riverton area of Salt Lake Valley
Who: Anyone willing to participate (and sign a model release)

What I am looking for is models of all ages to be in the audience. Each person will need to fill out and sign (or if under 18, have a parent/guardian sign) a model release prior to the photos being taken.

For compensation, each member of the audience will receive a coupon redeemable for one free portrait or headshot taken by me in my studio in Draper. In addition, I will have numerous gift cards and prizes that we will be given away by random drawing during the shoot.

So, if you or your family & friends are in the Salt Lake area and are interested in participating in this photo shoot, please drop me an email at rich(at)leggnet.com, telephone me at 801.568.1000 or RSVP on our Facebook Event Page (LINK).

I promise one thing – even though it is a funeral, it will be fun 🙂

I’ve been taking a few pics this weekend with the new Olympus XZ-1 point-and-shoot camera that I’m demoing for my friends at Pictureline.  They wanted a few sample images that go beyond the usual snapshots taken around the store.

Here’s a quick studio shot of Elisabeth we did this morning while setting up for a studio rental.  It’s a pretty impressive little camera with a fast (f/1.8) lens and great features.

Olympus XZ-1 Camera – 1/125 second, f/2.8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/50 second, f/4, ISO 800

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/500 second, f/5.6, ISO 200

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 800

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/1250 second, f/4, ISO 100

Apple iPhone 4 – 1/500 second, f/2.8, ISO 80

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/3200 second, f/4, ISO 200

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

Canon Powershot G11 – 1/320 second, f/8, ISO 80

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/5.6, ISO 100

4th Annual Studio Lighting Photowalk

In a repeat of the past three year’s most popular Photowalking Utah event, we will again be doing an indoor “Studio Lighting” photowalk. The event will feature eight 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.

Again 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 variety of portrait lighting arrangements.

I have arranged with several 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.

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday March 19th
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 (link).

To learn more about this popular outing, here is a great video recap that our friend Jeremy Hall did of last year’s event:

For any questions, please feel free to contact me at rich@leggnet.com or 801.568.1000.

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/80 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

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

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

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/4.5, ISO 100

It always makes me smile when I find one of my stock photos in my mailbox.

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

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

Here’s my very first Editorial Use Only submission to my portfolio at iStockphoto.  Now to see if it passes inspection.

Canon 5D, Canon 50 f/1.4 lens – 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/15 second, f/8, ISO 100

I’m back in Utah after spending a great week in Tokyo.  Now, if only I could find a remedy for the jet lag.  The Eastbound Narita/SLC trip really wipes me out 🙁

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50 f/1.4 lens – 1/10 second, f/2.8, ISO 100

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/4, ISO 400

(photo by Erika Kume)

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50 f/1.4 lens – 1/400 second, f/2.8, ISO 400

…or is is Headed West on a Plane Flying East?

I’m headed back over to Japan for a few days to spend some time with a friend and do some photography.  Instead of the typical stock images like I captured in November (LINK), this time I plan on shooting a more organic type of image out-and-about in Tokyo.  With iStock’s upcoming Editorial Collection, this style of pic should fit in nicely.

Canon 5D, Canon 50 f/1.4 lens – 1/500 second, f/3.2, ISO 400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 400

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/9, ISO 100

Note:  Last July I wrote the following post on the blog about my studio rental business.  I must say that over the past six months I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of rental business that has happened.  The variety of photographers who have created great images in my studio is remarkable.  Thank you everyone who has become one of my “rental clients”.  I look forward to continuing to grow the rental business in 2011.

-Rich

With the move into my new studio a couple months back and the ramping up of my studio rental business, I’ve received more than a couple questions asking why I would want to do this.  I thought I’d use a few words on the blog today to chat about my studio and how it fits into what I do.

My original 500 square foot studio evolved out of necessity.  It was originally my real estate office (yeah, I might not look like it now – but I was once a Realtor).  In 2007 as my stock photo sales took off it became readily apparent for my own sanity that I needed a space outside the house for my camera and lighting equipment to be set up.  The obvious choice was the office.  Even though the office was not the ideal floorplan for a studio, when we (Harley, Dale & myself) removed the walls it became a usable space.

Once my lighting equipment was in a dedicated space, I found that it helped my creativity immensely.  Knowing that I could leave the house and be shooting in under 15 minutes led to many spontaneous (and successful) photo shoots that would not have happened if all the gear were packed away in their cases at the house.  I used the old studio for 3 years and created MANY successful stock images within its four walls.

After being prompted by a call from a photographer in 2008, I also began quietly renting the space out to other photographers.  I really didn’t advertise it much for rental, partially I have to admit because I felt it really didn’t live up to being a “real studio” in my mind.  That being said however, I did rent it out 8-10 times a year.

Roll the clock ahead to 2010.  With the drop in retail lease rates over the previous year or so and new space becoming available in my current building, I decided it was time to pull-the-trigger and build a studio specifically designed for my photography.  With the help of an awesome landlord, I nearly doubled my usable space and created what I dubbed Studio 2.0. Now the funny thing is that between shooting on location and home-office Photoshop work I only use the studio at most a couple times a week.  It was because of this that I decided to up the game when it came to renting out the studio.

I’ve got two main reasons for renting out the space.  The first (and probably most obvious) is that it helps offset my monthly expenses.  Anyone who has ever owned a business and leased space knows that the rent paid is just the beginning of what it costs each month.  A few rental dollars a week is nice to have when it comes time to pay these expenses.  The second reason is that since I have been blessed immensely in doing what I do for a living, I like the idea of being able to use this blessing to help other photographers – and an affordable rental studio is a sure way to do that.

With the rollout of the new RICH.LEGG.PHOTOGRAPHER website last week (richlegg.com), I now have a dedicated section for studio rental.  The prices for using the space start as low as $30 for one hour (which includes use of lights) up to multi-day rates.  Over the past month I have had eight different photographers either use it or reserve time (some numerous times), so it appears to be working.  Going forward, the challenge for me will be to plan ahead and schedule myself in the studio during the busy rental periods.

My primary business will continue to be the creation and licensing of quality stock photos.  But being in the studio rental game is a nice secondary interest.  To check out more information on renting the studio click on the Studio Rental tab up top or drop me a note at rich@leggnet.com.

Over the past month or so I have really grown to enjoy using the iPhone camera application Instagram.  Its simplicity of use along with the various effect filters move it to the top of my “go to” snapshot camera list.  This week I am sharing some of my favorite pics taken with the app.  Merry Christmas!

Over the past month or so I have really grown to enjoy using the iPhone camera application Instagram.  Its simplicity of use along with the various effect filters move it to the top of my “go to” snapshot camera list.  This week I am sharing some of my favorite pics taken with the app.  Enjoy!

Over the past month or so I have really grown to enjoy using the iPhone camera application Instagram.  Its simplicity of use along with the various effect filters move it to the top of my “go to” snapshot camera list.  This week I am sharing some of my favorite pics taken with the app.  Enjoy!