Current Events

I took these photos a couple weeks ago but I haven't had much time to get them posted yet.  I have been a little more busy as of late so I haven't posted much of anything.  Enjoy!

Get Out & Shoot

If you are an aspiring photographer, pro photographer or a person who simply enjoys photos then my advice to you is "Get Out & Shoot".  Every day I pick up my camera, every day I take at least one photograph (usually 50-150).  Taking pictures is how you learn to become a better photographer.  The photos I take daily are only personal pictures, if I am working that day then I could take hundreds more.  BOTTOM LINE, if you are not out shooting daily someone else is and you will be losing ground to someone else.

With that fine 'how do you do', here are some photos I shot earlier this morning in Spokane, WA.  My friend and I made a plan to head over this morning and just take pictures.  Each of us shot somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 photos.  I was able to get a couple I was happy with but there is always room for improvement (lots of improvement) in my case.  Maybe you might like a few, or, if you think they suck then let me know that too.

Self Portrait........

If you know me then you should know that I hate getting my picture taken.  I have tried to finagle my way out of photos since I could walk.  Funny story actually, there is a family photo of all the men and boys from my dads side of the family, at 2 I have got that pissed look in my eyes while every one around is all smiles.  Trust me, I will post it some time so you can see how much I really hated it.

So what the hell made me get in front of the camera and do a self portrait.  First off, I am working in a new space and it is wonderful to have some extra room.  Second, I love playing with flash.  Third, I was just in one of those goofy moods.  So here's my portrait, I can promise that you won't see too many photos of me ever. 

Out On A Drive

Today was beautiful.  The sun was ducking in and out from behind the clouds which made for wonderful fast changing light.  Days like this are 'contrast' rich which is fun and challenging.  The only downside to the day was the chilly temperatures, I swear every time I stepped out of the truck my hands turned to ice.  Anyways, here are a couple photos that I liked from the day.

As of late I have tried to think about perspective more.  So, I thought why not take a photo from the viewpoint of stripes on the road.  Does it work, maybe.  It is definitely something different compared to how most of my images look.

The second photo was just random.  The light was fading fast and I was on my way home, still cold I might add.  When I saw this old fellow it was a WTF moment.  My first thought was this guy has to be freezing, as I got closer you could see the chill in his bright red face.  I pulled off to the side of the road a little ways ahead of him and waited as he approached.  You can't see it in the photo but in his left hand he was holding his groceries, the nearest store was 4-5 miles away.  When I offered the gentlemen a ride home he kind of chuckled and said "I'm okay, I have only got another 1/2 mile to go". 

Free 5x7 Week 4: Nov. 20 -

As we move into week four I should first announce the winner of last weeks image, congratulations goes out to reader "GSRJ".  Before we move to this weeks photo, I would like to announce a change to the rules.  I won't be giving this weeks image away until we get at least three different contestants.  This could take a day, week or a month but there has to be at least three contestants. 

So, Week 4's image "StreetLight" (I really am not that clever with these names huh?).  As always, I wrote a little something about the photo below.  Good luck people, follow the rules, tell your friends and you might just be getting a 5x7 print.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: I LOVE STREET LIGHTS AND THIS PARTICULAR LIGHT LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN COEUR D'ALENE WAS NO DIFFERENT.  I ADMIT I AM PROBABLY A LITTLE ODD BUT I LIKE 'ODD' AND STREET LIGHTS. 

Goodbye Fall

The leaves still remain but it was cold out. It's hard to see due to the aperture, but, in the far distance you can kind of see the mountains covered in this year's first snow. The sun decided to grace us with its presence for a brief moment but it didn't help the 32 degree temp. It did however make for a couple nice photos.

Free 5x7 Week 3: Nov. 13 - Nov. 19

Winner of this photo was reader "GSRJ".

ABOUT THE IMAGE: THIS IMAGE WAS TAKEN A COUPLE MONTHS AGO NEAR WOLF LODGE ON LAKE COEUR D'ALENE.  THIS SPOT IS GREAT BECAUSE THE SUN GENERALLY IS VISIBLE LONGEST HERE.

Toy Store

These stars, along with lots of other cool stuff, were hanging from the ceiling in a local toy store.  They had some great colors and they really are reminding me of Christmas. 

Random Photos

FREE 5x7 Week 2: Nov. 6 - Nov. 12

"k_melena" was the winner of this photo.  Congratulations and thanks goes out to her.

ABOUT THE PHOTO:  A FRIEND AND I WERE OUT 'PHOTO WALKING' YESTERDAY AND I CAME ACROSS THIS WONDERFUL CHAIN LINK FENCE.  THEY JUST DON'T BUILD THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE.  SO, AS I WAS GLANCING AT THE FENCE I NOTICED THIS PERFECT WINDOW BEHIND IT AND VOILA, THIS IS THE PHOTO THAT TURNED OUT.

FREE 5x7 Week 1: Oct. 29 - Nov. 5

Congratulations to 'GSRJ'.  She is the person who won a FREE 5x7 print of this image.

ABOUT THE PHOTO:  I WAS WALKING BY THIS OLD BRICK SMOKE STACK AND WHEN I GAZED UP AT IT THE CLOUDS HAD POSITIONED THEMSELVES PERFECTLY GIVING THE EFFECT OF SMOKE.  MAYBE NOT MY FAVORITE IMAGE BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT IT THAT I LIKE.

My Favorite Photographers (Dead & Alive)

I have put together a list of some of my favorite photographers, and their work, whom are both dead and alive.  I have given links to all of their websites below.  I might end up making this a permanent link in the sidebar because I think each of these individuals has some amazing stuff that truly inspires.

So here is the list, in no particular order.

Photography & Models

Yesterday I went out and shot with a friend of mine who was just an absolute great model.  It was great to photograph someone who had that natural charisma and happiness.  Going into the session I was looking to get some shots that were geared towards commercial advertising, which I did, but I also wanted to get some portraits for the model.  I am posting one of those portraits in the hopes that it will put a smile on your face. 

The session went great and as you can see she was great from a visual point of view.  Very photogenic.

Nikon Technology: ISO

Alright, it is time for some complaining (actually just one complaint).  I usually don't bitch and moan about cameras but there is one gripe I have with Nikon pro bodies (with the exception of the D3x).  The base ISO on the D3, D3s, D700, D300 and D300s is 200iso.  Now there might be some other bodies I am missing here but I mentioned these bodies because I know all of their base ISO's are 200,  this is creates a problem for me because I use the D700 and D300.

So what is there to pissed of about?

Creating Depth: Photography

Creating depth within your photographs is a technique that is often easier said then done.  Take a second and ponder this next statement.  Create a 3D view of your subject, so that,  your intended audience will be able to view the image on a 2D flat piece of paper. 

How then, are you supposed to compose an image that will show depth in a 2D format?   

The Little Things

Some times it is the little things in life and photography that can brighten your horizons.  Case in point: I finally got a pair of fingerless gloves.  OH YEAH!  Now I feel confident that I can adjust shutter speed, switch aperture and handle my cameras with confidence as the weather turn cold.  Come on, you have to admit, these gloves are so sexy.  That is me by the way getting the feel for things.

 

Photo Editing

The first step that every photographer makes is determining which photos to keep and which ones to get rid of.  HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH PHOTOS YOU WILL KEEP?  There is a reason you are deleting some photos while keeping and working with others.

Okay, here comes the answer, "those photos are good and the others were not so good".  Maybe this universal answer is formulated because people are just too cool to express their actual feelings, or, maybe it is because we as photographers have fallen into an area where we are losing sight of what constitutes strong imagery.  Before every single photographer that reads this throws a shit-fit, answer me this.  If photographers are not losing sight of 'composition' then why do the majority of comments on photo sharing sites say something like "nice shot" or "pretty picture"?

Stock Photography?

Stock Photography is something I have wanted to discuss for quite some time now.  Every one is doing it, right? They must be, if you visit any stock website there are like 8 trillion bazillion photos at each from like 8 trillion bazillion different photographers.  Inevitably there is always the photographer that everyone knows who submits stock and makes like 8 trillion bazillion dollars annually.

Well if your are not 'that guy' and you have more questions then answers, keep reading. I am going to share some key points that I feel everyone should think about even if you are a seasoned pro who has been at the stock game for quite some time.  So here we go!

Photography & Light: Photo Tip #2

The most important aspect of photography is LIGHT.  Yeah you need subject matter, although, if your subject is not lit well then your poor lighting sticks out like a nun in a whore house.  Get the picture, it draws attention away from your subject and places it on nun's in whore house or something like that.  Be aware of your light.

Walk Don't Run: Photo Tip #1

This tip will lend itself best to readers who don't live in a metropolis, although it is a great reminder to all.  SLOW DOWN!  Photography is a visual activity in which you must constantly be aware of your surroundings.  You need to try and find the hidden treasures among us that everyone else speed's by.  If your main transportation is via automobile, then usually, you only concentrate on the destination while passing by potential images.  Walk Don't Run and constantly be looking.

Converse

doors

I have got a 'thing' for them.  It seems like every door I come across that has some visual interest needs to be photographed.

Fall Is Here

The leaves are turning and so they begin to 'fall'.  Keep checking back for many more Fall photos to come. 

Coffee Anyone?

Star Trail Photography

This is a 100 photos stacked on top of one another, each photo was a 30 second exposure.  Yes it is was a pain in the A@#, that has been my personal theme lately for photography.  Pain in the A@# or not, I still love it.  This photo was really rewarding due to the amount of planning and time I put into it.  Hope you enjoy.

Bright Light City

Caboose

YoYo

backup

How Well Do You See Color

Thought I would share this link so you may judge for yourself how well you see color. This has been posted quite a few places on the internet but if you have not tried it yet then it is definitely something you should check out. The best part about the test; it helps to show you how well (or should I say how badly) your monitor is calibrated. If you have a pre-installed color calibration program on your computer then you MIGHT be able to get better results using this test.

Just go check it out. By the way, my score was 8.

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

Just Photos

If you just want to view more photos, then check out my flickr page.  I upload almost daily.

flickr photostream

Spree's Without Color

Check This Out, It Made Me Laugh

So I was searching for a song and I couldn't quite remember it, so, I went to YouTube. I searched what I thought it was and this video came up in the results. Well after I clicked on the song/video I was looking for I went back and checked this out. It was some funny shit, and not to mention unbelievably creative. It is so random and it made my day, go check it out. www.youtube.com/user/jaaaaaaa#play/uploads/38/4h8cGEKzSwI

Editing