DJ

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So my friend Joe is a DJ and asked me to visit him at one of his jobs. Here's a few of the photos. Very dark room with lights, always love the challenge. 

 

The range

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     Met up with Justin & Seth at the range today. I was going to shoot a little bit with my camera and then the gun. It was an awesome time, despite the freezing cold.  Seth and Justin got all setup, setting a target down range and clearing off some of the snow in our area. 

     Seth is ex-military and an amazing shot, pistol or rifle. Justin is something more of an intense hobbyist. Justin makes his own ammo and explained it to me in great detail, I would hurt myself at some point if I did my own i'm sure.  Justin always has the coolest toys.

     After getting the chance to do some shooting of my own I realized that I really need to get my own LTC (License to carry). It was fun and especially more gratifying when I hit the steel target 100 yards away, the small tin noise it produces makes it all worth it.  Seth is actually able to hit the 100 yard target with just a pistol.  I was very impressed after hearing about the army's proficiency at the range and seeing it in person.

      By the end of my time there It was getting really hard to shoot. My body was shaking so much that I could barely hit the target dead center like I usually do.  Of course i'm joking, but it was a bit cold and my fingers were getting numb and I also had to get going for a meeting. So it was nice to climb back into my Prius with the heat cranked and a cold bottle of water. So here's a few photos from the afternoon. Thanks again to Justin & Seth for bringing me along.

Take a picture of me!!!!!

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So whenever I shoot events for something very specific I always have people that come up to me and ask to have their photo taken. After i've taken the photo the people walk away and never ask about the photos? 

I'm sure other photographers deal with this as well. The most recent was two nights ago at a college prom at the DCU center. I was there to take photos of my friend who was DJ'ing and concentrating on taking photos of his equipment and lights. While I was doing this people asked me several times for photos and then walking away without even asking to see the photo. 

 

#firstworldphotographerproblems

Why wedding photography.

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So wedding photography is the bane of photography, according to some of my photographer friends. No so, it's an olympic challenge of sorts. You have one day to get everything captured and to put on a wonderful show. You are the bride and groom's cheerleader for the day whether you know it or not. You're going to be the one telling them how awesome they look or how good the food was as well as how to cut the cake or pinning a boutonniere.

     I will also mention that you get to spend the day with two people having one of the best, most memorable days they will ever have. I can't remember a wedding that i've shot where I haven't laughed or gotten a tear from someones speech.  There's also the kids that you get to know and hang with at the wedding, they're the best. By the end of the wedding sometimes i'm getting hugs from them which always surprises me. Kids hug if they like you and you forget that if you're not around them normally.

     There's also the whole thing of being a technical mastermind and artist for an entire day, two families depending on you for documenting everything. You're going to run into lighting issues and logistical problems but at the end of the day if you kept your head on a swivel and had lots of memory cards and batteries then you probably did pretty damn good. All my past English teachers are rolling over in their grave at that run on sentence. :) 

Giant kid gets feedback.

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One of the major perks of being a photographer is that you get better because of feedback from friends, family, clients and your facebook fans or elsewhere. In some way you're like a giant little kid asking how do you like my photo how do you like my photo. That's one of the perks of being a photographer, getting that attention regularly and getting to work with beautiful people. 

The one bad thing about having friends and family check out your photos are positive feedback, they're not going to give it to you straight. Don't believe me, put an average picture up and see what responses you get.

As a photographer when i post an okay picture i usually get a few likes or maybe a single comment. When i post an amazing picture it gets shared and gets dozens of likes and an average of 6 to 8 comments.  When i want real commentary i will ask other photographers to give me real feedback and then when they do i ask them to give me real feedback and usually i get it.

That's how you're going to get better, but getting real feedback and adjusting your style, composition and technique. Again, stop being so terrible and get better.

So you just bought a DSLR

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Going to keep this one short and sweet. At various street festivals around Worcester MA I always see lots of people with DSLR's. I always, always want to go and correct every one of them in some manner or other.

So here's some basic things you should know. Don't change your lens with your body facing out into the air, treat it like an open wound while in-between lenses.  Change your lenses as quickly as possible to minimize dust and debris floating in. Dust on your sensor will show up in every single picture you take.

Don't put the camera around your neck, loop it under your arm. Having it under your arm and at your side allows you to protect it a bit better.  No longer will your camera swing into random things everytime you turn your body. Black Rapid makes an excellent camera strap called the R Strap and it allows you to leave your camera hanging down at your side at all times.

Pop up flash, don't do it! Shooting someone with flash straight on ruins the picture, think about a deer in headlights; no ones happy. Pop up flash is okay for crime scene photos or documenting a grizzly murder but when it comes to your photos you don't want anything to do with it. Consider hopping on amazon or ebay and finding a flash gun for your DSLR. Basically a flash that slides into your hot shot on your camera and allows you to bounce the flash off a ceiling or wall or other to create something far more pleasing. There are also many adapters for your flash gun such as reflectors or Gary Fond light sphere or a mini softbox. You can also use a cord or pocket wizard to bring the flash away from the camera long enough to get the right shot.

Take off the lens cap. You can scrap the front element all you want and it won't effect your pictures, just don't mess with the rear element. If you make one little scratch in your real element, kiss good pictures goodbye. Lens caps should only be used for storage. Don't be lame.

Introduction

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If I was a well versed writer or of great wit I could ensure that you would enjoy what follows, that's not going to happen. I apologize for my run on sentences and often poorly written descriptions. 

I've always documented my existence through pictures and a well maintained collection of cheap leather photo albums. Now as an adult I have turned a hobby into a profession and turned many of my clients photos into cherished memories. 

This blog is to help me grow as a photographer and person, and in that order as well. I'm consistently learning new things about photography and every day figuring out myself a little more. I hope to share some valuable insights and thoughts with everyone and or entertain you with mishaps or fortunes. 

So now that I'm reading this back to myself all I hear is a crummy foreword by a lesser known person of interest. This is the beginning of my blog, hopefully the content will outweigh grammar and vocabulary.

Behind the scenes at Button Tree Kids shoot

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So my sister is a photographer as well and I helped her out with some lighting advice and posing kids at one of her shoots. Here's some behind the scenes photos.  

Where the feet point.

Here I am, literally behind the scene. Pictured with my 1600 Pelican case.

Totally nott creepy. Notice my pilgrim style shoes. Nice

The best job.

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      So as far as i'm concerned one of the best jobs out there is being a photographer.  The harder you work, the more money you make. The more efficient you are, the more money you make. The more creative you are and better at social media you are, the more money you make.  I get to go out there ad do creative things, a dozen times a year or so I get to spend people's happiest day of their lives with them. I will say that having tons of new electronics and toys is a big plus too.

      Right now i'm sick, I have a bad cold and i'm sitting at a Starbucks. I pick Starbucks over a photo studio or my house because i'm essentially paying to be here. I have to make my time count here, I have to do the work. So i'm trying to finish up some edits on my website and engagement photos and wedding photos as well as a few posts on Facebook.  I shot an Arabic wedding last weekend and then six hours later woke up and did a two hour engagement session and then worked my day job for twelve hours or so. It's all very worth it. 

      During my course of edits on my website I realized that I didn't have a blog on my website, well thats not completely correct. I had a blog on my website but it was all very old and I didn't want to share it. I want to keep things fresh on my website, I want new clients and old clients to see only new content on here. So here it is, unpolished and real, expect bad grammar and punctuation.