Ramblings of a Photographer

State Fair Video

2010-09-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

Still Playing Catch Up

2010-09-07T13:40:00.001-05:00

Spent most of the Labor Day weekend laboring over what seems to be and endless backlog of projects. I think I can see a twinkle of light at the end of the tunnel though. Below is a video from last Saturday's shoot.

Heather and Kenny

2010-09-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

Spent most of this week catching up on a backlog of work. Here is another wedding video that was completed this week. Maybe I can get back on track with Project 52 before next Friday.

Update and New Video

2010-09-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

I has been a while since I posted last and I have missed the last several weeks of my Project 52. I have been busy trying to sell my other business which I successfully closed last Friday. Hopefully that will allow more time to update. While you wait.....enjoy one of our latest videos of Erik and Kayte.

Project 52 - Week 31

2010-07-30T08:03:00.004-05:00

Nikon D300s 1/400 sec @ f5 ISO 500 Processed in Lightroom 3

Project 52 - Week 30

2010-07-23T09:12:00.000-05:00

D300s w/ 85mm/1.8 lens. shot at 1/250 sec @ 2.8. ISO 2000

Project 52 - Week 29

2010-07-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

D300s with 70-200/2.8 Lens shot at 1/640 sec @2.8. Processed in lightroom

Project 52 - Week 28

2010-07-09T09:54:00.003-05:00

Shot with Droid Mobile Phone Camera - Processed in Lightroom 2

Project 52 - Week 27

2010-07-02T08:26:00.005-05:00

Nikon D200 300/2.8 lens ISO 1250 1/8000 at 2.8
I was shooting baseball action recently and loved this scene as the lights came on in the park.

Fun Clip From Recent Wedding

2010-06-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Just a fun clip from a recent wedding. We are still working with video at every event trying our hand at new things. We hope to go "LIVE" with a product in 2011 but there is still a lot to learn. We have to figure out not only how to shoot, the equipment need, but also how to fit the captured footage into our work flow.

Project 52 - Week 26

2010-06-25T08:11:00.001-05:00

Nikon D300s & 70-200/2.8 Shot at 1000 sec f2.8 ISO 400. Processed in lightroom.

Project 52 - Week 25

2010-06-18T08:08:00.000-05:00

Nikon D300s 70-200/2.8 Shot at 1000 sec f2.8 ISO 400. Processed in Nik Sliver Effects Pro.

Project 52 - Week 24

2010-06-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

A few weeks back we were shooting a job inside of an old bank building. Nikon D200 w/ 17-50/2.8. Shot at 200 sec f6.3 ISO 400.

Project 52 - Week 23

2010-06-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

Cell Phone Cam - Processed in LR

Project 52 - Week 22

2010-05-28T09:09:00.001-05:00

Cell Phone Cam - Image processed in Lightroom

Project 52 - Week 21

2010-05-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

Cell Phone Cam - Processed in Lightroom

Project 52 - Week 20

2010-05-14T09:07:00.001-05:00

Cell Phone Cam

Wedding Gear

2010-05-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

I get questions from time to time about the gear I pack when covering a wedding. Below is the typical contents for my bag when I head out to a wedding. All of the gear is transported to the wedding in my ThinkTank Airport Acceleration. Once we are onsite, I grab my Speed Demon Beltpack and load it up with 2 SB600, 85mm, 10.5mm, batteries, and CF Cards. I put the 17-50 on my D300s and the 70-200 on the D200. Both cameras have a SB800. This will cover 99% of all of the pre-ceremony shots except the formals. Depending on the situation with the formals, I reach for either the Ultra 600 or my SB600. Couple those light with the CyberSyncs or CLS.

D300s Primary
D200 Backup
2-SB800
2-SB600
1-Paul Buff Ultra w/power cord & reflector
10.5mm/2.8
17-50/2.8
70-200/2.8
85/1.8
50/1.8
Hoodman Loupe
Lens Cloth
40 AA Batteries
10 CF Cards in Pixel Pocket Rocket
2 CyberSync Transmitters
4 CyberSnyc Receivers
2-SC-29 Cords
Several Snoots/Flags
2-Umbrellas
5 in 1 Reflector
2-Umbrella Adapters
2-Light Stands
2-Justin Clamps
Gaffer Tape
Various Flash Filters

My wife is packing another D200 with a 24-70/2.8 or a 50/1.8 and an SB800. She likes to travel lighter than I do.

I have worked myself into this equipment after years of experience and lots of weddings. I still review my bag about once a year and decide if there is anything I can live without. If it hasn't been used in the last 6 months, chances are it will not be in my bag much longer.

Project 52 - Week 19

2010-05-07T10:55:00.001-05:00

Nikon D200 300/2.8 Lens. 1/2500 sec at f4.5 iso 320

ZipShot

2010-05-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Last week I took a chance on a product that I had my eye on for several months. The ZipShot Tripod is made by Tamrac. It weighs 11 ozs and opens up to 44 inches. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't support the weight of a pro DSLR. Once I opened it up and extended the legs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite stable with my D300s and a 17-50/2.8 lens. There are a lot of things that it won't do but it is great when used within its limitations.

I have also used various attachments to attach speedlights and use it as a third lightstand. You can also attach an umbrella holder so you are not limited to a bare speedlight.

I won't be giving up my full blown tripod anytime soon, but this will be a welcomed addition to my toolkit. Well worth the 50 bucks.

Project 52 - Week 18

2010-04-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

Interesting things are all around us. You just have to stop and look. Nikon D300s 70-200/2.8 ISO 200 1/1250 sec @ f3.5 130mm

Project 52 - Week 17

2010-04-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Seems to be a recurring theme here. Has me thinking of a new personal project. Nikon D300s 70-200/2.8 lens shot at 1/800 sec f3.5 iso 200

Video Interview with HDSLR

2010-04-20T07:56:00.002-05:00

This is a follow up to a previous post. Our job as digital storytellers is to capture and preserve the memories around us. The younger readers might not see the true value in this yet, but us less young people will. I wish that I had video of the stories from my grandparents. Three of the four are gone but before this year is finished, I want to preserve the memory of all of the elderly in my family. They lived in a different era. They remember party lines, the first TV's, and watching man on the moon for the first time. They have lived through some of the toughest times this country has seen. Their wisdom is astonishing. You don't need the latest HDSLR's to capture these memories. Use what you have.

The interview was shot with the D300s and some really simple lighting. We used one 10.5 inch work light from home depot and another smaller work light. I positioned the bigger light camera left and ran it through a umbrella we use in our still photography. I was noticing some noise in the background even after I turned on all of the available "house light" so the other light was behind the subject and camera right pointed at the background. White balance proved to be a real issue and I hadn't had much time to play with the camera. A quick online search gave me the instructions for custom white balance. This proved to be my answer. This is my wife's father. Since she knew most of the stories she wanted to preserve, we positioned her just out of frame and she helped guide the conversation. The interview ran over 90 minutes and we still haven't had a chance to edit. What you see is straight out of camera.

Mr. White grew up in rural Arkansas. This is just a glimpse of his story........

Dury's Photo - Nashville

2010-04-16T20:41:00.000-05:00

Talk about great customer service. I can't say enough good things about https://www.durys.com/ I recently went in to look at some new gear my wife needed. I knew that I wanted to purchase a Thinktank Speed Belt and some of the modular components for the belt. After browsing for a bit, I was unable to locate anything other than the speed belt. Robert approached and I asked about the items I wanted and he took great pleasure in assisting me. He helped me to locate the other modular components. I also wanted to take a look at a Think Tank camera bag. Neither of us could locate it on the floor so Robert checked the computer. He ran toward the back of the store and reappeared 5 minutes later with the exact bag I was hunting. He discussed in great detail the pros and cons of the Airstream vs. other Think Tank bags.

Before checkout, I told him that I had already checked online at a couple of the New York places I order. I knew the prices were in line but New York also offered free shipping. Robert ran his magic fingers across the keyboard and matched the online price. I always want to buy local and it makes it an easy decision when the local guys go out of their way with great service and a great price. If you are in Nashville, be sure to check out their store. If not, check them out online. You can't beat these guys.

Project 52 - Week Sixteen

2010-04-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

Nikon D300s 17-50/2.8. Shot at ISO 200 1/30sec @2.8. Processed in Lightroom