Random Thoughts of a Photographer

Ode to my muse

2012-02-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

On this Valentine's day I want to mention the love of my life, my wife, Valerie. This is a photography blog and I want to point out that my wife Valerie is the reason I am able to reach for my photography dreams. She encourages me and always has my back. My photography business would not exist had it not been for the support and cheer-leading of my wife.

Now technically this is not an ode because I'm not much of poet. All of you photographers need to understand that your ability to live your dreams is enhanced by that person that is closest to you. Whether you are married or not that person is the one that will be brutally honest with you at all times.

As I read about great photographers that influence me I see them talking about their wives. I read about Joe McNally's wife Annie and Bob Davis's wife Dawn where they mention them often in the context of their work. It doesn't matter if they are are part of your business (like Dawn Davis) or the lynchpins of your support system, like Annie McNally and Valerie Jackson (not that I can even compare to those icons of photography).

At my core, with Valerie in my life she provides my foundation, my grounding, when I talk about my ideas she listens. When I have a really dumb idea she is the one that brings me back to earth and when I talk about good ideas, she is the one that tweaks it to make it better.

She is the detail person in our lives. Where I have the big ideas she is the one that points out the speck of dust on the framed print or small imperfection on a print. She is the one that make me more professional. Much of the time she edits my writing and she has an amazing ability to edit something and to make many changes-sometimes total rewrites, and yet not change one iota of the meaning that I was trying to say.

She is my most enthusiastic cheerleader, she is the one that first likes my photos on Facebook and one that tells her friends about my work. Where I hold back and let my art speak for itself she is the marketer in the family. She pushes me to reach out beyond my comfort zone.

She encourages me to grow and is tolerant of my obsessions-most of the time. She is there when times are bad and she is by my side when we are successful. I take her for granted too much, but she should know I always revere her and love her and believe that I am a better person because of her.

If you don't have a Valerie in your life you should find one. But not mine, she's is all the good that I value in life. So, happy Valentines day to my wife Valerie.

Fine Art

2012-01-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

One of my great passions in photography has been to photograph the wonders and beauty of nature. Over the years I have taken hundreds (thousands ? ) of shots in the field I recently joined an arts organizaiton called WHAM (What’s Happen’n Art Movement) that supports, advances, and promotes artistic awareness, participation, and expression in all areas of visual arts.

Sedona Rose

So, for the last several months I have been going back into my archives and bringing several hundred images that could be termed "fine art". I have taken each of those images back to the original and started to rework the images using all of the new software tools in my quiver. After processing them I created new, and I believe, stunning new versions of images that can carry the label, fine art.

Red Rock Crossing

Through my involvement in WHAM I have donated a print to them for one of their auctions. I have also been scheduled for a one-man show at a local nonprofit cafe in September (more to come later on that front).

I have included a few of my images in this blog, but the forum of the Internet and web don't do the photos justice. When a framed photo is printed on fine art paper with the best of archival quality ink it can be a wonder to view. I have even started matting my own prints and I have to say it is great to get a little control back in my presentations. I don't know how many times I have requested a specific feature in a custom mat and they don't get it exactly right. For instance, I like to weight my mats a little bit to bring the focus up into the opening where the image is. And, it is nice to be able to double mat a print or to cut an opening that is non-standard but, fits one of my images better.

Cactus Close-up

Future posts will discuss some of the technical aspects of fine art printing about paper and ink and framing material.

Stay tuned.

Cool Product

2012-01-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been on location and need a little desk space? Do you shoot tethered? I just saw a product advertised to solve those little problems. The Tripad is a simple plastic and glass device that fits over your tripod and is strong enough to support a laptop.

I have a quad arm unit from Manfrotto that fits on top of my tripod and I use in my studio, but it is large and bulky and costs a lot more than this unit. I found that I could not use it in my real estate shots because I may be crowded into a tight corner of a bedroom in order to get the proper angle on a shot.

I sometimes photograph homes for a Realtor client. Many times I will arrive at the location and discover that there is no furniture in the home and I have to place my laptop in the kitchen and then I can't tether to see the shots I am getting. When I saw this product the big light bulb went off over my head.

Then, after saying that I could have invented this (you all know that feeling), I placed an order.

Best of all it costs around a $100 plus shipping and compared to a lens that is a drop in the bucket. As you can see in the photo on the right it also includes slide out arms to support a mouse and a cup of java. I'm not so sure about the propriety of having a mug of liquid next to my laptop, but sounds like an idea.


Tripad in use

Now, don't go out and buy one just yet. I have not received mine and I would not want to steer you down the wrong path. Mine should be here in about a week and I will update this blog post to tell you if it will actually work. Their web site has several videos and pictures showing it working, but I want to know if it will fit on my tripod. So, stay tuned. If you want to check it out yourself their web site is: http://www.gotripad.com/tripad/.They also have a similar product that fits on the top of your rolling luggage and makes it into a desk at the airport. Oh, so simple, but so innovative.

Do you have any little inventions that you use in your daily photography? Let me know and I will note them on my blog. Who knows, some of these manufacturers might give away some free products. I will note that I did not get this product for free (or even discounted). But, when I see a product that I will use I will tell all you other photographers about it.

Update: I have now received the product and it does exactly what they advertised to do. The unit fits over my tripod easily and does not interfere with any of the levers on the tripod. It is a sturdy hardened plastic hybrid and it does hold my laptop (a 15" ACER), although I would not want to place a lot more weight on it. The only thing disappointing is the time it took to arrive. In this time of instant gratification it took several weeks to arrive. It was shipped via UPS, but they then delivered it to the Post Office for home delivery.
All in all, it is a product that will help me in my real estate shots as I move my tethered laptop/tripod from room to room.

Tips for better shooting

2012-01-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

When you think you have the shot-move in closer. The most important tip I can think of for the emerging sports shooter is that you MUST fill the frame. Don't use Lightroom of Photoshop to enlarge your images, use your legs or your zoom. Any time that you enlarge a print in Photoshop or Lightroom you are making the image softer.

The photo on the right was taken with aCanon EF 400mm F/2.8L II USM lens on a Canon 7D at 1/320 of a second using a Canon 580 EX flash at f/2.8 at 400mm from across the field during a game with Valley Vista High and South Mountain.

This is not a cropped frame.

The photo on the left is Centennial's QB Justin Sanchez back for a pass taken with a Canon 400mm f/2.8 at 1/400 sec. at f/2.8 once again from across the field at 400mm.

See what happens when you fill the frame.

Accounting for Photographers

2012-01-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

For the past several years I have struggled with finding and then using an accounting system that is suitable for my photography business. Last year I used Quickbooks Premier and while it was certainly adequate for all my business needs it was fairly hard to learn and required a bit of work to make modifications to utilize my forms and other documents into a simple to use workflow.

This year I found a new online accounting software called Kashoo. I was skeptical at first about using an online service. I read a few reviews and signed up for a 30 day free account. The cost (when I signed up) was $ 9.95 per month and after my free trial I paid the whole year in advance. This cost provides all your accounting services for up to 10 businesses. Both my wife and I have a business so I thought it would be a great idea.

The screen shot to the right shows the free trial page and the pricing information along with the contact information for their on-line support.

Kashoo is a fairly standard accounting software package the provides a double-entry system (it handles most of the balanced entries). It does not do everything that a full featured program like Quickbooks, but it will do most of the accounting required for a small business and it is amazingly easy to use. Kashoo also has very good support and responds promptly to questions.

They have a blog and several articles about general accounting and specifics about their software. I had a question about depreciation and they responded by the next day with the transaction to use.

My first serious requirement was to prepare an invoice for a photo shoot I was doing. Kashoo provided an invoice template that could be customized with my logo and had the ability to print out several paragraphs of a scope of work. These paragraphs can be expanded much further than the invoices included in Quickbooks and that initial problem led me to look around for other accounting options and how I found Kashoo.

Kashoo also has a nice Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet. It also tracks taxes payable, accounts receivable and accounts payable. They start out with a standard Chart of Accounts and they allow you to add accounts of your own to match your own requirements:

Kashoo does not do everything and I wish it had more powerful reports, but it does allow all it's information to be exported to Excel where you can slice and dice it any way you want.I still don't believe that they include additional business units to be added at no cost. I would suggest you look into this before they figure out they can actually charge extra for something like that. (I hope I did not lead them to make a change in their policies).

This is my opinion only. I don't get any payment for a good review or a referral (although I would certainly take a couple of months free if it were offered). This way I am under no obligation to give a good or bad report and can be absolutely open and honest on any opinion.

2011 A Year in Review

2012-01-01T02:29:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that 2011 would result in the most diverse images of my life.

Michael Cici of the Air Force Academy

In February there was the Coca Cola Classic with some of the best college baseball teams in the country.

Stealing second base

Monica Puig, winner of the tournament

Also in February was the USTA Pro Circuit $25,000 tennis classic where I had the chance to photograph a remarkable 17 year old from Puerto Rico, Monica Puig. She went through days of elimination bouts to win the tournament.

Josh Hamilton scores on a slide to home

Record setting crowds

As usual I started out in February and March photographing Spring Training at Surprise Stadium. The Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals played thirty days of exciting Spring Training action.


Centennial's Paige Mills

By April I was shooting high school softball with some more amazing women athletes.

This sports shooting led to even more high school when I was selected by the MaxPreps Professional Photographer network to shoot for them in the upcoming football season.

Diandre Harding running for a touchdown

QB Taylor Nezdoba

Working with the Willow Canyon Booster club I shot many of Willow Canyon's home games and their team and individual shots.

Desiree Justus kicks an extra point

With an interlude of shooting the little kids in flag football.

And ending with my opportunity to shoot the Arizona state high school football championship game in University of Phoenix Stadium.

Fans in University of Phoenix Stadium for state championship

Triumphant Desert Vista 2011 State Champs


Desert Vista player kissing the trophy

And, as always I got to shoot the annual Surprise party with fun for all at the Surprise recreation campus.

Whew, I was busy this year-and having a blast doing what I love.

Surprise Party 2011 Photos from Friday Night

2011-12-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

A great time was had by all at the Surprise Party events last weekend (December 2-3). The Friday night events were highlighted by a hot air balloon glow and several bands.
For this post I will let the pictures tell the story.

In a balloon glow each balloon is tethered to the ground and the balloon's are kept inflated by heating the air inside with powerful burners.

Mayor Truitt and Council light the Christmas Tree / Band all bundled up

The night ended with fireworks display.

2011-12-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Create, Edit and Sell Custom Photo Cards

Did you know that you can create custom photo cards from your football pictures at www.randyjacksonimages.com? Turn them into beautiful cards!
All cards are printed through a professional photo lab and come with matching white envelopes. All you have to do is sign, seal and stamp. Important: First send me an email at randyjacksonimages@cox.net and let me know which picture you are going to use. I need to turn the card making feature on for your gallery. Not all galleries can create cards.

What are they like?

4x8 cards are printed on Kodak photo paper and are available in matte, glossy, or lustre finish. You can write a message on the back, but keep in mind that the lab will print some small numbers there, too.
5x7 cards come printed on luxuriously thick card stock, folded in the middle. They're matte with a UV coating that gives the outside just a hint of sheen. The inside is smooth enough to pen a personal message.

Make Your Card!

1. Find your first photo.
Browse your gallery until you spot the photo you want. (Thanks to the Nezdoba's for the sample photo). From there, click the Buy button above it, then choose "Create a Card."

FYI: Your original image must be at least 438x625 pixels to print perfectly.
2. Choose the card.
Pick whether you want a 4x8 or a 5x7 card, then scroll through the carousel at the bottom to select a design. When you see one you like, click it and we'll open it bigger.

Don't forget to click "View More Style Categories" at the bottom if you want to narrow it down and browse specific occasions.

3. Customize it!
The little "head" icons will point to the spaces where you can drag and drop photos from the photo pool on the right. Once you've assigned them a spot, you can click it again to zoom, rotate, scooch it around, or even convert it to black and white!

When you're finished, click the little "X" in the corner to close the edit bubble. You can always undo your changes and start over.
The "T" icons indicate areas where you can click and enter text.

NOTE: Some cards will let you customize the size, font and other options, but not all designs offer that choice.

4. Make it yours.
When it's perfect, click the Save button at the bottom to keep your changes.
Choose the quantity of cards that you want from the section on the right, then click the Add to Cart button at the bottom. Now you're ready to check out.

Photographing the Football State Championship Game

2011-11-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to photograph the Arizona State High School Championship game last Saturday. What an experience. This was my first game on the field at University of Phoenix stadium (home of the Arizona Cardinals). The venue is huge and it seemed like the field was larger that the fields I shot during the season (not true of course).

The Arizona Interscholastic Association did a very good job of controlling access to the field-although there were still several GWA (guys with cameras) on the sideline. This time, at least I did not have to fight them for access to a spot on the sidelines.

The game resulted in one of the great upsets of high school football with Phoenix's Desert Vista Thunder ending Chandler Hamilton Huskies 53 game winning streak by a lopsided score of 45-19. When a photographer is on the sidelines of a game you can get a sense of an attitude right at the first of the game. Hamilton came in loose, confident and almost playful. The Desert Vista team came in pumped up like a fighter before a title fight. They were jumping all around, they were hitting each other on the pads getting warmed up. The first series of scores (highlighted by an interception by Desert Vista's Matt Young intercepted the second pass of Hamilton) set the mood for the rest of the game.

One of the most important concepts in sports photography is to fill the frame with the action. This requires some amount of patience in waiting for the action to come into your viewfinder. This is harder than you would think. I was using two cameras, one with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and one with a Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6. Both were zoom lenses, but the 100-400mm has a push-pull zoom that is challenging to use.

In a championship game, the minutes after the end of game are the most chaotic. To the right you see the two opposing coaches shaking hands after the game. This shot was very hard to get because there were about a hundred huge football players jumping all around and about a hundred photographers trying to get the same shot. This is a time when anticipating what will happen is helpful. The next shot series are the traditional presentation of the trophy. This is where those hundred photographers and the ubiquitous TV news crews are all fighting for a look at ceremonies from a small 5 foot space.

The shot to the left shows the leaders of the team hoisting the trophy in the air.

The final shot is my favorite and it features a tradition of kissing the trophy at the end of the game. This was hard to shoot because I was crushed inside the crowd players next to the coaches wife (who the players were protecting and me because I was right next to her). I had changed to a wider lens 28-75mm for this shot. Thank goodness, I could never have captured the shot being about two feet from the trophy.

Book Announcement

2011-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce the availability of my book highlighting images taken during the 2011 Willow Canyon Football Season. This book is available in e-book format ($ 5.99), softcover ($ 29.99) and a premium hard cover edition with lustre photo pages (($ 49.99).

Willow Canyon Football 2011 by Randy Jackson Images | V2.1

Willow Canyon Champions

2011-11-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Check out my new video celebrating Willow Canyon's winning season. The video highlights many of the photos I captured during the 2011 football season. These videos are available for purchase and download on the Willow Canyon Prime gallery (look at the end of the gallery).

Can't run the video above, below is a link:

Willow Canyon Champions

Most images are from regular and playoff varsity games, but there are also images from practices and scrimmages early in the season. I have included some images from junior varsity and freshmen games. I will note that some numbers of the players changed during the year-for instance some players were on the junior varsity with one number and on the varsity with another number.

Review of "Perfectly Clear"

2011-11-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about the software program called Perfectly Clear I thought it was a scam. My first clue that it might be legitimate was the mention on David Ziser's blog Digital Pro Talk (this is the link: http://bit.ly/uP1ekv ). This is a fairly old post that I was catching up on and decided to try their 30 free trial. If David is using a software I would definitely consider it.

Perfectly Clear does the impossible task of adjusting the exposure for you automatically. I did not believe it at first, but I soon found that running this software against an image will produce a perfectly exposed image no matter what the lighting. When I shoot football I have found that the exposure requirements change depending on where your subjects are on the field. I have noticed that many of the fields that I shoot have sub-optimal lighting to start with, but over the years the big lights burn out in sections. Many times I don't have the time to adjust the camera when I am following an 80 yard interception for a touchdown. The runner may cross four zones of lighting in a run.

Athentech Imaging, the people that created Perfectly Clear examined the science behind digital images and came up with over 125 unique corrections that are "... underpinned by providing the essential missing eye function, and adheres to the physics principles of how the eye gathers light, resulting in perfect corrections - not enhancements." (from the Perfectly Clear web site ).

I did not believe it at first, but let me show you two images, one straight out of the camera and one with the default changes after running Perfectly Clear.

Frame on left is raw out of camera, right frame is from Perfectly Clear (default settings)

I know that the blog settings don't allow one to see much difference in the two images, but the one on the right if much brighter under the helmet of the runner and you can detect a faint pattern in the background that comes from the ambient light of the stadium. Photo settings were: 1/400 sec, ISO 800 at f/2.8 using my Sigma 70-200mm lens. I used a Canon 580EX flash under ETTL mounted about 2 feet under the camera on a monopod.


Frame on left is right out of camera and the frame on the right is processed in Perfectly Clear

Again, it is hard to see the subtle difference, but the right frame is perfectly exposed. I found over the month of my trial experiment that I could batch a thousand frames through in about 5 minutes and then would have a well exposed baseline in which to start my editing. Photo settings were the same as above: 1/400 sec, ISO 800 at f/2.8 using my Sigma 70-200mm lens.

This sped up my workflow by about 600 %. The most amazing feature of the software is that it analyzes each image independently and makes different adjustments to each to arrive at the same consistent result.

Is Perfectly Clear perfect? No, the image adjustments, in my opinion, tend to soften up the image ever so slightly. I found that when trying to post process a "tack sharp" sports photo the Perfectly Clear version has a very, very slight softness when viewed at 100%. It seems like it has a slight "noise-like" surface like a sheen on the top of the top of the image. In those cases I would run the image through Perfectly Clear and use them side by side to adjust then using the techniques I have been using all along. The Perfectly Clear baseline can be used as a target exposure for my manual edits. I would note that this slight softness would be noticed only if the image is enlarged much larger than a 16" by 20". I still use it for my galleries that are designed to be viewed as 5x7's or 8x10's.

All in all I would recommend Perfectly Clear for any photographer that processes thousands of frames a week as a time saver in adjusting exposure levels. It is a little pricy for a product with such a narrow focus. For the casual photographer you can arrive at much the same results in Lightroom or Photoshop after finding the proper settings.

Shooting the little guys

2011-10-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

What a blast! If you have a recreation park in your community you should check it out some weekend. In our community here in Arizona we can have 10,000 people in the park each weekend playing soccer, baseball or flag football. The parents of these kids (both male and female) will eventually be your customers.

Several weeks ago I signed up to photograph flag football for our local parks and recreation department. I was asked to shoot soccer too, but the logistics of shooting more than 85 games on a Saturday morning just made it impossible. I did look at how the flag football was organized and discovered that they were playing two games an hour on a two fields that are separated by a strip of grass that the parents view the game.

So I was thinking, what if I stood in this grassy area between two fields and shoot both games at the same time. What, how can you do that, four teams of different age groups are playing two games at a different pace and different directions. I have discovered that I can take a shot on one field and then swing aground and take a shot on the other field. Usually they are playing in the center of the field and they may be traveling in opposite directions, but hey, I don't care, I just want to get a good shot.


Seahawk touchdown at 9:14:53


Jets starting around end at 9:15:27

Here are some examples: The first shot is the Seahawks playing the Colts at 9:14:53, then I swung around and snapped the Jets and Chiefs game on the opposite side at 9:15:27. Thirty four seconds elapsed between the shots and I got some interesting plays that look like they were shot miles apart.

They were headed it opposite directions and happened to be at about the same end of the field. The next shot is a wider version showing the fans facing one field on the far side and the parents in the main game I was shooting are facing me to my right.

The play is just starting with the quarterback receiving the snap from the center. The parents in the background are not being rude, they are watching another game. Confused yet?

The bottom line is that I could bring a fairly professional level of equpment and shooting to the junior leagues and can capture some amazing runs and catches by the apple of some mom's eye (or dad too).

Here is a small version of 49ers outrunning the Cardinal down the sideline. Isn't that what happened with the big guys this weekend?

This shot was taken at 1/400th of a second at f/4.5, ISO 100 at 180mm on my Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 OS lens. Do these kids know what they are doing or what? Look at that cool black glove and the serious look as this little 49er holds the ball just like the big guys.

I love this game! The nature of flag football leads to many long runs and because its really easy to get a flag pulled in the middle of line they tend to run around the end, especially if they have a guy with a little speed. It seems like each team has one back or end that can outrun the entire team.

Here's another one, wait, are the Cardinals going to come back. Hope, hope.

Well maybe I'm transferring too much with these small flag footballers and comparing them to the mighty NFL players that earn millions of dollars. But you know each of those million dollar players had to start some where. Maybe it will be here on a Saturday morning in October in Arizona.

Not to drop names or anything, but I played my high school football in a little town called Artesia, N.M. One of Artesia's finest is in the running for the Heisman Trophy this year, Landry Jones of Oklahoma. I did play many years before Jones, but in Artesia it is a tradition for boys to start playing football from the 6th grade through high school. Remember that when you watch these little athletes.

A short mini-post on my retirement from my day job

2011-10-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to mention to anyone that knows me from my other life (CIO of a municipal government), that I have retired from that job. I will be resting a little and spending more time on my photography and continuing to learn more each day.

If I haven't updated you on my most recent contact information please leave a comment here or shoot me an email.

I thank all of those that I worked with and for over the last 30+ years. Without your support I would never have reached this stage of my life. I now embark on a new adventure that is exciting as heck.

Tennis pros are a class act

2011-10-13T01:08:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend photographing the Cancer Treatment Centers of America tennis tournament at Surprise. This is a pro tennis event highlighting some of the legends of tennis. This years event had Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander and Wayne Ferreria on the men's side. Chris Evert and Tracy Austin on the women's side of the net.

Pete Sampras having fun

I have photographed this event for the past four years with Andre Agassi and John McEnroe among the greats in years past. This years event was highlighted with clinics by the pros and teaching sessions for participants young and non so young. It was fascinating to watch the pros having fun in those clinics with both their fans and each other. Even in the competitive games you could see a more relaxed attitude intermixed with the serious nature of a professional that wants to win the match.

The serious side of Chris Evert

This year I got the chance to spend more time in the back of the house as the tennis pros signed photographs that I had printed for the participants. Even while the players were rushing to get to the airport on the last day they took the time to multi-task with press interviews and signing autographs for the fans.

Chris Evert signing autographs and being interviewed

Jim Courier in need of CPR from Evert

I was impressed by how down to earth each of these world class athletes were. I did not see any touch of diva in any of the players. In fact, I was impressed by how friendly they were to each other. The obviously run into each other from tournament to tournament,but it was clear that they were involved in each other's lives off the court too.


Tracy Austin returns a serve with Michael Chang backing her up in a doubles match.

Photographing some of these top rated events is tense at times, but you also get to see the human side of the athletes. Not that I wanted to make it sound like I was shooting a dog racing event at the track.

Shooting pro athletes can be hard at times, but in the end a photographer has to get the shot and at the same time has to get the story. Check out these great books about these amazing athletes through the years. And yes, I do get a small commission if you buy anything by clicking through on these links.

Changing my gallery site (to organize sports)

2011-09-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have made some changes to my gallery site at www.randyjacksonimages.com in order to help sports teams find their photos easier. I discovered after I started shooting three games a week that the opposing teams might have trouble finding their pictures.

The change was not substantial, from a viewers standpoint. It started with adding a new menu item to the top menu bar.

As you can see I added a new tab called "Sports". When you click on that tab you will see new categories of galleries organized by the school name. When you click on the school name you will see all the games that have been shot with that school as one of the teams. As I shoot more games I will add more school names to this list. I also want to point out that each game will be listed in two galleries, one for each team.

Now you might wonder if the old galleries that you were used to finding have been changed to this new structure. The answer is "NO". The old structure still exists because there are many different links from Facebook, Twitter, this blog and friends and fans that may have spread the word about my sports images. These new galleries under the sports tab are "virtual" galleries. They are called smart galleries and they mimic the original galleries, even those I shot last year. The other advantage is that you can still purchase photos from these virtual galleries or from the old galleries.

Many of you are using links that point to Willow Canyon games and those links have been preserved. In fact, if I add a new image to an old gallery it will update in the Sports, school galleries. Now the Willow Canyon games are still in the old place and they are also in two places under the Sports tab (one for each team). The duplicated galleries have all the original images including photos from both teams, their bands, coaches, spirit line and coaches.

Pocket Wizard Mini-TT1 and Flex TT5

2011-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a set of the new Pocket Wizards for use on my Canon 7D with a 580EX flash for night football. My first efforts in using the Wizards with ETTL were promising, but the configuration required a lot of testing and tweaking of the timing of the flash. It worked and I was able to get about 1/320 sec of shutter speeds with the dreaded black band at the bottom of the image. The band started appearing at 1/400.

Then last week I got notice that a new update was available for the Pocket Wizards. I downloaded it and against all my rules I used it the same day in a production environment-without testing, for a night football game. I was amazed! The tweaking of the timing was GONE and replaced by (well nothing). It was all automatic. I just dialed in the shutter speed and it worked. I don't know how far I could have pushed it, but I did try 1/400 and 1/500 sec that first night. I settled on 1/400 because that provided all the action stopping speed I needed for football. Keep in mind that the maximum synch speed of the Canon 7D is 1/250 sec.

This was shot at 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 at a full 200mm on my Sigma 70-200mm lens.

This shot was taken at 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 at 104 mm on my Sigma 70-200mm lens. The player was running right at me along the sideline.

Here are some samples of the system at work.

This shot was taken at 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 at 120 mm on my Sigma 70-200mm lens. The player was running right at me along the sideline trying to get out of bounds to stop the clock.As fast as the player's hands were moving I could not have stopped that action using the normal 1/250th of second synch speed of the Canon 7D without the Pocket Wizards.

These Pocket Wizards are now a revolutionary product and I predict that they will change the face of ETTL photography (or ITTL for you Nikon buffs).

Let's Play Some Football

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have been getting ready to photograph some high school football games. Now it is time to put that preparation to use. The first official home game of the Willow Canyon Wildcats is next Friday, August 26th. But the teams have been practicing for several weeks now and I have be fortunate enough to be able to shoot some of the practices. I will say there are some amazing athletes that are getting ready to enter the storm that is Friday Night Lights.

This amazing Wildcat is Diandre Harding, a senior wide receiver. This is just one of the fingertip catches I saw him make during the practice sessions and the scrimmage that I shot this month.

The image was taken about 4 PM in the hot Arizona sun (about 105 degrees). I used a shutter speed of 1/2500 at f/4.0 with an ISO of 200 at a full 200mm of my 70-200mm Sigma lens. Optical Stabilization (OS in Sigma parlance) was turned off (why use it at 1/2500 that was freezing the action anyway). I was some distance away from the action on the playing field, trying not to get run over.

The shot to the right was taken at another practice session during passing drills by their coach. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture the name of the superb freshman athlete. And yes, he did make the catch.

This photo was taken in the late afternoon sun-how do these kids practice in this heat? It was taken at 1/4000 of sec shutter speed at f/3.2 at ISO 200 and also at the full range of my Sigma 70-200mm.

The next picture is also of Diandre Harding on another day, this time during a scrimmage other team members. Don't you think the blue defense hates to see him coming at them day after day.

So this shot of Diandre Harding has him catching a pass in the short middle of the field on a crossing pattern.

This shot was taken at 1/2200 of sec shutter speed at f/4.0, ISO 200 and about 76mm out on my 70-200mm lens. He was fairly close to me shooting from the backfield-something I can't do in a game.

Well, like the players, coaches and parents I'm ready for the real season to start. I only have to wait until Friday and then I plan to shoot over 30 football games in the Surprise area. Look for me at a game. I will be the one with a bright orange vest with "Photographer" on the back and lugging a bunch of cameras and an odd monopod contraption with a flash hanging from the bottom.

Skip's Summer School-a retrospective

2011-08-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

One blog post is not enough time to describe Skip's Summer School. This annual event, put together by Skip Cohen with help from Scott Bourne and a cast of hundreds aims to bring photographers of all levels together to talk about the business. With Skip and Scott talking about how to be a success in photography I had the immense opportunity to attend several workshops that delved into the various aspects of the craft of photography. These were workshops unlike any other I have attended. They were not just lecturers standing up in front and spewing out wisdom. These were the best photographers in the business showing us how they took pictures in their own style. I was greatly impressed and changed.

The first workshop I attended was by the great commercial photographer Bobbi Lane. Bobbi is an award winning photographer and author from Massachusetts. She has been named one of the top workshop teachers in the industry. She wrote the book, "Creative Techniques for Color Photography, published by Amherst Media. Her new book, co-authored with fashion photographer Lou Lesko, is Advertising Photography; A Straightforward Guide to a Complex Industry. She developed the content and filmed two instructional DVDs,Portrait Lighting Techniques and Portraits Unplugged, which are available through Calumet Photographic." (one of which I purchased) (Quote source from www.bobbielane.com). Please excuse the photos in this post as they were taken in virtual darkness at 3200 ISO.

Each workshop at Skips featured professional models working with each photographer. Bobbie was working with lights from Profoto. I was struck with how each of these workshops demonstrated how these experts look at the light and then react to conditions with lighting combination.

Below you see Bobbi working with a beautiful model as she instructs her about how to hold her hands. The lighting consisted of a strobe in a softbox, a reflector and a rear light for lighting the backdrop. By the way, the backdrop was an amazing product from David Maheu Backdrops (another sponsor) that evoked a time long ago.

The small photo below shows the projected image on a screen that we observed after each shot. This comparison shows the model after moving her shoulder forward at Bobbi's suggestion.

The next photo shows Bobbi working with a statuesque brunette in a stunning green dress. Each model brought about new challenges in lighting that Bobbi solved as part of the workshop.

The picture to the right shows the projected image with several poses compared for the model.

In these shots you can see the effect of different poses and you can also see the background illuminated to center your eyes on the model.

I came away from this workshop knowing that I know the concepts of lighting for portraiture and now I need to go out and shoot more in both practice and paying engagements.

I have placed a couple of ads below for some of Bobbi's books. If you buy them from clicking on the ads below I get a few pennies of what you buy and would greatly appreciate it.

Rig for shooting night football

2011-07-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier that I will be shooting Friday Night football in Arizona this fall. Here is the rig I will be using. I bought this from: http://michaelbass.blogspot.com/

I only use one flash mounted in the bracket, a Canon 580 EX flash with an ETTL off-camera flash cord (equivalent to the Canon 0C-E3).

More detail on the attachment as it hooks on the monopod:

I expect to be shooting at 1/250 second (synch speed on my Canon 7D) at f/4 to f/2.8 with my Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 with an ISO ranging from 400 to 1600. I will use FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) to fine tune the power of the flash from the camera.I may be able to slide the ISO to around 400 in the first half when there is still light left before the sun sets.

I will post some sample shots when I get them.

I paid around $125 for the rig (I already had the monopod). If you want to use the two flash setup, Michael Bass will also create a dual link cord from two OC-E3's that you send him as shown below.

A final note is a "gotcha" that I found on Michael's web site that you have to consider if you are using the Canon 580 EX unit.

Why does my 580 turn off after 90 seconds when I use it off camera? I have to turn the power off and then back on for a restart.

The 580's factory default is to allow the flash to go to sleep to conserve battery power after 90 seconds. When they are on the camera hot shoe, they are told to wake up when you press the shutter in a half press.

To change the setting, it is described starting on page 27 of my manual for the 580, basically, Custom Function #14 is factory default at "0" which is "Auto Power Off Activation", and it needs to be set to "1" to turn OFF the function and allow the flash to stay awake. The previous models all had this set the other way as the default!

Here it is Step by Step:
1) Press the C.Fn button for 2 sec so that C.Fn is displayed. Note, you must be in Master mode.

2) Select Custom Function by turning the main setting dial until F 14 shows in the display. If the numeral 0 is showing to the right of the 14, this indicates the default setting was previously being used.

3) Change the setting by pressing the center set button on the main setting dial. The selected setting will blink. Turn the setting dial so either a "0" or a "1" is displayed, then press the center set button again. (Stay awake: "1", allow to sleep: "0")

4) Finish by pressing the MODE button, and the flash will be ready with the new setting.

If you want to ask Michael a question his email is: michaelbass@charter.net Tell him Randy Jackson referred you.

Review of the Sigma 70-200m f/2.8 OS Lens

2011-07-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

For the last several months I have been shooting with my new Sigma f/2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM lens with on my Canon 7D. This is an incredible lens, it is sharp as a tack (if I focus right), it has a very smooth bokeh. Bokeh is the blurring that you see when you have a narrow depth of field behind your subject. Most photographers want a bokeh that is smooth and that has a slight highlight to brighter objects in the background.

The Sigma lens is shown to the left in this post. The lens is "solid" meaning it has a substantial build quality and with that carries a little weight. It weighs a little over 3 pounds (50.4 ounces) and features a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range.

This lens is the fourth version of Sigma's telephoto zoom that is in direct competition with Canon's 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS franchise lens. I have rented the Canon lens for the last two Cactus league seasons and it is a fine lens. However, when it came down to my pocketbook I had to look at some alternatives that cost a little less. My decision was fairly easy with the Canon lens in the $ 2,600 range and the Sigma lens at $1,399 (from Amazon, see below).

Captured with a Sigma 70-200mm lens. Note the bokeh.

Feature for feature it compares well against the Canon. Both have image stabilization-called IS in Canon and OS on Sigma. Tests on well respected review sites show that the Canon is unsurpassed in the 70-200mm arena, but the Sigma can hold its own. My own experience is that it is hard to tell the difference from one image to another on the quality of the glass. The Sigma has 22 elements in 178 groups including 3 SLD and 2 FLD elements. The SLD (Special low Dispersion) is designed to correct any color aberration and the FLD ("F" Low Dispersion) elements have performance equal to fluorite glass (according to the manufacturer). I can say that I have not seen any problem with image quality from the shooting I have done.

The lens has an Optical Stabilizer (the OS in the alphabet soup of the lens) feature to compensate for camera shake. Sigma says it will give you up to 4 stops more stability, but I think it is closer to 3 stops. I have found that much of the shooting I do I turn off the OS. The reason is that at fast shutter speeds it doesn't help. The OS mechanism also eats up your battery-what, you thought it was running on solar power. I was really surprised after my first baseball game and I found my Canon 7D needing a batter change at the end of the third inning. Since then I bought a grip (external device that attaches to the bottom of the camera and hold two batteries). I also make sure the OS switch is turned off when I am not using it.

The lens is shipped with a petal-type hood and a tripod collar. For APS-C size image sensors (like my Canon 7D) it also comes with an additional dedicated hood adapter that lengthens the lens hood. I really like the tripod collar over the Canon version because it is easy to take off the lens and it is also easy to twist around when you are shooting vertical. I don't use the extra dedicated hood adapter because it make it even harder to get the lens cap on and off (very hard with either lens hood in place).

All in all, I am loving my Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8. It is my main go-to lens in my arsenal. I would say that if you have money to spare, buy the white body Canon lens. But if you are like me you can same a few thousand big ones have a lens that is just nearly as good. One other advantage of this lens is one of my friends came up to me when I was shooting a group of local kids and said, "What, did you come over to the dark side and buy a Nikon". The black color certainly makes one think so.

If you are thinking about buying a new lens click on the Amazon ad below and I will get a few shekels for anything that you buy. I would appreciate it and by the way, I never know who buys anything but my reports from Amazon do show what they bought and how much I earned.

Heading out to Skip's Summer School

2011-07-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am going to Las Vegas at the end of July for Skip's Summer School-a three day session that has an exclusive group of the best photographers and writers about photography from around the world. Unlike a lot of conferences Skip's is known for their small class size and their hands0on workshops.

I had to select only one conference to attend this year and this one seemed to be a conference that would allow me to interact with the photographers that have the most influence on learning. Bob Davis is one of the great influencers of my photographic style. He wrote the book, Lights, Camera, Capture and runs one of the top wedding photography companies with his wife Dawn in Chicago. His photography centers around the creative use of light in his images. He teaches about being a "seeker of light". Two of his images are portrayed on the cover and back of his book. I will place an Amazon link at the end of this post to buy his book (shameless pitch).

I learned much about the use of off-camera flash from this book and relish the thought of being able to ask questions in person in his workshop.

Another of the great names in photography is Scott Bourne, an expert and writer on the business of photography and the use of social media marketing to promote your photography.

Another of the great hands-on workshop leaders will be Bambi Cantrell-the San Francisco based "10 Best Wedding Photographer in the World" (according to American Photo magazine. Ms Cantrell was recently asked what was the secret to her great success? Her answer was simple. “I just love people, and believe truly great photographs are a reflection of who the client is, not who I want them to be.”[source: http://cantrellportrait.com]

Tony Corbell is one the nations leading educators in lighting. And if there is anything that I need more it is more education about lighting and lighting techniques. I am hopeful to learn more about portable flash and its use in sports.

Jules Bianchi and Joy Bianchi Brown will be teaching about how success in the photography business starts with networking and building relationships with their clients. They will link that to marketing, relationships and diversity in my specialty business and my products.

There are many more great photography teachers and I hope that a little of what they know will rub off on me. It is not too late to attend. You can still get a seat at the summer school. See the link at: Skip's Summer School 2011. Check out a great video ad for Skips Summer School from Clay Blackmore at Vimeo video ad for Skip's Summer School.

Shooting for MaxPreps

2011-07-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have been recently selected to be a member of the MaxPreps Professional Photographer's Network. MaxPreps is the premier high school sports web site that tracks all things about high school sports including scores, standing and individual statistic. They also provide a venue for pro sports photographers to post their photos and be sold by MaxPreps.

MaxPreps was purchased by CBS Sports last year providing an avenue for major stories and photos to appear on television and in the mainstream sports press like Sports Illustrated. I have started to contact local high school coaches to allow me field access and to help provide some of my shots for their school football web sites.

MaxPreps has very stringent criteria for the images that are uploaded to their site.

high quality images
No red-eye
No dark images
No grainy images
No over-sharpened images
No out of focus images
No black and white
No excessive noise reduction
No washed out images
Delivered as Large-Fine JPG
Crop to 1600 x 2166 pixels for print processing

And yes, they do require you to submit test shots and they hold you to those standards. I know, because my first batch was rejected. Some photographers get mad at those requirements, but I agreed with every assessment they made of my images. I tend to over sharpen and I had a hard time getting tack sharp high quality images at first. I took their advice to heart and went back out and shot more images with their rules in mind. It really helps you grow when you have have honest criticism of your work.I am starting to see photo quality a lot better now and find myself rejecting more images than before. I am also getting more of my shots in the camera and doing less post processing.

I think all of you will be able to see an improvement in my images as I continued to shoot over the Spring.

The photo to the left shows Centennial's Chandler Mills getting a hit in a game on April 25th in Peoria. This photo fills the entire frame and was shot at 1/1250 sec at f/3.5 with an ISO of 200. I used a Canon 70-200mm IS at 137mm. The only post processing was to select auto tone in Lightroom and a small amount of fill flash.

The enlargement below of the same photo is at 100% and shows the detail in the uniform including the weave. You can see the strands of blond hair in the light and you can see her eyes are on the ball as it makes contact with the bat. Congratulations to Chandler as she graduated and moves on to college.

I fussed over the cropping requirements until I read their white paper that explained why they wanted a particular size. The size of 1600 x 2166 pixels will allow for cropping to all the standard print formats and ratios. The cropping is about a 5" by 7" ratio. I now crop all my photos to those standards.
With the cropping, I discovered that Lightroom 3 does not have the ability to crop to an exact pixel dimension. I had to create an action in Photoshop to take the almost correct crop from Lightroom and to save it to a predefined folder in the exact pixels and with the required color space.

If you want to consider shooting for MaxPreps check out their web site at: MaxPreps-Join the Photography Network page and their photography contract at: MaxPreps Photography Agreement

Highlights of the contract are that you (the photographer):

Retain your copyrights
Earn 80% on sales of prints and downloads
Don't have any customer fulfillment hassles
have licensing opportunities to magazines like Sports Illustrated
ultra high traffic site
can post simultaneously to your own web site
and can sell your images locally

I have met several of the MaxPreps photographers and I am impressed with how good they are. I just hope some of it rubs off on me. MaxPreps is a great organization that brings new quality standards to the marketplace.

Getting ready for football

2011-06-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am starting to prepare for shooting high school football next season. This preparation includes both my equipment and my mind. By that I mean that shooting night football is a special type of shooting that requires fast lens and flash for the low light situations in most high school fields. Once I acquire and configure the equipment I need to really understand how to shoot in those conditions. My first outing to test some of my concepts was held last weekend when the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Arizona Football Coaches Association hosted the All-Star games to showcase the best players in Arizona. The photos in this blog article are from the game on Friday, June 24, 2011.

It requires the same kind of composition that baseball and tennis requires. I need to fill the frame with the action, I need to see the face and emotion of the player and when possible I need to see the ball. The trick in night football is that the lighting conditions make it so that only those pros that can buy the best of the best in glass, ie. faster than f/2.8 in order to reach the middle of the field and between the 40 yard lines. This means that I will be relegated to shooting from the sidelines and end zone and only those plays that come my way. I have been told that it will take a small amount of flash to get under the shadows of the helmet. I expect a maximum range of about 30 feet.

The good news is that many plays in football go to the sidelines and all plays are trying to get into the end zone so it makes it easy to select my position on the sidelines.. Also, most coaches and athletic directors don't have a problem with flash and the players say that they don't even notice it on the field. I also bring to the table a knowledge of football and hope that I can anticipate where the play will be going. Kind of like a good defensive linebacker.

My next shot was a couple of frames later and shows the runner across the goal line. Touchdown!

This frame was shot at at 1/320 sec at F/4.0 at ISO 400. The flash did fire using a manual mode at 1/8th power.

I am starting to test two different flash set ups; one with a single flash running in ETTL mode from an off-camera flash cord (OC-3 on a Canon); and a two flash setup being triggered by a Cactus V4 remote trigger or a dual off-camera flash cord. Both setups will be mounted on my monopod below the camera about 2 feet to be able to eliminate red-eye from the players. The dual off-camera flash is a custom made cord by Michael Bass Design. The dual flash bracket is also custom made by Michael Bass.

The start of a long gain by the North

From what I have been told by the experts at Sportshooter.com, Dgrin.com and MaxPreps the flash needs to be set to use ETTL or Manual at 1/16th to 1/8 power. Some of those experts also say that ETTL is less than desirable and some say they use it all the time. So now, I will need to go out and test those theories and see what produces the best images.

The next series of photos are several frames from a long run that ran right toward me on the sideline.
These images were shot at 1/250 sec at f/2.8 with an ISO of 640. Flash did fire this time (keeping the shutter speed to the maximum synch speed of the Canon 7D of 1/250th of a second.

By this time in the game the outside light had been totally lost and the ambient light was illuminated by the stadium light. The flash did fire in this case and lit up the face of the runner showing his eyes on the end zone. I was able to maintain the sharpness of the image and did need to run some noise reduction in post processing (Noise Ninja).

These few shots have shown me that I have some work and practice to do before shooting in Friday night football fields in Arizona. However, I think that I will be ready for games starting in August.

Kelby Training on the iPad

2011-05-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

OK, my photography life is now complete. Scott Kelby has finally released his iPad/iPhone app for his world famous training. I have subscribed to his great training courses for over a year now. I try to take one course each week and this provides me a training vehicle that works for me. I can get my training in small "chunks" when I have a few minutes or I can view an hour of videos at a time.

Ever since the iPad came out, many of us that subscribe to the training have been asking for the ability to use it on the iPad. Frankly, it took way too long for the Kelby organization to get their act together. I suspect that they had to correct many decisions made years earlier-like utilizing Flash for the training modules-which was not compatible with the iPad (thank you Steve Jobs).


Screen shot courtesy of iTunes


Another screen shot from iTunes

Lets not dwell on the past, but look at what was delivered. Like all iPad apps you get it on iTunes and did I mention that the app is FREE. Once you have downloaded it on iTunes and synched it to your iPad you are ready to go-if you have a subscription. I pay by the month thinking that I would drop it after a couple of months. But Kelby, if he does nothing else, if a marketing genius. He has brought in some of the top photographer/teachers to create the training courses. And, almost every week or so we get a new course. It seems like Scott knows exactly what training I need and delivers it to my home just in time. So, a year and more later, I am still paying month by month.

Don't get me wrong, the training modules are very good and they are taught by masters in the trade. But now, I can lean back in the recliner, plug in the ear phones and relax my back and legs as I get this world-class training. I have taken courses on Lightroom, Photoshop, InDesign and watched Cliff Mautner and David Ziser walk through weddings. I think Scott Kelby training provides a tremendous value for my training dollar.