Here are a few images from the day. Thanks again to a great and fun loving couple. All the best to Brandi and Vann.

I enjoy shooting automobiles, planes etc. and most of the time I capture little details of the subject. This was no different. Personally I was attracted to the old VW’s on exhibit. My favorite was not restored, but will make a great project for the owner. It was an old VW micro bus with the crank out safari wind shield. You rarely see them here and on the West Coast they bring a nice price. It was cool. Below are a few of my favorites from the day along with that of One Man Band Guy, as I call him, who was entertaining the crowd. He shows up quite a bit at downtown events. Kind of adds even more local color to the festivities. If you haven’t seen this show and you like cars, plan on catching it next year! It’s a great outing for family and friends.

Anyway, the weather was being cooperative after a day of cool rainy weather, so we hopped on the Metro and spent a touristy, Sunday afternoon walking and visiting a few memorials. Two that I had not had the opportunity to visit were the MLK Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. They were both impressive. The Vietnam Memorial is one I have visited several times and I always look up the names of a few past acquaintances whose names unfortunately grace its walls. One thing that always struck me when visiting these memorials is the solemnity that pervades as people close in on their boundaries. Save for the voices of children who don’t understand, the quiet that is noticeable is unlike any I have witnessed, as people gather their thoughts in their own personal tributes. Its why the memorials are there and they make us reflect on what they mean to us as individuals. The opportunity for this abounds in DC as in no other city I have visited. It always has a sobering effect on me, as I’m sure it has for many.

Of course I had a camera with me and posted a few images from that Washington, DC afternoon.

They produce personalized packaging for photographers and most recently, brides. They originally started with CD sleeves and now have moved into all types of packaging. Did I mention they were eco friendly? That was a big selling point for me and their products are produced on recycled card stock. The other cool feature is that many of their products are hand stitched! They will assist you with logos and art work and are really helpful and prompt to work with. I really can’t say enough about the company. I have included a few shots of the cd sleeve and presentation/info packet folder I use that shows the stitching. Mine are plain and simple. They have a good assortment of styles. You may also have each piece wrapped with their signature jute string and tag. I thought this was a nice touch, so I opted for this add on.

You may follow them on Face Book at http://www.facebook.com/KRAFTandJUTE. And also follow Jessica Lewis, @kraftandjute on Twitter.

Now there are some agents who are competent photogs in their own right and they may do an adequate job on their listings. And thats just fine. Usually they will use the dedicated camera flash, put it on auto and fire away. Some may even attach an external flash to the camera. It works. Then there are those who present a home with photos that appear as if they were taken with their phone. That always amazes me. What many people don’t realize is that it usually takes more than one light to make that room pop and it takes practice to determine where the lights are placed etc. Thats where hiring that pro helps. They usually have the equipment and know how to take those interior shots to another level.

Now I get asked all the time, how did you get that shot, what kind of camera will get me that shot, an so forth. I recently was hired by Karen Schwartz, who is an agent with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast in the Wilmington, NC area, to photograph two homes. The following photos are from those homes and I will explain where I placed my lights etc. I use Nikon cameras and Nikon sb800 speed lights, usually placed on stands. The lights are fired with PocketWizard Flex TT5′s and controlled from the camera with a PocketWizard  Mini TT1 and an AC3 Zone Controller for Nikons. This enables me to control the lights from the camera position and to place them out of the line of sight of the camera, if necessary. The camera was shot in Manual mode and the lights were in Manual mode as well, and usually shot no higher than 1/4 to 1/2 power. The ambient light was controlled with my shutter speed.

The two homes are listed with Karen. You may view the finished tour, and other photos by clicking on the link of the homes address. The first is 1156 Leesburg Drive and the second is 10205 Wild Turkey Lane. Both are located in Leland, NC in Brunswick County.

This shot has two lights to the left and right of camera, bounced into upper corners and a light on the floor on the far side of the bed bounced into the bed itself.

This one has lights to the left and right of camera at 1/4 power and one in the far bath at an 1/8 or 1/16 to prevent a dark hole.

This has a light far camera left bounced into corner, one camera right. Both on 1/4 power and one in the breakfast area to give it a small kiss of light at 1/8.

This one was a little more challenging. I have a light to left and right of camera bounced off ceiling and one around the corner bounced so it throws some light into the dining area.

Only two lights here, both around the corners from the camera, bounced into the ceiling corners.

This has a light in the living room far left at 1/8, one just to camera left almost at my shoulder at 1/4 and then one placed on the counter to the right out of sight for fill at 1/16. Not crazy about the ceiling shadow, but the photo works.

Kitchens are always challenging. There is a light behind me bounced off the ceiling, one far camera right in breakfast area bounced again, off the ceiling, and one just around corner on countertop bounced into the wall.

This was interesting due to the verticals. There is a light to left and right of camera on I think 1/4 power and I placed one in the far living room at 1/16 power.

This is lit simply with lights in each corner to left and right of camera bounced into the corner of the ceiling.

Thats a simple explanation of the way the lights were placed to achieve the results. Its a little more involved than running through the home popping off the flash on camera from room to room, but it demonstrates why someone would hire a professional to do this type of work. In the long run it will help your marketing efforts. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Now all I had with me at the time was my IPhone 4s and I have to say that the camera and video functions on this device are nothing short of amazing. There is a little quality loss in the video during conversion to a smaller file size, but its usable for the blog.It really does the job in a pinch and the quality of the 8MP files are sweet. Straight out of the camera produces acceptable results and you can play around with them in PS if you so desire to tweak them beyond their original status. I can see the argument of the new IPhones replacing the small point and shoots for many people. The video it produces is pretty sweet as well. Anyway, Kismet and I had a great time on our walk, which we usually do, but anytime she has the chance to covertly run off leash, its always special.

Near where we were staying there is a tennis and swim club that use to be consistently filled with old and young and their laughter during the warmer months. I had played tennis there once or twice long ago and hadn’t been on the grounds since. Over the years it had fallen on hard times and eventually closed down. Today its run down and a little eerie, and that day was no exception as the weather provided dark clouds to add to the atmosphere of the place. For me it was perfect. It provided solitude and a subject out of the ordinary scope of my work. I worked on the images and liked them both in color and also in the starkness afforded by black and white. I have included both in the post.

The laughter is long gone and the grounds have a sad appearance now, but the colors and textures coaxed from the images provide a little life to the solitude. For me it was a meditative moment.