I took a step back

I apologize for not posting for nearly a month. I have taken a step back and also a jump forward. I am beginning a new era for my life. A significant new chapter. I am attempting to go back to college to pursue a bachelor's degree in order to get into a position to become a teacher.

For a vast majority of my life (I will be 40 this year) people around me have recognized the gift I have for sharing my knowledge. Some use words that aren't family friendly, others simply say, "you should be a teacher".

If it all goes as planned, I will attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh beginning in May. Depending on the class load will of course determine the graduation date. I plan on majoring in Photography with a minor in web design, fashion or advertising.

On a totally different, but possibly parallel note....I found this video that I really wanted to share.

To ME, this video kind of brings together the ability as humans to find a common ground and that if we just take the time to smile, dance and laugh....we can be better stewards of this big blue marble called Earth.



Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Breathe slowly

For those of you that have shot with me, you know I love taking pictures. For those of you that haven't ever been around me during a shoot....I'm a bit funny. One of those little things that happens to me is that I stop breathing when I am behind the camera. I focus so hard on getting the right shot, the details, clothes, lighting, composition etc...that I hold my breath. Then after a few shots I remember...I actually tell myself....BREATHE DUMMY, BREATHE. By then, when I start to breathe again and give out instructions it sounds like I am hyperventilating.

When I am behind the camera, I don't care who I take pictures of. Seriously. But as life is, some people just stick out more than others. Today...either I lost, or it was take from me...the opportunity to shoot with a model that I thought had truly natural posing skills. She ROCKED the camera.

I received an email this afternoon that said she wouldn't be pursuing modeling anymore. I actually got sad as I read the short, three sentence paragraph. She was gracious in it's content, but the message is still the same and the result took my breath away.

I have never said I can make anyone famous. I don't make any promises that I can't keep and I am honest if we shoot and the images aren't quite working out or if something is really working and we need to keep going on that path. I also realize that modeling at any level isn't for everyone. But damn it sucks when you have something then it's gone.

CY....I do wish we had more time, but as life does, it moves forward with or without us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, so much for your time we did have.

Step 1: Get help

I mentioned on Twitter over the weekend that "I have a sense of reinvention, clarification, renewal and refocus. All thats missing is execution".

I'm working on the execution.

Well, less than an hour ago I had a meeting with Tiffany. It's our second meeting actually. I am working with her to be my assistant and muse as well as a second shooter. I hope to impart to her all my knowledge and use her as an idea sounding board as well as tap her youthful inventiveness and keen eye. To top it off, she's eager and beautiful. The icing on the cake is that she lives here in town and we can shoot on a very short notice.

Today we worked with camera basics like ISO, shutter speed and f/stop. She already takes pictures, but the technical details will hopefully make her a BETTER photographer. Thursday we will be shooting business head shots and if time allows, a few wardrobe changes. We'll be able to put into practice some of what we learned today and add in off camera flash.

Having another creative soul to be accountable to, makes the business part more palatable. I like to create, but I need a partner in crime. Someone that is similar, but different enough to make a good team.

Stay tuned for more from us SOON!

Dismal response

Maybe my pictures suck, or I didn't get the perfect shot, or it's confusing. But after a week, absolutely NO ONE has inquired about the Cheer Ltd. Dance/Cheer at Robert Morris University last week. The perfectionist in me say's the pictures suck. The business person in me says no one knows how to access the sales site and email me the image number. Of course, a big issue that causes difficulty in finding and ordering pictures is that the web sites that exist to SELL prints all want 40% of the sale. That's a big chunk of change. It's almost not worth it to sell a picture for $6 and only get a few bucks out of it. Can't replace camera gear at that rate.

I was excited about the initial response from parents when I was giving out my cards at the event. But something happened, I just don't know what it was. That is the bane of shooting on "spec". I bust my butt getting the best images I can (over 2,200 that day). I take two days editing, creating web galleries and blog posts and get zero dollars for it. Lots of people can take pictures. Lots of people can take really good pictures, especially with all the low cost digital cameras out there. But are you getting "exceptional" pictures consistently? Or is it "eh, it's acceptable". You're settling for McDonald's images when you could have a meal prepared by a chef....so to speak.

I know even I have to work hard at exceptional images and I missed several key opportunities. But this was my very first indoor cheer/dance event. What I did get was good, but I know I can do much better.

NBMS Career Day 2009

I only got choked up 6 times....maybe 7.

Not sure why, but perhaps my desires deep within are bring ignited. Maybe I have figured out how to set myself on fire....or I am just an emotional sap.

Career day 2009 was today at the middle school. I got 6th grade again this year (by request). Next year, will be 8th grade.

I wish I could show you the images that the students took, but being a professional photographer, I have to have their permission. Hopefully, their parents will read this and give me the opportunity to share the work of their kids. :)

Our sessions are 20 minutes each for 6 classes. I talk WAAAYYY too much for only 20 minutes. I was cut short 5 times I think. Once I was only 1/2 way through because of a lot of questions. Which is fine, but I wasn't able to get out all what I wanted to say for the job of being a photographer. I think I will start on next years presentation this week. I need to cull it down a bit and really focus on the business part of the business. Sure, making WOW! images is the goal, but how do you do it? What does it take to know you have made a great image? How do you market, sell and collect the money. I didn't get to cover those items in my bullet points.

I did however cover copyright and infringement. I asked if anyone created anything and what they would fee like if someone used it to make money and they not get paid? I think more than a few students got it.

All in all, I think MY performance was lacking, but hopefully the students were able to get through my gibberish to realize I am a lucky person following my dream and being able to share it with them.

Thank you NBMS staff! Thank you!

Technical Difficulties

NOTE: This post was written over 3 days..it might not be grammatically correct.

I would be remiss if I didn't add a bit of technical background today.

As I go through the pictures from the Cheer Ltd. competition and I remember the parents that sat next to me with their own cameras I have to reflect on what I think I know.

Preface: Human eyes see light very differently than an electronic camera sensor. A professional photographer has moderately to significantly different expectations than most people with or without a camera.

The first thing I look at when entering a venue is the light. Without light, we cannot take pictures. Secondly, I look at the backgrounds. Are they colorful, cluttered, dark, bright....lots of variables to have to deal with. Sometimes moving a few feet one way or another can make or break a picture. Even to the point by moving to a different location altogether to change a background. In many cases, you have no option of changing locations and have to work with what you have been given. Third, the subject. Is it fast paced, slow, colorful, drab or highly detailed? Add all this up and you have a venue. An opportunity. For success....or failure.

In the 2,200+ images I took Sunday, I will end up with only a few hundred or less acceptable images. Of those few hundred I could probably narrow them down even more to about 10 that are really good and possibly 1 or 2 that I think are worthy of saying...yeah...I took that picture.

Is that good or bad? Well, I have vastly different expectations for an image than many people I know. To ME, a great image has a perfectly clear subject. The sharpness of the subject is so I can count the eyelashes or the way they tie their shoes. Anything less is essentially unacceptable TO ME. I want to see the facial expression and emotion for the task at hand. Cheer and dance have great expressions. But the serious difficulties at these events are they held indoors, with poor light for cameras. We professional photographers don't get to use cameras with flash. Parents can get away with it, we cannot.

Add to the dark venues the incredibly fast pace and active jumping, dancing, tumbles, basket tosses, scorpions and.....lions tigers and bears..oh my!

When a cheerleader or dancer begins a tumbling run, it's easy to put your focus points in him or her and take pictures. But when they jump to perform a flip, they are no longer in the middle of your frame and the camera refocuses on a point that is usually the bleachers in the back. Which is much different than what you wanted....that...is the reality of the sport. Add in a dozen other dancers running in front of each other, passing combining and separating and it makes for a terribly difficult situation to get the perfect picture. Remember, the camera doesn't know you are following a subject, it only looks for contrast where you point it.

Note: Most anyone can take a picture of a cheerleader standing waiting for her run. But I challenge you to get a shot of her coming out of her tucked back flip and be able to see her eyes as she spots the landing. Not once, but every time! I know I can't do it....yet. (After the first round of these pictures, I have a dozen girls coming out of their back flips spotting the landing. But because of the slow shutter speeds, their faces are blurred enough so the pictures are not usable. I have the timing, just not the equipment to capture it.)

Another fun part of shooting indoor with available light. The lights in gyms actually change color. From blue to reddish. Humans don't see the color shift too much. But cameras do and they see it well. My camera can take 8 pictures in one second. I saw the color shift several times. Red skin, blue skin...it's so much fun. Kind of like a Dr. Seuss book. I can't do it justice, but Guy Rhodes can..and did on this old link. www.sportsshooter.com

Sunday cheer pics coming in a few hours.

Steel City Regional Championships

I had the pleasure of attending the Cheer Ltd. Steel City Regional Championships today at Robert Morris University. I've only been to one other cheer competition and that was at Charleroi High School last year. The biggest difference between the two was I took pictures this time and boy is this an incredibly fast paced sport.

I have always had an appreciation for this sport. But I wasn't totally prepared to shoot all day. I was there to get pictures of Tiffany, my daughters former teammate at Potter & Raccoon. Today, I got there early since I figured it would be jam packed. When I arrived, I found out there wasn't an event photographer so I secured a good shooting location....well, a few thousand pictures later, some tears were shed, a few hearts broken, screams of joy and some true happiness accompanied the trophy's and medals.

I'll get a few pictures up on the blog tomorrow and the rest will be on the sales site by Tuesday afternoon or sooner.

To all the competitors....GREAT JOB!!!

Transform.....a perspective

Wow. Just simply WOW.

I just got done sending up a tweet saying I need a case of the Jarvis. So I headed to Chases blog to see what he was up to and saw this video from Zack Arias. I wasn't going to watch it but since I wasn't exactly doing anything right now, it was a coin flip. I think the video can apply to all walks of life. But it hits home seriously hard to creative types. Of course Zack is an image maker, so I can directly relate. I suck. He doesn't.

You rocked it Zack! You rocked it!

Here's the video.

The week that is to come, and the day that was (ptII)

Here are a few little summary updates:

1) Chris Perry, a fellow photographer, passed on a lead for me to contact another area photographer that needs some help this spring.
2) Chris also got a call from a Cheer team that needs pictures. No other info, but it's this spring as well.
3) I also heard that there isn't any money in models or action sports photography....no kidding. BUT, it's what I want to do. I will figure out a way to make money.
4) I head to the middle school this week to work with sixth grade students to prep for career day. I won't be able to share any of those pictures, but I can keep you all updated with this project. I love career day!
5) Found a costume store in Pittsburgh's Strip District. I also met Kristin (sp?) that is a recent MUA grad and MAC Pro (?). Drop me a line!!!
6) I also found out that my future MUA niece is heading to the greater NYC/NJ area this summer. HOPEFULLY, the contact I give her can help her out....and the favor can be returned.
7) The picture that I had displayed at Fe Gallery will be heading to the west coast for a private hanging. Not sure if the whole set will go, or just that specific image.

In the presence of greatness

Wow. I was excited when Chase Jarvis followed me on Twitter. Now Mark J. Rebilas added me. I have seen Mark's work over on SportShooter for a few years now and regularly read his blog. Mark embellishes the sports work I want to achieve and Chase is the visioneer that I hope to become.

Now, if I can only find that twitter-elixer that has the magic of osmosis via the web......

Timing is a little off but...

This article from MSNBC lends a little, maybe a lot, of legitimacy to my more recent images. Since next week is Valentine's Day, pictures like this would be a great gift to your loved one. Either from you, from them to you, you for them or of each other or to each other. It doesn't matter.

Get your picture taken!

Tomorrow's shoot (ptII)

I've used this title before, but it applies here too.

I met and talked with Cait at the Seven Oakes Bridal Fair a few weeks ago. She was one of those WOW! did you see that? type of women. She's a bit petite but carries herself like a career NYC/Milan/LA model. Or at least what I would recognize.

When I first talked to her, I was taken aback that she didn't have any modeling experience other than the bridal dresses she is currently modeling.

Well, to make a long story short, I will get the incredible opportunity to work with her on Thursday in the studio. I hope my image sof her are half as incredible as I think she is.

Today I am heading to Chatham University to get some headshots, studio portraits and possibly some stock images with Chris. Not sure if I will get any posted tonight though.

Boats to brides

My father in law was at the boat show, so I thought I would stick my head over in the bridal show that's going on at the same time. I saw Don Merz of Ovation-Images.com so I stopped to say hi and chat a bit. I also wandered around scoping out the other photographers. I made a few notes then walked by Katie of BEKcosmetics. We chatted a bit and I talked to her about a project that I want do for career day for the middle school next year. Yes, it's a long way off, but it would take six months to put this fashion show together. Hopefully we will be able to work together at some point in the future...especially since she can airbrush. Yaaayyyy!!

Because you don't know enough about me

I decided to add a Twitter feed to the blog....it's just under my profile right now. I might move it to the top since it's a more dynamic....time relevant though. I linked it to my facebook page as well.

Why? Why not I suppose.

Seven Oaks Bridal Fair

I worked with Chris at the Seven Oaks Bridal Fair today. It's really fun to talk with the brides to be about their wedding day. Throughout the day, I also talked to a few of the dress models that were working for Mary's Bridal, (located in Beaver Falls). Hopefully they will drop me a line so we might be able to do a few shoots. So if I spoke to you at the Bridal Fair or gave you a business card, I just want to say "hey" and let's get something going.

Year end blowout

Here it is. The beginning of a new year. As I look back, and dwell, or hide, from what has happened this last year, I will share my thoughts.

I have made some great images. I have missed many opportunities for great images. I have met a lot of really wonderful people, faces I remember, names I may not. Many whom I have created wonderful images with. Some people I have left hanging and it keeps me awake at night. A few that I have given my card to, those random people off the street, may have missed a chance to work with me. I have put forth good will and have been taken advantage of. After being burned a few times, I realize this is a business and not a social beer drink night. I still lose sleep from not being able to deliver to a few of you...I am trying to fix that, please belive me.

I have desires that I feel can only be measured through a certain type of success yet my accomplishments appear to be minisucle. My lack of business sense has resulted in me being CENTS-less. I feel that my potential is sky high, yet my motivation has been tempered by fear. I can begin with earnest unbridled fire driven desire, yet I need help with follow up, completion and closure.

I hope that this year will bring be better preparation in order to meet, and take, the opportunities that present themselves. Success can only be taken, I don't feel that is it given. Organization needs to be designed for completion of projects more than efficiency.

My creativity can never take a back seat to standardizing. But getting the money gigs allows me the flexibility to be creative....which SHOULD bring in more money. I am always looking at the future and what can happen, but I fall short when I look right in front of me at what IS happening.

Busy weekends come to an end

Wow, I've been busy. My last three weekends were nothing short of non-stop. It's been WONDERFUL! Now that life is beginning to resemble something similar to normal. I was looking back on the schedule.

My last three weekends were:

Sat 9/27
9-11 Soccer practice
11-1 Football
1-8 Wedding (didn't actually get home until 2:30am tho....LOL)

Sun 9/28
12-2 Powderpuff Football
2-4 Parents v Player football game

Sat 10/4
9-1015 Soccer Practice
11-2 Football
2-245 Homecoming Festivities
3-10 Wedding

Sun 10/5
2-530 Soccer (away game)

Thur 10/9
9-2 Help a photog friend
230-400 set up studio for session
5-645 Senior Cheer photo shoot (2 outdoor locations)

Sat 10/11
9-1015 Soccer prac
1-415 Football
445-930 Baden Volunteer Fire Dept 100th Anniv

Sun 10/12
330-530 Soccer game

Coming up in the next couple of weeks:
1) Final session with the 4 senior cheerleaders. That will most likely be a studio session. But it is also something I can do on location.
2) Fashion shoot with Tiffany. Studio and on location. Working on getting a MUA.
3) Soccer team photo. On location.

Every day something gets added or changed. It's pretty exciting.

Weekend (to come) update

Well, it finally stopped raining. It's been more of a mist, but water from the sky nonetheless. The sun is now out (drying my grass so I can mow it) and the season's first football game is slated for this Sunday. Soccer is still a week away. Photographically I am still trying to get last weeks scrimmage game edited and posted to the sales site. But alas, we have company coming and the Clean House crew hasn't arrived so I have been picking up the slack. LOL Another item on the football front is a raffle item. I will be donating a sports poster to every home game of Potter & Raccoon Football/Cheer. I have the mock ups on paper and need to scratch one together before the game on Sunday. I suppose I have about 6 hours of work for that.......need more hours in the day and days in the week.

I booked a wedding for early October. It's a small one so not a lot of stress as normally associated with the huge production weddings.

This week I had talked to a dog groomer about doing a little referral work. Still need to work out details, but hopefully she can send some of her clients my way. I will be getting some prints for her to put in her salon in the upcoming few weeks.

Wednesday and Thursday I worked at the studio above Head to Toes Salon. I am hoping to get the key to the building next week. I put up insulation and hung some drop ceiling then I swept and vacuumed. Once I am in, I can start high school senior marketing. The poster is almost done and I had Lori D look it over and she gave me the "not bad for a non-graphic artist" comment. I took it as a compliment. :) I also pushed a logo design job to her this week. Can't wait to see that too.

The invitations for the Fe Gallery have been proofed. I will pick up printed versions next week and electronic versions will be forthcoming. The exhibition opening is Sept 12th. The pre-orders for the printed catalog are available, if anyone wants to order one, they are just under $40. I can send you an order form if you send me an email. Remember, this catalog is almost 300 pages, glossy FULL COLOR paper. It is a top notch production. The artists are from the 13 counties surrounding Pittsburgh PA, but more than that, they may be the next best artist to be. Given the limited print run, it's a $40 well worth it.

I also contacted the middle schools counselor's to begin work on this school years Career Day. Last year was so fun for me, I want to bring it to "the Next Level".....if you will. I proposed two presentations. Depending on which one is selected, will depend on how much work I have to do over the next 4-5 months. I hope they pick Idea#2.......when they do come back with the acceptance I will let everyone know what's in store.

Talent on many levels

Friday evening, I had the pleasure of spending about an hour and a half with Lori Delmer an amazing bundle of talent. I met her because of her talent as a makeup artist. But after talking with her, she is a graphic artist and a beautiful model. We talked for about an hour and a half about many things. Of course we had to talk shop. After working with Becca on a project, I don't ever want to work without an MUA, but there are so many people out there that don't realize the talents that makeup artists possess. Well, like photographers there are good, middle and bad artists. She is definitely in the good category.

So, if you need a graphic artist a model or an MUA for a shoot, definitely check out her web sites.

ALWAYS looking for opportunities

I dropped off the prints at Fe Gallery right on time. I got to speak to two of the MOST wonderful people today. Laurie and Mel, of Fe Gallery. WOW, incredible women. So absolutely kind helping me out with any questions I had about presenting. I did mess up on one thing though, I should have had my picture in a frame (with glass). I only had it on a white mat board. That means I have to go back to the gallery before the opening to frame it. Oops, my bad.

I was able to talk to Mel for a few minutes but just couldn't get Laurie's eyes out of my mind. She has incredibly piercing blue eyes. Just beautiful. WOW! Both of these women were beautiful I honestly wanted to start shooting pictures right then and there. But I did hold myself back. Maybe some day. Maybe.

Talking to Mel, she offered to drop my name with her friend Michelle, who is a wardrobe stylist. So we will see how that turns out.

Ooohh, and the picture Laurie selected, was Merry Go Round (see it below, or on this post). I like it, but it's not my favorite. It was also one of the images from the original submission packet.

I also had a meeting set up for tonight with Lori D, a Makeup Artist. She has done some incredible work in the Pittsburgh area. Our meeting is at the Beehive in Pittsburgh's trendy, hip (?) South Side, on Carson Street. I decided to head over there and do some people watching. I drove past the Beehive and circled around the block, then came out at the right corner, with a parking spot right there. BONUS!

As I started to cross the street, I saw a woman waiting for someone. Sensing an opportunity, I hung out on the corner and observed. She was checking her phone for the time, so it was probably close to when they were to pick her up. I approached her, handed her my card and casually asked to take her picture as she waited for her ride. She agreed. I also asked if she would sign a model release. We looked it over and she signed it. As we were starting to shoot, she did say she didn't think she had a nice smile. I wholeheartedly disagreed. I thought it was wonderful. She has a presence that is coy, but entrancing. Unfortunately, we were only able to shoot 16 shots before her friends showed up. Hopefully she will see the images and call me again for another shoot.

Below is just one shot. See the web site photo gallery for a few more.

Melissa

That's a negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full

Fall is an incredibly busy time in my life. Three sports and school all hitting within weeks of each other. I think my schedule has an opening the second week of NOVEMBER.

This is what I live for. This is what puts fire in my blood and makes me feel alive.

It seems that everywhere I turn something is happening. So much that I feel like Maverick in Top Gun and I am being told "negative, the pattern is full."

Yesterday I picked up my prints for Fe Gallery and my portrait promo. They're 12x18 prints and came out FANTASTIC. Damn, I was excited to see those in print. Normally, I don't print much, but these images that size were just stunning.

I'll head to Fe Gallery Friday morning and hang out downtown Pittsburgh until a meeting Friday night at the Beehive in the South Side. I am meeting with Lori D a makeup artist. It's really strange, the last MUA I met with, moved to Miami a few months after the meeting. Lori wants to head to LA/So Cal...maybe I am good luck for those that want to move on and up. Either that or I repel people so much the move out of state....

Next week I will be working a couple of days at the Hookstown Fair. I haven't been to a fair for several years, and being able to shoot pictures at an event that is so colorful, with so many people and constant blur of action, just has me jazzed. A few items on the board are a senior photo shoot, a fashion show of some sort and maybe a few portrait shoots. Of course the myriad of personalities will put me into sensory overload.

This weekend is also a regatta in the town across the river from us. I don't remember it last year, so I will have to head down to check it out.

So many things going on. I should have lots of images to post over the next few weeks and I changed the main page of the web site. I had been putting up quotes as I find them on the 'Net. Now I put up some code to load quotes automatically every time the page loads. Check it out beginning Sunday when I do the next update on the site.

Time to buzz the tower.

Threshold of pain

The concept seems to apply everywhere in life. How long can you hold on, and what pain and how much discomfort can you deal with.

When I was in the military, I learned that the mind gives up before the body. Making those runs, or crawling through the sand, even working 24 hour shifts, many times I wanted to quit, but as long as I didn't, my body would continue on.

Starting up a photography business, heck, any business, you have to deal with that "threshold of pain". There are so many outside forces that one has to deal with to be successful. Most would normally think "it's the economy, stupid" but it isn't. I talk to a handful of photographers every week and keep tabs on a dozen more in the area. Everyone is working. Sure, they are established. But at one point, they were starting out too. Just as I am. I just happen to be starting out in a down economy. It will still come down to this. People get married, people have babies, people graduate, and people get married.

My influences are of course money. Not bringing any in, which creates another force, called the spouse, and that can be the greatest force known. Right now, it's a in a negative energy mode. Some day, I hope it to be a positive force. But I won't prognosticate that weather pattern. When I am able to bring in some cash flow, the force will become neutral. Not Switzerland neutral mind you, but more like, it's no longer a negative energy.....yet not a positive one either.

As I get older, my patience has seemed to gotten longer and stronger. I know my time is coming. But not very many people in my life share this optimism. I look back on the past 12 months, and I wasted many a day. But there are days and weeks, that I have accomplished what seems like a lot. The spouse, doesn't see what I have done. Doesn't understand it took me 8 1/2 hours to edit 440 images. I only liked 99 and was able to narrow those down to about 15. It takes time and to edit so tightly. But I had to provide enough images for enough saleble items. No pictures, not sales. More pictures, more sales. At least that's always the hope.

Bittner-Owens wedding

In Saturday's post, I mentioned I had the opportunity to tag along with Beth and Pam to shoot a wedding. They were both totally wonderful. Although, we as photographers, are three different personalities.

Here are a few of my shots from the day.

The Bride wore beautiful white


More beautiful than a flower


For every good man, is a great woman


Under the cover of love


Bouquet catch

Wedding today

I shot a wedding today as a 3rd shooter with Pam web site blog and Beth web site blog. Click the associated words for their sites and blogs.

I am pre writing and publishing the post on a schedule so as of this writing (Sat morning at 1:15am) I haven't actually met either of this dynamic duo. But from their web sites and blogs, I imagine twins from another mother. From what I gather, they work together often. It will be interesting and challenging to be a part of their work patterns. I am being brought into the fold for an on the job interview so to speak. I don't want to get in the way, yet I need to be able to create my own images. It won't take long to feel each other out and know where to be and where not to be. I am looking forward to it.

NOTE: Photographers are an interesting bunch. Even though we are each others immediate competition, there is a camaraderie and support that I haven't seen in other fields. Then again, I haven't worked in many other fields so maybe it's there, I just don't know about it.

Anywho, if I pass muster, I may be called on to 2nd shoot a wedding in the future with either of them, or if they happen to be booked, a direct referral as a primary. The same goes for me. If I am booked on a date, I will be able to send business their way. It's already happened a few times this past week. One photographer in our small group is booked and needs to pass on referrals to another in our group. But since I haven't been able to work with any of them, I have been passed over in a way. I don't have any issue with that. Well, it would be nice to get the booking, but really. Their reputation in on the line for a referral. You only want to send business to someone you know will uphold your own ethics and standards of quality. I am confidant that I will pass muster.

Trip summary

Beginning May 1, 2008 I spent the majority of 9 weeks among the Tamarack and Red Fir trees. I woke to the flowing waters of the Naches River in the Wenatchee National Forest not far from Chinook Pass and Mount Rainer. I also ventured to the desert region of the Columbia Basin where sand and nuclear energy co-exist among the flowing waters of the mighty Columbia River. Where wind blown tumbleweeds and sage brush become yard decorations. I was back home in state of Washington.

Goal one was to help a family member with some projects after his retirement. A secondary goal for me was to bring my kids here for their summer vacation. That second goal sadly, failed to materialize.

Of course, I brought my camera equipment to shoot when I could. I tried to save a little money, but I ended up buying some more light stands, a bike from Craigslist and a few dinners. Never resting (photographically speaking), I talked to a lot of people to see if I could take their portraits. Suffice to say, the Yakima/Naches area of Washington is a veritable vacuum of talent. There isn't much here. I even tried to get a MUA (Makeup Artist) to work a shoot, but she didn't find it important to check her messages except once a month. Maybe she was busy, maybe not, either way, it could have been communicated. A few people I wanted to shoot, one was very interested, and kept saying so, but would never commit. Wish I could have that time back. Another was so rude you would have thought I almost ran over her child in the driveway. The project I mentioned MANY MANY weeks ago, will not get done. I had planned on getting environmental portraits of employees of the two restaurants up here in the valley. I planned several poses out for specific people too. But because of their schedules and mine, it will not happen. I will put the idea in my idea book, and hopefully excecute it at another time and or place.

On the other hand, things were/are going well back in New Brighton/Pittsburgh. First, I was selected by Fe Gallery as one of 250 artists to represent Pittsburgh in a 250 year anniversary celebration/project. Secondly, the building where I was planning on putting in a second photo studio is still open and the owner wants to make sure I will be up and running when I get back or soon there after. Still, that "project" is going on seven months overdue. Also worth mentioning, one of the models I shot with in the spring wants to set up another session. She is/has worked with another local photographer because of my images he saw on her MySpace page. Finally, my MUA (well, she's not MINE, but it's the only MUA I work with), wants to shoot with me too. So things are significantly more promising in "da 'Burgh" than here in "the valley".

I did however get to spend some great times with my family here in WA. I attended a graduation, made it for mothers day, did a little golfing (pictures actually) and a family reunion coinciding with a school reunion. Most importantly, I had a great weekend with my wife when she visited for the graduation.

Regarding physical labor, I have shoveled about 7 tons of sand/gravel, screwed in 150+ pounds of 3 inch deck screws and bent more 20 penny nails than I care to admit. I have cut, chopped and loaded hundreds of feet of wood (did I say hundreds?). Painted walls, decks, railings and even myself. After I bought the CraigsList bike, I started riding it. Usually a couple of times a week. But near the end of my "tour" I was riding every day. My longest ride was 15 miles one way (up hill into the wind)(30 mile round trip). Many rides were 10-12 miles on average. Traffic wasn't a big deal, but the wind was. It always seemed to happen to blow towards me regardless of when I rode. Uphill, into the wind just really sucks.

This is not a "look what I have done" posting. It is to inform you all of my summer thus far. I haven't had an epiphany, nor have the clouds parted for the voice of God. However, I have learned a little about my family, my friends, and myself. Not since Air Force Basic Training and Tech School have I worked so hard (physically and mentally) for so long. (By the way, Basic Training is where I learned that the mind gives up sooner than the body). I hope these mini lessons can translate well to running my photography business and I eventually become very, very successful. I am coming to the conclusion that the world needs wood cutters, painters and construction workers. It also needs photographers, in which I plan to add myself to that list.

KeHS Golf Outing at Sun Willows

EDIT: Many more images in this gallery.

I had the opportunity to shoot some golfers over the weekend. NO, no GOPHERS, GOLFERS....

I have never taken golf pictures, and to be honest, it's TOUGH. I was able to work with a golf cart, but that makes it a fast(er) paced game, and not much easier to shoot. We had lefties and righties. So shooting from the Tee I either missed or made the shots based on where I set up. The light (sun and shadows) changes all the time based on what hole you are it too. For the most part, backgrounds were good (trees and grass) but there are also other golfers, houses, carts, etc.

There were 5 in the group and in my opinion, there were pretty well matched too.

I shot just under 500 pictures. Narrowed it to 146 that I liked. Then from there, I picked about 15 that I thought were blog worthy. Those images that told the story. From there, I have to pick about 5 to post. But in this case, I have only been able to narrow it down to 12......this is when the editing process gets tough. Not sure if I can get down to 5 so here are the 12.

The swing


Chip shot


Body English


It's in the hole


Out of the beach


Group effort


It's all about the ball


The "look"


Reading a lie


Refreshments


Personality


The group


EDIT: Many more images in this gallery.

Two more images to ponder

This top image gets some of the most comments in my printed portfolio. The second image gets a lot of comments too but I only have it online..... I might have to change that.

What do you all think? I can really still use some comments on the images I already submitted and these two. See this post for the 5 images I submitted to be SELECTED. I need to pick t least ONE image in a few days. This first image will be the one printed in a 250 page catalog.

Environmental Portraits

Up here in the valley, there are only a few places to gather.....two restaurants and/or bars. Both different enough that you usually go to both.

I am working on getting portraits done at both locations. I have started at one, and in a few weeks will get a few done at the other.

Here is one image of the bartender at Gold Creek Saloon.

Original Fe Gallery submissions

You can leave a comment and PLEASE share the blog with others. I really need some more input.

These are the images I submitted and from these I was selected to be one of the 250 artists representing Pittsburgh during it's 250th Anniversary celebration.

Keep your head in the clouds


Drive-In Tickets


Merry Go Round 1


Watching You


Merry Go Round 2

Pittsburgh 250 update

I received another email today with a few more details about my selection in Pittsburgh's 250th celebration.

Out of the 350 artists that submitted, I was one of 250 selected. But not all of them were photographers. I don't know how many were, so I am pretty excited that I might be one of a smaller group. Included are all types of artists. Sculptors, painters, visual arts (video) etc.

I was selected as an artist/photographer, not so much that one of the images I selected was chosen. That too makes it all the more cool.

The hard part now is to select a SINGLE image that is extraordinary that will be placed into a 250 page catalog that will be marketed to all the art galleries in the country.

Whoooa! (as Joey would say)

I will get a single page and a simple text byline. (Name, zip code). The image for the catalog can be different that one of the images I submitted or it can be one of them. I can also have a totally different image that will be in the gallery for the celebration. The catalog image has to be selected and submitted via snail mail by next week. Not much time. I have all my 2008 images with me, but I have only a few 2007 images on a separate disk with me. I don't have anything older than July-07-ish....so my options will be limited to the last 12 months.

I will post some images beginning this weekend. Hopefully you can all help me select the one or two images that I will submit.

I have mentioned it before, but share my blog with others and they too can participate. I may choose your selection, or go with my gut.....I won't know until it happens. Regardless, I have to have the CD in the mail by WEDNESDAY 6/4 so they will receive it by 6/7.

I have been selected

One (or more) of my images has been selected to be in the Pittsburgh's 250 year celebration. I received the selection notice via email. My image will be on display and in a catalog with other artists that have taken images of the Pittsburgh area.

Once I have more info, I will pass it on to you.

Trying to focus

Working essentially 9-5 away from the Internet and phones makes it tough to line up talent to work with during the off hours. So right now I am developing a concept for a new book project. This will allow me to shoot portraits at what would normally be inopportune times.

Yeah, I have done this before (a book project) and it failed miserably. This might too for all I know. The toughest thing about a book is getting started and following through LONG TERM. The concept is good, in my mind anyway. I hope I can sell the idea to others and then it will take care if itself. Besides, a photo a day is a book in a year.

Until the concept plays out a bit, I won't divulge much more....to jeep you all coming back and to keep form embarrassing myself.

Ohhh, it feels so good (to be shooting again)

When I decided to step into the realm of fashion photography, one of the things I knew I needed was a makeup artist.

Why?

Because they can sometimes make the model look better than the photographer. As a minimum, it's an enhancement of each others talents. I was astounded of the difference some professionally applied makeup can make. Now, I am a true believer of their talents. The first makeup artist that I met and got to know is Becca Bullet. Real first name, moniker second. Over the last several months, we have chatted and worked together. Last Saturday, I got the pleasure of meeting her boyfriend Dyer who is a painter/artist/poet in his own right. We scheduled a portrait shoot at the Creative TreeHouse in Bellevue PA.

It was a fun and challenging evening. Initially we were only going to shoot for about 2 hours. But since the TreeHouse was empty, we kept shooting until exhaustion set in. Well, Dyer was hungry too.

I had been so busy with the yard sale and working on the bathroom, I had ZERO time to put any thought into the shoot. So I went in with a blank mind. Becca didn't have any idea of what she wanted either, so we just went with what ever happened. This time at CTH I shot with two different background colors. We used white and red. Ironically, one of the walls of the studio is red, but it's more brick red (richer color) than pure red of background paper. I also tried my hand at a concept shot. The story line is a man wanting to be on the computer and the woman wanting more. She (Becca) uses the mouse to entice her man to her, rather than the computer. It looks a bit cheesy, but I had very little time and limited equipment to work with.

Of course, my ultimate goal was to get images of them interacting with each other. Their care and love for one another as well as any passion that might spill on to the scene. I think I was able to do that.

Here are quite a few images of the session (16 actually). We shot over 300 images in 4 hours.

New approach

As a photographer, I am always on the lookout for new models/subjects and locations. Surprisingly, in our little town, we have a lot of places and locations to use as backdrops. Industrial buildings to grassy parks, coffee shops to tattoo parlors. As for people, in my mind, everyone is just waiting to get their picture taken. It's up to me to find the right timing to ask them.

Wednesday 4/23/08, I did a session with Jenn. She works here in town and I had seen her a few times. Being me, I approached her and handed a card saying I would like to take her pictures. Give me a call and I will see you around.

A few weeks later she called, we met at a local burger joint then set up a session. Here are a few of the 400+ pictures we took.