It's almost here...

In a few more days, the seminar I've been waiting for will begin!!  The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar 2010 will be held on December 3-4 at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center!! I know at least two of the recent graduates of Gwinnett Technical Colleges Commercial Photography program have entered the contest.  Good luck Amanda Gardner and Damian AhChing!!  I can't wait to hear how it goes!

My cousin's wedding

This past weekend, I had the privilege of being the photographer for my cousin wedding.  I had an Awesome assistant, Allison Evans who really made the day better for me.  Weddings, in general, tend to be hectic, but I think they're more hectic when the people are related to you! All in All, I think everything turned out well...Congratulations Jason and Tia Boone.

You tube I tube...

I have created a You tube account and loaded a few videos!  I'm not sure why, but you tube seems a little intimidating to me.  I know it's not as bad as it seems, so let's just see how it all works out!  Let me know what you think!

Here's another photographer that I came across on Tumblr.  Jose Orsini's blog is full of articles, reviews and relevant information that caught my eye.  I have read some of his stuff and looked at the images he posted as well as followed his link to check out his flickr photos.  Some of his work is shown below.

Whew, finally!

We have finally finished our Holiday Portraits fundraiser.  I think we did pretty well, however we always see things that could have been done differently.  It has been a long road to get here, but I know we are all happy to have completed this task!  Below is one of the images that I shot to turn in from Holiday Portraits.

While looking around at Tumblr photographers, I came across Leah Dee Photography.  Many of her images really stood out to me.  I think it's because she has quite a bit of macro type photography on her tumblr.  She seems to have a quirky personality which is also cute and funny.  Here are a few of her images.

I am now on Flickr!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I know here at my house it was CRAZY!! We had families come in from Virginia, Texas and South Africa!  Talk about a house full of people, but more than that there were tables full of food!! We do it big in our house!   Hopefully the pics below won't make you too hungry!

Best time of year...

Out of all the seasons, I believe Fall is my absolute favorite.  There are many reasons, but I think the number 1 reason is the way it looks outside.  The process of the changing colors of the leaves is amazing to see, I even love when the wind blows them off the trees and how they cover the ground!  Yep, I love fall.  Below is an image I captured recently at Piedmont Park.

Color Favorite

While going through some of my old photos, I came across one of my favorite images when we started printing in Color.  We learned a variety of processes to do that quarter, one of which wasHDR (High Dynamic Range).  Many photographers have mixed feelings about HDR and how it's done.  Some people make their HDR too cartoonish while others use subtle variations to the range in their photographs.  Here is one of my favorites from my Color Theory class using HDR.

Photojournalist

The time is getting closer for the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar being held December 3-4.  I am getting more and more excited about going to hear these world famous photojournalists.  I have been looking at many of the works of the people coming and one that I had to share is Barbara Kinney.  Her work has been published on the covers of TIME, Newsweek and People magazines.  I love the work that she's done with various non-profit organizations as well.  I would love to be able to touch as many lives with photography as she has.

Meet Doris

This week I had the pleasure of shooting Doris!  She was a great subject to use for my fill flash assignment.  She is hasn't done much modeling, but I think this may be a the first of many shoots she'll be doing in the upcoming future.  She doesn't play around, so make sure you're nice to her!!  Below is the image that was turned in except I made it black and white!

Fashion or Fantasy

ne of our final projects for Advanced Portraiture is a Fashion or Fantasy image.  We have to create a mood board for our instructor to approve with a complete idea.  Location we plan to do the shoot, who we plan to shoot and ideas of what the model will be wearing.  I only now have to decide if I'm going to shoot Fashion or Fantasy. Below are examples of each.

Out and about

It's always fun being out with classmates taking pics of whatever catches our eye.  While out this past weekend shooting at the Marta station, I saw this old gentleman standing waiting for a train.  He seemed to be either really deep in thought or simply overwhelmed with the stresses of life.  Whichever it was, it grabbed my attention and I couldn't help taking his picture.

Effective Fill Flash

In our photojournalism class we have been talking about how to use fill flash to light our subjects.  As many of us try and try to effectively light our subjects, it is definitely more difficult than we expected.  I recently came across this article of how to use fill flash effectively.  Read article

Without Fill Flash

With Fill Flash

Top Ten tips...

You ever wondered how to take better photographs??  Well, there's quite a few things you could do, but here are the top ten tips that Kodak lists to help you take better photos.  From things as simple as getting down to your subjects level to being a picture director.  I think these few tips should help you to take better photos!

Read more

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vs. Adobe Bridge

Which do you prefer?? Lightroom verses Bridge seems a lot like Canon vs Nikon.  I found this interesting article, so you be the judge on which one is best to use.

On the surface the Adobe Bridge, particularly Bridge CS4, looks a lot like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Beneath the surface though there are two fundamental differences. First and foremost, the Bridge is a “browser” which means that you have to tell it where to go when you want to look for your digital media files. Lightroom, on the other hand, is a database.  Read more

High Paying Careers in Arts & Communications

We are always looking for the jobs that are paying and paying well.  There are, according to this article, many jobs in the arts and communication field that are the highest paid jobs.  From Art Director to Photographer to Film and Video Editor, these jobs are said to be the best to look into.  To read the article, click here

New lens coming...

I'm increasing my camera gear!! I recently ordered a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6lens from Adorama.  Designed exclusively for use on Nikon DX-format digital SLR cameras, this new and extraordinarily versatile AF Zoom-Nikkor lens is perfect for an extremely wide variety of shooting situations ranging from tight sports, action and portraits to wide-angle landscapes.  The lens' compact Silent Wave Motor offers wonderfully fast, smooth and quiet autofocus performance. As soon as I get it, I'll post images from it!

Around the world...

I have always wanted to travel around to see as much of the world as possible.  I am intrigued about the various forms of life.  There are so many people living their lives in ways that we never thought of and I would love to be able to tell their stories in a way that will be impacting and heart gripping.  One place I plan to visit again is South Africa.  When I was there I saw so much that I'd love to go back to spend more time investigating.  Until then, I'll keep getting better right here in the ole US of A!

Big Shoes to Fill

The class that recently completed the Commercial Photography Program at Gwinnett Technical College has truly set the bar for our class.  They have had such amazing success and recognition recently and I am honored to be among such great photographers.  Many of the class photographers had prints chosen to be on display in a gallery in China. What an exciting time.  I can only hope that our class will have as much success as we complete the program!  Congratulations to the Mrs. Harkins and the 2011 graduating class of Gwinnett Technical College Commercial Photography Program.

Graduate Shelby Caldwell next to her image displayed in Shandong University of Art and Design, Jinan- China

Holiday Portraits 2010

It is finally here! The lights are up, the set is complete, the camera is in place, now all we need are people to come get their photos taken!! It has been a LONG road to get here, but I'm happy we finally made it!  I am so glad that this part is done, now it's time to have some Holiday fun!!  Come to Gwinnett Technical College to get your holiday portraits done!  Group shot example shown below!

As I look at different videos about how people told stories in photo essays, I am compiling ideas of how I want my final project to flow.  I have so many ideas, but I'm still unsure of which route I will take...maybe a combination of many of them.  Here is one of the videos I thought was done pretty well.

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Fall Fair

There have been so many fairs and festivals going on around Atlanta, however every time I wanted to go shoot one, they had either just left or hadn't begun yet.  I was lucky enough to hear about a fair that was going on for one more weekend!  It was the Fall Fair at Stonecrest at Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia, GA.  My first question was, where is that?  Second question was how far is it?  Awesomely enough, my friend Allison Evans was up to ride out to see what we could stumble upon!  It was pretty chilly outside, but I think we got a few good images.  Below are a couple of my favorites.

Progression

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am doing a photo essay on a lady with HIV/Aids.  I spent some time with her and her family this past weekend and had a blast.  She is a remarkable lady and has refused to take knowledge of having this disease keep her down.  She has a 4 year old daughter named Brianna who is such a joy to be around and is NOT HIV positive!  Here is one of my favorite pictures of Brianna!

Environmental

Today we turned in our environmental portrait assignment.  This is an image that depicts a person in their usual environment.  It doesn't necessarily have to be them at work, but can be them at home.  Simply a photograph where you can look at the image and know exactly what the person does.  The image that I turned in was one of a friend of mine who works for Rick Case Hyundai in Duluth, GA.

Turn around and take the shot!

While headed home from school the other day, I passed a gentleman sitting in the back of his truck selling firewood. I had just finished shooting an assignment for school and was ready to just go home and relax.  After I passed him I felt like I should turn around and take a picture of him.  I thought about it for a few seconds, then turned around and asked if he would mind if I took his picture. He said, not at all! His name was Clarence! Here is one of the images I took of him. I'm glad I turned around.

Power of Photojournalism

I have been looking through different photographers who specialize in photojournalism and I ran across this video. Photojournalism isn't for everyone and this video gives a great depiction of what photojournalism is and what those photojournalists must do to capture those amazing images.

Photojournalism Seminar!!

The time is getting closer for the Seminar of the year!!  I am so looking forward to attending this seminar.  The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar is going to be held atAtlanta Marriott Perimeter on December 3-4, 2010.  There are going to be some AMAZING photojournalists there speaking and sharing their knowledge.  A few people I look forward to hearing from John Kaplan, Gary S. Chapman, and Zach Arias...just to name a couple.

Image by Gary S Chapman

Photo Essay

For our photojournalism class we have been instructed to create a photo essay for our final project.  I have finally decided what I'll be doing.  I met a woman who has an incredible story.  She has had HIV-AIDs for 7 years and is willing open the doors of her home to allow me to tell her story.  I am quite excited about this project and will post how the process is going....

Oh, Italy..how I miss you

Between the summer and fall quarters at Gwinnett Tech, there was a study abroad to Italy.  The trip was 10 days that began in Milan and ended in Lake Como.  I have always wanted to go to Italy and when the opportunity came around I knew I was gonna make sure I was on the plane.  It was such an amazing trip and the places we visited helped give us a more in depth knowledge of the foundations of many of the world's artists and photographers.  I believe my favorite was learning more about Michelangelo and seeing his sculptures.  If you ever get a chance to visit Italy, go to Florence and learn the history of Michelangelo.

You fight, You lose...

In our photojournalism class we had a guest speaker, Chief Markham, a retired Police officer who is now Chief of campus Police at Gwinnett Technical College.  He shared quite a bit of wisdom about being a photojournalist and getting along with the officials on the scene.  Police officers have a job to do and although reporters do as well, Chief Markham reconfirmed that their job is the most important!!  If someone tries to spout off saying, "I have a right to be here, blah blah blah", the police will not hesitate to show you your rights...with some handcuffs and a ride in the back of their car to the police station.  The Chief said the main thing to do as a photojournalist is to be trustworthy, use common sense and build a rapport with authorities by asking if you can take pictures.  If you fight, you lose!!

A Page to Remember...

The end of the Summer quarter at Gwinnett Technical College was also the end of Mrs. Kim Harkins career as the Director of the Commercial Photography Program.  As the last class she would teach, many of us created a book for her to take with her.  She was one of the best teachers I have ever had and her presence is definitely missed.  We can only hope that as we finish the program, we will make her proud of the hard work she's done to get us this far!

Photographers to follow

While researching a variety of photographers who blog with wordpress, I came across several that interest me.  Two of them were Harold Ross and Roman Coia.  Harold Ross, a Commercial/Fine Arts Photographer has worked for more than 20 year perfecting Light painting and does workshops to teach this difficult technique.  Roman Coia is an accomplished Fine Arts photographer and colleague of Harold Ross. These are definitely a few photographers that I plan to continue to follow!

Image by Harold Ross Light Painting technique

Image by Roman Coia

Flash, Flash, Flash

We began discussing flash photography today in photojournalism class.  There is so much to learn about what type of flash to purchase and even knowing how to make the use of the flash that is purchased.  Below is some valuable information that I found on DIY Photography.

Nikon SB900 - The king of flashes - the most powerful strobe I know, with a completely tillable and swivel-able 200mm zoom head. Also featuring easy access for CLS menu, thermal control and 200mm zoom. 
Canon 580EX II - Featuring Canon's regular goodies + can control other flashes + has an external pc-sync outlet. 
LumoPro 160 - A good solid manual flash without all the bells & whistles of iTTL or CLS that the big names have. It will sync via pc-sync, 3.5mm jack and optical slave. 
Nikon SB600 - a small brother to the SB900. Not as big and powerful, yet great as a low cost strobe for manual/CLS work indoors.

Inspired...

It is always inspiring to look at professional photographers in the field and their varying creativity of capturing those things that many people would overlook.  I recently found out about this photographer Ross Oscar Knight.  His work is so unique.  I find myself going over and over his photos and every time I notice a small detail that I didn't notice the first time.  I am so inspired to look more at the smaller details and create an image that makes someone want to keep coming back to look at it.

Culture filled Festival

Saturday I stumbled upon a festival going on in Norcross, GA.  It was the Indian Festival of Lights Grand Diwali Mela held at the North Atlanta Trade Center.  It was such really good to see so many cultures appreciating each other and gaining knowledge about each other.  There were rides for the kids to play on and free food for everyone along with live entertainment.  I had no idea this happened every year and so close to my house! This is definitely something to check out again next year!