It’s all a matter of perspective

Lens choice is a matter of perspective

Lens choice modifies the mood and impact of your photos. My first thought shooting this group of almost Spring fitness seekers was with a telephoto view to compress their figures against the chaotic water falling over Hoover Reservoir as the background. I chose a point on the entrance road leading to the parking lot at [...]

It’s all in the eyes

Gymnast prepares for horizontal bar event

An annual assignment for me is the Arnold Sports Festival where as many as 17,000 athletes compete in about 40 sports. This will be my 16th year shooting the weekend having made the transition from processing color film in a utility closet to a staff of six photographers all shooting digital and delivering photos in [...]

Oprah’s eyes

Catch-lights in the eyes

I’m always looking into Oprah’s eyes. Well, at least one day a month I look into her eyes. I lean in close, pulling her to me so I can see into her eyes without distraction. I focus close examining her pupils, looking for signs that will show me some of her secrets. Looking for any [...]

Compositional Confusion

Compositional confusion

I’m usually an advocate of a clean, crisp arrangement of objects in photos. This wasn’t one of those times. The rolling ridges of this farm field, a lowered roadway where I stood and an overcast afternoon sky all contributed to a difficult setting for good photos. I’ve used the house in the background in a [...]

Giant unplanned softbox

Using the sky as a giant softbox

This is not the photo I intended for an afternoon shoot. It’s better. The plan was a quick stock shoot of a young model dressed as a cowboy in a field of fresh cut and rolled hay and straw. We had four shirt changes, some gloves and a few other accouterments to make some style [...]

Full sun portrait

Noon portrait flash fill manual flash

Today’s lesson uses flash in a near-noon daylight photo to create an image balancing daylight and fill-flash. The girl is standing in open sun coming through an opening between two trees. The spot was chosen because it put her right hand in the soft shadow of one tree and her head in the open sunlight. [...]

Accepting the unexpected exception

Swarm of bees flies to its new home

It’s been a very busy day of doing everything but little time for actually taking pictures I can tell you about. I’d put together this post last night and filed it away as a draft with plans to finish and post earlier this morning. That idea fell apart at sunrise with a phone call for [...]

Moving at a fast pace

Blurred action, blurred background

There was limited time to shoot this blurred image of a local city worker completing his afternoon task mowing the unused portion of the cemetery and city lots near my home. He appeared to be nearing the end of  his shift and had the mower in overdrive quickly moving closer tome with each pass. I’d [...]

Picture Of The Year – 2009

outdoor softball player portrait nikon d300 cls sb-800 strobist

Every year, as I ponder my new year’s resolutions, I always try to find the one photo that best describes how I met last year’s promises. The process keeps me grounded in success and helps me determine realistic goals for the new year for creating better photos. This year’s best photo is of a young [...]

Watch your athlete prepare

Watching your athlete subject prepare

Being a good photographer means more than having technical skills. It means more than understanding light. It means more than understanding composition. It’s easy to learn these things. What is important is arrive early and stay late. Not matter the job, no matter the subject, no matter the need. Get there before everyone else and [...]