Impact

A few points I like to use to create impact with photos.

1. Create a collage with a "few" favorite images
2. Print the collage as a 11 x14, frame it and hange it on your wall
3. Convert the images to black and white or sepia for a different effect
4. Add a caption
5. Use drop shadows to add impact to the photos

Play!

Over the next week I will discuss taking fun pix of kids and babies and the tools I use to create fun collages and 'digital' mats for your picture frames.

As always, get out and enjoy the beauty of life!

Sharpen your saw!

This image was taken with the D200 - 50 mm lens @ f/2.2 ISO 800 1/45 second.

This type of shot is always one of my favorites.  I focus on the baby's closest eye and will open up as much as possible.  Once it is in Lightroom, I 'play' with the highlights to lighten the image more.












Sharpen your saw!


I heard this phrase many years ago at a Steven Covey seminar. It means to take time to rest and study. I have been a fan of study for as far back as I can remember. The study I mean is the type to learn more about your craft or to build a skill set that you want but do not posses today. It is critical to study and ‘do’ until the new skill becomes second nature. For those that know me, know that I am always attending workshops, formal classes, watching training videos, and reading books. I listen to many books and Podcasts on my iPod too.

I highly recommend to everyone to continue studying long after high school graduation. There are times when I hear “I cannot afford to buy books and training videos.” The library has an amazing collection of books and training videos.

What I do is buy and sell books and training videos [DVDs] on Amazon and eBay. If you buy them used and sell them, then the cost out of pocket is minimal. I just attended the David Ziser “Digital WakeUp Call” in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Why did I take it in two cities? Because I knew, there would be items I missed in day one. It is not that I am slow but it is because I know that the more times I hear something the more I learn and can apply the skills to my life. It also provided me the opportunity to talk to David and LaDawn [his wife] and ask questions surrounding the art and business side of photography. They both took the time to chat with me and answer my questions. They are great folks and are very willing to share their many years of knowledge. I highly recommend their workshop.

A few years ago, I took on a new project and it required me learning VBA for Excel. I bought and read more books than I can remember [and sold many of them on Amazon when I was finished] plus I took all day workshops from one of the industry’s top VBA programmers. What did this do for my skill set? It catapulted me to the next level securing future earnings. As the saying goes, “you can charge more for your differences but not for the similarities”.

I do not say any of this to brag but to encourage you to study and learn the skills you need to go to the next level in whatever you are attempting to do. If you want to learn more about photography, then buy books, read blogs, go to workshops. If you want to learn more about anything in life then learn and study. Do whatever it will take to get you to the next level.

The job market is intensely competitive. I have always believed that the individual that continues to ‘sharpen their saw’ and learn new skills and techniques will always fare better than the individual that sits back and relies on the skills they learned many years ago.

Get out and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation!

Life.com

If you never 'checked out' life.com, I highly suggest you take the time to click over to the site and view all the amazing photos on the site.

Have fun and get out and enjoy capturing the beauty of God, one click at a time!

frank

Digital wakeup call tour

I attended the Digital Wakeup Tour in Cleveland Tuesday and it was a great event.  Why Cleveland?  I wanted to catch the workshop twice.  I am off to the Pittsburgh workshop today.

Check out the picture in this link.  I am in the front row on the left. :-)

If you have the opportunity to attend one of David's workshops, I highly recommend it!

A spot of red

The look of this image is one of my favorites. I love the close up photo with the beautiful lady graced with roses. This image was shot with a sliding glass door as the back drop and I exposed for her face, with my flash off camera to her right. The light rolls off her face giving just a hint of the curves of her face. This caused the background to overexpose and go white. I converted it to black and white with a light sepia tone to the image. The red was brought back into the roses using photoshop and a layer mask.

Have fun!

frank