Hmmm... gum

Something to freshen the breath... This is an essential tool in a wedding photographers bag... unless you are using a really long lens!

Gerald

HDR Processing!!!

Here's an illustration of one of the many cool things you can do with Photoshop. I got the effect using a simple technique that produces similar results to what you might get from HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing (see below).

Step 1. Take a picture.

I took this one in Victoria, B.C this past fall. Here are some of the Specifics--1/70th sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 17-40mm L lens @ 17mm.

One of the most important details for producing this kind of image however, is shooting in the RAW format. The file size will be about 3 times as large, but it allows you to have much more creative freedom later on. As you can see, this image started off very dull and flat...

Step 2: Process the image.

Using RAW conversion software, I boosted the contrast and brightened the image to properly expose the darker foreground area.

Step 3. Process the image again.

This time I darkened the image to accent the dark clouds in the background.

Step 3. Merge the two images.

There are a variety of way to merge these two images in Photoshop, and doing any of them will require at least a basic working knowledge of Photoshop. Here's the simplest way to do it.

Open both versions of the image. In the layer pallet, grab one of the images, and drag it onto the other image. Make sure the layers are properly alligned, then simply delete the area of the top layer that you do not want in the final image. If the darker photo is on top, then delete the areas of the photo that you want to be lighter. This will reveal the brightened version underneath. Tada! You can also use a layer mask to hide the unwanted areas of each layer, but that would take more time to explain... time that I would prefer to spend sleeping.

Goodnight,

Gerald

Baby Photos

Here are a few baby shots that we took for some friends of ours. It was our first time doing baby pictures, so we'd love to hear what you think!

Airika

Lake Tahoe

Airika and I are preparing to go on vacation next week (Yeah!), and we are headed down to Southern California for a few days. We are definitely looking forward to sunshine, warm weather, and some time to unwind...

Our last vacation was last summer when we met my parents out at Lake Tahoe. If you have never been there, you need to go! It's an incredibly beautiful place.

But wait! There's more! Click here to see the entire gallery from this trip...

Gerald

The last last Thursday

Ok, this is the last time I'll mention last Thursday. I promise.
...As soon as the bicycle photo shoot was over, I rushed into Seattle to meet Airika at Janet Klinger's photography studio for a get together with some other local photographers. The highlight of the evening was the speaker that Janet invited, Jonathan Ross. He owns a local stock photography business, and he is amazing! The process his team goes through to produce stock images really opened my eyes. From creating shot lists, to finding locations, to getting releases, to studio setup, to finding models--he has perfected the process to make his shoots highly efficient. The amount of planning that goes into one day of shooting is truly mind boggling!

Ever since last Thursday, I've been thinking a lot about what he said. Photojournalism is truly at the heart of my style, and something inside me cringes at the thought of putting together a shot list/meticulously planning every detail out. That would involve thinking ahead about what I want, writing it down, and when the time comes, manipulating the scene to portray what I am looking for. The whole process depends on me interjecting myself into the situation to get what I want--and it seems that this would be a far cry from "documenting events as they unfold."
Nevertheless, there was a lot that I was able to glean from Jonathan's stock photography process. I've realized that there's even more I can do to prepare for the shoots I do at the PRO Club.

When I shoot weddings, I have the freedom to let my photojournalistic style shine. My assignments are very different at the PRO club, and often involve everything from portraits, to head shots, to activities, to products, to architecture, to food, to just about anything else you can imagine. In those situations, something as simple as thinking through a shot list beforehand can go a long way in freeing up your creative juices to focus on important things like framing, lighting, interacting with your model, etc. rather than worrying about thinking up another creative idea for the next shot. I am anxious to work on this over the next couple of weeks to see how it will affect my work...

All that to say, last Thursday was a long day, but a good one.

Goodnight,
Gerald