I need a new head ...

Just bought a Manfrotto 420B boom stand. Used for a couple of portraits of a friend, Henriette Goethgen, at NOVI Science Park in Aalborg.

Still need a kind of a "ball head" for the boom arm, so I can adjust the softbox. Do anyone know what to buy?

D3, 24-70 mm. f. 2,8 at 44 mm, 1/100 sec., f. 4,5, ISO 200 manuel mode, SB800 + Ezybox + Manfrotto 420B boom arm + SU800.

D3, 24-70 mm. f. 2,8 at 70 mm, 1/100 sec., f. 4,5, ISO 200 manuel mode, SB800 + Ezybox + Manfrotto 420B boom arm + SU800.

MV-22

I was in Jacksonville, NC a couple weeks ago helping a fellow Boeing photographer with a shoot for our annual report. We were on the flight ramp for some night-op shots when this happened. I had just put my 400mm away so I'm a little disappointed that it's not closer but still like the shot. Take care and keep blogging!

Fred

The real world

Fred reminded me just today that we are coming up on our year mark from Joe's class

and it got me thinking about the take away and what I've applied. Last year I photographed about 120 jobs and those were anything from weddings to kids to Ad campaigns. I'm making my living strictly from photography and the grace of God. So what did I get, I think for me it was simply the idea to get my self out of the comfort zone and into a place where I can discover something. Where what has been learned combines with what is instinctual. So yes, I have improvements to make and I realize that I'm no Joe Mcnally but I am a Chris Keels and this year I've come to a point where that means even more. My very best you all and may 2010 be a year of greatness for us all.

I've attached two images from a portrait session I did the one was a direct application of skills I learned from the class and the other from simply enjoying the light I was given.

I'm a (gulp) Wedding Photographer (?!?!?)

Yeah, I know. I said NEVER AGAIN. I said WORST JOB EVER. I said a lot of things.

Well, after being sweet-talked into shooting two weddings for friends last year, I've decided that it's not THAT bad after all. So I'm going to throw up a wedding website and 'test the waters.' I'm not going full-time with this, just a handful a year... but enough to help pay the bills and maybe help me get some better equipment.

Thinking about marketing myself as a 'boutique' wedding photographer but I hate that word. I need to figure out how to explain to potential customers that they're not going to get 'selective color effects' or 'soft focus' with me. I'll just lie and say that my camera doesn't do that. :o)

As always, critique and comments ENCOURAGED. Also encouraged are referrals. HA!

-karen

and this next one is a little 'inappropriate'

Fashion shoot (last two images)

Hey all,

Here are the last two images from my fashion spread for the alumni mag @ the college (see original post below for first four images). Once again, please honestly critique. And thanks so much again for the feedback you've already given. You guys are a great sounding board (or maybe seeing board?)! THANK YOU!

The Sky Is On Fire

The weatherman says that we are going to get rain today here in the Phoenix area, so there are dramatic clouds in the sky this morning which made for a gorgeous sunrise from my front patio/courtyard. It made the horizon and sky look like it was on fire.


(click on the image to enlarge)

We'll see if the day actually brings any real rain, but it certainly started out with some great color.

This is an HDR composite of 3 images (-2ev, 0ev, +2ev) using Photomatix Pro to process the images.

Have a great day,
David Gralian
http://www.davidgralian.com/
david@davidgralian.com

Hey all,

Wanted to share with you my latest project for the alumni magazine (these photos haven't been published yet, so.... shhhh.) We challenged six alumni fashion designers to design a garment based on one of the schools within the college (e.g., the School of Business, the School of the Arts, the School of Humanities, etc), then found student models for each shoot. Attached are the first four shots.

This is the first time I've done fashion. I found it DIFFICULT! I went into this thinking fashion would be a creatively freeing kind of shooting, but actually felt very limited right away. No spontaneous shooting here: instead of that spontaneous moment I always look to capture, I had to meticulously pose each model so the garment was shown in its best light (literally and figuratively). I'm not sure why this surprised me. =0)

Anywho... please honestly critique. Good... bad... what I did well... what I could have improved? I'd appreciate it!

Will post the final two images when they're shot.

Thanks all!

Hope you had a great holiday!

Leslie

A Few from Our First Day

I was going through photographs from Joe's class last Feburary for a project I was working on when I came across a few candid portraits taken on our first day.

I've posted them in a private gallery here. My apologies to those of you who are among the missing.

I hope the pictures bring back good memories of a week full of challenges, discovery, fun and frustration.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and productive New Year.

Chicago at night

Hope everyone is well. Just keeping Kabobs alive! These are from my recent trip to Chicago.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

Fred

Fun with Mushrooms

Well not that kind of fun, just photographing the mushrooms.

While in Sacramento CA, I came across this colony of mushrooms growing at the base of a tree. I thought it was kinda neat looking, so I came back the next morining to catch the warmth of the early light.

The below two images are HDR (High Dynamic Range) compositions, using Photomatix Pro software. I'm really liking the results of this HDR stuff.

The image below is from a "point and shoot" camera, shot in the shade of the tree, still turned out OK.


Wishing you all the best,
David Gralian
http://www.davidgralian.com/
david@davidgralian.com

Fisherman and engine shed

Hi Virginia,

I was trying to implement RSS feed on my own blog, but then "something" happened ...;o) Sorry!

FISHERMAN
Well, here is a picture I made earlier this year of a fisherman on Ringkoebing Fjord a beautyful (and very early!) morning in the summer of 2009.

D2x, ISO 200, 1/1.000 sec., f. 5,6, 17-55 mm. f.2,8 lens at 17 mm., manuel mode. One SB800 + SC-28 cord.
 
MILLE
Here is a picture I made a couple of weeks ago in an old remise (garage for trains). I think it is called engine shed or roundhouse in english. The girl is Mille.
 

D2x, 17-55 mm. f. 2,8 at 28 mm., ISO 200, 1/160 sec., f. 11, manuel mode. One SB800 in Ezybox as main light camera right + one SB800 very high to light the scene up + SU800 commander.

LISBETH

Trying to light the purple shawl from behind and control the ambient too. The girl is Lisbeth.

D2x, 17-55 mm. f. 2,8 at 30 mm., ISO 250, 1/3.200 sec., f. 2,8, manuel mode. Two SB800 in shoot thru umbrella as main light camera left + one SB800 with gobo from behind camera right to light up the shawl camera right + SU800 commander + strong sun from right side to light shawl camera left.

TROTTING TRAINER

Made a testshot of trotting horse trainer Mr. Kaj Jensen, Aalborg. Just for fun.

The shooting resulted in two new customers who accumulated minimum a months pay, so my time was invested good.

D2x, ISO 200, 17-55 mm. f.2,8 at 32 mm., f. 5,6, 1/80 sec., manuel mode, one SB800 in umbrella + SU800 commander.

Carol's project following an artist