On the Beach - A photo essay of our recent family vacation.

Maddie

School Project

This post is just for fun.  My son's third grade class recently created a YouTube movie using stop motion animation.  I am so proud of him so I wanted to post this movie on my blog.  He served as one of the photographers on the "set."  Big thanks go to Mrs. Jennifer Detlefsen for her vision in this school project!

Studying with Joe Buissink in Las Vegas

I had the opportunity this week to attend a class in Las Vegas through WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International).  The two-day class was taught by Joe Buissink, an international photographer based in Beverly Hills, California.  I was exposed to Joe's work while studying wedding photojournalism.  Joe often works with celebrities in his area to create beautiful wedding and lifestyle photography - two great passions of mine as well.  His work is beautiful, emotional, and timeless.  He shared brilliant lighting techniques and demonstrated the importance of bringing your own soul into your photography and connecting with your subjects.  He is a master at relationship building as well as Fine Art photography.  It was a privilege to work with him and gain his insight to the images I created during our workshop.  Joe has photographed many familiar weddings including those of Jennifer Lopez and Brendan Fraser.  He is currently working on a lifestyle project with Steven Spielberg.  You can view his work at www.joebuissink.com.

PPA in Phoenix, AZ

I recently attended Imaging USA in Phoenix, Arizona.  It is an annual conference and trade show put on by the Professional Photographers of America, the world's largest nonprofit association for professional photographers.  It was a wonderful event, so full of opportunities to learn more about lighting, equipment, technology, and products.  I took notes like crazy and my head is still spinning a little.  It was also a great opportunity to meet some of the most accomplished photographers in the world and get tips that challenge me as a professional and encourage me to value my craft.  

Technology is really transforming this industry.  I sometimes hear photographers complain that the advances Nikon and Cannon have made in their equipment enable non-professionals to pick up a camera and compete with professionals.  That just isn't true.  The longer I work in photography, the more assured I am that it takes so much more than a good camera to create beautiful images.  It takes an artist's eye and a sense of how to frame an image.  It takes knowledge of lighting, depth of field, shutter speed and ISO.  It takes a sense of style that sets that photographer apart from his or her competition.  It takes a tireless devotion to creating art and pleasing clients.  It isn't a part time job.  A friend told me that once and I will always appreciate it.  Anyone can get a lucky shot, but a photographer is an artist and I believe that every person, every family, every business needs professional photography.  It doesn't need to cost a fortune, but it needs to be an investment.  It is art that takes time and money to develop and time and money to create.  I have yet to meet a photographer that was overpaid.  But I do think that we can sometimes improve the end product we give our clients.  I think as technology moves forward, so do our clients needs.  And if we are professionals, our ability to meet those needs moves forward too.

Girl Meets Guitar

This image of a young local musician will be featured in the One World Show.  I captured her guitar playing as a part of a recent family photo shoot.  I discovered that music shots yield themselves well to a wide variety of special effects in post production.

For Love of a Horse

Another image for the One World Show will be this one a girl and her horse.  This photo came from a senior portrait shoot last fall.  We shot in several locations, but my favorite was this stable in the country where she grooms and rides horses.  The sun was beautiful.  In fact, I will post a few photos from the shoot.  The sepia image of her walking her horse will appear at the show.