Gabby - Denver High School Senior

A few months ago I met up with Gabby in Denver to for a quick Senior Photo shoot.  We got some great portraits in this mini-session.  I can't wait to see what kind of photos we get from the full session this summer!  Expect to see more soon...

It's Friday Already? This Week In Photography.

Where did this week go?  It's been pretty busy around here lately, which might be the reason I haven't posted anything about what I've been up to all week long.  Last weekend was filled up with a wedding, some family photography and senior photos.  I also took a day during the week to catch the Flash Bus Tour as it made a stop in Denver.  Not to mention the fact that I'm finalizing the design on some new fliers and marketing pieces.

Here are a few sneak peaks for you.  Expect full posts soon!  Have a great weekend!

Max, Shane, Stella and Amber stopped by the studio for some family photos.

Gabby and I spent a few minutes downtown for a Senior Mini Session.

What's a Senior Mini Session?  I'm glad you asked!  Head on over to my Facebook Page for more info.

Planning a wedding in Denver?  I photograph weddings!

Tech Tuesday - Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S Lens

Wow. Lust-worthy. *Drool*. Right now, words are failing me as I try to describe Nikon's 85mm f/1.4 AF-S lens. I rented it for a photo shoot over the weekend and got to take it out for a day of play in Denver. Here's what happened.

First, let's recap. This is Nikon's newest version of it's legendary 85mm f/1.4 lens, the AF-D. Although I never used the AF-D, I had heard that the AF-S was even more amazing so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I rented the lens for a photo shoot on Sunday, which meant it was going to be sitting around all day Saturday. Of course, I couldn't let this happen, so I set up a shoot with fellow photographer Tess Polivka. She rented a Canon lens she had been wanting to try, so we both headed downtown for a day of photography and testing our new toys, I mean lenses.

To really see what this lens could do, I shot the entire day at f/1.4. Normally, I'd hesitate to do this, as most f/1.4 lenses are a little soft when they're wide-open. Not this lens! It's super-sharp at f/1.4. In fact, I was blown away by what I saw when I got home and was able to view the images at full size.

The focus was not only sharp but also accurate! Eyes, not noses, were sharp. At such shallow depth of field, it's very easy to accidentally shift focus from an eye to a nose. I was happy with the number of keepers I had. Not only is focusing accurate, but it's fast and silent also. I'm used to using "D" lenses, which use the body motor to focus the lens. It's a little louder to use, but in most cases it's also faster than the internal "Silent Wave" motors in newer lenses. This lens was indeed silent, but I'm not sure if it could be any faster. Focus seemed almost instantaneous and I never experienced any hunting. Of course, I was outdoors in bright light all day, but that was only Saturday.

On Sunday, I was able to use it at my bridal fashion shoot. Well, I should say I was able to use it a little bit, as I was sharing with fellow Nikon shooter Kimothy Pikor. I think she fell in love with this lens. When I could pry it away from her, though, I was impressed with how it handled in a studio setting. Working with modeling lamps it focused just as quickly and accurately. Working with low light coming in from a window was no different, and I was able to capture some great candid shots without using flash.

So, what's this lens good for and is it worth it? I would never use it for an event, as it's focal length is too long for candid photos but too short for capturing most presentations or ceremonies. I'm not sure how it would work at a wedding, either, as it's still in that too long/too short range. But portraits... this is a dream lens for portraits. It's sharp, it's fast, it has flattering compression, it has amazing bokeh. It's on my wish list. It's in my dreams. It will be mine.

As always, I rent my gear from Pro Photo Rental up in Boulder, CO.

Here are some photos from my two days with this lens.  All were shot at f/1.4, with the exception of the detail photo, which was shot at f/9.

Lexie - Sheridan High School Senior

As I type this, it is 18°F and snowing outside. Tomorrow the high isn't supposed to go above 0°F. It's hard to believe that only a few days ago the highs were near 60°F during Lexie's senior portrait session!

Somehow everything worked out for her photo shoot. We tried, on multiple occasions, to set up a session last summer, but it never quite worked. Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call in mid-January to finish what we started! It turns out Lexie's school doesn't require senior photos to be submitted until February! So, we picked a date and hoped for good weather.

In Denver, good weather in January can usually mean sunny and mid-40s. That's not a bad day for a photo shoot. We got really lucky with the weather. Sunny, no wind and 60°F? Hello Spring! People were wearing shorts. Lexie could wear a short-sleeved shirt with no jacket. We didn't have to find buildings to warm up in. The weather made it a near-perfect day.

What made it a perfect day was Lexie. She wants to go into the performing arts and I really think she can do it. Many people are shy if anyone else is around while they're getting their picture taken. Not Lexie! Three people on a smoke break just 10 feet away? No problem. Standing in an intersection with cars driving by? Didn't even phase her. She can perform in front of people while under pressure, which is pretty important if you want to be a performing artist.

Not only can she perform under pressure, but she's got looks and personality as well! She was perfectly comfortable chatting and making small talk, not to mention getting photographed. In fact, I really enjoyed talking with her because she could carry on a real conversation for more than a few sentences. And then there's her looks. I'll sign off now and just let her photos speak for themselves...

Nataly - Aurora Central HS Senior

"I'm dressed in pink." That's how Nataly described herself as we talked on the phone while trying to meet up in LoDo. We were walking from opposite sides of the 16th Street Mall hoping to meet somewhere in the middle. It didn't take long to recognize her since she was not only dressed in pink, but also had a pink purse, pink bag, pink lipstick and pink hair. I think she has something for pink!

The day had been pretty gloomy and rainy, but fortunately the weather held out for our shoot and we even saw a little sunlight peeking through the clouds! Not wanting to waste any light, we started shooting right away, moving from city streets to alleys, hunting for nice locations and good light.

Nataly was a lot of fun to work with. She's got a great attitude and was easy to talk to. Plus, when she flashes that pink smile at you, it's hard not to like her! Belinda came along to assist with the shoot and she even commented on how impressed she was with Nataly, especially how much confidence she has.

As Nataly changed from one pink outfit to another, the daylight kept slipping away. Pretty soon it was getting dark and cold, so we headed back to meet up with her parents. As we said our goodbyes and parted company, I thought about Nataly's plans to become a nurse and eventually a doctor and couldn't help but smile. I'll give you one guess what color I think her scrubs will be...

You can see more photos from the shoot here.

Christopher - Denver School of the Arts Senior

When you've got a cello that's 200 years old, it needs a story. That's not the kind of thing that you find in a pawn shop. A 200 year old cello has a history and to have survived that long it probably has been cared for by someone who appreciates it. When I asked Christopher the story behind his cello, he told me that it was previously owned by a performing cellist who used it to practice in his hotel room. Apparently he would just sit in his hotel room and play all day on this cello. When it was time for the performance, it would stay in the room and his other cello was the one that went on stage.

I must admit, this was the first senior shoot I've done involving a musical instrument and I can't think of a cooler instrument to photograph! Christopher was a pretty good guy to photograph as well. We met up twice for his session: once in the studio and once in LoDo. Both times the cello came along and both times we had a lot of fun.

In the studio, we went with a simple black curtain for the backdrop, kind of like being on a stage. This was a great session to get to know each other. It was also a great session for photos! With the clean backdrop, Christopher and his cello were the stars of the show. The colors of the cello really popped with the studio lights and black background.

When we met in LoDo a few days later, it had just finished raining and the clouds cleared out just in time for our shoot. I knew that the cello would never see the light of day if there was any threat of rain, so I was relieved that the weather cooperated with our schedule. After shooting in a few alleys, we headed over to get a nice view of the city. As the daylight disappeared and the city lights appeared, Christopher just sat and played his cello while I took photos.

While we were shooting, Christopher's mother made a comment about how nice it is to do what you love for a living. Christopher is planning on going to an arts college and then hopefully on to a career as a musician. Fortunately, I am also doing what I love for a living. It occurred to me the next day that both of us were spending an evening together doing what we loved. Maybe that's why it felt like we could have spent all night overlooking the city, Christopher playing his cello and me geeking out and taking photos. As it turned out, we ran over the schedule by about 30 minutes. Oh well... his cello had waited 200 years to be the star of the show. I can spare 30 minutes.

To see more photos from this shoot, click here.

Tech Tuesdays - Reflectors

Sometimes using a reflector can make or break a photo. For example, if you only have one light source that you're using, whether it's a strobe or a window, you'll probably end up with a pretty contrasty photo with bright highlights and dark shadows. While this look can be a good thing, it's not always what you want. By using something to reflect a bit of light back into those shadows you'll get a photo that's much easier to look at and much kinder to your subject.

So what is a reflector? A reflector is anything that reflects light. Sounds pretty obvious, eh? All too often, though, us photographers get caught up in the gizmos and gadgets of photography and just think of a reflector as something made by Lastolite or California Sun Bounce that costs a lot of money. Those companies make reflectors in all shapes, sizes and colors, but those aren't your only options for reflecting light.

One of the cheapest reflectors you can get is a piece of paper. Yes, a plain white piece of copy paper. While it's not necessarily big enough to use in a portrait session, it can work wonders for product or macro work. Just fold it into a tent, set it next to your product and you've got a nice source of reflected light!

If you're shooting something bigger, like a person, you can use large pieces of foamboard, styrofoam or even a bunch of pieces of paper taped together! All of these items can be pretty tough to use in the wind, but in a studio they work just fine.

You'll notice that everything I've mentioned so far is usually white. When you're reflecting light, a white surface will give you a nice, soft light that doesn't affect the color of the light you're using. If you happen to use green paper as a reflector, it will still reflect light onto your subject, but it won't reflect as much as white paper will and it will turn the reflected light green, which will turn your subject green. You can use something that's silver, but it will cast a harsher light than white will. I would avoid using a mirror. Even though mirrors are about as reflective as you can get, they are not generally recommended for use as a reflector unless you need a very harsh and direct light.

Now, how about the size of your reflector? When you reflect light, you're essentially creating a new light source. As with any light source, the smaller it is the harder the light it creates and the larger it is the softer the light it creates. Keep this in mind when you're choosing your reflector.

The distance you hold your reflector from your subject also matters. Because light falls off exponentially as a light source gets farther from a subject, and reflected light is already weaker than the light source, you'll have to get your reflector pretty close to your subject to see a difference.

In the photos below, the light source did not move for any of the photos and the camera settings did not change. The only changes I made were in the use of a reflector and how far away I held it.

In this image, I didn't use a reflector at all.  Notice how dark the left side of the face is.

In this image, I used a half-sheet of white paper and held it the same distance from the left side of the face as the light source on the right side of the face.

In this image, I used a half-sheet of white paper and held it half the distance from the left side of the face (closer to the face) as the light source on the right side of the face.  Notice how much more fill-light there is.

 In this image, I used a large 2x4' piece of styrofoam and held it the same distance from the left side of the face as the light source on the right side of the face.  Notice how much more the light wraps around the face compared to the smaller piece of paper that was held at the same distance.

In this image, I used a piece of black paper and held it the same distance from the left side of the face as the light source on the right side of the face.  Notice how there is even less reflected light than when there is no reflector.  Black "reflectors" just suck up the light.

In the real world, sometimes you have to improvise. In the photo that leads off this article, you'll notice that it looks like there are highlights on the model's face. There are, but not from any direct light. This shot was taken right around 2pm on a sunny Denver day, but we were standing in the shade of a bridge. If you look at the reflections in her eyes, you can see the large sidewalk that was right in front of her just reflecting all that wonderful sunlight into her shady face. Without that reflected light, this photo would be pretty flat. As long as you keep your eyes (and your options) open, you never know what kind of reflectors you'll find!

Sammy T Plays for Hope Connects

I recently re-connected with a college friend, Sam (aka: Sammy T). He and I were in a band together and always shared a love of music. Sam has stayed on the music path and on Thursday night he was using his talents to benefit those who are less fortunate. He, along with his friend George (aka: OrangePeelMoses), played at Spill for a fundraiser for Hope Connects to help raise money for the people of Congo.

It was great to see Sam and meet George. Their music sounded great. It also felt good to see so many people come out to support Hope Connects, including Wojtek Wolski of the Colorado Avalanche, who tended bar for the night! I'm sure I'll be at the next event and I'm sure you'll be seeing photos from it as well. Hopefully I'll be able to let you know in advance so you can attend and support this great charity and listen to some great music.

Here's a link to Sam's blog: Sammy T

You can see more photos from the evening here.

Victoria

They say you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Does it count if neither of you knew it was your first impression? Victoria and I had never met before, but I had seen photos of her online. We were both in the right place at the right time for our shoot, but she didn't know me and I didn't recognize her (her hair was different). Luckily, we finally figured it out and started with our shoot.

We started off down by the river in some trees and bushes that had all lost their leaves. The patterns and textures they provided with the sun shining through them looked amazing as a background. These are some of my favorite back-lit photos that I've taken.

While the sun was setting, we decided to take advantage of "the Golden Hour", or that hour right before the sun sets where the sunlight takes on a very warm, golden color. Instead of using the sun to backlight Victoria, she turned towards it and let it's warm color light up her face. I hadn't had much experience photographing people in this light, but after seeing the results I'm going to schedule more shoots for sunset!

Before the sun completely went away, Victoria changed outfits one more time. This was a much edgier outfit, so we found a brick wall that the sun was drenching in the last orange light of the day. She had some awesome poses that were enhanced by her shadow on the wall behind her. It's like having two people in the shot!

Once the sun set, we weren't quite done yet. We used up all of the available light in the sky and I filled in where needed with flash. This gave the photos a more harsh look, which was quite fitting for our last location. We found a corrugated metal wall with a fan that was blowing warm air straight down. The fan was great to get Victoria's hair blowing around and she appreciated the warm air on a chilly evening. It wasn't long before the fan turned off and the cold started to win, so we had to call it a night shortly after dark.

First impressions are tricky things. Sometimes they can make you or break you. Other times they're completely forgettable. In my opinion, what really counts is the lasting impression, what you and the other person remember after you part company. For Victoria, I have a great impression after working with her and look forward to our next meeting. Hopefully I recognize her...

You can see more photos here.

Bouba

My photo shoot with Bouba almost didn't happen. I had a last-minute cancellation and really wanted to fill my schedule, so I posted a Hail Mary listing on a modeling web site looking for anyone willing to shoot last-minute. Bouba responded within about 5 minutes saying that he was willing to shoot on short notice. Thankfully, he turned out to be a great guy to work with!

We met downtown for some business-like shots. Bouba pulled up in his shiny black car and stepped out in his suit. He gave the impression of someone of great importance, but he was as nice as anyone I've worked with. We walked around LoDo, taking photos and trying to find the perfect location to shoot. For not having any time to plan, I think we found some great locations.

Bouba was even willing to do a complete change of clothes to get an athletic shoot in as well! After changing in his car (I think all models are very good at this), he was no longer a businessman... he was an athlete! We headed to a park, got some quick photos and then had to run from the rain. Hopefully, our next shoot will have more notice and better weather. As long as it's anywhere as good as this one was, I'll be happy!

Note: this shoot is from my "archives". I'll have current shoots up later this week.

You can find more photos here.

Tanya

It's always nice when two people click. It makes working together so much more productive and enjoyable. After my shoot with Tanya in downtown Denver, I think the photos definitely support this idea.

It started off on a good note. "Do you want some coffee?" "I don't care, do you?" "I don't care." "Uh oh, are you one of those people who has a hard time making decisions?" "Yes, are you?" "Yes." "Should be a fun shoot." It's nice to start off with a little humor and common ground.

We had been planning on doing a "summer" shoot while it was still warm outside and the grass was still green. We had originally planned on last Tuesday, but with a high of about 50° and rain, that's not great weather for a summer dress. This Tuesday, the weather cooperated perfectly (although it was a little chilly first thing in the morning). We got our summer shots, she didn't get blinded by the sun too much, and didn't even get very wet from laying in the grass (the park had watered the night before).

Once we were done with the summer portion of the shoot, she changed into business dress for some "professional" shots in LoDo. We shot in quite a few different locations, a few construction workers enjoyed watching Tanya do her thing and I almost got a guy's phone number ("potential model" giving us a hard time). We were done by noon. She had a hair appointment (she's a stylist), I had to go scout a new location, and it was getting hot.

Fortunately, I think the photos turned out great and so does Tanya. She even says I'm her new favorite photographer! All I have to say is that if she were to call me up right now and want to go shoot somewhere, I'd only have two words to say to her: When and Where?

You can see more photos from Tanya's photo shoot here.