Clean Up
Posted on November 5, 2007
A break from work for a moment. I don’t smoke, so instead of going out to inhale, I’m taking a moment to exhale. Work has been extremely busy for the past few months. Well, make that years. It’s all relative though.
I need to update my portfolios on my website. I have so many new photos to put up there. I’d like to do some web updates too to increase the speed.
I’m trying to stop updating with posts about things that are coming soon, because “soon” is never soon enough.
I entered this portrait into the Coastal Carolina Fair this year. I didn’t get any ribbons, but it did get accepted and scored pretty well. I got a 19 out of a possible 22 which translates to something like 86%…maybe a B+. I knew when I entered the photo that it wouldn’t be a ribbon winner. It’s not photo journalistic, nor is it a member of Charleston’s seagull or pelican population. However, for me it was an accomplishment. It was taken around 10PM I think. Either way, it was pitch black. Jay was helping me scout locations for a bridal shoot I had coming up. Jay Nelson is an aspiring writer. You can read his blog here. His “pen” cascades vocabulary that can come close to lingering on pretense at times but always has scars that twitch with reality, humor, and honesty. Just enough to subdue any judgments of a writer loving the internal sound of his superior vocabulary. Jay, if you’re reading this I don’t mean it in the negative at all. It’s kind of like when you think the dip you’re about to try will taste like crap because it looks like crap, then you take a bite and it becomes your new favorite snack. Jay’s style is poetically digestible.
So Jay and I are tracking along Brittlebank Park on the way back to the car, and I say “hey Jay, check out that playground…that alphabet is pretty cool”. He sits on the platform. I set up two SB-600s shooting through 41″ umbrellas on some light stands, my tripod, and my camera. It’s too dark to find a focus through the lens, so I break out my trusty pen light and shine it on Jay for a few seconds until I can get the focus ring to the right spot. I set a decent depth of field and start banging away. It’s blinding to go from pitch black to lightning. Jay’s a trooper though and appreciates the effort put into a nice portrait. We pack up and head home quickly as there are some shady folks in the immediate perimeter. Late nights in dark parks with expensive gear aren’t that great of a mix. I get home and upload the shots and there they are. Photos that don’t say anything. They’re just portraits of a writer.
-JG
Ross
Posted on July 18, 2007
I shot my sister’s extended family recently at the tip of Sullivan’s Island. I had some discouraging issues with my strobes, but still came back with some pretty good shots. I certainly wish it had gone a little smoother with the lights though. Pocket Wizards are a must for the future. I just can’t rely on Nikon CLS in fast changing conditions.
Here are a couple from the session.
-JG
Filed Under Family, Portraits | Leave a Comment
A Sample from Charlie & Heather.
Posted on June 25, 2007
As promised, here are some samples from Charlie and Heather’s wedding. There will be more to come.
This weekend was a great time in Columbia. I’ll also be back later with more on that. In the meantime, check out these pics. Charlie and Heather are some awesome people.
Mr. Riley
Posted on April 27, 2007
I had a portrait session with this young fellow on the beach on Kiawah Island after work the other night. He only cried for about two seconds before pulling his hat off and getting back to big smiles and lots of tongue-sticking-out. He and his parents were awesome, and I believe we’ll be getting together again for some more portraits.
In other news…I’ve changed a few things on my new website. After getting reviews from some folks, it seems I liked it better than anyone else which is not always a good thing. I didn’t get any terrible reviews, but I want it to be understandable the first time for everyone. So now “we” are black and white. Maybe one day I’ll vamp up my CSS skills.
In the meantime I’ll stick to my KISS skills…Keep It Simple Stupid.
-JG
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Max
Posted on March 3, 2007
So here is a sample of the little guy I had a session with last weekend. He was awesome and the shoot was a lot of fun. I’ll post another one after I make sure his parents have had enough time to check out the rest of the proofs.
I liked being in-home where the little guy was comfortable. Even though there is some clutter in the frame and obstacles to deal with; I think that in the long term this will be a warmer portrait that evokes more memories of the earliest years of his life rather than a stone cold Olan Mills kind of portrait. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a backdrop. In fact, in some casees I think it works better, however this young fella was right at home being right at home. He needed plenty of crawl space and I don’t think we would have had nearly as much fun if he was being made to sit still on a stool while I squeezed a rubber duck at him.
-JG
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