February 2012
1 post
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Your Opinion: Which street portrait do you like...
I photographed this gentleman while walking my daily commute yesterday. When photographing street portraits like this, I typically limit myself to about two or three shots and try to compose each one differently to get a variety. In this case, I cannot decide which I like more out of these two photos.
Without giving any kind of story behind the photos, I’m curious what your thoughts...
January 2012
2 posts
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Inspiration for all: "Don't Quit Your Daydream"
I was so inspired by this film I watched last night that I just had to share it with you all. “Don’t Quit Your Daydream” is about a two-member band that puts its best efforts forth to make it in the music industry. There plan? Drive across the country with their band and film crews while making stops along the way to record tracks with local musicians.
While watching them...
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Saying Goodbye and Thank You to Penn Camera
This morning, we start saying goodbye to Penn Camera. It has served the Washington D.C. area since 1953 with several store locations. Three locations, E Street, Rockville, and Tysons, will remain open for their clearance sales.
Having Penn Camera in the neighborhood was great for those immediate purchases or rentals you needed to make if a job called for it. When I moved to the D.C. area...
December 2011
3 posts
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My Top 5 Personal Moments of 2011
As this year is quickly wrapping up, I’ve been looking back on 2011 and thinking about my most favorite moments from throughout the year. Whenever we approach a new year, I like to look through the photos that I’ve taken during the past year. I do this to see how I’ve progressed and remind myself of all of the spectacular times I’ve had.
I also want to thank my...
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Remembering Pearl Harbor after 70 Years
It has been 70 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. If you happen to come across a photo like the one above, you know exactly what you are looking at. Photographs like these have become ingrained in our nation’s and world’s history. With world changing events such as this, we are constantly reminded how important photography truly is to us.
God Bless Our Troops.
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5 Great Holiday Gift Ideas for Photographers
It’s that time of year again. If you’ve survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you’re continuing your search for the perfect gifts for friends and family. If any of them are photographers or simply enjoy taking pictures, then here is a list of some fun and useful ideas worth considering that won’t break your holiday shopping budget.
I hope you all have an exciting, fun,...
November 2011
1 post
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Help-Portrait 2011 - Washington D.C.
With not knowing if I will be able to be part of Help-Portait this year, I knew I wanted to participate in some way. This is the short story of how I did just that. I encourage you all to do the same in some way whether it’s through a photograph or lending a helping-hand to someone in need.
October 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Composite Lighting a Hyundai Sonata
A couple weeks ago, my beloved Scion tC was rear-ended. Luckily, no one was hurt and the car is being repaired. In the meantime, I was given this Hyundai Sonata to drive around as a rental. I decided to look at this annoying situation as an opportunity and photographed the slick looking car this past weekend. I tried something new that I’ve never done before when shooting with lights...
5 tags
Classic Ford Mustang Photoshoot - Behind the...
I have been waiting to find the perfect location to photograph my very own 1966 Ford Mustang and after a little research on Google Maps and making some calls, the wait is now over. My dad and I purchased this car from a guy in California while I was a sophomore in high school. Fun fact: It was shipped to us in an enclosed trailer right next to Mario Andretti’s Lamborghini. My dad an I...
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Photographers beware of Craigslist
So you’ve decided to become a photographer as your way of making a living. That’s wonderful! You’re next step, finding and booking clients. You undoubtedly have to start somewhere. Sometimes your first clients are friends who then recommend you to others. Word of mouth is a very effective means of marketing. You’re excited about the work you’ve been doing, but...
September 2011
1 post
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Shooting for the Washington Kastles - Part 3: WTT...
The Washington Kastles had a magical 16-0 undefeated season this past July. It became the first team in WTT history to complete such a task. At the end of their regular season, both Rich Kessler and I were asked to travel with the team to Charleston, SC for the World Team Tennis finals where the Kastles were favored to claim the championship.
Since I’ve already shared what gear I used...
August 2011
7 posts
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Sharing my personal work online with 500px
Over the years of being a photographer, I’ve noticed that I’ve done less and less daily personal work while concentrating mainly on client and portfolio work. I want to feel excited about taking personal snapshots like I did when I first picked up a camera, and joining 500px is how I hope to get that feeling back.
So what about you? Where do you upload your personal work? ...
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Be a part of my Bunny Project
This project has been going on for a couple years now, and I’m looking to start adding to it again. Initially, I photographed people I know personally to kick off this project. I am now opening it up to everyone to be a part of.
If you would like to enter yourself as a possible subject for the project, please fill out the short entry form and sign up here. All are welcome to enter. ...
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"Dear Shane" - Dare to be moved?
The other day I was looking for something new to watch on Hulu. I came across this short film and was all excited as it looked like it would be about photography. Little did I know, it was about so much more than just that.
Written by Dustin Ballard and Ryan Dunlap and also directed by Dunlap, “Dear Shane”, is an emotionally moving short film that left me with one thought. ...
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Shooting for the Washington Kastles - Part 2: Tips
Rennae Stubbs — Shot with Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
In part one of this series of posts, I talked about all the gear that I used to photograph the Washington Kastles’ season in July. You can have all the photography equipment in the world, but you need to know how and when to use it. Anticipating and planning your shot is just as important as the gear you have strapped around your neck...
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Zack picks up street photography in Haiti
My good friend and college roommate has been in Port-au-Prince, Haiti since March 2011 and is currently heading development efforts in the country. He’s been doing some incredible work there, and I know that his family and friends are all extremely proud of him for what he’s doing.
Before leaving for his eight month stay in Haiti, Zack asked me to help him with picking out a...
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Are you on Google+ yet?
Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+. Does it ever end? Before thinking you just can’t spare anymore time to another social network, ask around and try it out for a moment. As I’m still rather new to Google+, I believe that it has serious potential, especially for photographers.
The method of managing your groups circles of friends is great with the added bonus of being...
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Shooting for the Washington Kastles - Part 1: My...
Me shooting Rich from the stands with a Canon 300mm f/2.8. Photo by: Rich Kessler
If you have been following my Facebook and Twitter updates, you’re well aware that I got the opportunity to photograph all of the Washington Kastles’ seven home matches during their one month season this past July. I also traveled to Charleston, SC where I got to photograph their playoff match, and the...
June 2011
1 post
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Pat's Camera Cottage: The man behind the counter
For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in a small town in western Pennsylvania. As I became more interested in photography, I began spending more time going to stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Ritz Camera to check out the latest cameras and accessories. That all changed after I discovered Pat’s Camera Cottage in Volant, PA.
Tucked away from the main shopping strip,...
May 2011
1 post
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Blast from the Past: My new Polaroid SX-70
For the past few months, I have been searching high and low for a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, which was made in 1972. That search ended this past weekend after I finally found one in terrific condition. Now I know what you might be thinking. “You dumb@!$, they don’t make film for those anymore!” For those of you who aren’t familiar with The IMPOSSIBLE Project, they...
April 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Your daily second chance
Every day is a new chance to go out and do better. Whether it’s bettering your work, yourself, or even making a fresh new start, feel blessed you have the opportunity and make the most of it!
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Recent iPhoneography work
It’s been a while since I have posted any new iPhone photos to my site. Yesterday I was going through my photo album on my phone and rediscovered some of my favorite snaps I’ve grabbed in recent times. I have added nine new photos to the iPhoneography gallery on my website. If I remember correctly, they were captured in various places such as DC, Hilton Head, and my hometown in...
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New Website is live
Hey everyone! Yesterday I made a small announcement of some exciting news. In case you missed the quick post on Facebook and Twitter, I have officially launched my new website. It has been a while since I’ve been this excited about my site and how it showcases my work. Read on after the break for more details.
After several arguments gentleman-like discussions with my great friend...
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How It was shot: A Personal Portrait
Last week I posted a very special portrait that I took along with a short narrative describing how it was such a rewarding experience. Since it was the first time using this type of lighting setup, I wanted to share some details and explain how and why I lit the shot the way I did. I have also shared another personal piece of the history behind this portrait below as I found it to be very...
March 2011
5 posts
3 tags
Photographing your Family
As a photographer, you can have many subjects in front of your camera throughout your career. Your clients can range from pet owners to big-name companies that hire you for their next ad campaign. The fact is, your family is the most important client group of subjects you will ever have.
My pappap is someone that I have always looked up to as a child and now as an adult. He has supplied an...
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War Photographers: A Breed of their own
Four years ago, I began to seriously consider a career as a conflict/war photographer. I had worked as a photojournalist before moving to the DC area and was attracted to the idea of capturing such moments. I began contacting photographers who had done this type of work to get their insight and have them look at my work. As a last resort, I also looked into enlisting as a combat photographer in...
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Bunny Project - The Paintballer
It’s been a while since I have posted anything new from my bunny project. Don’t worry. I haven’t abandoned or forgot about this project. This shoot actually happened in April 2010. Yes, that would mean it took me pretty much a year to edit and post it. I’m not sure why it took me that long, but I’m stoked to finally add it to the series.
Lighting details after...
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Chase Jarvis' "Diary of a Shoot"
If you are at all interested in advertising or commercial photography and hope to someday land a huge client and campaign, you need to be following Chase Jarvis. Through social networking, he has become the go-to guy for curious photographers around the world. He and his team are a talented group of people that all participate in bringing their expertise to Chase’s blog for others to learn...
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DC Street Photography
A great friend of mine, Jason Asylum @AsylumPhoto, and I went into DC to snap some photos of whatever we could find out on the streets. It had been a while since we both got together for the sake of just photographing whatever we found intriguing. We stuck mostly around Chinatown for the night. I knew I wanted to edit in black and white, but there were a few bokah moments I just...
February 2011
4 posts
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1 tag
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My new blog, Tumblr-style
Some of you may have seen my recent posts on Facebook and Twitter asking for input on Blogger vs. Tumblr. After researching and discussing this topic with some of you, I have finally made the jump to Tumblr. I’ve done this for a few simple reasons.
The ease of posting content on Tumblr is incredibly easy. The content-specific postings also make it easy to post media of all types. ...
1 tag
Memory card management that can save your ass
This is a little tip I picked up a while back that helps whenever I’m burning through memory cards while shooting. During a shoot, it’s important to make sure that you don’t accidentally format a card that you have already used. A quick and easy way to indicate that a card has been used is to put it in your card-keeper backwards. You’ll then be able to visually...
December 2010
1 post
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Photoshoot with Roxanna
My recent photoshoot with Roxanna was in the works for about two or three months before taking place. Between changing our concept and location a few times, we finally put it together and got the results we were hoping for. The night before the shoot, we went through our wardrobe options to pick out what would go best with what we were wanting to shoot. In the midst of it all, we decided to...
November 2010
1 post
Blogging for one year. What's next?
My blog has now been up and running for one year. When I first started the blog, I was a little unsure if I would have enough content to post on a regular basis. I published posts as often as I could and hoped that you all would find interest in what it was I had to share. Looking back, it was a successful first year as I had at least one post every month. I also started sharing live video...
October 2010
1 post
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Review: Business Basics for the Successful...
Lately, I have been researching and reading articles, blog posts, books, and whatever else I could find that discusses the business side of commercial photography. Too often than I’d like, I’m left with questions unanswered along with the addition of new ones. In Business Basics for the Successful Commercial Photographer 2nd ed, Leslie Burns takes you step-by-step through the...
September 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Macro photography with your iPhone
It’s been a while since my last DIY post so why not whip something up that feeds my obsessive love affair with my iPhone. Yes, the iPhone has definitely replaced my old Canon Powershot as my take-every snapshot camera. But what about when I want to take some macro shots? Go ahead, try it. You can’t get too close to the subject or it will just go out of focus.
I’ve seen a...
1 tag
iPhone apps for photography
There is no doubt that the iPhone has changed the mobile industry and how we use our phones hand-held devices in every day life. With Apple’s App Store, the iPhone has become a tool box full of goodies in any professional environment, and photographers are some of the many people who benefit from it.Below is a list of the iPhone apps that I use in my everyday photography life. There are...
July 2010
2 posts
3 tags
Try something new and experiment for a day
If you follow my work, you know that it consists mostly of boudoir and model photography. I love working in these genres, but sometimes I like to try something new. Prior to moving to the DC area, I worked as a sports photographer for a local city newspaper in Pennsylvania. I absolutely loved photographing sports and sometimes find myself missing it quite a bit. With that said, I ventured...
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Photography blogs I follow and why
Lately, I have been learning some valuable information and reading some great things on the various blogs that I follow. I’ve shared some of the posts with a few friends of mine and thought that I should go one step further and share my favorite blogs with all of you as well. Below you’ll find my top ten favorite blogs with a short explanation for why they’re on this list. If...
1 tag
Friends in the Field: Asylum Photo
I’m back with the second post in my “Friends in the Field” series where I introduce you to some of my good friends who are also photographers. This next person that I want to put in the spotlight is someone who I have known since moving to the Washington, DC area. Little did I know when meeting this person on the first day of my then new job, that they would become one of my...
May 2010
1 post
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Preparing for a photoshoot
Of course part of preparing for a photoshoot is making sure all of your batteries are charged and double checking that all your gear is working properly. However, you can have all the photo equipment in the world but if you don’t have any ideas and go into a shoot empty-minded, you may not have the strongest of results. A good idea is the most valuable item a photographer can have when...
April 2010
1 post
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Friends in the Field: Emily Abril
As part of a new series of posts here on my blog, I will be introducing you all to some of my friends who are also photographers. As photographers, we share a common bond through our passion for photography which identifies who we are as individuals and artists. What you’ll learn about each of these people is who they are and what makes them the terrific photographers they are. I have...
March 2010
2 posts
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No more paper model releases for me
Say goodbye to the days of having to pack and carry paper model/property releases with you to your photoshoots. Those were the days of 2009 when that business was all done with a pen and paper. Thanks to Robert Giroux and the guys at ApplicationGap, model releases and property releases can now be filled out and signed all on your iPhone. Easy Release ($9.99) takes all of the inputted...
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On Set: Making it happen in the dark
I really enjoy sharing as much behind-the-scenes footage and photos as I can. It’s a fun and easy way to let others see what I’ve done to create some of the shots that I’ve created in the past. This post will take you on the set of one of my favorite shoots for my current photo project. Video and details after the break.
The shoot took place on a chilly night in...
January 2010
2 posts
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Frustration vs. Inspiration
As a photographer, you’ll most likely spend a portion of your time looking at what other photographers have accomplished and created. I believe that it is very important to venture around on the internet to see what amazing work you can stumble across. You may find something so astonishing that it pushes you to go out and create something even better. The entire process is what helps the...
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How to create a Timelapse Video
I have been wanting to create a timelapse video during a photoshoot for some time now, and I finally decided to make it happen. People love to see what it is like behind the scenes of a photoshoot and see all the work that goes into one behind the camera lens. A timelapse video can offer a creative and fun way of doing such a thing. However, research how to do this because it does take some...
December 2009
5 posts
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DIY: Ring Flash
As you may already know from previous posts, I am a huge fan of DIY projects…especially when they save you $400. Last month I came across a very interesting DIY project on Flickr for making a ring flash. Since I have been eying up ring flashes and pushing myself to finally break down and purchase one, I thought I should give this a shot first.
Check out more photos of the building of...
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Gorillacam for the iPhone
This has been a good week for photographers who carry around an iPhone. A new app by Joby called Gorillacam is now available for you all to hurry over to the App Store and snatch up. It adds some fun and new features that are not available with iPhone OS’s current camera. Features and another screen shot are available after the jump. Features include:
Self-timer
Time-lapse
3 Shot...
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Lighting Diagrams, iPhone Style
You along with many other photographers can now stop drawing your lighting diagrams on napkins or whatever else you can scrounge up to share with your friends. Strobox has just been introduced to the App Store for all photo geeks to download. I have played around with the app a little, and the interface is very easy to use. It’s another great way to share your techniques with your...