A busy Thursday saw me running from one assignment to the next with little opportunity to slow down. With the hectic schedule, I had to remind myself several times to think outside of the box when it came to taking photos.
Fortunately for me, one of my assignments inspired me to do so. The young man pictured below is putting himself out there this weekend, delivering a sermon in a church his family has deep roots in. With him taking on such a personal challenge, I couldn't fall short with my photo taking. Luckily for me, he and his father were both willing subjects.
While the day's schedule made me regret not wearing my running shoes, it did provide me with plenty of opportunities for good photos. Of course, anytime there are kids involved, I think the photos turn out better.
A busy Thursday saw me running from one assignment to the next with little opportunity to slow down. With the hectic schedule, I had to remind myself several times to think outside of the box when it came to taking photos.
Fortunately for me, one of my assignments inspired me to do so. The young man pictured below is putting himself out there this weekend, delivering a sermon in a church his family has deep roots in. With him taking on such a personal challenge, I couldn't fall short with my photo taking. Luckily for me, he and his father were both willing subjects.
While the day's schedule made me regret not wearing my running shoes, it did provide me with plenty of opportunities for good photos. Of course, anytime there are kids involved, I think the photos turn out better.
The good thing about shooting sports photography is that if you don't get a good shot one night, you're always going to get another chance at the next game.
Last week I posted a few photo attempts from a volleyball practice. I wasn't pleased with those shots.
Last night, I got the chance to try and redeem myself. I'm not going to go out and declare the session a success, but I will acknowledge I am a bit happier with these.
There's still some work that needs to be done, but I was happier with my settings on these.
The good thing about shooting sports photography is that if you don't get a good shot one night, you're always going to get another chance at the next game.
Last week I posted a few photo attempts from a volleyball practice. I wasn't pleased with those shots.
Last night, I got the chance to try and redeem myself. I'm not going to go out and declare the session a success, but I will acknowledge I am a bit happier with these.
There's still some work that needs to be done, but I was happier with my settings on these.
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot photos under several different circumstances. An assignment to get mug shots of local football players meant an early alarm clock on Saturday, but the early morning light made for nice shots.
Most players gave me their game faces.
Although, I did get at least one smile out of the bunch.
It also gave me the opportunity to get a shot of one of my favorite coaches.
A quick pic Sunday morning before church reminded me how fast my children are growing up. My youngest looks way too grown up in this photo (which used a side bounce flash).
I've been told it's not too manly to like John Mayer, but I've always thought he was incredibly talented. I heard the guys on a local sports radio station once refer to him as the most confused musician out there: "He wants to be a guitar rock god, but that's not his audience." Maybe so. Either way, I'm really liking this song right now.
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot photos under several different circumstances. An assignment to get mug shots of local football players meant an early alarm clock on Saturday, but the early morning light made for nice shots.
Most players gave me their game faces.
Although, I did get at least one smile out of the bunch.
It also gave me the opportunity to get a shot of one of my favorite coaches.
A quick pic Sunday morning before church reminded me how fast my children are growing up. My youngest looks way too grown up in this photo (which used a side bounce flash).
I've been told it's not too manly to like John Mayer, but I've always thought he was incredibly talented. I heard the guys on a local sports radio station once refer to him as the most confused musician out there: "He wants to be a guitar rock god, but that's not his audience." Maybe so. Either way, I'm really liking this song right now.
This morning I had my first go at volleyball for the new season. I'll readily admit that I've never considered myself a very good photographer when it comes to volleyball. It's a hard sport to shoot in my opinion.
That said, here's what I came away with.
And this.
And finally this.
I'm not really happy with any of them, but that's part of the challenge, right? For me, the goal is to get a great volleyball shot at some point this season. Of course, the only way to do that is...practice, practice and more practice.
This morning I had my first go at volleyball for the new season. I'll readily admit that I've never considered myself a very good photographer when it comes to volleyball. It's a hard sport to shoot in my opinion.
That said, here's what I came away with.
And this.
And finally this.
I'm not really happy with any of them, but that's part of the challenge, right? For me, the goal is to get a great volleyball shot at some point this season. Of course, the only way to do that is...practice, practice and more practice.
After what I felt was a subpar performance Monday, I slipped out Tuesday to snag a few more football practice photos. A few technical tweaks and a little repetition seemed to help.
For me, this was my shot of the day. Love the expression and the fact there is some action. It was also a great catch.
I also worked on getting closer to the action, which I think helped with this photo.
My next challenge will be to improve my interaction with subjects when shooting portrait shots. Good photographers always seem to be able to get a great smile or reaction. I've not been as successful, which is evident in the photographs I've taken for a Sunday feature on the history of a small community in Kaufman County.
While my schedule hasn't slowed down any today, I am choosing for a more mellow playlist. Enjoy.
After what I felt was a subpar performance Monday, I slipped out Tuesday to snag a few more football practice photos. A few technical tweaks and a little repetition seemed to help.
For me, this was my shot of the day. Love the expression and the fact there is some action. It was also a great catch.
I also worked on getting closer to the action, which I think helped with this photo.
My next challenge will be to improve my interaction with subjects when shooting portrait shots. Good photographers always seem to be able to get a great smile or reaction. I've not been as successful, which is evident in the photographs I've taken for a Sunday feature on the history of a small community in Kaufman County.
While my schedule hasn't slowed down any today, I am choosing for a more mellow playlist. Enjoy.
One aspect of having Don. J. on staff was that I didn't have to do a lot of running around taking photos. I basically was able to pick and choose what I wanted to do. What I've discovered is that what I chose to do most often was let Don shoot the photos.
This made my life easier. It also made me lazy when it came to photography.
With Don gone, that choice is no longer on the table (well, not for free anyway). Therefore, it looks like I'm going to have to invest in a more comfortable pair of shoes because my days of running around are back into full swing.
This morning, I needed to slip out to the football fields for the first day of practice. I quickly realized it's going to take me a bit to get my timing back. I like the photo below because of the expression on the tackler's face. Lot's not to like about the photo as well (i.e. coach in picture and peripheral players, etc.).
While out at the football practice, I took advantage of the close proximity of band practice to snap a few shots as well. I had a nice cloud cover.
With all the running around, I decided today's soundtrack needed to be a little more upbeat.
One aspect of having Don. J. on staff was that I didn't have to do a lot of running around taking photos. I basically was able to pick and choose what I wanted to do. What I've discovered is that what I chose to do most often was let Don shoot the photos.
This made my life easier. It also made me lazy when it came to photography.
With Don gone, that choice is no longer on the table (well, not for free anyway). Therefore, it looks like I'm going to have to invest in a more comfortable pair of shoes because my days of running around are back into full swing.
This morning, I needed to slip out to the football fields for the first day of practice. I quickly realized it's going to take me a bit to get my timing back. I like the photo below because of the expression on the tackler's face. Lot's not to like about the photo as well (i.e. coach in picture and peripheral players, etc.).
While out at the football practice, I took advantage of the close proximity of band practice to snap a few shots as well. I had a nice cloud cover.
With all the running around, I decided today's soundtrack needed to be a little more upbeat.
A good friend of mine recently set out on an exciting, new adventure in life. An adventure that will allow him to pursue his true passion: photography.
And, while I wish him the best in his new venture, I'd be telling a lie if I didn't admit that I was going to miss him — both his friendship and his amazing talent behind the lens.
But, instead of wallowing in my self pity about this professional loss, I've decided to turn it into a personal challenge. I have no aspirations of reaching the level of Don J., but I do hope to improve my own photographic skills.
Thus this blog was born.
Blog, though, is probably not the proper term for it. As the title reads, this is more a conversation. A conversation about light and all the other principles of photography. My goal is to take and post photos on a regular basis. Feel free to comment. Feel free to criticize. More than anything else, feel free to offer advice.
After all, the goal here is to get better.
With that said (or should I say typed), away we go...
One of the biggest challenges I face is understanding the proper use of light (thus the name of the blog). Tonight, while I had a few spare moments, I cornered (literally...I used a corner in my bedroom) a couple of my kids for test model duty.
This shot of my youngest daughter was shot at ISO 250, 1/200 and f4.0.
Same with this one. As you can tell from The Boy's head, I'm bounce flashing.
This is probably my favorite shot from the series because it's candid. Also, it shows my schnauzer, Gus, who turned 13 in July. I love the way he interacts with our children although his health is beginning to worry me. We old folks need to stick together. Like the other two shots, this one was at f4.0 and ISO 250, but I went to 1/250.
In addition to my budding love of photography, I have a deep-rooted passion for music. Maybe some day I'll learn to play an instrument, but for now I just plan to end each post with a video of a song I like. Today's is kind of a throwback song done by an up-and-coming artist. I love its energy.
A good friend of mine recently set out on an exciting, new adventure in life. An adventure that will allow him to pursue his true passion: photography.
And, while I wish him the best in his new venture, I'd be telling a lie if I didn't admit that I was going to miss him — both his friendship and his amazing talent behind the lens.
But, instead of wallowing in my self pity about this professional loss, I've decided to turn it into a personal challenge. I have no aspirations of reaching the level of Don J., but I do hope to improve my own photographic skills.
Thus this blog was born.
Blog, though, is probably not the proper term for it. As the title reads, this is more a conversation. A conversation about light and all the other principles of photography. My goal is to take and post photos on a regular basis. Feel free to comment. Feel free to criticize. More than anything else, feel free to offer advice.
After all, the goal here is to get better.
With that said (or should I say typed), away we go...
One of the biggest challenges I face is understanding the proper use of light (thus the name of the blog). Tonight, while I had a few spare moments, I cornered (literally...I used a corner in my bedroom) a couple of my kids for test model duty.
This shot of my youngest daughter was shot at ISO 250, 1/200 and f4.0.
Same with this one. As you can tell from The Boy's head, I'm bounce flashing.
This is probably my favorite shot from the series because it's candid. Also, it shows my schnauzer, Gus, who turned 13 in July. I love the way he interacts with our children although his health is beginning to worry me. We old folks need to stick together. Like the other two shots, this one was at f4.0 and ISO 250, but I went to 1/250.
In addition to my budding love of photography, I have a deep-rooted passion for music. Maybe some day I'll learn to play an instrument, but for now I just plan to end each post with a video of a song I like. Today's is kind of a throwback song done by an up-and-coming artist. I love its energy.
