Preview of Mary's Photoshoot

Mary contacted me a few weeks ago for a portfolio shoot. Because she is new to modeling, I just wanted to concentrate on getting a good start on her portfolio. The shoot went very well, and we even discussed doing other projects together. Here's just a preview of our shoot.





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Return to Collins Creek

It's been a couple of years since I first visited Collins Creek. I finally went back over the weekend to take photos for my parents' house renovation. Since this creek flows all year long, it is a great place to learn how to take photos of waterfalls. Here's just a few of my favorites from this trip.





The creek flows into the Little Red River, which is a very popular fishing destination. Since the river is fed by a hydro-electric dam, the water can rise very quickly. I was lucky to get this photo, because that very spot was underwater 5 minutes after the photo was taken.



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August Portrait Shoot

Earlier this month, I went to a large ranch in Mena, AR to shoot portraits. Though it was hot and muggy, I worked throughout the afternoon and into the evening to get some great shots. All the models were around the high school senior / early college age, so I spent the time building up my senior portrait portfolio. Here's some of the stuff I was able to get.







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Just a Little Preview

I finally got back out with my camera and started shooting again, after about a year off from any serious photography work. I was glad to behind the camera again, and I realized that I haven't lost my touch for setting up my lighting. For this shoot, I stuck with a single light simply because I didn't want to haul a lot of equipment around the 105 acre ranch where I shot.

So far, I just have this one photo edited as a preview of what's to come. I took the day off to recover from 7 hours of driving and about 6 hours of shooting. I will definately have more photos to add to this one in the next week.



Keep watching for more on the shoot as well as more photos.

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New Self-Portrait and More Thoughts

Really not anything new at the momment. I decided to go out one night and shoot a new self-portrait over my vacation since I couldn't get out for a day trip like I wanted to. So, here it is.



The latest question I received made me think a little deeper about my art. A person wanted to know the best time of the day to shoot with a certain flash in a certain way. Anyone who knows me well, knows I can't give a simple answer to this question. Why? There are too many "what ifs."

In typing a very lengthy answer to his question, I came up with the conclusion that people are trying to create a job with the tools they want to use. Instead we should use the tools we have to do the job laid out before us. Example: A person says, "I have so-and-so flash, so I want to use it for a photo." There is no thought as to what is already there, only that they "have" to use this one piece of equipment. Instead they should think, "I am provided with a certain quality of light. Can I use any tools to shape this light into something better?"

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Finally Some More Photos

The past few months have not been good as far as getting shoots scheduled. I've even tried doing free shoots with no takers. Finally, I had a reason to take photos of something. Tonight the local symphony put on its yearly "4th of July" concert along with a fireworks show. Here's just a couple of the shots I took tonight.





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Tour de Cure

Saturday, I took my first real test of my endurance. I rode in the Tour de Cure 50 mile ride, my longest ride so far. The wind was the biggest factor, except for the 5 miles that it was at my back. Since I was on my bike, I didn't get to take any photos, though my wife took some of me before the event started. Read on for a full ride report.



Saturday's Tour de Cure was my first organized ride for the year. I started my day with a nice, carb loaded breakfast, packed my gear and my wife in the car and drove to Little Rock for the start of the ride. I arrived in enough time to take a few photos of the 62 milers before they got started.

Next I registered for my ride, grabbed a cereal bar and prepped my bike. Once the bike was ready, Trish wanted to get some photos of us before I warmed up. I finally got a couple miles warm-up in ten minutes before the start of the event. Before the start, we received the usual "here's the route, over the big dam bridge, ride to Scott, and finish with a climb over the bridge again, two supported rest stops on the out and back course for a total of 4 possible stops, 50 easy miles."

Out of everyone in the 50 mile group, the majority of the riders consisted of two teams, Garvin and Outskirts Bike Shop. These guys took off like the event was a race. I started up toward the front so I tried to hang on for a little bit, but the challenge started when we started climbing the bridge.

First of all, the columns that keeps cars from trying to drive on the bridge where still in place on both ends of the bridge, causing a bottleneck from all the riders trying to avoid crashing into the thin barriers. Second, the bridge was still open to pedestrian traffic meaning this peleton of 30 or so cyclists had to dodge runners, walkers, and random sight-seeing people during our climb and descent.

Once off the bridge, the two teams took off, and I fell back and got into my own rhythm. "So here we go. 48 solo miles," I think to myself. About halfway down the river trail, I hear a chain shift into a lower gear behind me as I enter one of the short climbs on the riverfront. Apparently there are some late starters on the course and this guy has been drafting me for a few minutes. I let him by, and get on his wheel for a few minutes before getting off the trail and onto River Rd. Just before the end of the trail is the group from Outskirts and one of them has their bike upside-down, fixing a flat. Normally I would slow and ask if they needed help, but there where about 6 of them working on one tire. They already had the tire off the wheel and were in the process of placing the new tube in the tire. Knowing that this rider was in good hands, I blew past them and continued my journey.



Now, just eight miles, and less than 40 minutes into the route, I see the first rest stop about a half mile away. At this point I weigh my options; stop and get something to eat now, or keep going and have a gel on the bike once I hit 10 miles. I decide on the latter and keep going, knowing that the second stop was only 10 miles later.

A few miles after the rest stop, the route turns southeast. I find my pace slowing a little as I hit a strong south crosswind. This continues for the next 10 miles as the route turns little by little more into the wind. Around the 17 mile mark, my legs start to feel the effects of the wind, slowly building up a steady burning feeling with every push of the pedal. A few miles later and I'm at the much anticipated second rest stop. I take a break off the bike for a few minutes to get food, take a bathroom break, and prepare for the next 5 miles, which I know will be the hardest 5 miles of the entire trip.

I leave with a small group and have a chance to draft while riding south, directly into a 15 mile-per-hour wind blowing over open cotton fields. Unfortunately, the group fell apart within the first mile. I was in the third of the four riders. The first took off, and the last dropped back. The lady in front of me offered a good draft, but the pace got much slower than I wanted to go, down to 9 miles-per-hour, so I got ahead in the front to pull, keeping the same pace then slowly ramping up the speed. But the lady I was with just kept dropping back, and with the harsh headwind, I had no chance to catch the guy in front of me for a draft. Somehow, I made it to the turnaround and was rewarded with a tailwind. I went from a 10 to 11 mile-per-hour painful slog to an easy 22 mile-per-hour pace for 5 miles before arriving back at the rest stop. The only downside of having the tailwind was noticing how hot it actually was since I no longer had the cooling effect of the wind.



The last 20 miles would be completely solo. I left the rest stop and rode back into a crosswind. The easy pace I kept for the previous 5 miles was gone and I was once again back into that zone where I feel every single stroke of the pedal. I eat another gel around mile 36, halfway between the two rest stops, hoping the extra bit of energy will get me to the next stop.

About 7 miles later, I pull into the last rest stop, fuel up on crackers, and mix up some cold Gatorade, a nice change from the warm drinks I had throughout the ride. I finally leave this rest stop knowing I'm on the last stretch, but also knowing I have one final challenge ahead of me.

The ride down the River Trail is fairly easy. There's a couple of wooded areas that block the wind as well as one downhill section. At 5 miles left in the ride, I see the finish line, waiting for me on the other side of the river, but as I round the next turn, I see my final obstacle looming on the horizon. It's the Big Dam Bridge again, and after riding for 48 windy miles, it really does feel big.

The first leg of the climb goes by fast, but I soon turn back into the wind as the long north side ramp curves to cross the river below. This climb compounded by the strong south wind makes each turn of the pedal even more painful as I struggle to continue. Soon I cross the peak of the bridge and gain speed, allowing me to ease up on the pedals before taking the descent down the other side.

The final mile flies by with my legs refreshed by coasting down north ramp of the bridge. I make my final turn and pull into the finish line, finishing my first 50 mile ride in 3 hours and 37 minutes. Now as I sit here writing this, I can't wait until my next 50 mile or longer ride.

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Thoughts About Light

I don't know how I missed this one. About a month ago, Blair Bunting blogged about the emergence of digital painting in post production, the importance of lighting in the pure art of photography, and how they are being merged in today's heavy post-processing of images. I'll let you read the article for yourself.

http://blairbunting.com/blog/?p=346

In response to his article, I completely agree with his stance on both sides of the issue. I've always said that lighting, or the manipulation of light, is the most important issue regarding photography. Yes, location and "the moment" are important too, but let's look at how lighting affect these two ideas.

Take location scouting for example. When we scout for a shooting location, we watch how light plays off elements in the location. We ask when, where, and how to shoot. Do we add our own light to enhance what is already there? The answers to these questions are determined by the quality of light that we have available. As Blair eludes to in his final statement, great light makes your job of taking a great photo that much easier.

As for "the moment", look at candid portraits taken by the great photographers of our day. Look to National Geographic for good examples. You will see photos that touch the very soul of humanity. But take a step back and look at the details. You will find amazing locations, touching moments, but you will not find harsh, haphazard lighting. Every detail in these photos, no matter how impromptu they may be, is thought out before hand. A great photographer is always thinking about their next move, thinking about the way things are changing, and constantly adjusting to these changes.

In closing, next time you are out driving or walking around, stop at a location and pay attention to how light plays off of the elements in the scene. Do this at different times of the day. Once you are familiar with the natural look of the location, think about how you can enhance the look. Where can you add or take away light to bring your vision to life? Go into your planning as if you were making a movie. Once you have your plan, go out and shoot. Try to tell an entire story with just one insight, and use what you know about light to bring that story to life.

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