The new Canon 5D Mark II

To everyone it may concern,

I wanted to send a little note about the new Canon 5d Mark II that was just released a few days ago, this may be old news for some but I had to make sure it got out into the community as this is one of those pieces of technology that is sure to change the industry forever.

The photographic capabilities of this new camera are astounding with a 21.1MP sensor and an expanded iso rating between 50-25600! But that's not all, this camera shoots full HD quality 1080p video. The ability to combine multiple lenses, control focus & depth of field and shoot in near natural light will open up so many possibilities. Priced at $2700 Canon has made technology that has been out of reach of so many talented artist available to the masses and it is sure to open up so many new artistic avenues.

A Canon Explorer of Light got his hands on a prototype and just yesterday released a short film made with the camera with a small crew and only 48hrs to produce. It has been posted to Canon's website at http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086

Also a making of video is available at SmugMug at http://vincentlaforet.smugmug.com/gallery/6021407_xEg87/1/#378479692_MRytZ-A-LB

According to the blog of the person responsible for the shoot it looks like SmugMug may be opening up a contest for a video production with the new 5D, you can read about that here http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/

If you are interested in more of the technical details you can visit the Canon website for the new 5D Mark II at http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/eos5dm2/index.html

Now pick your jaw up off the floor and let me know what you think about the possibilities this opens for you and the community, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Rashel Maternity Shoot

Rashel, a long time friend of the family is pregnant with her first baby boy (ooh, how exciting!!) and I had the pleasure of doing the first in what will be a series of maternity photography for her. In this shoot we wanted to keep it light and fun with the use of lot's of props and bright cheery backgrounds. The photos from this shoot will also be used to create her baby shower announcement. I had a blast working with Rashel to create these images, it's great to have good models around that don't mind spending hours in the studio for a couple of pictures... Be sure to check back over the next few months to view the other shoots as well as their newest addition in January. Congratulations Sean & Rashel, you're going to make great parents!

What I Saw: Photoshop World '08

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There are events in your life that open your mind to thoughts, ideas and possibilities you may have never had before. It is usually a defining moment and offers a change of perspective. My 4 days at the Photoshop World conference did that for me. The education I received was not on a program or a camera instead it was on the art of photography. I never would have thought I'd find it at a Photoshop seminar but the instructors brought more than tips and tricks they brought perspective, ideas and passion that I soaked up! The following is a timeline of imagery captured over the four days and a visual progression of my perspective. This is "What I Saw"

Note: All of the photos used in this video montage are available for viewing online on my Flickr page here.

Jeff & Amy Engagement Photo Shoot

Just got done putting the finishing touches on the photo shoot for Jeff & Amy's Engagement. First of all I'd like to extend a warm congratulations on their engagement and best wishes for the future. Spending time with them both on this day long shoot I got to see why they will do well together, they compliment each other so well and I was really happy with just how well that came through in the photos. The photos I have posted here are my favorites from the shoot but if you'd like to see the entire set just click here.

We started the day out eating a light Sunday brunch on Park Ave, a favorite... very relaxing and a nice way to start out the morning. After brunch we hit some locations in the area and then moved over to the Rollins College. One of the things I like most about doing these shoots is getting to learn about some real nice tucked away spots. The area was beautiful and made for some wonderful photos. After Rollins we made a stop for an outfit change and Jeff & Amy broke out the motorcycles! What fun! It was great to incorporate the bikes into the shoot especially since it says so much about who they are. The collection came out great and I am looking forward to delivering them to the happy couple.

For this shoot I used a Canon 20D with a Canon 17-40 f/4 lens and two Canon Speedlights. This was a first for me experimenting with using an off camera strobe on location. The strobes weren't used on every shot but where I did use it I was happy with the outcome. I think my largest challenge on this shoot was not having an assistant, I am slowly realizing that part of being a professional photographer is having the tools needed to enable you to get the best shots possible. It is really hard to steady a camera with one hand while holding a strobe out on a pole with the other hand. I think next time I will have an assistant!

Don't forget to view the shoot in its entirety by clicking this link and hopefully I will have a chance to put up a few outtake shots as well.

Photoshop World - Conference Wrap Up

This conference was a defining moment in my life, I know that sounds cliche and can you really believe that a conference on Photoshop could do more than teach you how to make a picture postcard.

The answer is YES!

You see up to this point in my life I have always strived to be better than I am today and my process for that has always been to learn more subjects instead of focusing on mastering one that I love. Over the past six months I have had the opportunity to step back and look at my life from a different perspective and I have seen that what I want is more creative focus and direction. I spent months thinking about what I really want and what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Enter the Photoshop World conference. When I saw that it was in Orlando I was immediately drawn to it and not to learn some new trick about Photoshop but to be around a group of people with the same interests to discuss and learn and grow from the people around me as well as to get some of those burning questions answered. The conference delivered just that! Not only did I get to interact with other people in my industry, I got to sit and discuss passion and direction with some of the best teachers in the country. The professionals that I had the opportunity to speak with and who took a moment to talk to me about what was next helped me to gain focus and direction on what I want to do creatively. Up to this point I believe that design and photography have been little more than a way to earn money doing something I enjoyed and my proclivity to learn and grow has been more about being better than the next guy and gaining acceptance than a simple passion for what I do.

The thing that makes this a milestone is now I will be moving forward in my creative career from a place of pure passion for what I do and my work has already begun to show that transformation. This is a portrait I took of my wife Alison just after the conference. In this portrait I used techniques that I learned at the conference and on my first attempt I captured probably one of my best portraits to date. You wouldn't know it by looking at it but this was taken on my back porch with one hot light, a neutral colored background and a piece of white foam core for bouncing light. No strobe, it's not outdoors and it's actually at night.

From this week I was able to make a decision in my own mind and for myself that photography is where I will be for the rest of my life and my design will continue to offer me a way to have a unique voice in the industry. Today I start doing for me and not for everyone else and I know I am going to have so much fun doing it. Keep an eye out for some really fun and interesting photo studies that I've already begun working on.

Always remember you have the ability to be whatever you want to be and that the world is at your fingertips to help get you there, all you need to do is ask for what you want and it will find it's way into your life.

Thank you to everyone that took the time to interact with me throughout the conference. You made more of an impact than you probably thought.

Photoshop World - Day Four

Up at 5:30am, if you've been following the posts that means I am damn tired at this point and hope I can make it through the day. Classes were great again and again they kept me awake. Some of these classes they do are full on real world experience type classes like the one from the morning, The Art of Photographing Women. In this class they had a photographer and a model from California and they did a full on model shoot from start to finish, light setup, posing, everything that would go on in a live shoot which was so great. From there they took 3 of the best photos from the shoot and did a class on retouching later in the day. These classes were just another thing that made the event more than worthwhile, you just can't get this kind of broad based intense training anywhere else.

Today I had an opportunity to sit with Joe McNally and review my portfolio. It is just so great that a guy like this will take the time to sit with any one of over 3000 attendees and give his thoughts on my work and where to go with it. I can't say enough to thank him for that, I can only take everything he said and apply it to what I do in the future and you can believe that those few minutes will make a world of difference in where I go from here with my work.

I don't think I can say anything else about the influence this conference has had on me but I can't wait to get started on the future! Keep an eye out for future photography posts as I have a bunch of assignments and studies I will be doing as the next step in my photography career.

Photoshop World - Day Three

Talk about a long day. Up at 3:30am to get to the convention center by 5:30am to get in line for Midnight Madness tickets. It was way too early but we all had a good time and kept each other awake during the two hour wait. Once the day got started I was afraid that I might be sleeping through some of the lessons but the classes were so great that I soon forgot that I was tired. As I said before this was my first time at Photoshop World and what a conference. This was amazing, the level of expertise at this conference was unbelievable.

One of my classes taught by a great wedding photographer, David Ziser, who was just awesome. Some of my portfolio reviewers have been saying that I break a lot of rules with my photography but that it works a lot of the time. In this class he teaches 60 rules in 60 minutes and from what I understand once I know the rules I'm allowed to break them. I also had an opportunity to have David Ziser review my portfolio and I have to say thank you for taking the time out of your day and sharing your thoughts with me. Each one of these reviews is playing a very important part in my finding my voice as a photographer and it has been just a wonderful experience.

The classes taught were not even the end of it. Today we had a special event called The Art of Photography and there are not words to describe the impact this event had on me. This was the most amazing event of the entire conference. A panel of 8 of the most talented photographers including the likes of Joe McNally, Moose Peterson and Jay Maisel were all there to show off the photos that make them love their work and their art. The impact this had on me as a photographer will forever influence my work. If you were to pay for and go to this conference for only this one thing it was money well spent. That being said take 4 days of hands on instruction from some of the top people in the design and photography industries plus a tech expo showcasing the latest technologies and wow!

To top off the day remember that line I was sitting in at 5:30am, well those tickets were for Midnight Madness which was that night! Yeah I know, I did the math too and yes it was a loooong day! The event was a lot of fun and on the way back to my car I took some time to see what I could capture if I put some of the techniques and concepts from the days teachings into action. Needless to say I didn't get back home until 2:30am.