Today was a good day!

Lately I have been doing a lot of soul searching trying to figure out what photography means to me. Why do I love it? Why do I do it? How will I continue on with photography and what place in my life will it hold in my future?

On another front I have been watching and learning more and more about our current economic and social state of affairs. I see more schools that do not carry arts programs, I see gas prices rising and my grocery and energy bills are ever growing. I wonder a lot these days what my future will look like and there are times when I wish I had more. More money, more time, more passion, more of the things that I think most people think about, especially in these times.

I have always been a very optimistic person and there is not a lot that can get me down, I always believe in the better times ahead and I always look at the good in a situation. This may be why I am somewhat blind to the way the world around me is and can often be. I try not to watch the news because I believe it is usually sensationalized and hyped for other reasons, I gain access to my information from online sources where I can decide if a story is worth my time and energy. I know I live a good life, I have family and love, I have a house and a car. I have art and a career. A worry for me is when I can't get the next new gadget or when my house isn't clean. I live a good life but I am seldom reminded of it outside of my little world and so sometimes the mundane and downright stupid can affect my day for the worse.

I recently had an opportunity to be called upon by some family and friends to provide photography for a family in need. I have always been interested in using my art and passion to help out others and this was a wonderful experience. I was asked to photograph a young man who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and who had only a short time left with his family and loved ones. I knew that this would be a difficult assignment mentally since it was a first for me and because I am a fairly emotional person. I don't know how photojournalists deal with the things they see and face regularly. I wasn't sure what to expect but when I got there I was introduced to someone who was so full of life that you'd have a hard time believing he was in the process of saying goodbye. It is very difficult for me to imagine being in his place and I could only hope to be as brave as he is. Even now my natural response is to shut out the experience for if I do not know of it I could never have to live it. I've been fighting that battle, I can't just push the experience and feelings it produced aside because of my fears but I also cannot let it consume my every thought. I have been trying hard to learn from it, to open myself up to the idea that every day is a gift, i've always thought that way but like most I rarely live it. He will forever be a part of my experiences and a part of my life through the moments I captured of he and his family. The experience has opened my mind to how i may be able to contribute to others and to life in general through my passion and art.

I was reading a blog post by a photographer I follow named Vincent Laforet and it was about this years TED prize, a grant to help a media journalist tell a story, awarded to an accomplished photojournalist named James Nachtwey. From a photography standpoint his work was inspirational and I got a lot from looking at his photos but by listening to his story, the one being spoken as well as the one being told through his pictures, I had a look at a side of life that I think most of us naturally shield ourselves from.

I watch the video presentation and view the images and I think, how can we ever be upset when our to-go order is wrong or when our bosses or clients get upset with us. How can we ever have a single bad thought about the things that happen in our Starbucks/Target driven lives. Each and every day that I go on living I am thankful to reside in a society where there is the possibility of creating art, expressing opinion, going to see a movie, eating out with friends, enjoying time with family. We have so many opportunities afforded us and we let our days be driven by the guy who had the nerve to get in front of us on the highway.

The older I get and the faster life moves by the less time I devote to thinking about the simple pleasures we all have access to day in and day out. The more I have the less it is enough. Even sitting here writing this I am thinking about whether this will stay with me or if the stories of my week and the to do list of next will crowd it out and it will fizzle out of my head forever forgotten. I know this gets heard all the time and maybe it is because we see it everyday in the world around us that we are numb to what it truly means but man do we have it good! For anyone who is wondering if life can get any harder, for all of you out there who have an ounce of dissapointment about their lives, for anybody else who lives in their own little world most of the time and for everyone who cares even a little bit about anything please watch this clip in it entirety. Set aside 30min, if not now then schedule it in and do yourself a favor and see what this man has to say. It will be worth every second of your time.

http://www.tedprize.org/nachtwey/

I will no doubt need to watch this over and over until it is burned into my memory. I know that the experiences of this week have opened my mind to some new possibilities and I write this to pass along the message that when you think you've got it rough take a second, look around and realize the obviousness of the truth. I can only hope that out of these powerful messages I can at the very least get to the end of EVERY day and without a doubt say...

Today was a good day!

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.