Saturday, September 5, 2009

Final Cut Pro is the way to go...

If you want to do some decent video editing, you can get by with a program like iMovie or the millions of other consumer-level programs available. However, if you really want to make some pro-level videos, you need to buy and learn Final Cut Pro. I use FCP 6, but they just released FCP 7, which has some nice updates/upgrades. You can see a review of the program here:

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Dad vs. Son?!?

Friday, September 4, 2009

Sick can't stop you...

I got sick this week. Some sort of cold or flu or something... whatever it is, I don't like it. It has slowed me down, but it hasn't stopped me from working. I still went out yesterday and shot photos of a former Dallas Cowboys player who was indicted in federal court. Today I still had to shoot Dallas area radio personality Gordon Keith for an upcoming cover of Quick. And the weekend is full of shoots - tonight, Saturday morning and all evening on Sunday.

I still have bills to pay. As a freelance photographer, I don't have the luxury of calling my boss and taking a sick day. I will admit that I took yesterday off from marketing. I normally try to contact a couple new/potential clients every work day, but I didn't have a clear enough head to pitch my services. Today I had to play catch-up, and even though I'm still sick, I felt good enough to start contacting businesses again.

That's how it is when you want to be a full time freelancer. It can be very rewarding, but it really is full time. No paid vacation. No sick days. Just shooting pictures and contacting clients... but I love it!

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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mexico border town photos, round two...

I decided to dig up a few more images from old trips to the Mexican border towns. These have never been shown before and are probably five to seven years old. same story as the other shot in the previous post - the street children of Progresso, working to make what little money they can.






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Canon 5D mkII vs a street preacher...

On my way to a nightclub shoot last weekend, I spotted this man preaching. I found it fascinating how strong his determination was, as drunk club hoppers passed by him in the middle of the night...

This was shot with a stock Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm 2.8L series lens, racked out to 16mm, shutter speed was 1/30 sec, probably wide open 2.8f aperture and around 3200 iso (for all you tech nerds). Don't hold me to those exact numbers, though. I'm going off my memory from several nights ago - but it's close.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Portraits from a Mexican border town...

I used to travel to the border towns of Mexico every year, and I would get some pretty interesting images. It has been several years since I last went. Much of the shooting was done during my college years, so the work might not be as strong as the stuff I do today. However, I bet there are still a few good images in the bunch.

I still really like this one, shot somewhere around ten years ago. I used to go down there with my Russian 6x6 TLR and shoot a whole pile of medium format film. There were all sorts of wonderful people walking around. This image is from the town of Progresso. It is filled with young street musicians, like the boy below...

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Canon EOS 7D...

Well, it looks like the rumors are no longer rumors. Canon has officially announced the 7D, which appears to be a combo of the 50D and the 5DmkII, with a few new bonus features thrown in. Will I be getting a 7D? No, I don't have much need for one. However, there are a few features that make it very desirable.


Wireless flash ability built right in? That's a very cool feature! Now you can trigger your Speedlight without extra adaptors or wires/cords. 100% viewfinder is also a big plus, as is the 8 fps shooting speed! Not too bad... It makes me anxious to see the 5DmkIII that will surely hit stores in the next year or two.

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Shooting grass...

Have you ever thought about doing a photo study on... grass?!? I met Matt Nager when he took an internship at the Dallas Morning News. Over the years, I've watched him grow, becoming a darn good photog, someone I can actually look to for inspiration. Like this:


Who would've ever thought that a photo study on grasses would turn out so interesting and engaging?

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Photo books...

There are several good photo book companies available to choose from, and I just found another company that looks promising for wedding books. Long gone is the idea of the "wedding album" full of pictures. Now everyone wants a real, regular book, with pictures printed right on the pages - not matted 5x7 prints on display in a big, bound album.

So, has anyone used www.graphistudio.com for this service yet? Their product looks pretty good from their website. I wonder if it looks as god in person? What are some of the book making companies you've had success with? I've heard mixed reviews about blurb and rave reviews about asuka. Which ones have you used so far?

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Monday, August 31, 2009

Photopol.us Gallery show...

Well, I was trying to take a break from gallery showings this year, but I guess I'll have one more piece (maybe two) shown this year. I was asked to participate in the Photopol.us show. Info can be found on the flyer:

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