Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Assembly Required
Last night I shot the local Greenville rock band Assembly Required at Tampico Bob's. I might be doing some promo shots for them soon.
Babies!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Unrestrained Focus
I've been thinking a lot recently about the direction I want to take my photography business. I've been reading a book about running a photography business, and it's been very helpful. I've pretty much decided I'm going to focus on weddings, and marketing to the younger crowd...mainly college kids, high school seniors, and lately I've had lots of luck with the local music scene.
One of the thing the book talks about is being a craftsman as opposed to an artist. There's lots of amateur and semi-pro photographers out there that are self proclaimed artists. Most of their photography is out of focus shots at weird angles using the usual stock Photoshop filters. Most of them have no real idea how to use a camera or know anything about lighting principles. They say they "shoot from the hip" and "shun convention."
The book makes the point that a professional photographer is a craftsman, who has to be an expert in his/her craft. You have to have the ability to consistently produce good images that are well lit, well composed, and pleasing to the customer. You can't do that by shooting from the hip.
Although I agree very much with that, I think artistry may be what a small professional photographer needs to get noticed above the usual suspects of the bland Sears/Target/Shopping Mall/Department store studios who just put people in front of a generic backdrop with generic lighting, and give them a mediocre at best portrait.
Any studio photographer knows that Rembrandt lighting came from the Dutch painter who used that style of lighting in his paintings. Most of Rembrandt's paintings were commissioned portraits. He did the same thing a professional photographer does, only with oil and canvas. But Rembrandt was known for not doing the typical portraits of just the subject sitting in front of a generic back drop. He liked to put action in his portraits. In "Night Watch" below, he was commissioned to do a portrait of the militia company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq. Instead of just having them pose against a backdrop, he painted them in action, which made for a very unique and dramatic portrait.
As you may have noticed, I've been playing around with my artistic side. The picture below is of Jenn Angele, a drama student at ECU that I shot last March. The original was just her against a black background. The rest I did in Photoshop.
My question to all three of you who read my blog is, do you think this is something I can sell?
One of the thing the book talks about is being a craftsman as opposed to an artist. There's lots of amateur and semi-pro photographers out there that are self proclaimed artists. Most of their photography is out of focus shots at weird angles using the usual stock Photoshop filters. Most of them have no real idea how to use a camera or know anything about lighting principles. They say they "shoot from the hip" and "shun convention."
The book makes the point that a professional photographer is a craftsman, who has to be an expert in his/her craft. You have to have the ability to consistently produce good images that are well lit, well composed, and pleasing to the customer. You can't do that by shooting from the hip.
Although I agree very much with that, I think artistry may be what a small professional photographer needs to get noticed above the usual suspects of the bland Sears/Target/Shopping Mall/Department store studios who just put people in front of a generic backdrop with generic lighting, and give them a mediocre at best portrait.
Any studio photographer knows that Rembrandt lighting came from the Dutch painter who used that style of lighting in his paintings. Most of Rembrandt's paintings were commissioned portraits. He did the same thing a professional photographer does, only with oil and canvas. But Rembrandt was known for not doing the typical portraits of just the subject sitting in front of a generic back drop. He liked to put action in his portraits. In "Night Watch" below, he was commissioned to do a portrait of the militia company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq. Instead of just having them pose against a backdrop, he painted them in action, which made for a very unique and dramatic portrait.
As you may have noticed, I've been playing around with my artistic side. The picture below is of Jenn Angele, a drama student at ECU that I shot last March. The original was just her against a black background. The rest I did in Photoshop.
My question to all three of you who read my blog is, do you think this is something I can sell?
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Another Rock Star
This is Garrett. He's another local Greenville musician. I actually might focus my photography business on the local music scene.
In this one, I played around a lot in Photoshop. I've been trying to learn more Photoshop techniques to try and get an edgy look.
In this one, I played around a lot in Photoshop. I've been trying to learn more Photoshop techniques to try and get an edgy look.
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