Monday Photo Roundup - Feb. 25

Almost two months into 2013 ... I hope that is going well for you!  Are any of you ambitious enough to do a "365" or photo-a-day project?  If so, I would be interested in talking to you for a blog feature.

With Valentine's Day just behind us, love is still in the air, and brides are (hopefully) getting plans together for the big May-July wedding season.  Photogs, it is worth the 5 minutes to read, then re-read this nice article on what brides really want out of us personally, not just the images. (via @fstoppers)

While you are there.. a nice set of looks for bridal portraits using a minimal setup.

I saw very little of the Oscars last night, but it would be fun to make movie posters.  Chase Jarvis put up a nice collection from this year's nominees. 
My thoughts..  The bottom two Django Unchained posters my faves, followed closely by Beasts of the Southern Wild.  Lincoln and Les Mis are nice photographically, but just OK as posters.  Amour is a nice set of posters as well, but you almost have to have them together, or know the premise of them movie for them to click.  Silver Linings Playbook and Argo posters look like typical DVD cover material.  The life of Pi posters are ruined by seeing them both together.  Did they only have one picture of the actor and the tiger to work with for both posters?  Also, have you ever seen the ocean so smooth?

Wednesday night will be another Circle Meetups event at Weld, this time with Dave Onkels ... "Double your Price."

Finally!  How to be a happy photographer.

If you must shoot silhouettes, make them good.

Geek-a-riffic... Slow-mo video of how your camera shutter works.  It really is kind of violent.

Quick Pic - Sand ceremony

Nikki and Mark's wedding was the first time I had seen a 'sand ceremony,' which was a neat twist on a unity candle etc. Since both have children, it was a cool way to include them in the ceremony as well.


The table was set back in a corner (not much room in the chapel) so they granted me permission to place a remote camera back there. It worked out pretty well. Luckily there was a light on the wall directly to camera left, but it was still pretty dark as you can see by the noise in the image.

Victorian House in Kaufman

Had a rehearsal this evening for a wedding tomorrow night at the Victorian House in Kaufman, which was a lot of fun. Like any venue, this space offers its own unique challenges. Nice wooden ceilings eat up light and a large set of windows can be problematic with both reflections and light from outside.

The inside lighting is almost entirely from wall fixtures and isn't very bright, but as a whole it is useable, even light.

Just after sunset, with incandescent white balance for the indoor lights, it is a really nice effect because the windows are a cool blue.

As you can see, the reflections are just there. Careful shooting should take care of some of that but there is not very much room to move around, especially when you add people. Seating capacity is supposed to be 250, but it feels smaller (cozy if you prefer) with only a center aisle.

After the sunlight goes away entirely, the picture changes quite a bit, with some sort of street light just behind the center window.

Here is the view from the front looking back. Note that the entry lighting is compact fluorescent bulbs so it will take correction or custom white balance for that area.

In case you are wondering, from the right angle those windows make big, beautiful softbox light during the daytime.

Of course from where you would have to be during a wedding, they make a big wall of light directly behind your subjects.

I did wander around a little bit outside before the light went away entirely, and I think this place would be great for a dusk outdoor wedding if the weather was nice.

And looking up makes a fun artsy shot... (still on incandescent white balance gives the crazy blue sky).

The people who run the place were very helpful and accommodating. The reception hall also has a very nice look. I look forward to seeing what images come out of the ceremony tomorrow night.

Don J.