In case you missed the first one, I’m going to offer another Free Portrait Session. This time I’ll have props and a few different backgrounds, so prepare for a silly good time . Also, I’m looking at having it on one of the last Saturdays in March to accommodate more schedules. More info will be available as I lock in all the details. Stay tuned.

Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of “On White” type work. Last week was Free Portrait at The Lunch Cafe, thank you to everyone who made it out. If you missed it, don’t worry, I will be having more in the future. Just follow me here, Facebook, or G+.

The basic to shooting on white are a white seamless background (roll of paper), and at least 2 light sources (3 light sources make it easier). The main light source, which in my case was a 60″ Softlighter II, is used to properly expose my model. The second (and third)  light source is used to brighten the background. Typically having your background light 1 Stop brighter than your main light is a good starting point. So assuming all your lights are the same make and model, and your main light is set at 1/4 power to properly expose your model, setting your background light at 1/2 power will make your background bright white. This is only a starting point, you will probably have to tweak power settings and the distance of the light to the background until you get the results you want.

Here are some of my favorites along with the lighting diagrams to go with them.

Future portraits on white will be in my Portraits on White flickr set.

I will be taking photos and emailing web resolution (400px X 600px @ 72dpi) size jpgs, for you to use however you’d like. Everyone will receive at least one photo, more if there is time.

When: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: The Lunch Cafe, 3116 12 Mile Rd, Berkley, MI 48072

The Lunch Cafe will be open and serving food if you’d like to have dinner or a beverage. Larger sized digital files and printed photographs will be available for purchase after the event. I may choose to use the images in future portfolios, promotional materials, and photography tutorials, both online and/or in printed media. I will NOT sell the images to any third party!

Download the flyer.

Leave me a comment below with any questions. Hope to see you there.

…and a Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone’s 2011 was amazing, and may your 2012 be even better.

See you next year!

Yesterday was the first real snowfall for the area near me. I’m not a fan of snow or winter for that matter, but when the snow is fresh, it sure looks beautiful. Not to mention all the Holiday lights everywhere right now.

So I’ve decided to venture out more this winter. I’m not accustom to shooting winter scenes, I expect a lot of mistakes and crap frames. When I do get pics that I like, you’ll be able to find them in my Winter Wonderland Flickr set.

One quick tip that usually works for me when shooting a snow scene. I set the exposure dial +0.7 or  +1.0 stops to keep my snow whiter than gray. Otherwise I’m lightening the file in post.

What is it about instant Polaroid cameras and the images they produce? For me it’s the knowledge that the picture won’t be technically perfect, that allows me to relax and just have fun. Thankfully companies like FujiFilm and The Impossible Project continue to produce film for vintage Polaroids, otherwise I’d have paperweights instead of cameras.

I currently use 4 different vintage Polaroid cameras, each has it’s own charm.

1. EE100 Special
   Folds closed into it’s own protective case.
2. Colorpack II
3. BigShot
   Supposedly a favorite of Andy Warhol. No batteries needed. Takes only head shots, we’ll see about that.
4. One Step Close-up
   A variation of the traditional Polaroid camera everyone had, check your home or the neighbors, bet there is one not to far away.

The first 3 cameras listed use 100 type film. FujiFilm makes color and black & white film that replaces 100 type film for certain Polaroid Land Cameras. This is important, since there are a lot of Polaroid Land Cameras that took 80 type film, and the FujiFilm will NOT fit inside. FujiFilm can be found at Adorama and most other large camera stores. You will want film style FP-100b (iso 100, black & white film), FP-100c (iso 100, color film), or FP-3000b (iso 3000, black & white film) depending on your model.

The Impossible Project makes new 600, Image/Spectra, and SX-70 films. As well as sells some vintage film and refurbished camera. They are constantly developing new formulas and improving the quality of their film.

If you are still not sure what camera or film you might have/want. A great resource for determining which camera takes what film is: Polaroid Passion. They have put together an amazing site that helped me when I first began and didn’t know what I was doing. Their site helped make sure I didn’t buy a Polaroid off eBay that I might not be able to find film for.

Back to the pictures. I’ve created a set of my instant film images on Flickr, a portion of which can be seen below, or you can visit the entire set at: Instant Film / Polaroid / FujiFilm

Enjoy and remember you don’t need to shake your Polaroids.

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave men and women who have served this great country. Thank you!

With all the hype about the iPhone 4s and plenty of sites dedicated to iPhone apps, I though I’d list my favorite photography related apps for those of us still sporting Android phones.

Vignette
Cost: €2.49 (approx $3.92)
Description: Add film and camera effects to your photos.
84 effects & 59 frames • Retro / vintage styles • LOMO / Diana / Holga toy camera styles • Polaroid / instant camera styles • Cross-process, tilt-shift, photobooth, double exposure and more • Supports the full resolution of your camera (3.1MP, 5MP or 8MP) • Flash (if your phone has one) (not working on Dell Streak) • Front-facing camera support (on some phones) • Self-timer and time-lapse • Digital zoom • Geotagging
Why I like it: Lots of effects, works as a replacement for the stock camera or as an editor. If you use the camera function you can save both the original and an edited version of the photo. Allows you to save at your phones highest resolution, in my case 8mp.

PicSay Pro – Photo Editor
Cost: €2.95 (approx $4.64)
Description: Award winning photo editor with all the tools you need to spice up your pictures. Spice up the pictures on your phone with this award winning photo editor! Sharpen, remove red eye, crop & straighten, distort, insert cutouts of other pictures, paint, make color splash out of black-and-white pictures, add text, word balloons, apply effects like Cross Process, Lomo, Vignette, faux HDR, Tilt-shift, Pencil Sketch, and much more. Includes Summer stickers!
Why I like it: Offers effects that Vignette doesn’t. One drawback is it reduces the file size in order to process files faster.

Photofluent +
Cost: $1.99
Description: Photography made easy! Hundreds of Step by Step Guides, Thousands of Tips! Photography made easy! Hundreds of digital camera tutorial guides, Virtual Visual Guides, Thousands of Tips & Tricks, Pro Secrets, Inspiring Idea Inventor, Light Trainer, Global Notes, Composition, Gear, Step by Step camera setup. Its like having a professional photographer at your side! Fantastic reference tool in your pocket for all situations! Improve, Learn and Grow your photography skills!
Why I like it: Quick reference for many common photo taking situations. Easy to navigate, and can be inspiring.

Photography Trainer
Cost: $1.99
Description: Master Your D-SLR: Step-by-step guide on setting your camera for amazing photos. “Learn Photography and Master Your D-SLR.” This app guides you step-by-step how to set your D-SLR to take the perfect shot. Capture amazing photos by truly understanding shutter speed, aperture & ISO. Dozens of sample photos with camera settings, photography tips and tutorials. Night photography, sports, landscapes, portraits, architecture, HDR & more. Best of all, the app doesn’t require an internet connection, so it’s perfect for vacations and holidays too – learn photography no matter where you are in the world. You’ll always have an expert with you in your pocket, there to help you take spectacular photos.
Why I like it: Another quick reference for many common photo taking situations.

Depth Of Field Calculator
Cost: Free
Description: Select your camera, lens, distance to the subject, and this app will tell you how much of your image will be in focus. Another option is hyperfocal distance, which is the minimum distance you have to focus at for infinity to be in focus.
Why I like it: I use it when taking landscaping photos to make sure everything should be in focus.

NikonLenses
Cost: Free
Description: The NikonLenses app is a guide to Nikon’s current lineup of F-Mount lenses used by both Nikon’s digital and film SLR cameras. You can view all the lenses at once or you can view lenses in a selected category. You have the ability to sort by aperture, minimum focal length and ESP (Estimated Retail Price). Each lens has a detail page which provides links to the Nikon web page detailing the lens, reviews of the lens from third parties (if available – brand new lenses might not have reviews yet) and where to rent the lens (United States only).
Why I like it: Great reference of available lenses, with links to major review sites. Only issue I see is the displayed lens prices are outdated.

CanonLenses
Cost: Free
Description: The CanonLenses app is a guide to Canon’s current lineup of EF and EF-S Mount lenses used by both Canon’s digital and film SLR cameras. You can view all the lenses at once or you can view lenses in a selected category. You have the ability to sort by aperture, minimum focal length and ESP (Estimated Retail Price). Each lens has a detail page which provides links to the Canon web page detailing the lens, reviews of the lens from third parties (if available – brand new lenses might not have reviews yet) and information on where to rent the lens in the US (if available).
Why I like it: Same as the Nikon version but for Canon users.

B&H Photo Video Pro Audio
Cost: Free
Description: Search, browse, and purchase from the entire inventory of the latest in photo, video, pro audio, computers, home and portable entertainment, binoculars, scopes and much more. Considered the “Professional’s Source” since 1973, B&H Photo Video & Pro Audio in Manhattan has been serving both the professional and enthusiast photographer for over 35 years. B&H is known for its personal, customer service and dedication to providing the best prices on the latest gear.
Why I like it: A mobile version of B&H’s website, what’s not to like.

GoldenPicLite
Cost: Free
Description: Find the right time for your pictures and outdoor Activities with GoldenPic Lite. GoldenPic tells photographers when the lighting will be just right for outdoor photography, and tells hikers, hunters, campers and anglers about important times of day for their activities. Sunrise, sunset, golden and blue hours • Choose your location • Weather
Why I like it: Straight forward interface without the clutter of similar apps.

Lighting Studio
Cost: Free
Description: Sometimes you want to make a diagram of your photo session. So, Lighting Studio is a tool that can help you create the lighting diagrams for your photography planning and explaining. There are many cameras, equipments and models to allocate for your lighting diagrams.
Why I like it: Great for building a mini library of lighting diagrams that are always with you.

What apps do you use?

Saturday October 1st, was the 2011 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk. With 1,117 locations and 28,208 photographers it is quite an impressive undertaking. I attended the Bloomfield Hills walk at the Franklin Cider Mill, led by local photographer, Adobe Guru, and Mac wizard Terry White.

The Franklin Cider Mill was very accommodating and incredibly gracious. If you’re in driving distance, make a stop there this season for your apple cider and donuts. Quick FYI, Franklin doesn’t pasteurize their cider, in case that matters to you.

The following images are my favorites from the pictures that I took. The photo walk is a competition, please let me know which of my photos below you like best in the comments section.

If you’d like to see more, The Official Flickr group for the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk can be seen here, or on October 17th the best of the Walk can be seen here.

It was great to get out and meet other photographers. I look forward to doing it again next year. If your interested, mark your calendars, some of the walks fill up quickly.

I just received two new photo books from AdoramaPix, and the quality as usual is amazing. I’ve ordered prints and books from them many times, they are consistent in their quality, and service. Their photo books are a great way to display your pictures without cluttering your walls, an alternative to scrap-booking, and make great portfolios.

AdoramaPix photo books come in a variety of sizes, with horizontal, vertical, and square formats. They lay flat, which is great for pictures you’d like to spread across 2 pages, have a hard cover, no flimsy paperbacks for me, and are printed on real photographic silver-halide paper with a lustre finish. The pages are thick, and the books have some weight to them. You definitely feel like you are holding something of quality. I favor the square books as you can see above, both the 6″x6″ and 8″x8″ sizes.

The bookmaking process can be intimidating at first, but the folks at AdoramaPix have done a great job in supplying tutorials to help you along. The books are completely customizable, the software they provide while not perfect, is relatively easy and full of options. They’ve also provided a fair and growing number of templates for you to use as the design of your book if you’d like, very plug and play.

Here are samples of the two books I recently created. The thumbnails are interactive, click on them to turn the page.

Pricing starts around $16 per book, and goes up from there based on size and the number of pages. They do offer quantity discounts, 10+ quantity is shown, large volume they ask you to contact them for a quote. Now you may think the books are on the pricey side, but that feeling will go away once you hold one in person. They are worth every penny. I’ve tried some of the softcover books other sites offer and although some are nice, I feel they all fall short in comparison. If you are still reluctant, follow AdoramaPix on Twitter or Facebook and wait for a promotion. They run specials all the time.

When you do create an account at AdoramaPix.com and it asks “How did you hear about us?” please select “Referred by a friend”. A new field will appear to provide a referral number. I hope you will use mine: 668410 so we both will receive 10 Free 4″x6″ prints.

I use my 4″x6″ to test the color of my prints before I order larger sizes. It’s also a great way to sample different papers. The metallic paper from AdoramaPix is super cool looking, try it with the next picture you take of something reflective.

Recently AdoramaPix has added a leather cover version of their photo books. I have not tried one, but would love to hear from you if you have or when you do.